LOCKDOWN 3.0 IN IVY HOUSE
There have been some interesting changes to life in Ivy for this half term.
We have welcomed back 13 of our international and key worker boarders and they include 5 lovely girls from our senior house, Stratton. We are now operating as a home learning hub as well as a boarding house. The girls have been amazing and have become a wonderful team along with our residential staff. The first week was quite an experience as we juggled with WiFi overload, a spread of learning from Year 5-11, how to arrange the household and of course 7 boisterous puppies! Not to mention Mrs Crinion, Mrs Berrisford and Miss Gough’s teaching commitments!
As with any other household, online learning presents challenges for all involved but there is a distinct ‘blitz spirit’ in being locked down together and while missing their families, the girls are relishing having one another for company and support. We are also a whole boarding bubble so can enjoy activities with the other boarding houses – lots of inter house sport, fun in the forest, film nights, a treasure hunt, quiz night and there is the promise of lazer tag for next weekend!
We are into the groove so to speak and our days are full, fun and fit! The girls are all fantastically engaged with the online learning, are obsessed with keeping up with the Strava exercise app and really working hard to keep one another upbeat and active. Our senior girls have hosted a beauty afternoon, karaoke night and the younger ones are loving having so many big sisters.
The puppies went to their new homes at the end of our first week and although much missed, our daily house dog walk with Honey, Roxy and Rolo at the end of the school day is always entertaining rain, sleet and snow. Baby Alex visiting every Wednesday is a highlight with 13 willing babysitters – he is definitely getting plenty of social interaction! And the highlight of the term so far was ‘SNOW DAY’. The excitement on Sunday morning was stratospheric – it lifted everyone and there were some epic snowball fights and very impressive snowmen.
We are enormously proud of our whole boarding community and know that our girls are happy, safe and secure in our Ivy bubble.
Sophie Saunders, Matron