Notre Dame du Rosaire RC Primary School: Newsletter

We finished our half term tomorrow with Mrs de Jersey’s class leading our harvest assembly. We welcomed Dr Susan Wilson from the Tumaini Fund who was our special guest. We are not collecting the traditional fruit and vegetables, but instead we are asking for items for the Aids orphans supported by the Tumaini Fund. The Tanzanian children would welcome items which will help them complete their education. We would like stationery items such as pens (black or blue only), pencils, notebooks, erasers and rulers. Items must be in new condition or they will be rejected by customs.

Rotary Club Shoebox appeal: Once again we are joining the Rotary Clubs scheme to provide Christmas gifts for children in Albania, Montenegro, Tanzania and Romania. We invite our children to take a shoebox and fill it with items for “educational and hygiene purposes”. A leaflet giving full details has already gone home. Please read this carefully as the International Customs regulations are very strict about what can and can’t be included. The boxes will be collected from school in the week after half term so this would make an excellent half term project for children with nothing to do!

Our football team has had a wonderful start to the season. Here are some match reports:

Notre Dame v La Mare de Carteret: We had a really bad start and after five minutes we were losing 3-0. But by half time we managed to score when Harvey managed to head Mario’s corner into the net. In the second half we started really well with several chances. The ball fell to Alex and he buried it. Then they managed to score with their first real shot of the second half. Harvey’s long throw caused problems for their defence and they scored an own goal. It was a really good match and the final score was Notre Dame 5, La Mare de Carteret 4. football Mario.jpg

Notre Dame v St Mary and St Michael: We started with a few good chances which we didn’t take. Then Mario took a corner which fell to Alex. They hand-balled so we had a penalty which Alex scored in the bottom left. They managed to equalise before half time. We managed to keep them in their own half for the whole of the second half and Alex scored twice. The final score was a well-deserved Notre Dame 3, St Mary and St Michael 1.

Notre Dame v Amherst: We started really well and scored after a few minutes. They equalised and Philippe made several good saves which kept us in the game and it was level at half time. In the second half Mario scored twice very quickly but they pulled back with a lucky goal. Philippe made a really good save which Jacob cleared off the line with his left foot. Patrick had a good shot saved but the ball came back to Mario who scored from the edge of the box. Alex wrapped up the game with a header making the final score Notre Dame 5 Amherst 2. Squad: Mario (Capt), Jacob, Alex F, Patrick, Zac, Harvey, Philippe, George and Samuel.

We have been given notice that the police and traffic wardens will be outside the school to ensure there is no illegal parking on yellow lines or on the pavement. The police deserve to have the fullest support of parents. Road accidents around our school are thankfully very rare but they do happen. In the last ten years four Notre Dame children have been knocked down by cars near the school. Thankfully there were no serious injuries but the common factors in all of these cases were illegally parked cars. These were either parked on the pavement, forcing children to walk in the road, or they were obstructing visibility and preventing drivers from seeing the child until it was too late. If you park your car on the pavement or on a yellow line you are putting children’s lives at risk – DON’T DO IT!

Race Night: Thank you to everyone who supported the Race Night last Saturday. An excellent time was had by all and valuable funds were raised for the school and for Dr Ray’s medical work in Africa. Thanks to Eimear, Jerry, Pete and the rest of the team for their hard work.

The fundraising committee has decided not to go ahead with the planned auction of promises in November but instead there will be a Grand “Blue Tie” Ball in the new year. Watch for details!

Building Fund Account details: If you prefer to use online banking to pay your Building Fund subscription, our account is with TSB Guernsey, “PRCDTR Guernsey Catholic Schools Building Fund”, Sort Code 30.93.73 Account number 00802108. Please quote reference ND/ followed by your surname and initials.

Social event: a night out for parents and teachers, on Thursday 27th October at Village East. We would like parents from the infant and junior school to get together on this social evening. For further details contact Sandra Truelove on 07781423541

PTFA E-mail alerts: We could cut down on paper if our parents could all be on our e-mail alert system. If you would like to be included please go to http://bit.ly/r9uihu and enter your e-mail account details. We will then send you messages from time to time to inform you of past successes and future events.

First Communion Meeting: Parents of children in Year 3 and above who wish their child to receive First Holy Communion next summer are invited to attend a meeting in St Joseph's Hall on Tuesday 15th November at 7pm. There are some changes to the way the preparation programme will be delivered in order to bring us into line with the recommendations of the Diocesan Department for Pastoral Formation. These changes will be explained at the meeting.

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent PTFA AGM last week. Your outgoing committee was able to report on another very successful year. Profits were up 25% at £7199 – a magnificent sum!

Please give your support to our committee members for 2011-12: John Surcombe, Claire Chambers, Kelly Hutchinson, Martin Conlon, Sarah Petit, Jan Nelson, Melanie Le Page, Sharon Dyke, Kate Collins and Michelle Falla

Congratulations to all those children who took part in the second Catholic Schools’ Chess Tournament on 19th March. Pupils from Years 1 to 6 took part in an absorbing four hours of chess and all received medals for their efforts. Thanks go to Fr Stan for his organisation and enthusiasm and we look forward to another tournament very soon. See our Gallery section for photos of the day's play.

Year 5 dressed as Victorians yesterday and visited the Candie Museum to experience life over 100 years ago. They learned lots of new facts and had a wonderful day:

I learned that William Le Lacheur is a hero in Costa Rica but he’s from Guernsey!

I learnt that in the mornings the kids had to have their shoes and hands checked to see if they had dirty hands or needed to polish their shoes. You may have got hit with the cane. Emily

My favourite bit was seeing the swords, spears and axes that Corbin collected. Toby

I enjoyed learning about Victor Hugo and how he used to let poor people into his house for lunch. Ana-Sofia

Did you know that children can access the internet in many ways and not just through the computer or laptop you might have at home? These days you can get online through your mobile phone, games console or internet-enabled TV which may not carry the same parent protection measures as your home computer or the computers your children use at school.

Do you know what your children do when they are online? Who are they talking to? Do they upload pictures of themselves and if so who can see these pictures? What is cyber-bullying? How do I spot the signs and how can I stop it happening?

An issue for us at Notre Dame is the use of Facebook. According to Facebook’s own rules you need to be 13 years old to have a Facebook account. Despite this rule we are aware that more than half our junior children (maybe more) have Facebook accounts. This is not illegal as it is only Facebook’s own rule that is being broken, but parents need to be aware of some of the issues which could arise:

Our children have been told: Don’t write anything on Facebook that you wouldn’t want your teacher or mother or next door neighbour to see. Children often do not understand the consequences of what they post online and that anything posted cannot be deleted easily. We have had disputes flare up in school which have started because of something which has been posted on Facebook. This could be cyber bullying which is as real and as hurtful as any other from of bullying and it will not be tolerated.

Children do not appreciate the importance of the privacy settings. The default settings on Facebook leave your profile and picture open for the whole world to see.

A key question for parents to ask: Do you know what your children are doing online? Your computer should be in the living room, not in a child’s bedroom and your children should be perfectly happy for you to be looking over their shoulder. If not, ask yourself why.

Children can have a great deal of pleasure from sites such as Facebook provided they understand how to stay safe and are happy to let parents supervise their use of the site.

After a week of studying Macbeth, our Yr 6 children were very fortunate to be able to take part in a Macbeth drama workshop at the Performing Arts Centre. Head of Drama at the Grammar (and parent at Notre Dame) Kate Edwards, got the children not only acting out the first scene, but choosing special effects, costumes, music and lighting. As you can imagine, the smoke machine was put to good use!

Thank you to Mrs Edwards, the year 13 students and the technicians who helped make it such a great experience. You can see from the photos that the children had a fantastic time and it was a great end to the week.

“I liked working together and trying on costumes, as well as acting as an evil assistant for the three witches.” Sammy

“I loved the Macbeth workshop, especially when we watched the Doctor scene and when the 6th formers closed in on us. It was more fun than my usual drama and I loved our play” Molly

“I think it was great performing our Macbeth play: the costumes, the effects and the smoke machine, It’s fantastic! I hope we do it again, next time with more scenes.” Kent

“I had a great experience of how to act Macbeth with smoke and thunder.” Sebastian

I thought that the Macbeth play was wicked. I really enjoyed acting my part and the hard work paid off – we won! Olivia

We are proud of our uniform and we are committed to maintaining our standards. We thank parents for their support with this.

Recently we have noticed some children coming to school wearing sweatshirts embroidered with the school badge. We would like to point out that we do not have a sweatshirt as part of our uniform and no uniform supplier is authorised to embroider the school badge on a sweatshirt.

We have been in touch with all local uniform suppliers who have an embroidering facility to ask them not to embroider our badge on sweatshirts. All have agreed that they do not stock sweatshirts with the logo but one supplier admitted to providing one on demand from a parent.

We own the copyright to our school badge and will withdraw the right for companies to use it if they use it on non-uniform items. We would kindly ask parents not to demand to have our badge embroidered on items which are not part of school uniform.

The committee need helpers who can offer support on a regular or occasional basis. If you would like to be on the helpers’ list please approach any of the committee or call in to the coffee morning tomorrow.

As well as our regular fundraising activities we can earn money through Easyfundraising. Every time you use a shopping site such as Amazon or book a flight with Flybe or many other airlines you can earn commission for the school and it won’t cost you a penny extra. To enrol go to our website and follow the link on our home page.

Stuck on You provide a range of labels for clothing, shoes, lunch boxes, in fact anything that can be labelled. The labels are guaranteed not to come off and we also earn commission on every order placed. Leaflets are being sent out today.

The Education Department issues guidelines to schools concerning the administration of medicine to pupils during the daytime. The policy is that no school or staff member is under any obligation to give medicines to pupils but it is recognised that schools will do their best to help pupils with ongoing medical needs.

Pupils completing courses of treatment do not normally need to bring medicine to school. If a dose needs to be given three times a day this can be done after breakfast, after school and before bedtime. If it is unavoidable for the medicine to come to school this must be discussed with Mr McGovern first, and instructions must be given in writing.

For children with long term medical needs or who may need emergency medication the child’s needs must be discussed with the school first and the details given in writing. We ask for an update every September to ensure our records are accurate. Parents are responsible for ensuring medicines are not out of date.

We will encourage children with medical conditions to manage their own medication when appropriate. For example children with asthma inhalers should keep their inhaler with them, remember to take it to games and know where the spare inhaler is stored.

This policy does not cover sick children. If a child is unwell he or she must stay at home and working parents need to have contingency plans in case this happens. There have been occasions in which a sick child has been sent to school with a bottle of Calpol in the lunchbox. If you need free advice on any of these matters please contact the school nurses at Lukis House, 725241. Our nurse, Fiona Hardy visits the school regularly and will be happy to see you.

Please be on the lookout for headlice as they are always present in the school. If your child has them it is a good idea to change the bed linen after treatment to prevent re-infestation. School nurses no longer check children’s heads in school so it is the parent’s responsibility to do this at least once a week. However if you need advice this is available from the nurses on 725241.

We are delighted to report that we have been granted the status of "Healthy School" by reaching the enhanced National Healthy School Standard.

Achieving Healthy School Status involves meeting national standards in four key areas. These are:

The School’s Personal Social and Health Education Curriculum: We have demonstrated that we are providing pupils with the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes to make informed decisions about their lives. We also have mechanisms in place to ensure pupils’ and parents’ views are taken into account in all aspects of the life of the school. .

Healthy eating: We have demonstrated that children have the confidence, skills and understanding to make healthy food choices. Here in Guernsey where there is no school meals service it is even more important that children and their families understand what constitutes a healthy lunch box.

Emotional Health and Well-being: We promote positive emotional health and well-being to help pupils understand and express their feelings and build their confidence and emotional resilience.

Physical activity: We are providing pupils with a range of opportunities to be physically active. In this way they will understand how physical activity can help them to be more healthy and how physical activity can improve and be a part of their everyday life.

Parents coming into school: Now that our children are well settled we would ask that parents do not routinely come into the building at the beginning and end of the day. Even our Reception children do not need help to hang up their coats and bags, and to allow children to do this by themselves helps them to become more independent. It also eases congestion in our narrow corridors.

Early arrivals: Please note that school starts at 8.45am for juniors and 9am for infants. We provide supervision for ten minutes before this time to allow parents to drop off their children. We have found some older children arriving much earlier than this, sometimes as early as 8.15am which is unacceptable. Parents who have to work early must make alternative child care arrangements.

On Wednesday 16th September 2009 Notre Dame School joined representatives of all Catholic schools in the Diocese to greet the relics of St Thérèse on the first day of the relics’ tour of England. We travelled by train to Portsmouth and had a tasty breakfast of cereal, bacon and sausages at St John’s Cathedral school when we arrived.

We then made our way to the Cathedral which was full of children and took our places with St Mary and St Michael School. Bishop Crispian led the service at which every child was able to walk past the relics casket and bless themselves with holy water. Maninda, Tilly and Katy read the bidding prayers and Yasmin presented a card with prayers written by our children to Bishop Crispian. We were very pleased to be part of such a wonderful celebration. We saw Canon Hetherington who sends his good wishes to all.

In the afternoon we had a chance to take a tour of HMS Victory and were able to see how harsh life was for sailors 200 years ago. After some shopping it was time to make our way back to the station to take our train to the airport. We had a wonderful day. Our Guernsey children were beautifully behaved and excellent ambassadors for their schools. Visit our Gallery to see photos of our day out

Following the ceremony to welcome the relics of St Thérèse last week, Bishop Crispian has written to say, “There have been many occasions when I have been intensely proud to be Bishop of our Diocese of Portsmouth, but never more than now. I will keep the memory of these days, and, I hope, the graces that have flowed from them forever in my heart.” The Director of Schools, Rosemary Olivier, wrote to say, “I am very grateful for the part your pupils played in this by reading the bidding prayers and in helping the occasion to run smoothly. Please pass on my thanks to them for their participation.”

Early arrivals: Please note that we provide supervision for ten minutes before the start of the school day (i.e. from 8.35am for juniors and 8.50am for infants.) It is a concern to us that some children are arriving significantly earlier than this and problems could arise if a child has an accident or misbehaves and there is no staff member available. We have also noticed that some children are dropped early, then leave the school site unaccompanied when the parent has left. This is unacceptable!

Every Thursday you will receive a newsletter which is sent out with the eldest child in each family. We always keep to a regular day each week because children do not always remember to hand letters over so please check your child’s bag every Thursday. Spare copies are available from the school office or the leaflet dispenser in the Lower School entrance. The newsletter keeps you informed about school and parish events and allows us to share our successes in and out of the classroom. It also contains important information, including future dates and deadlines for returning information to school so please read it!

Absences: If your child is absent from school, please let us know in one of the following ways:

We are legally obliged to record a reason for every absence so please leave brief details with your message. Term time holidays are strongly discouraged. If you have to take your child out of school for a holiday during school time please inform us in writing if the absence is for five days or less. For longer holidays permission must be obtained by writing to the Director of Education. Please note that we do not undertake to set homework for children on holiday.

To see photos of Oliver! and some of our summer activities visit our gallery or click on

At the Performing Arts Centre last week the audience were certainly wanting MORE!

Here are just a few of the messages we have received after our Oliver! performances:

“Thank you so much for the wonderful production of Oliver. My husband and I had the privilege of attending last night to see our grandchildren and the remainder of the school perform in the most outstanding manner. It was all very professional and thoroughly enjoyable. I know you must be extremely proud of them all for such a performance”

As you know, all my children have attended Notre Dame so my connection with the school has been for a few years now. In that time, I have had great pleasure in attending various plays etc which have all been excellent.

My daughters have been looking forward to appearing in the production and working along side Mr McGovern and Father PJ, and driving us mad with Oliver! songs. The result was amazing, Father PJ and Mr McGovern were the perfect casting for the parts, and the children really enjoyed having them both involved

The children playing the leading roles (Oliver, Nancy, Dodger, Bill Sykes to name just a few) were brilliant and the solo singing was just a joy to listen too, keep up the good work!

Dear Mr. Mc Govern, I just wanted to say how wonderful last night’s performance was. It is quite unbelievable to note that the cast were (mostly!) no more than 11 years old. You and your team have a lot to be very proud of. In my work today I will be “reviewing situations” and I will do it with a lighter heart following your rendition. Thank you very much

I had no idea what to expect but was completely overwhelmed by a fantastic performance. It was spectacular! I have nothing but praise for the school as a whole, but really just wanted to congratulate everyone involved in the production of the show. It must have taken a lot of effort and hard work and I just felt it might be nice to hear how much it was appreciated!

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Oliver at the Performing Arts Centre last week. The hard work of the staff and children is to be commended. I know that Marilyn Salisbury is retiring at the end of the term and this performance of Oliver is a very worthy final production for her to be involved in. Please pass on my congratulations to everyone involved in the production.

The performance of Oliver! was very special for many reasons, not least because it was the first musical Mrs Salisbury ever put on when she started teaching and it was fitting that it should be the one which ended her retirement year. Many thanks to all who contributed to its success, not least the children for their talent and enthusiasm and the staff team. Special thanks to Mrs de Jersey for assisting with the music and musical rehearsals, Mrs Robertshaw, Mrs McLuskey and Mrs Cable for the costumes and props, Mrs Courtenay-Warren and Miss Higgins for rehearsals and liaising with the Performing Arts centre staff over the staging and technical side and of course our musical director Mrs Marilyn Salisbury!

The St Joseph’s rainbows, brownies and guides meet on Fridays in St Joseph’s hall and are looking for new members:

Rainbows: Age 5-7, 4.00-5.00pm. Contact: Miss Louise Carmichael -07839 736201

All these retailers are able to provide embroidered items. Please note that we are not changing our uniforms and that sweatshirts are not part of the Notre Dame uniform. Children should wear V neck jumpers or cardigans. These are available in the same material as sweatshirts and that is acceptable. Children should have black leather shoes for school and these can be purchased from any of the local shoe retailers.

Some children have suggested that we should have a Notre Dame fleece. Whilst there would be no problem putting our logo on a fleece we would not recommend it as fleeces are not waterproof. Our children do spend more time outdoors than other schools and we don’t let a drop of rain bother us! Podgers stock a waterproof reversible fleece at £15 which would take our logo very well and would be perfect for a school coat in mild weather.

Podgers and Fletchersports have both indicated that they plan to introduce an online service for ordering uniform items and we will keep you updated when this is available.

Is school uniform compulsory? YES. It is well established that school rules are legally enforceable provided that they are reasonable. This includes the wearing of school uniforms provided that the items are reasonably priced and readily available. However we prefer to encourage, rather than threaten parents and children to co-operate with our uniform policy and to be proud of our school. Financial assistance is available for families on benefits who may struggle to meet the cost. The Education Department will be happy to provide details in confidence, please phone 710821 and ask for the Education Welfare section. We also have a large collection of second hand uniform / unclaimed lost property which we are happy to give away. Please ask!

There was a panel of children who had taken part in different sports and Sarah, Natalie and I represented Year 6. This amazing moment happened on Thursday morning at 11am.

Colin answered a number of questions from the panel and the other children and staff. He has received an MBE and CBE. His favourite sports at school were athletics and cricket. He has broken two world records, has 25 medals and numerous trophies.

It was amazing seeing a star right in front of you, it’s not an experience you get every day by India

Our youngest panellist, tap dancer Grace, grilled him about his time on Strictly Come Dancing. His favourite dance was the foxtrot and his least favourite was the tango. He didn’t really mind losing to Darren Gough because he never expected that either of them would get that far. He commented that sports stars do well on the show because they are used to being coached and taking advice on improving their performances. He says that, although the judges seem grumpy, they are really friendly behind the scenes.

Our artistic roller skaters, Caitlin and Monica were wondering whether we would see him in ‘Dancing on Ice’. He said he had been offered the chance to take part but he thought it would be too hard and he would worry about dropping one of the celebrity girls.

One thing I will remember best was the huge applause at the start of assembly when he came through the door with the camera crew Andrew

What I found funny was when Mr le Page asked to see his starting position and his warm-up. He said he’s too old now and hasn’t been training in ages. Gearóid

I never thought a sportsman could be so kind. I was surprised to find out that Colin Jackson can play the violin and the recorder Maria

I was surprised that Colin has never seen a rugby union match because he comes from Wales Theo

The panel were great asking their questions. They dressed in the clothes which they wear for their sports. He was so clear with his answers and he inspired me not to give up. Kerry

He made me laugh when he said he couldn’t ride a horse but would like to learn. Ronan

I was inspired by how determined he was and he never gave up even though his coach was a bit picky. He didn’t boast, he was just happy and smiling. Orla

He is forty years old, has had nine knee operations and twenty five major medals which he keeps at his mum’s house. Lily-Mae

Colin Jackson was easy to understand and fun to listen to. He was really friendly, smiley and ‘normal’ even though he has won all those medals and trophies. He taught me never to give up even when it seems like everything has gone wrong. He is always ready to learn something new. Ellie

I was amazed how lucky I was to see a real world champion in front of me. I realised that he isn’t a typical champion, showing off, but a good natured, kind man who showed me that I could be a good runner if I follow his advice. I will always remember him when I run for England (that is, if I am good enough!) Daniel

It was the best day we have ever had! We should invite more celebrities. We asked him lots of questions and Mr le Page asked him to show us his warm-up but he didn’t show us. Never mind! Mara

Please do not send sick children into school! It is difficult for working parents when children are sick but the needs of the sick child and the rest of the class and the staff should be the priority.

We have received updated advice from the UK Health Protection Agency (which our local health authority has passed to us) concerning children with diarrhoea and / or vomiting. Children with these symptoms should now stay off school for 48 hours from the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting (this was previously 24 hours). In addition children with diarrhoea should be excluded from swimming for two weeks following the last episode.

Impetigo: This is a bacterial infection which causes sores, often around the mouth.

As Impetigo is contagious, children should see a doctor if this is suspected, and the condition will normally be treated with antibiotics. Children should stay off school until the sores have crusted or healed.

Headlice: Infestation with headlice is always a possibility and parents are asked to check children’s hair regularly. Headlice are unpleasant but not harmful and children should not be kept off school because of them. Wet combing with conditioner is an effective method of control (although it requires great patience). There is a variety of treatments available from pharmacies.

If you have any concerns about your child’s health, our school nurse, Fiona Hardy offers a free monthly drop-in.

Healthy lifestyles survey: Year 6 have recently completed this survey along with all other schools. The survey is designed to measure their attitudes towards such matters as healthy eating, exercise, smoking and keeping safe. The children’s individual answers are confidential but the school’s aggregated results show some interesting statistics, for example:

Canadian memories

Our website, www.notredame.sch.gg has caught the eye of a former Notre Dame pupil on the other side of the world. Margaret Cornick (née Carbery) now lives in Vancouver on the west coast of Canada and has sent us these memories:

"I attended Notre Dame du Rosaire School for about four years, I think it was 1936-1940, and was evacuated to Hollymount Convent in 1940, because of the German Occupation. My mother was caretaker of the school during the time we were there, and after the war we returned to Guernsey and moved back to our house which was in the grounds above the school yard. We shared the house with the gardener and his family. We had half the house each. The gardener and his family were called Riochet. Sister Francois de Sales was the Mother Superior, and there was a music teacher - Sister Cecile, and a Sister Marguerite and others - I don't remember them all. I still have a reference written for me by Sister Francois de Sales when I needed to apply for my first job at the age of 14. That was the school leaving age in those days.

We attended Notre Dame Church next to the school. The priest was Father Bourde. I made my First Communion in that church and also sang in the choir. If we sang in the choir on Sunday Father Bourde would come to the school every Monday and give those who sang in the choir an orange. My brother James served as an altar boy.

It was great finding and reading through your site, and finding that the school is still there. I was so interested in reading the news right up to date. I have many happy memories of Notre Dame du Rosaire School and I also remember that the nuns used to serve fantastic homemade soup during the winter which all children could have at lunchtime.

There was a Marion Brouard, a young girl who lived with the nuns in those days, and we all played together by the hour in the school yard under the tree in summer to stay in the shade.

The nuns had gardens and grew all their own fruit and vegetables and flowers. They also had vines growing in the greenhouse attached to their convent living quarters, which was closer to Mill Street, just a bit further down Burnt Lane from the school. Whenever I had to go to the nuns for anything, like an errand of some kind, or to take something to them from my mother they would give me grapes to eat and some to take to my mother. Then also, some of the nuns used to live in the house facing the school yard (now the Highlands Flats). They used to have Chapel (Vespers I think) and they used to sing beautifully. I would lie in my bed with my window open some evening and listening to them singing, it was lovely.

Just after the war started there was fear that the Germans would take over the Channel Islands. We had to black out our windows. Since our house was quite high and overlooked St peter Port the air raid wardens would come to our house every night to check up on anyone who they thought was showing light through their windows. The next day they would visit those houses with a warning. I slept in the front bedroom on the top floor of the house and that's the window they came to look through.

When we went out anywhere at night time, we used to have to go down some steps off the school yard and we had a big key (it seemed big at the time anyway). We had to unlock the gate and lock it up again so as no one could get into the convent or the school. I remember how much I loved school in those days. Compared to today it was so different. It was quite strict and we were there to learn. We learned how to be respectful, how to be good living, and never tell a lie or use a swear word. I was always referred to as a "goodygood" so I think I learned my lesson well.

Even today I know times have changed but I wouldn't change anything from my schooldays at Notre Dame du Rosaire or Hollymount Convent. I am sorry the nuns have gone. They were lovely to be and to learn from.

I hope your students have as happy a time as myself and my brother and sister, James and Rose did whilst at your school.

We are sure that if Mrs Cornick came back to Guernsey she would see that many things have stayed the same. The sisters are, sadly, no longer with us but the school buildings haven't changed. We still unlock the gates every day with a big key, and, of course, all our children are still respectful and would NEVER tell a lie or use a swear word!