It has been a really funny old term so far, with a mixture of excitement and sadness – best explained by the children in Chameleons class:
We all tried really hard to get the main parts in the production of the ‘Wizard of Oz’, and many of us had to learn how to get over the disappointment of not getting the part we really wanted. However we knew that the competition was ‘fierce’ as Mrs Martin kept telling us. We gave her a couple of sleepless nights as she had to decide who was going to be who and she told us she had to keep adding characters and extra lines, hopefully it won’t be too long!

Once we knew what we had to learn we have been excellent at learning our lines and we have also enjoyed reading and writing play scripts in our literacy lessons. We are going to Stratford after half term to learn about ‘A Midsummers Night Dream’ although some of the lines in that play do seem rather strange!

We are determined to make this the best production so far as we are all still getting used to the fact that Mrs Martin will be retiring at the end of term. It will definitely not be the same without her and we are going to miss her loads. We can all remember every production we have been involved in from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Cinderella Rockerfella, and especially Spooksville last year. She always works so hard with us and makes the practising and performance so much fun. We have been thinking about how it has helped so many of us with our confidence especially in reading with expression. It also made us think about how special Mrs Martin has been to us and we have been sharing our memories of her time at Cropthorne.

“ She is really good fun but can be strict when she has to be “
“ Mrs Martin is kind to everyone, caring and just wonderful”
“She always looks so smart. It is also funny whenever she dresses up in fancy dress”
“ She takes the time to listen to you when something is wrong and gives you a hug”
“ She is funny when we are in a lesson and she comes in and distracts us all”
“ Mrs Martin is colourful and happy”

Chameleons Class

Many of the children claimed that she is the best head teacher in the world but we did point out that she is probably the only head teacher most of them have known! However, as staff we are allowed to make that claim and we have all really enjoyed working alongside her and been inspired by her, even if she has made us dress up in some strange outfits and dance on the stage in front of all the parents!

The untimely passing of Mrs Martin’s husband Bob, at a time when they had so many plans to enjoy their retirement, has saddened us all. Mr Martin was always so proud of what Mrs Martin has achieved at the school and this was highlighted on production evening when her family always attended and rightly congratulated her on yet another successful show. The whole school community have joined with the village community in supporting Mrs Martin during this time and we only wish we could be wishing both of them a happy retirement. Instead we wish Mrs Martin all the best in her retirement and a massive thank you for all she has done for the school from present and past pupils, parents and staff.