Fire and Brimstone

Ok – this is going to be a bit random…no concrete walls, purple prose, car parks, DOZs or even Jemima this week. First I want to thank all you parents out there for the vast improvement to the drop off scene (whoops – sorry!) since I last wrote. I have only been able to use one single sticker, and that one slid off the window of the L**** Coupe because of the driving rain. Also, nearly everyone is using indicators to show which direction they are suddenly going to change to and most drivers are pulling up at the end of the DOZ to enable others to fit in behind. It is a cheering place to be other than the cold and gusting wind driving the damp, grey drizzle across the late Autumn…(Sorry, there I go again.) In fact, the only thing to report is a mum with an active phone in one hand whilst negotiating the bend by the crosswalk with the other hand at peak hour, maximum kid movement 8.30. She waved at me. No, I can’t remember which hand she used.

We have had some graffiti in and around the building and I need your help in getting the kids to see that this is not only criminal (something the equivalent of trespass and damage to third party property with malice aforethought in German) but antisocial and indeed selfish. Logos for football clubs are the rage at present. My message is that we call the professional painters in and the bill goes home. Have I caught anyone yet? Yes. Has the bill gone home? It will. Indeed, I learned that graffiti of this sort is appearing all over Zumikon and the Gemeinde has contacted the ICS Administration. It has appeared in areas close to the school as well as others that our students and to be fair other people not connected with the school, use regularly.

Moving on to another quite unrelated topic that is pretty dull – we are also in danger of having a plague of stickers appearing all over the school’s doors, door handles, walls, windows, pillars and so on. They are difficult to remove and waste a good deal of our hardworking caretaking team’s energy and time. So if you happen to see your child taking a sticker or two to ICS please step in. And that leads on smoothly and logically to setting fire to things.

There are basically two sorts of things you can set fire to in school, cigarettes and other things. I am referring to the latter. Too many children are bringing matches or cigarette lighters to school. They are banned for obvious reasons. Young children in grade 6 – that is not a typo - have been caught. They have had an uncomfortable conversation with either Mr. Hall or with me. One incident was potentially extremely dangerous and might have led to serious injury if indulged in for another minute or two. Please rest assured we will continue to take a hard line for the sake of your children’s safety. I would ask you to do what you can to check they are not leaving home carrying these things; does that mean a Front Door Frisk? Yes, absolutely, if that is what you judge to be needed.

The school buses; this I have never mentioned before so, can of worms, let’s go. The drivers are all trained, tested, qualified and experienced. This is a great relief to you and a cause for peace of mind. As part of their training they must bring the bus to the soonest possible stop if a child leaves its seat or releases its belt at any point on the journey. Sometimes your children leave their seats or release their belts. This is despite knowing they should not do this. The driver will normally warn them not to do this again. If they do, then the name and incident is passed to Mr. Penny or to me. I will email you with the facts as related by the driver of that bus. We tend not to contact you the first time. You have to trust our judgement on when to bring parents in as we do not want to worry you at too early a stage when it is a school matter nor do we want to leave you out of the loop. However, recently parents have taken the school to task for the timing of their being told rather than focussing on the issue that their child created in the first place. My message is simply let’s work together on this for a positive outcome that will benefit all the constituents of our community.

Finally, yes, I did have strong words in English and then in Schwiitze-Tuuetsch (sp?) with the driver of the Asian food delivery truck that blocked the entire DOZ the other icy, foggy morning. All our supply companies have been instructed and have agreed not to deliver to the school between 8.00 and 8.45; if they arrive earlier on no account are they allowed to enter the school drive but must circle the block until 8.45. But occasionally a rogue delivery ignores this and that was the case. This one assured me he would not do this again. Thank you for your patience that nasty morning!