Steampunk
From the Headmaster’s Desk: 17 March 2023
Mr Hammond
Headmaster
What would Jules Verne and HG Wells think of early twenty-first century science and technology, particularly how much children can achieve when at school? Nearly two decades ago, the Industrial Revolution was a huge leap forward and some fantasists hoped the reliance on coal and steam would endure. Although the history of science went in a different direction (probably for the best), artists and innovators across the World are constantly exploring what if? and what could be?
Who would have thought that the communicators of Star Trek would turn into the mobile phones you may be reading this missive upon? It is almost impossible the measure the impact of the Internet on our lives, but few saw that sea change coming before Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web whilst working at CERN. An innovator who saw the next big thing before anyone else. At Abercorn, we want to inspire the next generation of innovators, and so I hope everyone has enjoyed STEAM Week, with its wide variety of speakers and events – magicians and animals causing the most excitement, it would appear.
Thank you for all of your support; we often ask families if they would like to be involved in assemblies and events, so please do let us know if you are able to generously give up your time – the children love having people they already know miraculously appear in school! If you would like to be more involved with Abercorn, there is no better way than playing an active role in the APA. The next big event on that calendar is the Spring Fayre, which takes place on Saturday 13th May – we will be sharing more information very soon, but in the meantime please do let us know if you would be keen to get involved.
We are also in the midst of parents’ evening season – another opportunity for the School to strengthen the relationship between home and school. I am delighted that we have been able to return to in-person meetings, as feedback is so much more effective when given face-to-face. The School has also listened to feedback from parents regarding remote parents’ meetings, and will continue to explore the various options available to us. For example, although we were largely unaffected by the latest round of strike action, the ability to move our Year 3 and 4 parents’ evening online at short notice prevented a cancellation that would have been so disruptive to busy working parents. Thank you for all of your flexibility and understanding when we need to change our arrangements due to circumstance outside of our control.
With two weeks before the Easter holidays, next week brings further events for parents to come into school, with Year 6, 8 and 9 parents’ evening and also our wonderful Upper and Senior School Spring Concert all taking place. I hope to see many of you in the Senior School Theatre.
Finally, I am delighted to announce the release of our Discover Abercorn podcast series. I was honoured to be the guest on the first episode which you can find here: https://www.abercornschool.com/podcast. I can promise additional content on a regular basis, from a variety of speakers in the Abercorn community. Happy listening!
All the best for the weekend.
Mr Hammond
* There is one caveat to my earlier steampunk narrative. New York and some other cities in the USA do use steam as a principle source of power: to heat and cool their buildings, hence the steam in the streets of Manhattan on a cold day.
To see how busy a place our wonderful School is and for a more detailed look into all things Abercorn, follow us on social media; Twitter, Instagram and Facebook offer a wide range of updates. My personal thoughts on educational life can be found @hammondteacher.
