On Sunday evening the England national men's football team will play in the final of the prestigious 2024 UEFA European Championships. It is the first time that one of our UK home nations men’s teams has made it through all the way to the final of a major football competition on foreign soil, and the second time in a row that England has made it to the final of the UEFA European Championship.
We know that many of our parents, carers and children will be watching the final, which will finish late. We have therefore decided that on Monday, school will start at the usual time, with JPAC's Breakfast Club carrying on as usual beforehand for those who use it, but registration will be extended to 10.00am for children who need to start slightly later.
This means that on Monday children can arrive from 7.00am if they attend the JPAC-run breakfast club, or at the usual time for school. However, if they have stayed up late in order to watch the match, and be part of this historic sporting moment, parents and carers also have the option to let their children stay in bed a little longer so that when they do arrive at school, they feel a bit more rested, refreshed and ready to learn.
We would rather this than children missing the whole day if they are tired.
We encourage you all to talk to your children about the significance of the event, so that they understand why it is special. Talk to them about the National Anthem, Germany (the host nation) and about how Britain has changed since the last time we won in a major final - the World Cup in 1966. Talk about the different countries that have taken part and find them on a map. Find out what you can about Spain, the country, their football clubs, their national teams over the years and the current squad. Talk about what it will mean if England wins and also what it will mean if things do not go as we hope. These are all important lessons. Winning and losing is part of life, and children are encouraged to take the learning, positively, from both experiences.
We all, of course, very much hope for an England victory, on Sunday, but regardless of the result, our national team has achieved well, and sometimes against the odds. The manager, players and coaching team deserve full credit for their achievements; for doing well, for their positive attitudes; and for the way the way they have conducted themselves.
Their self-belief, teamwork and hard work are all great examples to our children. The individual journeys of our manager and players also serve as inspiring examples to our children about the importance of chasing dreams, and working hard to achieve them.
To mark the achievements of the England team, Monday 15th July will be a special day of celebration! The children will have the option to dress in red and white, England kits or they can wear anything else they like, instead of school uniform.
Reminders
The children of Y6 will need to attend their Leavers' Mass at 7.00pm that evening, at Our Lady of Lourdes dressed smartly in their school uniform.
Mondays are usually the FS2 PE day, when the children come to school wearing their PE uniform. As next Monday (15th July) is our special England Euros dress down day, the children will not have to wear PE uniform. Instead they can dress down like everyone else. All we ask is that they wear something suitable for physical activity e.g. football kits, tracksuits, shorts and top and trainers etc.
All children are still invited to dress down on the last day of term (Friday 19th July) as planned.
Thank you.
