What an incredible start to the term the last couple of weeks have been. The campus has been alive with the buzz of excitement as students and teachers alike embrace the opportunities of a new academic year.

As always, the start of the school year also brings with it a period of adjustment to new routines and norms; for us, that often involves school transport and car parking. I would like to recognise the work of our Bus Office, who do an incredible job planning and delivering the bus routes for 800 children, working to ensure routes are efficient and practical and minimise the time children spend in traffic each day. In a city like ours, this is not easy, and I want to thank the many families who have demonstrated kindness and understanding where needed in recent weeks.

With regard to parking, I appreciate that the tent in the car park has reduced the number of parking spaces available. To account for this, we are enacting an intervention plan whereby many staff vehicles will be parked offsite. This will ensure that we can offer as many spaces as possible to families and visitors. That said, I have already mentioned that this will be a challenging year with regard to parking, and I encourage families to help by looking at practical solutions such as carpooling from home, or perhaps from a meeting point close to the school. I will continue to keep you updated on plans as appropriate and thank you for your ongoing support, patience and flexibility.

We are all looking forward to our traditional Independence Day Celebrations on Tuesday 15^th, which will see children from across the Primary School take part in cultural dances and readings to mark what is one of the most important days in the Mexican calendar. There will be a range of artisan sellers and food stalls available for students and visitors to purchase from 9:00 to 11:15 am. This is always a special event, much loved by all, even more so this year as we continue to celebrate our 75^th Anniversary.

On this occasion, to ensure greater control and security, attendance will be limited to two guests per family. We therefore ask families planning to attend to complete this form with the requested information.

Do consider parking if you plan to join us; once the car park is full, visitors will need to find on-street parking in the vicinity, which will add to your journey times.

I am aware of some of the commentary surrounding the Birthday Bash on 19^th September and thought it best to place the event within the context of the broader calendar we are using to mark this momentous year. We started in January with the ‘Hopes, Dreams and Ambitions’ alumni talks and reception. This was followed by a celebratory 75^th Anniversary International Fair in March. The Big Birthday Bash has always been planned as a limited-ticket event to mark the start of the academic year alongside other celebrations such as Independence Day.

In November, the traditional Día de Muertos altar will honour those community members who are no longer with us, and during that month there will also be a student-focused 75^th Birthday Celebration Day of house colours, a get-together and reflection on 75 years of Greengates. To close out the year, the end-of-term concerts and posada will also mark the 75^th Anniversary. All in all, throughout the year, students, families and staff will have had many opportunities to celebrate our anniversary in special and memorable ways, proving time and again why it is great to be Greengates.

Please note that I will be out of school from 22^nd to 29^th  September, attending the annual Nord Anglia Education Leadership Summit. I will remain in contact with the SLT throughout the period. Before then, I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming events.

Viva México!