I was wondering why no one was commenting on the photos from Science World! They just stayed uploaded and saved, but were never actually posted! Apologies everyone! They are now posted in the Pictures section!

Business First: Don't forget to upload your 5-10 pictures from the break to your website, or to email them to [email protected]

New Year's Wish Second: I post the same message every year for New Year's, mostly because I have yet to find a better one. Not from lack of trying mind you, it is just a very good message that I think really resonates with how we work in our school and in my classroom in particular. It comes from one of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman, who you might know from books he wrote for people around your age such as Coraline (which is also a movie) or The Graveyard Book. He had this to say, and I find it quite fitting:

And for this year, my wish for each of us is small and very simple.

And it's this.

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.


I'm ready to make some new mistakes and to try to learn from them as I go. Hopefully you are too!

Happy New Year and see you tomorrow,

​Mr. Martin