Welcome to Jocelyn House at Culford School
Tutors and Staff Tutors are teachers assigned to your Form. You meet them every morning for registration at 8.30am and again at 2.00pm. This will be in your Tutor’s classroom and they will make sure you know where this is. The Jocelyn tutors are: • • • • • • • •
Mrs Hunt Miss Kirby-Smith Miss Olley Mrs Williams Miss McCarthy Mrs Long Mrs Martin Mrs Flack
Every week you will have a longer tutorial with them. This is a chance for you to let them know how everything is going and ask them any questions. They are all kind and supportive people and only want the best for you. The House Staff who live within the House are: • Mrs Haughey: Housemistress • Miss Olley: Assistant Housemistress • Miss Kirby-Smith: Resident Tutor They are always around and you can call on them whenever you need them – even if you need something in the night. They are approachable, understanding and you can really trust them, so if there is anything you can’t talk to friends about, they are a really good choice.
The House Prefects are a group of Upper Sixth pupils who organise and help coordinate things within the House. They are chosen because they are helpful, caring and trustworthy people who want everyone to feel as comfortable and happy in the House as possible. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about a problem to your friends or you think that the House Staff may not understand, the House Prefects may be a good choice. They are easy to talk to and will offer advice or just listen to any problems you may have. By Alex Burge, Jocelyn House Prefect
The Matrons Jacky Gay is our Morning Matron. Jacky will be in the house from 7.00am – 1.00pm every day, except Sundays. She will get you up in the morning with a cheery smile and you can also report any facility problems to her. She is also your first port of call if you feel unwell, need to talk to an adult about anything that is worrying you and need help with things like finding a spare bit of uniform. Jacky also gives out squash and biscuits at morning break-time! Lynda Minnis is our Afternoon Matron. Lynda is in Jocelyn from 1.00pm to 6.00pm Monday to Saturday. Lynda will check your room every afternoon to make sure that all is well and your space is tidy. Rooms should be kept to a reasonable standard of tidiness, both for your own wellbeing and also so that the cleaners have proper access. Lynda loves a good chat and is always willing to catch up in the afternoon. She will also be checking that girls have gone to lessons (all Fourth Form, Lower Fifth, Upper Fifth) should be in lessons during the afternoon). Lower and Upper Sixth will be monitored to make sure they are studying during PS’s, and not watching movies! No one should be in bed in the afternoon!
Laundry Jacky deals with the laundry, arranging its collection and delivery. You can put clothes into wash daily. You will be given
underwear and sock bags coloured white, blue and orange. The laundry is put away in a room on the Fourth Form corridor. Once a week you will need to change your bedding, but Jacky and Lynda will remind you about this when the time comes, so don’t worry. All of your laundry should be named. You can talk to Jacky about getting more name labels if you need to. Unnamed laundry is always put out in the Matron’s Station on Friday afternoon to be claimed. Remember, this is a big school and the laundry washes clothes every day from all the Houses in the Senior School as well as the Prep School. If you have not labelled your clothes they will get lost.
Taxis Anyone can book a taxi for Saturday afternoons (after lessons and matches), or for Sunday (although you will usually need to be back for church at 6.30pm). Going into Bury St Edmunds with friends for lunch, to see a movie or even a bit of shopping is a nice way to spend some time. You can also get a taxi to the train station and catch a train to Cambridge, although if you are in the Fourth From or Lower Fifth your parents will need to email Mrs Haughey to let her know that they are happy for you to go that far afield. If you are in the Sixth Form, you can also book taxis after school now and then.
or headache). They can also advise when to visit the Medical Centre. If you need to go to the Hospital, Opticians, Dentist or to see a Doctor (GP) during the day, Lynda or Jacky will accompany you.
You can find the taxi forms in a folder on the notice board outside Matron’s Office. If you would like to book taxis for the weekend the forms need to be completed by Thursday afternoon. Once your completed forms are placed in the ‘completed forms’ folder on the notice board, you should receive a taxi chit. You will hand this chit to the taxi driver so that the fee can be added directly to your school bill at the end of the year. The school will always use the A1 Taxi company. This is a Bury St Edmunds company and all drivers have a criminal record background check. Finally, just before all holidays, Jacky or Lynda will give out taxi travel forms in case you need taxis to the airports, train stations and so on. By Natasha Day, Head Girl
Feeling poorly? If you feel unwell, please see Lynda or Jacky during the day. They can give you painkillers for minor pains (period pains
The Medical Centre is staffed 24/7. If you feel unwell or need to make an appointment to see a GP then the centre is located just behind Jocelyn House. Counselling is also available, but it is also possible for you to just have a chat with our nurses, Helen and Emily. If you are taken ill whilst boarding, the Medical Centre have facilities for you to be nursed overnight. If you are feeling unwell during the evening, please tell the teacher or House prefect on duty and they will take you to see Helen, our resident nurse. It is a friendly and welcoming environment for anyone feeling under the weather in any way.
The Kitchen The Kitchen is open all day, but only for making hot drinks and getting water before the evening meal. Girls should not be preparing food during the day, because there is plenty on offer at lunch and supper in Ashby (The Dining Hall). There will always be fruit in the Matron’s Room if you are really hungry. After the evening meal, bread is put out for toast, and girls are able to prepare snacks using the microwave and cooker. There are some cookbooks for you to look through, and if you feel
like cooking something special, just talk to Mrs Haughey. She can help you get the ingredients (for a small sample of whatever you are making!) We like to bake in Jocelyn House and there is a baking cupboard in the kitchen with the supplies to make brownies and a cake or two. You can keep your own snacks in your room. There is a fridge in the Matron’s station and kitchen where small amounts of perishable foods may be kept. By Harriet Kirby-Smith, School Prefect
Daily Timetables Weekdays 7.00 (except Sunday): Wake up 7.30-7.45: Breakfast for Fourth Form, Lower and Upper Fifth 7.30- 8.00: Breakfast for Sixth Form 8.20: Leave the House for registration 8.45- 10.45: Lessons 1-3 10.45-11.10: First Break 11.00-13.10: Lessons 4-6 13.10-14.00: Lunch break 14.00: Tutors 14.10-15.30: Lessons 7-8 16.00-17.20: Activities Activity sessions run from 4.00-5.30pm every day all year round and offer a range of different sporting, musical, academic or volunteering options. Sign up with your tutor at the beginning of each term to book for the whole term.
Fourth Form, Lower and Upper Fifth must sign up for an activity every day (although there may be exceptions, for example, if you are on a specific sports programme.) The Sixth Form sign up for three activities per week. The exception is Fridays which are reserved for House assemblies and tutorials. Tutorials give you extra time to do prep (homework) and a chance to chat to your tutor. Since joining Culford, I have been lucky enough to take part in Pathfinders and DofE. I am still doing it now, ready for my DofE Gold expedition with a group I have spent the last 3 years with. I have also enjoyed the different sporting activities and volunteering opportunities available such as aerobics and visits to a retirement home in Fornham. Activities are a wonderful chance to get to know different students (in and out of your year) and teachers whom you may not ordinarily see. My advice is to throw yourself into school life!
The Evening Routine is pretty simple. Supper is from 5.45pm, not before! The Prep School eats in Ashby first and it is important to be respectful of them. You do need to attend all meals. There is a Food Committee, which meets with Mrs Haughey regularly to talk about things they like, and what changes they would like to see. If you would like to join the Food Committee, talk to one of your Prefects or Mrs Haughey. Prep (homework) lasts from 7.00-9.00pm, and ends at different times depending on what year you are in. • Fourth Form prep ends at 8.30pm. • Lower Fifth prep ends at 8.45pm. • Upper Fifth and Sixth Form prep ends at 9.00pm. After evening roll call, everyone should go to their dorms where they should use their time productively doing prep. The Library is usually open during the
weekday evenings, and sometimes pupils can go to another House to work on a group project, or to see a Tutor on duty for specific help. In Jocelyn, we usually have a Sixth Former on duty during prep time to help with different subjects. There will be a list of these Sixth Formers and their subjects for you when you arrive. They do love to help so don’t hesitate to ask them. On Sunday Evenings, all pupils in the Boarding House are expected to attend church for a 30 minute service, held in St Mary’s. During the week, roll calls are held at 6.50pm in the GCR.
International Pupils Being an international student provides you with so many opportunities to integrate with other nationalities. We have international evenings with lots of food from different countries giving you an opportunity to find out more about other cultures and eat a lot of yummy food! One tip I can give you is to
we love to order pizza and Chinese delivery on a Saturday night. On cold winter nights we set up the big projector screen and have movie marathons.
Mentors
integrate with all the other members of the House by socialising during House Family events or just in the Common Room, as it becomes the ‘social hub’ of Culford. We are, after all, the best House at Culford! By Lucy Scott, Jocelyn House Prefect
Weekends Weekends are great at Jocelyn House. There are sports matches on Saturday and it is always fun to go to a Home match and cheer for your friends. There are shopping trips to Cambridge and London, outings to theme parks and museums, activities like paintballing, inter-House competitions, concerts and time to just relax with your friends. In Jocelyn House,
When you arrive as a new pupil, a current pupil will take you under their wing and be your mentor. This will be a returning pupil, also in Jocelyn House, and they will do everything they can to help you settle in and find your way around. Your mentor may have already written to you to welcome you to Jocelyn House, but don’t worry if you have not heard from them. You will meet them when you arrive, and can ask them anything.
Culford School, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP28 6TX Tel: +44(0)1284 385470 Email: SHaughey@culford.co.uk www.culford.co.uk