From the Headmaster

Asummary of the year 2020 at The Royal Masonic School? Goodness, where shall I begin? 2020 has been quite the year for everybody, of course, demanding a lot of one and all, and it has certainly been an unprecedented year for anybody involved in education. Who could have predicted a year ago that soon all school buildings in the United Kingdom would close, that all examinations would be cancelled, and that a mass experiment in remote and online learning would soon commence and last for months?

and it asked a lot of our pupils. Academically, they made fabulous progress, applying the independence and resilience that you would expect of an RMS girl to this new context. But what was amazing was the degree to which teachers and pupils worked together to put the ethos of our school online. Beyond the regular timetable we had online concerts, two House Days, over 60 co-curricular clubs, staff and pupils made three online films, there were Sports Days, crazy hair days, recordings of staff songs, pupil-led choirs, a Remembrance Service, online Drill, school podcasts, a Sixth Form ‘Thought for the Day’, and an ‘Early Early Show’ hosted by our two Head Girls, Evie and Miranda (yes, that’s right, two Head Girls are better than one!). Learning online during lockdown is isolating; not meeting your friends every day is perhaps the hardest sacrifice for our pupils. But while we couldn’t connect in person for much of this year, the RMS girls and staff did everything possible to connect with one another virtually and to put the spirit and ethos of our incredible school on to Google Classroom. Most importantly, the school community stayed safe. We all The response of the entire community at RMS has been worked hard putting in measures too numerous to truly exceptional. Everything that you might expect mention here and all behaving responsibly with and more. I am moved each time I reflect on all that my colleagues, our pupils, and all RMS families have done to pull together and to make the very “ the switch to online learning bubble groups, social distancing, hygiene, and lots of ventilation. Windows remained open throughout Michaelmas term and classrooms best of a demanding situation. It sounds amazing to write it as I think back now, but the switch to happened within a were so cold by late November that wearing the uniform was suspended so pupils could wear online learning happened within a day at RMS, with lessons and learning taking place for our pupils immediately once schools closed. I am myself a parent day at RMS” whatever clothes and however many layers best kept them warm. The number of positive cases of COVID has so far remained in single figures at RMS of two RMS pupils, and the window that online learning (with the national average for schools over 60 and some provided into the professionalism of our teachers was schools suffering with hundreds of cases). There is a long way inspirational. We have of course simultaneously run in-person school to go and no room for complacency; doing all that we can to keep for vulnerable pupils and for children of critical workers, and we kept everybody connected with our community as safe as possible is the our boarding houses open until all girls were able to safely return home highest priority of my colleagues and I. last Easter and through school holidays for those girls who needed it. Even now, in the third lockdown, January 2021, there are almost twodozen overseas boarders being cared for by a dedicated team of RMS staff on The Garth. The pupils cannot safely get home yet, and we would not wish for them to be looked after anywhere but within the RMS family. I hope that you enjoy reading this issue of Masonica as much as I have done myself. It is wonderful to hear from the class of 1947 and 194 just as it is to hear from students I know well such as Manayka from the class of 2019. Manayka – thank you very much for your reading recommendation; it was a significant and eye-opening experience for me too. I send you all best wishes from everybody here at RMS. The I was once told that how you define a professional is the ability to reunions and gatherings we all hoped for in 2020 could not take place, perform at the highest level in the toughest of circumstances, and every but this time will pass and we hope soon to see you back here with us at RMS colleague, those working in boarding, all teachers and teaching your school, The Royal Masonic School for Girls. assistants, the medical team, and all of our support staff have been the epitome of this definition of professionalism. The pupils themselves have of course also been incredible. While the technological learning curve may have been greater for a 14-year-old than a 47-year-old (like myself), learning online is nonetheless different Kevin Carson Headmaster