HM Letter to Parents April 2016

HEADMASTER’S LETTER

APRIL 2016

T0 PARENTS

Dear Parents Welcome back to term time after the Easter holiday. I hope that you have managed some time off together as a family in readiness for the weeks ahead. Various activities have taken place over the holidays and details of some are included in the following letter.

Contents Page 1

Ski Trip

Page 2

Excursión de Español

Page 3

Head of Junior School Summer Ball School Fixtures Pembroke Evensong and O.C. Dinner

Page 4

Physics Olympiad Success – Twice Maintenace Work Careers Convention

Page 5

Speech Day Independent Schools Football Association Blue Calendar

Page 6

DOE

Page 7

Oxbridge Choral Scholars And Finally

Ski Trip Forty eight Remove and Lower Fifth pupils travelled to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, USA, at the start of the Easter holiday for the biennial Middle School ski trip. great

The children enjoyed some

conditions

and,

whether

a

complete beginner or an advanced skier, all pupils impressed the instructors with their development on the slopes throughout the week. The pupils were praised throughout the trip for their first rate attitude, effort and behaviour by the airline staff, hotel employees, ski instructors and even shop assistants.

Off the slopes the children enjoyed many evening activities including ten pin bowling, trampolining, wall climbing and our boys even played a spontaneous basketball match against some locals.

The American boys won with ease but it was then Chigwell's turn to challenge them to a soccer match and both sides were able to enjoy a victory. This was a very successful trip that was enjoyed by all involved.

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Excursión de Español A group of Remove and Lower Fifth students travelled to Benalmádena in southern Spain in the last week of the Easter vacation on a Spanish language trip. The aim of the week was to practise Spanish in a local environment, and also to get to know Spanish culture ‘from the inside’. Pupils and teachers stayed with local families in the area of Arroyo de la Miel, with whom they had breakfast and dinner every day, and were based with the ‘Colegio Maravillas’ language school.

Pupils spent the mornings in lessons improving and practising their Spanish with their local teacher Miguel. They also went out on various visits during the week. They saw the stunning hilltop town of Ronda, with its famous 390 foot ‘Tajo’ gorge, Arabic ‘Mondragón’ palace and bath house, and its bullring which is the oldest surviving one in Spain. They also visited Málaga, Puerto Banús, Mijas and Benalmádena Pueblo.

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Head of Junior School

Summer Ball

Mr Simon James joined us as Head of Junior School in September 2010 and after six highly successful years at the helm, he will be moving to be Head of Felsted Prep School in the summer. We advertised for a successor and had a strong field of applicants including senior teachers and serving Heads from a mixture of prep and primary schools.

A ticket order form and details of the Summer Ball to be held on the evening of Saturday 9th July are being been sent out by e-mail. This is always a very popular event and you are urged to apply for tickets as soon as possible as they are allocated on a first come first served basis.

I am delighted to tell you that Mr Andrew Stubbs who you will know as the current Deputy Head of Junior School was the strongest applicant and he will succeed Mr James. We all look forward to working with Mr Stubbs in this new capacity.

During this busy time of year when many students have important public exams, we would appreciate your continued support in encouraging your sons and daughters’ commitment to sporting fixtures throughout the term.

School Fixtures

Pembroke Evensong and O.C. Dinner Last Saturday, the annual Old Chigwellian Cambridge dinner took place attended by some sixty five O.C.s. Prior to the dinner, evensong was led by the Chapel Choir in Pembroke College Chapel and the music was stunning as ever.

Chigwell School’s founder, Samuel Harsnett, worked as a sizar at Pembroke College where in return for waiting on wealthy undergraduates he was given some tuition.

He was awarded a degree in 1580 and was ordained, eventually becoming Rector of St Mary’s, Chigwell. He returned to Pembroke College as Master in 1605, and became Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University and Archbishop of York in 1628, just before he founded Chigwell School the following year.

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Physics Olympiad Success – Twice Congratulations to Middle Sixth student Bianca Andrei who has once again been selected to represent the U.K. in the final of the International Physics Olympiad. Last year, Bianca travelled to Mumbai as the only girls in the team of six, many of whom were a year ahead of her. This year, she will travel to Geneva for the final which takes place in July.

Bianca spent part of the holidays at a training camp at which the final team was selected.

Maintenance Work Every holiday period provides a valuable

redecoration and refurbishment of New

opportunity

extensive

Hall was completed, and improvements

maintenance work to be carried out and

were made to the old gym changing

this holiday was no exception. Phase two

rooms. Meanwhile, work has continued

of the rewiring of the main school

on the Sixth Form Centre and I hope the

building was carried out, phase one of the

progress on the building will be clear

for

more

when you pass the site.

Careers Convention make themselves attractive to potential employers. Students from the Upper Fifth should attend but those from the Sixth Form and other year groups are also very welcome. We are grateful to parents, Old Chigwellians and friends who have given up their time to make this event possible.

As I mentioned in my last letter, we will be holding our careers convention on Thursday 21st April. There will be representatives from a range of careers and we hope that students will take the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the potential opportunities available to them and how they can best

4

Speech Day The programme for Speech Day and its related activities will follow the usual format: Friday 8th July Saturday 9th July

2.15pm

Pre Prep, Lower I and Upper I Service in St Mary's Church

3.30pm

Pre Prep Garden Party

9.45am

Junior School Service at St Mary's Church

11.30am

Senior School Service at St Mary's Church

2.30pm

Speeches and Prize Giving in the Marquee

The Guest of Honour at Speech Day this year will be Sir David Pepper O.C., K.C.M.G. Having completed a doctorate in theoretical physics at St John’s College, Oxford, Sir David joined the British intelligences agency Government Communications Headquarters in 1972. His career was spent in intelligence and from 2003 to 2008, he was Director of GCHQ. Sometimes referred to as ‘Spy Chief’, he has regularly given lectures and has commented in media, particularly regarding the issue of the telephone calls tracking and internet monitoring, to aid national security. He was called as a witness to the Iraq inquiry and has been back to Chigwell to speak to the Williams Project. We are delighted that Sir David has agreed to be our Guest of Honour and we look forward to hearing from him.

The preacher at the services on Saturday morning will be Right Reverend Peter Hill, Bishop of Barking, and the preacher at the service on Friday afternoon is Amandeep Singh - Schools worker, Karamsar Gurdwara, Ilford.

Independent Schools Football Association

.

Chigwell School has been confirmed as an Independent Schools Football Association Junior Hub School for 2016/17 and beyond. ISFA is keen to position junior football at the heart of its development programme and Chigwell will be hosting a number of football festivals with local primary schools. We are one of just eleven schools awarded this status.

Blue Calendars As usual, the Trinity term calendars are being distributed to pupils who should also bring home a copy.

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Duke of Edinburgh Sixty Lower Fifth pupils began their

this was carried out at Fairlop Waters.

Easter holiday with a Bronze Duke of

The second phase was the practice

Edinburgh Award training day held at

expedition where the group completed a

school. They learnt the basics of the

one day and one night expedition

expedition and went for a short local

remotely supervised. They canoed a 15

walk with their rucksacks to appreciate

km route on the River Chelmer and

the weight they will be carrying. During

camped close by the river at Hoemill

the final week of the holidays the groups

Lock. The group are now fully prepared

got back together in Skreens Park,

to tackle the qualifying expedition in

Roxwell, to complete their practice

June where they are planning to paddle

expedition. This involved a 12km walk

a section of the River Thames from

(although those who got lost walked

Lechlade to Abingdon.

further) and an overnight camp. The first groups had glorious weather, but the second set of students had to experience camping in the rain. All of the students performed well and successfully completed the practice expedition. They are all looking forward to the qualifying expedition which will take place during Activities Week later this term.

During the second week of the holidays, twelve students from the Upper Fifth completed the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Canoe training and practice expedition at Fairlop Waters and on the River Chelmer.

The first two days were

focused on paddling skills, rescue training, equipment, camp craft, route planning exercises and navigation and

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Oxbridge Choral Scholars Congratulations to Rhea Gupta and Hana Edwards who both heard at the end of last term that they have been awarded choral scholarships at Cambridge. Rhea holds a conditional offer to read Classics (Clare College) and Hana has an offer to read Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Trinity College).

These offers mean that Chigwell musicians have been awarded a total of six choral scholarships by Oxford or Cambridge over the last four years.

And Finally Exams and the many activities that always take place in the Trinity term mean that the summer passes all too quickly. I am sure your sons and daughters will be very busy over the coming weeks but I hope they enjoy all that they do, even if there are challenges and the odd difficulty. I look forward to seeing you all again in the near future.

With best wishes Yours sincerely

7

TERM DATES Trinity Term (Easter Day is 27th March) First day: Monday 18th April Half term: Saturday 28th May to Monday 6th June (INSET Day Monday June 6th) Term ends: Wednesday 13th July 2016 / 2017 Staff meetings and INSET on Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th September First day: Wednesday 7th September Half term: Saturday 22nd October to Sunday 6th November Term ends: Wednesday 14th December Lent Term Staff meetings and INSET on Wednesday 4th January First day: Thursday 5th January Half term: Saturday 11th February to Sunday 19th February Trinity Term (Easter Day is 16th April) First day: Wednesday 19th April Half term: Saturday 27th May to Monday 5th June (INSET Day Monday June 5th) Term ends: Wednesday 12th July