Head of UpperSchool’s message
Thank you to all our students and families who supported our Open Day. Your contribution and support on the day made a huge difference and we are very appreciative of your input – thank you!
As a section this half term, we have been developing Student Voice and I’m pleased to share some outcomes in this bulletin: what our students have shared with us and what is important to them.
Our assemblies have been a real highlight including introductions to our new students, meeting our Upper School Prefect, Student Voice and Careers and Work Experience. It has been wonderful to welcome families into school for our Year 9 Curriculum and Social Evening and our Year 11 Options Evening.
Study habits are a key priority in the Upper School and teachers work closely with students in lessons to develop these. Next half term we begin a series of study skills workshops with our partner Elevate Education and these will be practical strategies for students to develop these important skills.
Congratulations to students who have received Credits and Commendation certificates this half term, evidence of your positive engagement with school life and your teachers noticing your commitment and determination.
Progress Grades – will be published today with Years 9, 10 and 11 receiving Approach to Learning grades. Our expectations are that Approach to Learning grades are good as a minimum across all subjects and anything less than good requires immediate attention. Thank you for speaking with your son(s) about these and we will be having energising and motivating conversations in school at the start of next half term to set ambitious goals for the rest of term.
Wishing all students and families a restful half term holiday. As shared with students, I am training for my second marathon (Belfast in May 2025) so will be clocking up some mileage preparing for race day!
With best wishes,
Mr Adam Lawrence Head of Upper School
Launch of the Year 9 Keith Dawson Independent Research Project 2024 - 2025
This half term, the Year 9 Dawson Project was launched in a special assembly. The assembly provided useful tips and guidance on what the project entails. Following this assembly, Year 9 students started discussing with their Form Tutors their initial thoughts as they embark on their Dawson Journey.
I encouraged all students to be very careful when selecting a topic. I told them to research an area that they love, and to make sure that it is something engaging and that they are willing to put the time into. If it is a topic that they enjoy researching, it will make the process that much easier and hopefully much more fun!
We ask that all Year 9 students spend some time over the break reading around their areas of interest so they can decide on a topic when they come back to school in November. They will then spend some time attending workshops with Year 12 students where they will focus their topic down to a question which they will research. Students will also have time allocated in Form Time to discuss with their Tutors their area of research. This is so that they can be guided as to how they should come up with a question. Once students have decided on a provisional topic and question, they will submit this on a Microsoft form. The key submission dates are set out below.
This is a creative and ambitious project and provides the opportunity for students to think deeply about a subject. There have been some incredible projects in previous years, and I am excited to see what Year 9 submit as their final project.
Mr James Lee Deputy Head of Upper School
Volunteering at Rameshwar Vidya Mandir School in Santa Cruz, Mumbai
Jai (10C) spent the first five weeks of his summer holidays volunteering at Rameshwar Vidya Mandir School in Santa Cruz, Mumbai. Jai took on the challenge of teaching Maths and English to students aged between 11 and 12 years, who come from slum dwellings.
Despite the challenging Mumbai monsoon rains, Jai travelled 40 minutes each way to the school to teach these underprivileged children Through this experience, he has developed invaluable teaching skills, empathy, and kindness The children have deeply touched him, and they affectionately call him “Jai Sir ”
Jai’s dedication has not only impacted the children’s academic progress but also their confidence and enthusiasm for learning. He has learned the importance of patience, adaptability, and the joy of making a difference in others’ lives. This experience has inspired him to continue helping those in need and to advocate for educational opportunities for all children.
Inspired by his experience, Jai is now creating a fundraiser for the school in Mumbai There are 97 children who cannot afford to pay the basic fees of £20 for the year for their education Jai is fundraising to help these children continue their education Jai is passionate about setting up this fundraiser and believes that by sharing his experience with his peers and teachers, he can encourage them to support his cause and consider engaging in similar activities during their holidays
Link to Video: Jai’s Journey in Education ‘We Rise By Lifting Others!’ (youtube.com)
Link to Fundraising Page: OneKindAct | Make the world a better place
This incredible opportunity was made possible through a UK-based charity called One Kind Act and their supporting local NGO, Yuva Unstoppable. One Kind Act aims to create sustainable improvements in the lives of people suffering from poverty by raising funds to support suitable charities. Yuva Unstoppable, founded in 2005, focuses on transforming schools and impacting millions of underprivileged children across India.
County Squash success
Congratulations to Oliver (10H) retaining his Boys Under 15 Hertfordshire County Squash winner title. This year’s competition took place at St Albans Nuffield Squash Club.
We are very proud of you - well done, Oliver!
European sporting success
Congratulations to Hugh (10H) who participated in the European Squash Federation’s Welsh Junior Open 2024 ranking 10th in the field.
Hugh has now been invited onto the Wales Under 17 National squad and we are very proud of you!
Well done, Hugh!
Felix secures PBs in the pool
Congratulations to Felix (10M) whose swimming talent goes from strength to strength
Felix swam at the MCASA Middle Distance Development Meet competing in the 200M Fly and swimming 6+ seconds inside the 15 years MCASA Automatic County Champs 2025 qualification time winning Gold!
Congratulations on all your latest swimming success, Felix!
Arnav secures position as one of the Top 30 Young Songwriters in the UK
Congratulations toArnav (11C) who was selected for one of the Top 30 Young Songwriters in the UK (Category 13 – 15 years)
There were over 1000 entries and after all entries were submitted, they were heavily reviewed and judged by global and renowned musicians such as: MNEK (featured on Stormzy's "Blinded By Your Grace"), Naughty Boy (collaborated with Sam Smith on "La La La") and many more.
LAMDA Grade 7 Distinction
Congratulations to Samih who took his Grade 7 Verse and Prose exam and passed with Distinction!
Well done, Samih. We are very proud of you and look forward to your next challenge.
Fundraising achievement
Credit to Harnek (11J) and Cormack (11J) for their fundraising work for the Lynda Jackson MacMillan Centre in September.
Commitment, kindness and determination in abundance. Well done and keep going – you are making a difference and your positivity is energising.
England Independent Schools Tennis Champions!
Congratulations to our star U15 tennis players, Sam (11S) and David (11S), who won the Independent Schools Tennis Championships!
There were 90 teams from all over the country converging on Eton to compete in the 4-day annual event – the most prestigious national tournament in the school tennis calendar.
In the preliminary rounds the team topped their group with 5 wins against strong tennis schools such as Eton and Dulwich. The knock-out draw for the remaining 32 teams was made and they won their first round convincingly against St George’s before overcomingAbingdon 7-6, 6-0 in the last 16 to progress to the quarter finals, which is as far as Habs has ever reached previously at U15 level. They raised the bar again to ease to a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Warwick to reach the semi-finals.
They lined up against the second Habs pairing of Kaaviyan (11J) and Kian (11H), who had performed at their very highest level to join Sam and David in a remarkable all Habs semi-final –an outstanding accomplishment itself. The 6-1, 6-4 outcome in favour of Sam and David took them into the final against St Columba’s, who had battled past former champions New Hall in their semi-final.
The final against St Columba’s was full of intensity and drama, and after going down a break early in the first set, they showed great composure to recover while playing under immense pressure. After some superb shot-making and real grit, Sam and David broke serve again at 5-5 and followed up to take the set 7-5, before sealing a 6-3 scoreline in the second set to win the ISTA Thomas Bowl trophy – a truly incredible achievement!
Debating Competition
On Sunday 6th October 2024, Mrs Khurjekar accompanied three strong debating teams, consisting of predominantly Y11s, to Dulwich College for their prestigious Dulwich Schools Debating Competition. The debaters included:
Lucas (11C2)
Nazim (11S2)
Aarav (11H2)
Samit (11R1)
Richard (11R1)
The debate topics themselves were fascinating, from regretting the decline of consensus media, to believing that first generation immigrants should raise their children in such a way that they abandon the links to their country of origin. Following four qualification rounds, our teams narrowly missed out on a chance to break (qualify for the final rounds).
A special mention must go to Richard and Lucas, who placed 16th overall out of 80 teams, and Nazim, who was the 13th best speaker out of a staggering 160 speakers. The teams look forward to building on this success in subsequent competitions.
Student Voice
Student Voice
Last year, students contributed to our Upper School Aims and as a section we agreed to commit to the following Aims as students journey through the Upper School and look ahead to life beyond Year 11.
This is what students considered to be integral to their personal development:
Student Voice
StudentVoice is central to what we do at Habs. We want to know our students well, their aims, aspirations and challenges. Atthe start of term, we sent a survey to the UpperSchool asking for their reflections on the UpperSchoolAims, their future aspirations, and how they can be best supported at home. We’re pleased to share a selection of responses and quotes from the survey which paint a picture ofstudent life in the Upper School.
Upper School Aims:
When asked which of the Upper School Aims, they thought was the most important, our students said that both being committed and driven was the most important followed by kindness as shown in the pie chart. We also asked students to share why that was their chosen aim and students shared the following:
COMMITTED:
“Commitment inspires me to do the best possible and develop my friendships and work towards life goals.”
DETERMINED:
“Determination is a great aim in Upper School because it helps you stay focused and push through challenges, especially when things get tough. With determination, you can work hard towards your goals, like doing well in exams or improving in a hobby and feel proud of the progress you make.”
KINDNESS:
“I think that being kind is one of the most important parts of life, if you are kind, you will be able to make new friends and if you are kind then people will be kind to you. People also feel happy when you are kind.”
WELL-READ:
“Being well-read is my favourite aim because of the amount of knowledge you can gain from reading, both for behavioural and intelligence traits.”
EMPOWERED:
“Being empowered makes me more confident and able to get on with things that I like doing.”
What is your favourite Upper School aim?
Determined Committed Wellread ind Empowered
Acts of Kindness
Students were then asked what acts of kindness they have performed so far this year, and these were our favourites:
“Always making sure to talk to someone new every day.”
“As a coach steward I felt proud being able to help and offer advice to new Y7 students who are new to the coach system get settled where they got nervous easily about being late or missing their stop etc; being able to be kind and help them gave me a sense of leadership that I was fond of.”
“I helped explain something to a younger student who had just joined the school, which he was grateful for.”
FutureAspirations
Students were also asked what their future aspirations were and whilst most students shared their ambitious plans for their future careers, these were our favourite responses.
“To be kind to all of those I encounter and appreciate all opportunities I get”
“To continue with my favourite co-curriculars, especially music and sport as well as academics”
“My future aspiration is to change the world in a positive way.”
“I would like to become the best version of myself both physically and mentally. I would also like to find something I am passionate about for a job.”
Parental Support
The final question we asked the Upper School was what one thing would improve their learning at home. The Upper School were extremely grateful for all the support they received, and these were the common responses:
“Give me some space and quiet whilst I am doing some homework.”
“To make sure I do my work and not get distracted”
“Trust me to learn and study around my schedule”
The survey provided us with some really good insights into life in the Upper School and we thoroughly enjoyed reading your responses. We will be sending more surveys out throughout the year to continue hearing about all your successes in addition to Working Party Groups. We are committed to working together to develop Student Voice and responding positively to ideas and comments shared – thank you.
Celebration of rewards
Upper School Commendations
41 Commendations have been awarded this half term to Upper School students for displaying our school values. Students are encouraged to strive towards collecting a commendation fordisplaying each of our four school values. Students are invited to a celebration prize giving breakfast with hot chocolate and pastries with Mr Lawrence and Mr Lee, and these take place once every half term. We were pleased to present the following students with commendations this week:
Ambition
Dominic (9C)
Samih (9H)
Francis (9J)
Aditya (9R)
Asher (9R)
Aydin (10M)
Lucas (10S)
Arjun (11C)
Jacob (11C)
Januschan (11R)
Curiosity
Benjamin (9R)
Zac (9H)
Christopher (10C)
Adam (10C)
Hugh (10H)
Luke (10J)
Zachary (10J)
Alexander (10M)
Aydin (10M)
Harry (10M)
Ryan (10R)
Ayden (10S) x 2
James (10S)
Philip (11C)
Cheran (11J)
(cont)
James (11M)
Nithushan (11M) Yash (11M)
Zachary (11M)
Chester (11R)
Nazim (11S)
Courage
Rishabh (9C)
Joshua (9R)
Arnav (11C)
Lucas (11C)
Joshua (11H)
Joshua (11M)
Shreyas (11M)
Community
Dominic (9C)
Jonathan (9H)
Mr Lee and Mr Lawrence were delighted to present students with Commendations on Monday 14 October in the Old Refectory. A great occasion rewarding students' display of values this half term. Well done!
Acelebration of credits
We have been so pleased to recognise, celebrate and reward students for a wide array of efforts and achievements using our new rewards system of credits, alongside our Upper School Commendations. The following students have received 10 or more credits and have been enjoying their Joe’s café voucher rewards!
Recipients of 20+ Credits
Chengwen (10J)
Kayan (9H)
Kian (9H)
Aarav (9R)
Benjamin (9R)
Dylan (9R)
Joshua (9R)
Kian (9R)
Onkaar (9R)
Rian (9R)
Year 9 Recipients of 10+ Credits
Calverts
Aiden
Luca
Om
William
Hendersons
Armaan
Jagrit
Oliver
Rishi
Samih
Joblings
James Kian
Nikhil
Meadows
Ethan
Russells
Aarav
Aryan
Asher
Dylan
Ishaan
Joshua
Kanishk
Orson
Sarwin
Zain
Strouts
Aarish
Benson
Dylan Ebrahim
Naayan
Yuxiong
Acelebration of credits
Year 10 Recipients of 10+ Credits
Calverts Manolo Ryan Shaurya
Russells Joseph Raphael
Joblings Hossein
Meadows
Avighnan
Oliver
Suraj
Vivek
Year 11 Recipients of 10+ Credits
Calverts Yuvraj ‘y=
Hendersons
Zakir
Joblings Aaryan William
Meadows Nithushan
Strouts Maanav
Currently reading
Mr Lee’s recent read:
Delia Owens’‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ is a fantastic book which explores the themes of being ostracised in society and features the death of a young boy and the community must figure out who did it. The book explores the life story of Kya, who grows up isolated in and around a marsh after being abandoned by her family at a young age. The book goes back and forth from past to present to tell the story of the murder of local townsperson Chase. This was an excellent read that teaches about prejudice, isolation and the importance of the way we treat others who may be different to ourselves.
Mr Lawrence’s latest read:
Satoshi Yagisawa’s ‘Days at the Morisaki Bookshop’ has taken me to a quiet corner of Jimbocho, Tokyo, this half term. It is a booklover’s paradise –a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books. Takako shares her friendship and connection with her uncle and her family’s shop over three generations and reveals a broken heart, peace, encounter with new worlds and welcomes readers into her life of love and the healing power of books.
Careers and Work Experience
Careers and Work Experience
Year 10
Year 10 students met Mrs Nash in our Careers assembly to introduce them to work experience. With an array of virtual opportunities now available, Year 10 students can gain an insight into some exciting sectors they may not know much about, and opportunities are shared with students regularly.
Students should log any work experience or taster activities they have completed on Unifrog under Activities so that they (and we) have an accurate log. All students have a Unifrog account which they will use increasingly as they move through the school.
We ask that work experience and taster activities are completed during school holidays and not during term time.
Year 11
This is an important time for Year 11, who are carefully considering their post-16 options. To support with this, Year 11 students are currently working through the Careers Profile tests on the Unifrog platform; a process which will encourage them to carefully consider their skills and strengths. Students will be able to use the results of this process to explore a range of careers and study options on Unifrog. All Year 11s will also be having a conversation with form tutors regarding options and are very welcome to make an appointment to see the Head of Careers if they have any questions or concerns.
Many Year 11 students will complete work experience over the course of this academic year. Opportunities are shared with the students regularly, and they are also encouraged to use their own contacts and make speculative applications in their field of interest. All students produced a CV at the end of Year 10, meaning they are well-prepared for making applications.
We ask that work experience and taster activities are completed during school holidays and not during term time. Year 11 students also have the period after GCSE exams in which to complete work experience if they wish.
Student articles
Reflections on Music at Habs
By Vivaan 11M
Music at Habs is truly inspirational with over 70 ensembles and orchestras taking place each week. Whether you are a beginner or an accomplished musician, the array of ensembles provides an opportunity for everyone, regardless of what instrument you play.
My favourite part of music is playing with others; leading an orchestra has allowed me to foster a strong sense of community spirit as it encourages communication and most importantly, allows me to build on my collaborative skills and teamwork. I feel so privileged to be able to play music with other similarly talented young musicians. It is such a great opportunity to perform, especially at beautiful venues like St John's Smith Square and LSO St Luke’s. The department also cultivates curiosity within each member of the orchestra throughout the year as we are eager to explore different musical genres and play a vast and diverse range of music.
I am lucky enough to lead a quartet too; the smaller chamber ensemble allows me to develop a close connection with the other players. Without the support of a conductor, this ensemble relies more on leadership and listening skills, as well as the supportive guidance of Mrs Boyle (violin teacher), which puts a greater weight of responsibility on each player. Through our joint efforts, we strive towards success and dedication of my peers, we are able to tackle ambitious material – heightening the quality of our performances.
At Habs, we are also presented with the opportunity to perform solo, whether it be through lunchtime lives or evening concerts. They are a great way to challenge yourself – even though playing in front of an audience may be intimidating at first, the result of demonstrating this courage is extremely rewarding.
I couldn’t be more grateful to Mr Taylor for pushing the boundaries of‘school music’, setting demanding and ambitious repertoires as well as scheduling regular concerts, providing everyone who chooses to participate a really unique opportunity to unite together and create something remarkably special. As an individual, getting involved with music makes me a more well–rounded person, presenting something exciting about school life that is not necessarily from the classroom.
How to boost your mood and kick start the day!
By Yash 11M
Playing the piano is by far my favourite way to begin any day. Before heading off to school, I play for around ten minutes. Even in such a short time, it allows me to clear my mind and relax. I’ve read that playing an instrument can improve focus and memory, and I can really feel the difference afterwards. It’s nice to have a small creative break before the day gets busy, and it feels great knowing that I’m building my skills and improving my mindset at the same time. Getting up just ten minutes earlier may be difficult at first, but using this time to just unwind and feel calm is very beneficial for your mental health. As well as this, there’s something really rewarding about starting the day doing something productive—it boosts my mood, gives me a sense of accomplishment, and makes the rest of the day feel more manageable. It truly does help me face whatever challenges come my way with a more positive attitude and approach. It’s such a simple but amazing way to kick off the day, and I would most definitely recommend trying it out!
CALENDAR DATES
FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER – PROGRESS GRADES PUBLISHED
MONDAY 21 OCTOBER – FRIDAY 1 NOVEMBER: HALF TERM
MONDAY 4 NOVEMBER – YEAR 11 ACE YOUR EXAMS WORKSHOP
WEDNESDAY 6 NOVEMBER – YEAR 9 DOFE PARENT INFORMATION EVENING
FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER – CHRISTMAS LUNCH
MONDAY 16 DECEMBER – PROGRESS GRADES PUBLISHED (YEAR 9) AND END OF TERM REPORTS PUBLISHED (YEAR 10/YEAR 11)
WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 4.00PM – END OF AUTUMN TERM
For further information, please refer to the school calendar on Firefly.