October Bulletin

King Edward VI School

Half Term Bulletin 19 October, 2018

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Prize Giving

he new academic year got off to an excellent start as we celebrated our outstanding academic results with the Prize Giving evening and an impressive address from the principal guest, Felicity Aston MBE, polar explorer, writer and broadcaster.

Prize Giving took place on Friday 14 September in the Dobson Theatre. If you would like to take a look at photographs from the evening, please click here.

SCHOOL LUNCH REMINDER

Our sport has got off to a good start, in spite of rather mixed weather, with an excellent first half of the season. Our musicians have also been busy and enjoyed a wonderful day with the Westminster Chamber Orchestra, alongside a number of our local junior schools. Our actors gave an enthusiastic performance of Mr Herklots’s splendid scientific musical, ‘Gedanken in My Heart’ and showed some impressive acting skills in their GCSE performances on their preview evening.

The deadline for changes to school lunch arrangements for the Spring Term is:

4pm on Friday 7 December, 2018 It will not be possible to meet requests that arrive after the deadline.

Please email dinners@kes.hants.sch.uk giving pupil name, tutor group and the change intended.

No action is required if arrangements are to continue as at present.

We are enjoying our new dining hall. It has significantly reduced queuing times and has much improved the lunch experience for students and staff. Plans are now being prepared for the Library extension, to begin at the end of the summer term with a view to completion by the start of the coming academic year.

Any request using the dinners@kes email address will be acknowledged.

PLEASE NOTE Friday 30 November is an INSET Day

The holiday will be very busy with Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, an IT trip to Tokyo, the Charlotte exchange in North Carolina and sports tours to Holland and Belfast.

King Edward VI School Carol Service

I wish you a very good break over half term and school begins again on Monday 5 November.

You are warmly invited to join us on Monday 10 December at 7.30pm

A J Thould Head Staff and Parent Prayer Meeting A prayer meeting will be held on Tuesday 27 November between 1 & 2pm in the Commemoration Room. All parents welcome.

at Romsey Abbey Church Lane Romsey SO51 8EP

Information and procedure to apply for financial support if your child wishes to enter the Sixth Form in September 2019 can be found by clicking Scholarships/Studentships.

The service will be followed by mulled wine & mince pies

The deadline for applications is the end of October 2018.

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KES PTA invite you to their 46th AGM on Tuesday 13 November, 2018 at 7pm

Internet Safety Seminar for Parents Tuesday 27 November at 7.00pm in the Dobson Theatre

The proceedings will start with a presentation from the Girls’ Greenpower Team with a glimpse of their new car in the new Dining Hall.

Childnet International (www.childnet.com) has worked with the government, online industry, adults and children and is a nationally respected organisation.

The session will cover some simple, practical steps that parents can take in order to minimise the risks to which their child is exposed and will also provide you with advice to share with your child.

Refreshments will be provided A Plea from the Charities Commission With winter approaching the Charities Commission are organising a collection of sleeping bags that you may have and no longer need to be donated to the homeless.

The talk is expected to last for approximately 1 hour with the opportunity to ask questions at the end.

KETA TRANSPORT – TEMPORARY BUS PASSES

Please hand any donations to Miss McGinn in the Art department by 9 November.

Temporary Bus Passes are issued subject to availability, for one-off and ad-hoc bus use only.

Many thanks for your support.

Existing KETA bus users may request Temporary Bus Passes for a different bus route on a particular day and time at no additional cost.

PERMISSION FOR ABSENCE It is expected that family holidays will be taken in the School holidays and ideally all appointments should be arranged outside School hours but there may be occasions when you need to request time out of School for your child.

Non KETA bus users will be charged at the applicable one way bus fare.

Parents or Guardians must make all requests for Temporary Bus Passes via email to keta@kes.hants.sch.uk detailing the route, stop, date(s) and times of travel (am/pm).

If this is the case, your child’s tutor should be informed, in writing or via the Parent Portal in advance of any appointments. Requests for permission for absence for other occasions should be made to the Head of Year, giving plenty of advance notice.

Payment must be received via cash/cheque before the first date of travel. A minimum of 48 hours' notice is required for processing temporary passes.

Lady Windermere’s Fan 6, 7 & 8 December - Dobson Theatre Tickets here That day in your life you will never forget – that day you will remember on your own death bed.

In the 24 hours that the play is set, Lady Windermere faces such a day.

Wilde’s first play explores the pitfalls of the prevalent puritan morality of his day; so relevant to our own world, and breaks the key convention of the Victorian melodrama, by never revealing to Lady Windermere that her arch rival, Mrs Erlynne, is a lot closer to her than she would like to think.

Wellington Sports Ground Open Morning Saturday 17 November 10am - 12 noon Although aimed at prospective students and their families, current members of the KES community are very welcome to come to have a look around Wellington and watch some hockey and rugby.

King Edward VI School & Wellington Sports Ground are NO SMOKING SITES Parents are also reminded that there are NO DOGS ALLOWED on both sites - exceptions are hearing assistance and guide dogs 2

NOTES FROM THE MEDICAL TEAM

Mindfulness Course for Parents

There has been an increase in the number of pupils attending the Medical Room in order to obtain an “Off Games” slip. Please note, that unless your child has an injury or illness, attended to by the School Nurses on the day, we will be encouraging pupils to change into their Games kit and participate as much as they feel able.

We are delighted to advise you that we have arranged for the School Counsellor, Annie Davison to run an 8-week Mindfulness Course for KES Parents in the spring term. This course will start on Monday 14 January, 2019, 7pm - 8.30pm.

The practice of mindfulness has been found to promote health and wellbeing, improve mood and energy levels and reduce anxiety. Mindfulness does not conflict with any beliefs or traditions.

More information can be found here.

If you as parents are already aware of an injury or illness that would prevent your child from participating in any Games lesson, please ensure that you provide your child with a note to give to their games teacher.

To apply for the course please contact Annie on ad@kes.hants.sch.uk

If a pupil sustains a significant injury, parents are asked to ensure that their son or daughter visits the medical room as soon as they return to School.

OBNO

Our second hand uniform shop, OBNO (Outgrown But Not Outworn), will be open on Saturday 1 December from 10.30am to 1pm in the North Playground.

If the pupil is incapacitated, suitable arrangements will then be put in place to help them.

TRIPS & VISITS HUB Trips taking place this half term are as follows: Duke of Edinburgh Silver Expedition, Dartmoor: 20 - 23 October Upper School and Sixth Form IT Trek to Tokyo: 20 - 28 October Upper School and Sixth Form Girls’ Hockey Camp to the Hague: 21-25 October Third Year Charlotte Exchange: 24 October – 6 November U13 Girls’ Netball Tour to Belfast: 30 October – 2 November Fifth Year and Sixth Form Vietnam Expedition Training, Dartmoor: 31 Oct – 3 November

Mr Barnes Trip Leader Mr Mapstone Trip Leader Mr Bassett Trip Leader Mrs Burnett Exchange Coordinator Mrs Kent Trip Leader Mr Havers Trip Leader

Information Evening Dates for your Diary Aachen Christmas Market: Tuesday 11 December at 6.30pm in the Hospitality Suite Ski 2019: Tuesday 20 November at 7pm in the Hospitality Suite If you have any special needs, as a result of disability, with which you require assistance on trip Information Evenings, please state your requests in an email to trips@kes.hants.sch.uk so we can make arrangements to assist you.

Procedure if your child is ill and unable to attend school

CALLING ALL PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF KES Once again this year we are inviting parents and friends of King Edward VI School to join forces with our School choir and orchestra for the Carol Service at Romsey Abbey on Monday 10 December at 7.30pm.

To enable us to be sure of the whereabouts and safety of our students it is important that you contact the Main Office (02380 704561) or by email absent@kes.hants.sch.uk as soon as possible, preferably by 8.30am, if your child is ill or is going to be late.

If you sing and read a little music we would be pleased to welcome you into our SATB choir. There will be a few evening rehearsals for those who need to learn notes and then one massed rehearsal for pupils and adults.

If the illness is on-going please contact the Main Office each day that your child is absent.

If you have sung in our adult choir previously you will automatically receive full details about repertoire and rehearsals. If you are a new parent to the School and would like further details please email Miss Forsey on cef@kes.hants.sch.uk

We would also be grateful if you would reinforce the need for your child to report to the Main Office if they arrive late to School.

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Mon 22 - Thurs 1 November

Half Term

Friday 2 November

INSET Day

Friday 9 November

Act of Remembrance

Thursday 15 November

First Year Parents’ Evening

Friday 30 November

INSET Day

Wed 5 December

Fourth Year Parents’ Evening

Wed 5 December

Closing date for 11+ and 13+ applications

Mon 10 December

Carol Service - Romsey Abbey - 7.30pm

Thurs 20 December

Term Ends

Please note: A more comprehensive calendar which is updated and reviewed regularly, is available on our website.

The Secret Battle  Sunday 11 November, 2018  6pm In 1928 Winston Churchill wrote of AP Herbert’s World War One novel, The Secret Battle, that it held ‘a permanent place in war literature’, and described it as ‘one of those cries of pain wrung from the fighting troops ... like the poems of Siegfried Sassoon should be read in each generation, so that men and women may rest under no illusions about what war means’. Herbert himself served in Gallipoli and France and the novel is based on a true story of a brave young officer’s struggle not only with the enemy and his own demons, but with his commanding officer.

The novel is adapted for the stage by Head of English, Dr Schofield, and will be performed on the centenary anniversary of Armistice Day. Tickets are free and available here.

There will be a collection for The Royal British Legion on the night.

We are VERY EXCITED because…on 16 November, the school will be hosts for the Children In Need recording that is broadcast nationwide that evening! 

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75 of our First and Second Years will be in the BBC Children in Need Choir, along with over 100 local children from Stroud and our partnership primary schools, as well as similar choirs from North, East and West! They’ll be singing ‘A Million Dreams’ from The Greatest Showman in the Dobson Theatre.

The Choir will be conducted by Miss Forsey, our Director of Music The lunchtime South Today will be broadcast from School Our swing band will be playing on the 6.30pm South Today, also broadcast from School Pudsey will be in School all day on Children in Need day Radio Solent will broadcast from the School all day Charities Commission will have a host of fun fundraising activities going on all day – some might even make it to the evening news!

This means a bit of disruption over Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as the BBC will be setting up their equipment in the Dobson Theatre but lessons will not be affected.

The choir should be live at approx 8.20pm on BBC One, so tune in and support.

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