Crescunda 44

CRESCUNDA 44 December 2023

THE TERM IN BRIEF

FESTIVE FUN IN THE DINING HALL

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If the first half of term seemed busy, this longer stretch towards the year’s end has provided a non-stop whirl of learning opportunities. We’ve had visits from famous authors like Adam Kay, we’ve been pirates and vikings, boarded ancient ships, donned bowties, honoured the fallen, run round the lake at MTS, had national success in a computing competition, and so much more.

Turn over to read all about it!

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REMEMBERING THE PAST Over the half-term break we took a group of Year 7 & 8 boys to Belgium. They explored sites from World Wars One and Two. We focused on how societies respect their dead and remember conflict, considering the different ways nations commemorate their fallen. The contrast between the Langemarck German cemetery and Commonwealth graves at Tyne Cot demonstrated this powerfully. We looked out at the site of the Battle of Passchendaele, where 90,000 soldiers lie unclaimed.

HONOURING THE FALLEN Soon after we returned from the half-term break we remembered those Old Terryers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Our Remembrance Day service was poignant. The boys felt the weight of history, and paid their respects with all due solemnity. We were joined by ex-Forces staff from MTS. This year, boys researched different conflicts and those who took part, based on the Royal Legion’s annual selection. We explored Windrush and North Korea in particular, as well as National Service and those who served from South Asian communities. Classes and tutor groups made commemorative poppies, with photos and messages of commemoration.

NATIONAL SUCCESS! Our boys have performed at the highest levels in the Bebras, a nationwide computational thinking competition. Three students in Years 4 and 5 came joint first in their division, from more than 20,000 competitors. And a Year 7 came joint first in the UK from over 117,000 entrants in his national grouping. All four boys were awarded full School Colours. 49 pupils came in the top 10% nationally, qualifying for the Oxford University Computing Challenge next January. We strive to teach our pupils to think critically and with agility - vital skills in a rapidly changing world.

SPORTING ENDEAVOURS

House Cross Country

House football was another closely contested competition. Full results will be announced at the start of next term!

Our boys were involved again in the MTS Rugby week, performing very well against both York House and MTS. Some of our younger players took part in the Barbarians Festival, which brought together the best players from all over the capital.

Hockey at MTP continues to grow this year.

Boys have been involved in a number of fixtures and have been developing their skills as part of the THL programme at the senior school.

SPORTING ENDEAVOURS (2)

Badminton was another sport that saw boys compete for House glory.

We’ll find out who the winners are at the start of the Spring term!

Sport4All again this term, with over 30 teams involved in competitive fixtures, representing the school in both football and hockey.

AT THE MANOR Where curiosity thrives

Here are Robins and Wrens performing the Owl Babies story. They used their imaginations and empathy skills to act out how the characters were feeling.

Meanwhile, the Robins built habitats for woodland animals out of natural objects. They had to communicate and collaborate with their friends to build a perfect home.

THIS DIDN’T HURT Author Adam Kay, who wrote the bestselling book, This Is Going To Hurt, gave us a talk to remember! He and his illustrator, Henry Paker, educated and entertained in equal measure. Their latest book, Incredible Inventions, contains remarkable and sometimes disgusting facts from the annals of inventions history. It was a masterclass in weaving together inventive strands to produce a rich tapestry of human endeavour. We liked especially Henry’s rapid illustrations, beamed onto the big screen via a visualiser.

CARING FOR OTHERS There’s been a real air of looking after others at MTP these last few weeks. We’ve raised money for mens’ health, via our annual Bowvember/Movember fund raiser. We’ve celebrated difference as part of Anti Bullying Week (which coincided with National Kindness Day). There have been sessions on how to tackle bullying, both in person and online. We’ve worn odd socks to show we’re all individual, sent festive cards of goodwill, helped younger boys with their reading, and learnt more about Diwali in a wonderful assembly. We’re focusing on kindness to all.

Year 8 Mentor

Diwali assembly

THE VIKINGS ARE COMING! Year Four pupils spent a day living the life of a Viking. We think it's important for our boys to immerse themselves in the wider aspects of history and culture. They're discovering all about day to day life, including games and clothes, plus important events during the Viking era.

THE VIKINGS ARE STILL COMING! Some more photos from Year 4's day as invading marauders.

PIRATES AHOY Arrrr! It's dress like a pirate day. Our boys in Pre Prep, and their teachers, have been exploring the world of pirates in a journey that's taken them around the world. There's a treasure map that leads to the woods - if you're brave enough to enter.

PERMISSION TO BOARD Pre Prep ventured out as storm Ciarán unleashed its worst. They journeyed into London to see the Golden Hinde. Not even the rain could stop our adventurous pupils in Years 1 and 2 from exploring the remarkable history of Sir Francis Drake's vessel.

THE CURIOUS CAT You may remember that last year the Lord Mayor of London, Nicholas Lyons, came to see us. He is a member of the Merchant Taylors’ Guild, with whom we are closely associated.

Mr Lyons is a strong advocate for education, and has had a book produced about tolerance and hope, linked to the Lord Mayor’s Show.

We were gifted copies and our Year 8 Librarians read ‘The Curious Cat and the Lord Mayor’s Show’ to our younger pupils. They were entranced by the cat and her adventures. The booked arrived at a timely moment, shortly before trips to the theatre to see Dick Whittington last week!

SCHOOL SCENES The changing seasons have given us some magnificent views. The open spaces allow us to drink in the vistas, as autumn turns to winter.

PHOTOS

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POLYGLOTS Das ist wunderbar! Wir lernen Deutsch zu sprechen! Herr Pacey from the senior school gave boys in Year 6 a taster of German. They learned how to describe colours and practised describing football strips.

We offer introductory courses in German and Spanish during the second half of Year 8. We like to give Year 6 a preview of the fun to come. Ich liebe Deutsch!

TV STARDOM Save the date! One of our Year 8 pupils, Sulaiman, has been cast as the character Devnoor Singh in the forthcoming ITV production, Mr Bates vs The Post Office. It features a stellar cast including Toby Jones (The Hunger Games), Monica Dolan (Black Mirror), Julie Hesmondhalgh (BroadChurch), Alex Jennings (The Crown) and Amit Shah (Happy Valley).

The first episode will air on New Year’s Day at 9pm. There are four episodes, playing on consecutive nights. Sulaiman appears in episode two as a young Sikh boy, who is looked after by a single dad while his mother awaits trial.

You can see Sulaiman in action on ITV, at 9pm, on 2nd January.

Shown below: Sulaiman with the Director James Strong (Vigil, Broadchurch) and his on-screen dad Amit Shah (Happy Valley).

WORLD EXPLORERS Year 8 boys were challenged to decipher the complexities of microclimate. They’ve been trained in the expert use of numerous instruments, and introduced to the individual nuances of locations dotted around school. Over this term they’ve worked hard to produce a project that reflects their intelligence, perseverance and commitment; not to mention their understanding of all things small-scale and meteorological.

MATHS WIZARDS Boys in Years 4 to 6 competed in the Primary Maths Challenge. It's a multiple choice problem solving quiz consisting of 25 questions. The boys did really well and were awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates.

Although the PMC is aimed at boys in Year 6, pupils in younger years managed to achieve certificates in a tough challenge.

Here's a photo of our Gold award winners. All six were selected for the bonus round next year. We’re proud of all they have achieved, especially the Year 5 pupil who has made it through!

OLD TERRYER

Yiannis Reissis We were delighted to welcome back Old Terryer, Yiannis Reissis, who was the school captain in 2004. He talked to our Year 8 pupils about his career in Medicine. Our boys were fascinated to hear about his research and experiences across different medical fields.

NATIVITY Boys and parents have been entertained with two different, yet captivating stories of the nativity.

There was humour, data, and the search for a crib, in this year's Pre Prep nativity production, Census Sums. Despite Herod's calculated plan to erase all evidence of baby Jesus, the wise men appear, nothing takes away from the truth, the good news multiplies, and the audience equate laughter and pathos with another fantastic theatrical extravaganza.

NATIVITY (2) Meanwhile, the Manor produced a moving and adorable interpretation of the nativity story, melting the hearts of all who watched.

CHRISTMAS JUMPERS Tuesday was Christmas Jumper day. Here are some of our Year 8s modelling their finest festive knitwear.

WE MADE IT! We ran a competition to see who could make the best Christmas tree decoration. Here are the top three, as voted for by our office staff.

The winner is a gorgeous miniature knitted hat.

MUSIC Seventeen pupils sat their ABRSM music exams last Saturday. They prepared by playing their pieces to the whole school.

We’re delighted to announce an outstanding set of results: five Distinctions and seven Merits. These covered boys taking their first exams right up to Grade 5.

MUSIC More of our ABRSM music pupils, playing at a recent school assembly.

MUSIC Our Christmas concert was its usual riot of colour and sound, embracing the exuberance of making it to the end of another year.

Boys, parents and staff revelled in the chance to have fun that’s powered by rhythm, instrument and song.

MUSIC

More images from our magical Christmas concert

MUSIC Our traditional Carol Concert was a masterclass in hard work and meticulous preparation, delivering a memorable shared experience.

We thank all the boys involved, as well as Mr Stuart, Mr Edwards, Mrs Wookey, and Mrs Stubbs from MTS.

GRATITUDE

We teach because we love it. That doesn’t mean we’re not truly grateful for parental generosity as the term ends. From us, to you, thank you.