HOUSES

I have the privilege of writing this year’s article on behalf of our amazing house leaders, therefore I am going to begin by thanking them: Mrs Williams, our seasoned House Leader, who we can always rely on for her expertise in relation to all things Sherborne; Miss Nixon, Miss Nicholls and Miss Ferguson, all of whom took on their new roles this year with gusto, bringing their flair and fresh ideas to house days; and Mr Symth and Miss Gittens whose excellent knowledge and creative approach to tasks and activities always contributed to the competitive element of our House system. Thanks to them, the pupils, and staff, of Sherborne Qatar Prep have enjoyed being part of Amna, Irons, Jassim, Khalifa, Powys and Sheppard. Each House has also been represented by a committed group of Year 6 Prefects – Mann (Amna), Sai (Irons), Khadija (Jassim), Victoria (Khalifa), Hasan, Mariam and Ayad (Powys), and Zoha (Sheppard). They have been dedicated and true role models, showcasing our Sherborne Values in all that they do. Amongst other jobs and responsibilities, they had a morning duty at the school gates, to ‘Meet & Greet’ pupils, parents and carers, and our Heads of School, Mariam and Zoha, worked closely with Mr Fawcett on the podcast. This year, for the first time, the prefects helped the Senior Leadership Team conduct school tours – needless to say they did an excellent job showing prospective parents what they can expect from Sherborne pupils. Thank you, Prefects, for doing an excellent job of representing your Houses. This academic year continued to see varying degrees of restrictions due to the pandemic, which meant that we were unable to come together in our houses. However, house days were no less exciting or successful. We started the year with Friendship Week, which culminated in a fantastic Friend‘ship’ display, demonstrating our value of Teamwork. These six ships are a regular reminder of our sense of belonging and community spirit every time we walk through the ground floor corridor in the main building. November marked Anti-Bullying Week with a theme of One Kind Word – you were very thoughtful and creative in choosing your words of kindness. Love and Respect were the two that came up the most, which I thought were an excellent reflection of what we stand for at our school, celebrating both and our diversity as a community as well as our uniqueness as individuals. Qatar National Day is always a huge success and a wonderful way to end the Autumn Term. House Leaders, in collaboration with Ms Suzan, planned a day filled with fun and creativity linked to the World Cup. The main task of the day was for each form to create a stadium based on one of the eight designs, and the end results were fantastic! Visitors to the school are always very impressed by these pieces of art that are displayed at the main entrance. In February this year, we celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week by dedicating an entire house day to well-being. Miss Peerzada, our Well-being Champion, along with the House Leaders, put together tasks and activities that encouraged us all to consider the ways in which we can make healthy choices for our minds and bodies. At Sherborne Prep, we are working hard to support all members of our school community, particularly after the pandemic, to develop a happy and healthy state of being.

Despite the restrictions, we have made a success of our house events: House Leaders, and other members of staff, have worked exceptionally hard to make each house day memorable for you, and you have maintained a positive outlook, embracing every experience with excitement and eagerness. You participated whole-heartedly in our assemblies which were live streamed from your form rooms to make up for the fact that we were unable to come together as a school. You worked collaboratively but also competitively, not losing sight of the Inter House Cup! Inter House Cross Country was one such event – every child from Pre School to Year 6 took part in this fun event with music playing and all of you challenging yourselves. It was also great to see you trying your best and encouraging your friends. In total the school ran 3200 laps of the astro, which added up to 640km!!! This is the same distance as running from Doha to the Burj Khalifa in the UAE! There is so much to be proud of at Sherborne Qatar Prep School – your resilience and positive mindset have certainly enabled you to make the most of every opportunity you have been presented with. I am hopeful the next academic year will see us returning to more of a ‘norm’ for house events. Until then, remember: ‘If you are positive, you will see opportunities instead of obstacles’ – Confucius.

Mrs Nadira Rahman Deputy Head