Weekly Bulletin (10.6.16)

Welcome back after the Half Term break. I hope that you all had an enjoyable holiday, and that the prospect of Exam Week, and preparation for it, did not intrude more than absolutely necessary. As I write this, only Modern Languages and Physics stand between the boys and post-exam euphoria.  A swift letter to their pen pal in Bordeaux (Cher Marcel, Merci beaucoup de ta letter que j’ai recue hier…it’s an opening line that saw me through my GCSEs without mishap) and a few questions about the moons of Saturn and the speed-distance-time calculation triangle, and it will all be done. (NB. This is not a spoiler…I have no idea what will be in the French and Physics papers, so please don’t text your son to give some targeted revision tips for lunchtime!) This point probably seemed unattainably distant when they sat down after Easter to construct their revision timetables, but this particular Everest has nearly been climbed. It’s been a big effort. They should all enjoy the weekend – they have certainly earned it.

I enjoyed hearing from Mr Walsh of the Adventure Society trip to the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset over the first weekend of half term. Our 23 adventurers left school on Friday afternoon, spending the night at a rustic campsite, where constructed their own shelters and cooked their own dinners on a campfire – I’m sure their Cooking Week skills came in handy.  Waking early, the boys headed for the famous Jurassic Coast, where they enjoyed an intrepid day of coasteering. For the uninitiated, this involves navigating your way round sea cliffs through a combination of climbing, abseiling, and jumping from great heights into the water. Not for the faint-hearted!  Football and Ultimate Frisbee filled the boys’ free time. The weather was glorious, and the boys and staff all had a fantastic time.

Monday’s Inter-Form Athletics competition was an exciting affair, with excellent individual performances and wonderful team spirit on display throughout. I was assigned the role of time-keeper, so got a prime position to see the business end of the races. Particular personal highlights included an excellent 100m A race, in which a fast-finishing Ethan Knight just overhauled an unlucky Gabe Hannah on the line, and an exhibition of high calibre middle distance running from Chris Hardy and Kabir Sait in the 800m A race, with Chris breasting the tape first.  Congratulations to the boys who gained more than one victory – Ethan, Luke McNamara, Edward Finnett, Louis Middleton, Theo Wedge and Noah Wood – and to 1J, who won the overall competition from 1L in second and 1W in third.  But most of all, congratulations to all the boys to competed, supported and helped with time-keeping and results recording. It was a very enjoyable afternoon in the sun, and a welcome break from the rigours of Exam Week.

 

Mr J. Partridge

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