HEADMASTER’S LETTER
APRIL 2016
T0 PARENTS
Dear Parents
Welcome back to term time after the Easter holiday. I hope that
you have managed some time off together as a family in readiness
for the weeks ahead. Various activities have taken place over the
holidays and details of some are included in the following letter.
Contents
Page 1
Ski Trip
Page 2
Excursión de Español
Page 3
Head of Junior School
Summer Ball
School Fixtures
Pembroke Evensong and O.C. Dinner
Page 4
Physics Olympiad Success – Twice
Maintenace Work
Careers Convention
Page 5
Speech Day
Independent Schools Football Association
Blue Calendar
Page 6
DOE
Page 7
Oxbridge Choral Scholars
And Finally
Ski Trip
Forty eight Remove and Lower Fifth
pupils travelled to Sugarloaf Mountain in
Maine, USA, at the start of the Easter
holiday for the biennial Middle School
ski trip.
great
The children enjoyed some
conditions
and,
whether
a
complete beginner or an advanced skier,
all pupils impressed the instructors with
their development on the slopes
throughout the week. The pupils were
praised throughout the trip for their first
rate attitude, effort and behaviour by
the airline staff, hotel employees, ski
instructors and even shop assistants.
Off the slopes the children enjoyed
many evening activities including ten
pin bowling, trampolining, wall climbing
and our boys even played a spontaneous
basketball match against some locals.
The American boys won with ease but it
was then Chigwell's turn to challenge
them to a soccer match and both sides
were able to enjoy a victory. This was a
very successful trip that was enjoyed by
all involved.
1
Excursión de Español
A group of Remove and Lower Fifth
students travelled to Benalmádena in
southern Spain in the last week of the
Easter vacation on a Spanish language
trip. The aim of the week was to practise
Spanish in a local environment, and also
to get to know Spanish culture ‘from the
inside’. Pupils and teachers stayed with
local families in the area of Arroyo de la
Miel, with whom they had breakfast and
dinner every day, and were based with
the ‘Colegio Maravillas’ language school.
Pupils spent the mornings in lessons
improving and practising their Spanish
with their local teacher Miguel. They
also went out on various visits during the
week. They saw the stunning hilltop
town of Ronda, with its famous 390 foot
‘Tajo’ gorge, Arabic ‘Mondragón’ palace
and bath house, and its bullring which is
the oldest surviving one in Spain. They
also visited Málaga, Puerto Banús, Mijas
and Benalmádena Pueblo.
2
Head of Junior School
Summer Ball
Mr Simon James joined us as Head of
Junior School in September 2010 and
after six highly successful years at the
helm, he will be moving to be Head of
Felsted Prep School in the summer. We
advertised for a successor and had a
strong field of applicants including senior
teachers and serving Heads from a
mixture of prep and primary schools.
A ticket order form and details of the
Summer Ball to be held on the evening of
Saturday 9th July are being been sent out
by e-mail. This is always a very popular
event and you are urged to apply for
tickets as soon as possible as they are
allocated on a first come first served basis.
I am delighted to tell you that Mr Andrew
Stubbs who you will know as the current
Deputy Head of Junior School was the
strongest applicant and he will succeed
Mr James. We all look forward to working
with Mr Stubbs in this new capacity.
During this busy time of year when many
students have important public exams,
we would appreciate your continued
support in encouraging your sons and
daughters’ commitment to sporting
fixtures throughout the term.
School Fixtures
Pembroke Evensong and O.C. Dinner
Last Saturday, the annual Old Chigwellian Cambridge dinner took place attended by
some sixty five O.C.s. Prior to the dinner, evensong was led by the Chapel Choir in
Pembroke College Chapel and the music was stunning as ever.
Chigwell School’s founder,
Samuel Harsnett, worked
as a sizar at Pembroke
College where in return for
waiting
on
wealthy
undergraduates he was
given
some
tuition.
He was awarded a degree
in 1580 and was ordained,
eventually
becoming
Rector of St Mary’s,
Chigwell. He returned to Pembroke College as Master in 1605, and became Vice
Chancellor of Cambridge University and Archbishop of York in 1628, just before he
founded Chigwell School the following year.
3
Physics Olympiad Success – Twice
Congratulations to Middle Sixth student
Bianca Andrei who has once again been
selected to represent the U.K. in the
final of the International Physics
Olympiad. Last year, Bianca travelled to
Mumbai as the only girls in the team of
six, many of whom were a year ahead of
her. This year, she will travel to Geneva
for the final which takes place in July.
Bianca spent part of the holidays at a
training camp at which the final team
was selected.
Maintenance Work
Every holiday period provides a valuable
redecoration and refurbishment of New
opportunity
extensive
Hall was completed, and improvements
maintenance work to be carried out and
were made to the old gym changing
this holiday was no exception. Phase two
rooms. Meanwhile, work has continued
of the rewiring of the main school
on the Sixth Form Centre and I hope the
building was carried out, phase one of the
progress on the building will be clear
for
more
when you pass the site.
Careers Convention
make themselves attractive to potential
employers. Students from the Upper
Fifth should attend but those from the
Sixth Form and other year groups are
also very welcome. We are grateful to
parents, Old Chigwellians and friends
who have given up their time to make this
event possible.
As I mentioned in my last letter, we
will be holding our careers convention
on Thursday 21st April. There will be
representatives from a range of careers
and we hope that students will take the
opportunity to learn as much as possible
about the potential opportunities
available to them and how they can best
4
Speech Day
The programme for Speech Day and its related activities will follow the usual format:
Friday 8th July
Saturday 9th July
2.15pm
Pre Prep, Lower I and Upper I Service in St Mary's Church
3.30pm
Pre Prep Garden Party
9.45am
Junior School Service at St Mary's Church
11.30am
Senior School Service at St Mary's Church
2.30pm
Speeches and Prize Giving in the Marquee
The Guest of Honour at Speech Day this year will be Sir David Pepper O.C., K.C.M.G.
Having completed a doctorate in theoretical physics at St John’s College, Oxford, Sir
David joined the British intelligences agency Government Communications
Headquarters in 1972. His career was spent in intelligence and from 2003 to 2008, he
was Director of GCHQ. Sometimes referred to as ‘Spy Chief’, he has regularly given
lectures and has commented in media, particularly regarding the issue of the
telephone calls tracking and internet monitoring, to aid national security. He was
called as a witness to the Iraq inquiry and has been back to Chigwell to speak to the
Williams Project. We are delighted that Sir David has agreed to be our Guest of
Honour and we look forward to hearing from him.
The preacher at the services on Saturday morning will be Right Reverend Peter Hill,
Bishop of Barking, and the preacher at the service on Friday afternoon is Amandeep
Singh - Schools worker, Karamsar Gurdwara, Ilford.
Independent Schools Football Association
.
Chigwell School has been confirmed as an Independent Schools Football Association
Junior Hub School for 2016/17 and beyond. ISFA is keen to position junior football at
the heart of its development programme and Chigwell will be hosting a number of
football festivals with local primary schools. We are one of just eleven schools
awarded this status.
Blue Calendars
As usual, the Trinity term calendars are being distributed to pupils who should also
bring home a copy.
5
Duke of Edinburgh
Sixty Lower Fifth pupils began their
this was carried out at Fairlop Waters.
Easter holiday with a Bronze Duke of
The second phase was the practice
Edinburgh Award training day held at
expedition where the group completed a
school. They learnt the basics of the
one day and one night expedition
expedition and went for a short local
remotely supervised. They canoed a 15
walk with their rucksacks to appreciate
km route on the River Chelmer and
the weight they will be carrying. During
camped close by the river at Hoemill
the final week of the holidays the groups
Lock. The group are now fully prepared
got back together in Skreens Park,
to tackle the qualifying expedition in
Roxwell, to complete their practice
June where they are planning to paddle
expedition. This involved a 12km walk
a section of the River Thames from
(although those who got lost walked
Lechlade to Abingdon.
further) and an overnight camp. The
first groups had glorious weather, but
the second set of students had to
experience camping in the rain. All of
the students performed well and
successfully completed the practice
expedition. They are all looking forward
to the qualifying expedition which will
take place during Activities Week later
this term.
During the second week of the holidays,
twelve students from the Upper Fifth
completed the Duke of Edinburgh Silver
Canoe training and practice expedition
at Fairlop Waters and on the River
Chelmer.
The first two days were
focused on paddling skills, rescue
training, equipment, camp craft, route
planning exercises and navigation and
6
Oxbridge Choral Scholars
Congratulations to Rhea Gupta and Hana
Edwards who both heard at the end of last
term that they have been awarded choral
scholarships at Cambridge. Rhea holds a
conditional offer to read Classics (Clare
College) and Hana has an offer to read Asian
and Middle Eastern Studies (Trinity College).
These offers mean that Chigwell musicians have been awarded a total of six choral
scholarships by Oxford or Cambridge over the last four years.
And Finally
Exams and the many activities that always take place in the Trinity term mean that the
summer passes all too quickly. I am sure your sons and daughters will be very busy over
the coming weeks but I hope they enjoy all that they do, even if there are challenges and
the odd difficulty. I look forward to seeing you all again in the near future.
With best wishes
Yours sincerely
7
TERM DATES
Trinity Term
(Easter Day is 27th March)
First day:
Monday 18th April
Half term: Saturday 28th May to Monday 6th June (INSET Day Monday June 6th)
Term ends: Wednesday 13th July
2016 / 2017
Staff meetings and INSET on Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th September
First day:
Wednesday 7th September
Half term: Saturday 22nd October to Sunday 6th November
Term ends: Wednesday 14th December
Lent Term
Staff meetings and INSET on Wednesday 4th January
First day:
Thursday 5th January
Half term: Saturday 11th February to Sunday 19th February
Trinity Term
(Easter Day is 16th April)
First day:
Wednesday 19th April
Half term: Saturday 27th May to Monday 5th June (INSET Day Monday June 5th)
Term ends: Wednesday 12th July