This week's mailing is:
Notices:
L6th study leave
L6th boys taking internal exams will be granted revision leave from the beginning of Monday 4 June to 3.40pm on Thursday 7 June. This means that they will not be expected in school during lesson times unless they have an exam. Boys who don’t have an exam but nonetheless wish to be in school (perhaps because they use the school bus system) are welcome to be in school for silent study purposes. They can also take lunch in the Dining Hall as usual.
Many L6th boys will have Other Half commitments that they will still wish to fulfil (e.g. team practices for Saturday matches). The exam programme means they will still be able to attend things like period 8 activities (e.g. orchestra rehearsals) and Wednesday afternoon activities. We strongly encourage boys to continue with their Other Half activities where possible during this time. Doing something other than revision can provide an excellent break for the mind and still allow plenty of time for final revision. It can also be difficult for things like team practices to be effective for others if there are many absences. We are not, however, insisting that L6th boys fulfil these commitments during revision leave if they feel they really need to spend the time revising for upcoming exams – in such cases, though, we would expect boys to contact the organiser of the relevant activity to excuse themselves well in advance of when that activity is due to happen. Other Half commitments resume at 3.40pm on Thursday 7 June. Lessons will resume on Friday 8 June.
Fourth Year Exam Results
Results of the recent fourth year exams will be posted to the parent portal by Friday evening. You should expect the fourth year exams to form part of the discussion with teachers at the parents' evening after half term, on Thursday 7 June. The Deputy Head (Academic) will also be sending all parents an email with notes on how to interpret these results along with information on the new national GCSE grading system (using numbers rather than grades) which will be used by all subjects for this cohort of boys except English and English Literature.
Mental Health Awareness week, starting on Monday 21 May
We will be taking some time to focus on this as a whole school, encouraging conversations in tutor time to help raise awareness and break stigmas surrounding mental health issues. We would encourage parents to have conversations at home about this too, promoting positive mental health being as important as physical health. This year there is a particular focus on stress management, and we will also be touching on this area in year group assemblies, and reminding boys of the support networks available to them in school.
Highly Recommended App: Ourpact
We are very aware that lots of boys are claiming they need their phones to access Firefly and then getting distracted by them when they should be working! Please don't let them pull the wool over your eyes using Firefly as an excuse, but an app that we would hugely recommend is ourpact. It enables you to form a pact with your child about what they can access when. Please see https://ourpact.com/
Pastoral Evening for Parents
We had a very encouraging evening this week, with presentations from Mr Phillips on our PSHCE programme, Mr Gooding on Wellbeing and handling stress, and from Mr Hindley on Parties, Alcohol, Sleepovers and the Digital. Please see attached notes from those three talks for parents who were unable to attend.
Following Ab_wellbeing
Mr Gooding will be our first Head of Wellbeing and Mental Health from September. Please follow him, and us, on twitter – Ab_wellbeing
Music
- Clarification – Wednesday 23 May Jazz Evening with 6 PLUS 1, Big Band and visiting Prep Schools – This event has been postponed to next academic year and so will not be taking place.
- Summer Concert – Thursday 28 June at 7pm – This is our major school concert this term and will involve all our musicians, including U6 Leavers and 5ths on Study Leave. Please make a note in your diaries – there will be rehearsals in the afternoon preceding the concert.
Michaelmas Term 2018 start
These arrangements can all be viewed on the website:
Sunday 2 September – New boarders arrive
Monday 3 September – First and third year induction
Monday 3 September – Boarders return
Tuesday 4 September – Term begins
