The Flagpole

Many of you will be familiar with the term IQ (Intelligence Quotient – a way of trying to measure one’s intellectual capacity) and some will have heard of EQ (Emotional Quotient) – a way of talking about emotional intelligence. In this letter I want to talk about DQ (Digital Quotient) and how we are looking to improve the “Digital Intelligence” of our pupils. 

As part of our DQ planning, we have been developing our strategies to support all members of the Princethorpe Community in becoming good Digital Citizens by helping pupils, parents and staff to use digital technology and media in a safe, responsible and effective way. 

Digital Citizenship covers a wide range of areas which are neatly summarized by the DQ Institute. The specific area I want to focus on in this letter is the use of mobile phones and Screen Time Management (STM) as we believe that many of our pupils struggle to manage their mobile phones, screen time, multitasking, engagement in online games and social media with the necessary self-control. 

Over recent years there has been a huge culture shift regarding mobile phones, particularly smart phones.  Whilst their utility and versatility are undeniable, our experience is that they have also had quite a negative impact upon the school community. Our concerns can be summarized as follows: 

• For some members of our community there is an apparent dependency on mobile phones, which can affect manners and social interaction.
• There has been a dramatic increase in unkindness associated with inappropriate use of mobile phones.
• We are very mindful of the inherent health and safety issues: not only that of walking around whilst preoccupied but also the much debated longer term impact on health, particularly surrounding the negative impact of excessive screen time on sleep.
• Finally, there is considerable peer pressure for boys and girls to have the latest phones and to subscribe to numerous social media platforms, all of which come with potential costs and risks, and we hope to help mitigate those burdens and enable us all to better manage those risks. 

Whilst offering potentially hugely exciting educational benefits, digital technology presents many challenges for teachers and parents. Consequently, we are reviewing our mobile phone policy to address the above concerns.  We also want to work with and support parents as we know it can be difficult to monitor children’s use of digital technology and agree (and adhere) to sensible restrictions and guidelines on the appropriate use of digital technology at home. 

Before making any policy changes I would like to get some feedback from parents. I am therefore inviting parents to share any thoughts, ideas or concerns you have by completing a brief questionnaire which can be accessed here. I would be grateful if you can complete it by Friday 17 December. For parents who are interested, I can recommend looking at the Parentzone website which has a number of good articles, guidance and advice for parents and school in relation to Digital Citizenship and on-line safety.

Yours sincerely 

Ed Hester
Headmaster

This year's winning College Christmas Card design is by Year 7 Art Scholar Katie Richards. Her jolly design features four skating nuns, mid-snowball fight and proudly wearing matching mittens and scarves in Princethorpe’s House colours - a lovely way to marry Princethorpe’s early history and a core element of Princethorpe life today.

Head of Art, Paul Hubball, commented, “It’s great to see our Art Scholars getting involved and producing such lovely work for the competition. Katie’s design was a clear winner as so much is going on in the design, however, she has managed to keep all the elements working together. It promotes the House system, the ‘fun’ element of school life and acknowledges Princethorpe’s history. Such a high standrard from a Year 7 pupil, well done Katie!”

There was an exceptionally strong field of entries this year so our congratulations also go to our Runners Up:

Year 7 Pupils – Oliver Clarke, Charlie Ferguson and William Harrison
Year 8 Pupils – Lucia Bell and Lily Murley
Year 10 Pupil – Sophie Cheshire

Well done to all!

Thunder the reindeer was the hit attraction at this year’s Princethorpe PTA Christmas Fayre, as the College welcomed hundreds of visitors to the school to mark the start of the run up to the Christmas celebrations.

Tinsel, baubles, mulled wine and festive cheer were in abundance, along with an excellent array of stalls selling artisan products and gifts for the organised and discerning Christmas shopper. To add to the seasonal excitement there were plenty of activities for all ages to participate in, including the ever popular ‘water to wine’ stall and bottle tombola and a children’s Christmas craft room. Of course there was also the chance to meet Father Christmas himself in his glittering sleigh. Ably supported by his elves, he delighted children of all ages and found out what was at the top of many a Christmas list.

A feast for the senses, the crowds also enjoyed musical entertainment in the shape of the performances by youngsters from the Bilton Silver Band, who entertained with a range of festive tunes to get everyone in the mood.

As the good-humoured queues attested, the Beer and Bratwurst and Mulled Wine stalls were very popular, as were the sumptuous cakes and warming hot drinks which were all on sale in the Sixth Form Dining Room.  A perfect place to pause before taking the opportunity to pop outside to pet the fabulous Thunder himself.

Our huge thanks go out to the many helpers, supporters and workers who made the Fayre such a success.  It is the one of the PTA’s main fundraising events and they are delighted to report that this year the Fayre and Christmas raffle have raised a record amount of over £5,000.

A very merry Christmas to one and all!

Following the success of the 2016 Green Team calendar, we are delighted that our pupils have been busy exploring our local environment once again and have produced yet another fantastic Princethorpe Countryside Photography Calendar.  

Stewart Dear, Geography Teacher and Green Team Leader comments, “The photographs in this year’s calendar are amazing. It is a true celebration of our wonderful surroundings and a reminder of just how lucky we are to have our historic school embedded in such beautiful countryside.”

The calendar showcases the photography skills of pupils throughout the school from Year 8 to Upper Sixth, capturing a range of seasons and environments and will be a handy addition for any kitchen or office as it also includes the Foundation’s term dates.

The 2018 Green Team Calendar is just £5 and there are a limited number available so make sure you grab yours before the end of term. To purchase a copy, please contact Stewart Dear – stewartdear@princethorpe.co.uk and calendars can be collected from the Student Hub or Reception and purchased directly through the School Shop.

On Friday 24 November there wasn’t a spare seat in the house for one of the highlights of the College calendar - the annual House Talent Show. Always hotly contested it was a fun filled evening full of all sorts of entertaining and amusing acts as the best the Houses had to offer took turns to perform. 

A huge thank you goes to all of the acts who performed and to the technical team who so ably assisted, your hard work, dedication and sheer talent are what makes this event so enjoyable. Thanks also to this year’s judging panel, the very cool Old Princethorpians, Tom Barnes, Andrew Partridge and Joe Rees who joined us for the evening and had the incredibly challenging task of picking the eventual winners.

The show opened with a dynamic line dance number from Benet Steps and the audience were quickly to their feet.  What followed included daring gymnastics, slick dance routines, stunning instrumental and vocal solos, fantastic duets, brilliant bands, amusing monologues and even a surprise performance of Ol’ Man River by Headmaster, Mr Hester.  We giggled at Mrs Rose’s Bear Necessities costume, were amused by the House Captains’ slick footwork in their High School Musical piece, and were entertained by the rugby team’s enthusiastic rendition of Grease Lightning.

The talent was high and the competition tough but after watching all of the performances, and deliberating long and hard, the judges finally announced the winners. In third place for More was talented trumpet player Ben Murray with his Star Wars interpretation of the Cantina Song.  Then, unable to separate them, second place was jointly awarded to tumbling gymnast Ollie Pendleton (Austin) and enthusiastic cheerleader and dancer Freya O’Mahony (Fisher).  Finally, and to much applause, the winners were announced, they were Upper Sixth Formers, Luke Baldock (Benet) and Sam Bromage-Eccles (Austin) whose piano and dance romantic piece Nuvole Bianche had mesmerised judges and audience alike; they were very popular and worthy winners.

As well as being a great night out the event was also about fundraising for the House Charity, which for 2017-2018 is Headway - the brain injury association.  The evening’s ticket and refreshment sales raised over £500, an excellent boost to the year’s fundraising.

Our thanks to all of the performers on the night including: Benet Steps, Bowen Kent and Greg Burford, Abbie Baker, Amber Cowie, Mr Higgins, Lunar Eclipse: Ruby Harris, Molly Harper and Amelie Friess, Jack Bromage-Eccles, Ben Murray, Charlotte Khan, Carys Burchell and Mrs Rose, Corin Alford, House Captains, Ollie Pendelton, Lily-Anne Brown and Annabel Koster, Compere Surprise: Miriam Isaacs and Sara Moore, Charlotte Fitzpatrick, Roualeyn Alford, Luke Baldock and Sam Bromage-Eccles, Mary Lomas and Caitlin Mason, Freya O’Mahony, William Puchy and the Rugby Team.

It has been a busy term for Netball and Princethorpe College Head of Girls’ Games, Mrs Debs Brookes, has a lot to smile about with ten Princethorpe netballers scoring representative honours this season. She says, “Things are looking very strong this season. Commitment is strong across the year groups, the practice courts are full after school and we have ten girls who have been selected for representative honours. I am delighted that their dedication and hard work is being rewarded.”

Lucy Gribben, Nell Johnston, Lucia McCosker-New, Anneliesa Douglas and Darcey Heritage were selected into their age groups for the Warwickshire netball squads. For Gribben and Johnston this is their second year representing a County, whilst Heritage, McCosker-New, Johnston and Douglas have the honour of being selected underage. Chosen from a pool of several hundred girls, from some twenty plus schools across the county, the Princethorpe contingent will join either the Development or Progression squads playing against other counties across the country.

Four girls have also been selected for the Wasps U17 Development Hubs that target the most talented 13-18 year olds across the area. Emelia Tubb, Maddy Glasspool, Anneliesa Douglas, and Anna Wells will have an exceptionally busy netball season that includes playing against some of the best in the country. Tubb and Douglas are playing in the Rugby Hub whilst Wells and Glasspool are in the Coventry Hub.

Continues, Debs Brookes, “The College was asked to nominate its very best pupils for the tough selection process and we are delighted that these girls have been chosen, it is an honour which they should be rightly proud of. Their National Performance League training will take place alongside their local club and Princethorpe College training and fixtures.”

The four younger girls join Molly Geehan and Georgie Peake who continue to play in the Wasps U19 National Performance League.

Netball is an exacting sport; demanding an instinctive feel for the ball, hawk like precision and the capacity to make lightning decisions. The sport is growing in popularity with more people playing than ever before.

All of these girls are dedicated to their sport, they work hard year in year out and they fully embody the College’s ‘do your best’ ethos. With such depth of talent across the year groups we look forward to hearing news about their impact on the game in College fixtures.

Pictured left to right: Emelia Tubb, Maddy Glasspool, Anneliesa Douglas, Nell Johnston, Lucy Gribben and Darcey Heritage.

And also pictured (scroll through the View Gallery) are: left to right Molly Geehan, Georgie Peake and Anna Wells.

So many of our pupils commit in the most extraordinary ways both in and outside of College. There are those who rise at the crack of dawn to train. There are those who spend hours in rehearsal rooms. There are those who are always ready to go the extra mile to support and help. Then there are those who simply batten down and pull out all the stops to surpass what they thought themselves capable of in the classroom. And that’s what the Celebration Achievers’ Lunch aims to recognise.

This term 42 pupils from across all year groups were nominated by members of staff and invited to the College Roundhouse by Assistant Head (Co-Curricular), Mr Greg Hunter, for a celebration lunch.

These pupils had all risen to the challenge of the College’s ethos. They have done their best in so many different ways. They have excelled in sport, performed to audiences, completed charity runs, gone over and above for their tutor groups and shown diligence, improvement and commitment to their studies.

Mr Hunter congratulated each of them and thanked them for the many ways that they enrich College life.

Congratulations go to all of the following pupils:

From Year 7: Grace Bartlett, Darcey Heritage, Grace Isaacs, Chloe O'Carroll-Bailey and Natasha Thomas

From Year 8: Harry King, Mia Lambeth, Evie Phillips, Jamie Smith, Olivia Underhill and Madeleine Wilde

From Year 9: Owen Armstrong, Mackenzie Brown, Gregory Burford, Rory Draper, George Dunkley, Alfie Kay, Caitlin Mason, Emily Scrivens and Freddy Swift

From Year 10: Hannah Bryer, Sophie Cheshire, Arran Knight, Abigail O'Carroll-Bailey, Rowan Tankard and Hannah Webber

From Year 11: Patricia Anttila, William Basford, Danielle O'Brien, Patrick Parfitt and Louis Price

From Lower Sixth: Anna Wells

From Upper Sixth: Max Brindley, Imogen Butler, Sol Elliott, Anna Harper-Lawrence, Thomas Hennegan, Miriam Isaacs, Faye Lewis, Kate MacIntyre, Jasmine Thearia and Emilli Thornton

This year the Christmas tree in the Chapel has been lovingly decorated with over 1,000 special stars, hand-cut and hung by the Year 7 Chaplaincy Team and each holding the name of a special someone.

The message of Christmas is one of love and this year the Christmas tree in the College Chapel symbolically represents that message. The many stars on the tree are a testament to the presence of love in the world – and the way in which, individually, all our lives have been enriched by love.

All members of the College community were invited to write the names of those who have a special place in their hearts on a star and the team have carefully hung each star individually on the tree.

Our thanks go to Year 7 pupils Lauren Bach, Amelie Hancock, Julia Loftus and Erika Zanyi, who have been busy since October preparing the stars, for all of their sterling work.