The Flagpole

Please find below the Headmaster's letter posted to parents this week together with the Lent calendar:

Dear parents 

Please find enclosed the 2018 Lent Term calendar; it shows what another full and busy term lies ahead. One of our flagship events, aimed at pupils from Year 10 to Sixth Form, is our biennial Careers Fair which will take place on the morning of Saturday 17 March. As in previous years, speakers from a wide range of careers and professions will deliver short presentations, and there will be an exhibition with representatives from universities, gap year companies and other organisations. If you have a child in these years, I would urge you to put the date in your calendar now; more details will follow in the New Year. 

We are also looking forward to our main school production, Arabian Nights, and the fifth annual Princethorpe Oscars Ceremony, which I’m sure will be another tremendous showcase for our talented filmmakers. Both events are likely to be sell-outs so please do look out for ticket information in next term’s Flagpole so that you can secure your seats in good time. I would also like to invite you to a Parental Talk on Internet Safety at 7.00pm on Thursday 1 February in the Clarkson Theatre. This talk, which will be given by an independent expert, Paul Haye, is part of our E-safety and Digital Intelligence (DQ) programme. 

I would like to thank those parents who took the time to fill in the survey on pupil mobile phones and screen time management. We had 54 responses with the key statistics being: all responders’ children brought a mobile phone to school and 93% of these were internet-enabled smartphones. In my most recent Flagpole letter, I outlined our concerns of mobile phone usage in school and mentioned that we are looking at altering our mobile phone policy which can be found in the Information Booklet for Parents and Pupils. The majority of survey responses were supportive of a change of policy with only 19% saying we should keep the current policy. I will take all responses from parents into account before making any changes to this policy. Over 80% of parents said they would welcome more support and guidance for screen time management at home. The aforementioned internet safety talk, on 1 February should be very useful here. We will also be running sessions on ‘DQ’ at the Academic Review Meetings for Year 7 and 8 on Monday 29 January and will be issuing a copy of a very helpful magazine, Digital Parenting, to all parents next term. Deputy Head – Pastoral, Mrs Sharpe, has written some very detailed guidelines for parents which I recommend you read and they can be found in the Friday 22 December issue of the Flagpole. I hope these guidelines are useful and we would welcome any feedback.

Some basic principles to use as a guide are as follows:

1. Do set and enforce boundaries and rules for access to the internet, mobile phones and screen time; we advise that there should be a device ‘switch-off’ time about an hour before bedtime and that no devices are kept in children’s rooms overnight.
2. Talk to friends and family about how they manage their children's digital lives.
3. When you're talking about bullying, sex and relationships and other issues with your child, don't forget to include the online aspects.
4. Try out the technologies your child enjoys - download some of their music and have a go at the games they like.
5. Think about how you guide your family in the non-digital world and how you can do the same in the digital world.
6. Make digital issues part of everyday conversation - talking about subjects like cyberbullying, sexting, copyright infringement and your child’s online reputation.
7. Monitor your child’s social media usage, their internet usage and the relationship they have with their phones and other digital devices.
8. Seek further support if you are concerned.

Looking ahead to next term we are delighted to welcome Jacqui Scott as a new Teacher of Food Technology and thank outgoing teachers Angie Ash and Anne O’Hanlon for all they have done in their time at Princethorpe to support our pupils. We also say goodbye to our two wonderful teaching assistants Tim Tattam-Humphries and Mia Mead. Tim and Mia are from Downlands, our Missionaries of the Sacred Heart ‘sister school’ in Toowoomba, Australia. We have a reciprocal ‘gap’ scheme set up with Downlands and two of our current Sixth Formers, Alex Tubb and Milli Thornton will be spending their post A-level year with them before going to university. Tim and Mia have been a wonderful addition to the staff over the past year, working hard across all areas and lighting up the school with their effervescence and good humour. We wish them well for the future and look forward to their successors, Evie Donaldson and Bella Fogarty, joining us in the New Year alongside OP Nick Bonsall as teaching assistants.  We also welcome new starter, John Seymour as Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer.

As always, the on-line calendar, accessible via the website and Parent Portal, will be updated with any amendments to the enclosed calendar so please do check this regularly. Pupils’ reports too are, of course, found on the Parent Portal; please do ensure you take the time to look at these reports and discuss them with your child. 

Particularly for those involved in the summer public examinations, next term will fly by; our pupils have had much support and guidance regarding how to structure their revision and studies at this time and I know parents of Year 11 and Sixth Form students will be keen to ensure there is a proper balance of work, rest, play and quality family time over the Christmas holiday period. 

On a housekeeping note, please be aware that the College will be carrying out essential electrical and IT maintenance over the Christmas holidays and as a result email will not be operational from 3.00pm on Friday 22 December, when the school office will close. Email will be operational again on Friday 29 December, however the school office will not re-open until 8.00am on Tuesday 2 January 2018. For any emergency situation whereby you need to contact the senior leadership at the school during this time please use the following emergency number - 07951 074649.   

Finally, I hope you enjoy reading the Golden Jubilee Souvenir Review publication, which was sent home on the last day of term with pupils; and at the end of a very busy and productive term, I would like to thank you for your support during the course of this year and wish you and your families a joyful and peaceful Christmas.

Yours sincerely 

Ed Hester
Headmaster

The College's 50th Anniversary, which took place during the academic year 2016-2017, was celebrated in style with some key events, from our launch tour and dinner at the House of Commons in May 2016 to our final event - the Golden Jubilee Ball in July 2017. The events were aimed at the wider school community including pupils, parents, staff and former parents, staff and of course Old Princethorpians.

To celebrate the year we have produced a 60-page souvenir review of all the activities and events in words and pictures. An electronic version with pages that can be moved through and a contents list from which you can jump to the different sections is available to view here.

Copies have been distributed to staff and via pupils to current parents. Should you wish to receive a hard copy of the publication please email goldenjubilee@princethorpe.co.uk with your name and address.

Friday 8 December 2017 was the College Feast Day, a celebration involving the whole of the College community, marking the day back in 1854 that the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart were founded and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The day honours the College’s important link with the MSCs, and also enables pupils and staff to come together as one in celebration.

Deputy Head - Pastoral, Beth Sharpe, had also designated the day as Christmas Jumper Day, which pupils and staff embraced enthusiastically. Pupils were on timetable in the morning, but a longer lunchtime allowed the catering team to serve up no less than 542 Christmas dinners.  Jolly Christmas songs and tantalising festive aromas teased the waiting queues in the corridors outside the Refectory.

Then the whole school took their seats in the Sports Hall for the afternoon’s entertainment - the hotly contested and eagerly anticipated House Singing Competition.  Much secrecy had surrounded the House choice of songs, with rehearsals going on for weeks, props sourced and musicians secured.

In turn the Houses rose to their feet to enthusiastically perform their pieces. Last year’s winners, Austin House was first up with Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, Benet House performed Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) by Green Day, Fisher House belted out Oh Happy Day from the film Sister Act 2, and last but by no means least, More House took on the challenge of Adele’s Rolling In The Deep.

The competition was judged by professional soprano and Princethorpe College vocal teacher, Joanna Kunda, who was very impressed with the standard of performance.  She commented, “I was expecting shouting and not the standard of singing I have heard today.  There have been some ambitious song choices here, supported by wonderful live musicians.  It was a very difficult decision but in the end I have decided that the winner should be Benet House.”

The celebration also saw the first outing of the Staff Choir who performed David Bowie’s Life On Mars, to the surprise of the gathered pupils. The afternoon was completed with performances from some of the acts from the recent House Talent Show.

Headmaster, Ed Hester said, "Thanks to Director of Ethos, Kieran McCullough, the Heads of House, all the staff and pupils and the catering team for entering wholeheartedly into the spirit of the day. This is an important annual event for the College, one we hope will become a much loved feature of the school calendar, one that takes time to celebrate the Princethorpe spirit of family."

Princethorpe College Sixth Formers welcomed over 130 guests from a number of local care homes, including Greenways, James Hirons, Cubbington Mill, The Chimneys, Town Thorns, Clifton Court, Overslade House, Homewood, Galanos House, Castle Froma and Willow Tree, together with local residents from St Anne’s Parish, Wappenbury for a special Senior Citizen's Christmas Celebratory Lunch on Thursday 14 December.

At this popular annual community event the guests were served turkey and all the trimmings, prepared by the College catering team and were waited on by College Sixth Formers.  They were also treated to some excellent entertainment by pupils from local primary school, Our Lady’s Princethorpe, who sang Hallelujah and Love Shone Down, together with performances by Sixth Formers, Erin Dunn-Morgan and Harriet Molloy, of I’ll Be Home For Christmas, Silent Night and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

Head of Sixth Form, Ben Collie also led the assembled guests in a joyful sing-along of much loved traditional carols, including Ding Dong Merrily On High, O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark The Herald Angels Sing.

Mr Collie commented, “It was wonderful to see old and young chatting and simply enjoying the moment together, embodying the true spirit of Christmas.  A huge thank you to our Sixth Formers and staff for organising such a fabulously festive event.”

The football season is upon us and the College is looking forward to a busy and successful term. Acting Head of Academic PE, Ross Holtom has some talented players to choose from, but is keen to encourage all pupils who enjoy playing the sport to come along to training.  He comments, “Football is a growing sport at Princethorpe. Last season the U13 and U15 teams were District Champions and the U12s were semi-finalists in the County Cup. This season there will be plenty more opportunities for pupils to get involved, and with a number of boys participating in professional team academies lots of highly skilled players for pupils to play with and learn from.”

Currently playing at academy level in U12 teams are Year 7 pupils, Finn Osborn (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Bird (Northampton) and Jamie Robinson (Birmingham City), whilst Year 8, Mark Dunkley is on trial with Coventry City. Finn, Jamie and Mark have also all recently been selected to play for the Independent Schools Association’s Midlands teams. The College also has talented players higher up to school with Year 9, Freddie Draper playing in the U14 team at Derby County and Year 11, Aaron Pressley playing for Aston Villa’s U16 team and for Scotland. Aaron is to be particularly congratulated as his dedication to football has just resulted in a two-year professional contract. Year 11, Jack Bent has also represented Warwickshire at U16 level.

All the boys playing in academy teams are on day release schemes that allow them to leave school early to train, but they all still have to complete their schoolwork supervised by an academy teacher. They have played in matches across the UK and Europe and on many famous grounds but they recognise the commitment playing football involves commenting, “The daily travel is tough and you have to work hard and stay focused if you want to be selected.”

Next year the College will be running its first overseas Football Tour with a Year 12 team travelling to Dubai at Easter to play in a four-day tournament, the Dubai Super Cup.  The competition will involve teams from around the world and the matches will be played at the world class facilities of the Sevens Stadium.

At Princethorpe the Lent term traditionally sees the focus switch away from Rugby to sports including Football. Mr Holtom continues, “We want everyone to get involved, so if you enjoy playing football come along to training or speak to your PE teacher.”

Many pupils at Princethorpe College take peripatetic lessons in the performing arts and for those who do, it is a labour of love. These committed individuals devote weekly additional time to the study of their chosen instrument or the dramatic arts.  Their efforts are reflected in their progress through the grades and for twenty-four LAMDA (London Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts) pupils, there was great cause for celebration as they received the results of their most recent examinations this week.

Undertaking examinations in a range of disciplines including: Mime, Reading for Performance, Acting, Verse and Prose and Public Speaking, candidates impressed the visiting examiner with the overall confidence they demonstrated from Grades 2 to 5.  Twenty-two achieved a Distinction, seven with a score of 90 plus, and two, Anneliesa Douglas and Grace Isaacs, were judged as perfect, scoring 100.

LAMDA Co-ordinator, Mrs Mary MacDonald, was thoroughly delighted with the combined outcome of all the pupils’ efforts, “These results reflect the hard work that pupils put into learning and rehearsing their pieces. We had a tremendous twenty-two Distinctions (the highest mark awarded), a Merit and a Pass. In the process of preparing for these exams, learners have developed their understanding of both literature and drama and consequently I can see how much they have blossomed as individual, confident public performers.”

Distinctions were awarded to the following: Emily Andrews, Gracie Beau-Gibbons, Fern Boston, Natasha Carter, Ophelia Dibden, Anneliesa Douglas, Maisie Edge, Louis Harper, Zara Hendy, Abigail Hewson, Lucy Hurworth, Grace Isaacs, Elsie Kelley, Charlotte Lewington, Molly McGrory, Chloe O’Carroll-Bailey, Eva Ostler, Alfie Powell, Edith Reay, Scarlett Russell, Jamie Smith and James Walker.

A Merit was awarded to Grace Bartlett and a Pass was awarded to Ralph Ireland.

Congratulations to all of the pupils involved.

This December, Year 8 pupil Lily Murley is swapping Princethorpe for Neverland as she takes to the stage in the World’s Biggest Pantomime performance of ‘Peter Pan’ at Arena Birmingham.  

Starring Bradley Walsh as Mr Smee and Martin Kemp as Captain Hook, J M Barrie’s original story and characters will be brought to life by a cast of over 100 performers, including a thrilling team of BMX riders, stuntmen, trapeze artists and even a 7m-long animatronic crocodile.

Performed across three stages, audience members will never be far from the action with a giant 60-foot-wide LED screen, computer graphic imagery and even a life-size Jolly Roger sailing through the Arena in front of a 10,000-gallon water wall.

13-year-old Lily was put through her paces and secured herself a spot in one of the ‘Lost Boys’ crews following a rigorous audition process back in September. With rehearsals in full-swing since November, Lily tells us about her experience so far;

“Although the rehearsals have been quite full-on, being part of the whole process is a such a great experience. All the cast and crew are working really hard and I know the shows will be amazing. Everyone is so welcoming, it’s like working as one big family and I’m really proud to be part of it.”

When asked for a top tip for anyone else who may wish to follow in her theatrical footsteps, she recommends, “Just try your best. Feel confident and be positive!”

Sounds like good advice to us.

For more information on the show and for tickets, please visit: http://www.arenabham.co.uk/whats-on/worlds-biggest-pantomime

Break a leg Lily! #Princethorpeandproud

The Development Office were delighted to host Trustees, former and current parents, staff and friends of the College in the Sixth Form dining room for a festive cheese and wine reception. The evening was to say a heartfelt ‘thank-you’ to all our donors and supporters who have helped our work over the last year.

We were fortunate to be able to have on offer our famous Princethorpe Blue cheese truckles, along with Crackley Hall and Crescent cheeses, supplied by our dear friend and OP Melvin Glynn of Windyridge Cheese.

Ed Hester talked to our guests about the work of the Development office and how the 50 + 10 Bursary Fund has already begun to impact on the lives of pupils at the school. Our current initiative, aimed at regular giving, encourages supporters to forgo three cups of coffee a month and donate £12 to the Bursary Fund, and we are delighted that this campaign is gaining traction.

Ed thanked the guests for their time, donations and support for the initiative and talked about our ambitious plans for the future for both bursaries and the new Science building.

It was lovely to see friendly and familiar faces from across the generations, coming together to support the College.  We look forward to working with the wider Princethorpe community in the coming months and years, to enable us to offer more bursaries to deserving pupils and support our school development plans.

We would like to wish all our supporters a peaceful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Joining together at the end of the Michaelmas Term has become an occasion that pupils and staff look forward to, not least because it signals the end of a busy thirteen weeks but also because it offers time to join together in song and thought.

This year’s College Carol Concert united traditional and lesser known seasonal music creating a lovely afternoon’s celebration of advent. Thought provoking readings and congregational singing of firm favourites such as ‘Once In Royal David’s City’ and ‘Hark The Herald Angels’, plus some festive Jazz with Charlotte Fitzpatrick at the helm, provided something for everyone to appreciate.

The final traditional rendition of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’, led by the Sixth Form Prefect Body, was theatrically orchestrated by Will Stone who whipped up the 900 or so participants into pitch perfect parts. It is a matter of pride to show, through the power of your group’s voice, which one could sing the best with even the staff and Senior Management Team having a good go at outdoing the rest.

In true Princethorpian spirit the congregation left on a high, reflecting on all that has been achieved but mindful of the thanks and prayers we continue to offer at this special time of year.

If you would like to enjoy Princethorpe's rendition of the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' please check out the video on our Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/princethorpecollege/videos/1483735418343009/

Merry Christmas everyone!