From the Headmaster

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Volume 4 | Issue 34 | 17 June 2016

Prayer for the week

Lord, open my ears to your voice. Open my eyes to your presence. Open my heart to your love. Amen

Chapels on Sunday Founder Service, 10am, School UniformCatholic Mass, 6.30pm, Non­Uniform

Last weekend was one full of contrasts. As a nation we celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday with amagnificent Trooping the Colour televised on Saturday morning. As a town we had the Carnival and Artson the common providing a great range of family entertainment, including Mr Hollingsworth and his twogirls, Amelia and Lydia, providing music on behalf of St George’s. DoE cohort A were out on theChilterns for their expedition practice. We had two wonderful services in school on Sunday; a verythought provoking Bible Service with our very own Mr Buckley giving the sermon and a Junior Praiseservice in the Assembly Hall led by members of Bethany Church, who regularly use the hall every weekas their worship.

On Saturday and Sunday there were Confirmation Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes where 34 of the 49candidates were pupils from St George’s. This was clear commitment to their faith that has nothing to dowith gaining a place at the school. Parents will be aware that there are frequent accusations that lots offamilies attend church or chapel to gain a place at the school and then stop attending once admitted. Thenumbers continuing to being active in their churches and being confirmed is evidence, if needed, thatthis is not the case at all. The faith aspect of our school is very important to many of us and the Christianand spiritual life of St George’s is very much alive.

Sadly, events beyond the school gate have not been so positive. Once again the spectre of footballviolence and hooliganism emerged on the streets of Paris, a city that has already seen enough violencefrom terrorism in the past which one might have hoped would have served as reason for fans to be more

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News and Events

restrained, tolerant and accepting of each other. In the early hours of Sunday morning a lone gunmanopened fire in a nightclub in Orlando for no other reason than it being a night club catering for gaypeople. Finally on Thursday there was the brutal and shocking death of MP Jo Cox from West Yorkshire.

It is at times like this that as a Headteacher it can be challenging to make some sense of the world inwhich we live and to find words to say to the pupils to help them to make sense of it too. I am sure manyparents will feel the same. Some in the UK are critical of inclusion of faith schools and feel that they haveno place in our modern multi­cultural society, however, as current events unfold I am convinced morethan ever, that with a moral framework founded on the Christian values of love and respect for oneanother regardless of race, colour, gender of creed, we are all the more enriched by being part of aschool community that cares for such things and aspire always to demonstrate and master these valuesin all that we do. We don’t always achieve this utopian idea, we are imperfect beings, but we willcontinue to help and support each other in our journey to be all that we can be and to make the world abetter place for our being in it.

Whilst it can be all too easy to allow the darker imaginings to overwhelm us it is the achievement of thepupils we serve and the great examples they provide us as role models that allow us to keep a sense ofperspective and reassures us that on balance we will live in a wonderful world, full of potential. Recentlystudents like Eilidh Dunwoodie in Year 7, who with her younger sister and a friend from another schoolresponded to a local Facebook plea asking for people to go and sing at St Matthews Care Home inRedbourn for the patients with dementia and Parkinson's who could no longer go out to concerts and thetheatre but who enjoyed music.

Or on Tuesday evening, those who came to the Lower School Music Concert enjoyed a fantastic range ofmusic from our Junior choirs, orchestras and ensembles ranging from a wonderful orchestration of aQueen medley to a solo rendition of Nikolai Rimsky­Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, written for hisopera The Tale of Tsar Saltan. Whilst all the performers, groups and solos, were excellent it isindividuals like Augustine Cox in Year 7, who not only performed a wonderful solo on the xylophone andplayed ensemble percussion in many of the other pieces, but also played the organ at Our Lady ofLourdes throughout the whole of the Confirmation Mass on Sunday, who exemplifies the spirit of StGeorge’s pupils.

It is not just in music we have seen this. For the fifth year in a row St George’s Athletics Team have wonthe District Athletics Championship. Mrs Dwyer will put more information about this later in the newsletterbut we are all very proud of all of those pupils who competed and committed themselves to contributingto this school achievement by working together.

This weekend is our Founders and Benefactors weekend, which includes the PSA fete. In addition tohelping to support and raise funds for the school this weekend, it is also our opportunity to come togetheras a whole school community and to be thankful for all that we have. At the fete we can have fun andenjoy the company of family and friends and in our Sunday service we can reflect and thank the Lord forall the good things we have achieved in the past and will strive to achieve in the future.

Also this Sunday is the inter­house sailing regatta and of course not to forget it is Father’s Day.

No one can guarantee that our lives will not be without struggle, strife and hardship. Some suggest that itis by enduring such things that we truly appreciate our capacity to endure and realise what we canachieve. Whatever your philosophical views on such matters I don’t think that many of us would deny thatwe have much to be glad and thankful for and I for one feel the richer for being part of such as greatschool community.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope to see you all on the field for the PSA fete.

Headmaster

ParentPay ­ Important

ParentPay ­ ImportantChanges to paymentsPlease be aware that ParentPay…

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CARNEGIE SHADOWINGGROUP 2016

A group of very keen and enthusiastic readers fromYears…

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Herts School AthleticsChampionships 2016On Saturday 11th June a number of our students tookpart in the Hertfordshire Schools AthleticsChampionships at Jarman Park…

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Book Return DayPeriod 5 in the DiningHall Thursday 23rd JuneALL Year 11 and Year 13 students will be expected toattend on this…

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Maths Challenge Successin 2015­2016Over the course of this academic year, our students…

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Extended ChildcareEntitlement Parent SurveyRead more...

Gardening Club The Gardening Club have been very busy this weekselling cacti for Fathers' Day gifts.

Reminders & Notices

Pre­Loved Uniform Sale Saturday 16th July 9­10am

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The Wish Tree MusicFestivalSaturday 25th June

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Keystone AspireScreen time for children and young people: a completeguide for parents

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Secondhand UniformRequestRead more...

Larks in the ParksSunday 26th June 12pm ­ 5pmRead more...

To all Sub­Prefects

A very big thank you for all your hard work over the last month in doing duties and working with yourhouses and deputising for the Prefects during their exam period. You have done a great job, verywell done to you all.

Letters Home

PSA

PE Fixtures

Vacancies

Mr Hollingsworth

For all the very latest on medical information please click here _updated 12 May 2016

HAYFEVER ­This is a reminder to all parents and students that we are now in the HayfeverSeason. I have recently seen a number of students requiring medication for Hayfever relatedsymptoms.

If your child suffers from Hayfever or any allergies could they please take theirmedication before they come to School and ensure they take it daily to be effective.

Please note, that the Medical Centre will NOT be holding supplies of Hayfever & Allergy Reliefmedication.

STUDENT ABSENCE

Call the absence telephone line 01582 765477 or email absent@stgeorges.herts.sch.uk Please statethe pupil’s name, year group, tutor group and reason for absence.

Further to my notice last term, may I remind you that all students sitting public exams in the summerwill be bringing home statements of entry to check in the next few weeks. This is an importantprocess, and I will post a copy of the notes issued to help in the Exams area of the website (accessfrom Learning or Information on the home page.)

Final Paris Trip Letter World War One Battlefields Trip ­ April 2017 Normandy 2016

The latest edition of the PSA newsletter is now available to view and download from the school website—please click here ­ (April Newsletter 2016)

You can contact the PSA at psa@stgeorges.herts.sch.uk

Please ensure you are following or have access to the Boys & Girls twitter account for any late noticechanges to fixtures. The last few weeks have been very frustrating due to the home pitches beingunplayable and we are glad to have been able to move games to the away venues.

@StgeorgesboysPE

@StgeorgesgirlsPE

Community

Calendar

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL CURRENT JOB VACANCIES AT THE SCHOOL

To find out what's happening in our Community please CLICK HERE

Sat 18Fete, Founders and Benefactors Event inc. Georgians v School Cricket match Year 12Art Trip returns

Sun 19House Sailing regatta Founder Service, 10am, School Uniform Catholic Mass, 6.30pm,Non­Uniform Georgians AGM

Mon 20Slovakia vs England 8pm Euro 2016 Announcement of theme for House Dance Year 12lessons restart with Chapel period 1 Briefing evening for parents ref Y12 USA Trip,6.30pm National Boarding week this week

Tue 21Yr 9+10 Rounders Tournaments ­ @ SJL+St. George’s Last GCSE exam (Graphics) Year9 PGL Spain Trip info evening, Chapel 7:00pm

Wed 22Induction Day for external students to 6th form, Old Library, all day Rounders U12 andU13 v Sandringham, Home 4pm Directors Meeting at 6.30pm in GR16

Thu 23Y8 Brittany Trip information Evening, Chapel, 7.00pm Book return for Year 11 and 13students, 2.40pm, Dining Hall

Fri 24Year 12 Chemistry Challenge Last big A2 Exam, Maths Core am Prefect Dinner, DiningHall, Grant Quad, Keswick Lawn and Old Library, Pimms from 6.30pm

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook. It is a great way of keeping up with news and events atschool and the more we have online presence, the more people will be aware of cybercommunication and how to keep each other safe