hm letter to parents january 2015
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Dear ParentsI hope you have all had a very happy Christmas and I wish you a prosperous and peaceful New Year.
WELCOME BACK
JANUARY 2015
HEADMASTER’S LETTER
T0 PARENTSCHIGWELL SCHOOL
Contents
Page 1 Battlefields
Page 2 CalendarsTarget 2.0Social NetworkingPhysics OlympiadStaff News
Page 3 Choir
Page 4 Bad Weather
BattlefieldsShortly before Christmas, fifty Remove
students travelled to Ypres Salient in
Belgium where they had a tour of the
battlefields. The tour started with the
students watching a recruiting sergeant
at work, Serena Cooper being the
volunteer who joined up. From there the
students were given a trench meal which
consisted of a vegetable broth and a
sausage, before they moved on to the
trenches. Later, they went to the
Passchendaele Museum, where they
furthered their understanding of what it
may have been like to fight on the
Western Front during the First World
War. The group attended the nightly
remembrance service at the Menin Gate
where they laid a wreath on behalf of
Chigwell School.
The following day the students made a
more specific pilgrimage as they went to
the grave of 22 year old Captain Harold
Frank Barclay Turner OC. Venetia Bailey
read out the work that she, Tess Kelly
and Jasvinder Digwa had produced about
his life at Chigwell School and his career
in the army, which was left in a frame on
his grave for others to read. I understand
that the students were a credit to
Chigwell School throughout the visit.
1
CalendarsAs previously, calendars will be
distributed via Houses and there will be
spare copies at Reception in case you
need one. Please do encourage your sons
and daughters to participate in the many
extra-curricular activities that are on offer
including, for example, the lectures
through the Williams Project. There are a
great many opportunities available to
pupils at Chigwell and I hope that all feel
fully involved.
2
Target 2.0Four Chigwell students, Hugo Blogg, Conor
Caplan, Quentin Wu, and Margaret Oki
competed in the Bank of England Target
2.0 regional finals at the end of last term.
The team researched, prepared and
delivered an excellent presentation to
three Bank of England economists and a
large audience, before facing a barrage of
questions from the judges. The team were
praised for delivering a confident and
professional presentation, and for showing
a sophisticated understanding of the U.K.
economy. They were awarded third place.
Social NetworkingPlease could all parents continue to
remind their children to be aware of the
dangers if they use social networking
sites. Many parents sensibly befriend or
follow their children on these sites so that
they can be aware of the information that
is being shared.
Physics OlympiadCongratulations to Bianca Andrei who
gained a top gold award in the first round
of the Physics Olympiad Competition
which is designed to stretch and
challenge the top A level physicists across
the country. Bianca’s result places her in
the top fifty of the eighteen hundred
entrants and she will be invited to
participate in the next round of the
competition. Ultimately, a small team
will be chosen to represent the country in
the International Physics Olympiad
Competition in Mumbai.
Staff NewsWe welcome two new members of staff
this term. Miss Jamie Kershberg joins the
Junior School as a maternity cover
teacher. Also, we welcome back Mr
Sanjaye Gobin who will be teaching part-
time in the chemistry department. We
hope they will both be very happy here.
Bad WeatherAs usual, in the event of heavy snow or
ice please consult the school website
(www.chigwell-school.org) for confirmation
of arrangements for the school day. We
would always be very reluctant to close
the School, but are mindful of the safety
of pupils and staff.
3
ChoirShortly after the end of term, the Chapel
Choir led an excellent concert at Christ
Church, Spitalfields. So far, the event has
raised some £13k for the charities Kids
Inspire and Smiles With Grace. Thank you
to all families who supported this occasion
and the pupils and staff who worked so
hard to make it such a success. Christ
Church, Spitalfields, will be the venue for
this term’s choral concert on Saturday 14th
March. If parents would like to sing in this,
they should contact Mr Howard Ebden who
will provide details.
We have recently heard that the choir has
been selected to perform at the Rotary
Youth Makes Music Concert in the Royal
Festival Hall later this term.
As always, the coming weeks are likely
to be very busy and I look forward to
seeing you at some of the many events
that will be taking place.
With best wishes
Yours sincerely
Michael Punt
Term Dates
Half term: Saturday 14th February to Sunday 22nd FebruaryTerm ends: Friday 27th March
2015 Trinity TermFirst day: Monday 20th AprilHalf term: Saturday 23rd May to Sunday 31st May (INSET day Monday 1st June)Term ends: Wednesday 8th July 2015 Michaelmas TermFirst day: Thursday 3rd SeptemberHalf term: Saturday 17th October to Sunday 1st NovemberTerm ends: Wednesday 16th December