Dear Parents and Friends, Last weekend saw our Model United Nations team in action at the Christ’s Hospital Security Council Conference with six students making impressive contributions. I was delighted to award certificates to these students at assembly this afternoon and also to congratulate all those selected for The Hague International MUN Conference in February 2016. This year we have secured five senior positions at this Conference, including Maria Slobodina who has been appointed as President of the International Court of Justice. These positions underline the strength of our MUN programme and we are all very much looking forward to hosting our own Conference, commencing at the end of next week. Effort and Achievement grades were issued to all students this week I hope you will take the opportunity to discuss these at home. At our Assembly this afternoon, our Head Boy, Sam Hudson, encouraged us all to consider the virtues of practice and persistence in his ‘thought for the day’. These are certainly qualities that all students need in order to finish this first half of term in a position of academic stength. Today we welcomed our French exchange students from Cours Saint Charles in Orleans. A huge thank you, in advance, to those Royal Russell families who are hosting our visitors. On Thursday and Friday, there was a very successful Year 9 Battlefields trip to Belgium, where Nikita Sood and Nafeesah and Sumaiyaa Riaz laid a wreath at the and the Thiepval Memorial. The Year 8 Spanish Trip to Bilbao departed and returns on Sunday. Thursday lunchtime also saw some poetry readings to celebrate ‘National Poetry Day’ in the Library. It has been a busy week for our sports teams and I was particularly pleased to see some excellent results in Netball and Cross-Country. Our girls performed very strongly in the Croydon Schools Cross-Country event, with Megan Driver finishing first in the U14 and Lucia Hart second in the U12 race. There were some strong performances against Sutton Grammar for the senior boys’ football teams on Wednesday and on Thursday the 1st XI won a hard fought match against Bedes to progress to the next round of the National Schools’ Cup. This evening there was a thrilling final to the House football played on North Pitch, with Oxford eventually overcoming Madden 4-2. This weekend, the new boarders are attending their adventure weekend at Bowles and I am sure they will enjoy the climbing and team building exercises. We are also hosting the graduation ceremonies for the local participants of ‘The Challenge’. We will be welcome over 700 young graduates of this excellent programme and I encourage all Year 11 pupils to investigate this further at www.ncsthechallenge.org. Looking ahead, on Monday a reminder of the E-safety talk for parents at 7.00pm in the Great Hall. Please note that half term starts on Friday 16th October at 12.10pm to facilitate the set up of our prestigious four-day International MUN Conference. With Best Wishes, Headmaster’s Weekly Newsletter 9 October 2015 Chris Hutchinson Headmaster
Transcript
Dear Parents and Friends, Last weekend saw our Model United Nations team in action at the Christ’s Hospital Security Council Conference with six students making impressive contributions. I was delighted to award certificates to these students at assembly this afternoon and also to congratulate all those selected for The Hague International MUN Conference in February 2016. This year we have secured five senior positions at this Conference, including Maria Slobodina who has been appointed as President of the International Court of Justice. These positions underline the strength of our MUN programme and we are all very much looking forward to hosting our own Conference, commencing at the end of next week. Effort and Achievement grades were issued to all students this week I hope you will take the opportunity to discuss these at home. At our Assembly this afternoon, our Head Boy, Sam Hudson, encouraged us all to consider the virtues of practice and persistence in his ‘thought for the day’. These are certainly qualities that all students need in order to finish this first half of term in a position of academic stength. Today we welcomed our French exchange students from Cours Saint Charles in Orleans. A huge thank you, in advance, to those Royal Russell families who are hosting our visitors. On Thursday and Friday, there was a very successful Year 9 Battlefields trip to Belgium, where Nikita Sood and Nafeesah and Sumaiyaa Riaz laid a wreath at the and the Thiepval Memorial. The Year 8 Spanish Trip to Bilbao departed and returns on Sunday. Thursday lunchtime also saw some poetry readings to celebrate ‘National Poetry Day’ in the Library. It has been a busy week for our sports teams and I was particularly pleased to see some excellent results in Netball and Cross-Country. Our girls performed very strongly in the Croydon Schools Cross-Country event, with Megan Driver finishing first in the U14 and Lucia Hart second in the U12 race. There were some strong performances against Sutton Grammar for the senior boys’ football teams on Wednesday and on Thursday the 1st XI won a hard fought match against Bedes to progress to the next round of the National Schools’ Cup. This evening there was a thrilling final to the House football played on North Pitch, with Oxford eventually overcoming Madden 4-2. This weekend, the new boarders are attending their adventure weekend at Bowles and I am sure they will enjoy the climbing and team building exercises. We are also hosting the graduation ceremonies for the local participants of ‘The Challenge’. We will be welcome over 700 young graduates of this excellent programme and I encourage all Year 11 pupils to investigate this further at www.ncsthechallenge.org. Looking ahead, on Monday a reminder of the E-safety talk for parents at 7.00pm in the Great Hall. Please note that half term starts on Friday 16th October at 12.10pm to facilitate the set up of our prestigious four-day International MUN Conference. With Best Wishes,
In Chapel this week the School heard of St Francis of Assisi, both in Sunday Choral Evensong and Monday School services. After a rebellious and indulgent youth, Francis interpreted literally Christ’s call to renounce worldy wealth. He embraced poverty and sought to help the poor, particularly lepers. In The Canticle of the Sun, Francis praises God for the different parts of creation and calls them Brother – Sun, Wind and Fire , and Sister – Moon, Water, Mother Earth and even Death. This can have huge implications for our attitude to the environment.
Answer to Chapel Quiz 53
The Sator (or Rotas) Square is a word square that dates from the 1st century A.D.
When read top-to-bottom and left-to-right, it forms a Latin palindromic sentence:
SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS
One possible translation is "The farmer Arepo has [as] works wheels"; meaning, the farmer uses his plough as his form of work. However the letters can be rearranged as:
Pater Noster is Latin for "Our Father", the first two words of the Lord's Prayer. A and O – can represent
Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; in Revelation, the last book of the
Bible, they are a title for Christ. Thus the square might have been used as a secret symbol for early Christians in a time of persecution.
Chapel Quiz 54
For Christians what do the letters IHS represent? Prizes to the pupils with the best answer.
Bible Quote of the Week
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (Proverbs 12:15)
At this afternoon’s assembly, we were delighted to present certificates to the Trinity Guildhall Drama Exam candidates. The Trinity Drama students took their devised drama exams last term and, once again, we were delighted with their results with nearly all students achieving Distinctions.
FOR GRADE 3 WITH MERIT
Isabel Murray-Higgins Olivia Johnson
Kya-Grace Oates (Kya)
FOR GRADE 4 WITH MERIT
Ella Jones Charlotte Ward
Nikita Sood
FOR GRADE 5 WITH MERIT
Madeleine Burt Lucas Jones
Anna Armitage Christopher Patten-Walker
Talia Hassan Sophia Humphries
Reshe Harrison Deborah Umoetuk
Annabelle Greenaway Faith Graham
FOR GRADE 6 WITH DISTINCTION
Lily Addis Christos Christodoulides
Thalia Selby Olivia Fernandez
Sabrina Tischhauser Paula Lago Burity
FOR GRADE 7 WITH DISTINCTION
Meadow Phillipson Georgia Covill
Ella Armitage
MUN awards were also presented at this afternoon’s assembly. Six Royal Russell students attended the Christ’s Hospital Security Council conference last weekend. All spoke many times putting forward amendments and playing a full role in the debates. Particularly impressive were Bart and Callum who represented the UNHCR and deservedly won one of the highly commended delegation awards.
Elysia Beaumont Michelle Kazi
Callum McAvoy Maria Slobodina
Bartholomew Konechni Georgia Covill
Sports awards were presented in assembly for Cross-Country success.
Lucia Hart Megan Driver
Jemima Earing Isabel Yard
The Music Scholars’ Concert This concert will take place on Wednesday 14th October, at 5pm in Room A10, followed by refreshments.
Please do come along if you are able to hear our talented Music Scholars perform.
From the Music Department
Associated Board Exam Results
A number of talented students sat Associated Board Exams before the end of the summer term, with excellent results. There are as follows:
Grade 2
Sai (Shravan)Dilip, Trumpet, Pass.
Alexander Franklin, Singing, Distinction.
Cameron Mackay, Trumpet, Pass
Niharika Patel, Singing, Pass
Fedor Sulitskiy, Alto Saxophone, Pass
Grade 3
Kathryn Bass, Clarinet, Pass
Trinity College Exams
Emi Allinson passed her Grade 1 Saxophone Exam with Merit.
James Lloyd passed his Grade 1 Guitar Exam with Distinction.
Well done to everyone.
Royal Russell Appointments at THIMUN
Royal Russell students have again been offered some top posts at the very prestigious The Hague Model United Nations Conference (THIMUN). This is the largest MUN conference in Europe with over 3,000 students from 200+ schools from around the world.
Maria has been invited to act as President of the ICJ, a huge honour for her and the school. Georgia has been invited to be assistant President of the Disarmament commission and three students have been invited to work on the conference newspaper Mutiny. Jordan as a Text Editor, Seonni a Layout Editor and Diana as an Artist. Royal Russell has also been offered a Security Council delegation - Venezuela - with Bart and Callum having seats on the Security Council.
There will be 21 students attending the conference in January 2016 and students who have not already applied will have until Friday 6th November to do so.
Grade 4:
Matthew Morton, Violin, Pass
Grade 5
Alexander Jenkins, Piano, Merit
Thalia Selby, Singing, Distinction
Marianne Willis, Singing, Merit
Grade 6
Lily Addis, Singing, Distinction
Library News Very appropriately, the sun shone on Thursday as the Library celebrated National Poetry Day 2015.
Students and staff read a variety of poems on this year’s theme of Light. Poems included Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night” read by Mr Tansley, “Reminiscence” by Laurence Binyon, “The Cat and the Moon” by W B Yeats as well as several other poems by Walter de La Mare, Robert Louis Stevenson and Brian Moses. Some students read their own compositions which they have also entered into the school poetry competition.
It was fantastic to have seven pupils from Year 7 participating – all of whom had prepared well for their performance, giving an excellent rendition of the poems they read. They were well supported by friends who had come to watch. Valeriya and Michelle in Year 12 both volunteered to read – Valeriya read “Silver” by Walter de la Mare and Michelle read one of her own compositions entitled “ Lightening the Wounds”.
Many thanks to all the pupils and staff who took part.
Christ’s Hospital Security Council Conference Six Royal Russell students – including Michelle, Maria, Georgia and Elysia - attended the Christ’s Hospital Security Council Conference last weekend.
All six spoke many times in their councils putting forward amendments and playing a full role in the debates. Particularly impressive were Bart and Callum who represented the UNHCR and deservedly won one of the highly commended delegation awards.
The students enjoyed the full Christ’s Hospital experience including watching the students march into lunch, a full chapel service and - the highlight - a candlelit black tie diplomatic dinner.
Boarders Crafting The boarders had an afternoon of crafts on Sunday, making wall hangings out of felt.
There were some spectacular examples of fine art produced and all seemed to enjoy the process.
Where in the World...?
Last week the Geography department set the following image for its Where in the World competition. The following clues were given to help you find the answer….
12.2% of the people in this country are Buddhist.
One of the minority languages in this country is Cham.
Average temperature in July in this country is 29oC.
The population of this country in 2000 was approximately 78 million.
There were many correct entries and the winner was drawn from these. The correct answer to the location of the image was Vietnam (Ha Long Bay). Well done to those who got this right! The winner drawn was Alfie Crispin who has won an RGS Journal from Year 8. Watch out for next week’s entry.
What can
parents do to
support their
children and
keep them safe
when they go
online?
Guest speaker Karl Hopwood, an international expert on esafety
issues for schools, children and young people. Karl is a member of
the UK Council for Child Internet Safety
What children
and young
people are really
doing when they
go online
Parents eSafety Information Evening
Monday 12 October : 7.00pm to 8.00pm
Great Hall See below for booking details
Parents e-Safety Information Evening
Monday 12 October 7pm – 8pm
Great Hall
(This event is for parents only)
With the ever-increasing role that technology plays in the lives of young people, both inside and outside of school, we feel it is all the more important that we provide them with relevant advice and guidance on the appropriate and safe use of such technology.
E-safety matters continue to be a high priority for us in School. Cyber-bullying is a form of bullying on the increase nationally and it is important for our students to know that any such issues are dealt with effectively.
Cyber-bullying is where a child is threatened, tormented, embarrassed or targeted by others via the Internet, mobile phone or through social media. With the Internet being such an integral part of everyday life, with its own acronyms, codes and norms, there are many serious factors that can have an impact on pupil wellbeing. On 12th October we will be delighted to welcome Karl Hopwood from Childnet, an organisation that works in partnership with schools to make the Internet a useful and safe environment for children. He is an expert in his field who comes highly recommended by the Independent Association of Prep Schools. Throughout the school day, he will discuss topics such as cyber-bullying, sexting, online grooming, radicalisation and e-safety in general to pupils in both the Junior and Senior school.
Karl will also be running a 1 hour session for parents from 7pm in the Great Hall that will cover the following items:
What are children and young people really doing when they go online?
What are the real risks faced by children and young people when they use the Internet and communication technologies?
What can parents do to support their children and keep them safe when they go online?
In addition, Karl is very happy to answer questions from parents. We anticipate many parents will wish to attend the session from 7 – 8pm and feel that it will be of great value.
If you would like to attend, please email [email protected] with your details.
Thank you as always for your support.
Join the Royal Russell Players
Hidden acting skills?
Royal Russell Players are an Amateur Dramatics group established in 2010, and is open to anyone with a connection to the school. Work has already started on the next production, "Play On" a very funny comedy by Rick Abbot, which will be staged during Easter 2016. However, we are missing a very integral cast member - the character is a man in his early to mid twenties. No formal experience is needed just a desire to act and the willingness to attend rehearsals every Wednesday night from 7.30pm, with a few weekend and Monday rehearsals as we get nearer to the performance dates. If you would like to come, meet us and see what it's all about then we will be in the Auditorium of the PAC on Wednesday 14th Oct at 7.30pm. If you don't want to act but would like to be involved backstage or Front of House then we would also be happy to hear from you. For more information please contact Melanie Hodgson Covill at [email protected]
We support the Palace!
These are exciting times for supporters of Crystal Palace. The home ground, Selhurst Park, is only about 15 minutes drive from Royal Russell. Head of Science, Paul Endersby, has been taking boarders for the last 8 years and students have seen the team rise from
the bottom of the Championship to near the top of the Premiership.
He notes “There is always a good atmosphere at the ground and it’s good to support our local team”. Mr Tanner, who is also involved with taking students along to matches, is delighted with their current success “We have some of the best footballers in the world at Palace. I look forward to seeing some Royal Russell players joining them soon”. The hope is that in future seasons we may even see European competitions played at Selhurst Park. We are indeed “South London’s number one!”
The 1853 Society Committee hereby give notice of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the 1853 Society, the Parents' Association of Royal Russell, to be held on Wednesday the 4th November at 8pm in the Senior School Library. Refreshments will be available from 7.30pm. The 1853 Society plays a vital part in the school community and all parents and guardians, as members of the 1853 Society, are invited. This is a chance to hear how we engage with the School Community and how the funds you have helped to raise have been used for the benefit of the children at our school. We will also outline our plans for the coming year.
Join Our Committee
The main business of the AGM is to elect the 1853 Society Committee who will represent the Association throughout the forthcoming year. Parents or Guardians of pupils in the school, who wish to stand as an Officer or Ordinary Committee Member, should complete a Nomination Form and hand it into the Reception of the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) for the attention of Valika Eden, 1853 Society Secretary. Alternatively the form can be completed and submitted online by visiting the Parents Association pages on the school website. Forms should be submitted in advance of the meeting, by 2nd November 2015. We have a number of people retiring from the Committee this year and would encourage anybody who is interested in joining the Committee to look at the Parents’ Association webpages on the school website (Our School/ Parents’ Association/ AGM or click on the link above) and to contact either Nigel Haigh (Chair) or Emma Thistleton (Vice Chair) to see what is involved. All Committee members and Officers are elected on an annual basis. By coming along to the meeting, which will last approximately 30 minutes, you are not committing to anything, but we would love to hear from you and your thoughts and ideas are always welcomed. Over 100 Parents and Guardians of pupils have helped run or set up our functions and events during the last year: Thank you everybody! After the AGM we will continue with a short meeting to discuss future events including the Christmas Fair to which you will be very welcome. It would be helpful to have an idea of the numbers, so if you could a quick email to Valika Eden we would be grateful. We look forward to seeing you on the 4th November. Best wishes, 1853 Society Committee
The Royal Russell School Christmas Fair will be on Saturday 21st November 2015 and we look forward to seeing you there. A high quality, full colour, A5 programme will be given to all pupils and attendees free of charge. We anticipate the circulation to be about 1,000 copies. We would like to give you the opportunity to advertise your business/service inside the programme that will accompany the fair. Advertising rates are unchanged from last year at: Premium slots (all sold) Standard pages: Half page £55 Full page £110
If you don’t currently have an advertisement that can be replicated then we are happy to prepare one for you. The deadline for advertisers is Friday 16th October 2015. Please send artwork by email (in whichever format you have) to Melanie Hodgson Covill at [email protected] Invoice letters, with full payment instructions, will be sent upon receipt of advertising requests. If you would like any further information, please contact: Melanie Hodgson Covill Email: [email protected] Tel: 07501 007 308 I look forward to hearing from you.
The 1XI have enjoyed two wins this week. Firstly against a very strong Brentwood side last Saturday, eventually running out 4-1 winners. Yesterday the 1XI won 2-1 against Bedes in the National Cup. The high pressure match affected our performance, but we demonstrated fantastic desire and commitment to come out on top. We are now down to the last 16 nationally. Three out of four U13 teams won away to City of London on Monday and our 2XI and 4XI won games against Sutton Grammar on Wednesday.
Netball
On Wednesday, Coloma made the short journey to take on our U14 A and B Netball teams. Knowing it would be a very tough game the girls came out fighting. With some excellent passing and strong defence, the A team won 13-6 and the B team won 6-4. Well done to Olga for scoring all of the goals and being out of position. Whilst these matches were being played, the U15's were on the other court training for some important fixtures. The B team are taking on Woldingham at the weekend and the A team were preparing for the Surrey Schools. They have trained particularly hard this week especially in their strength and conditioning with Mr Austin, meaning they were buzzing and ready to go. The Surrey competition was the hardest yet and, due to our success last year, the girls were placed in a very strong group. Teams like Guildford High and St George's Weybridge who compete nationally on a regular basis were ready to play us. After some very tough games, two of which were won and one lost, the girls were playing out of their skins and no result other than a win against St George's in the last match would allow them to qualify. We were joint on points and both teams were feeling the pressure. Only 1-1 at half-time and the game was very equal. We finally took a 2 goal lead with 1 minute to go. With some unfortunate passing under pressure they came back within one goal but it was our centre pass that could have won the game. The ball was turned and time ticked down 5, 4, 3 ...... The ball was into the shooter with 2 seconds to go and they scored to equalise, final score 6-6. That gave them the place leaving us out of the competition. We could not have asked more from the girls and they have now proven they are competing with the best. We look forward to a re-match next week against St George's in the second round of the National Cup. Well done to all girls, Royal Russell were the talk of the tournament, not only for their smart kit but as a school to watch out for. Good luck to all teams playing at the weekend. Let's keep the ball rolling. #keepitup
Boys’ House Sport Due to the match at Bedes, the Senior House Football, Oxford vs Madden, will follow straight after assembly today on North pitch. All spectators are welcome. Next week it is the Junior Boys’ Final, back to its original day of Thursday. St Andrew’s will play Keable. After half term it is the boys’ gala, details will be with Houses next week.
Please check your emails, Twitter and School Sport for updates, team
selections and all things sporting at Royal Russell. Keep it up!
Cross-Country
A wet and windy Lloyd Park on Tuesday night was no deterrent for our top female runners at the Croydon Schools’ Cross-Country meet.
In the first race (for U12’s) Lucia Hart was 2nd with a very strong run. She was backed up by Jemima Earing who finished a highly respectable 5th.
In the U14’s race Megan Driver ran superbly and finished 1st. She was closely followed by Izzy Yard who came in 9th. As she is U13, this bodes very well for the future.
All the girls can expect call-ups to represent Croydon at the Surrey Championships in January.
On Thursday it was the turn of the boys, but with trips to Bilbao and Ypres we had to send very depleted teams. Nevertheless Sacha Jennings (30th), Callahan Dennis (23rd), Callum Firth (20th), Ziggy Harrison (19th) and Flynn Laidlaw (11th) put in great performances and it will be interesting to see how we do in the team event.
Our Hockey Coach Superstar!
Jannis Schwebs will be leaving us this weekend to represent Royal Russell at the Euro Hockey League (the Champions League for Hockey). Jannis plays for East Grinstead, a 1st Division Hockey team, and they are playing in this weekend’s Euro Hockey League.
You can watch it on http://www.ehlhockey.tv/ or https://www.youtube.com/user/eurohockeyleague Saturday, 11:30 am East Grinstead v Club Egara (Spain).
Second Hand Uniform Sales If you have any uniform or sports equipment that is no longer needed and in good condition, then please can you leave it in the brown box, opposite the shop door.
Future dates:
OCTOBER, 15th (Thursday)
NOVEMBER, 6th (Friday)
3.00pm - 4.30pm
Diary Dates
Saturday 10 October Year 11 Drama Exam Rehearsal
Sunday 11 October Year 11 Drama Exam Rehearsal
Monday 12 October E-Safety Parents’ Evening. 7.00pm. Great Hall
Wednesday 14 October Music Scholars’ Concert. 5.00pm. A10
Next week, the Library will be hosting two talks. On Tuesday the school’s Amnesty International
Group will be giving a presentation on Transgender rights. The Chaplain will also be giving a talk
next Thursday on “The Seven Deadly Sins”.
We welcome your feedback. Please send to Ciara Campbell, Marketing and Communications Manager
