Headmaster’s Roundup 9 March 2017……..
Dear Parents
Well done to the girls’ hockey and netball teams both of which performed remarkably well in the IAPS tournaments last Thursday and Friday. Full details are in the Sports Bulletin but I wanted to congratulate the teams and also the girls Games staff who have certainly enabled the girls to reach the high standards we have seen at Reigate St Mary’s. The U11 teams really are playing some brilliant netball and hockey this season. Congratulations also go to the boys U11 rugby team who, despite losing a couple of their strongest players, performed admirably at the Caterham tournament comfortably beating several teams who normally present quite a challenge. They didn’t quite win the competition but did extremely well. The U7 boys football team also did impressively well at the Hawthorns School Tournament and I would like to take this opportunity to praise the boys Games staff as well who have also raised the standards year on year across the board.
Last Friday we were delighted to welcome the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation who ran workshops in the Upper School, to help the children appreciate the diversity of animal life around the world and also the importance of protecting them.
On Monday morning in Assembly our Green Leaders launched the Insect you Go Competition. This should be a lot of fun but also raises awareness of the importance of looking after habitats in our own country. On Sunday our Year 2 Junior Choir performed in the Surrey Schools Concert. Mrs Whitehead was very proud of them as they not only sang beautifully but behaved impeccably too. On Tuesday morning we enjoyed another Lower School Poetry Competition with a very high standard and a lot of funny poems. Congratulations to all of the children who were involved in the final, but also to the whole of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 all of whom prepared poems and performed them in front of their class whether they were finalists or not. On Wednesday evening our dancers all performed at the Star Steppers Dance Show at the Harlequin Theatre and did us proud. They really are working at such a high standard, and certainly stood out.
At the end of the Summer term we will be saying goodbye to Mrs Sarah Betts whilst she takes a short break from teaching to deal with family matters which have arisen in the last 9 months. Mrs Betts has been a wonderful teacher, creative, dedicated and passionate about education. Her greatest legacy will be our Green Flag status which we would not have gained had it not been for Mrs Betts and her creation of the Eco Committee. We will advise the present Year 1 parents of Mrs Betts replacement for September in due course. We also congratulate Mrs Hannah Seymour who has been appointed as the new Assistant Head Teaching and Learning at Taunton Prep School starting September 2017. We will be very sorry to see Mrs Seymour leave as she has been a brilliant Form Teacher and hard working Phase Leader. We wish her every success as she and her husband relocate to the West Country.
At the last Upper School Form Reps meeting some questions were asked about Matins services and the Choir. Because it is not something that is mentioned very often I have realised that many parents probably don’t realise that we are one of just one thousand Choir Schools in the entire world. Our choristers sing to incredibly high, professional standards and are amongst an elite group who retain a choral tradition which dates back hundreds of years in the UK. Our choristers have, in the past, made recordings for Disney and for Hollywood and sung with famous names such as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Susan Boyle. As members of the Choir School Association (CSA) we are obliged to run two morning and two evening services each week which are open services and everyone is welcome to attend. It is traditional but there is great value in quiet reflection and contemplation, and all of the children are given a chance to read in the Matins services, to say prayers and to take some quiet time to think about the deeper things in life. Of course, our traditional Matins services are complimented with lively, upbeat Assemblies so that the children get exposed to a full range of different genres of music. If you do not know very much about the Choir you might be interested to know that from September a girls’ Choir is going to be launched, running alongside the boys’ Choir to offer the opportunity for girls to have the same professional levels of tuition and the opportunity to be offered choral scholarships. If you would like to know more about this do please contact Mrs Glynne-Jones, Head of Choral Music via the School Office.
On Wednesday morning Mrs Glynne-Jones was wondering where the choristers were because in the small hours of the morning the first two RSM chicks had hatched and as the children watched, a third emerged from its shell. There has been such excitement around the school as this new life has come into the world and we are very grateful to Mrs Baker for setting up the incubator and bringing this treat to the school.
Marcus Culverwell