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24!February!2017!!!Dear!Parents,!!The!Assembly!on!Wednesday!was!spectacular.!The!church!was!packed!with!what!felt!like!a!record!attendance! of! parents! and! friends.! Lower! School! gave! a! wonderfully! dramatic! telling! of! The$Tortoise$and$the$Hare.!For!these!children,!who!are!only!five!or!six!years!old,!to!remember!so!much!and!perform!so!clearly!and!passionately!is!testament!to!the!hard!work!that!both!their!teachers!and!you!as!parents!have!put!in.!The!hard!work!paid!off.!Thank!you.!Focus!then!switched!to!the!balcony!as! the!Brass!Ensemble!gave!us! fine!renditions!of!The$Good,$the$Bad$and$the$Ugly! and!Sousa’s!The$Liberty$Bell,!made!famous!by!Monty!Python.!We!are!very!fortunate!to!have!Mr.!SC!who!inspires!our!brass!players!and!creates!all!the!arrangements!for!them!to!perform.!I!don’t!know!of!any!other!prep!school!that!has!a!Brass!ensemble!able!to!perform!at!a!school!assembly!every!week!of!the!year.!The!entertainment!kept!coming!with!the!now!traditional!French!Song!from!the!Betas!and!Gammas.!This!time!we!were!treated!to!Les$Champs:Élysées!by!Joe!Dassin.!Thank!you!to!Madame!Bacha!for!once!again!masterminding!this!along!with!the!musical!contributions!of!Mr.!Brown,!Mr.!Winter!and!Mr.!Su’a.!Jake!Campbell!gave!an!impressive!reading!of!Thinking!by!Walter!D!Wintle.!We!were!also!able!to! present! what! are! perhaps! our! most! important! sporting! awards! to! our! youngest! pupils.!Swimming!is!a!vital!part!of!a!Hill!House!education.!It! is!a!very!good!thing!that!when!the!children!from! Small! School! come! to! an! Assembly! for! the! first! time! they! are! not! merely! spectators! but!celebrated!for!being!there.!!It! was! a! busy! week! in! Founders’! Hall.! On!Tuesday! the! String!Orchestra! gave! a! very!well!balanced! programme! of! ensemble! pieces!interspersed!with!solos! from!within! the!group.!Wednesday! was! the! turn! of! the! Brass! with!solos,! several! duets! including! two! sets! of!brothers,!and!massed!ensembles.!Thursday!was!the!Schumann!Piano!Competition.!!

We! were! very! grateful! that! Mr.! Chris! Dyer,!Head! of! Music! at! Sevenoaks! School,! came! to!adjudicate! along!with!Benjamin!Righetti! from!Lausanne! Switzerland.! Mr.! Dyer! gave! very!helpful! and! positive! feedback! to! all! the!performers! on! the! night.! We! applaud! Pascal!Bachmann! on! being! awarded! first! prize! and!congratulate!all!the!other!prizeUwinners.!!

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Mufti! Day! before! Half! Term! raised! £2,015! for! the! Great! Ormond! Street! Hospital! Bay! Hair! Day!campaign.!Thank!you!for!your!generosity.!They!are!very!grateful!to!have!received!our!donation.!!Thursday!next!week!is!World&Book&Day.!There!will!be!events!taking!place!throughout!the!school.!Please! see! the! poster! attached! to! this! letter.! All! pupils! are! invited! to! come! to! school! in! normal!school!uniform!but!accessorised!as!one!of!their!favorite!characters!from!a!book!of!their!choice.!At!10.15!the!whole!school!will!“Drop!Everything!and!Read”!for!fifteen!minutes.!All!pupils!will!also!be!given! a! book! token! that! can! be! used! at! any! participating! bookshop,! including! John! Sandoe! on!Blacklands!Terrace,!the!little!street!opposite!the!Duke!of!York’s.!!&ROAD&CLOSURE&IN&CADOGAN&GARDENS&ON&MONDAY&!The!council!are!resurfacing!the!road!on!the!western!side!of!Cadogan! Gardens! this! Monday.! The! road! between! the!miniUroundabout! and! the! junction! with! Draycott! Avenue!will! be! closed! from! 8am! until! the! works! are! completed,!which! is! expected! to! be! late! afternoon.! The! regular! “Hill!House!oneUway!system”!will!operate!as!normal.!There!will!no!doubt!be!some!extra!congestion.!Please!be!considerate!to! other! road!users! and! follow! any! instructions! from!Hill!House! staff! who!will! be! on! the! street! helping! to!manage!the!traffic!flow.!!Finally,! the!Royal! Borough! of!Kensington!&!Chelsea! is! consulting! on!proposed! improvements! to!Sloane!Street!in!conjunction!with!the!Cadogan!Estate.!The!deadline!for!comments!is!27!February.!Please!follow!this!link!to!the!council’s!website!for!full!details.!Our!children!walk!this!road!every!day!and!anything!to!improve!the!surroundings!is!to!be!encouraged.!https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/parking4transport4and4streets/managing4traffic4and4transport/consultation!!!Best!wishes,!

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Richard$Townend$

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This year we will be celebrating World Book Day by inviting all Hill House pupils to bring £1 and come to school on Thursday 2 March 2017 in their full

school uniform but wearing an ACCESSORY that signifies their

“FAVOURITE CHARACTER FROM A BOOK”

The timetable will run as usual and all scheduled showcases as well as music, games and swimming lessons will continue throughout the day.

If your child is attending tennis or any specialised lessons on Thursday, please advise

them to wear appropriate gear when they choose their accessory.

All donations will go to Springboard, a charity who provides specialised tuition to improve all aspects of literacy learning in communities experiencing the greatest challenges. Children from Year 5 to Year 8 will also be showing their support by

participating in a “Bring-and –buy” book sale arranged by their Teachers.

All Hill House pupils will receive a book token that can be used at any participating bookshop by under 18s, with one token per transaction being accepted.

HILL HOUSE WORLD BOOK DAY

Thursday 2 March 2017