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Dear Parents,
Induction day for new pupils
It was a real pleasure to welcome some of next year’s intake to the school on Friday:
A good number of them – 40 in fact - came in for team-building activities. A great time was
had by all and the consensus among staff was that they are a great bunch!
Cedars teaching under the spotlight
On Thursday we welcomed Christine Counsell to the school. Christine is an academic from
the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. A winner of Cambridge’s Pilkington
Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Christine is an educational ‘big hitter’ by any standards,
having significantly influenced national policy in several important areas. In September she
takes up a new post as Director of Education for the Inspiration Trust, one of the largest
academy chains.
Parents’ Bulletin
Week commencing 13th June 2016
Dr Counsell with Dr Radice
It was a great honour, therefore, that Christine had travelled so far to spend an entire
morning in Dr Radice’s classroom. She was impressed by what she saw – to put it mildly –
and I quote from the follow-up email sent to me on Friday: “Nothing disappointed. It was an
inspirational morning. The verve and joy of the boys …, their systematic training in grammar and
writing, and their growing ability to talk about literature, in informed, rich and mature ways, all
amounted to some of the most exceptional and productive teaching I've ever seen. It was also
fascinating to see how [Dr Radice] attended to the strengths and deficits right across the
attainment range, stretching the strongest and pushing the weakest relentlessly at every opportunity.
It was a moving experience.”
Christine also met up with other humanities teachers and was similarly impressed: “[Mr]
Davis was inspiring in his vision for setting a high base-line of geographical knowledge for all, as
basic necessity for any educated person. He is the first geography teacher I have come across with
such a developed rationale for this and the beginnings of a practical way forward in curriculum and
pedagogy.”
Claire Heald, the headteacher of Jane Austen College in Norwich joined Christine
Counsell for the visit and echoed many of her sentiments: “As an English specialist myself I found
the quality of teaching and the enthusiasm and commitment of the students so inspiring.” As a result of
today’s visit, we have agreed to collaborate with the Inspiration Trust in future, an
arrangement which I am sure will give a great boost to the curriculum development that is
taking place at The Cedars. Exciting times!
It never rains but it pours! Dr Spencer spent Thursday at a CPD event held at the
Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith. He was pleasantly surprised to receive a
handout on The Science of Successful Learning, quoting our own Dr Radice!
I have never been in any doubt of the talent within the Cedars Common Room but it is
hugely encouraging to learn that it is now starting to be acknowledged far and wide.
Staff v Parents Cricket
You will have probably have heard already of the parents’ triumph! It was all going so well
for the staff until just before the start of the match. As we strode confidently on to the
pitch, we saw four athletic and improbably-young-looking men limbering up. None of them
were familiar from key parent functions but it appears they had somehow satisfied Mr
Adamson’s strict eligibility criteria for inclusion in the parents’ team. Their impact on the
game was decisive. My first ball – which I thought was a good one as it left my hand – was
casually despatched for 6. I was later informed by a boy in Year 7 that this mysterious
quartet was made up of some “uncles” of his. When I asked – only half-joking – whether
they were professionals, he told me, in a reassuring tone, that they weren’t, but then added
that they play at the level immediately below the Indian Premier League! Consequently, Mr
T has now been removed from umpire duty for the re-match, as we look to strengthen our
squad.
There were also a few surprise packages on the staff side. One of our gap-year students,
Mr Hadley, from the University of Notre Dame in Illinois, impressed with a belligerent
display of baseball-style big-hitting and fierce throwing in from the boundary. Dr Spencer’s
unorthodox bowling style raised eyebrows initially but later proved to be devastatingly
effective.
The week ahead
Another busy week beckons as we host the Independent Schools Association’s regional Art
Competition on Thursday; exam week for Year 9 and 10 is in full swing.
Have a good week,
Mr Robert Teague
Headmaster
News in brief
Harlequins Rugby
Congratulations to Huesan Chan (7α) on his selection to the Harlequins U13 rugby squad
for 2016-17!
Cricket
Well done to our U12 and U13 cricket teams who both won convincingly on Saturday
against teams from St Benedict’s, Ealing. Sabih Abdul shone for the U12s while an
electrifying bowling display from Joshua Gray made the difference for the U13s. Joshua
was ably supported by Lucas Torre, Edward Barnett, Noah Agbinbone, Kameron
Taylor and Matthew Watchorn, all of whom bowled economically.
Music
MR SCHELLHORN'S CONCERT AT WIGMORE HALL
Monday 13 June at 7.30pm. Mr Schellhorn would be delighted to see some friendly faces
there! https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/the-monday-platform-201606131930
Choral Workshops
The boys of the Schola enjoyed a wonderful workshop with Mrs Korfker-Neal last week.
The final one of the year will take place this Tuesday 14 June at 3.45pm. Please let Mr
Schellhorn know if you would like to take part.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUuBB8OIP84
Instrumental Lessons
There is still considerable forgetfulness surrounding co-curricular music activities. Boys
who are receiving lessons must make it their business to check the boards and communicate
with their teacher if they foresee problems. This includes the ensembles.
Bassoon Lessons
One of the priorities for me as Director of Music has been to expand instrumental tuition.
As I know it is an instrument that many boys enjoy I appointed an excellent and very
pleasant professional bassoonist and teacher this year – Mrs Lorna West. So far we have
not had any applicants. The bassoon is a wonderful, rich-sounding instrument that is in
great demand in orchestras. You can read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassoon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassoon. We have had one new application for this wonderful
instrument in September but we need two more boys to apply in order to make the work
worthwhile for the teacher – and then hopefully it would grow, too. Please would your son
consider learning this instrument? Kindly let Mr Schellhorn know as soon as possible.
Music Department Website
Coming soon! …Watch this space.
Spanish
In order to help boys to prepare for our end of year Spanish tests, there will be a revision
club at lunch time on Monday and Thursday from next week. The boys are welcome to
come with unresolved questions on the work we have covered, or to get advice on how to
prepare their essays and answer the questions for the oral exam. (This would be
particularly helpful for Year 9s and Year 10s). The club will take place from 1.30pm until the
end of lunch break for two days. Please encourage your boys to attend and benefit from
this opportunity to get some extra help.
.As You Like It! – School Production on Friday 1st July at 7.30pm
Please contact Mr Strinati on: [email protected],uk if you are able to help with
any of the following items:
1. Prop List
A stylish cane or walking stick;
A pair of velvet trousers;
A colourful bow tie;
A flamboyant wig;
Any old-fashioned headwear!
2. Make up on 1st July
Further details about tickets to follow shortly.
Classics
Latin 'emails' from the first century AD.
Once more Latin is in the news. The national papers in the half term week revealed the
discovery by archaeologists of the oldest known examples of handwriting in Britain. Over
four hundred wooden tablets, found on a demolition site in the City of London, had once
been covered in wax for writing messages. The wax has long gone but Latin scholars were
able to decipher the impressions left on the wood. The oldest tablet dates from between
AD 43 and 53. One tablet is inscribed simply with the alphabet and was possibly used
for writing practice by a child. The Times reported Sophie Jackson from the Museum of
London suggesting that this was possibly the first evidence of schooling in Britain. Ms
Jackson said, 'What we found completely blew us away. You get a picture of early London,
which was full of merchants and traders. These tablets were like the email of the Roman
world’. The objects from the excavation will be on display in an exhibition in the City in the
next academic year and I hope to organise a Cedars trip there.
Dr Tom Spencer
Teacher of Latin
Upcoming Events
Monday 13 June
End-of-Year Exams (Y9 & Y10) – all week
As You Like It – rehearsal – 3.45pm
Tuesday 14 June
Cricket v St George’s Weybridge U14(a) – 2.30pm
Evening of Recollection for dads – 7.30pm
Wednesday 15 June
Build-a-Computer workshop – 7.30pm
ISA regional Art Competition – 4.30pm
Thursday 16 June
As You Like It – rehearsal – 3.45pm
Friday 17 June
Glyndebourne at The Cedars - POSTPONED
Important dates 2016
Some key dates for the current academic year are listed below:
Friday 24th June 2016 Sports Day (School Field)
Friday 1st July 2016 School Production, As You Like It, 7.30pm
Saturday 2nd July 2016 The Cedars Summer Party, 2.00pm
[Cite your source here.]
The last word…
“From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow”.
Aeschylus