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July 2010
Dear Parents
Well the band played on! The Symphonic Winds’ performance of their musical programme for their imminent trip to the Italian Lakes was a fitting way to end this year’s Speech Day. As I write the marquee is already being taken down and the day’s events have become history, but the day will long be remembered for the splendid music in St. Mary’s Church which accompanied the moving Commemoration Service and of course the inspiring speech of our guest of honour, Sir John Beddington, one of the country’s most distinguished scientists as well as the witty injunction to seize our opportunities given by the Master of the Haberdashers, George Pulman, QC. As ever, there was a festive air about the School on Saturday as the pupils departed for the summer holiday and a well earned rest, though many of course were excitedly departing for further educational activities and recreational visits.
By any standards this has been a very successful School year and the Summer Term has continued this trend with splendid performances by our rowers of the 1st XIII and a record breaking performance from batsman Chris L, who has already scored over 800 runs this season. At Henley, the rowers powered their way past Westminster School to win comfortably in the opening round of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup which confirmed their strength after a silver medal in the Child Beale event at the National Schools’ Regatta in Nottingham. The next few days will also see the Castle Festival being played here at Monmouth and I hope our cricketers will once more be successful and enjoy the kind of splendid weather which has accompanied their season so far this year.
It is amazing how a term dominated by public examinations can still produce so much spectacular success outside the classroom, but this all-round effort can only be achieved with some marvellous support from the teaching staff. Of course this term sees the retirement of a number of long serving members of staff who have been part of Monmouth School’s successes for many years. Mark Hayter, a modern linguist and renowned rowing coach with Olympic credentials arrived in 1993 and now retires to continue the process of ordination. Peter Dennis-Jones retires after some 32 years of contributing in all manner of ways to the life of the School, as well as maintaining the very high standards of scholarship that have come to be associated with the Classics Department. All those attending Speech day who joined in his standing ovation will know that Michael Orton retires after 36 years of devotion to Monmouth School, culminating in his very successful 10 years in the post of Second Master. I know that many parents and pupils owe Mr Orton a great deal for all his diligence and kindnesses over many years; I certainly know that I as Headmaster owe him a great deal for all the tremendous support he has shown me during my first five years here. We shall miss all these great teachers, but look now to the future which will continue to be successful because we are lucky enough to attract such high quality applicants for posts here as they fall vacant. The end of term notes included with this mailing gives details of all new appointments.
We are, every term making progress with our Parent Portal that will eventually enable all parents to see a facsimile of their son’s reports online as soon as it is published. Postage and the laborious packing of envelopes will be saved and parents will be able to store digitally an archive of their son’s reports. The first group of parents to benefit were our overseas boarding parents who did not have to wait several weeks to read reports asking them to ensure that their son revised well over the holiday, but only receiving this injunction days before he was due to fly back! Now all boarding parents are able to benefit from this service if they wish and this summer holiday the first groups of day parents will be offered the opportunity to access reports online ready for next term. Further extension of this work, which we hope will gather pace next year, will be to make other useful information, such as end of term mailing, calendars and timetables, available to parents online via the secure Parent Portal access. At the same time, work is being done to develop a Virtual Learning Environment (or VLE) which will allow the easy distribution of digital material to pupils, including homework as well as extension and support materials to pupils online. If we recall the snow days of disruption, I am sure we can all imagine the virtues of such a system in maintaining the educational process.
In my end of term letter, I enclosed a considered policy on the permissions that boarding housemasters will give to boarders attending parties outside school in the next academic year. Please see the PDF link below for a copy of this policy. This is a position that has been taken after much discussion as to how to limit as far as possible, any potential problems. Of course I am always happy to speak to parents of day boys who are considering hosting any party if they feel they may benefit from advice based on a number of years of experience of the potential problems and pitfalls of hosting such events with teenagers.
Both the senior Monmouth schools continue to benefit from the wisdom and generosity of the Haberdashers’ Company in so many ways. Next year, the Company will support a two year teaching and research Fellowship for a Sport Psychologist to work with and mentor the pupils and coaches of both HMSG and this school. This is possibly the first project of its kind in a UK school and will, we believe, not only benefit sporting performances, but also promote that crucial balance between extra-curricular and academic achievement that underpins so much of what we do here.
I am sure all parents, pupils and staff of the Monmouth School community are ready for an extended break from the hectic routines of the school year. I shall make no comment about the weather this summer, for fear of placing a jinx on us all, but whatever the heavens may send us, I wish you all a very happy and peaceful summer holiday.
Yours sincerely
S G Connors
Parties_policy_for_boarders,_June_2010.pdf
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A School of the Haberdashers’ Company