Mr Spanswick's Words Autumn 3

We are definitely back into the swing of the new term now! On my Learning Walk this week I observed so many boys being challenged on new topics and more lateral ways of thinking - we are talking about perseverance at the moment with the boys and this is a quality that is very much needed when problem solving. However, we believe that boys working independently and not giving up when they make a mistake is such a powerful lesson in life. On Monday, the rotary club joined our assembly and have invited our boys to enter into some local Writing and Mathematics competitions, and you could see the excitement on the faces of our boys….especially when they found out there are cash prizes for the winners! Mr Goddard is also very busy selecting the artwork he will send to the ISA (Independent Schools Association) - we won three national awards last year including ‘Best Group Painting’.... let’s see how we get on this year!

Today is Jeans for Genes day and the whole school watched a short video in my assembly explaining more about the charity group and the great work that it does. We also listened to a bit of Neil Diamond’s ‘Forever in blue jeans’.... the staff seemed to enjoy this more than the boys! Thank you all for your contributions. On this topic, you will have received a letter inviting you to join us for our Harvest Festival on Wednesday morning where the boys perform some poems and songs in celebration of this traditional festival - it should be lots of fun. We also collect food for our local Foodshare group, so anything you can spare would be warmly received.

Year 2 The Rye I was able to get out and watch some rugby this week, and my team, the mighty Under 11 D/E’s played wonderfully for their 55-10 win. Equally impressive were the performances from the other Under 11 sides. Special mention must go to Jake Rogers who, having tackled his opposite man extremely skillfully, fairly and assertively, ensured that he was ok, looked after him on the pitch and the boys shook hands when the St George’s player was able to get to his feet. Wonderful sportsmanship.

I also watched some of our impressive Under 9 boys play against Davenies, and was dazzled at some of the tackling, especially from Caspar Bose and Henry Chandler. All of these Year 4 boys have made a very good first impression with their coaches. They are mature and very willing to listen and learn, and this shows on the pitch. Well done to all of Year 4.

Year 2 enjoyed a fabulous outing to the River Rye on Wednesday, and enjoyed wading into the water! Our Year 5 boys are away for the weekend at PGL Marchants Hill for some Outward Bound activities. I am hoping that the weather stays nice for them. Talking of which, a huge thank you to all of our parents who braved the storm last Friday evening at our Tour Fundraiser. We have raised well in excess of £1000 due to your efforts, and you helped turn a miserable and dreary day into a fun and enjoyable event.

I hope you all enjoy a lovely weekend, and I hope to see many of you at our Harvest festival.

Justin Spanswick