It was good to see that the Year 10 Geography trip was very successful and missed the worst of the cold / snowy weather, the boys enjoyed their visit to Cardiff bay and Margam Park.

Your sons will be bringing their reports home next week and I especially ask you to note their Attitude to Learning Grade and discuss this with them.  

The boys have again shown their enthusiasm for the Charity Week activities, please remind them to bring in the funds they have raised. The boys have raised £1,964.76 counted so far. Well done and thank you.

I look forward to seeing the rowing parents on Saturday evening, Alan Campbell will prove to be an inspiration for the boys.

With no bulletin next week I take the opportunity to wish you a happy and restful Easter Break.

"A positive attitude can really make dreams come true - it did for me." David Bailey

The first snow day of the year and who would believe it with the present temperatures, excellent conditions for the ISA U16 7's and tomorrow's Cross Country (please be aware of the parking plan from Mr Miller due to the wet conditions).

My thanks to all who turned up for the PTA AGM, not a huge number but a very dedicated group, we are always looking for new support, please talk to me at the Cross Country if you are wishing to help.

The feedback I have had from the Year 10 Academic Mentoring meetings have been very positive and I thank the staff for their efforts and parents for coming in to meet.

Year 7 and 8 have had two very successful days, one at Rushall Farm (Geography, rivers and organic farming) and the other at Dorney Court (History, the Civil war) - well done to all involved.

Next week starts with the Joint Senior Music Concert on Monday, Charity Week starting, and in the week Year 10 Geographers will be travelling to Margam Park for their GCSE Fieldwork experience. We continue to be very busy and I look forward to seeing parents at the various events.

Following the events at Nottingham Trent University I feel we should remember these famous words:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character." Martin Luther King, Jr.

I hope that all enjoyed the half term holiday, personally being in Swansea when the earthquake struck was definitely a new experience.

It was good to see so many parents at the Year 11 evening, a very positive and constructive event as we prepare the boys for the challenges of the summer.

Congratulations to all the boys who took part in the Maths Challenge on Thursday.

Next week we have Study Skills sessions for Year 7 on Monday and Year 8 on Wednesday.

On Tuesday Year 9 have a visiting author and Year 8 are visiting the Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, looking at the weather please ensure that they have a suitable coat with them.

Julie Freak, one of our Laboratory Assistants, is having a Cake Sale on Thursday break time, to raise money for her Women V Cancer Windsor to Buckingham Palace return, Night Bike Ride. So please ensure you bring some money in for cakes.

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." Mark Twain

Well done to all involved in the Scholarship exams on Friday and Saturday, as always the standard was very high and the boys were a credit to themselves.

Congratulations to the Public Speaking teams who performed in Marlow last night, whilst we did not win, we were the youngest teams in the age groups and the boys were a credit to the school.

It was good to see 30 parents at the Drugs Talk by Bob Tait, his message is clear and very informative, and as many parents weren't able to attend he is sending me a link to his presentation which I will share with you.

Well done to the U14 Hockey team who gained a Silver medal at the ISA Hockey Tournament last week.

Year 9 Parents should have received their GCSE Option Choice booklets and I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday at the Parents Evening.

A quote this week from the Australian Tennis Open Champion:

"I’m a very positive thinker, and I think that is what helps me the most in difficult moments."  Roger Federer.

It was fun to watch the Youth Speaks presentations last Tuesday, there was certainly some different ideas about the keeping of pets and problems of being a T Rex.

Welcome back to the Lent Term, Storm Eleanor has ensured a wet and windy start and I remind the boys that they need to be prepared for the changeable weather of this term (football boots and trainers for example).