10th March 2023
We started this week with a whole school assembly to celebrate International Women’s Day, which was on Wednesday.
I spoke to the children about ways in which women have changed the world and gave historical examples in the form of Florence Nightingale and Rosa Parks, as well as talking about women in today's world such as Leitah Mkhabela, a member of an anti-poaching unit in South Africa, and the ways in which she and others are challenging gender stereotypes. Sadly though, there is still considerable inequality between the sexes around the globe, particularly when it comes to access to digital technology and the STEM subjects, which is this year's focus. I encouraged the children to want to play their part in challenging gender inequality wherever it occurs.
There was a lot to fit in this week, with some of the children learning about the Hindu festival of Holi, others attending a nutrition workshop run by Accent, our catering team, and nearly all the children were involved in activities hosted by the Henley Youth Festival. This week also was British Pie week which we celebrated at lunchtime yesterday with some delicious pasty creations made by our kitchen team! Next week is also a very busy one as we embark on our STEAM week, which this year is themed around sports.
Henley Youth Festival
As part of the Henley Youth Festival programme this week, the Pre-Prep children had a visit from a ‘zoo’, there were flamenco and photography workshops, the children enjoyed an interactive production of 'Hamlet' and there was even a trip to the Kenton Theatre to learn about Rude Science! You can read more about the range of activities in the news section below. Also, a huge 'well done' to all the children who won a prize in the HYF art competition. They have been invited to a prize-giving ceremony at the town hall tomorrow at 12pm. You can see the winning entries here.
Upcoming music concerts
The Prep pupils are very much looking forward to the annual Spring Concert which is taking place next Tuesday, 14th March at 6.30pm at Henley Town Hall. All the Prep children will be performing, and parents are invited to attend. The concert will finish at approximately 8pm. Please see more information in the Prep Section below.
Next Thursday, 16th March, is the Pre-Prep concert and then later that afternoon, the ABRSM Exam Showcase concert. Please find more details in the Music letter below.
NOMAD Easter Egg Donation
FoRH and the school will again be supporting children, young people and families in the local area who find themselves in challenging circumstances via Henley NOMAD Food Bank. If you would like to donate an Easter Egg or an Easter-related chocolate item there will be a collection table inside the front door from Monday 13th until Thursday 23 March. It would be super if the children could be involved in the selection of the eggs and purchase of, if they receive pocket money, thinking specifically of a child of their age, to engage them in this charitable activity. I will be making mention of this in Assembly on Monday.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week
As some of you may already know, next week is national Neurodiversity Celebration week. We will be talking about this as a staff during the week and taking the opportunity to attend some of the online seminars where possible, however we have our STEAM Week already happening next week. We have plans to explore neurodiversity with the children in the Autumn term in more detail when we hope to be able to draw on a range of people to share their knowledge with children, staff and parents as part of our own Rupert House Neurodiversity week. More information will follow nearer the time.
In the meantime, there are some great resources for parents to look at on the Neurodiversity Celebration Week website: https://www.neurodiversityweek.com/
Comic Relief
Next Friday 17th March is Red Nose Day for Comic Relief. This year we are encouraging pupils to wear a red accessory with their school uniform and there will be collection buckets at both school entrances to collect cash donations for the charity. Please find more about this in the letter below.
The Year 3 and 4 boys played rugby away at LVS Ascot this afternoon. Like all our teams, they have had a very successful season so far which is fantastic. On the theme of rugby, Mr McArthur’s son is playing in the England v France U20 Six Nations match in Bath tonight and I wish him and the rest of the team the very best of luck!
Have a lovely weekend,
Nick Armitage