17th March 2023

The week has become such an important part of the school's calendar. The events this year included a wheelchair rugby session with the Berkshire Banshees team, the visit of the Premier League trophy and talk by one of our parents about how STEAM subjects play such an important part in the development of football, fascinating Science workshops, an inspirational talk from a Junior International rower and ex Rupert House pupil, a trip to see the Rowing and DT facilities at Shiplake College, the visit of a classic racing car and an enthralling talk given by a visually-impaired international sportsman. It was wonderful to see the children so interested and inspired by the various visitors and activities and many thanks to all the parents and former pupils who so kindly offered to be involved in the week. You can read all about the events and see the photographs in the news section here.

Today is also Comic Relief and there is some wonderful creativity on show around the school when it comes to face paint and red accessories. This morning’s assembly was led by the School Council who explained to the rest of the school what Comic Relief is and the importance of raising money for the charity each year to help support children in need across the world. The School Council pupils also persuaded/press-ganged the staff into taking part in a Tik Tok challenge which you can view on our Instagram page! It was a great way to start the day and we raised a total of £235 for the charity, so thank you for your donations.

 

Music Concerts

Well done to everyone who performed in the Spring concert on Tuesday - it was a fantastic evening and so lovely to observe just how supportive and encouraging the children were of each other. It was particularly wonderful to see the House songs and Jazz Dance groups perform this year. Also, well done to all the Pre-Prep children who performed in their own Easter concert yesterday. Again, everyone performed very impressively and all the more so given that for some it was their first time playing in front of an audience. The confidence and resilience shown in both concerts was incredible and such a joy to watch. Thank you to all the families who came to watch, to the teachers to helped and to Mrs Pedley for the organisation.

 

The Great School Run

We are once again partnering with Stonor Park to host The Great School Run of Henley on Sunday 30^th April. This is a fun running event for children aged 3 and upwards and for the parents too. The details and booking link are being finalised as I write, so next week we will be in a position to share the booking link. The event will be free and is for pupils who attend schools in and around Henley. Donations will be collected for Sue Ryder charity. Please save the date and encourage your friends to do the same. It was such fun last year and there was a huge turnout of Rupert House families!  

 

Old Uniform Donations

Many thanks to all the parents who have so generously donated old uniform, much of which has been sent over to the Songa Mbele Masomo Children Centre in Nairobi, which serves children from the Mukuru Slum living with disabilities as well as vulnerable children who have never attended school or have been excluded from school due to poverty. Please a see picture of the children wearing the Rupert House uniform below and also a link to the Centre's website, if you would like to find out more about the incredible work they do. We as a family are hoping to visit the Centre in the Easter holidays and will bring with us any more uniform which may be donated by the end of term, so please do give any more unwanted uniform to the school in advance of next Friday.

Next week is the last week of the Spring Term and a very busy week. We have the rescheduled ABRSM Concert taking place on Monday. the Year 2 rugby masterclass and the Gym squad performing to the school and to parents on Tuesday, a Year 2 coffee morning and Year 3 Roman Day on Wednesday, the Year 2 football festival and some Easter excitement courtesy of the FoRH on Thursday, and the Easter Service on Friday. Please do continue to bring in Easter eggs for NOMAD next week as we will be delivering them to the D2 Centre on Thursday.

Have a happy St Patrick’s Day and I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Best wishes,

Nick Armitage