14th June 2023

The pupils showcased their athletic skills across various disciplines, cheered on by enthusiastic friends and family, culminating in a day of memorable achievements and a unifying school spirit. Congratulations to Sahara for winning the cup this year! Thank you to all the parents who came along to watch and well done to those who took part in the parent races! Also, I must thank the parents who organised the cake sale which raised a fantastic £400 for the Chiltern Centre. The staff were very game in taking part in their own race, which hopefully provided some entertainment for all. We were very lucky with the weather for the most part, but I hope those of you who were caught in the rain are now home and dry! Enormous thanks to Ms  Nicholson and the Sports Department for all their hard work in planning the event.

In my assembly on Monday, I spoke about the upcoming election and was joined by Caroline Newton, the local Conservative candidate. The children asked her all sorts of interesting questions about her role and what it is she want to focus on locally if she is elected.

On Tuesday we had the Year 2 cricket tournament which the pupils thoroughly enjoyed. They played against their friends at Badgemore and Trinity Primary Schools in the glorious sunshine. Well done to them all.

I attended a fascinating Education Henley meeting (the partnership between all the schools in and around Henley) on Tuesday, where we were hosted by Steve O'Connor at the River and Rowing Museum. We discussed how we can support the museum and we also heard from Kate Oldridge, who leads 'Greener Henley' and their campaign to create a cleaner, greener Henley. 

The Year 5 children returned tired but buzzing on Wednesday from Cuffley Camp, where they had had a wonderful time on a bushcraft camping trip. Huge thanks to Mr McArthur, Miss Smith and Miss Pavey for taking them. 

Also this week, the Year 6 children held their ‘Make £5 Grow’ fair which was the result of weeks of hard work, preparation and creativity.  The children spent part of the morning setting their stalls up, and then worked incredibly hard selling their goods and services at lunchtime. Much fun was had by all and the children managed to raise an incredible £699.49! Next week the children will decide what they would like to spend the money on, which in the past has included trips, books for the school and donations to charity. Well done to Year 6 for their hard work and creativity!

 

Deputy Director of Sport

I am delighted to announce that Jamie Vigano will be joining the Sports Department in September, where he will work closely with Mandy Nicholson to further evolve our sporting provision. Jamie has a wealth of experience in Prep Schools, having taught at Headington Prep and Devonshire House Prep in Hampstead. He is a very keen sportsman himself, having played cricket at county level, semi-professional football, having competed as a swimmer and athlete at national level in addition to being a near-scratch handicap golfer. He has considerable experience of coaching cricket, football, rugby, netball, hockey, athletics and a wide range of other sports. He has taken teams to national competitions, led numerous sports tours and ski trips and is keen to be involved in the wider school life, having been a form teacher and assisted with drama productions and numerous charitable activities as well in the past. In accepting the role, he said the following: " I am very excited to join the team and to contribute to our shared vision. I look forward to working with everyone and making a significant impact." Jamie will be visiting the school before the end of term and is keen to get to know the children, his colleagues and the parents.

 

French Exam

Well done to Matilda who passed her French DELF Prim exam with great results in all aspects of the language (speaking, listening, reading and writing)! The DELF Prim is an official Diploma of French Language Studies issued by the French Ministry of Education.

 

Free E-Safety Workshop

Education Henley has organised a free Digital Safety and Cyberbullying Parent Workshop talk in the Town Hall from 7-8.30pm on 25^th June. This will be delivered by Kidscape, one of the leading digital safety charities and is kindly sponsored by The Py Foundation. The tickets are free, but are limited and can be ordered here: 

Parents Cyberbullying & Digital Safety with Kidscape Tickets, Tue, Jun 25, 2024 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

 

Centenary Ball

Next week we will be sending the link to parents for booking tickets for the Centenary Ball which takes place on 14^th September. Please save the date if you haven’t already! Current Year 6 parent, Mrs Sharkey, is organising an auction which will take place at the Ball to raise money for the Mukuru Promotion Centre In Nairobi and the Chiltern Centre in Henley. If you have any items or experiences that you may be able to donate, we would be very grateful. Please email office@ruperthouse.oxon.sch.uk with details and we will pass them on to Mrs Sharkey.

 

End of Term arrangements

The end of the Summer Term is fast approaching and there is a huge amount going on over the next few weeks, so please keep an eye on the Calendar in My School Portal for details of events. Please also make sure you read (and save for future reference) this schedule which has details of the events for all year groups, including prize-giving, for the last week term.

 

Stewards' Enclosure Tickets

If by any chance you have any spare Stewards' Enclosure tickets for Tuesday 2^nd July, the Year 6 children would be most grateful for them so that we can take them into the enclosure as part of their Leavers' trip. Seeing the silverware, sitting in the deckchairs and meeting those connected with the school there is a real highlight for them! Please contact the Office if you are able to spare any tickets. Thank you to those who have given us some already.

 

Catholic church service at Stonor Chapel

There will be a family friendly Catholic church service at Stonor Chapel this Sunday (16^th June) at 9.30am. The Stonors would like to welcome any Rupert House families who are interested to come along. For those coming, when you arrive please park at the Tumblestone Hollow Visitor car park and come to the chapel at the side of the house.

 

Well done to all those who have taken their LAMDA exams today.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Best wishes,

Nick Armitage