Merry Christmas!

In case I miss any of you tomorrow I would like to wish all Skipwith families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Term one as housemaster is drawing to a close, and what a term it has been! Thank you for your support and I am looking forward to what next term has to bring!

The blog will go quiet for a few weeks but do look back in the new year when the usual updates will get going again.


Mr Settle

End of Term

We are so nearly there! Today has certaiunly been a busy one in house. The boys were very patient as we sat together for a house assembly, recognising the great efforts people had made this term. Presents were given to tutors and the medical staff, and the boys were recognised for their marvellous efforts this term. In particular, it gave me a lot of pleasure awarding the half colours to the following boys for their dedication to the house through academics, sport and the example they set to others.


Year 9 - Christian Hjortland-Marks, Henry Blois-Brooke, Elliot Whittingham and Ben Tresidder
Year 10 - James Fenton and Carl Harris
Year 11 - Harry Berkley, Tom Berkley, Philip Green, Joshua Hemsley, Matthew Horsfall and Markland Tidswell
Year 12 - Tom Arnold, Harry Hogan and Harry Vardigans

Full House Colours were also awarded to Joe Rockell, Ashley Copeland and Marek Lapham.

After the presentations the house went to the Royal China in Henley and ate so much that many struggled to walk out of the restaurant.

This evening I had the pleasure of the company of our year 12 boys along with Mr Beaumont from catering, Miss Arnold and Mr Bradley. More food and drink followed and I think we are now well and truly getting in to the Christmas spirit.

Tomorrow morning is that whole school service in Henley. Parents and boys are requested to be in their seats by 11:15am for an 11:30am start.

Junior Rugby Awards

This afternoon the Rugby Club hosted its Junior Rugby Awards ceremony. The boys were treated to speeches and reports on their season's conquests and awards were given out. Of the boys I managed to catch on their way back to house, congratulations to the following, although I am sure there are a few more!

Full Junior Colours - Matt Fenton and Billy Sayers (player of the season U15A)
Half Colours - Ross Johnstone, Miles Bridgeman and Sam Wisely (player of the season (U14A)
U15C Improved Player of the Season - Scott Parker
U15C Player of the Season - George Atkinson
U14C Improved Player of the Season - Chris Slinger

Packing Up

We are now entering the final week of term and it is a very busy one indeed. I will be telling the boys check in the morning that they must try and take home books and kit as soon as they are no longer needed. The house must be left empty over the holiday and the rooms must be clean and tidy. To avoid a mad and unorganised rush on Thursday it would help for boys to consider what they do and do not need in school and we can start emptying the house in advance.

Photo Competition

The Christmas photoes are scrolling though on the Skipwith TV, but the winning entry is from...Hugo Javadi-Babreh for this entry. I think it is an original take on the theme 'Skipwith at Christmas'. I am sure he will never go short of ties either!

Christmas Carol Concert

Important information from the Bursar, regarding next weeks carol concert can be found here and here.

New Prefect

It is with a lot of pride that I can announce Tom Merrywether, Head of House, has been appointed a College Prefect. This follows on from a lot of hard work, often done behind the scenes, and for fulfilling his duties extremely well. A great achievement and we are very proud of you!

House Cross Country

The big day arrived and despite freezing conditions and a biting wind, the house cross country competition got underway. Skipwith boys were looking good and ready to take on the challenge. Preliminary results suggest that the Juniors came 3rd, Girls came 1st and Seniors came 2nd. Special mentions for Jo Unsworth who was the fastest girl and for James Riley as the fastest senior. An excellent effort all round! More photos in the gallery.

Cricket Nets

The popular winter cricket programme resumes in the New Year. There will be 8 one hour sessions on a Monday evening in the run up to Easter (Juniors 6-7pm and Seniors 7-8pm).  The cost is £60 for the term which will be added to the College bill.   If you wish for your son to take part please email your consent to Jonnie Howorth on jhoworth@shiplake.org.uk by January 5^th 2013.

House Cross Country

This Wednesday is the house cross country, and I am sure Mr Crisford is working hard on planning a route that avoids the river. This is one of the few events in the school year where everybody can take part and be included in the final scoring. It is essential that everybody is ready for it and willing to give it their best, even if that does mean walking! Go Skipwith!

Photo Competition

Several entries have already been submitted for my photo competition. Deadline is this Friday coming and is open to allcomers. The theme is Skipwith at Christmas. The first entries are in the gallery.

Christmas has arrived

Well, we couldn't wait any longer. December 1st arrived and the decorations had to go up! The entrance hall is looking very tasteful thanks to our wonderful matron. Not a Point Settia in sight but we still have 2 weeks to go...

Water water everywhere...

Photos are coming in showing the extent of the flooding at the moment including some interesting aerial views from Mr Curtis. This is certainly the worst flooding we have seen at Shiplake for at least 4 years. More photos in the gallery.

Over the Counter Medicines

A message from Sister Sue Wallace in the Medical Centre:

Please can we remind you that boys and girls  are not permitted to bring any over the counter medicines or remedies in for use within school. Should you son or daughter require medicating then please could they see their matron in the first instance,  as all houses hold a supply of over the counter medicines as does the Medical Centre.

Christmas is coming to Skipwith

Matron and I could not help ourselves today and ventured out to the shops to get the Christmas decorations for the final 2 weeks of term. We found 2 willing volunteers to start setting the tree up which leaves us the task of transforming the entrance hall over the weekend. As of Monday, tinsel will be a welcome addition to the boys rooms...

A Discovery...

We are so fortunate to have such an old and quirky house to work in and every now and then it yields a little surprise. Today the year 9 boys discovered an old copy of the Daily Telegraph stuffed between a window and a wall. After initially disproving that it was a treasure map or that the wall actually contained buried treasure, the boys went on to unpick the carefully folded and very fragile newspaper. They discovered that it had come from 1985 and also learnt a great deal from it. Apparently there was a famous lady called Margaret Thatcher, the Queen was still the queen and advertisements were for ancient devices called 'typewriters'.

Winter Concert

A fantastic Winter concert last night and great to see so many Skipwith boys involved. Certainly one of the best Winter concerts of recent years and one for the boys to be very proud of. Very well done to Matthew Aldridge, James Bailey, Harry Berkley, Toby Brough, Ashley Copeland, Jordan Gibson, James Hargreaves, Tom McCooke, Max Watson, Alex Williams, Will Berks, Jo Unsworth, Henry Blois-Brooke, Tom Arnold, Mr Bradley, Christian Hjortland-Marks, Kieran Leach and Nick Bond!

Look after yourselves

It would seem that some boys are being hit by the vomitting bug that has been mentioned in the press. Please remember that if boys do show symptoms of this then they are required to be away from school for 48 hours after the final symptoms have shown. For the boys please remember:

- wash your hands regularly;

- us the alcohol gel dispenser;

- cover your mouth when you sneeze;

- keep yourselves clean!

House Cross Country

House cross country has been reduced from the usual three outings to one all important cross country race. Mr Crisford can work out the time taken to cross the course for every student in the school and so points are awarded not for who is the fastest individual, but which house is the fastest when the times are averaged out. Consequently it is so important that everyone gives it their very best next Wednesday. We have fast runners in the house and we should have some fast walkers too. It would be great for the house to achieve a win next Wednesday, so be prepared!

Not even December yet...

...but it does not matter here where the build up to Christmas officially gets going this week. It looks like someone has brought the Christmas tree from Trafalgar Square and placed it in the Great Hall and the parents association have done a superb job of decorating the hall as well. This weekend coming is a long exeat weekend with school finishing in time for the Henley Christmas fayre on Thursday afternoon. Plans are also in place in Skipwith house for the last 2 weeks of term to be festive and joyous as we all gear up for our long awaited holidays!

Catering Awards

Skipwith is also home to one of the most important departments in the school - the kitchen! We would like to congratulate Steve Beaumont and his team for scooping 2 industry awards for their outstanding service. We are very proud to have you in the house!

Harry off to Nantes

Huge congratulations to Harry Vardigans who has been selected alongside Max Hearnden (Orchard) to go to the Nantes training camp over the Christmas holiday for rowers who are showing to be good contenders for places in the Junior World Championship team or the Coupe de la Jeunesse team representing Great Britain next summer. A very good achievement and although it is still early days I am sure both boys are hungry to compete at this level.

Rugby Tomorrow

Due to waterlogged pitches here at Shiplake, we are now informed that all home games are now to be played away at Merchant Taylors School. Please look at http://www.shiplakesports.org.uk for more information. Boys are expected o return to Shiplake at 5:30pm.

Celebrating Excellence

In Skipwith House we like to celebrate boys who have done well and achieved excellent things. Skipwith boys do so much to be proud of and from time to time we like to show just how proud we are. Most boys will earn excellence slips from teachers and coaches, but for those who serve the house in a particularly excellent way, there are these specially commisioned postcards. To be given one of these is an excellent achievement in recognition of service to the house. I have been fortunate enough to write a few of these this week due to some outstanding contributions and excellent character shown by some of our boys which has made my week. Well done and thank you to those who received them.

Year 9 English

Year 9 boys have been creating creepy radio trailers in English - looks like they have been having fun!

Festive Photos

Okay, we are not quite in December yet but we can almost start getting in to the spirit of things with a festive photo competition. I am looking for photos around the theme of 'Skipwith at Christmas'...or as close to it as you can be. I would like to be able to show these off on the landing television and on the blog in the last week of term. Please email your entries to Mr Settle by Saturday 8th December. The winning entry will win a prize. Parents and tutors can enter as well!

Happy Faces

To celebrate a long run of achieving greater numbers of excellence slips compared to other houses whilst also boasting relatively few incomplete works and infractions (with a few exceptions!) the boys have been treated to doughnuts and squash at break today. Lots of sticky fingers, sugary mouths and happy faces (not to mention a few confused looking ones). Keep up the good work boys!!



Sports Fixtures

Mr Beckett has kindly pointed out the following information:

Please use http://www.shiplakesports.org.uk for fixture info. All info is there including:


• Match Kick Off
• Match location
• Team sheets
• Staff in charge
• Coach leave time
• Return time
• Other info

Anti-Bullying Week

This week is National Anti-Bullying Week. This nation-wide initiative is an attempt to raise all issues regarding relationships and how we treat each other. Assemblies will be devoted to this theme and a competition is being run to produce a poster, song, poem or collage addressing the key theme; "We're better without bullying".

Final Week of Term

It may seem a little way off, but plans for the end of term are already well under way and I am sure some parents would like some details for their own planning. Here is a brief run down, but please do email me if you require more details. The online calender is also worth watching in case of last minute changes.

Monday 10th - Junior Rugby Awards Ceremony 3:30pm Great Hall
Tuesday 11th - As normal
Wednesday 12th - Senior Rugby dinner (black tie)
Thursday 13th - As normal until lunchtime and then Skipwith House outing to Royal China at 1:30pm. Buses will leave earlier than usual at 4pm, which is also now the pickup time for day parents. Parents may collect their sons from the Royal China restaurant from 3:30pm if they wish, but please let me know in advance if you wish to do this. Boarders will have a special evening of activities.
Friday 14th - Christmas Carol Service at St. Mary's Church Henley-on-Thames. Starting at 11:30am all boys are expected to attend. Boys may go straight there with parents or they may come to the house in the morning as normal and travel from school.

GB Rowing Trials

Yesterday saw the opening round of trials in this years search for a junior rowing team to represent Great Britain at the Junior World Championships, Coupe de la Jeunesse and Home Countries. Harry Vardigans, Marek Lapham and Alice White from Skipwith were all showing their hand at these early identification trials and did superbly well. Harry coming 28th, Marek 79th and Alice making the top 20. These are very encouraging indicators with 150 boys in attendance at these trials. Watch this space...

Junior Leader

Somewhat late, but congratulations to Carl Harris who succeeds James Fenton as the Skipwith Junior Leader. I am sure he will do a great job in the period up to Christmas.

Winter Concert

The winter concert takes place in the Great Hall on Tuesday 27th November. The flyer can be found here.

Christmas Dinner

Due to popular demand I am arranging to take the house out for a Christmas meal at the Royal China restaurant in Henley. The restaurant has agreed to feed nearly 100 of us (!) on the afternoon of Thursday 13th December. The boys will return to school for buses home which will leave at the earlier time of 4pm on that day. Four weeks to go and hopefully that is something we can all look forward to!

Ballroom Rehearsals

Year 12 boys are taking the opportunity to learn some new skills on the dance floor by attending the ballroom rehearsals at Queen Anne's school every few weeks. Last night was another success as the boys returned looking weary but still finding the ability to skip and dance up the stairs to their dorms. Feedback from Mrs Knight is that the boys were 'fab'.

Friday Night Lights

Excitement is certainly building at school for the friday night lights at Henley Hawks tomorrow. Supper will now be early fo a prompt 6pm departure for boys going to Henley. A reminder to bring warm clothes. Refreshments are being made available at the following prices:

burgers £3.50

jumbo sausages £3.00

bacon rolls £2.50

chocolate bars 80p

hot drinks £1

cans £1.20

Update: A great night had by all and a thrilling 22-8 victory for Shiplake. Well done to James Riley, George Davis, Joe Carey and Bodie Deane from Skipwith House.

Mufti Day

To raise money for Children in Need this Friday will be a Mufti Day. Cost for wearing own clothes is £2 per person although some restrictions apply (no pyjamas, tracksuits or 'suggestive' clothing etc.). Boys travelling to Friday night lights on Friday evening are reminded to also bring a warm jacket as it will be cold pitch side.

Joseph Rehearsals

Rehearsals for the upcoming college production of Joseph are well under way with 3 Skipwith boys taking lead roles. James Bailey, Joe Bartlett and Henry Waller are hard at work to provide a polished performance.

Half Term

Was it really only just over a week ago that I was up the Seattle Space Needle with this smashing bunch?



Friday Night Lights

Next Friday evening is the highly anticipated Friday Night Lights event at Henley Hawks RFC, where the Shiplake 1st XV will play Lord Wansworth School.

Kick off is at 7pm and all are very welcome. Refreshment stalls are available and if it is anything like last year the atmosphere will be amazing.

If boys wish to attend then they should inform Mr Settle on Monday so that transport can be arranged. Buses to the event will leave college at 6:30pm and return around 9pm. If parents intend to collect their sons from Henley Hawks then this would also be useful to know.

Skipwith Gallery

It is time for a clear out of the Skipwith Gallery as it is getting too big! If you have seen a picture of your son and want to download it then you have until Monday, after which you can contact Mr Settle for a backup.

Rugby

A tough day at the office for our rugby teams, but good to see a number of Skipwith boys out on the fields playing today.

Year 9 Social at the Abbey

The year 9 boys were dressed to impress last night as they attended the Abbey School social. The gossip was hot in house this morning but I understand from various interrogations that all went well...and to plan...

House Cross Country

For those enthused by the prospect of house country this coming monday, it has now been postponed until Wednesday 5th December. This means we have a month to train and be ready to dominate the event!



Remembrance Day Service

All boys and their parents are warmly invited to the College's Service of Remembrance this Sunday in the Great Hall. Although not mandatory it would be nice to see many of you there. Boys will be expected to be in uniform if they do attend. The service begins promptly at 10:45am with refreshments afterwards.

Progress Review Honours

The following boys have done extremely well to come in the top 10 of their respective year groups in either attainment or effort or both. I am extremely proud of their efforts and they are certainly setting good examples for everyone else:

Year 9: Henry Blois-Brooke, Christian Miller
Year 10: Matt Fenton, James Fenton, Louis Bossons-Sartain
Year 11: Tom Berkley, Harry Berkley, Josh Hemsley, Matt Horsfall, Markland Tidswell
Year 12: Harry Vardigans

Battlefields Trip

Year 9 boys visited the Belgian Battlefields at the start of the half term break. Many thanks to Christian Marks for the following:

The battlefields trip is a journey that a few year 9’s will never forget. The journey to France started outside Skipwith house. As soon as everyone was on the coach we drove to Dover in high expectations, however we where all exhausted from the 5am start. We all arrived in France after having an interesting boat journey over the channel. We visited the first of many cemetery’s and were amazed by the stories of the deaths of thousands of young solders. After we finished all of the battlefields and cemetery, we started heading off to the hotel called the Tea Room and so we all headed up stairs and went to bed. And so our first day our battlefields trip was over.


It was day two and we headed off to the battlefields for the whole day. We were all in deep shock when we saw the huge craters and shell explosions in the trenches and not to mention the space between the German and British trenches. Once again we go back to the hotel at about 7pm in France. We all settle into the hotel for the last night. After a restful night at the Holiday Inn express we all made our way back to Shiplake to be reunited back with our parents. To be quite honest he best part of the trip must have been watching the fantastic film of War Horse on the way back to England, but I did spot mistake in the movie and surprisingly that was that the German trenches being straight, the reason this is wrong is because the trenches had be curved because of a few reasons. For instance you can not down shoot a bullet through the trenches with there being curves of mud around the trenches.
I would like to thank …
Mrs. Stratton
Mr. Cooksey
Mr.& Mrs. Brown
Mr. Morgan

by Christian H. Marks



Welcome Back!

The new half term gets going tomorrow with lots to look forward to in the coming weeks, not least of all our build up to Christmas! House competitions include the very important House Cross Country which will be upon us very soon and everyone is required to particpate whether you are a good runner or not - everyone gets valuable points!

Over half term, the maintenance team have been busy painting and creating extra spaces in the corridors. The year 10 rooms have also had new carpets laid, and I am hoping that desks and lockers have found their way back to their normal places by now.

Many boys were involved in trips over half term. Duke of Edinburgh award expeditions took out most of years 10 and 11, year 9 visited the battlefields in Belgium and the senior rowers have been on the West Coast of the USA.

I am sure stories of what went on will emerge in the coming days but the rowers certainly had an amazing time racing in some of the biggest races in America and coming in very resectable finish position only behind some of the strongest teams in the USA. Aside from racing they also visited iconic sites such as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Seattle Space Needle as well as being given the VIP tour of the Boeing Factory, normally resrved for Heads of State and people buying the aircraft!

Progress reviews from last half term were very encouraging across the board but hopefully the boys will be returning with clear targets and knowing the areas in which they need to improve. This will be a very busy half term and lots of work will be covered so hopefully those reviews can be improved upon where they need to be. We will be encouraging this in house as well.

Off to the USA

The senior rowers are off to San Francisco today. If you would like to keep track of their exploits then see their blog www.shiplakecollegeusatour2012.blogspot.co.uk or twitter @shiplakeusa2012.

 

An exciting week ahead...

There is certainly a lot going on this week even though it is very short. Years 10 and 11 Duke of Edinburgh Award participants are off on their practise expedition, year 9 have their first parents' conference on Wednesday afternoon and the senior rowers are heading out to San Francisco on Tuesday morning. They are under expert guidance and as such I will be away from college until Tuesday 6th November. If you do have any issues or questions this week then I would be grateful if you could direct them towards Mr Bradley who is at the helm in my absence.

Follow the Green Cross Code



Some boys may treat their walk home with a casual attitude, but unfortunately one boy nearly had an accident when crossing the road yesterday at the top of Mill Lane. He was very lucky, and boys should remember not to be totally tuned in to their head phones when near roads or crossings. You could do worse than to listen to the green cross code man!

 

For current boys, which famous character did the green cross code man go on to become?

Absence

If your son has the misfortune of being ill or perhaps is unable to attend school for another reason, please inform us by emailing either Mr Settle or matron as soon as possible so we can account for them at morning check.

Thank you

Skipwith Half Colours

Colours are often reserved for year 13 boys who have made a significant contribution to the house in their time here. Quite rightly, we do not just give these away and they have to be earned often not only through years of commitment to the house but in fulfilling the duties bestowed particularly on year 13s. However, we now have a half colours award in the form of these amazing yellow socks. Boys in year 12 or below may earn the right to wear these IF they are deemed to be worthy of house half colours. For this, evidence of continued service and dedication to the house and its activities must be seen. They must be earned and I am very keen to see our first recipients earning them within the next term. Until they are earned, plain black socks only must be worn.

Party Time

The Friday night socials begin in earnest with a trip to the Abbey in Reading for the year 9 boys on Friday 9th November. Boys wishing to go and have some fun should let be know by Wednesday...quite frankly I can not understand why you would not want to go. Hopefully, all will sign up very soon.

Charity Walk

The final amount donated by Skipwith boys for the charity walk was £3709.25.

Thank you to everybody who sponsored the boys!

OVS Dinner

Yesterday was a hectic day on the river with 8 crews comprising of old vikings from the past 50 years taking to the water in a reunion regatta. This was followed by an excellent meal with over 220 guests in attendance. The evening was ended with the unveiling of the new rowing honours board which features the names of every boy to have rperesented Shiplake at Henley Royal in the last 50 years. Inspecting his name was current Skipwith year 12 Harry Vardigans who no doubt would like to see it repeated on the board this year.

Music Recitals

Skiwpith boys were involved in 2 evening music recitals last week and impressed their respective audiences with a display of great talent. Very well done to:

Matthew Aldridge (French Horn)
Max Watson (Violin)
Alex Williams (Piano)
Tom McCooke (Clarinet and Guitar)
Ashley Copeland (Oboe)
Nick Bond (Guitar and Voice)

Bread or Hot Dough?

Two year 12s and not much to do on their afternoon off turned their hands to bread making today. I was expecting a lesson in how to bake bread, but I think hot dough is probably a better description of what was made. If at first you don't succeed....

Helping Hands

Never one to be shy of a camera opportunity, Harry Hogan in year 12 is showing what a kind bunch year 12 can be. Year 7 needed expert guidance on how to operate a pillar drill, and Harry was more than happy to oblige. Perhaps we all need to take a leaf out of his book.

Skipwith Entrance

Efforts are continuing in the aim of producing a bright and attractive environment for the boys to work in. The entrance hall to Skipwith has seen a lot of change in recent months and now we also have a brand new television display, from which the boys can see the daily notices. This television is also to be used to highlight the many great things that Skipwith boys do, through a collection of photographs. Some boys have also decided to create a video based on the theme of 'Life in Skipwith'.

Let your imaginations run wild! I would like this to be a great showcase to visitors and everyone at the college for Skipwith boys and their exploits.

Short Stories by James Bailey

Skipwith boy James Bailey is working hard on writing a series of short stories. An example of one of these can be found here. A warning that this is not for the easily scared!

Well written James!

Wet Bob

In some other educational institutions, rowers are commonly known as wet bobs. Perhaps these photos demonstrate why this title even extends to senior rowers.

Excellence!

Since the start of term Skipwith boys have earned themselves a grand total of 203 excellence slips, putting us streets ahead of every other house. Well done boys and keep up the good work!!

Uniform

As most people know, Shiplake takes a great deal of pride in the appearance of its students and here in Skipwith House we are no different. To this end we want to help the boys get it right when they may stray from what is acceptable. For those of a disposition to let their trousers wander south we have belts. For those who think bright pink socks are a better shade than black we can can also offer a good line in black socks. However, these do not come free and boys might want to think twice before receiving a bill for this extraordinarily kind service.

Looking good made simple - by year 9

A new addition to the house

Why is it that boys and dogs make such a perfect mix? I am really pleased that Mrs Stratton's new spaniel, 'Dex' will be visiting the house every Monday. A really lovely dog and the boys are loving his presence too!

Senior House Rugby

It was great to see the house seniors coming together to put in a good team effort in the Senior House Rugby. Convincing wins over Welsh and Everett have probably put us in 3rd place overall behind Orchard and Burr. The boys worked well together and made some excellent tries. Thanks to Captain James Riley and the team.

Some excellent photos here courtesy of Mr Carey.

Sponsor Money

With only a handful of boys still left to hand in their money we are looking at a house total of around £3500. Thank you so much to Skipwith families and friends who have supported the boys in raising money for some great charities.

Boys on buses

The bursar also wrote to parents of boys using the school bus service yesterday with regard to routes and prices. Whilst on the subject of buses, some boys are taking the opportunity to 'dress down' whilst on the bus. All boys should be clear that when they are seen walking to and from bus stops they are still very much representing the school and they should be wearing their uniform with pride. If you are recieving an untidy looking school boy at the end of the school day then perhaps you could remind them of this?

Likewise, day boys arriving at school should be in full uniform even when walking down the drive from the bus or from cars. Thank you for your help in encouraging this.

From the Bursar...

Please can day parents observe that pupils should be dropped off and picked up at either of the turning circles. Unfortunately, a number of parents are still dropping off in Orchard and Skipwith car parks and also by the Skip Yard.


We have a relatively small, built-up site with a lot of young pedestrians. As the days shorten, it becomes increasingly important that traffic through the centre of school is restricted, particularly during breakfast and evening meal sittings.

Harvest Festival

Items are starting to come in for the harvest festival this Sunday. If you have any contributions then please do get them to matron by Saturday morning. The service will be held in the Parish Church at 7:30pm on Sunday. Pupils and parents of day boys are welcome to attend if they wish to. The dress code is smart casual.

Junior House Leader

I am pleased to announce that James Fenton has taken on the role of Junior House Leader for the remainder of this half term. I am sure he will do an excellent job.

House Council Minutes

Year 9 – Ross Johnstone


- Year 9 happy with provision of break time snacks
- Some year 9 struggling with organising their time for prep – advised to look at different working times during the day. Year 9 prep is currently being looked at by Mr Mackey
- Mr Settle suggested a small common room in the year 9 corridor would make year 9 more comfortable away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and day room – to be investigated further

Year 10- Carl Harris

- More toasters in kitchen are well received and new day room is nice.
- A house football was requested – Mr Settle had 2 at the start of term which have since gone missing. Recommended that year 10 supply their own.
- Request for coke to be stocked in matron’s tuck shop – to be investigated further by Mr Settle
- Year 10 don’t like being asked to leave the house at lunchtime if they have no work – Mr Settle confirmed it is fine to use the common areas in the house if you do not want to work, but that study rooms must only be used for studying. If rooms are not being used appropriately then boys can be expected to be asked to leave the building.
- Year 10 would like to be able to eat food in their rooms. Carl put forward an excellent argument for this. Mr Settle has agreed that food can be consumed in rooms but any mess or time wasting as a result, would result in this privilege being removed. If boys do wish to eat and chat then they must use the common areas only.

Year 11 – Absent

Year 12 – Bodie Deane

- Year 12 would like new computers installed –Mr Settle would like to remind year 12 that they all have laptops with wireless capabilities and so do not need new computers. The provision of computers in the house is adequate for our needs.
- Showers in 6th form corridor are stuck on one temperature which although nice does not allow for any adjustment – Mr Settle to enquire as to possibility of getting this changed.
- Mr Settle reminded year 12 that they have an electric hob for use in the evenings which was requested last year but that no one has since used. Evening tutors to be given access to the hob to make this accessible should the boys want it.

Any other business

- The representatives agreed the atmosphere in the house was good and that improvements to the layout of the house have had a positive effect.
- Ross Johnstone and Bodie Deane will go forward to the School Council and Food Council this Thursday evening at 17:15 in the OVR.

Look after yourself...

We are coming to the point in the term where bugs and viruses are being spread around. A few boys went off sick last week with similar symptoms so I thought a timely hygiene reminder might be in order.

- A plastic cup dispenser is now installed in the kitchen, so please do not not just fish cups out of the sink without washing them - use the plastic cups instead!

- Alcohol gel is available at the top of the stairs - feel free to use it.

- Wash your hands after going to the toilet and before you go and eat.

- If you cough or sneeze then cover your face.

Changes for Year 10

When year 10 return tomorrow, they may notice some changes to the set up of their corridor. We are constantly looking at ways in which we can improve the working conditions for the boys so they can work in peace and be free from interuption. Year 10 are currently the only year group without a designated changing room, instead they change in their study rooms which is inconvenient to those wishing to work...but not any more. From tomorrow the boys will be studying in 2 rooms with the smaller of the 3 rooms being a changing room. The hope is that this will create a more positive working environment for all of the boys. We will of course monitor the changes and will be stressing the need for these boys to use this facility rather than leaving their clothes strewn across their study room floor.

House Council

The Skipwith House Council will be meeting tomorrow evening to discuss the recent changes to the house and what can be done to improve life for Skipwith boys. Representatives are:

Bodie Deane - Year 12
Henry Waller - Year 11
Carl Harris - Year 10
Ross Johnstone - Year 9

All boys are encouraged to feed their ideas through to these representatives for tomorrow and future meetings. Minutes will go up on the blog afterwards.

House Sport

The inter house rivalry will be palpable this week as 3 contests are decided. Tomorrow sees the final rounds in the Junior House Football whlst the seniors are able to demonstrate their sporting prowess as they contend the Senior House Rugby on Saturday. Hopefully, they won't suffer too many injuries as they then have the Senior House Football 2 days later. Good luck to all the teams and don't forget your yellow rugby shirts this week - let's start filling the trophy cabinet!

Junior House Leaders

This week boys in year 10 were informed of an opportunity to become Junior House Leaders. The boys were invited to write letters of application for the position, the deadline for which is tomorrow morning. This is a role that is being re-established in some houses to encourage boys in year 10 to be more pro-active in setting good examples and giving them some experience of leadership and having responsibility. The plan is for the Junior Leader to be awarded on a half termly basis.

The first applications have already come in and are beautifully hand written. I really hope there will be a few more making there way to me tomorrow morning.

Blessing Prefects and Chapel Wardens

Bishop Colin visited the college this morning to bless the new prefects and chapel wardens. It was a pleasure to have coffee with him this morning and he had a short tour of Skipwith House to see exactly where our boys work and rest. The boys gave him a warm welcome and we hope he will be back to see us again soon.

Sponsorship Money

Please expect your sons to start asking for sponsorship money this week now that they have endured the 20 mile walk. Money can be collected and handed over to Mr Settle or Mr Bradley. It would be great to get as much of this in by early next week as possible.

Thank you!