:: Eagle House School

15 weeks after we opened our doors for the start of the Michaelmas term and the Christmas holidays are in sight. Boarding is a way of life, and the children in our House have to be more organised, independent, self-confident, resilient and understanding than perhaps they did before they lived away from home during the week. Of course, they are supported every step of the way, and their parents as well as the boarding staff are always on hand, but there is no doubt things are not always easy when you share your bedroom with 6 other people! HOWEVER, when the end of term comes around, we really can start to focus on the best things that boarding can offer.... When you live with 48 other people, you certainly can have a great deal of fun!

Pre-dinner drinks in the Old Library, meal in the dining room with speeches from the Year 8 pupils followed by an hour of dancing to Mr Edwards's disco. A magnificent way to end the term!

How does the tree in the Old Library get decorated? Ask the boarders of course! For those not wishing to brave the wet and the mud for Manhunt on Thursday night, the drier and more relaxed activity option was decorating the tree. As you can see, the group were all very camera shy!

All these photos were taken over a 10 minute period on one average Tuesday evening. I feel they give an excellent representation of what life is like for our boarders. They clearly show how well the boarders mix, with children from Years 4-8 and both boys and girls participating in each activity. There really is something for everyone and hopefully something to ensure that those with us not only enjoy themselves, but have a very rewarding time.

(A quick break to phone home - please note, the board behind Issy shows we do leave messages if you call, for your child to call them back!)

Assessment week for the Year 7s and 8s meant activities were a little shorter this week to enable everyone to get back into the House for M&B and then for the seniors to get settled for some last minute revision. The Year 7s studied in the dining hall or Old Library with a member of staff whilst the Year 8s used their study bedrooms.

I think everyone enjoyed a fairly 'quiet' week - as quiet as a boarding house can be anyway, and it was a welcome relief for the staff too, to have no major dramas, or special events occuring!

On Wednesday night there was only 1 movie choice - Bugsey Malone. The reason - auditions for our school production of this musical are next week and therefore I wanted to give the boarders a head start with their ideas and whet their appetite. I am delighted to say, that Thursday night saw a big rush on the computers after Manhunt, as the children were reading the information about the auditions and downloading lyrics and backtracks, in preparation! I hope the majority of the boarders in Years 5-8 at least audition for this show as the productions at Eagle House are truly magnificent and it is not an opportunity to pass by.

Friday night was Exeat. 4 weeks is a long time and I'm pretty sure, we don't have another 4 weeks stretch this year before a break. As always, the children have been marvellous, but yes - the break is also very welcome!

As I type, I can hear 'Iron Man 2' blaring from our lounge TV as the 6 remaining boarders are settled on the sofas with a glass of coke or lemonade, having a well earned, quiet and relaxing night. To say it has been a rather different week in school is quite an understatement and to have a small 'family' group left at the end of the week is just what we all needed!

This week was 'Make-A-Difference' Week all linked to the theme of Respect. Respect is very important in a boarding community as everyone has to learn to adapt to living with others - some of whom may, or may not, be their friends, and may, or may not, share their views. Regardless of this we must all show respect for each other, each other's things and the community that we all form.

To start the week we felt it important to run a compulsory activity for all, which tested their sense of community. We headed to the Arts Hall with 50 balloons before setting the children their challenge - in groups of 15-20 children they had to keep all the balloons in the air. Sounds simple - it's not! Communication, team work, understanding of others, asking for help, showing support to those in need - were all tested when trying to complete this relatively straight-forward challenge. Did we succeed? In all honesty - no! However, I do not feel this is a bad reflection on our House (after all, it was evident this was very tricky to do) but it certainly did identify some points for thought. As individuals, perhaps we are a little too concerned with putting our own needs before the needs of the group as a whole (keeping just one balloon in the air, forgetting about the other 49!); knowing there is help all around us if we just ask (asking our neighbour to tap the balloon just out of reach, rather than letting it fall and fail the task); and understanding that a community, and being an active participant in it, can be a very supportive environment when you are feeling a little lonely or homesick (trying to juggle all 50 balloons yourself is impossible!).

After this somewhat noisy affair we turned our attention to 'The Simpsons'! Miss Palmer showed an extract from this famous show and we looked for examples of the characters showing respect and disrespect towards each other. After only a 10 min extract it was very clear that examples of disrespectful behaviour were plentiful, whereas characters showing each other respect and tolerance occurred with far less frequency. Of course, this is what brings the humour to the show, but it was important for us to realise that in the real world we cannot behave like cartoon characters and expect to have a happy and harmonious household! Mutual respect is essential.

On Tuesday, Mrs Davison took the theme of respect to a whole new level with a wonderful 'Lip-Synch' competition to the fabulous R.E.S.P.E.C.T. 6 teams entered (the rest of the House opted for a swimming session) and spent 30 minutes perfecting their routine before the final performances were given at House Meeting. The atmosphere in the Arts Hall was electric as the winning team performed their act and it was certainly unanimous that they should win. The WHOLE house, seniors, juniors, boys, girls were all on their feet as these superstars performed with confidence to the crowd of 60+ people. And the winners were - our two youngest boarders - Tim and Jack! So despite Monday's activity highlighting that our team work had areas to improve, our empathy, support and sense of community were all present and correct tonight as even the 'coolest' kids realised just what these two Year 4s had achieved.

Wednesday's movie night was a typical Wednesday, with a movie for the seniors downstairs and a movie for the juniors upstairs and there was little sign of what was to follow....

Thursday... Without going into any graphic detail - the House was quite a bit smaller on Thursday evening after 15 boarders had been sent home with the sickness bug. Understandably we cancelled all flexi boarding, so Mr Edwards had a mere 34 children for his Manhunt spectacular. In an aim to keep bugs away, everyone headed outside for an extended game in the fresh air, before heading back inside for prep and revision and then bed. We've had to avoid time in the Common Room and Sick Bay areas, for obvious reasons and those who have remained in school have been very understanding.

With Friday's numbers falling to just 25 boarders, I was very pleased to see 'Children in Need' on the TV listings. The seniors headed to their dorms for a prep/revision session for an hour straight after supper before donning their PJs and heading to the Old Library. It seemed fitting to offer tuck tonight (after the compulsory hand gel!) and as we prepare for our 4th week before EXEAT, no one argued with the thought of a quiet evening in front of the TV.

The week has seemed long with my own children also getting poorly too, but hopefully the worst is over and all will return on Monday, healthy and happy as we run up to Exeat!

Huge congratulations to Jono, Max, Sven, Hal, Theo, Joe, Cressida and Daisy for their wonderful performances in the school production of Lord of the Flies this week. These 8 senior boarders have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks, often returning to the House very late or missing out on fun activities, to learn their parts for this fabulous show. They did themselves, and the rest of the Boarding House, proud as they performed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights this week. Pleasingly, every single boarder in Year 6 and above chose to go and watch the show and give their support to these children and I know everyone returned to the House very impressed by what they had seen.

With many children either in the production, or choosing to watch it, we had only around 30 children in the House for activities on Thursday and Friday. This was a wonderful opportunity to do something a little different and I know everyone in the House really appreciated this change from the norm. On Thursday night, with the swimming pool out of action and the halls being used, we decided the best idea was a giant game of 'Hide and Seek' in the Boarding House. The 25 children playing divided themselves into teams (again, so wonderful to see girls and boys, seniors and juniors all mixing themselves up in groups) before each team was given 5 minutes to find as many of the other players as possible. All the boarders (and Mr Brimacombe) found some truly remarkable and inventive hiding places, with Robert Phillips quickly proving himself to be our 'expert' hider as he was never found in any game! We also had a quick fire 2 min round for each team, before the winners were awarded the ever-valuble chocolate bar for their efforts! Every single player showed such great interest and enthusiasm for the game, that it was really lovely to be a part of.

Similarly, on Friday with only 30 children in the House, everyone headed to the pool for the first part of the evening. Various games were played, before everyone headed back to the Common Room and computers to relax for the rest of the evening, having showered and got into their PJs whilst at the pool. There was such a homely and relaxed atmosphere in the Common Room, with games being played on the Wii, children attempting very complex origami aeroplanes, prep and revision sessions being carried out at the tables and even balloon modelling! In such cases, it is a shame to break it up when everyone is playing together so nicely, so everyone was treated to staying up a little bit later before heading to bed at 9ish.

This weekend there are 13 children staying in school. With a trip to the cinema planned for Saturday night and Frankie & Benny's for pizza followed by bowling on Sunday with Mr Edwards - I have no doubt they will have a lovely time.

Looking ahead to next week and we will be taking time to think about the theme of 'Respect' as we participate in the school's 'Make-a-Difference' week. Respect in a Boarding community is so important, when people are spending so much time in such close proximity to one another, that I think it will prove to be a very valuable week for us all. Year 7 & 8 will also be expected to spend more of their evenings studying as they prepare for their exams in week 10.

What a difference a break makes! The children have had a fabulous week in the boarding house. I always notice a huge difference after the Michaelmas half term break, and this year has been no exception. The children seem to return to school much more confident and organised and as a result there is a far more relaxed atmosphere in the House in the evenings. The children know their way around, understand the routines and have friends in various dorms and year groups and finally the House is starting to run itself. Once we get to this stage, the evenings are also more enjoyable and relaxed for the staff, as instead of going into dorms to rush children in showers or prep, we can simply sit and chat or play games as the boarders have independently done all that they need to do.

The highlight of this week was probably our Halloween Party on Thursday night. Pauline and her catering team went to town in the Dining Hall with decorations and a spooky inspired menu to get the children into the spirit. Mr Edwards then took charge for the rest of the evening for an apple-bobbing competition followed by spooky stories in the Tudor House. As always, the children were given the option to stay inside and watch a movie or play games as a non-scary option, but this year our boarders proved themselves to be braver than me and very few took up this option. Perhaps at bedtime a few wished they had, but all were settled and sleeping soundly by 9.15pm!

With play rehearsals for the Lord of the Flies production next week and the school's annual Fireworks night, it was a busy weekend in the House. 18 children opted to stay in this weekend and they were certainly treated to a great time. On Saturday night the Fireworks Bazaar was full of the usual stalls and competitions and the boarders each had a voucher to exchange for food at the BBQ/Hog Roast. After a wonderful (and very loud) fireworks display, they all headed back inside for a cosy night in the Common Room with a movie.

The 10 boarders not involved in the play rehearsals had a fantastic time at Legoland on Sunday. The last day the park is open for the season, they all enjoyed the rides and the activities with Mr Turner and Mr Brimacombe.

The week before half term was certainly a busy one! The Monday night was fairly usual with swimming and the art room available for activities, but the rest of the week was certainly far from normal.

On Tuesday night 32 of our boarders performed in the Autumn Concert which left on 17 in the House. Most of these children chose to support their friends and watch the concert too. It was also Anna's birthday, and considering there were almost 100 extra day children in supper, we had a rather noisy end to the evening with Happy Birthday sung in the Common Room after the concert, rather than at supper as usual. Therefore cake with lots of sweets all over it was enjoyed by all, just before the bedtime routine started - mmm, interesting!

On Wednesday night it was time for our first House Trip of the year. These events are a small celebration of reaching the half term, or end of term stage and a welcome break from the routine for everyone. Whilst we hope that everyone feels safe and happy whilst they are boarding with us, we are under no illusions that boarding can be rather challenging at times. These events give both the staff and children the opportunity to have a bit of fun altogether, away from the demands of routines, laundry and prep etc and simply have fun as a community. As always, this night was enjoyed by all as we all were looking forward to the two week break.

Boarders who celebrate their birthday whilst at school are treated to a 'birthday table' where they can invite 8 of their friends to share crisps and fizzy drinks along with their usual supper. They are then treated to the EH Boarding House version of 'Happy Birthday' (i.e. very loud and very out of tune!) before tucking into one of the kitchen's enormous cakes. So far this term Hal, Theo and Mikhil have shared their birthdays with the rest of the House and next week is Anna's 10th birthday also.

This week's activities included: swimming (3 times!), the Art Room, Movie Night, Manhunt, Sports Hall Games and of course free time in the Common Room.

Movie Night was held on Tuesday this week due to staff commitments at Parents Evening, so there was one less day to earn those all important pluses! Nevertheless, it was pleasing to see more children than last week had already reached the target of 6 pluses and those that didn't are working very hard to make the grade next week before we break for Half Term.

On Friday night, a few of the juniors decided to write their own play with Miss Webb, so Mr Brice left them with his camera and here are a few of the images... See if you can guess what the play was about!

Now the children are familiar with the Boarding routine we encourage them to really take ownership over 'their' House. It is really pleasing to see children take the initiative to carry out small jobs that they know are required in the evening, without being asked. It is these small actions that really show the boarders have a sense of belonging within the community.

This weekend we were over-subscribed, but fortunately (and very kindly) 2 boarders offered to not stay in school so we did not have more than a minibus load of children and therefore the trips could still take place. The 14 who were in school were looked after by Miss Bailey, Mr Jenkins and Miss Fetchet on Saturday and Sunday night and Mr Taylor and Miss Fetchet on Sunday. On Saturday night they headed to Vue Cinemas in Camberley to watch 'Midnight in Paris'. Apparently the staff thoroughly enjoyed the film, but I'm not sure it was completely to the taste of all our boarders - but hey, it was a night out and that's always got to be good. There were big tubs of popcorn and bottles of lemonade lined up in the Old Library before they left, so I'm sure they were certainly enjoyed by all!

On Sunday, the plan was to head to an animal park in the New Forest with Mr Taylor. In these weeks of bizarre weather, the group were fortunate enough to land a glorious day and they all decided to first of all head off for a long walk. Before they knew it, they were all having such a lovely time playing football, eating ice creams and paddling in the shallow water that they decided to give the animals a miss. A lazy day in the great outdoors was fun enough, and the boarders were able to enjoy the simple things in life and have some much needed downtime.

Once again - thanks to all the staff for their efforts this weekend ensuring those who remained in school had a fun yet relaxing couple of days.

The return after exeat saw the Common Room full on Sunday night, which could only mean one thing - the return of X-factor! Sunday nights are now set for those in the House who are fans of the show, and for those who find the whole thing rather tedious, the computers and other games are also still available!

On Monday night, with the first of the 'Meet the Tutor' evenings taking place, the dining hall was full to capacity with many extras booked in for supper. It was a rather frantic three quarters of an hour, but the boarders were soon upstairs and attending the first house meeting of the night to find out the activities on offer for the evening. With a few staff absent due to commitments at the tutor evening, Mr Gillam ran a very busy and energetic game of Dodgeball in the Sports Hall. Those not feeling quite brave enough chilled in the Common Room with Mrs Guest and Mr Brice as they perfected their dance moves playing 'Just Dance' on the Wii or challenged each other to games of table football.

Tuesday night saw a complete switch in atmosphere as many boarders were busy attending rehearsals for the upcoming production of 'Lord of the Flies' and therefore the House seemed eerily quiet. Add to that we had a full compliment of staff and 3 activities to choose from, there was plenty of space at each activity for the children to have a really good time. Mrs Davison opened the pool and Mr Guest took the children out onto the field to play football. They assured me they could still just about see the ball by the time the bell went at 7.45pm, but sadly I think we are now coming to the end of our time when outside play really is a viable option.

Wednesday night's movies were both suitable for all with the choice of 'School of Rock' or 'Open Season' so there was no need for a junior/senior split this week. 38 people earned enough pluses to receive their tuck and the 12 that didn't know what they need to work on over the coming week to ensure they don't miss out again.

Thursday night, or rather Manhunt night was as popular as ever and with Mr Brice taking on the role of matron for the first time this term, he soon realised quite how busy the surgery can be after one of Mr Edwards's infamous games, with children getting a few stings and grazes as they dash into bushes to escape capture!

Friday night and Pirates and Swimming were on the agenda. Children were great at ensuring their dorms were clean and tidy in preparation for Open Morning the next day and many pluses were handed out as a result - what a good end to the week!

12 children stayed in school this weekend. On Saturday night they watched a movie and were treated to Miss Webb's very own ice cream factory - with various toppings, wafers and cream. On Sunday, Mr Mono was in charge and took them to Portsmouth to climb the Spinnaker Tower and take a boat trip around the harbour - what a lovely day to be beside the sea, in 29 degree heat - in October!

This week saw the usual range of activities - swimming, art room, Movie Night, Manhunt but most excitingly - EXEAT! The first 3 weeks of the Michaelmas term are certainly the hardest as everyone gets used to the new routines - either as a new boarder, or even for existing boarders moving to a new year group with new expectations and challenges. The House has started to bond well as a unit and reaching this milestone of a long weekend with family and friends is a real achievement for everyone.

There was one other exciting event this week with the new arrival of our youngest boarder Tilly. She came into the world at 8.58am on Monday morning and attended her first House Meeting on the Thursday (to lots of sounds of oooo and ahhhh)! I'm sure Tilly will soon become as much a part of our extended boarding family as Imogen and Isla already are.

The week started with our first Monday night duty of the year with Miss Palmer and Mr Gillam at the helm. With the weather much more favourable this week, it was a great opportunity to get outside and play on the astro and field whilst we still have just enough light in the evenings. Very soon we will be constrained to indoor activities so watching the games of football and hockey taking place was a joy to see. Miss Palmer also opened up the pool for those who fancied a relaxing dip!

On Tuesday night Mr Guest also ran a free outdoor session whilst Mrs Davison played various team games in the Sports Hall - from pirates to circle games using a range of languages, everyone returned to the House looking like they'd had a good exercise and the opportunity to let off steam after a very long day at school. Mrs Brice stayed in the Common Room for those wanting a little quiet time and we played on the Wii or helped matron with a few House chores. (Sorting 55 games kits is not fun, so those children who offer to help are certainly VERY much appreciated by us all!)

This Wednesday saw our first bed-changing night. In a 'normal' sized household this might not be massive news, but give duvet covers, fitted sheets and bunk beds to fifty-five 7-13 year-olds and the possibilities for chaos are endless! It is also immediately very clear who has never changed a duvet cover in their lives before! After a quick demonstration at House Meeting (yes, it REALLY is required) and a rather delicious buffet supper the children headed upstairs to change their bedding and get showered and ready for our movie night. The result.... pretty impressive. For a first week it looks like they are a domesticated lot, and for those that did struggle - well they are soon going to get plenty of practice. That is one of the beauties of boarding - they certainly do learn a wealth of life skills that can be exploited at home!

The movie choices this week were 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' and 'The Tourist' and both were very well received. Pleasingly 98% of the House earned their tuck which is happy news for everyone. For those who narrowly missed out, I'm hoping they are working hard to earn those all important pluses for next week.

On Thursday, school was very busy with a drinks reception in the Old Library, however this did not stop Mr Ross and Mr Edwards from running their usual Manhunt activity - popular as ever.

Friday nights this term have so far been the calmest of the week with a great atmosphere in the House. After the acclivities of outside play, swimming or common room on offer the children seemed to be very relaxed in the latter part of the evening. Everyone showered quickly and as a result enjoyed a good amount of free time in the Common Room before bed - either watching TV, challenging Mr Turner or Mr Laurie-Pile to table football competitions or simply chatting with friends. A relaxed family atmosphere is what we are constantly striving to achieve in our Boarding House and as everyone is now getting back into the daily school routine it seems they are becoming more relaxed and therefore this is coming to the fore.

All going well, there should be a new boarder joining the House next week - Miss Bailey is in charge next week before Mr Brice takes over for the 3 weeks before half term. I have thoroughly enjoyed just being able to be 'House Parent' for the past two weeks, without the added pressure of my teaching commitments and even after such a short space of time it is clear that, once again, we have a great bunch of individuals in the House and I am looking forward to watching them grow and merge into a tight-knit community over the coming months.

Wow! It was a long old week but we all made it and hopefully are feeling more confident about the year ahead. A new academic year is daunting for everyone, whether new to the school or not, as there are new routines and subjects to learn and new teachers to meet. At times it can seem that there is a never-ending supply of information to pass across to the children, which is why we try and break it down to give little snippets every night. From fire drill routines, to where to put your dirty socks and what do if you feel ill during the night, to where to line up for supper. All these things will soon become second nature and the children will not remember that they didn't know what to do, but until that point, life is understandably a little confusing! Next week we can start to look at other issues, such as prep and music practice, but making friends and getting used to boarding life is certainly at the top of the agenda first and a look back at the first week has shown that in that respect we have been very successful!

On Monday night we welcomed 48 children and their families into the House and the dorms were flooded with cases, trunks, clothes and teddies. The place was certainly buzzing, and it was clear there was a very positive atmosphere in the air. Imogen was certainly very excited to have all her 'brothers and sisters' back to play with her and give her all the attention that she has certainly missed over the summer!

On Tuesday night Mr Guest and Mrs Davison started the activity program with a choice of swimming or pirates. These two activities were a great way to ensure the children all mixed together and also have some wind-down time after a hectic first day of school.

On Wednesday - even though technically only the 2nd day of the week, everyone was clearly already very tired. The weather has not been great and everyone had been out on the sports fields in rather unpleasant weather so there was no doubt that a movie night was required. 'How to Train your Dragon' and 'Wimbledon' were the movies on offer and tuck was available to all. We also did a spot check of the dorms once everyone was settled on the bean bags and sofas to see how organised they were (we encourage the children to leave their area tidy and their uniform hanging next to their bed each night) and pleasingly 9 out of 10 dorms were perfect - I wonder how long that will last?!

Thursday night saw Mr Edwards and Mr Ross take charge which only meant one thing - MANHUNT. With free rein of the grounds surrounding the House, our new recruits soon got to know why this game is so popular. Mr Ross also opened up the ICT room to enable everyone to get their e-mail accounts working so they have no excuse to send you lovely detailed e-mails about their week!

On Friday Mr Turner embarked on his first boarding duty in his new role as House Tutor with an exciting game of Dodgeball in the Sports Hall and Mr Laurie-Pile opened the swimming pool for diving and water polo. I stayed in the Common Room with those requiring a little bit of down time and we set up a few crafty activities and had a good chat.

Activities were well attended this week and also children were very good at bedtime. Most seem to be asleep as soon as their head hit the pillow as I'm sure their brains were buzzing from all the information they had been told during the day, without the additional complication of the boarding routine.

There were 14 children who remained in school for the weekend and we enjoyed a very relaxed Saturday afternoon. Playing on the Wii, watching the sports training sessions and completing a few crafts - the children enjoyed the slower pace of life.

After supper Mr Brice and Mr Brimacombe took them all to see 'The Rise of Planet of the Apes' at the cinema which was certainly enjoyed by all.

On Sunday, the Barnard family took control of proceedings and the children enjoyed lunch at Zizis before a walk around Virginia Water and the chance to get off-site for a few hours. Sunday night saw the return of most of our weekly boarders with 32 children in the House at bedtime. The Sunday night slot is certainly going to be filled by the X-factor for quite a few weeks I am sure, but it was lovely to see everyone happy to be back in the House and pleased to see their new friends.

Not long now and the House will soon be full of the sound of happy boarders catching up and sharing their stories of the summer. For those familiar with the House, this is how our dormitories will be organised this term:

Girls

Boys

Starseeker - Years 3-5

Kaspar - Year 6

Ingo - Year 7

Coraline - Year 8

Twilight - Year 8

Hoot - Years 3-4

Larklight - Years 5-6

Skellig - Year 7

Freefall - Year 8

Triskellion - Year 8

We also give a warm welcome to the following children who will be joining our community for the first time:

Please remember to name all your belongings before you bring them into the House and include everything that is on the packing list. Bring plenty of posters and photos too to ensure that your dorm looks bright and colourful! We look forward to seeing you all on Monday 5th September at 7pm.