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Boarding House Blog |
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Summer Term 2010 End of Term Fun Pamper Time!
Boarders' Camp Out! First we worked together to set up our outside dorms for the night!
After Kirsty's tasty BBQ we had a few games of 'Hostage' in the woods...
Then it was campfire time with our resident 'band', hot chocolate cooked on the fire and marshmallows.
Leavers' Evening Speeches from the House Prefects for Mrs Stevens
Awards for each of our boarding leavers
Leavers' Challenge!
Good Luck Guys!
Week 9 This week all the boarders are away on their Golden Eagle trips. Read their blogs to find out what we've all been up to: Week 8 This week has been the Children's Literature Festival and so every evening the boarders have been attending talks from their favourite authors. Read the festival blog to find out more: Children's Literature Festival Blogs
Week 7 Matron's Boarder of the Week: House Parents' Star of the Week: Charlie N With the majority of the House returning after half term having completed all their assessments, and the Year 8s yet to start theirs, it was always going to be rather a tricky week to manage the expectation of all. It was to the credit of our wonderful boarders that the past week has run so smoothly. From the outset the Year 8s were calm and organised for their week of CE exams. The hard work of the previous month stood them in good stead, so all that was needed was a quick chat about getting to bed on time and eating a healthy and full breakfast in the morning. We also discussed the importance of joining in with the boarding activities in the evenings - a good dose of fresh air to help the brain cells refresh! The younger boarders were also fantastic in supporting their senior housemates. Bedtimes were strictly adheared to and no one made a fuss or tried to keep others awake. Finally Thursday arrived and everyone could heave a huge sigh of relief! Exams over - for EVERYONE! With the Year 8s having just returned from paintballing and the weather taking an almighty turn for the worse - a film night was the order of the day. Harry Potter or Terminator - two cracking movies, so no arguments there! Add to that tuck for all for being so good this week and the House soon settled down for a chilled out evening. On Friday, once the cricketers had returned, we jumped into 4 minibuses (gosh the House has grown even in a year) and headed down the M3 for a night of flumes and rapids at the aquadrome. It is great to have these trips out as a whole House, staff included and really relax and have fun together. The evening ended with many people trying to dunk Mr Brice, and in the end I think they managed it! I like the excuse of 'contact lenses' and 'needing to drive home' to keep my head above the water line! With Thorpe Park on the agenda, I always knew it was going to be a busy weekend, so I was not surprised that 20 boarders were in school. Miss Bailey and Mr Guest were on duty and there was not much difficulty in deciding what to do on Saturday night. Several wanted to watch England play the USA and the remainder were happier with 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' on DVD in the Common Room. I'll let you decide who watched what! Seeing as though we were watching the match in our flat in HD, we were very glad to hear the cheers from downstairs as the first goal was scored as otherwise we wouldn't have known it had happened! On Sunday the troop headed to Thorpe Park with Miss Palmer. Due to the popularity of the trip, Mr Barron agreed to take a second bus, so a huge thank you must also go to him for giving up his free time. Needless to say, everyone had a wonderful time and I know there are some photos to add to this page very soon. Once again a huge thank you to all the staff who worked so hard this week and over the weekend - 4 weeks to go! Week 6 Matron's Boarder of the Week: Callum Week 5 House Parents' Star of the Week: Cameron House Meeting and bedtimes will be earlier from Monday - Wednesday this week to ensure the children are well prepared for their exams. On Monday night, 7 children headed to the Food Tech room with Mrs Guest to make some delicious cheese straws for our evening M&B. This new activity is proving to be very popular by both the children making the food as well as the rest of us who get to eat it! Fortunately the sun was still shining after supper so everyone else was able to get outside after supper for a game of tennis or something else energetic. House Meeting was a little earlier tonight and as a result, the whole House were soon settled down to some study. It was clear that everyone had learned from last week and it was wonderful to see all the middle and senior boarders using their time so constructively. As a result the House was very calm at bedtime so it was lovely to be able to pop in and out of the dorms to have decent chats with the children. And best of all... by 9.30pm silence reigned! The year 6s and 7s revise in the dining hall whilst the Year 8s make the most of their study dorms.
Week 4 Matron's Boarder of the Week: Jose-Luis House Parents' Star of the Week: Sarah With exams looming it was time to get organised this week! From Monday night bedtimes were strictly adhered to and extra revision sessions set up for Years 6-8 to ensure everyone was getting the necessary prep and sleep to perform at their very best next week. Each night after House meeting, the Year 6s and 7s studied in the dining room, supervised by a senior member of staff. As the week progressed the children really came to make the most of this study time, with some even asking to stay a little longer as they were on a roll! With the focus shifting to supporting the younger years prepare for their exams, the Year 8s were given the responsibility to ensure they completed all their 3rd prep independently in their dorms. Again, as the week progressed they showed huge improvement in their ability to motivate themselves to make the most of this time and by the end of the week you could have heard a pin drop in the senior corridor as they were all completing their Maths prep very studiously indeed. Study is important in the lead up to exams, however the Boarders have a very long day at school and therefore every evening must also include an opportunity to relax and unwind. Activity sessions therefore have taken place as normal this week and seem to have been enjoyed by all. On Monday night we welcomed Mrs Guest onto the staff team. Each Monday this term she will be taking a small group into the Food Tech room to produce some culinary master pieces for us all to enjoy during M&B later in the eveing. This week the junior girls make some wonderful Fudge (Chocolate and Vanilla). The boarders all enjoyed it for M&B on Tuesday night. Laden with sugar and butter I think I could feel my teeth rotting whilst eating it, it was so wonderfully delicious. Needless to say, they were all instructed to brush their teeth twice that night! Other activities this week included Capture the Flag, tennis, cricket nets, rounders, swimming, card making, sewing and the obligatory MAN HUNT! As always, something for everyone and as always the staff always want the boarders suggestions and the drop box slips are always present in the corridor for any great ideas. After quite a crowd last weekend, Mr Barron and Miss Ferguson had the company of 6 children this weekend: Isabelle, Jenny, Sasha, Yana, Hinako and Hamid. On Saturday afternoon, Mrs Phillips took those not involved in section tennis to the DVD store to rent a film for the evening. They also had a quick dip in the pool and clearly enjoyed pushing Imogen around the water in her rubber ring! Saturday was a very relaxed affair with a DVD and Britain's Got Talent on the TV to keep them all entertained. On Sunday, Mrs Norvill was back with one of her fabulous weekend expeditions! As always, a great day was organised for the children and they thoroughly enjoyed their time off site. Please visit this page later in the week for deatils of their trip to Oxford and hopefully some photos too! Week 3 Matron's Boarder of the Week: Charlie House Parents' Star of the Week: Oscar Everyone (staff and pupils) seemed to have enjoyed the extra long weekend and we had a fairly quiet House on Monday night. Nevertheless we werepleased to finally welcome Hinako into the House who had been stuck in Japan due to the Volcanic situation last month. We eagerly await the arrival of Soichiro next Monday and then our House is complete at last! We had a rather full House this weekend compared to usual and for the first time EVER it was the girls who 'ruled the roost'! We had 8 girls in for the weekend and 6 boys so there were a lot of discussions on Thursday night as to what film we should see at the cinema. The main choices were 'The Last Song' or 'Iron Man 2' and with Mr Brice very worried that he was going to have to sit through yet another girlie film (remember the girls outnumbered the boys this weekend) he quickly decided that we could go and see both! So on Saturday night, Mr Brice, Mr Udy and the boys saw Iron Man 2 and Mrs Brice and Miss Fergusson sat and cried with all the girls whilst watching the 'Last Song'! Incredibly sad but a great film nonetheless!
We all had a great evening and it was a nice change that everyone got to see the film of their choice - not to mention a very relieved Mr Brice! On Sunday, Mrs Berryman came into school to look after the children for the morning. Some chose to use the time for revision and prep and others relaxed in the Old Library watching TV. They also had access to the IT room to contact friends and family, or in Yana's case to sing along to music very loudly! After lunch Mr and Mrs Brice, Imogen, Mr Udy and the Boarders headed to the Aquadrome on Basingstoke for some fun in the water.
The children certainly got a massive workout running up all those stairs to go down the flumes so many times. Imogen thoroughly enjoyed herself too, going around the rapids and it was lovely to see her still recognise the Boarders amongst the sea of strange faces in the pool! We had a lovely weekend with the 14 children in school - you really are a pleasure to spend time with, thank you! Week 2 Matron's Boarder of the Week: House Parents' Star of the Week: Nat It is only week 2 and these photos taken on Tuesday evening clearly show how well the whole House mix during the evenings. Cricket fever has certainly set in, but whatever the activity of choice, when you look around the field there are boys, girls, seniors, juniors all playing together and getting along as a family. Girls and boys battle it out in the cricket nets...
On the field, our oldest and youngest boarders enjoy a game of football!
And for those not feeling sporty, its still great to hang out with friends or simply catch up with some study...
Swimming was available on Monday evening and with the weather a little chilly on Wednesday there were 2 films available for those who preferred to stay inside for a more cosy and relaxing evening. Week 1 Matron's Boarder of the Week: Maria House Parents' Star of the Week: Callum With a volcano erupting in Iceland it was always going to be a slightly disruptive start to the term. Huge apologies for not being there to welcome you all into the House on the Sunday night, but as the week progressed more people returned from various corners of the globe and life got back to normal. This term we welcome Max, Soichiro, Jose-Luis, George, Will, Ellie, Cressida, Yana and Hinako into the House. The summer term is a great time to start boarding as you are always surrounded by so many experts! All our new boarders have settled in so quickly that I cannot believe that they have not been in the House all year. It is both a credit to them and also all our seasoned boarders that the transition has been so smooth for everyone. During the summer term most evenings are spent enjoying the grounds. Games of rounders, tennis, football, cricket as well as swimming sessions and bike rides keep the children busy. Every Wednesday this term we hope to have a BBQ for privilege night (weather permitting).
Octavia tucking into Wednesday's BBQ Cream Egg or Burger? Balanced diet Richard?
Miss Ferguson leads the boarders astray... Let's hope Mr Stygall isn't reading this... Ollie demonstrates playing football whilst keeping his hands in his pockets...
Padding up...
Study time! Imogen helps the Year 8s with their maths....
At the weekend, Miss Bailey and Mr Guest were in charge of the 7 children who remained in school. On Saturday night they all headed to Winnersh cinema to see 'The Blind Side' which was excellent. The following day, Mr Skepper took the boarders to Horseshoe lake for fun on the water. They obviously had a great time and the photos tell it all!
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