22nd September 2023
Following last week's assembly, in which I introduced the school's values of Courage, Creativity, Respect and Resilience, all of which are underpinned by Kindness, this week we focused on Courage.
Tuesday was Youth Mental Health Awareness Day, and this year's theme was 'Be Brave', which tied in perfectly with that first value. I spoke about bravery taking many different forms and the fact that it sometimes takes real bravery to admit that we are struggling with something, and in particular our mental health. Mrs Newman mentioned the new 'Buddy Bench' which last year's Year 6 parents kindly donated to the school. The children have been encouraged to use the bench if they feel lonely or wish someone to involve them, and other children have been asked to look out for them which is a super initiative.
I would like to congratulate everyone who represented Rupert House at the cross-county at Grey’s Court last Saturday – what a fantastic start to the cross-country season! Also, well done to the Rupert House Riding Team on their performance at the NSEA showjumping competition in Gloucestershire on Saturday. All the teams were placed, with one also winning the 60cm class which is an incredible achievement. Well done to everyone for their super efforts over the weekend, which you can read more about below.
Current & New Parent Drinks
Thank you to all the parents and staff who attended the welcome drinks last night. The event was well-attended and it was lovely to welcome a number of new parents and staff to the school and introduce them to current members of the Rupert House community.
Meet Mrs Light - Wednesday 4th October
Mrs Light, our new Head of Music and Performing Arts, is already hugely popular with the children with them loving her fun and engaging lessons. She is keen to meet the parents and so we have organised a Coffee Morning on Wednesday 4th October at 8.30am after drop-off in The Studio in order for her to do just that. Please fill in this form to confirm your attendance: https://forms.office.com/e/vRqKsU2L7j
Open Morning
Today’s Open Morning was a great success, with 11 families attending. The Year 6 children did a super job of showing them around the school and all the parents commented on how confident and articulate they were and what a very special place Rupert House is.
Meet the Head coffee morning
Thank you to everyone who came along to the coffee morning with Danuta Staunton, Head of St Mary’s Ascot, on Thursday. Our next coffee morning will be on 12th October at 8.30am with the new Head (as of this term) of The Oratory School, Julian Murphy. For logistical purposes, please can you fill in this form if you would like to attend: https://forms.office.com/e/H47MZc3jYb
Youth Mental Health Awareness Day
All the children talked about bravery on Tuesday for Youth Mental Health Awareness Day. Within their form groups, they discussed what it means to ‘be brave’ and together they produced some creative ideas, illustrated with drawings, photographs and written passages. You can see their work here.
Centenary
Our preparations continue for the Rupert House Centenary which we will celebrate throughout 2024. A number of parents kindly responded to our request for volunteers to help with the various events back in the Summer Term, but a few people have mentioned to me recently that they would also like to be involved. If you haven’t already, please can you fill in this short form to help us with the next stage of planning: https://forms.office.com/e/f9RwY3sSzQ
Harvest
With just 3 weeks until our annual Harvest Festival at St Mary’s Church, we have started to talk to the children about collecting donations for NOMAD, the local foodbank. From 2nd October, please drop any donations in the front hallway. The children are welcome to decorate boxes as the Friends of Rupert House will take a number of them to decorate the church ahead of the service. Last year we donated over 100 bags and boxes which was incredible! Suggestions of suitable donations can be found here.
School Council
The new School Council and Food council members - voted in by their classmates - are:
School Council: Year 2, Oscar and Rosie, Year 3 Daphne and Isabella M-J, Year 4 Edith and Thomas, Year 5 Alise and Georgiabelle, Year 6 Jessica and Isaac
Food Council: Year 1 Amelie and Frankie, Year 2 Felix and Posy, Year 3 Lily and Oliver, Year 4 Josie and Charlotte V, Year 5 Kam and Eloise, Year 6 Emilia and Clarissa
I look forward to hearing their thoughts and suggestions over the coming weeks.
Clubs
Mrs Halfhead sends the clubs grid to all parents at the start of every term and it is also easily accessible on the parent portal. Within this document are the collection times and locations of each club. Please can you make sure you refer to it if you are unsure of the details of your child's clubs.
Finally, thank you to you all for being considerate to our neighbours at drop-off and pick-up times. Please can I ask that you continue to park safely and legally and that you do not block access for any of the local residents.
I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.
Best wishes,
Nick Armitage