More House School Newsletter / October 2017 edition
A NOTE FROM DIARY DATES OCTOBER 2017 MORE HOUSE THE HEADMASTER SCHOOL Friday 6th October Dear Parents, Sponsored Walk With September closing, this newsletter attempts a round-up of Friday 13th October events taking place in, and out of, school during the first few weeks 4.30pm, Bradbury Heights - VI Form Open evening of the new academic year. Tuesday 17th October This first month has set the tone for the year ahead, with a vibrant School photographs mix of activities affording opportunities for our pupils to develop understanding, skills and confidence across a huge breadth of Thursday 19th October experience. School closes for half term Staff, and then pupils, returned at the beginning of September to Monday 23rd October find significant changes to the site, with a new adventure Half term week playground and landscaping for the juniors, improved facilities for the performing arts, new English classrooms, the new library Monday 30th October and media centre up and running, a new Occupational Therapy School re-opens after half term suite, additional LDC rooms, the photography department relocated, refurbished showers in senior boarding, and a new NOVEMBER 2017 Main Reception area. These were just the major works completed over the summer, with many more minor projects also tackled. Friday 10th November 6.30pm, Bradbury Heights, Certificate Presentation Evening New pupils and new staff have settled in, and the summer’s fantastic public examination results have provided all with Friday 17th November renewed focus on the goals ahead. The Lower Sixth have returned 4.30pm, Bradbury Heights - Year 10 Parents’ Evening from their Bushcraft residential, we hosted and won the National Friday 24th November Dyslexic Football Tournament, our musicians performed in the Sports Hall - Christmas Fayre Frensham Music Marathon at St Mary’s church, Year Thirteen pupils delivered a presentation of their experience of the Wednesday 29th November Design…Engineer…Construct! course to an audience at the 7.30pm Simkins - Hairspray, Senior School Production House of Lords, auditions have been held for the Senior School production of Hairspray being performed later this term, and Thursday 30th November many, many other superb opportunities have been experienced 7.30pm Simkins - Hairspray, Senior School Production by our boys. Friday 1st December I try to communicate a stream of up to date news using my Twitter 7.30pm Simkins - Hairspray, Senior School Production feed, which parents are welcome to follow, and can be found at @HMMHSFrensham. This complements the school’s Twitter account which uses the @MHSFrensham handle. Please do join the feeds.
Please do not forget this Friday’s Whole School Sponsored Walk for Charity. I hope you will support your son in raising as much sponsorship as possible for the pupils of More House to donate to charitable works in the United Kingdom and abroad. Yours sincerely, FROM THE LIBRARIANS Jonathan Hetherington, Headmaster The librarians have requested that we do not accept any more BA (Hons) MSc (Ed) QTS book donations for the library at the moment. Thank you. Dear All,
A very warm welcome to new parents and welcome back to existing parents!
For those who don’t know, the Friends of More House (FOMH) was founded in 2011. It is run by parent volunteers with the purpose of enabling parents to meet one another and to be involved in the school community - raising funds for supplementary items for the school. Over the last 5 years, almost £60,000 has been raised! We sell second-hand uniform (soon to have a brand new shed/shop!), ensure each year has a class rep, (see list on our noticeboard in the bottom car-park and in the new parent handbook), organise annual events (this term it’s the Boys’ Christmas Fair), organise get-togethers & run refreshments at school events. We also maintain and distribute a parental contact list.
Parent Contact List This is a list of boys grouped by year and geographical location, which enables parents to contact each other for playdates and lift-sharing. If you are not yet on the list and would like to join please email [email protected].
Boys’ Christmas Fair – Early Donation Request Please can we ask for your help with the following donations: toys, books, games, DVD’s, bric-a-brac and presents that the boys could buy for parents! Please leave any donations in the school office or contact Simone Haldenby on: 07879 815945.
EasyFundraising Did you know that whenever you buy anything online you could be raising a free donation for the Friends of More House? To get started, all you have to do is go to www.easyfundraising.com, search for Friends of More House, Frensham, sign up for free and start shopping!
Dinner Dance & Book Plates Thanks to your generous donations, the Friends made over £3,500 at our summer dinner- dance and £1,200 on Founders Day on book plates/dedications. Thank you!
Vacancy for a class rep If you are interested in becoming the VI Form class rep, please contact us.
Do let us know if you have any fundraising ideas – and remember, volunteering is a great way to meet other parents and to help raise funds, so please sign-up for the next event – details will be on noticeboards and the “Parents of More House” Facebook page.
With best wishes The Friends of More House Co-Chairs, Simone Haldenby & Jennifer Dinkeldein [email protected] [email protected] MHS JAZZ BAND AWARD
The Music Department are delighted that the Jazz Band have been awarded a commission from the Farnham Festival, generously sponsored by Jane Krish. The Farnham Festival committee were greatly impressed by MHS Jazz Band’s set at the festival last March, and decided to employ the talents of William Goodchild to write a suite of four pieces, aptly named More Four. William composes and produces music for film, television and concert performance and has scored over seventy films for the major broadcasters including the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, PBS, National Geographic International, Discovery International and Animal Planet. Recent commissions have included four award-winning productions: Jago - a Life Underwater (Underdog Films), Africa's Giant Killers (BBC Natural World), Wild Russia (6-part series for National Geographic International), and Lobo - the Wolf that Changed America (BBC Natural World). The Jazz Band will start rehearsing More Four as soon as possible to ensure it is up to scratch for its world premiere at the Farnham Festival on 22nd March 2018. GAMEGAME OVEROVER Portsmouth’s only video gaming cafe!
Year 10 boarders recently visited ‘Game Over’ - a gaming cafe filled with all sorts of retro consoles and games. Whilst some of the boys looked a little bemused at these ancient consoles (the NES especially!) they all soon settled into the action and shortly the only sounds to be heard were from rapid clicking of buttons and final frustration when the inevitable ‘Game Over’ message appeared on screen!
SAFE AT SCHOOL WELCOME! PSHEE and Well-Being remains a focus for both staff and students at MHS. In our teaching, we adopt a ‘whole We very much welcome new members of staff to the MHS school’ approach, and lessons are taught across all year community! groups at the same time, by the student's own tutor. Topics are tailored to particular year groups and aim to Mrs Alyson Canton Literacy Tutor address many of the challenges faced by students concerning their own personal and social development. Mr Michael Farrant Teacher of Science The first of the three PSHEE sessions this term is on Mr Rory Flynn Housemaster Monday 2nd October, the information for which is Miss Catherine Graham Speech & Language Therapist included in a recent Parentmail. Mr Adrian Harmer Teacher of Science If you have any questions regarding the PSHEE syllabus, please do not hesitate to contact Hannah Stiff via the Miss Hayley Jones Receptionist school office. & Administration Assistant
Ms Teresa Medlicott Lay Chaplain
Miss Egypt Payne Speech & Language Therapist
Mrs Susie Pickett Teacher of Science & Mathematics
Mrs Nicola Pountney Teacher of Junior Years
Mr Nick Renton Teacher of English
Miss Erin Robinson Teacher of History
Miss Ysella Tremayne Occupational Therapist
Mrs Emma Windle Receptionist
Mr Joe Wright Teacher of RE A visit to the Mrs Tracy Wright Teacher of English House of Lords for VI Form Students PARENT CAREER PRESENTATIONS WE WOULD LIKE TO INVOLVE YOU... With more choices, opportunities, and movement in careers, at MHS we are keen to build bridges between the world of work and our pupils’ current lives.
As parents, you represent a diverse range of professions and we would very much like to invite you to share your expertise through a series of inspiring short talks to boys in years 9-13. The sessions will take place between 08.45-09.15 and last about 15 minutes, including a chance for questions. Ideally, talks would focus on the route taken from school to reach a current career position, an overview of day to day responsibilities and skills needed for that role.
We are looking forward to welcoming Mrs Courtenay, an author and editor of children's books, on Tuesday 10th October; and Mrs Newnes- Smith, the CEO of a Charity, on Tuesday 31st October.
If you would like to contribute to our series of talks or to discuss this further, please contact our Careers Adviser, Marjorie Withers, [email protected]. We look forward to developing an exciting and inspiring programme for our senior students. Thank you. CUDDINGTON MANOR The wind is moaning softly through the leafless trees, the light is fading fast and there is a smell of decay lingering in the mist. There, rising out of the gloom, is the flicker of candlelight glowing amber through the old mullioned windows of Cuddington Manor. A shadow passes, but no one can be seen. Who or what could it be? A new welcome from the main school reception For boys starting in Year 7, this term is their first experience of being taught drama in the Simkins Centre. We have constructed a set based SPORTING FIXTURES around a scheme of work that has the MHS has had a good start to their competitive sports fixtures this boys explore an old Manor House. As they Term. arrive for their first lesson the stage curtains are closed. Behind, the (artificial) candles and fire are lit, suitably atmospheric music U11 played Frensham, and won 6-4 - MOM Rhys Potter is played, the house lights are turned off and slowly the drapes are drawn back to reveal a rather creepy setting - eliciting cries of U14 played Ditcham Park and won 5-2 - MOM - Joe Hemming ‘epic’, or even more heartening ‘oh sick’!! U15 played St Edmunds and won 4-3 - MOM Alex Lee and We hope this inspires and excites the boys, giving them the desire George White to take part in many of our future productions… Congratulations to all the squads! WORLD CHALLENGE 2017 We were a little nervous as we assembled one Sunday at the end of June. What did the four and a bit weeks ahead hold in store? How would we cope without our families? How would our families cope without us? Were we up to the challenge? And that was just the teachers!
After a long journey, via Abu Dhabi, we arrived in Dar Es Salaam to be greeted by a wall of heat and the ‘organised chaos’ that seems to be standard in every sub Saharan African airport. The boys coped admirably with the challenge of negotiating our way to our accommodation and with finding somewhere for us to eat that evening. The whole point of a World Challenge expedition is that the boys are the ones who do the planning. From the first day it was down to them to organise transport, accommodation and meals – while paying careful attention to the budget. They rose to this challenge magnificently!
As with any trip, there were highs and lows, both literal and metaphorical! Getting to the summit of Kilimanjaro is a high in both senses of the word, but notable highlights include seeing a pride of lions (about 20 of them) immediately after they had brought down a buffalo, snorkelling in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean and breathing pure, clean mountain air.
As a teacher at MHS, I was delighted to see how much the boys developed over the time away. The boys we brought back have tried foods they were convinced that they could not eat and would not like, have worked together as a team supporting each other when times were tough and celebrating when things were going well. Each one of them pushed themselves beyond their comfort zones on several occasions. We have all come back with stories and photos to share with our families and friend, memories that will stay with us forever.
Every boy who took part should be proud of what they achieved. Thank you to the parents who supported them with their fundraising both individually and through events such as the Burns’ Night Suppers and Quiz Night.
Victoria Knight (World Challenge Team) INSTRUMENTAL EXAM SUCCESS
Name Instrument Grade Resulted Awarded
Harry Sutherland Saxophone 2 PASS
Thomas Philipson Clarinet 2 PASS
Ned Forster Drums 7 DISTINCTION
Theo Power Drums 4 MERIT
Oliver Hudson Drums 2 MERIT
Finlay Rankin Drums 2 MERIT
Harry Fuller Drums 5 MERIT
Bertie Wellesley Drums 2 PASS
Alexander Brundett Drums 2 DISTINCTION
Theo Power Drums 4 MERIT
Oliver White Guitar 2 PASS
Angus Lcey Guitar 7 DISTINCTION
Harry Fuller Bass Guitar 5 DISTINCTION
Monty Whishaw Guitar 2 MERIT
Lucas Walford Bass Guitar 2 MERIT
Matthew Bond Trumpet 4 PASS
Andrew Booth Trumpet 4 PASS
Callan Dilworth Tuba 2 DISTINCTION
George King Trombone 1 PASS
Angus Kirkpatrick Baritone 2 MERIT
Angus Mellstrom Trumpet 5 MERIT
Gregory Chapman Piano 1 DISTINCTION
Gregory Chapman Flute 5 PASS
Stephen Johnson Piano 3 PASS
Alex Heron Flute 4 PASS
Lewis Kirby Piano 3 DISTINCTION
Stephen Johnson Piano 1 DISTINCTION
Gary Li Piano 4 MERIT GCSEThere is much to celebrate this year for students and staff alike, following the2017 excellent Year 11 and VI Form public exam results in August. Through determination to overcome barriers of specific learning and language difficulties, many MHS pupils have achieved what they may never have thought possible.
In their GCSE and Level 1/2 BTEC courses, Year 11 students achieved:
G 73% A*-C equivalent passes - bettering the reported national average of 66%.
G 99% were awarded passes overall and 54% of pupils secured at least five GCSE and equivalent at grade C or higher, including GCSE English and GCSE Mathematics.
G 39% of certificates were at grade B equivalent or higher.
G 17% of GCE grades were A*/A grades or for BTEC Distinction* and Distinction.
And for VI form students who studied GCE A-Level or BTEC Level 3 qualifications:
G 97% of A Level and equivalent BTEC certificates were passes - with 74% of grades at C or above.
G 37% of certificates awarded at A*/A and Distinction or Distinction* grades.
G 100% pass rate for A-Level equivalent BTEC courses, and this year’s 85% BTEC grades awarded at Merit or higher, equivalent to an A Level C grade or higher.
G 100% of MHS pupils taking the Extended Project Qualification achieved a B grade or higher
These are remarkable achievements reflecting the tenacity of our students and the incredible commitment and expertise of our teachers and wider staff. Congratulations! DYSLEXIC FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT 2017
For the sixteenth time, MHS hosted the Dyslexic Soccer Tournament and entered 2 teams. We were joined by Fairley House (London) and Shapwick (Wiltshire) on a lovely sunny day.
Many parents came to watch the boys and girls take part and were thrilled as MHS played Shapwick in the Final. The game was very tight, finishing 0-0, so extra time was needed. As penalties approached, a free kick was awarded on the edge of the box - Josh Whitehouse lifted the ball over the wall into the roof of the net! With just 30 seconds remaining, Shapwick tried valiantly but ran out of time and MHS were crowned champions once again.
Special mentions must go to: Kai Hodges who won the Golden Gloves award for his fantastic efforts between the sticks; Alex Franks for scoring an impressive number of goals throughout the tournament and Jude Cash for a strong performance in defence closing down the player on the ball every time they came near.
Well done to all the boys.
Mike Williams, Head of PE NEW O.T ROOMS We do not know who are more excited, the Occupational Therapists or the boys, to use the new Occupational Therapy rooms. Two large and airy classrooms have been converted into a sensory integration room and a large therapy space. The addition of suspension equipment, a climbing wall and other invaluable therapy resources will enable the boys to access a wider variety of sensori-motor activities. The old Occupational Therapy room has been converted into four smaller therapy rooms for Speech and Language Therapy, Literacy and LDC Support to provide much needed space.
MORE HOUSE SCHOOL PRESENTS
THE BROADWAY MUSICAL
Book by Lyrics by Mark O’Donnell Music by Scott Whittman Thomas Meehan Marc Shaiman Marc Shaiman Welcome to the 60s… Tracy, a biggirl with bighair and a big heart, is on a mission to follow her dreams as she sets out to dance her way onto national TV. She soon becomes a local star, using her new-found fame to fight for equality, bagging local heartthrob Link along the way…May the best girl win! Wednesday 29th November / Thursday 30th November / Friday 1st December MHS Simkins Centre7.30pm Maximum Hold Spray TICKETS AVAILABLE SOON! This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI Europe - www.mtishows.co.uk Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed byJOHN WATERS
More House School, Frensham, Farnham, Surrey GU10 3AP 01252 792303 [email protected] www.morehouseschool.co.uk