THURSDAY 11TH JUNE 2020 DEAR PARENTS 'CANTILENA' BY F. POULENC

I hope you are all keeping well. We are looking forward Please click HERE to listen to Isaac Brett’s to welcoming some Year 10 and Year 12 boys back to recording of 'Cantilena' by F. Poulenc. school next Monday. The situation is still not entirely clear for other year groups although the announcement made by the Secretary of State on Monday hinted that On the subject of racial justice, the catechism is no less more flexibility would be allowed in future. Whatever clear: Every form of social or cultural discrimination in may happen over the remaining weeks of this term, we fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, are becoming increasingly hopeful that we will be back to colour, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed normal in September. Let’s hope so! and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.

“Like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, another danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of tumultuous year. So was Martin Luther King whose any time in the history of mankind.” Those words of Robert words from 1963 resonate with particular force today: I F Kennedy are at least as true now as they were in 1966 have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a when they formed part of his ‘ripple of hope’ speech. I nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin have always believed strongly that teachers should not but by the content of their character. share their political opinions with their pupils and I still hold to that. In these ‘interesting’ times, however, it is This Sunday, the Church celebrates the feast of Corpus impossible to ignore that divisions in society are becoming Christi in which we celebrate God’s gift of the Eucharist. sharper than they have been in most of our lifetimes. At In the words of Pope Francis, this feast “evokes a message such a time, it is more important than ever to draw of solidarity and urges us to welcome the intimate invitation to inspiration from our Catholic ethos and, we hope, to conversion and to service, love and forgiveness…May the make some small contribution to promoting healing and Feast of Corpus Christi increasingly inspire and nurture in each harmony. We read in the Catechism of the Catholic one of us the desire and commitment for a welcoming and Church that: supportive society. I’ll leave the last word to St Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa): If we have no peace, it is Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. the principle that "everyone should look upon their neighbour (without any exception) as 'another self,' above all bearing in mind their life and the means necessary for living it with dignity. No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes of pride and selfishness which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behaviour will cease only through the charity that finds in every Robert Teague, man and woman a "neighbour," a brother or sister. Headmaster

CALLING ANY ASPIRING PHILOSOPHERS, THEOLOGIANS OR ANYONE WHO LOVES A GOOD DEBATE.

The Newman University’s Theology and Philosophy department are excited to introduce a free series of webinars for those interested in what the university experience is like. Held across 4 weeks in June/July. Just click the link below. https://drive.google.com/file/ d/1WA5hML3e7VppqPRZtu4Pm7O1txbRuu7I/view I am currently reading...

Robespierre: A Revolutionary Life, by Peter McPhee

Historians can often be influenced by the reputation of a person when conducting their work and their subsequent work is only useful to strengthen the stereotype. Maximilien Robespierre is a man who is synonymous with the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. He is often seen as the perpetrator of thousands of deaths that occurred in France between 1793 and 1794. By deliberately putting aside all preconceived notions about Robespierre, Peter McPhee explores the life of this infamous revolutionary from birth to death and comes to some surprising conclusions. Using a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, ‘Robespierre: A Revolutionary Life’ is an informative chronological account of Robespierre’s life and raises questions about the motivations of many of France’s famous revolutionaries. Mr Potter

Young Stalin, by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Stalin is one of the most infamous historical characters of the 20th century. He was a titan of communism, the creator of the Soviet Union and conqueror of Hitler and Nazi Germany. This man, whose large legacy and shadow is still felt today, must have come from somewhere. Simon Sebag Montefiore, one of the West’s most prominent voices on Stalin explores the years of Stalin’s life before he became the supreme leader of the Soviet Union. Following him from a young, poor Georgian boy who nearly died many times in his youth, through his years in seminary school, gang warfare, bank robberies, poetry, travels across Europe, exiles and a revolutionary zeal that captivated all those around him. ‘Young Stalin’ is a fascinating book on one of history's most well known men. Mr Potter

Penguins stopped play by Harry Thompson

I was given this book by a former colleague and it is one of the funniest reads I have ever encountered. We are so acutely aware that 'Coronavirus has stopped play' but this book actually starts with what the title says. As an enthusiastic cricketer, I share much with the author, having captained a village cricket side for the best part of two decades, and knowing how maddening it can be just to get 11 men on a field all at the same time, sometimes travelling up to 40 miles to do so on a Sunday afternoon.

Harry Thompson however takes this not one step further but many thousands of steps further in taking his village side 'The Captain Scott's XI' to play on each of the seven continents on the globe. A simple enough idea? Hardly! When you throw in incompetent airline officials, amorous Argentine colonel's wives, sly Barbadian drug dealers, odd Australian waiters, overzealous American anti-terrorist police, idiotic Welshmen dressed as Santa Claus, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a whole army of pitch invading Antarctic penguins, you quickly arrive at a lot more than you bargained for. It is crammed with sharp observations, comic characterisation and packed with humour. Harry Thompson may have taken the art of losing on the field to a new level but his book is a winner. Its an appealing tale of classic British humour, self- depreciation, great courage and one of the best accounts of the obsessive appeal of our great game to those, like me, whose summers revolve around it. Mr Ash

Quiz

Answers from the previous bulletin!

RUGBY

1. Five: Penalty Try - 7 points, Try - 5 points, Conversion - 2 points, Penalty - 3 points, Drop Goal - 3 points 2. Richard Cockerill and David Campese 3. Named after Adrian Stoop - an and Quins player. The name Harlequins came after the team moved from Hampstead Heath RFC and decided to keep “H” as the name of the club. Apparently the first name with a “H” suitable in the Dictionary was Harlequins! 4. Scotland v England in the Nations tournament. Called so after first took place in India and the cup is made from melted Indian silver rupees. 5. Lol (nickname of ) 6. Eddie Jones (England rugby coach who played hooker and made 3 appearances for ) 7. Sadly none! 8. Kingsholm – Gloucester 9. The Samoan Rugby Team's War Dance – their version of a Haka 10. Watson (Anthony won a Grand Slam with England and his brother Marcus won an Olympic silver medal in the Rugby Sevens)

CRICKET FOOTBALL

1. Sir Donald Bradman with 99.94 1. The Netherlands 2. Jofra Archer 2. 13 3. Sir Garfield Sobers 3. Peter Shilton 4. Australia 4. Lionel Messi 5. Lord’s 5. Video Assistant Referee 6. Australia – again! 6. West Ham United 7. Brian Lara (v England in 2004) off 582 balls 7. Real Madrid (13) 8. Joel Garner 8. Cristiano Ronaldo 9. India 9. Gareth Barry (632) 10. Muttiah Muralitharan - Sri Lanka. He took 800 wickets in a 10. Alan Shearer test career spanning from 1992 – 2010

MR RIX’S Biology Challenge

Identify the shiny and iridescent insect in the picture. There is a clue in the picture. Give its binomial name. Why do scientists give binomial scientific names in Latin to species? Can you find the whole of the taxonomic names for it? It was introduced to the UK from where and when? What culinary plants is it a pest to? Answers next week! 360 Virtual Tour of the Vatican

Just click this link below to start: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/cappella-sistina/tour-virtuale.html Then go into the places mentioned in red to answer the quiz questions. Enjoy!

Locate and Answer 11. What does this symbolise? Go into The Sistine Chapel. Then click 12 Locate the image in this room with two men forward to the altar. walking side by side with one in red and one in blue. What are these men carrying? 1. What object is on the altar shelf? 13. Who are these famous men? 2. What is the picture behind the crucifix depicting? 14. Why is one pointing up and the other down? 3. Go to the middle of the chapel and look directly up. What is the famous central painting of? Go to the Hall of the Papiri or click below. 4. In this priceless painting of these two Persons http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/ there is much symbolism. Can you give me one collezioni/musei/museo-cristiano/sala-dei-papiri/tour- symbolic idea depicted in this image. virtuale.html

Locate 15. Look immediately up at the ceiling. What image is 5. Locate the unusual man holding/ carrying his skin. being depicted? What painting is he part of? 16. What two important events happened in this 6. Locate the Evil Oarsman. What is he doing? picture? 7. Who is at the centre of this picture and why? 17. What is the almost naked man holding? Why is he 8. What is this dramatic scene depicting? holding this object? 18. On the floor there are 4 golden objects, what are Click below or, go into the Raphael’s rooms. they? http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/ 19. How many points do the stars have? collezioni/musei/stanze-di-raffaello/tour-virtuale.html

7. Zoom in. What is the symbol at the very centre of LOUVRE the ceiling held in place by angels? 8. Zoom out a little. There are 4 women depicted https://petitegalerie.louvre.fr/visite-virtuelle/saison5/ who are they? https://petitegalerie.louvre.fr/visite-virtuelle/saison2/ 9. These women have many famous titles. Can you https://petitegalerie.louvre.fr/visite-virtuelle/saison3/ name one title for one of these women depicted? https://petitegalerie.louvre.fr/visite-virtuelle/saison1/#/ 10 What symbol is at the centre of the floor? petite_galerie_2/ “THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR” FOR FREE AT THE GLOBE

Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor” has always been dismissed as a light and rather foolish comedy that he wrote at speed to flatter Queen Elizabeth I who had expressed a particular fondness for Sir John Falstaff, the rotund braggart of Henry IV parts I and II.

Its critics have a point: it’s neither profound nor challenging. All the same, it is very entertaining, and remarkably reminiscent of old Ealing comedies, the ‘Carry On’ films, and, oddly, right at the end, British folk horror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBlQ3z3GRjs

Falstaff is grotesque and lovable, the wives are smart and in control and the good people of Windsor teem with life. I loved it at The Globe, and I am enjoying it again from my lockdown sofa. My sister-in-law plays Mistress Page, and a fine job she does too, but even she cannot eclipse the cheek and charm of Pearce Quigley as Falstaff.

The Globe production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is freely available until Sunday 14 June 2020.

SPACE...THE FINAL FRONTIER

Humans are fascinated by space and NASA is at the forefront of our endeavour to explore the great beyond. But did you know that NASA and the missions they conduct result in technological advances that you use every single day. From computer chips to biro pens then are thousands of things invented specifically to help with our journey into outer space. Follow the link below to find out more from the NASA website: https://homeandcity.nasa.gov/

We hope you can join us for our first e-Open Day to learn more about life at The Laurels. During the event there will be opportunities to ask questions and meet staff and students. We will contact you after the live event to follow up on questions we cannot cover during the Open Day. Please click here to register https://thelaurelsschool.onlineopendays.com/ Physical Activity at Home

Well done to everyone who put their running shoes on last week when the weather took a turn for the worst. Despite this we saw some very strong runs. As we say at The Cedars; ‘There is no such thing as bad weather, just incorrect clothing’ therefore it was great to see people getting out in the rain, which I might add is the best way to regulate body temperature in warm conditions.

Well done to Henry Reed (brother of Year 9 pupil, Ed) and Louis Harrison Rix for getting into the top 10 and showing the parents and the staff that the pupils are still running strong. The stand out performances from the pupils came from Ed Reed on his lightning 4k with an average pace of well under 4min/km! Also, well done to both Juan de Alzaga and Peter Millington who both ran at an impressive pace for some longer runs. All three runs taking place on Tooting Bec Common – which appears to be the land of fast running.

Unfortunately, due to the weather pictures were very limited this week… Other Sporting Ventures

It was great to see Jack and Gary Allen utilising the reopening of Golf Courses across England with a round at their Local Golf Course. While in the Sanderson household, Thomas got stuck into a ‘Battle of The Gardens’ match of badminton against his neighbour – the garden fence replacing the net.

If your son is up to any different types of sporting ventures, please send them through to me as it is great to see the different activities everyone is up to.

FRIDAY FITNESS CHALLENGE:

Last week’s Friday Fitness Challenge saw the Plank Challenge thrown into the mix. Very simple – how long can you hold a plank for with good technique. This is one of the best measures of Core Strength and Endurance. A battle against yourself! See what your score is today or in the next week, then include abdominal and core exercises/workouts into your weekly/daily routine, then repeat the test in 4-6 weeks’ time and see your progress!

Core strength is essential to athletic success! For the majority of movements within sport, the power is initiated from our core muscles. It is equally as important to stability and balance.

See this video guide for how to plan your own core/abdominal workouts with a wide range of abdominal exercises. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnrfk3PDdAg

SPORTS READ OF THE WEEK

Jonny Wilkinson's career has crossed three decades and four World Cups. He has accumulated phenomenal achievements, world points records, an impressive list of broken body parts, and a drop goal that will be remembered for ever. But the peculiar calmness with which he played the game masked a very different reality. In JONNY, he reveals the extraordinary psychology that he had to tame in order to be able to dominate his sport. Other Sessions from Last week:

Core Blast with Mr Ashton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPoJJFcxdJ4

Cardio-based HIIT Session with Mr Ashton https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=v6fFqxOr_lA

Mr Tiffin’s Upper Body Strength and Conditioning https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=xPGXl6X_nB4

COMING SOON…

CRICKET MASTER-CLASS VIDEOS

Over the course of the half-term break I met up with previous Director of Sport and former professional cricketer Mr Thisanayagam. Whilst the socially distanced catch up was good, I managed to convince him to put his Cedars colours back on and help create some Cricket Master-Class Videos. Over the coming weeks I will be releasing videos that help to break down and simplify some of the key skills involved in the game of Cricket:

 Next week: Bowling  Week 2: Batting  Week 3: Fielding

I will also add some activities you can do with your sons in the garden to test these skills in a more competitive situation. Whilst we can’t have the cricket season at The Cedars, we hope these videos will help bring cricket to your household this summer! WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPLOAD CONTENT

PLEASE FOLLOW US AND STAY ACTIVE!!

The Cedars Daily Fitness

 For all our daily fitness sessions please follow our ‘The Cedars Sport’ Instagram account.  This is a private account so you will need to be accepted to follow us. If I haven’t accepted you yet or if you have an IG name I will not recognise, please email me.  All skills challenges and fitness challenges are posted to this account as well.  This is the best way to keep in the loop with all things sport at The Cedars!

Send us your pictures or videos of your family/household workouts…

It would be great for the school community to see what everyone is up to, whether it’s a Joe Wick’s morning Body Coach Workout or your household attempting the weekly skills/fitness challenges, all images or videos would be welcome.

If you are happy to do so, please send them to my email: [email protected]

SPORTS WATCH OF THE WEEK

Alex Honnald had a life long dream – scaling Yosemite's 3200-foot El Capitan, one of the toughest rock faces to climb in the world… and he wanted to do it without a rope. Free Solo captivates the very real hardships of Alex Honnald throughout his intimate yet outrageous quest for his success. This wonderful documentary explores what Alex really is willing to do to accomplish his possibly fatal dreams. It shows how this goal effects his relationships and mental health also allowing viewers a thrilling insight of Alex's mind.

This film re-defined the idea of hard work and success, and gives us a taste of what true victory is. Alex's journey was especially interesting as he was clearly striving for something bigger and less fleeting than wealth or fame. The trek to his desires was personal, emotional, and amazing. Free solo is not your average cheesy "inspirational" movie theatre film, absolutely would recommend!

Available on Amazon Prime and Disney Plus.