Weekly Newsletter - Shebbear College

16th September 2016
Issue No 112
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Form 1 pupils celebrating Roald Dahl Day this week with Willy Wonka (aka Mr Wolverson)
Dear Parents,
I was reminded by a parent this week what a fantastic event our
175th year Midsummer Ball turned out to be. It was of course
organised by the Friends of Shebbear College (FoSC) who give up
a large amount of time to put on social events that strengthen our
community and also provide funding for various items that enrich
the life of pupils at school. Many of the committee of 2016 are
coming to the end of their tenure and they are very hopeful that
some other parents would be keen to take their place and help
arrange events in the future. The AGM is on the evening of 4th
October at school at 6.30pm so please come along if you can help.
On Wednesday I was in London to attend the annual dedication
service for MIST (Methodist Independent Schools Trust) schools.
This event really brings home that we are part of a large group of
like-minded schools determined to provide a first class all round
education. MIST have provided the funding for our new buildings
and are looking forward to seeing them in action when we host the
2017 MIST conference next April.
The winter sporting season got underway this week with a 1st
XV rugby tournament at West Buckland School designed to blow
away the cobwebs. We had two excellent wins against Mount Kelly
and Kingsley and lost in a nail-biting finish to West Buckland. The
tournament was notable because it included the debut of our two
Australian exchange students Fynn Walker and Callum Gill who
are here until December. The boys travelled on to Exmoor after the
game (they stayed in a youth hostel) for a bit of team-bonding and
some exhilarating hill running on the Sunday morning. This event
was followed yesterday by a splendid U12 and U13 tournament
that included a number of local schools. Tomorrow we have our first
block fixture in both hockey and rugby against Mount Kelly.
The summer months always bring a steady flow of visiting former
pupils to the College. Two weeks ago we said hello to John Knight
who was here as a boy (together with his brother Graham). John’s
mother Olive was the Matron in the 1960s. Last week we caught up
with Alan Machen (also from the sixties) who was travelling down to
help Rick Wakeman in his forthcoming concert. It is always nice to
see them and to see their surprise at both the major improvements
to the school since their time and the fact that 50% of our school
population are female.
Simon Weale
16th September 2016
Issue No 112
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
Happy Birthday Mr Weale!
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
annual trip has now become something of a rite of passage for our
pupils here in the Prep School and I am sure that this current crop will
all embrace the experience with as much energy and enthusiasm as
previous Year 6 groups have done. I only hope that I can survive yet
another of these action-packed and adrenaline-filled weeks.
Sports news dominates the rest of the newsletter this week as
many of our pupils were involved in U9, U11 and U12 fixtures and
so I will leave our respective sports coaches to fill in the details.
Mike Furber
The first U11 match of the season saw Shebbear and St Petroc’s
combine together to take on West Buckland. Throughout the first
half both teams displayed a very high level of rugby. Shebear and
St Petroc’s were able to go two tries up after some strong running
from Jack and Alex. West Buckland fought back strongly towards
the end of the half and scored a try to make the score 10-5 at
halftime.
News from the Prep School
In a week in which we have been celebrating the life and works of
Roald Dahl; the greatest writer of children’s fiction ever (please don’t
argue with me about that one!) I like to think that Shebbear Prep
continues to uphold one of Dahl’s fundamental principles. So many
of his wonderful books are all about giving children an opportunity
to come to the forefront, to fulfil their potential and even surprise
themselves by the things that they can achieve. I see this as a big
part of what we set out to foster here and there have certainly been
a number of ‘magical moments’ this week which highlight this.
We had one of our very own ‘Matilda’ moments in Year 6 earlier
in the week, when Sophie-Mae Luxton stood in front of Mr Weale
and recited every British monarch from Richard III to Elizabeth II,
including their dates. This was quite an achievement and one that
a number of the other Year 6 pupils were then able to repeat later
in the week.
Also, what’s good enough for the BFG is good enough for Prep 5,
as they had their first taste of ‘Frobscottle’! From all accounts this
turned out to have a rather strange taste but everyone loved the
colour. So far, no whizzpops, thank goodness!
The excitement has been building all week, as Monday fast
approaches and our Year 6 will set off on their PGL adventure. This
Shebbear and St Petroc’s started well in the second half with Jack
able to break through the strong West Buckland defense using his
pace to great effect. West Buckland came back strongly and scored
two tries of their own to put the score at 25 - 15. Some fine tackling
from Hunter and Cameron kept West Buckland at bay for the rest
of the second half. In the last 5 minutes Shebbear and St Petroc’s
scored two superb breakaway tries thanks to some fantastic skill
from Harry, Hunter and Ferdie to put the final score at 35 - 15.
On Wednesday our U9 rugby team were in action and despite
losing to a strong St Petroc’s team, the boys (a number of whom
were new to the game) showed real potential. Like our U11s, our
younger boys now need to gel as a team, encourage each other
and work hard to improve their all round game.
On Thursday, our Year 6 rugby players were also involved with the
Senior School tournament hosted here at the College and despite
returning a little battered and bruised, they more than held their own.
Sam Willetts
Shebbear U9 Netball team approached their first fixture with a
mixture of fear and trepidation. Our squad was made up of some
‘old hand’s’ along with quite a few new girls who had never even
played netball before! With a last minute reminder about where
certain players were and weren’t allowed on the court, the first
quarter against St. Petroc’s began. The opposition were strong and
scored a cluster of quick goals. During our first changeover, we all
had a quick chat and the team now knew what they had to do. The
Shebbear team went from strength to strength and in the last three
quarters we only let the St. Petroc’s team score one goal and we
managed to score one of our own! Even though we lost, we made
a really positive beginning and the girls should all be really proud
of themselves. A wonderful start and a taste of even better things
to come!
Our U10 and U11 girls also impressed this week, in their first match
of the season against West Buckland. Powerful performances
by all of our girls ensured that both teams gave West Buckland’s
strong squad a real run for their money!
Sarah Johnstone
16th September 2016
Issue No 112
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Next Week in the Prep School:
Monday 19th September
Year 6 leave for PGL, Osmington Bay
Tuesday 20th September
Year 5 Science trip to Roadford Lake
Wednesday 21st September
Years 1 and 2 to Appledore Lifeboat Station
Kindergarten trip to Rosemoor Gardens
Thursday 22nd September
Years 3, 4 and 5 trip to The Milky Way
Kindergarten and Pre-Prep ‘Tiger who came to Tea’ party
Friday 23rd September
Assembly: Mrs Bearpark
Year 6 return from PGL
Sunday 25th September
Gliddon & Squire Cross Country Race at Kingsley School,
10.00am
Kindergarten News
This week we have been enjoying more fun and learning with
everyone very settled now. The children have become very familiar
with the text ‘Peace at Last’ and hopefully by now you will have heard
them retell the story with actions.
They have been talking about different families and homes and
looking forward to going on to the topic Our Senses in preparation
for our visit to Rosemoor next week.
We were lucky enough to have been able to visit the new Music
Department and have a session using the drums in there. Please
feel free to come and look at all the wonderful work they have been
doing at any time.
Hetty Thompson
Roald Dahl Day
Celebrating Roald Dahl Day in class with Mr Wolverson (aka Willy
Wonka) on Tuesday certainly allowed for an unusual lesson. In true
Roald Dahl style, the unconventional lesson saw Form 1 pupils
writing creative pieces about chocolate to backing music from the
soundtrack of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, overseen by Willy
Wonka himself. And for inspiration - chocolate of course!
Take Advantage of Flexi Boarding
Day pupils are welcome to stay at weekends and enjoy activities
along with their friends in boarding. Effectively a sleep-over, flexi
boarding is also ideal for busy parents and unexpected situations.
It offers pupils the chance to stay on after school, benefit from
structured prep sessions before spending leisure time with their
friends in a safe, homely environment. Flexi boarding includes
evening activities, prep supervision, bed and breakfast. For more
information or to book felxi boarding please contact Naomi Giddy:
registrar@shebbearcollege.co.uk
Boarders Celebrate
Chinese Mid Autumn Festival
On Thursday evening some of the girls in Ruddle House celebrated
the Mid Autumn Festival.
Christy Chan wrote: ‘15th September is the Mid Autumn Festival in
China. We went out and celebrated it together at night. Watching the
moon and eating mooncake are the must do things in this festival!
Unfortunately the moon didn’t show up, but we did enjoy the night as
we ate a lot of mooncakes!’
16th September 2016
Issue No 112
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
benefit all aspects of our lives. We all want a society that is literate
and confident, families that are connected, healthy and happy, and
individuals who are confident, independent and engaged. Reading
for pleasure can help with that and is a more powerful factor in
life achievement than socio-economic background (Progress in
International Reading Literacy Study, 2006).
I came across this quote from the writer Neil Gaiman, “I was once
in New York, and I listened to a talk about private prisons. Prisons
need to plan future growth - how many cells are they going to need?
How many prisoners are there going to be 15 years from now. And
they had found that they could predict it very easily, using a simple
algorithm, based on what percentage of 10 and 11 years olds could
not read at the time of planning” (TRA Lecture, 2014). Sobering stuff.
Exciting Delivery for
the New Music Department
Under the leadership of Mr and Mrs Parker, our new music building
is shaping up really well. Thursday afternoon saw a flurry of excited
activity as we took delivery of a new Steinway Model B Grand Piano
which is now in situ in the Assembly Hall. Our existing Steinway Model
A Grand Piano was moved from the Assembly Hall and relocated in
the Rehearsal Room in the new building. The delivery also included
a Bechstein 118 upright for piano learning, 2 Yamaha digital pianos
for practise rooms, 2 Yamaha digital pianos for instrumental teaching
rooms, 2 Yamaha clavinovas for classrooms and a portable Yamaha
keyboard for outdoor and offsite performances.
On a more positive note, the BBC has been championing Get
Reading throughout 2016 with a series of programmes featuring
Shakespeare, Roald Dahl and ‘The Books that made...’. Look out
for ‘Get Reading’ programmes and events between 22nd October
and 6th November.
Jane Welby
Form 1 Day Out
‘We had a great day out at the Aqua Park and Flow Rider. The
Aqua Park was a bit like the ‘Total Wipeout’ set, but we were not in a
competition. There were slides, see saws and climbing frames all in
the water. The Flow Rider is more like a body boarding experience,
where waves shoot up at you and you body board on top of it. Overall
we had an amazing day and I hope we go here again!’
Luke Honey
‘We had a great day out to the Water Park and Flow Rider. The Water
Park was really fun, but we had a bit of a palaver with the wet suits.
There was lots to do here including slides, walkways impossible to
stay on and see-saws. After our session we got back on the bus and
drove down the road to the Flow Rider and put on another wet suit.
We had a great time, trying to kneel and other challenges’.
William Robins
A Word from the Library
We celebrated Roald Dahl Day on the 100th anniversary of the
author’s birth. Oompa loompa only zones were established and
much fun was had by all. On Friday the same pupils chose which of
this year’s Book Buzz books they would like for themselves. All this
is because we recognise the importance of reading - and of reading
for pleasure.
Reading is important because it encourages us to stretch out
imaginations, to think differently about people and the world around
us. It helps us to develop empathy and shared understanding, to
make sense of the world. It enables us to escape, to dream, to feel
good. As we read, we learn and develop skills and expertise which
A Visit from an ‘Old Boy’
Last Friday we delighted to welcome Alan Machen and his wife who
came to have a look around his old school. Alan attended Shebbear
in the late 1960s and, as with all Old Shebbearians, had many
interesting and humourous stories about his school days.
16th September 2016
Issue No 112
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
1st XV Rugby Tour
The 1st XV for the 2016-17 season started well with a number of
new players to the side. The first fixture was a tournament at West
Buckland and from there the side went on to Exmoor for a teambuilding weekend.
Captain James Hibben led the team well in the opening game against
Kingsley which Shebbear comfortably won. The next fixture was
against Mount Kelly and despite giving them an early lead through
an unfortunate mistake Shebbear looked dominant throughout,
the final score 17-5 to Shebbear. In the final game against West
Buckland we needed a win or a draw to finish on top. Shebbear
were awarded a penalty in the dying moments of the game and
with the scores level we could have kicked it out to draw the game
and win the tournament. The boys wanted more and opted to run.
Unfortunately a handling error allowed West Buckland a final chance
which they took well and scored.
A disappointing finish but important lessons were learnt and the 1st
XV has started well. A number of players impressed, most notably
Alessandro Aliberti playing for the first time at scrum half, Siaosi
Taufa in the forwards and Ted Trott at full back and centre. Man of
the Match was James Hibben.
The squad meal was at the White Horse Hotel in Exford and a few
awards from the day were handed out. On Sunday the boys raced in
teams from Exford to Dunkery Beacon (Exmoor’s highest point) and
then enjoyed the Aqua Park at the North Devon Wake Park. It was a
tiring weekend, but the squad learnt alot in the games and enjoyed
each others company. It was a pleasure to share it with them.
Jamie Sanders
Rugby 7s Tournament
The U12s entered two similar ability teams in the Shebbear warm up
7-a-side festival and came a respectable 2nd and 3rd. ‘A’ sides from
Stover, Kingsley and St Joseph’s came along and despite not being
able to beat Stover, our boys both won all their other games. Harry
Brown, William Brown and Reuben Banbury impressed, as did Jack
Cotgreave.
The U13s had only one team but a large squad of 14 boys all got
some game time and came out on top.
Playing some impressive 7s style rugby they ran in seven tries in
their first match against St. Joseph’s and then, in a thrilling game
against Stover, managed to grab a last minute try to clinch a 20-15
victory against strong opposition.
16th September 2016
Issue No 112
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Their final match against Kingsley saw the boys go 20-5 down early
in the second half but they rallied, once again scoring the winning try
with the last play of the game.
Skipper, Harrison Mitchell, Joe Faulkner, Jacob Luxton and newcomer
Aaron Molnar were outstanding but all the boys performed well in
what was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon’s rugby.
Andy Bryan
A Request from the Art Department
If anyone has any art books, art catalogues, postcards, CDs and part
filled paint pots that they need to dispose of the Art Department can
make good use of them. All donations will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Ashley Barlow
What’s On:
Sunday 18th September
12.00 noon - Boarders’ Atlantic Village trip
Monday 19th September
All day - A Level Geography Fieldwork (AS & A2):
Coastal Sand Dunes
Wednesday 21st September
All day - Model United Nations - Westminster Central Hall, London
Sunday 25th September
Boarders’ Cinema trip
6.30pm - Quiz Night
16th September 2016
Issue No 112
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
Picture this ...
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
16th September 2016
Issue No 112
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk