Dear Parents,
Although exams for the whole school are on the horizon, there is still a buzz around school about activities week. All of the photos that I have seen show groups of girls having a fantastic time away from school. The highlight of the 7’s in Germany was the theme park and shopping where some of them successfully tried out their German. Year 8’s gave us a wonderful assembly on ‘coping without a phone signal’ as they canoed for 2 days in the Ardeche and realised that actually it was more fun to spend time with each other and chat.
‘Look up’
I have four-hundred-and-twenty-two friends, yet I’m lonely.
I speak to all of them everyday, yet none of them really know me .
A world of self-interest, self-image, self-promotion
Where we all share our best bits, but, leave out the emotion
We edit and exaggerate, crave adulation
We pretend not to notice the social isolation
So when you’re in public, and you start to feel alone
Put your hands behind your head, step away from the phone!
You don’t need to stare at your menu, or at your contact list
Just talk to one another, learn to coexist
So look up from your phone, shut down the display
Take in your surroundings, make the most of today
Just one real connection is all it can take
To show you the difference that being there can make
We are all guilty of being part of this machine
This digital world, we are heard but not seen
Where we type as we talk, and we read as we chat
Where we spend hours together without making eye-contact
So don’t give into a life where you follow the hype
Give people your love, don’t give them your ‘like’
Disconnect from the need to be heard and defined
Go out into the world, leave distractions behind.
Look up from your phone
Shut down that display
Live life the real way
Year 9’s have made me laugh with their stories of crabbing and doughnut riding down in Devon and the year 10 Duke of Edinburgh Expedition always seem to end up walking twice as far, around the Sussex country side, as they were meant to!
The AS and A level art and textile students have been transforming the Studio into their own Art Gallery. The work is varied and stunning and you will be in for a real treat at the Art Exhibition on the 18th June. Some prospective parents have been lucky enough to have a sneak preview and they have been amazed by the ideas and quality of the work. Make sure if you come to the Art Exhibition you have a good look through the books that the girls put together through the year. They show just how much hard work, thinking and analysis goes into their final piece.
On Tuesday we invited year 5 girls and their parents from selected prep schools to come and have afternoon tea and see that there is ‘More than just the classroom’. During the afternoon we showcased some of the wonderful activities and events which go on throughout the year. They could not believe how much we pack in and achieve and the year 7’s who were our ambassadors for the afternoon, certainly had a lot to say about their first year at More House. It was lovely to have Lucy (Head Girl) and Jemima (Drama Captain) there to talk about their experiences over the last seven years and their aspirations for beyond Pont Street.
But the fun is over for a week as the internal examinations start on Monday. Good luck to everyone.
The weeks ahead
Monday 9th June | Start of Internal Examinations
L6th Work Experience – All Week 4.15 – 5.15pm: U13 & U15 Rounders vs Queen’s College |
Tuesday 10th June | 6pm More House Singers
4.00 – 5.00pm: U13 & U15 Rounders vs Queen’s College |
Wednesday 11th June | RS GCSE Year 10
7pm: Race for Life – Battersea Park |
Thursday 12th June | GCSE Book Return and Strawberries |
Friday 13th June | Internal Exams Finish |
Monday 16th June | Year 7 Bodiam Castle Trip
U12 – U15 Swimming Gala vs 4 – 5 Fulham Prep |
Tuesday 17th June | Year 9 Trip to Fishbourne |
Wednesday 18th June | 4.30 – 6.30pm: Art Exhibition
6pm: More House Singers |
Thursday 19th June | Food for Thought Lunch |
Friday 20th June | St Thomas More – Mass & House Sports
6.30pm: U6th Farewell Party |
Prayer of the week:
Dear Lord,
I pray the I am able to overcome the things I find difficult and the obstacles I face. I pray that I do the best I can and that all goes well.
A prayer written by an examination student
Exam week! oh my! feels more like an “exam term”!! I guess this is all good preparation for the future – but I am indeed stunned by the amount of things that get fitted into term time!
I love the beautiful poem about leaving your phone off an engaging with the real world, most refreshing!