Friday 11 October 2024

Head’s Welcome

It has been a busy week of sport this week. We were delighted to be able to give out the trophy to the captains of our Girls' U16 Hockey team as they were crowned county champions. Our U14 team looks set to replicate this with an unbeaten streak on Monday and I am looking forward to handing out this trophy as well. 

On top of these successes we hosted a very positive Open Morning. This was sold-out and we had representation from many new schools. Thank you for your support with this event; the students are our biggest asset and the feedback from prospective parents has been universally glowing on the tour guides and the students they interacted with around the campus. This was then topped with a very busy Sixth Form Information Evening. Again we had many external candidates looking around, many of whom were looking for an academic experience alongside a competitive sporting offer. It looks set to be a strong Lower Sixth cohort next year. 

Staying with the theme of academics, we have made some amendments to the way we report to parents. We are hoping this makes it easier for you to stay on top of how your child is doing in lessons and have learning-focussed conversations at home around goal-setting. Goal setting is tricky to get right and there are two different types of goal that play a role in how a student studies: they can want to master a subject or they can want to perform well. Both types of goal can have positive consequences: the mastery goal learners are often intrinsically motivated, the performance-goal learners often achieve higher marks. Students can pursue both orientations at the same time and our role as both parents and teachers is to create the environment where risk-taking and making mistakes is seen as an acceptable and necessary part of learning. Thus it is imperative that the conversations around grade-cards are framed as developmental and part of the journey to mastery rather than an insight into intelligence or ability and therefore focus on future goals over past deficiencies. 

Best wishes

Oliver Knight

COLLEGE NEWS THIS WEEK

CCF ROYAL MARINE PRINGLE TROPHY COMPETITION

Last weekend, Pangbourne College attended the annual Pringle Trophy Competition at Commando Training Centre, Lympstone.

This year's competition saw our cadets compete against some of the best cadets from across the country in a gruelling range of fieldcraft, fitness and medical stances. Pangbourne performed commendably, and Niamh Mackenzie picked up an individual award for displaying all of the four pillars of the Commando Spirit, courage, determination, unselfishness, and cheerfulness in the face of adversity. Our relatively junior squad were an absolute credit to the school, and have learnt so much from the experience that they can apply against the more senior squads in next year's competition.

ANNUAL NATIONAL SERVICE FOR SEAFARERS

On Wednesday 9 October, the College Choir, Chief Cadets and Division Chiefs along with a select representative of the Guard, represented the College at this year's national service in St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

The Pangbourne Choir joined with the choirs from the four other nautical school foundations to provide the music for the service with the congregation being made up of representatives from every naval and nautical organisation in the UK. The Guest of Honour at this year’s service was HRH The Princess Royal.

Sunday 13 October, 09:00
College Sunday
Inspecting Officer: Detective Superintendent Lis Knight (Head of Specialist Operations, Thames Valley Police

Monday 14 October, 19:00
WEBINAR: Supporting Revision at Home
Link for webinar

Friday 18 October, 08:25
Sixth Form Taster Day
For Year 11 students.

Friday 18 October, 16:45
Half Term Break
Returning from Sunday 3 November, 19:00

UPCOMING EVENTS

NOTICES

  • Grade cards for all pupils will be published on My School Portal on Monday 14th October by 1.00 pm. To access your child's grade card, log-in to the College Portal and choose the 'Reports' tile on the dashboard. The most recent report or grade card is always the one displayed when the page opens. The drop down menu 'Select Report' allows you to view older reports and you can also download and print any report listed, if desired.

    Martin Palfrey

  • In the past, it has been possible to access the team sheet for any sport on our website, pangbournesport.com using only a simple password. This has been widely shared within the Pangbourne community and beyond and, although the password can be changed, we are concerned about the access this affords to some information. As a result, from 4th November, access to team sheets will only be possible when logging in to SOCS Parent through My School Portal. My School Portal offers ‘single-sign-on’ to SOCS Parent and tailored access to sport fixtures and teams is possible using this method. More than 99% of parents and guardians already use My School Portal regularly to access attendance, reports and timetables and the portal is going to be the main mechanism of communication as we move forwards.

     

    If you haven’t yet done so, please click on the ‘SOCS Parent’ tile on the dashboard the next time you access My School Portal and check you can access SOCS – do advise me of any problems. If your email address has changed recently, please let me know as your email address is used to identify you across several information systems and enables the ‘single-sign-on’ process to work.

    Martin Palfrey

  • Year 8 pupils will have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship in their chosen field as they enter the Senior School in Year 9.

    Awards are available in the co-curricular areas of Art, Drama, Music and Sport, in addition to the Academic Scholarship.

    If pupils feel they would like to try for an award in the co-curricular areas above, we would encourage them to speak first to the appropriate subject teacher or Head of Department.

    The application process is now open, and all the information you should need, as well as the application forms, can be found on the Website, which can be accessed via this link .

    Please note that the deadline for Drama, Music and Sport Scholarship applications is 30 September 2024, with the auditions and sport assessments taking place during November 2024.

    The deadline for Academic and Art Scholarship applications is 29 November 2024. All assessments in these areas will take place in January and February 2025.

    Jack Sims

  • On the 9th November we will be holding our annual Christmas Market.  One of our most popular stalls is the Tombola and we also hold a raffle and a draw for a wheelbarrow of wine, and this is where we need your help.  If you have any unwanted gifts sitting at the back of a cupboard or any of those items that seemed like a good idea when you purchased them but have never made it out of the box then we can help you to rehome them.  

    We would be very grateful for any donations, which can be dropped off in your Division for collection by the PPA.  Your support means a lot to us and enables us to raise funds for College projects and to support disadvantaged young people in our local community.

    Also if you would be interested in volunteering your time to help on the day or at future events please contact us at ppa@pangbourne.com, we would love to hear from you

    We look forward to seeing you at the market

  • Creating an environment that nurtures pupil mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for us at Pangbourne. To help us to achieve this, we have invested in a ‘Wellbeing Hub’ which has been developed byTeen Tips who are experts in child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing.

    This is an interactive online portal, designed to help you understand and meet your child’s social and emotional needs. We believe it will be an invaluable source of information and support for our whole school community.

    Accessing the Wellbeing Hub and further information

    All parents are entitled to free access to the Parent Hub and we highly recommend you take the opportunity to register, using the link below:

    https://club.teentips.co.uk/register/parents/?ca=ec8859936e5d84e2258eaf6f40395345

    The up-to-date tour video of the Wellbeing Hub for parents can be found here:

    https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1003650703/3a75b1d035

    If you have any questions about the Wellbeing Hub, please do not hesitate to contact Caroline Bond, Assistant Pupil Mental Health: caroline.bond@pangbourne.com


  • Thank you to all of the Year 11 families who attended the Sixth Form Information Evening on Wednesday night. It was wonderful to showcase both the curriculum and many other opportunities available at Sixth Form, and also to welcome a number of prospective students and their parents. The event will be followed by the Sixth Form Taster Day on Friday 18 October. If you have any questions following the event, please do not hesitate to get in touch with either Mrs Poynter or Ms Kaur

  • If you have not done so already, please ensure you register for the following upcoming information event designed to support the pathway to Sixth Form.:

    Monday 14 October, 19:00

    Webinar : Supporting revision at home

    In addition to the information about Sixth Form, we are also running a webinar focused on supporting revision at home in advance of the November Trials and upcoming GCSEs.

    Please register for the event using the link below.

    https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pBZhFYhySaOpN-WodstVFg

  • The FIRST DRAFT writing will take place over 4 lessons Monday 7 - Friday 11 October.

    FIRST DRAFT feedback from class teacher by Wednesday 27 November 2024 (post Trials).

    Improvements to writing made over five lessons (between 27 Nov and 6 December)

    FINAL draft of Macbeth coursework due by Friday 6 December 2024.

    Pupil marks will be returned to them at the beginning of Lent Term.

    The second piece of Literature Coursework will take place in Lent Term 2 after February Trials (dates to follow).

    Elly Hayward

Years 9 -11

SIXTH FORM

  • Ms Kaur, Head of Sixth Form, would like to make you aware that the College will be rolling out the platform UNIFROG to the Upper Sixth before half-term, and then to the Lower Sixth, with the support of Mr Nel, Head of Careers. UNIFROG offers is a one-stop shop for up-to-date information on post-18 options with regards to universities, virtual work experience opportunities, and apprenticeships.

    Used by nearly 4,000 schools and colleges, we are excited about using UNIFROG to be able to offer our pupils greater support in relation to making good decisions about their future.

    • UCAS deadline: Friday 8 November (internal deadline)

    • Apprenticeship Event: Thursday 28 November 17:00 - 19:00

    • Upper Sixth trials: Monday 25 - Friday 29 November

  • Despite the damp weather, we have had high spirits in Dunbar and the House has been as busy as ever. By the time you read this we will have had the Charlotte Drake ‘Movie Night’ to which the Dunbar girls were kindly invited. The girls have been really looking forward to this and I am sure it will have been a fantastic evening.

    The children have also been enjoying the new table tennis table which appeared over the summer, and was a kind gift from last year’s leaving Year 8 pupils. Our ping-pong skills are coming on nicely, and we hope to have an Inter-Watch competition shortly.

    One of the key social events of the year for Dunbar is the Parents’ Dinner, to which all Dunbar parents are warmly welcomed. The initial date was scheduled for the 18th October, but a clash with other events (including the forthcoming Parents’ Evening) has meant that we need to reschedule this Dinner, and I will be in touch as soon as possible to let you all know  the new arrangements. I would hope to find a suitable date as soon as possible, to give Dunbar Parents - new and existing - the chance to meet and socialise together.

    Talking of the forthcoming Parents’ Meeting next Friday, please note that appointments with some of the busier staff will begin at 4pm, with the main bulk of teachers being available after 4:35pm. I will also be present for the whole evening, as will the Head of Key Stage 3 (Miss Cruwys), and we look forward to seeing many of you then.

    Note also that there is a College Sunday this weekend, and whilst Dunbar pupils are not required, they (and you) are always welcome to attend and watch one of the regular events which makes this such a special place. Any Dunbar pupil attending should wear Number 2 uniform please, and we will cross our fingers for a dry morning.

    Dr Ian Hart

  • The annual Div Music Competition was a really entertaining evening in the Chapel and it was so good to have everyone  together on the  stage. If there was an award for the most improved house from rehearsals to performance then Harbinger would have definitely won it. A big thank you to Max, Jack, Ed and the rest of the Upper Sixth who were tastefully dressed and pulled everyone together on the night.

    I have been really pleased with our Classcharts performance these first few weeks, I am happy to report well over 1000 positives at 83%.  The 15 boys who have a 100% positive record have all been recognised in Muster this week and thanked for their efforts. We will look again just before half term to determine the winning pride with the best overall contribution to the house.

    We have another College Sunday on the 13 October, the senior boys are taking  lead responsibility for ensuring everyone meets the required standards in our push for the Parade Cup. It would be great to see as many parents again on Sunday.

    Andrew Sumner

  • Following the success for the house in the Divisional Music Competition coming a very close second, I am so proud of all of the boys and a big well done must go to Dom and the Upper Sixth who lead the whole event for the house. It was truly a great evening even if the trophy eludes our cabinet again this year!

    The Inter house Herd competition is a very close call as we head towards half term with Scottish Red  narrowly in the lead by 14 points. The boys in Scottish Red are George, Alex, Murray, Jack, Taha, David, Louis, Ned, Samuel and Jonty. The scores come from positives the boys achieve through academic work and also from positive behaviour and helpfulness round the house and College.

    This week our focus has been on mental health with ‘World Mental Health Day’ . I challenged all the boys to display Kindness as one of our flag values and gave them the example of  saying something kind and positive to someone they haven’t  interacted with yet. We emphasised the power that a  small positive comment can have and how it can change a person's day and bring a smile to their face.

    The Year 9  boys have been working very hard on their marching and we are very much looking forward to seeing them marching within the Division on Sunday. We need to ensure that all the No1 suits and shoes are up to scratch and ready for inspection on Sunday. 

    Tom Cheney

  • We placed third place in the Divisional Music Competition a couple of weeks ago, amidst a sea of vibrant ostrich feathers and 1970s dance moves. Thank you to everyone who came to support the girls. I thought the standard was incredibly high this year and I want to say a special thank you to my Upper Sixth team and Mia for orchestrating the performance. 

    I was thrilled to see our U16 Hockey Girls emerge victorious in the Berkshire County Tournament. The display of sportsmanship and bravery was amazing. I wish them the best of luck for the Regionals. It was also pleasing to see the U14 Girls' Team go undefeated into the Berkshire Cup Finals. Maybe this is our year to grab the Sports Cup? Watch this space.

    I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the parade on Sunday. If your daughters require help with their hair, please bring them in early. This week, we are focusing on improving the quality of our No. 1 shoes. I hope this will be an improvement. Mia is determined to win that parade cup! I am always so proud of the discipline and dedication it takes to put this on. 

    With ‘World Mental Health Day’ just passed I wanted to highlight that in Illawarra we have been looking to recognise ‘small acts of kindness’. What I explained to the girls is that they can boost feelings of confidence, being in control, happiness and optimism for both the server and receiver. Kindness is such an important flag value to Illawarra and I would love to hear from any parents about any initiatives or resources that I could share with the girls. 

    Rosie Jewell

  • Clearly the most exciting event so far this term for the senior divisions, the annual Div Music Competition was yet another amazing spectacle. With such a short time to prepare, the standard was superb and the boys did an amazing job on the night.

    Led by Ben and the Upper Sixth leadership team, our Elton John megamix went down a storm, with the crowd joining in throughout the six minute performance. Every member of the division was involved and enjoyed the chance to step out of their comfort zone and give it their all. Costumes, dance moves and sparkly jackets were the order of the day; it was yet another memorable performance by Macquarie.

    David Metcalfe

  • To think that the Divisional Music Competition was two weeks ago just shows how quickly this half of term is going. The event was another wonderful occasion not only showcasing the array of talent we have at the College, but more specifically the talent we have in Port Jackson. A fantastic effort from all, and a nod of recognition to the Upper Sixth  and their efforts towards the final piece.

    These last two weeks the wolf pack results are as follows:

    Week 4:

    Amwolf - 201 (George 15, Nate 11, James 9)

    Bodolf - 135 (Zachary 9)

    Beowulf - 99 (Otto 10, Jan 9)

    Gunnolf - 99 (George 12)

    Aardwolf - 88 (Bruce 13, Barney 9)

    Week 5:

    Amwolf - 282 (Nabil 17, George 13, Charlie 13, NateT 12, Ed  9)

    Bodolf -  176 (James  14, Robbie 13)

    Beowulf - 153 (Otto 15, Harrison  12, Ozzy  9)

    Gunnolf - 142 (Archie 10, Joe 9, Steven  9)

    Aardwolf - 134 (Harry 10, Barney 10)

    Last week’s results are some of the best we have had in the division and this is testament to the hard work the boys are putting into their day-to-day lives. Well done chaps.

    I look forward to seeing  the Year 9 boys in the Port Jackson rank this weekend at College Sunday. Let’s put our best foot forward.

    Steven Thompson

  • What a start to term.  A fantastic win in the Divisional Music Competition.  I was so impressed by how hard the girls worked. A real team effort with great leadership from Amy (our Chief) and many of the other Sixth Formers.  A special shout out to the harmony group who had to work hard for some of those top notes.

    There have been some great results in hockey recently with great results for the first and great results in the tournaments with both the U14 and U15 competitions being a great opportunity for our girls to showcase their talents with both teams going undefeated and progressing to the finals.

    The girls are working hard and we have some excellent Classchart results.  Four of our girls Have gained over 50 positives. From Y9 they are Tamsin, Isha, Chloe and Taryn.  Well done girls.

    It’s College Sunday this weekend and we are welcoming the Y9’s in to march in the division this weekend. I hope they are working on their shoes in advance. If any need help with hair or ties please bring them in early. I will be around for a catch up after the parade.

    Jenny Jones

DIVISIONAL UPDATES

SPORT

Nutrition workshop for students on Sports Performance Programme

On Tuesday, as part of our Sports Performance Programme, our pupils got the opportunity to take part in a workshop all about the importance of nutrition as a sports performance athlete. As part of the workshop, students got to taste a mixture of different healthy smoothies ranging from blueberry to kiwi and kale. It is so important for sports students to be educated about  the importance of diet when it comes to maximising their performance and their ability to focus in the classroom as well as being able to train to their potential.

British F4 Championship success

Leo (Year 11) enjoyed an extremely successful final race weekend of the British F4 Championship at Brands Hatch, winning a full set of trophies.  

Although he had not previously raced on the Grand Prix circuit, the high-speed corners were clearly to his liking, with Leo consistently placed towards the top of the timesheets. In the qualifying session that would determine the starting positions, Leo was pleased to set the 3rd fastest time.

Watch Leo’s post race interview on YouTube


Football and Hockey News

Dunbar Football:
On Wednesday, Dunbar football A Team had an away game at Leighton Park School where they won 4-2. Dunbar B team had a game at home and won 3-1. Well done boys!

Hockey Tournament results:
1st: St Andrews Prep, 2nd: Oratory Prep, 3rd: Cranford School, 4th: Brockhurst.

Goalkeeper of the Day: Serena (Oratory Prep)
Player of the day: Florence (Cranford School)