BEHIND THE STUDY DOOR
'Keep your head held high'. I have no doubt I was not alone in shedding a tear yesterday evening as our combined choirs began our Gala Concert, held in St George's Chapel, with this arrangement by Pete Churchill. Over 150 children, united in song as part of the school community, singing to four hundred in the magnificent nave, surrounded by some of the finest Gothic architecture in the world. As powerful as their singing would have been their sense of being valued, known and part of a community where they felt part of something. One of the lines from the song, 'we have all got to speak as one now', resonated as these young people represented a great sense of hope, optimism and energy.
As a school, we are immensely proud and privileged to be an integral part of the College of St George. At the heart of this collegiate community is St George's Chapel, which in turn is right at the heart of Windsor Castle. Many of you will have been aware that Garter Day took place on Monday. This investiture, procession of the Knights of the Garter, and instillation service is the climax of the Solemnity of St George, a period of thanksgiving to St Edward the Confessor, St George and the life of the College. Years 2 and 5 watched the procession from the Lower Ward, whilst our Choristers sang in the service. Whilst reflecting on the foundation of the College in 1348, which includes St George's School, it is a time to celebrate the vibrant community that exists now. Canon Mark Powell spoke about this community most warmly in Chapel on Sunday. In his sermon he reminded us that we are part of "a castle, a chapel and a college. Something to shout about and shout from; something to welcome people to, with generous hospitality; and something to move the heart with its sublime rhythm".
As a school, we are an important part of this beating heart, but we are also a powerful community in our own right. The Gala Concert yesterday demonstrated that, but as does the interactions between our young people, their families, our staff, the wider school community, our Council of Governors, and those who visit the school on a routine or one-off visit. In the last week, the Lower School Sports Days, parents and children cricket this afternoon, year 8 enrichment programme, and boarders' events to mark National Boarding Week, demonstrate the power of our community, the pride and sense of belonging we feel being part of it, and therefore our appreciation of being valued and known.
The film, 'The Greatest Showman', seeks to demonstrate the power of individuality within a community, where one can proudly stand up and say 'this is me'. Our concert last night ended with 150 young people triumphantly on stage, their combined stature indicative of hope, combined strength and unity, singing: A million dreams are keeping me awake
A million dreams, a million dreams
I think of what the world could be
A vision of the one I see
A million dreams is all it's gonna take
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make
For the world we're gonna make.
Every single member of our school is part of something. In turn, collectively we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. A castle, a college and a chapel. Founded by Edward III, and built by Edward IV, but with "a pulse that beats away, a constant that marks out our days".
Wishing all St George's families a happy weekend, wherever your adventures take you.
William Goldsmith
Head Master's Commendations
Many congratulations to the following who were awarded Head Master's Commendations in Assembly on Monday:
Asees D, Harry E, Buddy P, Zara T and Oliver P: for an excellent performance in French speaking exam
Sophie D and Alexios S: for working extremely hard in French
Daniel W and Mansa H: for showing great determination to gain an outstanding mark in their French speaking assessments
Callum B, Lily D, Poppy J and Daniel P: for working very hard in French
Evie C: for making a huge effort to learn her times tables over the past two weeks
Buddy P: for working extremely hard in maths, and showing real grit and determination to overcome some challenges, as shown by an outstanding mark in his end-of-term exam
Harry J, Monty S, Nefeli M and Felix F: for outstanding work in Mathletics and outstanding strides in areas they found difficult
Daniel W and Noah N-C: for outstanding work in drama
Spirit of St George's Awards
Our thank you and congratulations to the following who have displayed values that encapsulate the school community:
Max A: for offering his friends support in the playground
Lucy K: for being very helpful to her peers during a cover ICT lesson
Chorister(s) of the Week
This week, all of our choristers from Years 5-7 were recognised for 'stepping up' during the absence of our Year 8 choristers.
Sport Players of the Week
Years 3&4: Jeevan H - Pursuit of Excellence. Jeevan has listened to feedback and worked upon this to improve her understanding and match play when fielding in cricket.
Years 5&6: Bea A: Enjoyment. Bea always challenges herself and is continually keen to enjoy learning and mastering new skills in cricket.
Years 7&8: Leo M. Leo used his teamwork skills and clear communication to run effectively with his partner between wickets.
Gala Concert
In the awe-inspiring setting of St George's Chapel around 150 children took their audience of family, friends and Castle community on a musical journey of wonder and delight. Between all the performers every instrument of the orchestra was played at one point, the choirs showed of their varying repertoires and the full company started and finished with stirring numbers, spreading a message of joy and hope. Absolutely magnificent. Well done!
Sports Report
It has been another disappointing week as the boys' cricket fixtures had to be cancelled due to the weather.
Friday 14 June: U8 and U9 Girls Cricket v Dolphin
U8: Well done to all girls on their last fixture of the season, some clear communication and decision making when batting and fielding from both teams resulted in a victory! Special mention to Jessica for her excellent decision making when batting and Scarlett for excellent concentration when fielding - girls of the game today.
U9: Well done on a great afternoon of cricket, resulting in two victories! Powerful batting from Isla resulting in 4s and accurate, powerful deliveries when bowling from Tilly, Evie and Liv. Well done to Charley whose concentration on the field stopped lots of runs being scored and to Leah for an excellent performance when batting. Great effort from the whole team!
Wednesday 19 June - U11 Girls Cricket v LVS
The U11s completed their last cricket fixture with a victory! Despite the pouring rain, the girls were keen to give their best performance and battled on! Their excellent team work and encouragement throughout the match was commendable. Accurate and powerful bowling from all players set the tone for the rest of the match - special mention to Asees, Immy, Lucy and India for taking a good number of wickets in the match. When batting, there was some excellent hits to the boundary from Annabel, Cara and Cici. Well done to all players on their final matches and credit goes to them for working so well as a team.
The U10 girls also battled on in the rain and played a great game of cricket. Special mention to Eva for some powerful batting and to Ella for her quick reactions when fielding. There was some good bowling from Isabel who took a wicket and also by Bea who delivered her ball with excellent accuracy. Great performance from the team despite the weather conditions - well done!
Years 3 and 4 Parent v Pupil Cricket
Very many thanks to Christina Araneta for these lovely photos taken today. No better way to spend a sunny afternoon!
Kindergarten and Reception Sports Day
Years 1 & 2 Sports Day
Year 3 Trip to Bear Dog Outdoors
On Thursday Year 3 had a fun and engaging experience at the Bear Dog Outdoors Centre learning bushcraft and survival skills. The children came back bursting with enthusiasm and new knowledge, and it was lovely to spend the day outside instead of in the classroom.
Ballet Show
Last Saturday the circus truly came to St George’s for the 2019 Ballet Show. The elegant Year 5 and 6 ringmasters started the show and introduced the audience to the big top, the Year 1 dancers. The performers continued, the cutest Kindergarten bunnies, the funniest Reception clowns and the cleverest Year 2 jugglers. They were followed by the bravest Year 3 trapeze artists and the most daring Year 4 tightrope walkers. The children were fantastic and thoroughly enjoyed performing to their families. Thank you to Miss Ellen and Miss Laura for teaching the children and producing such a wonderful show.
Year 8 Enrichment Programme
Despite a poor start weather-wise, the Year 8 residential trip to Morzine was a great success. They hiked in the rain, spent a fantastic afternoon on the high ropes, zip lines and rope swings and kayaked on the lake. The sun returned for a day of hiking to the Swiss border, which was a real feat of endurance, and they ended the day with a very well-earned swim. Our thanks to Clare Emmerson-Smith and Jamie Elston for leading such a wonderful trip.
Since their return the Year 8s have enjoyed an astonishingly wide range of activities in their Enrichment Programme this week, including clambering across floating obstacle courses at Liquid Leisure; learning special agent skills such as code breaking with Thrill Education; a theatre trip (and very late night) in London; observing the rescue and treatment of injured swans at the Swan Rescue charity in Eton; tasting spices, juicing and preparing food at Wagamamas; making chocolate confections with master chocolatier Mark Tilley; a workshop and introduction to GLOBE, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program with Dr Frank Soboczenski; a morning with 'Standing Tall UK', learning about gaining confidence, self esteem and how to stand out from their peers; and finally taking part in a forensic science workshop with Mr Foran and Mrs Butt.
Dorm Diaries - National Boarding Week
It has been the 4th annual Boarding Schools Association’s National Boarding Week, and @stgboarding has been taking part in lively fashion. There were many entries submitted to the #iloveboarding competition: in no more than 25 words boarders have to express what it is they love about boarding. Our boarders adopted different literary techniques including rhyme: Boarding is great. It can’t be beaten. Except for the cake, it’s quickly eaten; lists: Fun, friends, freedom, activities, adventures, socialisation, courage, responsibility, life skills/lessons and excitement; and simple-but-effective: I love boarding because you get to make lots of friends and get new experiences. All entries can all be seen on our Twitter feed, and the boarding team will be choosing a winner at the end of the week.
Tuesday’s BBQ and Treasure hunt were rain-affected, but still managed to go ahead indoors! And Wednesday’s Big Sleepover and Movie Night was a great success! We also managed to gather together on Tuesday for a Boarders’ photograph to celebrate with everyone who has boarded at STG during the year.
We are so pleased that so many STG children are experiencing boarding with us – please to keep up to date with events and achievements on Twitter. If you are keen to find out more about boarding at STG, please get in touch with Mrs Onions on allison.onions@stgwindsor.org.
Maths Puzzle
Last week's solutions and winners:
This week's puzzle:
Madeleine G, Daisy H, Toby I, Bertie H, Georgia C, Harry J and Benji S are celebrating their birthdays during the coming week.