Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 19th November 2021
Dear Parents,
Tuesday of this week was the International Day of Tolerance. Not that we require a single day to remind us of the importance of tolerance. Indeed, in a remarkable example of ‘whoops!’ programming on the part of the Headmaster, last week’s pastoral assembly given by Mr Hanson was on the theme ‘I am respectful and tolerant of those around me, even if I disagree with them’. We have frequent discussions here about what we really mean by ‘tolerance’ and whether there are better words like ‘understanding’ – they each have their strengths and limitations, and I am sometimes flummoxed by changing terminology that is arguably designed to bypass true tolerance and understanding. But the overall sense of striving for peaceful, productive and happy coexistence, the understanding of the benefits of that coexistence and the dangers when it falls away, continues as a valuable and vital thread of our education.
Examples of respect and tolerance frequently centre on faiths, cultures, lifestyles. But Mr Hanson reminded us that respect underpins – or should underpin – most of our day-to-day experiences, especially in a school: we show respect for other people’s opinions by not talking over them in class; we show respect for others and our surroundings by picking up our litter; and so on. Mr Hanson also reminded the boys that respect is in enshrined in their code of conduct, and indeed in colleagues’ dignity and respect policy. It applies to everyone in the community, even when emotions run high. It is also national anti-bullying week this week and – as above – every week is really (or should be) anti-bullying week, and issues of respect and understanding are key to educating people in appropriate ways to interact with one another, how to treat one another, and how to respond to them if they may be in some way different from you.
This was a topic discussed by Alastair Chirnside, the new Warden of St Edward’s, who spoke in our chapel service on Wednesday. He took as his theme the importance of kind and appropriate words: ‘As charcoal is to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body’. This was, he said, important not just in person, but also in the cyberworld, where interlocuters cannot see the body language reactions of one another while they furiously type. ‘For lack of wood the fire goes out’, he reminded us, so he talked about the importance of not adding that fire, of choosing our words and discussions carefully and temperately, whether in person or online.
Have a great weekend,
Matt Jenkinson
We have two new videos for you to enjoy this weekend. The first is our Year 7 and 8 performance of Julius Caesar, which took place in New College Chapel last week. The second is a fly-through of our new building, due for completion in the summer of 2023. (Please note that the walls won’t be yellow and the furniture will be different, but you’ll get a sense of the layout!): https://www.newcollegeschool.org/video-gallery
Well done to all of those boys who took part in our senior recitals on Wednesday evening. It was wonderful to be back in person for these, for the first time in a year and a half. We are looking forward to our junior recitals next Monday in the sports hall. Parking is available, first come first served, from 17.15 to allow boys to leave the playground safely after their activities. Please be very careful when parking on the playground, then departing at the ends of recitals, as there are likely to be boys around.
We are looking forward to our Year 6 parents’ evening on Wednesday 1 December. The official start time is 18.00 though a few colleagues may be available from slightly earlier if you would like to make an early start. We would very much appreciate it if parents could arrive in good time to make their way around by 20.00, to enable colleagues to get home at a sensible time. If there are any appointments which might require a longer slot than c.5 minutes, please could separate arrangements be made with individual teachers? Many thanks.
The NCSPA would like to remind you to bring any donations for the Christmas Fair toy tombola and secret present room to the school office any time in the next three weeks please.
Congratulations to NCS alum Hugh Cutting who has won the 2021 Kathleen Ferrier Award. Hugh is a countertenor and member of the Royal College of Music International Opera Studio. Following his time at NCS, he attended Abingdon School and then St John’s College, Cambridge.
From Mr Bishop: We have had a very busy couple of weeks on the sports fields with all of the prep school in action. The U8 and U9s boys all went over to Summer Fields on Tuesday last week and I was really happy to see some wonderful games of football from both age groups. I was particularly pleased to report that Henry T from Year 4 and Felix T from Year 3 were both voted player of the match by the opposition coaches. Following on from this we’ve begun the highly anticipated football house matches! This is always a highlight of Michaelmas and the boys have begun the games in their usual passionate manner. We had a good number of really entertaining games and as we moved on to the finals things got even more tense. A penalty shoot out in the U9s final saw the entire squads of both teams take a shot in a long ‘sudden death’. The eventual winners secured their victory with the captain, Eli, scoring the winning goal. We will wait with baited breath for the next round of matches from the upper school!
This week we played in a large block fixture against Cothill. It was a real pleasure to escort the U13s and U10 boys away to Cothill and the games were brilliant. The U13 2nd and 3rd teams played in mini triangular tournaments with the Cothill 2nd-5th teams and I was told by their coaches how well the boys played and in particular how hard they fought against tough opposition. Finn and Luca P were both singled out for the player of the match awards, so well done both. The first team, having beaten our hosts last time out in September, lost this latest encounter but not for the lack of fight and effort. As usual the boys played some really entertaining football and we were told by the Cothill parents that it was the highest quality match they’d watched all season long. Two goals from the penalty spot from Leo M and one outstanding strike from Timon means that those two boys are separated by a single goal in the race for the golden boot.
In the U10 and U11 games the boys gave brilliant performances and all the NCS teams improved on their performances from the last encounter. In the U10 games player of the match was Xander S in the A teams and Jack D in the B team. Max LL and Alex CB both deserve a special mention, though, after two strong performances. On the U11 pitches the games were very close until the latter stages. I’m sure that the boys will continue to work on their fitness at home as well as in Mr Mainstone’s fitness lessons to ensure they’re as strong as possible for the remainder of this season and of course for the upcoming hockey season. I’d like to end this week by wishing the U13 first team good luck for Sunday, when they are playing in the IAPS National Football Finals, leaving school at 6.45am!
Upcoming Events
Saturday, 20 November 2021
10.00 Orchestra workshop with Bjorn Bantock and Dominic Childs (Saturday Music School)
Monday, 22 November 2021
14:00 U13 B-D Football vs Cranford House, Home
17.30 Junior Recital Pt 1 (Years 3, 4 & 5), Sports Hall
Refreshments beforehand at 17.15
18.30 Junior Recital Pt 2 (Years 3, 4 & 5), Sports Hall
Refreshments beforehand at 18.15
Tuesday, 23 November 2021
14:00 U8&9 Football vs Sibford, Away
Wednesday, 24 November 2021
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: The Chaplain
8.15 Eco Committee meeting, library
14:00 U11 A&D Football vs Sibford, Away
16:30 Interschool debate (New College) with dinner (Y8)
17.30 Governors' Meeting, McGregor Matthews Room
Thursday, 25 November 2021
14:00 U8&9 Football Hour Match Finals, Home
Friday, 26 November 2021
14:00 U10&11 Football Hour Match Finals, Home
Monday, 29 November 2021
ABRSM exams to take place this week
14:00 U12&13 Football Hour Match Finals, Home
Tuesday, 30 November 2021
8.50-10.10 Carol service readers' rehearsal (chapel)
Onatti Theatre Company French Play performance Y7 & 8 (all PM)
Wednesday, 1 December 2021
9.00 Form period (no chapel)
14.00 onwards carol service practice (all PM)
18.00 Year 6 parents' evening
Thursday, 2 December 2021
14.00 Pre Prep Winter Concert, School Hall
Saturday, 4 December 2021
University Term ends
10.00 Music Scholars' Masterclass (Saturday Music School)