Weekly Newsletter - Shebbear College

12th February 2016
Issue No 96
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Our Poland trip group in front of the Wawel Royal Palace in Krakow this week.
Dear Parents,
So we have almost reached half time in the school year. Clive
Woodward, England’s World Cup winning rugby coach, always
advocated changing shirts and concentrating on winning the
second half as well.
A triumph this week has been the Upper School trip to Poland
organised by Mark Charman. Many students have already
described this to me as the best school trip they have ever been
on. Although its timing has not been ideal for Form Five I think
the experience of visiting sites so associated with the Holocaust
will help shape the lives of those who took part and we will aim to
repeat this in a few year’s time. In the meantime I think Mark might
need to have a rest next week.
Other triumphs this week include Ella Thomas who has been
awarded a gap year placement at Geelong Grammar - the school
attended by Prince Charles in Australia. This is a tremendous
honour for Ella and she will be a great gappy. Rob Temple (Form
Five) also showed what he is made of this week by taking Chapel
- he had everyone listening intently to his wise words. I encourage
others to follow suit.
So please enjoy the break. Don’t forget Valentine’s Day and see
you in a week. The Sixth Form Centre will be opened during the
first week back so we are all very excited.
Simon Weale
News from the Prep School
Dear Parents,
Monday was an exciting day in Pre-Prep 2 when the children joined
in with the celebrations for Chinese New Year. The class began by
listening to the enchanting story behind the famous Willow pattern
which appears on Chinese ceramics; the two doves flying high
in the blue moonlit sky symbolising Koong-She and Chang. The
children went on to create their own Willow pattern plates, including
many of the images they had seen in the book. Next, the classroom
was awash with red as the children each painted a flag of China,
learning how highly regarded the colour red is to the Chinese nation,
representing as it does both power and prosperity.
12th February 2016
Issue No 96
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Later the class designed their own dragons, with Mandarin numbers
from one to ten written along their bodies. They then heard the story
of the twelve animals that represent each year of the Chinese Zodiac.
It is believed that the order originates from the story of a race across
the river to the Emperor. We are now in the year of the monkey.
separating sand from pebbles and stones, the vinegar and scratch
tests, as well as learning a whole new ‘rock vocabulary’.
As is the tradition, the children gave each other gifts of a red
money envelope containing chocolate. The climax of the day was
a traditional Chinese banquet with noodles, prawn crackers, soy
sauce, all eaten of course with chopsticks. There was plenty of
giggling as the children endeavoured to master the skill and this
proved to be a fitting end to the celebrations.
Staying with Pre Prep 2, Mrs Kirby received a lovely email this week
from the parents of Bella Morris, who said that Bella had enjoyed her
cookery lesson with Mrs Kirby so much that she had gone home and
insisted on making more pizza with her mum for their dinner that night.
Continuing on the science theme from my last newsletter, Prep 3 this
week were involved in a carousel of experimentation and investigation
with their current topic all about rocks and rock formation. The tasks
included observing rocks and fossils using hand lenses, sieving and
As promised in last week’s newsletter I must now report on the
outstanding performances of our cross-country running team in
both the St Petroc’s race meeting last Friday and then in the final
12th February 2016
Issue No 96
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Gliddon and Squire race of the season at West Buckland on Sunday.
Unfazed by the ‘challenging’ weather conditions on both days, all
our runners did us proud, as indeed they have done throughout the
season. However, I must highlight the achievements of Alfie Sealey
in Prep 3 in particular. Alfie, who is reasonably new to this sport,
is proving to be quite a star. On Friday he shocked us all (himself
included!) with an impressive 2nd place finish in a field of over 100
runners and then followed this up on Sunday by finishing 4th in a
strong field of boys, many of whom train and run at the North Devon
Athletics Club.
There was further success in sports fixtures this week for both our
U9 netball and football teams who returned victorious from their
away fixtures at St Joseph’s in Launceston.
Our football team won two of their three matches played in their
‘round robin’ tournament. Every player gave their all, but it was
Sebastian Crookes who caught Mr Willett’s eye on this occasion
with his enthusiasm and excellent passing. A comprehensive 13-1
victory for the girls was indication of just how well they played. Mrs
Johnstone was once again full of praise for the team’s effort and
application, with Demelza Short and Savannah Whitechurch once
again driving the team on with their impressive play.
This week has also seen some personal sporting successes. We are
very proud of Luke Honey in Year 6, who has obtained his brown belt
grading in Ju-jitsu. As well as attending our popular Martial Arts Club
here at Shebbear, Luke has been part of his local club for a number
of years now.
Maddie Lovett in Prep 4 also continued the run of success we are
having with our club swimmers here in the Prep School. Maddie took
part in the SLC Cornish Championships on Saturday. Maddie swam
in a number of races throughout the day and we are extremely proud
of her.
Finally, for those of you that are able to enjoy a break over half term,
I hope you all have a relaxing and fun-filled time and I look forward
to seeing you all, batteries recharged, on Monday 22nd February.
Pancaking in Pyke!
Pancake Day has been celebrated by Britons for centuries.
Also known as Shrove Tuesday (from the word shrive meaning
‘absolve’), it is the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day
of Lent.
Mike Furber
Prep (Homework) Club
Prep Club is starting after half term and will run every lunchtime
from 12.40 - 1.30pm in Mrs Lovett’s classroom accompanied by a
member of staff. All pupils are welcome to attend to do their prep.
This is a voluntary lunchtime activity.
Fran Lovett
Annual Schools Exhibition at Burton Gallery
The Annual Schools Exhibition (above right) has opened at the
Burton Art Gallery in Bideford. Shebbear College is well represented
from Year Three Prep to Sixth Form and as always there is a fun and
interesting mix from other schools in the area as well. It’s well worth
a visit, and the cafe is great for a treat or lunch.
The Burton Gakllery is open Monday to Saturday, 10.00am - 4.00pm
and 10.30am - 4.00pm on Sundays. The exhibition runs until Monday
14th March.
Dixie Wahl
Traditionally, pancakes were eaten on this day to use up rich,
indulgent foods like eggs and milk before the forty day fasting
for Lent began. Although it is enshrined in Christian tradition,
Pancake Day may originate in a pagan holiday, when change in
the seasons was celebrated. The hot, round pancakes symbolised
the sun and by eating pancakes, people believed that they got the
power, light and warmth of the sun. On the last day of Maslenitsa
12th February 2016
Issue No 96
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
week (the celebration of the arrival of spring) some pancakes and
other food were burnt on a bonfire as a sacrifice to the Pagan
gods.
Here in Pyke there were no pancakes left for the Pagan god
Jarilo, the god of springtime, at the end of our Pancaking in
Pyke evening! The boys had a great time filling pancakes with
chocolate, honey, golden syrup, lemon, sugar, bananas and
marshmallow spread! Skilfully taught by Mr Relf, the boys had
a go, tossing, throwing and flinging pancakes as high as they
could. However, I think the boys enjoyed eating them more than
cooking them!
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
one into a cool pan they all had a turn at tossing one before
choosing a filling ready to eat at break, although they didn’t all
end up back in the pan!
Jacqueline Biddlecombe
Boarding at Shebbear is a happy, busy, enjoyable experience
and we welcome younger boys into Pyke house.
Would you like your son to
experience boarding life at Pyke?
We have a flexible approach to our boarding provision; whether
regularly each week or the occasional evening, your son will
be welcomed into Pyke as one of the family and will have the
opportunity to take part in our full activities programme. Contact
Miss O’Shaughnessy if you would like your son to be part of our
junior boarding community.
Marie O’Shaughnessy
Midsummer Ball 2016
Tickets for the much anticipated Midsummer Ball are now oDon’t
miss out, it is set to be a superb event. See the page at the end of
this newsletter for full details.
Celebration Time in Pre-Prep 1
The children in Pre-Prep 1 celebrated two different customs this
week. On Monday they were visited by two of our boarders, who
told them all about celebrating Chinese New Year. Each child was
given a mask, kindly made by one of our boarders, to represent
the year of the monkey. Time was spent listening to the story
of how each animal represents a different year in the Chinese
calendar and they were able to role play the story of the animals
crossing the river. The children all tried using chop sticks to eat
noodles for break, made lanterns and also lucky envelopes which
held a nice chocolate surprise for when they got home.
The following day they learnt about Shrove Tuesday and Lent,
and discussed the nice things they would give up and go without.
Lots of fun was had making pancakes and after transferring each
Full details and the ticket order form can be found at:
www.midsummerball.co.uk
Celebrating 175 Years of Shebbear College and hosted by The
Friends of Shebbear College and The Old Shebbearians’ Association,
the black tie event will be held in a grand marquee in the grounds
of the College. Welcome drinks will be at 6.30pm and there will be
a Champagne bar and three course gourmet meal from Dartmoor
Kitchen, followed by a prize draw and charity auction. Live music will
be provided by ‘Joey the Lips’.
Tickets are priced at £75.00 per head and tables of ten are available.
There are also opportunities to support the event and raise
awareness for your business as a sponsor or by donating prizes for
the charity auction and prize draw. If you are interested in becoming
a sponsor please email Rebecca Weale on
[email protected]
12th February 2016
Issue No 96
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Poland Trip
I would like to thank all 30 pupils who attended the trip for their
excellent conduct throughout and their respectful behaviour when it
was needed. Thank you all also for the wonderful gifts and personal
messages about what the experience meant for you. Thanks also to
Simon Bee, Eve Blundell, Mandy Bee and Dorota Charman for all
their help.
There will be a full report about the trip in the next newsletter.
Mark Charman
Sainsbury’s Active Kids
Active Kids is currently running in Sainsbury’s stores and will
continue until 3rd May. If you visit Sainsbury’s during the next few
months, please collect the vouchers and send them to Mrs Goode
in our Prep School, so that she can exchange them for Sports and
cooking equipment. Thank you.
What’s on ...
Monday 22nd February
Fairtrade Fortnight begins
Thursday 25th February
Form 1 Parents Evening, Assembly Hall, 5.15pm
Friday 26th February
LAMDA Exams - Kingsley School
Saturday 27th February
EuroDisney Trip Departs
Sunday 28th February
Boarders’ Go-Karting
School Play Rehearsal, 10.00 - 5.00pm
Football
U15 Football v Budehaven School
On cold and blustery afternoon at the seaside in Bude the boys
started poorly and were 2-0 behind within 5 minutes. After the third
goal went in, a stroke of luck and the reactions of a gazelle saw the
opposition goalkeeper drop the ball and Alex Watling score a welldeserved tap in. The second half was similar to the first with lots of
good passing from both sides but with Shebbear unable to trouble
the Budehaven keeper. With five minutes left Alessandro Aliberti
finished off a neat one two with Stuart Williams, the ball ending up
nestled in the bottom right hand corner. Unfortunately the 6-2 defeat
was cemented in the final minute as Budehaven scored directly from
a corner kick with the help of the wind.
Arron Steel
175 Years Celebration
To commemorate our 175th year we have a small range of souvenir
products on sale, comprising a hoodie, teddy bear, and a mug. A
letter and order form have been sent home with all pupils and the
products are on display in the Dining Hall.
Full details, photos and order form can also been found at:
https://shebbearcollege175.wordpress.com/shop-2/
To place an order, please complete the form and return it to the
Registrar’s office. Please mark it for attention of Mark Charman.
Closing date for orders is Friday 18th March.
Just three matches this week which saw a creditable 1-1 draw for
the U14s against Budehaven with the only goal coming from Sophie
Gillies and two defeats - the U15s 6-2 at Budehaven and the 1st XI,
missing four first choice players, going down 4-0 to a strong Plymouth
College side. Having conceded a sloppy goal in the first minute, the
boys competed well for the rest of the first half with the back four
generally in control. However, another goal conceded just before half
time meant that it would be an uphill struggle in the second half. A
controversial third goal just about ended the match as a contest, but
the team never gave up and Felix Rosales in particular, making his
first start for the 1st XI, was outstanding in defence.
Andy Bryan
12th February 2016
Issue No 96
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
Picture this ... Krakow, Poland
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
12th February 2016
Issue No 96
Weekly Newsletter from the Headmaster
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Picture this ... Auschwitz Camp I, Birkenau and with Holocaust survivor Monika Goldwasser
Shebbear College, Shebbear, Beaworthy, Devon EX21 5HJ Telephone: 01409 282001
www.shebbearcollege.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
175
SHEBBEAR COLLEGE
MIDSUMMER BALL
25th June 2016
Celebrating 175 Years of Shebbear College
Hosted by The Friends of Shebbear College and The Old Shebbearians’ Association
A grand marquee in the grounds of Shebbear College
Welcome drinks at 6.30pm
Champagne bar
3 course gourmet meal from Dartmoor Kitchen
Prize draw & charity auction
Live music from ‘Joey the Lips’
Carriages 1.00am
Dress Code: Black Tie
Tickets: £75.00 per Head, Tables of 10 available
To book:
www.midsummerball.co.uk
or email [email protected]
For sponsorship and advertising please email [email protected]