ÖÆ·þÓÕ»ó

In response to the last challenge, pupils and staff have chosen a film of their choice and portrayed it in a manner of the choosing: photograph, art, music and drama.

Assembly to the students in Ralegh on the experiences of lockdown.

During these strange and unprecedented times, @ÖÆ·þÓÕ»ó_PhysEd have been finding innovative ways of keeping the boys physically active and challenged during lockdown.

We have combined challenges from both the Healthy Active Lifestyles (HAL) units, and the Sports Skill Development (SSD) units too.

The challenges and activities are uploaded onto Microsoft Teams ready for 9am on Monday mornings, with the idea that students should attempt to complete them by the 4pm on the Friday of that week – these activities can be done during their allocated PE lesson, but if this is not feasible, then they can be done at some stage during the week to fit in around your other commitments.

We have had a range of fun fitness games such as: Connect 4, Fitness Bingo, Phone Number Fitness, Roll the Dice, Spell your name Fitness, and of course many variations of the Joe Wicks’ Daily Workout. We have also had ‘Beat the Teacher’ Video Challenges, such as ‘SPL’s Plank Challenge’, ‘BRP’s Hand-Eye Coordination Challenge’, ‘CPP’s Football Challenge’, ‘AJL’s Basketball Challenge’, ‘SKA’s Wembley Distance Challenge’, ‘BRP’s 2020 Skills Lockdown Challenge’, and ‘MPH’s Operation Red & Blue Challenge’.

On the whole, boys have engaged very well in the program, and we have seen aspects of cricket, football, tennis, rugby, table tennis, badminton, rounders, golf, trampolining, running, cycling, walking, surfing, basketball, water skiing, paddleboarding, frisbee, badminton, rowing and swimming all attempted. Check out the short video montage for a selection of some of the activities that boys have been up to during lockdown!

Anything that you may wish to do to supplement these challenges, that falls into the government guidelines for exercise and maintaining social distancing, will be of great benefit to you in terms of maintaining your physical and mental health and well-being moving forwards.

Stay safe, and keep smiling – if you need any help, we are just a message away! We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

We are aware of a number of campaigns about the ÖÆ·þÓÕ»ó house names, and fully understand the justifiable strength of feeling.

Equality for all is at the heart of our school ethos; this conversation is very timely as, in line with recent events, we have been in active discussions regarding the issue and will be consulting with students, staff, parents and the wider school community on the names of our houses as we move forward.

This is the next episode of the Frobisher Isolation trilogy, the Tea bag trick shot. We hope you enjoy and thank you to all the Frobisher Team members that took part.

You are a large part of what makes Frobisher such a strong team. The final challenge will be posted soon and we hope that even more of you will get involved. Stay safe and hopefully see you soon.
Mrs J

ÖÆ·þÓÕ»ó, Davys House online assembly about lockdown experiences

Having been in ‘lockdown’ since March, as assembly for Davys House seemed long overdue. In a slightly different setting and format, here is what I hope is just the first online assembly.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the challenge,  I think it was a great success and I hope you enjoyed getting involved, I enjoyed watching every single entry.

The next challenge will be posted on Wednesday so keep an eye out for the next chance to win prizes and show your team spirit.

Joel Stephen, a member of MedSoc, is spearheading an effort to help raise funds to support the Doctors’ Hardship Fund which is aimed at helping doctors who are struggling through the pandemic.

This is a fantastic effort for anyone who is interested to support. MedicMentor, the organising body writes:
‘Volunteering as a campaigner is a fantastic way to support doctors safely from home! We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers who can raise awareness through a variety of ways, such as emailing teachers, friends and family or via existing social media channels that you already have access to.’

If you are eager to help out you can visit:
Not only is this a great effort to be involved in, but it can also be counted toward CAS for IB students and wider experience for aspiring medics and vets.

Remember, with any volunteering you decide to undertake you need to ensure that all social distancing and safety rules will be adhered to and the organising charity will accept people under 18 years of age.

Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so at:

West Side Story

As the clear up comes to an end and the Centenary Hall is back to normal, it is hard to believe that only a few weeks ago it transported us to the streets of New York for this year’s whole school musical, West Side Story.

Trying to pick something to match the success of Les Misérables last year, was a tall order, and the production team knew West Side Story was going to be tricky, being full of dance, the hardest musical score of the genre, and the emotional turmoil of the story. However, the over 120 students involved in this huge production rose to the challenge, and the school staged an incredible, sell-out immersive performance week at the beginning of March, so much so that some of the audience even came to all four nights.

To house such a big cast, and huge dance numbers, this year’s musical was performed in-the-round, with set pieces and even street lighting all around the hall, allowing the two rival gangs of ‘Americans’ and ‘Puerto Rican’ immigrants to play out Bernstein, Sondheim and Laurents’ take on Shakespeare’s beloved Romeo and Juliet. The audience enjoyed sitting around the action, and being able to get a close–up view of the energetic and complex iconic dances from the show.

This was a real show-case of talents both on and off stage. The orchestra was noted to be the best-sounding ever, the stage crew worked hard to bring New York to reality in the space, and all the cast showed huge commitment rehearsing multiple times each week from September to develop their skills acting in different directions, and of course memorising all the dance moves! There was even a marching brass band in the midst of one of the whole-cast dance numbers.

The leads were particularly exceptional this year, and the quality of singing and stage presence brought by Tony (Charlie Epps) and Maria (Avalon Vowles), along with Anita (Matilda Nicholls) and Riff (Robert Harrison) was incredible, being full of emotion and character. It is worth noting all the lead Jets too (Nathan Gribbin, Rupert Hill, James Gibbs, George Menter, Oscar Garbett, David Cooper, Guy Lewis and Josh Escott) who, opposite the Sharks (Jonathan Chant-Stevens, Austin Incles, Hugo Hedges, Arthur Sloggett, Sophie Chamberlain and Jasmine Smale) all worked hard to develop a gritty presentation of 1950s’ street-gang life.

Despite the achievement of such an inspiring performance, the end of the show brings a sadness for many involved. After nearly two-terms’ work, participation requires such a commitment of time and emotion that there can be a sense of loss when it is over. However, what is left behind is perhaps even more inspiring than the show itself: the memories and friendships, along with the skills, resilience and team-spirit of all involved will last a lifetime. And, of course, it won’t be long before we start planning next year’s spectacle!