Dear Parents and Friends,

It has been great to see pupils and staff getting into the spirit of ‘work hard and be nice to people’ at Royal Russell this week and also to feel the rhythm of the new term becoming embedded.

At Assembly this afternoon, we celebrated the academic achievements of the Summer with the announcement of new Sixth Form Academic Scholars:

We also heard reports from the impressive start to the season made by our sports teams, in particular our success in the Independent Schools’ Football Association National six-a-side competitions, which we have won at U13, U15 and U18. Our Netball Academy has started their early morning training regime and we have a range of hockey fixtures and practices arranged for the weekend. A reminder that details of all fixtures, locations and team sheets can be found on our sport website at www.royalrussellsport.co.uk.

I was very pleased to announce success for a large group of pupils in their Music examinations taken at the end of the Summer Term, before Lucy Schofield performed ‘Wait a bit’ from the musical ‘Just So’.

Last week I spoke to all pupils about the qualities that I expect to see from them this year. I mentioned that I expected them to approach the challenges and opportunities available here with an open mind and a ‘give it a go’ attitude, or ‘growth mindset’. In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through effort, dedication and hard work. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.

I closed the assembly with a plug for the brilliant Channel 4 video trailer for the Paralympics. If you have not seen it, I encourage you to do so. C4 Rio Paralympics. The theme of the video is that with the right mindset and a ‘Yes I can’ approach, we can all grow to be successful in our lives. We finished our assembly this after-noon with a group affirmation that we are going to have a successful year by shouting, “YES WE CAN!”

Following on from the Activities Fair last week, our exciting programme of activities is now published. Please find attached with this newsletter a document detailing what is on offer during the week. The Geography and English department have already been busy with a Field Trip for Year 11 and a Sixth Form Theatre Trip to Pride and Prejudice.

For those pupils who need some flexibility in the morning, a Breakfast Club will start on Monday 26 September. Breakfast is available from 7.30am and should be booked in advance on a half-termly basis. There is a charge to cover this service equivalent to £3.75 per day. If you would like further details, please contact the Michele Morgan in the School Office: mmorgan@royalrussell.co.uk or 020 8657 4433. If pupils participate in an after-school activity, supper is available at 6.30pm. A booking system for supper is organised through Houses. There is no charge for supper, but children must sign in House on each day that they require this meal.

Finally, can I please remind you that Saturday 24th September is Open Morning when all pupils are expected to be in school from 8.00am until 1.30pm.

With best wishes,

Headmaster’s Weekly Newsletter

16 September 2016

Christos Christodoulides, Madden Meera Eldridge, Queen’s Jane Guo, Queen’s

Serena Kablan, Reade Jamie King, Cambridge Zijin Liu, Queen’s

Philippa Messent Watling, Reade Peter Nguyen Minh, St Andrew’s Sam Phillipson, Cambridge

Polina Podkovyrina, Queen’s Max Shirley, St Andrew’s

Chris Hutchinson Headmaster

From the Chapel

School Services

Such is the popularity of Chapel (or maybe the increased number of pupils), there are now three services each week - for Years 9 to 13 in two groups and for Years 7 and 8. In the first services we considered the importance of supporting each other in Chapel by actively participating as part of the Royal Russell family. This was illustrated near the pulpit by failure of some pupils to score football and netball goals, due to poor team effort, followed by the successful passing of a netball down the aisle to Rhys and Lucia, who scored goals by throwing the ball up to Mr Millward in the organ loft. Our Chapel is dedicated to St Christopher and the Infant Jesus. Christopher, which means Christ -bearer, was the name given to the legendary giant who carried the infant Jesus across a river. The blue-carpeted aisle, which is down three steps at both ends, represents that river. Swimming is not encouraged.

This Sunday 6.00 – 6.30 p.m. Holy Communion. Come and support our boarders!

Confirmation Pupils of Years 7 to 13 who are interested in the possibility of being confirmed in Chapel by a bishop of

the Church of England should tell the Chaplain as soon as possible [hkirk@royalrussell.co.uk]. Confirmation is for those who wish to partake in the adult life of the Church, including receiving the bread and wine of Holy Communion. Those who were baptized as infants make themselves the vows once made on their behalf by their godparents; those who have not been baptized make the vows and are baptized in the same service. Preparation for Confirmation involves weekly lunchtime meetings to learn of the Christian life and faith and some arranged visits to churches and cathedrals.

Answer to Chapel Quiz 81

A priest hole is the term given to a hiding place for a priest built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England in the 16th century when Catholics were persecuted by law in England.

Chapel Quiz 82 Which of the seven deadly sins is illustrated at this confessional? Prizes for pupils.

Residential Trip to Paris

Last July, thirty-three then Year 7 pupils were off to the French Capital for four days of a cultural and linguistic experience. We were staying at the Campus Sainte-Thérèse, a renowned French secondary school in the outskirts of Paris. Our students had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the French language during two morning classes with French teachers and received their certificate at the end of the stay with their own Paris cap. There were many opportunities to discover the Parisian monuments. Following a picnic by the river Seine, we went up the Eiffel Tower where the panoramic views of Paris were spectacular. This was followed by a cruise on the river Seine that gave us a sunny perspective on Notre-Dame, the Orsay Museum and the famous bridge where tourists from all over the world attach a padlock to symbolise their love and friendships. The group enjoyed an afternoon visit at the beautiful Château de Fontainebleau, set in a gorgeous park. This was an opportunity to discover one of the largest royal châteaux that is now a national museum and UNESCO World Heritage site. One of our evenings was spent at the Disney Village where all enjoyed a meal at the Planet Hollywood restaurant followed by a bit of shopping for souvenirs. For our last evening we had a meal at a restaurant by a horse manège, followed by a game of bowling in our local town. All in all this was a great trip, with a full programme of activities and with the sun shining throughout. Merci Paris!

Park Run Update It was great to see willing victims from Royal Russell school putting themselves through the Park Run at Lloyd Park on Saturday 10th September. Vlad Letchev was the first Royal Russell student to finish, with a sprint to the line, just outside of his personal best. Edward Lloyd entering his 6th race finished in 74th just 6 places behind Vlad. He also finished strongly and is determined to beat his personal best in the coming weeks. Fedor Sulitskiy competed in his 7th race and finished in a respectable 136th place. Fedor has made progressive improvements in his races around Lloyd Park Dhillon Sen, completing in his 12th race notched up a personal best time – well done Dhillon. Andrew Lister of Cambridge house also notched up a milestone competing in his 10th race. Well done to Andrew who has made significant improvements over the past year. Ella Jones also competed in her first race in a long time and used the event as preparation for beating her PB in the coming weeks – well done Ella. The staff were represented by Mr Parham (finishing 13th), Mr McKenna (finishing in 20th) and by Mrs Davenport who set herself a new personal best time in her 9th race. If you would like to participate in Park Run speak to Mr McKenna or Mr Parham and we will see you at Lloyd Park for a 9am race start. Martin Parham

Boarders Play Spy Games

On a sunny Sunday afternoon last week, our boarders took part in team building activities around the school grounds. The fun challenges were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Day Trip to Boulogne It was another bright and breezy start for the annual trip to Boulogne. Despite a 6:30 start, all students were on time and I have to congratulate the pupils for their punctuality throughout the day. With Mr Jewiss, Miss Clarke and Mr Tanner, we set off in weak sunshine, fingers crossed for a cheery day. Apart from some slightly hideous musical choices, quickly squashed by Miss Clarke, the journey went smoothly and France proved to be a bit sunnier than the UK, so hopes were high for some time on the beach. Boulogne is a lovely old walled town with quaint shops and cafés and, for once, no-one bought a beret! Clearly they are no longer de rigeur… Next came Nausicaa, the aquarium which gets larger every year – not only sea life but now penguins and reptiles, all beautifully cared for and displayed followed by half an hour on the beach and trying to avoid the temptation to buy a bucket and spade (what use would that be in Croydon?!). Finally we squeezed in a whole two hours’ shopping for last minute gifts and mementoes before returning to school.

Thank you to all of pupils for an excellent day.

Karen Palenski

Music Examination Success

Congratulations to the following students, who were successful in the ABRSM practical music

examinations taken in June 2016. Well done.

NAME YEAR/HOUSE

Robyn Copithorne Crainey for Grade 1 Jazz Piano with Distinction 9T/Buchanan

Naomi Wheeler for Grade 4 Singing 11/Buchanan

Orson Heath-Pampin for Grade 1 Piano 9Q/Cambridge

Lily Addis for Grade 6 Clarinet 12/Hollenden

Samuel Wyncoll for Grade 2 Piano 9S/Keable

Liam Smith for Grade 2 Singing 8Q/Madden

Nancy Burgess-Gibbs for Grade 2 Singing 7T/Reade

Ophelia Humphreys-Elvis for Grade 3 Horn in F 7T/Reade

Megan Driver for Grade 5 Singing 10/Reade

Melissa Skana for Grade 2 Piano 11/Reade

Francesca Pringle for Grade 8 Singing 13/Reade

Jaimin Suresh for Grade 2 Cello 11/St Andrew’s

Congratulations to the following students who were successful in the London College of Music,

Music Theatre examinations. Well done!

NAME YEAR/HOUSE

Lily Ray for Grade 2 with Distinction 7Q/Buchanan

Tehmeena Malik for Grade 2 with Distinction 7Q/Hollenden

Georgia Covill for Grade 7 with Distinction 13/Hollenden

Nikita Sood for Grade 5 with Distinction 10/Queen’s

Rebecca Woodham Grade 2 Distinction 7T/Reade

Jessie Hunt for Grade 5 with Distinction 10/Reade

Royal Russell is Infiltrating Croydon Minster! With the copious and ever increasing number of extra-curricular activities Royal Russell offers, it is hard to imagine having the time to look further afield. However a brave few (both staff and students!) are branching out into the wider Croydon community. I am pleased to announce that Lily Addis has been awarded a Choral Scholarship at Croydon Minster, which is a senior position within the girl choir members at the church. It requires a considerable amount of dedication; for example this term, Lily will be required to attend at least three rehearsals and or services per week, although occasionally this increases to five or six! As well as demonstrating participation in the wider Croydon area, it also allows Royal Russell School to prove our singing abilities against other local schools, who at the moment provide the majority of choir members. If any young singers feel they have the time for such a considerable commitment, contact the organist and choirmaster Mr R Krippner through the Minster website. However, you may run into one of the teachers as well….

Miss R Bainbridge

Available now from the School Library (and book retailers from the 22nd September) Like Sophocles or Shakespeare, David Bowie speaks to us through the mouths of the diverse characters he created. To decipher his real message is therefore always controversial. In David Bowie and Philosophy, sixteen philosophers give us their acute and intimate explanations of Bowie’s many-sided creative accomplishments. The book includes an essay by Mr Muchall from the Theology and Philosophy department at Royal Russell on the influence of

Buddhist philosophy on Bowie’s songwriting.

Footballers Win 3 National Titles in a Week! U18 ISFA National Sixes

Following an extensive pre-season, 9 senior pupils embarked on the long journey to Bolton School on Saturday afternoon to participate in the Complete Sports Solutions ISFA National Sixes. Last year we reached the semi-finals and we were earmarked from the outset as one of the favourites to lift the crown this year. We won our group with 5 wins out of 5 and qualified for the quarter finals as the only team to achieve maximum possible points from their respective group. Bede’s school were our opponents in the Quarter Finals and after a cagey opening half we stepped up after the break eventually winning 2-0 – particular mention to Mothibi Penn-Kekana who produced a colossal defensive performance. Charterhouse were next up in the semi-final and we brushed them aside 2-0 – special mention to Sam Johnson who scored an incredible individual goal early on. Our final opponents were Hampton whom we had already beaten 3-0 in our group. The boys were full of confidence and following an early Sam Johnson goal Hampton were reduced to 5 men following a cynical foul. We managed to see out the game adding icing to the cake with yet another Sam Johnson goal. No school has ever won the ISFA 6s in such a convincing style by winning every single match possible

U15 Ibstock Place National Sixes

On Thursday 8th September Royal Russell took an U15 squad to participate in the Ibstock Place 6-a-side

competition. After topping our group with 4 wins out of 4, we cruised through to the semi-final against John Lyon school. They proved to be far more difficult opponents and we won the game 1-0 following some excel-lent play from Liam Thomas and Ayomide Ajibola. Our opponents for the final were previous National Champions Ardingly College. After taking the lead through Liam Thomas, Ardingly equalised from the penalty spot to take the game to extra time. It only took a few moments for Royal Russell to score the winning goal through Jordan Harrison to lift the Na-

tional trophy.

On Monday 12th, we took 9 pupils to Ibstock Place to defend the title we won last year. After winning our group with 4 wins and 1 draw, we cruised through three knockout games to reach the final against Ib-stock Place.

U13 Ibstock Place National Sevens

From the Sport Department In House Sport on Thursday we played the Junior and Senior boys’ football preliminary matches. Oxford v Cambridge and St Andrew’s v Keable. Two high quality games ensured that a decent crowd were entertained from start to finish. In the Junior match Oxford progressed after winning 5-2 thanks to a couple of long range efforts from Jake and Ryan and stalwart defending. While in the Senior match St Andrew’s finally got the better of a talented Keable side, 5-3. Keable led 3-1 at half time thanks in no small part to a wonder strike from half-way. But in the second half, St Andrew’s defended deep and hit hard on the counter. Next Thursday (22nd September) will be the Junior football semis, Madden v St Andrews’ and Keable v Oxford. On North pitches. The following week (29th September) we will go with the senior football semis. Madden v Cambridge and St Andrews v Oxford. The girls have their first competition, Junior and Senior football on the astro. In PE Games this week classes have been organised and activities chosen. In fitness testing there were some excellent results with Reanna recording 3:06 secs for 20m and netball scholars Rosharna and Khalia jumping 60 cms on vertical leap.

Hockey

It has been a great start to the Hockey season with record numbers choosing to play Hockey in both Games lessons and at clubs! We are looking forward to seeing what are new U12 Girls teams have to offer and seeing U13 Girls back in action against St John’s Leatherhead and Woldingham respectively on Saturday. Secondly, a huge congratulations to both Jas Palmer-Garrick and Alistair Haslam in Year 10 for gaining a place in the regional Hockey squads. They will be playing in 2 competitions over the next couple of weeks to try and gain a place in the England Hockey High Performance centres. Both have been working very hard on their performances so a big well done for getting this far and good luck for the competitions.

Photo: part of the Year 10 GCSE group

doing interval work.

Look on Twitter for a video!

@RRS_Sport

Final Call for OPRO

Mouthguards

If you would like a custom mouthguard fit-ted, OPRO are here on Monday.

From The 1853 Society

Annual General Meeting of The 1853 Society

The Committee herby gives notice of the Annual General Meeting of The 1853 Society (Royal Russell Parents’ Association) to be held on Thursday 6th October at 7pm. The Agenda includes: Chairman’s and Treasurer’s Report on the year 2015/2016

Election of Committee Members

Election of Officers

Each year the Committee and Officers are re-elected, and this year there are a number of vacancies on the Committee (Trustees of the Charity), due to individuals who have not sought re-election. Parents and guardians of children at Royal Russell are automatically members of the 1853 Society and any member of The 1853 Society is entitled to stand for the Committee. If you are interested in supporting The 1853 Society, however not sure about becoming a full Committee member or are not a member, you may be Co-opted to the Committee. In either case we would be delighted to hear from you, please either contact Nigel Haigh, Chair, 1853society@royalrussell.co.uk or Valika Eden, Secretary, valede2009@hotmail.co.uk Following the election of Members, The Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary are appointed for the following year. Officers may seek re-election and this year we will be seeking a new Chair, however nominations for all roles are welcome. In the event there is more than one nomination for any specific role a vote will take place at the meeting. If anyone is interested in finding out any more please contact Nigel Haigh, Chair by email at 1853society@royalrussell.co.uk or Valika Eden, Secretary valede2009@hotmail.co.uk All nomination forms for any role must be received by Friday the 30th September and sent by email to Valika Eden valede2009@hotmail.co.uk or by post or handed in to the School Reception, to Valika Eden, Secretary, The 1853 Society c/o Royal Russell School. The Nomination Forms are on our website and can be found here. More information on what we do and how we go about things is on our website: www.royallrussell.co.uk/Parents-Association

Main Events for the Diary: AGM: Thursday 6th October 2016

Christmas Fair; Saturday 26th November 2016

Quiz Night: Saturday 4Th February 2017

Comedy Night: Saturday 18th March 2017

Autumn Ball: October 2017

Nigel Haigh, Chair

@RRS_MusicDept

@RoyalRussellMUN

@RRS_Library

Uniform Shop

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email: ccampbell@royalrussell.co.uk

Royal Russell School

Coombe Lane : Croydon : Surrey : CR0 5RF

www.royalrussell.co.uk Patron: Her Majesty The Queen

Diary Dates

Sunday 20 September Boarders’ Activity - Abseiling

Monday 19 September Academy Netball Parents' Drop-in Pavilion 5.30pm

Monday 19 September CCF Information Evening Auditorium 7.00pm

Tuesday 20 September Year 9 Drama Performance Auditorium 10.00am

Wednesday 21 September MUN World Aims Trip

Saturday 24 September CCF National First Aid Competition

Saturday 24 September Reigate Grammar School MUN Conference

Saturday 24 September Open Morning - all pupils required 8.00am to 1.30pm

If you have any uniform or sports kit that no longer fits your child, please consider donating this to the uniform

shop . We are also delighted to accept sports equipment

such as hockey sticks and shin pads.

Donations can be left in the storage box outside the

Coach House Shop, adjacent to the car park.

Uniform Shop

Car Park