Dear Parents and Guardians,
RE: FROM THE RECTOR’S DESK
We are less than a month away from the end of term, the onset of the Christmas holiday, and the end of the school year! Not only has the term passed in a blur but so has the year. One is acutely reminded of this in our celebrations last week with Speech Days on both the Girls’ and Boys’ school campuses. It is
always good to be able to reflect on the year and to have an opportunity to highlight and profile the achievements of all the pupils in the school. To those parents who attended Speech Day, thank you for joining us as we were able to acknowledge achievement and hard work. As with tradition we were fortunate to have engaging speakers. Ms Rachel Adams, a Rhodes/Mandela Scholar, made a powerful presentation on attitude and the easy pitfalls that we fall into when faced with challenge and uncertainty. Her message will have resonated with her audience, and I hope that the 2023 Leavers will, on embarking on their post-school journey, take her advice to heart.
In the Boys’ School we paid tribute to Mr Paul Davis, outgoing Headmaster of Ruzawi. Paul has been very much part of the Marondera education space
for over thirty years and he will certainly leave a lasting legacy in generations of young men and women with whom he shared his leadership. His message of HOPE (Humility; Opportunity; Prayer and Enjoyment) will have certainly resonated with those in the Chapel last Sunday.
Alongside Speech Day, the Board of Governors gathered for their last meeting of the year. It has been a remarkable year insomuch as many of their strategic plans have come to fruition. Both the Astroturf and new pool have been completed and are in full use. Additionally, the school has also launched the Crown
Foundation, a project which will provide the school with a more secure and sustainable financial model in the longer term. The St Peter’s Wall has also been completed in front of the Chapel: Facing the Great Court this granite wall adds a new dimension to this area of the school. Initiated by Petreans, the St
Peter’s Wall will further add to the richness of our school culture and history. The Board also bid Rupert Pennant-Rae farewell, after over thirty years as a school Governor. Rupert retires having served this school with great distinction. His wisdom and influence have helped steer us through some turbulent
times and we will certainly miss his thoughtful and sage advice in navigating the space that is Zimbabwean independent schools.
The examinations continue with the whole school now involved in this end of year assessment cycle. The internal examinations at the Boys’ School started last Monday and continue into next week. The results will be a good benchmarking exercise with respect to academic progress this year. For the Cambridge
candidates their examinations are past the halfway mark and in some cases (at A Level) they will conclude in the week ahead. During the course of this week the Girls’ School held their Leavers’ Service; it was a moving and emotional occasion. The Boys’ School will celebrate our Leavers’ Service on Sunday 12 November.
Next weekend will also see the last phase in the process of appointing the new leadership in the school for 2024. The final part of this journey takes place in Gosho Park (Girls) and Calderwood Park (Boys). This is a challenging and exciting time for the Vth Form and we look forward to announcing the new
leadership in Assembly on 14 November.
A reminder that the Parents’ Association AGM will be held at Hartmann House on Thursday 9 November at 18h00.
In closing, we wish our U14 boys’ water polo side every success on their tour to South Africa this weekend. Hosted by Highbury, outside Durban, this festival will offer our players a real opportunity to prove themselves alongside some of the stronger sides in Kwa-Zulu Natal. They go into this festival having played some excellent water polo at Falcon last weekend. To A Block parents, I remind you that on the completion of the IGCSE examinations they will head to Nyanga for their A Block journey. This trip forms an important part of our leadership programme and it is imperative that the A Block participate in this outdoor experience.
With warm regards,
Jon Trafford
Rector