Dear Parents and Guardians,
RE: FROM THE RECTOR’S DESK
As we head into the half term, we are very mindful of the bus accident that has impacted so heavily on the Falcon community. Given our shared history, we share in their grief, and we extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the O’Donovan family. To those injured, both physically and emotionally, we pray for their healing and restoration to full health. As a school, we continue to be prayerful, for the Falcon family, as they wrestle with the events of last weekend.
As the first half of the term comes to a close our academic programme shifts in gear with the start of the mid-year “Mock Examinations” next week. There has, this year, been a renewed emphasis on academic rigour in the school, and to this end I commend the Director of Studies, Mr Ndlovu, and Mrs Scott Elliot, Director of Academic Advancement, for the work they have done, both in the Staff Development space and in the Academic Support programme. Through Heads of Department, we have invested considerable time into Curriculum Development and into providing pupils with more access to academic support. Equally, we have raised the bar in terms of our expectations by reviewing classroom practise and the management of evening prep sessions. The introduction of Elevate Study Skills last year has added another dimension to the way in which the boys’ approach the way in which they learn. With this in mind, half term is an important time for all our public examination candidates to consolidate and fine tune their preparations for the mid-year examinations. It is my sincere hope that these examinations will provide an excellent opportunity for benchmarking in preparation for the end of this year. Whilst on the topic of examinations, the second half of term also sees the Common Entrance Assessment for the 2025 D Block intake. These are set for Saturday 6 July.
During the course of the past week, Cambridge acknowledged their outstanding 2023 examination candidates. Congratulations to David Weller as Top in Zimbabwe for Design and Technology. In AS English Language, Kupakwashe Msemburi was also Top in Zimbabwe. Lastly, Aneni Chigwedere was Top in Zimbabwe for AS English Literature.
It has, in many ways, been a successful half of term and I would like to extend my very sincere thanks to you for your support of all our endeavours thus far. The support for our sports teams has been fantastic and all our teams have shown great tenacity and courage over the course of the term. Nevertheless, I do want to address the issue of fair play and sportsmanship. We have a very proud tradition of being highly competitive in the sporting arena but, in so doing, we also strongly believe in playing the game fairly, understanding that sport is an educational process where sportsmanship and humility are keys to success. The school will not hesitate to act upon situations where our expectations are compromised. Equally, it is important to recognise, as adults, that we to have a significant role to play in supporting our players. Many years ago, a colleague of mine lamented that winter sports often “brought the best and worst out of players and spectators”. At Peterhouse, it is our desire that it brings out the best in both player and spectator!
During the course of the term many of our visitors have commented on the beauty of our grounds. This has not happened by accident and Keith Adams, Charles Bezuidenhout, and their incredible Estate teams, are deserving of special mention. Notwithstanding these amazing facilities, it never ceases to astound me how, after sports fixture, the campus is left with a substantial litter problem, despite the fact that we now have more than enough bins (kindly donated by Fuchs). I would ask that, in setting an example for our pupils, we work to reduce the amount of litter. After the recent St John’s fixture, the Estates team spent four hours on Sunday morning tidying the litter on the fields. We are blessed with amazing facilities and we need to look after them.
A weekend without sport will provide all our pupils with a well-earned break. I hope the break in routine will provide you with a great opportunity to catch up, and a chance to recharge the batteries for the next six weeks of term.
With warm regards,
Jon Trafford
Rector
