Dear Parents and Guardians,
RE: FROM THE RECTOR’S DESK
The Easter holiday is upon us and as you open this correspondence your children will either be at home or certainly on their way home. While it has been a short term, we have been able to pack in all the normal Lent Term functions and activities. I have no doubt that your children will be feeling quite fatigued and are looking forward to the break away from school routines. On reflection, it has been a good term and there have been many successes at both an individual and group level.
Perhaps the highlight of the last three weeks has been the performances of our musicians at the NIAA Eisteddfod in Harare. Both in the instrumental and choral sections our entrants have performed well and walked away with a number of accolades and trophies. On Monday evening the Highlights Concert in the Chapel showcased the best of our performances. What an evening it was, profiling some incredible talent and ability. With seven trophies and a clutch of Honours certificates, the Music School can be incredibly proud of its 2024 achievements. Next term we welcome the return of the London College of Music examiners and, once again, look forward to producing some good results. If music is the benchmark for success, we are certainly in a very good space.
This past weekend saw considerable activity on our campuses. On the sporting front, we hosted a strong U15 touring squad from Dubai. They participated in a festival of short game rugby on Sunday. With St John’s, Watershed and Wise Owl we enjoyed some excellent pre-season rugby. Our visitors from the UAE were impressed by the school and the levels of competition exhibited by all the Zimbabwe schools. Perhaps the highlight of the day was our U14’s securing a well-deserved and narrow victory over the Dubai Sharks – hopefully a taste for things to come! Our athletes, both from Peterhouse Girls and Peterhouse Boys, were in action at the Lomagundi Invitation Championship. Congratulations to the Girls on winning this highly competitive event.
In keeping with tradition, the last Sunday of the Lent Term is Petrean Day. This year it was celebrated at Peterhouse Girls. As always, the Petreans put on a host of very competitive sports teams. The spoils of the day were shared between the Petreans and current teams. Thanks go to all the Petreans who made the journey out to the school – it was so good to see so many of you here, thank you for continuing to show your support for Peterhouse. At the AGM, prior to all the sporting activity, Mr Gordon Simpson was elected as the incoming Petrean Chairman. After completing his three-year term, Mr Matt Hosack steps down as Chair, albeit remaining on the Standing Committee for another year. Following a recent EXCO meeting, Mr Hosack has also been voted into that level of school governance.
In our last Assembly of the term we bid farewell to those staff leaving the school. In my last Newsletter, I paid tribute to all those who are leaving. To Dave and Jenny Kirkman, Arnold and Nyari Mawerera, and Bernice Carinus we wish you every success in your future roles and hope that you will stay connected to the Peterhouse community.
During the course of the Easter holiday we will be welcoming Winston and Glenda Holman to Ellis and as Director of Sport; Danny and Ruth Tanser will move into Founders House with Mr Tanser as Housemaster, Physics teacher and Director of Leadership Development. Mrs Tanser joins the school in support of boys’ mental and emotional well-being. In the Marketing Department, Mrs Alison Coetzee leaves the school at the end of April. Her time in the school has been characterized by both innovation and creativity. She leaves a very strong legacy of marketing and a very solid foundation on which her successor, Mrs Kim Style, can build. Mrs Style currently has three children in the school and will take over the reins of Marketing on 1 April. Many parents will know that Mrs Cat Borman has been diagnosed with cancer and, consequently, has been away from school since January. In her absence we are seeking cover for her and hope to make an appointment shortly. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cat as she manages and navigates her treatment.
The holidays see a number of outgoing tours. Our hockey players, both boys and girls, are travelling to play Easter Festivals in South Africa. The girls are in Kwa-Zulu Natal whilst the boys travel to Johannesburg. After Easter the rugby players head to Portugal where they play in an international festival in Lisbon over the weekend of 5-7 April. After the festival they play two Portuguese U18 sides. The Football and Basketball players will be travelling to northern Germany on 15 April where they will have some specialist training followed by a number of U18 fixtures. At the end of the holiday, both Hockey and Rugby will be in action at the St John’s Festival in Harare.
End of term reports will now be with you. In so many cases they speak of progress and success. If there is the suggestion of a need for more focus, I trust, this message will be reflected upon over the holiday. As we celebrate Easter I do hope you will all have a wonderful holiday with your children.
With warm regards,
Jon Trafford
Rector
