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Dear Parents
Yesterday the Heads and Deputy Heads of House were announced at House meetings. The boys selected for these positions are listed below and we congratulate them and wish them well in these roles.
BRAMLEY:
Head of House: Michael Mafunda
Deputy Head of House: Luc Dicey
Deputy Head of House: Naethan Mol
BROOKE:
Head of House: Joseph Lanning
Deputy Head of House: Sebastian Cudmore
Deputy Head of House: Theo Forsyth
CHARLTON:
Head of House: Joshua Huntingford
Deputy Head of House: Noah Coleman
Deputy Head of House: Jordan Planting
VAN DER BIJL:
Head of House: Daniel Bursey
Deputy Head of House: Noah Souter
Deputy Head of House: Michael Whitelaw
As you can see, there are 12 positions out of a class of 78, so there will also be disappointments and some mixed feelings and we are cognizant of this and have addressed this with the boys. Every Grade 7 is given a leadership role in the House, whether it is organising inter-house teams for chess or a particular sport, mentoring a Grade 4, taking responsibility for AV assemblies and events.
Each House is on duty every four weeks and there are particular jobs given to the boys – raising the flags, recording late boys, assisting on the fields at break, amongst others.
These duties and roles are all about learning to take responsibility, working when you could be running around having fun, doing something reliably for others, developing a sense of service. As the seniors in the Prep they do have a number of privileges; senior ties and caps, a Grade 7 jersey and the much anticipated, sitting in the Jagger gallery for the year. Our emphasis is that with any privilege comes responsibility, with seniority comes expectation and example. Developmentally they are at a number of different stages and so they need assistance and some will manage responsibility better than others, but it is an important learning experience.
Later Grade 6s and 7s will vote Grade 7s onto the Students’ Council, choosing from amongst those who put themselves forward and deliver a short presentation to the two grades on what they hope to achieve and offer others by being on the Council.
As these boys commence the teenage years, it is a great year for them with many special events. More independence but still quite protected as they prepare for their first year at College. Covid times do make many of the usual experiences difficult or even impossible to provide, but as we did last year, it is possible to compromise and provide versions of the “normal” that are still exciting and enriching. Boys can also be remarkably resilient and creative – when we let them.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER
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