Head's Newsletter 11 November 2016

Dear Parents We are already two weeks into the half term, and with all the activity at Tiffin, time seems to be flying by. Today however was a moment to pause and reflect. On Remembrance Day we always remember the previous

a report of the success of cross country. Our dancers have been particularly active recently and are very much looking forward to performing at the half-time interval at the England Rugby League International this weekend; what a fantastic opportunity for these talented individuals.

On the choir front, I am very excited to report that classic FM will be broadcasting our Carol Service this year. This is a tremendous privilege and the evening carol service will therefore undoubtedly be even more popular this year. The choir are also looking forward to another engagement when they will be singing on the Christmas special of Blankety Blank, hosted by David Walliams! It is a significant time for Year

generations of Tiffinians who gave their lives in two world wars. Today we particular remembered the 14 Tiffinians who died in the Battle of the Somme. The two minutes silence was observed in the main hall where we laid the wreaths, as well as in the junior assembly in the sports hall. There have been a large number of trips occurring recently. In half term the Art Department took the GCSE

11 at the moment as they will soon be starting their mock exams, very important practice for the real thing, and we wish them well in their revision. I look forward to seeing all the Year 7 parents at the settling in evening next Thursday. I hope parents will also appreciate the new information evenings on the Internet and online safety that we are putting on for different year groups, starting with one for parents of Y7 and Y8 pupils on Monday. Yours, M D Gascoigne

and A Level students to Venice, a fantastic venue to appreciate art. Last week Year 9 classics students visited Bath to experience some of the best preserved Roman remains in England. This week the whole of Year 7 went to London Zoo. Year 9 have also been involved in the human rights project and as part of this visited Queen Mary's University, London. These visits are all part of the broader education that we offer a Tiffin. On the sports front the rugby fixtures have started again after half term, and there is also

IMPORTANT DATES

Online Safeguarding talk for parents of Y7 & 8 boys at 7 pm

Monday 14 November

Y7 Settling In Evening Main Hall

Thursday 17 November

Year 11 Mock exams start

Monday 21 November

Twilight PD—school finishes 2 pm

Friday 2 December

L6 Parents’ Consultations; school finishes at 2.40 pm

Tuesday 13 December

Evening Carol Service, All Saints Kingston, 7.30 pm

Wednesday 14 December

School Carol Service, 2.30 pm, boys dismissed from church

Thursday 15 December

End of Term

Friday 16 December

dream as every house is painted a different colour and the village has a lovely, tranquil feel. The final day, the students enjoyed spending time in the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, which showcases an impressive twentieth century art collection. The trip was a resounding success - we were complimented by British Airways and the Mother

The Art Department had the delight of taking the GCSE & A-Level art students to Venice over the October half term. The students were enthralled by Venice’s stunning architecture and beauty, taking hundreds of photos, refining their photography expertise. The department visited the famous architectural biennale, showcasing the latest developments in architecture, understanding how architects use their imagination to create innovative and playful designs. We spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of Venice, enjoying sketching the surroundings. The second day involved visiting the beautiful, colourful island of Burano, which was truly stunning, as the sun was shining once again. The island is a photographer’s

Superior at the monastery where we stayed, on the students’ behaviour. We all had a great time, it was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to be creative with enthusiastic, passionate art students, in such an inspirational city.

“It was a very enjoyable show, and I thought all the forms were very good. Standing at the front, I could see the vast crowds and I’m sure my fellow students agree when I say I had butterflies in my stomach. But the whole class stuck with it and what do you know, my form came out tops, and we got the trophy! I would love to do it again, and I think that some of the kids in my form are very talented. Thank you Music Department for allowing Year 7 to have the Inter Form Competition!!!’” Nathan Bruins 7RG

Year 7 Inter Form Choir Competition

On October 20 th Year 7 parents experienced the first taste of their son’s music education at Tiffin School. All 6 forms performed a piece they had been preparing with their class music teacher together with selected solo items. The competition was adjudicated by Martyn Ford, Head of Performing Arts at Lambrook School in Berkshire and a former student of Tiffin School, who entertained the audience with his constructive feedback. Form 7RG, directed by Sian Cadogan, were judged the worthy winners, with Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (Ron Goodwin).

‘ Those magnificent men in their flying machines, they go up tiddly up up, they go down tiddly down down.’

“The night was tense, everybody wanted to win. Some forms were fabulous, the soloists showed loads of bravery to go up there and perform and represent their form. In the end, I think it was down to who wanted it more, and we just wanted to win. We sung our hearts and souls out and I am extremely happy that we won!” Shashank Iyer 7RG

DANCE

House dance Only the

All Year 8s took part in Capoeira Dance workshop on Monday 17 th October. Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art with its roots originating in Angola and the Congo; it combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music, and is usually referred to as a game. Dancers learn how to defend and attack as well as incorporate acrobatic movements too! For more information on Capoeira in Kingston and surrounding areas see http://www.axecapoeirauk.com/

strongest and performances from the Heats or those with the greatest potential, were selected to go through to the Final which took place on Friday 21 st October. Choosing the winning House was extremely hard as the standard of all performances and choreographies was very high. The entrants had to dance a Set music piece - ‘Requiem for a dream’ by Clint Mansell, a Free piece and a Solo. The creativity which the students have shown through their performances has been astonishing. For the first time the Houses had an option to present a solo for additional points which really showcased individual talent of Tiffin dancers. All in all it was an amazing afternoon of dance appreciation and talent. Well done to CG for winning (photo below) and to all participants; we arelooking forward to next year. The Judges: Miss Hughes, Mr Mackee, Mr Balasubramaniam and Mrs O’ Sullivan. Here is the video thanks to TBN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zePib1WTkq8 Houses

dozen meetings a year and if you are concerned about the standard, our handicaps range from scratch to 28, averaging about 20! Our next meeting is at Effingham Golf Club on Friday 30 December. There is no joining fee, just a match fee on the day. Do drop me an email if you would like to join us at any stage or if you would like more information. Martin Williams mwilliams@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk CROSS COUNTRY NEWS The cross country team travelled to Oxted to defend their excellent unbeaten record in the Surrey league. The Y8s managed this with a stunning quartet of runners. The Y7s joined the international select teams and gained their Tiffin school vests. The seniors were placed second in their competition. A busy start to November saw us going to Charterhouse on the 5 th , the Borough Championships on the 10 th and the Regional Final of the English schools cup on the 12 th . DONATIONS TO NEW BUILDING To donate to the new building fund, simply log in to ParentPay , click on ‘pay for other items’, then ‘New Building Appeal’ and put in the amount you wish to donate. Alternatively you can donate by bank transfer or cheque; please see the form to do so. Please also remember to tick the Gift Aid consent if you are eligible to do so as we are able to then claim back from the Government 25p in every £1 donated!

On Thursday 3 rd November 60 Y9 students visited Bath as part of their Latin Course.

During the course of the day they explored the baths themselves and the impressive Museum. They also enjoyed an Inscriptions & Artefacts Handling Session with resident archaeologists. The boys were exceptionally focused and attentive during the course of the trip and seemed to get a lot out of the day. Their extensive field research is already being utilised for some extended project work. My thanks go to the boys for their enthusiasm and to the staff who accompanied us.

TIFFIN GOLF SOCIETY The Tiffin Golf Society exists for all members of the Tiffin community and more parent members would be particularly welcome. We have about a

Year 9 Trip report to Queen Mary’s University

The 16 who travelled represented Tiffin impeccably and showed the organisers how insightful and astute they can be. All seemed to enjoy themselves and took a great deal away from what was a well organised and fascinating day. MATHS—TIFFIN BOYS COME FIRST! On Thursday 3 rd November, an elite team of some of our best senior mathematicians, Hosouk Lee, Jim Tse (both Y13), Maxi Purewal (Y12) and Navonil Neogi (Y11) competed in the Regional Final of the Senior Team Maths Challenge. On paper it was our strongest team yet and our reputation clearly preceded us after our perfect score of 180/180 last year, with Wellington looking downcast after they enquired what school we were from. The event consisted of 3 rounds: a group round consisting of 10 difficult maths problems for the team to solve together, a cross number (the maths equivalent of a crossword), and the dreaded 'relay', where students have to work against the clock and where each answer feeds in to the next question. The boys lived up to their reputation, with a commanding performance that saw them achieving 1 st place and hence a place in the National Final in February. Tiffin saw off competition from Wellington College (in 2 nd place) among other schools such as St Paul's Girls’ and Tiffin Girls’. Congratulations to the four of them.

16 Year 9 pupils travelled to Queen Mary’s University, in Mile End London, on November 8 th to take part in a day of workshops laid on by the British Institute of Human Rights to introduce a joint project with Surbiton High School.

The project is designed not only to help pupils’ understanding of the importance of British Human Rights and the work done by the BIHR, but also to help their ability to collaborate with others, present their ideas in front of large audiences and to write a joint dissertation that is thoroughly researched and clearly structured. The day at Queen Mary’s involved numerous activities and talks set up by the BIHR and gave the boys an opportunity to work with and share ideas with the girls from Surbiton High. It was a fantastic introduction to the themes involved and has given the boys, in their four groups of four, a number of ideas about how to select a topic to study and how to write a discursive essay together. Serious themes such as immigration, euthanasia and child abuse were covered sensitively and maturely by all involved.

Remembrance Day 2016

Herbert William Parslow was at Tiffin between 1897 and 1903. He enlisted with his brother in the London Rifle Brigade in September 1914 and is presumed to have died on the 1 st July 1916, the first day of the battle of the Somme. His body was never found but his name is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial. He was aged just 27. Albert Jack Parslow was at Tiffin between 1907 and 1909. He joined up on 22 nd November 1915 and trained with the Artists Rifles in their officer training corps. In the middle of September 1916 he was sent to the Western Front and barely three weeks later on the 10 October he was mortally wounded and died aged just 22. He is buried in Grove Town Cemetery, Meaulte, alongside some 1400 British casualties. From the Second World War we also remembered John Birley Page . Born in 1905 he attended Tiffin School between 1915 and 1920. On leaving Tiffin John entered the navy as a boy cadet. In 1938 he was appointed to HMS Repulse, a battle cruiser. In 1941 HMS Repulse was sent to Singapore as part of Force Z intended to deter the Japanese. Only three days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour Force Z was attacked by Japanese dive bombers in the South China Sea. HMS Repulse was hit by five torpedoes and sank with the loss of 508 lives including John Birley Page. He was aged just 36 and left a widow and three children. His name is commemorated on the Naval War Memorial in Plymouth as well as the Tiffin Memorial.

This year has seen the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front. The battle lasted for 141 days between 1 July and 18 November 1916. On the first day alone there were 57,000 British and Commonwealth casualties with 19,000 killed or missing. It was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. By the time that the battle had fizzled out in November, British and Commonwealth casualties had reached 420,000 with 96,000 killed or missing. Of the 125 names on the School’s First World War memorial we know that fourteen of them died on the Somme. Today, Friday 11 November, we remembered two of those men in our Services across the School, who ironically had the same surname but were not related.