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Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 29th April 2022

Dear Parents,

I don’t do January. December is made tolerable by the joys of Christmas as a counterweight to the cold and damp. November is only passable because we are too busy doing other things to notice it’s there. February has its moments; mainly because some days it pretends to be March, but on others it lapses back into its winter dinginess. T.S. Eliot famously wrote that ‘April is the cruellest month’. It isn’t; that dishonour goes to January.

Hibernating animals have it right: have a slap-up meal then doze off for a few months until the sun comes out again. If I could become one of those dictators that renames the months after themselves (give me time), I’d rename January ‘Jenkinsonuary’, then have it cancelled. I meet those who attempt ‘Dry January’ or ‘Veganuary’ with a combination of respect and befuddlement: if you are going to make life harder for yourself, perhaps try it in one of the months that is not already so darn difficult. In Shakespeare’s Henry V – next year’s Year 7 and 8 play – the Constable of France mocks England’s climate for being ‘foggy, raw and dull’, while the ‘sun looks pale’ on the poor English, ‘killing their fruit with frowns’. While Shakespeare is mocking the French, who go on to lose at Agincourt, the English-weather-based sting still lingers. Often I meet people who tell me that they couldn’t possibly live somewhere like Los Angeles where there are ‘no seasons’; they tell me that they love the changes of the seasons, the changing colours of the trees, the over-quoted poetry of Keats and Wordsworth. I tell them that they’re wrong, and I’d quite happily forgo a few leaves crunching under my feet (and a bit of Romantic poetry) for constant blue skies, radiant sunshine, and blazing heat.

Angles in Year 3 Maths; Dissecting flowers in Year 7 Science; Pre-Prep 20th birthday party
Angles in Year 3 Maths; Dissecting flowers in Year 7 Science; Pre-Prep 20th birthday party

In 2019, prior to Covid, if you lived in sunny Italy you could expect to live a year and a half longer than if you lived in the UK, because – well – you would, wouldn’t you? Exposure to natural light helps our bodies produce Vitamin D, a key ingredient in strong bone development; it helps us to focus and be more productive; it improves our body’s internal clock and sleep patterns; it makes us happier. It’s a minor miracle, then, the British economy functions as well as it does amid the constant gloom. Up to 3% of the population even becomes psychologically unwell because of the lack of light, leading to ‘SAD’ or Seasonal Affective Disorder. But the other 97% of us who are not affected so seriously can still feel a bit glum when we wake up to more clouds, more darkness. Most of us spend around 90% of our time indoors; and for half the year those of us who live in England don’t get a huge amount of light when we do get outdoors.

Which is why we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief that we are at the start of Trinity. Trinity can be a funny term: it has some assessments and exams that can be a cause of worry – they shouldn’t be. But it also has a lot of cricket, tennis, trips, blue skies, fetes, no need for coats. It will also, eventually, mark some endings as some of the boys and their families finish their time at NCS. But it is best to go out on the high of a sunny Trinity; it is the sun-soaked memories of prep school that will linger. I hope that you, your families and friends, have a very happy, light-filled, and productive Trinity term.

Have a great weekend,

Matt Jenkinson

This week we are celebrating the 20th birthday of our wonderful pre-prep! This afternoon the pre-prep boys had a party to mark the occasion, while it will be the parents’ turn tomorrow evening in the Founder’s Library in New College. Places have already been allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. There are still a few spaces available if anyone has a last-minute change of heart. To mark this birthday, we have commissioned a couple more pieces of NCS ‘merchandise’ which will be on sale imminently – more anon!

My colleagues and I had some very interesting INSET sessions at the beginning of this week. Among logistical meetings, getting ready for the term ahead, we looked at our new Virtual Reality headsets, looking at different ways we could use this new technology productively in our lessons. We also heard from Miss Rose about her visit, over the Easter vacation, to our partner school in Nepal: Nalang Model Academy. It was great to hear about the development of the school and to think about the different ways we can purposefully partner with NMA over the coming terms.

We are thrilled that we have 16 boys, 6 members of staff and 3 parents signed up for the Town and Gown on Sunday 8 May. Do come along and support the NCS community if you are able to. The 3k starts in the University Parks at 0.915 and the 10k starts at 10.00. We are raising funds as a school community on this Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/newcollegeschooloxford so do please circulate around any family, grandparents or friends who would like to raise money for this worthy cause. See you there!

Well done to the choristers who had an early start to the university term, it happening (very unusually) before school term started. They are in fine voice already. They will also be performing in the Sheldonian on 4 May at ‘Opening Oxford 1871 – a Musical Miscellany in Celebration of Diversity’. More details are available at https://www.sheldonian.ox.ac.uk/event/opening-oxford-1871-a-musical-miscellany-in-celebration-of-diversity

The directors of the New College Greek Play are looking for two young performers to take part in Euripedes’ Medea. The performances are 1 – 4 June at 20.00. There would be rehearsal times before then, obviously. The play is less than 1.5 hrs long. This might be of interest to boys in 8S who have already finished their exams, and don’t have half-term plans. Please could parents let me know on matthew.jenkinson@newcollegeschool.org if their sons are interested?

Over the Easter break the eco committee ran a new photography challenge for those who wanted to interact with nature over the holiday. The aim was to take as many photos of as many different flowers as possible. We have extended the deadline for entries to Tuesday 3 May. If you would still like to enter, take a photo of the flower (or bud) and then try to find out the name of the flower or the plant. Try to collate your pictures and send them with the names of the flowers to the school (emma.krebs@newcollegeschool.org). There will be prizes for the top entries in pre-prep, Years 3-5 and Years 6-8.

I would like to thank all of our Year 7s for their energetic, mature and reflective approach to our leadership evening earlier this week. We are keen for all of the boys, especially once they are in the top year, to get the chance to exercise leadership in different forms around the school. We invest a lot of time and energy in giving the boys the chance to demonstrate their talents in the process, including letter-writing, teamwork exercises, public speaking, and of course their day-to-day activities around the school.

From Mr Bishop: Despite still being a little chilly, the dry start to Trinity has enabled the NCS boys to make a very bright start to the cricket season. In the first few training sessions we have seen them working extremely hard both in the nets and on training matches. The senior boys have had to quickly get to grips with match play with the U13 team playing in round 2 of the IAPS knock out competition this week. In preparation for this encounter the Year 8 boys were put through their paces by the Year 7 bowlers. In all of my years here at NCS I have never seen what happened next: Ashwin, who is part of the Oxon County Cricket training programme, began his over in the training match and proceeded to take 3 wickets with his first 3 balls of the season! This gives me an early opportunity to use my favourite cricket expression in that Ashwin’s three victims were all “bamboozled” by his vicious spinning deliveries!

On the day of the IAPS match the Year 8 boys representing the 1st XI travelled down to previous winners of this competition, Merchant Taylor’s Prep. We knew they’d be formidable foes but once we took to the field, we realised the extent of their talents. Our 5 bowlers toiled for well over 90 minutes and all the boys worked very hard in the field to try and dry up the runs but alas, they managed to amass 211 for 3 from their 20 overs. Patrick S, our captain, was the pick of the bowlers, taking all 3 wickets with 3 brilliant Yorkers. In reply the NCS boys batted out their overs for the loss of only 4 wickets, with Harry on 15 and Patrick on 52, but the accuracy and pace of our hosts’ attack meant we struggled to reach that target and at stumps, we had lost the game. No matter, a great deal was learnt and I feel that when this side is at full strength, we’ll certainly be a match for any team on the Oxford circuit and I’m confident in a positive term for these boys.

Away from the cricket pitch I’d like to congratulate Henry W from Year 6 on becoming the “Player of the Season” for the second year running for his rugby club, Stowe on the Wold U11s. Also, this week Albie K and Benedict F from Year 8 are playing for their football club, Barton UTD in the Ron Smith U13 Oxfordshire County Cup final on Sunday. We wish them all the very best of luck and if you’d like to cheer them on, the game kicks off at 10.00am at the Velocity Stadium, Court Place Farm, Oxford.

Upcoming events

Saturday, 30 April 2022

19.00 Pre-Prep 20th Birthday Party Drinks (ticket only, Founder's Library, New College)

Monday, 2 May 2022

School and bank holiday

Wednesday, 4 May 2022

9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Imam Monawar Hussain, Founder of the Oxford Foundation

8.15 Eco and Charity Committee Meeting, library

14.30 U11 A&B Cricket vs MCS, away

Monday, 9 May 2022

9.45-11.45 Year 7 Science visit to Botanic Gardens

19.00 NCSPA Committee Meeting, Hall

14.00 U13 Tennis vs d'Overbroeck's, away

Tuesday, 10 May 2022

14.00 U8&9 Cricket vs CCCS, home

Wednesday, 11 May 2022

8.00 Orchestra rehearsal (Sports hall)

9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Samuel King, NCS Old Boy

14.30 U10 A&B Cricket vs MCS, away

14.30 U13 A&B Cricket vs Bruern Abbey, home

18.00 VMT Parents' Evening (on Zoom, appointments only)

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