Lent Term 2021 No 5

Dear Parents,

We are just coming to the close of week four. As I write, the tents are up and everything is in place for the Year 5 & 6 camping weekend. Tomorrow the group will set off to Soysambu for a fun day out with a picnic lunch. We are so very fortunate to have such a great team of teachers who go to such lengths to make Pembroke House a truly exciting place, and this weekend is just one of so many examples of the way in which the teachers are always happy to go over and above the call of duty to ensure that the children can have the most magical, memorable experiences whilst here. We are all so incredibly grateful to each and every one of our wonderful teachers.

Despite no inter-school fixtures on which to report, there is much to bring to your attention and I will do my best to include everything.

Scholarships
We were delighted to hear earlier in the week that Yzeera Sebunya and Mark Namisano have both been awarded scholarships to Peponi School. Yzeera was successful in her bid to win a Drama Scholarship and Mark has been awarded a Sports Scholarship. Huge congratulations to both Yzeera and Mark and I know how proud their families will be feeling - well done!

Pembroke Voices
Each term, every form appoints a representative to bring ideas for discussion to this forum. Mr Lovatt and I represent the school and we all meet in the Martlet Cafe over supper and we have a very good talk. We go round the table listening and mulling over the various thoughts and suggestions that are presented. This week we had two meetings in order to keep us all suitably distanced. The Juniors and Year 5s started us off at 6.10 followed by the Year 6s and Seniors for the second supper. Ideas ranged from repairing the zip line, to prawns and sushi for supper! So many of the suggestions are well worth trying to consider and include at school. Others give us the opportunity to explain why such exciting proposals are not really possible!

Covid Results
Just to keep everyone up to date we have now received the results from 7 Covid tests since the beginning of term and so far all have come back negative.

Parent / Tutor Meetings
We thought that it might be wise and helpful to continue with ‘online’ virtual parent / tutor meetings. This reduces your need to travel and the time you need to spend at school. Your child’s tutor will kindly be in touch to arrange a time that suits you both. The preference will be for the end of this coming week. This means the children will continue with normal lessons for Friday morning and then in the afternoon they will have play rehearsals, extra catch up activities and games.

Half Term
Half term formally starts on Saturday morning and our buses and taxis will depart for Nairobi and elsewhere at 6 am so that the children can be at home with you for breakfast.

Back to school
We will start school after half term at 10 am on Monday 22nd February. However, break time will actually start from 9.30 am and the first lesson of the morning will begin at 10.05. I hope you feel that this gives us all plenty of time to get to school but it also means that we need to catch up on only two lessons over the course of the week.

The Mount Kenya Trip
The party leaves school on Saturday morning 13th February. It is a five day safari and we will all have the Year 8s and their parents and guardians at the forefront of our minds, wishing them well and hoping that the weather is kind to them. Hopefully the group will summit on Tuesday morning and they will then spend a final night on the mountain before beginning their descent. The pick up point will be at Ole Moses / Judmire Camp but the party will be transported down to the Sirimon Gate, where final goodbyes will be said and everyone will head off on their individual ways for a rest and some relaxation before coming back to school on Monday.

Watamu - Turtle Bay
Miss D is very kindly taking a party of children to Turtle Bay for half term. Travelling across borders at this time is not at all easy and we understand that we must find a way to support families with these challenges. A week at the beach will be a lovely treat for everybody. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Miss D and her team, as well as Damian Davies at Turtle Bay, for helping us find a way forward here.

Snake Talk - Bio Ken
We are most fortunate to be able to welcome Kyle Ray to talk to us all on the 15th March. We will arrange the talk outside and I know the children will be fascinated.

Outdoor Assemblies 7D, 5D & 5R
Although our form assemblies are in the calendar for a Friday lunchtime we feel that this arrangement, during the heat of the day, is not ideal for a gathering that is outside. Therefore, it is our intention to move these Form assemblies to Thursday mornings at the usual Chapel time of 7.50 am. Please do come and watch if you can to see what each Form has in store for us.

Weekend Activities
This weekend the teachers arranged a bike challenge for the Middles and Seniors. The children really enjoyed this change and it helped to add extra competition during this time when we are not able to hold inter-school events. Ahead of us we have an Inter House Run Relay on 27th February and a Riding Weekend 6th & 7th March, not to mention the Colour Run on 20th March, so please do keep an eye on the dates and come and support us for these activities.

Year 7 Team Building Weekend
The Year 7s would normally have completed a Team Building Weekend last term but sadly this was not possible, so we have managed to reschedule the date for Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th March. It is a fabulous weekend full of fun as well as being educational and a great opportunity to build camaraderie. Please kindly put this date in your calendar.

Year 8 Mock CE Exams
These exams begin on Monday 8th March and finish on Thursday 11th March.

Assessments
The rest of the school will also be assessed in anticipation of the end of term reports. However, for this term the tests are less formal than those of Michaelmas and Trinity.

Inter House Sports Day
This term we have kept our assemblies and gatherings outside to try and ensure we keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible. Therefore, if nothing changes we feel that our traditional sports day, planned to take place on Friday 12th March with pre events on the Thursday, can go ahead. Please make arrangements to join us and come and watch and we hope that being outside in the open air, with plenty of space to distance, will mean everyone can enjoy the morning. The races will be over by 1 pm and the exeat will then begin. Please plan your weekend break so that your child is back in school by 10 am at the latest on Monday 15th.

The Senior School Play
The senior school is working hard to prepare and rehearse this term’s play. However, in response to our unusual Covid times we have had to make a break with tradition.

Together with you, our parents, we have worked hard to keep the school community as safe and healthy as possible. As I am sure you understand the play will work best performed in the theatre. However, this will in effect be the very first school gathering inside. Thus, we have decided to invite only the school to watch the play this term. The children and teachers will be socially distanced and we feel this will be a fitting way to arrange the first performance of the play. Should all go well and the Easter holidays pass without event we will then plan to stage the play in the theatre for our parents to watch next term. Priority will go to parents of Years 7 & 8 but should space allow we can open the play up to other parents. We would like to arrange this performance for the Friday before half term, so Friday 28th May. I appreciate that you may well feel disappointed and frustrated that you must wait yet more weeks to enjoy the play and see your child on stage. However, we feel that this cautious approach, feeling our way forward slowly but surely, is prudent and will hopefully allow us to continue at school keeping everyone safe and healthy.

House Matches
House matches will take place throughout the afternoons in the week prior to the end of term. We will send out details of days and timings so that if it’s convenient you may come to school to watch.

Easter Games
The children have requested Easter games this term to make up for missing their Christmas games last term. Therefore, on Wednesday 31st March in the afternoon we will have Easter games followed by Easter dinner for the children and their teachers.

End of Term
Term will finish as posted in the calendar on Thursday 1st April. Buses and taxis will leave at 6 am although local parents may aim for a more relaxed pick up after breakfast!

I hope this gives you a picture of how the coming weeks will play out. Quite remarkably we start week 5 on Monday and half term in just one week’s time. As always please do not hesitate to get in touch over anything at all and I will do my best to help.

Whatever happens, please do make a mental note that Open Day will involve an ‘online’ virtual meeting with your child’s tutor. If you live locally and you feel it will work better to come into school, please suggest this and a traditional meeting can be arranged.

With very best wishes,

Debs