Michaelmas Term 2022
Letter from the Headmistress
No. 6
Inter House Athletics
Year 8 Dinner
Only 3 Weeks to go!
School Exams
Final Fixtures
Christmas Craft Fair, Shaggy Dog Show
Nativity Play and Christingles Carol Service
The Holidays!
Sports Camp, ISI Inspection & The Hog Charge
Please get in touch for help
Dear Parents,
I write during the calm of exeat although this letter will most likely land in your ‘in box’ on Monday!
Inter House Athletics
I hope you enjoyed our Inter House Athletics on Friday. It was wonderful to see all our children trying so hard in their events and looking at the results from this year’s competition it is notable how many personal bests were broken - 189 to be precise! Furthermore, the level and depth of rivalry between the Houses was extremely strong and the coaches in the sports department were most impressed with both the level of skill and the determination of our competitors - a huge ‘well done’ to all the children and of course, well deserved congratulations to Fosters!
Year 8 Dinner
Sports Day followed the Year 8 Dinner on Thursday night. The school dining room had been transformed into a beautiful venue for our Year 8s and their parents and we enjoyed a delicious meal and were entertained with some heartfelt speeches. The final terms at Pembroke House come all too soon and this dinner, set as it is, early on in the year serves to bring to everyone’s attention just what little time is left and it reminds us to savour and enjoy each moment.
Last Three Weeks
We have a very busy time ahead of us and there are just three weeks until the end of term. I list below the main events and activities in the calendar but please do get in touch with Terry, MJ or me for any extra help you may need in understanding and arranging matters for the weeks ahead.
Contact details
Terry admin@pembrokehouse.sc.ke
+254 727 267 642
MJ registrar@pembrokehouse.sc.ke
+254 722 526 374
Coming Up
School Exams
These start today and will run all week with designated revision periods in between the exams to help teach and guide the children with their revision.
Thursday 24th November
U9A Boys & Girls Cricket v The Banda (a) - 2.00pm
Friday 25th November
1st Boys & Girls Cricket v Peponi (a) - 1.00pm
Saturday 26th November
1st Girls Cricket at Peponi U13 Girls Cricket Tournament (a) - 9.00am
1st Boys Cricket at Banda U13 Boys 6-a-side Cricket Tournament (a) - 8.30am
Thursday 1st December
Pre Prep Christmas Play (11.00am)
Community Carol Singing at Gilgil Club
Saturday 3rd December
Closed Weekend
IAPS Athletics meet at Hillcrest and School Disco
Sunday 4th December
Christingles Carol Service in the Christina Chapel at 6.30 pm
Friday 9th December
Christmas Craft Fair, Shaggy Dog Show,
Nativity Play & Christingles Carol Service.
The Holidays
Children may leave school with you after the Christingles Carol Service on Friday evening. Alternatively, buses or flights to Nairobi and Nanyuki and other transfers to JKIA will take place first thing on Saturday morning.
The End of Term
The end of term is always so exciting for the children and especially this term with Christmas games, Christmas dinner and a staff pantomime to look forward to, not to mention their disco. The final day of term has our traditional Christmas Craft Fair. The Craft Fair began to try and give our children the opportunity to buy you, their parents, a present in a creative and safe environment so that they could surprise you on Christmas Day with a gift you know nothing about! This day also features a Shaggy Dog Show, our Christingles Carol Service and the Nativity Play. These are wonderful celebrations that mark this very special time of year and please make sure you plan to join us for this last day of term so that we can enjoy these events together.
Message from the Boarding Houses
Advent Calendars
Please could we ask that your children do not come back to school with a chocolate or toy advent calendar. In our experience the temptation of a treat hidden behind a door is just too much for some and it normally ends in tears. We will have our own advent treats in the houses instead. May we thank you in advance for your understanding.
Trunks
The children will move beds and dorms in the last week of term and we will have a general tidy up, but we will not pack trunks as such. Therefore, it is not necessary to take anything home other than what you might need during the holiday plus any valuables. If you would prefer to take your trunk home please let us know so we can arrange to get it down from the loft in good time. Thank you.
Planning for after Christmas
Sports Camp with Swimming Coaching - Open to all children
Thursday 5th-Sunday 8th January 2023
In order to accelerate the children’s readiness for the fixtures that lie ahead next term, we have arranged a Sports Camp at the end of the Christmas holidays. The camp will include both hockey and swimming training. It is obligatory for those children taking part in the Sports Tour but the camp is also open to all our children. In the past we have found these initiatives to work extremely well in building skill, fitness and confidence in readiness for the sporting challenges in the weeks to come. Please note that if it might help, children may stay in school on the Sunday night, ready for the start of school on Monday morning.
Swimming Coaching
Polly Berraondo
We will be joined by Polly Berraondo for the weekend of the sports camp and she will also be with us for a further two weeks of the term, assisting with our swimming training. The Lent Term is the swimming term and so this extra expertise, time and care will really support our swimmers and help them to develop in the best way possible. I paste below some information on Polly.
Currently I head up the swimming programme for KING’S ELY in Cambridgeshire organising lessons and coaching for pupils from Reception up to Year 13. We have a wide ranging programme that includes intensive courses and weekly lessons as well as coaching teams from Year 4 and above. Alongside this I also have a Swim School business providing lessons to the local community to over 500 swimmers. I have been involved with swimming for over 20 years now and can safely say it is a passion rather than a job!
I am a Level 2 ASA teacher and Level 2 ASA coach.
Signing up for the Sports Camp
If you would like your child to be included in the Sports Camp please let Henry Snow know.
henrysnow@pembrokehouse.sc.ke
Lent Term 2023
All children in Years 7 & 8 should return to school as normal at the start of the new term. The squad for the Hockey Tour will depart on Monday evening 9th January 2023 and they will be back at school on Wednesday 18th January. Those children in the Senior School who are not going on the sports tour will be setting off for a safari to Lewa for much of this time.
ISI Inspection
On Sunday 5th February we will be joined by our visiting inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). This will be a full inspection which is required by all IAPS schools every 6 years. This means that our inspectors will be looking at both the overall quality of education provided by Pembroke House as well as our regulatory compliance. The inspection will require feedback from you, as well as from the children and all our staff and in due course we will send you the questionnaire for your kind attention.
The Hog Charge
Years 5-8
The Hog Charge will take place on the weekend of 21st/22nd January. This is an enormously fun event attended by the vast majority of children in Years 5 to 8. Laelia Surtees has already sent an email with the details for your consideration. It is worth noting that this event takes place before exeat which is why we are bringing matters to your attention at this stage. Please complete the necessary forms which you should have received from Mrs Surtees and send them back to school as soon as possible. Please don’t worry if your child doesn’t have a team, we can easily sort that out this end closer to the actual event.
Please ask for help
As the final three weeks of term get underway and the pace of school life gears up yet another notch, please do not hesitate to get in touch if we can help you in any way.
With very best wishes,
Debs
Mrs Deborah Boyd Moss MA (Cantab) PGCE
Headmistress
Pembroke House
+ 254 (0) 720 602 483
headmistress@pembrokehouse.sc.ke
