Michaelmas Term 2022
Letter from the Headmistress
No. 4
Online Safety - Jon Taylor
Form Chapel
Pembroke House Sports Tour to the UK
Sports Camp with Swimming 5th-8th January' 23
Extras Coaching
Upcoming Events & Activities
Kenya Simbas visit to Pembroke
Christingles Carol Service & Nativity Play
Feedback on half term
Please ask for help
Dear Parents,
I hope half term has got off to a very good start and you have much to look forward to for this short break.
I write with some news and information to help ease you into the next six and a half weeks of term.
Back to school
As you are aware we return to school on Wednesday 26th October with Chapel at 9 am. We have felt so proud of all our children as and when they line up for Chapel in their ‘whites’ with the correct uniform, including black shoes, many of which have quite clearly been polished - thank you for your support in helping us with this.
Online Safety
On Thursday evening, 27th October we have a ‘talk’ in the theatre to help us all with online safety. Jon Taylor, an expert in this field and the lead consultant from ‘onlinesafety4schools’ will be with us and the presentation and workshop will begin at 6.30 pm. We will have drinks at the Martlet Cafe prior to the talk and then there will be supper available afterwards. The following morning Jon will join us in Chapel to address the whole school and then he will also have some dedicated time for sessions with Years 5 and 6 and then Years 7 and 8. We are very excited that Jon has been able to arrange a trip to Kenya to visit all the IAPS schools and we strongly recommend that you come to the presentation if you can. We will arrange to record the talk on Thursday evening for those of you who cannot be with us but as always such events are very much better ‘live’.
Form Chapel
Please note.
7S
With Jon Taylor with us on Friday 28th October and a very short week this means that 7S will not be presenting on this particular Friday but we have rearranged the date for Friday 2nd December.
7D - Friday 4th November.
6R - Friday 11th November
6S - Friday 25th November
7S - Friday 2nd December
Head of Middle School
I am delighted to let you know that Alice Matthews will be our new Head of Middle School. Alice arrived at Pembroke with much experience of this side of school life and she already teaches all the Middle School children Science as well as some STEAM. We feel that Alice is just the right person to help, nurture and guide the children in Years 5 and 6 to achieve their best across the curriculum.
Counsellor
Evelyn Mbugua B.A Psych, Msc.OD, M.A LSM
We are extremely fortunate to have Evelyn coming to visit us each week. She has provided extremely sensitive, effective and constructive support to so many of our pupils and we are most grateful.
Catherine Forsayeth
However, we are always in need of more time to help the children and Catherine Forsayeth (Head of TPR) has much training in the area of listening and counselling. With Catherine living in the community this will help to support the children all through the week. I copy below an introduction to Catherine, as someone who is able to help listen and counsel those children who will benefit from this extra time and attention. As part of our pastoral team Catherine would work closely with Evonne and Evelyn and she would keep all aspects of her work confidential.
‘Prior to qualifying as a teacher in Australia, I had a background in Aged Care, Disability Care of children and I then worked in Child Protection. During this time I completed a Diploma in Transformational Counselling, a Certificate in counselling teenagers with addictive behaviours and was asked to write a training manual for a primary foster care organisation called Berry St, along with having a caseload of teenagers living in out of home based care.
Currently I am training in Schema Therapy, which is an integrative approach bringing together elements from cognitive behavioural therapy, Gestalt and experiential therapies, as well as attachment and object relations theories. I come from a medical family and I have always had a keen interest in mental health and medicine in general. I have four grown daughters and grandchildren, 32 nephews and nieces and 10 brothers and sisters. With such a large family, 16 years of international teaching experience and many workshops I have experienced most things and I look forward to being able to support your children as a listening companion and guide.’
Inter-School Maths Challenge
This month the following children represented Pembroke at the IAPS Inter-Schools Maths Challenge at Kenton. We are very pleased with our results as the Pembroke teams collectively came 5th out of 11 participating schools. Our numerical expertise is clearly shining through - from Athletes to Mathletes - no end to our children’s talents!
Year 3 – Kensie Cork
Noor Zuurbier
James Tomblin
Clementine Adams
Year 4 – Lucy Yiannakis
Josephine Lepinoy
Hamish Murray
Isabelle Campbell
Tian Goodchild
Year 5 – Martin Ulyate
Reya Shah
Ella Horsey
Max Yiannakis
Year 6 – Florence Adams
Isabelle Charitatos
Archie Wright
Adrienne Kamau
Year 7 – Natalie Yanda
Troy Stapleton
Teegan Taylor
Sabien Davies
Year 8 – Enna Davies
Digby Nightingale
Arav Shah
Megan Heath
Kenya Simbas Pembroke Visit (28th and 29th October)
Kenya’s senior Men's rugby team also known as the ‘Simbas’ will visit Pembroke on the 28th & 29th of October. This is part of their community outreach and pre-departure teambuilding camp. In a few weeks time, the team will be travelling to Dubai, for the final qualifying tournament for the 2023 World Cup in France. The tournament in Dubai will be with the USA, Portugal and Hong Kong. The players will conduct sessions with children from Pembroke and the Gilgil community. Parents are more than welcome to come and watch sessions with our Pembroke children on Friday 28th and an open training session on Saturday 29th.
Pembroke House Sports Tour
Lent Term 2023
The squad for the Hockey Tour has now been chosen. As always it is so hard for those children who do not make the team and we would like to praise all the children in the senior school for trying so hard during the trials.
The following children have been chosen to join the tour party:
Boys
Archie Camm, Rafe Carey, Topper Dunn, Jack Foxton, Arlo Hallam, Ryan Hill, Max Lankester, Lionel Laurence, Kian Murigah, Digby Nightingale, Digby Outram, David Rust, Robert Rust, Ganza Sekaziga.
Girls
Beanie Barclay, Taylor Dunn, Isla Farquharson, Milla Hastings, Megan Heath
Michaela Kiptoo, Coco Llewelyn, Seiya Macfarlane, Vesper Murray, Annalisa Ndungu, Michelle Owor, Jordan Rune, Mieke Schutte, Natalie Yanda.
Very well done, and congratulations to them all!
Please Note - Non-sports tour children
For the children who are not going on the sports tour, Laelia Surtees will kindly organise a fun filled adventure somewhere to cover much of this time - so watch this space! All Year 7 & 8 children should return to school as normal in the new year and should be very excited about the prospect of an exhilarating adventure!
The hockey tour will leave for JKIA on Monday 9th January. The tour party will fly back on Tuesday 17th January. Mr Snow is just finalising the fixtures and as soon as we know the finer details of the trip we will let you know.
Sports Camp with Swimming Coaching
Thursday 5th-Sunday 8th January 2023
In order to accelerate the children’s readiness for the fixtures ahead we propose to hold a sports camp here at school for those in the tour party and other children who would like to join, at the end of the Christmas holidays. We are fortunate that term starts on Monday 9th January so there is some time in the week prior to the start of term to fit in a sports camp. We anticipate that the sports camp will be from Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th January and this will also include swimming coaching.
Swimming Coaching
Polly Berraondo
Polly is very kindly going to join us for the weekend of the sports camp and then she will be with us for a further two weeks assisting with our swimming. This is the swimming term and so all 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.
Coaching
With Council’s approval we are also most fortunate that Jemma Boyd-Moss is now able to fit in some peripatetic coaching with us at Pembroke House. She will be taking on some extra tennis lessons along with some swimming consultancy and extra games coaching.
Upcoming Events
As school recommences after half term we have a very busy six and a half weeks ahead of us. These are just some of the events to look forward to.
Thursday 27th October
Online Safety Talk
Friday 28th, 29th and 30th October
St Andrew’s Orchestral Weekend.
Kenya Simbas visit to Pembroke
Saturday 5th November
Cricket matches v The Banda & Bonfire Night
Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th November
Year 7 team building
Friday 11th November
Remembrance Day Service 6.40 pm
Saturday 12th November
Under 11 Boys 6-a -side Cricket Tournament (H)
Under 11 Girls Cricket Tournament at The Banda
Thursday 17th November
Pre Prep Sports Day
Friday 18th November
Sports Day
Monday 21st - Thursday 24th November
School Exams
Thursday 24th November
U9 Boys & Girls Cricket v The Banda & Cavina at The Banda (a)
Thursday 1st December
Pre Prep Christmas Play and Community Carol Singing
Saturday 3rd December
IAPS Athletics meet at Hillcrest and School Disco
Sunday 4th December
Christingles Carol Service
Friday 9th December
Christmas Craft Fair, Shaggy Dog Show,
Nativity Play & Christingles Carol Service.
Music
Carol Services and Nativity Play
As always, with the Christmas festivities ahead of us this is a very exciting time of year. Following our Council meeting on Friday I can confirm that Peter Nutsford will be staying with Mary Coulson for two weeks at the end of this term. Peter will be working with Restart and he will also work with Ms MM (Wambura Mitaru) helping with preparations for our Carol Services and our Nativity Play so that these events can be as good as we can make them. Peter specialises in this very traditional and British aspect of music and I know Ms MM is keen to learn all she can whilst Peter is in Gilgil.
Half Term
This is the first time we will enjoy 11 days of holiday for half term. Once we are back at school please let me know how you found the holiday and if you prefer the longer break or would prefer that we return to the shorter half term.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any member of the team here at school to enquire about or clarify an aspect of life at school. I have added the contact details for Terry and MJ below to make this a little easier and we are all extremely happy to help over anything, no matter how small.
Terry admin@pembrokehouse.sc.ke
+254 727 267 642
MJ registrar@pembrokehouse.sc.ke
+254 722 526 374
With very best wishes,
Debs
Mrs Deborah Boyd Moss MA (Cantab) PGCE
Headmistress
Pembroke House
+ 254 (0) 720 602 483
headmistress@pembrokehouse.sc.ke
