Week 1 - The Cathedral Grammar School

Grammar Notes

Malcolm Long

Grammar Notes is a weekly issue of information, reminders and useful links for the school community of The Cathedral Grammar School. It complements the information available on GrammarNET. Issue: Week

1, Term 4, 2011 published Tuesday, 25 October

DIARY For a listing of all school events, see the Calendar on GrammarNET Telephone: (03) 3650385 Facsimile: (03) 3650384 Email: [email protected] GrammarNET: www.grammarnet.cathedralgrammar.school.nz

NEWS CENTRE

For current news items about happenings at the school, make sure that you regularly check the News Centre on GrammarNET…  Change to 2012 Camp Dates  Athletic Sports POSTPONED  School closed by Victory Parade  2012 Calendar Events  Christmas gift suggestion  Athletic Sports Programme  Sarah scores scholarship

Wed Thu

26 Oct 27Oct

Fri

28 Oct

Sat

29 Oct

Sun Mon Tue

30 Oct 31 Oct 2 Nov

7:30am 9:00am 7:30pm 7:30pm

Athletic Sports postponed Dean’s Day Christchurch School’s Music Festival, CBS Arena Grammarian’s Breakfast Pre-School Individual Photos by Penny Nicols Christchurch School’s Music Festival, CBS Arena, Year 6 pupils in massed choir Summer Sports Refer to the Sports Draw on GrammarNET Friends’ Association Cocktail Party Cathedral Dedication Festival Prep School Assessments Prep School Assessments

From the Headmaster’s desk…

Dear parent, Now that the euphoria of the Rugby World Cup is abating, it is time to get back into the pleasant run-up to the end of the school year and to take into that period some of the virtues that may have been visible during the RWC. Winning an award, whether the RWC or a school award, brings obvious pleasure to the recipient. It is also a learning time how to respond to winning and losing in a way that is appropriate. Modesty and humility are virtues that are rarely inherent in children - they learn these qualities from experiencing the response of others in similar situations, and also from discussing in advance what is appropriate. When children see players on television being modest about their achievements, they pick up some clues as to appropriate responses and we see this at times reflected in the response to winning in our own school events. Unfortunately, children also see excessive selfcongratulation by winners on television in a number of competitive events. Working out what is appropriate needs discussion, preferably in advance.

Similarly, handling disappointment is an important and necessary life-skill that is often much dependent on the response of the influential adults in a child's life. Often as parents, our instinct is to protect our child from disappointment when, in reality, it is a positive learning moment – a chance to accept without rancour the good fortune of someone else, and to move on from it in your own life. In a school situation, this is particularly important skill in regard to leadership positions to which a child may have aspired. Prior to any announcement, it is important that parents counsel children about the possibility of not being selected, particularly where the child (or indeed the parent) believes that the appointment is certain to happen. Non-appointment is not the same thing as failure, but the emotional response can be one of failure and just as intense. Sometimes parents and pupils ask us why they were not appointed or selected for a particular position or award. This places staff in a difficult position because, almost always, the choices for leadership and awards are between pupils who each have fine qualities and about whom a decision must be made on a fine balance of personality, support by other pupils and subjective interpretation of leadership and other attributes. Under these circumstances, no answer is going to mollify the indignation of a person who believes that they are superior to the person appointed. It comes back to adults to counsel children that throughout their lives, just as in a game of rugby, decisions will be made about them over which they have no control. Learning to accept those decisions, and to maintain one's self confidence and self-belief in the face of them, is part of the learning process that makes sense of life. To read about other matters educational and topical, see the Headmasters’ Blog

Acting Headmaster Malcolm Long

Virtue for the Week – Flexibility What is Flexibility?

Flexibility is being open to change. It means not always having to have your own way. It is being open to the opinion and feelings of others. With flexibility, you are always willing to change your mind. If something doesn’t work, you try a new way. Flexibility is making changes for the better.

Signs of Success

Congratulations! You are practising Flexibility when you….. - Learn from your mistakes - Are willing to change bad habits - Try imaginative, new ways to do things - Don’t always insist on getting your own way - Can adjust when something unexpected happens - Go with the flow! Trust the unexpected!

Virtue for Week 2: Forgiveness For a list of all the Virtues covered and the week in which each is the focus, go to Virtues List on GrammarNET

PRE-SCHOOL

For news items about happenings in the Pre-School, make sure that you regularly check the News Centre on GrammarNET

Dear parent, Welcome back to Term Four. A special welcome to Chloe Jiang, Tohu Timutimu and Sefton Wingfield. We hope that they soon feel part of our school family. We also welcome Abbey Weusten and Lyncia Alexander, students from The Rangi Ruru College of Early Childhood Education, who will be with us until Show Weekend. The Pre-School has been partially repainted during the holidays and the painters will be working around us this week. This may mean things are not quite in their usual place so please ask if you need any help. Penny Nichols, a photographer, will be taking individual black and white photos of our children on Friday morning. These photos make a delightful gift and it is a fund raiser for the school. Children who don’t usually come on Fridays are welcome to come in for the photos. Penny will be here from 9.30am and is usually here for about an hour. A reminder that it is Open day on Thursday. Please encourage anyone that you think may be interested to come and have a look. Sunhats are essential everyday this term. I have some school ones available for $11.00 if you need one. This is a very busy term with lots of different things on , particularly in the last few weeks. Please read notices regularly. Adrienne Winnicott [email protected]

CGS boys from Year 6 & 7 form part of the crowds which lined Park Terrace for the All Black victory parade on Tuesday, 25 October.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

For news items about happenings in the Junior School, make sure that you regularly check the News Centre on GrammarNET

Welcome to Term 4. No doubt it will be a busy and exciting one. We welcome two new families to our school. Sofia Blackburn has joined J3B and Natasha Eastmure is in J2L. Sophie Schneideman is also officially starting her Junior School career in J1B. We look forward to getting to know their new members of our school community. I also have a visitor in J1W. Hannah Minty, a teacher trainee, will be observing for a month with us. Out first topic for the term is a study on Insects. The children will be enjoying lessons at the Museum which we are delighted to see back in action and from the education staff in the Botanic Gardens. We are so lucky to have these wonderful resources on our doorstep and opening up again. The School have been kind enough to allow me to take some leave at the end of this term for which I am very grateful but the payback is I am now under tremendous pressure to get everything organized both for the end of the year and for next year! If there are issues that you would like me to consider before next year, I would appreciate it if you could let me know in the next few weeks. I am sure this is going to be an exciting term. I do hope you will join us when you have the free time. Carole Wright [email protected]

BOYS’ & GIRLS’ SCHOOLS

For news items about happenings in the Prep Schools, make sure that you regularly check the News Centre on GrammarNET

Dear parent Welcome back! It has been a roller-coaster year to date but looking at the action-packed calendar this term will be more of a helterskelter ride – and, of course, great fun! We start the term with the virtue of Flexibility, which would seem most apt what with unscheduled parades and inclement weather already, and it’s only day one! As per the School-links message already sent out, the Athletic Sports have been postponed. We hope to re-schedule for Thursday or Friday next week and will advise the date as soon as we have the venue confirmed. Meanwhile, the known the highlights for Weeks I & II: Wednesday: Dean’s Day Dean Peter Beck will be visiting the classrooms tomorrow. Thursday: Open Day & matches v STAC (away) The final Open Day for the year is on Thursday. Your word-of-mouth is invaluable advertising so please encourage anyone you know who may be interested in visiting. Good luck to the one tennis, two touch and three cricket teams which are playing St Andrew’s College (away) on Thursday. The tennis and rugby are at Elmwood Park beginning at 12.00pm while the touch starts at 1.30pm at STAC itself. Friday: Grammarians Chapel and Breakfast & Y6 Choir Rehearsal The annual Grammarians’ chapel service is for former pupils’ of secondary school age. The service, beginning at 7.30am, will take place in the library, and be followed by breakfast in the staff common room. Grammarians should RSVP by Thursday to [email protected] or via Facebook. Year 6 pupils will be out on Friday morning at the Christchurch Music Festival massed choir rehearsal. Their performance is at 7.30pm at the CBS Arena. Saturday: Summer Sport & Friends’ Cocktail Party All teams – cricket and tennis – have sport on Saturday morning. The draw is always available on GrammarNet. Matters will be Shaken not Stirred at the Friends’ Association Cocktail Party beginning at 7.30pm. Sunday: Cathedral Dedication Festival On Sunday, the diocese celebrates the 130th anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral. Former Dean John Bluck is preaching at the morning service at 11.00am, which will be followed by sherry and cake. Dean Peter Beck will preach at Evensong at 5.00pm. Next week…  Assessments: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Please assist your child by providing a quiet environment for revision, and encouraging early nights and good eating. Breakfast is particularly important fuel for good brain power, backed up by a nutritious morning tea snack and hearty lunch. 

Christchurch Boys’ HS setting tests: Wednesday.



Y8 Independent Schools’ Dance: Wednesday at Rangi Ruru, 7.00-9.30pm.



Athletic Sports: date to be advised

Penny Tattershaw ([email protected]) Averil Worner ([email protected])

Boys’ Merit & Values Cards, House Points: Week 10 Merit Cards Gibson: Paddy Coates, Arthur Bell, Min Ho Park, Harry Sharp, Adam Smead-Roberts, Charles Smith, Tal Yardeni Hansen: Ederick He, Zac Place, Sebastian Conaghan –Carr, Ben Epton, Ederick He, Hugh Marshall, James Wong, Luke Zydenbos Merton: James Garbett, Harrison Lind, James Newton, Benedict Sullivan, Sam Abbot, Thomas Berg, Miles Cockram, Angus Fitzgerald- Kearns, James Jerard, Reuben Oliver, Alexander Rowe, Joshua Wheelans Parr:

Finlay Adam, Joshua Glading, Jake Grove, William Ju, Ben Langworthy, Alex Moreton, William Pegg, Ben Young

Values Cards Gibson: Rohan Baird, Arthur Bell, Min Ho Park Hansen: Harry Ashburn, Andrew Bannock, James Wong Merton: James Jerard Parr:

Jake Grove, William Ju, Ben Langworthy

Term 2 House Points Gibson - 690 Hansen - 850

Merton - 875

Parr – 785

Girls’ Merit & Values Cards, House Points: Week 10 Merit Cards Connon: Lili Belton- Illari, Emily Ye, Sierra Bayley, Isabella Cuthbert, Emma Faulkner, Rose Leighton Dell:

Rosa Davies, Sakura Yoda, Georgia Doyle, Leilani Matai, Grace Sullivan

Hart:

Storm Brown, Adelina Orwin

Mullan: Millie Barber, Maddi Flannery, Megan Gray, Claudia MacInnes, Ella Sharp Values Cards Connon: Laura Manhire Dell:

Molly Maclean

Hart:

Maddie Egnot

Mullan: Megan Gray Term 2 House Points Connon - 435 Dell - 465 Hart - 345

Mullan- 415

FRIENDS’ ASSOCIATION

For news items about the Frioends’ Aoociation, make sure that you regularly check the News Centre on GrammarNET

Cocktail Party This Saturday night - 29th October at 7.30pm - The Cathedral Grammar Friends' Association Cocktail Party!! We are really looking forward to a great 'Event' this weekend....just like last weekend!! There has been a wonderful level of support from the school community donating items for the Cocktail Party silent auction - thank you. We have some both elegant & precious items which will be auctioned on Saturday evening and they are on display in the School Office glass cabinet in the foyer for you to view and ponder.....please have a look this week as they will not be on display for the whole evening at the Cocktail Party for security reasons! However, to further whet your appetite, here are some of our other auction items: Original 1881 Framed Christchurch Cathedral roof slate 'Victoria Quarter' voucher package Court Theatre tickets to Roger Hall's "Shortcut to Happiness" Gold & Diamond earrings by Asante Decant Wines 'European gift boxed wine selection" 'Total Body Concept' Day Spa Package

Hope there's something to tempt you..... Tickets can still be purchased from the school office or online via Grammarnet $80 per person (includes canapes, beverages & dancing) Hope you can come!

Kindest wishes, The Cocktail Party Committee