Rossall School News – Summer 2021 Week 9

From the Headmaster

Dear All,   A common misconception is that schools ‘wind down’ towards the end of the Summer Term. With internal examinations, TAGS to complete, Prize Day to organise, travel arrangements to confirm and sporting fixtures to attend, we are beyond busy. Furthermore, a huge amount of time is dedicated to planning for an exciting and action-packed return to School life in September. Like so many, we were disheartened by Boris Johnson’s announcement that the problematically named ‘Freedom Day’ will be postponed until the end of July, but with a rising number of cases of the Delta variant, it is sensible to proceed cautiously. Inevitably, the announcements have had an impact upon School events but we have to be grateful for what we can do rather than dwelling upon the things that are no longer possible. We are determined to give our Year 13 leavers a day to remember and we are looking forward to the official opening of the Pre-Prep and Nursery, which will take place next Friday afternoon. Amanda Owen,  shepherdess, mother of nine and star of Channel 5’s Yorkshire Farm will be opening our new facilities and we are looking forward to welcoming her to School.  Our guest preacher at the Commemoration of Benefactors service on Saturday morning will be Sam Haigh who leads the congregation at Preston Minster.  Sam is a former mechanic and was, until relatively recently, a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton in London. Sam and his wife Hannah are Rossall parents themselves and last week Sam met with some of our current Year 13 students to learn more about their experiences here at school and their hopes for the future. We are looking forward to welcoming him to the Chapel for what promises to be a lovely service during which we will give thanks for coming through the last year safely and pay tribute to all of the generous benefactors who have endowed the School since 1844.   Sam and his wife Emma  There are few ORs more inspirational than Josh Landmann and we are delighted that he will be our guest of honour at Prize Day. Joshua’s achievements are remarkable and his resilience, courage and energy is staggering. In 2019, Josh became the Guinness World Record holder for the fastest marathon in a non-racing wheelchair, completing the course in just three hours, 18 minutes and 59 seconds. Josh was named in the Lucozade’s Sport’s Mover’s List which celebrates the top 50 people who get other people moving. The list included heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua and England Lioness footballer Nikita Parris. He will be hoping to qualify for the Paralympics at a race in Spain this weekend. We were thrilled to learn that OR Jacob Draper will be heading out to Tokyo as part of the GB Hockey Team.  Josh will be assisted by Heather Loughran who has been part of this community for many years. Heather’s irrepressible cheerfulness sustained many of us during the long hard months of lockdown and she is much loved by colleagues and pupils. Heather epitomises the spirit of Rossall, and her role on Speech Day is also a public acknowledgement and vote of thanks to all members of our support staff who have fought so valiantly to keep the school community safe during difficult times. We are one team and it is a privilege to work with so many colleagues, like Heather, who go above and beyond to enrich our lives and look after our children.   We are always proud of our pupils but we are especially proud of Scarlett Knight who demonstrated incredible presence of mind when she managed to calm a horse that had thrown its rider and broken free on Sandy Lane on Monday morning. Fortunately, the lady concerned was not seriously injured and a number of other pupils, including Harry Hogarth and Harriet Bowden came to her rescue.  The quick thinking and thoughtfulness of our pupils was hugely impressive.  All best wishes, Jeremy Quartermain  Mr Jeremy Quartermain Headmaster of Rossall School

Message from the Deputy Head

It has always fascinated me, as a child, as an adult, and as a parent, that when you’re young you can’t wait to grow up and when you’re all grown up there are moments when you wish for nothing more than the innocence and freedom of youth.  And so it is with me and my (little) girls. They are growing up all too fast for my liking, whilst I, at least on the inside, see myself as a teenager still pretending to be a grown-up. To be a parent is a gift that comes with a unique set of challenges and no instruction manual. Every child is different and your response as a parent is unique too. As a parent, you are a product of your own experiences, your worst fears, your greatest hopes, the promises you made to your parents, the frustrations you experienced as a teenager, the pressure you feel to be the parent that you promised yourself you will be, the weight of expectations you feel and the difficulty of decoupling those that you value from those that are just externally imposed.  What is certain is the overwhelming responsibility we all feel as parents to do the very best for our children, to protect and guide them into a happy and fulfilled adulthood. This simple ambition can seem hugely challenging when set against the backdrop of the world that our teenagers live in and the fact that they are chemically designed to question, to doubt themselves, to take risks and to seek the approval of their peers. And so they make mistakes and our job as a community is to guide them when this happens and to help ensure that within the context of the prevailing forces on them, that they cannot verbalise or yet control, we get through deep enough to plant the values of self-respect, kindness and due consideration of the feelings of others. This has been a key focus of our discussions here at Rossall. The nurturing of young people navigating their way through a world full of challenges, temptations and conflicting messages is a key aspect of our pastoral care and we take it extremely seriously.  Our children thrive in school when they are happy in themselves and feel safe. We endeavour to teach them that they have control over both of these aspects but that their choices also impact on the happiness and feelings of safety of others. Our recent RSE sessions in particular have focused not only on factual information but also on our emotional responses, our preconceptions, on the language we use and most importantly on the nature of consent. It has prompted interesting and important debates in other areas and it has served to inspire a number of our older students to want to share their experiences and to educate in areas that they feel passionately about. This organic evolution of pupil voice is heartwarming and inspiring and we know that values and messages conveyed by peers can often have a much more significant impact than the same thing said by adults.  So whilst I grapple with the bittersweet reality of watching my girls grow, I draw great strength from the fact that we live in a society that now, more than ever before, shines a spotlight on and challenges behaviour that in any way seeks to hurt or humiliate and teaches the skills and the language necessary to empower. We cannot stop or prevent the passage of time, the need for exploration, the risks our children will take, but what we can do as a school and as a community is to ensure that a rhetoric of love, kindness and respect transcends and permeates all. Ms Dina Porovic Senior Deputy Head

Message from the Junior Headmaster

MESSAGE FROM THE PREPARATORY SCHOOL HEADMASTER Dear Parents, There’s always gonna be another mountain I’m always gonna wanna make it move Always gonna be an uphill battle Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose Ain’t about how fast I get there Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side It’s the climb The song lyrics to ‘The Climb’ by Miley Cyrus; the music that accompanied my assembly this week. We learnt about Jake Meyer, the-one time youngest person to conquer Mount Everest. Indeed, Jake not only ascended the highest mountain on Earth but also all the other highest summits across the continents. Jake started climbing when he was 12, mainly because he was self-confessed ‘useless’ at traditional sports. At 15, he climbed Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. By the age of 21, he had only one mountain left to climb – Mount Everest. Jake described wanting to give up, sinking into the snow about a vertical mile from the summit, knowing that the mountain had beaten him. He then saw a rock, jutting out from the snow a few metres ahead of him, wondered if he could make it there, did so, and continued in that vein breaking the remainder of the ascent into small victories. The children at Rossall may well not be climbing real mountains but the victories and steps along their journeys can be equally as daunting and can provide great opportunities for success. Whether it be swimming the length of the pool, reading a whole book, playing their first song or making a great pass, the victories they crave can be achieved through a series of small goals being reached. Who knows, we may well have an Everest climber in our midst! I was so proud of our Year 6 children earlier this week. They created a wonderful exhibition as part of their end of year activities, displaying their information boards to the rest of the Prep pupils. The games that were designed by the Year 6s to help the children learn about the environment were truly excellent and I am positive that the rest of the pupils will have returned home with stories of the day, lots of facts and information, as well as one or two prizes! I am not sure whether it was the children, Mr Rund, or myself who was most competitive! The way in which the Year 6 children not only created but also delivered their exhibition to the younger pupils was truly a pleasure to watch. The announcement from the Government earlier this week, was a difficult one for all members of the Rossall community. We will do our utmost to ensure that the pupils’ end of the academic year is as fabulous as we can make it. The staff have a real ‘can do’ attitude and are endeavouring to make everything work for the sake of the pupils. Not having parents inside at Prize Day is so disappointing but our live streaming should provide a sense of occasion. In addition, I intend to write to parents next week with our plans to host our sports’ day and opening of the Pre-Prep and Nursery, both events that we can invite parents to, given they are outdoors. Equally, we plan to continue to hold our Prep School Beach Party and the school trips. I know we can still provide an excellent end to the academic year for the children despite the continued restrictions. Huge congratulations to our Year 5 & 6 cricket team, who this week won the local schools competition without losing a game! They join our Year 3 footballers, Year 4 tennis players and Year 5 & 6 netballers in all having won the competitions entered this year. Have a lovely weekend. Mr Turner Headmaster of Rossall Nursery and Preparatory School

YEAR 6 EXHIBITION Year 6 enjoyed sharing their knowledge about all aspects of the Sea from Plastic Pollution to Mysterious Creatures of the Deep. It was a wonderful day of learning for pupils from Reception to Year 6 and the children loved taking part in fun activities and interactive displays to further their learning.

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MR SHARPE’S MATHS CHALLENGE LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE The Best Field Art Yet? Freshly vexed by Mr Sharpe’s omission of all the facts in the previous puzzle, Ky and Kai confront him by the field. Rather than admit to any error he makes a run for the nearest getaway vehicle, which happens to be the line marker used previously. Hotly pursued by Ky on his bike and Ky on a pogo stick (his preferred mode of transport) Mr Sharpe decides to appease them with a fresh piece of mathematical field art. Once he stops creating he sees that he has piqued the interest of his pursuers and poses them the following question. 1) If the overlap (marked x) between the two congruent rectangles is one eighth the area of the total shape then what fraction of one rectangle is the overlap? He notices that they don’t seem entirely satisfied with this and so he offers this extra bonus question. 2) If the overlap (marked x) between the two congruent rectangles is any fraction of the area of the total shape then what fraction of one rectangle is the overlap? ANSWER: (CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW)

Congratulations to the self-named “Quiz Gang” consisting of past puzzle winners Kai Wagner, Elias Fink and new winner Chris Onwochei. A joint effort from the three of them. Well done, boys! Here is the latest puzzle: They’ve Been Framed! After successfully appeasing the Kai/Ky’s, we decided to celebrate our line marker shenanigans with a photograph of the three of us. Elias and Chris used their photography skills and after several attempts, realised they had the lens cap on still but then finally managed to get a good picture with me in the middle and a Kai/Ky on either side. I left on good terms with the promise to get each of them a framed copy. I printed 3 copies of the photograph, each one 30cm by 40cm. However, the only frames I could find of that exact size are made of thick wood where the actual frame covers 78% of the picture. See below. (Diagram not to scale and this, believe it or not, is a drawing of the frame and photograph!) Unfortunately, the frame almost entirely cut the Kai/Ky’s out of the photograph (this was not my intention, at all. Honest…). So if the wooden parts of the frame cover 78% of the photograph and the photograph and frame are both exactly 30cm by 40cm in size. How wide are the wooden parts of the frame, marked x? As per usual, the first email with a correct answer will become the subject of the next puzzle. Remember to send your answer to: [email protected]