Headmaster's Letter - 15 December 2022

Dear Parent / Friend of RGS As there has been so much going on this Michaelmas term, I felt that my usual (self-imposed) two-page limit would not do justice to a Christmas letter. Thanks to the contributions of staff, I am able to produce a more substantial publication with more photographs and links. Pour yourself lots of coffee, light the fire and don’t bother with the Sunday Times this weekend. LET IT SNOW (NO, PLEASE DON’T) I t’s been a while since we have had sufficient snow to set the rumour mills working as was the case on Monday. Please assume that the School is open unless you hear otherwise, by early morning School Comms (and text when we have trialled it). We would also upload information onto th e Buckinghamshire Council School Closures Website, which informs local radio and the coach companies. With the onset of online learning we can, of course, now operate effectively from our own homes and we would certainly do this if the forecasts were such that staff knew to take resources home with them, in advance. Whilst Monday looked pretty bleak at 7am, the day did improve. Our Estates Team cleared the site quite quickly, aided by the appendage to the tractor, and most staff, who could do so safely, came in to work. Your sons were very sensible throughout th e day and I was very impressed to see that nearly every chorister managed to ‘get to the church on time’, by hook or by crook, for the Carol Service rehearsal. SIXTH FORM CENTRE CAMPAIGN Many thanks to parents who have continued to support the campaign. I am immensely grateful for the gifts of £491,119 (at the time of writing) in less than a term. Our final Campaign Evening was well attended and I was delighted to be able to show parents around the new Sixth Form study area. The Campaign for Phase 1 closes on January 9, 2023 – I will give a fuller account of the Campaign in my first letter of the new year. Once the facility is open, I will invite parents in to have a look and to hear about my plans for Phase 2. Please do get in touch if you can help with this campaign. OTHER CAPITAL INVESTMENT The Sports Hall will be handed back to the School in time for the start of the Spring Term; the temporary marquee on School House lawn has been a godsend for the PE Department and Boarding. The solar panels are due to be installed in January alongside the work on the Swimming Pool commencing. We will be redecorating the area leading to the Sports Hall in the Spring Term. QUEEN’S HALL The Queen’s Hall is currently being renovated; this has led to the postponement of the usual Certificates Evenings that we traditionally hold at this time of year. We have also had to migrate assemblies online. We had our usual Christmas message from the Vicar of Hazlemere, The Reverend Mark Meardon - always as entertaining as it is meaningful. My final assembly is on the importance of saying ‘thank you’. I feel certain, therefore, that you will find y our sons more grateful than ever! Click below, if you’d like to hear my message.