This week was ‘Belonging Week’ at Warwick School, and it has been wonderful to take part in a number of events where members of the school community have come together.  

On Monday, Year 5 and 6 took part in their annual Sports Day. In very warm conditions, the boys demonstrated great determination and team spirit in competing in different races and activities to earn points for their House. On Tuesday it was the turn of Years 3 and 4 who performed fantastically well in a number of different races and activities. The traditional House tug-of-war brought each day to a close and was a further example of teamwork and team spirit. 

On Wednesday, we held our Year 6 Leavers’ Chapel Service. This was an important opportunity for the boys to reflect on their time in the Junior School. The boys shared their memories, wrote and read the prayers and sung their chosen hymns with great enthusiasm.  

Year 6 again demonstrated the value of teamwork as they presented their Young Enterprise Projects on Thursday afternoon, and the Bake Off contestants worked tirelessly on Friday morning in the finals of the Junior School Bake-Off.  

I would like to remind all parents that they are invited to the Junior School Prize Giving at 2pm on Wednesday, 9 July. If you have not already registered your interest in attending using the form sent out previously, then please contact the school office.   

Please also read the article in the newsletter regarding the recent Ignis Charity Day - the event raised an incredible amount of money. Thank you to everyone who donated.

John Bond 

The Summer Reading Challenge is a fantastic, fun, free way that our boys can continue to progress with and enjoy their reading over the Summer Holidays whilst our Junior School Library is closed. You can participate in local libraries and online from now until 30 September.

What is it?
The UK’s biggest reading for pleasure programme for primary school children in libraries, encouraging children to read for fun during the school holidays. The Challenge is open to all children aged 4–11, and is designed to be accessible for all reading levels. This year's theme is "Story Garden", and children are being encouraged to let their imagination blossom and explore creativity, storytelling and the magic of books.

When is it?
The Challenge takes place during the summer holidays in most UK public libraries, starting on 5th July and lasting through until 30th September. Children can sign up in-person at their library or online at summerreadingchallenge.org.uk at any time during the Challenge. Do please check local start and end dates with your library service.

What does the Challenge involve?

• At the library: A child visits their local public library to sign up and pick up a Summer Reading Challenge booklet. They set a reading goal and borrow books of their choice. They collect bespoke stickers and incentives from the library for their reading, including a certificate for reaching their reading goal.
• Online: Alternatively, children can take part in the Challenge online at summerreadingchallenge.org.uk from 20th June until 30th September, where they will set a reading goal and unlock digital rewards including a PDF certificate. They’ll get book recommendations and tips for accessing books for free at home.

What can children read for their Challenge?
Anything they enjoy! The Challenge is all about reading for fun, so all reading counts, from fiction and non-fiction to audiobooks, comics, joke books, graphic novels, e-books, and poetry.

Why take part?

• The Challenge significantly improves children’s reading skills and confidence
• Taking part can prevent the summer ‘dip’ in reading and can aid the successful transition to new year groups and key stages
• During last year’s Challenge, children read over 14 million books!
• 95% of children said they read more books after joining the Summer Reading Challenge
• It’s simple and free for every child to take part, and many libraries run accompanying free activities for families throughout the holidays

We hope your child enjoys taking part in the National Summer Reading Challenge and can't wait to hear how they get on!

On Saturday, 21 June, Sam, Ethan B, Finn, Ethan T, George, Vishnu, Josh and Hugo teamed up with girls from Warwick Prep School to play in a mixed doubles tournament.

The pupils formed mixed doubles pairs, and it did not take long to start working well together! Due to illness in the Prep team, Ethan and Sam paired up as a pair, and they played fantastically well, winning two and drawing one of their matches. In a champions tie-break to decide the winner, they lost an extremely tight breaker to Stamford School. Despite this, the boys should be incredibly proud of their performances during the morning!

The other pairs all played some fantastic tennis, working well with their partners and growing in confidence after each game. Finn and his partner won their group, whilst Josh and Vishnu both finished in their pairs as runners-up.

For many of the boys taking part, this was their first experience of a competitive tennis tournament, and they acquitted themselves brilliantly, learning about the tactics and enjoying the opportunity. Well done to everyone involved!

Courage was the theme of this week’s assembly. To be creative – our current learning strength – you often need courage; courage to present your ideas and your creations even though others may not appreciate them or think they would work. Courage is also an important quality in other areas of life such as standing up for what is right or owning up to mistakes. I explained to the boys that the word ‘courage’ derives from the Latin, ‘cor’ meaning heart and that it can take courage to follow our ‘heart’, to do what we feel or know is right. I left the boys to reflect on this quote - "Courage doesn’t mean we never feel scared—it means we face our fears and try anyway.” 

This week saw an author visit for Years 3, 4 and 5 from Ben Lyttleton who inspired the boys about football (as well as a children’s writer, Ben is a sports/football journalist) but also about the power of stories. Year 6 spent Wednesday afternoon in the senior school as part of their preparation for Year 7. Yesterday evening, we were treated to the Summer Concert, a wonderful evening of entertainment from the orchestra, choirs, ensembles. Well done to all the performers. It was also a memorable evening for Miss Sharp as this was her last Junior School Concert after 13 years in role. The week ended with Ignis House Charity Day. Raising money for Cancer Research, the boys put on a fantastic ‘Market for Cure’. Including donations for wearing blue, pink or spots, and a huge penny line around the ground floor of the Junior School, the boys showed great support for such a worthwhile charity. Thank you to all the parents for your donations. 

​​​​​​​Next week continues to be jam-packed with Sports Days, cricket fixtures, Open Homework (on the theme of 'Belonging'), the PAWS Grab and Go and the Junior and Senior School Open Evening. Please note the items in the newsletter regarding the hot weather next week, Sports Day and changes to uniform on Monday and Tuesday. 

With best wishes, 

John Bond 

On Thursday morning Year 3 made the journey across Myton Road to St. Nicholas Park to produce some observational drawings.

Each class visited three different locations in the park to produce three drawings. The boys were tasked with drawing a very small thing but bigger, a very large landscape in a small area and a continuous line drawing.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed each activity and would have happily spent much longer on their work given the opportunity.

The work produced will help inform the class work they are producing, which is inspired by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

In assembly this week, I spoke to the boys about the importance of laws and rules. We took a trip back in time to the 13th century and discussed how the behaviour and actions of King John angered his barons and led to Magna Carta, a document which shaped the future development of much of the western world. Magna Carta established the rule of law and the principle of a fair trial, two ideas which are fundamental to our system of justice.  

This week, Year 5 had the opportunity to visit Warwick School to take part in some drama workshops. The U8, U9 and U11s enjoyed cricket fixtures and some Year 3 and 4 boys took part in the rearranged Warwickshire Athletics. Year 3 had an Art Trip to St Nicholas’ Park and had a lesson in the Science Lab with Mr Lewis.  

Congratulations to those boys in Classics Club who with pupils and staff from the Prep School, wrote and starred in their own production of The Twelve Labours of Hercules this week. 

Next week, we have an author visit for Years 3, 4 and 5, an induction activity in the senior school for Year 6, the Summer Concert, the second Year 3 and 4 Parents’ Evening and Ignis House Charity Day. As we near the end of the summer term, there are a number of events for boys and parents over the coming weeks, so please do take note of the newsletter updates and any communications from school. 

With best wishes, 

John Bond