Hello there, Mr Hanratty here, in the absence of the Headteacher who is currently in the USA with our Year 12 students and staff members representing the school at the prestigious Harvard Model United Nations Conference in Boston. Prior to the conference this weekend, the staff and students are staying in New York, immersing themselves in the sights and sounds while enjoying everything the city's culture has to offer.
We are honoured to be the only UK school attending this conference, a testament to the hard work, commitment, and impact of our staff and students year after year. We send our best wishes to all the students and staff participating in the conference, and we will be sharing updates and photos from the trip on our social media profiles later this week and next.
Last Thursday, our Sixth Form Open Evening took place. A massive thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of the event. A particular thanks must go to those staff and students who worked outside in the freezing temperatures to support the event. A special thanks must also go to Megan J (Year 12 Barton House) and Vice School Captain Jess R (Year 13 College House) who proudly spoke about the School and shared their Sixth Form experiences with our visitors during both presentations in the Big Hall. We are delighted to report a record number of applications to join the Sixth Form, and submissions are still coming in before the deadline this Thursday.
This Thursday also marks the start of our Year 13 Mock Exams, scheduled to run until Monday 5 February. It has been heartening to see how seriously Year 13 have taken their preparation for these exams and they are working hard to put their best foot forward. A special thanks to all the staff providing last minute revision sessions for Year 13. These exams serve as a valuable indicator of how Year 13 students will fare in their upcoming exams starting in May. Best wishes to Year 13 in their final preparations and during the exams – you've got this!
Also this Thursday (there is a lot going on this Thursday), a number of staff and students will travel to Queen’s College, Cambridge. We regularly visit universities as a part of careers and destinations programme, and our students and staff always return with positive feedback, and an extra bounce in their steps. On the subject of Cambridge, we extend our best wishes to our prospective Cambridge candidates, hoping for the best as they await confirmation of their offers tomorrow.
We have a wide variety of fixtures scheduled for this week: this afternoon, our U13A basketball team will compete against Wrotham School at home, while our U14B football team will also face Wrotham at home. Tomorrow, we have two football away fixtures, with our 1st XI playing against Judd and our 2nd XI against Oakwood. On Thursday, our 1XI hockey squad will play away at Ashford School. The sporting week will conclude with four football sides (U13A, U13B, U12A, and U12B) competing against Ewell Castle School at home. Best of luck to all those participating.
In last week's fixtures, the U14A football team secured a 3-1 victory against Wrotham on Monday. Despite an unfortunate loss in U16A basketball against The Canterbury Academy (67-70) on Tuesday and a 1-1 draw for our U14B football side against The Howard School last Thursday, Friday brought success for our U16A basketball team with a 74-51 scoreline against Wrotham School. Unfortunately, our U14A football side experienced an unlucky loss against Ravens Wood School (3-5). The Saturday fixture resulted in a 1-4 scoreline favouring Hurstmere against our U14B football side. Congratulations to all for their efforts, and a massive thank you to the staff and families who supported these fixtures.
Do have a read of the Headteacher’s blog next week, where he will undoubtedly provide an update on their exciting trip stateside. Until then, take care and have a good week.
