Headmaster's Newsletter Friday 13 September 2024
Dear Parents,
One of the highlights of my summer was watching endless hours of the Paris Olympics. With just one hour’s time difference (as compared to the discombobulating schedule of the Tokyo games four years ago), there were events happening when I woke up in the morning, more events over the course of the day, then plenty of live competitions to watch into the evening. I don’t think there were many Olympic sports that I didn’t catch at least a glimpse of. Like many armchair Olympic enthusiasts, I found great joy in very briefly becoming familiar with sports in which I had zero interest just a day before. And like many of those armchair enthusiasts, I quite often watched bemused as I tried to work out why dive A was better than dive B (something to do with over-rotation, toes and splash, apparently), why breakdancer C was better than breakdancer D, or why skateboard run E was superior to skateboard run F. Indeed, there was extra joy to be had in investing in the technical terms that the commentators used so effortlessly, but were totally new to us layfolk: kickflips, nollies, lipslides, ollies, and so on.
As an educator, I find it virtually impossible to watch something like the Olympics without trying to deduce some deeper ‘life lessons’. There are the obvious ones, of course, which come from watching highly trained and dedicated athletes (almost 11k of them, aged 11 to 65): get fit, work hard, practise. But some less obvious ones came to mind as I watched the wall-to-wall coverage:
Have A Detailed Plan
One of the GB team’s surprise golds was in the sport climbing. If you’d told me before the Olympics that I would care about bouldering and the like … actually I might have believed you because, as above, it doesn’t take much to get me temporarily emotionally involved in a sport. But Toby Roberts’s gold was particularly notable for two reasons. One: at the age of 19 he was quite young to get it, and he didn’t seem to expect to win, not yet at least. Two: it was the final stage in a long-term game-plan. Roberts began climbing when he was still at primary school, with an eye to the 2024 Paris Olympics. His father built a climbing wall at home so he could keep practising during the Covid lockdowns. But they also put together a plan, a full spreadsheet, which plotted the course from child amateur to Olympic gold in step-by-step minute detail. And it clearly worked.
Play Your Own Game
Prior to the Olympics, I hadn’t heard about the feud between GB 1,500m runner Josh Kerr and his Norwegian nemesis Jakob Ingebrigtsen. To be honest, I couldn’t have named any of the 1,500m athletes, let alone whether or not they were feuding. The media coverage predictably made as much as they could of the feud to increase the tension and add a bit of interest to an event that may not be the most headline-grabbing of events compared, say, to the 100m. There was clearly a coolness between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen which stood out against the competitive bonhomie of athletes in other events. While these other athletes seemed to like one another, even if they deferred that affection during competition, Kerr and Ingebrigtsen really didn’t. I don’t think they even really looked at one another (though Kerr’s sunglasses made it difficult to tell). Anyway, in the run-up to the final, all of the talk was whether Kerr would beat Ingebrigtsen, or vice versa. I think, in their own minds, they only thought about one other bitter rival. But in focusing on that one rival, rather than playing their own game and focusing on their own performance, neither Kerr nor Ingebrigtsen won. An American, Cole Hocker, came through on the inside and ensured that neither of the feuding favourites got the gold.
Don’t Be Thrown By External Things You Can’t Control
One of the first sharp-intake-of-breath moments in the Olympics came during the gymnastics when the Canadian Felix Dolci was competing on the high bar. Towards the end of his routine his hand grip broke and split in half. He flew off the bar at high speed, hitting the ground. None of this was his fault: the commentators confirmed that they may have seen hand grips split during training, but they’d never seen it happen in competition. Dolci was presumably fairly shaken by this, but he kept his composure and requested to be able to compete again. The judges allowed this, and Dolci returned to the high bar. He wasn’t able to complete his routine, though, because when his grip broke he also cut his hand. But, mentally, Dolci had shown that he wasn’t going to be thrown by external things, a freak accident, even if physically his hand injury meant he couldn’t compete as he’d hoped.
Get Your Family Involved
One of the notable features of the Paris Olympics was the manner in which athletes’ families were embraced in the proceedings. Tom Daley’s two sons sat poolside and watched him compete in the diving; indeed, Daley has said that the reason he was competing in the tournament in the first place was because one of his sons asked him to. Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors of New Zealand won the double sculls final in the rowing, and were quickly hailed as ‘super mums’ as they combined their gruelling training schedule with bringing up a young family. Also given the ‘super mum’ moniker were French judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka and Jamaican athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Indeed, for the first time in Olympics history the games had an on-site nursery, an innovation led by IOC Athlete Commissioner (and American track star) Allyson Felix. Felix wanted to make the statement that ‘you can choose motherhood and also be at the top of your game and not have to miss a beat’.
Go Out in Style
No athlete can go on forever, even if some events mean one can go on competing into one’s sixties. One athlete who took a bow this year was Andy Murray. His departure from tennis was rather a protracted one. Even when it seemed the writing was on the wall, he and his doubles partner (Dan Evans) kept coming back from seemingly endless match points, making it to the quarter finals against Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. In Murray’s final professional competitive match, he still didn’t seem to want to give up – a tenacity that had marked his many years in the sport, and which was a fitting way to go out in style.
With almost 11k athletes involved over 329 medal events, I’m sure there are many other life lessons we could take from the Olympics, and many more stories of strength in adversity. But I hope that the boys were inspired by the many fantastic stories of individual and team talent and stamina across a wide variety of sports. Who knows, maybe there’s the next Toby Roberts amongst us, drawing up a spreadsheet for success in Brisbane 2032 and beyond.
Have a great weekend,
Matt Jenkinson
We have really enjoyed catching up with old parents, and meeting new ones, at our start-of-year information meetings this week. On Monday we welcomed Reception and Year 1 parents to see their new classrooms and meet their form tutoring teams. Tuesday’s evening for Years 4 to 6 combined internet safety and a 13+ destinations briefing with form tutor information sessions, and gave parents a chance to meet registrars of the senior schools to which NCS boys tend to go at the end of Year 8. On Wednesday, it was great to be able to introduce Year 3 families to the prep school, and to give Year 2 families a taste of what they will be enjoying here in a year’s time when their sons enter the prep school. Then, on Thursday, we had our Year 7-8 briefing on the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate, a guide to how the top two years at NCS work, alongside a chance to meet our form tutor teams in these older years.
Thank you for all the ‘Reading in Interesting Locations’ competition entries we received over the summer. If there are any that haven’t yet been sent in, please send them (in high-quality JPG format) to office@newcollegeschool.org by 8.00 next Monday 16 September so we can finalise the results. Many thanks.
Years 3 and 4 clearly had a great time at the Hill End outward bound centre on Wednesday, enjoying the last of the mild weather (they returned before the dramatic hail!), developing their teamwork skills, and bonding over a number of vigorous outdoor activities. My thanks to all of my Year 3 and 4 colleagues for organising the trip, looking after the boys, and embracing the activities so cheerfully.
The boys will have their portrait photos taken on Tuesday 17 September. On that day, please could all boys arrive at school in full uniform? There will be an opportunity for those boys who have Games later in the day to change once their photos have been taken.
I’m pleased to announce that Stephen Potts will be taking over from Izzy Rose as Director of Enrichment Activities from January 2025. This role will also be extended slightly to include oversight of educational visits (another form of enrichment!). Congratulations to Stephen and we all look forward to the enrichment programme evolving further following Izzy’s fantastic tenure.
Our next Open Morning is on Saturday 5 October at 10.00-12.00. If any boys from Years 3-8 would like to be guides on that morning, please could their parents email office@newcollegeschool.org. Please note that all pupils attending school that morning (including OCCO pupils) should wear full school uniform. Prospective parents are asked to register at https://www.newcollegeschool.org/open-day-booking -- do please pass on this link if you know of any families who would be interested in joining our wonderful community. You should also soon be receiving, via your son's schoolbag, a poster and a leaflet advertising the event. Although the morning is primarily for prospective parents, current parents, especially those from the Pre-Prep, are most welcome to get a further insight into the upper part of the school. We would really appreciate it if you could display the poster in a prominent place such as on notice boards at: nurseries and girls' schools (so as not to offend other local boys’ schools); Oxford colleges, Brookes University and other educational institutions; hospitals and health centres; churches, local shops and community centres; your car or house window. Please pass the smaller leaflet onto any friends who may be interested. Please also feel free to share/retweet the schools social media posts about the open morning:
https://www.instagram.com/newcollegeschool/
https://www.facebook.com/newcollegeschool
The NCS Parents’ Association will be meeting for its AGM in the Creative Learning Centre (CLC) on Monday 23 September at 19.00. We are pleased to welcome any parents to join the meeting. We hope that this year will bring plenty of opportunities to come together and fundraise. We will be discussing potential events and also electing officers at the AGM. Please email ncspa@newcollegeschool.org for more information. As in previous years, if parents have any specific queries or concerns, by far the best first port of call is the teacher or SLT member concerned. Our email addresses are all available at https://www.newcollegeschool.org/who-we-are
This Harvest Festival NCS will again be supporting the Community Emergency Fund (CEF). The CEF is an independent charity that aims to help people in Oxford or the surrounding area who are suffering from financial hardship and finding it difficult to provide food for themselves, their family or dependants. If pupils and families would like to support this worthy cause, they can do so by donating at our Harvest Festival. The service will be held in Chapel on Wednesday 2 October at 9.00. Pupils can bring in non-perishable food items (canned or dried) along with toiletries, which will be collected and donated to the CEF. We thank the NCS community for their support of this worthy cause.
From Monday the NCS tuck shop will reopen in the aquamarine hut next to the bike stores, and is open to boys in Years 3-8. The shop is run by members of Year 8 and will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings between 8.00 and 8.15. It sells a small range of inexpensive snacks (such as crackers and dried fruit) and juice cartons. Boys are welcome to bring a small amount of money if they would like to purchase a snack. Items range from 20p to 40p.
Many of the older boys are familiar with Artemis, our lovely leopard gecko who resides in the science lab. Artemis is always available for weekend visits for any families that would like to host her. She comes with full instructions and a small travel tank (she is very low maintenance and easy to handle!). If your son is keen to look after her for a weekend do email emma.krebs@newcollegeschool.org.
Join the internationally acclaimed Drakensberg Boys Choir for a concert of exceptional music in the beautiful setting of New College Chapel. Known for their unique blend of classical choral works and Afro-Pop vibes, the choir promises a diverse and engaging repertoire highlighting South African music's best. UK audiences can look forward to experiencing a captivating blend of classical masterpieces and infectious pop hits. The repertoire will range from the timeless compositions of Carl Orff and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to the vibrant rhythms of Afro-pop and traditional African contemporary works, promising to enchant audiences of all tastes. The Drakies, as the choir is also affectionately known, will offer the melodic genius of Ola Gjeilo, Knut Nystedt, and works from other celebrated composers during the tour. The Drakensberg Boys Choir will perform live in Oxford, featuring their signature choral works and Afro-Pop music. They will be joined for some items by the choristers of New College Choir, and the Chamber Choir of New College School on Monday, 23 September 2024 at 16.30. Tickets are on sale from £25 and available for purchase here.
Parents may be interested to read NCS’s entry in the new Tatler Schools Guide: “The ‘new’ in its name is somewhat oxymoronic when you consider that this school was founded in 1379. (There can’t be many where building works uncover not just a Roman coin and kiln, but two actual Romans.) That notwithstanding, this small-but-dynamic prep is forging ahead, with numbers the highest they have been in 645 years and the new classrooms, assembly hall and dining hall in the Gradel Quads offering breadth and space for academic enrichment. The prep is attached to the eponymous Oxford college and choristers sing in the mothership’s medieval chapel five evenings a week. But it’s not all dreaming spires: watch out for Artemis, the gecko who lives in the science lab and can be taken home by boys to look after in the holidays.”
Saturday, 14 September 2024
9.00 OCCO commences
Monday, 16 September 2024
All Week: Years 3-8 PTM in ICT Suite. SY and BU to circulate timetable.
Tuesday, 17 September 2024
9.00 Portrait photos (Auditorium)
14.00 U8 A&B and U9 A&B Football vs Cothill, Home
Wednesday, 18 September 2024
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Mr Damien Ettinger, Headmaster, Cokethorpe School
14.15 U11 A-D Football vs Cothill, Home
14.15 U13 A-C Football vs Cothill, Away
8.15 School council meeting, CLC
Thursday, 19 September 2024
9.00 OPRO dentist mouthguard fitting
Monday, 23 September 2024
15.00 Drakensberg Boys' Choir Workshop/Rehearsal & Concert (with choristers and Chamber Choir), Chapel
14.30 U13 A-C Football vs d'Overbroeck's, Home
19.00 NCSPA AGM, CLC
Wednesday, 25 September 2024
8.15 Charity Committee meeting, CLC
14.30 U11 A-D Football vs Summer Fields, Home
14.30 U13 A-D Football vs Summer Fields, Away
9.00 Chapel. Speaker: Mr Matthew Albrighton, Headmaster, Burford School