Clifton College Website
Butcombe Newsletter
Dr Wendy Bowring, the Headmistress of Clifton College's Butcombe Pre-Preparatory and Nursery School, writes a regular newsletter for parents and friends of the school.
Newsletter 11
Dear Parents,
It has been a busy week for everyone at Butcombe. The excitement of the snow is well and truly over, and the children have been working hard. Our clubs are now in full swing, and I am very pleased to hear how Year 1 children enjoyed their ‘Fidget Feet’ session on Monday after school. We had a visit from a group of College Council members yesterday afternoon who sat in on lessons, and who were impressed by the openness of the children, and their willingness to show their work and share their views. Today Year 3 had a successful trip to the Bristol Museum, so it’s been all systems go!
Over £350.00 was made at the Nearly New Uniform Sale last week. This money is being sent to the Save the Children Fund Haiti Appeal. Thank you to everyone that supported it and to Jen Woolfson and the team of mums that helped.
No less than four invitations follow, all very different but all very interesting. I hope one or more of them interests you.
Butcombe St David’s Day Dinner
I am really delighted to invite you to our inaugural St David’s Day Dinner on Saturday, 27th February 2010 in Big School (the main dining hall).
Last year, John Milne, Headmaster of the Pre, introduced a Burns Night Ceilidh which was extremely well attended and thoroughly enjoyed by Pre staff and parents. Somewhat tongue in cheek it was suggested that the other heads might like to arrange a special night... so here is mine! No, I am not Welsh, but I am very proud of my Welsh connections, and certainly enjoy the cultural traditions of music, traditional Welsh cooking – and rugby!
The evening will start in the Percival Library where a harpist will play as we have a glass of fizz. This will be followed by a traditional Welsh four course meal with wine. We will be entertained by the Cardiff Male Voice Choir, and although it is not a rugby event and there are no speeches, I hope to have Phil Davies (46 caps for Wales, coach of Llanelli Scarlets) as a guest on my table.
Tickets will be £27.00 per head. Tables will seat ten people, so you may want to get a table together, or simply buy tickets and sit with friends on the night. Dress code is lounge suits and daffodils. For the rugby buffs, Wales will have played France the night before, and England will have played Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon – what a perfect weekend!
If you would like to come, please send a cheque payable to Clifton College Services Ltd to Annabel Purnell, and the actual tickets will be issued nearer the event.
E-Safety Lecture
I have been asked by the Upper School to extend an invitation to Butcombe parents to a lecture on ‘E-Safety in the 21st Century’ which is taking place on Wednesday, 3rd February 2010 at 6.30 p.m. in the Prichard Room.
The speaker, Karl Hopwood, is an internationally renowned specialist in all aspects of E-safety and the cyber world. He addressed Upper School staff at the start of term, which was extremely enlightening and very useful in helping the School protect and educate its pupils. We were really pleased that he agreed to talk to parents about the ever-increasing dangers children of all ages face in the future.
If you would like to attend, please let Annabel Purnell know, and she will reserve you a place (and give you directions to the Prichard Room). Seating is limited, so please book yours now to avoid disappointment!
Parenting Course and Christ Church
I have been asked to circulate this information by the Children’s minister at Christ Church, Jane Simkins, who is a frequent visitor to Butcombe. It may interest some parents:
‘There will a Parenting Course running at Christ Church Primary School on Wednesday evenings (7.45-9.45pm) from 24th February until 31st March. The course is being run by members of the church (Christ Church), who have expertise in the area of Parenting. Topics covered by the course include ‘How do families work?’, ‘what do our children need?’, ‘how do we set boundaries?’ and ‘handling anger’. The final evening is an optional session looking at how you can grow your child’s faith. The course is designed for parents (couples and lone parents) with children from 3 to 12 years of age and, whilst based on Christian principles, is helpful for any parent, with or without a Christian faith or church background. For more information or to register for this course please contact Jenny Bush on jenny@christchurchclifton.org.uk or 0117 973 6524.’
Charity Bike Ride – Bristol to Paris, 3 – 6 July
Finally, an exciting invitation to join the College team for this event in the summer. John Milne extends the following invitation:
‘Plans are afoot for the first ever Clifton College Charity Bike Ride for Parents and Staff. The route chosen for the inaugural ride is Bristol to Paris and the dates are as follows:
Depart Clifton College: Saturday 3rd July
Arrive Eiffel Tower, Paris: Tuesday 6th July
The idea is to cycle to Poole/ Weymouth on Day 1 and cross the Channel to Cherbourg. The route to Paris (Days 2, 3 and 4) will take us past a couple of pertinent historical sites in Normandy with a Clifton College World War II connection and, perhaps, a brief stop at Bayeux before arriving in Paris via the Champs-Elysees. Apart from the first evening - which will be spent on board the ferry - the intention is stay in good quality accommodation so that the bike ride can also be a social event for those participating. The overarching idea is that the ride is open to Clifton College parents, all staff (including support staff) and Council Members.
The plan is to take at least two support vehicles from the College to carry bags, equipment, etc. Depending on interest, it may be possible to bring some bikes back from Paris for those who want to fly back independently or spend time in Paris.
At present, we have a number of parents and staff members ‘on board’ and prepared to organise the logistics of the trip:
Mr Jerry Arron - sponsor ‘Mud Dock’ : Organiser of Pre-trip orientation(s) and workshop/ training sessions/ runs/ cycling gear
Mr Martin Warren - ferry research/group bookings
Mrs Jill Fitzgerald - Eurostar research/ group bookings
Mr Martin Williams - route planner
Miss Jean Davies - i/c accommodation
Mr Jon Craton - i/c personal training with Andy Wadsworth
Mr John Digby - fundraising
At present, there is no fixed cost for this trip as it will be determined by the number of people interested; however, costs will effectively include support vehicles, ferry journey and three nights accommodation in France. Price excludes return journey from Paris.
If you would like to register interest, then please email James Breeze, Marketing Officer, on jbreeze@clifton-college.avon.sch.uk and send a cheque made payable to ‘Clifton College’ for £100 to secure your place. The deadline for sign up is 1st February, 2010. Please send your cheque to Elena Edwards in Accounts at 32 College Road, BS8 3JH.
If you know of any interested party who may consider sponsoring the trip in part, then please put them in touch with John Milne, who will happily liaise with them. There will be a meeting shortly for all those who are interested. This will be an opportunity to share the itinerary with all and to discuss the plans for preparation from February – July.
The event should be a great social event, first and foremost, as well as a good fundraiser for charity and the school.’
I am exhausted just reading about it! With best wishes,
29 January 2010
© 2006-9 Clifton College
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