23 February 2024

Headmaster's Letter 23rd February 2024

Dear Parents

We’ve been delighted with the turnout, as well as the positive feedback, from the Dumpton Talks Week. Thank you to all those of you who managed to attend (over 150 parents across the week!) to hear more about how we might best try to raise children in a modern world thanks to our five brilliant speakers who all had wisdom and insights to share. But perhaps the best part of this week has been the discussions these talks have ignited amongst us, and how it has brought so many of us together as a community to share our worries, our hopes, our failures and our successes. They say ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and this week was a real reminder to me how important it is we continue to lean on one another, and work together supportively to navigate the ups and downs of parenthood.

It’s also a reminder that your children’s success at Dumpton is a product of how well we, as the adults, work together with the best interests of your children at heart. It’s a real team effort. Our positive communications and interactions, our shared values, and, even when we might be dealing with challenging things, our ability to be honest with one another and find common ground, is key to success. I want to thank you all as parents for the supportive role you play, and for the trust you put in us each and every day – it allows us to do what we do!

Busy Times! The next couple of weeks are going to be really exciting at Dumpton, but very busy! We have sent out some important communications this week, and would ask you to check through the calendar carefully. Please do take special note of the information about Global Citizenship Day next Friday, as well as the letter regarding arrangements for Performing Arts week the following week. The Spring Spectacular on Monday 4th March involves nearly every child in the school, including Nursery – and please see the form (in the letter) that we need every parent to complete. Year 8 parents, please note the change of date for the Year 8 Showcase, which will now be on Friday 22nd March at 3.30pm. Parents should also note that we have no less than 5 IAPS qualifying tournaments next week in Hockey, Netball and Swimming. Best of luck to everyone involved in all this excitement over the next fortnight! Scholarship Success I am delighted to announce we have been awarded 7 scholarships from Bryanston – Tilly A, Georgie S, Will S, Marni P, and Rafferty V were all awarded Sports Scholarships, Freddie B a Performing Arts Scholarship, and Sam C an All Rounder Scholarship. Well done to all involved – the culmination of years of hard work and determination – we're all very proud!

Y7 and Y8 Exams Well done to Y7 and Y8 who have made a most impressive start to their exams. They have been really determined and diligent and taken the proper ‘exam hall’ experience in their stride– what great preparation for future exams. Parent Sport It has been so lovely to see so many parents connecting through some very social and amicable sport. Well done to our Parents Netball Team who won their first ever match on Wednesday night. As well as Netball in our Sportshall on Wednesdays, a group of Dumpton parents play football on the astro each Friday evening, and we will soon be looking for any interested cricketers to join our staff/parents cricket team ahead of a game or two in the Summer. Do look out for information on Classlist or speak to us here at school for more information. Mufti Days on Thursday 29th February - From Mrs Cox Global Citizenship Day is next Friday and all year groups will have received a separate letter about what their children will be getting up to. There will be a mufti day on Thursday 29th February - Pre-Prep to wear blue to support ocean health and Prep School to wear blue/green /brown (like a tree!) to support climate action. Minimum donation for wearing mufti is £1 and there will also be a Fairtrade cookie sale at break. Fundraising for Restless Development – From Emeli, Daisy, Olivia and Bethany (Y6 pupils)

We are fundraising for Restless Development by running in a Triathlon at Bryanston. In order to qualify for the triathlon we need to raise an initial amount of £100. To raise this initial money for Restless Development we will be organising a “Guess the quantity of sweets/dog treats in a jar” on Monday 26 February after school from 3.15pm until 5.15pm. If you want to participate with your child at the end of school, then they will be asking for donations of 50p - £1 to play the game. Book Fair Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th March – from Miss Fox Further to my email sent just before half term, this is just a reminder that Reception to Y4 will be visiting the Book Fair on Wednesday 6th March, and Y5, Y6 and Y7 will be visiting on Thursday 7th - World Book Day. As usual, it is cash only. Please ensure your child (particularly if in Pre-Prep) sends their money in a secure, clearly named envelope or similar. Also, a reminder that the deadline for photo competition entries (digital please) is Monday 4th March. Lord of the Flies Casting – From Mrs Oakes A few weeks ago, we had a visiting casting agent on the hunt for some boys for an upcoming BBC production of 'Lord of the Flies'. They have sent the following message of thanks to those brilliant boys and well done to Kitto in Year 7, who was invited for a further audition:

Thank you very much for letting us visit your school. We were so impressed with your enthusiasm and talent. As you can imagine we are visiting a lot of schools and seeing thousands of young actors from all over the UK. We would like to thank you very much for being thoughtful, brave, putting yourself forward and taking a step into the unknown - all qualities that will stand you in good stead should you ever find yourself stranded on a desert island……! Best of luck for the future, Nina Gold and the Lord of the Flies casting team

With best wishes for the weekend.

Christian Saenger

Headmaster

Key Events Week Beginning 26/02/2024: WEEK 8: Theme of the Week - Global Citizenship WEEK B Monday 26 February Bryanston & Canford Academic Scholarships Begin Y7 & Y8 Exams 16.30: Y6 (6A / 6C) Parents' Evening (in person) Tuesday 27 February Y7 & Y8 Exams Author Visit - Steve Cole (Years 4 - 6) Reception Visit to Farmer Palmers PM: Sports Fixtures (Y3-Y4) - please see Dumpton Sports Site for full details 16.30: Y6 (6C / 6J) Parents' Evening (in person) Wednesday 28 February 8.30: Nursery Parent Feedback Group with Mr Saenger PM: Sports Fixtures (Y5-Y8) - please see Dumpton Sports Site for full details 15.00: Pre-Prep Class Assembly (1C)