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To be a Pilgrim is to build community, Episode 24Our community, made up of Pilgrims and their families, staff, the Cathedral and the College, and the wider community in Winchester is very important to the boys and the School. It is also important that both individual boys and the whole School contribute to the local community, nationally, and to the wider world. We do that through charity, of course, but also in other ways such as through links with other schools, through sports and other interschool or national competitions, and in events like the Mountbatten Festival I mentioned last week. We are always looking to make more community connections. However, the sense of community and whole communities have been challenged by COVID-19 when the words ‘self-isolation’ and ‘distanced’ are used so much more often than words like 'togetherness’ and ‘connection’. We have tried hard to retain the strong sense of community inside the School and virtually through drop in Zooms and other meetings, and also through the sterling work of the PPA who have organised virtual quizzes, the trout night and dumpling making for Chinese New Year, amongst so many others. Thank you, parents, for all your help in this. This year things have certainly not been the same and we look forward to being able to being able to enjoy the School community in its fullness and to contributing so much more to the communities we are part of very soon. This week, 24-30 April, has been the World Health Organization’s (WHO), World Immunisation Week 2021. How timely! After COVID-19 vaccinations have been offered and taken up by older age groups and those in risk categories, adults over 40 years are now being invited for COVID-19 vaccination in England. The press has of course been full of calls for adults to be vaccinated and discussion about vaccines. I discussed the importance of vaccines and immunisation with the boys during my assembly last Monday. Way before COVID-19, vaccines prevented at least 10 million deaths in the five years between 2010 and 2015 and many more millions of people were protected from serious disease in this period. The development of vaccines is an example of a world-changing scientific and medical revolution in recent centuries, however the story of vaccination did not begin with Edward Jenner’s use of material from cowpox pustules to provide protection against smallpox in 1796, as we are often told. Evidence exists that the Chinese employed smallpox inoculation (or variolation, as such use of smallpox material was called) as early as 1000 CE. Inoculation was practised in Africa and Turkey as well, before it spread to Europe and the Americas. Vaccines have and continue to change and permanently improve the world. Today 86% of the world’s children are protected from the six killer diseases targeted in the 1970’s by the WHO - measles, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, and tuberculosis. This is more than 95% in some developing countries. In 1974 just 5% of the world’s children were vaccinated against these six diseases so, for example, in 1987 every 15 seconds a child somewhere in the world died from measles (more than 2.1 million a year). In 1979 smallpox was eradicated; proof of the power of vaccines to permanently improve the world. The global push to end polio has reached its final stages, with just 3 remaining countries still working to eradicate it. The development and roll out of COVID-19 vaccines has been an incredible success story for scientists, medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, however the speed of roll out of vaccines is different in different countries. While the UK is at the lowest levels of COVID infections now and has very high levels of vaccine roll out, the situation is very variable across the world. We think of other countries which are at the peak of infection now, for example, the crisis in India. On 28 April in the biggest one-day spike, India recorded 379,257 Covid-19 cases and a daily death toll again at an all-time high of 3,645, amongst fears that cases are under-reported. India is a country which leads in the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and is home to the Serum Institute of India (SII) which is currently making and producing more doses of vaccine than any other single organisation. However, the need is such that SII has been struggling to meet domestic and global demand. India sent aid to other countries earlier in the pandemic, including the US, and in the same way Pakistan, the US, UK, and the EU are now sending aid to India. We pray for the people of India at this time. We pray also for everyone everywhere affected by COVID-19 and other infectious diseases or illnesses. In World Immunisation Week 2021, vaccines are key to fighting our way out of the pandemic at home and abroad and they will allow us to come together to continue to build all the communities we enjoy, and to help our communities flourish. At a facility on the outskirts of Chennai on April 24, workers check medical oxygen cylinders that will be transported to hospitals. Arun Sankar—AFP/Getty Image Health workers take swab samples for COVID-19 in Kerala. PTI |
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The Week AheadSaturday 1 May | | | Exeat begins at lunchtime (see below for detailed timings) | Monday 3 May
| | | No School (Bank Holiday) | Thursday 6 May
| | | Pre-Prep Gruffalo Hunt
| Friday 7 May | | | Pre-Prep NSPCC Number Day Effort Grade Cards published | Saturday 8 May | | | Open Morning Cricket v Forres Sandle Manor - tbc (U13A, U12A, Colts A, Foals Lords, U9 Hawks) |
Saturday 1 May – Exeat timings Year 4 and 5 boys, including boarders, should be collected at 1200, from their normal pick up points. Please ensure you have departed by 1210. Senior day boys should be collected at 1215, from their normal pick up points. Senior boarders should be collect at 1245 – Year 6 and 7 from the Yard, and Year 8 from Pilgrims’ Hall. The boys will have had lunch at 1200. For parents with boys in different year groups, please collect both/all your sons at the earliest pick-up time that applies. We will ensure that the boys are there to meet you. |
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Artworks of the WeekSketches of Wolvesey Castle by 6X On Saturday, 24 April, in splendid weather, the boys of 6X took a stroll down to Wolvesey Castle to sketch its evocative ruins. The boys' conduct and focus was exemplary, and we returned to school with some excellent studies. Well done to Rory K (top left), Thomas R (top right), Patrick C (bottom left) and Henry F (bottom right) on their outstanding drawings. They certainly deserve their Show Ups for excellent work! Mr Walters |
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School NoticesExeat Effort Grade Cards: You will be used to the usual pattern of Effort Cards being published on an Exeat. This term, the Exeat has fallen unusually early and so to better reflect the flow of the term, the Effort Card will be published next Friday at the end of the day. Alistair Duncan Form of the week: Junior - 4M Senior - 8W Junior Plus Badge Winners 5P - Lucas B, Kevin G 5W - George S, Harry K 4B - Zain C 4M -Rafael C 3H - Austin S, Archie W 3E - Alfie H, Freddie W, Noah G-P Mr Burton |
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SCARF workshopsSafety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendships - the cornerstones of our PSHEe programme in Year R to Year 6. This week, all these year groups have enjoyed fantastic workshops with Caroline (the wonderful presenter) and Harold the Giraffe. For example, Year 5 learn all about emotional needs, Year 3 about their bodies, Year R are introduced to Harold (in person!) for the first time. Boys report back that they love content, the interactivity of the discussions and activities, and the fact they connect their learning from previous workshops and from PSHE lessons. It's great to see the boys enjoying themselves whilst at the same time learning lots about themselves and each other. Mr Shroff |
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Year 5 'Running for Lunches' campaign PLEASE DONATE NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS TODAY! A small group of boys in Year 5 approached Dr Essex a few weeks ago expressing their concern for those who are unable to have a full plate of food for lunch each day. The boys wished to raise awareness of others less fortunate than themselves. Posters were made, quotations written, marketing proposals thought through and the 'Running for Lunches' campaign was launched. James P, Alfie W, Michael F, Felix F, William I, and Sam H are running laps of their play area each day to raise awareness. Adam K designed the poster below. They have arranged for a collection to be gathered of non-perishable food items which they will take to the Winchester Basics Bank. Suggested items to donate are tins, packets or dried foods (please nothing fresh and no monetary donations). Please can all food donations be brought into school and given to form tutors/teachers by pick up on Friday 7 May. Thank you for your support. Mrs Brown and Miss Erasmus |
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The Sky at Night - April 30 Onwards Mercury at its best! May 2021 presents the year’s best month for spotting the planet Mercury, the solar system’s innermost planet, in the evening sky. Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system, isn’t difficult to spot because it’s dim. Rather, Mercury often eludes detection, because sits low in the west at sunset and then follows the sun beneath the horizon before true darkness falls. In other words, you have to catch Mercury near the sunset point on the horizon as evening dusk is giving way to nightfall. Mercury shines at its brightest for the month in early May, and then slowly dims each day thereafter. Chances are that you may well see Mercury with the eye alone, despite the glow of evening twilight. Binoculars, though, always help out in any Mercury quest, especially if the viewing is a bit murky near the horizon. Even with ideal seeing conditions, binoculars enable you to catch Mercury all the sooner after sunset. Mr Hammond |
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Sundays in the SunWe were blessed with beautiful weather for the first weekend of the Summer Term. A Sunday afternoon, having fun in the sun with friends was in order! The adventure playground was the perfect place for a good catch up after a long time away, and then relax with a good book or fiendishly tricky model to build. The cricket nets were occupied throughout most of the weekend; our new Gap student Mr Schultz couldn't believe the boys' enthusiasm in the nets for so many hours! A mid-afternoon treat saw some delicious, although perhaps rather sickly-sweet, cupcakes being decorated and one or two may have been consumed as well! The evening rounded off with a hotly contested game of mini golf on the Quad... and some more cricket nets of course! Miss Higham |
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MannersWhen my children were young my wife and I, when they were really annoying us, would say, 'They might be devils at home but at least they are angels at school.' I don't think they were ever angels, but they knew their pleases and thank yous, always behaved and didn't speak out of turn. And so do many children. Politeness is a bit of an old-fashioned mentality I suppose these days (although not at Pilgrims'), but if you drill down into it there is a lot of psychology going on. 1) What is the purpose of manners? 2) What does it say about us? 3) What does it say about the people we interact with? 4) What is the effect of good manners? The purpose of manners could be manifold: to put someone at ease, to show appreciation, to demonstrate respect, to adhere to social norms. It reveals things about us: gratitude, respect, humility, grace. It shows what we think of others: we are equals, I respect what you do, I appreciate what you do, I needed help and you did so. It affects others: makes them feel needed, appreciated, respected, considered, important, valued, and it makes a good impression. I suppose the opposite is true too, when manners are poor or lacking. What I feel is more deeply significant is the fundamental base which underpins manners. To me, good manners reflect that someone puts others first, considers them of equal value, recognises that everyone's efforts are worthy, and knows that all people contribute to their lives and basically make themselves better company to be around. A young man who looks you in the eye, thanks you for your lesson, holds the door open for you when you're struggling with books, asks how you're doing, is a joy! A real joy. And the one that skulks away at lesson's end, shows you no interest, and takes all your efforts for granted, is the one that leaves no mark on your world. I have seen many a polite boy turn into a polite young man at Pilgrims'. Many of your sons will be amongst those who leave here with good manners, and go on to leave their mark on the world. Mr Shroff |
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Reflections – One Year OnThis time last year we were in uncharted territory with a National Lockdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Schools were closed and we were all assimilating, acknowledging and adjusting to a very different rhythm to our lives. The new normal that was quickly established was teaching via Zoom and Google Classroom – this was a challenging format for the sports department which was taken up with enthusiasm. From a personal point of view, I was massively disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to coach in school and that the prospect of playing interschool cricket matches was definitely off the agenda. The task was to create a programme of coaching which could be conveyed digitally to the boys and catered for all abilities. I set about making videos of batting, bowling and fielding techniques which I could upload. My garden became my classroom and fortunately the weather gods obliged with particularly fine weather until half term (I think there was only one day that we had an indoor session). The first hurdle to clear was getting accustomed to seeing yourself “in action” on the videos. What followed next was an overhaul in the delivery style, for example, reducing the amount of talk and increasing the quantity of physical demonstration. Purely from a coaching point of view, I became very critical of my own demonstrations and what I was trying to highlight as the key coaching points. Take 2, Take 3 began to be regular repeated phrases. So my coaching received an overhaul as I tried to capture the best demonstrations on video for the boys to copy. I managed to upcycle a few pieces of wood, an old door and some loo rolls into useful coaching aids as I tried to be resourceful and inventive with various coaching sessions. Overall, the experience helped me fine tune many of my coaching methods and I will be putting them into practice this term and in the future. So, since April 2020 I have moved from initial disappointment to individual growth and positivity. Now in April 2021 we are back in school just beginning our cricket season. Unfortunately, we still have some restrictions but the prospect of our first competitive school fixture for a long time looms large on the horizon. The boys are full of energy and are raring to go. I know that we will be ready. Here’s to an enjoyable summer term. Mr Whitman |
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Match reportsSaturday 24 April saw the first round of the Year 7 Set competition. Due to limitations on numbers, the five sets were reorganised into four teams, each named after classic English Cricketers: Atherton, Cork, Gough and Thorpe! On Wolvesey, Gough faced Thorpe. Gough won the toss and elected to field (reasoning chasing in a strange format is better than defending). Thorpe started like a freight train with George Coles, and then Laurie Sawbridge going strongly, pushing them to 43 off 8 overs. However, when Sawbridge was out for 9, and Coles had to retire at 20no, the scoring slowed. Coles (41) came back at the end to give the innings impetus, and Thorpe set a challenging looking 91 to win from 12 overs. It looked even more challenging when George then reduced Gough to 2 for 2. However, Harrison Kent, and Hugo Short first steadied things, and then started hitting out; soon they had made 72 runs from just five overs! The deciding over was always going to be the return of George for his 2nd over, but he was unable to break Gough resistance with Harrison ending 40no and Hugo 32no, for a comfortable victory. All in all, a really fun game! We look forward to round 2 in June. Mr Duncan |
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The other match saw Atherton take on Cork. Silas Kendall won the toss for Cork and elected to bowl on what looked like a good (artificial) wicket! Jinmo Koo and Ollie Maclay made a steady start to the innings, getting their eyes in and taking 1s and 2s where possible, before Maclay started to loosen his arms and was finding the boundary rope with increasing regularity. Having reached his 20 and retired, runs became harder to come by. A score at the end of their 12 overs of 110 looked competitive, helped hugely by a returning Maclay's quickfire 15 in the last over, meaning he finished on 35*. Cork’s response got off to a thrilling start with Kendall pulling James Zawoda for a mighty 6 off the first ball! Kendall was well-supported by Guy Punnett, who looked in fine form with the bat, and it looked like they might make light work of the run chance, but Punnett was bowled by an absolute jaffa by Mayin Datta, who did him in the air and whose over of leg spin was both probing and accurate. This slowed things down; Teddy McSheehy batted bravely and timed the ball nicely for a brisk and breezy 18, but once he fell the boundaries dried up and this meant that they needed an absolute tease of 7 off the last 2! Ultimately, they ended up just short, but it was a proper nail biter at the finish and one that could have very easily gone either way. Always well contested but always played in the right spirit - well done to all. Mr Darlow |
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SailingThis week we were faced with a strong tide, gusty conditions, and a very cold wind. There was a lot of on-shore training, back to basics, with rigging and launch and recovery, and the more experienced boys sailed out to the pier with some good reaching. The beginners were taken out all together, and all had a turn on the helm with the instructor. The intermediates sailed the Qubas up and down - but more down than up due to the ebbing tide. Fun was had by all, and it was lovely to see such engagement. Mrs Slater |
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And finally... Meet Winnie and Chester!The Winchester Cathedral Peregrine webcam has been turned back on for your delight. Chicks have recently hatched, have a look here: https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/2020-peregrine-diary/ Click on this link to watch the live webcams on the top of Winchester Cathedral and follow the news on the peregrine falcon nest action. Mrs Brown |
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From Mrs RossIt has been a pleasure to hear the boys at work and play, both in their classrooms and outside during our first full week of the Summer Term. Our beautiful setting has been enhanced by the blossom on the fruit trees and the vivid green of plants and shrubs. You can almost hear the grass growing! The boys in all year groups have embarked upon their new Creative Curriculum Topics with infectious enthusiasm. I hope that this long weekend gives you a little more precious time with your families. This week's Pilgrims' Shell Awards: Year 2 - To Teddy Y for being kind and helpful during Forest School this week. Teddy offered to help other boys who were struggling with their knot tying! Year 1 - to Daniel H for settling back in so brilliantly after an extended period in virtual school. Reception - to Alexander O for trying his best. |
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Year 1 Coats of Arms designs, a PSHE workshop, food tasting and fruit kebab making have all contributed to another fun and exciting week in Year 1! The boys have enjoyed learning about the symbolism of different animals on a coat of arms and have designed their own with symbols that reflect their personalities. On Monday, they attended a SCARF workshop where they amazed the leader with their knowledge of the food groups and the health benefits of different foods. The boys have continued their PSHE learning about healthy eating and combined some Maths skills with vegetable tasting, tally charts and bar graphs. They also enjoyed making healthy fruit kebabs! Mrs James |
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Last Friday, the boys had great delight in celebrating St. George's Day. They were attending Dragon and Knight School, scrabbling under a cargo net, designing shields, and making swords. I am pleased to report no blood was shed and there have been no more sightings of the dragon. Well done, boys, you must have scared him off! On Monday, the boys were very excited when a very small box was delivered containing five very tiny caterpillars. Throughout the week they have been watching closely and much discussion has occurred: “they are already a little bit bigger so that’s why they have to get 99 times bigger”. It was wonderful to share this excitement with two older Pilgrims’, Angus and Walter, who would have enjoyed this excitement themselves many years ago when they were in Reception. It was wonderful to chat with them about their time in our class, including the hatching of turkeys, and become acquainted again with our class bear, Peter Bear, who incidentally is nearly 14 years old! Mrs Kent |
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It was so lovely to be out in the sunshine with the boys. Year R investigated the amazing sounds they could hear and became sound collectors. We chatted about which sound was their favourite and which sound they heard the most. We even had a go at trying to replicate the most popular sound. This week Year 1 focused on trees and had a go at identifying some of the trees in the Bishop’s Palace. We used non-standard units to measure the circumference of tree trunks as well as the height of some of the wonderful trees in the gardens. Our technique for measuring the height of the trees was a little unusual and caused much amusement. During the Easter holidays the Maintenance Team built some wonderful allotment boxes for the Pre- Prep boys. Year 2 were given the task of planting up the boxes with sweet peas, lettuces, carrots and radishes. It gave us a chance to chat about how we need to care for the plants and I am pleased Year 2 have taken on the responsibility of watering daily with their home made watering cans. Mrs Walker |
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To register for our Open Day, please complete the form here: https://pilgrims-school.openapply.com/events/new |
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The Pilgrims' School, 3 The Close, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9LT 01962 854189 pilgrims@pilgrims-school.co.uk; admissions@pilgrims-school.co.uk |
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