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| 16th Sept 2022 |
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Dear <<First Name>>,
View from the Study
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s success in delivering on her promise to devote her life to the service of her country and the Commonwealth provides considerable inspiration to us all. Let us hope that our collective memory of this achievement will influence our children: how fortunate we are to have lived during this great Elizabethan age.
Leadership is under scrutiny as never before at this particular moment in time. It has been hugely encouraging to have seen such a positive response from the girls and the boys to the Form 1 Leadership Weekend just before the start of term: they have set an impressive tone for the rest of the year in this first fortnight back at school, photos of which you can catch up with here: Start of Year Gallery.
I hope that all Belhavians will follow the example of our late Queen in dedicating themselves to their duty and putting others first and foremost in their thoughts.
They will have plenty of encouragement to do so as the academic year starts in earnest.
Best wishes.
Olly Langton |
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| Meet Mrs. Gibson |
| Our New Form 8 Teacher! |
We are very fortunate to have been joined by Rachel Gibson to teach Form 8.
Meet Rachel in this short video I recorded with her this week as she starts to settle into life at Belhaven. Discover why she likes the colour pink, and that gratitude, fun and laughter are all elements of her teaching ethos... |
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| Work Hard, Play Hard! |
‘Play is training for the unexpected,’ according to Marc Bekoff – therefore the ideal preparation for life in the 21st century!
Firstly, a huge thank you to last year’s Form 1 parents for their generous leaving present: a new outdoor Table Tennis table! This is due to arrive next week and we are choosing a location at the moment.
Over the course of the year, the PTFA has been raising funds for some new play equipment for the Prep school now that the Pre-Prep is up and running. As a result of the very successful Jubilee Party and very generous uniform donations, we have raised over £3000 and are just over £1000 away from our target, which will enable us to buy an ‘Agility Cube’ for the school. |
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| Music to Our Ears |
| 'Try an Instrument' Morning |
The first Wednesday of term saw the ‘Try an Instrument’ morning, with Forms 1-6 involved in a rolling programme of opportunity in the Music school.
Our fantastic team of VMTs were on hand to give all of the children a chance to try their instruments – explanations, demonstrations and then a chance to play them in mixed age groups. This created a great sense of excitement as well as a happy cacophony around the classroom block!
Recent research completed at the University of Edinburgh, proving the link between learning a musical instrument and effective problem solving as an adult, underlines the benefits of increased musicality, confidence and resilience.
I hope that all those taking up an instrument for the first time will stick with the challenging early stages and love the independence that mastering an instrument can bring. |
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| Highland High Jinks |
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The Belhaven Highland Games took place on a warm and sunny first Sunday of term. It was a poignant moment to gather the Belhaven community to support the Dunbar RNLI and to mark the death of Her Majesty with 2 minutes’ silence following a moving rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ by lone piper, Beetle.
The PTFA ran the stalls whilst staff oversaw the games, with families also enjoying the Highland dancing of the Dunbar Highland Dancers and archery provided by Dunbar Archery Club.
In total, the day raised £1,542 – thank you to everyone for your support for this important local charity. |
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| Wolves Hungry for Victory |
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As the rugby and hockey teams prepare themselves for the first fixtures of the new season, we have held two important Patrol events on the first two Wednesdays to inspire the competitive spirit. They also help new starters make friends in different year groups in their Patrol.
The Patrol Football Competition was a closely fought affair, with each Patrol fielding three mixed teams to enable all levels of ability to represent the Lions, Owls, Wolves or Woodpeckers. The B and C competitions were won by the Wolves, and the A competition was won by the Woodies, with the final standings as follows:
1st – Wolves; 2nd – Woodpeckers; 3rd – Lions; 4th – Owls
See Mr Curry's Football Report.
The Three Rivers Run took place on Wednesday. With different lengths of races for Juniors and Seniors, three bridges to cross with a choice of going over or under and a chance to have a dip in the sea at the end, this is a Cross country run with a difference that is unique to Belhaven! The children evidently enjoyed themselves (as you can see from the photograph) and competed so gamely that we gave them a break from the Thursday run as a reward for their efforts.
Congratulations once again to the Wolves, who just pipped the Owls to the line in a very close competition:
1st – Wolves; 2nd – Owls; 3rd – Woodpeckers; 4th – Lions
An enormous thank you to Mr. Curry who has organised both events, as well as all of the Prep School Activities programme. |
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| Pre-Prep: Fully Fledged, Takes Flight |
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The 5th September saw the full opening of our Pre-Prep, with the addition of Form 8, our youngest year group. We welcomed lots of new children into the Pre-Prep along with our new Form 8 teacher, Mrs Gibson (watch the short interview with Mrs Gibson, above).
It has been a busy two weeks with a lot of ‘firsts’ and new routines to learn but they are all settling in well. We have been blessed with some beautiful sunny days, which has allowed the children to be out and about, enjoying the wonderful school grounds. |
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| The Snowflake is Back! |
| Message from The Snowflake Party Committee... |
Roll up, roll up... after a two-year break, The Snowflake is back! The Snowflake is a pre-Christmas party shared with the Loretto Nippers, Belhaven and Compass schools and the money raised goes to CanDo, an amazing East Lothian charity that provides out-of-school activities and support to children with special needs.
Since 2005 we've raised over £16,000 for CanDo and we're really pleased to be back supporting them this year.
The party invitations go out to all children in Forms 5, 4 and 3 the week before half term. Tickets cost £20 and this year the party will be in Gullane Village Hall at 4pm-6pm on Saturday 19th November. So save the date. It's a great night of music, dancing, party games, snacks and prizes.
As the children have missed out for a few years, we're hoping lots will be up for a party! |
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| Future Dates and Events |
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- Sunday 18th September: UPMO sponsored walk, North Berwick - see UPMO Walk.
- Saturday 24th September: Inside-Out Fun Morning- see Invitation; Barnard Castle Sports tour (dep 2pm).
- Wednesday 28th September: Matches v Cargilfield.
- Friday 30th September: Forms 1 & 2 Concert; Pre-Prep ‘Meet the Teacher’; 2nd weekend out.
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