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| 18th November 2022 |
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Dear <<First Name>>,
View from the Study
In fact, this is the view from Paris! A 36 hour visit has included an historic OB reunion and visits to Franklin and Sainte-Croix, two of the best schools in Paris.
I hope that, in the future, we might create exchange opportunities between Belhaven and these bastions of French education – polar opposites in terms of urban and rural sites, but so similar in terms of academic ambition and awareness of the value of cultural exchange.
Last night we held our first ever French OB event, with other 70 attending a drinks party at a private house on the Rue de l’Université: what an incredible gathering of OBs and their families, past, current and future. As ever, it was humbling to recognise the warmth of feeling generated by Belhaven.
It's the end of a busy fortnight in which we have also paid our respects to those who fought to give us the freedom to make such choices, so it's been very special to have solidified these important European links on behalf of future generations of Belhavians.
Have a lovely weekend.
Olly Langton |
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| A Fortnight of Sport! |
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As the World Cups of Rugby League, Women’s Rugby and T20 Cricket came to their thrilling conclusions, the Autumn Internationals get underway at home and we anticipate the controversy of the Football World Cup in Qatar, it has felt appropriate to have been equally busy and focused on our sport at Belhaven.
The Cargilfield 7s Tournament saw an excellent performance from our Under 11s squad on the Saturday and was followed by an encouraging one from the U13s at Ardvreck on Sunday; the IAPS Hockey at Glenalmond saw the U13 girls in action on a long and challenging day of high quality hockey on which significant improvement was made, and the annual representative matches saw the Thistles come second in both rugby and hockey, with 10 Belhavians represented.
School fixtures have continued amidst these exciting tournaments and we continue to perform well across the board, with the Under 9 girls yet to be beaten and all sides showing significant development. I particularly enjoyed hearing from one returning Under 9 boy that they had achieved an honourable draw with St. Mary’s, only for the faintest of inclinations of the head from Mr. Dawson suggesting that this was, perhaps, an overly-optimistic appraisal of a four try defeat…! |
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| Abi Elphinstone’s ‘Frost Goblin’ Shares the Magic |
On 28th October we were fortunate to experience the first public reading of Abi Elphinstone’s new book, The Frost Goblin.
This opportunity for the Pre-Prep followed the earlier book fair for the Prep, courtesy of the pop-up Main Street Trading Company bookshop in the Drawing Room.
For a full review of what was a wonderful talk from best-selling author and Belhaven parent Abi, please click below. |
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| Save the Curlew |
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Well done to Elita for inspiring a flurry of baking over the last weekend out as she called on her friends in Form 1 to help her to save the curlew.
The curlew, occasionally seen at Belhaven, is an endangered species of wading bird, native to small sections of the UK but suffering from changing agricultural practices and therefore in need of protection.
The bake sale was held on Monday afternoon and proved incredibly popular, with over 100 items sold at 50p per slice of cake/brownie/cupcake - so over £50 was raised for a very good cause, proof once again of the power that the children have to make a positive impact on a cause which they feel passionate about. |
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| Fettes Classics Day; Rugby Co-Curricular Team Visit; Merchiston STEM Day |
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Form 2 enjoyed a wonderful day out at Fettes at the annual Classics day. As ever, the range of activities and the quality of the interaction meant that much was learned and, more importantly, enjoyed, as the Ancient World was brought to life courtesy of re-enactments and hands on experiences.
The feast was a real highlight and then the annual vocab competition saw Mr. Curry’s chosen gladiators enter the fray: Alexander and Blake made it through to the final three before Blake won a close contest on the ‘fastest-finger first’ round, retaining Charlie’s trophy from 2021 in fine style.
The Rugby Co-Curricular team’s annual visit allowed them to witness rehearsals for two productions, the Pipe Band rehearsing for Christmas and Emily B break the record for the Form 4 girls in the Thursday run and today, our Form 3s have travelled to Merchiston for the MerchiSTEM day. In the course of a carousel of activities, they will explore elements of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Artistic Mathematics, Electronics and Technologies in what will be a fascinating morning.
Thank you to all of the staff involved in making these fantastic opportunities a possibility. |
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| Remembrance |
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Mr. Ellison directed two moving acts of Remembrance this year, with a short service on Friday 11th including all of the staff followed by a full service led by the Choristers and solo piper on Sunday 13th for all parents.
My brief address to the children encouraged them to commit to these moments of collective stillness and appreciation. They will be the last generation who will know those to have fought in either of the World Wars and their instruction in the importance of communal gratitude and reflection is a vital part of our responsibility as a school.
You can hear recordings of the musical elements of Sunday’s service below – thank you to Laurie and Beetle for your excellent solos, to Ted, Tom and Alice for laying drums and wreaths with such dignity, and to everyone for your respectful participation. |
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| Belhaven Centenary Woodland |
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On Friday 25th and Saturday 26th November, all of the Belhaven children will be planting their own sapling in what will become the Belhaven Centenary Woodland.
The land has been generously donated by the McNicol family and will allow the children to care for and enjoy a woodland area from the growth of its very first roots. It will also be used by West Barns and Dunbar Primary Schools in the future as the woodland grows to form part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, dedicated to Her late Majesty and also to the memory of the late Deputy Lieutenant of East Lothian, Pauline Jaffray, with whom I first discussed the idea in late 2021. |
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| Pre-Prep: November's News |
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It has been a busy few weeks in the Pre-Prep with Halloween, Bonfire Night, a visit from the Dunbar Fire Service, nativity practice, the Remembrance Service and lots of singing!
The weather may have become more dreich but the enthusiasm and excitement of all that lies ahead is keeping everyone’s spirits up.
The children have continued to work hard in their classes achieving a great number of plus points for their patrols. They have also started to work towards the Belhaven Award, which is similar to that of the Prep School. It is a collection of tasks that will help to prepare the children for the Prep School and for life beyond school. The activities are split into three sections that link to our school values: Courage, Creativity and Courtesy. We have been very impressed at how enthusiastic the children have been. |
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| Future Dates and Events |
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Centenary Woodland Planting – Friday 25th and Saturday 26th November
Sunday 27th November – Sunday Service: Dr Graham Hawley (Loretto); Drum RDA Christmas Fair 11am-4pm
Friday 2nd December - Form 3 performance of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’
Form 4 performance of ‘Matilda’ (11.30am-1pm, followed by the final weekend out)
Dates for Your Diary:
Tuesday 31st January – Forms 1 and 2 Parents’ Reel practice, 5.45-6.30pm (Sports Hall)
Saturday 4th February The Belhaven Reels Party 2023 (Forms 1 and 2 + their parents) |
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