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| 13th January 2023 |
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Dear <<First Name>>,
View from the Study
'I think kindness is my most important attribute in being a human being. I’ll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity or anything else', said Roald Dahl.
At the start of 2023, we began by focusing on how all of us, as individuals, have the chance to make the world a better place.
The children are encouraged towards small acts of kindness, every day. In fact, Scott Adams encourages us that there is, in fact, no such thing as a ‘small’ act of kindness: every act ‘creates a ripple that has no logical end.’
With that encouraging thought in mind, I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year, filled with waves of kindness!
Olly Langton
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| James Caldwell in Belhaven school uniform in 1963 outside the Headmaster's House. |
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| The Caldwell Society |
| And Flying iPads! |
On Friday 6th January, the Caldwell Society made its way back into the Belhaven calendar. James Caldwell, son of former Headmaster, William, travelled from Hampshire with his wife Mandy to talk to Forms 1 and 2 about his memories of life at Belhaven as a child.
The Caldwells joined us for lunch and were given a fantastic tour by Heads of School Izzi and Harry (all new positions of responsibility are listed below) before returning in the evening to speak in a packed Front Hall. A presentation of photos from 1963 showed the school and Dunbar as it was then, and Forms 1 and 2 were encouraged to spot the differences between the school then and now.
He also encouraged them to think ahead to 2083 and what might be different then – ‘flying iPads’, came one excellent suggestion – and what they hoped would be the same. Read the full review of a great evening by clicking on the button below. |
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| 'Fingers on Buzzers' for the Belhaven Christmas Quiz |
I am indebted to John Beasley, former Headmaster of Beaudesert Prep School and History teacher at Eton, Abingdon and Radley, for compiling the Belhaven Christmas Quiz. It was quite hard… But, I hope that you enjoyed the challenge and that it prompted some friendly debate over the holiday!
It was encouraging to see how many took up the gauntlet and well done to Maya, who achieved the highest mark of the papers that were handed in.
Some of the Christmas Quiz questions were then reproduced in a Patrol General Knowledge Quiz on the first Friday evening of term – this was put together by Mrs. Gale and hotly contested throughout 50 minutes of discussion and collaboration between Forms 5 to 1 in each Patrol. The results were as follows:
1st – Wolves - 87
2nd – Owls - 86
3rd – Lions - 84
4th – Woodies – 82 |
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| Patrol Cross-Country Relay |
| Team Spirit & Freezing Squalls |
On Thursday, the Patrols competed for the annual Team Relay Competition. The 4.81m course runs from the school down to Belhaven Bay, across the Biel River and out to the John Muir Country Park, then back along the same route to school for the final lap of the grounds and the finishing straight.
With four teams per Patrol, everyone who is on games is involved, with all of the staff, including our new Nurse, Mrs. Ketteringham, on her first day, involved in marshalling and supporting.
The freezing squalls that peppered the afternoon did not detract from a thrilling race and some outstanding team performances from all 16 squads. The results were as follows:
1st – Woodies
2nd – Wolves
3rd – Lions
4th – Owls
The Woodies’ A team won in a time of 33.03 minutes – well done to everyone involved! |
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| Community Partnerships |
| Football, Cricket and STEM |
We welcomed back Dunbar FC to Belhaven at the start of the Spring term. During January and February, the sports hall plays host to the P1 and P2 groups of about 30 aspiring footballers, working hard with their coaches.
If any of our Form 8s or Form 7s would like to join the sessions, Head Coach John J, Depute Headteacher at Castlebrae Community High School in Edinburgh, would be delighted to see them!
We are looking forward to welcoming Dunbar Cricket Club back to the indoor nets until the weather warms up a bit, and passing on the donated kit brought up by Summer Fields during their tour last summer.
We are also looking forward to helping West Barns Nursery as their building work puts their own hall out of action, and to working with them at a STEM day that has been arranged for Friday 28th April and to be hosted at Belhaven – Oundle and Imperial College London will be delivering this exciting opportunity for our two schools. More details to follow in due course! |
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| 'Marion Makes' the Belhaven Centenary Chest! |
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| The Belhaven Centenary Chest Time Capsule |
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Marion Morris, Edinburgh-based creator and furniture maker, whose business is called ‘Marion Makes’, has produced a bespoke Belhaven Centenary Chest. This was delivered to school yesterday and unveiled in the front hall to great excitement!
Designed with Form 6, the chest depicts Belhaven life and offers a range of practical uses – storage for toys, clothes or memorabilia. The beautifully-made plywood chests are designed as a seat for two children and have a safe-closing mechanism.
This particular chest will be used to store a wide range of items gathered during the course of the Centenary year – a programme from the Centenary concert; a Centenary sports top; an entry from the archive; the school photograph – anything that we can collate to mark this landmark occasion for the school.
We will bury the chest and its contents in a site chosen by the children and leave some small clues for future generations to discover in due course.
You can buy a Belhaven Centenary Chest for £430 (which includes £30 for the Centenary campaign). If you would like to order your own Belhaven Centenary Chest, please contact Marion Makes via her website. |
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| William Caldwell, Belhaven's Second Headmaster |
| From the Archive: Teacher at Belhaven, 1935-1974 |
In the week in which we welcomed his son back to Belhaven, the spotlight in this new feature for the Eagle’s Eye in our Centenary year falls on William Caldwell, who taught at Belhaven between 1935 and 1974. He became the school’s second Headmaster, taking over the reins from Brian Simms and introducing a raft of Belhaven’s most familiar features, including the four Patrols and Saturday movie night.
The old film reels are still in the Drawing Room – apparently there are mainly old Mickey Mouse movies, and they were played on a projector that had been a present from the last King of Yugoslavia, by whom Mr. Caldwell was once employed as a tutor.
He was a polymath – linguist, musician and sportsman. He brought an enlightened approach to teaching and to the role of the Headmaster at Belhaven. The introduction of Latin and the broadening of the curriculum beyond the core subjects, the creation of traditions such as annual concerts, French plays and the trip to Pease Bay (seen in this photograph) – can all be attributed to Mr. Caldwell’s time at the School.
So, it was a great privilege to maintain the connection with the Caldwell family last week. |
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| Positions of Responsibility, Spring Term 2023 |
| Congratulations! |
Head Girl: Izzi
Head Boy: Harry
Head of Boys’ House: Laurie
Head of Girls’ House: Lottie
Head of Owls: Willow
Head of Lions: Ottie
Head of Wolves: Alice
Head of Woodies: Sophie
Heads of Pre-Prep: Harry BRO and Fin |
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| Diary Dates & Events |
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Matches v Strathallan – Wednesday 18th January
Chorister trip to Aberdeen – Saturday 21st January
The Belhaven Reels – Saturday 4th February, 7.30pm (Form 1 and 2 + parents)
Centenary Concert – Saturday 25th February, 7.30pm – St. Mary’s Church, Haddington
Coronation Weekend – Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th, May - this is an ‘in weekend’ and we will host a celebration and watch the Coronation live
Centenary Ball weekend: boarders can return from 7pm on Monday 29th May, with day children returning on Tuesday May 30th |
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