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E-mail archivesParents Association Events10 November 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesOpen Morning, Saturday 19 November Many of your sons will be volunteering to assist the school at the Open Morning on Saturday 19 November and we would very much appreciate your help too. Current parents of boys in the school help out at these events by accompanying visiting prospective pupils and their parents on tours of the school led by boys in the school. This gives our visitors an opportunity to understand what the school is like from a parent's perspective as well as a pupil's perspective. We have been told by prospective parents that they find the input from current parents really helpful and the feedback is always very positive. It also gives you a chance to take another look at what the school is providing for your sons. If you would like to help please send an email to the Parents' Association kespa@kes.org.uk so that we can arrange to have a badge made for you. No knowledge of the layout of the school is required - each tour will be led by one of the boys! Parents should meet in the Gild Hall from 9.30am onwards and ask for Nicole Phillips, Pauline Hughes or Romana Choudhry. Please could you park on the University South car park which is free on Saturdays in order to leave the limited parking on the school site free for visitors. Christmas Buffet, Friday 2 December May I also take this opportunity to remind you that tickets are on sale for the Christmas Buffet which is on the evening of Friday 2 December in Big School from 8pm onwards. This is always a very popular event and is attended by many parents and members of staff. It's a great way to start the festive season. Tickets are £20 per person which covers the cost of a very tasty supper and free drinks for the evening. The invitation letter is here. If you are able to come please could you book sooner rather than later as this helps with planning the catering arrangements. AGM, Friday 2 December The Parents' Association AGM is held at 7pm on the same evening as the Christmas Buffet. Notification of the AGM is here together with details of how to apply to join the Parents' Association Committee. All parents are very welcome to attend and then to remain and socialise at the buffet afterwards. Tour of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Monday 5 March Directly opposite the main entrance of King Edward's School lies a listed building containing The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, one of the finest small art galleries in Europe and one of Birmingham's best kept secrets. The Parents' Association has arranged a private tour of the institute, led by its director, on Monday 5 March. Full details and the reply slip are in this letter. Christmas Cards09 November 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesFor the first time this year we are pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity to buy your Christmas cards from us. The cards come in packs of ten and the two designs depict the Nativity Window in Birmingham Cathedral which was designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones (an Old Edwardian who left in 1852). The cards cost £7 per pack and, in the great tradition of charity Christmas cards, £1 from each pack will be donated to the Assisted Places Fund. You can view the cards and place your orders for Christmas cards by clicking here. Christmas Concerts and Carol Service08 November 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesThe Christmas Concerts take place in the Adrian Boult Hall on 5 and 6 December at 7:30. Tickets are available from Monday 14 November and pupils are asked to go to the KEHS Music Studio, with the reply slip and cheque, on 14 November. After this time, please return the reply slip to Miss Mahtani in the Music Portakabin. The carol service takes place in St Philip's Cathedral on 8 December, also at 7:30. Admission is free and there is no need to request tickets. All are welcome. Logo competition for the Performing Arts Centre05 November 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesThe Performing Arts Centre will be opening in April and we are having a competition, open to all pupils at KES and KEHS, for its new logo. You are invited to send one or more submissions for a possible logo to Miss Mahtani at ajm@kes.org.uk, not later than Weds 16 November. The words in the logo may be one of the following four options - choose whichever you think you can design the best logo for (or submit more than one):
Further information is available here. If you have any queries, please contact Miss Mahtani by e-mail, or ask in the music department. Home Access Plus for the school computer network05 November 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesHome Access Plus is the free replacement for RM Easylink. Using Home Access Plus you can download documents from your school 'My Documents' folder, save them at home, edit them and re-upload them back to school. You can also access documents in the RM Shared Documents folder. You can use Home Access Plus with Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari or Firefox. On the school website kes.org.uk if you hover over Pupils & Parents, you can go to: Log on to school network - where you can use Home Access Plus, or watch a short video introducing how to use it Log on to the intranet - where you can visit the school intranet pages You can also log on to Home Access Plus directly at https://hap.kes.org.uk/hap/ The direct link for the Intranet is http://intranet.kes.org.uk/ For both services you log on with your normal school username and password (not your e-mail address). To use Home Access Plus more effectively we suggest you install Microsoft Silverlight. If you have any problems with Home Access Plus, or the Intranet, or your school e-mail, please contact Mrs While, the ICT Systems Manager, at cwhile@kes.org.uk. School photograph (all age groups)17 October 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesAll boys should have received an order form for the whole school photograph taken recently. A copy of the photograph is on display in the Heath trophy cabinet in the Gild Hall at school. Orders can be placed on line or by post; instructions are in the forms handed to boys. The photographs will be delivered to parents individually and KES has no involvement in the ordering process; all queries should be addressed to Tempest Photography. Order forms for the prefects' photograph are available from Mr Phillips at school.
School photograph (Shells and Fourths only)17 October 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesMany of you have placed an order for the individual photograph we took of your son last month. If you would like a copy of this photo, please let us have your order with a cheque for £15 this week - the order will be processed during the half term holiday. King Edwards Foundation Service17 October 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesThe King Edward's Foundation Service is an annual event at which pupils from the seven Foundation Schools gather together at St Martin's Church in the Bull Ring to give thanks for the existence of the Foundation and for the good work of those who have given time, money, and talents to the Foundation over the years. This year's service takes place on Tuesday 1 November, and a letter giving full details is here. School visits (Shells, Rems, UMs)16 October 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesIf your son would like to take part in either (or both) of the Ardèche trip (Shells and Removes) or Cycle Tour of the Low Countries (Shells, Rems, UMs, Fourths, Fifths), I would be grateful if you could please return the reply slip, or send a deposit online, as soon as possible. We need to make commitments to the accommodation providers soon. After half term we have a hill walking day on Sunday 6 November, and walking weekends in the Lake District 2-4 December and in Derbyshire 6-8 January. All these trips are suitable for boys in the first three years of the school. Caving weekends are also planned for the spring term as follows. The reply slip for caving and for hill walking is below.
A full list of the trips planned for your son's age group this academic year is as follows: A list of trips planned in the longer term is here. If you have any questions about the trips, please get in touch. Visit by Manga Artist, Fri 14 October - Shells07 October 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesOn Friday 14 October Manga artist Chie Kutsuwada will visit the school and talk to boys in the Shells, demonstrating her work and answering questions. Associated with this there will be a competition for boys, and pupils may also purchase a copy of Chie's manga version of Shakespeare's As You Like It at a discounted price. Full details are in this letter from the school librarian. Parking on Sat 8 Oct07 October 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesThis Saturday 8 October King Edward's High School for Girls have an open day, so there will be lots of people parking on our site. If your son has a sports match to attend and you'd like to park, could you please use our 'Lloyds Bank' playing field, next to Eastern Road, across the other side of the Bristol Road. There is a tarmac area for cars. You can see a location map for this here. Non uniform day03 October 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesTuesday 4 October is to be a non-uniform day in aid of our charities collection 'CotFund'. Boys are invited to attend school in home clothes and bring a donation of at least £1 for the charity collection. Representatives from each form met recently to pick the charities for the term, which are Holly Trust, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research and Smile Train. Boys tend to forget about this in the morning, so it's a good idea for them to put out suitable clothes this evening, and to transfer keys / wallets / bus passes / phones to the new clothes. Aural Classes03 October 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesDr Collisson will be running classes for aural music grade exams starting this week. The times are shown here:http://kes.org.uk/rehearsal-times.html Your Future in Europe Conference - Divisions22 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesMr Mason is organising a visit to the annual Your Future in Europe conference in Paris next February. This letter gives full details. I should stress that the conference is open to all members of the Divisions and it is not purely for those studying Economics or Business & Management. In addition, it is not a requirement of any course that boys attend this conference; it is an enrichment activity. Therefore, please be aware that other school activities, particularly school sports fixtures, must take priority over this conference. Château de la Baudonnière - UMs & Fourths22 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesUpper Middle and Fourth Form boys are invited to take part in a week in Normandy at the start of the summer holiday 2012. Staying at the Château de la Baudonnière, boys will take part in a wide range of activities, speaking French throughout: the experience is all about total language immersion. Activities include climbing, archery, fencing, orienteering and bread making! There will also be excursions to a traditional market and places of interest such as Saint Malo, Villedieu les Poëles and Dinard. Full details and the reply slip are in this letter from Madame Esnault. Geography Field Trips - Upper Middles22 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesAll boys in the Upper Middles will be taking part in geography field trips to Church Stretton soon, with the dates as follows: Tues 11 October: UM D, UM L You are asked to send payment for the trip now, and full details are in this letter from Mr Smith. Open Day – Saturday 1 October22 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesMany of your sons will be volunteering to assist the School at the Open Morning on Saturday 1 October and we would very much appreciate your help too. Current parents of boys in the School help out at these events by accompanying visiting prospective pupils and their parents on tours of the School led by boys in the School. This gives our visitors an opportunity to understand what the School is like from a parent's perspective as well as a pupil's perspective. It also gives our parents time to take another look at what the School is providing for their sons. If your son has just joined the school and you would like to help out, please do come along because prospective parents will find it very useful to ask you about your early experiences of the School. If you would like to help and are free on that day, would you please send an email to the Parents Association kespa@kes.org.uk so that we can arrange to have a badge made for you. No knowledge of the layout of the School is required - each tour will be led by one of the boys. Parents should meet in the Gild Hall from 9.45am onwards and ask for Pauline Hughes, Romana Choudhry or Nicole Phillips. It would be very much appreciated if you could park on the University South Car Park (which is past the main entrance of the school on the right hand side just before the Gun Barrels Pub and the Bristol Road) so that the limited parking spaces on the school site are available for use by visitors. If you are unable to help on this occasion but would like to help at future open days, please send your contact details to the Parents Association at kespa@kes.org.uk Parents evening - new parents - Wed 21 Sep20 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesWednesday is our 'evening for shell parents', starting at 7:30. You are welcome to park on the school site for this. Some senior boys will be on hand to assist and they will be able to direct you to somewhere nearby when our car park fills up. The evening is intended for you to put any general questions you have about school life. Further information about the evening is in a letter from Mr Claughton which was posted to you recently. The evening is intended for parents only - boys do not attend - though if child-care arrangements mean that you do need to bring your son, that's fine too. Visits to Stratford and Bosworth - Removes20 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesAs you will know, each Remove form is to visit Stratford and also Bosworth Battlefield. Details are as follows: Stratford Wed 21 September - Rem L, Rem S, Rem T - details here Bosworth Details here Tue 27 September - Rem L, Rem S, Rem T Parents Association Golf Day, Friday 14 October, Edgbaston Golf Club20 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesThe parents' association are organising a day of golf for parents. The day starts at 8.45am with rolls/tea/coffee. We will then be playing a sociable 18-hole "Texas Scramble" in teams of 3. Teams will be allocated on the day to balance handicaps and hopefully give us an enjoyable day. After the round there is a light lunch, and the day should be finished by 3pm at the latest. The cost for the day is £55 and guests are welcome. More details are in this letter. School visits - Shells20 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesA complete list of school visits available to your son during his first year is available here. I have also outlined the procedure in case your son needs to change his mind about taking part in a trip.
Letters and reply slips about UK-based trips in the spring and summer terms will be available later this term. Homework timetables13 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesThe homework timetable for each form in your son's year group can now be seen on the website letters page. Clubs - lower school12 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesI compile a list of what is available for boys in your son's year group, which is available here. We'd encourage boys to try at least one of these - they are a part of what makes the school a fun place to be. (Note: if you can't access the file, it may be that your work firewall is stopping you - try again from home). The sporting activities are open on a trial basis to all initially, and within a couple of weeks lists will be published in school of boys who have been selected to continue. All the activities are free other than fencing. Staying late after school12 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesThe school remains open each day until 6pm. If your son needs to stay after school for you to collect him later, this is possible - he may wait in the library until 5pm (3:20pm on Friday), and thereafter in room 159 (any day). The computer rooms are also open after school most days until approx. 5:30 (3:20pm on Friday). Games lessons start this week - Shells12 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesEach week there are two PE and one games lessons. In PE boys will have a range of activities including swimming. Games lessons take place on Tuesday mornings and we will be playing rugby, and later some hockey. On Tuesday, boys will need rugby kit: rugby boots, school long rugby socks, school rugby shorts (which have a thicker fabric and pockets) and the school long sleeved rugby shirt. Boys should also bring a towel since a shower is required at the end of games. To provide boys with some privacy, it is fine for boys to shower wearing their rugby shorts or swimming shorts. If you have the large name labels from the school uniform suppliers, these should go on the outside of boys' shorts and rugby shirts. Boys will also need a mouthguard. If your son had a mouthguard fitting with O-Pro last week, the mouthguards will likely arrive next week, and the lesson this week will take account of this. If your son's rugby boots are new, could you please make sure the laces are threaded fully? Usually when they are new the laces have not been threaded and this can cause delays at the start of the lesson. In the colder months most boys prefer to wear a thermal top under their rugby shirt, which are available from the school's uniform suppliers. Orchestras and Bands - everyone other than Shells10 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesThe school orchestras and bands will start rehearsing in the week commencing Monday 26th September. If your son wishes to be involved in a new group he must sign up for an audition in the next few days on the noticeboard in the Music School foyer. Auditions are quite informal and all we ask is that the boys play one piece to us that they have prepared. Auditions for senior ensembles (very roughly speaking, children who play at grade 5 and above) will take place from 12-16th September. Auditions for junior ensembles will take place from 19-22nd September. Either way, anyone interested in auditioning should sign up for a time as soon as possible in the Music School foyer. Days, times and locations for rehearsals for all ensembles are here. The music school calendar showing the programme of concerts for the year, can be viewed here. The first concert, which is of Chamber Music, takes place soon: 7:30pm on Monday 26 September, in the School Hall at King Edward's High School for Girls. Admission is free and there is no need to apply for tickets. We'd love to see you there. Ensembles and Instrumental Lessons - Shells09 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesInstrumental lessons: The music staff are in the process of sorting out times for boys' instrumental lessons. If your son is interested in learning an instrument, please get in touch with Director of Music Mr. Martin Monks. You can reach him by e-mail at mjm@kes.org.uk. It is School policy that lessons take place during the School day on a rota basis. There is a schedule so that boys miss a different lesson each week and sometimes their lesson will be during a break time. Lessons are recorded on a sheet in your son's planner. Boys will need to make sure they tell the teacher whose lesson they will miss, collect any notes issued in the lesson that they missed (just ask the teacher the following lesson), and ask a friend what the homework was, if it was a homework day for that subject. Choir: Some boys will be chosen to sing for the choir, which rehearses in the music school on Wednesday mornings 8:30 - 9.05. The first rehearsal is on Wednesday 14th September. Orchestras and Bands: The school orchestras and bands will start rehearsing in the week commencing Monday 26th September. If your son wishes to be involved in one of these popular groups he must sign up for an audition in the next few days on the noticeboard in the Music School foyer. Auditions are quite informal and all we ask is that the boys play one piece to us that they have prepared. Auditions for senior ensembles (very roughly speaking, children who play at grade 5 and above) will take place from 12-16th September. Auditions for junior ensembles will take place from 19-22nd September. Either way, children interested in auditioning should sign up for a time as soon as possible in the Music School foyer. Days, times and locations for rehearsals for all ensembles are here. Concerts: The music school calendar showing the programme of concerts for the year, can be viewed here. The first concert, which is of Chamber Music, takes place soon: 7:30pm on Monday 26 September, in the School Hall at King Edward's High School for Girls. Admission is free and there is no need to apply for tickets. We'd love to see you there. Welcome back - all pupils who are not new to the school08 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesTimetable Your son's timetable for this year is attached. If there's anything you're not sure of, please ask your son who may be able to explain. If there are any queries, your first point of contact should be your son's form teacher who your son can speak to - perhaps an easier method than e-mail! Calendar Your son will receive two copies of this term's calendar - one to hand to you. The calendar can also be viewed on our website at kes.org.uk - hover over dates where you can see term dates for the next two years, this term's calendar, the music calendar and sports fixtures. Discounts at outdoor shops Orchestras and Bands Auditions for senior ensembles (very roughly speaking, children who play at grade 5 and above) will take place from 12-16th September. Auditions for junior ensembles will take place from 19-22nd September. Either way, anyone interested in auditioning should sign up for a time as soon as possible in the Music School foyer. Parking A reminder that with the building works, parking space is very limited, so the arrangements are:
Some more start of term information - Shells08 September 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesTimetable Your son's timetable for this year is attached. If there's anything you're not sure of, please ask your son who may be able to explain. If there are any queries, your first point of contact should be your son's form teacher who your son can speak to - perhaps an easier method than e-mail! Form teachers Friday afternoons Calendar Your son will receive two copies of this term's calendar - one to hand to you. The calendar can also be viewed on our website at kes.org.uk - hover over dates where you can see term dates for the next two years, this term's calendar, the music calendar, parents' evenings and sports fixtures. English, design and art groups For these three subjects we choose to have smaller class sizes in the Shell year. In all other subjects your son will be taught in his form group. All these, the form groups, and those for English, Art and Design, are of mixed ability. Your son's form teacher will have explained the groups-hopefully it made some sense to your son! Discounts at outdoor shops Parking A reminder that with the building works, parking space is very limited, so the arrangements are:
I do hope that your son's first couple of days with us have gone well. I'll be in touch again soon. Welcome to new parents31 August 2011
Posted under E-mail archivesOnly a week left of the summer holidays! Thoughts now turn to the start of term at your son's new school. I'm a form teacher in the Shell year group, I run quite a few of the school trips on offer to your son, and I also send e-mails to parents. In particular I try to keep new parents informed about what's going on in school. I'll send you regular e-mails, especially in the first few weeks of your son's time with us, and I also maintain a web-page where you can read any letters which have been sent out: www.kes.org.uk/letters. You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to download letters, and just occasionally your work firewall will stop letters loading - if this happens, just try again at home. There are a few things which are worth sorting out before the first day of term, which is what this e-mail is about. Name labels Parking on Tuesday A reminder of parking arrangements for Tuesday 6 Sept:
Hopefully this e-mail will reach a lot of parents. If your son has friends in the Shells whose parents haven't received the e-mail, please get them to contact me at cb@kes.org.uk and I'll add them to the list. And, if you would like to add (or indeed remove) a home or work e-mail address from our records, please just let me know. Warm wishes to your son for a happy first week at school. I'll be in touch again soon. |
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