Year 11 Trial (Mock) exams are on this week and next, which has led to an early lunch for us all.  It’s languages (French and Latin) first up on Monday morning followed by a continuous stream over the following two weeks to give the students an experience as close to the real exams this summer, as is possible.  It’s essential that the students give this set of exams their best shot as this will enable us to help them in the final months leading up to the summer exam season.  Also teachers will be working hard behind the scenes getting all the papers marked so the students can have a Trial Exam Results Day on 17th December (hopefully a nice Christmas present for them!).  Good luck to all and remember to read the question through at least twice!

This week Geography are out and about again – this time the Year 13 are in Huntingdon and St Neots.  Also on Tuesday Year 9 and 10 Drama students are off to see ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ in London.  Let’s hope it’s only the play which goes wrong!  Year 10 and 11 Literacy Intervention sessions continue this Wednesday and on Monday evening there are a number of our more loquacious students entering the Rotary Club Debating Competition.  I have no doubt that they will talk their way into a winning position –but good luck all the same.  As always please see the Sports Report to find out what energetic activities the PE Department have been up to by clicking on the link below.  Just a heads up to say that the interhouse sporting activities next week are hockey and football (come on Pepys!).

http://www.hinchingbrookeschool.net/page/?title=Sports+Reports&pid=563

rhaps the biggest, most exciting news for this week is the Hinchingbrooke Charity Football Match.  This involves the First XI taking on the staff on Thursday 3rd December at 4pm on HBK astro.  Donations of a £1 are being requested, although surely seeing the staff trying to keep up with the Sixth Formers is worth a lot more than that!  There has been lots of fighting talk leading up to this event – and someone is going to end up red faced (my money is on the staff who will also be out of breath!).

A reminder that next Tuesday (8th December) there is a Parents' Forum on the topic of the new 9-1 grading system and our use of Doddle.  This has a special focus for Year 7 parents (as they have just received their latest report with this grading system on) and the Year 8 parents as they will get a formative report just before the Christmas break.  If yoy are interested in attending please let Jackie Moore know (jm@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk) or via the slip on the Year 7 report.

This weeks ‘5s’ winners were announced this morning to staff who were, as always waiting with bated breath…It’s 7M2 for the Lower School and 11M3 for the Middle School – so a clean sweep by Montagu (I repeat my earlier mantra – come on Pepys!).

This weeks Theme is related to an assembly the Lower School had a few weeks ago, about getting to and from school safely.

And so with exams, competitions and battles galore I leave you with this thought…

A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.