Dear Parents
I am always incredibly proud to be Headmaster of Dumpton – but today I am prouder than ever. The Global Citizenship Day today showed off Dumpton at its very best: brilliant, passionate and enthusiastic teachers, engaged, curious and purposeful pupils, and at its heart, a school community connected by powerful shared values – today in the form of being kind to our planet and all the people on it, and aiming high for our future.
Pre-Prep have worked wonders taking care of their Adventure Playground, Y3 have explored Fair Trade and made their own chocolate, Y4 visited the Oceanarium and combed Bournemouth beach for litter, Y5 spent time in parkland in Wimborne supporting the council with tidying and clearing, Y6 cycled 367 miles today (on static bikes) to begin our school wide fundraising challenge for the charity Cycling out of Poverty, and Y7 andY8 learnt about fast fashion, ending the day with a brilliant fashion show using 2nd hand clothes.
We’re sure you’ll hear lots more about it from your children, and some lovely pictures and videos will follow. A huge thank you to Mrs Cox for her passion, but also to the whole staff team who supported her so well today and threw themselves into the day.
A thank you also from Mrs Cox to the Dumpton Friends for organising the 2nd hand clothes collection for the Y7 and Y8 Fast Fashion workshop – we couldn’t have done today with you!
Dumpton Talks – Challenging Gender Stereotypes
We’re delighted that the founder of 'not only pink and blue' and current Dumpton parent Clare Willetts will be speaking about this fascinating topic: should boys and girls be treated more equally when they are young? Are many of us unwittingly encouraging all boys to be tough and assertive, and all girls to be caring and gentle, due to the existence of powerful stereotypes in society? And what might the impact of this be on children of both genders? We hope lots of parents will be interested to learn a little more, as well as hearing a presentation from me on building social and emotional intelligence in children – please see the attached advert for more details.
Y8 Academic Scholars
Well done to the three Y8 children who sat for an academic scholarship at Bryanston, and the eighteen Y8 children who sat for an academic scholarship at Canford in the last two weeks. They have worked so very hard to prepare, and we do hope they’re all very proud of their efforts. We will wait with bated breath for the results...
Performing Arts Week
The fun and excitement doesn’t stop at Dumpton – next week it’s Performing Arts week, including the Spring Spectacular (see Mrs Mudd’s letter of Friday 24 February) and the House Music and House Singing Competition (letter sent Tuesday 28 February).
Pilot Visit! - From the Nursery Team
The Pre-school children were super lucky last week - Hadley’s dad came to visit us in his pilot uniform, complete with cap, and with a model Airbus!! The children listened carefully to Mr Norman’s chat about flying a Virgin airplane and all had a turn to explore the model and to try on the cap. The children were very excited to ask and to answer some questions. I wonder if Mr Norman has inspired the next generation? Thank you very much Mr Norman for giving up your time to come and visit - the children loved it and Hadley was super, super proud of his Daddy.
2M Assembly– From Mrs Morton
Well done to the children in 2M for presenting a very confident class assembly on Australia. The children’s enthusiasm for our topic was clear to see and they have clearly been enjoying finding out about different countries and their cultures!
Y8 Leavers' Course – From Mr Loe
With the Y8 Leavers’ Course fast approaching, I thought I would give you some important dates for your diary. The Leavers' Course runs from as soon as the last Y8 exam is completed on Friday 9 June through to Friday 7 July. The only time we are away from school is Tuesday 20 to Friday 23 June, when we are in Cornwall. All other activities take place during the normal school day. Full details will follow as soon as everything is confirmed. I hope this helps a little with forward planning and we will be in touch again in the first half of next term with the full schedule and the details of how it all works.
Dumpton Friends Quiz Night – From Dumpton Friends
Dumpton Friends ran another brilliant quiz night yesterday evening, hosted kindly by Paul Barnett at the Olive Branch in Wimborne. Huge thanks to our Quizmaster Anthony Swift who pulled together some very clever and enticing questions to get everyone engaged and enjoying themselves. The teachers managed to retain their title as winners but it was a very closely fought competition throughout! A delicious set of goodies were given to the winning team, generously donated by Stapehill Stores. Thank you to Paul, Anthony and Katie and to all those who attended. We will host another quiz next term so keep a look out for further details soon!
Key Events Next Week: (please see sports site and calendar for all fixtures)
Week 9: Theme of the week - Performing Arts Week
WEEK A
Monday 6 March
2.00pm: Spring Spectacular (Nursery to Y8 pupils involved)
Tuesday 7 March
All Day: Reception visit Moors Valley
4.30pm: 6M Parents' Evening
Wednesday 8 March
All Day: Year 2 World Food Day
3.00pm: Pre-Prep Class Assembly (1C)
Thursday 9 March
4.30pm: 6C Parents' Evening
Friday 10 March
All Day: Prep School House Music Festival
8.15am: Y1 & Y2 Parents Drop In Session
3.15pm: Prep School House Singing
4.15pm: Watch Team Bath Superleague Match (Selected Pupils)
With best wishes for the weekend.
Christian Saenger
Headmaster