Down to the last of the double digits for the year – only 10 school days left for the 2019 academic year. Just for clarity purposes, I remind you that school closes on Wednesday 4 December at:
Reception Unit : 10h30
Junior Primary : 10h45
Senior Primary : 11h00
Please note that there will be no aftercare or homework centre open on this day. I also inform you now that school will re-open on Wednesday 15 December. Please ensure that your son is ready to return to school on this day!
NB – This Prep Patter will be the second to last edition for this year. There will be a hard copy sent in each report envelope but no Prep Patter next week as this is the day before prize-giving.
SCHOOL CLOSURE
I sent out a letter explaining the reasons for closing school early on Thursday and Friday of last week. This had been a directive sent from the Department of Education with regards to giving families timeous warning to ensure that their children got home safely before the arrival of the predicted bad weather. This was not an easy decision to have to make for schools especially at this extremely busy period of year end but I am sure that you will agree that the safety factor of our children/families in our schools is of paramount importance. Thank you.
To our DPHS community who were extremely punctual to the call of collecting your boys on time with less than a handful of boys having to wait a little longer for their lift to arrive. One aspect I do need to highlight is the important call to have all contact numbers of our family members updated on a regular basis. Parents at times change business, residence and mobile numbers but then fail to notify the school. I will be carefully monitoring this contact list as a priority again from the start of 2020 so that every family member is recorded here at school with the latest details. Please do not hesitate to forward your latest information to Mrs Denise Tsouris at the front office so that these matters can be addressed now.
Thank you for your support and understanding in collecting your son last week and responding so positively to the sudden early closure arrangements.
Well done Prep.
ACADEMIC NEWS
It is an extremely busy period at school now especially under this academic banner with examinations, marking, reports and prize-giving’s all happening at this time. I thus briefly highlight certain academic events that are of paramount importance through until break-up day.
They are: This week : Marketing and finalising of assessments for the year.
Wednesday 27 November : Grade 1 assembly 7h30
Thursday 28 November : Speech Day – prize giving – senior primary – 10h30
Friday 29 November : Grade 2 Assembly – 7h30
Tuesday 3 December : Top 10 academics/prize winner’s assembly 7h30
Top 10 academics – Headmasters tea
Wednesday 4 December : Reports are brought home with your son
HONOUR OUR HELPERS
I remind you that we as a school host our general assistant staff to an end of term sit down lunch to pay our combined respects to these staff members. We are blessed with the dedicated staff that serve our school as in general maintenance, cleaning, catering, security and grounds. These staff members are here at school in the early hours of each day sometimes working well into the evenings after school/extra mural events. We will honour our staff here with our traditional term/year end lunch but you will have also received a letter that goes out to each family in the school to support our cause. You will note that each grade has been called upon to donate certain grocery items that will be combined, to be evenly distributed in hampers for each of our general assistant staff members. These hampers/boxes are presented to our staff members at assembly attended by the boys and staff where we express our combined gratitude on behalf of the entire DPHS community in acknowledgement for this excellent level of service provided throughout the year. It is always such a joyous celebration to observe how our staff and boys pay our respects there with these hampers so warmly received by each member. Please ensure that your son brings his stated items as per the list sent as soon as possible so that this packing of the boxes can begin.
I call on each family to also express your own family sentiments of appreciation to these ladies and gentlemen by explaining at home how important a role that these staff members play, on a daily basis, in caring for our boys and school ie. why you as a family so proudly contribute to this good cause.
I thank you in abundance and in advance for your ‘Proudly Prep’ generosity whilst also highlighting our grateful appreciation to our co-ordinator of this cause namely Mrs Anne Smith supported by the staff. The grade R families also follow the same requests so we applaud the combined efforts of Mrs Phipson, Reception Unit staff and parents of that phase too.
VISUAL ARTS
A ‘Proudly Prep’ display of over 900 masterpieces exhibited!
We as DPHS celebrated the official opening of the DPHS Arts Exhibition here last night. This is always a highlight on our DPHS calendar and the 2019 exhibition soared at the highest level of excellence. Our many guests in attendance were so complimentary of the talents, skills and creative thinking shown by our staff and boys throughout the school, in these pieces of art that they have focused on during their lessons throughout the year. I personally believe that this exhibition could take pride of place in any gallery where these items would receive the loudest applause, in recognition of this creativity produced by primary school learners.
Congratulations – congratulations – congratulations to our overall Director of Visual Arts Mrs Brenda Thatcher and Mrs Loren Firth who have excelled in taking our boys to these levels and for the dedication to their subject in driving our arts on a daily basis. Please take a proudly Prep bow to a standing ovation – thank you staff and boys. I also acknowledge the Director of music – Mrs Briscoe, and the Music Department staff, our private music teachers/Prep musicians and their families for your dedicated efforts to music. How magnificent is as to see our DPHS orchestra performing in larger numbers now in support of the Art Exhibition at last night’s opening. Bravo Prep!
NEW BOYS VISIT
I explained last week of the new boys visit and new programme that has been introduced for this year. The grade R unit have their final group of 2020 families visiting our premises/teachers tomorrow afternoon with the main school having hosted our 2020 intake today and this afternoon. This is always an exciting event for our school and the new boys/families with today surely no exception. 2020 is well taken care of to ensure that our new academic year gets off to a wonderful beginning.
GALAS
Another reminder to all families that we will be hosting both the JP and SP Inter House Galas tomorrow.
JP : 9H00 – 11H00
SP : 12h00 – 13h30
As per tradition this will be a JP and SP house dress day so I thus encourage all parents in attendance to proudly display your respective house colours for the galas.
Please make every effort, especially if you are a Grade 7 parent, attending your last inter-house event – let us see our stands packed to capacity with the roar of support from staff, boys and parents motivating our Prep boys in each event. “Go Bullimore – Go Evans – Go Haysom – Go Stubbs”
PREP BOYS
| DON’T | DO |
| Misbehave in these final days. | Maintain their high standard of self-discipline throughout the year. |
| Become jealous of those who achieve above them in various codes. | Applaud the efforts of their peers on their achievements. |
| Forget to bring their grocery items for the general assistant hampers. | Proudly bring in their grocery items in appreciation of our general assistants. |
| Sit or compete casually at the Inter House galas. | Again show their true house spirit for each event. |
| Complain. | Appreciate. |
CONGRATULATIONS MR PREP
JP – Connor May – Grade 2 Everitt
SP – Riley Mallett – Grade 6 Richards
SECRET CODE
Thank you again to our Prep families who are encouraging their son to report to my office each week to share in the ‘secret code’ that I have placed in the weekly Prep Patter. Your son has been receiving his reward but it is even more rewarding to see how proud he is to proclaim that his family have read the Patter and thus sent him forward with the new code.
The code for this week is : “Preparing Prep boys for life”
HEADMASTERS QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
If you cannot do great things, then do small things in a great way.
B WILSON
Headmaster
