NewsletterSUMMER 2015

WHAT A SCORCHER!COMMUNITY DAY 2015

TONBRIDGE

COMMUNITY

ACTION

To exemplify that the community spirit of the school is healthy and thriving, a number of boy-led initiatives peppered this Tuesday and Wednesday, all intent in raising money for Child Action Lanka. The Upper Sixth had organised a Lacrosse match for charity against Wally Hall which they narrowly lost, many of the team trooping off immediately to get into their tuxedos for their dance competition later in the evening. On the Tuesday afternoon, Whitworth year 10s organised a ‘boys in dresses’ football competition which again raised even more funds for CAL. These initiatives, driven and planned and competed in by boys who already have so much on their plate serve to show how they have embraced the idea that fundraising can be fun if approached imaginatively. At the end of a term dominated by exams what better way to relax than to plan something slightly different that taps into the competitive edge of inter house rivalry but also does so much good in the process.

Mike Morrison

FROM LACROSSETO BOYS IN DRESSES

Editorial Green Fair -Recycling Fruit And Clothing

The theme for this year’s Community Day was based around Green issues and, in particular, exploring alternative sources of energy and the potential creativity of recycling. The igloo made of recycled plastic milk bottles was almost complete, each bottle containing its message to world leaders from the Primary kids telling them what they should do to make the world a better, safer place, when it succumbed to the heat and slowly imploded. Hopefully not an omen!

Boys in DressesTaking inspiration from David Walliams’ book ‘Boy in the Dress’ (via the Biddle girls!), the Whitworth Second Year organised an Interhouse ‘Boys in Dresses’ football tournament for the second year on Tuesday 30th June. The event was part of the Social Entrepreneurs Project with funds raised going towards Child Action Lanka. Despite the fierce heat and long hems, the boys played with great commitment and energy in the five-a-side competition. Luckily cold drinks and lollies were at hand to cool the competitors, as well as Ruby and Grace Biddle’s homemade chocolate chip cookies and Blueberry muffins. Judde House were the eventual winners, and over £400 was raised.

Child Action Lanka (CAL) works to assist and transform the lives of disadvantaged children in Sri Lanka. Many of the children live and work on the streets as beggars; as such, they are often socially excluded and deprived of opportunities and respect. Hunger, neglect, exploitation and abuse are just a few of the many challenges faced by these children every day.For further information please visitwww.childactionlanka.org/

However the point had been made. The queue for the Smoothie bikes on the other hand never seemed to shorten – definitely the highlight of the Green Fair, along with David Faithful’s remarkable practical illustrations of wave power, solar power and hydroelectric power. Also popular: making handbags and other assorted objects from recycled T shirts, and bird feeders from various containers and chopsticks!

Another Community Day dawned, the air muggy as if anticipating the heat that would come later. We awaited the arrival of around 850 Primary School children from 20 schools, three of them coming for the first time. We were also hosts to 96 year 9 Benenden girls helping with Netball, Rounders and Fun Fitness, but also joining in with our established activities. As the coaches began to arrive the temperature was already in the high twenties. Small groups of Tonbridge boys lead groups of Primary School children clutching water bottles to their activities and the rhythm of the day was set. From Taekwondo to Tennis, from Creative Writing to Mandarin Chinese, the full spectrum of sporting, academic and arts based activities was in motion. My favourite image of the day was the kaleidoscope of colour visible across the campus, especially when they gather for lunch.

A riot of yellows, reds, green and blues merge as the primary children sit under the trees or hug the bank of the Head to watch the Hawkforce display. Or formed mixed football teams

to play an impromptu game of football on the 50. Or waited patiently for ice lollies. It was as if the school had become a giant playground for them, to the extent that one year 5 boy was heard to say “This isn’t a school day, this is like the best holiday I’ve ever had!”

As always a significant number of children went home clutching calendars of the photos they had taken, T-shirts they had printed, poems they had written, trophies they had won and, over the next few days, others will receive the beautiful plates they made in Pottery once they have been fired in the kiln. Hot but happy.

Hog Roast CelebrationCommunity Day is about giving, about working as a whole school community, but also about the celebration of our work in the wider community. So what better way than to give everyone who works at the school the opportunity to join together on a beautiful summer’s evening to enjoy a sumptuous hog roast and ice cream, whilst listening to music from three bands (including the Staff Band playing golden oldies). It was great to see staff and their families alongside the boys who had spent a very hot day delivering a wide range of activities to Primary School pupils sharing the occasion. Particular thanks to the amazing house chefs and their teams who, as always, adapted to a very different situation with good humour and provided such a stunning service and delicious meal. Same again next year!

Community Day - Hot But Happy

As we move into the second year of our burgeoning relationship and partnership with Child Action Lanka, the charity we are supporting that helps street children in Sri Lanka and seeks to guide them through education in order to give them an opportunity in later life, it is important to consolidate our understanding of each other.

Therefore we were delighted that Deb Edirisinghe, the Founding Director of the charity and Reji and Jenny, two of her centre managers, came to visit us for a week near the start of term. This gave them the opportunity to meet the 36 boys going out to work with CAL in July as well as the Tonbridge School staff who are joining them. It also allowed us to find out more about CAL’s relationship with the Epiphany Trust, a UK-based charity and main supporter of their work so as to be sure all money we raised to help the charity is used efficiently. Meetings with the Headmaster and Bursar, as well as detailed conversations with TCA, led to a commitment by the school to try to raise enough money (£40,000) to build a much needed extension to their new premises in Kandy. We discussed how the relationship might develop over the next few years and everyone was excited by the idea of an Arts based trip in July 2016. Furthermore the four school leavers already committed to visit CAL in their GAP year took the chance to discuss how they might

spend their time in Sri Lanka, which centres they might wish to visit, and what sort of work they could do when out there.

This visit was soon followed by a return trip by Juliet Burnett (Community & Conservation Co-ordinator) and Barry Evans (TS Health and Safety officer) to make a thorough reconnoitre of the five different centres, not only in order to be able to write thorough and detailed risk assessments, but also to tease out possible projects for the future, for example helping the mothers of CAL children to have a sustainable income through the sale of shoes and other items they make from recycled materials. A week of long journeys in hot minibuses and significant changes of climate took them to the five centres from which they returned with a much clearer idea of what lay ahead for those going out there in July.

Suffice to say at this stage that this partnership has huge potential for current students and GAP year projects alike, and we look forward to the stories that emerge from this July’s trip which will sees 36 Tonbridge boys and 10 staff travel to Sri Lanka to live in the CAL communities, support teaching, and play and coach rugby, before hosting the first ever National Street Rugby festival. in the Sri Lankan national Rugby stadium.

For 24 hours from Tuesday 4pm to Wednesday 4pm a Swimathon to raise funds for Child Action Lanka took place in the TCS pool. Each house was allocated 75 minutes to swim as many lengths as possible, some having to swim at ‘inhospitable’ times. Yet all completed their challenge with various individuals swimming over 150 lengths in the time and a small handful over 200! Park House managed over 5,000 lengths in total but all houses swam further than we might have expected through sheer grit and determination, allying house pride and spirit to the desire to help CAL as best they could. Many staff also swam, either with houses or in the Wednesday morning slot set aside for staff and TSC members. As I write the total raised stands at an amazing £22,000.

Swimathon - Making A Splash For Cal

The Sri Lanka Connection

It is hard to believe that this is only the second Dancing with the Praes – it feels already like an institution. And this year’s show did not disappoint. From Chris Hollins (OT and Strictly Come Dancing Champion), very humorous and generous as one of the judges, to Fergus O’Neill (OT) and his partner, floating across the dance floor during their elegant, professional demonstrations, to the 10 couples who, in only 12 weeks straddling A level exams had learnt four dances and gave impressive performances, this was an evening full of magic, and all to raise considerable sums for two charities. Long may it continue as the highlight of Community Day evening.

The annual Olympic Legacy Athletics Tournament took place on Wednesday 10 June when the LVI TCA boys hosted 300+ very excited guests from years 3 & 4 from a record number of 12 local primary schools for the third year of this popular tournament.

There is very little opportunity locally for children in this age bracket (8-10yrs) to compete, and for many this was their first taste of a ‘proper’ competition with professional track and field facilities. The morning was spent in training with our boys, learning the finer skills of hammer throw and jumping techniques, before the competition began. Hotly contested as ever, the victors were Claremont Primary, with St Matthews and Stocks Green just pipping Slade Primary for silver and bronze. As a direct result

of feedback from schools on the day, the TCA boys are hoping to run a free athletics club for children in Yrs 3-6 on Wednesday afternoons next year. Anyone interested please contact Juliet.burnett@tonbridge-school.org.

Olympic Legacy Athletics Tournament 2015

Dancing with the Praes

On Friday 12th June, just under 100 willing walkers from Tonbridge and Walthamstow Hall took part in a sponsored, 4km 3-legged walk around the Athletics track to raise money for The Silas Pullen Fund, which supports The Brain Tumour Charity. This fund was set up by Ben and Sarah Pullen in memory of their son Silas who died in December 2013 having fought an aggressive malignant brain tumour for 17 months. The cause is already close to the hearts of many Tonbridgians who know Oscar (PH3) and Rufus (PH1) Pullen, and to the Wally girls who were so moved by what they read about the fund on Facebook. Despite the thunder, lightning and heavy rain which began shortly after the walk started, the conditions did not prevent the walkers completing their laps - and maybe even added to the fun! Through immensely generous sponsorship, and sales of bandanas, wristbands and Krispy Kremes, a total of £3,689.96 was raised - a huge achievement by everyone involved. The Silas Pullen Fund is going to be one of the charities which the school supports next year, so hopefully this is just the first event of many to support this incredibly important cause.

Three Legs For Silas

Community Day In Pictures

The first Saturday night of term was, for most of the Novi, not a usual night, and an experience many of them will be eager to forget. However this was more than just a painful experience, as it served as an eye-opener for many. This sleep out was designed to raise awareness of some of the daily struggles and challenges that face many homeless people throughout the UK. Provided with nothing more than a roll-mat, sleeping-bag and some cardboard to build individual shelters, this experience provided a useful insightful into the life of a homeless person.

At the beginning of the evening we split into groups of 3 or 4 people with whom we would build our makeshift shelters. The enormous amount of cardboard was donated kindly by the local furniture store ‘Furniture Village’. The collection of the most valuable pieces of cardboard ended in a frenzy involving over 100 boys all rummaging through heaps of cardboard searching for the pieces that would give them the edge over their neighbours’ design.

The process of building these temporary homes showcased much of the boys’ initiative, resourcefulness and creativity, with some particularly eye-catching designs achieved.

At about roughly 9pm, the still energetic and keen Novi were ushered into Big School where Simon, a formerly

homeless person, and first-hand witness of the help Porchlight can provide, gave a moving and interesting talk on his life and how easy it is to find oneself in the unenviable position of being homeless. He explained how difficult it is, once in that situation, to get yourself out of it, and how without the help of Porchlight, he probably wouldn’t have been able to make the transition back into

normal society. After this insightful talk we returned to the quad and, warmed by cups of soup kindly given out by some of the TCA Parents’ group, we returned to our shelters and tried to get to sleep.

In the morning we had freshly prepared bacon rolls as half the boys traded stories of how restful (or not) their night had been and the other half propped up against walls and quietly, tiredly ate their bacon rolls with joy.

Overall, almost all the boys, as well as members of local scout groups, had an entertaining night and on everyone’s’ behalf, a massive thank you to everyone who helped or donated money generously. Thankfully it was all worth it as this Sleepout smashed all records raising £11,220.90. This money will be put back into funding much of the great work that the charity Porchlight does around the community and especially within the Tonbridge area itself.

Rory McDowell (HS1)

Novi homeless Sleepout raises record-breaking sum for Porchlight

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Diary Dates 2015 -16

Tonbridge School encourages a heightened sense of individual and collective Social Responsibility across all staff and boys, based on self-knowledge, carefully fostered spiritual and moral values, and

a grounded, outward-looking awareness of others.For more information about our projects, how you can get involved, or to ask for our support in

new initiatives, please email TCA@tonbridge-school.org or visit www.tonbridge-school.org

5 July – 18July

Sri Lanka trip 2015. 36 boys and 10 staff support the work of Child Action Lanka in five CAL bases across the country, culminating in the first ever national street children rugby festival

Wednesday 9 September

TCA training afternoon for all boys volunteering for Wednesday TCA activities

Wednesday 16 September

TCA Placements begin in our local community

Thursday 17 September

Green Committee welcome BBQ. Contact Mrs Burnett if interested in joining the Committee

Late September

Coffee Morning run by the TCA Parents’ Group particularly for Novi parents but all welcome. For more information please contact TCAparentsgroup@gmail.com

LateSeptember

SEP launch – second years learn about opportunities to raise funds for charity using their entrepreneurial acumen

Wednesday 7 October

Field Day – Tonbridge boys volunteer to help with charitable and community projects within the local area

Friday 16October

Pink Day – be as pink as you dare and raise funds for Breast Cancer charities

LateNovember

Toy Appeal – presents collected for local families in need during the festive period

Wednesday 6January2016

TCA Placements start in our local community

Tuesday 26January2016

TCA Community Concert – all TCA boys host senior Tonbridge residents for a fun evening of music and company.

TCA Parents’ GroupThe TCA Parents’ Group assists in TCA community projects offering practical help and hands on deck where needed. This term the Parents’ Group played an invaluable role on Whole School Community Day as part of the ‘Green Fair’, encouraging the visiting children to build towers out of recycled paper, a ‘rubbish-sorting’ race and a number of craft stalls. We also provided sustenance to the Novi in the Sleepout by running the soup kitchen.

Our focus in the autumn term is the Mayoral Christmas Toy Appeal where we help collect, sort and distribute age-appropriate gifts to local families in need, and in all of these events we welcome parental involvement.

We are going to host a Coffee Morning in September particularly to welcome the parents of new Novi, and encourage all parents to come and share coffee and cake, hear more about what we do, and hopefully get involved. Keep an eye on the Parents’ on-line newsletter for the date, or contact us at TCAparentsgroup@gmail.com.

This TCA Newsletter is produced termly and can be accessed on the School’s website at http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/community/tca-newsletters/. If you know someone who would like to receive a hard copy, please contact tca@tonbridge-school.org

London to Brighton

Jody Taylor, Tim Bedford, Phil Bedford and Bill Burnett took part in the annual London to Brighton Bike Ride on 21st June. Between them they raised about £2500 for the British Heart Foundation and sailing charity The Island Trust.

My friend who wears a green P.E. kit.My friend who plays netball on a Monday at our school.My friend who eats eggfried rice from the local Chinese.My friend who likes playing fun football at playtime and lunchtime.My friend who once fell over her own feet.My friend who goes to her dad’s creepy house: it is creepy because there is a scary deer’s head above the staircase.My friend is my friend because she is extremely funny and always happy.

By Isabelle Haley, Year 5, from Cage Green.