The end has arrived for a number of our Year 13 with many of the boys finishing public exams this week. I must say, the way they have handled the pressure of the exam season has been superb and I hope, come results day, that the boys receive the grades they deserve. I am sure that for all of you parents and guardians, the end of the exam season is very welcome and I thank you for your support of the boys- they may not appreciate it yet, but they certainly will in time. This week I have seen some of the year 8 art work (they all have an extended project due in the next couple of weeks, info on Teams) being brought into school and it was great to see a fish made almost entirely of beer bottle caps- the type of Art many of our tutors can appreciate!

Academic 

Our internal exam sitters have been getting grades back this week and it has been pleasing to hear of the many successes. For some, however, the exam results have been disappointing and I know our academic teams are putting together strategies and action plans. As I have said to a few of our more senior boys this week, we (us and you) can give them all of the advice in the world but only they can commit to improvement. 

A much requested Laud Leader board update sees Jesse E leading the way with Sam F, Kanishk K and Robbie S all in hot pursuit! 

Sport 

Rowing

Matthew W was up in Scotland competing in The Scottish Championships and acquitted himself extremely well and is hoping for an invite back to Scotland Team selection. This weekend is Durham Regatta and it sure to be a superb weekend for the boat club. As always, preparation has been intense, and I wish everyone racing the very best of luck. 

Cricket

Barney W scored over 40 runs for the U14s this week with George F scoring over 80 for the 1st XI in their win over RGS.

Awards 

Academic awards this week go to: Kiayode A, Martin B, Alex C, Max H, Evan O, Bill Q and Matthew W Congratulations to all of the boys listed above.

Activities Week 

You should now have the schedule for what promises to be a very good activities week. Timings are all published and I spoke to the boys this morning about how the days will run (tutors will be reinforcing this, too). Any questions, please contact your son's tutor. 

Boarding

The boys thoroughly enjoyed go-karting last weekend and are looking forward to watching the racing this weekend down at the regatta. As I have mentioned before, end of term plans are finalised with the house closing at 1pm on Friday 4th July for the summer holidays. There will be no school buses that day. 

House Keeping

A reminder that our House BBQ Theme this year is 'Old School Dance and Music Festival' so I hope the boys are scouring the charity shops for some retro kit (or whatever else they have chosen to wear!). DJ slots are now available so I will be trying to get as many of the boys to do a set as I can! On a completely different note, I have spoken to the boys about leaving their bags around school and leaving kit on the sports fields after games sessions. This is where at least 80% of lost kit occurs and can be avoided by the boys simply taking more responsibility for their belongings. 

Waffle

I spoke to the boys on Monday morning about expectations. As many of you know, Bungites will always be a place where manners, respect and standards are high- and rightly so. In recent weeks, I have noticed a slightly casual approach to such things and myself, and the tutors, have been proactive in ensuing standards are met. I see these qualities as non-negotiables and behaviours that will serve the boys well as they get into later life. With this in mind, please do remember that I want these standards to be mirrored at home and am more than happy to support parents should the boys be 'pushing the boundaries'. As a parent myself, I fully appreciate that the boys can be a different species while at home compared to what we see in school. 

Appearance has also been on our radar with white socks and uniform wearers falling foul of the Behaviour point system! It is a fine line in ensuring the boys have fun (and they do wind each other up!!) but remembering that in our House we are a team and what behaviour is chosen, there should never be any nastiness or making someone feel uncomfortable. As I just said, the boys do make some quite mind blowing decisions but learning from mistakes is part of growing up (learning being the key part!). 

I wish you all a restful and enjoyable weekend.