From the Housemaster

Please ensure taxis are booked through Matron if you wish the cost to go on the School bill.

email: lhs@sevenoaksschool.org

 

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House Officials

Chairman

Ethan Kok

Committee

Hima Abed, Rory Barber, Xander Bastin, Frederik Kohl, Bongi Munatsi, Manuel Seiters

 

 

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May Birthdays:

May 2013

17th – Jason Tang (17)

28th – Jay Vern Lim (18)

30th – Aaron Loh (18)

 

 

 

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House Colours

Greg Arts

Ollie Ayling

 

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Forthcoming events

Summer Term 2013

Thurs 2 May:  IB exams begin

Sat 4 May: No Saturday School

Mon 6 May Bank Holiday: NO SCHOOL IB EXAMS ONLY

Fri 24 May: Leavers' Ball

Fri 24 May 1610: HALF TERM begins Y7 - L6

Sat 25 May:  Leavers' Day

Mon 3 Jun 0830: School Recommences

Sat 29 Jun: Founder's Day

Sat 29 Jun: 1430 END OF TERM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

 

Half Term has arrived and we hope you are all enjoying a well-earned break. For the U6, of course, this break will be a very long one indeed, until university life beckons for most in September or even October.  The Leavers' events over the course of the last few days were very enjoyable and would have been even more so if they hadn't culminated in our having to say goodbye to what has been a delightful yeargroup.  Our Leavers' BBQ with presentation of IC tankards and commemorative song was a lot of fun, while the Ball on Friday night, preceeded by a 'bubbly' reception here, was one of the best despite disappointingly cold weather.  Luckily, everyone managed to get up on Saturday morning to a somewhat brighter, drier day and the church service followed by Leavers' lunch gave us time to reflect on the past two years and to catch up with some of you we hadn't seen for a while.  It was a lovely day all round.  Living and working with these young men has been a pleasure - we have grown very fond of them and will look back on their year as being very special - we are missing them already!  We hope that they will keep in touch and let us know how they are getting on, and come and visit occasionally too.  Meanwhile, the small matter of results has to be negotiated - they come out on the 8th July - our very best wishes to everyone.  Whatever transpires, these promising students have every chance of turning into successful, fulfilled adults and we wish them happiness on the paths they choose.  I hope you enjoy the photos in the gallery below, taken before the Ball and on Leavers' Day.  Happy hols!

 

With the better weather comes exam season - always an unhappy alliance when all we want to do after the long winter is get out in the open air and blow the cobwebs away!  However, it does mean that spirits rise and some revision can be done sitting outside in the sunshine.  The U6 are now on study leave and the first IB exam, English, takes place on Thursday this week.  It seems to have come round very rapidly, but our students are well-prepared and taking things in their stride so far.  A very enjoyable time was had with the last teaching day activities -  the House photo, paintballing (pictures below), a meal at the Thai restaurant and a film back at the House the previous night, then final breakfast and assembly, the leavers' concert and a BBQ lunch at school the following day, after which the U6 left their mark as hand-prints in the tunnel in the usual tradition.  Talking of concerts, the Alan Adler concert on Tuesday evening was a fantastic event featuring the Sevenoaks Strings, Sennocke Consort, String Quartet and full orchestra which performed a Mahler Symphony in epic fashion.  Several IC members took part, including Nik Miranthis, Sam Parker, Jason Tang and Alistair Webb from the L6 and Jonny Cheung, Alexander von Boetticher and Constantin Weiss from the U6.  It was a hugely enjoyable evening and very humbling to see the degree of musical talent present in the school. 

Welcome back, everybody, to the Summer Term - most of you will have been lucky to have missed the appalling UK weather over the Easter holiday, and are returning to some slightly warmer, sunnier conditions (although we understand this may be short-lived!).  This is, of course, a very important term for all of us, not least the U6 who 'face the final curtain' here with IB exams on the near-horizon.  We shall, naturally, do all we can to support them, but it is now their call and they will all be knuckling down to some very intensive revision.  The L6, too, have exams this term - results will help their teachers settle on a predicted grade for university applications but will not be used exclusively - how the students have performed over the year is also a very important factor.  We wish all our young men the very best of luck!  Exams are the main focus of the term, but there will also be some fun occasions.  We have our last U6 Pizza Night this week and a Chairman/Committee meal next week for outgoing Chairman, Greg, and his Committee.  We welcome Ethan Kok as our new (and first L6) Chairman for the term.  There will be several social events in the run-up to Leavers' celebrations - more of those later.  Meanwhile, we wish everyone a happy and rewarding term.

After yet more snow, the weather turned wet, just in time for the big event in our social calendar - THE IC BALL 2013!  Spirits were not dampened, however, and excitement grew as we all pitched in to transform the House into a night-club atmosphere complete with dance floor and casino (all proceeds to charity of course!) and red carpet to welcome our guests on the big night.  A marquee was set up as drinks/chill-out tent, furniture was removed, black curtains hung on all the walls and 300 balloons filled with helium before the disco and famous ice sculpture arrived yesterday evening.  Our professional photographer was present to take pictures of the students and guests with the sculpture as backdrop and Party Doctors once again provided us with music and lighting.  It was great to welcome back Daryl Leong's brother, Bryan (IC 2007 - 8) as a guest DJ (photo below) - his skills were much appreciated by the crush of dancers on the black LED dance floor. There was a varied display of buffet food and, for the first time at the IC, a chocolate fountain which proved hugely popular.  As players tested their fortunes on the Roulette wheel and Blackjack, some of the students, led by Jason Yuen, set up their own table where the Chinese card game, Dou Di Zhu, was played throughout the evening.  By the end of the event, the casino had raised a magnificent £220 for charity - the boys will decide which one this week.  We are hugely grateful to all the staff who gave up their Saturday night to help us run the event (but we all had fun too!) and to the IC students who worked so hard to make the Ball such a success.  We are basking in the afterglow of the best night of the year!

Please see some photos in the gallery below, courtesy of Jay Vern Lim (U6).

We're back to normal now that the snow has gone (for  now) and everyone is once again focused on studies.  The U6 have now completed their TOK essays, a huge relief for some, and are busy revising for the Mock IB exams.  We look forward to seeing some of you on Monday 4th February for the L6 Parents' Evening when we can chat and catch up over a glass of wine in our quarters - you are all very welcome to attend after your interviews with the teachers.  The MUN trip has returned safely from The Hague - Brandon, Elliot and Filippo did a great job with their resolutions representing Mexico and, while exhausted, reported that it was an enjoyable and very worthwhile experience.  Meanwhile, we have just been notified of the imminent ISI school inspection to take place this coming week.  This includes both Main School and Boarding and we will be meeting with inspectors at various times from Tuesday to Thursday.  A few of our IC students are involved in the process, giving tours, presenting work, chatting etc.  We are proud of the House and of the students and are confident that all will go well.

Burns' Night at the IC

“Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.”

So began proceedings on the evening of the 23rd January (2 days before the official date) as we sat down to a wonderful Scottish-themed meal provided by the School caterers at the IC.  This famous quote by Robert Burns called 'the Selkirk Grace' gave Mr C an opportuntity to show off his famous Scottish accent (being one quarter Scottish himself) and was followed, after a haggis, neeps (swede) and tatties (potatoes) starter, by the Address to the Haggis as Mr C stabbed 'the beast' and we continued to enjoy the main course of Scottish salmon and extra haggis for those who were brave enough to try - in fact, a good number of the boys did enjoy it and came back for seconds!  A tot of (watered-down) whisky was then raised in a toast and the meal was completed with Cranachan (cream, raspberries and oats) as the traditional dessert.  Tables were then hastily cleared away and the girls began to arrive.  Coming down the stairs to the Blue Room, they were welcomed delightfully by Lewis Roberts, watched by his parents and younger brother as guests, and we were ready to begin the dancing.  We are lucky enough to have our caller, Mr Peter Taylor (an ex Sevenoaks parent), who returns to us year after year, even though he and his wife have now moved to Scotland permanently, to oversee proceedings and lead us through the dancing.  It is not an easy job and we are eternally grateful for his input; this year, as his wife Jo could not join him, we also welcomed another ex Sevenoaks parent, Mrs Daphne Males, as a helper 'on the floor'.  Starting with 'The Gay Gordons' and moving on to 'The Dashing White Sergeant' and 'Strip the Willow', the enthusiasm from staff and students alike made for an excellent atmosphere, and great fun (and exhaustion!) was had by all.  You can see some photos in the Gallery below.  Burns' Night is one of our favourite occasions of the year - to see our boys losing their inhibitions and thoroughly enjoy the dancing is very enjoyable.  It is a skill they can take forward into their lives and hopefully use around the world on the 25th of January each year - and remember where they first learnt the steps!  As Rabbie Burns would say -

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

The snow has arrived!  As you might guess, this has caused much excitement and it has been something of a challenge to keep the snow and dirt out of the House and the boys in!  They have enjoyed inter-House snowball fights in Knole Park as well as on the pitches behind the IC, and, despite a couple of unintended break-throughs of a snow and ice covered pond, there have been no mishaps, thanks goodness!  You can see some pictures in the gallery below.

On another exciting note, the IC have retained the trophy for the inter-House Boarders' Quiz.  Our formidable team of Jack Smith, Laurence Warner, Khush James and Aaron Loh swept the floor with not only the other Houses, but also the staff team.  The event, held for the first time in the Pamoja Hall, attracted a large audience of vociferous supporters. Our own Bongi Munatsi provided the voiceover announcing the answering team member, and Mr C as the Jeremy Paxman of Sevenoaks School, with microphone provided, clearly enjoyed his role as Quizmaster.  Some photos can be seen in the Gallery below - apologies for the poor quality of some of these as the lighting was not terribly forgiving of my inadequate camera......note the magnificent end score as the IC took on School House in the final.  The trophy will thus adorn the IC for another year....well done to all!

Welcome back to the Lent Term and a Happy New Year to you all!  May 2013 be a healthy, happy and prosperous one.

This term is, as usual, action-packed, as Mocks loom on the horizon for the U6 and we have several fun occasions to look forward to too.  Burns' Night celebrations will take place on Wednesday 23rd January (two days before the official date - more details of that later) and the biggest event in the IC calendar, namely the IC Ball, takes place in the last week of term.  Preparations are already underway....

Meanwhile, the Knole Run took place on Saturday.  It is a huge event with schools sending teams from all over the country and we are delighted to report that Sevenoaks did exceptionally well this year, the boys' team coming 4th overall and the girls' team taking first place. The IC also triumphed against this backdrop, with Hima Abed, Sufyan Dabbous, Jonah Mendelsohn, Elliot Briery and Jan Sokol running, the first four of whom came in the top 100 with Hima (photo below) coming in at 36th!  Well done to all - pizzas have been promised to those intrepid runners....

Welcome to our new Chairman, Greg Arts and to his committeee (see names on the right).  We will celebrate the out-going servers on Wednesday with our customary Chairman's Meal.

A good term to all!

Congratulations to Ibrahim Abed and Manuel Seiters on their promotion to Senior Prefect status and to Greg Arts who will be our new House Chairman in the Lent Term. Many thanks to out-going Chairman, Aazi Bhanji, and his Committee who served us so well.

On Wednesday we had our Break-Up supper with some staff guests which was a most enjoyable end to the term - some photos of that occasion appear in the Gallery below.

All that remains to be said is HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you all! Have a lovely break with your sons and we look forward to having everyone back next term.

 

 This has been an exciting week, culminating in the International Evening on Saturday, a big event in our calendar when about 180 people gather at the IC to celebrate the culture of some of our students. This year it was the turn of Malaysia and a wonderful evening was enjoyed by 150 students and some 30 staff, resident and guests alike.  The house was decorated with all manner of things Malaysian, kites, posters, cloths and fans, and guests were welcomed with a taste of regional food in the form of chicken satay (very spicy too!) and a large assortment of dry snacks (thank you to Danial's and Elliot L's families) .  Then the show began; to great excitement we settled down to see the inimitable Jack Smith introduce the country he had lived in (at least for a couple of years!), give us information about its people and culture and entertain us with a slide show and typical 'Jack-style' humour.  Interweaved, were sketches the students had prepared to illustrate some of the customs - some of the highlights were the entrance of a very feminine-looking Filippo Marangoni in the market scene, two rather burly characters in burkhas (Laurence Warner and John Martin) and a troupe of dancing 'girls' (to shrieks of laughter from the audience).  We then attempted to sing the Malaysian National Anthem (attempted being the word).  Following the show, there was a raffle with one of our female student guests winning the top prize of a meal for two at a local Far-East restaurant.  We then moved on to the food, cooked splendidly by the School kitchens and enjoyed by all.  Dishes such as Nasi Lemak, Chicken and Beef Rendangs and a lentil dahl (very spicy!!) were served, followed by some delicious pastries (thanks again Danial!) and lychees.  The evening culminated in the staff guests retiring and the students enjoying a 'bop' in the Blue Room, after which they departed with their party bags containing a Malaysian gift (thanks to Jay Vern's mum!).  It was certainly an evening to remember, and all the better for being a fund-raising charity event - we expect to make around £1000 for this year's school charities.  Well done and many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the evening a great success - special mention must go to Ethan Kok, tireless in his efforts, and to Jay-Verm Lim, involved to the max as usual.

 

 

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The IC 50th Anniversary Dinner was a huge success yesterday evening with some 150 attendees including former and present staff and alumni.  All surviving Housemasters spanning the 50 years were present, as was the founder and former Headmaster Mr Kim Taylor, now in his 90s.  It was wonderful to see many of the 'old boys' of our era (2000 -  ), but also to welcome back some IC students from as far back as the 1960s!  The evening began with a reception at the IC - tours of the campus and visits to the original IC boarding house (now School House) also being on offer - and the gathering in the Blue Room was enhanced by some background music on the piano by Thierry Tan and Tat Lee.  Some of our current students, Laurence Warner, Alistair Webb, Alessandro Ferrari, Frederik Kohl, Manuel Seiters, Ishaan Jhaveri and Ethan Kok, were also on hand to socialise and chat to the guests.  Following a brief welcome speech from Mr C, photographs were taken outside on the patio, thankfully helped by the pleasant weather.  We then proceeded to the Dining Hall where a magnificent dinner was laid on by the School Catering team . Inspiring speeches were given by the Guest of Honour, Mr Kim Taylor, detailing the challenges faced in setting up the original House, and Laurence Warner, our present IC Chairman.  It certainly was a night to remember and an emotional experience meeting all the faces we've known over the years.  Here's to the next 50!

The Boarders' Concert the week before last was a real treat, with every House contributing to the varied programme.  On the part of the IC, while Tat Lee charmed us on the piano, Bongi Munatsi performed a hilarious and talented tribute act to Stevie Wonder, while Sam Parker on clarinet, Laurence Warner on saxophone, Jonny Cheung on guitar and Daryl Leong on drums all impressed with their flair and command of the audience. A fun evening was had by all!

On Saturday 29 September, the IC hosts its 50th Anniversary Dinner.  There will be about 150 'old boys', teaching staff and IC staff gathering here for drinks to start the evening and then moving up to the Dining Hall for dinner and speeches.  Our current Chairman, Laurence Warner, will be amongst those speaking - it should be a very enjoyable occasion with several volunteers from the present House on hand to serve canapes and provide some light background music on the piano.

The IC highlights taking place in the second half of the term are the Musical Evening (plenty of talent to more than fill that one!) and the International Evening - voting for the country to be represented will take place next week after the competing bids and speeches have been made.

We have all survived the first full week of school, in spite of the odd rugby injury and the usual spate of sore throats as the students build up immunity.  However, all are in good spirits and are settling nicely into term now.  The Freshers' BBQ was a great success and the weather held well for us.  Thorpe Park was as enjoyable as ever, with several intrepid guys (including the staff!) braving the new ride 'Swarm', and our new L6 enjoyed the Freshers' Ball on Saturday.  This has been a wonderful weekend of sun and high temperatures - probably the last of the summer as temperatures decrease over next week and the occasional shower returns.  With UCAS applications well underway now, and drafts of Extended Essays completed by the U6, it is time to complete those Personal Statements and focus on the job ahead..........   

 

Welcome back from the summer holiday to the Upper Sixth (arriving on Wednesday) and a warm welcome to our new Lower Sixth who join us on Tuesday - we hope they enjoy their time with us over the next two school years and come to view the IC as a 'second home'.  The staff and U6 students alike are looking forward to meeting everyone and helping your sons to settle into our very friendly House!

This term sees a change in staffing:  while Mr & Mrs C continue as Houseparents (Year 13!) and Dr Owen remains Assistant Housemaster, Mr Andy Cornah is making the transition from non-residential to residential and steps in as the other Assistant Housemaster.  We welcome Mr Olly Russell as our new non-residential Tutor - a Cambridge Geography graduate and keen sportsman, we're sure that he will make a great contribution to the team.  Last term we said goodbye to Mr Vincent - we thank him for his dedication and hard work and wish him the very best in his new school in Switzerland.

The first week is very busy but the students can look forward to the Freshers' BBQ on Saturday and the trip to Thorpe Park on Sunday (we're hoping for decent weather!).

If you need to contact us, email is probably the easiest option.  Our Matron, Mrs Sulsh, is at the IC on weekdays from 08 00 - 17 00 and can be reached at lhs@sevenoaksschool.org if you need medical advice or need to book a taxi.

A very happy, rewarding and successful term to all!