Dear Parents,

I imagine that you are doing just what I am doing at the moment; supervising your son's packing and trying to squeeze the last bit of joy out of the holiday that comes to an end on Sunday.

As well as meeting the alumni groups in London, Toronto and New York this holiday, I was able to find the time to visit the Netherlands with my family which is where our oldest son is going to study at the end of the coming school year when he finishes the IB. Many of us are in the same boat this year with a son in the 12th and a son in the 10th class... apparently it is up there with moving to a new country and starting a new job in terms of stress! 

With the alumni groups, the Chairman of the IPSS and the President and Vice President of the DSOBS shared some of the changes that have been taking place at the school over the last year, like the classrooms, the seating around the grounds and the way in which the prefects are being prepared to lead the student body. We also shared some of the plans for the houses, the Sports Centre and the Science facilities because we will be reaching out to them for help to bring these plans to fruition; without the generosity of the Old Boys of the school we would not be able to offer the programmes we do in the environment we have.
I hope that your time together has been all of the right kinds of wonderful and has given you the chance to reconnect, relax and revel in each other's company. I always feel like our family grows in terms of understanding, care and love during these longer breaks when we have more time to be with each other and don't just have to manage the administrative side of business of being a family.

Now we have the July to December term to look forward to. Punctuated by the regular classes, activities, service and sports, the IPSC and district tournaments as well as things like DSMUN, our first Weekend of Design, Founders and the variety of speakers, workshops and opportunities that the masters have planned. From the perspective of continuous improvement we will keep the focus on learning and teacher behaviour that causes it. 

When we get back, the whole of the main building will have all of the teaching spaces refurbished as well as the AV room, which is going to be an exceptional space for teachers to learn as well as students. The next buildings to be brought up to this standard of learning environment will be the Design and Technology and Science building. 

I look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday as you bring your boys back to school. Please can I ask you to remember that you do not need to pack that extra phone, credit card or tuck for them. Part of what makes the school and the experience that you have chosen for him is the way that we strive to deliver equality of opportunity and we appreciate your help in maintaining it. We are not just a service that you have chosen, we are a way of life and a value system which is why, we think, the school has such a far reaching impact.

Yours,

Matthew Raggett
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