Rossall School News – Lent 2021 Week 11

From the Headmaster

Dear all, On Tuesday evening we gathered in the Square to mark the passing of a year since the official start of the first lockdown. There is no denying that it has been an incredibly difficult and challenging year and the impact of COVID has been keenly felt within our own community.  As we stood lost in thought, we remembered families who have lost loved ones and all those who have been separated by distance. We reflected upon the loneliness and isolation felt by so many within our communities but also upon the courage and compassion of our doctors and nurses and so many other frontline workers. As I watched the various groups from the various houses assemble I felt an overwhelming sense of pride in this community. In adversity, we have not just survived but we have truly flourished. There have been moments of real joy during the last year and I doubt there has ever been a group of children who have been more inclined to express appreciation for all that they can do and so resolutely reluctant to dwell upon the frustrations and restrictions that accompany life within a global pandemic. Our pupils have been our motivation and inspiration.  Staff have worked incredibly hard to look after our children and I know that you would wish to join me in expressing our heartfelt gratitude for all those who have made Rossall such a happy place to be during the most trying of circumstances. Our teachers are amazing but our support staff, those who work in catering, housekeeping, maintenance and estates, deserve equal gratitude. Through a time of great uncertainty, their cheerful resolve has never faltered. They exemplify all that is good about our School.   We are a famously resilient community and perhaps this is partly as a consequence of our proud history but some would contend that it is also reflective of our geographical location. Suffice to say that we overcome whatever obstacles are put in our path and we are motivated by the determination to ensure the very best possible experience for all of our pupils. Truly, I know of no other school community which possesses such raw energy or such a strong sense of conviction. Similarly, I know of no other community that is so loved by parents, staff, pupils and those who have attended the school in times past. Nearly three years after arriving, I am very proud to consider myself and my family to be Rossallians. The cleverest wordsmith would struggle to put into words what it means to ‘be a Rossallian’ but it is something that many of you will instinctively feel on a visceral and/or emotional level. A year ago I wrote (with hope)  that after the storm there would be light. The storm now appears to be abating and the School is emerging from the greatest challenge it has faced since it was hurriedly evacuated to Naworth Castle in the summer of 1939. It would be naive to imagine that there will not be a few more bumps in the road but we are through the worst.  On Tuesday morning, we had a full Council meeting on Zoom. It was a meeting filled with optimism and excitement; not least because we have come so far and our plans for the future are so ambitious.  The support of Council has been absolutely crucial throughout the past year and we are incredibly fortunate to be supported by those who work tirelessly on our behalf. The investment of time and energy that members of Council donate to this community is. I hope that you have a peaceful and relaxing Easter. Best wishes, Mr Jeremy Quartermain Headmaster of Rossall School

Message from the Junior Headmaster

Dear parents, This week saw the poignant reminder of the fact we have been in and out of lockdown for a full year. I read a graph depicting the news stories that have dominated the headlines over the same period – very few ‘other’ stories have overtaken the pandemic in terms of media coverage. The immersion in all things Covid-related, from news stories to remote learning to the daily effects of dealing with the pandemic, has meant that the children must have found it difficult to escape. Indeed, I would hypothesize that there has not been a single day that the effects have not been felt by us all. The impact of this will be evident for many years to come but having our children back in school has certainly helped to provide us with a proverbial light at the end of a very long tunnel. The pupils in the Preparatory School have coped admirably but we must not, and will not, assume that the removal of masks and a relaxation of restrictions will mean that everything is ‘back to normal’. We will continue to offer every avenue for them to talk about their feelings, regain some of the elements that have been so cruelly taken away from their young lives, and simply provide them with the opportunity to just be children, away from the reminder of what has been. That sentiment has been more than evident over this week, with the founding meeting of our new School Council, baking in the Rossall kitchen, Easter egg decoration, rolling and hunting, and a wide array of other exciting opportunities to jump into an educational world where enjoyment and learning go hand in hand. The School Council was buzzing with excitement after their meeting and we should certainly watch this space for next term; I believe they already have a number of changes and ideas that they wish to discuss with me! Our new Year 6 Prep Leadership team is in place, with School Captains, House Captains, Librarians, Playground Leaders, Boarding Captain, Music Captains and Digital Captains. The leadership opportunities have been grasped and the children are enjoying their newfound roles of responsibility. Please view our proud leadership team photos in our extended news section. It has been a pleasure to listen to the staff talk of their interactions at Parents’ Meetings, this week. Despite not being able to meet in person, it is clear that even through the power of technology, there is a real partnership between home and School, as we work together to support the children pastorally and academically.  As we begin the Easter holiday, I wish you all a peaceful and relaxing break and look forward to seeing the children return on Wednesday 14th April, for what promises to be a fabulous final term in what has been a challenging year. All best wishes,   Mr Turner Headmaster of Rossall Nursery and Preparatory School

MR SHARPE’S MATHS CHALLENGE LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE A massive congratulations to Dr Paul Cahalin for reclaiming the top spot and winning the honour of beyond the focus of the next puzzle for a record breaking third time. Also I received great efforts from James Wood in year 8 and Mr Heinz Melsheimer.  Elias and the Square Apples After a long night of revision and fruit consumption Elias went to bed. In his dream, he was in a two-dimensional world of square apples, each proportionally smaller than the last. It was his task to pack them into a two-dimensional square box. He decided to go for aesthetically pleasing rather than a sensible use of the space. This is what he opted for. Despite wasting large amounts of space he still managed to pack an infinite number of apples in the box. So good job Elias! His two-dimensional boss then appeared and demanded to know the answers to the following questions: 1) How much smaller is each apple compared to the last? 2) What fraction of the box does the largest apple fill? 3) What fraction of the box do the largest two apples fill? 4) What fraction of the box do all of the apples fill? Unfortunately, Elias woke up before answering these questions but he fears that he will meet his two-dimensional dream boss again soon. So can you help him?? The questions are of varying difficulty so hopefully, I will get lots of responses this week! Don’t feel that you have to answer all four to send me a response. I had 5 replies last week which was pretty good, but I know you can do better Rossallians. Do it for Elias! Remember to send your answer to Mr Sharpe: [email protected] ANSWER: (CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW)

ECO SOCIETY NEWSLETTER – VOLUME 4 This week we held two fundraising bake sales on Monday and Tuesday. Over the two days, we raised £136.29 and the money raised will go towards ordering both recycling bins and litter pickers. A big congratulations to Mia Shaw, Joseph Smith, Carter Preston, Bryson Heslop and Benjamin Worthington who all won prizes on our raffle we held during the bake sales.  I would also like to give a big thanks to Mr Bradley who was a massive help in organizing the bake sales and we would not have been able to put them on without him.  In more global eco news, the largest coal company in the world have committed to “aggressively” pursue solar energy. Coal India Limited produces 710 million tonnes of the roughly 1 billion tonnes used in India annually which is more than all the coal companies in the US combined produced in 2019. Whilst it is likely this decision is more business-driven, rather than based on any care for the environment, the company have already committed to putting £1.26 billion towards their joint, 3-megawatt solar project with NLC India and so are certainly putting their money where their mouth is. India as a whole hope to generate 175GW of renewable energy capacity by next year and 450GW by 2030 and with the country being the second-largest consumer of coal in the world after China things are certainly looking positive for a country whose annual emissions fell for the first time since 1973 last year. As always, thank you for reading. Max and Ryan, Rossall Eco Society Co-Leaders