R E A D E .. H O U S E

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Click here for 2006 report

As usual both the pupils and staff in Reade House have been keeping themselves busy all year with a variety of sporting and social activities, as well as fund-raising and general fun!

We began as usual with our coffee morning, the proceeds of which went to MacMillan Cancer Research. This is always a very entertaining and delicious event with queues of starving boys clutching £2 coins in the hope of getting as many slices of cake onto one plate as possible. I would like to thank all of those who contributed cakes, time and money yet again for what is a very worthwhile cause. We will be repeating this event next year, same time, same place and scrambling, as usual, for a slice of Mrs Pearce’s coffee cake or the last Mr Kipling jam tart! I should also thank the sixth form who organise the event and resist the temptation to taste the wares, and end up with piles of washing up at the end.

Of even greater success was the Pink Mufti Day organised by Vicky Robinson, Mel Astbury and Caroline Culbert. All were encouraged to wear one item of pink to school and, again, monies raised went to support the search for a cure for breast cancer. This event was supplemented by a raffle of celebrity prizes. Thanks to our sixth form girls for all of their efforts and, in particular, their kind hearts.

Sport, as ever, played a large part in the life of Reade Girls. Our Head of Sport, Camilla Russell, has been busy rallying the troops for both Junior and Senior teams with great enthusiasm. As usual our Junior team deserves to be extremely proud of itself this year for, even though they have not won many competitions (excluding, of course, tennis!) they have always displayed a very sporting attitude and have taken any defeat in their stride and with good grace. Very well done, especially to Elizabeth Ashworth, Isabel Eden, Sophie Conroy, Amy Muldoon, Chantelle Chambers, Hannah Kallend and Simone Osei. We are also hopeful about our chances for winning the Victrix Laudorum. Although the senior team was not quite so successful (!) we still enjoyed many matches and, again, played with an excellent attitude.

At Christmas, Santa took his usual break from his hectic schedule to visit Reade House and distribute gifts at our party. Although the cakes had long since disappeared, he was entertained by the various talents of girls and staff alike, reciting poems, performing dance routines, singing, playing the piano and even telling jokes, until he had to depart to feed the reindeer. Muchas gracias Senor Bueno!

Earlier in the year a group of girls from all Houses enjoyed an evening at the theatre to see ‘Billy Elliott’, a trip jointly organised by Miss Palenski and Mrs Kirby-Jones. All agreed that this was a marvellous show and would highly recommend it and we are all looking forward to our trip to see ‘Dirty Dancing’ in October – sorry, tickets are long sold out!

Finally I come to the thank you and goodbyes. Thank you most of all to Caroline Culbert who has proved herself to be an excellent Head of House. As has now become customary, she bravely wrapped sixty Christmas presents without a word of complaint, organised lunch duty rotas and helped around the House in a plethora of ways and always with a smile! Although she is a hard act to follow, I have no doubt that the new Head of House, Krystal Stewart, will be an equally valuable asset to the team and I look forward to working with her and listening to her suggestions. Camilla Russell will continue as Head of House Sport next year and we look forward to not only the usual Sportwomanship to which we have grown accustomed but also, hopefully, a few more victories!

My thanks also go to Miss Hicks (Yr 9 Tutor), Mrs Howard (Yr 7 Tutor), Mr Sutton (Sixth Form tutor) and Miss Faulkner (Yr 11 tutor). It is they who field many grumbles and complaints about untidiness, tardiness, laziness and a whole range of other minor sins. Without them and their hard work and patience, Reade would certainly not have run so smoothly, nor with such a cheerful and friendly atmosphere. Goodbye and good luck also to the departing Yr 13 and Yr 11 pupils as they move on to bigger and better things. Keep in touch! Once again

I have been proud to be Housemistress and greatly appreciate the giggles and gossip as well as the gifts and the Bailey’s! Rest assured that I will keep the chocolate machine stocked, do my best to remember birthdays and always be there to lend a hand, a plaster, a tissue, or offer advice if needed. Here’s to another excellent Reade House thanks to my excellent Reade House girls!

K.J. Palenski
Housemistress

 

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