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Alastair Reid, Principal |
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Hebron School: Term 2 (February - June 2008) January 2008 Dear Students, Parents, Staff, Council, Hebronites and members of the Hebron Family worldwide. Warm greetings from Hebron School, Ooty, as we enter 2008 and begin a new school term. The Standard 11 students are arriving to do their ‘trial’ exams and the boarders return on February 6th. New staff / I.G. orientation is well underway and the Staff Retreat focuses on ‘maintaining margins’. I hope that the Christmas and New Year break has been a refreshing one for you all. The school, of course, has been ‘open’ throughout the holidays. There have been many visitors: family members of resident staff, Alumni and prospective parents. We hosted the 50th Reunion for the ‘class of 1957’ from Breeks School, many of whom had also attended Hebron High or had boarded at Clifton Grange or Lushington Hall. Staff families went carol singing at two top Ooty hotels on the evenings before Christmas and there was a wonderful family lunch on Christmas Day with several local suppliers / service providers attending. We are all very grateful to the many staff who have been working hard at school over the break. The support staff have been busy cleaning, whitewashing, cooking and gardening. Our maintenance team, joined by some outside labour, has continued with the renovation of the Assembly Hall. Part of the main drive at Lushington has been tarred. The upper portion will be completed once associated landscaping has been done. The swimming pool has been re-painted and innumerable ‘holiday jobs’ completed. Some teaching staff have been preparing lessons and ‘trial exams’ whilst office and computing staff have been busy with regular and necessary administration. Thank you everyone! At the start of the holidays the Gold ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ trekkers returned safely from the wilder area of the Nilgiris with tales of a tiger sighting! Kynan Chenai (Std. 11) is to be congratulated on winning the Under 21 National Shooting Championship with a score better than his father and all those in the senior category! Towards the end of the holidays one staff member and four Std. 12 students went off to Thailand to spend 2 weeks in the top Maths / Science school – part of our link with the Thai Princess. As term gets underway we welcome Mrs. Ros Hinton (Head of Geography) to staff. Mr. Richard Oliver (Modern Languages) returns with his wife, Wilma (Music) to cover Mrs. Solomon’s maternity leave. There will also be a teacher trainee in Middle School and one in Junior School – both from the U.S.A. As always we are very grateful to our volunteers – the International Guests. This term most are here from the U.K. Congratulations go to Miss Rachel Alexander (English / Drama) on her engagement to Mr. Bene, an I.G. for this term. We also congratulate Mr. David Jayaram (A.V.) and his wife, Salome, as well as Mr. Peter Lazarus (Travel) and his wife, Pearl, on the birth of daughters. Parents’ Week (Saturday, 5th – Friday, 11th April) promises to be as busy and productive as ever. We look forward to ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and to meeting a special Hebronite guest, Lord Karan Bilimoria, amongst much else. Parents are reminded that the half-term break begins only at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, 11th April – and no earlier! Every blessing for 2008,
Alastair Reid, Principal. |