Dover Grammar School for Boys
THE "FIRST THURSDAY"
NEWSLETTERNow the work has begun!
In last month’s newsletter, we told you that we were waiting to hear how much our
school would receive this year for maintenance work which we have been planning to carry out.
We can now tell you that we have been allocated £70,000, which is less than we had hoped for, but
still enough for us to be able to carry out quite a lot of work. It is also more than we expected to receive
had the school not become Grant Maintained. The Governors and architects are currently deciding
which projects will be carried out, and which ones will have to wait. As you will know, the school has
suffered from a considerable lack of maintenance during the previous few years of uncertainty, so
there is plenty to be done!
In addition to this amount, we have also been allocated £20,000 for re-designing and
refurbishing the sixth form common room, to provide much better facilities for our senior pupils and
better accommodation in which the staff can meet with parents in order to discuss their sons’ progress.
Another benefit of becoming Grant Maintained is that we now have more control of the selection
procedure for boys wishing to come to our school. Parents of Year 6 primary school boys can now opt
for their sons to take a test at our school, as well as the Kent selection test taken in their own schools.
The first of our own entrance tests was held on Saturday when more than 100 boys spent the
morning tackling various papers. This was a very encouraging response. The results will be
announced on 2 March, the same day that the Kent test results are released.
The Governors’ annual report to parents is now being compiled, and will be sent to all of you in the
next few weeks, in preparation for the annual parents meeting which is being held on Wednesday
15 March at 7 p.m.
At 8 p.m. the Spring Concert will be held, so we hope as many of you as possible will come along
and support both events - holding them on the same evening means you won’t have to come out twice!
Parents’ and Friends’ Association
Thanks to those who supported the Wine and Wisdom evening held at the school last Friday which raised £240. We are very grateful to all those who attended on such a wild, wet and windy evening. Details of the next event - due to he held towards the end of March - will be circulated to you soon. The P.F.A. committee meets on Wednesday 1 March at 7.30 p.m.
200 Club
Winners of the January draw were Mr. D. Hambling (£25), Mr. J. Johns (£15) and Mrs. J. Ruthven (£10). The draw takes place on the third Thursday of each month, so if you are not yet a member, and would like to stand a chance of winning one of the prizes, all you have to do is to send a cheque for £7 (to cover your subscription for the rust of the school year), made payable to D.G.S.B., P.F.A., 200 Club, to the 200 Club organiser, Jill Tutthill, do of the school. Send it in by 14 February to be included in this month's draw.
Play dates
The next drama production, by pupils from our school and the Girls’ Grammar School, will be Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" and will he performed on 30 and 31 March and 1 April. Book the dates row!
Governors
The various committees of the Governing Body have been meeting during the past few weeks, and the full Governors’ meeting takes place next Thursday, 9 February at 7p.m.
Old Pharosians
The committee of the Old Pharosians - the school’s old boys association - meets on Thursday 16 March at 7 p.m.
D.G.S.B. Ski Trip 1996
Next season’s Ski trip is already being planned and, indeed, has been provisionally booked. It will
be during the February half term next year to the Valois region of Switzerland at the resort of
Fiesch.
The group will be staying in a purpose-built holiday village with on-site facilities which include
free access to an Olympic-size swimming pool, sports hall, gym and squash courts. Evening
activities will include bowls and discotheques.
All this is combined with four hours ski tuition each day on the high alp (2,000 to 3,000
metres) amidst magnificent scenery with views over Europe’s largest glacier, full board accommodation
including a hot meal at a mountain restaurant, and a chance to practice French.
The all-inclusive price of £469 is extremely good value for money during the high season, and it
presents a great sporting and cultural opportunity.
Application forms and further details can be obtained from Mr. Noel
Boardman.
On Monday, 6 February, we welcome the Open Space Theatre Company to the school for a
performance of Macbeth, and on Friday and Saturday, 10 and 11 February, our Year 8 pupils will be
welcoming their penfriends from Calais.
The half term holiday is from Monday 20 to Friday 24
February, and don’t forget that the school will also he closed on Monday 27 February, which is a staff development day.
SPORTS NEWS
Rugby
Our 1st XV gave an excellent team display, with some fine running tries and good linking movements, when they played
Thanet College at the Thanet Wanderers R.F.C. Ground last month, winning by 102 points to nil!
Outstanding individual performances came from Paul Campling (captain), Daniel Holdsworth and Jonathan Coates.
Two weeks later, there was another good result, this time against Simon Langton Grammar School at Canterbury,
when in very muddy conditions, our team won convincingly, 39-7.
Last Saturday (28 January), our Year 7 side put on a good display of running rugby to beat Norton Knatchbull from
Ashford 45-20. Year 8 lost to Norton Knatchbull on the same morning, 17-10. Due to injury to their props, scrums had to
be abandoned and this was a major factor in the match.
Year 9 won in fine style against Norton Knatchbull, 33-7.
Our 1st XV will heat home to Dane Court on Wednesday 15 February at 2.30 p.m. Spectators are very welcome.
Cross-Country
Two of our pupils, Michael and Christopher Roberts distinguished themselves as members of the Invicta East
Kent Athletic Club teams in the Kent Cross-Country Championships at Beckenham Park, South London.
Michael not only finished 18th in the under 13 age group race, he also gained selection as a reserve to represent Kent
in the prestigious National Inter-County Championships held at the new
international cross-country course at Luton.
Christopher was competing with boys a year older than himself in the under 15 race and in coming 46th was the
fourth scoring member of the club team which itself was a creditable fourth in the whole of Kent.
The club has commented that not only did the two boys perform superbly in athletic terms, they also displayed the
kind of demeanour the club is proud to have in its athletes, which will stand them in good stead throughout their
sporting endeavours.
Chess
In the final matches of the season, against Harvey Grammar School, our Under 13s lost 3-2 and our Under 16s lost 4-1.
Track suits
You should all have received a letter, sent out on Tuesday, telling you of the opportunity to order a school track suit for your son (or for you). They are navy blue cotton drill suits and come in various sizes. The jacket will have a burgundy insert at the neck, “Dover Grammar’ printed in gold on the back, and the school badge and motto embroidered on the front. The cost is £27, and order forms were sent Out with the letter. If you haven’t received your letter yet - ask your son!
