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96 rue du Calvaire, 85250 Chavagnes en Paillers, FRANCE.
www.chavagnes.org
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Christmas News
December 2011 |
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 Dear friends,
Just a short newsletter on the last day of 2011. It has been a busy term, with a lot of sport, music, study and prayer. Boys and staff have been getting used to a new information management system also, which enables parents (and me) to keep up to date with boys' progress and marks in every subject. It is already helping us to improve the teaching and learning in the College; we wonder now how we ever managed without it!!
This is our tenth school year, so next year we will celebrate our tenth birthday. It is a time for rejoicing, and for thanking Almighty God for keeping us safe. Our motto, and our prayer is: "In electis tuis mitte radices" - put down roots in those you have chosen.
Let us pray that in 2012 we may continue to develop stronger roots in our faith, in our study and in our culture, for the sake of all who live and work here at Chavagnes, 'AMDG ad majorem dei gloriam', to the greater glory of God. |
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 Boy Bishop
As on every St Nicholas Day, we appointed a boy bishop to rule over us until bedtime.
It is a medieval tradition which we have revived at Chavagnes.
This year Pierre de Brosses was the ninth boy bishop of Chavagnes.
He celebrated Pontifical Vespers then presided at a feast after which the Masters were sent to do the washing up and run punishment laps. Happily, the event is only once a year in the College calendar. | |
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 | | Copyright: Anthony Talbot |
Choir
The Choir sang a beautiful selection of Christmas Carols in English, Latin and French at our annual Carol service on 17th December. They had also performed in a number of local retirment homes in the week before the end of term.
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 | | A blessing before a match |
Sport
It has been a fantastic term for sport. First, we picked up two medals (A. Hubert Chich� and V. Ponroy) in the annual Cross Country challenge with local Coll�ge Saint Marie. Then the junior and senior rugby teams have played a series of matches, culminating in a tournament in Normandy, involving 4 schools. the Tournament, 'La Coupe de Quatre Vents' had two sections corresponding to our two teams.
 Chavagnes won the Senior Cup and came second in the Junior competition, ahead of Institut Croix des Vents, and Coll�ge Frassati, but behind our old rivals l'Esp�rance. | | Well done, boys! |
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Maggie Boyles in Miller's All My Sons. |
Drama
Visitng parents on the 17th December were also treated to a performance of Arsenic and Old Lace in the College Theatre. We hope to upload photos and some film of that performance shortly.
Meanwhile in Kansas, we have news of Maggie Boyles, former associate student at Chavagnes (we have the occasional visiting young lady in our boys school; especially useful for theare plays!) Maggie has taken the lead in an important production of All My Sons. For more details, read the whole story here.
Another rhetorical event was an evening of poetry recitations enjoyed by all on the occasion of St Lucy's Day, 13th December. The event began with the dramatic entrance of St Lucy, crowned with flaming candles (Anna Boyles in disguise), followed by selections relevant to theme of the light in the dark of winter. Mr Tyldesley composed and read aloud an Ode to St Lucy for the occasion. | |
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Mathematics successes
It has been a great term for Mathematics, with a silver and a gold medal in the Senior Maths Challenge from Paul de Guibert (Gold) and Max Micallef Eynaud (Silver), both relatively young for the competition at 15.
Paul is now doing well in the British Maths Olympiad and was recently invited for interview at Trinity College Cambridge for a deferred place to read Maths from Autumn 2013 (He is completing A-levels in June 2012.). We will soon know the result of the interview. | |
We have a number of stong mathematicians and scientists in the GCSE class and are hoping to have a strong Lower Sixth next year, studying for AS levels and some of the new �lite Pre-U qualifications launched by Cambridge. |
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And finally
A special thank-you to all have supported us with friendship, prayers, gifts and donations in 2011.
Happy New Year to you all. May God bless you in 2012.
Yours sincerely, Ferdi McDermott
Principal +33 6 19 41 97 45
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