3 May 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians

We returned after Easter and almost immediately our IB2 students started study leave and their final examinations. Year 11 finish this week and the rest of the Upper Sixth have just one more week of lessons. The whole house has had a productive and focused atmosphere with more than half the house taking public examinations this term. We wish them all the very best and we will do everything to support the routines and healthy habits needed for peak performance over the coming weeks.

We were delighted when Sayana and Bernice were appointed School Monitors for the next year. This is a reflection of their commitment to Bromsgrove we are very proud of them:



Maanabi won this year’s Housman Verse prize. Charlotte and Daniella also impressed the judges with their entries. We were very proud of Maanabi when she delivered her work in front of the whole school in Monda
y’s Routh Assembly:



Salvation
Please, my Father, who art in Heaven,
let me not see what lies under.
Where blood-stained sinners scream surrenders,
where agony and torture goes on forever.
Where fire is cold, where water is dry,
and where there is no sky.

Lead me not into pride,
when people hold their nose too high.
When people care little for others,
and too much for their self-serving lies.

Lead me not into greed,
when people desire to own what’s free.
When people steal from others,
and claim it all for insatiable glee.

Lead me not into lust,
when people sell their bodies for dust.
When people chase pleasure from others,
and abandon their innocence.

Lead me not into envy,
when people sneer at the sight of victory.
When people covet the treasures of others,
and let resentment distract their misery.

Lead me not into gluttony,
when people devour to fill their belly.
When people indulge what should be shared with others,
and hardly cherish being healthy.

Lead me not into wrath,
when people unleash violence in their path.
When people harm and destroy others,
and forget punishment which comes after that.

Lead me not into sloth,
when people sleep and neglect growth.
When people only burden others,
and hate working hard the most.

Please, my Father, who art in Heaven,
let me see what lies above.
Where white wings flutter amongst the doves,
where gold trumpets clear way for the truest love.
Where light is kind, where goodness reigns,
and where there is no pain.

Because my Lord,
You, who stands the mightiest,
You, who speaks the wisest,
You, who spares the cruellest;
You are my salvation.

By Maanabi Limbu

We were also proud of Alicia who spoke in Routh last week, sharing her cancer journey to promote fundraising on our Charity Day; students were asked to donate to Bone Cancer Research. Alicia spoke very movingly about the help her family gained from the charity, having been diagnosed with osteosarcoma just before her GCSEs 2 years ago. Alicia’s family relocated to the UK from Hong Kong while she underwent gruelling treatment in Birmingham. Remarkably, Alicia has been determined in not letting this delay her university aspirations, returning to school partway through the Lower Sixth and she graduates this summer alongside her peers. Alicia is truly an inspiration to us all.



Well done to our Seniors who took part in this week’s Senior House Tennis competition and thank for representing Oakley: Hatty, Caro, Sasha, Lina, Sophia H and Sienna.



Some of our boarders enjoyed a trip out to a local ice skating rink last weekend:



And to finish I would like to share a couple of photos of Molly and Lina who visit a local residential home every week as part of their Bromsgrove Service activity. I am often told by staff that Oakley girls really engage with these visits and I can imagine they really brighten up the day for many local residents:



  

Best wishes

Victoria