PRIZE GIVING 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians
As this academic year draws to its natural conclusion, I wanted to take this opportunity to write and explain how we intend to mark its closing.
End of Year Mass
The academic year is traditionally celebrated by the celebration of Mass followed the day after by Prize Giving and we will adopt the same arrangements this year. The End of Year mass will be lead by Fr Porter on Wednesday 8th July at 2pm, broadcasted on Zoom. This is a compulsory event for all boys in Middle and Upper School and we, of course, extend the warmest invitation to all members of the St John’s community and their families to joins us for this event. An invitation to the event will be sent in due course.
Prize Giving
Many of you will have experienced the traditional St John’s Prize Giving and we still intend to hold this but in a specially adapted format. We feel it is hugely important that we take the opportunity to celebrate our achievements as a community and also the individual contributions of boys and particularly those of our Rudiments boys who will leave us this year to begin the next journey of their education at their secondary schools.
We want to make this experience as engaging and enjoyable as possible. We will, therefore, this year separate the Middle School and Upper School Prize Giving ceremonies but amalgamate the celebration of the year altogether.
The timings of each event and a brief description can be found below.
Middle School
All Middle School boys will attend a formal prize-giving ceremony at the front of the school (weather permitting) on either the Monday 6th or Tuesday 7th July at 10 am, on whichever day they are designated to attend school. This ceremony will be broadcast live on Zoom and all family and friends will be warmly invited to watch.
Upper & Middle School
On Thursday the 9th of July at 10am, we will hold the ‘traditional’ school Prize Giving ceremony. This ceremony will allow us to announce the prize winners in Lower Figures, and Upper Figures and present our Rudiments boys (who will attend the ceremony at school) with their Valete and subject prizes in person. Again this ceremony will be broadcast live on Zoom and will include also a review of the whole academic year for the entire school.
Rudiments Leavers
I know that one of the highlights for boys and parents is the post-Prize Giving party on the Front Field and for obvious reasons this will not be held this year. However, we are mindful of our Rudiments parents who have been so much a part of the community at the school over many years and would, therefore, like to extend an invitation to them to join us for the Prize-Giving ceremony. Whilst it will not be possible for them to attend the actual ceremony in close proximity at the Front of the School, all Rudiments parents would be warmly invited to bring a brunch/picnic and spend this time together (socially distanced of course) on the Front Field with each other.
Rudiments boys will be free to leave with their parents directly after Prize Giving has finished (approximately 11.00 am) and the remainder of boys in school (Nursery, Reception, Years 1 and 6 and Key Worker children) will finish school at their normal time.
Please contact the schooloffice@sjb.email if you have any questions.
