A Coffee Morning with our Founders

Last Thursday morning, the HCA hosted a virtual coffee morning with Jason Fletcher and Fiona Macaulay-Fletcher, who shared the story of the founding of Heritage in 2007, and its growth from 16 pupils in two classes to the current capacity of 200 pupils in Lower Prep through Year 11.

Although this story is documented on our website, parents hearing it for the first time were able to get a better sense of the monumental effort, commitment to vision and remarkable provision that led to the school opening its doors on the first day and at each step along the way, up to the purchase of the building in August of this year. Mrs Fletcher likened the  beginning stages, with all of its uncertainty, to ‘the story of Noah and his ark; building away at the ark but no sign of rain or flood’.

Mrs Fletcher was also delighted to welcome her father, Ranald Macaulay, to the session along with her mother Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, author of For the Children’s Sake, a book about the Charlotte Mason approach to education on which the school is founded. Mrs Macaulay shared her experience of meeting people who were educated in the Charlotte Mason way and are now in their 80s and 90s, saying that their ‘entire lives have been enriched; not just through their achievements but also in their soul.’

Mr Macaulay asked his son in law, Mr Fletcher, ‘What is the magic of the Charlotte Mason philosophy?’ Mr Fletcher replied that it was the view of ‘Knowledge as something that feeds you and grips you… the understanding that we’re aiming for something much bigger than exams and results; we’re aiming at the central role of knowledge and literature.’

Help for Parents of the iGeneration

Last Tuesday evening, 40 Heritage families attended a webinar delivered by Jason Royce, Director of Souster Youth. The purpose of the session was to discuss the unique challenge of raising the ‘iGeneration’ – children born roughly between 1995 – 2010. This generation is remarkable in part by the amount of time they spend online, averaging about four hours per day on their phones. And the periods of lockdown due to the Covid pandemic have led to children being on screens even more than ever. Jason’s talk gave support to parents who are struggling with how to think through this challenge and to set appropriate boundaries in their own homes.

He outlined the risks that technology can present to young people including exposure to inappropriate content and false information, promotion of harmful behaviours, oversharing of personal information, and bullying and other negative online interactions. Despite these risks, he urged parents to take a balanced view, noting that some claims about technology’s negative impacts have not yet been proven by research, and that screens can present positive opportunities as well.

However, Jason did note some important conclusions that can be drawn from psychological health studies. First, what children do on screens matters more than the time spent on screen. Second, screen use can impact quality and quantity of sleep. And finally, there is an opportunity cost when screen time replaces other activities that would otherwise benefit children.

Basic rules like eliminating screens at mealtimes, bedtimes and in rooms at night, and putting limits in place that prioritise more beneficial activities over screen time, can help parents mitigate these negative impacts. But more importantly, he encouraged parents to always be having conversations with their children about technology. He provided a list of topics and resources to help.

In closing, he shared some ideas to keep in mind and pass on to our children:

  • The internet is like an amazing city; enjoy it, but stay alert
  • What we do online has an impact offline
  • Ask: ‘What would someone who loves me say about this?’

What parents said:

Jason Royce’s talk was the first on the topic of navigating the digital world that didn’t leave me feeling daunted. I liked his analogy that the internet is like a city. It makes total sense that we wouldn’t let our nine year old wander the streets unprepared. So too, goes for the internet.  He emphasised that it’s not all about putting blocks on search engines (although of course something to do), but about connecting with our kids, discussing the issues and asking them questions. The most important thing I came away with is the need to set up the circumstances for trust between parents and kids so that a fluid discussion can arise if problems precipitate. It is essential. I truly appreciated his genuine enthusiasm for the internet and the great tool that it can be. To that end he emphasised that not all screen time is created equal! This will have a big impact on our household. Too often, talks of this ilk make it out to be Gotham City out there. Thank you, Jason!

-Annabel Fraser

I thought the session was really thought provoking. Jason’s insights were helpful not just for our children’s use of tech but ours too! 

-Anna McDonald

A Celebration of Learning

This week, Progress Tests are being held for pupils in Years 2-6. These ‘snapshots’ are a celebration of learning, and are approached in a low pressure, straightforward manner without the need for revision in most subjects. Generally, open-ended questions allow pupils to display what they know rather than what they don’t. Up through Year 4, most are conducted orally, with a scribe taking down each child’s answer. By Year 5 all narrations are written by the pupils themselves.

Earlier this week, Year 3 pupils were asked to recall what they’d learned in Geography – for example, ‘Tell all you know about one of your favourite countries that make up the continent of South America.’ In response, one pupil spoke about Brazil and the Amazon Rainforest; the response included detailed knowledge about climate and air quality, animal species, tribes whose way of life have been endangered because of deforestation, and specific facts about the Amazon river.

Another pupil was asked, ‘Tell all you know about New York City’. They described the Statue of Liberty, the Theater District, particular statues in Central Park, the Empire State Building, and Washington Square. In conclusion, the pupil recommended an itinerary for a trip to New York City!

The pupils’ thorough recall of topics studied several weeks earlier is impressive, and they are excited to tell all they know about a topic. These Progress Tests present an important opportunity to celebrate narration and the power of attention, as well as to reinforce and complete the learning of the term.

 

Gallery of 2020 IGCSE Artwork

This online gallery features artwork from four of our Year 11 Leavers from the 2019-20 academic year, created as part of  their coursework and preparation for the IGCSE Art examination. The pupils began addressing the assessment objectives in Year 9 as they focused on painting and related media. They completed their coursework from the summer term of Year 9 through the first term of Year 11, after which the focus switched to the assignment associated with their exam paper. Click the images below to enjoy the beautiful pieces that they created throughout the course of their studies.

 

 

Year 11 Leads Assembly on the American Civil Rights Movement

Last Thursday, continuing the discussions of Black History month, Year 11 led an assembly based on their History studies of the American civil rights movement. Two members of the Year 11 class first read an overview of the problems facing African Americans during this time period – particularly in the southern states – including accounts of Emmett Till’s lynching and attacks on civil rights protesters. This was followed by a debate between two groups of pupils, each arguing the effectiveness of the different approaches used by the two most prominent civil rights leaders of the time.

Year 10 pupil Hugo Allum provided a review of the assembly.

During last Thursday’s Assembly there was a debate between members of Year 11 on the motion that ‘Martin Luther King’s methods to achieve civil rights for African Americans were more effective than those of Malcolm X’. The debate was really interesting with the opposition becoming very passionate as they argued that Martin Luther King’s methods did not work, as there are still not equal opportunities for African Americans in America today. Both sides argued their sides very well but in the end the motion was passed by 34:12 votes. Members of the Senior School expressed their enjoyment afterwards and are hoping that a similar debate will be happening in the future. In fact, a surprising number of pupils said afterwards that they found it really hard to vote as they were persuaded by the arguments on both sides!