Lord Adonis House

September – October 2014

It is hard to believe that we have already completed seven full weeks.

At the start of September we welcomed eighteen new members to our

family and it was wonderful to see how quickly new and returning

boarders became one. It is this openness and kindness that makes Lord

Adonis House a truly happy place to live.

We started the year full of pride for the students who were so successful

in their GCSE and Post-16 exams. This pride, however, brought about

heightened expectation and it has been incredible to see our current

exam groups flourish, in the early stages of their crucial year.

We have not lost sight of our holistic approach to education, however,

and I hope you appreciate reading about all of the extra activities and

trips that we are providing. Remember also that you can follow our

every move on Twitter: @LordAdonisHouse

I hope you enjoy our first newsletter.

After a summer of record results, LAH resumes with new initiatives and a bigger drive for success.

Total positive behaviour

points awarded to boarders

in Lord Adonis House:

988

Achievement Points:

Top seven achievers:

1) Darin – 68

2) Pablo – 55

3) Haile – 51

4) Calvin – 51

5) Travis – 51

6) Olivia – 36

7) Barbara - 31

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Boarding in three words:

“Fun, Family, Home.”

Natacha, Year 7

Induction Weekend

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The start of the academic year

brought eighteen new

boarders to Lord Adonis House.

After spending a lovely

afternoon with parents, we

quickly embarked on settling

everybody in to their new

home.

First up was a wet and wild day

at our local outdoor activities

centre. The focus of this day

was to catalyse new

friendships. Throughout the day,

boarders undertook three main

activities – SUP (Stand Up

Paddleboarding), Wobble

Boarding and Team Raft

Building. Suffice to say,

everybody got extremely wet

and cold but it was clear to see

that already new friendships

were being formed.

The day concluded with a

house meeting that covered

key procedures.

After a restful night sleep we

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moved into the penultimate

day before school. All boarders

were taken for a walking tour of

the local surroundings and

were introduced to key places.

Students were then taken to

Uxbridge and were set tasks

that assessed their time

keeping and navigation skills.

Most passed these simple (but

crucial) tests and were

subsequently deemed reliable

enough to sign in and out of

Lord Adonis House in their spare

time.

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“It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Darin, Year 10

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We continue to reward good behaviour in the boarding house by

offering extra treats for our boarders. So far this term, we have

taken three trips to Vicarage Road to watch Watford FC. We

have also visited Wembley to cheer on The Three Lions in their bid

for qualification for the European Championships.

Some say that football is a universal language and this could not

be truer than in Lord Adonis House. With a total of thirteen

nationalities residing here and, at our last count, twenty one

different football teams supported, we are never far away from

cheering on a friend’s team. Watford FC, however, is rapidly

growing to be everyone’s ‘second team’ and we have been

treated to some excellent and exciting football.

Next term brings yet more fixtures and we may also delve down

into the depths of League Two to witness Steve’s beloved

Portsmouth showcase life as a professional footballer in the lower

leagues.

Tickets are offered to boarders who excel in their effort and/or

attainment in The Academy and for their citizenship in Lord Adonis

House – Work Hard, Play Hard.

The beautiful game.

From Vicarage Road to Wembley.

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Windsor, Guildford Spectrum, Longleat Safari Park, Natural

History Museum, Science Museum, Westminster, Oxford

Street, Vicarage Road, Wembley.

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Windsor

The first trip of the term was to

historical and regal Windsor.

Matt, their guide for the day,

challenged boarders to an

orienteering exercise, testing

their navigation and teamwork

skills. Covering the main

attractions, students were given

a map and, in groups, raced to

complete the course. Groups

had to take ‘selfies’ at each

location, to prove their

completion. The first boarders

back were Nic, Pablo, Jaime,

Santiago, Calvin and Conor.

They were rewarded with a

Dominos pizza for their victory.

The group was also praised for

their creative photography.

Longleat

Next on the list was a visit to

one of England’s greatest safari

parks. Boarders particularly

enjoyed the safari aspect of

the day – especially the

monkeys who seemed intent on

wrecking our mini-bus. Inside

the park, boarders lost

themselves in the impressive

maze, marveled at the stately

home and, of course, filled their

bellies with an array of

purchases from the centre’s

abundance of fast food

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restaurants.

Guildford Spectrum

A fun and social day was had

by all in Guildford. Bowling, ice-

skating and swimming were the

activities on offer and it was

clear that this active

combination had an

exhausting effect on everyone

– Matt had a very peaceful

drive back to Lord Adonis

House…

London

Living in Lord Adonis House

gives the boarders quick and

easy access to our capital city.

On a wet and murky Saturday

morning, Rhys and his crew of

sightseers made their way to

Northwood tube station. Twenty

minutes later and they were in

the heart of London. Their

agenda consisted of visiting the

Houses of Parliament, an

information filled walk down the

River Thames and a visit to the

fringes of the West End -

Covent Garden, where

boarders were able to do a

spot of shopping and catch

one of the impressive street

theatre performances.

Saturday Trips

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Master Class.

Food is always a hot topic of

debate in boarding houses and it

has been brilliant to see so much

cooking from our boarders.

Late in September, junior boarders

undertook a Master Class with

Kurtt, our Head Chef. Working in a

professional kitchen, with

professional tools and expert

guidance, boarders created, from

scratch, an array of omelets.

Congratulations to Barbara (Yr10)

who tantalised Chef’s taste buds

and was awarded ‘Champion

Chef’ status.

Thank you Kitchen Kurtt!

Tasty Thursday is a relatively new

addition to Lord Adonis House and

continues to thrive. Every Thursday,

two self-confessed ‘hopeless

cooks’ (sorry Emma & Gaynor…)

retire to our kitchen and embark

on a journey of discovery with our

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young chefs. So far we have

been treated to a diverse

range of delights that include

sausage rolls, jam tarts and

chocolate profiteroles.

Our thanks to Emma and

Gaynor for their continued

support in Lord Adonis House –

the opportunities they create

for our boarders (and the

care and attention they

show), is greatly appreciated.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep

well, if one has not dined well.”

Virginia Woolf.

Culinary delights.

Student Voice

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Student Voice has made a

really positive start to the school

year in Lord Adonis House. With

a smaller and more dedicated

team, the committee members

are all driven to making a real

impact.

With a new year comes a

range of new ideas. The team

have decided to focus on the

following areas:

• Rewards and sanctions

system in the house.

• Weekend trip locations.

• New activity equipment for

the house.

• Improvements to the food

menu.

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Student Voice continues to

evolve and is taking strides

towards being run by the

students themselves.

After half-term, we will

democratically appoint a

student Head of Council and all

members will begin to learn key

skills and systems that are

required in such a committee.

Under the guidance of Rhys,

members will be drawing up

agendas, chairing their own

discussions, writing the minutes

for each meeting and

presenting the outcomes to the

rest of the house at our weekly

house meetings.

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Fiona’s blog

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Life on the Girls’ floor…

Life on the Girls’ floor is fun but at times very noisy! They like Friday and Saturday best because they have a later bedtime. Unfortunately they sometimes forget that they need to go to bed earlier Monday to Thursday! Some also forget that I can see the light under my door when they leave their rooms at night…

The girls are all very close to each other. Lola said they feel like they are sisters. They all stick up for each other and everyone looks after Natacha because she is our baby girl.

If I can’t find one of the girls I

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know where to look... Becky’s room… I don’t know how she gets so many girls in such a small space.

All the girls have settled down so well. Cally, Libby, Vivian and Becky have been here the longest and they are certainly the ones that all the younger ones look up to.

When the girls return after the holiday they will feel as if they are coming home to their “other family”. I know they will be excited to be back together again!

I wish everyone a safe and relaxing half-term break.

Coming up

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Trips planned for Module 2:

Thames River Cruise Shopping at Bicester Village Watford FC v Derby County Paintballing Winter Wonderland

Next newsletter:

- An update from the ‘Design & Renovation’ group.

- Matt’s first blog and an update on his ‘Fitness & Nutrition’ course.

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- The outcomes for

‘Student Voice’.

- A note from our new Head of Council.

- Outreach – a diary entry from a member of our ‘Work in the Community’ team.!!

- Vanda’s craft activities!

The aims of Lord Adonis House:

To promote independence; To offer an abundance of social, cultural and sporting opportunities; To prepare students for life after school; To raise academic aspirations; To create an environment for all boarders to become active citizens.