The News 10 January 2025
School News
St Aidan's
St DO's
St Bede's
St CT's
St John's
St Margaret's
St EW's
St Hugh's
Happy New Year
A new year and a new beginning for Ampleforth.Everyone is delighted to welcome Jon Mutton as our new Headmaster. In his first assembly Jon spoke about January, named after Janus, the Roman god of transition, who is portrayed with two faces, one looking to the past, one to the future. He emphasised the value of reflecting on the past in order to look ahead, inspiring students to think about the goals they want to achieve and being receptive to new opportunities. We are looking forward to great achievements in 2025!
Ampleforth wonderland
Message from Mrs Dent
A very Happy New Year to all in the extended St Aidan's family. Students returned to a winter wonderland this week without too much delay or disruption and we are delighted to welcome 3 new members to the house - Mary, Camille and Charlotte. We were straight into the full school routine on Tuesday and the girls are settling well into what is an important academic term for all. We're looking forward to hosting Year 10 parents this weekend and Sunday sees the first of 2025's Inter-house competition, with the swimming gala. We'll be trying to make the most of snowball and snow sculpting opportunities before it all melts away on Monday too. Another big focus for the next few days is planning for our House Punch which takes place on Monday evening - always a very special evening, we look forward to sharing highlights with you in next week's newsletter. For now, the following pages include some memories of the last week of term and the various Christmas celebrations that took place in St Aidan's.
Ceri Dent, Housemistress St Aidan's House
House Christmas Party
House Christmas Party
The girls enjoyed two Christmas celebrations in the space of 4 days, with both a house Christmas Party: food, games, Christmas quiz and our annual Christmas dinner, which included the tradition of exchanging Secret Santa gifts and entertainment for the house by each year group. Great fun.
House Christmas Party
Christmas Dinner
ChristmasDinner
A reminder that if you'd like to keep up with the goings on of the House and girls, then do find us on social media. Please do also feel free to drop me line with news or pictures of interesting or note-worthy things the girls have been up to in the holidays. It's always nice to share their experience more widely on these pages to celebrate the many gifts and achievements of the girls.
Happy New Year! We are very happy to welcome our lovely girls back and also to introduce Sophie Lund, our new Year 9. Fortunately, the snow did not deter the girls from getting back to school! We are so lucky to have had a welcoming Assembly from our new Headmaster who is very well known to the girls in Bede's because he has been a tutor here for many years. Year 11s are extremely focussed with their Mocks coming up soon and Year 13s have been leading the way in good House routines. In Chaplaincy we welcomed Dominic Goddard and Fr Phillip celebrated a lovely Mass with us in House yesterday. Quality sleep, prep, prayer and community time are at the forefront of our House vision for this term. We are excited to welcome Yr 10 parents to our parents weekend tomorrow. Best wishes, Charmaine
New Year 9 Sophie Lund makes a great start in to Bede's!
Lessons are where the magic happens for our Bede's girls!
More magic...
A little more magic...
Everything is magic!
Books back at house...
Food to fuel our magical girls...
Our new Headmaster - no stranger to Bede's
Keep up to date with House events on:
A Winter's Welcome
After several weeks of the valley being in silence, it has been wonderful to see the college come to life this week. The boys have returned on good form, with a spring in their step and not even the cold temperature can dent that.
This week we have got back into the old routines, welcomed new starters and begun preparing for a busy term. BTEC assessments have already begun and we are looking ahead to the Y11 trial assessments. This really is a term of preparation and progress and as always we will continue to challenge the boys to grasp every opportunity.
The cold weather has also given us time to come together as a family, spending free time relaxing as a house. The study, pool table, table tennis and even darts (the Luke Littler effect?) have been busy this week and it is the highlight of my day seeing the boys bond, laugh and come together.
I look forward to seeing Year Ten parents this weekend for their Parents' Day. These are great events and I am always grateful for the time I get to spend discussing the boys and reflecting how proud I am of all that they achieve here at Ampleforth.
This newsletter will look back somewhat as the few days before the Christmas break were jam-packed with events, fixtures and happiness. This gives me a chance to get everyone caught up on just what a whirlwind life in the valley can be!
I look forward to a busy and fun term and seeing you all in the near future.
Shoot Tea
Star enjoyed seeing Ziggy!
Saturday Social - Christmas Movie Night!
Breathtaking Messiah Performance
Breathtaking Messiah Performance
Breathtaking Messiah Performance
Confirmation Preparation - led by Oliver
Christmas Music Recital
1st XV Cup Win
1st XV Cup Win
1st XV Cup Win
1st XV Cup Win
Congratulations on your 1st XV Cap Conrad!
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Party & Carols
House Christmas Party & Carols
French Onion Soup - thanks for the onions for Christmas!
Lunchtime Uno & Sky Sports!
Pupdate!
Message from the Housemaster
Dear parents, I wish you all a very happy New Year and God's blessing. I hope you have all spent some quality time with your sons during the holidays. On Monday, the boys returned to a winter wonderland and have enjoyed "winter sports" ever since. We have a very busy January ahead of us: the Inter House Swimming competition on Sunday, the GCSE mock exams starting on the 20th, our House Punch on the 27th and our House Lunchtime Recital on the 31st.
JAW
On the Friday before the last week of term, the year 9s were reenacting the story of the birth of Jesus as part of the student led JAW after evening prayers. Hugo took on the role of narrator.
JAW
Mary (Ruben) on the donkey (Dom)
JAW
Advent Calendar
On Saturday morning, the advent calendar no. 14 treat was the Year 12s singing a carol to the juniors during junior breakfast. What a treat!
Saturday Social
On Saturday evening, we invited all the St Bede's girls over for a Christmas themed Social.
Saturday Social
Sunday Mass
During Mass on Sunday, Alvaro and Javier were joined by their youngest brother Jaime. DO's 2030...
House Christmas Dinner
On Monday, we celebrated our House Christmas Dinner.
House Christmas Dinner
We started with drinks and nibbles for our tutors, matron, Head Boy, Head of House and Deputy Head of House.
House Christmas Dinner
Lisa and Rebecca had been busy...
House Christmas Dinner
We then went to the refectory for the traditional turkey dinner.
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
As a thank- you to the Catering staff, they received a rendition of Jingle Bells.
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
We then returned to the House Study for the after party - cheese and chocolates, coffees and games.
Farewell
We had to say good-bye to Ruben, Maximilian, Casimir, Clemens and Matias.Some of them gave leaving speeches.
Farewell
Farewell
We also had to say thank you and good-bye to matron Lisa, who had been standing in for Minnie since Easter.
Christmas holidays
Paddy, as well as other students from Ampleforth, enjoyed a week of skiing in the Alps.
Happy Birthday!
On Wednesday, Alex celebrated his 16th birthday.
Fun in the snow
Fun in the snow
Building a ramp...
Fun in the snow
And then jumping over it!Miraculously, no bones were broken...
1st team Rugby and Hockey Dinner
On Thursday evening, the Games Department organised the annual 1st team Rugby and Hockey dinner.
1st team Rugby and Hockey Dinner
1st team Rugby and Hockey Dinner
1st team Rugby and Hockey Dinner
Food, glorious food!
Our new soup dish for cold afternoons.
Welcome!
Welcome to Mauricio, Ruben's brother, into our Year 12 cohort for the remainder of the academic year.
Last but not least
Congratulations to Orlando, Harry and Henry for their excellent representation of the North Yorkshire U14 Hockey team this Christmas.
Last but not least .2
We will miss this little fellow especially.Adios, Matias!
Message from the Housemaster
Dear Parents and Guardians, Greetings from Junior House! We hope this message finds you well.
We are delighted to share that my wife Robyn, our Golden Retriever Murphy, and I have settled in wonderfully. Murphy, in particular, has been thoroughly spoiled by the children, who have showered him with love and attention.
The recent snowfall has brought a wave of excitement and joy to the house. The children have returned from the Christmas break with renewed energy and enthusiasm, making the first week back both busy and exhilarating. Please have a look at what the children have been up to this week and we look forward to a fantastic term ahead, filled with learning, growth, and memorable experiences. Warm regards,
Mike Slingsby Housemaster, Junior House
Snow place like home
Tutor Group Focus - Miss McKell
On behalf of all our Junior House tutors, it has been lovely to welcome back our Year 7 and Year 8 tutees after the holidays. The students returned to school with an infectious energy and enthusiasm. It has been wonderful to see everyone reconnecting with friends and sharing stories of their holiday adventures over the break. Many of our students have also shared fantastic suggestions for enriching our house activities. This week, I am delighted to announce our Tutor Group Star of the Week: congratulations to Constance! She truly deserves this recognition for her incredible perseverance in overcoming homesickness and adapting to change. Constance consistently approaches every challenge with a can-do attitude, demonstrating her enthusiasm by wholeheartedly participating in activities—sometimes a bit too enthusiastically, as evidenced by her sledging adventure down the hill! Well done, Constance! Quote of the Week - George T "Isn't it ironic that the word invisibility has so many Is, yet it can't be seen."
Junior House Sport
Due to the freezing conditions, the boys have not yet had chance to get on the astro to start the hockey season. Our girls however, are well underway with their Netball. Have a look at some of them in action!
For sports fixtures and team sheets, please click on Sports Fixtures & Results on the home page of the Portal or go to ampleforthsport.org.uk. Password protected information can be accessed using ‘Benedictine1802’.
Junior House supporting the 'Deep Blue Crew'
In December 2024, the Deep Blue Crew will leave La Gomera and head unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean, with two goals; to have an amazing adventure and raise as much as possible for our three charities: Tusk Trust, the Clocktower Foundation and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. Otis' cousin Jack, with his friends Patrick, Angus and Matthew make up this incredible crew - 2 of them are Old Amplefordians!
The Junior House children were keen to show their support of this amazing effort and took part in a Team Challenge !
Find out more
Cinema Night - Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
On Thursday nights, Junior House will be taking over the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) for our weekly Cinema night.
Follow us on:
Message from the Housemaster
Dear Parents and Guardians, After wonderful holidays spent with family and friends, the boys of St Hugh's House have returned to get the new year underway with great purpose. With stunning snowy backdrops the Lent Term has commenced with a slip, a slide and a sledge or two. We offer a warm welcome to the Year 10 parents this weekend for Parents Day and hope they all have a nice time in the Valley. We also hope the rest of the St Hugh's House community is staying warm and enjoying the end of the Christmas period wherever they are Dan Housemaster, St Hugh's House
New Headmaster, Jon Mutton
Cross Country in the snow
The Trading Game, St Hugh's style
St John's Boys
Rugby and Hockey Dinner...
Message from Ms Paterson
Dear Parents A Happy New Year to you all and I hope your Christmas was peaceful and joyful! The girls have come back to a very wintery valley with artic temperatures but remain in good spirits! All of them ready to get back to work and college life.
We look forward to welcoming year 10 parents to the valley this weekend.
Best wishes
Rebecca
House Christmas Dinner
Messiah 2024
Christmas Recital
Arabella Y9, Maria Y10, Emily Y10 and Anina Y12 took part in the lunchtime recital!
Carol Service
CAFOD Chrismas collections
Nicole (Y10) and India (Y10) and the other students involved with CAFOD collected food for the food bank and made luxury food parcels with toys.
1st Team Sports Dinner
WELCOME BACK TO THE VALLEY!
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Transcript
The News 10 January 2025
School News
St Aidan's
St DO's
St Bede's
St CT's
St John's
St Margaret's
St EW's
St Hugh's
Happy New Year
A new year and a new beginning for Ampleforth.Everyone is delighted to welcome Jon Mutton as our new Headmaster. In his first assembly Jon spoke about January, named after Janus, the Roman god of transition, who is portrayed with two faces, one looking to the past, one to the future. He emphasised the value of reflecting on the past in order to look ahead, inspiring students to think about the goals they want to achieve and being receptive to new opportunities. We are looking forward to great achievements in 2025!
Ampleforth wonderland
Message from Mrs Dent
A very Happy New Year to all in the extended St Aidan's family. Students returned to a winter wonderland this week without too much delay or disruption and we are delighted to welcome 3 new members to the house - Mary, Camille and Charlotte. We were straight into the full school routine on Tuesday and the girls are settling well into what is an important academic term for all. We're looking forward to hosting Year 10 parents this weekend and Sunday sees the first of 2025's Inter-house competition, with the swimming gala. We'll be trying to make the most of snowball and snow sculpting opportunities before it all melts away on Monday too. Another big focus for the next few days is planning for our House Punch which takes place on Monday evening - always a very special evening, we look forward to sharing highlights with you in next week's newsletter. For now, the following pages include some memories of the last week of term and the various Christmas celebrations that took place in St Aidan's.
Ceri Dent, Housemistress St Aidan's House
House Christmas Party
House Christmas Party
The girls enjoyed two Christmas celebrations in the space of 4 days, with both a house Christmas Party: food, games, Christmas quiz and our annual Christmas dinner, which included the tradition of exchanging Secret Santa gifts and entertainment for the house by each year group. Great fun.
House Christmas Party
Christmas Dinner
ChristmasDinner
A reminder that if you'd like to keep up with the goings on of the House and girls, then do find us on social media. Please do also feel free to drop me line with news or pictures of interesting or note-worthy things the girls have been up to in the holidays. It's always nice to share their experience more widely on these pages to celebrate the many gifts and achievements of the girls.
Happy New Year! We are very happy to welcome our lovely girls back and also to introduce Sophie Lund, our new Year 9. Fortunately, the snow did not deter the girls from getting back to school! We are so lucky to have had a welcoming Assembly from our new Headmaster who is very well known to the girls in Bede's because he has been a tutor here for many years. Year 11s are extremely focussed with their Mocks coming up soon and Year 13s have been leading the way in good House routines. In Chaplaincy we welcomed Dominic Goddard and Fr Phillip celebrated a lovely Mass with us in House yesterday. Quality sleep, prep, prayer and community time are at the forefront of our House vision for this term. We are excited to welcome Yr 10 parents to our parents weekend tomorrow. Best wishes, Charmaine
New Year 9 Sophie Lund makes a great start in to Bede's!
Lessons are where the magic happens for our Bede's girls!
More magic...
A little more magic...
Everything is magic!
Books back at house...
Food to fuel our magical girls...
Our new Headmaster - no stranger to Bede's
Keep up to date with House events on:
A Winter's Welcome
After several weeks of the valley being in silence, it has been wonderful to see the college come to life this week. The boys have returned on good form, with a spring in their step and not even the cold temperature can dent that. This week we have got back into the old routines, welcomed new starters and begun preparing for a busy term. BTEC assessments have already begun and we are looking ahead to the Y11 trial assessments. This really is a term of preparation and progress and as always we will continue to challenge the boys to grasp every opportunity. The cold weather has also given us time to come together as a family, spending free time relaxing as a house. The study, pool table, table tennis and even darts (the Luke Littler effect?) have been busy this week and it is the highlight of my day seeing the boys bond, laugh and come together. I look forward to seeing Year Ten parents this weekend for their Parents' Day. These are great events and I am always grateful for the time I get to spend discussing the boys and reflecting how proud I am of all that they achieve here at Ampleforth. This newsletter will look back somewhat as the few days before the Christmas break were jam-packed with events, fixtures and happiness. This gives me a chance to get everyone caught up on just what a whirlwind life in the valley can be! I look forward to a busy and fun term and seeing you all in the near future.
Shoot Tea
Star enjoyed seeing Ziggy!
Saturday Social - Christmas Movie Night!
Breathtaking Messiah Performance
Breathtaking Messiah Performance
Breathtaking Messiah Performance
Confirmation Preparation - led by Oliver
Christmas Music Recital
1st XV Cup Win
1st XV Cup Win
1st XV Cup Win
1st XV Cup Win
Congratulations on your 1st XV Cap Conrad!
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Party & Carols
House Christmas Party & Carols
French Onion Soup - thanks for the onions for Christmas!
Lunchtime Uno & Sky Sports!
Pupdate!
Message from the Housemaster
Dear parents, I wish you all a very happy New Year and God's blessing. I hope you have all spent some quality time with your sons during the holidays. On Monday, the boys returned to a winter wonderland and have enjoyed "winter sports" ever since. We have a very busy January ahead of us: the Inter House Swimming competition on Sunday, the GCSE mock exams starting on the 20th, our House Punch on the 27th and our House Lunchtime Recital on the 31st.
JAW
On the Friday before the last week of term, the year 9s were reenacting the story of the birth of Jesus as part of the student led JAW after evening prayers. Hugo took on the role of narrator.
JAW
Mary (Ruben) on the donkey (Dom)
JAW
Advent Calendar
On Saturday morning, the advent calendar no. 14 treat was the Year 12s singing a carol to the juniors during junior breakfast. What a treat!
Saturday Social
On Saturday evening, we invited all the St Bede's girls over for a Christmas themed Social.
Saturday Social
Sunday Mass
During Mass on Sunday, Alvaro and Javier were joined by their youngest brother Jaime. DO's 2030...
House Christmas Dinner
On Monday, we celebrated our House Christmas Dinner.
House Christmas Dinner
We started with drinks and nibbles for our tutors, matron, Head Boy, Head of House and Deputy Head of House.
House Christmas Dinner
Lisa and Rebecca had been busy...
House Christmas Dinner
We then went to the refectory for the traditional turkey dinner.
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
As a thank- you to the Catering staff, they received a rendition of Jingle Bells.
House Christmas Dinner
House Christmas Dinner
We then returned to the House Study for the after party - cheese and chocolates, coffees and games.
Farewell
We had to say good-bye to Ruben, Maximilian, Casimir, Clemens and Matias.Some of them gave leaving speeches.
Farewell
Farewell
We also had to say thank you and good-bye to matron Lisa, who had been standing in for Minnie since Easter.
Christmas holidays
Paddy, as well as other students from Ampleforth, enjoyed a week of skiing in the Alps.
Happy Birthday!
On Wednesday, Alex celebrated his 16th birthday.
Fun in the snow
Fun in the snow
Building a ramp...
Fun in the snow
And then jumping over it!Miraculously, no bones were broken...
1st team Rugby and Hockey Dinner
On Thursday evening, the Games Department organised the annual 1st team Rugby and Hockey dinner.
1st team Rugby and Hockey Dinner
1st team Rugby and Hockey Dinner
1st team Rugby and Hockey Dinner
Food, glorious food!
Our new soup dish for cold afternoons.
Welcome!
Welcome to Mauricio, Ruben's brother, into our Year 12 cohort for the remainder of the academic year.
Last but not least
Congratulations to Orlando, Harry and Henry for their excellent representation of the North Yorkshire U14 Hockey team this Christmas.
Last but not least .2
We will miss this little fellow especially.Adios, Matias!
Message from the Housemaster
Dear Parents and Guardians, Greetings from Junior House! We hope this message finds you well. We are delighted to share that my wife Robyn, our Golden Retriever Murphy, and I have settled in wonderfully. Murphy, in particular, has been thoroughly spoiled by the children, who have showered him with love and attention. The recent snowfall has brought a wave of excitement and joy to the house. The children have returned from the Christmas break with renewed energy and enthusiasm, making the first week back both busy and exhilarating. Please have a look at what the children have been up to this week and we look forward to a fantastic term ahead, filled with learning, growth, and memorable experiences. Warm regards, Mike Slingsby Housemaster, Junior House
Snow place like home
Tutor Group Focus - Miss McKell
On behalf of all our Junior House tutors, it has been lovely to welcome back our Year 7 and Year 8 tutees after the holidays. The students returned to school with an infectious energy and enthusiasm. It has been wonderful to see everyone reconnecting with friends and sharing stories of their holiday adventures over the break. Many of our students have also shared fantastic suggestions for enriching our house activities. This week, I am delighted to announce our Tutor Group Star of the Week: congratulations to Constance! She truly deserves this recognition for her incredible perseverance in overcoming homesickness and adapting to change. Constance consistently approaches every challenge with a can-do attitude, demonstrating her enthusiasm by wholeheartedly participating in activities—sometimes a bit too enthusiastically, as evidenced by her sledging adventure down the hill! Well done, Constance! Quote of the Week - George T "Isn't it ironic that the word invisibility has so many Is, yet it can't be seen."
Junior House Sport
Due to the freezing conditions, the boys have not yet had chance to get on the astro to start the hockey season. Our girls however, are well underway with their Netball. Have a look at some of them in action!
For sports fixtures and team sheets, please click on Sports Fixtures & Results on the home page of the Portal or go to ampleforthsport.org.uk. Password protected information can be accessed using ‘Benedictine1802’.
Junior House supporting the 'Deep Blue Crew'
In December 2024, the Deep Blue Crew will leave La Gomera and head unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean, with two goals; to have an amazing adventure and raise as much as possible for our three charities: Tusk Trust, the Clocktower Foundation and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. Otis' cousin Jack, with his friends Patrick, Angus and Matthew make up this incredible crew - 2 of them are Old Amplefordians!
The Junior House children were keen to show their support of this amazing effort and took part in a Team Challenge !
Find out more
Cinema Night - Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
On Thursday nights, Junior House will be taking over the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) for our weekly Cinema night.
Follow us on:
Message from the Housemaster
Dear Parents and Guardians, After wonderful holidays spent with family and friends, the boys of St Hugh's House have returned to get the new year underway with great purpose. With stunning snowy backdrops the Lent Term has commenced with a slip, a slide and a sledge or two. We offer a warm welcome to the Year 10 parents this weekend for Parents Day and hope they all have a nice time in the Valley. We also hope the rest of the St Hugh's House community is staying warm and enjoying the end of the Christmas period wherever they are Dan Housemaster, St Hugh's House
New Headmaster, Jon Mutton
Cross Country in the snow
The Trading Game, St Hugh's style
St John's Boys
Rugby and Hockey Dinner...
Message from Ms Paterson
Dear Parents A Happy New Year to you all and I hope your Christmas was peaceful and joyful! The girls have come back to a very wintery valley with artic temperatures but remain in good spirits! All of them ready to get back to work and college life. We look forward to welcoming year 10 parents to the valley this weekend. Best wishes Rebecca
House Christmas Dinner
Messiah 2024
Christmas Recital
Arabella Y9, Maria Y10, Emily Y10 and Anina Y12 took part in the lunchtime recital!
Carol Service
CAFOD Chrismas collections
Nicole (Y10) and India (Y10) and the other students involved with CAFOD collected food for the food bank and made luxury food parcels with toys.
1st Team Sports Dinner
WELCOME BACK TO THE VALLEY!