The annual St James Ski Trip took place over the Christmas holidays and was a crashing success! (Pun intended)

The new School term has begun. At the opening assembly, the boys heard letters that had been sent to them by many extremely grateful elderly citizens of Spelthorne local community who had been in receipt of bumper-filled Christmas hampers. " I am not able to walk far, even to the local shops, and your hamper will be a very needed source of back-up supplies," one 90-year-old wrote. Other letters indicated how the spirit of love and kindness from the young generation warmed their hearts, even more than some of the hamper's ingredients!

Headmaster, Mr David Boddy, has returned to London in time for the opening of the new school term, having been a guest speaker at the ‘World Confluence of Humanity, Power & Spirituality, held in Kolkata on January 2-4. Speaking to an invited audience of senior religious figures, politicians and businessmen, Mr Boddy presented the St James education system. He gave particular emphasis to the importance of developing a child's powers of concentration. " The inability of children to concentrate is one of the greatest educational challenges being faced across the world," he told the conference. He outlined how the practice of meditation, falling still and finding inner peace was an essential ingredient to the St James approach. " Without the power to concentrate a child cannot meet the needs of the person in front of them; cannot think clearly and cannot act efficiently. Concentration allows the child's natural inner brilliance to come forth. That is what a true education is about," he added. Mr Boddy was presented to a number of India's leading religious leaders and policy makers, some of whom will be visiting St James schools in London later this year.

Captions:

1) Mr & Mrs Boddy with Rahul Varma, the chief organiser of the event, Mr RP Jain, the Indian Publisher who has published the St James Sanskrit text books in India and Mr Paul Palmarozza who gave a talk on the teaching of Sanskrit at St James.

2) Mr Boddy delivers his speech at the conference.

3) Mr Boddy receives thanks from the Chairman, Mr Hari Prasad Kanoria and driving force behind the conference with a member of the Kanoria family.

As you may know, St James has adopted "Street Child Sierra Leone" as our school charity and committed to raise £30,000 to build and run a school in Sierra Leone. We are delighted to say we are already two thirds of the way to that goal, having raised £20,000 so far this year with a range of sponsored sporting activities, music and drama performances and social events. We would like to say a tremendous "THANK YOU!" to all those who have helped to organise these events, and to all those who have supported them. Here's to the next £10,000!

St James boys have taken a further step in establishing a tradition of service to the commmunity by donating and assembling Christmas hampers to give to the elderly and disabled an the Ashford area. In our final assembly today, Mrs Fuller from "Age U.K." received 26 hampers which will be distributed in Ashford.

The annual Christmas carol service took place on Tuesday 13th December at St Hilda's Church in Ashford. A happy audience of 750 pupils, parents, staff and guests thoroughly enjoyed participating in the uplifting and joyous celebration of singing, music and prayer. A special thanks must go out to Father Chris Rogers who so so graciously hosted the service at St Hilda's and who has already invited us back for next year. Afterwards the guests enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine in the school dining hall.

In a hectic and gruelling series of Middlesex Cup matches St James Under 13s/14s/15s/16s teams have all acquitted themselves well in recent weeks. The Under 16s played an outstanding game to take their last match are now looking forward to the Final on Wednesday 30th November, while the Under 15s just failed to take victory after playing a magnificent match.

 

 

Single Image Theatre

&

Students from St James Senior Boys' School

 

Presents the first of three

 

STUDIO NIGHTS

in THE EMPTY SPACE DRAMA STUDIO

On Saturday 24^th September the Friends of St
James held their Family Fun Day at St James Senior Boys' School.

The Ashford campus was the perfect setting, with plenty
of space for all the many activities and stalls and even the weather was spot
on, dry and warm but not too hot.

The full afternoon included a Staff v Alumni cricket
match, delicious food and drink, tours of the school, Laser Clay Pigeon
Shooting, Dodgems, bouncy castles (plural!) a craft fair and much more.

Over twelve hundred people attended and the entire event
was universally regarded as "a roaring success!". Tremendous thanks and
appreciation go out to all the dedicated and hardworking Friends of St James
who made this wonderful day possible and who do so much for the St James
Family.

THANK YOU!

Arnhem 2011

In September 1944 a large number of brave young men prepared, and parachuted into Arnhem to fight at one of
the most remembered battles ever to have taken place...

St. James new boys and parents were given a royal surprise when HRH Princess Anne dropped in (literally) on their induction day last week. Princess Anne arrived in a Helicopter of the Queen’s Flight which landed on the rugby field. She was greeted by our Head Master, Mr. Boddy and (from a safe distance) by the assembled new boys and staff. Princess Anne was visiting several locations in the Ashford area and the helicopter was parked on the rugby field for the rest of the day, the crew very kindly giving the boys a chance to climb inside and look around. Few of us forget our first day at secondary school, the St. James new boys have more reason than most to remember theirs!