PADoK News
PADoK AGM – Tuesday 23rd June – 08.30 – 10am
We will be holding our AGM next week. As always, we welcome Richard Brocksom, Chair of Governors, who will be coming to talk with us about plans for the school. Everyone is welcome to attend, we just ask you to tell your class rep so we know what numbers to expect for refreshment and seating purposes.
Summer Ball – Friday 12th June
We had a wonderful evening of entertainment on Friday at the Summer Ball, celebrating 50 years of the Duke of Kent School.
Denbies looked after us extremely well, in fact the member of staff overseeing our evening was a former pupil of the school! She told us how she enjoyed catching up with some of her former teachers.
The magician wowed us all with some amazing tricks and The Accidentals filled the dance floor. Joyous fun and dance moves a plenty.
Thank you to all those who came to the ball and to the PADoK team who worked tirelessly to put this event together.
PADoK Clubs:
PADoK Book Club
We had a lovely evening last week to discuss the two books we have read in the past two terms. On the whole we all enjoyed both books.
Lots of delicious nibbles and drinks to enjoy while chatting fiction. Thank you to Mrs Rendle for organising the evening.
Our new book is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. “An epic novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.”
Duke of Kent School Flyers – Netball training
Celebrations a plenty for the Flyers who achieved success on their netball tour to La Manga Club in Spain.
We are looking for new players so please do come along. The WhatsApp group will publish when and where they are training as it varies. Come along for lots of laughter, exercise & fun. Everyone welcome! Contact Tara at padok@dokschool.org.
Duke of Kent School Singers
Tuesday 23rd June or 30th June 08.20 – 09.00.
Come sing with us! The Duke of Kent Singers are looking for new voices, male & female. Whether you’re a seasoned singer or just curious, you’ll fit right in. 
Friendly group No pressure Tuesday mornings with Mr Rye & Cathy Come along, have fun, and make music with us. in. Friendly group No pressure Tuesday mornings with Mr Rye & Cathy Come along, have fun, and make music with us.
Please do come along, it is a very relaxed and welcoming choir.
When: Every Tuesday from 08:20 to 09.00
Where: Meetings Room off Old Hall. Contact Cathy Williams -padok@dokschool.org
Important Note: please always park at the bottom of the site and walk up to Old Hall.
It has been another busy and enjoyable week, with plenty to celebrate as we near the end of this special academic year. I was delighted to unveil the ceremonial plaque marking our new school orchard, planted earlier this year to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary. The orchard is already thriving, with apple, pear, plum, cherry and even a peregrine peach tree now established - with the peach tree already bearing fruit! I hope this will become a lasting legacy for future generations of pupils to enjoy. Congratulations to our Year 11 pupils, who have now completed their GCSE exams. They have approached this important milestone with resilience, determination and maturity and we are incredibly proud of their efforts. We wish them every success and hope they have a wonderful time on their well-deserved trip to Barcelona next week. Finally, I am very much looking forward to our Summer Concert on Saturday evening. Our pupils have worked incredibly hard and I know they will deliver a memorable evening of music. It promises to be a fitting celebration of the talent and enthusiasm that makes our School such a special place. I hope to see many of you there.
On Friday morning Year 9 embarked on their Duke of Edinburgh Practice day. They spent the first part of the day learning about First Aid including: hazards, bites, stings, allergies, bleeding, breaks and burns. Thankfully, the only aid actually required during the walks was for a blister plaster. The groups set off in staggered starts on a clockwise route of 11.5km heading west to Pitch Hill following the Greensand Way, before heading east across the Winterfold and Hurt Woods across scenery used for the filming of Jurassic Park. The steep climbs & descents do resemble the shape of a Dragon's back! All finished (eventually), with a particularly honourable mention for Lockie B who overcame previous arm AND leg injuries to complete all activities. They were all remarkably buoyant; I shall assume that was a result of the optimism provided by accompanying staff, namely Mr Wyllie, Mrs Wilkinson, Mr Watson and Mr Wilson (who was also accompanied by the Surrey DofE Operations Manager, Mr Tom McKnight). The students also each cooked (and survived) meals using the trangia camping stoves. Well done them! Please note their Qualification expedition will take place between Fri 18th-Sat 19th Sep.
This week's update comes from the shores of Chichester Harbour, as Year 6 start the day with a full English and search for signs of the promised heatwave through the morning mist. Year 5 are also on their residential in the New Forest, so the corridors of Prep School have been much quieter than usual this week! 
