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Rubens

Rubens House Blog Autumn Term First Half 2023

13 October 2023 - Rubens

The start of the new academic year is one of great excitement for all the girls. New beginnings and opportunities present themselves and we in Rubens are always so excited to welcome the girls back into the pink palace. Perhaps the girls who are always at the highest levels of joy upon their return to school, are the new Lower Sixth. The Sixth Form are the girls who have roles of responsibility in the House and set the tone of encouragement which builds up our culture of big sisters. On their first night back to school, they enjoyed a wonderful meal in the Courtyard with their tutor Mr Joyce; they are an amazing bunch of A level pupils and had a wonderful time together.

Joining a large new community might seem like an impossible task, but our incredible new Lower Fourth, have jumped into the momentum of life in a busy boarding house and have completely embodied the spirit of Rubens. Our newest little sisters have fully embraced the values that Rubens House identifies with: Balance and Encouragement. The LIV have quickly embraced life in the Pink Palace and thrown themselves into the weekly activities. They have been fully involved in getting to know the Sixth Form and older girls in their dorms. This term, the dorms are organised so that each girl is sharing a room with members of their family tree. This helps our newest joiners immediately feel a warm sense of connection, belonging and family as they start their time in Rubens. It’s always tough leaving your family after a long summer together, but the way the older girls have looked after our new recruits in the LIV, UIV and LVI, proves that Rubens really is a family of pink sisters who look out for each other as a network of caring and supportive sisters.

As part of the Activities Days, the Upper Fourth took part in team-building adventures together. The pictures below speak for themselves. The purpose of Activities Days is to provide enrichment beyond the curriculum and also allow the girls to come together and work as a team. Lots of fun was had and everyone was very thankful for their waterproof clothes! The Lower Fifth also went off on their first Duke of Edinburgh Bronze expedition. They returned triumphant having navigated their way through the glorious Chilterns.

Deputy Head of House, Maddie (LVI), reflects on what Rubens means to her:
‘The colour pink symbolises love, nurture, and compassion, and I feel this really captures the essence of Rubens perfectly. The genuine friendships that I have formed during my four and a half years in Rubens are incomparable to anything else. I wholeheartedly believe I will be sisters with these girls for the rest of my life. When I entered Rubens, I was 12 years old and terrified at the thought of living with older girls. However, the true kindness I have seen from all age groups in this House washed away my fears immediately. Now I am an older girl, and getting to know the younger girls in House every night and this has been amazing. Every Tuesday, Head of House, Avalon, and myself as Deputy, have been meeting with a specific year group in the Common Room to really get to know them and try to give them any tips about the School and boarding that we have learnt over the years. I have so many fond memories of Rubens since LIV: Motivational Mondays, The Easter Egg Hunt, watching Miss Hoyle and Miss Boswell freak out over Peter Andre when we saw Grease, the Musical. Rubens has transformed from being my boarding house to being my home.’

Head of House, Avalon (LVI), reflects on her time in Rubens this half term:
‘After a very busy start of term, I am very pleased to say that everyone seems to be settling in well and I couldn’t be more proud of the happy and joyous energy that has been running through the House over the past five weeks. When Maddie and I took on these roles we decided to take a look at the values Rubens is built on and find ways to emphasise them over the course of the next year. Although lots of fun things such as our Halloween party and Bonfire Night preparations are well underway, I think the thing that has really lifted my spirits over the past few weeks has been the weekly activities between the Sixth Form and each year group. Taking the time to get to know everyone in Rubens as they indulge in chocolate biscuits has been something I look forward to on a weekly basis. Every individual in Rubens truly has something to offer to this House and I am so excited to see how they bring their own compassion, love and nurture to the environment for my final year in Rubens.’