FROM THE HEAD MASTER
Common Entrance Results
One of the very special moments of the year for me, and a great privilege, is giving the Year 8 children their Common Entrance results. This was made all the more special last week by doing this on the bank of the River Thames while on our London trip. Many congratulations to the children for their results. They are thoroughly deserved with many absolutely outstanding sets of results among them. Well done and congratulations to all.
Tour & Outward Bound
This morning, Year 8 headed off on cricket tour to Somerset where I am sure they will have a fantastic couple of days. Next week, they travel to Aberdovey in Wales for the Outward Bound week. It looks like the weather is set to be fair so I am sure they will have the most wonderful time.
Activities Week
There is always great excitement in the school as Activities Week approaches, a week where the children come off timetable and take part in many and varied activities with special trips to exciting places thrown in. The topics for each year group this year are:
Year 3 – Roald Dahl
Year 4 – Wildlife
Year 5 – Duke of Spratton Hall Awards
Year 6 – Action Stations
Year 7 – Facing Their Fears
I know the children will love everything on offer next week and I am so grateful to the staff for the extra preparation required.
Thank you
Simon Clarke
Head Master
PRE-PREP
Moving On Morning Arrives!
You could feel the excitement fizzing in the air on Thursday morning, when ‘Moving On Day’ finally arrived. Our Year 2 children headed off confidently to the Year 3 Block, without even a backward glance, and spent their morning discovering many of the new privileges that being in the Prep School brings. Their return walk back to Pre-Prep later in the afternoon was a rather jubilant one, with the children eager to share which of the four houses they had been allocated to.
Meanwhile, within the Pre-Prep, there were ooohs and gasps as children delighted in some new experiences for the first time – carrying their own tray in the dining room, careering around on the big two-wheeled scooters and stepping over our infamous yellow line in the playground emerged as some of most notable highlights of the morning!
Year 8 Forest School Fun
Our Reception and Year 1 children enjoyed some wonderful outdoor collaborative learning experiences midweek when they trekked down to the forest school for sessions led by our Year 8 pupils. The older children guided their younger friends in bug hunting, swinging from branches and playing catch with pinecones. However, when it came to making mud pies, the Reception children insisted their recipes were not to be meddled with and ended up giving the Year 8 pupils a masterclass!
Nest building!
Staying in the forest school, a beautiful new nest is currently under construction. However, this is a nest with a difference …. it can fit about 10 children snuggly inside! Mrs Moreton, our very creative Head of Art, engaged the support of 2M to help weave together some huge strips of willow. After a little more work to build up the sides, it won’t be long before the children can actually step inside it to ‘nest’-le down and relax.
Pupil Achievements
Congratulations to Bea Higgs for passing her Ballet examination.
Fiona Sanchez
Head of Pre-Prep
MUSIC
Music in Quiet Places Concert
It was wonderful to hear such a variety of instruments and styles of music in our Music in Quiet Places concert on Monday. St Andrew’s Church is such a lovely place to perform and the children did brilliantly. Congratulations to all those that took part.
Summer Concert – Tuesday 2nd July
A letter was sent out to all those involved in the Summer Concert earlier this week. This is going to be a wonderful evening of music showcasing all the hard work that our ensembles have done throughout the year. All performers will be provided with tea, please do email the school office to request tea for any siblings.
Music Exam Results
Congratulations to Florence Lindsay-Smith for gaining a merit in her Grade 1 cornet exam and also to Olivia King for achieving a distinction in her Grade 1 tenor horn exam.
ART
Artist of the Week
Congratulations to Peggy Wang whose oil painting ‘Harvest Season’ won 1st prize in the National Student Arts Competition in China.
Forest School
This week, our Art lessons have been taking place in the Forest School and you can see drawings of bugs created by Years 3&4 pupils on the trees. The Bug Hotel is gradually filling up and the giant nest is coming together perfectly!
Pupils have been looking at the work of environmental artists and Ozzie has sent in this picture inspired by Andy Goldsworthy.
HOUSE COMPETITIONS
Years 6-8 Sports Day
Boys – 1st Drake, 2nd, Grenville, 3rd Raleigh, 4th Frobisher
Girls – 1st Frobisher, 2nd Drake, 3rd Grenville, 4th Raleigh
YEAR 8 – A PLAY IN TWO DAYS
Year 8 put on a great show on Tuesday evening when they performed ‘A Play in Two Days’, which is quite literally that!
They had a mere two days to put on an abridged and very funny production of Twelfth Night, from auditioning for parts to learning their lines as well as the songs and stage direction.
The final result was brilliant and hilarious so well done everyone.
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
Please note that all Clubs, Activities, Ballet, Tennis and Lamda are finished for the term after today.
PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS
Well done to Joseph Tan who took part in the NTGA Primary Schools Trampoline Competition on Monday, just missing out on a medal in his category, having gained some good scores.
