The Prep Times I’m delighted to introduce this academic year’s first issue of The Prep Times, our mid-term snapshot of what’s happening in Prep. The School year has begun with lots of energy and enthusiasm and this newsletter covers some of the highlights we’ve had from Nursery to Year 6. Many thanks to all the staff for such a vibrant start to the year and for t h e wo n d e rf u l a rt i c l e s t h e y’ ve submitted. From babies developing skills through water play to Year 6 pupils trying out sign language, it’s fascinating for me to see the educational journey our pupils make. Many people are involved in that journey, but one of the unique features is the involvement of Senior pupils. They help with sports coaching, they hear children read and they even take on academic mentoring roles. It’s a great strength of Birkenhead School that pupils are encouraged and motivated through the positive connections they make with older children. On the last day of the first half-of-term, the whole of Junior Prep had a special assembly in Bushell Hall where they were treated to performances from the brilliant show Birkenhead School’s Got Talent, which had taken place on Friday 11th October. Once all the acts had performed, they stayed on for the next part of the assembly to see the Prep Prefects being appointed. This reciprocal support – Prep watching Seniors perform and Seniors acknowledging the achievement of Prep pupils – will no doubt have a profound impact. Later that same day, the newly
appointed Prep Prefects came with me to Infants’ Assembly and spoke about what life is like in Junior Prep, giving advice to our Key Stage 1 pupils about preparing for the next phase of their education. I hope these unique moments will long be remembered. Well, there’s plenty for you to read and enjoy in this issue, but I’d like to draw your attention in particular to the articles on the retirement of two wonderful people – Mrs Joan Waddell and Mrs Yvonne Hazlehurst. Joan and Yvonne, a huge thank you from all of us at Birkenhead School for your amazing contribution over the years. Finally, my thanks to the Parents’ Association, firstly for the Prep Disco, which was a very popular way for many of our pupils to begin their half-term break, and secondly for the spectacular Bonfire Night we’ve just enjoyed. We are very grateful for all the work of our Parents’ Association and we look forward very much to their next event, the Christmas Bazaar on Saturday 16th November. I wish you all the very best for the second half-of-term and the busy run-up to Christmas – keep an eye on the School Diary: http://www.birkenheadschool.co.uk/ school-diary See you at the Christmas Bazaar, if not before!
H. FitzHerbert Head of Prep
November 2013 Issue 2
Inside this issue Alien Invasion
P2
Making a spectacle!
P3
Family Foundations
P4
Blastoff!
P5
Prep goes conkers
P6
The Future’s Bright in Prep
P7
Akela! We will do our P8 best! Goodbye Joan Waddell
P9
Dates for your diary
P10
Harvest Donations A big thank you to the whole Prep community for raising £869.76. This money was donated to the charity “Classrooms in the Clouds” and the Kanti Children’s Hospital in Nepal, delivered in person by Mr Clark, this half term.
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Congratulations Rachelle Barton, an Early Years Practitioner in the Nursery and Fun Club Supervisor, and Angie Pratt, an Early Years Practitioner in Pre-Prep, have both recently celebrated success by achieving a Foundation Degree in Early Years Leadership. They are delighted and have now embarked on a 3rd year BA Honours in Early Years Leadership. Congratulations to them both and here they are pictured at Edge Hill University, after their award ceremony.
Congratulations to the above Year 6 pupils who’ve been appointed as Prep Prefects: Photo L-R Luke Crocker (Head Boy), Grace Harvey, Elizabeth Hyatt, Madeleine Unsworth (Head Girl), Olivia Holgate-Hunt & Theo Appleby
Alien Invasion Greetings Earthlings Fun Club is the School’s wrap-around-care service and this term children have been imagining what it would be like to be invaded by aliens. This “out of this world” topic was the master-thought of Louis in 2H. When asked, ‘What ideas do you have for the autumn term?’ Louis replied, ‘I saw Aliens on TV and I liked them.’ He proceeded to design his own alien and named him ‘Autobot.’ Louis is pictured here with Martians, U.F.O.s, extra terrestrials and other spacecraft, all of which Fun Club are quite sure exist in a galaxy far, far, away.
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Splashing a little happiness Jemima and Harriet having a splashing time in the paddling pool.
Hannah, Annabelle and Sebastian enjoying bubbly water play
Water play fosters learning in all areas of development, such as experimenting with maths, d e velopi ng scientific concepts and helping to strengthen physical skills. With this in mind, we can foresee a squelchy, squishy and happy time at the Nursery.
Splish, splash, bubble, pop! The Nursery children had plenty of fun and laughter with water, during this half term. Getting wet was truly wonderful.
Making a Spectacle! Pre-Prep children have been using all their senses as part of their “Ourselves” topic. To explore their sense of sight, they made glasses with coloured lenses to give them a different view of the world. The children added lots of coloured gems to the rims to make their creations extra special. They then enjoyed a walk around the Pre-Prep grounds, peeping through their glasses to see how the world around them looked. Bobby said, “Wow! Everything’s gone red!”
Chloe and Sophie modelling their jewelled glasses
Dylan looked through his glasses and said, “If I look through this eye, everything’s red, but the other eye makes everything yellow.” This will be an activity to remember for the Pre-Prep children and their beautiful glasses a happy reminder of their learning.
Imogen H particularly enjoyed decorating her glasses: “I’m putting blue jewels all round in a circle. I like the blue ones, they are very sparkly”
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Family Foundations The Reception children have settled in well to their new school routine. During the first few weeks, they had the opportunity to tell each other about themselves and their families. The children then began to think about their School ‘family’ as part of the ‘People W ho Help Us’ topic. They toured the school, meeting many of the friendly and very helpful staff including the Nurse, the Catering Team, the Estates Team and the Head of Prep’s PA, Mrs Askew. The children also received two very special invitations to visit Mr FitzHerbert and Mr Clark.
‘It’s a great experience for the Reception children to help develop their reading skills and it’s a lovely way to work on our communication skills too.’ Emmeline, 6H
session. All the children involved thoroughly enjoy their time together and feedback from the Year 6 children has proven to be very positive. The Reception staff would like to thank everyone involved in helping to lay those school family foundations for our Reception children. Following these successful visits, the Reception children then invited the Year 6 pupils to visit them as part of the Buddy Reading system. The purpose of this system is to nurture a love of books and an enthusiasm to read as well as to build friendship bonds between the different age groups. Every Year 6 pupil has been assigned a Reception buddy. During the first week together the children enjoyed showing their Year 6 buddies around the classroom. Each week they now share a wide variety of books with them during the
“I’m so impressed with the standard of reading that the Reception children are showing.” Cameron, 6H
1W exhibits art work in Walker Gallery How excited pupils in last year’s 1W were at the end of the Summer Term to visit the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. They presented the gallery with their picture for the ‘Take One Picture’ exhibition. Miss Farnsworth, a student teacher from Edge Hill University, had helped 1W produce a picture of Grace Darling rescuing the survivors of the SS Forfarshire in 1838. They learnt a lot of new art techniques as well as having fun in drama and music. They role played the various characters from the rescue and the picture ‘Off to the Fishing grounds’ by Stanhope Forbes.
Here they are presenting their picture to the gallery which was on display throughout the summer holiday. "I was so pleased and proud when I visited the gallery in the summer holiday to see our pictures on public display" said Mrs Winn
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Year 2 travel back in time On Friday 11th October, 39 year 2 children boarded the bus – destination Erddig Hall. On arrival and after an introductory DVD, children and staff transformed themselves into Victorian servants and their adventure began.
Zoë, 2A, said, “I thought Erddig was fun. I really liked cleaning the attic.”
After being split into 4 groups, each group embarked on a different activity. There was making lemonade in the cold kitchen, pretending to be boy servants in the attic, preparing dough to be baked into bread and washing the towels in the laundry. Everyone had a fabulous day, but all were happy to be transported back to 2013 after such tiring activities. Henry, 2M, “Liked helping get the beds ready.”
Blastoff!
Year 3 are learning about the Solar System and Space this term. They had fun using the inflatable planets to recreate our Solar System and to orbit around the Sun. The children have learnt that the planets can be divided into two groups – the rocky dwarves and the gassy giants. Earth, the third planet from the sun, is in the Goldilocks Zone (not too hot and not too cold) and therefore able to sustain life.
Christopher, 3DT commented “Now I understand why some of the larger planets could float on water.”
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Year 4 autumnal walk around the campus ‘The whispering breeze encourages the leaves to pitter patter softly on my head’ Anoushka, 4BC
‘Early morning sun looks magical with the ghost like trees fiercely protecting their last remaining leaves.’ Amy, 4R
Year 4 enjoyed a brisk autumnal walk around our colourful campus. They were searching for signs of Autumn which would inspire them to create a piece of descriptive writing.
Prep goes conkers With Autumn well and truly upon us and the leaves beginning to fall, conker fever has broken out in the Prep playground. To add a competitive edge and to encourage as many pupils as possible to have a go, a conker competition was organised. Elizabeth and Maddie, two Year 6 pupils, explained, “The conker competition was a great idea, but we found it was even more fun going out at the weekends and searching for the conkers in the countryside.” Over 130 children and several staff have entered the tournament. Nine rounds of matches for the most successful will see the Prep conker champion crowned. “There are so many in the competition that it will take a long time to finish, but it’s a great chance to meet other children from different year groups,” said Harry in 6MS. The ‘striker’ must hit his/her opponent’s conker with the aim of detaching it from its string. Play continues until the striker misses and then roles are reversed until one conker is (hopefully) destroyed. The victorious conker becomes a ‘1er’. In subsequent rounds the victorious conker takes 1 point from the match and also steals the points accumulated by the defeated conker. Players must use the same conker throughout the championship resulting in the winning conker not only being crowned Prep Champion, but also becoming at least a ‘255er’ (some careful Maths was needed to calculate this figure).
Good luck to all and may the best conker win!
Freddie, James, Sam and Ben honing their conker skills
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The Future’s Bright in Prep The Michaelmas term has witnessed an exciting new a d d i t i o n t o t h e P rep Curriculum, in the shape of Future Skills Development. This unique and engaging subject aims to prepare children for the skills they require for school, higher education and ultimately their future careers. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 have been participating in a vast array of interesting activities that target their skills development in areas such as communication, teamwork,
self-management and critical thinking. Philosophising over mind-expanding questions such as ‘Is there a God?’ and ‘Where does the sky begin?’ has initiated great debate in the Year 5 classrooms as part of the Philosophical Enquiry module. Teachers have been delighted by the enthusiastic reaction of children to the programme. In Year 6, pupils have eagerly engaged in learning sign language and taking on the ‘blindfold maze challenge’ as part of their c o mmu nic a tio n mod ule . A rc hi e F i n Yea r 6
commented, ‘The practical nature and variety of activities makes each lesson really fun and interesting.’ Whether it’s debating the big questions or learning new ways to communicate, Prep pupils can look forward to a bright and skills-rich future. Aoife, 5R, explained, ‘I enjoy the challenge and freedom of thinking about questions with no right or wrong answer.’
Sponsored Walk to Hilbre Island On a glorious Saturday in Sept e mb er, the Sch ool Beavers and Cubs (20 th Birkenhead) and parents went on a sponsored walk to Hilbre Island. There were a lot of jellyfish, crabs and fish to be seen on the way and all really enjoyed paddling in and exploring the rock pools. By looking through Mr Britton’s telescope seals were spotted basking on the sand spit. A couple of seals came to watch too, bobbing up their heads out of the water to see some unusual and rather excited mammals on shore. A magnificent sum of £920 was raised which, together with the £265 raised by Sam Keenan (10TMH), will pay the salaries for two new teachers for a year at the two schools we support in Nepal. All the Beavers and Cubs who took part got a Hikes Away badge and an International Partnership award for their efforts. "We really enjoyed paddling and exploring the rock pools!” Rudro Guha 3B
Exhausted Beavers and Cubs on the way back.
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“Akela! We will do our best!” Yvonne Hazlehurst has given so much to so many over a quarter of a century as Akela, and although she is stepping down as “leader of the pack” she still plans to check up on the cubs to make sure they hold to their promise: “We will do our best.” Yvonne came from a background of Guiding in Greasby and she went on to become a founder leader of the Beaver Colony at 2nd Greasby Methodist Scout Group. One day, she happened to turn up at Birkenhead School in her uniform when collecting her son, Andrew. Mrs Sue Caroe, Andrew’s form teacher, was Akela at that time and she asked Yvonne if she would like to come and help at Cubs. Before long, she found herself being interviewed by Mr Franklin (Head of Prep), and the Group Scout Leader, Freddie Wakelin, OBE. Yvonne was appointed as Akela and the 20th Birkenhead Pack went from strength to strength. Her contribution to the enrichment of children’s lives is second to none and she has enjoyed every minute of it. “As Akela, I have been privileged to be a part of many young people’s lives both in School and throughout the District, as they have grown and developed into adults.” She has arranged countless cub camps and outings and she has always tried to emphasise the “out” in “Scouting” by having at least one trip per term. Yvonne feels she has been very well supported by many parents, teachers and assistant leaders and she hands over the pack with great confidence to Gillian and Emma Fairclough, who have been her assistant leaders for a number of years. “Akela’s great fun,” beamed Bobby, a new recruit to cubs. “Just the other week we half-filled bottles with water and then pumped air into them. Bang! They took off like rockets! She also lets us put chocolate in bananas and cook them on the camp fire.”
When asked what she will miss most, Yvonne replied, “The children.”
“I have wholeheartedly enjoyed every moment of my twenty five years as Akela of the Birkenhead School Cub Pack!” Yvonne
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Joan Waddell - BPS 1997-2013 This term sees the retirement of one of the most recognisable and popular members of The Prep, as Joan Waddell calls time after 16 years of distinguished service to the School. I first met Joan in 1997 when she was appointed as the full time nurse, handy for me, as during her first week in the role I managed to gash my hand on a Stanley knife and required a hefty bandage. Joan was duly there to administer the necessary First Aid, along with a large dose of TLC. Leaving the Medical Room (complete with sticker and ice-lolly) it was clear to me that the School was to benefit hugely, now that Joan was among its ranks. It wasn’t long before Joan’s role was extended far beyond tending to nose bleeds and, in less trivial cases, performing minor surgery. Having trained as a classroom assistant, she began working with children across the Primary age range and her ability to engage with young and old alike quickly became apparent to everyone. The confines of the school day were to prove no barrier to Joan, as she undertook the position of After School Care Leader, a role with which I was to assist for a number of years. Indeed, it was under Joan’s tutelage, that my skills in tying shoelaces, wiping runny noses and mass producing jam toasties became finely honed. Joan’s unflappable nature, coupled with an ability to turn her hand to almost anything, ensured she was becoming involved in seemingly all aspects of School life. School trips ran like clockwork, coach company operators were permanently on standby should a fixture require transport, cups were ‘magically’ engraved in time for sports day, charity events appeared to organise themselves. In fact, a whole host of teaching and administrative jobs all seemed to become part of Joan’s limitless remit. I can categorically state, without fear of contradiction, that if the School had a gerbil, Joan would be the person who would feed it! Joan, it falls to me, on behalf of all the staff and pupils of the school, to wish you a long, healthy and happy retirement. Whilst you casually embark upon your new life of leisure and relaxation, spare a thought for all of us, who are now left with one imponderable conundrum......how on earth are we ever going to replace you?
Mike Stockdale
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Dates for your diary: Friday 15 November 2013 Nursery Open Day 9-11am and 2-4pm Saturday 16 November 2013 Christmas Bazaar Week commencing Monday 25 November 2013 Examinations for Prep children in Years 3 to 6 Monday 9 December 2013 14:00 Infant Christmas Celebration (Reception, Y1 and Y2), Prep Hall Tuesday 10 December 2013 14:00 Infant Christmas Celebration (Reception, Y1 and Y2), Prep Hall Wednesday 11 December 2013 14:00 Year 3 Christmas Celebration, Chapel Thursday 12 December 2013 14:00 Year 4 Christmas Celebration, Chapel Friday 13 December 2013 14:00 Year 5 Christmas Celebration, Chapel Monday 16 December 2013 14:00 Year 6 Christmas Celebration, Chapel Tuesday 17 December 2013 09:45 Reception to Year 6 Visit to The Floral Pavilion to see "Jack & the Beanstalk" Wednesday 18 December 2013 14:00 Pre-Prep Christmas Celebration, Prep Hall 15:40 Prep End of Term