Prep for the Week Issue Number 1823 – 18 March 2016
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In this week’s issue… Headmaster's Blog and Commendations Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Kingfishers, Lower and Upper School News Easter Celebrations at The Prep Year 7 History Trip House Music Results Letter from the Library Calendar and Notices
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Headmaster's Blog Dear Parents The triumphs of College’s production of Les Misérables and the Prep’s Joseph, have shown the value of drama as a team builder and motivator. Having been fortunate to attend Les Misérables on two occasions and to see all three performances of Joseph, I can state unequivocally that the strong relationships between children and between staff and children, as highlighted in the recently published inspection report, are enhanced by such experiences. Specifically in the Prep, I wish to praise the leadership offered by Year 8, the enthusiasm and dedication of the younger members of the cast, especially those from Lower School, and the expertise offered by Miss Douglas, Miss Jones, Mr Perona-Wright and their teams. Two other categories of performers also deserve special recognition. The backstage crew are always the unseen stars and yet are integral to the success of the production. And those members of Year 8, who aspired to bigger parts but were disappointed, are to be congratulated on their resilience and loyalty. This short, sharp and extremely busy term has, once again, thrown up the conundrum of how one embraces the myriad of co-curricular opportunities whilst not undermining the academic curriculum. As I come close to completing my nineteenth year as a Headmaster, I am no closer to the solution but certainly have not given up trying to find the ideal compromise. The Prep School staff will meet early next term to try to find some imaginative ways of achieving this utopia. For those children who
embrace all aspects of school life there will always be tensions but I feel we must manage them better. We must not reduce the co-curricular provision, of that I am certain. If one does, we fail on two fronts: neither offering the essential balance to academic demands, nor providing the range of activities which allow more children to grow their self-esteem. As we all depart for the Easter break, I refer once again to balance. Children must rest. They can also keep their minds ticking over. Some have formal challenges to overcome in the form of revision for important examinations. Others should simply ensure that they read, be aware of their surroundings and geography if they are lucky enough to travel, and make fun of every day maths (add up number plates, calculate distances and time spent travelling, estimate shopping bills, calculate change when buying an ice cream etc). Whatever your approach at home is, I do hope that you are all able to enjoy some time together and I look forward to welcoming you back on Tuesday 12 April. Jon Whybrow
Personal Achievement in Hockey Huge congratulations to Abigail Hulett who was named Player of the Year 2015/16 Hockey Season for U11 girls at the Cheltenham Hockey Club awards evening on Sunday 13 March.
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Headmaster's Commendations William Davey for his excellent research into the adaptations of polar bears and also for helping an injured classmate at the dinner table, without being asked Archie McNeill for a superb piece of independent work on the forthcoming EU Referendum Lumai Hickey, Luke Richardson, Ollie McGrath, Jamie Reid, Thomas Bridge and Ed Carter for their excellent printmaking in Art Felix Warr for his success in achieving 20 out of 20 in his spellings test every week of the Spring Term Joseph Tagg for his exceptional lino print in Art (see picture)
Personal Achievement at Crufts James French enjoyed an excellent day at Crufts, not least as Kodi, his dog, was placed 3rd in his class and gained qualification for next year's competition. The day was brought to an exciting close when James was selected to join Clare Balding on the C4 live TV programme covering the show. He asked Noel Fitzpatrick (Channel 4's popular 'Supervet') a question and acquitted himself very well, in a confident manner, enjoying the whole experience very much.
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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat Two former Cheltenham College pupils returned to Cheltenham Prep with their own successful business, to help stage the school's production of Joseph. Jonnie and Alex Clough launched their family lighting hire and event production business, Blue Parrot, in 2000, and returned to The Prep this week to provide complex technical staging for the school’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The production’s cast of 100 pupils, plus 10 crew, has been rehearsing since September last year, and performed three shows to a sold-out audience. “The pupils have enjoyed the journey, from having to simply Prep for The Week Issue Number 1823 18 March 2016
imagine what the show might look like,” said Head of Drama, Jill Douglas. “Now they have a full set, with professional staging, costumes, lights and special effects. The amazing technical production, including a video wall, is a credit to Blue Parrot.”
production and will be inspired to pursue a career in the arts.” Both staff and parents have praised the cast of this fantastic production for their hard work, confidence and dedication.
Cheltenham College maintains close ties with its former pupils, encouraging many to return and share their career experiences with current children. “We are delighted to be able to return to support our old school,” said Alex Clough, of Blue Parrot. “Seeing how well the children respond to the set, sound and lighting is really rewarding. We hope the children remember this 4
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Kingfishers Down at the bottom of the garden...
Happy St Patrick's Day! In Kingfishers, Prep parent Mrs Bell came in to tell some Irish stories, before the boys and girls explored the school grounds on the hunt for a leprechaun! They didn't find one, but they did find lots of his gold coins. Everyone had a shamrock painted onto their faces and made Irish flags. Thanks Mrs Bell, we had a fun morning celebrating St Patrick's Day!
Fully prepared with puddlesuits, wellies and long, bendy sticks, all Year 2 children and teachers entered Forest School for the final time this term to celebrate the end of our topic area Down at the Bottom of the Garden. What better way to celebrate than with an exciting Easter treasure hunt and roasting marshmallows on a home-made fire in base camp! Ably led by our Forest School Leader, Mrs Norwood, the children followed the safety advice admirably and took turns to cook their marshmallows on sticks, being careful to singe them lightly around the edges (which is a skill in itself )! Year 2 have thoroughly enjoyed their weekly Forest School sessions this term, embracing the outdoors, come rain or shine, and making sure that they have learned in a meaningful, exciting and fun way. Roll on next term!
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Lower School This week Lower School have been trying out their new play equipment. They now have a good supply of traditional toys, such as skipping ropes, hoops and camouflage nets for den making. They also have several more Swingball sets, so perhaps a summer competition could be on the cards, to find the Lower School Swingball champion. Beware children: Mrs Coley is a demon with the bat! The hardest thing will be to keep the equipment knot free and safely packed away. Good housekeeping is required by all.
Congratulations must go to all Lower School children who undertook the recent English Speaking Board exams. We had a solid batch of Merits and Merit pluses, but huge commendation needs to go to the following who got Distinctions:
Georgina Boyce Maya Colbourne Maya Forde Hannah Davies Tom de Quincey Adams Harry Noble Robyn Parks Harry Pearson Martha Williams
Freddie Young Sienna Baggioli Harry Crawford Alice Dawson Harry Richardson Jakob Sneyd Ethan Winters Pavneet Harrar
Upper School To help Year 8 pupils relate the subjects and skills that they learn in school with those that they may require in their future career, they had the opportunity to listen to and question a range of speakers talking about their jobs and the skills they require. Team work, good communication skills and to enjoy what you do was a recurring theme from all.
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Easter Celebrations at The Prep
aster E t a e r g a t a Wh Bonnet!
Troy House have an 'eggs-ellent' Easter party! Thursday 10 March saw Troy House hold a fun-filled Easter Event for their younger House members. Pupils from Years 3, 4 and 5 all stayed after school to have an enjoyable time decorating cakes, making birds nests and creating egg heads. While it was, at times, a bit sticky and messy (hundreds and thousands all over the table and melted chocolate all over our hands) we all had a marvelous time. Best of all, everyone got to take a plate full of ‘eggstra-ordinary’ creations home afterwards. Prep for The Week Issue Number 1823 18 March 2016
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Bakery Club As you can see, we have been busy at Bakery Club decorating Easter themed cakes and biscuits. The pupils used vivid pink and decadent purple icing for some of their creations! They enjoyed making rabbit’s faces, Easter chicks, decorated eggs, marshmallow sheep and various floral designs. They came up with lots of really creative ideas. Mrs Barrett demonstrated how to make an upside down rabbit’s bottom from icing, which looks good sitting on top of a cake! Happy Easter from the pupils and staff at Bakery Club!
C4 Easter Party C4 (Cheltenham College Christian Club) is a group run by Mr Woodbridge and Mr Boyd, that meets during Thursday break times. During this time we play games, do activities and study parts of the Bible in order to understand more about the Christian faith. With Easter around the corner we had our Easter Party to understand the significance of this festive time; is there more to it than just lots of chocolate? More than 50 Upper School children met on the balcony to have fun and listen to a talk about the Easter message of Christ on the cross given by the pastor of Grace Church, that meets in Cheltenham. We have had many great meetings and discussions this term and we look forward to seeing everyone back in the Summer term.
Well done to all the Kingfishers and Lower School boys and girls who took part in the Easter egg hunt to raise money for Gloucestershire Bundles!
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Historic Adventure Upper School pupils prepare for the Common Entrance History Examination by following the Medieval Syllabus, looking at a variety of different monarchs, battles and events from 1066 to 1485. In the Autumn Term, Year 7 started by looking at 1066 and the events surrounding this pivotal year in British History. From here pupils have moved on to study William the Conqueror’s reign in more detail followed by an examination of William’s sons and the Civil War known as ‘The Anarchy’. At present, investigation has moved to Henry II’s rise and fall, as well as his well-documented arguments with his Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. This is an incredibly interesting period of History and as a result the History Department put together a trip that helps to consolidate the pupils’ learning and bring the stories to life. On Thursday 3 March, Year 7 set off, first in search of Reading Museum (home to a full sized replica of the Bayeux Tapestry, the historical source that documents the Norman invasion of Britain from start to finish). It was great to see the events in a visual form during the private viewing of the piece, the only one of its kind. From there the tour continued to Canterbury, where pupils were guided round the Cathedral and shown where Becket was murdered on the spot, on the alleged orders of King Henry II, by four knights eager to impress their king. As well as this was an opportunity to learn about the rich History that the most important Church building in England offers. From the Cathedral, our next stop was the Holiday Inn Express where luxury two bed accommodation awaited our travelling party, before heading back Prep for The Week Issue Number 1823 18 March 2016
into Canterbury for what can only be described as a ‘pizza-fest’ in Pizza Express. The next morning, after a hotel buffet breakfast, the Trip reached the headline act of Hastings. Set in the town of ‘Battle’, the 1066 Centre is home to the world famous battlefield that changed the course of English History; even our current monarch is a descendant of the victor, William the Conqueror. Seeing the battlefield first hand gave an experience that is not possible to convey in writing or speech. The scale and magnitude of the battlefield really brought perspective to the young historians on their quest for the truth. The return journey back to Cheltenham brought to an end the fourth and final chapter of the Historical Film Collection which included two Time Travel Adventures and two versions of Robin Hood. Historically speaking, it was an essential piece of the History jigsaw that the History Department is putting together for Upper School, however, it was also an extremely enjoyable trip due to the company and exemplary behaviour from the pupils. There were many extremely positive comments throughout the two days praising the conduct of the Year 7s, as well as their intellectual intrigue. My sincere thanks must go to the staff who accompanied the trip, but also to those who helped organise the logistics, it would not have been possible without such a team effort. I am also very grateful to Mr Whybrow and Mrs Jenkins who have been such advocates in the creation of this event, hopefully the first of many.
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House Music Well done to everyone who competed in a long day of House Music Finals, the results were as follows: Junior Wind/Brass 1st Violet Bailey 5G (Oboe) 2nd Alexander McCombie 4T (French Horn) 3rd Meredith Aylott 5G (Clarinet)
Letter from the Library This year marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death and nationally it has been Shakespeare week. In the Library we have been busy doing Shakespeare word searches, but our main commemoration will occur next Half Term. To mark Cheltenham Race Week we have in the Library our own ‘Reading Post’ assessing the ‘form’ of a collection of books about horses, like War Horse by Michael Morpurgo and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.
Senior Wind/Brass 1st Grace White 8L (Flute) 2nd Charles Hellens (Saxophone) =3rd Annie Finan 7B (French Horn) =3rd Jessica Hale 8R (Flute) Junior Strings 1st Violet Bailey 5G (Viola) 2nd Autumn Conner 5S (Violin) 3rd Alexander McCombie (Cello) Senior Strings 1st Dorothea Peterken 7S (Cello) 2nd George Hardy 8L (Cello) 3rd Nastya Zinoveva 6D (Violin) Junior Voice 1st Finn Cutts 5L 2nd Gwener Wood 3T 3rd Meredith Aylott 5G Senior Voice 1st Freya Coull 8L =2nd Arabella Finch 8L =2nd Charles Hellens 8W =3rd Annie Finan 7B =3rd Isabella Reid 8W Junior Piano 1st Sasha Fernandes 4S 2nd Grace Ren 4E 3rd Violet Bailey 5G Senior Piano 1st Annie Finan 7B 2nd Charles Hellens 8W 3rd Dorothea Peterken 7S
We also held our most recent meeting of Upper School book club where we discussed Terror Kid by Benjamin Zephaniah. The overall judgment was positive and that it was a powerful, contemporary story. Easter ideas from the Library •
Challenge yourself to read a book or finish one that you have been reading for ages!
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Perhaps visit somewhere Shakespeare-related. The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford are running lots of events over the holidays and the Globe Theatre in London is always worth a visit.
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Have a go at the design a book token competition. The closing date is Tuesday 12 April (first day back). They can be brought to the library and Mrs Dawson is happy to send them off. There are rules about the size of the design but more information can be found at www.worldbookday.com/competitions/token
The overall House results are: 1st Troy 2nd Persia 3rd Rome 4th Corinth 5th Athens 6th Sparta Prep for The Week Issue Number 1823 18 March 2016
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Girls' Sports U10 matches v St Olaves, a touring team from York – Friday 11 March Report by Eva Colbourne, Lilly Poulain and Faith Urbanovsky On Friday we played netball matches against St. Olaves School from York. We found it challenging because they were a very good team and the matches were intense. Both teams played with good sportsmanship. The A team drew their match 9-9, the B team won 11-1 and the C team won 9-2. This was our last match and next season we would like to improve our passing skills. At the end we had match tea and we were presented with a teddy bear by the St. Olaves coach to say thank you. It was a really nice afternoon.
U8 Prior Park Tournament – Saturday 12 March We took two teams to the tournament. Each team were in a group of 5 so had 4 matches to play. Miss Helm’s team enjoyed their 4 matches and it was a great opportunity for the girls to practise their skills in a competitive environment. They played in different positions and immersed themselves in the morning of netball. Mrs Coley’s team were focused and determined. They won 3 of the 4 group matches, only losing to St Swithuns, putting them through to the semi finals as runner up of their group. They are really beginning to play well as a team and strength of passing has improved enabling the girls to move and pass into spaces and use more of the court. Particular mention must go to the defence who were tireless, intercepting numerous balls to gain possession for our team. The team won their semi-final and were now to meet St Swithuns for a second time and hope this time to beat them and win the tournament. Sadly they got the better of us again, we tried our best but they were a good team. Mrs Coley’s team were thrilled to have enjoyed so much netball and proud to have achieved second place. Group matches Cheltenham Prep v St Edward’s Cheltenham Prep v Beaudesert Cheltenham Prep v St Hugh’s Cheltenham Prep v St Swithuns
won 3-0 won 4-1 won 3-2 lost 1-6
Semi-final Cheltenham Prep v Pinewood
won 2-0
Final Cheltenham Prep v St Swithuns
lost 0-2
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Girls' Netball Results TEAM OPPOSITION DATE SCORE RESULT 1st VII Denmark Road HSFG Wed 16 Mar 20 – 10 WON 2nd VII Denmark Road HSFG Wed 16 Mar 20 – 11 WON 3rd VII Denmark Road HSFG Wed 16 Mar 9 – 14 LOST 4th VII Denmark Road HSFG Wed 16 Mar 4 – 8 LOST 5th VII Denmark Road HSFG Wed 16 Mar 1 – 18 LOST
Team of the Week – 1sts and 2nds It was a great end to the season for both our 1st and 2nd netball teams with confident victories against Denmark Road. The girls have worked hard in training and in matches this term and it was great to end the season on a high. Well done Girls!
s and s, fixture witter! w e n r o F s on T follow u , s e t a d up repgirls @cheltp
Boys' Sports Boys' Hockey Results TEAM OPPONENT RESULT SCORE 1st VII St Hugh’s Won 4-1 2nd VII St Hugh’s Drew 3-3 3rd VII St Hugh’s Won 6-2 4th VII St Hugh’s Lost 2-3 5th VII St Hugh’s Won 5-0 6th VII St Hugh’s Won 5-1 U11A Prior Park Tournament Finished 5th U11B Prior Park Colts B Drew 1-1 U11C Prior Park Colts C Lost 0-1 U10ABC Beaudesert Football Fest N/A U9A Clifton Lost 1-3 U9B Clifton Won 4-0 U9C Clifton Won
Pre-Season Cricket Training - Saturday 9 April 10.00 Lower School until 11.30 10.00 Middle School until 12.00 10.00 Upper School until 15.00
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For n update ews, fixtures a s, follo w us o nd n @chelt prep_b Twitter! oys
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All changes and additions to the School Calendar appear in pink.
Calendar
Monday, 11 April 2016, Week 1 11 - 17 April 17:00 Boarders return 17:30 The Trials and Tribulations of Parenthood - Dick Moore. 17:30 Years 3-8 parents welcome (Assembly Hall) 18:00 Boarders' Tea Tuesday, 12 April 2016 08:00 Term resumes Wednesday, 13 April 2016 09:30 Year 3 Trip to Hayden Water Treatment Works 12:45 Departure for Cricket v Wycliffe (A): 2nd XI, 3rd XI, U11A XI, U11B XI. Start 14:15. Pick up 18:30 14:00 Middle School Rounders Training and Trials 14:00 Upper School Tennis Training and Trials 14:00 Cricket Nets for 4th XI, U10B XI, Wanderers XI. Pick up 16:15 14:00 Ready for Reception for Prospective Parents 14:15 Cricket v Wycliffe (H): 1st XI, 5th XI, U10A XI, U9A VIII, U9B VIII, U9C VIII. Pick up 18:00 for 1st XI, 17:30 for 5th, U10A and 16:30 for U9s 16:00 Staff v 1st VII Netball. Pick up 17:15 Friday, 15 April 2016 08:00 Friends of The Prep Coffee Morning (Drawing Room) 09:00 Fun Friday Pre-3s Stay & Play in Kingfisher Cottage 14:15 Chapel (parents welcome) 16:15 Athens and Rome House Trip to Jumptastic. Pick up 18:30 Saturday, 16 April 2016 08:15 Departure for Cricket v Llandaff School (A): U11A XI, U10A XI. Start 10:00. Pick up 15:00 09:00 Lower School Rounders Training and Trials. Pick up 10:15 09:00 Middle School Tennis Training and Trials. Pick up 10:15 10:00 Cricket v Llandaff School (H): U9A VIII, U9B VIII, U9C VIII. Pick up 12:30 10:00 Internal Cricket Match (H): U8s. Pick up 12:00 10:00 Optional Cricket Nets for non-match Middle and Upper School. Pick up 11:00 10:15 Upper School Tennis Training and Trials. Pick up 11:30 11:00 Cricket v Cardiff District Side (H): 1st XI. Pick up 16:00 Sunday, 17 April 2016 09:30 Boarders' Theme Park Adventure (Full and Regular Flexi-Boarders Only)
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NOTICES Happy Birthday to the following pupils, who celebrate their birthday during the holidays! Martha Keene 5
Harry Dawson 11
Jasmine Walker 5
Lily Bond 11
Annalise Lopez 5 Daisy de Quincey Adams 6 6
Orlando Gledhill Ghaus Choudhary
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Hector Evans 8 Bertie Bennett 8 Lily Ropner 8 Thomas Peterken
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Eva de Quincey Adams 11 Clova Logan 11 Claudie MacInnes
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Georgina Hamer 12
Harry Hamer 12 Dorothea Peterken
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Ross Broughton-John son 12
Charles Hellens 13
Paras Aggarwal 9
Deji Adetona 13
Charles Mills 9
Thomas Buxton 14
Harriet Keen 9 Teddy Bennett 10
Jessica Hale 13
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Please note that the Easter Holiday opening hours will be: Wednesday 6 April: 14.00 - 16.00 Thursday 7 April: 14.00 - 16.00 To make an appointment, please contact the Shop Manager, Emma Collings, on either 07770 678698 or email uniformshop@ cheltenhamcollege.org
Tuesday 29th March – Friday 8th April 2016 AT CHELTENHAM COLLEGE SPORTS CENTRE l
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