Prep for the Week Summer week 1

Prep for the Week Issue Number 1888 – 20 April 2018

In this week’s issue…

Headmaster's Blog Kingfishers Update Lower School News Happy Puzzle Day Cricket News Good Luck Mr Wells Story Success Sport Updates Birthday Announcements

k! c a b e Welcom ad h l l a u yo y l l u f e Hop re a d n a er t s a E t he t a grea f o n fu e h t r o ready f ! m r e t r e Summ

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Headmaster's Blog

Dear Parents Welcome back everyone! I hope that you managed to enjoy a break with your children and that we all are ready for the final term of this academic year. Included in this edition is a request from Mr Wells, who will run the London Marathon this Sunday. With reference to Mr Wells’ gargantuan efforts to prepare and run such a race, finishing off the Summer Term in the right manner is relatively similar. An academic year is a long period of time, and for all it will have already included some good times and some which have been more challenging. Most important is to finish the academic year strongly and not allow oneself to tail off as one reaches the finishing line.

Prep for The Week Issue Number 1888 20 April 2018

The Summer Term contains its own specific hurdles, not least for those who face examinations. Other matters can also prey on young minds, ranging in importance from the construction of the new class groupings to having to take part in Sports Day. Whatever it may be, a combination of resilience and support from school and home will enable all children to finish the marathon that has been the academic year 2017/18 on a high.

We all look forward to working with you and, as always, I look forward to seeing you at various school events!

Mr Jon Whybrow Headmaster

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Kingfishers Update A message from Mrs Buttress It was lovely to welcome back the boys and girls on Tuesday and see their smiling faces again. We also welcome our new families to Kingfishers. We have had a busy week with our topic launch days and the term will continue in much the same way!

Our planned trips include the Cotswold Farm Park for Nursery, the Wildlife Park for Reception and Giffords Circus for Years 1 and 2. We look forward to welcoming parents to Lunch Week, to watch some maypole dancing, our Summer Concert and Open Afternoons, Sports Day and our Summer Production. Year 2 begin their transition activities in Lower School and their special events including their Swimming Gala and their Cricket Festival. Thank you as always for the support that you give us to enable these activities to be successful for the boys and girls in Kingfishers.

Nursery Topic Launch Day

The Minibeast Topic Launch Day created some ‘jungle’ fun in Forest School. The Nursery children were energetic and enthusiastic in their hunt for minibeasts of all sorts. No slug or snail was safe!

They also had their own ‘Bush Tucker Trial’. They had to be brave and put their hands into the bug box and feel the bug or beastie inside.

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Kingfishers Update Reception Topic Launch Day The Reception children were certainly mad about minibeasts on their topic launch day this week. The day started with an adventure into the wilderness of Forest School. The children carried out a range of bug hunting activities and were surprised at how many they were able to find. They confidently picked up worms, snails, beetles and centipedes.

A lesson in thorough handwashing ensued before the children munched their crispy wings, ladybird milk and slug water for snacks. Fortunately, the Kingfishers agreed that it would be a good idea to leave the minibeasts outside. We continued our launch day by completing art and craft activities in the classroom. The children have enjoyed the first week of our minibeast topic but we do hope your houses remain minibeast free, although we cannot guarantee it!

KS1 Topic Launch Day Years 1 and 2 very much enjoyed their topic launch at Circus School. Our very own Mr Theedom is very talented when it comes to Circus Skills and he taught the children all sorts of tricks and skills.

The children practised juggling with scarves and plate spinning. Then they performed their new skills to their peers and received a big round of applause, just like if they were in the Circus!

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Welcome back to a new term and all the exciting events we are looking forward to in Years 3 and 4.

Within the first few weeks both year groups will be out and about on trips to support their History topics. Year 4 will be exploring SS Great Britain and Year 3 investigating the Romans at the Corinium Museum.

These trips will be great fun and provide an inspirational start to the learning that will take place throughout the rest of the term. Later in the term we have our trip to the Cheltenham Science Festival planned, also we will be holding our own Science Day so that we can take part in lots of additional, practical learning experiences. Looking forward to the end of term we will be encouraging all of Lower School to become Young Apprentices. Finally, there is the much anticipated Bushcraft trip for Year 4 and the Year 3 Sleepover and activity days. The term ends on a high note with the Lower School BBQ for pupils, parents and staff, do please save the date, Tuesday 26 June.

This is always an exciting term for Year 4 as they near the end of their time in Lower School. Working together with Middle School we have planned a variety of activities for both pupils and parents that will ease the transition to Year 5.

Some of the key events for the pupils are listed below.

Please also note the Transition Meeting for parents on Friday 25 May at 15.00.

Date Weekly Tuesday 1 May

Tuesday 3 May

Monday 14 May Wednesday 13 June Monday 11, Friday 15 June Monday 18 June Monday 25 June

Lower School News

Throughout Lower School there is a busy buzz as pupils and staff alike have thrown themselves into the new term. Year 4 pupils are showing their increased independence as they make their way to class on their own, pack and carry their own bags in the morning and show just how responsible they are with their attitudes towards learning in and out of class.

Year 3 have already started finding out about Roman mosaics and trying to create them. All the boys and girls in Lower School are working hard on their new topics in class, discovering and investigating outside and enjoying the start of term. Playtime has become even more fun, everyone is enjoying the sunshine and finding a whole variety of different, Summer fun activities to experience. What a fabulous start! I am sure that we will all have a happy and productive final term.

Amanda Grieves Head of Lower School

Event or Activity Head of Section to lunch with Year 4 Year 4 to join Middle School break time and Q&A Year 4 to join Middle School break time and Q&A 15.30 selected 5J pupils to talk in LS Assembly Science lesson in the Science Labs 11.15-11.55 Changing Rooms at Games Year 5 Experience morning 08.30 - 13.15 Meet your tutor tea 16.15 - 17.15

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Happy Puzzle Company On Thursday the Happy Puzzle Company organised a great day of different activities with Reception to Year 6. It focused on the key skills of challenge, perseverance and participation.

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Story Success

Sofia Games received some exciting news over the Easter holidays - she is through to the second round of BBC Radio 2’s ’500 words’ story writing competition!

Over 150,000 short stories were sent in from around the country this year, including dozens of entries from The Prep. Sofia’s story, ‘The Loved One’ is down to the last 5,000 stories and she will hear in May whether she has made it to the final 50.

The Loved One There was once a bar maid, a mysterious lady, who cared for others a thousand times more than herself. She was waiting patiently for someone to return, her loved one. She wondered whether her mission was just a dream? Perhaps this longed for person did not want to be found again?

Everyday, she would leave a pint of beer on the wooden table for her loved one. This daily ritual of setting out the drink was second nature to her. The smell of lavender, freshly cut from the meadow behind the Inn, rose from the vase that stood proudly on the highly polished table, where the drink was placed. She loved how a beam of golden sunlight gazed back at her face, when she held the vase up to the window.

Would her loved one return to share this wonderful sight too?

One bright day, the bar maid was pouring the pint when a customer tried to move the chair that she had carefully placed beside the table, in readiness for her loved one. The bar maid shook her head in disapproval and briskly moved the customer away. As she worked, she became aware of the silhouette of a ragged soul stood wearily in the doorway. He was a battered soldier returning from war, still wearing the muddy, stained uniform that had hung off him for days.

She whirled around, her eyes immediately catching his exhausted glance. She could sense the torment behind his grey, hollowed eyes and walked quickly across to put a supportive arm around his ghostly features, guiding him across to the waiting table and chair.

The soldier sat down tentatively and reached his bony hand out towards the glass of cold beer.

His eyes closed as he quietly savoured the taste and contentment dribbled back into his war torn body.

Deep in her heart, she knew this face before her. It was the man that she had been waiting for – her husband, the loved one. He had returned to her, after almost giving his own life to save the lives of others. He had been fighting at war for years on end. Endless years. Now it was their time.

The time for their happiness to return.

He was who she had been waiting for….

Her husband. The loved one.

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Good luck Mr Wells!

Good luck to Mr Wells who this Sunday will be running the London Marathon for a cause very close to his heart. Read his story below...

Last Autumn, our son George bravely faced down a major lymphoma scare, during which he endured an operation and an unimaginable amount of worry. We were lucky, he was given the all-clear in November.

I can't describe the relief we all felt when we were told he was going to be OK after all. Time had stood still for the weeks of tests and assessments.

We left the consulting room that day elated to have won life's lottery, but I was immediately struck by the realisation that every day, children and their parents walk out of a meeting like that with a very different reality. In fact, 4,000 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK. That’s ten, every day, who are not so lucky.

On the way home from the hospital Faye and I discussed how we could help those who are not so lucky. I had run a marathon in my 30s so decided to dust off the trainers that night and started running.

That seems like a long time ago now and, since then, I was delighted to be offered a place on the Children with Cancer London Marathon Team and, just this week, passed the 30km milestone in my training (in tatters!).

Children with Cancer UK is a wonderful charity - the leading national children’s charity dedicated to the fight against childhood cancer. They fund life-saving research into the causes, prevention and treatment of childhood cancer and they work to protect young lives through essential welfare programmes.

Visit www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk/what-we-do to find out more about their vital work.

Please do all you can to help this fantastic charity - I'm meeting my marathon costs in full, so every penny of your donations will go straight where it is needed most.

If you would like to support children with cancer through sponsorship of my marathon campaign, please log on to my Just Giving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/Robert-Wells6 Thank you for your support!

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Corinth rounders This week Corinth managed to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine to enjoy some Rounders games out on the field during their House meeting. Hopefully this weather will continue!

The Charity Club ‘Grow Your Own Cash’ would like to thank parents and pupils for their support at the end of last term. Our sale of ‘squishies’ and novelty pencil erasers was very busy and very popular and we sold out within ten minutes! The club started in September with just £10 and have invested their money wisely so that their profit grows after each event. Thanks to your support they now have a grand total of £604.72.

All of this money will go to HEAL Romania but the boys have not finished yet: our next venture will be a stall at the Friends of The Prep Summer Fete. Over the next few weeks they will be conducting market research to find out what will be most popular, with the aim of breaking the £1,000 barrier. Please save your pocket money for 16 June!

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Thank You

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Cricket Update Dear Parents, The Summer Term of cricket is rather more complex than the simple nature of rugby, or hockey. Therefore please find below a guide to help you understand the term ahead.

Timings Although a set time is given on team sheets, cricket very rarely hits these times. Matches are organised by number of overs, how long each team takes over an over can vary. If it rains, the game can be delayed until it stops, if tea is rather good it can delay the game (tea is taken half way through rather than at the end). All of these situations can result in the team finishing late. On the other hand, if a team is bowled out quickly, then the match could be finished very, very early. I’m afraid each match is a bit of a lottery. Staff will endeavour to clarion at the earliest opportunity. We will do our best to keep parents in the loop, but this term is a long way from an exact science.

Kit Firstly, we do not train in ‘whites’ as we would hate to ask parents to remove grass stains four times a week.

We only wear whites for matches, the boys will need box pants, but can otherwise wear PE or Games kit for training sessions.

Box pants – the most embarrassing moment for any child is when the box falls down their trouser leg, which occurs when they wear a pair of boxer shorts. There are two options on a cricket day, the first is to wear box shorts – these are specially designed pants with a pocket for the box, available from all sports shops. The other option is to simply wear a pair of y-fronts over a pair of boxer shorts to achieve the same effect.

All boys from Year 5 to Year 8 must wear a blazer to their cricket match and for the match tea. They do not need to carry uniform, but will receive a minus if they do not have their blazer for the game.

All boys must have in their bag: • Suncream • Hat – this can either be a wide brimmed cricket hat, or a plain blue baseball cap. Branded options are also available from Schoolblazer.

• Waterbottle

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As I write this, the weather is overcast, but when the sun comes out it can be very punishing. In order to play through a hot afternoon the boys must take the sun protection seriously. I would, however, also advise a warm cricket jumper, for when the weather lets us down and the boys are freezing in the field.

You may also find your son returning home with wild claims that Mr Simpson has demanded they purchase a (insert vague piece of cricket equipment) or they will be dropped. To confirm, this is not the case. All teams have a team kit bag containing equipment for all boys to use, there is no need to actually purchase any equipment beyond their cricket whites. I do however have a list of equipment, with a priority list of what to purchase for your child, if you are feeling generous !

1. A box – imagine using a team box that has been used by hundreds of other boys...

2. A cricket bat – all boys like to have their own bat and will become used to using it. Please ensure it is not too big, or heavy for them to use.

3. Batting gloves – having your own gloves, rather than team gloves, will add to the comfort.

4. Batting pads – running and moving in pads is quite an art, the more used to a certain set, the easier it will be to move.

5. Cricket bag – once you purchase pads, they will not fit in a normal kit bag, so you will end up purchasing a cricket bag !

6. Helmet – all children playing hard ball cricket must wear a helmet. Each team will bring three with them, but some boys will have their own.

7. Spikes – we would only expect boys in the 1st XI, or U11A to play with spikes due to the level and speed of play once the ground becomes wet. Boys in other teams will be fine with trainers, but spikes will benefit their play.

8. At this point you then move into the world of arm guards and thigh pads.

The only extra would be for any wicket keepers. The school will provide wicket keeper pads, gloves and helmets, however I would suggest keepers have their own “inners” – these are cotton gloves that they wear inside the heavy keeper gloves and can be purchased cheaply online.

Please talk with your son’s cricket coach for further information, but hopefully this will answer some of the questions that may occur.

Fingers crossed for dry weather !

Mr Simpson

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Notices BIRTHDAYS Happy birthday to the following pupils who have their birthdays this week: Freya Jones (4) Hannah Davies (10) Sebastian Friessner-Day (11) Michael Warr (9) Jason Mawundula (13) Lulu Hiscock (6)

Spring 2018 – Full ABRSM results

Candidate

Subject

Grade

Cat

EMMILINE CYPHUS-HOCKEN

SINGING

01

Distinction

HARRY DAWSON

TROMBONE

04

Merit

MAYA FORDE

SINGING

02

Merit

ISABELLE MARRIOTT

SINGING

02

Distinction

BEATRIZ MARTIN-ARTAJO

PIANO

01

Pass

ISABELLA MAWDESLEY-THOMAS

SINGING

03

Distinction

SOPHIA MCCARTHY

SINGING

01

Merit

RESUL NURJANOV

PIANO

01

Pass

JAMIE REID

TRUMPET

05

Merit

JAMIE REID

SINGING

05

Merit

TALLULAH THOMSON

SINGING

04

Distinction

MONTY WAYMAN

SINGING

01

Pass

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Mind the Gap! Family Life in a Digital Age Notices Many of you will have seen the above event advertised in the school calendar on Monday 23 April in the Assembly Hall at 6.30pm.

"Toddlers reach for iPads, young children insist they need iPhones and our tweens are often in the grip of social media. Come and hear about research, what's going on in the games and apps our children are using and get practical tips to keep a balance amidst the technology."

The evening will be led by Rachel Melville-Thomas (College and Prep School Child Psychotherapist) and an Upper Sixth Form pupil from College, to ensure that we are giving you the very latest information and advice on how to manage the ever-changing world of technology with your children.

All parents are welcome, whatever the age of your children and we strongly recommend that you attend. Should you have any questions about this event, please do feel free to get in touch.

Invites you to drinks at

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS on

Thursday 21st June 7.30pm - 10.30pm To Book Card Payments: 01242 265694 Online Booking: cheltoniansociety.org Cheques Payable to: Cheltenham College Post to: Rebecca Creed, Society Manager Cheltenham College Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire, GL53 7LD r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org Prep for The Week Issue Number 1888 20 April 2018

Price: £40pp Includes: Welcome drink & canapés Cash Bar

Subject to demand, a return coach from Cheltenham will be available at £10pp.

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Notices Invites you to

THROUGHAM COURT GARDEN on

Thursday 5th July 2018 Througham Court, Througham, Gloucestershire, GL6 7HG To Book Card Payments: 01242 265694 Online Booking: cheltoniansociety.org Cheques Payable to: Cheltenham College Post to: Rebecca Creed, Society Manager Cheltenham College Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire, GL53 7LD r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org

2.30pm - 5.00pm Price: £30pp Programme 2.30pm Garden Tour with Dr Christine Facer 4.00pm Tea in The Garden Room

Invites you to

THE BREWIN DOLPHIN CHELTENHAM CRICKET FESTIVAL Gloucestershire v Durham The Specsavers County Championship Game on

Sunday 22nd July 2018

To Book Card Payments: 01242 265694 Online Booking: cheltoniansociety.org Cheques Payable to: Cheltenham College Post to: Rebecca Creed, Society Manager Cheltenham College Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire, GL53 7LD r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org

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Price: £60pp or £50 for under 16s Programme 10.30am - 6.00pm Cash Bar Open 11.00am Play Starts 12 noon Welcome Drink 1.00pm (approx) Buffet Luncheon 3.40pm (approx) Afternoon Tea

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Notices

Friends of The Prep invite you to join in the fun at the...

PARENTS’ CRICKET AND TENNIS TOURNAMENT

SUNDAY 10 JUNE If you would like to enter the Doubles Tennis tournament, please contact Lucy Hill on lucy24bennerley@yahoo.co.uk Don’t worry, you don’t need to have a doubles partner - this is a friendly tournament where partners swap after each match!

If you are a cricketer and wish to participate, please contact Tim Buttress on tim.buttress@hotmail.com A delicious match tea will be served at 15.30.

Thank you and we really hope you can come, the event will be a lot of fun!

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