Prep for the Week Issue Number 1889 – 27 April 2018
In this week’s issue… Headmaster's Blog and Commendations Kingfishers Update Lower School News A view from the History department Boarding House News Sport Updates Library development update Teaching for the Future Invitations to meet Tom O'Sullivan Birthday Announcements
g n i n i l c e d e h t e t i nd Desp a y g r e en e h t , r e n o weathe y r e v fe o m s a i ot enthus n s a h ep r P e h er at T h t o n a ing r u d d e dropp ek! e w y s bu Follow us on Twitter: @CheltPrep
Prep for The Week Issue Number 1889 27 April 2018
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Headmaster's Blog
Dear Parents The game of cricket excites great debate, whether one is a player, a spectator or a completely disinterested and bemused human being who can’t understand why or how. Normally, I would be wary of using a sport associated with one gender to make a point, especially in a truly co-educational school. But ‘times are a changing’ and this term sees the introduction of girls’ cricket in Lower and Middle School. Inevitably, reactions will vary from ‘it wouldn’t have happened in my day in the Junior’ through ‘when will boys be allowed to play tennis’ to ‘about time too’. Whatever one’s views, girls’ cricket, the slow demise of rounders as a team sport of choice in the summer term for girls and the advent of co-educational summer sport, especially for children up to the age of 11 are all here to stay. In my opinion, it is good news as cricket is a game that teaches children many relevant lessons: - It’s an activity where one can’t always be at the centre of attention. - It’s a team game that relies heavily on the meshing together of a range of individual talents. - If you’re out, you’re out – there’s no second chances. - The ability to concentrate on the task in hand inevitably improves the chances of success. - There’s room for clear and genuine sportsmanship. At a time when the clamour for success in public examinations risks undermining the opportunity to play such time-consuming games as cricket, we all need to remain aware of the benefits of team activities such as sport, music and drama. The sense of belonging, in whichever team, is critical to a child’s enjoyment of all aspects of school and it is in the cocurricular sphere that a child can find it.
Future planning The Autumn Term is all about the present. The Spring Term slowly develops, dealing with some historical issues, the present and planning for the future begins. This term, a lot of time is spent planning for the new academic year and with this comes not only excitement but also nervousness and trepidation. Some of your concerns, or those of your children can be dealt with by talking with your child’s form teacher or tutor. Or perhaps you need to speak to your Head of Section? The answer might lie with the Deputies responsible for specific aspects of the school. So please let me remind you of their roles and encourage you to contact them if you are at all concerned about something which lies ahead in the new academic year. For pastoral issues, please contact Mr Jenkins: n.jenkins@cheltenhamcollege.org
For academic issues, please contact Mrs Hamlyn. r.hamlyn@cheltenhamcollege.org
For matters to do with the organisation of the school, please contact Mr Wells. r.wells@cheltenhamcollege.org Mr Jon Whybrow Headmaster
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HEADMASTER'S COMMENDATIONS
HEADMASTER'S COMMENDATIONS
Mia Evans
Bob Wells
Surprising herself with her achievements at the Swimming Gala showing how important it is to participate.
Diana Mawundula
Showing determination to participate at the Swimming Gala.
Iola Waley-Cohen
Participating in the Swimming Gala despite feeling nervous.
Matilda Kitson
For completing the London Marathon.
Joshua Whatley
Writing an engaging account of the Year 7 trip to the Big Bang fair.
Edward Davies
Creating an interesting and informative poster on the Romans.
Lily Flatman
Being the first person in Year 3 to achieve her Gold Award for mental maths.
Demonstrating empathy and kindness to younger members of Athens during the Swimming Gala.
Toby Jones
Showing strong improvement in English from the November to the recent Mock Exam.
Alice Dawson
For her fantastic spelling work.
Jack Evans
Showing great awareness of danger and quick thinking when he raced across the field to stop a toddler from running into the car park.
Prep for The Week Issue Number 1889 27 April 2018
Congratulations to Hector McPherson who has been selected to represent the U10 District Cricket team for 2018! Congratulations to Finn Cutts who has received a distinction in his Grade 3 singing exam! 3
Kingfishers Update Reception's St. George's Day The Reception children thoroughly enjoyed celebrating St George’s day this week. After making their own swords and shields they made their way into Forest School to help look for dragon eggs. Much to their surprise, a real dragon appeared to reward them for their efforts. The dragon explained that he was very friendly and asked the children if they would like to have a snack with him. The children tucked into their delicious jam scones and waved goodbye to the mysterious dragon.
Year 1 Clowns Year 1 have been working on their skills of teamwork and collaboration. On Wednesday afternoon, as part of their Circus topic, the children were challenged to work together in small groups to design and create their own life-sized clowns. The teachers were very impressed with how well the children worked as part of a team and they produced some excellent clowns.
Coming soon to a nursery near you... We have dusted off the maypole and practice is well underway in the Nursery. A quick reminder to all Nursery parents that the children will be showing off their new skills at 3pm on Friday 4 May and you are all welcome to come along and watch. Prep for The Week Issue Number 1889 27 April 2018
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Year 3 Science Year 3 were treated to a visit by the Year 8 Science Scholars this week. They came armed with resources and lesson plans to teach our Year 3s all about photosynthesis and respiration. The Year 8s planned and delivered the lessons to a very high standard and provided the Year 3s with practical opportunities to learn more and experiment with different equipment. The Scholars had a lovely manner with the younger children who in turn enjoyed learning from those at the top of the school. They gave the Year 3s the opportunity to experiment, explore and investigate how plants grow and also answered their questions about Science lessons further up the school. Thank you to our Year 8 Scholars for an extremely interesting and thought-provoking afternoon.
Lower School News
Year 4 Explorers The Year 4 pupils enjoyed an excellent visit to The SS Great Britain. They took part in a Brunel workshop to find about the feats of his engineering, focusing on The Bristol suspension bridge, Paddington train station, Temple Meads train station, the Box bridge and of course The SS Great Britain ship. The group then enjoyed a tour of the ship taking in the sights and smells. They were fascinated by the difference in first class and third class (steerage), especially the sleeping compartments. The pupils enjoyed meeting Mary Compton, Doctor Archer and many other passengers. Some interesting facts the children learnt during the day were; The English cricket team sailed on the SS Great Britain to reach Australia in an Ashes series. Women gave birth to babies onboard whilst sailing. Live animals were kept on board for food. The ship delivered about 1,600 soldiers and 27 horses to the Crimea war. The new ‘Being Brunel’ museum has recently opened so the group could ride the first railway carriage design, explore his offices and much more. The highlight of the trip was dressing up for the launch of the ship and overall Year 4 had a brilliant time learning a huge amount to aid them in their ‘Explorers’ topic.
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A view from the History Department The start of the Summer Term is a great opportunity to reflect on the success and progress of The Prep School History Department. This time last year we were looking forward to the second instalment of the ‘House History Competition’, which was retained by Troy, who narrowly beat Athens again in the final! We were then thoroughly entertained by the Scholars’ Film Production, ‘Keeping Up with the Klaimants’, a piece that had been written, filmed and directed by themselves, as a part of the History Post-Scholarship Programme, loosely based on the drama surrounding the vacant throne of 1066. It was an excellent adaptation that really brought the topic to life and there were some memorable performances! I am biased, but it is great to spend a whole morning towards the end of the year celebrating History as well as some of the top Prep Historians. There was great success last Summer Term with the Common Entrance History Examinations, where The Prep maintained the tradition of receiving the Top History Common Entrance Candidate to College, this year received by Eddie Buttress, as well as another set of excellent Scholarship Examinations results. A fruitful Summer always leads to starting the Autumn Term with energy. We are very fortunate to have gained the services of Mr Bass, another History Specialist, who has taken on the teaching of Year 6, as well as sharing Years 7 and 8. There are not many Prep School History Departments in the country, teaching Years 5 to 8, that hold three members of Staff who are all History specialists with degrees in the subject! Mr Bass has taught up to A Level and was most recently teaching at Kings’ School Canterbury, he brings a wealth of experience to the Department, as well as a great sense of fun and enjoyment of the subject. Mr Simpson has continued to make the Year 5 Syllabus his own and it has been very satisfying to see pupils build an understanding of the links between the two World Wars. Mr Bass has overseen a transformation of the Year 6 studies, still focusing on the Tudors and the Stuarts, as well as following the monarchs’ reigns, but also picking out key moments and events that deserve to be explored in greater detail. Year 7 began by making their traditional voyage from the year of 1066 to examine William the Conqueror’s Norman Conquest, before moving on to Henry II and Thomas Becket and will be finishing their adventure with the Crusades. Year 8 commenced in September with the reign of King John, drawing on their knowledge of Medieval History to evaluate his reign, then moving to the deadly Black Death and will finally embark on the great English and French conflict, the Edwardian Phase of the Hundred Years’ War, sadly there isn’t enough time to get through all 116 years! One of the great strengths of the Department are the extra-curricular opportunities available in the subject. In Upper School, we very much cater for ‘History Enthusiasts’, of any ability, to extend their quest for knowledge. History Club continues to thrive, with almost 20 members this Term, while also competing with a number of popular Tuesday Clubs! Topics which have been researched this academic year include ‘Historical Heroes and Villains’, as well as our current enquiry on ‘Rebellions and Revolts’. As ever, the pupils have diligently gone about their investigations, producing some fantastic pieces.
Our prize finalists Prep for three The WeekTownsend-Warner Issue Number 1889 27 April 2018
History Club Spring Term (2018)
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In addition to History Club is the chance to take part in the Townsend-Warner History Prize. The Competition is over 125 years old and is one of the oldest institutions in the preparatory school world. The Prize consists of two papers. The first is one hour long and has 100 questions demanding oneword or one-sentence answers from world History, but with a strong emphasis on British History. Some questions are straightforward and many are more obscure. Of the 1,000+ pupils who enter, 250 pupils qualify from Paper 1 to sit Paper 2. The second Paper is two hours long and in the form of essay questions, these allow candidates a wide choice so that they can write on what they know, but also potential to show analytical skill and Historical imagination. This year, 20 Cheltenham College Prep Upper School pupils entered the Competition, meeting during break times to learn about different parts of History that the syllabus does not cover and practice their Historical general knowledge. Continuing the success of six pupils gaining entry to the Second Round in the last three years, this time round, three candidates qualified from Paper 1 to sit Paper 2, a superb achievement and a record number of Prep pupils invited to sit the next stage! Luke Richardson was placed 233rd nationally with a highly commendable score of 45/100 in Paper 1, Harry Dawson did extremely well to improve on his position from last year (finished 169th overall in 2017) with an 101st placing, scoring 56/100, and finally, William Hall managed to break the hundred barrier to finish in 77th place with an excellent mark of 59. All three boys performed exceptionally in Paper 2. Luke jumped 66 places to be placed a superb 167th overall, scoring an impressive 68/100 in Paper 2. Harry performed equally well with a 67/100 result, finishing 102nd overall. William scored an amazing 73/100 in Paper 2, seeing his position rise 17 places to finish 60th nationally, a real triumph. These are all magnificent results in a national competition, against some of the top Prep Schools in the country. The quality of their written work, not just their knowledge, clearly showed due to their high scores and positions gained within the Top 250 as a result of the Second Paper. The learning in the classroom has been extremely well complemented by a wide variety of trips, visitors and events. Year 5 will visit the Imperial War Museum in June, Year 6 have their annual Trip to Coughton Court and Bosworth Battlefield to look forward to later this Term, helping to put into context the Tudor and Stuart monarchs but also the obsession of religion which dominates these eras. Year 7 immensely enjoyed an overnight History Trip to Kent which explored; a full-sized replica of the Bayeux Tapestry in Reading, a visit to Canterbury Cathedral to see where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered and a tour of the Battle of Hastings! Not to mention a night in a hotel and food at Pizza Express! This perfectly accompanied the Year 7 programme of study and will help to build a greater picture of these significant events, the benefits of which have certainly been felt in lessons. The History Department will remain passionate about bringing History to life at The Prep and in exploring new ways of inspiring the next generation of Historians, as well as providing for those who have a real passion for the subject. Mr R D W Baird, Head of History
House History Summer Term 2017, Winning
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House,Troy!
Year 7 History Trip to Kent (2018)
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Boarding House Update The Boarders have enjoyed being able to get outside in the lighter evenings since returning to school. We started off with a whole house game of Crocker (a sort of mix of football and cricket) and since then have seen a lot of cricket and football as well as tennis skills being practiced on the field. At the weekend we headed to Cadbury World for an afternoon of chocolate. There were reports of a multitude of 'free' chocolate bars, pots of melted chocolate, an opportunity to write in chocolate, as well as a variety of cinema and other interactive experiences. Thank you to Miss Ramsay and the Gaps for leading the trip. We hope to see a return of the Summer weather as many Boarders take part in the Charity Tennis Tournament on Sunday morning, and hope to be able to continue making the most of our outside facilities.
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Sport Update Tennis Team of the week Upper School Away (A and B teams)
Despite torrential rain in Cheltenham, the sun shone continuously at Beaudesert, and it was the perfect opening for the top ability Upper School girls' matches this season. The girls had the opportunity to play lots of tennis; each pair playing three or four timed matches in their group. We have been encouraging communication between the players and it was good to observe the dialogue between the pairs, and the encouragement of one another. The standard of tennis has really improved overall. There are still some areas to work on, but this was a very encouraging start.
Prep for The Week Issue Number 1889 27 April 2018
Tennis Results Upper School Home vs Beaudesert 26 - 7 Upper School Away vs Beaudesert 15 - 8 U11 Home vs Beaudesert 7 - 17 U11 Away vs Beaudesert 7 - 18 U10 Home vs Beaudesert 19 - 22
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Sport Update Cricket Team of the Week U10A beating Beaudesert by 2 wickets The initial sunshine that greeted our arrival for the start of term is now well and truly a distant memory and we have now experienced the two most quintessential elements of an English summer – rained off cricket and batting collapses! On Wednesday Cheltenham U10s won the toss and put Beaudesert into bat. Conditions underfoot were somewhat damp, but the Cheltenham bowlers charged into action. It was a 20/20 game, with Beaudesert struggling on 8 for 1 after 5 overs following a dominant display. The strong bowling was backed up by a tidy field and an enthusiastic wicketkeeper. The Beaudesert coach combined some technical advice with some motivational words and the runs started to flow, however Cheltenham hit back with a flurry of quick wickets in the final overs to finish the innings with 68 for 7 off the 20 overs. Following match tea there was a great positivity to the team and we quickly set about the run chase thinking it wouldn’t take long to knock off the runs, even retiring one of our openers to give others a chance…..however we then decided to follow the tradition of a English batting collapse and proceeded to lose 7 wickets for only 11 runs, most of which were bowled middle stump (guess what we are working on in Games on Friday !). We found ourselves in real trouble, with our number 11 at the crease and Beaudesert rampant with the ball and in the field, however every good story needs a hero. Our number 11 smashed 13 runs in 10 balls, wrapped the game up in 8 minutes and left us the victors, but with one, or two, things to work on before RGS next Wednesday. Prep for The Week Issue Number 1889 27 April 2018
Cricket Results 1st XI vs Cardiff and Vale Lost by 49 runs U11A vs Cheltenham District Won by 5 wickets 1st XI vs Beaudesert Lost by 3 wickets 2nd XI vs Beaudesert Lost by 1 wicket 3rd XI vs Beaudesert Lost by 8 wickets 5th XI vs Beaudesert 4th XI Lost by 8 wickets U11A vs Beaudesert Lost by 5 wickets U10A vs Beaudesert Won by 2 wickets Colts C vs Beaudesert Won by 7 wickets Colts D vs Beaudesert Drew U9A vs Beaudesert Won by 36 runs U9B vs Beaudesert Won by 18 runs 10
An update on the Library development The Prep began a major period of development in 2015, bringing the school in line with 21st century facilities, whilst continuing to maintain the school's heritage and history. The Middle School buildings became The Prep's own Science and Design & Technology (DT) centre. The Science labs were improved to the standard of the recently refurbished College Science labs whilst the new DT suite was completed in 2016. We are now embarking on an entire refurbishment project of the Library. Having been carefully designed and planned with specialist company Demco, alongside staff at The Prep, we very much look forward to: • A state of the art, 21st century library facility at the heart of our school. • A multi-media hub designed to facilitate independent and collaborative research. • A space which accommodates and encourages reading for pleasure in comfortable, visually appealing surroundings. • A carefully organised layout that makes the library experience easy, enjoyable and inspiring. • An opportunity to embrace the unique space and make the most of the stunning features. The children are very much at the heart of the plans and, as such, had the opportunity to submit suggestions for a quote and image to be incorporated into the design. The winning ideas will receive a prize as well as their proposal becoming reality. We have been delighted to receive a match fund of £25,000 from the Cheltenham College Charitable Trust and hope to raise £25,000 towards the overall costs of this exciting project to be able to put all of the incredible features planned into the development. To find out more or if you would like to support the planned facilities improvements at The Prep, please do contact the Director of External Relations, Christiane Dickens, on c.dickens@cheltenhamcollege.org or +44 7881 850206.
Before
During... Coming soon...
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Learning Lunch Here at The Prep we are committed to a forward thinking approach to learning. Below is just one example from many similiar events our teachers attend as we strive to continually improve our provision of learning here at The Prep.
Teaching for the Future
On Monday, a large number of staff from across the school took part in a learning lunch, run by leading educationalist, Dr Susan Daniels. The session focused on 'Raising Creative Kids' and was extremely useful for teachers from Kingfishers to Upper School.
Digital Health Information Evening Thank you to the parents who attended the 'Mind the Gap' digital health information evening on Monday. Exploring children's use of social media and games consoles, it was a real eye opener for all in attendance. We will also be hosting the following events between now and the end of the term: Monday 4 June - Digital Health Information Evening for Parents: Games Night Tuesday 26 June - Drugs Information Event for Year 8 Parents Prep for The Week Issue Number 1889 27 April 2018
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Notices BIRTHDAYS Happy birthday to the following pupils who have their birthdays this week: Eme Hesketh (10) Phoenix Hamilton (5) Thomas Hill (12)
And finally... Looking for something to do with that spare Prep tie you keep in the glovebox of your car? Why not copy the example set by Mrs Robinson and use it as an emergency dog lead, modelled here by Blodwyn...
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Invitations to meet Tom O'Sullivan Notices
To reply to these invitations, please click on the relevant links that can be found in the email you were sent containing this week's edition of Prep for the Week.
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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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Notices
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
Price: £40pp Includes: Welcome drink & canapés Cash Bar
Subject to demand, a return coach from Cheltenham will be available at £10pp.
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 Prep for The Week Issue Number 1889 27 April 2018 r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org
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 16