Prep for the Week - Spring Week 2

Prep for the Week

Issue Number 1942 – 17 January 2020

That was the week that was...

Prep for The Week Issue Number 1942 17 January 2020

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Prep for the Week

Issue Number 1942 – 17 January 2020

You can view the highlights from Year 1 and 2’s trip to the Wilson Museum on our social media platforms or by clicking here.

Included in this week’s issue…

• Kingfishers Update • Lower School News • Boarding House Update • Sport News • Birthdays

Prep for The Week Issue Number 1942 17 January 2020

And finally...

Don’t miss Mr O’Sullivan’s take on this week. His Week 2 blog can be found at the back of this week’s edition.

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Kingfishers Update Topic Launch - Teddy Bear Picnic

What a lovely time the teddy bears had when they came to join the children at school for the day. They went to assembly, P.E lessons and made sandwiches as well as lunch but the best part by far was the picnic in the afternoon.

How We Teach It was great to see so many parents at our How We Teach evening this week. For those who could not make it, here is a snapshot of activities that the children have been working on this week. Reception have been handwriting, map making and weighing, Year 1 have been subtracting and making non-fiction books and Year 2 have been writing similes, using adjectives and (watch out parents) have been learning the value of money!

If you would like to find out more about how our learners learn at The Prep, do not forget to sign up for the Building Powerful Learners workshop on Monday 3 February at 16.30.

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Kingfishers Update

Wilson Trip

Last week Year 1 and 2 visited the Wilson Art Gallery and Museum. We learnt so much about our local famous hero and his fellow group of explorers. We were very surprised to learn that Captain Scott, Edward Wilson and their team discovered the Emperor penguin and the chocolate biscuit was named after this discovery. We were sad to hear about how their expedition ended. On the way to the museum we passed the house that Edward Wilson was born in and the statue of him on the Promenade. We are very proud that Edward Wilson was from Cheltenham. To view video highlights from our trip, click here.

Money Money Money!

Year 2 have been counting the pennies as well as the pounds this week. They were able to work out lots of different combinations of notes and coins to make an amount in an investigation set for them. They will not be short-changed anytime soon!

Fruit Tasting In Year 1 we have enjoyed listening to the story Handa’s Surprise and talked about the similarities and differences between the UK and Africa. This inspired us to taste the fruit typically grown in other parts of the world and we discussed the taste and consistency of each fruit before choosing our favourites!

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Lower School News English in Lower School This is a wide and varied subject which is covered not only in English lessons, but in all the subjects we teach, as we expect the children to use correct grammar and punctuation at all times.

INSPACE is a word you might frequently come across. This acronym stands for Ing, Noun, Simile, Preposition, Adverb, Connective, Ed words and the children begin to learn how to use these as sentence starters to make their writing more interesting to the reader. From here they move on to Alan Peat sentence starters, which develop their understanding further.

Look out for the children using these in their daily diaries – it makes it far more interesting for us to read.

Spellings are often seen as rather dry to learn, but in Lower School we use a variety of techniques to help the children remember, from bingo to songs and anagrams to word searches.

Accelerated reading – we have all seen how daily reading can assist a child’s understanding and the AR scheme has really benefitted them. Overall, last term, Lower School read a combined total of 4,901,563 words – that is a lot of reading!

Hopefully some of you managed to join us in our How we Teach event this week and have now got a deeper insight into how your children are taught – we also hope you learnt something too.

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Boarding House Update We have had a great start back in the Boarding House, we have enjoyed welcoming our new Gap Students and also celebrating quite a few January birthdays! On Saturday night we had our first annual Boarders’ Dodgeball Tournament! Boarders competed in their ‘Families’ in a knockout competition. There were plenty of examples of the 5 D’s of Dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge! It was a well fought competition with Ngonie leading her ‘Family’ to victory in the Cup and Isla-Rose’s ‘Family’ despite losing their first match, going on to win the ‘Plate’.

On Sunday afternoon there was more activity in store as the Boarders set off to Airborne Trampoline Park.

There was much fun had on not only the trampolines, but in the Ninja area also. Thank you to Mrs Simpson and Mr Patterson and the Gaps for leading and joining in with the trip. We look forward to our Indoor Climbing trip next Sunday.

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English Department - 20 in 2020

Now that Accelarated Reader has been successfully implemented across Years 3 to 8 we are encouraging all pupils to read for at least 20 minutes every day in 2020.

Let the challenge begin!

Congratulations to Georgia B who has been named this week’s reader of the week.

Great work Georgia!

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Sport News Boys’ Hockey Results 1st VII vs Bromsgrove Lost 3 - 4 2nd VII vs Bromsgrove Lost 1 - 2 3rd VII vs Bromsgrove Lost 1 - 3 4th VII vs Bromsgrove Drew 2 - 2 5th VII vs Bromsgrove Lost 2 - 4 6th VII vs Bromsgrove Won 4 - 0 7th vs Bromsgrove Won 1 - 0 U11A vs Bromsgrove Won 6 - 2 U11B vs Bromsgrove Won 3 - 0 U11C vs Bromsgrove Won 2 - 0 U11D vs Bromsgrove Drew 0 - 0 U10A vs Bromsgrove Won 7 - 1 U10B vs Bromsgrove Lost 1 - 3 U10C vs Bromsgrove Drew 0 - 0

Riding Success

Boys’ team of the week - U11B VII Although there were some superb results against Bromsgrove from the likes of the U11A and U10A, the team of the week has to go to the U11B for their outstanding comeback.

On Saturday the boys went down in a heavy defeat to the Down’s Wraxall U11A team, but only four days later showed the great Cheltenham College characteristic of “Resilience” and stormed back with a super 3-0 victory over a strong Bromsgrove side.

Girls’ Sport Report No stand out team of the week – but a really exciting start to the Netball term with some super performances across all year groups. We look forward to our block fixture vs Clifton College this Saturday.

Congratulations to Sofia G who has had a lot of recent riding success in Dressage competitions.

Sofia won the British Dressage Award for being the most successful rider under the age of 12 at this year’s Inter Regional Championships, a national competition, contested by 8 regional teams. She also won the Dressage Under21s trophy for the most successful rider and pony combination at Elementary level during the 2019 season. In preparation for representing GB in the years ahead, she placed 6th and won a rosette at last week’s Addington Manor Dressage, a fantastic achievement!

Prep for The Week Issue Number 1942 17 January 2020

Girls’ Netball Results U13A vs The Downs Won 16 - 15 U13B vs The Downs Won 15 - 2 U13C vs Tockington Manor Lost 4 - 6 U12B vs Tockington Manor Won 12 - 4 U12B vs St John’s Won 5 - 4 U12C vs The Downs Won 6 - 4 U11A vs The Downs Drew 8 - 8 U11C vs The Downs Lost 3 - 9 U10B vs The Downs Lost 4 - 9 U9A vs The Downs Winners U9B vs The Downs Winners U13C vs St Hugh’s Lost 2 - 10 U12C vs St Hugh’s Winners U11A vs The Dragon Won 6 - 4 U11B vs The Dragon Won 5 - 4 U11C vs The Dragon Lost 5 - 10 U11D vs The Dragon Drew 1 - 1 U10A vs The Dragon Lost 4 - 6 U10B vs The Dragon Lost 1 - 10 U10C vs The Dragon Lost 3 - 6

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Birthdays and Notices

Happy birthday to all of our pupils who have had their birthday since the end of last term: • Bella W-G (13) • William B (11) • Lucy M (9) • Eleanor B (7) • Thomas W-G (13) • Freya B (10) • Lachlan T (3) • Carys K (6) • Nico H (6) • Eva S (7) • William D (13) • Harry B (10) • JaeSeung K (12) • Jack S (12) • Jerome Y (13) • Luisa X (13) • Sean D (11) • Tula L-H (13) • Archie H (11) • Jack E (11) • Felix D (12) • Zara L-H (13) • William B (10) • Olivia L (10) • Ray Y (7) • Elliott R (4) • Dameli A (10 • Catherine W (13) • Harry R (11) • Noah V (5) • Resul N (13) • Monty W (12) • Max M (11)

Congratulations to Ava B who has now earned her 25th plus and becomes the first recipient of a Scooby Award this term.

Social Media – Parent Information Evening 28 January – 5pm-6pm – Assembly Hall As you may know The Prep uses a variety of Social Media accounts to keep you all up to date on the day to day activities at school.

On 28 January there will be a Social Media Parent Information Evening which will cover: How The Prep uses Social Media What safeguarding we have in place How we educate children about Social Media, their digital footprint and recognising and reducing risk A Q&A session with staff If you would like to attend please RSVP via cheltenhamcollege.org/social, when you RSVP you will also be able to submit your questions so we can make sure they are answered during the session.

We look forward to seeing lots of you there!

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Notices Continued Saturday Fixtures and Sports Training Match Information Team Sheets, which include comprehensive information including, meet times, match starts, return/pick-up times and match locations can be found through our sports webpage via the following link: https://www.cheltenhamcollegeprepsports.org/Fixtures_Teams.asp?Id=922

Important Notice Drop-off Times - Please do not drop off children before the allotted meet time as they will be unsupervised until the member of staff comes on duty. With such a busy car park, we must ensure the children are safe and therefore ask that if a family arrives early, parents remain with their children until the meet time.

Pick-up Times - Please ensure your child is picked up at the appropriate time and are signed out.

Uniform Pupils to arrive in their games kit, wearing their full tracksuit and have their games bag with them. After sport all children must sign out with their team coach.

Absences A reminder to parents that if your child needs to miss a Saturday event, permission must be obtained from Mr O’Sullivan with a week’s notice. If your child is unwell and therefore unavailable for a Saturday event, please email Mr Simpson or Mrs McNulty the night before, or telephone the school on 01242 522 697 between 08:15 and 08:45.

Siblings If you have a child in Year 7 or 8 and others in Years 3, 4, 5 or 6 there will be an option to drop your younger child at “Sibling Club”.

Children should be dropped at The Prep School Reception at 08.15. They will be registered by the Reception staff and directed to the club where they will be supervised until their meet time. There is no post-match childcare available for siblings.

Cheltenham College Open House Event Cheltenham College is hosting an Open Houses event on Saturday 7 March during the Prep exeat. If you are keen to see our Boarding or Day Houses during this event, we would be delighted to welcome you; to book a place or find more details please sign up on our website here.

If you would like to experience a full tour of College, we are also hosting a Small Group Visit on the same day, for 20-25 families. To sign up for this event, or for a similar event on Saturday 2 May, please get in touch with the Tours & Events Team at visits@cheltenhamcollege.org.

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And finally...

Dear Parents 2020 has got off to a flying start, as you will see from readingthis newsletter. The children have returned refreshed and full of energy and the term is very much in full swing.

One significant change this term has been the lunch arrangements for Years 5 to 8. Lunch has always been something of a challenge here, with a Dining Hall designed for half the number of children we have. For that reason, we have had to make a great many compromises in the past as to how we run lunch. I am delighted to say that we have now been able to put this right. By investing in the Kitchen and Dining Hall equipment we can now run lunch simultaneously in both the Assembly Hall and the Dining Hall.

we do not expect anyone to happen to have that in their

This means that all children now have a formal sit down

wardrobe - for boys and girls please just come in

meal, with staff, every lunch time. The importance of

whatever their smartest outfit is.

thiscannot be underestimated. It includes simple things like promoting good manners and conversation and being able to monitorthat each child is eating well.

Perhaps most importantly is the extra pastoral time Tutors get to spend with their tutees, and the children building relationships with each other and staff. There is, already, a calmer feel around the school as a result. With any new

Finally, a quick appeal for everyone to be understanding of each other during drop off in the morning. We are aware it is far from perfect. If you could try to keep the drop off lane and nearby spaces moving and park around the corner if you need to leave the car for any length of time, that would help enormously. Many thanks.

initiative there will be the odd glitch which we will have

I hope to see as many of you as possible at The Playhouse

to work through, but it has been an incredibly positive

tomorrow evening where a number of our Upper School

start.

children are presenting ‘A Celebration of the Arts’.

Invitations to all children in Years 6 to 8 have been

Have a good weekend.

distributed today for the Masquerade Ball on 13 February.

This was one of the highlights of last year and greatly enjoyedby all. Two small pleas: firstly the children all go together, they do not couple up for the event. Secondly, please do not go out and buy expensive new clothes for the bal. Whilst any Masquerade Ball is officially white tie,

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ŚĞůƚĞŶŚĂŵ ŽůůĞŐĞ WƌĞƉ ^ĐŚŽŽů

A CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS Showcasing the very best of 13+ Art, Drama, & Music

Everyone is welcome!

If you wish to attend please register for your ticket at Prep Reception which entitles you to a complimentary glass of wine.

^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ ϭϴƚŚ :ĂŶƵĂƌLJ ϮϬϮϬ ϭϵ͗ϬϬ Ͳ ϮϬ͗ϬϬ ŚĞůƚĞŶŚĂŵ WůĂLJŚŽƵƐĞ͕ ĂƚŚ ZŽĂĚ

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Week 3 Calendar Week 3

20/1/20 - 26/1/20

Mon - 20/1/20 Week 3 (18) 20 - 26 January Year 3 Ancient Greece Day 07:30 Departure for IAPS Regional Hockey at Rugby School (A): U11A VII. Start 10:00. Pick up 17:30 08:30 Years 3-8 House D&T Competition Prize Giving 12:00 Kingfishers Bring a Parent to Lunch Day* 18:30 Parents' Evening for parents of children in Year 5 (Surnames A-D) (Assembly Hall)* Tue - 21/1/20 12:00 Kingfishers Bring a Parent to Lunch Day* 18:15 Athens and Persia House Year 8 Trip to Zizzi's. Pick up 20:15 Wed - 22/1/20 13:00 Departure for Hockey v Pinewood (A): 2nd VII, 3rd VII. Start 14:15. Pick up 17:00 13:00 Hockey v Dean Close (H): U11C VII, U11D VII, U10C VII. Pick up 16:20 13:15 Departure for Dean Close Hockey Festival (A): U11A VII, U11B VII. Start 14:00. Pick up 16:30 13:30 Departure for Netball v Kings Gloucester (A): U9A, U9B. Start 14:30. Pick up 16.00 14:00 Cheltenham Hockey Festival (H): U10A VII, U10B VII. Pick up 16:20 14:00 Departure for U12 Severnside Netball Tournament at Dean Close (A): U12A. Start 14:00. Pick up 16:45 14:15 Hockey v Pinewood (H): 4th VII, 5th VII. Pick up 16:20 14:15 Departure for U13 Severnside Netball Tournament at Clifton College (A) U13A. Start 14.00. Pick up 17:30 14:15 Netball Fitness and Conditioning Session (H). U12C, U11B, U11C, U11D, U10A. Pick up 16:20 14:15 U11 Severnside Netball Tournament (H): U11A. Pick up 16:30 Prep for The Week Issue Number 1942 17 January 2020

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Week 3 Calendar 14:30 Hockey Training (H): U9A VII, U9B VII. Pick up 16:00 14:30 Netball v Pinewood (H): U13B, U12B. Pick up 16:20 15:00 Hockey v Pinewood (H): 6th VII, 7th VII. Pick up 16:20 15:15 Netball v Pinewood (H): U10B, U10C. Pick up 16:20 16:30 Hockey v College U14A VII (H): 1st VII. Pick up 17:45 Thu - 23/1/20 12:00 Kingfishers Bring a Parent to Lunch Day* 18:00 Choral Evensong: Schola Cantorum Boys' Voices (Chapel)* Pick up 18:30 18:30 Parents' Evening for parents of children in Year 5 (Surnames E-W) (Assembly Hall)* Fri - 24/1/20 LAMDA Examinations (Drama Studio) House Maths Challenge 3 08:15 Lower School & Year 2 Parents' Coffee Morning (Lower School)* 09:00 Fun Friday Pre-3s Stay and Play (Nursery) 12:00 Kingfishers Bring a Parent to Lunch Day* 14:15 Departure for Netball v The Richard Pate School (A): U10A, U10B. Start 14:45. Pick up 16:20 14:45 Netball v The Richard Pate School (H): U11A, U11B, U11C, U11D. Pick up 16.20 15:30 Exeat begins for pupils in Kingfishers 16:00 Exeat begins for pupils in Lower School 16:20 Exeat begins for pupils in Middle and Upper School Sat - 25/1/20 19:00 Cheltonian Society Burns Night Supper & Ceilidh Sun - 26/1/20 19:00 Boarders return, latest return 19:30

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