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Autumn 2018
Buck Press
t seems almost surreal that I am writing the Head’s address for the December 2018 Buck Press because it feels to me that the ink has yet to dry on my address for the December 2015 edition, which was in fact my first edition. Three academic years have gone by in a flash and I am hurrying around trying to squeeze as much into today as I was some 3 years ago. I guess that demonstrates that the work of a Head Teacher is never done, if continual progression of a school is what one aims to achieve. It isn’t that I’m not happy with the improvements in our building, the excellent team I have around me, the forward-thinking academic curriculum we operate or the dedicated pastoral system we implement, it’s more a matter of setting ever-improving goals to ensure we stay at the forefront of what we do. This is because I believe aspiration is the forerunner of achievement. Last weekend my daughter, Annie, took time out from her university studies and stayed the weekend with us at home. This weekend my mum is travelling down from Yorkshire to do the same. I confess that there have been moments I was tempted to postpone these visits as I was so busy, but of course I did not, and will not, because of the overreaching importance of the aspect of balance. Work hard, take time to rest and reflect, enjoy family life and be thankful. I trust you will all remember this during the upcoming festive break. My warmest wishes go out to you all.
In this issue
European Day of Languages
Where do artists work?
Shine Star Shine
Reception, monsters and their feelings
#ChooseRespect
Year 5 design an app
Get in touch with your feelings!
This term Reception have been getting in touch with their feelings. In class the boys have been looking at the different emotions they may feel and what these emotions look like. Together we read the story of The Colour Monster, who was feeling all jumbled up and couldn't work out how he was feeling. Was he feeling happy and yellow like the sun? Or was he feeling sad and blue like a rain cloud? Together the boys managed to talk about different feelings and what they could do to help their friends manage their emotions. After all this, Reception rehearsed the story and shared this as their very first assembly at Buckingham Preparatory School. Needless to say Mr Doyle and Miss McCubbrey were extremely impressed and very proud of how well the boys remembered their lines and spoke clearly for all to hear. Well done boys!
Where do artists work? This term, Year 1 were lucky enough to venture into our school community on a glorious sunny day. A walk that did not last more than fifteen minutes took them to a very unique place – an artist’s studio. In case you are not familiar with the term, an artist’s studio is, as Dhilan said, ‘the office of an artist’. But this was not a regular workspace! The studio contained curious materials and machinery such as glass, copper foil, a grinder, a soldering iron and much more. Tejal Kachalia welcomed the boys with a warm smile and a lovely handwritten ‘Welcome boys’ sign. She prepared extremely well for our visit and spoiled the boys with lots of goodies. The morning was spent discovering what Tejal Kachalia does in her studio and how she maximises its space in order to master a thousand-year old craft. Year 1 were told all about stained glass, its role in ancient history and how the discipline continues to develop as a medium. They were able to see how glass is cut and joined, as well as experiencing first-hand Tejal’s work. After a very interesting Q&A session, the boys had a go at making their own fake stained glass suncatchers. The final creations can be seen here in our Buck Press 2018 autumn issue along with our boys’ own writing about the day. Let us know what you think!
Kesavan
On the 15th of October, the Year 5 boys trekked north for their residential in York. Over the four jam-packed days, they experienced new places and their taste-buds were overindulged. The journey began on a coach bound for Stevenage Station. After devouring their lunch on the train, the boys lugged their belongings to the Wheatlands Lodge, which became their home for the duration of their trip. On arrival, the boys were transported back over 1,000 years and experienced life in the Viking Ages at the Jorvik Viking Centre. After returning back to 2018, and enjoying a three course dinner at the hotel, the boys versed Miss Osborn, Miss Raduca and each other in multiple rounds of ten-pin bowling. Although bowling was their final activity for Monday, the fun didn't stop there!
York 2018
Tuesday was jam-packed with exciting activities and the boys began their morning with a guided-tour of the York Minster; did you know the Minster took over 250 years to be built? After spending some money in the Minster gift shop, it was time to fill our bellies! Pizza or pasta? Chocolate brownie or a deliciously fruity ice-cream sundae? The boys thoroughly enjoyed their lunch at Pizza Express. Following on from lunch, they learnt about the history of the cocoa bean and discovered the greatest names in the production of chocolate. At York's Chocolate Story the boys got to taste a range of sweet products and created their very own chocolate lollies. Tuesday finished with a private screening of Wonder at Everyman Cinema.
Sastha
Aviral
Wednesday was a touch colder than the previous days so the boys dressed warmly before setting off to Eden Camp. Whilst at the Modern History Museum, they encountered the sights, smells and sounds of wartime Britain. On Wednesday night, the boys took part in a quiz before heading off to bed early, ready for their journey back to London the following morning. All in all, the York residential was a huge success! On more than one occasion, Miss Osborn was approached by members of the public, whom wished to comment on the boys' outstanding behaviour. Well done boys!
Samay
Mikael Aviral
Wellbeing at the forefront of Buckingham minds As our boys approach their final years of schooling with us and important school exams, we should all be aware of the stresses they are under. It is also important for the boys to be aware of this and to be equipped with methods of coping with anxiety and stress. As a school we believe it is our duty to help develop resilience in our boys and the skills needed to manage current and future life challenges. To support us with this aim, we invited Mr Pat Capel, a human givens therapist, to come into school to do some workshops with Years 5 and 6. Human givens therapists use a variety of up-to-date, proven psychological methods and techniques focused on problem solving and developing new life skills to help individuals maintain a healthy mental balance. The workshops involved a variety of relaxation techniques alongside lots of discussion about how to accept and view potential challenges in life and how to recognise and deal with stresses. All the boys came away from the workshops with a positive outlook on upcoming challenges and with some clear strategies for how they might deal with these.
The children swapped their usual grey uniform socks and tights for two odd ones, as they joined in a national initiative organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance. The week started with an assembly from Mrs Hollis to children about the important meaning behind the fun event. The children wore odd socks to remind us that everyone should be free to express their individuality and not be treated any differently to anyone else. The aim of the week was to empower children and young people to celebrate what makes them and each other unique, as well as to help them understand how important it is that every child feels valued and included in school, and to be themselves without fear of bullying.
Digital illustration for Odd Socks Day by H a r s h i t h , Ye a r 6
Year 5 and
the Giant Squid
Pranay
We started our journey on the morning of Friday 28th September 2018. We walked to Rayners Lane Station and had to take an alternate route to the Natural History Museum as a result of the Piccadilly Line strike! When we arrived, we were greeted by the personnel for the Children’s Education Centre. Our first session was in the ‘Investigate’ Centre. The boys had a chance to look at real specimens of animals and plants. Some of these things included antlers, fossils, tree trunks, insects, flora and fauna from the ocean and many bones of animals. Our second session was an activity-based lesson in taxonomy and the classification of animals according to their group breakdown. This was at the ‘Attenborough Studio.’ We learnt about curators at the museum and we even got to tangle ourselves in a model of a giant squid. The rest of our time was spent exploring the various sections of the museum. The whole day was interesting and full of fun-filled science facts! We even took a fantastic picture next to a statue of Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory. The day goes quickly when you’re having fun!
Tinkering Bridges
All our Design and Technology projects start with a thorough investigation of products and materials. The investigation marks the beginning of a complex thought process and great design thinking. It is a very important stage, one that defines the boys’ final outcomes. This term, Year 4 began their research with a range of design challenges followed by an ‘investigation’ of Tower Bridge. Helped by Sophie and David, they discovered the story behind the famous bascule bridge. It is now a cultural landmark and a symbol for the nation. The bridge changed the life of many Londoners back in 1894 when it was first built. These days, it continues to do the job it was designed to do but dressed in a different colour scheme. Many of the boys in Year 4 would tell you that the original brown colour was replaced by red, white and blue back in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. The bridge is also famously known for its ‘royal salute’. There are plenty of interesting facts to share but one that has stayed with us is the story behind its original design. Over fifty designs were submitted to be considered after 1876. However, it wasn’t until 1884 that Horace Jones offered the winning design for Tower Bridge. It turns out he was the City Architect and a member of the ‘Special Bridge or Subway Committee’ - an organisation in charge of choosing the winning idea. Can you guess whose design Horace Jones voted for and if it won? Inspired by this story, Miss Raduca has launched a bridge design competition right here at Buckingham Prep School. All ideas have been sketched in Tinkercad, an online tool for creating digital designs. We will share the winners on social media in January. Good luck to all involved!
Zain
Erik
Jash
R Samay
N
E
R
European Day of Languages
On Wednesday 26th September, we celebrated European Day of Languages. Everyone came dressed in the colours of the flags of different European countries. Pre-school and Reception wore bleu, blance et rouge for France. Year 1 wore verde, bianco e rosso for Italy. Year 2 wore schwarz, gelb und orange for Germany. Some boys were very inventive and came dressed as Greek and Roman soldiers and French men complete with moustaches. We even had a musketeer, a Swiss tennis player and Salvador Dali! The day started with a French breakfast of hot chocolate and croissants. In assembly, we practised a little Finnish and we learned about how many different languages we speak in school. Years 5 & 6 completed a quiz based on Europe in class.
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The Tate Year 3 Project sees Turner Prize and Oscar-winning artist Steve McQueen create one of the world’s most ambitious contemporary art projects.
We are pleased to know that our current Year 3 boys will have their picture displayed at Tate Britain as part of Steve McQueen’s ambitious project. We look forward to organising a visit next year so the boys can see the final result. From November 2019 to May 2020, the Duveen Galleries at Tate Britain will be taken over by thousands of photographs. McQueen sees the work as a monumental collective portrait. He believes Year 3 is ‘a milestone year in children’s development’. The work documents our city’s present and makes us think about its future. Our boys’ photograph was taken by Thomas Dryden-Kelsey, one of the Year 3 Tate Project photographers. He came in to spend a morning with us, talking about the project and the concept behind it. He and the boys answered questions around identity, time, archives, connectivity and tried to envision the future. We would like to thank Tate Britain, A New Direction, Artangel and Steve McQueen for working together and making this happen. See you all at Tate Britain next year!
Pre-School celebrates Diwali
This term in Pre-School the children have had the opportunity to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali. This enabled them to gain an understanding of the world in which they live and they were able to share their own experiences of the celebration with their peers. They made Rangoli patterns, Diva lamps, firework paintings, mehndi patterns and bangles. The children learned about why Diwali is celebrated by listening to the story of Rama and Sita. At snack time the children made lassi and tried Indian crisps.
Emily
Jasmine
Xmas Card Project
This autumn term Miss Raduca has faced a great challenge set by the PTFA: illustrating Christmas cards with Years 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. She was stubborn enough to make sure they all link with what the boys have been learning about.
Therefore, Year 1 used a wide range of tools and materials to design a block-printed wreath with original fonts. Year 3 were not far off from getting confused and using more than just two colours. They had to apply their knowledge on colour theory and illustrate using a contrast of complementary colours. What better contrast is out there for Christmas than red and green?! Now, Year 4 had the pleasure of thinking how little birds might be celebrating the cold season (mind you, some do decide not to and travel to warmer lands). Anyway, for those who do stick around, Year 4 envisioned cute bird houses covered in fairy lights – how charming!
This term, Year 5 were looking at the relationship between sculpture and architecture. The topic inspired beautifully drawn town houses, with plenty of Christmas decorations and magic lights. The last project on the list is Year 6 and their detailed robins. We love the amount of work that went into illustrating such exquisite cards! We can only hope that the PTFA has been suitably impressed… P.S. Mrs Rastrick INSISTED on doing the project with Year 2 because she thought she had a great idea. Well, a GREAT idea indeed she had! Have a look below; aren’t these reindeers adorable?
Shine Star Shine
This year, the Infants set about preparing for their Christmas play, ‘Shine Star Shine’, by learning the songs and practising their lines with great enthusiasm. The show this year is about a big star. He needs to show the way to a stable where a special baby has been born. However there is one BIG problem. The big star just can’t shine! His friends all try to make him shine with jokes, songs, stories and even a spectacular dance number, but nothing works. Then they lead him to the stable and he realises that Jesus’ love will give him the strength to shine again. And he does! Well done Infants. What an amazing story.
Ayman Ishaan
Aadam
Kacper
A big shout out for T r a c y an d h er t e am ! There are big things happening in our fabulous school kitchen. It must be a good place to be because our long-serving kitchen staff, Tracy and Pat have worked here for over 19 years. They are ably assisted by newer team member, Elle. The Connect kitchen team continuously deliver the highest standards of provision for our school and we are extremely proud to hear that they have just won a Platinum Award for achieving over 99% in Connect’s Annual Audit. The Buckingham Preparatory School team were one of only 4 providers out of 200 Connect sites to win this coveted award. The criteria inspected for the award included menu provision, kitchen management and standards, cleanliness and book-keeping.
We are also the proud recipients of a Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating of 5 (Very Good), the top award. At lunchtime a freshly made, hot meal, is prepared and served to the boys and staff every day. Our menus are healthy, varied and tasty. A vegetarian option is always available alongside any meat dishes and the kitchen staff are allergen aware. Our menus often include a “special day” menu including a Royal Wedding Celebration meal, Jacket Potato Day and others. Our School Council has been working hard to make our menus even more enticing for all the boys and a new menu cycle will be introduced in January. The week’s menu is posted on the school site every Monday morning so that parents can see what their boys are eating.
Trips 28th September Year 5 to Natural History Museum 4th October Year 3 to London Transport Museum 10th October Reception to Pizza Express 10th October Year 1 to the Art Studio 12th October Year 4 to Tower Bridge 15th – 18th October Year 5 residential trip to York 17th October Year 2 to Affinity Water 14th November Year 1 Nature Walk 26th November Year 5 to Design Museum 11th December Whole school to Watford Palace Theatre – ‘Jack & the Beanstalk’
Other events
Curriculum Evening Photographs European Day of Languages Year 3 - Tate project photographer in school Children in Need Day Flu immunisation (Years Rec – 5) Infant Christmas Play Pre-School Christmas Performance Hobgoblin Theatre Company presenting ‘A Christmas Carol’ to whole school Boys’ Christmas Lunch Disco and class parties Carol Concert
Who said that school was all work and no fun?!
18th September 19th September 26th September 8th November 16th November 30th November 5th December 6th December 7th December 12th December 13th December 14th December
PTFA
This year the PTFA funded a fitting Christmas show called ‘A Christmas Carol’, performed by the Hobgoblin Theatre group. The crew came in to school and the boys had a great live performance. Thank you to all those parents that bought Christmas cards and Advent calendars. We enjoyed having the dinosaur courtesy of parent volunteer Amit Patel, who helped sell the advent calendars - it was a roaring success! In the new year, the PTFA will be meeting to vote for items from a big wish list from the parents and the school which includes funding the outside ‘quiet area’ now that the playground refurbishment is complete. I always say this, but please do attend to have your say! Of course the PTFA are once again funding the Christmas disco which the boys have grown to thoroughly enjoy at this time of year! Who said that school was all work and no fun?!
Great Assembly Quiz Year 2 (1) Levin Warnapala 22 (2) Lishane Warnapala 20 (3) Samarth Mareguddi 19 Year 3 (1) Hassan Faisal 23 (=2) Adam Ahmed, Aryan Chaudhari, Neel Sinha 20 Year 4 (1) Raaghav Dhanasekaran 25 (=2) Erik Pashaj, Jay Morjaria 24 Year 5 (1) Samay Kachalia 23 (2) Sahvan Patel 22 (=3) Mikael Khan, Nathan Nair, Pasha Shokri, Aviral Agarwal 21 Year 6 (=1) Harshith Sharavana, Trishan Chanda (3) Brennan Narasinkan Great Assembly Quiz House Positions 1st Patrick 20 2nd Andrew 19 3rd David 18 4th George 17 The House competition winner of the Great Assembly Quiz is: PATRICK
Form Captains
Year 5 Year 4 Year 3 Year 2 Year 1 Reception Pre-School
First Half
Mikael Khan Erik Pashaj Shivesh Joshi Lishane Warnapala Angad Mahey Asher Ali Viaan Hirani
ASSEMBLIES
Class Assemblies Year 1 NHS 70th Birthday Year 2 Silly Billy and Worries Year 3 Start of Great Year! Year 5 Postcards to York
Staff Assemblies Mrs Hollis Mrs Stoneman Mrs Rastrick Mme Lad Ms Fry Mr Evans Mr Morarji Miss Kelly Miss Raduca
Second Half
Kesavan Gunaseelan Subhang Aryal Aaran Amey Yaseen Ali Kamil Pociask Arjun Shah Adela Pashaj
Diversity – We are all different Happiness is good manners Happiness is a cat European Day of Languages – Love learning a language Happiness is friendship What makes us happy? Happiness is cooking Diwali Ideas that make life more exciting
School council Year 6 Year 5 Year 4 Year 3 Year 2 Year 1
Kacper Wrobel and Harshith Sharavana (Head of School Council) Adam Ali and Samay Kachalia Subhang Aryal and Praneel Manglam Hassan Faisal and Shivesh Joshi Maayan Karunananthan and Rian Shah Ethan Cheung and Dhilan Joshi
END OF TERM ASSEMBLY HOUSE POINTS
Year 6 (1) Ishaan Shan 97 (2) Ayman Ali 91 (3) Kacper Wrobel 89 Year 5 (=1) Aarav Paul, Pasha Shokri 142 (3) Aviral Agarwal 133 Year 4 (1) Jay Morjaria 57 (2) Praneel Manglam 52 (3) Aviral Goel 47 Year 3 (1) Hassan Faisal 67 (2) Maksymilian Pociask 66 (=3) Khian Patel, Shivesh Joshi 55 Year 2 (1) Rian Shah 111 (2) Samarth Mareguddi 102 (3) Levin Warnapala 87 Year 1 (1) Aarav Patel 116 (2) Dhilan Joshi 113 (3) Angad Mahey 110 Reception (1) Arjun Shah 146 (2) Sajan Shingadia 124 (3) Kabir Raut 123
House Positions 1st George =2nd David & Patrick 4th Andrew
77 76 70
House Shield (Holders: Patrick)
Winners of the House Shield: George
EFFORT PRIZE Year 6 Year 5 Year 4 Year 3 Year 2 Year 1 Reception Pre School
Millan Amey, Mirren Renganathan Pranay Patel, Jahanpasha Shokri Zain Al-Tamimi, Jash Patel Timisola Odunaiya, Giyaan Thusekaran Yaseen Ali, Maayan Karunananthan Dhilan Joshi, Jaiyen Mistry Shailen Amey, Yakup Babaev Vijay Adiththan, Jasmine Karunananthan
CERTIFICATES OF COMMENDATION Year 6 Year 5 Year 4 Year 3 Year 2 Year 1 Reception Pre School
Rumi Mohamed, Kacper Wrobel Aviral Agarwal, Nathan Nair, Pranav Santosh Subhang Aryal, Praneel Manglam, Sambhav Thottungal Mohsin Faisal, Khian Patel, Shrey Vadera Jayden Burnaby, Atharva Gokakkar, Tanish Sen Kamil Pociask, Ayaansh Singhal, Anirvinn Sudarshan, Dilan Biju-Dhyaneish, Noah Karst, Sheyan Sivanandan Kayan Shah
NOTICES FOR THE SPRING TERM 2019
SWIMMING Swimming will be on FRIDAYS and next term will be for Years 1, 2, 5 and 6. Swimming will commence on Friday 11th January 2019. CLUBS Please note that most clubs will begin on Wednesday 9th January and finish Friday 29th March. • The Breakfast and Homework Clubs commence on Tuesday, 8th January. • Elms Sports (Years 1 & 2) commences on Tuesday 8th January. • Judo commences Wednesday 9th January. MOUTHGUARDS FOR RUGBY All boys in Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 will require mouthguards for games next term. Please note that rugby starts on Thursday 10th January. It is essential that boys bring with them their full kit which would necessarily include boots, trainers and mouthguard.
The BPS staff wish all our parents a most enjoyable Christmas holiday and a very Happy New Year.
Spring Term starts on Tuesday 8th January 2019
Darsh