Newton News Roundup Autumn 2024 by Newton Prep School

AUTUMN 2024

Welcome to Newton News Roundup

At a time of uncertainty and change in the independent education sector, we must ask ourselves the big question: what are we paying for? For me, the pages of this Newton News Roundup are the answer. You will read of the many activities our pupils have been engaged in, both within the classroom and beyond. To see pupils excited and enthusiastic about learning is the key. I was particularly pleased this term with our inaugural ‘Classics Day’ which really did bring the ancient world to life and the production of Wonderland by pupils in Years 7 and 8 was exceptional.

To see the pupils loving sport, drama, art, going on day trips, performing in a class assembly or a House competition, all of these things enrich their experiences of school life. Beyond that, we are keen that the children learn about what it is to ‘give back’ and I am humbled by the support you give to the Foodbank, or the toy drive, or to supporting local charities.

Thank you. I hope you enjoy this term’s Newton News Roundup.

“To see pupils excited and enthusiastic about learning is the key”

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR 3

Settling In

We were so impressed with how well the Nursery pupils have settled in. They have been busy making friends, learning the Golden Rules and exploring their new environment.

Exploring Upper School

YEAR 1

New Routines

Year 3 had a fantastic time learning all about the Upper School ways of life and getting used to their new routines. They loved exploring their new classrooms that they will be using throughout the year. In particular, it was very exciting going to the Science Laboratories. They learnt all about how to stay safe when in the laboratories and even conducted an experiment to test how different metals react to fire.

Year 1 worked hard to learn routines in their new classrooms. They wrote about their holidays and some of the incredible things they have seen and done! The pupils enjoyed doing some observational drawings of leaves in Art and their first Year 1 French, Music, PE, Library and

Computing lessons as well! It’s going to be a great year ahead, they have all settled in wonderfully.

YEAR 5

Lights, Camera, Action!

It was wonderful to see the Year 5’s hard work and ideas take shape in front of the camera as they created their silent films. Everyone had great fun getting into costume and performing in front of the green screen. Whether filming, directing or acting, the children demonstrated admirable teamwork, style and creativity. The editing process has now begun and we look forward to the ‘Film Night’ itself, which takes place later this year.

WHOLE SCHOOL

Pop-up Swimming Pool

We have all been impressed with how the pupils have responded to the pop-up swimming pool. The Swimming teacher was lovely and encouraging which is vitally important with pupils who might lack confidence in the water.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

RECEPTION

New Classes NURSERY

LOWER SCHOOL

ICT in Nursery

Nursery extended their exploration of the teaching and learning spaces at Newton Prep and started their ICT sessions. The pupils had a go at using BeeBots for the first time, paid close attention to how they work and handled them independently. They also had the pleasure of meeting Mecanoid, the school-built robot that responds to voice commands! The pupils loved telling him where to go and also to dance, which they really enjoyed watching.

Reception had a fantastic start in their new classes, getting to know their teachers and making lots of new friends! They were learning the new routines in Reception and all about the Golden Rules. They enjoyed their first assemblies, Music, French and P.E. lessons!

Lower School PE lessons involved the pupils learning new tag games and developing their rolling and aiming skills. They were full of smiles and energy but also showed good focus and teamwork when it was required.

WHOLE SCHOOL

Anti-Bullying Week

The pupils marked Anti-Bullying Week with activities based on the theme ‘Choose Respect.’ Upper School participated in drama workshops, author visits and trips to Battersea Memorial. A particular highlight was ‘Odd Socks Day’ where wearing colourful and odd socks celebrated individuality and respect for one and other. Lower School made friendship bracelets or paper hearts to share and focused on ways to show respect and kindness and how to make friends. Year 1 completed a ‘Kindness Bingo,’ practising acts like holding doors open or saying kind words. Year 2 created individual drawings that were combined into one display to show how they are united as a class.

Newton News Round Up

YEAR 7

Residential to Ridgway

The Year 7 pupils were lucky to have slightly drier weather for their week in North West Scotland! Their adventures started with a sunny day of kayaking on Loch A Chad Fi and ended with a rainy day of games and body boarding at the beach. In between they caught Mackerel, abseiled, swam in the loch, started fires, built shelters, climbed a mountain (in a cloud) and spent an awful lot of time eating! The highlight of their week was a night on Survival Island where they proved that everything they learnt had paid off. They returned to the centre the next morning weary but triumphant. They are already planning what top tips to pass on to next year’s Year 7 pupils.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR 1

Geographic Walk

Year 1 classes went on a local area walk as part of their Geography topic. The first stop was Battersea Cats and Dogs Home where they met two very playful five-weekold puppies named Jalapeño and Tortilla and learned all about how the charity supports animals in need. They also went for a walk around Battersea Power Station, comparing the changing landscape and learning all about the history on their doorstep. The last stop of the day was to Battersea Power Station tube station where the pupils learnt about different ways of travelling and how to read the signage to know where to go and to stay safe when travelling.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Nursery enjoyed their story of the week: The Tiger Who Came To Tea. They enjoyed lots of tiger-themed activities, such as pretending to be jungle animals and cutting out their own tiger masks to use in their role play of the story!

YEARS

4-8

Handel & Hendrix House

Eight pupils from Years 4-8 took part in a very exciting project at the Handel & Hendrix House.

100 young musicians were filmed recreating a rehearsal of Handel’s Minuet from the Royal Fireworks Suite that happened 275 years ago. They also took part in a concert for parents later in the day at St George’s Church, Hanover Square. The pupils performed brilliantly, it was a fantastic day. They even had a surprise visit from Katherine Jenkins!

YEAR 5

Science Experiments

Year 5 pupils explored the fascinating anatomy of flowers and experimented with lung capacity! They carefully dissected the lilies and examined their delicate petals, intricate stamens and pistils, gaining a deeper understanding of how flowers grow, reproduce, and thrive.

Classics Day

Classics Day was a Homeric event that brought the ancient world to life. Years 5-8 began by decorating mosaics and crafting laurel wreaths, which they proudly wore. Year 6 attended an engaging talk by author Ben Kane about life in Rome, while Years 7 and 8 learnt about the life of a Roman Legionary. During lunch, pupils and staff competed in the Classics Quiz, with Emily, Tabitha, and Eva securing first place by one point. In the afternoon, Year 5 enjoyed a mythical session with author Maz Evans, exploring her series Who Let the Gods Out?

Classics Day gave pupils a chance to immerse themselves in Roman and Greek history through activities spanning subjects like English, Science, and Art.

WHOLE SCHOOL

Music Recitals

Upper and Lower School recitals this term showcased a range of instruments, genres and eras. These events are always hugely popular and well-attended. A massive well done to all those who performed, especially those who played for the first time. Our heartfelt thanks go to all those who have supported the recitals.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR 4

Great Fire of London

Year 1 learnt about the Great Fire of London. In their science lessons this week, the pupils were determined to discover which materials were the most flammable and which were not. They designed their own paper and clay houses and then took them up to the Science lab to set them alight. They discovered that the paper houses caught on fire easily while, despite their best efforts and ideas, the clay house would not catch fire.

Year 1 had a fantastic time exploring their topic ‘Percy The Park Keeper’. This included making clay hedgehogs and painting them in their art lessons. They enjoyed experimenting with a range of colours and types of paint to embellish their models. They learnt about the importance of brush control and showed amazing painting skills as they decorated their wonderful clay hedgehogs.

Problem Solving

Year 4 took part in an amazing problem-solving workshop. The pupils were asked to tackle many challenging puzzles, games and tasks. These problems required the them to use teamwork, cooperation, perseverance and listening skills. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, solved many problems and learnt a lot about what it means to be an effective member of a team.

YEAR 1 Percy the Park Keeper

YEAR 1

WHOLE SCHOOL

Christmas Cards

Newton Prep artists created some festive designs for their Christmas cards. Baubles, woolly hats, pine needles and berries are just some of the many beautiful compositions. All of their artwork has been turned into wonderful printed cards, wrapping paper, tags and various other items by Art Projects for Schools.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR

Toy Drive

Newton Prep pupils have showed what it means to come together as a community! They shared the joy of Christmas with families at St George’s Primary School by donating toys, books and games that were as good as new.

Year 6 explored the Royal Observatory in Greenwich! They took part in a workshop learning about the Sun, Earth and Moon, explored our solar system in the planetarium and had a look around the galleries on site. The pupils were very engaged and asked some really insightful questions to the staff at the Observatory.

Victorian Afternoon

Wow, what an afternoon! Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed taking part in a range of Victorian activities across different classrooms to bring their history topic to a spectacular close. They attended culinary school, where they learnt how to make jam sandwiches to be served at the Princess Royal’s engagement party; experienced a strict Victorian classroom while chanting “Cleanliness is next to godliness” and “You must respect your elders”; and played traditional Victorian games.

YEAR 6

Royal Observatory Trip

WHOLE SCHOOL

Newton Prep Catering Interview

Working from 6am to 5pm, the Catering Team puts in a lot of effort to make the nutritious meals that we eat. We interviewed Miss Eileen, Catering Manager, to get some insider knowledge. Prior to joining Newton Prep fifteen months ago, Miss Eileen cooked for the Special Forces, a law firm and even served TV chef Ainsley Harriott! Needless to say, Miss Eileen is great at deciding what meals to cook, from my favourite, lasagne and garlic bread, to hers, Thai curry. I was impressed to learn that the meals are intricately planned with a nutritionist checking all the planned menus to ensure they are well balanced. Portion size is carefully planned based on pupils’ ages and, therefore, their nutritional needs. As Miss Eileen says: ‘we focus on using fresh and highly quality ingredients. We also make sure to introduce different types of spices to enhance flavour without relying on added salt or sugar.’ The menu for the day is always shown on the electronic screens around the School, giving everyone something to look forward to. Snacks are also designed to be nutritious and healthy but also tasty. Thank you so much to the very hardworking kitchen team!

WHOLE SCHOOL

Remembrance Day

Upper School and Lower School came together for a special Remembrance assembly. Mrs Fleming was struck by the pupils’ maturity and emotional intelligence as they showed their respect for the fallen of World War I and World War II, while also reflecting on ongoing conflicts around the world. Together with staff, pupils from Years 2 to 8 observed a two-minute silence.

RECEPTION

Healthy Living

Reception have been learning all about keeping healthy. The pupils learned about the importance of exercise, healthy eating and trying new foods, especially at lunchtimes! They went to the dining room and chopped up lots of different fruits and made huge bowls of fruit salad. Well done Reception!

YEAR 7

Debate

Our Year 7s performed excellent debates in their Geography NPD classes. The pupils have been studying the impact of immigration on society and put their knowledge to the test by performing a formal debate in front of a judging panel, made up of teachers. These were a great success and they all performed really well.

NURSERY

Chelsea Ballet School

This term Nursery enjoyed their first ballet class with Chelsea Ballet School. The pupils were introduced to Miss Jackie, who showed them how to march, skip and dance around the room so beautifully. Well done everyone!

WHOLE SCHOOL

Harvest Festival

The celebratory harvest assembly was held in the sports hall, with all pupils from Reception to Year 8. It was a real highlight of the term and it was so lovely to be together and feel the wonderful sense of community. Wandsworth Foodbank sent their sincere thanks to pupils, parents, teachers and staff at Newton Prep for their generous donations. The donations were even more generous than last year’s, with 1,130kg of donated food (up from 811kg last year).

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR 8

NPD trip to Power Station

YEAR 2

Tower Bridge

The Year 8s visited Battersea Power Station to learn about the local area and collect fieldwork data for their NPD project. They started applying their classroom learning with the pupils completing environmental quality surveys and growth and decline surveys. This was followed by an ascent up Lift 109. Here the children were tasked with identifying sustainable aspects of the development and local area. They then interviewed members of the public to gather qualitative data.

Year 2 had an exciting trip to Tower Bridge, where they had a fantastic time exploring the history, stories, and engineering of this iconic London landmark. The pupils travelled back in time to 30 December 1952, the day the Number 78 bus famously jumped Tower Bridge! Working in pairs, they created their own stop-motion animation of the dramatic bus jump. It was a wonderful learning experience and a memorable adventure for all!

YEAR 4

Moonlit Trees

Year 4 pupils captured the haunting beauty of a moonlit forest using chalk and charcoal. Their artwork features ghostly trees silhouetted against glowing night skies, intricate cobwebs, lurking spiders, skeletal twig-like hands, and mysterious owls perched in eerie stillness. Each piece is a blend of imagination and shadowy textures, evoking a sense of wonder and spooky enchantment.

YEAR 4

Greek Myths Play

Year 4 transported us back to Ancient Greece with their productions of ‘Theseus and the Minotaur’ and ‘Perseus and Medusa’. The pupils wowed us with their impressive acting, rapping and singing! It is clear that they worked extremely hard to learn their lines and cues.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

View more photos on our Flickr page

WHOLE SCHOOL

Christmas Sweaters

What a fantastic week the pupils had to finish the Autumn term!

With Christmas in sight, they enjoyed a variety of festive activities. They had a delicious Christmas lunch and were joined by some of Santa’s very special friends, they made Christmas tree decorations and showed off their dance moves at the Reception Disco with Mrs Smith and Mrs Clothier. All of the Reception classes filled their Tree of Treats and were treated to a special viewing of ‘Stick Man’ in their very own classroom cinema. The teachers were proud of the pupils’ hard work throughout the term and wished them a well-deserved Christmas break!

YEAR 3

Spanish Delicacies

The Year 3s were very busy in their Geography lessons about Spain. The pupils learnt all about the Spanish food culture and even got to try some of their specialities: Gazpacho, Tortilla de Patatas and Chorizo. Tortilla de Patatas was a favourite for many!

YEAR 2

LS Lowry

The pupils created artwork inspired by LS Lowry. They spent time closely examining his work, identifying both similarities and differences between different pieces. They then explored the concept of ‘perspective’ and how this can be created through the size of objects in a picture, as well as the idea of layering. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed exploring Lowry’s work in depth, as well as the process they have followed to begin finalising their pieces.

YEAR 7 & 8

Apples Lift the Cup!

In late November, six Year 7 and 8 players travelled to St George’s Park for the Prep4Sport U13 Challenge Cup, featuring top prep school teams. Despite challenges, including a storm, the team performed well in group matches, securing a spot in the top tier for day two after a tense draw against Notting Hill Prep. The team dominated the final, beating Notting Hill Prep 4-0 to win the Bowl tier. Thanks to the coaches and supporters for their encouragement!

YEAR 7 & 8

Wonderland

Year 7 and 8s production of ‘Wonderland’ was a brilliant display of talent, creativity and teamwork. From captivating performances that brought the beloved characters to life, to the seamless collaboration both on and off the stage, the cast truly shone. Congratulations to everyone involved for delivering such a spectacular play!

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

View more photos on our Flickr page

YEAR 3

Egyptian Workshop

Year 3 took part in their ancient Egyptian day and it did not disappoint! There were a range of craft activities such as hieroglyphic designs, perfume making, soap carving, canopic jar sculpting and even bread making. There was also an ancient Egyptian feast where the children presented performances to the pharaohsthey were very impressed!

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR 6

Earth Layers

Year 6 went a step deeper into archaeology by studying the stratigraphy of the ground beneath our feet. The class used a variety of materials to simulate different strata, then sketched their crosssections and labelled them with the matching time period.

RECEPTION

People Who Help Us

Reception continued with their ‘People Who Help Us’ topic, focusing on doctors, nurses and other medical staff. The pupils were lucky enough to have a visit from one of the parents who works as a GP. Nurse Helen also came to talk to the pupils about her career in nursing and gave them some advice about how they can avoid visiting the medical room, such as washing their hands properly and regularly!

YEAR 1

Tree Decorating

Year 1 had a festive end to the term. One of their favourite Christmas activities was creating festive decorations to go on the beautiful Christmas tree in the Lower School Hall. Everyone agreed that hanging them on the tree was the best part.

LOWER SCHOOL

Christmas Performances

Lower School got into the Christmas spirit with three fantastic performances! Year 2 started off with a performance of ‘The Angel Who Nearly Missed It All’, which they delivered with great enthusiasm and excitement. This was followed by Year 1’s fabulous, ‘Hey Ewe’, a version of the nativity play told from the perspective of a curious sheep. Finally we had Reception’s performance showcasing some Christmas songs they have been working on together and reading their class poems beautifully. The pupils really stepped up and performed for the audience.

View more photos on our Flickr page

Class Assembly

3EA treated the school to a fantastic assembly inspired by ‘My Dad’s a Birdman’ by David Almond. The pupils brought the story to life with impressive acting, heartfelt songs, and even shadow puppets, showcasing what they’ve been learning in their English lessons.

NURSERY

Bauble Painting

The Nursery pupils worked together to help Ms Mota create Santa’s Workshops in both classes, using decorations and tools given to us by Santa Claus himself. They worked hard to make sure their workshops are ready for their grand opening, and were all very excited to become Santa’s Little Helpers! To finish off the week, Nursery enjoyed a Christmas decorations workshop.

UPPER SCHOOL

Christmas Concerts

In the last week of term over 200 pupils performed in the Upper School Christmas concerts. Both nights were magical with choir songs and ensemble performances. The Year 7 & 8 Vocal Group also visited Eden Court Retirement Village to sing Carols. It was a joy to see the residents joining in with the singing.

YEAR 3

UPPER SCHOOL

Festival of Carols

The whole of Upper School went to Holy Trinity Sloane Square for an unforgettable celebration of music and the festive season. The Festival of Carols was a truly magical afternoon. The Training Choir’s performance was breathtaking and pupils delivered their readings with confidence as parents and special guests in the audience joined the carol singing to fill the air with joy and harmony. A perfect way to mark the end of Autumn Term and celebrate the holiday season!