Newton News Roundup Spring 2023

SPRING 2023

YEARS 4, 6 & 7

All About Ancient Rome

On one fine Tuesday, Classics and History lessons for Years 4, 6 & 7 were an exciting change from the norm when the children met author Annelise Gray and heard all about the Circus Maximus and chariot racing in Ancient Rome. Annelise is the author of the Circus Maximus series about Dido, a young girl who dreams of becoming a chariot racer, despite it being a male domain. The stories are fast paced and exciting, and the historical setting is still an area of fascination for so many of us.

YEAR 3

As part of their RS topic on ‘Places of Worship’, Year 3 pupils visited St Paul’s Cathedral. They lay down on the floor to fully appreciate the beauty of the dome and learned about symbolism in some key art works. The highlight was climbing over 800 steps to the very top to take in the amazing London skyline!

UPPER SCHOOL

Wandsworth Foodbank Collection

So many people kindly donated to our collection in support of the Wandsworth Foodbank. Mr Blair and Mr Hall were well assisted by pupils in Years 7 & 8 as they stockpiled donations before delivering them to the foodbank. The van was full to the brim and the foodbank was grateful for the support.

Visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral

1

Drop-in Mornings

It was wonderful to have so many parents join the children in class at the Lower School drop-in mornings. The children enjoyed sharing the work they’re so proud of.

YEAR 7 & 8

Guest Speaker Series

We launched a series of talks to Years 7 & 8s about career paths, industries and the intricacies of different jobs. Our first visitor was Newton Prep alumna, Zoe ThomasWebb. She told pupils about her work as a Costume Supervisor on theatre productions at the Royal Opera House, The Old Vic, the Royal Court Theatre, as well as blockbuster musical Hamilton.

UPPER SCHOOL

Newton’s Eco Committee

Trip to the W.R.W.A

Upper School Eco Warriors visited the Wandsworth Riverside Waste Authority to see where the school’s, and most of our household, waste is treated. The tour gave great insight into how much waste we produce each day, and how our recycled materials are separated and sorted. It was staggering to see the amount of general rubbish and recycling that is treated each day and how important it is for us to reduce our waste products. Remember: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

UPPER SCHOOL

Wayfarers Hockey

The London Wayfarers Hockey Club gave a masterclass to Upper School pupils. They were guided through drag warmups and received expert advice on weaving and defence. The evening rounded off with a gate game and Belgium hockey.

Chinese New Year

Year of the Rabbit

Gong Xi Fa Cai! We welcomed the Year of the Rabbit amongst splashes of red and gold and wonderful Chinese outfits. The catering team prepared a wonderful assortment of delights and two visiting musicians serenaded the room with traditional Chinese music.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR 6

Girls’ Hockey Tournament RECEPTION

Reading Mornings

The Thomas’s Clapham Hockey tournament involved seven other schools: Thomas’s Fulham, Thomas’s Battersea, Hornsby House, Thomas’s Kensington, Streatham & Clapham High School and Broomwood Hall. Each match was a mere eight minutes long, with a two minute changeover. Our players showed great sportmanship and resilience throughout the afternoon!

Reception Reading Mornings got off to a great start this term. The children loved having their family members reading their favourite stories with them on Fridays.

YEAR 2

2SC Class Assembly

2SC performed a lovely assembly about Valentine’s Day. They taught us how love is much more than just spending money and giving presents and how we can show and share our love with others. They spoke loudly and clearly, they sang beautifully and they performed a wonderful dance together. It certainly put a smile on everyone’s faces!

First Aid

Year 2 really enjoyed their First Aid Workshops where they learnt how to wrap bandages and treat a nosebleed, as well as what to do if you accidentally burn yourself.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

Spring 2023

YEAR 8

Junior Bake Off

Many of us sat down to watch the final of the Junior Bake Off featuring Thomas who made it through to the final four. He was just pipped to the post but he did himself great credit, both in his impressive cooking skills and also in the way in which he conducted himself. Thomas talked to Mrs Fleming about his experiences in ‘the tent’.

YEAR 6

Visit to Eden Court Retirement Village

Pupils from Year 6 visited Eden Court Retirement Village to sing a medley of songs and deliver postcards with messages of kindness. It was a really special and meaningful visit. The residents were incredibly grateful to the pupils for their uplifting enthusiasm and interactions. Year 6 showed their compassion and formed connections with members of the local community.

RECEPTION

To Infinity and Beyond…

To celebrate all they had learned about Space, Reception children dressed up as astronauts, stars, planets and even aliens! Science teachers Miss Eggerston and Miss Slavikova also showed the children how to launch a rocket – it was amazing! The children had Space yoga, Space games and even some Space food that astronauts would eat on their missions. Well done astronauts – you have completed your Space Learning Mission!

WHOLE SCHOOL

Music Recitals

The Music Department held its first music recitals of the Spring Term. We had over 60 pupils performing from Reception up to Year 7. Well done to all the performers for putting in the practice, they all performed with confidence and accuracy. Highlights included Nirvana on drums, a song in German and three renditions of Beethoven!

View more photos on our Flickr page

YEARS 5, 6 & 7

Un accident de ski

We welcomed in school the theatre company Onatti who performed une comédie très amusante, en français for our Years 5, 6 & 7 pupils. It told the story of un garçon anglais who ends up à l’hôpital after un accident de ski. There was much laughter and many hands up to answer questions in French from our wonderful audience –bravo les enfants!

YEARS 7 & 8

Jack Meggitt-Philips

Author Visit Years 7 & 8 were lucky enough to have workshops with Jack Meggitt-Phillips, author of the hilarious The Beast and the Bethany trilogy. He was a very energetic and entertaining speaker and made everyone laugh. He gave the children great ideas and tips for writing engaging stories, and within 15 minutes of writing they had created their own story of a happy place, a disaster and a conclusion - with a happy or sad outcome. Jack also read a chapter of his book using puppet Patrick to help him along with the story.

YEAR 4

4PS Class Assembly

4PS did a fantastic job in the assembly about why reading is important and so much fun. They acted out a scene from their class book Varjak Paw, read poems, reenacted extreme reading locations, and shared some of their favourite books and characters. They worked incredibly well as a team and loved performing to a giggling audience!

WHOLE SCHOOL

World Book Day

The school looked a little different on the Thursday 2nd March… Mary Poppins flew in, the English corridor became the Great Hall at Hogwarts and we ate Horrid Henry’s Greedy Buns at lunchtime. It was the wondrous, wacky and wild World Book Day, of course! Everyone pulled out the stops for their creative costumes and the pupils were desperate to find the character pairs amongst the staff. Year 7s & 8s did a fantastic job of reading to the Lower School children who loved hearing the funny voices and receiving stickers. It was such a great day celebrating reading, books and imagination!

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23 12 | Spring 2023

View more photos on our Flickr page

Coral Reef Project

To understand climate change better, Year 6 artists looked at its impact on coral reefs. They moulded wonderfully textured clay sculptures of bleached coral. They then created an image of their sculpture using brightly coloured inks and pencils to show how beautiful the living coral can be. The contrasting artworks carried a message for the viewer.

YEARS 1 & 2

Lower School Positions of Responsibility

Thank you to the Year 1 and Year 2 children who took on a special role this half term - Eco Warriors, House Captains and Pupil Parliament. We had a celebratory afternoon tea and the children enjoyed sharing highlights of their time in their roles.

YEAR 6

Courtroom Drama

It was, by some measure, the Humanities’ moment of the year. The case - Was Jesus resurrected from the dead or not? With the witnesses and prosecutors taking their oath of truth, the fierce debate began. Mary Magdalene and Doubting Thomas were among those interrogated by the prosecutors. Questions were raised by the jury, excellently portrayed by a group of staff, before deciding on the verdict. The entire group did amazingly with the task, clearly passionate about the subject.

YEARS 5 & 6

U11 Prep4Sport Tournament

The first ever girls’ football Prep4Sport tournament took place at St George’s Park, the home of the England Football team. After a challenging start against very strong club teams, the nine girls managed to come away with the Plate Trophy, conceding zero goals in the Sunday games! Ismene also won Player of the U11 tournament. The weekend was a big triumph and definitely a memory the team will never forget!

Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes

Year 3 delivered a spectacular performance of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes: The Three Little Pigs and Cinderella. The children worked tirelessly over seven weeks and this culminated in a brilliant showcase of their talent, charisma and flair! Well done, Year 3!

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23 16 | Spring 2023

View more photos on our Flickr page

Science Museum Trip

Year 5 explored fascinating galleries about Flight and Space and even saw a real piece of the Moon. They were in awe of the incredible exhibits in the Wonderlab - exploring friction on giant slides, finding out about how light reflects and refracts in mirror boxes, and of course strategising to get Mr Dobbing wet on the ‘Sip or Spray’ station!

LOWER SCHOOL

Marble Run House Competition

Thank you to everyone who entered the Lower School Marble Run Competition. We were blown away by all the wonderful entries! Congratulations to all the winners who were awarded 5 Housepoints and all the children who took part received 3 Housepoints.

NURSERY Superhero Day

Bam! Pow! Shazam! Nursery children learnt about Superheroes and made their own mini me version! They used them to act out their own adventure stories. The children also talked about real superheroes. From doctors to firefighters, police to teachers and other key workers and they have enjoyed acting out scenarios in their costumes. Thank you for protecting us!

YEAR 7

Classics Trip to Roman Bath

Year 7 had a great day out in Bath. Despite the unexpectedly wintry day (snow, sleet, cold…) the children enjoyed an interesting handson session at the Roman Baths, followed by a fascinating tour of the Baths. The children were able to touch and feel Roman artefacts and gained a deeper understanding of how these are interpreted to expand our knowledge about the Romans in Britain.

STEAM Week

A week of sizzling STEAM, where connections were the main theme, and learning was anything but a dream. Year 4s built towers that were taller than a tree, using nothing but marshmallows and spaghetti. Lower School showed off their crazy marble runs in a competition full of fun.

Others explored the world of polymers and how they could be transformed into slimy worms, creating connections that made their minds squirm.

So let’s raise a toast to a week full of connections, where STEAM reigns supreme, and learning is a journey that’s never routine!

Pi Day

The Maths department had a great time celebrating Pi Day with the children. In Year 5 pupils programmed robots to draw circles whilst Year 6 carried out circle investigations, measuring circles outside in the playground. At lunch time there were a variety of activities and competitions running, as well as pie options in the dining room.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR 1

1NG Class Assembly

There were no nerves in sight as the first Year 1 class stepped up to perform their class assembly, which was all about Brazil. They shared lots of facts about the country, the people, the landmarks and the Amazon Rainforest. We all certainly learnt a thing or two. Hats off 1NG, it was excellent!

WHOLE SCHOOL

Eco Warriors

Lower and Upper School Eco Warriors went on a trip to Battersea Park to collect litter. Using 100% biodegradable gloves and bags, the children collected an astonishing 15 bags of rubbish! A reminder to all to please put all your rubbish into bins so we keep our parks clean and stop litter from clogging the waterways which harms our wildlife. Lower School Eco Warriors also ran an assembly on World Water Day, providing useful tips on things we can do at home and at school to help save water. Turn off those taps!

UPPER SCHOOL

Chess Club

Upper School children have been really enjoying playing chess this term. At the increasingly popular lunchtime club, pupils were matched against players of a similar skill level. There is a wide range of abilities, meaning that everyone could come and enjoy a game, as well as learn from other players. There were even several new players taking their first steps with chess. Checkmate!

YEAR 1

Trip to The Transport Museum

Year 1 had a fantastic day at The Transport Museum. The children had time to explore the different modes of transport through the ages. From taxis to trains, to how the underground was built, there were many favourite things from the day!

“We learnt so many new facts about the underground!”

“I liked seeing the horse and carriage!”

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23 24 | Spring 2023

YEAR 1

1LD Class Assembly

Have you filled someone’s bucket today? 1LD performed a heartwarming assembly about Kindness, talking about how we can make ourselves and other people feel happy by doing and saying kind things. They spoke with great calmness and poise, sharing their messages with confidence. They sang and shared some beautiful songs and poems. A huge well done to you all!

YEAR 4

Completing the Turtle Sculptures

4NG put the finishing touches to the two turtle sculptures that had been created during the STEAM Week Art workshops with inventor and designer Darcy Turner. After creating the basic structure using wires, they attached the patterned metal discs that the Year 3 pupils had produced to the turtles’ shells.

UPPER SCHOOL

Training Choir at Chichester Cathedral

Training Choir visited Chichester Cathedral to sing Evensong. The choir, made up of pupils from Years 4-8, sang brilliantly and filled the 900 year old cathedral with their top B flats! Much of the music was sung in preparation for the choir’s tour to Dublin at the end of the academic year. Although a long day, the pupils worked very hard and did the school proud.

The 39 Steps

Some of our Year 8 pupils performed The 39 Steps to a packed auditorium. They rehearsed throughout the Spring Term and all of their hard work really paid off. It was great to see the pupils working collaboratively, supporting each other in the wings and delivering some of the best performances the Newton Prep stage has seen!

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

Racing Car Design

Year 6 raced the cars they had designed and printed in Computing lessons. The children used a simulation of a wind tunnel to test the aerodynamics of different shapes and explored what would minimise drag and maximise downforce. The children loved seeing how their designs performed and deserve their success on the racetrack!

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEARS 7 & 8

Rugby

The Years 7 & 8 rugby squad played their only fixture of the season against Westminster Cathedral Choir School. Although many of our players had limited rugby experience, with most having never played a fixture, the quality of rugby they were able to produce was outstanding. The game was fast paced and well structured, with players showing off some brilliant individual talents whilst maintaining a strong team ethos. Although Westminster put in a valiant effort, Newton claimed a victory!

YEAR 2

The Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!

2RB performed their wonderful assembly to a packed auditorium

. Their theme was World Poetry Day and they chose to focus on Spike Milligan and some of his poems. The children spoke with confidence and dazzled their audience with some super performance poetry. Bravo, 2RB!

YEARS 3 & 4

Author Visit from Louie Stowell

Year 3 & 4 pupils thoroughly enjoyed their visit from the popular author, Louie Stowell. She shared some tricks of the illustration trade, showing pupils how to create their own Lokis with a range of moods and expressions. As a group, using creativity and imagination, the pupils then created a brand new character, full of humour and individuality. Finally, they had the opportunity to ask Louie burning questions about her experiences as a writer.

Newton’s Got Talent

Our Newton’s Got Talent competition was an incredible success with some amazing performances across the year groups. We were honoured to be joined by an elite judging panel formed of Max Fosh (comedian), Stephanie Moore (talent agent), Josh Yeardley (Head of admissions, London School of Ballet) and our very own Miss Levy! One finalist from each house was selected per year group, with each performer taking to the stage in front of their peers. We saw an array of talents, from singing and dancing, to pogo sticking and comedy! Each performer should be incredibly proud of their efforts and it made for some very difficult decisions by the judges!

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

| Spring 2023

Spring has Sprung

Nursery have learnt more about Easter and how they can prepare to celebrate in the holidays. The children made cards for family and friends as well as fluffy chicks, Easter bunny masks and they also designed their own Easter eggs.

YEAR 2

A Victorian Afternoon

Wow! What an afternoon! The children thoroughly enjoyed carrying out a range of Victorian activities in different classrooms to end their topic with a bang. They made paper dolls with Mrs Gregory, attended culinary school with Mrs McMullen, entered a strict Victorian classroom with Miss Connolly and played Victorian games with Miss Wood. Lots of fun was had by all!

UPPER SCHOOL

Cello Showcase

This week, the Music Department held a Cello Showcase. We had ten performers showing off their hard work to their family and friends. Pieces ranged from The Flintstones to a Sonata by Romberg! Well done to everyone who performed.

YEAR 1

Greek Goddess of Women

The Year 1 children took part in a workshop led by Hera, the Greek Goddess of Women. The workshop introduced the children to extraordinary women from various spheres: adventurous and pioneering women, women in the arts, women in politics and women in science. They visited different locations and time periods, exploring the lives of women such as: Rosa Parks, Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart and Edith Cavell.

Marble Run

Year 5 STEAM club worked tirelessly over many weeks to design, create, improve and build marble runs out of recyclable materials. Throughout the project, they showed resilience, perseverance and the most admirable teamwork. They were thrilled to show off their final designs to proud Newton Prep staff.

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

YEAR 1

YEAR 5

Mini Museums

The future is coming! We went on a wild adventure with 1SB this week in their class assembly, going backwards and forwards in time to find out about different modes of transport. We got a glimpse of what weird and wonderful vehicles we may see in the future - a zipline into school would certainly help ease traffic congestion! The children spoke with great confidence and poise and we were all very impressed. Well done!

Year 5 have been busy creating their own miniature art galleries. They discovered that in the modern era, artists focused less on the subject matter of their artwork and more on the artistic process, showing ideas and emotions through their art. They researched sculptures and paintings, studied the styles then created their own miniature versions. However, the most modern piece in each gallery is their very own masterpiece!

RECEPTION

Learning about Easter

The children created Easter cards using a range of different materials and wrote special messages on the cards. They used eggs to add, double and halve different amounts. With Chef Claire, they made some delicious nests to keep their toy chick in using crumbled shredded wheat and melted chocolate. Have a cracking Easter everyone!

1SB Class Assembly

WHOLE SCHOOL

Spring Concert

It was a joy to welcome so many Upper School parents and pupils to our Spring Concert. All our ensembles performed as part of the concert, alongside the combined Junior and Senior Choirs, and the Years 7 & 8 Vocal Group. There were so many highlights with over 140 pupils participating and performing, but a special mention must go to Kaden K who narrated the performance of Jonah Man Jazz, telling the story of Jonah and the whale. The Senior Strings group played a tricky piece of Shostakovich with such skill, impeccable tuning and superb ensemble. An enormous thank you goes to all pupils who participated: you really were superb!

Newton News Round Up | Spring Term 2022-23

| Spring 2023

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