PREP NEWSLETTER
30th January - 3rd February Lent Term Newsletter Issue 4
Headmaster's Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Religious Theme
The Homeless
Thank you to all those parents and grandparents – and to our Prep Governor, John Bryant - who were able to attend the Prep Concerts this past week for children in Forms Three to Six All those there will now share, with me, lifelong memories of seeing our children striving to do their best and growing in confidence and experience, as well as so much more besides Thank God for the Performing Arts, for your commitment to them in all their forms and of course our thanks to ever-composed, considered and talented Miss McLauchlan and the VMT teaching team
Attending the Catholic Independent Schools' Conference in Harrogate this week has reminded me of the importance of going beyond the usual routine and of forging new friendships along with nurturing older ones. Trust becomes an important part of any relationship as we might explore issues that concern us or opportunities that have the potential to excite Trust can begin to grow firstly by making another person feel welcome and valued, maybe even through something as simple as a smile Moving from that, asking meaningful questions and taking a sincere and concerned interest is vital Learning to listen to one another, without feeling the need necessarily to reply, gives that person the space to explore an issue more fully Not only can this empower them, but this space can also help a relationship to grow and flourish into something creative and meaningful
In closing, as we approach the mid-point of the term and await results of 11+ exams, we must continue to centre ourselves on the importance of nurturing relationships, on making strangers and one another feel welcome and valued and, of course, remembering that we ourselves are loved and cherished by others in the Edmundian community and of course, loved and cherished by God.
Wishing you a good weekend ahead,
Mr S Cartwright Headmaster, St Edmund’s Prep
Campion Champions!
Emilia-Jane and Helen, pictured here, proudly represent Campion House and have received a thank-you letter from the charity War Child, Campion House’s chosen charity during the last academic year In total, our community raised £2435 57, every penny of which will go towards supporting children in war-torn areas across the world including Afghanistan, Ukraine and Yemen God bless and thank you all for your generosity
Mr Cartwright's quiz
Q: What is the largest known living land animal?
A: In next week's Newsletter
Last Week's answer
Q: Who built the first roads in Britain?
A: The Romans
Quote
This is what we are about: We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. Saint Oscar Romero
Head's Commendations
Millie Brennan - For working well as part of a team
Ariana Payne - For building a house that didn't blow over!
Camille Woodhall - For excellent maths work this week
Oliver Hollingsworth - Gee - Fantastic efforts in writing this week
Sam Belsey - Excellent in Mathematics
Connor Muller - Excellent linking skills in Maths this week
Scarlett Rudman - An excellent book review
Harry Rutherford - Achievement in Mathematics
Olivia Wheeler - An excellent book review
Emilia-Jane Noble - Excellent creative writing
Renata Simmons - For her science project - she became a fantastic teacher teaching the Form 2s about light
Henry Skitt - Maths Homework
George Smith - Maths Homework
Phoebe Wild - Excellent creative writing.
Upcoming dates - February
Monday 6th
Tuesday 7th
Wednesday 8th
Thursday 9th
Friday 10th
Anti Bullying Week/National Children's Mental Health Week - Children to wear odd socks to school to support Anti Bullying Vision Screening
U11 Netball Tournament - Away at Heath Mount
3pm - U9 & U8 Rugby v Manor Lodge - Home 2pm - 3.30pm - Nursery Stay and Play session
Half-term begins
Friday 10th March
E-Safety
Open Morning
Be kind online ( to run with anti -bullying week)
It can be very easy online for children to behave in a way that they wouldn’t if they were face to face with each other Talk to your child about how they are speaking to others online and encourage them to talk to people online with respect and kindness, like they would if they were faceto-face Dr Linda Papadopoulos (Internet Matters Ambassador) provides tips on how you can help your child to be kind online in this YouTube video such as teaching them how to be inclusive and think about how they would like to be treated online themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BqKi3J7g6Q&t=9s
Ensure that your child understands that if they receive unkind messages (or see something that worries them) then they should not reply or engage in conversation, but that they should tell a trusted adult You can use the tools within an app to report any offensive or hurtful content as well as block people so they cannot contact you again in the future
Unicef have a comprehensive area on their website, which talks about what Cyberbullying is and how to stop it:
https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying
Childline also have a lot of information about Cyberbullying, including advice to those that might be bullying:
https://www childline org uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/typesbullying/bullying-cyberbullying/
This week in the Prep...
In Form 4 we are learning about electricity in our science lessons. We have made simple circuits and, in our lessons last week, we made posters to try to persuade people that they cannot live without electricity We then had a debate with the children choosing to argue either that electricity is a good thing or a bad thing There were some interesting arguments given and some of the children were convinced to change their minds about what they thought Many of the arguments focussed on using games consoles and cars and the effect electricity has on the environment.
Form 6 children made periscopes as part of our topic on light They were learning about how light travels and the angle of incidence and reflection They will be teaching the younger years how light travels
This week in the Prep...
The children have been busy this week in after-school activities, including Sewing Club and Watercolour Painting Club
Dragon Stories
Form 2 have thoroughly enjoyed reading stories all about dragons We have written our own dragon stories, using lots of adjectives and descriptive sentences We then created our own dragons, drew them carefully and used watercolours to paint them
Performing Arts
Prep Concerts
Well done to almost 50 children in Forms 3 to 6 who performed in one of our Prep Concerts on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon this week and thank you to parents and grandparents for coming along to support during two most enjoyable hours of music-making
A report and photos will appear in next week’s newsletter
Mary Poppins Auditions for Form 6
A reminder that the auditions are taking place on the afternoon of Tuesday 7th February. If any children are absent on the day, we are going to arrange an alternative time for them
People that help us
The Reception Class are learning about people who help us. Nurse Sam visited us with some of her special equipment. The children took it in turns to ask her questions to find out what it is like to be a nurse
Nurse Sam said she loves to look after people and help to make them feel better She showed us how to put bandages on, how to use a stethoscope and how to put on a sling We have turned our home corner into a hospital and are looking for volunteers to practise our new skills!
Photo of the week
Composition Photography Project - Sienna Grange
Shadows & Reflections Photography Project - Jack Button
