The Echo Summer 2018

THEECHO ECHO ECHO

Summer 2018 Edition

Education in all its Forms!

What does an education at St Margaret’s mean? The dictionary definition of ‘education’ reads ‘the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university’. If that is the case, then arguably the children at St Margaret’s are not being well educated at all! Of course they learn how to read, write and understand how to manipulate numbers, but their learning is rich and varied and includes so much more. Many people would expect that learning takes place within a classroom setting and of course it does, but that is where only a very small part of a St Margaret’s education occurs. Looking back on the past ten weeks, it is easy to recognise the variety of ‘extra’ things that the children have experienced, in support of the wider aspects of their education. In addition to the vast range of day and residential trips, there have been exams, not just classroombased measures of knowledge, but LAMDA, ‘debating’ via the medium of the English Speaking Board and classical and contemporary music through both the ABRSM and Trinity systems. Further, the children have enjoyed a range of activities in support of the core curriculum,

these included Maths outings, literary competitions, becoming nature detectives and our hugely popular outdoor classroom day. And just in case there was any time left, they squeezed in a choral festival, the annual charity walk and a range of fundraising activities, cookery days, IAPS swimming and golf finals, breakfast and rock school concerts and of course the end of year annual school production; Bugsy Malone.

Add to this opportunities to develop effective learning skills, as well as demonstrate their ever-evolving social skills and it is easy to appreciate why education should really be about the process of facilitating learning through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits, which in turn brings about an inherent and permanent change in a person’s thinking and capacity to do things. Look to the children at St Margaret’s, who throw themselves wholeheartedly into the range of opportunities available to them on a day-today basis and it is easy to understand why proportionately so little of their learning actually takes place in the classroom!

Welcome to the Summer 2018 Edition of The Echo As I reflect upon my musings from the spring term edition, I note the focus on the extraordinary weather that we were experiencing at that time. As I write now, the snow is long gone and we are endeavouring to find as many practical ways as is possible to protect ourselves from the rays of the sun and the current extreme heat; we are of course never content with our seasonal offerings!

The sense of community is ever present and that is why it is with a mixture of pride and sadness that we say goodbye to our Year 6 leavers and their families.

The academic year is now drawing to a close and, in spite of the weather, St Margaret’s has enjoyed another highly successful year, during which the children have provided numerous highlights which have been shared and appreciated by many.

This edition of The Echo is, as ever, filled with just a selection of just some of the very many wonderful events and activities that have taken place this term.

I hope you enjoy reading it and I send you and your families good wishes for a restful summer!

‘Stay in touch with the people with whom you were at school. Only they (and your family) knew you as a child!’

www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk All About Alliteration in Kindergarten This term, the cheerful children in creative Kindergarten have all been busy spotting alliteration in their immediate environments. Each week they have been focusing on linking alliteration to their sound, number, colour and shape of the week. They have been practising giving excellent examples and carefully completing a short string of wonderful words, to demonstrate their understanding.

Congratulations to Kindergarten, our creative communicators!

To Infinity and Beyond in Reception C In June, Reception C children were joined by their Year 6 peers to take part in their very own customised Space Day, led by a team from the UK Space Agency.

The range of astronomical activities included crater making, designing a healthy meal for an astronaut, changing into space costumes, simple mapping skills and testing reaction times, and launching space rockets which had been designed by some of the children.

This provided a wonderful opportunity for some of our youngest and oldest children to work collaboratively, taking turns at speaking and listening, whilst they engaged in problem-solving activities. An added highlight of the day was, of course, wearing space-themed fancy dress costumes. The children all looked ‘out of this world!’

1H children have ‘Bean’ Investigating In Science this term, the children in 1H have been learning about Plants. The class conducted an investigation with the question ‘Does the size of the seed affect the size to which the plant grows?’ This was very exciting to explore and the children all enjoyed growing their own vegetables to discover the results. They used their experiences from this to investigate the growth of a broad bean seed, without any soil. Everyone had great enthusiasm for the investigations and enjoyed collating the results to see if their predictions were correct. They were all very curious to observe and record the investigation, as each bean size and shape was slightly different. Comparing and concluding the results was fascinating, as the children shared their findings, with some beans tall enough for Jack to climb up the beanstalk!

THEECHO ECHO ECHO SUMMER 2018 EDITION

1P The Seaside Explorers!

In Geography, the children in 1P have been exploring the seaside town of Wembury, in South Devon. They have shared experiences of their own visits to the seaside and in particular those of rock pooling. All of the children are able to name and describe different creatures that you might find in a rock pool and explain the seaside code of how to look after themselves and keep safe.

A culmination of everyone’s exciting learning was to collage their own interpretation of a rock pool, using previously taught collaging techniques. Keep up the fantastic learning 1P!

‘Lots’ to Learn for Year 2 at Lotmead Farm In Geography this term, the children in Year 2 have been learning about where their food comes from and how different foods are seasonal. In support of this, they visited Lotmead Farm in Wanborough.

Whilst there, they had the opportunity to see the different types of crops that grow at this time of year, including strawberries, blackcurrants and raspberries. In Science, the children have been finding out about different types of habitats and investigating the kinds of plants and animals that live in certain habitats and the reasons why. At Lotmead, everyone had great fun exploring the wildlife on a nature trail through woodland and onto a wetland area, collecting little treasures as they went; they saw dragonflies and even a heron!

The children also enjoyed looking at the different animals at the small animal farm, including seeing a nanny goat with her kids. However, the highlight of the day undoubtedly was picking their own strawberries and making sure they selected the juiciest ones!

2T’s Interesting Animal Facts 2T had an amazing time at the Cotswold Wildlife Park earlier this term. The sun shone and gave everyone the opportunity to not only explore the park, but also to enjoy a ride on the train. The children learnt how different animals have adapted to live in their habitats and also discovered lots of interesting facts about a variety of animals. Did you know that a sloth only goes to the loo once a month? There are 2 species of sloth: the Three-toed Sloth has adapted to be able to swim, the Two-toed Sloth doesn’t need to swim!

The children learnt that penguins are black on top and white underneath so that they can be camouflaged to protect themselves from predators in the sky and in the sea.

And of course at the end of the day, everyone enjoyed a well-deserved ice cream!

Open D Giving & Afterno

ay, Prize & Sports on 2018

www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk 3H Design Perfect Pizzas to Go! In Design & Technology this term, lucky 3H children were able to design, make and taste-test their own delicious pizzas, with everyone agreeing that they were out of this world! To start the unit off in style, the children compared a range of shop-bought pizzas and toppings, whilst using their senses to explore the ingredients. They needed to remember that appearance, texture and smell all contribute to the overall taste sensation. They very quickly formed their own strong opinions about what they liked or disliked when it came to pizzas and were able to use this knowledge to inform their own creative designs. Of course the best part was indeed saved until last, with a production line the like of which any Italian chef would be proud! Super slicing, careful chopping, delicate dicing and artistic arranging were all evident! But most of all eager eating was by far the best experience; until next time… Ciao!

3R Think ‘Ewe’ Should Visit Calne!

Children in 3R have taken their Calne studies a step further and worked as a team to create a lasting memorial to commemorate the town’s history. They focused on the woollen industry and how this was central to the importance of the growing town before the invasion of Harris’ pigs! The class enjoyed exploring The Green in Calne, to see where the vibrant mill workshops would have been located, and they spent time imagining whether they would have enjoyed working in a mill as a Victorian child.

After their visit, everyone then worked on sculptures back at school.

They used dexterity to manipulate junk modelling into a sheep shape and then had great fun designing her final look and choosing a name for her. ‘Fluffy’ has become a valued member of 3R, we all agree she is ‘baaaaags’ of fun!

Can 4B Persuade You?!

As part of their Literacy lessons, the children in 4B have spent recent weeks looking at persuasive writing. They started by looking at some contentious issues like the amount of homework they are set, whether football should be banned in the playground, or the subject of school uniform. At the end of the first week, the children had to write a letter to Mrs Cordon with their ideas for and against wearing a different type of uniform. The boys were in favour of no ties in the summer and shoes without socks, whereas the girls felt that home clothes would be favourable to uniform - but we’re not sure that everyone would agree on this point!

At the end of the second week, the children could choose a different theme from the previous week, or one more personal to them. Parents and teachers beware – some of your children may be asking for more pocket money, a puppy, a classroom pet, or in one case, more homework!

THEECHO ECHO ECHO SUMMER 2018 EDITION

Year 5 Al Fresco Maths Investigations During the lovely weather this term, the children in Year 5 enjoyed being outside for some Maths investigations. One of their challenges was to measure each other in centimetres and then convert into metres. Mrs Gibson and Miss Du Croz only knew their height in feet and inches, so the next task was to find their height in centimetres. Using a coin card, the pupils converted centimetres into inches and worked out the imperial and metric equivalents. To consolidate their understanding, the children looked at the average heights of animals from around the world and converted these from centimetres to feet and inches. They have learnt that it is always best to check through their answers, as some calculations were a little alarming; one group calculated that a pupil in Year 5 was 12 feet tall!

Fun and Learning for Year 4 at Mill on the Brue Earlier in the term, Year 4 children enjoyed another fun-filled residential trip to Mill on the Brue in Bruton, Somerset. As far as the children were concerned, this was a much loved holiday with their friends, in a wonderful rural setting, with outdoor experiences that they will remember as a highlight of their school year. But what were they really there to learn? This was their first two-night venture away from school for many, so some needed to get used to being away from home, as well as being a little more independent (with back up!). They soon learnt what fun it was to be with friends 24 hours a day and that there was so much planned that there was not a spare moment to think about home. Another concern might be food, but they were quickly reassured that with the owners having children of the same age, all meals are very child friendly. Using vegetables that they picked themselves and delivered to the kitchen, they were encouraged to experiment more than they might do at home and at school. Watching their friends go down an exciting zip wire encouraged others to have a go, especially when they witnessed how carefully all the safety equipment had been checked on every child. Their effective learning skills were very much employed, as every child was asked to Plan, Do and Review for every activity. Geography was also very much included, from using a Digi Map on the coach journey there, to looking at the wonderful sustainable site and all the clever ideas employed to reduce and recycle. As well as having great fun, there really was a lot of learning involved too!

Year 5 Explore the Jurassic Coast Earlier in the term, the Year 5 children arrived at school full of enthusiasm for the adventure that lay ahead. The weather appeared to be against us as the children loaded their bags into the waiting minibuses in the pouring rain. The buses were filled with joyous song and happy laughter as the cloud cleared and the long awaited sun finally arrived. Everyone was ready for their adventure at the Jurassic coastline!

As part of the Geography curriculum, the children have learnt about Britain’s first ‘World Heritage Site’ and studied the unique rock formations. It is considered to be the only place in the world which displays unbroken evidence of 185 million years of the earth’s history, exposed in layers through the dramatic cliffs. The children began by exploring the town of Swanage and found many interesting sites, including a clock tower brought from London and an old jail built in 1803.

Harrow House residential centre was the children’s home for the three days; where they ate hungrily and slept soundly. Everyone enjoyed the mild evenings playing mini golf, aero ball and team games on the many courts around the centre. The mini golf competition was pursued with enthusiasm by both staff and children!

The following days were filled with learning about this fascinating coastline, from the spectacular sand dunes at Studland Bay, the remarkable circular cove at Lulworth Cove and over the steep hill to the dramatic Durdle Door. The walk back from Durdle Door was celebrated with an ice-cream…. delicious!

www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk Year 6 Enjoy Competitive Crabbing on the Isle of Wight!

Bright sunshine and clear blue skies heralded the arrival of Year 6 at the UK Sailing Association (UKSA) centre on the Isle of Wight back in May. The children spent five days immersed (quite literally!) in water sports. They tried their hand at paddle-boarding, dinghy sailing, keel-boating and kayaking.

The evenings were action-packed too, with swimming, a quiz night, a talent show and gutter-boat racing all on offer. For many, crabbing from the pontoon was the highlight of the evening entertainments; it was surprising just how competitive it became! As well as learning new practical water sports skills, the children were able to further develop their effective learning skills: resilience, perseverance and co-operation all being progressed during the residential trip. A hugely enjoyable experience for all involved.

Year 6 Debating Award Many of the Year 6 children have worked hard this term to prepare for the first ever attempt at the ESB Debating Award. This exciting new venture is an external assessment of the skills needed to present and argue a debate. Working in teams of 4, the children constructed an argument on a pre-determined theme. A second team took the opposing view. Each child had to speak for 4 minutes, including giving signposting to the ideas being debated, fully evidenced arguments and summing up. In addition, they were able to refute the arguments presented by the other side and to give points of information while another speaker was giving their argument – this proved to be the most exciting aspect of the debates, with some children really enjoying the opportunity to highlight any flaws in the arguments. Alongside the spoken work, the non-verbal communication was important to give validity to the arguments.

The two themes chosen by the children were: ‘Country life is better than city life’ and ‘Every home should have a pet’.

Developing these skills will undoubtedly benefit the children as they move on to their senior schools, where they will have all the skills required to enter into more formal debating situations.

Culinary Delights for Year 6 Over two mornings just after half term, the Year 6 children were challenged to prepare and serve a meal for their own lunch. Helped by a team of parents who guided them through the techniques and the tricks of the trade, they learnt how to make a three course meal. As in any professional kitchen, each small group of children was given one element of the meal to perfect. The first course needed plenty of muscle to knead the dough for bread rolls; there was also a salad to prepare. Some children selected herbs from the school garden to add to the salad, including chives and marjoram. Others made pastry from scratch for the savoury tarts and filled them after blind baking. The final group made two desserts; a fruit salad based around a banana split with ice cream, and also some chocolate marshmallow squares.

Before sitting down to eat, they learnt about table setting, including how to fold the napkins and arrange flowers for the table. Everyone agreed that food tastes better when you have made it yourself! Additionally, being able to enjoy the al fresco experience on the second day gave the food a different taste.

Thank you to all the parents who made the meal possible; especially those who gave up their time to work with the children and those who sourced all the ingredients and planned the menus. It was a lovely experience to be able to work with different people and to learn some valuable skills that will be extremely useful in the future!

St Margaret’s Preparatory School, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0DF Tel: 01249 857220 Email: office@stmargaretsprep.org.uk Website: www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk

@StMargaretsPrep