From Mrs Hall

This week, Year 1 had an exciting trip to the planetarium! The boys were full of curiosity and enthusiasm as they learnt all about space. They were particularly fascinated by the displays and asked some brilliant questions during their session. The Science centre staff were very impressed with how well-behaved and attentive the boys were throughout the visit. They represented the school beautifully, showing respect and great manners. Well done, Year 1!

In this week’s assembly, we had a special moment where we gave our beloved tortoise, George, a bath. The boys were eager to help and learnt about how we care for him as part of our school community. This was followed by a reading of the classic poem, The Hare and the Tortoise. We used the story to talk about perseverance and the importance of never giving up, just like the tortoise in the race. The boys were reminded that while we may face challenges, staying focused and steady will help us achieve our goals in the end. Each class will have their turn bathing George. He will also have a check-up with the vet over half-term to prepare for his hibernation.

As always, it’s been a busy and productive week in Pre-Prep, and we’re so proud of the boys’ continued growth and effort!

 We look forward to seeing you at our celebration assembly on Tuesday at 1500.

Mrs Sarah Hall
Head of Pre-Prep

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Shell Awards this week:

Year 2: to Arthur O-B for persevering with his story writing
Year 1: to Edward for his can-do attitude in the classroom. Great motivation this week towards your learning, Edward!
Reception: Henry B for his excellent progress with learning letter sounds and for using this knowledge to read words!

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Save the Dates !

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Notices

After School Club and Commoners pickup times: Please remember to collect your sons promptly, either at 1630 when After School Club ends, or at 1800 when Supper Club ends. 

Menus are available here on My School Portal. 
^{Reminder: no food is to be brought into the school and/or given to boys at any time, especially at sign-out.}

Music Group for Toddlers
Don't forget our new toddler music group, Musical Shells.  For more details, please refer to the link on our website and our recent Social posts. We encourage you to spread the word to friends and family!  Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support. 

PPA News:


Book Club will next meet on Wednesday 13 November at 7pm. We are reading ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ by Milan Kundera.  A bestselling, modern classic: Milan Kundera’s iconic novel of love and politics in communist Czechoslovakia.  

‘Shamelessly clever… Exhilaratingly subversive and funny.’ Independent

A young woman is in love with a successful surgeon; a man torn between his love for her and his womanising.  His mistress, a free-spirited artist, lives her life as a series of betrayals, while her other lover stands to lose everything because of his noble qualities. In a world where lives are shaped by choices and events, and everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose is substance and weight – and we feel ‘the unbearable lightness of being’.

Pick up the book and join us, everyone is welcome!

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Reception news

'All about Autumn' has been the focus in Reception class this week.  The boys have had a go at 'drilling' conkers, also using their mathematical skills by threading a large, medium and small conker onto a string lace.  I was very impressed at how well the boys were able to secure their conker into the drilling device and then twist and turn the drill to make a hole all the way through their chosen conker. Threading was then a challenge to make sure their string went all the way through the conker hole.  What a fun yet challenging activity.  The boys will bring their creations home next week.

Every Wednesday, the boys have a short session using devices to develop their computing skills. I have been teaching the boys how to use a programme that we use in school called 'Purple Mash'. It is tricky to remember how to 'Log on' and enter a 'Password' but all are trying very hard with this new skill and even helping each other if they are more confident.  Super Autumn pictures have been drawn on the screens and, by experimenting with colours and effects, the boys have been able to think carefully about what they need to include to make their picture a true Autumn creation.

Well done, boys!  What a super week! Enjoy your weekend and I hope you have a lovely half-term break when it arrives next week.

Mrs Sarah Huntley
Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 news

Space
This topic continues to hold the boys’ interest and provides a wealth of learning opportunities. We have investigated the history of space travel this week. In groups, the boys shared lots of key dates related to the development of space travel. We practised many difficult skills in this lesson, from reading a date (e.g. 1942 splitting into nineteen and forty-two) to organising them on a timeline from smallest to greatest. The boys could not believe that various animals had travelled into space and that over 20 years ago, the first space tourist travelled into space.

In other space-themed activities this week, the boys have practised colour mixing to imagine what our alien friend Beegu’s planet might look like. We have used different 2D shapes to create rockets. We have practised careful cutting by making an astronaut’s helmet out of a paper plate as well as creating a spaceman using split pins. The boys have been introduced to VERBS as a word class this week, and I was particularly impressed with their ideas of action words they could use to describe how an astronaut might board a rocket and how that rocket might blast off from earth. Lots of creative thinking on display in the Year 1 classroom this week!

Well done, boys, on a superb week finishing with a wonderful visit to the Science Centre and Planetarium.

Mrs Victoria Ford
Year 1 Teacher

Year 2 news

The boys in Year 2 had a wonderful time reading to Reception class this week.

Judging by the quietness and focus of each and every boy in the classroom on Monday afternoon, it was a very positive experience for both ages. It was a wonderful way for the Year 2 boys to take ownership of their stories and take on the responsibility of being the oldest and sharing. Subsequently, the boys have written a 'blurb' to entice new readers. We look forward to sharing these with you on Tuesday afternoon during our Celebration Assembly.

This is a cumulation of a few weeks' worth of work, commencing with the discovery of Little Red Reading Hood's cloak and a basket full of traditional tales, to inventing our own fairy tales with a twist. We have designed a front cover and mapped out a story-mountain highlighting the characters, the setting and the plot.

Many discussions took place around the use of capital letters and full stops, as well as the use of adjectives, making their stories more interesting. The boys are very proud of their stories, and rightly so.

Mrs Maxine Kent
Year 2 Teacher
 

Forest School

Due to extraordinary circumstances this week, only Year 1 had their Forest School session.

This week, we built on last week’s experience with autumn leaves and asked the boys in Year 1 to look at the beautiful seasonal colours more closely. With this in mind, the boys enjoyed collecting as many different coloured leaves, and creating an autumn leaf rainbow, with some very pleasing results.

Reminder: all boys need to bring a waterproof coat into school each week, along with waterproof trousers and wellington boots for their Forest School sessions.

Mrs Walker
Forest School and LAMDA Teacher

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From the PPA