From Mrs Hall

The weather has certainly turned very autumnal, and with the crisp chill in the air, we kindly ask that all boys bring their coats each day, along with waterproofs for Forest School. Could all boys please bring in a named water bottle too.

This week, we've been inspired by the Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night story. We began the week with an assembly focused on enjoying firework events safely and sensibly. The boys thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of Guy Fawkes and discussing the significance of fireworks and bonfires. We’ve explored both the story and important safety aspects, sparking plenty of imaginative discussions about the dazzling colours, lights, and sounds they’re excited to see over the weekend.

Year 2 have been honing their writing skills by learning how to compose formal letters. They’ve practised using a structured style and have shown impressive creativity in their letters to the Night Gardener. Year 1 and Reception have been fully immersed in the colourful festival of Diwali. They’ve explored the story of Diwali, created some beautiful Rangoli patterns, and learnt about the traditions and celebrations associated with this festival of lights. It has been a joy to see them embrace these activities with such curiosity and enthusiasm!

We know many of the boys are eager to welcome back our beloved tortoise, George Sheldon, who spent his half-term holiday with me. George had a wonderful break and is now getting ready to hibernate over the coming weeks. His hibernation will be an exciting topic for the boys to learn about and observe, providing a unique learning experience about the natural cycles of different animals.

Wishing you a safe and festive Bonfire Night this evening!

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Shell Awards this week:

Year 2: to Tymur for his effort and diligence at making good choices
Year 1: to Maximilian for his motivated ‘can do’ attitude since coming back after half-term. Well done, Maximilian!
Reception: to Henry R for being a kind friend to another boy in class when helping him on the outside play equipment.

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Save the Dates !

Tuesday 12 November	All day	Odd Socks Day (marking Anti-Bullying Week) (See SchoolPost message sent on Thursday 7 Nov at 16:30)
Wednesday 13 November	11:15	Virtual Open Morning Event for prospective parents Book here: Open mornings and events - The Pilgrims' School
Thursday 14 November	09:30	Musical Shells and Balanced Babies Events for prospective parents Book here: Open mornings and events - The Pilgrims' School
Friday 15 November	All day	Children-in-Need Day
Thursday 28 November	10:30	Balanced Babies Event for prospective parents Book here: Open mornings and events - The Pilgrims' School
Friday 29 November	15:00-15:30	Pre-Prep Cathedral Assembly
Friday 29 November	19:00-21:00	PPA Christmas Drinks in the Pilgrims' Hall for all parents (details to follow)
Tuesday 3 December	All day	Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas lunch for all boys Choristers sing at the switching on of Cathedral Christmas tree lights
Wednesday 4 December	15:00-16:00	Christ Church visit Pre-Prep
Thursday 5 December	10:30	Balanced Babies Event for prospective parents Book here: Open mornings and events - The Pilgrims' School
Thursday 5 December	11:00	Pre-Prep Nativity Dress Rehearsal
Friday 6 December	11:00-11:45	Pre-Prep Nativity for parents (Details to follow)
Monday 9 December	08:15-08:45	Pre-Prep Open Classrooms
Tuesday 10 December	08:15-08:45	Pre-Prep Open Classrooms Pre-Prep trip to Mother Goose pantomime
Wednesday 11 December		End of Term

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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 Groups for Toddlers and Babies
Don't forget our new toddler music group, Musical Shells and our Balanced Babies group.  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:

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Reception news

Welcome back!  I hope you have all had an enjoyable half-term break with your families.  I have enjoyed hearing about the different trips, excursions and family time the boys have spent with you.

This half term started off with an introduction to our theme for the term: Celebrations. The boys have been shown great enthusiasm to learn more about different festivals and special celebrations that will happen during this term.  

Divali and Bonfire Night were our focus for this week, with Remembrance Day being next week's key focus. Together we have learnt more about the Hindu faith and how traditions and cultures are celebrated. The boys made Diva lamps using clay, which was a challenge, as it was much harder to manipulate than Play-Doh. Lots of rolling, squeezing, pressing and pulling were the techniques used to create each Diva lamp. The boys then enjoyed creating patterns on their lamps before waiting for them to dry ready for painting.  

Another fun fine motor activity this week included creating our own large Rangoli pattern on the floor using coloured rice and chalk. The boys have learnt a lot about repeated and symmetrical patterns this week and have used this knowledge with Miss Whitmore to create their own artwork.  When complete, the challenge then moved on to trying to make this Rangoli floor pattern last for the rest of the week without walking on it.  I will let you know next week if this has been achieved!

Such a busy first week, full of cultural and historical learning to share.

Well done, boys!  You may even hear or see more fireworks over the weekend.  See if you can see the patterns they create in the sky.

Mrs Sarah Huntley
Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 news

Space – Light
This term’s topic of Space moves into a sub-section all to do with light this half term. This week has provided much inspiration on this subject. We have investigated the events that led up to Guy Fawkes having a celebration every 5th November. We have discovered onomatopoeia and used various sound words to write a poem about fireworks. We have learnt about Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Light which was celebrated on 31st October this year, have created our own diya on Purple Mash, and we have made rangoli patterns using Numicon and other 2D shapes. Diyas, rangolis and fireworks are all used as a celebration of light for this special time of year in the Hindu calendar. As a final treat for this week of firework fun, we have made fireworks to eat as a special snack!

Mrs Victoria Ford
Year 1 Teacher

Year 2 news

During the SCARF workshop this week, the boys delved deeper into their understanding of feelings: how to manage them, what to do and who to ask for some help. Harold the Giraffe made numerous appearances with his friends Kiki and Derek modelling what to do when they have been upset by a friend’s actions or words. 

Bullying was also discussed, and the boys were excited to see the word STOP being used twice in an acrostic poem. First, to help understand what bullying is:

Several
Times
On 
Purpose

And secondly, what they can do if they are being bullied. 

Start
Telling 
Other 
People

 

Mrs Maxine Kent
Year 2 Teacher
 

Forest School

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.

This week was very exciting for Year R, as we bravely ventured out of the school grounds for part of our Forest School session. At the start, we chatted about some of the shapes the boys were familiar with, and they were all inspired to become shape hunters in the natural environment. On our journey to the playing fields, they continued to use their shape magnifiers and were amazed at how many they could find. Our adventure finished at the sports pavilion where we shared a mug of hot chocolate together and had fun running down the slope.

Year 1’s Forest School session this week linked in with their Science Curriculum. Our focus was on becoming familiar with everyday materials. The boys learnt to identify where some of these materials were being used in our natural environment, as well as think about the properties of the different materials. We had fun exploring suitable adjectives to describe them.

Mrs Walker
Forest School and LAMDA Teacher

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From the PPA