Newsletters

Friday 14 May

To be a Pilgrim is to serve, Episode 26 

I have talked of the importance of service before. Serving others comes in many shapes and sizes. This week I was struck by two examples: one is close to home and the other further afield.

First, thank you to all the parents and boys who donated food to the Running for Lunches campaign initiated and run (no pun intended) last week by boys in Year 5. The boys were thrilled to be invited to deliver the donations directly to the Winchester Basics Bank this week and spent some time learning how to sort donations into categories ready to be provided to the individuals and families that need them. They told me they learned a lot, including that it is not only food which is needed but other ‘basics’ such as personal care items (e.g. toothpaste, shampoo or soap). Well done, boys!

Yesterday, Matt Holmes gave a fascinating talk to some Year 8 boys about his career in the Royal Marines. He talked about his experience of serving in combat in conflicts across the world from Northern Ireland to Iraq, various leadership roles he has held in the Royal Marines and as an advisor in the seat of political power in Whitehall. The boys understood how important it is for all of us that our armed forces serve to protect our freedom and democracy. The boys found his speech informative and inspirational. With a very big thank you to Matt!

And finally, to continue the theme of serving others, we are very much looking forward to the Sponsored Walk tomorrow in aid of Water Aid. The details have been emailed and are below too. Good luck boys and families as you take to the paths, roads, and fields. Remember as you walk that in the developing world the average walk for clean water is a staggering 3.7 miles whereas we only have to walk to the kitchen. That will spur you on I am sure, come rain or shine. Thank you in advance for your efforts and your sponsorship of this important charity.

The Great Sponsored Walk

The Walk

I do hope family preparations for Saturday have proved interesting, and that the prospect of a cracking walk is keenly anticipated.

Please remember:

• That your son will be rewarded for up to three hours of walking
• That you need to email me with his completed distance as soon as is convenient, and certainly by 1800 on Saturday to: ghammond@pilgrims-school.co.uk

The Zoom Show

· Live Coverage will from at 1000 to 1230

· You are most welcome to pop on to let us know how you are getting on/have got on.

· The Code

Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 734 829 6301 Passcode: PilgGH

Good luck!

Geoffrey Hammond

Ascension Day

You can see a short video from our service this morning, here and some images below.

'Running for Lunches' all the way to The Basics Bank

On Tuesday the 11 May, the Year 5 members of 'Running For Lunches' set off with Mrs Brown to the Winchester Basics Bank. How exciting to be on a minibus again after so long! You can see a short film of our trip here.

The minibus was loaded up with all the glorious food we had collected. The Winchester Basics Bank supplies food to all sorts of people: some are homeless, some have lost their jobs, some might have just left hospital and some may be struggling to keep their families fed with a very low salary. We now know how lucky we are at Pilgrims' as we get to eat plenty of delicious, fresh food every day.

When we got there, we met up with the Operations Manager, Samantha Watts. We unloaded and went inside. She showed us around their new facility in Winnall where they store the donated food. We were shown how all the different foods get sorted, and then we had a go at sorting our food donations (which was surprisingly fun). The food was sorted by food category and expiry date. If you click here you can see a short film of our visit and see us at work!

WinchesterBasicsBank If you follow this link, you can find out how to support their great work. Advice we have for you when you go to a supermarket is to take up all 'Buy one get one free' offers, and if you only want one of the item, perhaps give the extra one to the Basics Bank. Most supermarkets have a trolley for collections behind the check-out area. Also, do remember to donate vegetables and delicious things that you would like, not the unwanted items at the back of your cupboard!

Sadly, we soon had to leave because (as annoying as it was) we had school to get back to!

I would like to thank Dr Essex, Miss Erasmus, and Mrs Brown for supporting our campaign and making it possible. I would like to thank the Year 5s who ran and everybody who donated food.

THANK YOU!

James P (Y5)

Artwork of the Week

'Abstract' (work in progress) by James Z (7X)

You might not like Abstract Art. That's okay! Most people do not like it. But before you dismiss this painting outright as just another example of 'Bad Art', let me explain what the artist was trying to do...

The brief for this work was to create a picture that evokes sound or music (which is inherently abstract and non-concrete) by using as many of the Elements of Art (space, light, point, line, shape, form, tone, texture, and colour) as possible in a composition that utilises as many of the Principles of Design (balance, unity, movement, pattern, proportion, emphasis, rhythm, repetition, and variety) as possible. Not an easy brief by any stretch of the imagination!

I am incredibly proud of James Z's work in progress. He's captured the spirit of the brief without being bogged down in a muddy mess. His work is light and playful. I can hear the sound of music in his work. Can't you?

Well done, James. Have a Show Up for your outstanding efforts!

Mr Walters

The Sky at Night - May 15 onwards

The First Quarter Moon

When the moon completes the first quarter of its orbit around Earth on Wednesday, May 19, the relative positions of the Earth, sun and moon will cause us to see it half-illuminated — on its eastern side. At first quarter, the moon always rises around noon and sets around midnight, so it is also visible in the afternoon daytime sky. The evenings surrounding first quarter are the best for seeing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angle sunlight.

Mr Hammond

On Sunday the weather held, and we were blessed by fair conditions on the Pilgrims' Putting green. At times, the foundation to golf set (designed for practicing putting) was used more akin to the style of golf found on Hampshire's finest driving ranges. Luckily, Dr Essex wasn't in her office as rubber golf balls ricocheted mere millimetres away from her windows.

After the boys had gotten their eye in with the golf set, we ventured down to the playing fields and played some competitive innings of three ball rounders. Hit a ball, throw a ball, kick a ball, and whizz round the bases before the balls can be returned to the "pitcher". Miss Jones insisted a third innings was played so that a winner could be declared; oddly I cannot remember the final scores...

The rest of the afternoon was enjoyed playing capture the flag and then curled up in front of a movie with popcorn and iced lollies. The newest member of the Pilgrims' family also made a brief appearance.

Mr Cleaver

Sailing

The boys were great in our sailing session down at SWAC this week. The chatter in my bus was certainly flowing and at an invigorated pitch; full of excitement and talk about the technicalities of tacking. On arrival, apart from the go-slow-change-into-wetsuits routine that somewhat delays our start, the beginners and intermediates group was soon on the water enjoying a good breeze and really sailing well. Some of the beginners are not quite at a triangular course stage yet, but they're getting there, and this week they were even joined by complete beginner, Mr Schultz. 

The more advanced group of sailors (Oscar W, Buzz B, William H, Luke E, Orson S and Orlando S) could be seen in the distance planing as the wind came up, with the odd thrill and spill thrown in as well. However, we do have some expert dry capsizers amongst this group!

Well done, all!

Mrs Slater

From Mrs Ross

Year two have been learning how to programme our floor Turtle Robots this week. They have used simple coding skills to move the turtle around the classroom on a variety of 'Turtle Trails'.  The boys' understanding of right, left, clockwise and anticlockwise is developing well. They have also extended their understanding of right-angled corners of 90 degrees a little further, to include the number of degrees needed to make the Turtle do a quarter, half or full turn!

This week's Pilgrims' Shell Awards:

Year 2 — to Charlie L for his positive attitude and super hard work.

Year 1 — to Rupert B for his wonderful writing.

Reception —  to Oliver E for his hard work and perseverance.

Year 1 

This week, Year 1 have been learning about a boy's journey to knighthood. They have learnt about the duties of a page and had a blast role-playing a day in the life of a page, including falconry, horse riding, serving at table, and learning to dance with the lady of the house. The boys have been writing diary entries describing their day and have amazed me with the detail that they have remembered.

Their writing is progressing well in Read Write Inc. lessons and they are all impressing me with the way in which they are applying their phonics to their independent writing. Our Castle themed reading corner has been put to good use this week as the boys have enjoyed quiet time exploring our castle books in comfort!

Mrs James

The Gruffalo and his friends joined Year R for a wonderful Gruffalo trail in the school grounds during their lesson. The boys excitedly discovered where the animals where hiding and joined in with all the actions.

Inspired by the book ‘The Boy Who Lived with Dragons’, Year 1 searched for the mysterious dragon fruit tree, where they discovered some unusual eggs. They were then given the challenge of creating a woodland dragon with their partner. They thought carefully about the characteristics of dragons and I was impressed with the wonderful creatures they created.

Year 2 revisited knot tying, and everyone had a go at mastering a clove hitch knot. They then used this knot to help them create a right-angle measurer. The boys then investigated how many right angles they could find in the natural environment and were amazed by their results.

Mrs Walker