From Mrs Ross

I have been so impressed by the boys' enthusiasm and focus.  The narration, acting and singing are coming together very nicely and "it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas" at Pilgrims'! 

I hope that many of you will join us for the performance on Wednesday morning.  If you are unable to attend, our performance will be recorded and will be accessed via a link through SchoolPost in due course. 

* * * * * * * * * * 

Pilgrims' Shell Awards

• Year 2 – to Oliver E for working on his focus and attention during nativity rehearsals. Well done, Oliver! 
• Year 1 - to Attilio S for super spellings.
• Reception - to Tymur for his increased enthusiasm and participation in class discussions! 

* * * * * * * * * * 

Diary dates

 

Diary dates	Times	The week ahead
Wednesday 30 November	0900	Pre-Prep Nativity, Pilgrims' Hall (please book your seats via the SchoolPost email). Coffee from 0815 in the Octagon.
Friday 2 December	1500	Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Lunch (new date) Pre-Prep Cathedral Assembly (friends and family all welcome)
Monday 5 December	0815-0845 1300	Open Classrooms for parents  Pantomime: Jack in the Beanstalk
Tuesday 6 December	0815-0845	Open Classrooms for parents  Last After School and Supper Club (Coding Commoner running as normal)
Wednesday 7 December	1400-1500 1530-1630 approx	End of Term pickup  Whole School Carol Service in Winchester Cathedral - parents welcome to take their sons

* * * * * * * * * * 

Notices

Menus - Please find a link to next week's menus here, on My School Portal. 

* * * * * * * * * * 
 

From the PPA

 

Year 2

Year 2 have really worked as a team this week to prepare for the forthcoming nativity. They have worked their socks off in each rehearsal, be it together with the rest of the Pre-Prep in the Pilgrims’ Hall or individual sections focused on back in the classroom. They are certainly worthy of their position as role models in the Pre-Prep department as they have approached their nativity preparation with professionalism and focus.  

Preparations for the nativity have filtered into most areas of the curriculum this week. The boys have made stars for stage decoration which have involved many steps to help them to look vibrant on set. The less-than-exciting whitewashing stage was greatly balanced by the highly-thrilling decoration stage! The boys were overjoyed to sift through the shimmery shapes, tinsel and pipe cleaners to find just the right finish for their star. Following the nativity, they are certainly worthy of gracing family Christmas trees when they come home at the end of term.  

In other non-nativity news, conversation turned to the interesting date on Tuesday… 22.11.22. What a satisfying pattern and what a great way to discuss PALINDROMES which is happily our Word of the Week in Year 2. We came up with a few simple palindromes quickly – mum, dad, pop, Bob – and then Isaac realised his sister’s name was one too – Hannah! The boys were really interested in this quirk of the English language. Do go palindrome hunting when reading! 

Best wishes for a restful weekend before the excitement of the final full week of term and the nativity performance itself. 
Mrs Ford

Year 1

Every Thursday afternoon the boys are gaining experiences with using the new Surface Go devices. I have been so impressed with the speed in which they have picked up and remembered how the devices work. They know how to stand the device up, how to turn it on, how to log on using the username and password, how to find the Pilgrims' Dashboard and how to use the keyboard and mouse pad! Wow, quick progress in such a short time! They love it.

The boys have been using the devices to support their mathematical understanding this term. They have been working on programmes called "Purple Mash" and "Top Marks". Both programmes have fantastic games and interactive ideas for supporting many different mathematical concepts. We have been working on place value and addition and subtraction, which complement our White Rose Maths scheme. The boys are learning but don't realise it!  

Reception

The excitement grows over our Nativity and amongst learning songs, trying on costumes, and remembering where to sit on the stage, the boys have been working hard using their speed sounds, practising their oral blending skills to click on the picture that matches the word Pick A Picture (phonicsplay.co.uk) while simultaneously developing their IT skills. It has become a competition to see if they can beat their own score.
 

Much work has also happened around the number 5, for example, building towers, matching Numicon tiles and number bonds of five. Please do ask your son; “Show me five” and then challenge him to show you a different way. I would love to see as many examples as possible on Monday morning.

Forest School 

This week with Year R, our focus was to encourage creative play and development. Using leaves, a peg and a pair of googly eyes, the boys created a ‘Leaf Peg Person’ which they named and created a suitable home for. The boys had a lovely time playing with their character and each other. Some of the boys also learnt how to drill this week, with the support from staff.

Year 1 thought about hibernating animals this week, and, after learning some facts about the hedgehog, the boys used a small ball of clay to create their own hedgehog. They were then given the challenge of creating a suitable home for the hedgehog to hibernate in, during the winter months.

 

Minibeast hunting is always a firm favourite with the boys, but this week we turned our attention to creating a suitable home for them during the winter months. Working in pairs, the boys were given a recycled plastic bottle which they filled with suitable natural items that would provide warmth and protection for the little invertebrates during the colder months. The boys created wonderful mini bug hotels which were carefully placed in our new bug hotel at school.
Mrs Walker