From Mrs Hall

This term is often the one where particularly significant progress occurs, in many different areas of learning. I have been amazed at the progress I have seen already this term in just three weeks, across all year groups. Whilst academic progress is clear to see and verify, equally significant are social development and increasing emotional maturity – both integral parts of a child’s developmental journey. I would encourage you to take some time to pause and reflect on the all-round progress your own child has made in recent weeks and to celebrate each part of their journey; for it is a journey that moves on all too swiftly. I have been particularly encouraged this week by Year 1's brilliant writing, demonstrated in their topic writing.  The boys have been so excited to show off their work. Well done, Year 1!

Finally, we are encouraging the children to consider some of the ‘visitors’ they may get in their gardens, as this weekend is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Some of the boys have made bird feeders with Mrs Walker, although some very cheeky squirrels have already eaten them!

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Pilgrims' Shell Awards

Year 2 - to William M for being an active listener and listening to the things that really matter
Year 1 - to Arthur J for being keen to work hard on his writing each day this week. A really good attitude Arthur. Well done! 
Year R - to Yahya for his excellent listening to all adults and peers alike, and to Skerdi, for super effort in making good choices both at school and at home.

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Save the Dates!

Friday 9 February	Half-term begins 1200
Monday 19 February	Term resumes at 0830

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Notices

Menus for next week 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.}

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From the PPA

 

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Christ Church assembly 

It was a pleasure to welcome the Christ Church Schools' Team back into the Pre-Prep this week. The boys thoroughly enjoyed an interactive assembly, while learning the message 'that Christians believe that they can ask God to help them' through the story of when Jesus calmed the storm. 

It began with a discussion about what they were scared of, with answers ranging from 'I’m not scared of anything' to the predictable monsters and spiders. We look forward to their next visit later this term. 

Mrs Kent

 

Year 2

Radio Lagos - This week the boys have been working in pairs to create a ‘diary-cast’ recording script, taking on the role of a radio interviewer and No1 car spotter, Oluwalase Babatunde Benson for a recording of an account of what he did on October 1st, Nigeria’s national day.

First, the boys were asked to write a list of actions in note form, followed by full sentences using the past tense.  The initial excitement of seeing the microphones quickly turned into nervousness, and it was clear they needed to rehearse and get their giggles out of the way. Over the week, the boys worked on adapting and remodelling their questions and luckily for them, unlike live radio, they had the chance to rehearse the roles. It’s been a great week with the boys working collaboratively, with lots of laughter and learning that practice is important.

Well done, boys!

Mrs Kent

 

Year 1

This week in our topic of Knights and Castles, the boys investigated why knights had coats of arms on their shields and what the images and the colours represented. Did you know that a knight’s shield was similar to a name badge in today’s world. In battle, when visors were down, the coat of arms on a shield would identify the knight behind it. Depending on a knight’s character and identity, particular symbols in specific colours were chosen. The boys have chosen the symbols and colours that they think best represent them. They practised using a template to create an image. It is no easy feat to keep a template still with one hand whilst drawing round it with the other. Their careful cutting skills were put to the test as many of the images were intricate. The boys’ perseverance was put to the test but fantastic concentration and determination was seen. We finished the task by practising using the word ‘because’ in our sentences to explain why we had chosen certain images and colours.  

Mrs Ford 

Year R

We have been learning about the Artist Wassily Kandinsky this half term in Reception Class. The boys have enjoyed learning about Kandinsky's life and how he did not want to paint pictures of houses or flowers but of shapes, colours and 'Abstract' art.  

It has been interesting to look closely at his artwork and talk about how his work makes us feel.  Kandinsky wanted to touch people's emotions through colour and shape and imagination.  

Mrs Ford shared a super book with us called 'The Noisy Paintbox' which really did inspire us to think about Kandinsky and his type of art in more detail and, how artwork makes people feel differently.  What one person likes, another may not. 

The boys have enjoyed experimenting with colour mixing.  Primary colours have been mixed to create secondary colours.  White and black have then been added to mix different shades. 

Kandinsky's famous 'Squares and Concentric Circles' painting has been used to help with this.  We are going to create a Squares and Concentric Circles painting of our own.  

The boys have all painted a square, and now added circles onto this using Kandinsky's work to match and mix colours.  We are next going to put all of these square paintings together to make a large final piece.  We are excited about showing you the final masterpiece next week!

You may like to explore Wassily Kandinsky further at home and even have a go at painting some pictures in his style.  These would be great to bring in for show and tell.

Mrs Huntley

 

Forest School

This weekend it is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Many people across the country will be carrying out surveys to see which birds visit their gardens. With this in mind, the boys in both Year R and Year 1 learned how to make some very tasty fir cone feeders, as well as some Cheerio bird feeders. The boys listened well to the instructions and enjoyed combining the ingredients in order to make a gooey mixture for the fir cone feeders.

The boys proudly hung their creations on the trees, and over the next few days will be able to watch which birds visit our feeders. If you are interested in taking part in the survey then do visit the RSPB website. 

Using previously learned knowledge about knots, the boys in Year 2 were given the open-ended challenge of seeing how far they could make a stick travel using some string and another stick! Of course, the boys very quickly realised they had the required skills to make a bow and arrow and rose to the challenge. Designs were put to the test, with varying degrees of success, and at the end of the session we reflected on the challenges the boys had faced.

Mrs Walker
Forest School Leader