Message from the Head
Dear Parents,
A lot to catch you up on this week.
Monday started with a whole school launch for Science Week that culminates in a Science Fair at the end of next week. Thank you to Mr Firth for lighting the fuse for this great independent learning initiative. More anon.
Over the Easter holidays, we will be asking all our parents to sign up to our new parent portal (iSAMS) and will be ensuring that we have the ‘helpline’ open for a few days to help overcome any hurdles. This is how all communication and information to parents will be managed moving forwards. In September, the parent app will launch. You will be able to see tickets, merits, ‘above and beyond’, reports, diary dates, attendance and lateness as well as school letters and timetables.
Wednesday came and we welcomed Alison Brown, our new Head of Sixth Form. I also delivered a session on using cognitive science to revise (study, test, test, test). Parents have been emailed the slides and we will let you know when you can access the video. Alison Brown is coming into school one afternoon in the last week of term (I will confirm) for some individual parent appointments re: our Sixth Form.
Year 9 Options are well underway and initial choices are being discussed with Year 9 prior to confirmations. We will be in touch soon once we have had a chat with all of the Year 9s (they will all have the opportunity for a conversation with a member of the teaching and learning team).
Staying with Year 9, we welcomed our Chair of Trustees, Dr Debra Costley today, with her researcher hat on, to carry out some research for the University of Nottingham about ‘School Connectedness’. It was lovely for Debra to meet our Year 9 students and it will be interesting to find out how they feel about coming to school, important research after the recent pandemic times.
Year 10, I think, will need a good rest this weekend! I have heard that they have done remarkably well on their work experience this week.
We are finishing off the week with red accessories for Comic Relief Day. There was a Welbeck bake sale and nail painting at break to raise funds for Comic Relief and thank you to Mrs Howlett for an assembly that shared some important messages about what the monies raised can help with and some photos of our seniors when they were in the juniors. Cute! More cakes than even I can eat!
An Appeal
Please, please, can you park carefully and drive cautiously around the school. We know it’s difficult but please be courteous. We do have our local PCSO about and often unmarked police cars and we continue to try and get signage for the school.
Enjoy your weekend,
Helen Barsham
Head
Message from the Head of Prep
Good afternoon,
We have had a fabulous week in Kindergarten and Prep this week. Tuesday was Maths Day, Pi Day, and the children took part in a variety of activities. Some investigated shapes in the classroom and environment. Some looked at the Fibonacci sequence. There were some delicious mocktails made, looking at recipes and using measuring and ratio skills. Some children learnt the Pi rap and even completed Maths activities in Spanish lessons. The older children combined Maths and Art, creating a city skyscraper piece of art work based on digits of Pi and also enjoyed some code-breaking challenges.
Yesterday was Science Day and the children thoroughly enjoyed working together in their houses. It was lovely to observe the older children helping others and the younger ones developing their independence. The children moved round in their houses and were all able to experience all of the different activities. They investigated senses by tasting different foods whilst blindfolded. Children entered a magical world with potions being created in cauldrons. They had the opportunity to build towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows and bridges out of various materials to span a certain width or carry a given weight. There were many, many more activities and experiments throughout the day. Everyone had such a good time; many thanks to staff who went to such great efforts. Children are also working on their Science posters and Key Stage Two, their Science projects. They have some amazing ideas and I can’t wait to see their finished work. Completed projects need to be in school on Thursday 23rd March. The Science Fair will be combined with the Prep and Kindergarten coffee morning on Friday 24th March; this will run from 8:30am – 10:00am in the Year 5/6 building. Please drop in to see the projects and have a coffee. The children in Key Stage Two will all be there to show you their work.
Mrs Keyworth and Mrs Mason took the U11 football teams to Derby on Wednesday to compete against The Old Vicarage School. This is what Mrs Keyworth said about the match:
Both squads played so well and the atmosphere was fantastic! Mainly due to the vociferous support from our parents – thank you!
One team drew 7-7. Well done to goal scorers Josh (5), Lucas (1) and Ezra (1).
The other team lost 6-9 in a closely fought final quarter. Some excellent goals from Noah (3), Sahan and Temisan.
Well done to all boys who took part.
Next Wednesday, we are taking a netball team to a High Fives tournament. Good luck to the children involved.
Today it is Red Nose Day and the children have enjoyed dressing in red and will take part in a variety of activities this afternoon. Well done to Year 6 (and parents) who baked delicious cakes for the Bake Sale on Wednesday and raised an impressive £61.56.
I am very much looking forward to the Curry Night tonight and seeing some of you there.
Have a lovely weekend and I hope you have a relaxing Mothering Sunday.
Victoria Wright
Head of Prep