From Mrs Hall:

The boys have come back in full swing, ready to learn and eager to dive into everything this busy half term has to offer. We’ve certainly hit the ground running. The classrooms have been buzzing with activity as the boys quickly settled back into their routines and reignited their curiosity for learning.  

This week, Guy Fawkes has featured heavily in some of our learning. The boys enjoyed discovering the story behind Bonfire Night and exploring the traditions that go with it. The upcoming firework event this evening has added an extra sparkle of excitement to our days! We hope you all enjoy a safe and festive Bonfire Night this evening.

This week, we also had the pleasure of welcoming members of the Prep School staff and our wider community into the Pre-Prep to share more about our curriculum and learning environments. It was a lovely opportunity to showcase the boys’ enthusiasm for discovery, the engaging spaces they learn in, and the nurturing, curiosity-led approach that underpins all we do.

As the term continues, our thoughts are already turning to one of the highlights of the Pre-Prep calendar, our Nativity performance of The Shining Stable. Rehearsals will begin soon, and we can already feel the excitement building as the boys start learning their songs and lines. It promises to be a heartwarming celebration of the Christmas story, filled with music, joy, and plenty of sparkle!

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Shell awards:

Year 2: to Lucas for his motivation, effort, and enthusiasm for learning this week. Lucas has consistently risen to the challenges set before him.

Year 1: to Ralph for building confidence in all sorts of ways in the classroom. Well done, Ralph!

Year R: to Vladimir for being a polite, kind and caring member of our class who is a good friend to all.

 

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Save the Dates !

Wednesday 12 November	09:30-11:30		Virtual Open Morning
Friday 14 November	tba		PPA Book Sale in aid of Children-in-Need
Saturday 15 November	09:00		Pilgrims' Parley (see details and booking form in SchoolPost emails)
Monday 17 November	all week		LAMDA Exams
22-23 November			Exeat weekend
Friday 28 November	15:00 19:00		Pre-Prep Cathedral Assembly - all welcome PPA Christmas Drinks for parents and staff
Saturday 29 November	08:15-09:15		Wellbeing Matters: LIVE 1 (See details and booking form in SchoolPost emails)
Tuesday 2 December	all day		Christmas jumper day and Christmas lunch
Thursday 4 December	09:00-09:45		Pre-Prep Nativity dress rehearsal
Friday 5 December	09:45-10:30		Pre-Prep Nativity performance
Wednesday 10 December	am		Pre-Prep to the pantomime: Puss in Boots

 

Notices

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.}

Remembrance

Wilfred in Year 8 visited the Pre-Prep to play the Last Post for us this week.

He explained its meaning and played clearly and sharply. Thank you to Miss Willcocks for organising this for the younger boys.

 

 

 

 

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Upcoming Events

 

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Reception

Welcome back to the second half of the Christmas term.  I hope you all had a fabulous break with plenty of fun family time.  I have enjoyed hearing about your half-term holiday adventures through conversations with the boys.

This term is a fantastic one to spend with little children!  I am thoroughly looking forward to all the delights in store. In Reception Class, the boys will be learning more about 'Celebrations and Festive Fun'.  

We have explored both the Festivals of Diwali and Bonfire Night this week.  We have learnt about Hinduism and what this means to people who follow the Hindu Faith.  We shared stories and watched short videos discussing how and why certain traditional activities take place.  

The boys enjoyed exploring clay to make their own Divas. They discovered that it was a lot harder to manipulate clay than playdough, and it needed a lot of arm, wrist and finger strength.  A great work out was had on those fine motor areas. The boys have been patiently waiting for their clay lamps to dry before painting and decorating them with repeated patterns. Having worked very hard on pattern before the half-term break, the boys learnt about Rangoli patterns and how these can be symmetrical.  Many boys had a go at making their own Rangoli pattern using gems, pom-poms and blocks this week.

With Bonfire Night celebrations happening during the week and over the coming weekend, the boys learnt about Guy Fawkes and his naughty and dangerous plot. Bonfire and firework safety was clearly discussed alongside firework paintings and rocket creations.  

What a busy first week back! I hope you have a great weekend, if not seeing fireworks but discussing events of the past that still play their part in today.

Mrs Sarah Huntley
Reception Teacher

 

Year 1

Remember, remember…
The fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason,
And plot.

I see no reason,
Why gunpowder treason,
Ever should be,
Forgot.

 

 

Needless to say, fireworks have been most topical this week. The Gunpowder Plot is one of many moments in the history of our country which is always a memorable one for boys. Invariably, they adore learning about significant events in history, and if they involve mysterious characters, drama, intrigue, barrels of gunpowder, and of course, explosions, then even better! Understanding the history behind Bonfire Night and the celebration of this tradition helps connect the depths of history to modern cultural events around us.

There are some big words to get your head around here… “parliament”, “treason”, “gunpowder” to name a few. Once we had recounted the facts of the story, the boys practised their sentence formation by creating a WANTED poster for Guy Fawkes.

They have applied their knowledge of “onomatopoeia” (another big word this week!) to create brilliantly descriptive poems about Bonfire Night.

Around the classroom, they have been challenged to use their fine motor skills to create a firework out of playdough and make firework sparks using gems in a repeating pattern. They decided to make their own fireworks “scene” using the K-Nex to start with. Wooden shapes were also used to make more fireworks and a bonfire too. Perhaps the highlight of the week was making breadstick fireworks! Actually, scrap that! Surely the highlight was eating them!

Mrs Victoria Ford
Year 1 Teacher

 

Year 2

A huge thank you to our very generous Pilgrims' family for creating an unforgettable experience with the burning of our very own Great Fire of London — complete with fireworks! The boys (and parents) watched in awe and wonder as their carefully crafted houses went up in flames, while quietly singing London’s Burning.

It was amazing to see history come alive right before our eyes. 

What a wonderful way to end our half-term holiday — and to start the second half of term with a real bang!

The boys have all returned after the half-term break, well-rested and full of exciting adventures and stories to share. They listened with awe and wonder as this year’s Nativity was read to them and are now eagerly considering which roles they would like to take on.

In Maths, we have been focusing on addition and subtraction. Any opportunity to consolidate this learning at home—perhaps while in the car—by practising number bonds to 10 and 20 would be most beneficial. We’re encouraging the boys to know these facts so well that they “slip off the tongue,” as the saying goes!

Mrs Maxine Kent
Year 2 Teacher

 

Forest School

It is always wonderful watching how the seasons change. This week, I took the Year R boys on an autumnal scavenger walk to see if they could spot any of these changes. The boys had a selection of autumnal flashcards, and we spent time carefully observing the trees, looking at the leaves, and trying to spot some cheeky squirrels!

As the leaves begin to fall in abundance, I challenged the boys in Year 1 to see if they could make a leaf rainbow. The boys needed to collect leaves of similar colours and then decide the order in which to place them to create their rainbow. Some wonderful ephemeral artwork was produced, and the boys were very proud of their work.

Learning about our small invertebrates and ensuring they have a safe and protected habitat is an important element of our Forest School sessions. Year 2 learned how to create a mini chamber for our bug hotel using bamboo canes, leaves, bits of bark, and sticks. Over the winter months, these little chambers will ensure our minibeasts have a safe place to reside during the colder months.

Mrs Fiona Walker
Forest School and LAMDA Teacher