Pre-Prep News, Friday 5 June

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From Mrs Hall:

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Save the Dates !

Diary dates for next half-term appear below. Remember the whole school diary is displayed on My School Portal here:

The Pilgrims' School – Whole School Diary

Saturday 6 June (tomorrow)	0900-1100	PPA Sponsored Walk for all
Monday 8 June	all day	Year 2 trip to Dell Quay
Wednesday 10 June	am	Year 1 visiting River Keepers Lodge for Forest School
Thursday 11 June	0930-1030	Musical Shells for preschool girls and boys
Tuesday 16 June **(just added)	1830	Positive Parenting talk with Sarah Cobb, Pilgrims' Hall Book here: Positive Parenting talk - Tuesday 16 June - The Pilgrims' School
Wednesday 17 June	0930-1100	Father's Day in the Woods
Thursday 18 June	am	Whole school photograph
Friday 19 June	1830-2100	School of Rock
Saturday 27 June	0830-0930 1630	Wellbeing Matters 'Live' Staff and Parents Cricket Match
Tuesday 30 June		New Boys' Day
Wednesday 1 July	1900-2000	Pre-Prep Introduction Meeting for Parents
Friday 3 July	1600-1700 1700-1900	Pre-Prep and Lower Prep LAMDA Showcase Summer Art and D&T Exhibition
Monday 6 July	0815-0845 1330-1500	Open Classrooms Pre-Prep Sports Day
Tuesday 7 July	0815-0845 0915-1545	Open Classrooms Pre-Prep Trip to Meon Shore
Wednesday 8 July	1500-1530 1545	Celebration Assembly Term ends for Pre-Prep

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.}

Upcoming Events

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Shell awards:

Year R - to Theodore S for working so hard with reading, handwriting and writing, especially over the holiday. Great progress shown! And also to Leopold for also working so hard with his learning and having a great positive attitude. Well done boys!

Year 1 - to Hammie for showing curiosity, thoughtful responses and a genuine enthusiasm for learning during our visit to Lymington Lifeboat Station.

Year 2 - to Macarthur, for his excellent motivation and effort throughout the week, particularly in his writing.

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Year 2

A very warm welcome to Ally and his family, who have joined Year 2 for their final term in the Pre-Prep. We are delighted to have them with us.

We have lots to look forward to this half term, starting with our trip to Dell Quay on Monday 8 June. Boys should wear their school uniform, including a coat, and bring a water bottle. They will also need long wellington boots (if not already in school), a spare pair of socks, and a small backpack. No money will be required.

It has been a busy week in Year 2. In Maths, we have begun learning about time, starting with the traditional game What's the Time, Mr Wolf? We also created a human clock, with each boy representing a number on the clock face. We would greatly appreciate any extra practice with telling the time over the weekend.

Our Ocean topic continues to inspire us, and in English we have been exploring the story Clem and Crab, which highlights the issue of plastic pollution. Thank you to Hugh in Year 4, who confidently led Monday’s assembly, reminding all the Pre-Prep boys about pollution and climate change. These are topics that Year 2 are becoming increasingly passionate about.

Finally, a huge thank you to all the grandparents and special friends who joined us at the end of last half term for our tea party. It was a wonderful afternoon, and the boys thoroughly enjoyed sharing their learning and spending time with their special guests.

Mrs Maxine Kent
Year 2 Teacher

Year 1

Year 1 Visit Lymington Lifeboat Station
Year 1 enjoyed a fantastic visit to Lymington Lifeboat Station this week as a celebration of their hard work completing the RNLI Mayday Mile challenge.

We were warmly welcomed by Judy, the Education Visits Officer, and Jo, a member of the RNLI crew, who gave us a fascinating insight into the vital work of the lifeboat service. The boys were thrilled to climb aboard the inshore lifeboat, an Atlantic 85, which many recognised from photographs we had studied in the classroom.

Whilst sitting aboard the lifeboat, the boys learnt about its many features, including the helm, navigation systems, kill cords, engines and impressive top speed of 40 knots. They listened attentively throughout and asked several thoughtful and inquisitive questions. We also had the opportunity to see the station's remarkable launch tractor and were fascinated to discover that its tyres are filled with water rather than air to help it operate safely in the sea.

In the kit room, Jo explained the specialist equipment crew members wear when responding to a call-out, or "shout". We heard the distinctive sound of her pager and watched in amazement as she put on her dry suit in just 15 seconds! The boys were particularly interested to learn that the lifejackets contain essential lifesaving equipment, including radios, flares, torches and radar technology.

One of the highlights of the visit was hearing Jo explain that the money raised through our Mayday Mile could contribute towards the purchase of lifesaving equipment such as a crew lifejacket. This helped the boys to appreciate the real difference their fundraising efforts can make.

It was a wonderful way to conclude our Mayday Mile challenge and a valuable opportunity for the boys to see first-hand the impact of the RNLI's work. We are extremely grateful to Judy and Jo for giving up their time and making our visit such a memorable and inspiring experience.

Mrs Victoria Ford
Year 1 Teacher

Reception

Welcome back after a glorious sunny half-term week!

Despite the mixed weather this week, the boys have returned full of energy, enthusiasm, and excitement for the final part of the school year. It has been wonderful to hear all about their holiday adventures and see them settle straight back into Reception life.

One of the great moments of the week was seeing the boys faces when they saw our ducklings, Patch and Beebee, again. The boys were thrilled to welcome them back and were amazed by just how much they had grown over the holiday! As they are now getting so big and are ready to spread their wings and enjoy more space, Patch and Beebee will be moving to their new home at the end of this week. While the boys are a little sad to say goodbye, they have loved watching them grow and develop and have thoroughly enjoyed helping to care for them over the past few weeks.

Another very exciting moment was discovering that all five of our butterflies had successfully emerged from their chrysalides. The boys were fascinated to observe this incredible stage of the life cycle and enjoyed watching the butterflies prepare for flight. It was a truly special experience for us all to release them together into the big wide world and watch them flutter away. The boys showed great curiosity and care throughout the process and have learned so much about growth and change through this hands-on experience.

This term, our exciting new theme is 'Animals Around the World'. Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring maps, continents and countries as we discover where different animals live across our planet. The boys have already shown great enthusiasm for the topic and are eager to learn more about the fascinating creatures that inhabit different parts of the world and the habitats they call home.

As part of our learning, we will be investigating a wide variety of animals and thinking about how they can be grouped and classified. We will explore whether animals are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, sea creatures or insects, and discuss the features that make them unique. Through stories, discussions, creative activities and hands-on learning experiences, the boys will develop their understanding of the natural world while building their geographical knowledge.

It is a wonderful theme that I know will inspire the boys' curiosity, imagination and sense of adventure. We are looking forward to many exciting discoveries together as we travel around the world through our learning.

We have had a super week and are looking forward to all that lies ahead this term!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Sarah Huntley
Reception Teacher

Forest School

Magic again was in the air, but this time in the form of a magic potion! Year R boys gathered, crushed and mixed items together to form the basis of their potion. Water was added and our potions were ready. At the end of the session, the boys enjoyed sharing the effect their potion would have on plants or the weather!

Our world is full of hidden patterns and shapes, and this week we chose to focus on circles and spirals. Year 1 spent time identifying these patterns in nature and then, working with a partner, created their own natural circular or spiral pattern using resources from the forest floor. The boys were thrilled with their designs.

This week, with the rain back, it was a perfect time for the Year 2 boys to think about building some animal shelters. The needs of the animals were discussed. The boys recalled several den-building skills from previous sessions, and our small creatures enjoyed living in shelters that provided them with warmth and protection from the outside world.

We were thrilled this week with our first harvest of the term. The boys proudly presented a full tray of radishes to the Mrs Birk to use in the salad bar.