Pre-Prep News, Friday 13 February

Thank you, as always, for your support throughout the term. We wish you all a relaxing and well-deserved break.

From Mrs Hall:

This final week of this half of the term has been a wonderfully busy and exciting one, with each year group enjoying special highlights alongside their usual daily routines. The boys ended the week on a real high, proudly showcasing their talents in gymnastics. It is always a pleasure to see them shine and to celebrate the dedication and effort they put into everything they do.

A heartfelt thank you to Mr Greenwood and Mr Buck for their continued support and commitment in helping the boys achieve their very best.

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Save the Dates !

Monday 23 February	0830 all week	Return to school Pre-Prep Nursery Rhyme and Poetry Competition
Thursday 26 February	morning	St Swithun's join Year 2 Forest School session
Friday 27 February	0830-0900 1000-1100	PPA Coffee by the river Little Shells for pre-schoolers
Monday 2 March (Please note change of day from Tuesday)	All day	Year 2 trip to the Hawk Conservancy (details in tonight's mailing)
Tuesday 3 March	All day	Year 1 trip to Portchester Castle (Details sent to parents: Friday 6 February, 6.30 mailing)
Friday 6 March	All day 1500 1800-1900	PPA Book Sale Reception trip to Weald and Downland Museum (details to follow) Pre-Prep Cathedral Assembly, all Welcome Year 1 and Year 2 Stargazing evening (details already mailed to parents via SchoolPost)
Monday 9 March	1600-1800	Year 2 Parents' Evening (Details of booking will follow)
Tuesday 10 March	1500-1700	Year R and Year 1 Parents' Evening
Wednesday 11 March	1500-1600	Christ Church visits the Pre-Prep
Thursday 12 March	am	Mother's Day in the Woods (Invitation and details to follow)
Monday 16 March	0815-0845	Open Classrooms, all welcome
Tuesday 17 March	0815-0845	Open Classrooms, all welcome
Friday 20 March	1500 19:00	Red Nose Day Pre-Prep Celebration Assembly and term ends for Pre-Prep (Prep School term ends for Y4-8 Saturday 21 March) PPA Event: Race Night from 7pm (details in tonight's mailing and booking on MSP)
Monday 20 April	0830	First day of Summer term

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.}

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Upcoming Events

FOR ALL OPEN DAY ENQUIRIES CLICK HERE

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Year 2

It has been another incredibly busy and productive week in Year 2, and I can hardly believe that we have already reached half-term! The weeks have flown by, and the boys have achieved so much in such a short space of time.

We began the week with a special assembly on Monday morning, led confidently by two Year 4 pupils, Simon and Attilio, on the intriguing subject of 'Area 52'. They spoke clearly and enthusiastically, capturing everyone’s attention with their imaginative ideas and fascinating facts. It was wonderful to see such confident public speaking and to watch the boys respond with such curiosity and respect.

It was a real pleasure to take the boys to Wolvesey Castle as their class reward. They earned this special trip by filling their stars and consistently showing respect to their peers and teachers.

On that note, Mrs Hall and I would like to gently encourage parents to allow the boys to enter the classroom independently in the mornings and to take responsibility for their own belongings. There are several important reasons for this. Establishing this routine helps to ground them at the start of the day and gives them a calm, purposeful beginning. Managing their own bags, coats, reading folders and water bottles fosters independence, organisation and responsibility. These small daily habits build confidence and help set them up positively for the day ahead.

We would also like to say thank you for supporting the reorganisation of Show and Tell. Having two boys present each week has really improved the flow of our day and allowed each child the time and attention they deserve. From robotic hamster balls, Master Yoda, to golf, the presentations have been inspiring and have given us a wonderful insight into the boys’ favourite hobbies. This has linked beautifully to our work in English, where we have been exploring our second book by Atinuke, No. 1 Car Spotter. The boys have been writing persuasive texts about what makes their own hobbies so great, using their enthusiasm and knowledge to convince others. It has been a joy to see their confidence and creativity developing.

We greatly appreciate your continued support at home, as working together enables the boys to grow not only academically but also personally. Thank you, as always, for your encouragement and partnership. We wish you all a restful and enjoyable half-term break!

Mrs Maxine Kent
Year 2 Teacher

Year 1

Year 1 are authors and illustrators
This half term, the Year 1 boys have been working with great enthusiasm and focus to write their own versions of The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight. Inspired by the original story, each boy carefully planned and wrote a unique retelling, thinking about characters, settings and how their story would unfold.

Once their stories were complete, the boys were thrilled to see their work transformed into real books. A particular highlight was designing and illustrating the front covers. The boys took great care over their illustrations, choosing colours, details and images that they felt best represented their stories. From brave animal knights, castles and forests to naughty mythical beasts who needed calming down for peaceful endings, each cover offered a wonderful glimpse into the imagination behind the writing.

The sense of pride the boys showed when holding their finished, bound books was a joy to see. Sharing their stories aloud with family was a special moment, celebrating not only their progress as writers but also their growing confidence as storytellers and illustrators. We are incredibly proud of the effort, creativity and perseverance they have shown throughout this project.

Mrs Victoria Ford
Year 1 Teacher

Reception

This week in Reception Class, the boys have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the beautifully written and illustrated book Winter Sleep by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss.

This text has been a wonderful addition to our learning because it is both a fiction story and a non-fiction book at the same time. While it follows a gentle, story-like journey through winter woodland, it also teaches factual information about animals and how they survive during the colder months. The boys showed great interest in the story and were particularly fascinated and knowledgeable by the idea of hibernation.

By the end of our learning, the boys had developed a clear understanding of what hibernation means. One super description shared during our discussions was, “A long, cosy Winter sleep, in a safe and usually secret hiding place away from predators.”

We were so impressed with how thoughtfully the boys explained this concept using their new knowledge.

Each week we are focusing on a "Word of the week" to further develop the boys' knowledge and use of new vocabulary. This text was ideal to introduce lots of rich and exciting vocabulary. Words such as hollow, amphibian, frogspawn and den (to name just a few) were explored and discussed in context. This week the boys voted and decided on "hibernation" and "courage" as our words for the week. They could not agree on one, so we had two!

It has been lovely to see the boys confidently using these new words in their conversations and learning.

After discovering which animals and insects hibernate, and where they choose to rest, the boys completed class “Challenge Jobs” linked to hibernation. Working brilliantly in pairs, picture cards were sorted into two groups: Hibernating and Non-hibernating. The boys were quite clear and confident about most of their choices and, most importantly, could explain their reasoning. Some took a bit of further investigation and research.

To end our learning this half term, we posed a ‘Big Question’:

Which Winter Wonder makes you shout ‘Wow!’?

The boys shared many thoughtful and imaginative responses, giving clear reasons for their choices. It was a wonderful way to celebrate all that they had learnt.

Do ask your son which ‘Winter Wonder’ makes him say 'Wow!'; we would love you to continue the conversation at home.

Thank you for your continued support. I hope you all have an enjoyable half-term holiday, whatever you may be doing.

Mrs Sarah Huntley
Reception Teacher

Forest School

It was very exciting for Year R this week, as we invited the boys' favourite teddy bear to join us for Forest School. After learning how sticks can be tied together, the boys had fun trying to create their own unique and personalised tipi for their beloved cuddly toy. However, as it was such a wet Forest School, we decided the teddies should stay warm and dry in the trolley and just watch. They joined us later, for our teddy bears’ picnic in The Bower House.

Year 1’s Forest School session was linked to their science curriculum this week. The boys enjoyed creating a chalk outline of someone and then had to identify where various senses were located on the outline. We then had fun creating a huge stick outline and again, using labels, the boys needed to create the key features of the human body. Some of the boys even personalised their stick outlines.

Year 2 very much enjoyed creating a natural portrait of someone in their group during Forest School. We spent time looking closely at our facial features and identified some unique features. The boys then created a stick picture frame and chose one member of their group who became the subject, whilst the other boys became the artists. Can you guess who the portrait is of?

Forest School meets the Winter Olympics
Inspired by the wonderful Olympics currently taking place in Italy, we thought we would have a go at a couple of events. The boys created a bob sleigh run for our three little pigs and even had a go at a Forest School version of Curling!