From Mrs Hall

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of four adorable new members to our Pre-Prep family – our newly hatched chicks! Witnessing the miracle of life first hand has been a mesmerising and heart-warming experience for everyone. The Reception boys’ faces lit up as they observed the chicks hatch and take their first steps. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this experience unforgettable.

We are also excited to announce that our Positive Parenting Evening has been confirmed for Tuesday 30 April. This evening promises to be an enriching and insightful event. More detailed information regarding the event will be sent to you by the end of next week.

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Pilgrims' Shell Awards

Year 2 - to William O'K for making positive steps in his learning across the curriculum.
Year 1 - to Ben for his interest, active involvement and sensible nature on our class trip. You were a joy to share the experience with. Well done, Ben!
Year R - to Edward A and Skerdi D for their care and thoughtfulness towards our class chicks.

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Save the Dates!

Monday 18 March	Pre-Prep Parents' Evening 1630
Tuesday 19 March	Reception trip to Manor Farm
Monday 25 March	Pre-Prep Open Classroom 0815 - 0845
Tuesday 26 March	Pre-Prep Open Classroom 0815 End of term 1545

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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

Book club is now reading ‘The Marriage Portrait’ by Maggie O’Farrell.  An electrifying novel set in Renaissance Italy, based on the true story of Lucrezia de Medici who at 15 was forced by her parents to marry the older Duke of Ferrara thus merging two dynasties. It is an unforgettable reimagining of the life of a young woman whose proximity to power places her in mortal danger.

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Year 2

'Be curious': the lasting words from Mr Orr after his amazing and inspiring Science experiments on Thursday morning. The boys were set a challenge to record just what they are curious about. Do please ask your son what he is curious about; please see below for posters! 

This week at swimming, the boys were taught the very valuable life lesson of how it feels to swim fully clothed; a skill hopefully never needed. But, through a carefully planned and fun lesson, the boys were able to experience what they should do and how it would feel.

This links nicely to our Maths this week and the measuring of mass. The boys had fun exploring the classroom comparing light and heavy objects. They have also been introduced to both Imperial and Metric measuring scales. 

And Happy Baking.

I cannot think of a more appropriate home learning activity than this. A copy of the chosen recipe could be added to their home learning book. 

Finally, Well done Leonardo, who reached the final of Pilgrims’ Got Talent! We applaud your confidence as well as a very entertaining dance.

Mrs Kent 
Year 2 Teacher

 

Year 1

Our class trip to Portchester Castle was most memorable. On arrival, we were greeted by Rachel who was Lady’s Maid to the Lady of the Castle. She introduced us to other members of the castle who would help tell the story of the life of the castle. We learnt about castle attacks and defences, we dressed up as Kings, Queens, servants and guards. We had a go at holding a real sword which was really heavy! We practised the speed at which archers would have had to reload their long bow and fire their arrows. Training would have started at age eight and lasted 10 years! Arthur J even tried on a metal archer’s helmet and used a long bow that was bigger than he was.

The boys were thrilled to spot their favourite parts of castles from our classroom learning. Arrow slits were probably the favourite item to spot, closely followed by the moat, keep, battlements and bailey. We discovered that the castle would have had two portcullis’s and a drawbridge over the moat. We walked around the castle walls which go right up to the sea. The boys noticed how similar the flint walls of this castle were to our Wolvesey walls.

After lunch, we were able to climb the stone spiral staircase to the top floor of the stone keep. Many boys decided this was their favourite part of the trip! We explored the different rooms around the inner bailey and found the latrine pits where the poor gong farmer would have worked. Ask your sons what job they would have least liked to have done in the medieval ages and this would have probably been it!

Mrs Ford
Year 1 Teacher

Year R

What an exciting week in Reception Class we have had!  After much anticipation and patience, we have four little fluffy chicks cheeping in the classroom. What a treat for the boys as they were able to watch one egg fully hatch before their eyes. The chicks are now safely in the enclosure that we lovingly and thoughtfully prepared for them and are cheeping away VERY loudly!  

As the chicks grow, we will learn about growth and change, how to care for living animals and what their needs are.  

With our new arrivals in mind, the boys enjoyed using devices to manipulate the screen to draw pictures of our chicks.  The boys are becoming quite proficient in finding the programme 'Purple Mash', locating the 'Paint' section, exploring different colours, textures and features.  They are also learning how to save and print their work.  Great effort all round!

Hopefully you have all received the post sent earlier this week (Tuesday's SchoolPost mailing) about our class trip to Manor Farm next Tuesday (19 March)?  We will be out for the majority of the day.  Please ensure your son has a coat and appropriate warm clothing that is weather-dependent.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.  We are all excited to learn more about farm life and caring for plants and animals.

Mrs Huntley
Reception Teacher
 

Forest School

Woodland music was definitely in the air during Year 1’s session. They used their imagination, and natural items as well as items brought on to site, were used to create our own woodland orchestra! Fun was had exploring all the different sounds they made, as well as trying to play a simple rhythm.

Guess who? During their Forest School session this week, Year 2 opened up their own natural portrait gallery. Working in pairs, the boys created a wooden frame for their artwork, and then decided who was going to model for their portrait. Natural items were used imaginatively, and the boys enjoyed trying to work out who was the model!

Mrs Walker
Forest School Leader