​​​​From Mrs Ross

Finally, we have enjoyed some warmer weather at school and a comfortable 'free flow', creating opportunities for learning both inside and outside the classrooms.  Our Reception Sand Kitchen has enjoyed a 'Spring Clean', with the boys enthusiastically involved.  Whilst I write this, the preparations for this evening's School of Rock, are progressing well.

We look forward to welcoming many of you to our Celebration Assembly on Friday 26 May, when each class will be keen to share their recent experiences from their exciting School excursions. 
 

Save the Dates

REMEMBER: 1200 pick-up for parents next Friday 26 May. 

• Friday 26 May Celebration Assembly for Parents 1115-1145
• Friday 16 June Cathedral Assembly 1500-1520, parents welcome
• Monday 19 June Pre-Prep Move Up Meeting for parents (present Year 1, Year R and prospective Year R) 1900
• Wednesday 21 June Year 2/3 Move Up Meeting for parents (present Year 2) 1900
• Wednesday 28 June Year 4 and Pre-Prep Performance 1500
• Thursday 29 June Year 4 and Pre-Prep Performance 1500
• Friday 30 June Pre-Prep Sports Day 0900-1100
• Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 July Open Classrooms for parents 0815-0845
• Wednesday 5 July - Final Celebration Assembly 0845-0930
• Wednesday 5 July - Pre-Prep End of Term 1545
   

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Pilgrims' Shell Awards

• Year 2 – to Frankie for the progress he has made with telling the time on an analogue clock.  
• Year 1 - to Digby for his clear interest and impeccable behaviour while on our class trip to the Historic Dockyard. 
• Year R - to Arthur O-B for his progress in counting and number bonds.

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Notices

Menus for next week are available 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

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Year 2

We are learning to tell the time in Year 2 currently. It is an important skill for everyday life, but it is also a tricky one to learn due to its complex nature. All boys have been working hard on trying to master o’clock, quarter past, half past, quarter to and reading the minute hand to 5-minute intervals. Our small yellow teaching clocks make a very clear distinction between blue minutes and red hours to help this early skill embed itself. We were also able to practise our skills of telling the time whilst learning new word processing skills with Purple Mash. We have learnt to insert a picture and fill out a text box below it. The boys were very excited with all parts of this lesson, but in particular, changing the colour of their background! 

The more that you can draw attention to time in your everyday life the more regular practise the boys are getting to master this skill.  

Here are some simple suggestions to help bring it into your everyday conversations at home.  

• Mention the time at different points in the day. For example, you might say, “Look, it’s 5 o’clock – time for supper,” or “The clock says half past 7 – it’s time for bed.” 
• There seem to be many more digital clocks in my house than analogue clocks – ovens, phones, iPads, computers – yet it is most important that the boys are seeing analogue clocks around the home. The best way of learning how to tell the time, and importantly understanding how time passes is by using an analogue clock. Think about having one in their bedroom or in a room that you spend lots of time together in. A clear hour hand and minute hand should help secure the learning from school that the shorthand shows the hour, and the long hand shows the minutes – a very tricky concept to get an early time teller’s head around! 
• When you are out, look for clocks all around you and discuss them together. Are they digital or analogue? Are they easy to read or tricky? What do you notice about the size/numbers/hands? Practise reading the time on different clock designs. Reading a train or bus timetable to work out how long before it arrives is a great incidental learning experience or working out how long the journey will take. 
• Having fun whilst telling the time is important. Use a timer in the kitchen when baking or use a sand timer when playing a game to notice the passing of time. How about a stopwatch to time a race around the garden or a getting dressed challenge?  

Mrs Ford 

Year 1

The clear highlight for this week has, without a doubt, got to be our Year 1 class trip to The Historic Dockyard in Old Portsmouth. The boys were bubbling with excitement and eagerness to find out more about the huge ships HMS Warrior and HMS Victory, and what life would have been like on board.  

We were blessed with warm yet a little breezy weather, and to see the sea was a welcome treat. We entered the Dockyard and HMS Warrior was our first ship to board. It was impressive to stand next to the huge cannons, which on board a ship are actually called 'guns' and look closely at each section and see how it would have worked. We looked up at the riggings, masts and flags and were awed by the great ship's majestic form.  

When moving below to each deck the lamps, coldness, set up and equipment was noted by all. The boys enjoyed joining in with a demonstration of how to fire a 'gun', how to keep it clean and cool and how much hard work being part of a 'mess' would have been. The boys learnt about the sailors, their roles on board, their uniform, age, hygiene, sleeping arrangements, and how long the sailors would have been on board for, to name just a few!

After having a good look around HMS Warrior, a well-earned picnic lunch was eaten.  A big thank you to the catering team who provided a delicious lunch for each boy.  

HMS Victory was next boarded, which was our afternoon discovery ship.  The boys listened carefully to their audio guides which told the story of Lord Nelson and his leadership to victory with the mighty ship.  The boys were able to compare both ships and think about which was their favourite and why.

 

 

HMS Victory was boarded next, which was our afternoon discovery ship.  The boys listened carefully to their audio guides which told the story of Lord Nelson and his leadership to victory with the mighty ship.  The boys were able to compare both ships and think about which was their favourite and why.

What an enjoyable and memorable day was had by all.  The trip really enhanced our 'Seafaring' topic. The boys were a real pleasure to take. Their enthusiasm and interest were a true highlight for me. I hope your son has told you some of his new knowledge and the experiences he encountered, and maybe even inspired you to visit the Dockyard as a family one day.

Mrs Huntley

 

Year R

Pets have been the focus of this week’s cross curricular work, with the boys thoroughly immersing themselves in our ‘Vets’ role-play area, with many prescriptions being written and splints attached.

Outside in our garden a river was built out of bricks, complete with crocodiles to dodge, and our mud kitchen has had a revamp and spring-clean.

In Maths, we have been working on addition with the aid of Numicon and Multilink cubes. This helps the boys to develop the ability to subitise: to instantly recognise small quantities of objects whilst answering the question, 'How many?'

 

Well done boys, you have each worked hard and played hard!

Cartoon Commoner

Forest School

The magical theme continued with Year R this week with the boys making and mixing some wonderful magic potions. The boys also thought what would happen to a plant or animal if they came across their potion, and we had some very magical suggestions!  

Year 1 went on a wildflower hunt this week. After learning about the different wildflowers, as well as some traditions based around them, the boys went on the hunt to see which ones they could find. This gave the boys the chance to focus on and improve their observation skills. 

Year 2 enjoyed a visit to the Cathedral this week and a talk by Carol Rawlings from Hampshire Ornithological Society about the peregrine falcons nesting on the Cathedral roof. The peregrines Winnie and William have successfully reared one chick this year and the boys had the opportunity to ask Carol some interesting questions about the birds. Carol also bought along her telescope, and everyone had a chance to look through that to get even closer to the birds. Sadly we didn’t see the birds in flight, but were able to watch the live webcam. 

If the boys would like to continue following the progress of the chick, please click this link to the live webcam.