Alton Prep Newsletter Michaelmas Half Term
October 2019
On reading this Newsle�er I am reminded of exactly how much has happened in the first seven weeks of this school year! One of the headings is ’A jampacked seven weeks’ and that is exactly what it has been. We are extremely proud of all that the children have achieved so far and this includes their assessments. I am delighted to say they are making very good progress in the core subjects of English and Maths whilst enjoying a wonderful, enriched curriculum. As well as following a varied and interes�ng academic curriculum, our children are extremely lucky to be able to take part in so much sport, have so many musical opportuni�es, a�end
the Equestrian Club, par�cipate in Outdoor Learning sessions, learn Spanish, and par�cipate in so many trips which give their learning a context. The children are always treated with respect and kindness, they are also empowered and are able to make decisions which can affect the whole School. The School Council has been ac�ve and the Friendship Bench which they installed last term is well used at break �mes. I am always very proud when I see what each child is able to achieve here and to see them becoming comfortable in their own skins. In a few weeks you will have the opportunity to see the children in Red Kites to Year Six performing
in their Christmas produc�ons and see how confident they are. How many adults can get up and act and sing in front of a large audience? I am also proud of the children’s spiritual and moral development. They take an ac�ve part in our assemblies and are generally very polite and kind to each other and to the adults. Laughter o�en rings out through the School which always makes me smile! I hope you enjoy this glimpse into life in the Prep School, we have all enjoyed the last seven weeks! Thank you for your support and encouragement in all that we do. Pim Grimes Head of Prep
Reception
Trip to Queen Elizabeth Country Park
Recep�on had a great �me on their first school trip to Queen Elizabeth Country Park. It was very exci�ng to be travelling on the minibus and the children enjoyed singing and cha�ng to each other on the way. They were taken on a woodland journey exploring using their senses. They engaged fully in ac�vi�es designed to bring alive the changes happening as the autumn comes. These included learning about different woodland animals, where they live and what they like to eat. The children buried nuts with the idea of being able to find them later just like the squirrels,
some were more successful than others! Further down the path, the children were surrounded by beau�ful maple trees. They collected a selec�on of leaves and really enjoyed matching them to a colour pale�e. Using their
sense of smell, the woodland guide encouraged the children to explore a range of plants, seeds and wood. The children spent a long �me collec�ng ingredients for their super smelly cocktails and they thought it was very funny when asking the teachers to smell their unusual crea�ons! Working in groups, the children had to build a hedgehog house. It was lovely to see the care taken to create cosy homes and play areas for the hedgehogs. The children loved their day at Queen Elizabeth Country Park and were complimented by the woodland guide on how well they engaged in each ac�vity.
Year 1
Trip to Sir Harold Hillier’s Garden Friday 11th October was a very wet day. The rain was torren�al and wind was really blustery. There were some enormous puddles on the way down to Romsey which Mrs Love had to drive round. We arrived at 10.00 and the rain stopped. We had a small snack and drink and then got togged up in wellies, coat and waterproof trousers. Our workshop leader, Stefan, took us out into the gardens a�er a short safety talk. The trees were amazing, all different colours, bark textures, heights and smells. We collected and picked apples, learned about the seasons, made
a ‘smelly caterpillar’ from fragrant leaves and used our sense of touch to describe a tree when blindfolded. We walked round lots of the site, walking on the wobbly bridge, standing under
the ginormous Gunnera leaves, watching the colours of the fish in the pond and smelling the bark of the eucalyptus tree. We enjoyed having our picnic lunch in the classroom. A�er lunch, we made a bird snack by hun�ng for things that would be a�rac�ve to a bird, such as seeds, nuts, fruit and worms on the ground under the trees. These were placed into egg trays for the birds to collect them easily, a�er we had gone. We had a great day out at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens.
Year 2
Outdoor Learning at Hillier’s Garden Year 2 enjoyed fantas�c learning opportuni�es at Sir Harold Hillier’s Garden on Thursday 3rd October. The journey began in the beau�fully landscaped gardens where children had the opportunity to explore Science, Maths and English through environmental games and ac�vi�es. In the autumnal flower gardens, pupils observed carefully the wide range of leaves, their shape, colour and texture to help them dis�nguish between evergreen and deciduous plants. Knowledge of our pupils’ number bonds for 20 were tried and tested during a problem-solving ac�vity involving a game about decay. This ac�vity reinforced
team building skills as pupils worked together and rushed from tree to tree to answer ques�ons about the role of minibeasts in the decomposi�on of plants. Squeals of delight were heard as we approached the pond dipping ac�vity where pupils were encouraged to observe the variety of aqua�c life and learnt to use classifica�on keys to iden�fy some of the animals found. Many Hog louse, water boatman pond skaters and dragonfly nymphs were spo�ed when pupils dug deep and emp�ed the contents of their nets into their tray. They thoroughly enjoyed this prac�cal ac�vity and were engaged for a very long �me in observing pond creatures in their natural habitat and were engaged for a very long �me.
A�er a refreshing picnic lunch, in the a�ernoon our pupils observed how remains of apples could be composted with the help of a variety of minibeasts. Then they set off across a Jurassic Gunnera Boardwalk, past tall bamboos and across the wobbly bridge to get to the beau�ful meadows to begin their mini-beast hunt. They iden�fied and observed a large number of minibeasts found in different habitats and microhabitats and used a range of equipment including sweep nets in wildflower meadows. This provided the perfect opportunity to learn about the concept of a simple food chain. Our pupils were engaged all day and having so much fun they didn’t even realise they were learning!
Non-Fiction Learning Year 2 pupils have been thoroughly enjoying reading non-fic�on text and learning how to plan and write a non-chronological report about a woodland animal. They have been planning and researching fascina�ng facts using the contents page and informa�on from various non-fic�on books. Their composi�on of a non-chronological report focuses on a woodland animal of their choice, with informa�on about different aspects of the subject in different paragraphs. Typical features that are including in their reports: an introductory sentence about the subject; informa�on in one tense (past or present); cap�oned or labelled pictures or diagrams;
lists of facts; subheadings; a glossary. In Year 2, children learn to iden�fy the common features of a non-chronological report, and plan and use their ideas to write their informa�on under different subheadings. This work leads on perfectly from Living things and their habitats which Year 2 have been inves�ga�ng this term.
Year 3
The next Gordon, Jamie and Nigella! Food Technology
Show and tell
Cooking this term has seen the true Gordons, Jamies and Nigellas come out of the woodwork – and the children are really ge�ng to grips with some of the basic cooking techniques needed to survive in the kitchen. The children have made sausage rolls, potato salads and American chewy cookies…whilst chopping, mixing, cu�ng, weighing, kneading, washing, cleaning and �dying up too! They are having an enormous amount of fun, learning important life skills that will s�ck with them forever. The class have voted to have a ‘show and tell’ as a prize at the end of the week for their a�tude to listening and a�tude to work; they are all desparate for the next turn!
PSHE
Performances
The whole class stood up and performed brilliantly singing alongside Year 4 at our Harvest Fes�val celebra�on. They have also spoken with great confidence about Jewish birth ceremonies to the whole of the Prep School in our shared assembly. We were extremely proud of them
We looked at the story of The Lion Inside (by Rachel Bright & Jim Field) and how important it is to have a voice, no ma�er what size you are or how loud or quiet you are. This point has really hit home with most of the children, as they begin to gain in confidence, push out of their comfort zones and adapt to new challenges that may have scared them previously. We had lots of laughs and the class prac�sed their improvised sounds as we read the book together and learnt a fantas�c lesson from it. Year 3 followed this up with some ac�ng in drama; learning how to project their voices (to level 10s!) and to develop their confidence. We have also been con�nuing our debates in class, taking it in turn to talk and to listen, whilst respec�ng one another’s opinions.
Year 4
Trip to the Mary Rose and more History This term in History, Year 4 are studying the Tudors, and they had an amazing school trip to the Mary Rose. They had a fascina�ng talk from the diver Chris Dobbs, who came in specially to talk to the children, took part in gun drills, learnt about the differences between the people on the Mary Rose, inves�gated the clothes they wore, planned an invasion between the English and French, and were inspired by seeing the actual Mary Rose in the museum! It was a very successful trip and the staff from the Mary Rose commented on how they were “incredibly impressed by the children’s a�tude and eagerness to learn. Their ques�ons and behaviour throughout the day were just superb.”
Science In Science, Year 4 have been learning about sound. They have inves�gated what causes sound, explored how different instruments make different pitches and why this might be, and considered effec�ve ways to absorb sound in order to soundproof something. They par�cularly enjoyed making their own panpipes and learning about the link between the length of the object and pitch.
English
The first piece of wri�ng this year has been poetry, and the children have been learning about poe�c devices, such as allitera�on, similes, metaphors and personifica�on. They then applied these techniques when wri�ng a poem about something or someone they loved. These have made a wonderful display in the Prep School, and the children have really enjoyed performing and sharing their poems to each other in class.
Year 5
A jam-packed 7 weeks Year Five have had a fantas�c start to the year. It has been a jam-packed 7 weeks and we have worked our socks off! Here is just a brief insight in to what we have been focusing on…
The Winchester Science Centre On 8th October we journeyed all the way to Winchester Science Centre, where we learned all about Earth and Space. The children had a fantas�c, hands-on day and came back filled with new knowledge. The children decided learning through ‘play’ was the best way!
Here is our day according to Lily Fraser:
“On the 8th of October we went to Winchester Science Museum and Planetarium. Bonnie, our guide, was impressed with our work with so little experience of space. When we arrived, we put our bags away and had our snacks. After that we had twenty-five minutes to play with the upstairs exhibits but we stopped when it was time for our first workshop. Next, we went to the Jungle Room to do a workshop with Bonnie. We tested different materials against a heat lamp to see which ones would reflect the heat and which ones would absorb it. The more we learned, the more interesting I found it and the more I understood. Interesting, intriguing, amazing – could it get any better? After the workshop we had a delicious lunch. The next workshop was in the Planetarium, which lasted 45 minutes and was so interesting. We learned all about the Milky Way and how many stars astronomers think might be in the all the galaxies in the universe – it was a vast number! Once we had finished being amazed and flown around the universe, we went back in to the museum to look at all of the exhibits. When it was time to go home, none of us wanted to leave.”
Maths
English
In Maths we have focused on a new topic each week, ranging from addi�on and subtrac�on to transla�on of shapes. Transla�on proved tricky for some, but once they realised that transla�on is a bit like ‘copy and paste’ on a computer, they worked well.
Our English focus has been diary wri�ng. We have focused on using fronted adverbials, commas for clarity, perfect form verbs, and turning nouns and adjec�ves into verbs. The children have worked hard and are taking ma�ers in to their own hands to make their work be�er.
Year 6
The Autumn Term so far It’s been a busy half term already in Year 6! Prepara�on is well underway for exams soon a�er Christmas and the children have taken the increased workload in their stride. Everyone has se�led well into their posi�ons of responsibility. Congratula�ons in par�cular to Sam Lloyd and Chloe Li�le for a fantas�c talk on Open Morning and to many
other members of Year 6 for their help with showing visitors around our School. We have made the most of our outdoor environment looking at pa�erns in nature during our Outdoor Learning lessons. We have learnt about trees, leaves, natural pa�erns and drawn detailed sketches of our natural surroundings.
Design Technology In DT, we have learnt how to make marble runs. This includes designing and making free-standing structures which must include bridges and spirals and be aesthe�cally pleasing!
Science The Harvest Festival Year 6 played a leading role in the Harvest Celebra�on and read beau�fully throughout the service. The day culminated in a sale of harvest produce, in which Year 6 showed off their commercial skills as stall holders and raised over £200 for CAFOD. The children looked a�er and helped younger members of our school community and should be congratulated on their success.
Our Science topic this term has been The Circulatory System. We have loved spending �me in the Science labs looking at the 3D models of the inside of our body, especially our heart, to help us understand how it all works.
Alton School Equestrian From club to competition Equestrian Club Equestrian Club has welcomed lots of new faces this term, as well as enjoying the company of some of our more regular par�cipants. Progress has been good and everyone has made significant improvements, whether it has been riding off the lead rein for the first �me, learning to canter, jumping cross country fences or compe�ng for the first �me. We currently have three groups running. The beginners group includes Brooke, Ayla, Lexi, Annabella and Eliza. They have enjoyed prac�sing their steering,
stopping and rising trot. In pony care, they have learnt the names of parts of the saddle and bridle, as well as parts of the horse. They have enjoyed catching their pony, grooming and leading it safely. The progressive group is working towards cantering and simple trot poles and jumps. Niamh, Lily, Emma, Catriona. Lydia and Florence have worked hard and are looking forward to the compe��on we have this week, where they can prac�se their skills against other schools. The advanced group includes Ka�e, Rosie, Isabelle and Emily. They
have enjoyed jumping and more advanced schooling, and working on their tack as part of the stable management badge scheme. This week we have a league match against two other schools, which will include dressage and jumping. Alton have three teams compe�ng and we wish them luck. If you are interested in joining the equestrian club, please look on the parent portal for details of how to sign up. We ride weekly on a Thursday night at Greatham Equestrian Centre.
Show Jumping at Crofton Manor Schools, pony clubs and riding clubs from across the South East joined us at Cro�on Manor Equestrian Centre in Fareham on Sunday, for a day of team and individual show jumping. We had a huge number entries and although we were not blessed with very good weather, the day proved to be very successful, with some friendly and exci�ng
compe��on. Alton School’s very own equestrian team were out in force and had some super results. Isabelle Moore made her inaugural compe��on for Alton School a winning one in Ring Two, with a second place in the mini accumulator, followed by a 10th place in the 50cm and a 7th place in the 60cm.
A huge thank you to all of the parents, pupils and helpers who made the day such a success and we look forward to the next event.
Alton Prep School Music
A week in the life of the music department Look out for more on social media very soon!
Physical Education
From Classtime to Competition Time