Head’s Awards are given out every Friday morning in assembly to children nominated by their class teacher or form tutor; the reasons for these are many and varied, including outstanding effort, overcoming difficulty, or helping a friend in need. Huge congratulations!
Last week, Head’s Awards were given to…
This week, Head’s Awards were given to…
RECB Sophia Archie
RECS Otto Oliver
P1D Nate Olivia
P1Z Amelie Cece
P2A Naish Conrad
P2G Adelyn and Adam Daisy
3D Quinn Sophie
3M Connie Axel
4D Max Joscelyn
4M Esther Inara
5D Jack George
5M Sam Harry
6D Annie Samuel
6M Kit Ava
7D Henry J James *
7M Molly Michael *
8D George Teddy *
8M Seb Catherine *
* These will be awarded during Monday morning’s assembly, as the Years 7 and 8 children were at camp on Friday morning.
Dear Parents,
There are so many things I love about Castle Court. Top of my list are always the wonderful people (children, colleagues and staff) who make up the Castle Court family; however, a close second must be the glorious setting and outdoor space the school provides. I will never tire of the beautiful view from my Head’s study or the vista from ‘the bumps’ towards the woods. This week, these views were further enhanced by regular visits from our deer family - much to our delight!
As a mum, I know how precious and fleeting childhood is, it is therefore very important to me that the children at Castle Court can enjoy their childhood by getting dirty, jumping in puddles, running around outside and exploring the world around them. As Nicolette Sowder said, ‘If we want our children to move mountains, we first have to let them get out of their chairs’
There was certainly lots of outside activity on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon as we returned to matches for Years 4-8. As I toured round the different matches being played, I was so impressed not only with the level of skill on display, but more importantly the determination and team spirit being shown. I really was so proud of all the children, and it was lovely to receive positive feedback from the visiting Port Regis parents too. I am very excited about the sporting year ahead and I’m looking forward to seeing the Year 3s in their first matches for the school next Tuesday.
This week, our Year 7 and 8 pupils have been enjoying spending time on their adventure camp the beautiful Purbecks. This senior camp is part of our new Character and Values Education (CAVE) programme which reflects our commitment to developing outdoor learning and servant leadership. It was wonderful to spend time with the Year 7 and 8s at their overnight camp and to see them working together and supporting each other as a section. I know that the Year 7 and 8 pupils were looking forward to welcoming the Year 3 and 4 pupils to the camp today and demonstrating the principle that ‘to serve is to lead’. Year 5 and 6 will go on their adventure day next week.
It has been a busy week for Pre-Prep too, with their exploration sessions this week. It was so lovely to be able to catch up with many of you over a coffee and I hope you enjoyed spending time in the classroom with your child. I know they were very excited to have you there!
Next week, I will be away from school from Wednesday at the IAPS Head’s Conference in Wales. Luckily, I have a wonderful team around me and so I know the school will be in safe hands.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend and I hope you get to enjoy spending time outdoors.
Mrs Katie Johnson Head
Music
If your child learns an instrument(s) outside of school, please could you complete the Wufoo form HERE to inform us of instruments they play, as this will mean that they can be included in any relevant concerts.
E-Safety
As the digital world continues to feed into our daily lives, we need to ensure that we have tools in place to keep children safe. This website contains excellent advice and tips for parents.
Head Lice
As we start the new school year, please can we remind you to check your child's hair regularly for head lice. They are a common issue, particularly in young children and families, and are passed on through head-to-head contact. Please go to the NHS advice page if you need any further information or do contact the Medical Centre.
Durlston Senior School Tour and Talk Event
This will be run on 16th September from 3.30-5.30pm. During this time, there will be an opportunity to have a tour of the school, meet staff and children, and join the team to hear about life at Durlston Senior, followed by refreshments. If you are interested in joining this, please contact Lisa Lilley on lisa.lilley@durlstonschool.co.uk or visit durlstonschool.co.uk/open-week
Clayesmore Drinks Reception
There is a drinks reception tonight (Friday, 13 September) at 7pm which will be held at Rick Stein’s in Sandbanks. This will be hosted by Jo Thomson, Head; if you would like to attend, please RSVP using this link.
Naming Uniform and Sports Kit
Please make sure that your child's uniform and sports kit is clearly labelled. Please also check that names haven't been rubbed off in the wash. This will help us return lost items to their owners.
CCS Community Choir
We are really looking forward to restarting the CCS choir this coming Tuesday 17th September in the Main House at 0830am. No audition, no requirement to read music, no past singing experience necessary – just singing for fun! All different styles of repertoire. Rehearsals will run throughout this term, hopefully working towards a performance at the Carol Service, and in the spring term, with the aim of a performance at the Spring Concert. Please contact Mr. Smith if interested (jsmith@castlecourt.com) or pop along on 17th to see what it's about!
Closing of Pre-Prep Gate
Please can parents be aware that the Pre-Prep entrance gate closes at 8:45am each morning. This is to ensure that we are fully compliant with our safeguarding obligations towards your children. If you arrive after this time, please could you bring your child to the main school office in Knoll House so that they can be marked in on the register. You can then accompany your child to their classroom by walking through the central part of the school. Many thanks.
If you are having trouble logging in to your SOCS Account, which you can use to book activities, buses and to see information on Sports, please see the guidance on the next page.
Senior Choir takes place in the Hall on Mondays for Years 5-8 from 1.15pm-1.30pm and then again from 1.55pm2.15pm, so children still get their lunch break and get to skip the lunch queue! It would be great to see lots of children this week as we sing some musical theatre songs and work towards a performance in the Harvest Festival service. Later in the term, the senior choir take a pivotal role in the whole school carol service so we will be learning songs for that in due course. No sign up required - children just come along on Mondays at 1.15pm each week.
Paul Manning Football Academy
Football Academy sessions are available for boys and girls as follows:
Age 3-8 (Badgers-Year 2): Saturday mornings 09:00-10:00 at Castle Court School
Ages 8-13 (Year 3 to Year 8): Saturday mornings 10:15-11:15am at Castle Court School
For more information or to book, please contact Paul Manning on manning_paul_@hotmail.com.
Castle Court Coin Collecting Club (C5)
A number of pupils have put their names forward to be members of this new leisurely breaktime club where we're going to learn about pre-decimal coinage and dabble with a bit of entrepreneurial trading in coins. If any parents have a jar/bag of pre-decimal coinage lurking in the loft or wallowing at the back of the junk-drawer in the kitchen (!), please could you consider donating it to the club: any profits made from donated coins will be given to school charities or reinvested back in the club (books, albums, plastic sleeves, magnifying glasses, new stock) for future Castellans. All donations gratefully received: please pass to your son/daughter to bring into school to give to me, Mr Edmond - our budding numismatists will be very grateful!
Mr Mills is running Karate & Self-Defence classes for children and adults aged 7 and up (Y3+) on Saturday mornings 9am–10:20am at Castle Court School Sports Hall. For more information or to book a free try-out session, please contact him on bdemills@yahoo.co.uk or bmills@castlecourt.com
Bushido Wado-Ryu Karate Club | https://bushidokarate.martialartsuk.org | Find him on Facebook/Instagram/YouTube using: @dorsetkarate
Senior Dance Clubs
These started this week! Years 5 and 6 is on Monday lunch time, and Years 7 and 8 is on Friday lunch time (in The Studio). All boys and girls are welcome – bring your friends and embrace creativity and collaboration at Castle Court! We will celebrate the work in these clubs at the Performing Arts Presentation Evening in December. Girls in Years 7 and 8 may find wearing sports skort/shorts useful for floor work. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Miss Tomblin on dtomblin@castlecourt.com.
Theory Lessons
ABRSM music theory lessons can be taken as an extra lesson in the same way as practical music lessons and are usually taught in various non-curriculum times. These cost £80.30 per term and are taught in small groups where pupils are grouped according to the grade they are studying. Those pupils working towards ABRSM grade 5 on their instruments will need to pass grade 5 theory before taking higher grades on their instruments. Please contact Mr. Smith for further information (jsmith@castlecourt.com).
