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!
This week, Head’s Awards were given to…
Dear Parents,
I am writing this from the IAPS Heads’ Conference in Wales. Whilst it has been very strange to be out of school, it has been invaluable to be able to meet with other Prep School Heads and listen to a range of speakers on a number of important educational issues. I am incredibly grateful to Mr Edmond and the Leadership Team for looking after the school in my absence. I really do have a wonderful team around me.
The children have certainly been making the most of the late summer sunshine and have had another fun-filled and action-packed week full of trips and activities. Years 5 and 6 had a great day out in the Purbecks on Tuesday practising their orienteering skills. All the teachers who accompanied them spoke very highly about their behaviour and attitude throughout the day. On Thursday, the Year 2s enjoyed their trip to Brownsea Island. Not only did they have an amazing time, but several members of the public commented on how courteous and well-behaved the pupils were. I am so proud of all the pupils; it is wonderful to see them embodying all that we expect our Castellans to be.
This week also saw an important milestone for our Year 3s as they played their first matches for the school. Judging by their smiling faces at match tea and the ‘thumbs up’ they gave me, they clearly had a great time. It is moments like this that are so incredibly special. I never take for granted what a privilege it is to be able to share these with you as parents.
We have certainly had a fantastic start to the sporting calendar with excellent performances from the girls’ teams at the Bryanston Hockey Festival.
The U13 boys’ team won the Bryanston Football Festival, beating Millfield Prep in the semi-finals and Bryanston Prep in the Finals. The U11 A team also won the Sherborne Football Festival, beating some very competitive teams including Port Regis. This team also won all their matches in the Moyles Court 5-a-side tournament, beating Dumpton and Walhampton. As wonderful as these victories are, it is the way that the pupils conduct themselves on and off the pitch which matters most. I was therefore delighted to receive a glowing report from Mr FermorDunman about the excellent attitude, conduct and commitment shown by all the pupils this week. I am so proud of them all.
I am very aware that this weekend is an important time for many of our Year 6 pupils, who are sitting their 11+ exams. I will be thinking of you all and wish you every success.
Whilst it has been a privilege to attend my first Heads’ Conference, I have missed being in school and am looking forward to returning to normal duties on Monday. This time away has cemented how much I love the school, how blessed I feel to be Head and what a wonderful team and parent body I have.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
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.
CCS Community Choir
Make a note…
If you would like to join us, we meet on Tuesdays in the Family Lounge at 08:30. No audition, no requirement to read music, no past singing experience necessary – just singing for fun! Please contact Mr. Smith if you are interested on jsmith@castlecourt.com or come along after drop-off on Tuesday.
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.
Open Morning this Saturday at Clayesmore School
If you are planning to attend the Open Morning this Saturday, please note that you can also book a tour of the Senior School. To do this, please click here.
Closing of Pre-Prep Gate
A reminder 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 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.
Scholarship Deadlines and Assessment Dates
Please find on the right details of the upcoming scholarship deadlines and assessment dates
5-Star Rating!
Congratulations to Chef Mike and his team for earning a 5-star rating in their Food Hygiene Inspection on Thursday. They were particularly commended for their clean and tidy kitchen by the inspector.
27th January 2025 Music – 28/29th January 2025 Art/IT/DT – 29th January 2025
Performing Arts – 30th January 2025
All Rounder – 30th January 2025
Academic – 31st January 2025
Academic – 10/11th February 2025
Art – 12th February 2025
Design – 6th February 2025
Drama – 5th February 2025
Music – 27/28th January 2025
Sport (boys) – 31st January 2025
Sport (girls) – 3rd February 2025
Christmas Pottery Painting
Ryde School Open Morning
This will take place on Saturday 5 October, from 10am to 12.30pm. More information on this and how to register can be found at Ryde School Admissions & Open Mornings. Equally, please call Admissions on 01983 617970 or email admissions@rydeschool.net.
This will take place on Thursday 23 November from 8.45am – come along, do some painting and nibble on mince pies with coffee! Book here.
Harvest Festival and World’s Biggest Coffee Morning
Please come along and join us after drop-off on Friday 4 October in the School Hall Foyer as we take part in MacMillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning! Then at 9am, we’ll be moving into the Sports Hall for our Harvest Festival. An email has gone out with all the details.
Autumn Term Performing Arts Presentation
Biathlon Events
This term's Performing Arts Presentation will be on Monday 2nd December at 4.30 pm in the school hall. The presentation will involve pupils from Years 5 to 8 and will include performances by both senior dance groups as well as performances by pupils who take private dance and drama lessons. You will be contacted by email nearer the time to confirm that your child will be performing. In the meantime, please save the date!
The local upcoming qualifiers for the regionals are 10th November at Leweston and 24th November at Millfield. If your child wishes to attend, please sign up and pay a membership by using this link.
Extra-Curricular Activities
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! 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)
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
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).
Year 2 Trip to Brownsea Island
Year 2 visited Brownsea Island on Thursday to discover the birthplace of Scouting. As you can see, a great time was had by all the children, who were commended on their behaviour by several members of the public.
Adventures in Sport
This week has been busy in the world of Sport!
We hosted Clayesmore School on Tuesday and Wednesday for boys’ football and girls’ hockey, and sent a selection of children to Bryanston, Moyles Court and Clayesmore for football and hockey matches too. A huge thank you to our Sports team for making sure that everyone was in the right place at the right time!
This Thursday saw the first Sailing session of the term, with the beautiful weather providing a superb backdrop! Thank you to Mrs Hoey for setting this up as part of our CAVE programme.
Years 5 and 6 Expedition Day
Years 5 and 6 enjoyed glorious weather for their Expedition Day this week!
They spent the day in the beautiful Purbecks, putting their orienteering and exploring skills to the test! Classrooms without walls are helping the children to develop the resilience, creative thinking and team building skills needed to succeed in the wider world.
