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,
Every Friday, I start my celebration assembly by explaining what has put a smile on my face this week. One of the reasons I do this is that it serves as a reminder that happiness is so often found in the little things. It is so easy to overlook these moments waiting for the fanfare of that amazing day. However, the truth is, it is the warmth and positivity of the everyday which often puts the biggest smile on my face: the sheer joy of watching the innate curiosity and enthusiasm of our Pre-Prep pupils; the glow of pride I feel seeing our Year 8s walking hand-in-hand with our youngest pupils, and the sound of happy children playing and laughing together. As Donna Ashworth so eloquently wrote: ‘Joy...breathes in the basic, simmers in the simple and dances in the daily to-and-fro'. In starting my assembly this way, I also want the children to understand that small acts of kindness can and do make a difference. It is important that they know that the small things – taking the time to stop and ask someone how they are, that offer of help, the beaming smile on a difficult day, the ‘thank you’ – are not actually small at all. They are significant because they show someone else that they are valued, seen and that they matter.
There are many things that have put a smile on my face this week. I continue to be impressed with our Year 8 leaders and the way that they have risen to our new leadership programme. My School Leaders meet with me each week and provide invaluable feedback on the pupils’ perspectives. I am looking forward to them delivering their first whole school assembly soon. The House Leaders led their first House assembly brilliantly on Thursday, teaching pupils in Years 2-8 our first ever ‘School Shout’. Our Media Leaders have also been busy creating posts celebrating different areas of the school; their creativity is inspiring. I am looking forward to meeting with our Wellbeing Leaders and hearing their ideas
On Tuesday morning, I had the pleasure of attending my first Community Choir practice of the year. Singing a Backstreet Boys song first thing in the morning is guaranteed to put a huge smile on my face. The Community Choir is a fun, welcoming group who meet every Tuesday at 8:30am. We’d love to see more of you there, especially Dads and Grandads. No experience or talent is needed (they let me join!)
One final thing that put a smile on my face this week was seeing the Reception children’s positivity and enthusiasm on one of the rainiest days so far. Whilst I was moaning about the constant downpours, they were out in their splash suits exploring in the woods, enjoyed a picnic in their covered area and were inspired to create some wonderful weather paintings. Where I had seen just dark clouds and heavy rain, they saw beauty and wonder. What a wonderful lesson they taught me.
I hope that I will put a smile on your faces by announcing that we will be holding a Bonfire party on 8 November. It is so important to me that we have regular opportunities to come together as a whole Castle Court family as these are often the moments that bring the most joy. We have been liaising closely with our neighbours to ensure that this event is a positive experience for everyone in the community.
Finally, I am looking forward to seeing you at our Harvest Festival next Friday morning. I’ve already had a sneak preview of Reception’s Harvest song – I won’t give too much away, but it’s guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face!
Wishing you a very happy weekend.
Mrs Katie Johnson Head
E-Safety Guide
As a school, we like to keep you informed regarding issues such as apps, games, trends, gaming platforms and social media sites. This week’s E-Safety focus is on Instagram; please have a look on Edulink in the Noticeboard section under E-Safety and then Social Media. We hope that this is useful.
Scholarship Deadlines and Assessment Dates
Please find on the right details of upcoming scholarship deadlines and assessment dates
Senior School
Open Mornings
Open Morning season is in full swing, and it is worth keeping a close eye on the websites of the schools in which you are most interested. Information that we have been sent through from senior schools is below:
Bryanston 22nd November
Canford 1st December
Sport – 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
Clayesmore 22nd November Week beginning 27th January 2025
Scholarship Evening
Canford Open Morning
5 October – Do scan the code or have a look at their website to book a place.
Wells Open Morning – 5 October – followed by specific Music days and a further Open Morning in March.
You will be aware that we are running a Scholarship Evening on site from 4.30pm on Monday 30 September. Should you wish for your child to be looked after in tea and prep, please email office@castlecourt.com to book them in.
Bonfire Party
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.
Please save the date for our Bonfire Party, to be held on Friday 8 November from 6pm on the MW Field. Further details and booking information will be sent out to all families closer to the time.
Biathlon Events
The local upcoming qualifiers for the regionals are 10 November at Leweston and 24 November at Millfield. If your child wishes to attend, please sign up and pay a membership using this link.
Christmas Pottery Painting
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.
Wreath making
Autumn Term Performing Arts Presentation
This term's Performing Arts Presentation will be on Monday 2 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!
A wreath-making workshop for parents will be held on Thursday 5th December at 8.45am. Foliage will be provided from the grounds, alongside mince pies and coffee! To book, please click the image or use this link HERE.
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 are working on a routine to perform at the Performing Arts Evening on Monday 2 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.
European Day of Languages
Yesterday, we celebrated the European Day of Languages and as part of this, there was much excitement at break time! Chef Mike and his team provided a whole ream of delicious snacks from the continent; there were pastels de nata, babka and madeleines – all served with a smattering of French, Portuguese and Polish!
