Prep for the Week Issue | 1794

Prep for the Week Issue Number 1794– 24 April 2015

In this week’s issue…

Headmaster’s Welcome Marvellous Maths Notices Skiing Report Kingfishers News Girls’ and Boys’ Sport Lower School News Individual Achievements Middle School News What have our Boarders been up to?

Musical Magic Birthday Celebrations Art Department News The School Week Ahead History Department News

Special News

Miss S E Ramsay, Head of PE, Swimming and Girls' Sport

Cricket

Look who has arrived!

During recent District cricket practise, Ross in Year 6 was awarded the captaincy of the District Cricket Team by his coaches. He has worked very hard at District training sessions over the months and displayed good focus. This has come as a welcome achievement by all and illustrates Ross's ability to demonstrate good sportsmanship wherever he can.

We welcomed the arrival of two new starters at the Lake Farm this week, who have been enjoying familiarising themselves with their new home.

TO KEEP UP TO DATE ON ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE PREP PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE Prep for The Week Issue Number 1794– 24 April 2015

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Headmaster's Welcome The scene is quintessentially English. The sun is shining, a game of cricket is coming to a close and the tennis players are chatting happily as they return from the courts after three hard fought sets.

And then there is a stern Mr Whybrow, standing post, stopping children from eating the parents’ match tea! Adopting an approach more commonly seen outside sensitive government buildings, I felt incongruous as I stalked the parents of the opposition as they tried hard to feed their children with illicit stash. Finally, my patience evaporated.

One child, having been politely informed that the cakes were not for him, took a circuitous route to his mother, placed his order and then retired to a safe distance. Making Ocado look sluggish, this parent took said order and before one could say, ‘brownie', the boy was tucking into a cake, much to the bemusement and envy of his peers. In all, an unedifying educational experience.

“Surely you are over-reacting?” I hear you ask. I do not think so. At risk is the principle that home and school is mutually supportive. The Prep cannot give all of the children cakes and so this treat is reserved for parents.

I ask for continued support in respecting this stance, leading by example not only to the children, but also to the visiting parents. Thank you.

The cricket season is also the one which brings so much personal expensive kit into school; pads, boxes, gloves, helmets, cricket balls, possibly wicket keeping gloves and pads and, not least, bats. Children who help themselves without permission to cricket kit, and any other personal belongings for that matter, belonging to other children, are guilty of stealing and can expect to be punished accordingly. Particularly emotive is the misuse of cricket bats, many of which have been bought as a special present, almost as a rite of passage, by parents and grandparents.

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Pupil achievements Owen O’Brien gained an All Rounders Award to King’s Gloucester – well done Owen.

Saturday reminder Continuing on the theme of last term’s reminders in preparation for the changes to Saturday school, which begin in September 2015, I will offer simple statements which explain these new arrangements weekly.

Saturday school from September 2015 remains obligatory for all children in Years 5-8. The only reason why a child might not have Saturday school is if they are in Years 5 or 6 and have neither a sporting nor House commitment.

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Notices Monday 27 April: Kingfishers Parents' Lunch from 12.00-13.00 Tuesday 28 April: Kingfishers Parents' Lunch from 12.00-13.00 Summer Celebration of Music and Dance in the Assembly Hall between 17.00 and 18.00 Thursday 30 April: Kingfishers Parents' Lunch from 12.00-13.00 Friday 1 May: Exeat begins for Boarders at any time (by prior arrangement) Kingfishers Parents' Lunch from 12.00-13.00 Photo Booth Fun in aid of TURF from 12.30 Exeat begins for Kingfishers at 15.30, Lower school at 16.00 and Middle / Upper School at 16.30

Cheltenham College Presents

THE

GATSBY BALL Supporting The Royal British Legion & The Cheltenham College Charitable Trust

FRIDAY 26TH JUNE 2015 Catering - by Wesley House, Winchcombe Music - by Hailey Tuck, Cheltenham Jazz Festival sell out artist Magnum of Champagne, Canapés and Personal Waiter for each table Programme Reception 7.30pm Dinner 8.15pm Carriages 12.30am Black Tie

Kindly Sponsored by

Tickets £100pp before 31st March £110pp from 1st April To book call 01242 706812

Hurry, only a few spaces remaining !!

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FRIENDS OF THE PREP

invite you to join in the fun at the

HEADMASTER’S X1 CRICKET MATCH, DOUBLES TENNIS TOURNAMENT & BBQ TEA Sunday 7 June.

Last year was such a huge success that we have decided to do it all over again so please join us!

If you would like to enter the Headmaster’s Doubles Tennis Tournament please call Emma Graveney on (mobile) 07956517486.

Not to worry if you don’t have a doubles partner, we can pair you up once the entrants' list is complete.

If you are a cricketer and wish to participate, then Tim Buttress is your man.

A delicious barbecue tea will be served at 15.30pm Thank you and we really hope you can come, the event will be a lot of fun!

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Kingfishers This week we are very proud of our Year 2 children, who completed their first English Speaking Board (ESB) assessments.

Even though this was a practice ESB, ready for Year 3, our children still had to demonstrate many skills such as speaking clearly, loudly, in a structured manner and listening and responding to their peers.

The task was to read a 75-word passage from one of their favourite books and talk for 1-2 minutes about an object they had brought in.

Emmiline (2G) told us about her pony and gave us lots of information about his braid.

Isabelle (2S) spoke about her owl from the Natural History Museum.

Hector (2B) had a box full of goodies!

Well done Year 2!

Miss C A Griffiths, Year 2 Class Teacher

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Lower School This week, Year 3 have been conducting footfall surveys.

Our children have been considering how the levels of noise are different in different parts of the school, and how they are different at different times of day.

They concluded that people make the most noise and have collected evidence to support how the busiest places are the noisiest. Our children were surprised at how much noise they can make at times!

We have also experimented with completing relatively easy tasks and introducing noise to discover how this can affect our concentration and performance.

Mrs J A Godding, Lower School Class Tutor

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Middle School Major Steel visited Year 5 this week and gave an extremely informative and interesting presentation on World War II. He brought animated maps to life, helping us to see exactly how World War II progressed and encouraged us to discuss how it affected different nationalities.

In particular, Major Steel's commentary on Operation Overlord amazed us all. He explained how the daring glider pilots began the battle on Pegasus Bridge, and shared his knowledge on the adventures and courageous acts on the Normandy beaches.

Not a sound could be heard in the hall as he retold how a young, blind French boy helped the French Resistance by informing them of the exact location of the German guns; apparently this brave, young man counted his steps each day as he delivered fresh bread to the German soldiers.

Year 5 are thoroughly enjoying learning about World War II, and continue to research this event in our History lessons.

Huge thanks go to Major Steel; I fear he will never be able to walk around the Prep again without a Year 5 pupil asking him a question about World War II! Mrs D Bond, Director of Middle School

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Musical Magic The Music Department has certainly started the Summer Term with a bang!

Over the past two weeks, the whole school has been involved in a CD recording, which rounded up on Friday with a recording of Years 1 to 8 singing in Chapel. The CD will raise money for the school charity as well as the music tour in the Autumn Term.

Watch this space for more information!

Sponsored Grade 1 Below is a list of staff who have willingly taken on the challenge to do Grade 1 on an instrument by June.

The date is now in the calendar and things have suddenly become very real!

Mrs Buttress – Piano Miss Sheldon – Voice Mrs Reeves – Piano Mrs Kelway – Saxophone Mrs Coley – Clarinet Miss Stovold – Flute Mrs Bond – Piano Mrs Connor – Voice Mrs Grieves – Flute Mrs Jenkins – Violin Mr Jenkins – Voice Mrs Reid – Trumpet Mrs Wells – Clarinet Mrs Baird – French Horn Mrs Patterson – Trumpet Mrs Buxton – Bassoon

If you have not done so already, please support these members of staff by sponsoring them, as the proceeds will go towards the school charity and music tour.

Miss G M Jones, Assistant Director of Music

Important musical dates!

Monday 27 April at 16:45 - Pupils' Informal Concert Tuesday 28 April at 17:00 - Summer Celebration of Music and Dance

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The Art Department News Prep parents and friends are warmly welcomed to the following event in June. Places are limited, so please do contact us soon if you would like to attend.

Portrait Master Class with Jacob Sutton Thursday 18 June 2015 6.30pm - 9.30pm

ÂŁ20 per person To include materials, wine and nibbles Limited spaces available All proceeds to TURF Charity

Register now A.Parsley@cheltenhamcollege.org Tel. 01242 522697

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Special achievements in our History Department Townsend-Warner History Prize 2015 - Paper 2 As we reported last term, this year, nine Cheltenham College Prep pupils entered the Townsend-Warner History Prize. This is over 125 years old and one of the oldest institutions in the preparatory school environment. The Prize consists of two papers. The first has 100 questions demanding one-word, or one-sentence, answers from world history, with a strong emphasis on British history. Some are straightforward, many are more obscure. Two hundred candidates qualify from Paper 1 to sit Paper 2. This is in the form of essay questions, but allows candidates a very wide choice so that they can write on what they know, also allowing demonstration of analytical skill and historical imagination.

Two candidates qualified to sit Paper 2. Max, in Year 8, was placed 149th nationally with a score of 53/100 in Paper 1.

Duncan, also in Year 8, was placed 15th nationally with a score of 73/100. This was a fantastic achievement.

Paper 2 was incredibly challenging, asking for five ‘mini essays’ within two hours. The highlight, both boys confirmed, was the third question, which asked for the writer to host a historical dinner party for seven guests, who could be drawn from any period of history.

The entrants then had to draw a diagram of the seating plan, making sure that everyone had someone next to them who was interesting to talk to and that they had arranged people so as to avoid fights during dinner! They then had to give a brief reason for their choice and say what they thought their guests would talk about and how they would behave.

This is only a small flavour of the type of questions that the Townsend-Warner Prize produces, but also an insight into the depth of knowledge that the participants had to exhibit.

Equally, the question shows just how different the two Papers are, which makes the boys’ achievements even greater; their passing of the first paper proves they have knowledge, passing the second paper proves they can apply it.

Both boys performed exceptionally in Paper 2. Max jumped 24 places to be placed a superb 125th overall. Duncan maintained his remarkable position of 15th, with the exact same score he achieved for Paper 1! They also managed to earn Cheltenham College Prep a mention in the TownsendWarner Prize Official Report, where their efforts put them into contention for the ‘Team Prize’.

These are both magnificent results in a national competition, against some of the top Prep Schools in the country. It should also be noted that the boys prepared for Paper 2 during the ‘examination season’, Duncan just prior to his Scholarship Exams and Maximus during the Mocks, which makes their achievements and dedication towards the subject all the more special.

Preparation has already begun for next year, as ‘History Club’ has started for keen historians in Years 6 and 7 on a Thursday after school. The ‘enthusiasts’ are currently busy conducting their own research into the Kings and Queens of England and Britain, putting together the information into their own ‘guidebook’ of the monarchy, as well as doing some quizzing along the way. It is a testament to Duncan and Max’s eagerness and efforts, as well as the other seven entrants, that the club is into double figures of participants, of both year groups and genders. All three Year 7 Sets are also represented.

Congratulations again to all nine pupils who entered and especially to Duncan and Max. Mr R D W Baird, Head of History

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Marvellous Maths This week Year 7 have been investigating circles.

One of the biggest challenges surrounding circles is to understand the concept of Pi. Some of Year 7 experimented by drawing circles, measuring the circumference and diameter to see what the relationship was. Unknowingly they had discovered something very close to Pi. Mr C D Murray, Head of Maths and Skiing

Skiing Report At the start of the Easter Holidays, pupils from The Prep embarked on a fantastic ski trip to Les Menuires in the Three Valleys in France. We had a great range of pupils from Years 3 – 8 who attended. The pupils were a credit to the chool, not only as ambassadors for the school but as young people to take skiing; they were social, polite, helpful and good fun.

Les Menuires was a fantastic resort right in the heart of the Three Valleys. The slopes, gondolas and chair lifts were right on the front door of the hotel. The activities were great fun and the slopes offered some of the best skiing in Europe, as you will be able to see from the photographs!

The ski trip will be happening again next year and a letter will be sent out soon for those who are interested.

Mr C D Murray, Head of Maths and Skiing

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The Prep Ski Trip 2015 Les Menuires

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Girls' Sport Tennis Scores TEAM

OPPOSITION

DATE

SCORE

RESULT

1sts – 3 Pairs

St Hugh’s

22 April

W4, L4, D1 Matches

DRAW

2nds – 4 Pairs

St Hugh’s

22 April

54 – 58 Games

LOST

U11 – 2 Pairs

St Edward's

22 April

W2, L2 Matches

DRAW

U10 – 2 Pairs

St Edward's

22 April

W3, L1 Matches

WIN

Upper School Girls before their fixture v St Hugh’s looking very smart in their new tennis whites.

Rounders Scores TEAM

OPPOSITION

DATE

SCORE

RESULT

U11

St Edward's

22 April

18.5 – 9.5

WIN

U10

St Edward's

22 April

10 – 10

DRAW

Team of the Week – U11 Rounders We made a great start in field against St Edward's, making hardly any mistakes between bowler, backstop and 2nd base.

Our deep fielders were tested on a few occasions, but managed to get the ball sucessfully to our safe pair of hands on 4th base, therefore preventing many full rounders being scored.

In bat, we began well, with some strong hitters who were able to change the direction of their shots.

Keep following us on twitter for more

photos and updates!!

CheltPrep_GirlsSport @cheltprepgirls

Miss S E Ramsay, Head of Girls' Sport

Although we weren't quite as strong lower down the batting order, we were able to capitalise on some misfielded balls and gain a few half rounders.

A special mention must go to one of our players, Gabby in Year 6 who, despite colliding with another player and taking 2 knocks to the head, vowed to carry on and score 4 more rounders.

Miss L G Gooch, Middle School Class Tutor

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Boys' Sport Cricket Results TEAM

OPPONENT

RESULT

1st XI

The Dragon

Draw

2nd XI

The Dragon

Lost

Colts A

The Dragon

Lost

Colts B

The Dragon

Lost

Colts A

St Edward's

Won

Colts B

St Edward's

Won

Colts C

St Edward's

Won

Colts D

St Edward's

Won

Colts E

St Edward's

Won

The Summer Term has started with plenty of sunshine, Mr Dawson is in his shorts and the world is a happy place!

I must say that the staff have been very impressed at the start of this cricket term; it was clear from the trials how much work the boys have put in to ensure they were ready. Whether at school winter nets, club evening nets, or even in the garden with Dad, it was evident that very few pupils had put the bat down in July and not picked it up again until April. It is this hard work by our boys, in their own time, that really contributes to our successful results and makes the coaches jobs much easier.

You may note that we have certain Wednesday afternoons without any fixtures – this was not due to a lack of fixture choices, but is actually a decision made by the department.

Last year we played too many matches and didn’t spend enough time actually improving our boys' skill set. They would turn up to a match and bowl a couple of overs, be bowled out first ball and then field for the afternoon, repeating the experience two days later, without enough of a chance to work on weaknesses in their game.

By allocating certain Wednesday afternoons as training sessions, we are able to ensure the boys hit and bowl plenty of balls. They are coached, and then the repeated practice helps to build muscle memory. This allows them to replicate the action in the next game.

As term moves on, the fixtures will start to come in thick and fast, and, hopefully, time spent practising will be evident in our play.

Fingers crossed for good weather in the fixtures against Beaudesert tomorrow!

Mr D E Simpson, Head of Boys' Sport

We have now also begun our rowing programme.

Over the course of the Summer Term, all boys will have the chance to go down to the College Boathouse and experience being out on the river.

Once the boys move to College, or to their future school, they will be asked to choose between different sporting options.

As a Preparatory School, it is key that we send the boys on to their next school fully prepared, therefore the experience of football and rowing allow our boys to make good choices based on experience.

Both boys and staff came back highly commending their experience, and it will be the turn of the 2nd XI next week!

The only disappointing news was that Mr Woodbridge came back from the rowing experience completely dry...

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Individual Achievements Zak in Year 5 came first place in the first race of the BNL Series in Genk on Sunday.

There are 2 more races in the summer holidays. If he is as successful in the remaining rounds, he will win the Championship.

Here is a great picture of him crossing the finish line, with both hands and one leg raised in victory!

Well done Zak!

Huge congratulations to Max, in Year 7, and Ben, in Year 5, who have qualified for the National Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) Swimming Finals. This is a fantastic achievement as the standard is exceptionally high; from hundreds of entries only 16 people qualify in each event.

Max has qualified in the U12 25m Butterfly and Ben has qualified in the U10 25m Freestyle. The finals take place next month in Crawley and we wish both boys the very best of luck!

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What have our Boarders been up to?

Boarders in the Zoo On Sunday, our Boarders were lucky enough to go on another fun and exciting outing, this time to the Bristol Zoo. After eating a delicious lunch, it was time to explore the many different fun activities and interesting creatures that the zoo had to offer.

Throughout the day, they fed loriceets, had butterflies sit on our shoulders, gazed at the lions cuddling in the sun and even completed a high ropes assualt course. This was especially challenging for a couple of Gappies (Miss Old, Harris and Holding.) It’s fair to say the day was a great success and all are looking forward to Mountain Boarding next week.

This week, the Boarders are proud to debut our Boarder Profile of the week.

Each week will give a small insight into one of our many Boarders at Cheltenham College Prep: Bryn in Year 8 Home away from the House: Northwood Favourite food: Ribs Dream Holiday: Hunting Lodge in Canada Favourite Sport: Rugby Future Career: Army Recently, Bryn received his well deserved Prefectship. We are very proud and happy to see that after a long time of Bryn being a responsible and valuable member of the House, he has been rewarded for his hard work at school - Well done Bryn!

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Happy Birthday to the following pupils next week!

Michael Warr.......... 6 Hannah Davies.........7 Eme Hesketh........... 7 Sydney Fairs........... 9 Annie Finan.......... 11 Oliver Elliott......... 11

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years years years years years years

old old old old old old

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Sunday, April 26, 2015 - Sunday, May 3, 2015 Sunday, 26 April 2015 13:30

Boarders' Mountain Boarding (Full and Regular Flexi Boarders Only)

Monday, 27 April 2015 Week 3 (28) 27 April - 3 May 00:00

Heads of Department Training Day

12:00

Kingfishers Parents' Lunch

16:45

Pupils' Informal Concert (Lake House)

Tuesday, 28 April 2015 12:00

Kingfishers Parents' Lunch

17:00

Summer Celebration of Music and Dance (Assembly Hall)

Wednesday, 29 April 2015 12:30

Departure for Cricket v St John's (A): 3rd XI, Colts B. Start 14:30. Pick up 18:30

13:00

Departure for Rounders v Beaudesert (A): U11A XI, U11B XI, U10A IX, U10B XI. Start 14:30. Pick up 17:15

13:30

Departure for 2nd XI Rowing. Pick up 16:30

14:00

Cricket Training for Colts C, Colts D, Colts E, 4th XI, 5th VIII. Pick up 16:30

14:30

Rounders v Beaudesert (H): U13 XI. Pick up 16:30

14:30

Cricket v St John's (H): 1st XI, Colts A XI, U9A VIII, U9B VIII, U9C VIII. Pick up 17:00 for U9s and 18:00 for 1st XI and Colts A

14:30

Tennis v Beaudesert (H): U13 7 pairs. Pick up 16:30

16:00

Tennis v Pate's Grammar School (H): U13 6 pairs. Pick up 17:45

Thursday, 30 April 2015 12:00

Kingfishers Parents' Lunch

16:30

Departure for 1st Round of County Cup v Newent (A): 1st XI. Start 17:30. Pick up 20:00

Friday, 1 May 2015 00:00

Exeat begins: Boarders can depart, by prior arrangement, at any time during the day

00:00

House Maths Challenge

09:30

Kingfishers Experience for Prospective Parents

12:00

Kingfishers Parents' Lunch

12:30

Photo Booth Fun in aid of TURF

14:10

Congregational Practice Recording (Chapel)

15:30

Exeat begins for children in Kingfishers (no after school care, activities or tea)

16:00

Exeat begins for children in Lower School (no after school care, activities or tea)

16:00

Photo Booth Fun in aid of TURF

16:30

Exeat begins for children in Middle and Upper School (no after school care, activities or tea)

Saturday, 2 May 2015 00:00

No Saturday school or fixtures

All changes and additions to the School Calendar are highlighted in yellow.

Cheltenham College Preparatory School Tel - 01242 522 697 Thirlestaine Road Fax - 01242 265 620 Cheltenham Email - theprep@cheltenhamcollege.org Gloucestershire GL53 7AB Website - www.cheltenhamcollege.org

Prep for The Week Issue Number 1794– 24 April 2015

Duty Mobiles: MS/US 07867 505721, LS 07789 938512, Kingfishers 07789 938514 Please email absentprep@cheltenhamcollege.org should you need to inform us of any absence from school

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