Prep for the Week Easter week 8

Prep for the Week Issue Number 1884 – 2 March 2018

The Boarding House on their trip to the Harry Potter Studios

In this week’s issue…

Headmaster's Blog Kingfishers Update Lower School News World Book Day Meet Mrs Buttress Boarding House Update Sport Updates Birthday Announcements and more!

is h t y o j en u o y e p We ho rep P f o ion t i d e s ' ays week w l a s .A k e e W ng i t for the i c x e e h t f o l l up it is fu t e g s l i up p r u o ! p things e r P e h T t a e r to he Follow us on Twitter: @CheltPrep

Prep for The Week Issue Number 1884 2 March 2018

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Headmaster's Blog

Dear Parents At assembly on Monday I spoke to the school about the possibility of snow at the end of the week and our approach to it. I encouraged them to see any challenge not as a difficulty, but instead as an opportunity and, as far as the snow is concerned, for any school it is just that. Simply put, the sense of perseverance and carrying on regardless is extremely empowering and helps to build old fashioned virtues such as ‘esprit de corps’. Of course, we needed to respond to any restrictions imposed on us by outside agencies but, as far as possible, we strived to carry on and I am pleased with how we have responded.

We are working hard to arrange a series of formal events at which you will be able to meet the Head (Designate), Mr. O’Sullivan.

In the meantime, I am delighted to inform you that he will visit The Prep on an informal basis on Monday 5th March, being available at drop off and pick up:

My thanks to all of those children who will be representing The Prep at our Open Morning this weekend. The themed event has gone down very well with a record number of registered guests. The benefit to all of the children will be the opportunity to present, either as a guide or as a member of an activity, ‘soft skills’ which The Prep seeks to develop whenever possible. Often, when showing prospective parents around, I will randomly choose two pupils and invite the visitors to ask them the difficult questions!

Mr Jon Whybrow Headmaster

0815 - Drop-off at Day End 1530 - Pick-up at Kingfishers 1600 - Pick-up at Lower School 1615 - 1715 - Pick-up at Day End

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Kingfishers Update Year 2 enjoyed some table top curling whilst celebrating the Winter Olympics last week. They attempted to get their counters in the middle target in a bid to beat their partner! They also watched real-life curlers talking about their sport and explaining the rules in an online video. They also enjoyed a snowball fight, where they were enthusiastic in "splatting" the teachers!

Kingfishers had a wonderful time on World Book Day. They dressed up as an array of different characters including Harry Potter, a few pirates and even Princess Poppy made an appearance. It was a great day topped off by joining the rest of the school for a fashion show.

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Lower School News In Enrichment Year 4 have been learning how to make bread. We have discovered that yeast is a living thing and when combined with warm water and sugar it helps the bread to rise. So far, we have made white rolls and a spicy fruit bread.

In Year 3 we have been making soup and learning about healthy eating.

Willy Wonka’s Hot Chocolate Investigation The Year 4 pupils have been learning about thermal insulation this term. What better way to put their knowledge to the test, than a scientific investigation. On World Book Day, Willy Wonka was in a spot of bother and needed to find a way of keeping his hot chocolate warm, when delivering it to the Oompa Loompas to taste.

Therefore, the classes chose seven different materials and predicted which one would keep the hot chocolate the warmest, for the longest. It turned out that newspaper was a terrible thermal insulator, but neoprene was the best. Willy Wonka will be very happy!

Moving on, using the information learnt from the investigation, the pupils will be dressing up as arctic explorers.

Congratulations to Monty Campbell-Black, who after competing in the Delancey School County Chess Competition, has qualified for the Megafinal later this year!

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Year 3 Visit to Dundry Nursery "Inspiring", "peaceful", "amazing".

Just some of the comments made by our children following the Year 3 trip to Dundry Nurseries and the wonderful Butterfly Gardens.

Lower School News

From the outside, Dundry looks like an interesting place to buy plants and have a coffee, but this exterior disguises the hidden treasures that lie beyond.

Our day started with an introduction from "The Big Friendly Giant" himself - Chris, who, with a team of dedicated volunteers, runs this hidden gem.

The children participated in a music and movement class, a recycling project (which is a major passion of the team there), a magical tour of the enchanted garden, a talk about growing potatoes - planting their own potato seed, and a visit to the pet shop where we were given the opportunity to see a bearded dragon and two parrots at close quarters.

Our day ended with a very enthusiastic and lively music session where the children played a variety of instruments.

Throughout the day we were invited to draw, paint or write on a giant canvas in the arts and crafts room, the result of which was taken along with other artwork to an exhibition in Montpellier Gardens. This beautiful piece of work reflected how the children felt about their visit.

The team at Dundry really ensure that they provide activities that extend and enrich the children's learning whilst nurturing a greater understanding of the community. It is a day that is filled with happiness and friendship and one which we all enjoy whenever we visit.

Our children behaved impeccably and were praised by Chris for their manners and enthusiasm. The staff in Year 3 are very proud of them. We left with muddy boots feeling totally fulfilled.

Chris would like to express his thanks for the generous donations of instruments. They will be put to good use.

Geraldine Bedford Year 3 Learning Support Worker

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SAVE THE DATE Friday 9 March 3.15pm Prep School library Upper School Parents’ Workshop: Endings and Beginnings ‘How to support your child with revision’ & ‘Minimise exam stress & manage anxiety’.

Sign up via the Clarion which will be sent round soon.

Design &Technology Easter Course

With the Easter holidays on the horizon and preparations for Common Entrance and end of year exams ahead, this session is aimed at helping parents to understand the following: - How to help with revision at home.

- Revision methods – come and see examples of resources.

- Revision Guides / Apps available to support revision.

- How the brain learns effectively.

- Planning a revision timetable.

- Be aware of strategies to minimise exam stress.

Important information Pupils will design and build their own electric piano and chicken kitchen roll holder!

For Years 4 to 8 26 – 29 March, 09.30am – 3.30pm Cheltenham Prep D&T Room Cost: £180 to College by 24 March. REFERENCE: DT/ surname (account details can be found on termly bills)

Monday 26 – Thursday 29 March 2018 with Mr George Boyd, Head of Design & Technology Contact Details Course Leader: Mr George Boyd 01242 522 697 g.boyd@cheltenhamcollege.org Prep for The Week Issue Number 1884 2 March 2018

Pupils should wear casual, but not loose, clothing and no open-toed footwear. Please bring a packed lunch, with enough drinks and snacks to keep the children going throughout the day.

Additional Information • Numbers are limited to 20 children per day, on a first come first served basis.

• All four days are required to guarantee completion of the project.

• The cost covers all materials, services, activities and private tuition.

• Book via email to Mr Boyd no later than Friday 9 6 March.

World Book Day In spite of the cold weather outside, pupils and staff alike certainly warmed to the challenge of World Book Day 2018 at The Prep!

For the past few weeks, pupils have been busily taking photographs of themselves reading in extreme situations and locations, selecting scenes from books and re-creating them in shoe boxes and, of course, planning and making a wonderfully diverse range of creative and imaginative costumes, all inspired by characters from books. The day itself was equally busy and exciting and the costumes on display were outstanding!

What a superb effort from pupils and parents alike!

Several competitions ran across the whole day. Firstly, we had the return of the ‘Staff Shelfie Competition’ where pupils had to match up the photographs of staff bookshelves with their owner. Secondly, pupils could take on the ‘Pictogram Challenge’, trying to work out the names of famous books using picture clues, and lastly, pupils had to use their knowledge of famous literary addresses, such as 4 Privet Drive from the Harry Potter stories, to help Mrs Parsley’s ‘Owls’ deliver their mail to the right places! Entrants for all competitions (including Best Costume, Story Boxes and Extreme Reading) will have received a House Point and the winners will be announced in Monday’s assembly.

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World Book Day Book-related activities were enjoyed all over the school and in all sorts of different subjects, but the undoubted highlight of World Book Day 2018 was The Prep’s “Fashion Show”, with the incomparable and talented Mr Dawson as Master of Ceremonies. The stunning set for the forthcoming production of Treasure Island, (a suitably book-related choice!) provided the perfect backdrop as our pupils from every section of the school strutted their stuff on the catwalk and struck a pose for the paparazzi and the judges. The younger members of school were accompanied by the their bookish friends, teachers and weird and wonderfully costumed pupils from higher up the school.

Once again, this event was the perfect example of how books can bring people together from across the age range; a united front all because of World Book Day! Book tokens have been given out to all pupils and these can be used in participating bookshops to swap for a FREE World Book Day book or to get £1 off any book or audiobook worth £2.99 or more.

We would like to commend all the pupils for their excellent conduct and attitude on the day, in spite of the challenging weather, and our thanks must go to all parents too for their support of another memorable World Book Day at Cheltenham College Prep School.

May the reading continue!

Tony Clarke – Head of English Pippa Carson - Librarian Prep for The Week Issue Number 1884 2 March 2018

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Meet the Teachers!

As part of the feedback survey that we sent out last term, one point that came up was parents' desire to learn more about our staff. We will now be running a 'getting to know you' feature with a different teacher each week!

This week, we meet Mrs Buttress...

Job Title - Head of Kingfishers Favourite thing about teaching - I have always wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl and my favourite thing has always been the smile on the face of a child who suddenly understands something that has been tricky for them in the past.

Favourite thing about The Prep - I love how fun the teachers are

and how they always come up with brilliant and fun ideas to teach things. They are a fun bunch to be with and are great friends.

Favourite food - a cream tea (well I am from Devon!)

Ideal holiday destination - I have always wanted to go to

Madagascar and see the unique animals and plants there.

Favourite book - Greensmoke by Rosemary Manning. It is about

a girl who meets a dragon who lives in Kynance Cove in Cornwall.

He tells her tales about when he was at the court of King Arthur.

Favourite film or TV show -Muppet Treasure Island – every time!

Favourite subject at school - English. I have always loved reading and would find any chance to read a story.

Favourite sport - I have just taken up cricket and play in a ladies team for Cheltenham – I love it!

Least favourite subject at school - Home Economics - cooking has never been a strong point of mine.

Things you love to do - I love riding when I can. I love watching

my 2 sons play rugby. I love going to the theatre to watch comedy plays and I love crisp, wintry walks followed by hot chocolate with all the trimmings.

If you weren't a teacher, you would be... a rancher. We spent part of our honeymoon in Texas on a ranch, riding quarter horses – it was fabulous!

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Boarding House Update On Sunday morning the Boarders embarked on the much awaited trip to the Harry Potter Studios on the outskirts of London. The journey flew by as we got ourselves in the mood by watching Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on the coach. After a quick packed lunch on arrival we headed into the magical world of broomsticks and flying cars. Initially we were ushered through into a cinema for the introduction to the tour. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint invited us to explore the studio that was their home throughout the making of the films.

We entered through the giant golden doors into the Great Hall, which, surprisingly doesn't have a grand ceiling as seen in the films as it was in fact always created using models and special effects. The Boarders enjoyed exploring the first part of the studios going round in groups finding golden snitches and stamping their Harry Potter Passports. There were opportunities to say 'Up' to a broomstick, explore Dumbledore's Office, experience riding a broomstick, and meet Buckbeak the friendly Hippogriff whilst exploring the Forbidden Forest to name a few examples.

We met briefly together at the cafe in the middle after seeing the Hogwarts Express and the trolleys half in the wall on the way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. We got some brilliant photos of people riding on Hagrid's Motorbike and Sidecar as well as in the Weasleys Ford Anglia. Lots of Boarders enjoyed seeing all the prosthetic heads and mechanical parts that made all the magical creatures move and look so real in the films. Some did not enjoy how real the giant spiders looked!

After a stroll up Diagon Alley the crowning glory was marvelling at the huge scale model of the whole of Hogwarts Castle. Many also enjoyed browsing the gift shop at the end which was filled with all sorts of Harry Potter related merchandise. Many enjoyed something from the famous Sweet Trolley aboard the Hogwarts express; Bertie Bots Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs or Giant Lolly Pops, which were happily consumed on the journey home in front of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

A Harry Potter filled day was had by all and we must thank all the Boarding Team that helped to make the trip a success; the Gaps, Mr Baker, Mrs Keen and family, as well as thanking all the Boarders who were brilliantly behaved and enabled Mr Baird to indulge his love of all things Potter related.

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Netball Results U9A vs Beaudesert 2-2 U9B vs Beaudesert 8-1 U8A at the Beaudesert Festival W3, D1 U8B at the Beaudesert Festival W2, D1, L1 U8C vs Beaudesert Festival D1, L3 U9A vs St Edward's 4-5 U9B vs St Edward's 8-2 U8A vs St Edward's 3-4 U8B vs St Edward's 3-1 MIDDLE SCHOOL HOUSE NETBALL 1 - Sparta 2 - Athens 3 - Troy 4 - Rome T5 - Persia and Corinth

Girls Sport Team of the Week - U9B V Beaudesert - the girls took an early lead scoring 3 goals in the first few minutes. This gave them confidence and their play just kept improving. A number of girls were trying new positions and they all took to their new roles brilliantly. Our passing is looking stronger, movement down the court is beginning to flow better and our shooters were on top form resulting in a really strong win. Well done.

V St Edwards - a great game for our team, lots to celebrate. Everything gelled today; passing was strong, girls were moving in front of their players to receive the ball and shooting was accurate. We were proud of them all, they have listened well and put into practice all the things we’ve been doing in training. Well done.

UPPER SCHOOL HOUSE NETBALL T1 - Sparta and Rome 3 - Athens 4 - Persia 5 - Corinth 6 - Troy

All Upper School matches v Denmark Road on Wednesday were cancelled due to the cold weather and poor travelling conditions.

All Middle School matches v St Edwards on Wednesday were abandoned due to the unexpected heavy snow storm. All of the Cheltenham teams were leading when we had to call time.

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Tennis Academy Dates The names of those selected for the Tennis Academy are now up on the sports notice board. Please make a note of the training rota below if your daughter is involved.

Upper School

Middle School

Monday 12 March (Week 10)

Monday 5 March (Week 9) Monday 19 March (Week 11) 11

Boys Sport This week's report - Year 2 Games As well as the fixtures and Games lessons you read about every week there are also further sessions taking place throughout the week. Every Friday afternoon at 14:00 there is Year 2 Hockey on Cotswold Astro and the boys and girls have been working superbly this term.

The session serves two purposes, firstly to develop our pupils and give them the best possible start to their sporting pathway here at the school. Secondly we also share our facilities and staffing with St John’s Primary School. St John’s are our partnership school in the local community and have become firm friends with our own Year 2 pupils.

Each week the boys and girls mix up to develop their hockey skills and play games, all leading up to a fixture against Dean Close. We have now added to the event by using Year 8 pupils to help to coach the Year 2s, this not only helps to develop their confidence, but also gives them a deeper understanding of the game as they are forced to explain what they hope to see. The sessions are a super example of great practice in so many ways and occur every week.

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Hockey Results 1st VII vs Beaudesert 3-0 2nd VII vs Beaudesert 7-0 3rd VII vs Beaudesert 5-1 4th VII vs Beaudesert 0-2 5th VII vs Beaudesert 2-1 6th VII vs Beaudesert 4-0 7th VII vs Beaudesert 1-1 U11A vs Beaudesert 7-0 U11B vs Beaudesert 8-0 U10A vs Beaudesert U11C 6-1 U11D vs Beaudesert U11C 4-0

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Notices BIRTHDAYS Happy birthday to the following pupils who have their birthdays this week: Isla-Rose Elliman (11) Charles Martin (10) Henry Brewis (9) Sky Jamieson (12) Ryan Navaei (9) Rocco Griffin (4) Maya Colbourne (10) Imogen Mansell-King (13) Maja Hague (13) Charlie Birch (5)

Easter Fun Time in the Nursery During the first week of the Easter holidays we will be running our popular 'Fun Time' sessions in Kingfishers, perfect for working families. Details of which can be found below: March 26 - March 29 10 am – 4pm Extended hours 9am – 5pm £32 per day for normal hours (£115.20 for the four days) £37.10 for extended hours (£135 for the four days) For more information, please email Mrs Buttress via r.buttress@cheltenhamcollege.org

SWIM CRASH COURSE

Easter Camp Tuesday 3rd Friday 13th April 2018

AT CHELTENHAM COLLEGE SPORTS CENTRE

Monday 9th – Friday 13th April

ONLY

£50

30 minute lessons Small Groups LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE! DISCOUNTS 10% for Swim School 15% for NHS staff 20% for Cheltenham Activity Camps (Extended week ONLY!)

In partnership with

Swim School

www.cheltenhamactivitycamps.co.uk 01242 705 551 CAC-033 Local Answer Easter advert half page AW.indd

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11/01/2018

09:29

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Invites you to join our Private Marquee on CHAMPION’S DAY AT THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL Tuesday 13th March 2018 To Book

Cheltenham Racecourse

Ticket Prices £140 for Non Members £65 for Racecourse Members or those with entrance tickets £12 Parking Ticket

Card Payments: 01242 265694 Cheques Payable to: Cheltenham College Post to: Rebecca Creed Cheltenham College Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7LD

Included in the Marquee Cash Bar Private Tote Racing Coverage

r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org

Invites you to aCollege performance of

WEST SIDE STORY Friday 16th March 2018 Big Classical, Cheltenham College

Card Payments: 01242 265694 Cheques Payable to: Cheltenham College Post to: Rebecca Creed Cheltenham College Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7LD

Price: £10pp for Refreshments Welcome Drink: 6.45pm Upper College Common Room Curtain Up: 7.30pm Interval Drinks: c 8.45pm Upper College common Room Curtain Down: 10.30pm

r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org

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