PRE-PREP NEWS

PREP NEWS

Grandparents’ Afternoon

Earlier this term, you could feel the buzz of excitement in the Pre-Prep as the children prepared to welcome their special visitors.

In preparation for the tea party, Nursery and Reception made their own confetti, Year 1 wrote and decorated afternoon tea menus, and finally, Year 2 used their floristry skills to create some beautiful flower arrangements. All these items were positioned on the tea tables in our dining room.

Then our special visitors, the Grandparents and family members of the Elstree Pre-Prep children arrived. They seated themselves in the McMullen Hall, ready for a great show! Each year group performed two songs and some with wonderful dances to go with them.

Coronation Celebrations

We had a very special day to mark the Coronation of his Royal Highness King Charles III. The Pre-Prep had been decorated with flags and Union Jacks and there was great excitement from the children as they entered their classrooms.

Nursery and Reception embraced the Coronation for the whole week! They began their week by cooking some delicious crown biscuits and having a red, white and blue themed tea party. They enjoyed making some crowns, suncatchers and 2D shape palaces as well as attempting a few portraits of the King too! The garden was a hive of activity, with the children practising their guard skills by balancing bearskins, horse jumping and marching.

Reception’s second song even had our visitors joining in with the actions! As well as the class performances, some children bravely performed solos, which included a Year 2 violin recital and a Year 1 piano performance.

Following on from the concert, the children led the way to their classrooms, where they took great pride in sharing their fantastic work. “I loved it when Granny and Grandpa asked me questions about school.” Christabel (2B) said.

Then it was time for some afternoon tea. Cucumber sandwiches, scones and jam and a selection of hot drinks were on offer. Henry (2B) said, “I really liked seeing my grandparents because I hadn’t seen them since the beginning of the year.”

Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special day for the children and their Grandparents. “I enjoyed every second of it!” Monty (1P) said!

In Year 1, the children made some lovely crowns and enjoyed their own mini Coronation by gifting them to each other! Both Year 1 and 2 created Union Jack mosaics which they completed with great care. In Year 2, the children baked and decorated delicious biscuits and wrote a letter to the King. All were very excited by the prospect of the King reading the letters that they had sent.

The entire Pre-Prep was treated to a special Coronation themed lunch. The children feasted on Bucking-Ham plait with chips and a Coronation salad. We were very pleased to have a cupcake with the Royal Crest for dessert. A feast fit for a King!

Firefighter Visit

Reception have been learning about ‘real-life superheroes’ and people who help us in the community.

Earlier this term, we were lucky enough to have an exciting visit from the fire fighters that work at Theale fire station. Firefighters Sam and Matthew came into our classroom and talked to Nursery and Reception all about the jobs they do as a firefighter, including putting out fires, rescuing animals and helping when there is a car crash. They taught the children what to do if they accidentally catch on fire and Iris (RP class) remembered that you must “stop, drop and roll”. Matthew then showed the children the suit that he must wear when he is going out in the fire engine to help with an emergency. He wore his boots, trousers, tunic, gloves, and helmet and told us about what each part was for. Next, the firefighters talked to the children about smoke alarms. When an alarm went off,

Year 1 Rushall Farm Trip

The Year 1s set off on a cold but sunny morning to Rushall farm.

The children had great fun feeding the chickens and collecting eggs. It was interesting to see how the eggs were different in size and colour, some even speckled.

The next activity was a bumpy tractor ride where we all had to hold on and dodge the overhanging branches! We then saw the farmer and his helpers weighing each sheep and marking their wool with bright paint. The children were amazed that the farmers used scales just like the ones they use in their Maths lessons. Some of the sheep tried to jump over the scales which the children found very funny.

Before leaving, we were taught all about ‘field to plate’ and the children sorted some different pictures of crops and the food they produce. It was a great day, and we look forward to returning next year.

Nursery and Reception showed Sam and Matthew how they walked calmly and sensibly to their assembly point and the firefighters were very impressed.

After this, all of the children in the PrePrep were invited out to have a look at a real fire engine and they were shown some of the tools that are kept there. All the children got the chance to go inside the fire engine and see where the firefighters sit. Henry (2B) and Bruce (2O’N) liked sitting in the seats and putting the straps on as their seatbelts. Nestor (RP) was lucky enough to sit in the driver’s seat and even honk the horn, which he said was the best part of the visit!

Lastly, we said thank you to the crew from Theale fire station for visiting us and teaching us so much about their jobs and how we can stay safe around fire.

World Book Day

Elstree Pre-Prep children and staff had great fun dressing up for World Book Day! The theme for the day was ‘bears’ but we had all sorts of fun costumes!

In Nursery and Reception, the children had a go at making their own teddy bears and foam planets. They had a very exciting Rocket Race, with their bears racing from planet to planet!

The children in Years 1 and 2 baked biscuits in the shape of teddy bears, coloured in teddy bears following careful instructions and made wonderful, collaged bear masks. Finally, they used their imaginations – and pastels - to create a scene where their bear’s rocket would fly to.

Throughout the day the children had plenty of opportunities to explore and hear different stories. They enjoyed telling their friends who they had dressed up as and why. It was a wonderful day for all.

Year 2 Independent Schools’ Football Festival

Year 2 had been talking about the Independent Schools’ Football Festival for days. It was certainly an eagerly anticipated event and we were delighted to welcome Knightsbridge School, St Margaret’s Prep and St Mary’s, Henley to Elstree for the occasion.

Full of enthusiasm and energy, the year group were divided into 3 teams and played 6 or 7 games each. When the whistle blew, they raced all over the pitch, had a go at tackling the

Poetry Performances

Over February half term, the Pre-Prep children were asked to learn a poem. Each class listened to the poems in their English lessons before the teachers chose the finalists – a very difficult task! The finalists were invited to recite their poems in the Long Room to teachers, parents, and Mr Owens, who came to watch and give some useful feedback.

What a wide selection of poems we listened to! From traditional nursery rhymes to poems about penguins, knights, the seasons and even aliens! Johnny (2O’N) had written his own poem with lots of rhyme and rhythm, which was fantastic to hear. One of the performers, Iris (RP), said that she felt a bit nervous before performing, but once she had finished, she would have loved to do it all over again!

Well done to all of the children who learnt and performed their poems, you all did the Pre-Prep very proud.

opposition, kicked the ball as hard as they could, aimed for goal and defended bravely. There were some great goals and super saves.

The children’s football skills had clearly progressed since the matches in October and it was wonderful to see they displayed integrity in their playing and pitch behaviour. There were handshakes with the opposition at the end of each game and they listened to the Elstree Year 8s who were refereeing brilliantly! It was particularly heartwarming to see one of our children stop play to help a member of the opposition when his boot came off.

Year 2 Castles and Medieval Day

Year 2 have been learning about castles. To bring the topic to life they enjoyed a fantastic trip to Windsor castle and took part in their very own Medieval day.

Visiting Windsor Castle was a day out the children will always remember. They had a fun workshop on ‘How to be a Knight’ and studied the tunics, mail armour and helmets – they were so heavy and hard to see out of! The children loved sharing the information that they knew about knights. The session finished with each child being knighted!

The children toured the castle, seeing St George’s Chapel where the Queen was laid to rest. They were in awe of the splendour of the state rooms and loved looking at the coat of arms in St George’s Hall. They were particularly interested to see the shields on which the coat of arms had been painted out, because the knight had misbehaved! The tour was over all too soon and a tired but happy crew settled back onto the bus for our return to school.

Back at school, they made shields and tabards for their Medieval Day, wearing them proudly as they learnt about Medieval food, and then wrote their own menu.

Jasper (2B) couldn’t believe how much meat people used to eat and we all decided we wouldn’t like to try peacock or swan. Eel was a popular choice in

Medieval times and Florence (2B) loved telling the class how her daddy had caught an eel when they went fishing together - they didn’t eat it! Instead of a normal lunch the children were treated to a Medieval banquet. Raffy (2B) loved being able to eat with his hands!

After lunch the children spent the afternoon making swords, catapults, and beautiful crowns. Rosie (2O’N) said that she loved making the catapults the most, it was tricky but she said she loved trying her best to make it work. Rex’s (2O’N) favourite thing was making the swordshe went home looking forward to having a sword fight with his brother!

Tiny Tots Ball Skills

Nursery and Reception were so excited to have an afternoon out on Bates practising some rugby and ball skills. With the sun shining and parents watching, they all had an extra spring in their step.

‘Wildlife’ Outdoor Learning Day

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 had a lovely Outdoor Learning Day in February. It was cold and frosty so there were plenty of rosy cheeks and happy smiles.

The children were split into groups and put into pairs from different ages before setting off to the woods and Plantation to begin a sensory scavenger hunt. They were challenged to find different textures, colours and items that could be used to make a musical instrument.

Another group were tasked with making birds’ nests. Each pair were given a small, fluffy chick to care for. They had to keep the chick safe whilst they collected twigs, moss, and feathers. The children couldn’t believe how tricky it was and how clever all of the birds are in the wild. After much determination, they got there!

The third group went to the Woods to draw out large outlines of animals and create natural collages. The children said it was such fun looking for things that were different shapes and sizes to bring the animals to life.

Mr Bates and some older boys and girls from Year 8 were there to give instructions and much needed demonstrations and support. The children were very engaged as they tried a range of different skills. They enjoyed catching and throwing, learning to tackle the shields and to dodge by weaving around cones and running away from a friend trying to catch them. Two nursery children even managed to exchange the rugby ball an incredible 13 times before it dropped!

Whilst in the woods, our older Year 1s really nurtured some of the younger children, who in turn really looked up to them. The children loved having some free time to play together, a happy day was had by all!