The Dragon Newsletter Michaelmas 2018

Dragon THE

MICHAELMAS Term 2018

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Foreword At The Prep, we encourage each and every child to be involved with all the experiences the School has to offer.

Whilst simply a snapshot of the term, this Michaelmas 2018 Newsletter illustrates just how much variety we pack into each week. The opportunities and experiences available to all pupils, supported by our dedicated team of staff is quite outstanding. Quality teaching day in, day out, is key and to me a school is very much a reflection of the quality of its staff. Art is displayed all over the School and the Art Room is a hub of activity. The School Music Concert this term involved 150 children, just wonderful to see. There is also one outstanding achievement I must mention; our U13 Girls’ Hockey Team became runners up in the National IAPS hockey final. Quite some achievement and remarkable for a school of our size. Well done girls. There is a lot more to celebrate though, please take a look.

Nick Folland HEADMASTER

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Imagine a cold, wet day in the depths of winter. The trees are bare and everything seems grey. All you want to do is hunker down indoors, wrapped up warm by the fire, with a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

At Forest School, we are far more intrepid.

We often return from our adventures in Forest School in the pouring rain, wearing boiler suits, wellies and waterproofs to be asked, “You’ve not been to the forest today, have you?!”

Forest School’s oft used mantra is that there is no such thing as the wrong weather, only the wrong clothes. It is on challenging days like this that Forest School shows even more of its true purpose. The tougher conditions give our children the best opportunities to develop core skills like resilience, perseverance and teamwork.

For warmth, the children need fire. On a damp day this basic need can be hard to meet. Can they find enough dry kindling? Will the spark from the flint ignite the cotton wool? Will the wind blow out the flame? Great perseverance is required. Alone, a child may struggle, but teamwork comes into play. A friend suggests using a bed of sticks to lift the fire from the claggy earth and together they construct a raft.

As the flames flicker, they layer the sticks, with increasing thickness until the first log starts to smoke, to smoulder and then catches light.

Success, and smiles all round.

treats between two biscuits. S’mores galore!

A third group have chosen to pour the hot chocolate from flasks. They remember that there is plenty for a cup each and that if everyone is to have seconds they need to eke out the last few drops carefully.

So here we are, warmed by the fire, with a cup of chocolate and sticky marshmallows. The children chat and reflect on their afternoon’s experiences. Conversation flows from the new animal tracks on the path, to the tiny bird in the tree, to Izzy’s new spider buddy. They talk about how the Green Men they have made are still protecting their trees, and how everyone’s

forest friends are snugly tucked away in mini dens. A far more exhilarating afternoon, wouldn’t you agree?

Forest School is a learner led environment. The children choose what they want to do. They develop crucial skills like problem solving, communication, resilience, confidence and independence; the focus is on their holistic development. This ties closely in to Sherborne Prep School’s aim to bring out the best in every child and is why Forest School, for Years 3 and 4, is not just an “activity”, it is part of the curriculum.

Andy Treavett HEAD OF FOREST SCHOOL

To cook marshmallows, the children need skewers, made using green wood from the forest. Some choose to do this while the others are tending to the fire. At first, they learn to whittle using potato peelers. As their confidence and understanding of risk builds they progress to using knives. With freshly whittled sticks they gather round the fire and start toasting. They pop the cooled and sticky

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A

SOLAR DAY

DT Challenge

This year the theme for our Space Day was the Sun and our friend, Jo, from Space Detectives came to run the day, along with astronomers from local clubs. We had a whole school assembly in which we found out all about the Sun, then each year group at a time had a session with Jo, making solar bead bracelets and finding out about the harmful effects of UV rays as well as time with the astronomers looking at the sun through their special solar telescopes. All lessons were themed

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with investigations about UV rays in Science, timeline of the solar system, learning a song about the Sun in French, writing Sun poetry, listening to Holst’s Planets Suite, finding out about scales in Space, solar eclipses, the Greek Myth of Daedalus and Icarus, the story of Maui and the Sun amongst many. The weather was on our side and the day was enjoyed by all.

Freddie Salisbury HEAD OF SCIENCE

I have run a summer challenge for quite a few years to encourage children to enjoy making a project over the summer holidays with friends or family.

Boats, upcycling, something that flies etc. The emphasis has always been on the experience of making, not a competition with prizes.

This year there were 8 entries with 11 children involved altogether. Alex J with the old drum kit, Eddie D with interesting steering, Archie A with his tank bodywork, Rhianna H who built with her sister, Callum R ‘Flame’, Robert S, ‘The Chapman Challenger’, Alexander W & Samuel H who built

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theirs together ‘The Brick’. Some were entirely child built, others became whole family projects.

The race was organised for a lunchtime at the end of September, with all the projects displayed in a temporary ‘paddock’ area outside the front of school beforehand.

‘Has the horsebox in the car park got anything to do with the go-kart race?’, I was asked at briefing... The karts were timed individually, with the start of the course being the barrier above the drop-off point and finishing on Lower Paddock. After a push start, they gathered speed and

needed to negotiate a turn through the gates onto the grass and then continue down to the finish line.

Not all had brakes but all made it down safely! Many thanks to all the parents who supported their children building their karts. There was a brilliant atmosphere, lots of enthusiastic Year 8 race marshalls and some tension and drama too!

It was an enjoyable and worthwhile afternoon that could not have happened without the support of families. Thank you!

Lucy Allen HEAD OF DT

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C A VISIT FROM P I E R S TOR DAY The visit from Piers Torday will remain in the collective minds of Sherborne Prep for a long time: he was able to engage an audience of 3-13 year olds for an hour, when talking about his inspiration for writing, the organic experience of beginning to write, the characters he has chosen and his memories of family life, all of which have spurred Piers on to becoming the successful children’s writer that he is today.

During the ensuing workshops, Piers was able to elaborate on the hugely successful ‘Box of Delights’ stage project, as well as posing pragmatic challenges for the children: how can you shrink an actor on the stage? How can an actor burst through a painting? How would you

Magical Maths

make a car fly?

Pre-Prep

Piers is a person who thinks constantly about We are keen to build on our links with senior schools and as part of this, Year 5 went to Canford School for an afternoon of Magical Maths. Our session started with an impressive display of Raff’s psychic powers. Using mathematical trickery, the children then learnt how to memorise every word of every book in the room, how to find three cards from a pack of cards and how to control their audiences’ minds. Our enthusiastic cohort were a great credit to the school and have enjoyed showing their tricks to their families, teachers and friends. But don’t ask them how to the tricks work; they have all signed up to the magician’s code!

Our Fire and Ice topic this term has kept the temperature in our classes fluctuating, reflected also in the weather!

the writing process and it was interesting

We have enjoyed our new mud kitchen and had lots of lovely orchard play. Year 1 and 2 enjoyed their autumn visit to Gore Farm and Year 2 had an informative trip to the Safewise Centre at Weymouth in which they learned about fire and road safety. We enjoyed author visits from Michelle Robinson and Piers Torday – both inspirational to our young writers. Nursery had lots of enjoyable autumn walks and nature hunts, and have enjoyed crafts and cooking as part of their varied topics through the term. All the children have enjoyed having specialist teachers for DT and Art for the first time and are also flourishing in Music, French and Sport.

unique opportunity also for our students to

Andy Treavett

Heidi Berry

HEAD OF JUNIOR MATHS

HEAD OF PRE-PREP

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to discuss how the ‘book experience’ is an important factor in children’s lives. It was a

make the acquaintance of a ‘real’ writer, to receive a signed copy and to understand the journey from initial thoughts to the published page.

Jennifer Brown DIRECTOR OF STUDIES

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Boarding!

Having made the move to a single boarding house this term, it has been fantastic to have been able to spend a little more time as a boarding family. On the staff front, Miss Gould has been an able and dedicated Resident House Tutor and we have also been joined by Mr Fawbert (Jr) and Mr Gent. Miss Lambert continues on from last term as an ‘old hand’ in the Gap department and has been joined by Miss Hyde this term. Ms Shambarla, Mrs Shardlow and Ms Camac have kept us healthy and the house running smoothly and Mr Roberts and Mr Shepherd have lent their expertise to the team. The house couldn’t run without them all!

the sense of independence provided from boarding goes a long way towards providing that little extra when it comes to leadership and confidence

Equally, the house would not be anything without the children in it. They have been a delightful group, from the new additions this year through to the steadfast, long term members of the group. Not only this, but we also have our largest intake of flexi-boarders since my arrival. With over 54 beds available, we have managed to fill them on a regular basis.

It makes for quite the buzz about the school of an evening! Over 30 extra children have boarded this term and it is this diversity that makes boarding time such an enjoyable and exciting time.

Whilst activities continue to run apace, it has also been great to see what the children get up to in their down time. More and more we are striving to provide not only entertainment, but the opportunity for the children to make their own entertainment. Down time is a hugely important aspect of a busy day and whilst a difficult balance to find- a little boredom can go a long way in getting the creative juices flowing! Wednesday afternoons provide one outlet and whilst we provide the space, the children have a chance to come to us and

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ask us what they can do in this time. This term, as the nights closed in, the children have turned to board games, Nerf wars, jigsaws, art work and more specifically Rubix cubes and card games. ‘Fads’ come and go, but as any will testify, a pack of cards is not just for Christmas!

It has also been great to have seen the wide range of activities that boarders have been involved in throughout the school. From Prefects to House Captains, 1st team players to dramatists, choristers and musicians abound; it is clear to see that the sense of independence provided from boarding goes a long way towards providing that little extra when it comes to leadership and confidence. I have been very proud of all they have achieved and look forward to seeing what is to come throughout the rest of the year.

Dan Chiappa-Patching HEAD OF BOARDING

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LEST WE FORGET

I AM THE LARK

I fly over a roaring battle, Even though the guns below pierce upwards and forwards, Who can stop me, the lark, from singing all day long?

I see the blood red poppies bloom down below, Clashing with the stained crimson coloured mud, But who can stop me, the lark, from swooping madly up and down forever?

I feel the mighty gaze of soldiers from different places looking up, The powerful weight of sadness hitting me is unbearable, But who can stop me, the lark, from giving hope to all far and wide?

I see the colour of smoky grey, Puffs of clouds forming everywhere, The leftovers of explosions.

But who can stop me, the lark from staying in this place of war, my home?

I am the lark, there’s no question, Who may dare to say no?

Even now when a quarrel between two grown men has made blood spill for human kind, They cannot stop me, the lark, from being free!

Unlike so many others …

For I am the lark.

Rosanna Thomas Year 6

After all this time,

I’ve been thinking about my life

All this time, it has been a death rose

Mum and Dad disappeared with the beautiful light now the sadness is king of our hearts Every flower is close to losing its life

because the water no longer falls from the clouds

and the sweet song of the birds die with our smiles Now that the fight is gone

we no longer have any brightness

Cursing, we marched through the

I remember the fire that burns my heart

thick, dark fudge like sludge

years later, the war that destroyed my life

the colonel barking orders at us

I think back...

like we were dogs.

we marched on in dread of what would happen

Ana Ballesteros Year 7

next, the world itself was a battlefield.

The sun’s blazing heatwaves roared down on us, men dropping like insects

sprawled along the muddy trench.

The colonel gave the orders that all soldiers fear run, run over the top - face the enemy

Jack Duigan Year 7

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By Celia Shaw Year 8

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By Harry Stanley Year 6

“The Art Department creates magic courtesy of acclaimed ‘philosophical artist’ Mr Velazquez.”

TATLER 2019 SCHOOLS GUIDE

Art is flourishing here at The Prep, the corridors and halls are awash with great examples of pupil’s work. I love the fact that our pupils can go into the Art Room at anytime of the day; break times, evenings, the doors will always be open. Certainly, every time I put my head around the door, I find a collection of artists working hard on easels, at the tables, selecting from an array of mediums available to them. I credit our inspirational Head of Art, Fernando Velazquez for the artistic inspiration he instils in all our pupils across the ages. His passion for passing on his knowledge and expertise is clear to see; whether teaching Pre-Prep pupils or our potential Art Scholars, his energy is contagious.

Tatler reporters were indeed very true when stating “The Art Department creates magic courtesy of acclaimed ‘philosophical artist’ Mr Velazquez.”

(Tatler 2019 Schools Guide) but we have known that for a long time, by simply enjoying the calibre of artwork being produced.

This year, in the upper parts of the school we are seeing many pupils developing the artistic and creative skills needed to aspire for Art Scholarships at strong senior schools and we saw an incredibly high standard of work, in all age categories, being put forward for the Tusk Art Competition.

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With DT, Music and Art now all being taught by subject leaders in our Pre-Prep department, our pupils have access to first class tuition and excellence throughout their time here. How fortunate we are to have such specialists in our team.

Nick Folland HEADMASTER

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MUSIC We have had a jam packed musical term. The Friday concerts have been so successful that we are putting even more in over the next two terms. They are often oversubscribed and give the children a fantastic opportunity to hone their performance skills. I am amazed every week by the confidence and poise of the children and the improvement in their playing and singing is so wonderful to see.

The Michaelmas Concert was an evening to showcase all the choirs and instrumental ensembles. The standard was extremely high and the depth and breadth within the Music Department was clearly evident: Junior Choir, Middle School Choir, Senior Choir, Chamber Choir, Mini Maestros, Castle Trio, Abbey Trio, Dragon Trio, Saxophone Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, Cello Ensemble, Digby Dixieland Band, Jazz Ensemble and the Orchestra. Every item on the programme was well rehearsed and brilliantly performed. With over 150 children participating, it really was a triumph.

The Carol Service was a fitting end to the term with exquisite singing from all of the choirs and soloists. An added dimension this year was the Wilcox brass fanfares played by some of our finest brass players and coached by Mr Fawbert. How can we better this next year?!

A truly wonderful term of music making. Well done, everyone.

Yvonne Fawbert DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

The main aim of Pre-Prep music is to get the children excited about playing and to be inspired by others. Our final music concert of the term showed just how far the children have come in their confidence to perform and their appreciation of others. Featuring piano, bassoon and cornet solos and group items from violins, cellos and recorders, the children demonstrated their love of music and their commitment to practise!

Heidi Berry

HEAD OF PRE-PREP

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I am amazed every week by the confidence and poise of the children and the improvement in their playing and singing is so wonderful to see.

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P R E - P R E P

D R A M A

Our Nursery and Pre-Prep Children worked so hard this term to prepare their Christmas performances and their hard work certainly paid off.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our Nursery Nativity performance of the musical ‘Shine Star Shine’ - a charming story about a big star, who must show the way to the stable where a special baby has been born. Our little performers sung their hearts out and even managed some tricky lines and dance moves!

Then a week later, our Pre-Prep children brilliantly acted out the traditional Nativity story

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to us all, but this time there were some alien visitors added in who had found themselves stranded on earth! We enjoyed a spectacle of colour, music and dance, with some fantastic acting and even a solo performance - just incredible for children of this age to be performing at this level.

Heidi Berry HEAD OF PRE-PREP

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It has been a busy first term with not one, but two productions. Year 5 kick-started the year with a joyful performance of two West African tales in support of our chosen whole school charity, Tusk. As the clocks then changed, some cold weather days arrived, I started to think about producing the Year 7 Christmas production. With the centenary of the end of the First World War, I couldn’t help but think this was a moment that couldn’t go by without the Drama department acknowledging this occasion. With special permission, the pupils performed a few selected and adapted scenes from the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2014 play, ‘The Christmas Truce’. And thus, our production began to emerge.

As always, the pupils had just one week to mount this challenge and one that required great sensitivity. Rehearsals began Thursday morning with a full cast read through of the script; always an exciting moment. The days proved to be a superb time of learning; teamwork, life in the trenches, nursing skills, physical training routines, understanding rankings in the army and of course the historical importance of the Great War. The evening performance had a celebratory feel as the audience enjoyed Christmas nibbles and mulled wine throughout the show. However, it was also a time of reflection and understanding. It was an evening of stillness and great poignancy. Of course there were also delightful moments of humour as the audience engaged with the colourful characters such as Liggins who didn’t know his left from his right, lost his boot in the mud on day one and despite everything became a hero for his comrades. And, of course we all enjoyed the cameo performances by Mr

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I was hugely impressed with the commitment and joy for learning the children demonstrated throughout the week and was so very proud of their performing skills.

Folland, Mr Pyman and Mr Poulain! All the students were on stage throughout the performance, highlighting the hardships the soldiers and nurses endured during those first winter months. This also served as a drama skill challenge to create ‘stage business’ in character.

I was hugely impressed with the commitment and joy for learning the children demonstrated throughout the week and was so very proud of their performing skills.

I am now looking forward to next term. It is always a joyful term producing the Year 6 musical, and this year they will be performing the delightful Mary Poppins. This will be followed by a Year 3 exhibition of their work on Escape from Pompeii.

Vicki Green HEAD OF DRAMA

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“Year 2 performed brilliantly in their hockey games against Perrott Hill. It was a beautiful afternoon and the children played their hearts out - we were thrilled to have such a large number of parent supporters too.�

Heidi Berry HEAD OF PRE-PREP

SPORT Measuring a successful term is always a tricky one on the sporting front.

Where to start? What to assess? Who do we benchmark ourselves against?

Do we look at results or is there a bigger picture? With that in mind and considering that every pupil and family have differing needs and aspirations, coupled with coaching philosophies and approaches

So, put simply, this has been awesome term from our perspective. We have a happy, developing and involved pupil body who are clearly showing great pride in representing Sherborne Prep.

The performance levels across the school body have been fantastic. The staff are pulling together towards a common goal and are delivering high quality sessions on a consistent basis. The support from the wider school community has been huge, particularly from cheering parents, the grounds team and the catering

department. Sitting at the top of our sporting tree are two fantastic senior teams who have led the way in both performance terms and in relation to their approach, commitment and team spirit. They have achieved a great deal this term and have done so as wonderful ambassadors for The Prep. Sport at the school is in a great place at the moment, on whatever assessment criteria you use!

Huw Thomas DIRECTOR OF SPORT

thrown in to the mix, the challenge to summarise the term, in a short article, is complicated.

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The inaugural IAPS U11 Rugby Festival hosted

by Sherborne Prep and Sherborne School

Conkers!

The game of conkers has a long tradition at The Prep, indeed the horse-chestnut trees lining the main drive were planted by the then Headmaster about a hundred years ago so that future generations would have a ready supply of conkers close to hand.

Back when the House Conker Competition was introduced, shoe laces were popular as the ‘string’ but this was soon discouraged as pupils were suddenly discovering that their shoes / trainers / rugby boots were devoid of laces. These days we order the string at the start of the term and Mrs Allen has provided a suitable ‘drilling kit’ for the pupils to use.

The aim, of course, is to smash your opponent’s conker. Each house has to nominate a boy and a girl from each year group to represent their house and they have to play everyone else in their group so, as you can imagine, this takes some time (even with a 3 minute time limit on each bout). The overall winner, however, was clear and for 2018 the Trojans won comfortably. As head of Normans I had hoped to be able to wheel out the ‘Normans Conker!’ headline but, alas, we finished in fourth place so that will have to wait for another year.

In the meantime a full set of rules will be published at the very start of the year in September so that everyone who wants to can practise their techniques, understand what the various cries of ‘Strings!’ and ‘Stampsies!’ mean and the 2019 competition will be even bigger and better than this year.

Sean Walbank HEAD OF GEOGRAPHY

(and House Conkers!)

U13 Girls’ Hockey Team Runners Up in the National IAPS Final

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Christmas is...

Christmas is a little tiny Santa hat on my playful tabby cat.

Christmas is the green colourful tree covered in sparkly little decorations Annabel Year 2

Christmas is the Christmas tree shining with light Christmas is shiny snow falling carefully on top of the glistening trees Henry Year 2

Christmas is the humungous presents and colourful shiny boxes Christmas is warm children singing smooth carols with fluffy snow Freya Year 2

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T’was the Night Before Christmas

T’was the night before Christmas, and all through the house; Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse …

All that was heard was the crunch of a mouse, light on foot; or maybe it was a ticking clock; Or could it be the sound of a tapping knock?

I saw the whizz of a star, or maybe a fly; I knew it was in the sky.

He wore a big black overcoat to keep warm for the ride ahead; I couldn’t tell why I was still in bed!

He had a chubby face and a big red nose; I looked and saw the snowman down below, standing in a funny pose.

He drank some sherry and climbed on his sleigh; He flew up the chimney as Prancer bellowed, ‘Neigh!’.

He gave a wink and fed his reindeer a piece of bread; He sang to his reindeers Fred and Ted. When he was ready he jumped on his sleigh; And shouted, ‘Merry Christmas to all, hope you have a great day’.

by Jamie Sterck Year 5

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An

Interview

With…

Charlie Mayhew MBE TUSK

From September 2018, The Prep has been in collaboration with the charity, Tusk. Our pupils and parents have been busy fundraising as well as integrating Tusk’s work into the curriculum within both academic and creative learning. We are greatly enjoying working with the team at Tusk and wanted to find out more about the man behind this incredible world renowned charity, Charles Mayhew MBE. In 1990, Charles Mayhew MBE co-founded the charity Tusk Trust and under his stewardship, Tusk has grown into a highly reputable and efficient UK conservation NGO with HRH The Duke of Cambridge as an active Royal Patron. Since 2010, Mayhew has accompanied the Duke on a number of overseas trips, including his trips to China and Vietnam to highlight the illegal wildlife trade and most recently to Namibia and Tanzania to show him the work of the charity in the field.

When did you first visit Africa?

1979 after leaving school – I went to South Africa on my gap year to sell stationery! During the weekends I was fortunate enough to have the chance to visit the Kruger National Park and parts of Natal, which gave me my first sense of the African bush.

Was there a particular experience in your life that motivated you to set up Tusk?

Yes, the Young Europe Africa Expedition 1985-6, which I set up and led. This seven-month adventure across Africa sealed my love of the continent and brought into sharp focus the huge conservation challenges facing rhino and elephant in particular. My expedition team helped to erect the perimeter fence for Lake Nakuru National Park so they could introduce and protect rhino.

What has been the greatest challenge (s) you have faced?

Probably during the expedition – being arrested as a so-called ‘spy’

by Zaire gun-toting border guards in a remote bit of the Congo jungle! Inevitably it all boiled down to them wanting to extort some cash, but I had to let them go through the charade of setting up a kangaroo court and passing sentence!

Why do you feel it is so important for the children of today to be educated and aware of these issues affecting our wildlife?

Tusk believes that if conservation is to succeed then children must learn to appreciate wildlife and understand its importance from an early age, especially at a time when people throughout the world are increasingly losing their connection with nature, as a result

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In 2005, Charlie Mayhew was awarded an MBE

by Her Majesty The Queen in recognition of his services to conservation in Africa. He lives in Wiltshire with his wife and four children.

of urbanisation or the rise of digital technology. Environmental education and outreach are part of Tusk’s projects, and we support a range of extra-curricular activities that enable children to see and experience wildlife, and to learn about it in fun and engaging ways.

Our pioneering Pan African Conservation Education (PACE) programme has meanwhile reached over 500,000 schoolchildren in 33 different countries, capturing hearts and minds, and changing attitudes and behaviours.

Working with animals, travelling the world, you must have experienced many highs and, no doubt, there must have been some dark times too – can you share a memory or two with us?

My lows would have to be coming across a recently poached elephant – it is something I will never forget …. the stomachwrenching smell, but also the utter waste of a majestic creature and everything the elephant stands for. It is shocking that my generation has presided over the decimation of this species from the late 1980’s when we were losing up to 100,000 a year, while today we are still losing 20,000 elephant to poaching in a 12 month period.

My highs are thankfully quite often when I am fortunate enough to see first hand the impact that Tusk has had with so many of our projects partners, such as the evident success of the community conservancies of the Northern Rangelands Trust in Kenya funded

by Tusk since its start. And more recently working with our Royal Patron, Prince William, to get the UK Government to introduce its Ivory Trade Ban which finally passed through Parliament at the end of this year.

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Many of our pupils have a strong desire to explore the environmental issues facing our planet, what advice would you give a young person setting out in life?

Both are wonderful places to visit as is the stunning Sarara Camp which lies further north in the Matthews Range and in the heart of the Namunyak Community Conservancy.

First and foremost, get outside and enjoy nature! You don’t have to travel to Africa to see some amazing wildlife: there’s plenty to be enjoyed right on your doorstep. Secondly, if you want to help wildlife or the environment as a job, one of the best ways to start out – when you are old enough – is to volunteer to gain vital experience. There are many local wildlife groups and centres that you can join where you can help out and learn more.

You are clearly very ‘hands on’ in your approach to Tusk’s projects – are there any forthcoming projects or initiatives that you are particularly excited about?

If you could recommend one place to visit in Africa – where would that be?

I love the whole continent for its rich diversity, striking landscape and unbelievable wildlife.

But above all I have always had a soft spot for Northern Kenya, where the highly successful conservancies of Lewa and Borana are located.

What can the young people of today do in their day to day lives that could make a difference to the issues that Tusk’s projects are helping to address?

Celia Shaw, winner of the Tusk Art Competition, being presented with her award by Mary-Jane Attwood from Tusk Cake Sale in aid of Tusk

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If you could change one thing in our world, that would help Tusk in its work, what would that be?

Can we ever find a way to stop the unsustainable rise in our own human population to ensure wildlife and people can co-exist and share this planet? We rely on nature for our own survival.

With Tusk being our nominated charity for the year it has been hugely encouraging to see the children, parents and staff embrace and be inspired by the charity. Lessons have been planned around Africa and sustainability and a number of events have got the fund-raising off to a great start. Year 3 started the ball rolling with their cake sale and along with collections at the Music Concert and the Year 5 play, we have had the Art Competition, with Celia Shaw’s outstanding winning piece of artwork being made into a card and the collection from the Carol Service has yet to be added up so the money is definitely coming in. What has been most pleasing, I think, is the way individual children have embraced the cause; selling apples by the roadside, hand-made necklaces and other goodies at the Christmas Fair along with more individual efforts have contributed greatly to the fund.

Next term there will be more fund raising events, with the Tusk Music Concert and the Fun Run. Rumours abound that the Fun Run will include everyone who wants to have a go (staff, parents and children) with animal costumes and facepainting being mentioned!

Meanwhile, The Friends, have continued to work tirelessly, for numerous charities, making stunning wreaths to sell at the Christmas Fair and many have been involved with the Vanessa Grant Trust, transporting redundant uniform, sports kit and equipment to schools and poverty stricken areas of Kenya.

A great effort from us all. Well done everyone, let’s go for it again next term.

CHARITIES UPDATE

Wreath making for the Christmas Fair

We are particularly excited by the proposed establishment of the Kunene People’s Park in Namibia, which I have just visited with Prince William, Tusk’s Royal Patron. This aims to bring greater benefits to the communities of the Kunene desert region through tourism and by protecting their remarkable desert-adapted rhino, elephant and other wildlife.

With wildlife and the environment facing so many challenges, there are many little ways in which we can all make a difference. Whether by recycling, saving water and electricity, or doing litter picks, it all helps the planet. Wildlife can meanwhile be helped from home by creating a bug-house or a garden pond, for example.

As for the work that Tusk’s doing in Africa, spreading the word to make people aware that there’s still a problem is really important. Finally, the more money we’re able to send to our projects, the more we can do, so raising funds to help makes a real difference, and Tusk is very grateful to Sherborne Prep for all the funds raised so far.

Sean Wallbank HEAD OF GEOGRAPHY

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Dates For Your Diary

BA NG! W O OSH! CRA SH! Extracts from Year 5 In the great old storm, the thunder goes bang bang bang!

It is like humungous elephants stamping across the jungle floor It is a like an ear piercing trumpet right next to my ear The thunder is a giant hammer about to crush you when you are a small ant Bang bang bang!

Noah Catovsky

Lent Term 2019

6 January

Boarders return 6.00-6.30pm

7 January

First full day for everyone

12 January

Saturday Activities begin

Parent Online Safety Seminar

14 January

Romans House Mufti Day

17 January

Year 2 Dinosaur Trip

20 January

Joint Schools Concert

21 January

Year 4 Parents’ Evening

24 January

Year 1 Dinosaur Trip

25 January

Friends’ Burns Night

Exeat begins at 5.00pm

5 February

Year 6 Parents’ Evening

In the great old storm, the wind goes whoosh whoosh whoosh!

7 February

Maths Talk for parents of children Years 3-5

It is like an aeroplane soaring, skimming over your head

15-24 February

17 February

1 -3 March

4 March

Book Bus

5 March

Pre-Prep ‘Snapshot Morning’

7 March

Year 5 Parents’ Evening

12 March

Class Photos

13 March

Reception, Year 1 & 2 Trip to Charmouth

14 March

Year 6 Musical

It is like the cold hit of a snowball splintering into your face It is like a waterfall cascading over the world The wind is an unwelcome visitor knocking on the door Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Eleanor Chappell In the great old storm, the waves go crash crash crash!

HALF TERM School Ski Trip Local Schools’ Art Exhibition

15 March

House ‘Fun Run’ in aid of Tusk

They are as dangerous as a pod of wild

15 March

5.00pmExeat

hippos fighting to the death

18 March

Year 7 Parents’ Evening

They are as fast as a racing car burning up a track

19 March

Pre-Prep Performing Arts Workshop

They are like an enormous raging creature tumbling to the ground The waves are wicked witches casting their spell on the world Crash crash crash!

Ragg Wood

Grandparents’ Afternoon

21 March

Year 3 ‘Escape from Pompeii’

25- 26 March

26 March

Tusk Concert

28 March

Pre-Prep Easter Egg Hunt

29 March

2.00pm Easter Service in

Explorer Dome

Sherborne School Chapel

3.00pm END OF TERM

Acreman Street | Sherborne | Dorset | DT9 3NY Tel: +44(0)1935 812097 | Email: info@sherborneprep.org www.sherborneprep.org

76856 The Dragon Michaelmas 18.indd 20

02/01/2019 11:46