Dragon The
Michaelmas Term 2015
Sherborne Prep
launches its very own
languages website for children This term The Prep was very proud to launch its new language website “LanguagePrep.org”, designed to encourage every child to learn a language or to improve their language skills through a wide range of fun interactive games. The website is the brainchild of our inspirational and energetic Head of Languages at The Prep, Luna Deller. She and her enthusiastic team of language specialists have worked together with the children to create a wide choice of language games, designed to challenge all learners, including the more advanced linguists. The website also includes several other great features, such as a teachers’ forum, language education news from around the globe, and reviews of other language learning tools. Sherborne Prep pupils are not just enjoying playing the games, but have also loved being involved in creating content for the games, and discussing their ideas for more games too. The website is available for all parents, children and educators around the globe to enjoy, so why not take a peek and keep your children’s language brains active over the holidays at http://LanguagePrep.org
Year 7 Paris Trip The Year 7 children have been particularly enthused after their Paris trip this September, and have really enjoyed having their own input to the language website. If you would like to see what fun they had in Paris you can see a short video they made by pointing your mobile phone at this QR code or by looking at our Facebook page.
The view from Pre-Prep
Heidi Berry gives us her take on building firm foundations for every child
It has been a busy term, full of exciting learning opportunities in Pre-Prep. Year 2 have become young explorers and Year 1 have developed an enormous interest in transport, especially after their trip to the Haynes Motor Museum. Reception loved learning about money and adored their Little Red Hen story work, and our Nursery children have had a wonderful time with so many activities, including learning about Autumn and the changing seasons, and some lovely number games. With the added anticipation and events of the Festive Season, our little ones have enjoyed a particularly high octane end of term, with nativities, plays and surprise visits from Father Christmas too! However, as we head towards a New Year, I wanted to pause for a moment and share with you a little of our ethos at Sherborne Pre-Prep.
“ ” Year 1 have developed an
enormous interest in transport, especially after their trip to the Haynes Motor Museum
Our children should be able to enjoy an almost carefree childhood. However, we shouldn’t make everything easy for them. As learners they need to be curious, questioning, and enthusiastic about problem solving. They should be allowed to experience moments of frustration in order to feel a sense of achievement in new accomplishments too. In my classroom the ‘wow’ board is probably the most important display as children share with a great sense of pride what they have finally mastered, whether it is riding a bike or eating cabbage (equally challenging activities for different children!).
Children of course need to stay safe, but they should be involved in managing risks and learning to make safe choices rather than being wrapped in cotton wool -we all learn best from first-hand experiences rather than from being told what to do. When children are very young it is hugely important that parents and educators work closely together, and at The Prep, we encourage all our youngsters to climb small trees, explore their capabilities and assess risk for themselves.
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Ultimately, children learn when they are happy, engaged and challenged. Happy children demonstrate confidence and independence, and one of the many rewards of teaching small children is seeing them blossom and grow, ready to grasp all the opportunities presented to them in the next steps of their educational journey, and I know that my colleagues will agree that we are looking forward to travelling along the educational road with our children and seeing how far we can go in the New Year.
With firm foundations, they will thrive
“ There was once a time when we didn’t need to consider children’s need to play. Youngsters were left, largely unsupervised, to explore the outside world and climb trees, collect bugs and get muddy. The world has changed hugely and ‘play’ has become something for which we need to create time. Despite this, there are wonderful opportunities on offer for our young children and, with firm foundations, they will thrive.
Nursery Nativity
What an enchanting performance by the Nursery children of the traditional Nativity. Well done to all the boys and girls for remembering all your words, and to the Nursery staff for putting on such a lovely show with all your little angels!
Babushka - The Pre-Prep Play
The Pre-Prep Christmas play is always a delight, and this year perhaps more so than ever, as we watched the story of Babushka unfold, and were shown the true meaning of Christmas in terms of love, generosity, selflessness. Well done, Pre-Prep for a wonderful show, and some beautiful dancing and singing.
The School Debate
on the perils of the internet “This House believes that the internet does more harm than good” was a hotly debated subject, ably agrued on both sides by the teams of Alexander and Olivia and Lily and Tom. The final vote was perhaps surprisingly close, with the motion being denied by a much narrower margin than the staff were expecting from such a computer-literate audience!
The Wacky Races
Go-karting fun for all
The DT highlight for many this term was the go-kart finalists’ race. The children had constructed some ingenious machines from recycled rubbish! Well done to all who took part in the Summer holiday challenge.
The undefeated U10A netball team
Every child has
played for their school
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Sidelines
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Congratulations to James Way who was selected to play county Hockey and to Jack Hunter-Inglis who has excelled at his Boxing club. Rocco Taylor and Jamie Robinson both competed well at the World Biathle Championships, and Jamie then went on to compete in the European Championships in Turkey, and came home with three gold medals. Fantastic, everyone, what a great term!
a sporting round up
The term has been jam-packed with sport. Every child has played for their school. The teams have all played their hearts out, and it has been very encouraging to see the effort, teamwork, and substantial improvement in skills over the term at every level. Particular mention should go to the girls’ U10A Hockey team, who have achieved a second successive season undefeated - quite a feat! We have also had a super first term with our new national level swim coaches.
All A-Board!
Another fun-filled term for our boarding adventurers, with plenty of derring-do and outdoor activities, including blackberry picking to balance out the hot chocolates and marshmallows!
The Senior Play
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
The traditional tale of Scrooge was told with humour and comic timing - a magnificent show from Year 7 & 8, and some truly stellar performances from a very talented cast.
Musical Notes
It has been a noisy term in the music department, in the best sense of the word! In addition to the lessons, and the choir and ensemble rehearsals, some of our strings players had a fun day at King’s College, Taunton at a Strings Workshop, and we have also enjoyed our Friday lunchtime visits to the senior school’s Cheap Street recitals. Well done to all who took part in the junior mini-recital and to all the players and singers for a lovely end of term concert. We are also very proud of Rebecca Kidd, who successfully
auditioned for the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, being chosen from hundreds of hopefuls, and is looking forward to singing at some impressive venues in 2016. Congratulations, Rebecca! The Abbey Choir continues to impress and our 12 choristers are especially excited as they have just launched a Christmas CD, which was recorded back in March but is now on sale, so if you are looking for a perfect Christmas gift...!
Friends & Family Curries, Cocktails and Christmas
Our enthusiastic and creative parents have not been idle either, and this term we enjoyed a cocktails (with some worryingly expert cocktail makers at the fore!) and curry evening and the excitement of the Christmas Fair, complete with a fabulous grotto and so many fun things for the children to do. Thank you, parents for all you do. The Mothers’Netball club also revelled in their first ever match, taking on Hazlegrove, and were rahter chuffed with the result! The netball club meets at school on a Tuesday morning so why not come along? Find out more from Annabelle netty.prepnetball@gmail.com. Fathers’ Footie match next, we hear?
On the
Horizon... If you are looking for a way to keep those young minds fizzing over the Christmas break, why not encourage your budding Einsteins and Curies to enter the The Science Holiday Competition? Look out for the poster in the next weekly news bulletin...
Dates for your Diary Don’t forget to check the school calendar for parent evenings and matches, and also the superb range of Scholars’ Lectures on Saturday mornings to which all parents are most welcome, but here are some exciting, “not to be missed” dates for parents to earmark: Saturday 9th January Thursday 14th January Friday 22nd January Friday 22nd January Friday 22nd January Friday 5th February Tuesday 9th February Tuesday 9th February Friday 12th February Friday 26th February Friday 4th March Saturday 12th March Tuesday 15th March Tuesday 15th March Thursday 17th March Friday 18th March Friday 18th March Friday 23rd March
Friends’ coffee morning and meeting (9am) Tour of Reception and Pre-Prep for Nursery parents (10am) Junior Lunchtime Recital House Cross Country (2.30pm) Friends’ Burns Night Senior Lunchtime Recital House pancake competition (2pm) Pre-Prep ‘Fly on the wall event’ for parents (4pm) Poetry By Heart (3pm) Music Concert, Cheap St Church (5.30pm) Junior Lunchtime Recital Friends’ Quiz Night Pre-Prep Performing Arts workshop (9am) Year 3 & 4 Play, ‘The Keymaster’ (3.30pm) Year 3 & 4 Play, ‘The Keymaster’ (6.30pm) Senior Lunchtime Recital Junior Art Exhibition Opening (5.30pm) Easter Service (3pm)
and looking further ahead, block out your diaries for ... Saturday 11th June Saturday 25th June
The Summer Fête The Summer Ball