The Dragon Trinity 2018

Dragon THE

TRINITY Term 2018

Foreword

We have certainly had a term of glorious weather.

I congratulate Year 8 on all their success as a year group and we wish them well as they move on to many fine senior schools. The Year 8 musical was wonderful to watch and very moving for everybody.

Field trips, year group plays, Sports Days for the whole age range, our Summer Fair, art exhibitions, a superb Summer Music Concert and a final Prize Giving with inspiring guest speaker, Mark

Beaumont, who cycled around the world in 80 days.

This is indeed a school of breadth and opportunity and I congratulate all the children for their effort and endeavour throughout this busy term. One year closes but before we know it, a new academic year will start and we look forward to more hard work, enjoyment and exciting new chapters.

Nick Folland HEADMASTER

Plastic Problem

Blue Planet 2; A Plastic Ocean; Sky’s Ocean Rescue; A Plastic Tide and many more media stories are presenting us with the overwhelming evidence that our profligate use of plastic is having a deeply negative effect on our marine ecosystems.

This is a complex global problem that will require a myriad of different solutions, generated by the individual citizen, up to national governments and international organisations, such as the UN council.

However, there are small things we can all do in the meantime to start to turn back the tide on plastic waste.

Studies have shown that a lot of the marine pollution is caused by what is described as ‘single use plastics’. These include things like plastic bottles, straws

and cups – items that are used once and then discarded. That is why recently, at The Prep, we have made the decision to ban single use plastic bottles in our packed lunches and for trips away. The children have all been asked to provide themselves with reusable plastic bottles but of course, we have back ups, if, and when, they are needed.

Jason Dwyer and his team organised three new ‘hydration stations’ (taps to you and me!) over the Summer Half Term, so that children had no problems when they needed a refill. It was a god-send in the hot weather and the children have taken to the new system brilliantly.

We would like, over time, to keep reducing our use of single use plastics right across the school. This is not an easy task since plastic of all kinds is used everywhere. All of us are involved with

this process of cleaning up our oceans and there are no easy quick fixes but we felt as educators, we needed to raise the issue and start our own processes to help.

It was great to see the Headmaster of Brighton College follow our lead recently and ban plastic bottles throughout their campus - more will surely follow.

Plans are afoot to work closely with Sherborne School and Sherborne Girls’ School and we will keep you informed of any progress and initiatives. I am hugely grateful to Nick Folland for allowing me to drive some of these changes, as this is all new territory for us. However, it is becoming increasingly clear this territory is here to stay and will have to be crossed, as we move forward through the coming months, years and decades.

Jeremy Acton HUMANITIES

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MATHS PUZZLES Every child from Reception to Year 8 got enthusiastically involved during our Maths Challenge Day - provided by the Happy Puzzle Company. The children worked in groups to solve a wide variety of challenges - quickly moving through set tasks towards the more demanding puzzles. A great exercise in appreciating the talents of peers, listening and cooperating with others and jointly celebrating success ... if and when it came. Many Staff joined in and quickly appreciated the difficulty level of some of the tasks.

As our internal mathematics programmes evolve through Numicon, Inspire and increasingly less insistence on Common Entrance from many of the senior schools - but certainly the retention of scholarships, the demands placed on all concerned are many and varied. Lateral thinking and creative problem solving however remain an important and integral part of our teaching. I am sure that we will re-visit such days in the not too distant future.

WELCOME Jennifer Brown

Paul Shepherd HEAD OF MATHEMATICS

We are pleased to welcome Jennifer Brown to The Prep as our Director of Studies from September 2018.

E MOT IONS

Jennifer studied English Literature at the University of Reading and did a brief stint in the City before

Jealousy grabs hold of you and reels you in,

qualifying as a teacher of English

It’s appetising gaze hypnotising you, fooling you into hatred,

and MFL in 1998. Since then she has

No one is encouraging your company,

taught in a variety of schools in both

shunting you on to the next unwilling victim, But in the end, sadness grabs you, overcomes you, washes over you

the independent and maintained sectors, teaching English Language and Literature to A Level. She has

And you have no friends,

also taken positions of responsibility

Dreading the next words of anguish and anger,

ranging from Head of Year to

Then you see the light at the end of your

Head of English and Director of

tunnel you’ve been pulled through, The one thing that can influence and change your life Happiness.

Studies will be her first Senior Management role.

In her spare time Jennifer is a keen reader, runner and skier and, of

Will MacEwan Year 7

course, an avid reader and film enthusiast. The theatre is another great love, as is exploring the countryside with her beagle, Hugo.

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T H E C LA SSRO OM

Situated as Sherborne is, on the Dorset and Somerset border, the possibilities for taking children out of the classroom and helping them to appreciate some of the outstanding scenery that surrounds us, is simply a ‘no brainer’. Of course, trips away from school are

SUMMER

‘cross-curricular’ in their nature and are not the sole preserve of the geography department.

Under the broader umbrella of Humanities and with a little forethought and planning, both Geography and History trips can include elements of Maths, ICT, English and the sciences.

To take advantage of this cornucopia of possibilities, one of the aims of the geography syllabus at Sherborne Prep is to ensure that each year group in the school gets to go on at least one trip during the academic year. Normally Year 3 visit Lyme Regis or Charmouth, fossil hunting as part of their work on Dinosaurs, although this year the arrival of Dippy the Diplodocus at Dorchester Museum in February was too good an opportunity to miss so Years 2, 3 and 4 all enjoyed a morning at the museum instead. Year 4 went to Weymouth to pick up plastics as part of their work on Oceans, Year 6 headed off to Cheddar Gorge (geology plus mapping with some pre-history thrown in for good measure) and Year 7 went to Chesil Beach to collect data on coastal defences for a Year 8 project. In September, Year 8 will be spending a day at Lulworth Cove, both to examine the impact of tourism on an environmentally sensitive area and to study some of the coastal landforms to be found in the area. Finally Year 5 visited the Mary Rose at Portsmouth (a natural link to voyages of exploration) and they will be visiting Studland next term.

Whilst it is important that practical skills are developed on field trips, by learning to record data accurately, for example, it is the discovery that the facts sometimes do not match what the textbooks say, that is for me the most beneficial part of the trip. Hopefully it leads to them asking the most important question of all, ‘Why?’ Once they start to look around for themselves and to question why things are as they are then you are on a winner. The old adage of children remembering very little of what they are told, more of what they see and most of what they do, holds true.

Everyone loves Summer, The beach, The outdoor pools And no school, But for me, however, I find it horrible, The suncream, The heat And my Dad’s stinky feet, But the good thing Is my Birthday,

Fieldtrips these days inevitably involve hard work in terms of preparation. Risk assessments, event planners, staffing, food and checking the medical files are all part and parcel of any trip out of school these days. I would strongly argue, however, that the benefits far outweigh the difficulties. Dorset has two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site and most importantly of all, the pupils have fun, especially if you have allowed enough time for an ice-cream at the end of the day!

Sean Walbank HEAD OF GEOGRAPHY

All my presents on the kitchen floor, I get lots of lego and I thank my Mum. Then a surprise gift, Xbox One! Henry Jones Year 7

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S AT U RDAY ACTI VI T I ES This term’s Saturday Activities have been as popular as ever. The staff work tirelessly to ensure we have a blend of creative, active and inspiring choices. The glorious weather enabled lots of fun, outdoor learning, with many of the children enjoying the sunshine in various ways, shapes and forms.

For a number of years, as part of Saturday Activities, our electric car has been built and stripped down again.

This project, created for primary school age children, uses a standard kit of parts, leaving only the design of the bodywork for the team to decide on when entering race competitions. By rebuilding it, lots of opportunities to learn engineering skills arise, as well as the fun of driving the car when it is completed. In previous years, we have raced as ‘Sherborne Sharks’ with a hammerhead inspired aluminium body and also as ‘Sharquee’ with a plastic canvas body made from an old marquee (winning the prize for “Greenest Bodywork” that year).

PRE-PREP This term in Pre-Prep we have enjoyed our Farming topic, particularly our visits to Gore Farm and Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park. The children have had great fun in the recent hot weather - a sharp contrast to our snow play last term! A particular highlight of the term has to be hatching our own chicks which was a wonderful way of learning about life cycles.

As always, the children have been involved in music, drama, art and dance and have learnt The Hungry Caterpillar story in French.

We also took part in the ‘Cheeky Monkey Marathon Challenge’ in aid of Children With Cancer UK and chose 26 activities each to do 26 times (such as ball throws, star jumps etc) and raised just under £1000, thank you to all who supported us. Our song for the Abbey Commemoration Service perhaps sums up our ethos, that by following the school values we can ‘make someone happy and you’ll see it’s true - you’ll find that you’ll be happy too’.

The cost of transporting the team to enter the main ‘local’ event held at Newquay airport each June is significant.

This year, we need to raise some funds if we are to get a team to Newquay next year. You may have seen the car at the Summer Fair, where we were promoting our trip and thank you to those who have already pledged their support for this great project, If you are interested in supporting the Electric Car team, in any way possible (sponsorship/advertising space on the final bodywork of the new car perhaps, or any small donation possible) then we would love to hear from you!

Lucy Allen HEAD OF DT

At Sherborne Prep, we take great pride in seeing every child develop and progress during their time with us. Each child is on a journey, one of learning, maturing and becoming individuals based on their experiences throughout the years. We chatted to some of our Year 8 pupils who began their journey back in 2007

What are your first memories of the Prep?

What have you learned at the Prep that you will take with you for the rest of your life?

Eloïse

aged just 3 years old.

Mia: The bunnies and bringing Mrs Maggs Dip Dabs because she loved them!

Amélie: To worry less and to achieve, you have to work hard.

Amélie: Playing in the orchard Mia: To be kind, friendly, warm and welcoming

Eloïse: To enjoy being yourself

Mia

What are your fondest memories?

Mia: Having a water fight!

Eloïse: The Plays and the times my friends

If you could sum up the school in three words what would they be?

encouraged me

Chris: Fun, exciting and friendly

Can you recall your funniest moments? (if we can print them!)

Amélie: Caring, inclusive and supportive Eloïse: Supportive, lively and courageous

What will you miss the most when you leave the Prep?

Chris: The people, my friends and the teachers

What advice would you give a young pupil starting out on their journey at the Prep?

Chris: Take every opportunity Mia: Give everything a try, stick with the

Mia: The atmosphere, my friends, the

friends that have always been with you but make new ones too. Be kind and respect older years

teachers, the big blue door and the rose arch

Amélie: Try everything and never give up Eloïse: Take advantages of the wonderful people and opportunities

Amélie

Nico’s laugh – She had all the Chamber Choir and Mrs Fawbert in stitches!

Chris

Eloïse: Eliza’s wonderful impression of

By Eva Kovalchuk Year 7 The summer term has brought the sunshine into the art room filled with joy from our pupils. A selection of the huge amount of work produced has been on display in our Summer Art Exhibition where every child in the Prep and a significant number from the Pre-Prep exhibited powerful art. I am always amazed by the ingenuity and the imagination of our pupils, always ready to show their personalities through creativity.

I am always amazed by the ingenuity and the imagination of our pupils

This term, the “Art Investigators” club was well attended by a group of artists interested in the inside stories within the History of Art, travelling through time and a range of styles whilst creating their own interpretations. We also had two Art Club sessions during our Saturday Activities programme, offering more opportunities to our young creators to have fun whilst extending their understanding of materials and technique.

A group of talented children have represented The Prep at the National Satips Art Exhibition 2018, showing a range of skills and ideas that reflected creativity in our school, an annual event where the best art across the country is shown to a large audience.

As always, I feel immensely proud of the art produced in our school. It is a pleasure to see our pupils gaining confidence, embracing curiosity and happy to explore their ideas. We have seen gentle flower paintings, animals full of life, beautiful landscapes, cubists compositions, surreal images, abstract pieces of movement and light, colour and original responses to the world around us. We have seen in every piece of art, a little miracle and a priceless treasure that needs to be celebrated.

Fernando Velazquez HEAD OF ART

By Anna Sterck Year 7

By Yilin Wan Year 7 and Bertie Spivey Year 5

What a fantastic term! We have achieved so much in the Music Department, with many highlights.

The Friday recitals have been full to overflowing this term, with superb performances by all the children.

Winning West End Show tickets must be up there as one of the major highlights. The Chamber Choir sang so magnificently at the Taunton School Choral Festival and thoroughly deserved first place. I have never seen such commitment and focus in the children.... they really did want some recognition for all their hard work.

The Year 8 Show was particularly moving. The whole of the year group pulled together to create something really special - Night Fever will be emblazoned in my memory for a very long time! The productions from the younger years were equally wonderful and it is great to see so much young talent emerging.

We have had 3 days of ABRSM and Trinity Music Exams - more than ever before and, after 100% pass in Trinity exams, we await the ABRSM results.

The Summer Concert was one of the most enjoyable events for me because there were so many children involved. There were approximately 150 children participating at all levels and the standard of both the singing and playing was exceptionally high.

With 16 choirs and ensembles taking part, there was something for everyone in the programme - from Bizet to Buble, Vance Joy to Lennon - magical!

The Jazz Band also delighted parents and staff with some energetic and exciting playing before Prize Giving and the Chamber Choir and the Pre-Prep ended the term singing beautifully in the Abbey during the Commemoration Service.

It has been quite a term - one of the busiest, but also one of the most satisfying and successful. It leaves me to wish our amazing Year 8 children all the very best for the future and thank them for all their hard work and commitment to the Music Department this year. I wonder what next year will bring…?

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

D R A M A

Arabian Nights

This Trinity term has been the busiest in Drama since I joined the Prep in 2015. We began with the Year 7 production, shortly followed by the Leavers’ Show, immediately followed by the Year 3+4 musical! Adding into the mix the Pre-Prep show and numerous music concerts, it has certainly been a busy time!

The Year 7s performed extracts from Dominic Cooke’s adaptation ‘Arabian Nights’. We chose three of our favourite stories, one for each class to perform, and framed them with the famous story of the ruler Shahrayar and his brave wife Shahrazad. These ancient Middle Eastern folktales are wonderful stories of magic, adventure, greed, humour, deceit and prowess, and therefore lend themselves to creative exploration on stage.

As the students move up through the school, I firmly believe in giving the pupils ownership of their Plays as they have developed the skills and level of creative ideas to help produce the performances. Many of the students were particularly brilliant at this. There are a number of potential directors coming through! The joy of seeing the cast taking charge, voicing their creative directorial ideas and having a vision for a scene is a Drama teacher’s dream, and that is exactly how the piece came together.

The 2018 Leavers’ Show may well go down in history as one of the finest and most joyful evenings. An evening of Hollywood was produced, as the hall was transformed into a dazzling gold backdrop with the students elegantly dressed to perform songs from the movies with a live band.

The audience’s memories were stirred as the students entertained with songs and dances from the last fifty years.

Over twenty dances were choreographed and learned in less than a week, and their determination, stamina and sheer talent was simply outstanding. There were many remarkable performances, but Max Fowle’s phenomenal ‘Night Fever’, may be one that is never forgotten!

Mrs Fawbert and I had a joyful week working with the Year 8s and genuinely could have carried on rehearsing for a good while longer, not out of need, but simply for the pleasure we were having.

Vicki Green HEAD OF DRAMA

Year 8

The joy of seeing the cast taking

Bongo Bandits This term our Year 3 and 4 children performed the play, Ali Baba and Bongo Bandits. Wow! What a treat to watch! The children brought bucket loads of energy and enthusiasm to every rehearsal and they were lovely to work with. They sang with gusto, they spoke their lines clearly and they delivered their jokes with perfect comic timing, even leaving a gap to allow the joke to sink in. Very professional. The acting was of a super standard and the children had real awareness of audience, ensuring that they positioned themselves well so that the audience could see.

Well done to everyone who made it a special event!

charge, voicing

Melissa Meikle YEAR 3

their creative directorial ideas

The Bee Musical

and having a vision for a scene is a Drama teacher’s dream...

The Pre-Prep end of year Play ‘The Bee Musical’ was a big hit - not only did the children perform well and sing brilliantly, but they also got across an important environmental message to the audience.

Anna Sterck Yr 7

Heidi Berry HEAD OF PRE-PREP

S P O R T Another fun fuelled, action packed term of sporting endeavour has flown by once again. It is remarkable to note how much has happened since Easter and in many senses, a brief newsletter section cannot possibly do justice to the vast amount that we have achieved this term. From my perspective, the sporting community at Sherborne Prep is thriving. The pupils, staff and parents are on great form and, as such, there appears to be a happy, positive, committed and vibrant feel about our sporting programme. Sports Day certainly typified all the core

values that we promote and was a positive experience for everyone. This spirit rolled on to the often manic, and high-octane swimming gala in the last week of term. These events really do show our community at its best.

The traditional fixture programme is certainly evolving and the promotion of mixed cricket at the lower end of the school and the development of girl’s cricket at the senior end has certainly been well received. We fielded 12 cricket teams on the same afternoon at the end of term, which must be a record for The Prep! The Headmaster often references that

...the sporting community at

Sherborne Prep is thriving

a school can only be as good as its staff and from a sporting perspective, we are blessed. The team of coaches, ground staff and catering team have been brilliant this year – thank you. As for the pupils, they have been awesome!

We continue to implement change and work them hard, but the children bounce in to every session with enthusiasm and commitment. This has been a very positive term with a great deal of success and enjoyment across the board.

Huw Thomas DIRECTOR OF SPORT

Pre-Prep The team spirit and camaraderie was strong at this year’s Pre-Prep Sports Day. There were some superb performances culminating in the infamous Year 2 water race in which Mr Folland delighted at soaking the children as they ran. The event ended with the Pre-Prep children cheering and making a guard of honour in the orchard as the Prep children paraded through with their House banners - a special moment of House pride.

Heidi Berry HEAD OF PRE-PREP

Nursery Nursery sports day was a lovely occasion in which the children were able to demonstrate their increased coordination and speed. Many paused to wave to mummy during their races, blissfully unaware of any competition, and the sun shone brightly.

Heidi Berry HEAD OF PRE-PREP

When thinking about ‘boarding’ I would suggest it is better to think about ‘boarders’- the real heart and soul of what we do. However, how does one define a boarder at Sherborne Prep?

A child who has been welcomed into the boarding family for a term, a week, a weekend or even just a night would benefit the name. A brief glance at our photos reminds me of how many we have had joining us throughout the year and for a variety of reasons; early morning swim sessions or after school sports clubs, parents away on business for a spell, thinking about Year 9, families living a little too far away to commute, Saturday night movies and Sunday outings or just spending a little more time with their friends.

Whatever the reason, they all bring an extra something with them and this itself keeps boarding fresh and exciting for us all.

And what of the older members of the boarding family? We are extremely lucky to have such a dedicated group of staff who give so much. From evening BBQs to NERF warfare on the pirate ship, from lazy Sunday mornings to hour long games of Foursquare, from jewellery making to pampering evenings there seems nothing that the boarding staff are not capable of offering; sometimes it is even just the chance to sit down in the common room and enjoy a good book in peace as the snow falls outside! It has been a marvellous year and we are already looking forward to the excitement that next year will provide.

Dan Chiappa-Patching HEAD OF BOARDING

Friends 2018 Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who has supported The Friends in the past year. From Christmas Fairs and Discos for the children, to Quiz Nights and Clothes Sales for the parents, it has been another fun and fabulous year. The Friends was set up in 1997/98; its main purpose is to welcome new families to the school and to foster close relationships between children, parents and staff.

As a by-product of the various events that are organised The Friends also raises funds for ‘icing on the cake’ items for the school and local charities. In 2016/17, we donated £7.5k to the new pirate ship and were also able to give £5k to our chosen charity Future Roots and the Countryman’s Club. This enabled the charity to build a new loo for the elderly farmers who no longer have to traipse across a muddy yard. Sue Spencer, Chair of the charity came and gave a lovely talk to the children in assembly about why older people in our community sometimes need extra help.

The accounts for this academic year are still being finalised, but we estimate to have raised at least £8.5k and we will decide how best to distribute this at our next meeting. If you are new to the school, or have never been to a meeting, please do consider joining us. It is a great way to meet people, we get a lot done in a very relaxed environment with many laughs – absolutely everyone is welcome.

This year, Diccon and Caroline Beeny are sadly stepping down as the Joint Chairs of The Friends.

We hugely appreciate all the time and energy they have put in over the years and we will miss them as our Chairs. However, we warmly welcome Anna Mike to take on the role from this September and look forward to fun times ahead.

you there. Do also join us at our drinks party to welcome new parents on Friday 14th September at 18.30.

The first meeting of the year is on Thursday 6th September at 08.15 after drop off, in the library – coffee and pastries are provided if that helps! We look forward to seeing

TUSK TRUST From September 2018, The Prep have agreed to collaborate with the charity Tusk for the coming school year. Tusk raises money for a wide range of projects across Africa, which not only work to protect wildlife, particularly endangered species, but also help to alleviate poverty through sustainable development and education among rural communities who live alongside wildlife. Tusk is based in Gillingham, Dorset, so it is a great opportunity for us to be involved with a locally based but highly International Charity. We will be using Tusk projects as inspiration for learning and school performances as well as fundraising for Tusk at school events. The year will culminate in a Tusk Summer Concert with a patron from Tusk as a guest speaker. This promises to be a fun, worthwhile and fulfilling partnership and we are looking forward to integrating Tusk into all aspects of The Prep for the forthcoming year. http://www.tusk.org/

“We’re delighted and honoured to be supported by Sherborne Preparatory School. Not only will the funds raised make a big difference in our efforts to protect Africa’s wildlife, but we also hope we can inspire some of the pupils to go on to do great things for wildlife in the future.”

Dan Bucknell EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TUSK TRUST

An

Interview

With…

Paul Curran

Head Groundsman Sherborne Prep

Year on year, season by season, our grounds here at The Prep look immaculate. We all enjoy them at matches and Sports Days and the children love to run and play on them. However, the work that goes into keeping the grounds at perfection all year round is endless and credit must go to Paul Curran and his team – they are the unsung heroes of our beautiful spaces. We interviewed Paul to find out more…

Tell us about your background After school I studied Countryside and Environmental Management at Kingston Maurward College and work experience with the National Trust at Stourhead Estate. On completion of the course, I worked for a private landscape gardener. Two years later, while my Mum was working in I.T at Sherborne Girls’ School and my little sister, Molly was in the Pre-Prep, I heard of the vacancy for a gardener at Sherborne Prep. My little sister boldy asked the Head Gardener at the time if her brother could have a job! I applied and was offered the job! We still joke to this day that I only got this job because my cute 5 year old little sister lined it up for me! I started in January 2007 but continued my qualifications alongside the job and gained an NVQ in Sports Turf. In 2010, I applied to be a retained fire fighter in Sherborne and completed my training in June 2011 to become a fire fighter for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue. With this commitment I could be called to a fire at any time, I do 120 hours a week on duty and during that time I must be able to respond to the fire station within 4 minutes. However, from the outset, The Prep have been very supportive of this and I continue to enjoy firefighting alongside my role as Head Groundsman.

What do you enjoy most about working at Sherborne Prep?

I enjoy the variation in the job, we are responsible for both the gardens and grounds so we are very busy at times, but we are definitely not bored! There is huge variety in each day. I take great pride in maintaining the sports and athletics pitches and especially enjoy preparing Lower Paddock for Sports Day, it does take a great deal of time and effort for just one day, but it is worth it when the whole school community can see how nice I can make the field look!

Describe a typical day and how the team operates

What gives you the greatest job satisfaction?

There is no typical day, each day is different. I keep track of the events and matches that we have coming up and plan the pitch prep, but most of the time the jobs just need doing when they need doing. It can range from watering hanging baskets and window boxes, to cutting the grass on the fields, cutting lawns, weeding (lots of weeding!), preparing cricket wickets, marking pitches, setting up marquees for events, planting flower beds, trimming hedges, I could go on?

I really enjoy big projects such as the rose arch which I rebuilt a few years ago.

The previous one was about 25 years old and mostly rotten, the roses took a bit of a hit when we had to peel them all off and leave them lying on the ground for weeks on end, but they came back strong and I’m very proud of how it looks - let’s hope it lasts another 30 years!

Last summer I also enjoyed building the pergola, it is a great place for the children to hang out and I hope you all agree that is an attractive edition. It is jobs like these, that create a big visual difference which give me the greatest satisfaction.

When is your busiest time of the year?

In line with everyone else, the second half of the Summer Term is the busiest time of year. With all the events, such as Sports Day, matches and the Fete, we work tirelessly at maintaining the gardens and grounds. We will often find ourselves onsite until 9pm getting everything prepared, but I do not mind putting the extra time in to get things just as they should be. The Summer Holidays are the time to complete our big projects and any groundworks, but we do still make sure we have a bit of down time too.

What is the hardest part of your job?

Not enough hours in the day or days in the week! We are a team of two and it can be difficult to get everything done in the time available. Having to work around sports lessons etc and having to be at the mercy of the weather can make things tricky, although this year we had exceptional weather all term.

Have you had any funny moments? (ones we can mention!)

We have funny moments all the time!

My lips are sealed but I will say that it definitely helps the day go quicker if you have a good sense of humour.

What are the top three attributes it takes to be a successful groundsman?

It is no different to being successful in any other career – it is working hard, having a passion for what you do and optimism.

Have you any gardening tips that you could share with us gardeners on a smaller scale?

Use soluble fertiliser in your hanging baskets and potted plants to make them big and beautiful!

THE S U MM ER CIRCUS The circus is coming to town!

As you watch the trapezist do his bends

Come see the shimmering lights

Come glance at the elephant large,

And the acrobats with the sparkling tights,

Come see the dancer’s dance.

Come laugh at the ridiculous clown

Listen as the audience scream “This is better than a perfect dream!”

And gape at the magician with his spectacular gown,

And as the summer night comes to an end

Come celebrate with friends

You know to never send that night’s vision out of your head.

Lilac Payne Year 6

Dates For Your Diary Michaelmas Term 2018 3 SEPTEMBER

6.00-6.30pm Boarders Return

13 NOVEMBER

4.00-5.00pm Pre-Prep Tea

4 SEPTEMBER

First full day for everyone

15 NOVEMBER

Piers Torday ‘Literacy Day’

7 SEPTEMBER

Solar Day’

20 NOVEMBER

6.00pm Michaelmas Music Concert

13 SEPTEMBER

Roald Dahl ‘Yummy Yellow’ Day

23 NOVEMBER

4.00-6.30pm Year 8 Parents’ Evening

14 SEPTEMBER

6.30-8.30pm Friends’ Welcome Drinks

23 - 25 NOVEMBER

5.00pm Exeat

20 SEPTEMBER

Harvest Festival Assembly

27 NOVEMBER

Sports Team Photos

25 SEPTEMBER

Years 1 & 2 Gore Farm Trip

6 DECEMBER

9.00am Nursery Nativity Play

27 SEPTEMBER

Year 3 Seaton Jurassic Trip

6 DECEMBER

6.00pm Year 7 Play

28 SEPTEMBER

Year 8 Geography Field Trip to Lulworth Cove

7 DECEMBER

3.30-6.30pm The Friends’ Christmas Fair

28 SEPTEMBER

4.00-6.30pm Year 3 Parents’ Evening

9 DECEMBER

12.30pm Boarders’ Christmas Banquet

28-20 SEPTEMBER

5.00pm Exeat

12 DECEMBER

5.30pm Pre-Prep Play

8 OCTOBER

Pre-Prep Parent interviews

13 DECEMBER

Whole School Christmas Lunch

18 OCTOBER

6.00pm Staff Music Concert

13 DECEMBER

2.00pm Pre-Prep Christmas Play

19 OCTOBER – 4 NOVEMBER

5.00pm Half Term

13 DECEMBER

3.30pm Friends’ Junior School Disco

13 DECEMBER

5.00pm Friends’ Senior School Disco

9 NOVEMBER

6.00pm Year 5 Play

14 DECEMBER

2.00pm Carol Service in Sherborne Abbey

End of Term

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