A letter from the Headmistress
A busy week is a good week, as they say, and I’ve loved being out and about over the last five days. The Uppers have clearly enjoyed their trip away to Cranedale in North Yorkshire this week and it was good to see them safely return today, after waving them off last Sunday morning I am a great believer in these sort of field trips and residentials, and I always say that the girls return walking five feet taller, both in confidence and self-belief (and with a far greater understanding of the UK weather and climate!) Thank you to our dedicated Cranedale teaching team who accompanied your girls this week and I know much fun and learning was had by all
We are looking ahead to the 23-24 school year on all fronts, which is always exciting, and I started the first of my senior school visits yesterday, which took me to St Mary’s Ascot I arrived alongside all the major Prep School Heads and met the indomitable and highly personable, Danuta Staunton, who has been Head there for several years now It was good to see so many colleagues and Heads at the event, but what turned my attention the most, was the way Godstowe was spoken about amongst these circles and how highly regarded our team and girls are, once they leave us Always good to hear and to appreciate how close our network of schools are and the invaluable relationships we all build.
Enjoy the long bank holiday weekend together I am scheduled for the BSA Head’s Conference next week before returning to a wealth of home Godstowe activities, which I’m really looking forward to.
See you soon!
Claire Gillett, Head of Lodge Hannah Smart, Head of Nursery
Lodge pupils have settled back beautifully into the summer term It is lovely to see the signs of Spring outside and the slide has been in good use!
Thank you to Siyana and Sara's mother who spoke to two year groups about Eid last week. We enjoyed tasting some dates and finding out more about this festival. Transition and Kindergarten have also been learning about Earth Day this week in their Assembly, thinking about ways that we can all help to protect our planet.
Nursery have started the term with a minibeast topic. We have enjoyed hunting for minibeasts and then using books or the internet to identify and learn about them We also made delicious jam ladybird biscuits which linked well with our sound of the week 'j'. The children also made jigsaw puzzles, to reinforce the sound too In Maths we have been using minibeast pictures to create repeating patterns with 2 or 3 parts and the children were very proud of their patterns that they created Some of the children also enjoyed creating snails using old CD's Finally we ended the week with some minibeast yoga, which was both fun and relaxing.
In Beginners this week we have been very busy learning about our first minibeast, caterpillars. We have looked at the lifecycle of the butterfly and some of the other insects that complete metamorphosis We have been recapping some of the sounds we have learnt over the last two terms and you will find a small book in your child's prep bag this weekend to help you practise them at home In Maths, we have been looking at teen numbers 11-15 and thinking about tens and ones. We have also created a bug hotel for our outdoor area and look forward to identifying the insects we find there.
Kindergarten children have been watching their flower pots anxiously this week, following their planting of sunflowers at the start of term They were rewarded with the sight of small shoots today They thoroughly enjoyed pulling apart tulips in order to identify the different parts of a plant and their functions Plants in abundance was the focus as they were introduced to our new Geography topic, Rainforests. To round off the week, the children learnt about the work of Henri Rousseau and then created their own versions of Tiger in a Tropical Storm.
Transition have started a new Maths topic on Fractions. We have been looking at different ways to find a half and a quarter of shapes and groups of objects In our Literacy lessons we have been looking at different examples of stories about going on a quest. We have then been using these ideas to plan and write our own story
All classes at Lodge enjoyed a drama workshop by Perform this week We were transported to Neverland where we had to find the treasure and watch out for Captain Hook and the crocodile!
Every Wednesday, something special happens in Highlands House!
During the weekday our dorms are scored out of 10, based on all our hard work that we put into making sure that they are nice and tidy! We are really good at that, and the competition is always nail-biting! But its all worth it in the end
The dorm score winner has a tea party! It’s a time where we get to enjoy some tasty treats and spend time with the boarding staff, sharing stories and jokes It’s a wonderful time where we can learn even more about each other. In the first tea party of the Summer Term, the winners enjoyed creating their own unique toast, full of delicious toppings All our creation were unique! But that’s not all, we have milkshakes with that as well! They are super delicious, and we can choose from a strawberry or banana milkshake We love our Highlands House tea parties
