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HANDCROSS PARK SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Week 12 26 April 2024

handcrosspark handcross park @handcrosspark

HEADMASTER’S BLOG

Dear Parents/Guardians

We’ve enjoyed another action-packed week and, incredibly, we’re about to head into our final week of the Spring Term!

We launched Science Week on Monday with a fascinating Assembly for Prep children and a talk about ‘Life on Mars’ Children have been focusing on Science all week with experiments and investigations being enjoyed in all year groups Thank you to our wonderful Science teachers and, in particular, to Miss Newton, our Head of Science!

The highlight of my week was seeing our Year 5 and 6 production of Matilda! The show was absolutely spectacular and, as I said at the end, one of the most impressive prep school productions I’ve seen in almost 20 years The calibre of the production was thanks to a huge amount of hard work and dedication from the pupils, who acted and sang superbly, but also thanks to those who were involved in the set design and management, lighting, sound and visual effects So many adults contributed to the success of the production but special thanks must go to Mrs Falkus for her choreography, Miss Ndlovu for her musical direction and to Mr Haddon, our inspirational Head of Drama. There is no question that drama is of an exceptionally high standard at Handcross Park and this is thanks to our gifted and committed children but also to the dedication, hard work and talent of Mr Haddon Thank you to all involved in making this a production that will be remembered for a very long time

Miss Brooke and I spoke to Year 6, 7 and 8 children on Tuesday morning about our involvement in the inaugural Junior Leonardo Creative Competition We encourage as many pupils in these years as possible to get involved A letter has been sent to the relevant parents along with some slides and we would be grateful if you would support this exciting initiative and help us to enthuse your children and encourage them to take part. If you have any queries, then please contact Miss Brooke on rbrooke@handxpark com The deadline for entries is on Friday 19th April

I was inspired by talking with our Year 2 children today about their project on ‘The Deforestation of British Woodlands’ They each wrote me a letter to explain their idea of planting trees around the grounds of HXP and I’m delighted to say that we will start planting soon! Thank you to our Year 2 children for your care for our planet and for your heartfelt and beautifully written letters! I’ve also been pleased today to see all of our children dressed in red to celebrate Red Nose Day, our Year 4 children heading off to a production of ‘Awful Auntie’, a Year 3 Swimming Gala, Middle School House Hockey, a Senior Hockey Tournament, a Year 7 Swimming Gala and a Future Ready Skills Workshop for our upper years Handcross is indeed a busy place and so I hope that all of our children enjoy a well-deserved weekend off ahead of what will be a tiring final week of term!

Jonnie Besley Headmaster

AWARDS

Headmaster’s Award

Be Trewe Awards

Academic Silver

Hugh Crocker, Josiah Ngabirano, Samuel Trott

Academic Gold

Sid Aadya, Amir Alanbuki, Layney Ballard, Lauren Bushell, Paul Chaiyamanon, James Coe, Henry Dawson, Patrick Finne, Benjamin Harvey Rodriguez, Aria Heaton, Freddie Jansen, Yasmin Kelsall, Jad Nakouzi, Katriel Ndaeji, Jack Stuart, Woody Wagner, Alba Willson, Thomas Yang, Eva Yin

Academic Pin

Layli Alieva, Darcey Blakemore, Joshua Butler-King, Toby Colebourne, Ewan Docherty, Omar Lachaal, Cecilia Sheldon, Summer Wagner, Angus Weightman, James Williams

Academic Shield

Molly-Ann Clarke, Nayan Rastogi

Community Bronze

Frederick Bates, Ethan Cheng, Henrietta Eden, Seb Edwards, Emily Freeman, Freddie Hatcher, Aria Heaton, Leo Howells, Omar Lachaal, Mateo Seward, Ella Ward, Max Waterworth, Lucia Williams

Community Silver

Yann Pernstich, Thomas Skerry, Jack Stuart

Community Gold

Claudia Allison, Aadhya Chogale, Lotta Duffy, Matilda Harley, Luca Joo-Thomson, Angus Maxmin, Aya Pitchforth, Freyja Staines, Alice Wheeldon

Community Pin

Joshua Butler-King, Nathaniel Butler-King, Paul Chaiyamanon, Lucy Clark, Jad Nakouzi, Barney Phebey, Annabel Reeves, Cecilia Sheldon

Community Shield

Molly-Ann Clarke, Garry Ho, Copter Peeradechapan, Vigdis Weisdottir, Aim Yimyam

Participation Bronze

Nayan Rastogi, Tom Wang

Participation Silver

Manan Atreja, Mia Bradshaw, Paul Chaiyamanon, Oliver Chen, Troy Houlton, Luca Joo-Thomson, Omar Lachaa, lAriel Whiskin, Sophia Yin

Participation Gold

Arthur Chelmick, Borja Guinea Penalver, Matilda Harley, Lucas Hawes, Emma Holehouse, Ben Jiang, Pranav Khurana, Bo Livesey-Howe, Alessandro Long, Aya Pitchforth, Henry Sheikh, Lottie Smith, Aim Yimyam

Participation Pin

Joshua Butler-King, Lotta Duffy, Neva Franco Garicano, Archie Haswell, Harry Hatcher, Sophie Hoadley, Arthur Ward, Vigdis Weisdottir

Participation Shield

Sam Brent, Tallulah Broek-Slater, James Clark, Henrietta Eden, Connie Lunn, Hattie Lunn, Sienna Makolski, Barney Phebey, Sebastian Poate, Isla Reid, Sebastian Rivera, Woody Wagner, Avital Zingerman

Music

Congratulations to Richard Mellor who has achieved a distinction with his Grade 8 Piano exam, a wonderful result!

Be Trewe Awards AWARDS

PRE-PREP ASSEMBLY AWARDS

Be Trewe Award

Fynn Bruce

Community Award

Samuel Andrews

Evan Cheng

Fynnley Andrews

Ocean Bonnaray

Georgina Sheikh

Kitty Clusker

Participation Award

Lyra Carden

Kit Farnhill

Isabella Richards

Freddie Dagless

Carolina Villalba Alves

Mary Davidson

PRE-PREP ASSEMBLY AWARDS

Academic Award

Sofia Kelsall

Roman Ellis-Brown

Aariah Faria

Noah Epstein

Mabli Haynes

Summer Attfield

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

KEY INFORMATION

The Week Ahead

To view the week ahead, please click on the button below This will direct you to our online calendar

Alumni

Ex-head boy, Marcus Dalrymple, has just published a new book: 'Between the Sierra and the Sea' It is a personal account of owning a house in the Alpujarra region of Southern Spain and is part biography and part travelogue

Ski Trip 2025

We still have several places available for the ski trip next year!

The trip is currently open to those who will be in Year 7 and 8 next academic year We are travelling to Val Cenis, France in the first week of the Easter holidays (22nd29th March) The total cost of the trip, which includes everything, is £1,580 An initial deposit of £380 is required to secure a spot With 5 different ability groups, this trip is great for both beginner and advanced skiers!

If you are interested, please do not hesitate to get in touch to ask any questions!

Mr Richards

Scholarships

Congratulations to Naomi who has gained a Sports Scholarship to Brighton College

Elevate Education

Live Parent Q&A Session: Ask Me Anything

Tuesday 30th April 6:00-7:00pm Register

Naked Truth

Parent Workshop: Monday 29th April, 7pm

The Chapel

A ‘PG Workshop: Selfies and Sexting, So What?’

By

Mandy Marshall-Taylor,

who works for the charity, and will cover how parents can help their children navigate the digital world, with a particular focus on talking about tricky topics such as sex and p*rnography

Wine and soft drinks will be served from 6:45pm

Learning Support

On Monday evening, Fintan O'Regan, one of the leading behaviour and learning specialists in the UK, spoke to parents about the issue of neurodiversity and discussed how parents can work in partnership with schools to successfully support pupil learning, behaviour and socialisation To read more, click the image below

Arlo Costello, Mary Davidson, Sophia Yin, Camille Bi, Viviette Goodway, Chloe Dawson, Scarlett Sevier

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iPleasecouldallYear3&4parentspark hntheMainSchoolcarparkunlessyou avea youngersiblinginPre-Prep, thissisduetothelimitednumberofparking TpacesinthePre-Prepcarpark. hankyouforyourhelpwiththismatter.

Notices

UPPER SCHOOL pper School

Future Ready Skills Computer Studies

Last Friday, Mrs Muggeridge spoke to pupils about her career path Mrs Muggeridge initially envisaged becoming a dancer and then went into make up artistry, earning one of only a small number of places at a prestigious art school in London, before applying her creative talents to her role in the classroom

Pupils loved hearing about Mrs Muggeridge's career path and all the well known faces that she has worked with over her career journey

Some of the advice given related to making the most of each opportunity offered and being kind to everyone.

Thank you so much Mrs Muggeridge for your time and energy!

Pupils in Yr 7 & 8 have been working on Google Sites to create a website digital portfolio of all their wonderful achievements

Chess

Nayan has had a very memorable experience playing chess in an International Chessmates tournament organised in Paris There were 10 boys representing England (2 in each age section) in the International Chessmates Tournament against 10 European countries, and the events were organised in Eiffel Tower Nayan was one of the two boys chosen to represent England in the U14 age group There were 5 games out of which 4 were played in the Eiffel tower and 1 in the town hall It was a very prestigious moment for the England team and a 'once in a lifetime experience' which will last forever! The England team played fiercely in the tough competition and had tough games and whilst didn't win the competition, came back proud with an experience that remains unparalleled!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Science

This week, 11 Year 6 pupils had a fantastic time participating in the Science Challenge at Lancing College They tackled a variety of exciting challenges across the different disciplines: Chemistry, Physics, and Biology In addition to the engaging challenges, the pupils were treated to an amazing Birds of Prey display A big congratulations to Leo, who was part of the winning team for the Physics challenges This is a fantastic achievement

Drama

A visit to Pre-Prep

This week, some Year 6 pupils paid a visit to the PrePrep and help to run a few games and get to know some of their younger peers

Maths

Year 5 have been using their knowledge of angles and direction to help navigate their teammates through the maze!

Year 6 enjoyed performing a scripted version of a scene from the class novel 'Holes' by Louis Sachar this week

LOWER SCHOOL

Computer Studies

Using a Mouse

Pupils in Year 3 have been using a mouse in lesson to experience how it can be used and the differences when using left and right mouse buttons They compare this to their experience of using a trackpad or touchscreen

Science

Lower School have enjoyed thinking about plants (Year 3) and habitats (Year 4) this week Year 3 enjoyed dissecting plants in the sun, and Year 4 thought creatively about how Handcross Park has changed as a habitat over the last 100+ years

Chess

George and Blake celebrate some of the amazing successes of the HXP Chess Team If you are interested in Chess, please come along to Chess Club which runs in both the Pre-Prep and Prep School on Thursday afternoons

Maths

Year 4 have been learning to divide by 10 this week and use decimals - why not ask them to give you a lesson at home to demonstrate what they have learnt

Lower School Prizes

Year 3

Mathematics: George Brown, Amelie Breeden

English: Seren Cook, Max Waterworth

Effort: Henry Teare, Freddie Jansen

Year 4

Mathematics: Elliot Freeman, Baavan Saraw

English: Aadhya Chogale, Jasper Freeman

Effort: Freddie Hatcher, Ena Neogi

THE SECRET GARDEN

Little Owls

What an amazing start back to Little Owls! We are delighted to see how well the children have settled back into the routine and how friendships are blossoming, In our class, we've been busy planting seeds and learning how to care for them as they grow We've also welcomed a new class baby, Elsa, whom we are learning how to nurture with love and care The children have been practising and developing their counting skills with the help of our friend, Numberblock 5 and are making great progress in securing the steps to accurate and consistent counting Through our Sporty Tots session and outdoor activities, we are developing our ability to balance and hold different poses It's wonderful to see the children trying new physical challenges, building not only muscle but focus and concentration, too

This week, our creative explorations have led to some beautiful paintings and collages! Drawing inspiration from the Secret Garden's blossom and Kandinsky, the children have made stunning artwork, as well as had a lot of fun with sponges, brushes and hole punches! We have also started weekly visits to the school library Please ensure that your child has their library book in their bag for their first session each week so they can exchange it for a new one as we develop our book browsing and reading for pleasure skills..

Wise Owls

We have zoomed into the Summer Term with an exciting new Space topic We have been learning how to name and recognise planets in our solar system in creative and imaginative ways, including making a 'Space Wreath'practising our fine motor skills by painting a black frame and choosing from a variety of colours to represent each planet As we embark on our final term, we have observed that our Wise Owls are becoming more interested in the world around them and are really keen to extend their knowledge and learn new facts With our Space theme, as practitioners, we have been doing our best to answer children's questions A memorable example of this was finding out how astronauts eat in space, and how they go to the loo! To help us remember the order of the planets, we learned a very catchy song by Bemular which begins "Well there is Mercury and Venus, Earth and Mars " We can often hear children singing this throughout the Nursery and have heard that they are singing it at home too, which is brilliant! Our outdoor role play shed has become a Wise Owls Space Station and we have been dressing up as astronauts and aliens, enjoying some wonderful imaginary play with our friends Our key texts have included Zoom, Zoom, Zoom and a favourite Aliens Love Underpants story book, which inspired the children to join together to collage a huge pair of underpants

A highlight of the week was our trip in the minibuses to the Hyde Estate, where we spent a morning walking through the parkland searching for squirrel pictures, before playing hide and seek in a woodland carpeted with bluebells

Reception

Reception were given some magic seeds and were tasked to find out what they were The children decided to be scientists and looked at the seeds more closely using a microscope, cutting them up to see what was inside and comparing them to seeds they have seen before We then created our own greenhouses to plant our seeds in and also planted a range of vegetables in our garden Our budding gardeners are very carefully looking after their plants and are eagerly waiting to see what they grow into

On Wednesday, we joined the rest of Pre-Prep on a visit to the Hyde Estate The children thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of the gardens and taking part in the squirrel trail The bluebells were in full bloom and watching the children run in and out of them was something very magical

Year 2

Year 2 have enjoyed an adventurous start back to the summer term. We have started our very own world wide trip! We have are reading Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo and are following Michaels trip around the world

This has seen us cross the Atlantic Ocean, where we took time to learn more about world geography, learning the oceans and continents of the world We cross the equator and landed in Brazil just in time for the Carnival We learnt about the carnival and enjoyed designing and making masks to join in We planned music and dance for the Year 2 Handcross Park Carnival and enjoyed some upbeat dancing around the Secret Garden! We then enjoyed sharing our singing and samba dancing at assembly this week

This week has also seen us enjoy a bluebell walk with the whole of Pre-Prep. We thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful walk through the woods and then spent the afternoon perfecting our watercolour skills to paint the bluebells

Year 1

Not one, but TWO trips out for Year 1 this week! What lucky children! On Monday, we all hopped onto the minibuses and went to Ovingdean beach Slight panic as the tide was in, but the children did what they do bestexplore, invent, play and marvel at curiosities that us adults wouldn't have looked twice at As the tide started going out, the sand was unveiled and the children got even busier, creating sand sculptures and dams whilst Mrs Haynes and Mrs Thompson took small groups off for beach school The bluebell walk through Hyde Estate was our minibuses' next destination, and the children drew landscapes of the lake and bridge, before being led through the woods by lots of squirrels signalling the way before arriving at the bluebells, just in time for snack There was a proverbial SEA of bluebells, hundreds of thousands of them! It was the most marvellous experience, and the children played and explored and climbed some more

HXP SPORTS NEWS

Netball

Our U11A netball squad competed in a re-arranged tournament from last term, on Friday 19th April Our team were made up of the following girls –

Cecilia, Evie, Lottie, Elani, Yasmin, Lottie, and Tallulah

Due to the tournament being rescheduled the format was a little different, however we still managed to play 5 games of netball

Unfortunately, Grace was unable to play, so we went with just 7 girls, so as well the team not having a reserve, these girls had never played together in their allocated positions

Our first game was against Hoe Bridge School, an opponent we had not ever played before We drew 2-2 against them Next, we played Lancing Prep, and with the girls starting to get used to their positions and each other we won 12-0 Our third match was against St Christophers, we beat them 4-1, we then played Lancing and beat them 6-1

The girls were improving each match, and even the other school netball coaches commented on how lovely they played together So, with our great results, we made it to the final playing against St Christophers

This was a very intense match, with the ball going back and forth to each other’s shooting ends At one point it looked like it was going to be a draw with the score not changing from 2-2 for a few minutes In the closing minute St Christophers scored making it 32, we kept battling and got the ball back to our shooting D, the ball was passed to Tallulah to shoot, and the final whistle was blown

A tense time for the Handcross Parents spectators and staff!

The girls were obviously disappointed; however, they should be so proud on how well they played and communicated with each other, and how they dealt with their loss This team will go far, watch this space!!

HXP SPORT SITE

Click here to check the latest fixtures, results, important notices and more...

Congratulations to Evie and Cecilia who had the incredible opportunity to play a netball match at the Copper Box Arena in London’s Olympic Park last weekend, as part of the London Pulse Road to the Copperbox Tournament

The girls and their team from Magic Netball faced a strong Hatfield Netball team in a closely contested final, and came away with the gold medal! Well done girls!

Cricket

The U11Bs started the cricket season with a compelling 6 run victory over Cottesmore in a game which came down to the final over A huge well done to all involved, particularly Player of the Match Henry and top run scorer and leader wicket-taker, captain Sebastian

The

Digital World

THE DIGITAL WORLD

Harnessing Technology for Learning:

EdTech at Handcross Park School

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of discussion in the media about technology and its impact on young minds While some concerns regarding social media and unrestricted smartphone use are valid, it's important to distinguish this from the positive and purposeful integration of technology in education, known as EdTech

At Handcross Park School, we embrace EdTech as a valuable tool to enhance learning and equip our pupils with the skills they'll need to thrive in the 21st century We utilise managed Chromebooks with secure pupil accounts, ensuring a safe and focused online environment

The Benefits of EdTech at Handcross Park:

Engaging and Interactive Learning: EdTech tools can make learning more interactive and engaging, promoting active participation and fostering a love of exploration

Personalised Learning: Technology allows teachers to tailor instruction to individual needs and learning styles, ensuring no pupil gets left behind

21st Century Skills Development: EdTech helps students develop crucial skills like collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy – all essential for future success

Collaboration: Technology connects our classrooms, allowing pupils to collaborate with peers and enhance their use of collaborative skills

Important Distinction: EdTech vs Unrestricted Smartphone Use

Handcross Park School understands the potential downsides of unrestricted smartphone use and social media for young children This is why we continue to provide valuable resources and guidance to parents through our newsletter and presentations throughout the year

EdTech at Handcross Park is different:

Managed Devices: We use secure Chromebooks with managed accounts, ensuring a safe and focused online learning environment.

Focus on Learning: Technology is a tool for enhancing learning, not a distraction

Empowering Our Pupils for the Future:

At Handcross Park School, we believe EdTech, when implemented effectively, has the power to transform learning and prepare our pupils for the exciting world they will enter We look forward to continuing to partner with parents in harnessing the positive power of technology for education

Many thanks for your continued help and support. Mr O’Connor, Head of Digital Learning.

Parent Zone

Who are Parent Zone?

Parent Zone was founded in 2008 to make a difference

To improve outcomes for children in an increasingly digital world To test assumptions and stereotypes around digital family life To understand what parents and families need – and provide support when it’s most needed

Click the Parent Zone button below to learn more

Clubs

Mix and Munch

Monday's Mix and Munch cooked ANZAC biscuits and had a secret ingredient of coconut this week Star Baker was Poppy

Ephemeral Art Club

Wellbeing Club

Thank you Mrs Besley for the lovely wellbeing walk with Rollo the dog!

Charity

Urgent Request

If you have any empty small glass jars our PrePrep Charity Council would love some!

Please can they be dropped off at either the Main School Office or the Pre-Prep Office by Friday 10th May

Library Club

Yea 4 Book Club are reading ‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’

Swimming

Well done to Daisy and Declan who participated in the Haywards Heath Lions Club Swimarathon on Good Friday Swimming in a team of six, to win the highest number of lengths in their allocated slot time and raising over £360 00 as a team

The main beneficiaries being Time4Children and The Haywards Heath Lions Charitable Trust Fund

Friends of Handcross Park