CRESCUNDA CRESCUNDA
THE TERM IN BRIEF
We start with a season of change. We welcome Mr Chester, the new Head, who joins us as we begin the two-year transformation into a school that will finish at the end of Key Stage 2. We welcome too our new school leaders, including Year 6 monitors for the first time Much has changed, more will alter, but we will always remain a school dedicated to the pursuit of excellent opportunities for all.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
We are delighted to present our School Captains and Vice Captains, alongside the House Captains and Prefects. They perform a vital role in making sure the school runs smoothly.
YEAR 6 MONITORS
Our current Year 6 will be the first to transfer to senior school in Year 7. Accordingly, we have given them positions of responsibility. They’ll play an important role in supporting staff and pupils.
YEAR 6 MONITORS (2)
Boys will fulfil numerous roles as monitors. These cover: Art, Library, Eco, Sport, Pre-Prep, Digital, Music, Reading and Playground
CHAIN OF THOUGHT
Excellence through teamwork is at the heart of our mission to empower boys to realise their full potential. Here's our annual inter-house paper chain competition. It requires collaboration, communication, careful thought and logical planning Well done to Wren, the 2024 winners
DRAMATIC SUCCESS
Many congratulations to our Year 8 pupils who took their LAMDA assessments in the summer term. We are delighted to tell you all of them were awarded Distinctions! Here they are with Director of Drama, Mr Hinton.
LITERARY REWARD
Year 6 are now published authors thanks to the Southbank Centre's Imagine a Story project! Pupils collaborated to write a chapter in the novel, Snorehampton Goes Splat, alongside author Lisette Auton and illustrator Chanté Timothy. Many thanks to our English teachers, Mr Gough and Mr Miller, who supported the classes in this wonderful endeavour.
FOREST SCHOOL
We know that learning must happen in a way that links facts, figures and the imagination to the world beyond the classroom. That’s why we run regular forest school sessions in our woodland setting and Eco Garden. It allows younger boys to connect with nature, learning through doing and seeing ourselves as part of the natural environment.
AR MILLIONAIRES
Many congratulations to the boys below, from Years 4, 6, 7, and 8 They became the first Accelerated Reading Millionaires of this academic year.
OI DINOSAURS!
Author of Oi Frog!, Kes Gray, and his illustrator Jim Field, joined us for our first author visit of the year. Their new book, Oi Dinosaurs!, was a complete hit with all our boys from Nursery to Year 2. We love bringing reading and the imagination to life, as part of our aim to produce pupils who read for pleasure.
MUSIC TO OUR EARS
Congratulations to all our musicians, for another excellent set of ABRSM results. Boys took these in the summer term. It was another tough round of musical assessments, leading to some superb results!
LET US EAT CAKE
We celebrated Founder's Day at the end of September Here's Joy, who decorated our celebratory cake and Deputy Head (Pastoral) Mr Crook, our longest serving member of staff. They're joined by the youngest pupil in Year 1 and the oldest in Year 8.
CHARITABLE WINNERS
Compassionate acts are a key part of our boys’ personal development. So, we were delighted when a large group of pupils were given a fundraising award by BBC Three Counties Radio.
What started as a small project by two brothers donating to the Watford Food Bank soon blossomed into a large-scale team of volunteers.
Over the last few years the group, called The Colour of Generosity, have gathered donations at the end of Ramadan. This year, they delivered over a tonne of food to those in need They won the fundraising category in the annual BBC Make A Difference Awards.
You can listen here to an interview with the boys, when they were shortlisted.
GIVING WITH HEART
We celebrated Harvest Festival with the MTS chaplain, the Reverend James Fields. We remembered those less fortunate than ourselves, and considered our role in a connected world. Thank you to the many parents who made donations to the collection We sent a van full of goods to the Watford Food Bank
ROSH HASHANAH & YOM KIPPUR
We discovered more about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, from two of our pupils. We learn so much about ourselves and others when we celebrate the diverse world in which we live.
GOOD CAUSE RUNNING
Over a hundred boys and their parents took part in the annual Moor Park Fun Run. This raises funds for the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, including helping to fund the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre
GOOD CAUSE RUNNING (2)
Below are photos of boys with their medals from Pre-Prep and Years 3 to 4. Special mention the pupil in Year 2, who came first in the Under 7 category!
INTERNATIONAL EATING
¡Hola! We celebrated The European Day of Languages with a Spanish/Mexican inspired lunch menu. Boys enjoyed tacos with meat or vegetarian fillings, followed by churros and chocolate sauce. ¡Estaba deliciosa!
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Our final assembly before the half-term break saw a large number of boys share their research from the first Genesis project this year We researched remarkable individuals linked to Black History Month. Here are those chosen to present, but thanks to all the boys who took part with curiosity and open minds.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
Boys across the age ranges were wowed by Dan Freedman. A former managing editor for the Football Association, he’s now a successful author of children’s books, selling over a million copies. He talked about how to write, his Jamie Johnson series of novels, and his latest publication, 50 Ways Into Football.
READING’S COMING HOME
We were honoured to be the first school in the UK to receive a visit from the remarkable David Baddiel, as he began promotion for his new novel, Small Fry. We enjoyed hearing him read and loved it when he roamed the theatre, asking our boys questions.
A TASTE FOR LEARNING
Boys in Pre-Prep have been learning lots about food and the environment Let’s begin with Biscuit Bear, the book about a boy who bakes a bear that comes to life. That gave us the chance to try out making our own biscuit bears!
A TASTE FOR LEARNING (2)
Meanwhile, there are blackberries to be studied and picked in our woods
We need bees to pollinate plants and make honey. That’s why we have explored how it’s produced and where it is found. We read the Beeman, used maps, and tasted honey from around the world.
GIVE US THIS DAY
The means to understand how flour is made and bread created. Pre-Prep had an excellent day of hands-on learning at the Mill Green museum and working mill
ROMAN HOLIDAY
Twenty-five intrepid pupils expanded their cultural and culinary horizons by exploring ancient and modern Rome over half-term A quarter of the world’s population once lived in the Roman Empire: the boys explored its beating heart by roving around the Forum Romanum, and the Colosseum They also discussed some amazing objects in the Massimo and Capitoline Museums, including very rare bronze sculptures.
ROMAN HOLIDAY (2)
We also visited Hadrian’s tomb, Augustus’ Altar of Peace (built once he had dispatched all his enemies!), the beautiful Pantheon and Piazza Di Navona.
ROMAN HOLIDAY (3)
The boys particularly loved the excellent Italian food and the gelatos! They learned to say ‘Ciao’ , ‘Grazie’ and ‘Per favore’ with authentic accents and gestures They were expert shoppers! Many thanks to our teachers who led the trip: Mr Waddington, Mr McConnell, Mrs Waddell and Mr Greenish.
Vogliamo i gelati! Vogliamo i gelati!
AT THE MANOR
Where curiosity thrives
This half of term we have been out exploring the joys of nature in Autumn, we ’ ve had a visit from the dentist, enjoyed help from our Year 8 mentors, and learnt more about Diwali.
EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOUR
Year 8 Mentors have been busy at the Manor, guiding younger pupils on a regular basis It’s so powerful when our boys have strong role models to follow, especially when it comes to a love of reading and imaginative play.
OPEN WIDE!
The boys at The Manor discovered how important it is to brush our teeth and learned the right way to do it, too! Now, we ’ re eager to explore more ways to stay healthy and take good care of ourselves.
DIWALI
Our curious pupils in Nursery and Reception enjoyed hearing about the Hindu festival of Diwali from some of our parents. We really liked making our own lanterns, called diyas, to join in the celebration of light.
MAKING A SPLASH
Our adventurous Year 8 boys tackled a range of water sports during a day of aquatic activities at Bray Lake. It’s a great way for them to try something new and focus on the importance of team work, helping each other to succeed.
SPORT
The Autumn term is the longest and it’s one filled with different sports. Boys have played football, hockey and rugby. We’ve had development days, sporting fixtures and tournaments. All boys have the chance to find an activity that will play to their strengths and stretch them mentally and physically.
THE U11 LARKIN SHIELD IS A TOURNAMENT WE HOST. WE PLAY AGAINST ST JOHN’S NORTHWOOD, BERKHAMSTED PREP, MANOR LODGE, AND EDGE GROVE, THIS YEAR’S WINNER OF THE TROPHY.
RUGBY
Our U10 and U11 rugby players got to enjoy the experience of playing a tournament at the senior school. This is held under the floodlights on full size pitches. It’s a brilliant way to introduce our younger players to the opportunities that await them at MTS. It’s also a chance to see the 1st XV play alongside some of the top teams in the country.
Meanwhile, our elder pupils took part in the week-long Rugby Week at MTS, giving them an early opportunity to refresh their skills with the oval ball.
FOOTBALL
Our U8 footballers enjoyed a development day with St John’s. It’s not all about the winning. It’s about learning to improve yourself and the team mates by your side.
HOCKEY
Hockey was on display during the Open Morning and visiting parents were impressed with the skills on show.
We held the Year 7 inter-house hockey competition just before the half-term break. It was a keenly fought contest, but congratulations to Newton, who emerged victorious. We’ll be holding the Year 6 and 8 competitions later this term.
