Falcons Prep - Autumn Term Newspaper

6 Supporting our youngest Falcons

9

7

Immersive History Workshop

Reception Class takes flight at Falcons Prep!

23 September Residential

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Battle Abbey Trip

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Richmond Christmas Lights Switch On

Issue 8 | Autumn 2021 | falconsprep.co.uk

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

WELCOME

Welcome from Miss Buchanan Welcome to what can only be described as a bumper edition of our termly newspaper which I am sure you will agree provides a fantastic insight into what has been a fulfilling and successful Autumn Term. The breadth of activities and opportunities available to our boys across the school is evident throughout and we hope you enjoy sharing part of our adventure with us.

The Autumn Term is always a busy, buzzing and productive time with a specific focus on learning, assessment and the reflection of targets. However, much time is also given to the opportunities that lie both in and out of the classroom and in our regular, ‘Beyond The School Gate’ section, you will be taken on a journey into just some of the trips and initiatives experienced by our boys.

Of course, one of the most exciting things to have come from this Autumn Term was the arrival and welcome of our new Reception boys and families. Mr Davis, Miss Murdoch and the Reception learning team have provided our newest arrivals with the most fantastic school introduction. Forest School, child-led play, curiosity projects, reading with Year 7 and 8, playtime with Rufus and cooking on a camp fire, are just some of the exciting learning experiences enjoyed.

As ever, an important priority for the school this term has been for us to reflect upon a set of key values, the Falcons Learning Habits, that we wish to embrace throughout our community. Resilience, Reflection, Independence, Curiosity and Creativity. Being a values-led community is important and highlights some of the enduring principles underpinning the education we provide and how we go about our daily interactions.

Being kind to ourselves and one another, learning from mistakes, having the courage to ask questions and the self-assurance to try again. As the academic year continues, we will come together to review and improve our use of the values around the school, ensuring that every member of the community not only knows what they are but embodies and strives towards them.

As you read on, I hope these Learning Habits are not only seen but felt.

Whilst life isn’t entirely back to normal in the wider community, it is very much back and better than ever here at Falcons Prep and all boys and staff should be incredibly proud of their continued progress, dedication and commitment.

I wish you all a very festive and family-filled holiday and the very best of health and happiness for the New Year.

Miss Olivia Buchanan Headmistress

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FROM THE PA

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

From the Falcons Prep Parents Association We have enjoyed another busy start to a new school year and were thrilled to welcome new members to our Parents’ Association team from across each of the school years, including our new Reception year.

As many of you already know, Falcons PA works to support the school across various charity and community efforts and convey to our boys the importance of giving to those less fortunate. We also create and manage a number of seasonal social events throughout the year bringing parents together, and Autumn Term 2021 marks the return of a more regular calendar after the disruption of the past couple of years (we actually made it happen with our Christmas party!).

In our first PA meeting of the year, we discussed our fund-raising programme and how we might be able to better our total raised last year which was £3,900 - which was amazing, given the disrupted year! So, we have set a target of raising £5,000 which we hope can be achieved before the end of the Summer Term. We have headline events in the spring and summer plus other ad hoc initiatives through the year and these will be shared with parents in the New Year. All our fund-raising efforts are again in aid of Falcons Prep’s two main nominated charities which are ‘Wooden Spoon Children’s Charity of Rugby’ and ‘Skylarks’ childrens' therapy centre in Twickenham. Both wonderful charities work incredibly hard for children who are either disadvantaged or have special needs.

Finally, to mention that there is always a door open for more parent helpers to join us across our various projects so please do get in touch if you’re interested.

In the meantime, we would like to wish the Falcons families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best wishes Jude, Rosie and Anna Judith le Fleming: PA Chair Judith.lefleming@blueyonder.co.uk Rosie Orringe: PA Dep Chair rosie.orringe@me.com Anna Harrisson: Treasurer annaharrisson@yahoo.co.uk FALCONS PA MEMBERS Jude le Fleming Chair (Yr 8 parent) Rosie Orringe Deputy Chair (Yr 4 parent) Anna Harrisson Treasurer (Yr 6 & Yr 8 parent) Alex Latti R Jessica Bird Y3 Alison Adebutu Y4 El Terakopian Y4 Kristy Misan Y5 Wendy Musil Y5 Luli Tose Y6 Fleur Bird Y7 Naomi Dent Y7 Sally Ricketts Y8

The Falcons Big Boot Drop Thank you to our fantastic Falcons Family for donating 45 pairs of pre-loved rugby and football boots this term!

“Thank you to the ‘Falcon Family’ who have, once again, pulled together to support RugbyBootBank®.

Donating all those previously worn and often loved boots worn by the boys over the years will help us make a difference. Our team here will now ensure the life of each pair of boots is extended and are worn by rugby players from London, the South East and across the UK whose circumstances often mean they cannot afford a new pair. On behalf of all those families whom will benefit THANK YOU. Having #NoBoots should be #NoBarrier to playing sport”.

Matt Mitchell (founder) @RugbyBootBank®

Christmas Wreath Making Evening A new event in our social calendar was a special festive wreath-making workshop run by a friend of Falcons, consultant florist, Julie Bremnar. Julie runs several artistic floristry workshops at Kew Gardens, in-home sessions for private clients, and she is an accomplished florist working on major events and weddings.

We hope to invite Julie back to Falcons next year to run additional workshops for our Falcons families.

Falcons Prep PA Christmas Party It’s a wonderful time of year and especially for party season! After two years of cancelled events, it was fabulous to see so many Falcons parents and staff come together and enjoy a Christmas party! Our friends at The Queen’s Head laid on the most delicious chilli and drinks, and a special mention goes to Charlie, dad of Teddy (Y6) and Benjy (Y8), for being in charge of the fantastic music playlist! Thanks too to Anna and Rosie for all the planning and arrangements. We have everything crossed that 2022 will see plenty more social events and opportunities for us to meet outside school.

Bonfire Bake Sale Excitement a plenty amongst the boys at Falcons on 4th November as our bake sale returned with a bonfire night theme. There were plenty of amazing cakes, doughnuts, and brownies to tempt our boys in their lunch break (thank you year 7 and 8 for your baked goodies and to Wendy, Fleur and Rosie for your help on the day!). Well done Falcons boys for bringing in your pocket money to buy your sweet treats as you raised an impressive £143.70 for our Skylarks charity fund! Am-a-zing!

Art Auction for Skylarks The end of summer Pod in the Park event included individual art work from each year group with contributions from each boy.

The art proved as popular as ever with parents digging deep, making their bids and raising an incredible £846 for Skylarks.

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

WELCOME

Pupil Leadership Introductions Will P Head Boy Hello, my name is William, and I am the new Head Boy. I am very excited and hope we all have a great year ahead of us filled with great memories. I hope that this year we can all make school an even more fun place to be.

I would like to tell you a little about me, to start with I have a twin brother, Alex, as you may know as the Head of Merlin. At home, I have a cat and a dog that coexist like brothers. I love playing football and skiing. I am fairly good at tennis and like reading. I came to Falcons 4 years ago and after year 8 I am going to St John’s Leatherhead in Surrey.

Benjy H Deputy Head Boy Hello, I am Benjy, and I am the Deputy Head Boy. I am in Peregrine House, and I have been at Falcons for 6 years. I am looking forward to the many exciting things that are still yet to happen over the rest of the Academic year. Now a little bit about me: My favourite sport is football; my favourite subject is History and my goals this year are to keep the school a fun and friendly atmosphere for everyone and to help other people to achieve their goals.

After Falcons I will be going to a boarding school called Bradfield.

Harry R Senior Prefect Hi, my name is Harry.

I am a Senior Prefect and I am in Kestrel House. I like football and making things. I am looking forward to lots of things this year like the House Competitions and the trips. My goals and aims for this year are to listen to the pupils to see what they want for the school.

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Alex P Merlin House Captain

AJ lF Kestrel House Captain Hi, I'm AJ Head of Kestrel. I'm excited to lead Kestrel to glory this year. I'm in year 8 and I'm Captain of the First XI for football. This year, Kestrel have won the mufti day and visited Oxygen. This year, I am aiming for everyone in the house to get their silver award. So, make sure if you are in Kestrel that you are doing everything you can to earn merits!

Scott M Community Ambassadors Hi, my name is Scotty, and I am going to tell you a bit about myself and my goals. My hobbies are climbing and colouring. I would like to achieve being better at standing in front of an audience and making the school a safer and happier place where people get involved and take part in more competitions and opportunities.

My role as Community Ambassador is to represent the whole community here at Falcons Prep. Sam and I sit on a number of committees and strive to have the voices of our community heard.

Arthur H Hobby House Captain Hello, my name is Arthur and I am Head of Hobby House this year. It is a pleasure to be the Head of Hobby House. Outside of school I play rugby, football and cricket. I want Hobby to be the House that achieves, and to try the best they can.

This is going to be a great year, go HOBBY!!

Hello, my name is Alex, and I am Merlin’s Head of House this year. It was a pleasure to be announced as the Head of Merlin, something which I am very proud of. I have been at the Falcons for 4 years now.

I enjoy skiing playing football and I have high hopes that Merlin will succeed on the playing field. Merlin’s goals for this year are to get as many merits as possible and try as hard as possible and smash all the other houses on the sports field.

I can see that Merlin will have a great year.

Go Merlin!

Sam S Community Ambassadors Hi, my name is Sam, and I am also going to tell you a bit about myself and my goals.

My hobbies are reading and watching the news and playing with my dog. This year I would like to give every boy the ability to dream bigger and to make this year their best year yet.

Henry S Senior Prefect Hi, my name is Henry, and my role is Senior Prefect and to be part of the Student Council. As Senior Prefect my role is to help improve the school. As the year goes on, I’m looking forward to all the House Tournaments and school trips such as the Tower of London. I like football, swimming and FIFA, I am also in Kestrel House.

Thomas D Eco-Schools Hi, my name Thomas, and my role at Falcons is to be Eco-School Ambassador.

WELCOME

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

Flynn AW Peregrine House Captain Hi, my name is Flynn, and you all probably know me as the Head of Peregrine.

My role as a Head of House is to get all the other Peregrine boys to earn merits and win more prizes. The competition I am most looking forward to this year is the House Football Tournament. Some of my favourite interests are football and that is why I am looking forward to the House Football Competition. This year I am looking to win the most merits of the year, so that we can attend the House Trip next year! Go Peregrine!

Joseph P Senior Prefect Hello, my name is Joseph, this year if you don’t know yet, I am one of the new Senior Prefects for Falcons.

Firstly, I would like to tell you a bit about me, some people may not know but I have a brother called Sam who left school last year to go to high school. I also have a dog called Squiggles. I like playing football, rugby and skiing. Now that you know a bit about me, I hope all of us have a wonderful year and create lots of amazing memories.

Life in the Upper School This first term in the Upper School has been filled with lots of new initiatives and activities and it has been fantastic to see the boys get really stuck into it all. We have started the new Falcons Challenge which is an exciting opportunity for the boys to learn valuable life skills such as independence, resistance, self-reliance, and dedication.

All Upper School boys have the opportunity to volunteer in school and outside in their local communities, have work experience and different exercise opportunities and get involved in life skills days and orienteering challenges. The boys are collecting all their evidence in their Falcons Award booklet and will be required to create a project at the end of the academic year in order to win their award. They also visited the local food bank as part of their volunteering, they were able to see how the process works and just how important their work is to our local communities.

They have also been working as Reading Rangers to Reception, Year 3 & 4 and helping with the Lower School break times. Despite being the ones supporting the younger boys, even they are learning new things ‘do you know I haven't ever read that book before until today and we read it together’ Flynn AW. We have also started the ‘Star of the Week’ award in which the boys get nominated by staff around the school for acts of kindness, hard work and dedication or just going beyond being a role model.

They win a break time in the common room, a Queue Jump Pass for them and a friend and 5 merits. It has been so lovely to hear all the amazing things that they have been doing around the school such as: choosing to use their break time to tidy the library, helping the younger boys that were struggling, always being polite and helpful

towards staff and going out of their way to be kind to others.

We have also seen our boys become budding journalists with their Upper School Corner Articles which are published weekly in our school’s newsletter. The boys are allowed to pick any topic they wish and write an informative article. These are also displayed in school and shared weekly in all form rooms. They are truly inspiring the boys and creating a buzz around new topics.

Next term we will begin the work experience section of our Falcons Award. We are starting with the Upper School Podcast which will run as an after-school club. We are seeking scriptwriters, directors, producers, hosts and editors. The podcast will be released on our school website and social media channels, so we are really excited to see what the boys come up with. House Captains are also going to have a chance to run a charity breakfast for their House. They will be required to plan the menu, advertise their event, plan a charity task, get funding and host it. This will be a very exciting event for our young entrepreneurs. Finally, we are looking forward to the deliveries to the Upper School Common Room in the form of a TV and gaming device very kindly sourced by the PA. I know all the boys will join me in thanking them for their very generous donations.

Mrs Keeler, Head of Upper School and Head of Art

My first term at Falcons My first term at Falcons has been amazing. On my first day I went to Henley Fort where I went rock climbing, did some archery and started many friendships with my peers.

After that I went to school and met lots of the teachers and had lots of fun. About 3 weeks later, yr7 and 8 had their first football match against another school, I was in the B team, and we won!

We also went, that half term, on a trip

to the remains of Richmond Palace to learn about the Tudors who lived there.

Later on that day we went to Richmond Museum and got to play with Tudor toys, do a match up exercise and learn about the Tudors.

In my second half I have had a lot of fun and made my friendships stronger. One of the things we did was play a match against Tower House where my team, the B team, lost 11 nil to the opposing team and I’m sure we will do a lot more later in the year.

By Ethan Huckle

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

IN THE CLASSROOM

Welcome to Reception!

Falcons Prep were delighted to welcome their first Reception class in September, our youngest members of the school were quickly and warmly welcomed into the Falcons Family.

We have been thrilled with how quickly they have settled into their new school and with the strong positive relationships they have built with each other and familiar members of staff.

Our learning environment and curriculum have been built around the school’s ethos of “Learning is an Adventure” which can be seen through our emphasis on child-led play and outdoor learning.

We believe in the importance in children leading their own learning both inside and outside alongside qualified Early Years practitioners who

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can support and challenge them. Boys visit our Forest School on a regular basis and take part in a variety of exciting activities there.

As our boys have taken part in daily maths, phonics and literacy sessions we have been impressed with the fantastic progress they have been making, how they are becoming independent and resilient learners and are delighted by the way in which they behave and look after each other.

Mr Davis, Head of Early Years & Reception Teacher

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

IN THE CLASSROOM

Forest School at Falcons Prep Forest School has become an important and popular aspect of life in Reception at Falcons Prep. Reception boys visit our site at least once a week. This provision offers boys a vital means for developing their Falcons Learning Habits, helping them to become life-long learners. Reception excitedly dress themselves in their waterproofs and wellies before walking to our Forest School site, ready to lead their own learning, displaying fantastic curiosity in our natural outdoor environment.

During recent sessions, boys have been curious as they have searched for insects and discovered a fairy village, with fairies in need of help! They have displayed their resilience as they took risks and used tools such as a bow saw and bill hooks to saw and cleave wood.

They have been creative as they have built dens and shown great independence as they used their fantastic imagination alongside a range of tools to plan and carry out their own tasks and games.

As the seasons have changed, boys have had the opportunity to discover and talk about how the world around them has changed and have been resilient as they have visited Forest School in a range of different weather conditions. To keep warm, boys have helped to build and light campfires where we have cooked popcorn, a tasty curry and some delicious porridge!

It is fascinating to see how our boys have reacted in an environment such as Forest School, away from technology and familiar toys and resources. Here they display their fantastic imagination and the ideas and concepts they consider are unlike those possible inside.

Boys from older year groups have enjoyed visiting our Forest School as an afternoon club where they have enjoyed exploring and playing in the area as well as using a variety of tools and enjoying melted chocolate and marshmallows on a campfire!

Reading Rangers Year 7 & 8 have had a fantastic term working as Reading Rangers for the younger years.

Year 3 & 4 have enjoyed their time with the Upper School very much and look forward to their Friday sessions with eager anticipation.

We have also introduced the role of Reading Ranger for Reception. Adam, Harry, Marcus and Mohammadreza have loved joining Reception class every Friday to read with them.

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

IN THE CLASSROOM

Maths In mathematics this year, we have seen the continuation of our progress towards a Mastery approach to learning. As a result boys have been enjoying their learning more, their confidence has increased and overall attitudes towards mathematics have gone up. We have also seen a return to pre-Covid averages in our results and are pleased with our on-going work to fill the remaining gaps from the past few challenging years. Suffice to say, things are looking very positive and the boys are both working hard and receiving effective support in lessons.

• Year 3 and 4 have been developing their understanding of calculation, using physical resources and counters to visualise and model each process and have applied this learning to realworld problems for each of their topics.

• Year 5 and 6 entered the Primary Mathematics

Challenge (PMC) 2021, with the boys having done very well to achieve so many awards. The Year 5s, up against the Year 6 boys, impressively achieved several of the Silver awards available.

Our three Gold awards were excellent too, with George Wells’ result being sent off for potential invite to the PMC 2021 National Final.

• Year 7 and 8 had their first taste of financial planning this week, using the internet and spreadsheets to research and account for living in London when given net monthly salaries of between £1500 and £3000.

Lastly, I am proud of the efforts that Year 8 have put into their revision, the next round of mock exams is not far away and, like all boys, they should action their targets over Christmas.

Mr Boler Head of Mathematics

Science One of our Science highlights this term has been Year 5's Dragon Egg Project.

The boys had to design a system, using their knowledge of insulation, to take their dragon egg home without it melting. They were not allowed to bring a freezer to school or they would be disqualified! We eagerly await to find out if the eggs survived!

Mr Dawkins Head of Science

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

IN THE CLASSROOM

Immersive History Workshop A suffragette, Viking and lastly Boudicca came in to visit Y4,5,6 on 1st December for a series of fascinating, immersive history workshops. The boys learnt about the suffragette struggles and achievements, heard of Boudicca’s revolt against Roman rule and made their own Roman shields.

A superb time was enjoyed by all!

Miss Wrigley Head of History Head of Assessment, Data & Reporting

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

IN THE CLASSROOM

Our first term at Falcons by Year 3 We are all very happy to be part of the Falcons family. We have worked hard, had fun and made friends in our first term. These are just some of our highlights: We entered the Superhero Factory on Monday 6th September, we went on a treasure hunt around the school, undertook a secret mission for Miss Buchanan and our various superhero activities over the course of the week helped us to recognise our own talents. We discovered that our superpowers are: being kind, being resilient, saying sorry if we do something wrong, being curious, working hard, being independent, being helpful, having fun, forgiving each other, being reflective, playing together and listening to each other. I am sure you will agree – we are superheroes!

On the 9th September we had a Stone Age to Iron Age Workshop at Richmond Museum. We learnt how to be archaeologists – we excavated some prehistoric artefacts plus some replicas. We used a trowel to gently scrape away the top level of sand.

Once we had discovered an item hidden in the trough we learnt how to softly brush the sand away and define its edges, we then used a miniature trowel to carefully excavate the object. Our final job as archaeologists was to measure our find from all angles, sketch it in detail and use it to answer questions about the past. We loved it – and we were good at it too.

We have had a couple of walks around our local area. As part of our Superhero Factory we discovered how we could use our superpowers to investigate the park and playground – we used our

imaginations and our bodies to act out superhero scenarios.

It was great fun. We have also been on a map reading walk around the local area.

We found out what is in our locality and filled in the details on incomplete maps, including street names. Our teachers let us lead the way and we didn’t get lost!

We have enjoyed our work so far this year. In English we are reading ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes and this has inspired us to write diary entries, stories and newspaper articles. In RS we are finding out about Christianity and we have heard lots of parables, these are the stories Jesus told to encourage people to be kind and look after each other. In Geography we have been finding out more about Our World – improving our map skills, our understanding of position and direction and learning about the seven continents and five oceans.

We have done so much in our first term at Falcons we can’t even write it all down. We are very proud of ourselves and our teachers are proud of us too.

Black History Month Year 4 have been reading ‘Journey to Jo’Burg’ by Beverley Naidoo, to learn all about apartheid in South Africa.

Oscar’s mum visited to share her experiences, of what it was like to grow up in South Africa at the time, with us. Following this, the Year 4 boys discussed examples of racism and learned about 'white privilege'. They participated in a race where they all began at different starting points. Chef Kevin spoke to the boys about his experiences of growing up with racism and how different life is today for his children.

Miss Salama & Miss McCarthy Year 4 Teachers

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

IN THE CLASSROOM

National Poetry Day This year, we celebrated National Poetry Day and the year’s theme of CHOICE by allowing the boys to choose, write and share poems. We were also lucky enough to be visited by professional poet, Luke Davis. Luke is an improvisational poet who creates quick-fire poems on any topic you can think to throw at him!

Luke ran workshops throughout the day, letting the boys into his creative process, writing poems for them, with them and challenging them to write their own! The boys had a great time and under short time conditions were able to produce poems of outstanding quality which often explored emotive themes and ideas.

Mr Westby Head of English

Life Skills The Upper School have been finessing their domestic skills with lessons on everything from reading washing machine labels, to sewing, baking and ironing. We look forward to hearing how these new skills are put to good use at home!

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BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES

September Residential The boys attended Henley Fort on a fantastic ‘back to school’ residential in September. They got to explore a number of activities including climbing, orienteering, archery, assault courses, den building and making fires safely! It was a great way to come together and to reconnect with each other. We also got to stay in Yurts, which was a new experience for many. The boys really developed their Falcons learning habits on this trip, particularly creativity when creating their own orienteering courses, resilience through trying new activities that looked a bit daunting and independence through working through problems on their own. The boys were also curious exploring the new site and all of the new activities on offer. We also spent time reflecting on the previous year and looked forward to the adventurous year ahead. After all, Falcons is all about learning with adventure!

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES

Chiswick Book Festival We were delighted to hear that all three Falcons boys, Eddie T, George W and Arthur H received a commendation award for their poems at the Chiswick Book Festival Young People's Poetry Competition.

The boys were lucky enough to be presented their goody bag prizes by Television and Sports Personality, Claire Balding and some also got to meet childrens' author and illustrator, Rob Biddulph! Mr Westby was especially proud!

Natural History Museum On Thursday 18th November 3C went on an adventure to the Natural History Museum. It all started when we took a train journey together. We were very good at reading the map on the District Line train and counting the stops. When we arrived at the Museum we loved looking up at the beautiful building from the outside.

As soon as we went in through the doors we immediately saw 2 giraffes towering over us, one was a stuffed giraffe (which looked like it was still alive) and the other was a full giraffe skeleton. This gave us a taste of what was to come!

Our main focus was the Dinosaur Gallery.

We used our scientific knowledge and our detective skills to identify whether the skeletons on display were carnivores, herbivores or omnivores. We had to justify our opinions and give evidence for our choices. We then used our English skills to read the exhibit labels to see if we were correct or not. Most of the time we were spot on! We were excellent at spotting and naming the different types of teeth.

After a delicious packed lunch we had some extra time in the Museum so we went to the Creepy Crawlies Gallery – very interesting! We explored the main entrance Gallery (above us was a gigantic blue whale skeleton) and found some beautiful rocks from all around the world.

Our last visit was to the Blue Zone to see all the stuffed mammals – most of them bigger than us.

We did not manage to get all the way around the Museum but by the end of the day we were very tired. We loved it and we begged our teacher to take us back so that we could see the rest of the exhibits later in the year.

Mrs Cowdery Year 3 Teacher

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BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES

Brighton Art Trip Year 3 had such a fantastic day in Brighton on their Art trip. We started the day on the beach painting the beautiful seascape in front of us. The boys remembered their rules of perspective and completed their landscape with an accurate composition. We then played a game of scavenger hunt in which the boys had to find different textured and patterned stones to create different images. We ended the day with lunch on the pier and a few games on the 2p machines.

And of course an ice cream!

Richmond Museum On Wednesday 13th October Year 4 visited Richmond Museum where they took part in a Romans workshop. Reuben became Reuebenus and demonstrated how to wear a toga, boys took part in Roman games and Zachy became a model Roman student using a stylus and wax tablet! Boys were able to handle Roman artefacts as they guessed their function and use for a historian.

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES

Battle Abbey On a sunny Friday morning Year 5 set off on an adventure to Battle Abbey, a sleepy town nearish the coast where the famous Battle of Hastings took place. We were lucky enough to have the whole battle site to ourselves as the abbey and battlefield is closed to the public on weekdays.

We explored crypts, towers, lookouts and even re-enacted the famous battle itself! Boys took part in a conquest tour and tales workshop where they dressed up and handled real weapons and armour. Then it was a visit to the all-important shop where Year 5 brought home replica swords, helmets and dragons!

Oxygen Kestrel House Trip After winning the annual merit totals last year, pupils in Year 4-8 from Kestrel were treated to a House Trip to Oxygen Trampolining Park with Head of House, Miss Salama. A high flying afternoon was enjoyed by all!

Vicious Vikings A number of Y5 boys were treated to a trip to the St Benedict's Vicious Viking Workshop in November. It was a terrifyingly top trip!

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

PASTORAL

Eco Schools Despite some admin hold-ups to our plans we did get up to a few activities: the potatoes were out early in the term and the crates have now been recycled as Games Dept kit holders.

We continue to work at reducing electricity, litter and waste. And hope that everybody continues to make enviro-centred decisions on transport – not just to school!

A few boys keep letting me know about the progress of their trees and promise me photos – yet to see the evidence though!

The succulents are growing well in the Geography Room and a few babies are trailing off so some replanting to do soon.

We are working towards the Woodland Trust Green Tree Award – we've gained enough points for Bronze and Silver Awards and are currently looking at activities for the top award! Send photos of you out with the family doing ‘Woody’ stuff – Tie a yellow ribbon, festoon with socks, have a tree party, dress a tree, play the trees classical music, make a collage – use your imagination! Let me know!

Big plans for the next couple of terms!

1. As we are now a member of the Twickenham and Thames Valley Beekeepers we will hopefully be adopting a hive so the boys can watch it change and learn about being a beekeeper. Only open to the Eco-committee first but possibly a club for the future?

FeD Talk The Upper School boys were treated to a riveting talk from Falcons parents, Mr & Mrs le Fleming about their experience of life in the F1 fast lane!

The boys were fascinated by the insights shared from engineering and technology to sponsorship and marketing.

Many thanks to Mr & Mrs le Fleming for hosting! Stay tuned for more FeD talks next year!

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2. A new package of tree whips from the Woodland Trust has been held-up due to Covid / transport restrictions so we will be supporting the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Hedgerow Regeneration Scheme on 17th January next year (tbc).

3. At the beginning of the Summer Term (hopefully warmer weather) we are hoping to do a Beach Litter Clean-up that Sussex Wildlife Trust have offered to organise for us. Probably in the first couple of weeks after the Easter holidays on a weekend. So Parents – if you fancy a day out at the beach with the family AND do something good at the same time – this is for you! Open to all – bring your friends!

Mr Martin Head of Geography & Eco Schools

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

PASTORAL

Get Caught Reading Mrs Keeler set the boys a fun Half Term challenge to 'Get Caught Reading' in the most creative spaces and places! Well done to our creative winners...!

3C- Henry

5B- Ollie

4M- Rafe

6S- James

4S- Zachy

8F- Ben

Treehouses The boys have thoroughly enjoyed their two live treehouse sessions this term. The tercels (Year 7 and 8) did a fantastic job of leading the younger years in planned activities. We had a wide variety of fun activities from bingo to treasure hunts to drawing tasks! We can’t wait to see what the next term will bring....what will the Year 7 and 8 plan next?!

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PASTORAL

Road Safety Week This year’s Road Safety Week was a huge success. In Life Skills the pupils considered our road safety heroes, and we also thought about how to stay safe on a daily basis when near the road or travelling by different modes of transport.

Odd Socks Day We supported the Anti-Bullying Alliance's Odd Socks Day to help raise awareness and funds for this important cause.

Pre-Prep Collaboration We've enjoyed hosting little Falcons from Pre-Prep Chiswick throughout this term.

Mr Davis has welcomed their Reception Class to team up with our Reception boys each week for Forest School, Mr Shaw hosted a fun Games afternoon, supported

by Year 8's Jenson B & AJ le F and Mr Peckham hosted an interactive Music & Drama session which had the boys bopping around our Music department.

We look forward to introducing the PrePrep boys to their designated Falcons Prep buddies in the New Year, as we continue to support and collaborate on our boys' Falcons learning journeys.

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

PASTORAL

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

Kindness Week & Anti Bullying Talk What a week it was! With all sorts of activities planned for the boys it was a fun filled and jam packed week.

Not only did we get to wear our odd socks on the Monday to celebrate difference, the CTC committee sprang into action, delivering lunchtime sessions for boys to share about kindness at Falcons Prep. Our Community Ambassadors were busy too, working with each from group on an activity all about celebrating what makes us special and unique. We were also incredibly lucky to

have a visit from some older Falcons, (now at Hampton), talking in assembly about all things anti-bullying. Our Life Skills lessons were all about spreading kindness through ‘one kind word’ and this linked in nicely with our Weekly Focus of Inclusivity from Year 4. Overall, a fantastic week where we were able to continue to consider ways to spread kindness in our.

Our focus this term has been on reconnecting and spreading kindness around the school. We started this off with a number of initiatives and welcomed an external speaker to talk all things kindness and shared his experience of being bullied. The boys had the opportunity to share kind words to their peers and celebrate their differences. The sticky label task was particularly lovely, where compliments were shared around the room from one pupil to another.

Miss Wyatt Deputy Head- Pupil Welfare and Well-being Designated Safeguarding Lead

l School Counci

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

HOUSE COMPETITIONS

House Competitions

Hobby

Merlin

Kestrel

Peregrine

This term we have had a whole host of competitions:

The House House Loaf making Vegetable Growing Competition for Competition harvest This is a popular competition where boys grow vegetables over the summer holidays, and demonstrate their experiences with pictures or scrap books and notes.

WINNER: Hobby and Merlin

This year was the best yet, with all boys in the House participating, including Reception! All boys contribute to making the loaf and the Year 7 and 8 Tercels assist and lead the House. This year’s creations were particularly impressive!

WINNER: Peregrine

House Public Speaking Competition The House Public Speaking Competition was yet another success this year with record entries! Pupils are asked to speak on a topic of their choice for up to 3 minutes. Auditions happen prior to the event and each House puts forward their finalists. This year, we split the competition into two so Year 345 could compete separately to Year 678 and welcomed a guest judge to assembly to pick the winners. Congratulations to our winners for this year, Freddie B (5) who talked about why cats make better pets than dogs and Alberto B (7) who talked about fishing.

WINNER: Peregrine

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A huge well done to all boys for their participation, ensuring they are gaining merits and points for their House! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the merit totals, and future competitions in the Spring Term. Our Recipe Competition will run over the Christmas Holidays, so please do have a look at the House Pages on Firefly for more information.

SPORTS

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

Sports Round-Up The boys have been eager to get back out on the football pitch this term.

With fixtures back up and running, it has been clear to see how much the boys have missed competitive matches against other schools.

Our senior boys have enjoyed multiple fixtures against Tower House, Arnold House and Wetherby Seniors. They have also tasted some tournament football in the Arnold House 7 aside Senior Tournament.

It has been pleasing to see the boys develop their understanding of 11 aside football.

In Years 5 & 6, we have been able to combine our teams for tournaments and some fixtures. The boys have represented the school in tournaments at RPPS, Charterhouse and Arnold House.

They have played some tantalising football this term and have grown in confidence each week.

It has been a breath of fresh air to see our younger boys enjoying football matches this term. They are learning formations and positioning in a fun environment. Some stand out matches against Orchard House and St Christopher's were the highlight of the term.

Mr Shaw, Director of Sport

House Football Competition What a fantastic event this year! All of the boys approached the House Football Competition with a positive attitude, doing their bit for the House!

Middle school

Upper School

1st Kestrel

1st Hobby

2nd Peregrine

2nd Kestrel

3rd Merlin

Joint 3rd Peregrine and Merlin

4th Hobby

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COMMUNITY & CHARITY

Remembrance This year we marked Remembrance with our very own Remembrance Garden at the front of the school. We also attended a wonderful Remembrance assembly at St John the Divine, where Father Neil told us all about Remembrance at the Church including the field cross which is on the wall. Boys from each form read poems about the story of the war. It was a fantastic occasion allowing us to reflect and remember those that lost their lives.

Foodbank Donations For Harvest this year, pupils were encouraged to donate food to their local foodbanks via their local supermarket.

See Reuben Y4 making his donation here!

The Year 7&8 Boys also visited our Local Richmond Foodbank to understand how a foodbank works, who may use the foodbank and the boys took donations with them to assist in making up some food parcels. This forms part of their Falcons Award for volunteering.

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| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

COMMUNITY & CHARITY

| Issue 8 | Autumn 2021

Richmond Christmas Lights Switch On We were over the moon to perform at the big Richmond Christmas Lights Switch On event at Richmond Riverside on Thursday 2nd December.

The festive line-up was led by none other than Father Christmas himself and presented by Radio Jackie. The boys did us proud spreading the festive cheer, belting out the Sussex Carol and Shakin’ Stevens classic, Merry Christmas Everyone, which certainly got the crowd bopping! The boys also supported our partner local charity, Skylarks singing with their members on stage too.

Richmond Theatre, Richmond Music Trust, some Stormtroopers, Peter Rabbit and

the local Mayor were all present – quite the jam-packed family festive entertainment line-up!

A huge thanks to Be Richmond for hosting us and inviting Falcons Prep to be part of such a special evening!

It's an especially jam-packed Falcons festive season this year as we get set to enjoy a host of festivities including our Nativity Production, Carol-Service, Prize-Giving Ceremony, a trip to Richmond Theatre and Christmas Jumper Day!

Shoe Box Appeal This year, each form has donated a shoe box to the Shoe Box Appeal Charity run by the Samaritan’s Purse for Operation Christmas Child. The idea is to provide children in other parts of the world with a Christmas gift to share the love and joy at Christmas time.

Farewell and Welcome At the end of this term we will sadly be bidding farewell to Head of English, Mr Westby, after 8 years at Falcons Prep.

Mrs Gomes, Head's PA, will also be moving on to another opportunity after 7 years.

I'm sure you will join me in sharing the greatest appreciation for their hard work and dedication to the school and the boys over the years. We wish both all the best in their new school ventures!

We welcomed Mr Evans this half term, who will be taking on the role as Head of English in the Spring Term.

We also look forward to introducing you to new Deputy Head of Learning and Innovation, Mrs Suaverdez, in the Spring Term.

Please join me in wishing a big Falcons welcome to our new team members!

Wishing you all a fantastic break and a very Merry Christmas from all at Falcons Prep! registrar@falconsprep.co.uk T: 0208 9489490 Falcons Prep Richmond 41 Kew Foot Road, Richmond, TW9 2SS Find us on @Falcons_prep @FalconsPrep @falconsprep @Falcons Prep – Richmond

Issue 8 | Autumn 2021 | falconsprep.co.uk