Newsletter - Claremont School

CLAREMONT
SCHOOL
Weekly Newsletter
Friday 12th February 2016
Claremont Senior School is top of the GCSE league tables in
East Sussex
Dear Parent,
Does every half term at Claremont fly by so quickly? It feels as if we have only just finished
wishing each other Happy New Year and now it is time for another holiday! We have managed to
pack in a huge amount over the last six weeks: from author visits, to Google Classroom, to four
Parents’ Evenings in a row, the pace has been exhilarating. We’ve had fitness training with the
Games Department; the children became Kings and Queens in their French lessons; numerous
children achieved fantastic music exam results; we’ve had gymnasts getting certificates; PrePrep has visited the Observatory Science Centre in Hertmonceaux and many pupils are turning
into eager chefs. No wonder we are all exhausted!
On Wednesday, Reception was very excited to welcome Phil and his
menagerie when ‘Jaws N Claws’ came to visit. While Mrs Handyside
was cooing over the giant, fluffy rabbits, Mrs Ackerley and I were
drawn to the reptiles and I was soon happily holding Ben the milk
snake (pictured left), while our intrepid Head of Science was
trusted with Steve, the Royal Python. I have to confess to being a
little less keen on Rosie the Tarantula!
While our Charity Week has yet to come in the second half of term, we have focused on SUDEP
and Myeloma UK, as well as Starfish Malawi this half term. This is a reminder that you are
welcome to contribute to the school in Malawi when you return from half term, as our packages
of brand-new exercise books and pencils, as well as preloved sunglasses, will be sent out next
month. Thank you very much to everyone who has donated so far.
Love was in the air during this morning’s assembly which was led by the Year 8 prefects. We
learnt that in English, the word “love” is utilised in a wide variety of contexts, from the prosaic
“I love chips,” to the romantic “I love you”. However, in Greek there are specific words for the
different kinds of love, such as “philia” denoting the love that comes of friendship, or “pragma”
the deep commitment which forms between long-married couples. Our prefects exhorted us to
celebrate love for our families and friends this Valentine’s Day.
After half term we have another full and varied calendar of events, starting on Monday with the
In2Hockey County Championships at Eastbourne College. In the evening, Years 3,4,5 and 6 have
a swimming gala at Claremont Senior School and that is just Monday. Later on in the week, we
bid “Bon voyage” to our Year 7 pupils who depart for St Omer.
We hope that all the children enjoy a well-earned rest and those that are doing half term
activities here at Claremont thoroughly enjoy themselves. We look forward to welcoming
children back on the 22nd February for what will be, undoubtedly, a very full calendar of fun and
learning.
Abra Stoakley
Polite Notice: Please can parents remember to let the office staff know if their child is
going to be away ill? This needs to be done every day of the illness on school days.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Prep News ............................. 2
Pre-Prep News ...................... 4
Senior School News ........... 6
Birthdays &
Match Reports ................... 8
Menu for week commencing
22nd February ...................... 10
Head Teacher’s
Commendations ..................... 10
Nursery News ....................... 11
WEEK 7
HALF TERM Monday 15 to Friday 19 February
Feb 15 Mon Pre-Prep Multi-Sports Workshop
16 Tue Pre-Prep Multi-Sports Workshop
WEEK 8
Feb 22 Mon Hockey: In2Hockey County
Championships 1st VII (A)
Eastbourne College Astro
10:00AM
Swimming Gala v Ashford Prep, Yrs
3,4,5&6 @ CSS
5:15PM
24 Wed Boys' Hockey v Marlborough House.
1st,2nd,3rd&4th VIIs (A)
2:00PM
Boys' Hockey v Marlborough House.
Colts A,B,C&D VIIs (H)
2:30PM
2:45PM
Netball: Battle Abbey - 1st, 2nd, 3rd , 2:30PM
2:45PM
4th (A) U11 A&B (A)
25 Thu 7A depart for la Maison Claremont,
Saint Omer
Boys' Hockey v St Ronan's. U9 A&B
(H) 2:00pm. U8 ABC (A)
2:00PM
Hockey: v Dulwich Prep
U9/8 ABC (a)
2:00PM
Pre-Prep Parent Focus Group Meeting
6:00PM
Hastings Musicial Festival Begins
26 Sat 7A return from La Maison Claremont,
Saint Omer
2:00PM
approx.
Contact Us
Claremont Prep and Nursery School
Baldslow
St Leonards-on-Sea
East Sussex
TN37 7PW
Tel.: 01424 751555
Website: www.claremontschool.co.uk
General Enquiries:
[email protected]
Newsletter Editor:
[email protected]
I promised more information and hadn’t realised
that the annual crates are going out to Malawi
next month!
I hope your child has told you about Starfish Malawi and is perhaps learning about
this poorest country in the world through the daily geography quiz.
Here are a few key points and how we can help.
Every penny we raise reaches the children in Chitiwiri.
Everyone in the charity is a volunteer.
Starfish Malawi is run by Chris Knott from Sandhurst and Sally Bickersteth
oversees the Chitiwiri school and lives in Northiam. Sally is going in March
and always pays her own air fare.
The school has 500 children.
There is one classroom.
The children only receive one exercise book and one pencil per year. Once finished, a twig and the sand are used.
It costs £10 to provide the one daily meal for 500 children.
Each metre square crate costs £192 to send
We aim to collect money to buy exercise books; pencils; underwear (please ask Mrs Francis or Mrs Mühlemann about what
is needed); sunglasses (non prescription), preferably in a plastic wallet.
Thank you to all the children and staff
who gave up part of their weekend for a
very successful Open Day. We had a
large number of visitors and have
already signed up some new children.
Hattie Bligh did a fantastic model
explaining the water cycle.
The children in Computer Club had great fun making their own games. You can
sign up for this club in the Summer Term if you want to learn how to do this.
Year 4 have
been studying
the death of
Thomas Becket
- to decide who
was guilty of
the murder they reenacted a trial. The
defendants were
Henry II, the
Knights and Becket
himself! 4C found
the Knights guilty
and 4J found
Becket guilty of his
own death.
Mr Carver was invited to watch the trial
and commented that he was very
impressed with their knowledge and saw
some real lawyers in the making.
YEAR 8 :
French LISTENING mock exam on Monday 14th March - 10.20-11.00
French SPEAKING mock exam on Tuesday 15th March - 11.30-15.10
Useful websites for practising French:
www.languageguide.org (vocabulary and grammar)
www.languagesonline.org.uk (topics and grammar)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/french/(4 skills: listening, speaking, reading and
writing)
Main French topics to revise:
1. Family, friends and pets
2. Where I live (area, house, rooms)
3. School, routine and meals of the day
4. Free time activities and holidays
The prefects gave us a lovely assembly all about love on Valentine’s
Day. In the 1840s, a young American woman, Esther Howland
(1828-1904), received an English Valentine and decided to
introduce the tradition to the United States. She produced cards
carrying messages like "Weddings now are all the go, Will you
marry me or no?". The cards fell out of fashion in Britain by the
1890s but more than a century later a billion cards are sent each
year worldwide, with 85 per cent purchased by women. Men
apparently prefer to buy chocolates or flowers or even
diamonds ... go on you know she’s worth it!!!!
Year 3 had great
fun in Art making
Chinese Dragons. I
hope they made it
home intact! Mrs Woodwright.
Congratulations to Freddie Saunders, Balazs Eitzenberger, Charles Crawford,
Galina Baxter, Matthew Biddle, Sarah Biddle, Amelia Barrett, Lorenzo Long and
Betsy Parsons who all got a special mention in assembly this morning.
Willow brought in a 12 foot long dragon, as part of
the Year 2 topic on Chinese New Year! Here they
are stretching it out in the corridor.
Here is a
picture of the
beautiful
dancers
enjoying Mrs
Wilson's Music
and Dance club.
Year 2 children learnt about and created
food chains for their 'Habitats' project
in science and Lilli was so inspired that
she drew her own food chain at home!
Year 2 are working on
measures and Miss
Flanigan’s group
created magic potions
in our capacity lesson.
We had to add dragon
blood, liquid gold,
mermaid snot, troll
slime and many other
gruesome ingredients
to create our wizards’
beer!
Reception have been learning
about Chinese New Year and
made dragon masks.
Reception had a
fantastic afternoon
with a Jaws 'n'
Claws workshop.
They learnt many
interesting facts
about the creatures
and were able to
hold them. Some of
the children were a
little wary to begin
with, but everyone
enjoyed stroking the
rabbit.
Mr Luff is coming in on Monday 29th February to do vision screening for Pre-Prep. Mr Luff is an Optometrist and Contact
Lens Practitioner at Wilson, Wilson and Hancock. Rhodri Luff BSc(Hons), BOptom(Hons), MC Optom.
Year 2 Forest School were exploring
boundaries and hazards in the woods!
Esme Perrin and Lilli Lewis created a
path for Miss Flanigan to get into the
camp, James Furnival found a secret
tunnel and Ethan White was fearless
climbing high!
Several children weren't able to come
to Forest School as they
didn't have any kit. Please
can all children make sure
they have their waterproof
and PE kit in school on the
following days: Year 1
Monday, Reception Tuesday
and Year 2 Thursday? Thank
you. Miss Flanigan
On Shrove Tuesday,
we had a fun-filled
pancake day,
measuring, mixing and
making pancakes. We
wrote the recipe and
method too, but best
of all, we got to eat
our work!!
It's a hard life in Year
1!!
The following people have earned their Yellow
Badge:
Sibylla Tyler, Amarisa Ghattas, Alicia Wieczerzak,
Sophia Testa, Miles Nicolls, Lucas Patel, Daisy
Taylor-Heath, Lexy Tuddenham, Seren
Ethertington, Edward Bridger, Benjamin Field,
Elizabeth Morley, Ethan White.
The following people have earned
their Green Badge:
Sarah Biddle, Emily Kynvin, Isabella
Latuskie, Michalina Pilka.
TERM’S TOTAL
HOUSE POINTS:
Purple: 533
Orange: 523
Yellow: 456
Chinese New Year Celebrations
Vicky Chen
Monday, 8 February found Claremont Senior School celebrating Chinese New Year
4714 beginning with a delicious Chinese Feast prepared by Chef Muna Steed and
her crew. To continue the festivities, the Chinese contingent of our international
student body from years 9, 10 and 12 created a splendid slide presentation
explaining everything we wanted to know about the
Cheryl Chen
Chinese New Year. We learnt about its
ancient origins from James Li; the special
food served by Jen Sun; the New Year
special that has the largest television
viewing audience in the world by Cheryl
Cheng; the incredible amount of people who
Jen Sun
return home to their families and go on
holiday during this time by Vicky Cheng;
the origins of fireworks from Alastair Fan;
the meaning of the calendar and the
James Li
Chinese zodiac by Sarah Liu; and the
traditional game of Mahjong from Aaron
Su and last, but not least, about the
traditional scrolls that decorate people’s
homes on this most important day of the
Chinese year from Eric Han. We have a
debt of gratitude to these young people
who not only compiled, but also delivered their work in a language other than their own
in such a professional manner. They are an example for us all. 新年快乐 Xīnnián kuàilè
Muna Steed and Charlie McGuigan serving up a
fantastic Chinese lunch to celebrate New Year
Claremont Senior gears up for THE Performing Arts Event of the Year!
Tickets are selling like hot cakes for the main performing arts event of the year here at
Claremont Senior School. On Thursday, 10 March at 7.30pm we are hosting a variety of
acts for our Black Box Talent show. Performances range from the weird to the wonderful
including footballing to music, drama sketches, musical items from in house bands,
tribute acts and much, much more! It will be a fantastic showcase of the talent here in
the Senior School from not just the students as staff are sharing their talents too!
Ever wondered what a performing arts event is like here at Claremont Senior? Would you
like an opportunity to see our facilities here? Then grab your family and friends and get
your tickets to see what will be a totally memorable night! Please reserve your tickets
via the Senior School Office at a cost of £3.50 per person. All proceeds are for our
nominated charity, Pestalozzi, who will be providing us with a cultural dance sequence as
part of the performances.
Mrs Bartle, Head of Music and Ms Cakebread, Head of Drama
Student to Play Hockey for Sussex
We are delighted to have found out this week that Nathaniel Webster, who is in Year 10, has been picked to play hockey for
Sussex this season in the position of goalkeeper. Selection has been a long process. We congratulate Nathaniel and wish him
the best of luck this season.
Match Reports
Netball
Claremont v Moira House U15A, Tuesday 9th February
We had a very tough game against Moira House with Claremont one goal down at the end of each quarter. Alice Humphrys was
exceptional in defense and Emily Bewsher worked continuously in the centre third throughout the whole match. The girls did
well to hold their nerve and this paid off as we scored two goals in the last minute giving us a win over Moira House. Final
Score: Claremont 22 - Moira 20.
Claremont v Moira House U15B, Tuesday 9th February
This was a close game throughout, with Claremont and Moira House both taking the lead at different stages in the match.
There were a lot of injuries for the Claremont girls but they kept playing and are now starting to really gel together. Well
done to Ellie Lee in the centre and to Chloe Manning for her constant hard work in defence.
Final Score was a draw: Claremont 13 - Moira 13
Miss Blackman, Head of Girls’ Games
U16 participate in Claverham Community College Year 11 Netball Tournament
On Tuesday, 9 February, our U16s took part in the Claverham Community College Year 11 Netball tournament. It was an action
- packed afternoon, with seven teams taking part, and a series of
8 minute matches. The results were as follows:
Match 1: 6-3 win v Robertsbridge Community College
Match 2: 4-0 win v Helenswood
Match 3: 5-1 win v Battle Abbey
Match 4: 10-0 win v Claverham Community College B-team
Match 5: 7-2 win v St. Richards
Match 6: 2-3 loss v Claverham Community College A-team
Our U16 netball team
Claremont came second overall in the tournament, just losing
their final match against Claverham A-team by just one goal (who
were undefeated all afternoon!) Claremont did score the most
amount of goals throughout the tournament though, with a total
of 34!
Despite a great team performance, Claremont's player of the
tournament goes to Grace Clarke (C), who worked tirelessly
throughout the afternoon and played on despite suffering a bad injury during match 3!
Miss Taylor, Girls' Games Teacher
Years 6, 7 & 8
Claremont 184 - 205 Vinehall
Our Years 6-8 boys and girls had their second gala in as many weeks. This week we hosted
Vinehall. In previous years we have shared the wins and this year was also a tightly contested
gala. The standard on show was at a very high level. With a few swimmers out due to illness in
Years 6 & 7 we called upon James Gardiner and Evie Stockdale from Year 5. They both swam
incredibly well with James swimming in the Year 7 boys freestyle race and helping to win their
relay. Evie also had the chance to swim two ages up and took the last leg of the Year 7 girls
Freestyle relay and she managed to overtake her competitor to win. Gen Davies once again did
superbly well, she swam up to help the Year 7 girls Relay team. The Year 7 boys team won both
of their relays and had one of their best results of the year. The Year 8 boys and girls squads
have had good seasons to date. The boys were competitive throughout and there were some
excellent performances. The Year 8 girls kept up their fantastic unbeaten record in all of
their relays and were stronger again in most of the races. It was a fantastic effort by all of
our swimmers with some having to swim more than expected. Below is the breakdown of
results;
CL
VH
U11 Girls 25
40
U11 Boys
27
38
U12 Girls 27
38
U12 Boys 37
28
U13 Girls 37
28
U13 Boys 31
34
Week 6
vs Moira House
U13As
The U13As had a tough game against a strong Moira House team this week. Moira House
dominated possession in the first two quarters of the game and their shooters were on fine
form, scoring every chance they had. By half time Moira House had a comfortable lead.
However, Claremont came back strong in the second half and used the set pieces with greater
effect. We showed better decision-making and teamwork which enabled us to feed the circle
with greater success and narrow their lead, particularly in the final quarter ( which we won 54! ). Sadly, the deficit was too big to catch and Moira House finished as winners. Miss Hurst
POM:Tippi Willard
Congratulations to everyone who
celebrates their birthday during half
term and the following week:
Ben Hemmings-Lang
23rd February
Elspeth Irvine-Capel
23rd February
Maggie McKechnie
23rd February
Melanie Clancy
24th February
Amy-Lou Hammond
24th February
Lara Etherington
28th February
Eric Szasz
19th February
Charlie Glasper
20th February
Beatrice Ackerley
23rd February
Staff:
Ms Sarah McDonnell
20th February
Mr William Robertson
23rd February
Miss Gillian Wilson
27th February
Miss Jolene Smith
27th February
2nds
After a successful start to the season, the 2nds have struggled a little in previous matches and such was the case today. We were slow to
start and didn't really get to replicate the things we have been working on in lessons, namely creating space and timing our movements to
receive the ball. As a result we often gave away possession, putting ourselves under unnecessary pressure, allowing Moira House to score a
steady 3 goals each quarter without reply. Injuries in the 3rd 1/4 and a slightly demoralised approach let in a further 6 goals resulting in a
loss. Miss Holmes
POM: Mary Woodfear, who battled on despite a heavy fall.
3rds
The 3rds had a very close game against Moira House on Wednesday. We made some super link passes down the court to Eleanor Amber-Perrin
(GS) and Amaya Gomez (GA). At half time we were losing 4-3 but we fought back to make it a 7-7 draw. However, unfortunately Moira House
scored a sneaky goal on the final whistle which stands. Miss Compton
Claremont 7-8 Moira House
POM: Emily Manning (GD)
U11A’s
This started off as quite an even contest, with the score line 2-3 at the end of the first quarter and 4-6 at half-time. However, Moira House
brought on several subs second-half, which strengthened their team, and they went on to win the match 5-11.
Isabella Moloney (GD) was voted most valued player by the opposition, for the 3rd match running. She really enjoys her netball and has gone
from strength to strength this term. Miss Taylor
Week 6
vs Vinehall
1st
The first team played a strong Vinehall side. The game was a little one sided in that Vinehall scored the
majority of their goals on the break when Claremont were attacking. There were some good performances
notably from Ollie Constable who played at the heart of the defence and also Jack Mason who was outstanding in goal.
The 2nds were much more competitive against Vinehall and had goal scoring opportunities but could not take them. Harry Barron Reid
took the only goal for Claremont with a good finish from close range. There was an outstanding performance from Ivo Pitts in
midfield.
Hockey vs Battle Abbey
Wednesday saw the Claremont boys play another match vs Battle Abbey. The game was played in a great spirit which saw Claremont
go down by two goals before the boys reacted to the small playing area. Credit to the boys who responded to some strong words from
Mr Patel and scored two goals in quick succession from Ollie Constable and Eric Szaz and then a third from Ivo Pitts which was a
great individual effort.
Jack Mason then proceeded to save six shots in quick succession so Claremont could take the win.
Colts A
The As started well against a testing opposition in a game that was hotly contested we took an early lead but Vinehall drew level. We
went on to take the lead through a second Max Giddins goal, finely taken from some exciting play down the right hand side of the
pitch. After half time, Vinehall tried to ramp up the pressure but resolute defending from William de Wilde, Charlie Glasper and Man
of the Match Wilf Sellick, prevented them from scoring and a finish from Ned Perrin from a very acute angle all but made the game
secure. A second goal for Vinehall towards the end of the game put our win in doubt before Max Giddins completed his hat trick and
restored the two goal advantage with time to spare.
Colts B
First round of fixtures came early on in the season and with little practice the two teams went over to Vinehall. The Bs had a
tentative start: chance after chance was created by Paddy White and Alfie Saunters but the introduction of Cohen Luff made a
difference yet again meeting a well delivered cross he fired low across the keeper. Moments later, an impressive Elliot Wilson
stepped into the D and capitalised on some slow defending to score a long range second goal. In the second half, the tide changed
briefly and Freddie Saunders pulled off a remarkable save at full stretch. The save spurred us on and Alfie finished the win with a
tap in from Patrick White.
Great start Colts: try to ensure as many of you as possible attend the extra Hockey sessions at break times, lunchtimes and after
school!
3rd & 4ths
Our 3rds came up against a strong Vinehall 3rd team. The boys were caught out very early and gave Ru Handyside very little chance to
stop the shots at his goal. Ru in the second half pulled off a couple of very good stops to keep the scoreline down. With us being 3-0
down at half time we moved Jacob Ray back in defence and Ale Nard up top which meant that the balance in the team was much
better. 3-0 was the final score, but the boys will know to start quicker in the game! Man of the Match Jacob Ray.
The 4ths also started very slowly and were 2 goals down very early on in the game. However, once the boys started to compete and
make tackles the game swung and it was Claremont doing most of the attacking. Hong Chen swept the ball home. Second half came and
we spoke about getting more players into the 'D' and getting shots away earlier. Daniel Morris played a solid game throughout and he
scored the 2nd with a strong hit. Unfortunately, a rare Vinehall attack resulted in them scoring to make it 3-2, but it was a very good
game. Man of the Match: Daniel Morris
U8/U9
Our U8/U9s hosted Vinehall on Thursday afternoon. Every boy in Years 3 & 4 were involved and lots of Hockey was played. We split
the boys into 6 mixed teams. The games were played across the astro and we played in a round robin format; each team going on to
play a different team. There was lots of encouraging signs of Hockey played and having only picked up a stick at the end of last week
we put the skills that we have learnt into practice. Parts of our game we need to further work on will be to use the push pass more
effectively, as well as getting our head up to play. However, lots of goals were scored and the wins were shared around.
Well done to all the boys who played and conducted themselves very well throughout!
Claremont’s Winter Menu
w/c 22nd February 2016
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Meat Option
Spaghetti Bolognaise
with Grated Cheese
or
Smoked Salmon Fusilli
Beef Curry and Naan
Bread
Roast Pork and Gravy
with Apple Sauce
Macaroni and Bacon
Cheese
Fish Fingers or Baked
Cod
Vegetarian
Tomato and Fresh Basil
Sauce
Wholemeal Spaghetti
Pasta
Jacket Potatoes with
Various fillings
Please ask
(Available to Pre-Prep)
Chunky Vegetable
Quiche
Wholemeal Braised
Rice
Jacket Potatoes with
Various fillings
Please ask
Five Bean Cassolet
Mushroom Risotto
Roast Potatoes
Wholemeal Bread Rolls
Cheese and Tomato
Pizza
French Fries
Jacket Potatoes with
Various fillings
Please ask
(Available to Pre-Prep)
Jacket Potatoes with
Various fillings
Please ask
Jacket Potatoes with
Various fillings
Please ask
(Available to Pre-Prep)
Mixed Olives
Mango Chutney
Cucumber Raita
Salad Bar Available
Baked Rhubarb
or
Lime Jelly
or
Fresh Fruit
Green Beans and Leeks
Broccoli and Sweetcorn
Baked Beans and Peas
Salad Bar Available
Apricot Cake
or
Strawberry Pots
or
Fresh Fruit
Salad Bar Available
Rice Pudding with Fruit
Puree
or
Peaches and Fromage
Frais
or
Fresh Fruit
Salad Bar Available
Honey Flapjack
or
Fresh Fruit
Side
Also Available
Extras/Vegetables
Salad Bar
Dessert
Salad Bar Available
Poached Pears
or
Fruit Yoghurts
or
Fresh Fruit
Nursery Menu for Next Week
Monday
Meat Option
Side/Vegetables
Dessert
Tea
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Pork with
Wholewheat Fusilli
Roast Chicken
and Gravy
Beef Filled Taco Shells
Toad in the Hole
Fish Fingers
Mixed Peppers
and
Sweetcorn
Apple Crumble
and Custard
or
Fresh Fruit
Carrots
and
Leeks
Fresh Fruit Salad
and Cream
or
Fresh Fruit
Onion Rings
and
Tomato Salsa
Banoffi Cheesecake
or
Fresh Fruit
Creamed Potatoes
and
Peas
Mixed Yoghurts
or
Fresh Fruit
French Fries
and
Baked Beans
Chocolate Cake
or
Fresh Fruit
Jacket Potato
and
Cheese
Baked Beans
on Toast
Soup
and
Sausage Roll
Pizza
and
Coleslaw
Mixed Wraps
and
Vegetable Sticks
Head Teacher’s Commendations:
Balazs Eitzenberger, Amelia Barrett, Charles Crawford,
Freddie Saunders, Cathryn Garner, Galina Baxter, Elisabeth
Parsons, Mary Woodfear, Lorenzo Long, Matthew Biddle.
WEEK’S TOTAL
HOUSE POINTS:
TERM’S TOTAL
HOUSE POINTS:
Sparta: 758
Athens: 756
Corinth: 681
Athens: 3176
Corinth: 2781
Sparta: 2760
On Monday we immersed ourselves in Chinese New Year. We listened to
a story about naming the years after twelve animals which competed in
the Jade Emperor’s race. Then we performed a dragon dance, having
watched a clip of a real Chinese dragon dancing in the street. Zachary
beat the Bongo drum loudly to help us to move the dragon’s body in a
coordinated fashion.
In the afternoon, we learned the names for two colours in French and also the
names of some items of clothing. After this we tried a variety of Chinese
snacks. We managed to eat most of these using bamboo chop sticks. The Foxes
are acquiring a diverse array of life skills aren’t they?
On Tuesday, we helped Mr Bloo estimate how many jelly monsters would fit in
various containers. Our skill at estimating is really developing.
We have performed “disappearing tricks” on a random assortment of powders such as sand, tea leaves, jelly crystals, flour,
and compost which we stirred into jars of water. We predicted which would vanish (soluble products) and which would remain
visible in the jar (insoluble products). We then tested our hypotheses which was highly exciting.
Fire lighting in Forest School on Ash Wednesday seemed very appropriate. We made
drop scone batter in Foxes first thing in the morning and then carried all the kit we
needed up to the woods. Sadly Mrs Exley couldn’t get a hot enough fire going in the
time available to cook our drop scones outdoors. Mrs Exley was very proud of the
Badgers and Foxes for not grumbling about their disappointment. The batter went back
in the fridge and was cooked later.
We have begun to write our own “Winnie the Witch” story. It involves Winnie a
pancake and a fox so far. When we have finished writing, we will illustrate it with a
view to sharing our story with others.
This week we have focused on Chinese New Year - we watched a short clip
about Chinese New Year and noticed that dragons were quite significant.
Therefore we freely painted dragons with bright colours, exploring colour
mixing and used glitter to make them stand out even more. To carry on
with the Chinese New Year celebrations we tasted some Chinese food. The
next day we looked at lanterns and we all created our own lanterns using
felt tips, tissue paper, glitter and glue! These can be seen hanging in the
classroom.
Away from the celebrations, we have also been looking at the letter 't' in our
phonics sessions. We have been forming the letter, beginning to practise more
recognisable letters. Alongside this, we have also been forming some amazing
numbers 1-5. To add to our phonics progression we have been exploring sounds at
the start of words. Each child had their own item and the had to think of what
letter their item started with. We had objects ranging from, milk, a picture of
Marlon, socks, toy ants and an apple.
To add to our fun, we had visits to the adventure playground and used our
climbing skills and had fun in Forest School.
This week, Hedgehogs have been
looking at the colour red for Chinese
New Year. We played with Chinese
noodles and monkeys, and sorted the
red bears into groups. The children
have also helped create a beautiful
Chinese New Year board.
This week in Robins we have
been very busy making lots of
lovely St Valentine arts and
crafts; we had lots of fun
making St Valentine cookies. We
also enjoyed Chinese New Year
food tasting. We have
also welcomed Francesca and
Joseph to the Robins this week.
Squirrels has been a hive of activity
this week as we celebrated Chinese
New Year. We had already made
monkeys and lanterns and enjoyed
dancing dragon and lion dances, so
Becky had a lovely idea for the Squirrels to paint pictures of
Chinese writing. We used gold and red to represent luck and
prosperity and also as, apparently, the colour red scares dragons
away!
Ducklings and Butterflies started the beginning of the week by
celebrating Chinese New Year by making Chinese lanterns and
eating Chinese food.
On Tuesday both rooms had great fun flipping pancakes with their
friends and then eating pancakes at lunch time; they where
delicious.
Towards the end of the week we made heart-shaped biscuits for
our Mummys and Daddys as well as making Valentine’s pictures
using tissue paper, paint and glue.