FROM THE HEADMASTER

Scholarship Success

I am delighted to announce further scholarship successes for members of Year 8.  Congratulations to Shanaya Phatak who has been awarded no fewer than three scholarships to Stowe for Academic, Bevington (Classics) and Music.  Huge congratulations to Shanaya on these quite tremendous achievements.

I am also very pleased to report that Jessica King has been awarded a Music scholarship to Leicester Grammar – a just reward for all her hard work in this area over the years.

On the subject of music, I should congratulate Heads of Music, Jess and Shanaya, and all those members of Year 8 who performed in their Informal Concert on Monday.  As I said after the concert, what an extremely talented year group they are; there were some quite stunning performances.

Events Next Week

We have the Years 5 and 6 House Cross-Country on Monday afternoon starting at 2.55pm. On Thursday a number of our children will be attending the Uppingham School Orchestral Day, which is always a really valuable and enjoyable day of music making for our pupils.

On Friday Mr James Hodgson, Headmaster of Bedford School, will be speaking in assembly (8.45am start) and then meeting any interested parents afterwards over coffee in the Drawing Room – all welcome.

Parking

Those longer-serving parents will be very used to my regular mentions of driving and parking. Please could I ask, again, that parents do not park in the village when collecting your children.  This is particularly important on Manor Road, the road just outside the school gates.  Parking on the roads creates obstruction, leading to bottlenecks and this means that our car park clears far more slowly.  You will have seen we have put traffic cones on the road – please do not park between them or even at the end of the line of cones. Thank you, as ever, for your support in this.

Senior School Visits

I have written in these pages before about how much I enjoy my visits to senior schools, usually with the chance to catch up with former pupils. I have recently been to Oundle and Stowe, and I am about to head over to Banbury for a visit to Tudor Hall for lunch and a tour – a nice way to spend a Friday!

75^th Anniversary Spring Ball

Please do read the information from SHSPA lower down in the newsletter about this event.  As you will see, the SHSPA team are now advertising for auction items and sponsorship opportunities.

Thank you and do enjoy what looks like yet another damp and grey weekend!

Simon Clarke
Headmaster

PRE-PREP

Fun and Games in the Snow for Year 2

The week started with a whoosh of excitement for our Year 2 children (and staff!) on Monday, when they enjoyed a fantastic day out at the Snow Dome.  It was an absolute joy to hear of the children’s fun as they whizzed down the slopes on their rubber tubes – roaring and squealing with laughter, they spun, slid and crashed into giggling heaps, before quickly clambering back onto their feet, shouting, “Again!”  Brilliant fun was had from beginning to end, with many declaring it ‘the best trip EVER!’

Teddy Bear Tap!

It is always a glorious sound when the children burst into creativity during their Music lessons. RY certainly had us singing and tapping our toes mid-week with their wonderful ‘Teddy Bear Tap’ activity. After teaching the children a spoken chant, Mrs King then challenged them to experiment with loud and quiet sounds. “We are learning about dynamics!” one child exclaimed, brimming with joy.

Fun with Programmable Toys – Here Come the Beebots!

There have been giggles galore in my Computing lessons with Reception over the last couple of weeks.  We have changed our focus recently to programmable toys and you could have heard a pin drop when I unboxed a fleet of Beebots in front of the children’s eyes!  As the children begin developing their coding skills, they are quickly learning how to input commands into the little robots to create simple programmes.

Year 1 Venture into Ancient Egypt

An excited stream of children visited the Art Department this week, making the most of the array of ceramic tools on hand and the expert guidance of Mrs Moreton, our Head of Art. In 1W, the children carefully moulded clay to create Egyptian cartouches—oval-shaped symbols traditionally inscribed with the names of important pharaohs and individuals, offering protection in the afterlife. With great care, they shaped and joined their clay, even having a go at inscribing their own names using hieroglyphics. We cannot wait to see the finished pieces once they have been fired in the kiln and embellished with gold paint.

Pupil Achievements

Congratulations to Isabella Wiseman for her skill and effort in achieving a 3^rd place rosette in a pony riding event.

Very well done to Rory and Jake Docker who both achieved medals in recognition of their effort and skill in Swimming.

Fiona Sanchez
Head of Pre-Prep

Tickets now available – Click this link to book your place with the SHSPA EVENTS SHOP

HOUSE COMPETITIONS

Senior Humanities

1st – Drake, 2nd – Frobisher,
3rd – Grenville, 4th – Raleigh

Year 3 Computer Gaming

1st – Drake, 2nd – Raleigh,
3rd – Grenville, 4th – Frobisher

Years 3&4 Cross-Country

Girls – 1st Frobisher
Boys – 1st Raleigh

CHELTENHAM COLLEGE MATHS COMPETITION

On Tuesday, a group of 8 maths enthusiasts set off bright and early to compete against 24 schools in the Cheltenham Maths Competition.

They took part in various rounds of quick-fire, logic and ‘shuttle’ based questions which were very challenging but also fun.

Well done to the Year 5 team who managed an amazing 3rd place in their event!  Although the Year 6 team did not make the final 3 places, they also had a very enjoyable day.

Year 6 team – Kit, Kyle, Clement and Astrid
Year 5 team – Eoin, Bethany, Ollie and Arlo

MUSIC

Year 8 Informal Concert

It was lovely to hear our Year 8 musicians perform in the Informal Concert on Thursday. It really did showcase the huge amount of musical talent that we have in the year group. They played a variety of different style pieces, all to an very high standard. Many congratulations to all those who took part.

Uppingham Orchestral Day – Thursday 5th February

We are really looking forward to the Uppingham Orchestral Day next Thursday. Please be reminded that refreshments will be served to parents in the Paul David Music School from 4.15 pm, prior to the concert which starts at 4.45 pm. The concert will finish at approximately 5.30pm. For those pupils who have requested transport back to school, the minibus will leave Uppingham at 5.45pm and will arrive back at Spratton at approximately 6.45pm.

Informal Concert Years 3-7 – Monday 9^th February

We are looking forward to the next Informal Concert which will be for musicians in Years 3-7. The programme has now been finalised and letters have been sent out to the parents of the pupils that have been invited to perform.

Termination of Music Lessons

Please be aware that, if you wish to cancel music lessons from the start of the summer term, notice must be received by February half term. Those now paying through the NMPAT Direct Billing system, need to check their terms and conditions regarding giving notice for lessons.

Mrs King

ART

Artist of the Week

Year 8 self-portraits by Grace Evans, Oliver Mundy, Isabella Szechenyi, Thomas Hodgkins and Ivy Urquhart which show excellent contrast and tone.

SHSPA 75th ANNIVERSARY SPRING BALL

Preparations are underway for the SHSPA 75th Anniversary Spring Ball on Saturday 16th May and bookings will open soon with tables of 10-12 available.

There are various opportunities to support the event including:

Auction lots – donations for the charity auction that will take place on the evening
Advertising in the auction catalogue – available in quarter, half of full pages
Sponsorship – we have opportunities to sponsor various elements of the evening

To express your interest in any of the above please email shspa@sprattonhall.com for further details.

NON-SCHOOL EVENTS