FROM THE HEAD MASTER
Open Morning
I am so pleased to report that we had a very successful Open Morning with many families attending. Our Year 8 children did a superb job as tour guides for the prospective parents. This is such an important part of their own development and gaining confidence and experience in talking to adults. The Jazz Band and Year 2 Choir performed beautifully in a short presentation – well done to them.
Community Support & Charity Programme
We are most proud of our charity programme which our Year 8 pupils lead, overseen by Mrs C. Williams. The children choose charities to support at the beginning of the year and then organise events to raise both awareness and funds for the charities. The chosen Year 8 charities this year are: 8R – Cancer Research, 8W – Guide Dogs and 8M – RNLI. This term the pupils have already enjoyed a cake sale for Rainbows Hospice and it was wonderful to see a group of Year 8s visit Rainbows a few weeks ago when they were able to present the money raised from the sale along with money raised by last year’s Year 8, totalling £1440.
Next Thursday sees our first Home Clothes Day of the year when the children are invited to wear blue and/or pink in aid of Cancer Research. The children are asked to bring in a minimum of £1 on the day. We have also supported the Hope Centre in Northampton by donating all of our harvest produce – thank you so much to the children and parents for your careful thought and generosity. Many of the children have written little messages of hope and stuck them to their items.
Internet Safety Talks
Next Wednesday we welcome Gareth Cort who will be leading internet safety talks with our pupils. As you will appreciate, this is an extremely important part of our role in educating the children how to use the internet safely and wisely. Gareth is also running a parents’ talk at 4.10pm on Wednesday in the Townsend Library. I do hope many of you will be able to attend.
Thank you.
Simon Clarke
PRE-PREP
Hearing the animated, bubbling sound of children’s voices that frequently emanates from within the Pre-Prep Department, reminds me of what an amazingly powerful and valuable tool language is. From explaining and reasoning with numbers, to chanting Phonic ditties, even conjuring a plan to rehome a huge bristly and very knobbly caterpillar found in Five Acres Wood, the children are continually ‘learning to talk and talking to learn’.
Pumpkins Fun in the Forest
In addition to the caterpillar (and a bonus froglet!) found in the forest school this week, another exciting discovery awaited the children – pumpkins galore! Scattered all over the woodland floor, stacked against log stumps and winding in trails, bright orange pumpkins are currently everywhere in Five Acres Wood. The Reception children made good use of their hammering skills and spent a gorgeous autumn afternoon cleverly turning many of them into hedgehogs!
Christmas Cards
This week, believe it or not, the tissue paper and glitter are out, as a production line of Christmas cards is taking shape in each of the classrooms. From spotty, dotty Christmas puddings and prancing penguins, to multi-coloured Christmas trees and fingerprint snowmen, every child is busy creating their own unique piece of artwork. Next week, they will be carefully packaged up and sent off to the printers, ready to be transformed into beautiful, glossy cards. Sample cards will then be sent home shortly after half term, with the opportunity for parents to purchase sets of cards online, should you wish to do so.
Internet Safety Talks and Parent Presentation – Wednesday 11th October
Online Safety forms an integral and ongoing part of our Heath Education curriculum throughout the school and is also an essential part of our safeguarding work. From Reception, we continually weave in simple yet important messages about online safety. Next week, the children in Years 1 to 8 are set to enjoy presentation sessions from an external speaker. At an age appropriate level, the Year 1 and 2 children will be encouraged to think about making sensible choices when working or playing online. It is worth noting that at the end of the day, from 4.10-5.15pm, there will also be a session for parents in the Townsend Library, which you are most welcome to attend.
Upcoming Year Group Assemblies
Finally, next week sees the first of our year group assemblies, starting with Year 2, on Thursday 12th October, and closely followed the week after by Year 1. Held in the Hunter Hall at 3pm, parents, family and friends are warmly invited to attend. Watching the children as they muster their biggest voices to deliver their lines, before bursting into song, never fails to delight and we very much look forward to welcoming you.
Pupil Achievements
Congratulations go to the following children who played their first match in an U7 rugby tournament and each scored a try – Giles Bushell (2L), Arthur Strike-Doyle (2M), Edward Pett (2M), Harry Wall (2L), Charlie Wall (2W) and Frederick Labrum-Morren (2M).
Very well done to the following children who have all achieved swimming awards – Beau Thomson-Forbes (RY) ‘Swimmer of the Week’, Phoebe Tilston (1S) 15m and Amber Millar (RG) 15m.
Congratulations go to Orion Adam (2L) for gaining his red belt in Karate.
Very well done to Jai Chavda (2L) for achieving, ‘Poppet of the Week’ for his drama skills.
Fiona Sanchez
Head of Pre-Prep
ART
Artist of the Week
Year 6 have been painting images of shepherds for their Christmas cards.
Artists of the Week are Maude Bromwich, Byron Dayman and James Marchant for the beautiful detail on their cards.
SCULPTURE EXHIBITION
Year 7 visited Brixworth Country Park on Wednesday to see the sculptures being exhibited.
Fermyn Woods Contemporary Art Organisation, who curated the exhibition, took us round the sculptures and showed us how to look deeper at works of art. The pupils made mini sculptures and took photographs with a pinhole camera before developing their photographs.
On Thursday, during Latin class, Year 7 felt inspired by their visit and made their own sculptures to demonstrate their knowledge of 1st Declension nouns.
MUSIC
Informal Concert – Monday 9th October
We are looking forward to the first Informal Concert of the year on Monday. Tea will be provided for all performers and for those siblings that have requested it.
Oundle Massed Musicians Day
The Oundle Music Day next Friday is going to be a really exciting day of music making. For those children attending, please make sure you bring your instrument and a water bottle. There is no need to bring your black rucksack to school that day.
Music Lessons
Should you wish to terminate your child’s individual music lessons from the start of the spring term, notice must be received by October half term.
BOOK FAIR 2023
Over 200 books were sold at the Book Fair. As a result, the commission earnt will be used to purchase many new books for the Library over the coming months.
Thank you for your support and happy reading!
Sally Alexander – Librarian
HOME CLOTHES DAY
We will be holding a Home Clothes Day on Thursday 12th October for Prep & Pre-Prep in aid of Cancer Research.
Please bring in £1 to support this chosen charity and wear pink and/or blue.
HARVEST
Thank you to everyone who has donated food and basic items to our Harvest Collection for the Hope Centre in Northampton.
The Hunter Hall Foyer has been overflowing with your kind donations which will shortly be handed over to the Centre who very much appreciate our support.
LOST PROPERY
Rory Corbett (4S) – tracksuit
