November and December are favourite months in Prep School, filled with all things Christmas and the excitement this time of year brings. There’s so much to look forward to: our Nativity and Christmas Production, joyful carol singing, an exciting theatre trip, as well as the excellent learning happening in our classrooms. While the days may be shorter and darker, the purposeful energy in Prep makes the weeks fly by.
Don’t miss the KCPPA Fireworks Night tomorrow! Gates will open at 4:30 pm, with the bonfire and fireworks starting at 6:30 pm.
Home clothes for Children in Need
On Friday 14th November, we’re supporting Children in Need with a special Home Clothes Day! Pupils are invited to come dressed in something spotty, yellow, or bright to celebrate the occasion. We kindly ask for a small contribution to help make a difference—thank you for joining us in supporting this wonderful cause.
What happened in School this week?
Forest Explorers - Caterpillars
We have been busy keeping our Nursery safe with our new 'Police Station' role play. We have been speeding on our 'Police' car and bikes, communicating on our walkie talkies and putting baddies in our jail. Bang! Pop! Whoosh! Came the sounds as we worked together creating our fantastic firework masterpiece. We flicked and stamped paint, finishing with a sprinkle of sparkly glitter magic!
Forest Explorers - Butterflies
This week, our classrooms have been alive with excitement as we explored fireworks that bang, crackle, and pop! The children got creative with dazzling firework crafts, counted and ordered rockets, and had a blast splattering vibrant paints onto dark paper to recreate the magic of the night sky. We hope you all enjoy a sparkling weekend of firework celebrations!
Reception
To celebrate Bonfire Night the children in Reception have enjoyed hearing about the story of Guy Fawkes and learning the rhyme about the 5th November. They created some fantastic firework models and pictures. We also took part in an African drumming workshop which was fun and very loud. The children learnt about the djembe drum, how to play it safely and played different African rhythms.
Year 1
Year 1 have started their new topic of Festivals and Celebrations, so we have begun with Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night! We really enjoyed making these mixed media collages, as well as learning about the history of why we have the event. Many of the children are looking forward to coming to the KCPPA event on Saturday so we have also talked about how we keep safe around fireworks and sparklers. This week also saw us taking part in the fantastic annual African Drumming workshop; the children were brilliant and really engaged in learning the techniques needed to play the djembes, as well as rapping their names along with Year 8. We have also started our Nativity rehearsals so please do continue to support your children with learning their lines and cues! Now that the weather is turning wetter and colder, please could all children ensure they have their clothes in school for Forest School on a Thursday, along with wellies, coats, hats and gloves.
Year 2
After an exciting half-term break, Year 2 have jumped straight back into learning! In English, we’ve been exploring what it means to be an explorer as we begin our new class text, Dear Earth. In Art, the children revisited how primary colours mix to create secondary colours and used their skills to produce stunning firework-inspired artwork. Science was all about animal offspring — matching adults to their young, sorting them into groups, and discussing which babies resemble their parents at birth. To top off the week, the children joined an African drumming workshop alongside students from Years 10, 11, and L6. They learned drumming techniques and enjoyed lively call-and-response rhythms.
Year 3
Year 3 have had a fantastic first week back after the half-term break! In Geography, they’ve been busy exploring the United Kingdom, learning to name and locate its countries and major cities. Using atlases was a real highlight – pupils loved researching national flags, capital cities, and the iconic landmarks that make the UK so special. It’s been a week full of discovery and excitement!
Year 4
It’s been wonderful to return to school this week, and Year 4 have made a fantastic start to this half term! In Maths, the children have shown great focus and skill while working on column addition and subtraction. Our English lessons sparked lively discussions as we explored the themes of The Iron Man. We also began our exciting new book, Shackleton’s Journey, and the children wrote imaginative application letters to join his daring expedition. In Science, we had lots of fun creating plasticine models of teeth and tasting different foods to discover the role and function each tooth plays. Well done, Year 4!
Year 5
Striding back in to lessons and learning, Year 5 have had a stimulating and thought filled week. Maths lessons have focussed on multiples, common multiples and assessment feedback. The children were really glad to know their times tables facts in these lessons! Life as a Victorian child chimney sweep was far from fun and with reading, research and drama the class discovered many reasons why. Nobody in Year 5 liked the idea of a soot sack doubling up as their bedding. Beowulf (in a narrative form) is the latest class text so there was a focus on kennings and alliteration in Thursday's lesson. Pairing up kennings and nouns resulted in so much discussion and the children all loved the body being described as a bone-house and heart-song being the kenning for a poem.
Year 6
This week Year 6 have tackled division rules, the Goldbach conjecture, square and cube numbers AND long multiplication in maths. They have discovered what life in 1958 was like for newly arrived Leonard in 'Windrush Child' as well as learning more about life in Aztec times. Wednesday brought success in the hockey matches and their thoughts have just turned to rehearsals for the upcoming Key Stage 2 Nativity play. On Monday the children completed their head bands in the style of Frida Kahlo - a lot of patience, resilience and hot glue was involved!
Emmi in Year 6 is a proud member of the Tunbridge Wells Sea Cadets at HMS Brilliant. In summer, she enjoys water-based activities at Bewl Water, while winter brings STEM projects, navigation skills, team building, and marching drills. Remembrance Day is especially meaningful to the cadets, many of whom are supported by former Royal Navy volunteers. Last weekend, Emmi helped raise funds for the Armed Forces community by selling poppies and commemorative items at the Royal Victoria Shopping Centre.
STEM Club
This week in STEM Club the children finished their first project. Having developed circuits with a variety of additions, they had to meet the challenge of powering a brush that could move on its own. Everyone has worked very hard and the challenge has been met!