Dear Parents,
This week has been another inspiring week of reflection, learning and fun. We started with Remembrance and taking our time to remember those that have served in the armed forces and emergency services. As an addition to our Remembrance Day activities on Monday, Year 1 were invited onto the parade ground at Pangbourne College during their visit to the woods. This was a great opportunity for them to observe how different settings commemorate the day.
On Tuesday we started our 'Choose Respect' campaign, focusing on the importance of respect, tolerance and understanding as our tools to stop bullying and keep St Edward's the happy and safe place it is.
We have also been having lots of fun with Maths; promoting and celebrating the subject across the school, with children all the way from Nursery to Year 6 taking part in extra activities and challenges to test their knowledge and problem-solving skills. You can see a few snapshots from the week below as they went on scavenger hunts, created pieces of art, explored some tricky daily puzzles and worked together to try new areas of the subject. Thank you to Mrs Hunt for all her work organising the week, particularly today's Maths Challenge, and congratulations to the winning teams!
The fun continues with a competition you can get involved in this weekend (more details below) and four of our Year 5 pupils travelling to Rupert House School in Henley to take part in their Maths Challenge on Tuesday. We wish them lots of luck!
As part of their investigation into Ancient Greek journeys and discoveries, Year 5 visited the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology at Reading University yesterday to take part in a workshop exploring and handling the ancient artefacts and learning about the exhibits. They were really engaged in the session and showed excellent curiosity, as well as representing St Edward's with fantastic respect and behaviour. You can see a few photos from the morning below.
Finally, I went over to High March School on Thursday evening to support the Head of our newest Wishford School with an evening for her parents. After many years being in the middle of all the schools, with clusters to the East and the West of us, we are very excited to now have our own Thames Valley Cluster with St Edward's, Rupert House and High March now all part of the group.
Photo Highlights
Year 1 at the Pangbourne College parade ground on Remembrance Day:
Year 5 exploring the Ure Museum's exhibition of Ancient Greek artefacts on Thursday:
MATHS WEEK
Little Griffins' Maths scavenger hunt:
Year 2's outdoor Maths and some stunning art using the starburst technique:
Year 5 trying some new challenges - creating new and complex shapes, solving sequences and working on Yohaku puzzles:
A brilliant Maths challenge set by Year 6 for teams of our Year 4 and 5 pupils today:
Calendar Reminders
Here are the key dates coming up.
- Pangbourne Woods: Monday 18 November - Year 2.
- Football Fixtures - Wednesday 20 November - Y5 & 6 vs LVS (home), Friday 22 November - Y3 & 4 vs LVS (away).
- Nursery & Reception Theatre Trip: The Gruffalo at The Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke, Thursday 21 November at 1pm.
- Cross Country - Friday 29 November. For Nursery, Reception and Year 1, the event will be held at school in the morning. For Years 2 to 6, it will take place at Sulhamstead Cricket Club at 2pm where parents are invited to join us. Further details will be provided soon by Mr. Winship.
Conqueror Challenge Reminder
It has been a successful few weeks for our Conqueror Challenge progress, with the completion of the Fjords of Norway medal, the first Harry Potter medal and 34% of the distance covered to complete the next one. If you haven't yet taken part or if you need a reminder of the details, follow the link below to read more about the challenge and find the link to submit your activities, whether it is running, walking, swimming, cycling or something else. It has been brilliant to see so many new participants this year!
Competition: Create a Maths Challenge
To end another successful Maths Week at St Edward's, we are handing the challenge over to our families this weekend. We want your child to come up with their own original Maths puzzle and solution or a new version of a classic puzzle. Entries should be submitted in writing, video or photo format to Mrs Hunt (t.hunt@stedwardsprep.com) by 8pm on Sunday 17 November.
Our annual Maths Challenges have previously been run by Maths enthusiast Doug Buchanan, who sadly passed away earlier this year. This competition has been set up in his memory by Maths Week England and we would love to see as many of you take part as possible. The prize for the competition winner is a £100 voucher, with a charity donation made in Doug's name, and we will give a House point to every entry. We will also choose a House winner, who will receive 10 House points.
Good luck and happy puzzling!
Nursery to Year 2: Nativity Performances
The festive song rehearsals have begun and the costume department is busy again, which means this year's Nativity is not far away! There will be two performances of our production, Simply The Nativity, next month with two places allocated to each family.
- Tuesday 3 December: 2.30-3.30pm
- Thursday 5 December: 9.15-10.15am
Please let us know which performance you would like to attend and how many places you would like by Tuesday 26 November. Follow the link below to reserve your place.
Nursery parents: We are excited for your children to take part in this year's Nativity. Please note the following details for you:
- If your child attends school part time, please pick the performance day that they usually attend school.
- If your child does not attend either session, please reply and select a day. Your child will be able to join in the fun of the performance and then go home with you afterwards.
- If your child attends both days, please select the day that is best for you.
Nursery Discovery Morning
We are looking forward to next Friday when we open the doors of our Nursery and welcome in prospective families for a taster session with our brilliant team, including activities linked to our Journeys and Discoveries topic that are designed to showcase our creative Early Years curriculum.
This event is open to families interested in joining from when their child is aged two and above. If you are looking for a place for a child who is not already at our setting, or you have a friend who might like to attend, you can register for the session via the link below.
Years 1 & 2: Pinocchio Theatre Trip
It is almost the turn of Years 1 and 2 to go on their trip to the theatre and we wanted to give you an update on the final details. On Tuesday 26 November they will travel to The Watermill Theatre in Newbury to watch a musical adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's Pinocchio.
The children will have lunch at school before leaving at 1pm for a 2pm performance. The performance lasts for two hours, with an interval where they will receive an ice cream! Collection from school will be later than usual at 4.45pm so please make arrangements for this. The cost is £20 and will be added to your next invoice.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Hagyard on h.hagyard@stedwardsprep.com.
Christmas Holiday Club: Booking Open
Don't forget that booking is now open for this year's Christmas Holiday Club, which will run from Monday 16 to Friday 20 December. The children will be able to take part in lots of fun, festive arts, crafts, games and sports with our brilliant Holiday Club team.
Click below to book your place and if you have any questions, please get in touch on holiday-club@stedwardsprep.com. Booking will close on Sunday 8 December.
A final note to say that there is much colder weather coming next week so please make sure your children have their hats, scarves and gloves ready!
Enjoy your weekend.
Best wishes,
Jonathan