School Calendar
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Boarding
Notices
Discover Activity Camp - October Half Term
We are running Discover Activity Camp from Mon 28 Oct - Fri 1 Nov. Tickets are currently on sale and Early Bird tier 2 discount is available until Monday 7th October. More information and booking can be found on the Discover Activity Camps website.
Bonfire Night
We are very much looking forward to welcoming you all to our annual bonfire night, hosted by our wonderful PA. We would ask if anyone has any wood they are able to donate to the school for the bonfire, could it please be dropped off to the site team before half term, please email estates@hatheropcastle.co.uk to arrange delivery of any wood.
Please complete the form below to book your tickets for the event. Tickets will be available to purchase until Friday.
Arty Crafty Little Monkeys Holiday Club
Arty Crafty Little Monkeys will be hosting two holiday club sessions this half term. These specially designed sessions are the perfect place for arty children to have fun, be creative, and learn new skills.
Sessions will take place in the Art Studio between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm on Tuesday, 22nd October, and Friday, 25th October. Numbers for each session are limited, and booking is essential. Full details can be found on the website: www.artycraftylittlemonkeys.co.uk
Join us for Christmas at the Castle Fair!
On Saturday, 23rd November, from 10am to 4pm, immerse yourself in festive cheer with a fantastic opportunity for Christmas shopping, supporting local and independent businesses. Admission is just £5, and you’ll also enjoy delicious treats from the pop-up Lynwood & Co Café!
Come along and make the most of this special event with friends and family while supporting a great cause—#WeCAN Yellow Submarine. Don’t miss out on the festive fun! ✨
Halloween Dress up day
Menus for this week
Sport Notices
Team Sheets - Girls
Team Sheets - Boys
Highlights of the week
Patterns, Peelings, and a Perfect Harvest Celebration in Reception!
Did you know that there are patterns everywhere? This week in Reception, we have been exploring repeating patterns. The children were already good at simple repeating patterns, for example, red, blue, red, blue..., so they were challenged to create more complex patterns using a variety of resources found in our classroom.
The Reception children continue to use and apply their growing collection of letter sounds. We have been practising segmenting and blending with different equipment and are now becoming confident when reading simple words.
As well as exploring patterns, we have been preparing for our Harvest celebration. The classroom has been filled with singing about fruits and vegetables, as well as our now polished retelling of the story The Little Red Hen. In the middle of the week, we delighted in making a yummy harvest vegetable soup. Inspired by the story The Enormous Turnip, the children peeled and chopped vegetables to make the most delicious feast.
Pre-Prep Harvest Festival
Our Pre-Prep service was a delightful celebration, featuring beautiful poems and songs from our youngest learners. The highlight was Reception Class’s charming performance of The Little Red Hen, which brought smiles to everyone’s faces. A big thank you to the teachers and families for making this event so special!
From Harvest Fun to Magical Stories: A Week of Creativity and Play!
This week, our toddlers have been fully immersed in our farm and harvest theme—a favourite among our tractor-loving children! We painted real pumpkins and other seasonal vegetables using colourful cornflour, creating a wonderful sensory experience and sparking creativity. We also enjoyed a scarecrow sticking activity that enhanced our fine motor skills with lots of fiddly bits. The children explored apple printing and decorated cardboard pumpkins with autumnal resources such as lentils, pumpkin seeds, and even some real wheat harvested from a local farm. All of their creations have added a vibrant touch to our "Creative Learner" wall.
We've been busy crafting our own playdough farms, complete with tractors, grass cutters, and, of course, animals—there were even some tigers on the farm! On Monday, Mr Page introduced the glockenspiel during music time, sparking an interest in rhythm and producing some beautiful sounds.
Tuesday's PE session with Mr Bailey focused on catching, using the phrase "Drop, bounce, target, catch" to guide us. On Wednesday, we danced to our favourite songs with Miss Scott, bringing mid-week joy. Looking ahead to next week, we’ll dive into Room on the Broom, getting creative with prop-making and retelling the story in various ways as we prepare for the speech and storytelling competition!
House Auditions: A Week of Magic and Storytelling!
This week, our talented students have taken centre stage during the exciting house auditions! The atmosphere in the school has been electric as children from all year groups showcased their impressive magician skills and storytelling abilities.
From mind-boggling tricks to captivating tales, the auditions have truly highlighted the creativity and enthusiasm of our pupils. Each performance was met with applause and encouragement, creating a supportive environment where every child felt proud to share their talents. The excitement in the air is palpable, as the children eagerly await the results to see if they have progressed to the next round. These auditions are not just about competition; they also foster confidence, teamwork, and a sense of community among the houses.
A huge well done to all the participants for their hard work and dedication, and to the teachers and staff for their support throughout the process. No matter the outcome, every child has shown immense bravery and creativity, and we are incredibly proud of them all. Stay tuned for the announcement of who will move forward to the next round—it's bound to be an exciting journey ahead!
Dazzling Dragon Eyes: Prep 1’s Magical Creations!
Prep 1 had an absolute blast painting our clay dragon eyes this week! We carefully followed our designs and used metallic paints to make them truly shine. Drawing inspiration from the enchanting book Tell Me a Dragon, we imagined and created a wonderful array of sea dragons, fire dragons, petal dragons, and many more fantastical creatures. We were absolutely delighted with the finished pieces, as each dragon eye was beautifully unique and full of character!
Splashing into New Beginnings: A Week of Fun and Learning in Prep 2!
This week, the children in Prep 2 had a splashing good time during their swimming session—in their pyjamas! This unique and enjoyable challenge was not only fun but also for a great cause. Our friends at Puddle Ducks provided us with the attached charity page, turning our swim into a fantastic way to give back!
On Tuesday afternoon, Prep 1 and Prep 2 were delighted to welcome Mr and Mrs Cadiff, who came to teach us all about Rosh Hashanah. Mr Cadiff read us the enchanting story of The Miracle of Rosh Hashanah, and the family shared their own New Year celebrations with us. The children were excited to see a shofar horn, and Mr and Mrs Cadiff kindly brought along traditional gifts of apples and honey for everyone to taste, symbolising the hope for a sweet new year.
A very big thank you to Mr and Mrs Cadiff from all in Prep 1 and 2!
Sweet New Year Wishes and Fizz-tastic Fun in Prep 4
Last Friday Prep 4 were lucky to have a visit from some parents to talk to them about Jewish New year – Rosh Hashanah. They talked to the children about this festival, how it is celebrated and its meaning, read a lovely story and then the children were given some apples and honey, which they really enjoyed to welcome in a sweet new year.
They also talked about their wished and aspirations for the year ahead. Back in the classroom they have written these down and we will look at them in a year to see if they have come true!
A huge thank you to Mr and Mrs Cadiff for a lovely afternoon.
This week in Science Prep 4 have been focusing on measuring. They worked in groups, following written instructions to make a fizzy potion – there was great excitement when the last ingredient was added and there was fizzing everywhere! A great, fun, practical lesson!
Swimming
Swimming @ Westonbirt – Tuesday, 8th October 2024
Tuesday marked the first swimming event of the year. Over the next few months, children from Prep 3-6 will have the opportunity to improve their swimming strokes, enhance their knowledge of how to dive off the starting blocks, or refine their dolphin leg kick in preparation for the transitional stage into their chosen stroke. So, whatever stage your son or daughter is at, there is always something they can improve on, and the more they swim, the better. All children are welcome to join the swim team, so please contact Mr Bailey at nigel.bailey@hatheropcastle.co.uk, outlining your son or daughter’s best strokes.
I was very impressed with how well the children swam. Each swimmer in Prep 3-4 had the opportunity to swim freestyle, back crawl, and breaststroke, and in Prep 5-6, they had the chance to swim butterfly as well. There were some excellent times recorded and some beautiful strokes. A special mention goes to Eleanor Chappell in Prep 3 and Jennah Bailey in Prep 6.
Rugby
U11A Rugby Festival @ HCS v Abingdon, Kitebrook & Beaudesert
We welcomed 150 boys to HCS on Wednesday for what turned out to be a great afternoon of rugby. The festival had a lovely atmosphere, and we even enjoyed a brief period of sunshine. Each of the U11A's games was very competitive, and all three games were extremely close. The highest score against any team was no more than 2 tries. We scored a number of great tries, with excellent footwork and pace from Bo and Jago. Our tackling was good, although it was too high at times. We are certainly improving, which is pleasing. We now need to enhance the organisation of the attacking and defensive lines. Simple communication can help solve this. A good all-round team performance. Well done to the whole team, with a special mention to Freddie King and Fearghus Rooney.
Hockey
Hatherop Castle U13B v Cokethorpe
0 - 4 loss
With some promising moments over the last game or two, we were optimistic about the match, despite playing a school with twice as many girls. During the first half, we tried to battle our way through the middle, not using the width as instructed. This approach did not work, and Cokethorpe managed to take advantage, creating several shots at goal, four of which went in during the first half. After the half-time team talk, the girls reacted very positively to the advice, allowing them to use the space more effectively. Our possession increased, and we started to threaten the opposition goal on a regular basis. Sadly, we couldn’t quite find the back of the net, but the hockey that was being played was fantastic, and the girls should be very proud of their second-half performance. We now just need that for the full game.
Player of the match – Amelia for her distribution in defence
Hatherop Castle U13A v Cokethorpe
5 - 0 win
After a strong performance last week, Hatherop were keen to have another good game before their tournament on Friday. Shape and structure were the key messages to the girls, as these had been some of our downfalls in our first couple of matches. Right from the word go, we looked to control the ball well and appeared threatening down both wings. A few early goals allowed the girls to settle into the game comfortably. For the most part, it was one-way traffic, with the team linking up well from defence to midfield, and then from midfield to attack. A little bit of inexperience crept in with our decision-making, as we rushed some decisions when we could have maintained possession. But all in all, it was a dominant performance and the perfect match ahead of Friday’s regional tournament.
Players of the Match – Lily for her outstanding defensive effort and distribution, and Alexa for her effective use of space on the wing and accurate shooting.
Fencing
Edward
Edward had another great session today, using his a pretend attack to create a reaction so he could then score the hit. Very well done Edward - keep it up!
Georgie
Georgie has thrown herself into fencing with great enthusiasm and is mastering her defence as a way to attack - well done Georgie
Theo
Theo started fencing this term and is making great progress. He understands how he can use his reach to score hits before his opponent and is becoming quicker with his attacks. Very impressive Theo