News Events Photo Galleries Edition 3613 April 2018

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KINGSLEYMOMENTThe

Preparatory School Edition

Headteacher’s WelcomeWhat turned out to be a very busy term was superbly rounded off by the EYFS and Key Stage 1 assembly and Easter Bonnet parade, despite the terrible weather. Huge thanks should go to everyone involved, including our fabulous site and support staff, who made this possible at such short notice. The various exhibition events in the last week of term for Years 3-6 were likewise fabulous, with plenty of hard work going into assemblies and shared experiences with parents.

It hardly seems possible that we start the final term of the academic year in just a few days, with all that a summer term involves. We look forward to it being delightfully warm, full of sunshine and more wonderful learning.

Mrs Rachel WhitingHead of Prep

Weathering the SeasonThis term Foundation and Reception Class are learning about the seasons and the weather.

Celebrating Earth HourThe Kingsley Prep children have been very busy participating in more fundraising activities, and on this occasion it was to mark WWF’s Earth Hour; recognising the importance of how we can all help to protect our environment. Earth Hour is a worldwide event where lights are switched off for an hour to raise awareness of saving energy and other actions we can take to conserve our planet.

This year Earth Hour was on Saturday 24th March between 8:30 and 9:30 PM. In celebration of this, on Wednesday 21st March the children brought in a £1 donation, along with their favourite wild animal toy, which accompanied them on their learning activities for the day. The Year 1 and Year 2 children described why their animal was special to them, its name and the memories they had shared together outside of school. The children also learned in an assembly from Ms Harper which animals are endangered, and how the money they raised will be used to sponsor four endangered animals as part of the World Wildlife Fund. There will be one animal sponsored for each of our school houses.

The children were also invited to purchase a flapjack with all donations going towards our

fundraising day, and write their Earth promises on a special Earth Hour tree. The children then had their own Earth Hour in school by turning the lights off in their classroom and enjoying their lunch without the lights on in the dining room. The fun-filled fundraising activities could not have taken place without all of Ms Harper’s hard work, and her excellent baking skills to produce delicious flapjacks for the whole school!

In Foundation Class we have continued

learning about traditional tales. We had

great excitement when we read the story

of ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and decided to

bake our own gingerbread men.

What has been going on in Foundation?

Our detective skills paid off and

luckily we finally found them.

We had great fun decorating the

gingerbread men with icing and

taking them home to eat.

We left them to cool overnight in the Innovation Station, and found that in the morning they had disappeared! We had CCTV of the gingerbread men running around the Foundation classroom which we watched on the interactive white board so we went to look for clues. We found some crumbs, made some wanted posters and asked our friends in the playground if they had seen anything suspicious.

We also had gingerbread play dough in the little old lady’s kitchen in our home corner where the children made some very impressive gingerbread men.

Steppin’ Out for the Easter Bonnet ParadeKey Stage 1 and Foundation Stage put on a fabulous assembly showcasing their learning from this half term with Years 1 and 2 making a fractured fairy tale; Reception telling the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and Foundation warming everyone’s hearts with their wonderful song celebrating Easter - ‘The Floppy Bunnies’! The assembly was finished with the annual Easter Bonnet Parade, with pupils showcasing their creativity to friends and family in a display of inventive bonnets.

Runner BeanstalksReception planted runner beans into cups with a wet paper towel to cover them. The children were fascinated watching the beans germinate and the roots curling around the base of the pot. Once the beans had begun to grow leaves the class planted them out into a pot of compost and took them home to care for them over the Easter holidays. We’re looking forward to hearing about how they have been getting on!

Straw, Sticks, K’nex?Whilst learning about ‘The Three Little Pigs’ the Reception Class children tried to build houses out of straw but found it rather a challenge! They preferred making trolls and billy goats from K’nex.

Year 1 and Year 2 Star of the Week

Fantastic FarmsOn Monday 19th March, the Year 1 and Year 2 children were at first disappointed to find their trip had been cancelled as a result of Fairytale Farm closing due to the icy weather conditions. However, their outlook changed very quickly when they discovered they were going to construct their own farms in their classrooms! If you cannot visit a farm, why not build one?

The children began their morning by planning and designing their own farms. They needed to consider the size of their models, the animals they would include, how to attract visitors, the grouping and layout of the facilities, and how to ensure the enclosures were safe so no animals would escape.

Once the children had completed their designs using rulers and squared paper, they were split into two groups to construct their models using the Innovation Station’s Lego resources and the numerous amounts of craft and art materials to choose from.

The models began to take shape throughout the morning and the children thought carefully about suitable habitats for their animals, and the important features such as water stations, feeding areas and different

types of gates and fences for the farmers to open, but which would also ensure the animals were kept safe. The children even added real hay to bring their models to life, as well as pop up animals and 3D features. It was an excellent opportunity for the class to investigate different ways to cut, fold and manipulate a variety of materials to attach and construct their farms in many different ways.

Siya: for always being a hardworking and independent learner. Siya has worked diligently both inside and outside of school to recall all of her times-tables to 12 from memory. Siya loves to challenge herself each week to achieve new areas of her learning.

At the end of each week in Key Stage 1, the children look forward to finding out who will be awarded the special class award of ‘Star of the Week’. The achievement is awarded for high standards of learning, work ethic, behaviour around school and attitude towards different aspects of school life. The winner receives a special certificate and can choose a surprise treat from the treasure box.

Our latest Star of the Week has been...

Once Upon a FarmThe Key Stage 1 children celebrated the conclusion of their ‘Once Upon a Time’ topic on the final day of the term, with a visit to Fairytale Farm in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. The children had been exploring fairy tales throughout the term, and learning about animal habitats, life cycles and adaptations. Their visit to the farm was the perfect way to consolidate their learning across a wide variety of topics.

When the children arrived, they were greeted by the friendly farm staff and sat down to enjoy a well-deserved drink and snack, which included some Easter chocolate treats too! It was then time to change into their wellington boots ready to explore the farm and meet the animals in the ‘Alfie and Friends’ area.

On the way into the animal zone they met Barbara and Verity, the friendly sheep who followed the class along the fence and greeted them with lots of “baaaaas”. The children then shared the questions they had prepared as part of a detailed question and answer session. This included meeting a wide variety of animals each with a fairy tale theme including the Ugly Duckling, Mother Goose, Cinderella’s ponies, Three Billy Goats, Turkey Lurkey and the Three Little Pigs, which were not very little! There was also a rare white emu, alpacas, donkeys and many more animas to meet.

The class learned extraordinary facts about the largest pigs which weigh up to 300 kilograms, and the alpacas which are actually very shy animals. It was then time for the children to get warm and escape the wet weather to explore the fairy tale themed indoor area which included castles, dress up clothes, puzzles and a story collection.

After their activities, the children split into two groups which would rotate. The first group headed off to ‘The Burrow’ to meet the baby guinea pigs. They were between four and six weeks old and extremely soft to touch, as well as being friendly with the children. Many looked very comfortable sat nestled into the children’s warm hands and laps. The second group threw a penny into the wishing well to make their wishes come true, and then stopped at ‘Mice Town’ to see the mice sleeping in their cottage homes. These were surrounded by a model village of shops, gardens and even a church and town house too!

After a busy morning, the children were excited to tuck into their packed lunches and rest before their afternoon activities. When the children’s tummies were full, they set off to explore the fairy tale trail which included Hansel and Gretel’s Sweet Shop, Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ Cottage and other

windows of fairy tale homes to look into and see which characters were inside. The trail also encouraged the children to apply a range of skills in their learning, including telling the time, using their five senses to explore gardens, making a musical magical tune using instruments and even a chance to explore a water fall with dams in the water play area.

The children worked hard on their activities and before they left, enjoyed visiting the adventure play area to climb Story Book Castle and drive the Red Combine Harvester. Finally, it was time to say our goodbyes to the animals and staff and head back to school after a busy day of learning.

Miss Clark would like to thank Mrs Whiting and Ms Gardner for accompanying the children on their trip, and helping them to ensure they all had a day filled with fun and numerous activities too!

Anglo-Saxons at WorkYear 3 visited Priory House in Warwick to take part in an Anglo-Saxon workshop, learning lots and participating in a number of exciting activities. The class wrote down their thoughts and highlights from the trip...

”We were given a pile of sand and we had to try and find bits of pottery and then had to try to stick the bits together. Emily, Sima and Ms Gardner dressed up in Anglo-Saxon costumes - they were really funny!” Amy

“I loved being an archeaologist - digging out the

pieces of the pots and then sticking them together.”

Emily

”We designed brooches. Mine had a

design of big and small circles, with lines coming from the inside and squares on the outside.” Esha

“We learned about how Anglo-Saxons lived and about their clothes and how they were made. It was so much fun.” Evie

“We made Anglo-Saxon brooches. First we had

to design them on a piece of paper. We also did

some weaving and before that, we did some writing

our names in runes and Christian Roman writing.”

Imogen

“We got to write our names in ink on parchment. We could choose whether to write them in Anglo-Saxon runes or Christian Roman writing; I did mine in runes.” Sima

“My favourite thing was braiding. We had 7 pieces of wool and an octagon with holes in it and a gap. We also drew some Anglo-Saxon runes, writing with a quill and ink.” Georgia

Time and Time AgainYear 4 have begun learning all about time. To practise their time telling skills, pupils used hula hoops, paint brushes and post-it notes to make their own clocks in the hall. They were then challenged to make their clocks show certain times as well as read the times on other clocks. In addition they learned how to solve word time problems, thinking about questions such as, ‘what time will it be in an hour and a half?’ Back in class we have been using our own real clock to keep practising.

Bhangra DancersOn Monday 26th March, Year 4 took part in an Indian dance workshop. They learnt all about Bhangra dancing and the origins of the dance. They found out it was a traditional Indian male dance that originated in the Punjab hundreds of years ago and that it was traditionally performed by farmers as a celebration of their crops growing. Many of the dance moves represent the harvesting of crops. They also learned about some traditional Indian instruments used and got to listen to a dhol drum. The group also learned that some words we use nowadays in England originated in India, such as bungalow and jungle!

Lots of fun was had by all and the pupils learned some amazing Bhangra moves!

Coolbox ConundrumIn science, to conclude their investigations into everyday materials, Year 5 had to imagine that some children were going on a picnic and the menu that included both ice cream and hot jacket potatoes! These children wanted to know whether the same type of cool bag could be used to keep the hot things hot as well as cold things cold. What do you think? Can this be done?

To see if it could be done, Year 5 were given the challenge to think of a design that they thought could be used for both hot and cold food at the same time. Their designs had to be researched and were annotated with details of special materials that would help with keeping cold food cold and hot food hot. The group came up with some ingenious designs.

A Taste of IndiaYear 4 culminated their India Creative Curriculum topic with an exhibition to their audience. They performed their Indian dance to parents and also taught their families about mehndi; creating some designs with their family members.

Year 5 have been learning about the history of news broadcasting. The design technology and topic homework challenge was to research, design and create a diorama of their very own news studio. A diorama is a miniature stage, scene or picture, on which animals or people play their roles in a dramatic setting appropriate to the scene, story or poem to be illustrated.

Dioramas are fun to make and fun to play with. Shoe-box dioramas are the easiest to construct as they create a natural stage that you then can fill with props to create the scene.

The Year 5 pupils have been very imaginative and creative with their designs... perhaps we have a studio designer of the future in the making!

Diorama Drama

Making the NewsOn Monday 26th March, the pupils of Year 5 gave Prep pupils and their parents a treat as they broadcast a very special news programme that both entertained and educated its audience at the same time. The pupils presented a history of broadcast news and explored the inventions and events that led to us having the news programmes that we see today. We hope everyone enjoyed the drama, presentation skills and inventiveness of the assembly!

Victory in England!On Friday 23rd March, Year 6 had their VE Day party. In the weeks leading up to the event the class made helmets, medals and sandwiches to display and share with parents. The class showed their parents all of their work from the preceding term - a great way to end the topic and share everything that they had learned!

We are Writers! Kingsley Prep are launching their very own writing competition! You

are invited to write a story that has the theme ‘Our World’. Your story can be an adventure, mystery, real life, science fiction or fantasy

story. The competition is open to pupils from Year 1 to Year 6.

Each Key Stage will be judged and there will be prizes for each winner and runner-up.

KS1 for years 1 and 2 – your stories should be no longer than 200 words.Lower KS2 for years 3 and 4 – your stories should be no longer than 350 words.Upper KS2 for years 5 and 6 – your stories should be no longer than 500 words.

The closing date is 20 April 2018.

April 2018 16th - INSET Day - school closed 17th - Summer Term Begins - welcome back! 19th - Year 6 Pre Departure Meeting for Residential Trip to Normandy, France - 4pm19th - Kingsley and Leamington Rotary Club Community Spirit Awards - 4:30pm

21st - Queen’s 92nd Birthday 23rd - St George’s Day23rd - Shakespeare’s Birthday 26th - Year 4 Pre Departure Meeting for Kingswood Centre Residential Trip - 4pm26th - Second Hand Uniform Sale in Basement of Prep School - 3.30pm to 5pm

May 2018

1st - Year 5 Pre Departure Meeting for Residential Trip to The Cranedale Centre, Yorkshire - 4pm - Prep ICT Suite 6th - (Sunday) Year 6 Depart for the Residential Trip to Normandy, France - am - Bon Voyage!6th - (Sunday) Nuneaton Biathlon at Pingles Leisure Centre, CV11 4LX for selected pupils - 9am prompt for a 10am start - until 12noon 7th - Bank Holiday - school closed

Dates for the Diary...

As part of our House competitions, pupils in Years 3 to 6 took part in the House Netball Tournament on Wednesday 14th March 2018.

Each year the event is organised so that all Years 3 and 4 play in one competition and Years 5 and 6 in another, with each team earning points for their house, depending on their score. All pupils played their very best and we were pleased to see the great competitiveness shown even in Year 3!

In the Year 5 and 6 games, the scores were particularly close between Huckwell and Gadesden but it was Huckwell who took top spot, whilst in the Years 3 and 4 competition, Loveday were overall winners with Milroy just behind.

So, adding the two sets of results together to give an overall score, the results were as follows:

In 4th place... Milroy with 11 points.In 3rd place... Gadesden with 13 points.In 2nd place... Loveday with 18 points... leaving Huckwell the Champions for 2018 with 21 points!

CONGRATULATIONS HUCKWELL!

Also well done to all pupils, who willingly swapped around positions when needed and especially to the Year 6 House Captains who organised their teams so efficiently on the day!

Prep House Netball Competition Wednesday 14th March 2018