Prep for the Week Issue 1814

Prep for The Week Issue Number 1814 11 December 2015 1

Issue Number 1814 – 11 December 2015

Prep for the Week

In this week’s issue… Headmaster's Blog and Commendations Carol Singing Kingfishers, Lower, Middle and Upper School News Bakery, Craft, STEM and History Clubs Letter from the Library Girls' and Boys' Sports Calendar Notices

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Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year

to all The Prep's pupils, families and friends!

Thanks to all who joined us this Thursday

morning for carol singing outside Lower

School, and for supporting the Cake Sale in aid

of Gloucesteshire Bundles.

The Cake Sale rasied a huge £314.92! Thanks to

everyone for supporting this wonderful cause.

The Friends of The Prep are looking forward to

welcoming you to lots of fundraising events in

2016, so that we can really make a difference to

the lives of families in crisis.


Dear ParentsMy thanks to you all for your support of the various Christmas events that have taken place over the past two weeks. There is no doubt that the children respond to a supportive audience; spontaneous applause and cheering enhances the opportunities for all to believe in themselves. Overall, I feel that this mutually supportive behaviour between school and home has characterised the whole term and, consequently, the children thrive. Academic progress for all children remains at the heart of all that we do, but we never forget the importance of balance. Music, drama, art, sport and and host of co-curricular activites continue to offer all children the essential ingredients of a truly holistic experience.

We arrive at the end of this term tired but with a feeling of satisfaction. Despite the success of the new timetable and Saturday arrangements in not exhausting the children to the point to that they are totally washed out, they will need their rest over the Christmas period. Although I come from the ‘work hard, play hard’ school, I am mindful of how close our

return date is to the end of the festive season. I would never be as presumptuous to influence how families enjoy their holidays, but my experience tells me that children who arrive back in January tired, inevitably succumb to a bout of illness during the Spring Term – the ‘difficult bit in the middle’.

It only remains for me to thank you, once again, for your wholehearted support and to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mr Jon Whybrow

Headmaster's Blog

Farewell Mrs Isaachson!

"I leave this week with very mixed

emotions; excited about the new

challenges ahead for myself and my family,

but sad to be leaving a school which we

feel very much part of. I take with me many

happy memories: my Lower School team

who are so dedicated, hardworking and

caring, yet know when to have fun, and

the children, who really do make our jobs

so enjoyable. I wish you all a very merry

Christmas and all the best for 2016."

Mrs Debbie Isaachsen

Punctuation Police!Christmas is all about giving. Be a good elf this holiday and give the gift of correct spelling, grammar and punctuation to the people of Cheltenham (or wherever you are based)! Look out for festive-dampeners like this:

Can you see what crucial piece of punctuation has been missed out?! During the Christmas holidays leave no stone or sleigh unturned – look out for mistakes on cards, posters, signs, shop names, branding and advertising on leaflets, vehicles, brochures and programmes... anywhere! If you are able, take a photo of the evidence and email it to Miss Massey at [email protected] or bring it to Room 16 in Day End at the beginning of the Spring Term to earn Pluses for your house. To earn your Pluses, you must be able to explain the error and how to correct it!


Charles Hellens, Louis Dessalles, Rory Maddinson, George Hardy, Denis Solovyev, Peter Marstrand, Eddie Buttress, Charlie Anton-Smith, Dekhan Dodo, Omaan Khyra, and George Gardner

for outstanding commitment to History Club research on prime ministers

Josie GroundsFor giving her time so generously to give an entertaining and informative presentation on ‘Life in Kenya’ to Class

2S; the children’s learning was greatly enhanced as a result of Josie’s input

Austin Taroey, Emily Lopez and Andre Zamorafor outstanding commitment to STEM club

Izzy Anton-Smith, Autumn Conner, Kamila Aldongar and Toby Krauerfor their excellent poetry

Laura Bingham, Annie Carter, Grace White and Rebecca Cook for excellent oil paintings in Art

Vasco Palmer, Eva Colbourne, Martha Llewellen Palmer, Lilly Poulain, Molly Ropner, Florence Piggott,

Faith Urbanovsky and Oscar Isaachsen for their excellent bookends in Design Technology

Thomas Lait

for his excellent bookend in Design Technology, and also for generously assisting those who are behind and sharing his knowledge

Luke Richardson for not only the outstanding design of his marble run in Design Technology, but also for the generous way he

helped others with ideas and making

Ready to go on the tree!

Sticking all the parts together...

The sequins can be a bit fiddly!

Craft ClubThe Christmas theme continued in Craft Club this week! Lots of glittery and sequined baubles were decorated and decopatch boxes finished. We also coloured Rubik's cubes and ceramic star tree decorations with festive designs. Lots of Christmas fun was had by all! Happy Christmas to all in Craft Club from Mrs Barrett & Mrs Buxton.

Headmaster's Commendations


Carolling about town

This week The College and Prep choirs have been spreading the festive cheer around Cheltenham. The joint choirs brought some magic to the Suffolks with a candlelit performance at the Christmas Market this weekend. "On behalf of a crowd of 200 people, it was fabulous, festive fun - thank you and well done!"

The Kingfishers Choir got parents toe-tapping and singing along on Bath Road this Tuesday, and kept smiling throughout... even though the rain threatened! "It was wonderful to see so many parents join us on Bath Road, despite the rainy weather!"

Finally, the Lower School Choir drew a crowd on the Promenade this Wednesday."All of the children sang with such confidence! I'm really impressed."

The Suffolks Christmas Market, Sunday 6 December

The Exmouth Arms, Bath Road, Tuesday 8 December

The Promenade, Wednesday 9 December


KingfishersLots of festive cheer was to be found in Kingfishers on Wednesday afternoon! Disco dancing, snowmen biscuits and party games were just a few of the things that the children enjoyed.

All the Kingfishers boys and girls had a lovely surprise in the Assembly Hall when they realised who their special visitor for the afternoon was... He appeared in a red suit, had a very long, white beard, and held a big bag of gifts - one for each child.

Is it really... Father Christmas?!


The Little Nutcracker

This week's performances of the The Little Nutcracker were simply wonderful to watch. The teamwork between Lower School staff and pupils was so evident and everyone worked incredibly hard to ensure it was a success. It is quite an achievement to think 88 children were involved and all had a role to play, whether it was dancing, speaking or backstage. Knowing that lessons continued as usual during the run up, and Enrichment days still occurred, makes it even more impressive. We are constantly reminded that if you aim high, the children never let you down.


My German Host Family

Over the past two assemblies, Harry Ferris (who is a pupil doing A-levels at College) came to speak to Middle School about his experience with a host family in Germany. He told us all about the history, culture, cuisine and customs of Germany, as well as teaching us some basic greetings in German. We learnt how to pronounce some extremely long German words and even got to taste one of Germany’s favourite exports – Haribo sweets!

Middle School

In a collaborative Art and History

study, Year 6 have rounded off the term doing royal portraits of King

Henry VIII.


"I've run through all of our achievements this term, and

it's obvious that Year 7 and 8 pupils have worked really hard.

But what has impressed me most about Upper School is their care and attention for others around

school, and the impeccable manners of the pupils. They are

kind and helpful, and a pleasure to have in the section."

- Mrs Sarah Reid

Upper SchoolOn Tuesday, Upper School enjoyed their Jingle Bells party! There was lots of outrageous dancing, festive Christmas outfits, plenty of delicious food and fun had by everyone. It was the perfect way to let down our hair with our friends, after a long term of revision, exams and planning ahead. Thanks Miss Ramsay for organising our party: everyone had a great time!

What we’ve been studyingYears 7 and 8 have each had examinations this term, shortly after Half Term. This has provided invaluable revision and organisation skills, as well as becoming more aware of examination technique and any areas needing extra attention. Having examinations at this point allows us to assess exactly where the boys and girls are and how to build on foundations already in place. Years 7 and 8 are working on different levels of Common Entrance, and some Year 8 are working on their Scholarship subjects. We have also had some Year 8 pupils across at College working on their Sports Scholarships.

All of Upper School have had a productive and purposeful term outside of the classroom, as well: in Assembly on Tuesday we ran through some of the major musical, dramatic, sporting and artistic achievements of the term including a production at the Everyman Theatre, Carol Singing in the Suffolks, taking part in the House Art Exhibition, the girls’ U13 Rugby tournament, all finished off with a fantastic Christmas party.

Upper School are supported throughout the section by a fantastic team of tutors and we really must thank all the Upper School colleagues for their care, attention and time spent with the boys and girls.

Roles of ResponsibilityWe now have a Prefect team of 13 (which will increase during the year). Although they have been fantastic throughout the term, they worked on 11+ Experience particularly well, demonstrating great team spirit and always leading by example.


Bakery Club We got very festive this week in Bakery Club by making a huge joint Christmas pudding. The jobs of measuring flour, suet and dried fruit, cracking and mixing fourteen eggs and grating carrots and apples were divided between the team who worked in pairs to add the ingredients into an enormous bowl. We then added a splash of brandy and some stout before we mixed it all up. Some pupils chose to use a spoon but others decided to get messy and give it a good mix with their hands! It was great fun and it smelt delicious. As we mixed the pudding, we each made a wish. The mixture was then divided into pudding basins and steamed overnight – ready to be heated and served on Christmas Day. Happy Eating! Merry Christmas to all in Bakery Club from Mrs Barrett & Mrs Williams.

Letter from the LibraryThe Cottage children came in for their regular storytime in the Library on Tuesday afternoon and listened to Christmas stories ranging from classics like The Snowman, to the more humorous Father Christmas needs a wee!

It certainly looks like Christmas in the Library as many Year 5s have been busy at lunchtime turning bookmarks into paper chains and the Christmas tree has its own unique book cover decorations!

The Christmas-themed book quiz has been popular too, but that is probably due to the edible prize involved!

Have a relaxing Christmas, but try and keep up with your reading, I would love to hear any reviews or thoughts you have on the books you read during your holiday. Fingers crossed you all get some good books in your stockings!


STEM Club Stem Club members are busy making gliders for the Flying High competition which we are entering in February. The Graduate Engineers from Messier-Bugatti-Dowty have been coming in each week to help the pupils understand the principles of flight, and they have been learning about yaw, roll, pitch and lift. We will be continuing to design and test our gliders over the next few weeks to make them the best they can be for the competition.

History Club This term during History Club, the pupils have been researching Prime Ministers of England and Britain. They have used a variety of sources to create an A4 ‘Fact-File’ on each Prime Minister and an accompanying PowerPoint slide. They all had to provide a bibliography to show where their information came from, as well as comparing their facts against other sources to ensure their validity. These have been put together to create a Prime Ministers of England and Britain Booklet (available upon request from Mr Baird!). The last few Prime Minsters were completed the week before last and this was celebrated with an end of term History Club party!

This really is an excellent achievement, as there have been close to 75 Prime Ministers (give or take a few returning Prime Ministers and a few questions over the legitimacy of some terms in office…), which the 11 pupils of History Club have diligently researched on a Thursday afternoon and in their own time, throughout this term. They were most deserving of the Headmaster’s Commendations that they received during Monday’s Assembly. All four Year 8 Sets are currently represented in the Club, showing that a love of History can be enjoyed whatever the academic ability of the pupils.

It has been a great deal of fun and History Club will be returning in the Spring Term with a new project and, of course, all new (and old!) recruits from Years 7 and 8 are most welcome!


Girls' Sports

TEAM OPPOSITION DATE SCORE RESULTU8 A The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 4 – 0 WONU8 B The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 0 – 9 LOSTU9 A The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 1 – 0 WONU9 B The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 0 – 2 LOSTU10 A The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 4 – 2 WONU11 A The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 7 – 0 WONU10/11 B The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 4 – 1 WON1st VII The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 1 – 2 LOST2nd VII The Downs Wraxall 5 Dec 6 – 4 WON

Netball

Our Netball training has got underway this week and the girls are looking sharp. There will be a pre-season training session for all Middle and Upper School girls on Monday 4 January, 16.00 – 17.30 just ahead of the team trials when the pupils return to school on Wednesday 6 January. Please email Miss Ramsay on [email protected] if you intend to send your daughter to this pre-season training session.

Team of the Week – U10/U11 B

A great final game of the season! The girls played and kept to their positions well. There was good teamwork and strong communication throughout the game, despite the players being swapped on and off regularly. Cheltenham had most of the possession of the ball and consistently attacked the goal. However, it was good to see our defence hold their possession and be in place for when they were needed. Next season, let’s make sure that we respond to the umpire quickly, keeping our eye on the ball while we get into position. It was a super finish and we recieved a very nice compliment on our girls’ manners and politeness from the Downs’ coach. Well done girls!

For news, fixtures and

updates, follow us on Twitter!

@cheltprepgirls

Girls' Rugby

Tuesday saw our inaugural girls' rugby 7s team in action at the Sibford 7s Tournament. Having only had three full training sessions, the girls were up against it, but spirits were high. We won our first game, but came a close second to much larger sides in the next three matches. The girls did their best to stay warm between matches by adopting the penguin principle of huddling and sharing body heat! Our final game, off the back of the three defeats, saw us rise like a phoenix from the flames, and we won 6 tries to nil! Throughout the tournament, there was some vintage Dallaglio tackling and Wilkinson quick hands on display, and the girls took no prisoners. The girls approached the day with total commitment, tenacity and bravery and should be hugely proud of themselves and their achievement. Hopefully, this is just the start of something big at The Prep!


Boys' Sports

For news, fixtures and updates, follow us on Twitter!

@cheltprep_boys

TEAM OPPONENT RESULT SCORE1st XV Downs Wraxall 1st XV Lost 7-242nd XII Downs Wraxall 2nd XII Won 40-20U11A Downs Wraxall U11A Won 35-25U10A Downs Wraxall U10A Won 20-15U10 Barbarians I Downs Wraxall U10 Won 25-5U10 Barbarians II Downs Wraxall U10 Lost 0-25U9A Downs Wraxall U9A Won 50-5U9B + U9C Downs Wraxall U9B Festival format N/AU8ABC Downs Wraxall U8s Festival format N/A

Team of the Week – The U8sEver since the introduction of the New Rules of Play by the RFU and the move towards festivals rather than matches in this age group we have been more and more impressed at the progressions made at this level. The ability to play a short match, receive some coaching, go into another game and keep repeating has been a wonderful learning tool. Our current Year 3s began the season with fewer club rugby players than in previous year groups and therefore had a little further to come than before. The early festivals demonstrated the boys' heart and determination, but also gave clear signs of areas of development in terms of their games understanding and skill upgrading.

Over the course of this term, the year group have worked immensely hard with their coaches and the progress has been incredible. In their last matches of the season, against The Downs Wraxall, the boys were outstanding. Their support play was a world away from the start of the season, they looked not only like boys who knew their rugby but like real teams who worked well together as a unit. The best attribute, however, was the pressing defence that suffocated the Wraxall attackers and stopped them playing with the fluidity that our boys demonstrated.A terrific performance that was the culmination of a great season of hard work from all involved.

Other News• Details of the 2016 Barcelona Rugby Tour will come out in a clarion to Years 6 and 7 over

the break.• Pre-Season training is for Upper School only and will take place on Monday 4 Jan, 15.45-

17.30.• Please remember that during Spring Term the boys need to have shin pads, gum shields,

outdoor trainers and their boots (for football) in their bags for every session and matchday.


CalendarMonday 4 January 2016 Week 1 (15) 4 - 10 January16:00 Pre-season Hockey Training for Upper School. Pick up 17:3016:00 Pre-season Netball Training for Middle and Upper School. Pick up 17:30

Tuesday 5 January 201617:00 Boarders return (please arrive no later than 17:45)18:00 Boarders' Tea

Wednesday 6 January 201608:00 Term begins08:15 Years 3-8 children report to classrooms08:40 Kingfishers children report to classrooms (Cottage 09:00)14:00 Middle and Upper School Netball Trials. Pick up 16:1514:00 Middle and Upper School Hockey Training. Pick up 16:1517:00 Wednesday Wonder: Being an Entrepreneur - Colin Mathews

Friday 8 January 201608:00 Friends of The Prep Coffee Morning (Drawing Room)14:15 Chapel (parents welcome)

Saturday 9 January 201608:15 Departure for Netball v The Downs Wraxall (A): U10A, U10B, U11A. Start 10:00. Pick up 13:0008:15 Departure for Netball Coaching Matches with The Downs Wraxall (A): U8 Teams. Start 10:00. Pick up 13:0008:30 Departure for Hockey v The Downs Wraxall (A): U8A VII, U8B VII, U8C VII. Start 10:00 for A and B teams, 10:30 for C team. Pick up 12:3009:30 Departure for Hockey v The Downs Wraxall (A): U9A VII, U9B VII, U9C VII. Start 11:00 for A and B teams, 11:30 for C team. Pick up 13:1509:30 Internal Hockey Match (H): U11C VII, U10C VII. Pick up 10:3010:00 Netball v The Downs Wraxall (H): 1st VII, 2nd VII, 3rd VII, U9A, U9B. Pick up 11:3010:00 Hockey v The Downs Wraxall (H): U11A VII, U11B VII, U10A VII, U10B VII. Pick up 11:3010:40 Hockey v The Downs Wraxall (H): 1st VII, 2nd VII, 3rd VII, 4th VII. Pick up 12:0011:00 Training for Middle and Upper School Girls not involved in matches. Pick up 12:00

Sunday 10 January 201613:00 Boarders' Trampoline and Parkour (Full and Regular Flexi-Boarders Only)

All changes and additions to the School Calendar appear in pink.


School Uniform Shop

A message from the Uniform Shop:

Dear Customers

We have really enjoyed working in the shop and meeting all of you but the time has come for us to hang up our school caps.

As from 1 January we are handing over to Emma Collings. She can be contacted on the same mobile phone number and email address as all previous enquiries.

The shop opening hours may well be altered from January, but we will let you have details as soon as possible or please look at the school website.

Thank you to all who have come to the shop and we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Julie Tague and Irene Jones

Name AgeSeraphina D'Orazi 5Elizabeth Keen 5Octavia D'Orazi 7Sean Degnan 7Monty White 8Zara Leach 9Tula Leach 9Jakob Sneyd 9Kamila Aldongar 10Fred Barter 10Ronan Cowing 10Florence Piggott 10Thomas Bridge 11Jasper Brumpton 11William Davey 11Monty Dawson 11Charlie Keene 11Helaina Lenden 11Isobelle Mace 11Freya Wood 11Joe Blanchfield 12Oliver Callon Hine 12Maria Cowing 12Jemimah Kayode 12Sasha Kemp 12Benjamin Urbanovsky 12Francesca Pinchard 13 Grace White 13

Happy Birthday to the following pupils over the

Christmas holiday, or early in the New Year!

NOTICES

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Prep for the Week Issue 1814