Issue 17
Year 2 Visit Beale Park
In Science lessons this half term, Year 2 have been learning about Minibeasts and their trip to Beale Park brought it all to life. On arrival they enjoyed a Minibeasts session during which they handled a cockroach and saw giant snails and a terrific tarantula. The children learnt how to group and identify different minibeasts and impressed the guides with their prior knowledge.
They also had the chance to go on one of the most-loved and longest standing features of Beale Wildlife Park, the diesel train called Howard. The train looped around the park giving them amazing views of some of the animals, from Shetland ponies and alpacas to Meerkats and lynxes. The highlight for many of the children was bouncing on the giant inflatable pillow and playing in the fantastic playground after eating their picnics.
Class Pairs
Twice a term the older children join the younger children in their classrooms. They might play a game together or share a book. All the children really enjoy the sessions and it helps to build relationships across the school developing our school values to be kind and helpful.
Year 6 work towards their Bunsen burner licence
The Science curriculum in Year 6 has been carefully designed to prepare them fully for their transition to senior schools. The topics reinforce previous concepts, extend their knowledge and understanding and also develop their scientific enquiry skills. The children start the academic year using a variety of lab apparatus that they will encounter in their next school, including the eagerly anticipated Bunsen burners. This topic is always a firm favourite for the children, where they learn how to light and use a Bunsen burner safely before earning their Bunsen burner license.
Chandlings Prep raises over £5000 for Oxford Children's Hospital Charity
We were delighted to welcome David Child from Oxford Children’s Hospital Charity to Chandlings Prep to present him with a cheque for £5,382.84. The school had been raising funds over the year for the children’s hospital based at the John Radcliffe in Oxford. The charity had been voted for by the school as part of their annual charity programme and the charity ambassadors had the task of presenting the cheque.
PATCH (Chandlings Prep Parent & Teacher Association) worked tirelessly alongside the charity ambassadors and the school community to raise this fantastic amount of money through a variety of events. These included a Dress to Express day, movie nights and discos, and a huge thank you must go to the second-hand uniform shop who donated £3000 kindly represented by Mrs Hales and Mrs Neville.
David Child came to the school to accept the cheque and showed how the money has helped to make children’s lives in the hospital better. This included play therapists, virtual headsets, and new specialist equipment. He said “We are enormously grateful to Chandlings Prep for supporting us and raising these valuable funds for the Oxford Children’s Hospital Charity."
Year 6 get team-building on the low ropes course
Year 6 are working on their survival skills this term. They have already been foraging and will be building shelters after half-term. In between they have been up in the Bluebell Woods learning how to navigate the low ropes course. This involves all sorts of different skills including critical thinking, problem-solving but most of all working together as a team. They encourage each other when something is tricky and they work out how to get across each part of the course together.
Chandlings meets the tallest man in Britain
It's not every day that you meet someone who is 7ft 7.26 inches tall with size 18 feet! But this term we were lucky enough to have Paul Sturgess, Britain's tallest man visit Chandlings Prep. Paul was also a former professional basketball player with the Harlem Globetrotters and has taken up acting recently filming Fantastic Beasts, Avatar 2 and Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power at Last. As you might imagine he made quite an impact as the children came into assembly. He was a highly engaging speaker as he described his careers, but also gave them the important message that they can work hard in the classroom, celebrate their differences, be proud and embrace who they are.
After the assembly Paul did workshops for all the children during which they had a variety of basketball challenges and of course, there were plenty of photos taken too. It was definitely a day to remember.