Issue 30

Presenting Year 3 students with their school house ties & water bottles as they transition into the prep stage, is a significant milestone. The excitement of whether they are in Astley, Poltimore or Richardson is palpable! This ceremony celebrates their growth and symbolises both belonging and responsibility within their school community. 

Year 5 started their journey into Upper Prep with a 3-day glamping adventure at Land and Wave on the Dorset coast. The group arrived at Purbeck Valley Farm just before midday and were greeted by Alex, our residential leader who swiftly took everybody on a tour of the site. After lunch, the children were fitted for their wetsuits and then it was on to their afternoon activity which was archery tag. 'The Archers' were duly declared the round robin champions. The traditional Corfe Castle group photo was taken and supper was served just after 5:00pm. The day concluded with everyone sat around the campfire, singing along with Alex and his guitar.

Following a night of somewhat intermittent slumber, the camp woke on Thursday to the wonderful vista of Corfe Castle bathed in glorious sunshine. The children headed to breakfast at 8:00am to fuel up for a busy day and found cheese and bacon turnovers that were rather tasty. Getting into wetsuits was next on the to-do list and was actually pretty straight-forward. We then set off for Swanage where we spent the rest of the morning playing water games followed by raft building. After lunch, the children used their tuck money to purchase some yummy ice creams and took to the giant paddleboards for an afternoon of joy and laughter. Warm showers and supper followed once we had arrived back at base. We then returned to Swanage Bay for a spot of crabbing and caught 3 different types of crab, which was most impressive.

Before returning to Oxfordshire on Friday, there was still time to get into double kayaks where we paddled on the incredibly calm open water. A fantastic time was had by all, including the teachers!

The Year 1 children had a fabulous start to this term's topic of 'Dinosaurs'. They arrived in school decked out as dinosaur explorers and were soon off on an adventure around the grounds, following a trail of dinosaur footprints. This eventually led them to two nests with dinosaur eggs. There was a flurry of excitement! They then walked over to the Outdoor Classroom for some fossil hunting. Safety goggles were donned before hammers, chisels and brushes were used to chip away at plaster blocks to uncover the bones beneath. Some of these bones were then fitted together to create whole skeletons. It was a fantastic morning full of enthusiasm and teamwork to launch our topic.

Mrs Martin's tortoise made a special appearance to help launch the Year 6 art project. The students began by collecting reference pictures and then sketched the forms of the tortoises, putting much focus on the shape and detail. These drawings will guide them as they plan and create their very own clay sculptures. We are all eagerly waiting to see the final results. 

On Monday the 9th September, Year 2 had a marvellous morning... up, up and away! The day was filled with joy, curiosity and wonder. The biggest attraction was playing parachute games and this encouraged them to think about how a hot air balloon works. Following this, in their English lessons, they made hot air balloons; thought about places they would one day like to visit and decided on their own wish for the future. As a year group they all enjoyed a walk in the grounds, blew bubbles and watched them float... up, up and away!   

On Friday the 20th of September, we had our annual supporting 'Jeans for Genes' day. This is a charity that raises awareness of the challenges that can be associated with different genetic conditions while raising money to fund projects that make a meaningful difference to the lives of those affected. We all had great fun wearing our blue and denim and raising money for such a brilliant cause. Thank you to you all for your contributions.