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Edition 35 16 March 2018 @kingsley_school /thekingsleyschool www.thekingsleyschool.com

Headteacher’s Welcome In a week where we have lost one of the greatest scientific minds of our generation, we have had reason to pause and think about learning. The man who many said would not live to see his 30th birthday not only defied his doctors’ prognosis, but went on to change the way in which we view the universe. Now, not everyone will grow up to be a Professor Stephen Hawking, but the lessons about dedication to study, a drive to be the best you can be and retaining a good sense of humour are certainly applicable to all members of our community. The EYFS pupils have been curious about the farm, Year 5 are investigating the role that news plays in our lives, Year 1 and Year 2 have challenged themselves with their gymnastics competition and the whole school took part in our British Science Week House Quiz. Days are full of learning opportunities and in the next few weeks we will be inviting parents into school to share the results of this learning. We look forward to welcoming you before Easter. In the unparalled words of Prof. Stephen Hawking “remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Be curious.” Mrs Rachel Whiting Head of Prep

Science Weekthe Weathering House Winners Season

Congratulations to Loveday, winners of This term Foundation and Reception Class the Prep School British Science Week are learning about the seasons and the 2018 Quiz! weather.

Guiding Dogs The Prep School welcomed Carrie (and Bobby!) from The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (UK) into a recent assembly to talk about how the charity train their amazing dogs. The children had an opportunity to try reading braille, ask questions and, of course, have a meet and greet!

? on ti da un Fo in on g in go en be as What h tion Class have This half term Founda nal tales. been looking at traditio owing in our We had a beanstalk gr the story using classroom, and retold had a golden ‘Small World’ - we even egg!

We measured the giant’s footprints using cubes and planted our own beanstalks.

the We have also looked at ree Little Th e traditional tales of ‘Th lly Goats Pigs’ and ‘The Three Bi es from Gruff’. We made hous s, and built straw, sticks and brick ats. We have bridges for the Billy go e stories enjoyed retelling all th s. using pictures and prop

We have also wel comed Harry into the class who has settled beautifully!

The Gingerbread Man - Lost! When the children arrived in school on Tuesday they found that the Little Old Woman and the Little Old Man had set up home in the role play area. The Little Old Woman had been baking gingerbread men when one escaped from the oven and ran away! The Little Old Woman and the Little Old Man had put up a ‘lost’ poster and the children decided to help. They saw that there was magical gingerbread flour and footsteps leading out of the oven and crumbs leading out of the classroom - but where would he have gone? The class decided to check in the ‘Lost Property Box’ but found that he was not there. When they got to the hall they soon discovered that all of the other classes had been visited by the Gingerbread Man as well! Children from each class came up during assembly to read out clues which had been left in their classrooms by the characters from the story. Finally it was discovered that the Gingerbread Man had met a fox in the Year 6 classroom and the fox had eaten him! The children were very shocked.

Making Gingerbread

Fee Fi Fo Fum!

The children had a fantastic week using gingerbread scented playdough to make their own gingerbread men, having tea parties in the Little Old Woman’s house.

On Monday morning the children arrived to find that a beanstalk had grown in the middle of the classroom. There was much excitement as they discussed where it might lead, how it had got there and whether it had broken its way through he ceiling in to the Year 6 classroom above! The children have now planted their own runner beans to grow in to beanstalks - we are wondering whether their will go through the roof too!

New Life at the Farm A fantastic day was had by Foundation and Reception Class at Oversley Hill Farm. The children were offered the most fantastic opportunities to learn about cows and sheep. They spent time looking at the different parts of the animals and even the teachers learned a lot. We found out that cows and sheep both have four stomachs and spend time ‘chewing the cud’. Cows and sheep both have udders with four teats and cows usually only have one baby at a time but sheep can have up to five. The children helped to bake a loaf of bread and shake double cream until it formed butter which they were able to try on their steaming hot bread before they travelled home. The children met lambs that had been born during the snowfall (who were aptly named Blizzard and Drift) as well as lamb triplets who had just been born. The pupils also had a super time trying out three different tractors and imagining they were driving around the farm themselves.

Year 1 and Year 2 Stars of the Week 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. The Stars of the Week over the past weeks have been... Aisha: for always being kind, helpful and courteous towards others. Aisha is an extremely independent and hardworking pupil who demonstrates all of the qualities of a superstar learner!

Edward: for another excellent week of learning. He continues to work more independently and always perseveres and enthusiastically takes new topics in his stride. Edward consistently has good manners and is always helpful towards adults around the school.

Awesome Attributes British Science Week is the British Science Association’s annual ten-day celebration of science, technology and engineering featuring a variety of events which take place nationwide. This year, Science Week was 9th-18th March so the Year 1 and Year 2 children took part in animal themed activities as part of their Outdoor Learning afternoon.

The weather was very wet, but this did not bother the Key Stage One children from working independently and in pairs to name different types of animals, their habitats and their features. The children compared animal body parts between the different animal classes and also compared them to their own. The class noted how although we are mammals like bears, we have some similar features but also some very different body parts.

The children learned this week that animals have these features as a result of how they are adapted to their environments. A shark and other types of fish developed their gills to allow them to breathe under water, while a parrot has a sharp beak and claws to peck and scrape its way through the tough nuts and different types of fruit it eats. The children were in complete awe of how extraordinary animals truly are, and are certainly fascinated with their current animal topic in their science lessons.

Where will your book take you? On Thursday 1st March the whole of the Prep School celebrated World Book Day by coming dressed as their favourite book character, and each class organised exciting and fun-filled activities to celebrate the day. In Year 1 and Year 2, the morning began by listening to one of Miss Clark’s favourite stories, ‘The Jolly Postman’. The classroom became the “Jolly Post Office” and Miss Clark was even dressed as the Jolly Christmas Postman to fit in with the snow and wintery weather outside. When each page of the story was turned, the children were amazed to find an envelope revealed, which was addressed to a different fairy tale character each time. The children learned how to address an envelope and then created their own envelopes for their chosen story characters. The children then shared their own favourite story books they had brought in from home, and designed book covers and the inside pages from their stories. After the Prep School World Book Day assembly, the class was visited by Year 5, who had come to listen to them read and share their favourite book from home. The Key Stage One children were able to find a cosy spot around their classroom to enjoy some reading time with their Year 5 partners. The Year 1 and Year 2 children would like to thank Mrs Holmes and the Year 5 children for taking time out of their busy schedules to come and read with them. They certainly had a lot of fun and were very honoured to read to an older child and someone they looked up to! The day concluded with a chance to re-create some of the Jolly Postman characters through art and craft, and to also draw their costumes in a “World Book Day Selfie” template to add to their classroom displays.

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Anglo-Saxon Illuminations As part of their Creative Curriculum topic work this half term, Year 3 have been finding out about how books in Anglo-Saxon times were decorated with illuminated letters. Monks and scribes would start each page with a decorated letter. In their art lessons, Year 3 have designed and created their own illuminated letters which can been seen in the corridor outside Year 3’s form room.

Holy Trinity Church Project Year 3 are now in the construction phase of their design technology project to make a model of our local Holy Trinity Church. The class have until June to finish their models and the best design will go on show at Coventry Cathedral as part of the centenary celebrations of the Coventry Diocese.

King Alfred’s Mathematical Cakes In maths, Year 3 have been learning about weight and mass. To help the pupils understand how to read scales and measure grams and kilograms accurately, they worked in pairs to bake King Alfred’s cakes. Year 3 had read the story of the Saxon King Alfred and how during his escape from the invading Vikings he hid in a cottage and forgot to take some cakes out of the oven, so they got burnt. Year 3 did not burn their cakes but followed the recipe carefully and produced some lovely scone-like cakes. Watch out Great British Bake Off – we have some talented and budding bakers in Year 3!

Riding the Soundwaves

You’ve Got Mail

In their science lessons, Year 4 have been learning about sound and how it travels. They have learned about echoes and echolocation and have investigated which materials sound can travel through. Their final lesson concluded with the pupils making PowerPoint presentations to present to the rest of their class, along with a slide full of questions to test their knowledge of sound. They all did a wonderful job, sharing detailed and complex information.

In ICT this half term, Year 4 have been learning to use the school email system, with their very own email addresses. They have learned how to access, open and send emails and have had lots of fun doing so!

Constructing the Taj Mahal Year 4 have been studying India this term and have had various homework projects to complete. This is Ava’s incredible 3D model of the Taj Mahal. Great work, Ava!

Tales of our Time In English, Year 4 have been studying historical stories. They have read a variety of stories and compared the settings, characters and historical elements to help prepare for writing their own stories in upcoming lessons.

Batik Cushions Using the batik fabric designs the Year 4 pupils created last half term, the children have now begun to create cushions. After pinning the batik material to another piece of matching size, the children used needle threaders (which proved somewhat tricky still!) to begin the sewing process. They have now begun to use running stitch to sew the material together, trying very hard to make the stitches small, neat and close to the edge. Over the next few weeks we will continue to sew before stuffing them with wadding to make a cosy cushion.

Local Area Planners In geography, Year 5 were challenged to come up with an interesting project to develop a plot of land that would benefit the local area. The ideas ranged from zoos, wildlife parks and recreation. They were then asked to take a stance on whether they were for or against the land being developed and developed interviews to be filmed during ICT.

“Plot of la nd developm ready for ent within reach of easy Leaming t o n Spa town cen tre investme . This fantastic nt oppor tunity ha become s just available . Close to the amen all ities of th is charmin Warwick shire tow g n. Could used for be a variety of purpo the choic ses – e is up to you… Op to offers en from £25 ,000.”

Mechanical Visual Fiction Mrs Holmes’ drama group used ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ as inspiration, and to celebrate Shakespeare Week! The group used lines from the play to create freeze-frames and then went on to create their own interpretation of the part of the ‘play within in a play’, led by a company known as ‘The Mechanicals’. The group portraryed the characters of Quince, the carpenter; Snug, the joiner; Bottom, the weaver; Flute, the bellows-mender; Snout, the tinker; and Starveling, the tailor.

I Read the News Today... Year 5 are about to showcase in an up and coming assembly all the interesting things that they have learned during their ‘Making the News’ topic, during which the class really did become roving reporters! We’re not wanting to give too much away, but the rehearsals have begun - we thought we would give you a visual taster of what it could be about!

Share a Story To follow on from the massive success of ‘Sharing a Story’ with Year 1 and Year 2, Year 5 will be joining the class during on Week B Wednesdays for 20 minutes to continue with story sharing. They look like they are really enjoying every minute of their time together!

Welcome Miss Slater! Hello! I’m Miss Slater and I have now been at The Kingsley School for three whole weeks. I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of teaching Year 6; all of the students have been kind and helped to make me feel very welcome – thank you, Year 6! We have completed lots of interesting activities over the past few weeks. Highlights have included planning our very own charity event in PSHE (which we will be pitching to Mrs Whiting soon) and writing short stories inspired by the

wonderful book, ‘Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls’, by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo (a collection of tales about the lives incredible women who have helped to shape history).

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I’m joining 6KA at a very exciting time as the school play, ‘Aladdin’, has now been cast so rehearsals will soon begin. I cannot wait to see how the pupils rise to the challenge of being in a play! Miss Slater

A Whole New World! “Preparing for the ‘Aladdin’ auditions was really fun. We were given different scripts and songs to learn and every night we practiced! “For the auditions, Mrs Smith sat at a desk taking notes and we performed our pieces. It was not too stressful and Mrs Smith was really kind. We were mixed up into different groups so Mrs Smith could see who worked well together. It was really fun to perform with different people. “At the end of the auditions, we were all really excited to find out which parts we had been given and we knew that whichever part we were given they were all important! Year 6 cannot wait to start rehearsing now!” By Rasna

Dreaming the Dream A huge congratulations to Lily in Year 6, who has recently performed the principal role of ‘Little Eponine’ in the Stratford Musical Theatre Company’s production of Les Miserables, alongside Senior School girls Georgie, Katie, Sarah and Freya. The show, which was entirely performed by students and directed by Kingsley’s retired Head of Performing Arts, Mrs Judi Walton, was hailed in a review by Love Midlands Theatre, who said that the company “rose to the challenge and smashed it… this group has an extortionate amount of talented individuals with some that would rival those performing on a West End stage.” Well done, Lily!

The Prep School celebrated books and reading on World Book Day, participating in a day full of activities whilst wearing some splendid costumes!

Mothering Sunday Sevice The Prep School had a lovely Mothering Sunday service on Friday 9th March at Holy Trinity Church; celebrating their mothers and grandmothers with a programme full of poems, readings, songs and videos. The pupils presented their guests with a floral token at the end of the service.

Netball vs The Croft Tuesday 13th March 2018

Well done to our Year 3 and Year 4 netball teams, who played against tough competition from The Croft Preparatory School on Tuesday evening. Despite being the first netball match for some of the pupils, both teams played brilliantly, with ‘Player of the Match’ awarded to both Margaux and Georgia.

Rugby Star Matilda was very excited to show us her ‘Player of the Week’ certificate from her latest Rugby Tots session - well done Matilda, and look out Wasps!

Dates for the Diary... March 2018

19th - Year 1 and Year 2 Visit Fairytale Farm, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire - all day 21st - Earth Day 21st - U10 & U11 Netball Tournament at Warwick Prep - pm - selected girls 21st - GSA Netball Tournament at Edgbaston High School - depart Prep School at 11.30am and return at 4.45pm - selected girls 22nd - (new date) Second Hand Uniform Sale in Basement of Prep School - 3.30pm to 5pm 22nd - Last Spanish Club of Spring Term 22nd - Last Rock Climbing Club of Spring Term 22nd - Easter Concert - 7pm - Senior School Hall all most welcome! 26th - Year 3 Visit Anglo Saxon Workshop - Priory House, Warwick - all day 26th - Year 4 Indian Dance Workshop - am 26th - Last Magical Maths for Key Stage 1 26th - Last Rugby Tots of Term 26th - Sports Awards Evening 27th - Year 4 India Exhibition - 3.10pm to 3.40pm all Year 4 parents welcome!

27th - Last Cooking Club of Term 27th - Tales of Matilda - 7.30pm - Senior School Hall Tickets available via [email protected] 28th - Foundation, Reception , Year 1 and Year 2 Easter Assembly followed by Easter Bonnet Parade 9am - Prep Gym 28th - Tales of Matilda - 7.30pm - Senior School Hall Tickets available via [email protected] 29th - Spring Term Ends: Foundation, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at 3.30pm Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 at 3.50pm 30th - Good Friday April 2018 1st - Easter Sunday 16th - INSET Day - school closed 17th - Summer Term Begins - welcome back! 19th - Year 1 to Year 6 - Annual Swimming Gala at Newbold Coymn Leisure Centre - 10.30am to 12noon - all welcome!