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DCPS Matters
Issue 23
13th October 2017
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Headmaster's News Dear Parents, I cannot believe how quickly the first half of this term has flown by. A huge amount has been packed into the past six weeks and I must pass my thanks on to everyone, pupils, staff, parents and governors for your contributions to such an enjoyable few weeks. I would particularly like to thank everyone who has joined the school this term, from Mr Cook, to all of the new children and their parents. Every single one of you has made your mark and it really is wonderful to have you as part of our family. I was also delighted that we were able to promote breast cancer awareness on the last day of this half of term. Everyone looked fantastic in their pink outfits and it really is a very special cause to support. Harvest Festival What a wonderful show the Pre-prep and Pre-school children provided for us on Tuesday. They and the staff had worked really hard to ensure that everything went so well and as ever we were treated to a wonderful performance that was both entertaining and thought-provoking. Remembrance Service on 10th November This will take place after chapel on 10th November. Everyone is welcome and tea and coffee will be served afterwards. Grades These will come out @ the end of term, not half term, for everyone apart from Year 6.
New Noticeboard
Please note that we have a new school noticeboard on the School Room wall. All notices regarding Team lists, PTFA, Clubs etc, will now be placed on this. Please be sure to have a look at it. Have a wonderful Half Term! Travel safely and recharge your batteries. The next half will be even busier! Best wishes Jerry Gear |
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| Congratulations Verity! Verity Ball was judged goalkeeper of the tournament when the U10 girls’ hockey team travelled to The Elms for last Friday’s hockey festival. This is no mean achievement and Verity deserves our congratulations for putting in a string of fearless performances. |
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Message from Peter Cook, Acting Deputy
Dear All, Many thanks for making me feel so welcome at the school over the past four weeks. It was pleasing to meet a number of the fathers at the Dads’ supper evening and to meet some other parents at the parents’ evening recently. I have thoroughly enjoyed trying to get to know all the children’s names and gain a full understanding of the school and its systems. I apologise to those whose names I continue to mix up but will endeavour to work on this after half term. I can certainly sympathise with all the new children who started this term finding their way around, as you are never too clear where each of the staircases might lead you – very much like Hogwarts. The lovely family atmosphere that permeates all aspects of school life is a real pleasure to be part of and is a real trademark of what an excellent Prep school provides. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to get back into the classroom during the odd cover lesson when I have been able to see how the children approach their work and focus on the concepts they are being introduced to or developing. The breadth of experiences afforded the pupils through the wide range of activities, both within and outside the classroom, enrich their education and provide them with the enthusiasm to explore other opportunities when they are exposed to them. Most will not fully appreciate these experiences until later in life but, hopefully, it will inspire a number to develop lifelong interests and a thirst to try new things. Enjoy the half term break and I look forward to hearing what your children have been getting up to on their return. Best wishes Peter Cook
Acting Deputy Head |
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Smallwood Explorers Holiday Club is getting booked up. Don't miss out! |
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Pre-School News
The Squirrels have been on an Autumn Walk and have been looking at Apples and Pumpkins. They have made apple cookies, tasted apple pies and apple flapjack.
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Pre-Prep News
PP2 had a wonderful trip to Tesco Uttoxeter. They met up with Sue Brown, Tesco’s Community Champion. She was extremely helpful and showed everyone around the store. The children went on to learn about bread and had the opportunity to knead their own dough and make their own bread. After making bread, the children were given a guided tour of the bakery. PP2 looked at the large mixing equipment and also saw how the bread rolls were made. We also investigated the huge ovens and saw where the bread was wrapped and stored. After looking around the bakery, the children were taken to the fish counter and they had to find out where the fish on the stand came from. The children also had the chance to hold fish and examine the different types of seafood. From there they ventured into the large freezers, the children found them to be extremely exciting and very cold! Brrrr! The children were set another challenge by Sue; they had to find which fruit travelled the furthest distance to get to the store. We found out that much of the fruit and vegetables came from the United Kingdom and that some apples came from as far as New Zealand. Finally the children got to do a cheese tasting test. They tried Cheddar, apricot and smoked cheeses. The children were fantastic and all gave it a go! The smoked cheese seemed to be the most popular. The children were then allowed to take home their bread and taste their labours of the day. I would like to say a big thank you to Tesco for allowing our school to attend their store and for all the activities that they had organised. The Manager of the store has praised our children and said that the children were the best behaved children she had seen around the store. So well done PP2! |
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Harvest Festival and visit to Kirk House Nursing Home Some of the Pre-prep children visited Kirk House Nursing Home following their Harvest Festival Service. The children were Cecilia B, Thomas C, Beau A-D and Daniel F. They delivered the harvest donations to the local Kirk House Nursing Home in Uttoxeter. They spoke with some residents:- Bill, Don, Slavina and Margaret, who were excited to see the children. The Pre-School and Pre-Prep Department had earlier entertained parents and grandparents with beautiful renditions of Harvest Samba, Cauliflowers Fluffy and Our God is a Great Big God. They also gave a presentation about fruit and vegetables, as well as the way food is produced, following a visit to Tesco.This is the 2nd time they have visited Kirk House, and the residents and staff are always pleased to see them. "It is a tradition we would like to continue for many years", said Mr Gear, who also attended. |
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Main Prep News Year 3 Class 3 have been carrying out blindfolded taste tests in Science this week. They had to try foods blindfolded and see if they could recognise them by using just their sense of taste and smell. Every child managed to try something new, which is a great achievement, particularly when you can't see it! Well done year 3! Ms. Hart |
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Year 4 Keep it Cool! Year 4 have yet again amazed us by designing their own scientific experiment in class on Tuesday 10th Oct. They were given the challenge of devising an experiment to find out how they could cool a hot cup of tea down as quickly as possible. The children were provided with lots of equipment that they could choose use such as; glass beakers, metal and plastic trays, plastic jugs and saucepans. They were also provided with a hot cup of tea, thermometer and a classroom timer. They chose to cool their tea over a period of 10 minutes and used lots of different methods to do so. The children took the temperature of their tea at the start of the experiment and then 10 minutes after they had used all their efforts to cool it down quickly using the equipment of their choice. The methods included blowing over the top of the tea, pouring it in and out of containers, using trays to pour the tea into, changing the location of their experiment to a shaded area or an area near a window and using plastic bowls to pour in and out of. They also learned about keeping a control experiment so that they could see what happened to the cup of tea without their cooling process. This was a hands on and fun lesson and the children learned so much from their results which helps them to understand the thermal properties of materials along with conductors of heat. Well Done Year 4! Miss Emma |
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Year 5
In English, Year 5 have been studying classic narrative poetry. We have focused on Alfred Lord Tennyson’s beautifully poignant poem of “The lady of Shalott”. The children looked carefully at the vocabulary in the poem, picking apart the old fashioned language and creating images of what was being described. We then looked at the story within the poem and rewrote our own versions with a different ending. Some children chose a Disney style, true love conquers all style ending and others went for a more gruesome, deadly way to end their stories. The vocabulary and imagery used by the children was stunning and many outstanding writing techniques were displayed throughout both classes. The finished story book will soon be on display in our classrooms. Mrs McKenzie |
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Year 6
Well here we are at the end of the first half of the Michaelmas term already. We have been delighted with the effort that Year 6 have been putting into their learning so far and with an extremely busy half term ahead, we will be looking for them to keep up the momentum as we fast approach the Denstone entrance exam. This half term children will be bringing home a MathsWatch DVD to help them with their work in mathematics and revision at home over the next few months. A letter has been emailed to all parents which explains in detail how to run the disc and we hope that children will enjoy navigating the numerous topics on there to support their revision and learning in maths. Homework in Mathematics and English has been set and don't forget that MyMaths and the Science Boot Camp http://www.compare4kids.co.uk/learn.php can be accessed online to revisit topics and aid revision. Just 10 minutes a day can help make a difference and keep the brain cogs turning! Mr. Bettaney and I are grateful for all your support and wish you all an enjoyable half-term break. Mrs Lea |
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Art NewsNational Open Art Competition The following children have been selected for the Online National Open Art Children’s Gallery on the NOA website and each child will receive a certificate for their achievement. So they can tell all their friends and family to go and find their work on the website in the gallery where National Open Art will be representing them. Very well done. To see the gallery click on the link below. http://www.nationalopenart.org/gallery.php?filter=children The children are:- Amelia L, Beatrice E, Caoimhe C, Daniel P-S, Esther B, Eve N, Freddie F, Harry R, Imogen A, Jacob M, Oliver M, Sophie T, Thomas K, Tommy D. In addition, William V, Alex G and Tilly M’s work has also been selected to be included in an exhibition of the best 100 entries at Graingers in Chicester. Draycott Show Results We would like to let you know that Denstone Prep won the following awards: - Jimmy Spooner won Overall Winner
- Caoimhe Crawford won best in Year 5
- Esther Belcher received a Runners Up ribbon
- Denstone Prep won Best School
Miss Belcher |
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Calling all Runners!! Dear Parents, The Dovedale Dash is an annual event which starts at the top of Thorpe Pastures, behind Thorpe Cloud. There is a children’s race which is just over a mile and a main event which is a 4 ¾ mile cross country across beautiful country side. It is great fun to watch, especially if you make your way down to the river itself. Dogs are welcome to join adult runners in the race as long as they start at the back! Quite a few of the children are keen to enter the Dovedale Dash and we thought that it would be nice to let everyone know about this wonderful family morning. If any of your family or friends are welcome to come and run or support and we would ask that all children wear their school PE kits and tracksuits as there is a prize for the highest scoring school. The basic details are as follows however more details can be found on www.dovedaledash.co.uk Date – Sunday 5th November 2017 Car parking – Free. On Thorpe Pastures behind the public toilets in Thorpe Village. Cost – Children’s race (U10s): £2. Main Event: Adults £8, U14s £3. (this includes a voucher for food at the Bentley Brook Pub) Times – Children’s race starts at 10am, Main Event starts at 11am but sign on is open from 9am in the white tent. DCPS base - We intend to have a small school gazebo to meet by and store our things during the race and are looking forwards to seeing you there. Prizes – 1st school ( based on the most highly scoring competitors), 1st U10 boy and girls, 1st U8 boy and girl, 1st and 2nd man, 1st and 2nd woman, 1st U14 boy and girl and 1st over 60. Clothing – School PE kits and skins, gloves and hats. Warm tracksuits for afterwards. Towels to dry off. Refreshments – There is a burger van, however queues are often long. Bring flasks and refreshments/snacks. Spectators WILL NEED wellies or walking boots. Supervision – Please note that although there will be members of staff present to support the children, parents are responsible for the entry and supervision of their own children. We really hope to see you there as it is always a great morning regardless of the weather. Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you want any more details as it would be wonderful to have an enormous Denstone Prep turnout. Yours faithfully, Karen Wason |
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Sport's News
Under 10 hockey festival at The Elms - 6th Oct
The Under 10 girls along with some select Under 9 girls attended the U10 Elms hockey festival where the emphasis of the afternoon was on enjoyment of hockey. Team Gunners captained by Darcie W and Team Potters led by Cleo N along with all the players took to the fast, smoother surface of astro like the proverbial ducks to water and despite a number of players playing in new and unfamiliar positions, the standard of hockey on show was magnificent! Between them the teams played 8 games, winning and drawing the majority and losing just one. Team Potters got the Denstone Prep contingent off to a great start with a draw and this laid a great base for the rest of the afternoons hockey. Isla making her first competitive start in goal grew in confidence throughout the afternoon along with superb defending throughout from Su Shan and Phoebe as well as wonderful running and movement from Cleo was a pleasure to see. Daisy and Evangeline were solid in every match constantly working together to get the ball forward into the attacking D and along with Charlotte who took her opportunities incredibly well meant that team Potters had a tremendous unbeaten afternoon of hockey. Team Gunners likewise had a terrific afternoon of hockey with great teamwork throughout. Verity B was immense in goal very rarely letting her goal line be passed by the hockey ball. Her powerful kicks in particular were the best on show from all 10 teams and helped to quickly turn defence in to attack for the team. Caoimhe likewise playing for the first time in a different team was a superb Centre back, winning the ball cleanly time and again and clearing the lines by passing out to the wings. Tilly M learning a new position out on the wings and, like Charlotte and Katie, stepping up a year group never looked out of place and learned so much about the tactical side of hockey. Esther also developed her reading of the game to know when to go forward and when to stay back improved throughout the afternoon. Darcie and Tilly D were exhausted after an afternoon spent covering the whole of the pitch and despite injuries gave their all for the team. Emily continued her wonderful first term with her movement around the D to open up channels for passes and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. Katie switched between the two teams and adapted incredibly well between the two teams playing as an attacker at times and a back at others. Miss Bennett said both teams represented the school in exemplary fashion and commented how immensely proud she was of all of the girls for their effort throughout the afternoon including how they conducted themselves, behaved and did what was asked and expected of them both on and off the pitch. All of the girls were brilliant! At the end of the afternoon, team managers were asked to nominate players of the tournament and overwhelmingly in an unanimous decision one of the Denstone Prep girls won her own special award. Verity B won ‘Goalkeeper of the tournament’ and rightly so! She shone in her position and other teams commented just how good she was at movement around the D, fantastic kicking of the ball and excellent stopping of the goals. All girls received medals for their participation and Verity received a special award for Goalkeeper of the tournament which the girls brought into school and was celebrated in Monday morning assembly. |
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| Twinkle toes hockey training In an attempt to get the girls feet moving more to the ball rather than moving the ball to the feet, Denstone Prep had their own impromptu Strictly Come Dancing dance class using the ladders to ensure feet were moving quicker, faster, and more nimbly. Cue (??) the Strictly Come Dancing music throughout as the girls (and some boys) stepped and danced their way through the ladders wonderfully well to help ensure that free hits are not given away in games for the ball hitting the girls feet. |
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DCPS v St Bedes Swimming gala - 11th Oct The Denstone Prep Under 11/10 girls and boys swim team consisting of: Year 6 girls: Georgina; Isabel C; Grace; Uma; Mia; Isobel W and Eloise Year 6 boys: Joe B; Charles W and Max W Year 5 girls: Phoebe; Verity; Esther; Caoimhe; Tilly D; Emily F; Daisy; Cleo; Evangeline P; Isla; Darcie and Su Shan. Year 5 boys: Louis Chee; Will V and George hosted St Bedes in a friendly swimming gala. The boys were first to get us underway with Max winning the boys Individual Medley (IM) (4 lengths of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and front crawl) followed by Anton then swimming a particularly strong IM himself. The girls then took over with Isla and Evangeline representing the school in the girls IM event. The individual backstroke was next up, followed by the individual butterfly and the individual front crawl. A series of relays – the backstroke, breaststroke, and medley relay then led up to the grand finale of the event – the front crawl relay. With every swimmer swimming at least 2 races during the course of the gala and some superb swims from Georgina, Isabel C, Grace, Isobel W and Eloise, Max and Anton, Isla, Evangeline and Darcie to name a small few, it was a fantastic event. Hannah was her ever helpful self, ensuring none of the backstroke swimmers collided with the wall and Miss Bennett got a true soaking from a St Bedes swimmer. The children were keen to know if we had won or lost the gala but as it was a friendly no scores were being kept. Instead it was the sight of children such as Charles W, Louis Chee, Esther and Verity who were initially concerned about the event but achieved immensely well, and seeing the smiles on their faces and the pride of the staff as every child put in their best effort was the real winner of the afternoon. Miss Bennett U9 Football Festival 22nd Sept |
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This year’s U9 Football Festival gave all of the Year 3 and 4 boys the opportunity to have an enjoyable afternoon of football along with St Augustine’s and All Saints (Denstone) in a ‘round robin’ festival. Matches were 10 minutes each way with the overall 1st and 2nd place in the league battling out for gold and silver, whilst 3rd and 4th played for a bronze medal each. Our Year 4 boys won all of their games and were overall winners, with All Saints grabbing second spot. Credit goes to a very spirited bronze medal game which saw the Year 3 boys just pip St Augustine’s into 4th place. It was a great afternoon for everyone involved and the enjoyment that all of the players showed reflected the fun, but competitive attitude that we are trying to promote. A big thanks to the referees and to those behind making the afternoon run smoothly for everyone. Mr Genders |
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Please don't forget to show your children this newsletter, so that they can see the photos and news too. |
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Main Prep Disco Gets Underway! The children were full of excitement and fun prior to actually going into the gym for their school disco. Dave Dee was ready and the time had come for the hair brushing, waxing, spraying to stop so the dancing could commence! As you can see from the photos the children and teachers always enjoy this event (although I’m sure some of the teachers go home with a big headache!!) A special thank you to the teachers who stayed on to supervise our children (we know you have lots of marking and work to do but the children appreciate you all being there!) Also, thank you to the PTFA who attend the disco to help with snack time, they also pay for this special event (as well as the snacks, drinks and treats for the children). The fund raising that the PTFA do throughout the year is beneficial to all our children … please continue to support this hard working group in any way you can! Finally, thanks to Dave Dee, he is always such a fun DJ and encourages the children to laugh, dance (!), lose their inhibitions and have a brilliant time. Miss Emma |
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| Pre-Prep Cookery Club making Rock Cakes (or Stone Cakes as some of them liked to call them!)
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Georgina enjoying Climbing Club up at Denstone College |
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Message from the Editor Half term is upon us! Have a fabulous break. See you all back on Monday 30th October.
Please note that if anyone has any photos that they have taken at school events or clubs, and would like to share them, please send them to emma.warrilow@denstoneprep.co.uk The school calendar is available at http://www.denstoneprep.co.uk/calendar/ |
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