​DCPS Matters

Issue 16
​5th May 2017

Headmaster's News

Activities Morning Tomorrow
Please can the children be brought into school between 0945 – 1000.  They should then go to their classroom for registration and they will then go down to the chapel for the concert at 1020.

All Pupils should wear school uniform unless they are told otherwise.

The activities sessions will finish just before 12.00 and the children can be collected from the gym.  Years 3 & 4 should be signed out by their class teachers, apart from 4H, who will be signed out by Mrs McKenzie.  Mr Genders will sign out Years 5 & 6.

Remember that the Spring Fair starts at 1200.  Hot dogs will be available from the kitchen/dining room from 1230.

Dental Health Talk
Dr Tim Webber will be giving a presentation on dental health in the School Room on Thursday 18^th June.  A flyer is attached to this newsletter and all are very welcome.

Staff News
​Sadly we will be saying goodbye to Miss Winfield at half term.  Hannah is moving out of the area and taking on a new job.  We really will miss her and wish her every success and happiness for the future.

Dads’ Supper
This is next Thursday.  All dads, granddads and friends are welcome.  You should have received an email with further details.

Spanish Evening Tuesday 20^th June
​We will be having an evening of cava & tapas to introduce parents to our new modern foreign languages teacher, Amanda Greene.  Please note that this is for parents only and will run from 1900 – 2000 hrs and will be held in the School Room.  Everyone is welcome, please email Mrs Shanley to let us know if you are coming so we know how many to cater for. elaine.shanley@denstoneprep.co.uk

Jerry Gear

Music News

Derby Arts Festival
The Chapel Choir took part in the Junior Schools section of the Derby Arts Festival today and won both their categories! In the Hymn Singing Class, they sang 'He Who Would Valiant Be' and 'Kum Ba Yah', and in Voices Advanced Class they sang 'Flying Free' and 'All The Pretty Horses'. Many congratulations go to everyone of them and Mrs O'Brien, for all their hard work.They won the Ronald Jenkins Memorial Trophy and Ravensdale Trophy. Photos of them fighting over who holds the cups, below!

ABRSM Exam Results
Congratulations must go to all the pupils who took music exams last term.The results are listed below. We are immensely proud of everybody who took an exam. Well done!​

The PTFA are looking for volunteers to help at the Spring Fair tomorrow, Saturday 6th May - any help would be much appreciated. For more details and contacts please read the attached letter which was also emailed out earlier this week. http://www.denstoneprep.co.uk/news/ptfa/ptfa-spring-fair-letter/

Pupil of the Week

Devon Naylor (Yr 3) was awarded pupil of the week on 24th April. Due to a lack of Monday assemblies and the Easter holidays it has not been possible to give out these awards. We will be back on track next week.

Thursday 18^th May 7pm at Denstone College Prep School

The things your dentist would tell you… if only they had the time!

What you need to know to do the best for the health of your child’s teeth and mouth.

A presentation by dentist and parent, Tim Webber

Over twenty years of advising parents on caring for their children, I have consistently been asked the same questions and am still surprised how little information is given to young parents.

We all know that we need to brush out teeth twice per day and eat less sugar. By now, schools and clubs are great at enforcing the wear of gumshields, but that is about as much as most people know.

I have been incredibly privileged to work with educated, bright and affluent clients, yet when we discuss their children’s health, there are always a whole bunch of “golly- I didn’t know that” moments.

So: from birth to university, I will explain what you need to know, how you can help and when you need professional help.

I will cover:

• Teething.
• Caring for children's teeth.
• Brushes and toothpaste.
• Wobbly teeth.
• Teenage braces.
• Long term care for students.
• Oral hygiene.
• Diet.
• When you need to take your child to the dentist.
• What to do in an emergency.

I am not afraid of talking about how much parents should expect to pay and when to use the NHS. This will be an informal evening and I am happy to take questions as we go.

I look forward to seeing you then,
​Timothy Webber

May Half-Term: Burton Albion Community Trust are hosting their mixed and girls-only May holiday camp at the Burton Albion Community Football Centre between Tuesday 30^th May-Friday 2^nd June. You can book £12 per day in advance, £14 on the day, or £40 for the week. Book at burtonalbioncommunitytrust.co.uk or call 01283 565938.
​Please contact Ben.Webster@burtonalbionct.org for more information.

Sports News

Under 11A Rounders v The Elms (03.05.17)

The Elms U11A - 12         :               DCPS U11A – 9 ½

The Under 11A rounders team played their first competitive game of rounders this term as they took on The Elms and Fairfield School at The Elms.  Captain of Rounders Tyra L was unlucky to lose the toss and as a result The Elms put Denstone Prep into bat first. Jess B was unable to play due to injury but soon settled into her new role of rounders umpire and before long was able to realise how hard it is to be independent of her team as she tried to stifle cheers and deny the wish to help her team with some improvised fielding ever so often! Denstone Prep were soon on the scoresheet as full and half rounders were accumulated during the course of their innings. The Elms then took over and like Denstone Prep were quick to start building their score. Captain Tyra was brilliantly calling out where she wanted her players to send the ball with some fantastic decision making from her and despite a superb catch by Pippa and some wonderfully consistent bowling from Lola B and terrific fielding from Celeste, Denstone Prep were unlucky to narrowly lose 12 rounders to 9½.

Scorers: Tyra ½; Amelia 2½; Celeste 2; Faith 1; Imogen ½; : Lola ½; Sophie H 1½; Sophie T 1.

U11A Rounders v Fairfield (03.05.17)

Fairfield U11A – 13         :               DCPS U11A – 6½

Denstone Prep U11A team played against Fairfield School that had been preparing for the rounders term clearly a lot longer than Denstone Prep or The Elms had. Despite this adversity Denstone Prep played well with a number of rounders scored from most players. Great fielding was starting to be seen much more consistently from Amber and Sophie H, and Faith guarding 3^rd post. Amelia was her usual sharp self stumping runners out at 2^nd post and Imogen was great at quickly picking up Backstop posiiton again.  Despite a valiant effort that saw Pippa take another fine catch in the innings Denstone Prep U11A’s fell to a 13 – 6½ loss

Scorers: Amber 1; Imogen ½; Lola 2; Pippa ½; Sophie H 2; Sophie T ½.

Girl of the Game for Under 11A’s: Tyra for some excellent decision making and leadership

U11B Rounders v The Elms (03.05.17)

The Under 11B’s started their season with an excellent victory over The Elms in their first match of the season. Captained by Isabel B on this occasion the team of Izzy B, Lexie; Eloise; Georgina; Grace; Hannah; Izzy C; Izzy W; and Mia played superbly well as a team to accumulate a high number of rounders and despite initial rustiness from a lack of lesson practice and it being a long time since their previous game, Denstone Prep united well to win their opening match 7 rounders to 5.

U11B Rounders v Fairfield (03.05.17)

The Under 11B team then played Fairfield who had had a much longer preparation time for the rounders term. This advantage soon started to show and despite a much more consistent bowling performance from Hannah and some excellent fielding from Georgina, the team were unable to prevent a convincing victory for Fairfield School.

Girl of the Game for Under 11B’s: Hannah for excellent consistency with bowling

U11/10 Girls Rounders training at St Bede's (26.04.17)

St Bede's School, Bishton Hall kindly hosted Denstone Prep Under 11 and Under 10 girls in a training session where 5 skills were revisited by all of the girls during the course of the afternoon. Some girls concentrated on rounders batting in a match scenario, whilst others focused on rounders fielding in a match scenario; batting; bowling and finally throwing and catching as each group moved from station to station. A fun afternoon was had by all as the two schools joined combined together in an afternoon of sport.

Girl of the Game: Izzy C for her kindness and care towards other younger children.

U9A Rounders v Yarlet (25.04.17)

The Under 9A’s travelled to Yarlet School for their first match of the season. The team of Captain Caoimhe; Belle; Daisy; Darcie; Esther; Evangeline; Phoebe; Su Shan; Tilly and Verity B; combined superbly well to show a strong dominance throughout the game. Denstone Prep were first to bat and the fact that this was only the second day of the term and the team was yet to have a lesson in rounders did not stop the enthusiasm or ability from shining through. Some excellent bowling from Su Shan and backstopping from Daisy along with some excellent fielding from Belle; Caoimhe and Tilly D, as well as some impressive batting performances from Darcie; Evangeline and Daisy again ensured Denstone Prep amassed a huge total for their first game. The game was having to be played indoors and because of the nature of this and Yarlet putting in an equally impressive performance the game was decided as a tie between both teams which was a fair reflection of both teams efforts throughout the afternoon.

Girl of the Game: Daisy for her consistency with both bat and ball.

Parents’ and Grandparents’ Golf Day at Denstone College 
Friday 23^rd June

• Start play 9.30am - Denstone College venue
• Stableford Rules
• Nearest the pin and longest drive competition
• The cost of the whole day is £15 including lunch at the Tavern pub.

This new event coincides with the start of a new golf club for Yr 5 & 6 pupils on Friday afternoons. We are lucky to have a lovely course up at the College and as a school we are extremely keen to develop new sports for our pupils. We have purchased some new equipment and as part of the club we are taking the pupils on the minibus to play on the course for one day. Hopefully this parents’ and grandparents’ day can act as a fundraiser to buy more equipment for our budding golfers.

To attend please let Mrs Shanley or Mr Bettaney know by completing the emailed letter/slip.

Pre- School News

The Pre-School children are learning about different animals this term and so this week they enjoyed a fabulous hands-on experience when we had a mini farm come to visit! There was lots of excitement and chatter as the children stroked the animals and described how each animal felt to touch.  Many thanks to Mrs Anderson-Dixon for bringing the animals into school.

Pre-Prep News

Reception 
Reception have enjoyed their first swimming lesson. They are all confident in the water and trying hard to develop their swimming technique.

Pre-Prep 1
Pre-Prep 1 are learning about ‘Materials’ this half term.  They have been looking at properties of materials and testing to see which materials are waterproof.  They are in the process of designing and making a model house, carefully choosing suitable materials.  Good luck with the challenge PP1.​

​Pre-Prep 2
​It has been an amazing couple of weeks for the children in PP2, we are so proud of your achievements.

Well done to Finley Jacque and Heidi Blurton in PP2 for their LAMDA Solo introductory stage 3 certificates with distinctions and to Thomas Kirwan for his LAMDA certificate in Speaking Verse and Prose entry level with distinction.  Also well done to Tommy Strifeldt Dalton and Harry Rowcliffe for their LAMDA certificate in Speaking Verse and Prose entry level with merit.

Pre-Prep 2 have also started their Spanish lessons with señora Green and have had fun learning their numbers with Chico the monkey. The children have used their knowledge of Spanish numbers to help them locate Chico the monkey who hid in various locations around the classroom.  Dónde está Chico?   Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez.

Main Prep News

Year 3
Mrs Wason and I (Mrs D.) 'treated' Year 3 to some Aztec food delights, as part of our History lesson. We were very impressed at how the children tucked into a selection of Aztec fruits including avocado and mango for starters.

This was closely followed by edible cricket tortillas, tomato, sweetcorn and a few crispy edible meal worms for main course. Dessert was chocolate... chilli chocolate!  The children surprised us by their willingness to try out the foods. Never let it be said that Year 3 are fussy eaters!

Mr Gear dropped into see Year 3, I am sure it was the crunchy crickets that enticed him into the dining room!

Year 4

With the start of a new term comes the start of a new Science topic and Year 4 have already been learning about their new topic ‘Habitats’.  On Tuesday, after discussing the requirements of a habitat the children were asked to make their own habitats using Lego.  They made some wonderful creations and whilst it was all lots of fun there was lots of learning going on too.  In their Lego habitats they had; houses (for shelter), food, water, friends (for reproduction), toilets (for excretion), space to move (for movement) and also included some comforts such as beds and items such as segways and bikes to keep the occupants of the habitats busy and happy!  Each group explained what they had included in their Lego habitat and the reasons why they had included them.  Great work Year 4!​

Year 5 - Life Cycles

This term year 5 are learning about life cycles in science. We started the subject by looking at plant structure and which parts of a plant we eat. Most children were surprised to learn that vegetables are in fact different parts of a plant; root, stem, leaves or flower. We surprised the children further by explaining that many of the foods we call ‘vegetables’ are in fact fruit! The children got to examine closely a variety of fruits, searching for where the seeds are. The children were then able to taste a variety of fruits. Everyone was very brave and tried something new and most discovered many new fruits that they liked.

Year 6

Year 6 have been learning all about Shakespeare this term. Their super projects are on display in reception for you all to see. Tyra built a theatre with a working light rig, complete with the three witches (bottom right). We have such creative and imaginative children here at DCPS.

Year 6 have been using the power of the sun combined with the magnification of glass to create FIRE! The children had to use minute movements to focus the sun into a very powerful spot from which they were able to create fire and burn words into wood. Water buckets were on hand but were not needed and ultimately cloud cover put an end to what was a change to normal lessons. The results from the children were excellent and the signs they are making will be completed on another sunny day in the future.

Please don't forget to show your children this newsletter, so that they can see the photos and news too.

New Breaktime Rota

Please see below the new breaktime rota, allowing every year group the same amount of time at each area.

Denstone College Charity Ball

Denstone College held their Bombay Dreams Charity Ball on Saturday 29th April which was supported by parents and friends of children both at the College and here at its Prep School.  The evening was full of entertainment and, following a champagne reception, we were treated to some tasty Indian cuisine, followed by some energetic professional Bollywood dancing.  The charity auction was to raise money for the Newlife Foundation and whilst the final amounts have not yet been disclosed by the Friends of Denstone, I'm sure a lot of money was raised by this wonderful event.  Then followed the live band "Blurred Lines' and music and dancing took us to the close of the evening.  Thank you to the brilliant Friends of Denstone for organising this spectacular event and helping to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.  

Uttoxeter Cricket Club - Junior Training
​Our junior training for this season will commence on Friday 19th May at 6:30pm at our Racecourse ground. Boys and Girls aged 5 to 12 are most welcome. Training will focus upon the key skills of batting, bowling and fielding. Training will continue on Fridays throughout the summer and youngsters of any level of ability are most welcome.

Cricket All Stars - For 5 to 8 year olds we offer All Stars Cricket. This is a national programme designed to introduce children to the game. Further details can be found here: www.ecb.co.uk/play/all-stars

Contacts
www.facebook.com/uttoxetercc 
www.instagram.com/uttoxetercc 
info@uttoxetercc.com

Location - Our ground is based on the Uttoxeter Racecourse. Please note that our address is: Uttoxeter Cricket Club, Uttoxeter Racecourse, Wood Lane, Uttoxeter, ST14 8BD

Wayne Madsen Testimonial Game - Uttoxeter CC will be hosting a testimonial game for Derbyshire CCC’s Wayne Madsen on Tuesday 20th June. This will see professional cricketers visit our racecourse ground. There will be a junior coaching session at 5pm following by a Twenty20 game thereafter. This promises to be an enjoyable occasion for all the family and entrance is free of charge.

Future Dates

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