As we finish ‘Week 3’ of Autumn Term 2021, we firstly celebrate Mrs Johnston for representing St Peter’s Preparatory School at the IAPS annual conference, in her new, upcoming position as Vice Chair of IAPS; (alongside her essential role here of course)!
We also congratulate Mrs Wellington-Smith who was one of the speakers at the event. She did, in Mrs Johnston’s words, ‘brilliantly’.
Both leaders of our school, out in the wider educational world and flying our St Peter’s flag, proudly. Well done team! Here is the film that will be shared with other schools throughout the conference.
St Peter’s Preparatory School – ‘Prepping for the Future’
I write this week in place of Mrs Johnston:
This week has gone by in a flash and, to the same effect, it has also felt like a whole half-term wrapped into one! The children are routined and the exploratory learning has begun in earnest; just see this newsletter for evidence. We call these times of the term: BIG BANGS! Engaging the children from the get go. The school site is thronging with activity.
Swimming started Monday morning at 09:00 and has not stopped nearly all week. We have had matches GALORE. The sports team must be exhausted, never mind the children! Then, following the fantastic Year 3 Egyptian day last week, there was a magical cultural day in India for Year 4 pupils. The sights, sounds and smells gained many admiring comments; what an effort! Hop on over to Year 2 and you go back in time to the Victorian Era. What a walk around a fantastic school! Buses revving up to take Reception to beach school; they thought it was funny when I stood vigorously waving them off and doing my fake crying act as I couldn’t go with them! I forget that the same old jokes work with all children, regardless of generation. Jealous of Year 8’s trip to Sennen last week, Year 7 thought they would try just ‘popping off’ for a kayaking experience in the sunshine as part of their leadership course. So much achieved in the space of five days! Well done to everyone involved, especially the people involved in the logistics and the unseen, but essential ‘stuff’.
Talking of weeks going by in a flash, mine has too. I mentioned to Mrs Parker (Head of Upper School and Faculty Lead on Languages) that I still had a Teaching and Learning Blog to write and she offered to write her response to an assembly she had led on for Upper School pupils on Wednesday. May I introduce the first in a series of Teaching and Learning blogs with Guest Bloggers:
Teaching and Learning Guest Blogger Mrs Samantha Parker. Leadership is Action, not Position.
All year groups have shown really encouraging behaviours and we are delighted with how the engine of the school is beginning to run. The pace has picked up this week. We appreciate that parents now need to know that we are entering into the stage of ‘building children’s stamina’. The children will be tired over the next few weeks. Emotionally charged children will often bring the odd niggle or issues which require some conversation. Keep communication alive with school and we will endeavour to do the same. Please note that parents of Nursery to Year 5 pupils are warmly invited to a Parents’ Meetings appointment (communicated this week), which will be happening across next week. Just in time for us, the school, to ask you, the parents; ‘How does your child appear to be getting on at school?’. We are an energetic and very busy prep school. We do not want to be overlooking anything. As a result, we like to check early on that pupils have pastorally settled into their groove. You parents are the best source of information about your child. Staff can feed back their initial observations at the same time. (Upper school pupils will have Parents’ Meetings later in the term with a more academic focus and, in the meantime, tutors continue to be available for any pastoral communications required, as always).
I wonder what Week 4 may bring us next week … ???
Lucy Ball
Deputy Head Teaching and Learning
