Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School Newsletter – Michaelmas Term 2021 – Week 2

This week’s newsletter for Rossall Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School.

Message from the Preparatory School Headmaster

Dear Parents,
Over the past two weeks, I have enjoyed a couple of exciting activities away from Rossall.

The Kite Festival in St Annes was a lovely event to attend, especially given the weather! The World Fireworks Championships was an equally fun activity, with Russia putting on a fantastic display.

Both events got me thinking about the people who participate in such activities and what must have sparked their love for what they do. What subjects would have helped qualify them for the world of pyrotechnics or kite flying? What would have whetted their appetite to create amazing displays to wow an audience? I would hazard a guess that Art and Science played their part and although they may have made a kite in school, I doubt there would have been many lessons in firework construction.

These events made me consider what we should be offering for our children to let them find their own path. In essence, alongside the fundamental necessities of the core subjects, we absolutely must offer a breadth of opportunity so that children are excited to try something new.



That is exactly what we have started this week, as the pupils embarked upon their Rossall Rotation lessons in Astronomy, Cookery & Baking, Forest Schools, Coding, Beach Schools, and Farming. Where are the fireworks and kite flying, I hear myself ask? Well never say never but I know that the children have most certainly enjoyed trying something different and expanding their horizons; what a lesson that is in itself!

Our Meet the Teacher event on Wednesday provided a valuable opportunity for a virtual face to face. Whilst we would genuinely have loved to welcome parents to School in person, the online event still proved a valuable opportunity to discuss all things Rossall and for parents to get to know their child’s new teacher.



It has been a doubly-incredible week for Rhiannon, who not only solved last week’s Maths Challenge but was also the youngest performer in the All-Steinway School recital on Wednesday; we are all very proud of you!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr M Turner
Headmaster of Preparatory School & Nursery 

YEAR 6

What an exciting week it has been, the announcement of House and School Captains created great excitement for the Year 6 children and we know that whether selected or not the children will all be wonderful role models for the younger year groups.

The attitude and work ethic of both classes has continued to impress the teachers; they have demonstrated a wonderful understanding of place value in our Mathematics lessons and their first written pieces were most pleasing, they all incorporated fabulous technique in their stories, which we will further develop over the course of the year.

However, what we have been most impressed with is the mature and in-depth discussions that we have had revolving around this term’s topic, discrimination including anti-Semitism is a very delicate area and the children have been more than sensitive when discussing this issue.

The highlight of the week was definitely the cross-country, there were some red faces and tired children, but the first house competition of the academic year finished the week off perfectly!

YEAR 5

Another action packed week in Year 5!

The children have really got into the swing of things this week and they are settling into their new routines. They have really enjoyed taking part in sport this week in the glorious Autumnal sunshine. Long may it continue! 

Our first Art lesson in the beautiful Senior School Art room was a real treat! Luckily, it is a treat that Year 5 will enjoy every week. I cannot wait to see the Totem Poles that the children produce over the next few weeks. 

We had an interesting discussion about daredevils as part of our English this week. It was fascinating to hear what the children initially thought about people who live life on the edge. Many thought them reckless, dangerous and even selfish. Some thought daredevils were cool and brave. We watched a video of a remarkable young man called Danny mountain biking on the Isle of Skye. The children were in awe of his skill and talent and the discussion that followed was quite different from the one that had gone before. 

Danny is no doubt a daredevil, he is not however reckless, selfish and he does not take unnecessary risks. The children came to the conclusion that he is an athlete at the top of his sport who spends hours practicing to be the very best that he can be. Although he most certainly is a daredevil, he is considered, talented and committed. What he did took years is of training and a great deal of planning. I was proud of Year 5 because they showed a mature ability to change the way they thought about something. 

Sadly, of course, not all daredevils are as considered and safe as Danny and we also discussed the consequences that this can have. 

I have attached a link for you to watch the video. I hope you enjoy it! 

YEAR 4

At the beginning of the Michaelmas Term the classroom display boards were empty and stood waiting invitingly for children’s work to be added. Less than two weeks later self-portraits adorn our walls adding colour and personality to the classroom.  The children’s work transforms our plain walls and brings personality and ‘pop’ into the setting. What’s more, they are insightful reminders of what children can achieve when they can let their imaginations fly with the aid of a few coloured pencils.

Many of the self-portraits contain elements not only of how the children see themselves but who they want to become. How lucky am I to have a class of budding fashion entrepreneurs, pilots, doctors, astronauts, pianists, video game designers, artists and teachers?

In addition to self-portraits the children are linking art to the English curriculum and the book ‘Gorillas’ by Anthony Brown. We are beginning the term by focusing on the possible meanings depicted by the pictures and I look forward to guiding the children through the narrative as they interpret the connotations within the book.

This week we also journeyed back in time to live with the Anglo-Saxons and what it was like to live in this time; however I think the children were quite relieved when we returned back to the safety and comforts of the twenty-first century.

In maths, we covered rounding and representing numbers in different ways using a range of learning aids. The children find these really helpful and are looking forward to developing this next week.

YEAR 3

Week 2 has been another amazing week for Year 3!
We have continued our new Topic, learning about the features of the coast, finishing with our Rossall Rotation trip to the beach on Friday! We used mind maps to organise our thinking about coasts.

In Science, we have continued to learn about being healthy and what a balanced diet looks like. We started reading our book Seal Surfer with a focus on using prepositions.

In Maths, we have continued learning about place value up to 1000 including using place value grids and number lines. We also started swimming for this half term which was highly enjoyed. Topping off the week with Cross Country brings a fun end to a great week. Well done Year 3!

YEAR 2

This week, Year 2 have been introduced to their Language book ‘Troll Swap’. We have made some great predictions about what is going to happen and we have been learning what an expanded noun phrase is.

Tuesday was a day of great excitement because of swimming! It was great to see the children all with smiles on their faces as they swam for the first time this academic year.

Towards the end of the week, we learned all about the life of Mary Seacole and why she is significant. In Science, we researched animals and their babies and to finish the week off we had our first Rossall Rotation lesson on Astronomy! 

YEAR 1

This week, in Year 1 we were excited to start our swimming lessons, even if it did take us longer to get changed than we spent in the pool! We enjoyed the first coding lesson in our Rossall Rotation. This will link nicely into our unit when making maps and learning about directions.

We have started to think about our new topic ‘Near and Far’ and have been using maps, atlases and Google Earth to find different countries and continents. We have thought about why different colours are used to show different places and shared our ideas about why Antarctica is white, and why we couldn’t see any houses there when we looked on Google Earth.

In Maths we have been learning about place value, ordering numbers, finding one more and one less and counting backwards.

RECEPTION

The beginning of formal schooling comes with a myriad of changes and responsibilities. We are learning to dress and undress independently, cut up our own food, go to the toilet ourselves, concentrate on classroom discussions, listen to instructions and the list goes on. Regardless of the structure of Reception or the rigor of our standards, it’s safe to say Reception is hard work for our children.

Things to remember during this transition:  

Remember every week won’t be like the first few weeks. 
The first weeks of Reception are an emotional rollercoaster for everyone.  Children are crying, parents are crying, and sometimes after school, you can even find teachers falling asleep from exhaustion!  The first weeks of school are about survival. Don’t try to predict the whole year based on the first week.

Remember they are little. 
Reception are not little adults.  They may not adjust quickly and they really aren’t designed to.  A little understanding can go a long way in the first few weeks of school.  After the first few weeks are in the books, we will have had the opportunity to teach some simple coping skills and inch every child closer to adjusting to their new environment and situation.

Remember their purpose. 
They are coming to Reception to learn. We will learn to count, read, and write this year.  But they are also coming to school to learn how to be part of a community.  They will learn to share, be kind to others, wait their turn, clean up after themselves, open their own food packages, and wash their hands after they go to the bathroom (we hope, right?!). If we get bogged down in emotions and problems, we might lose sight of why our children are at school in the first place.

Reminders – 

Children may bring in a healthy snack every day. This should not be chocolate or crisps, fruit is perfect! Please can I also ask that no snack contains sunflower seeds or egg.

Prep is now being set on Google Classroom, this will include using Letterjoin and Bug Club.  All logins and passwords have been sent home in your child’s Prep Diary. Some instructions for the use of Bug Club and Letterjoin can be found under ‘Parental information’ on Google Classroom.   

NURSERY

This week we have enjoyed our stories of the month.

Sandpipers had a lovely time reading “Dear Zoo”. Looking at all the different animals and learning new words. They have been trying to copy the sounds the animals make and even had a virtual tour of a zoo. An afternoon trip to see the animals in the petting farm inspired the children to write letters to the zoo asking for some new animals for our own petting zoo.

Using play dough they have been building animal enclosures to keep them safe and in one place.

In the preschool we have enjoyed “I like Myself” a book about everyone being so different which provoked a discussion about us all looking so different. The story has encouraged some learning of new words such as polka dot, protruding and porcupine. 

The babies have enjoyed the fine weather allowing them to spend plenty of time outdoors. They have enjoyed squashing jelly between their toes and fingers and playing with ice. They have used the shade of the woodland area and have enjoyed song time and musical instruments. Getting messy is our favourite thing to do and they have enjoyed painting pictures of themselves by looking in the mirror and copying their features .

AWARD WINNERS

Year 6
This week our awards for 6S go to Michael for outstanding contribution in all activities, and Kameron for outstanding knowledge and contribution in class discussion.



This week our awards for 6R go to Gabriel for outstanding contribution in all activities, and Zac for excellent ability in Maths.

Year 5
The award this week go to Michael for excellent work in Mathematics, and Roman for working hard and learning to believe in himself.



Year 4
This week’s certificates are awarded to Sophie for outstanding effort, and Henry for outstanding perseverance.



Year 3
In Year 3 this week our certificates go to Jude and Dolly for consistent enthusiasm across all of their learning! 



Year 2
Our awards this week went to Emma for a superb attitude to learning across all areas of the curriculum, and Annaiya for great determination in Reading.



Year 1
Valencia and Darius received the certificates this week for making good choices and always showing the right behaviour.



Reception
This weeks certificates of achievement award go to Max and Jessica. Max has demonstrated excellent manners this week, never forgetting to say please or thank you. Jessica always offers to help her friends when we are changing for PE or swimming.