NewsletterFRIDAY 1st DECEMBER, 2017

SHREWSBURY HOUSE PRE-PREP

CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONSIt is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Shrewsbury House Pre-Prep! The festive season has officially started today with the children decorating the Christmas tree. On Thursday this week all the children had a dress rehearsal for their Christmas Productions and had their photographs taken by a professional photographer. There were so many wonderful outfits and we have included a sneak preview of a few below.

Pictured above are some of the Choir relaxing and having fun. Their big performance is on Monday at the Advent Service at Holy Trinity Church. We hope to see you there!

HEADLINESDecember in a Pre-Preparatory School is a very special time. This morning we visited Holy Trinity Church, Claygate, where the children rehearsed for the Advent Carol Service. I look forward to welcoming you there on Monday where, in the presence of the Worshipful the Mayor of Elmbridge, Councillor Rachael Lake and her Consort, we will be treated to something very special.

It was a pleasure to welcome John Maycock, a Governor from 1984-2016 back to SHPPS on Tuesday. He spoke to the children briefly in Assembly and shared stories of what sounded like a very bygone era.

Enjoy your Advent Calendars!

Mr James Tilly, Head

SHREWSBURY HOUSE PRE-PREP

DEPUTY HEADLINESThis week has whizzed by and the excitement of the rapidly approaching Christmas festivities is well and truly evident around the School. The children are in full flow with their rehearsals, festive songs can be heard coming from each of the classrooms and there is most definitely a good sprinkling of glitter to be found on most surfaces around the School! Being a teacher at Christmas is simply wonderful and we are very lucky to be able to see the magic happening before us every single day we are in school. I, for one, cannot wait to enjoy the Christmas productions next week and see all of the children’s hard work and effort pay off. Good luck children!Mrs Davies-Duddy, Deputy-Headteacher

It’s been a sparkly, shiny, slippery, slimy week in Nursery. The sparkles came from our glue covered hands as we immersed them in slimy glue and covered them in glitter.

In messy play we mixed cornflour with paint, and it felt “squashy, sticky and soft.” Silver has been our focus colour, we have used our fingers to draw letter shapes in silver foil and hunted for silver treasure in the sand tray.

We have been busy baking ‘Christmas Pudding’ cakes, crushing biscuits, mixing gooey syrup and rolling out ball shapes. Finally, we delicately decorated them with raisin ‘berries’ and holly leaves cut from icing.

Our role play area has been transformed. In it we discovered a large sack, paper, pens and some stamps. We wondered who could have put these here and excitedly decided it must have been Santa, which was confirmed when we later found a note from him, covered in sparkles, saying he was very happy that we were all singing so beautifully in preparation for our Nativity play.

THE NURSERY TEAM

SPARKLY, SHINY, SLIPPERY & SLIMY IN NURSERY!

SHREWSBURY HOUSE PRE-PREP

CHRISTMAS PATTERNSReception children have had an exciting start to the festive season! Aiyan S and Alex A experimented with different ways of painting this week in order to design gorgeous wrapping paper. “I was making a pattern for wrapping paper. There was a car and I drove it. There are also dots! I am going to wrap Miss Whitfield’s present in here!” said Aiyan.

Alex “made a pattern of shapes. I used a triangle, a rectangle and a hexagon!” Both Reception classes have enjoyed using shapes in many different ways. We have discovered various shapes in the environment and used a very special shape to design a Christmas tree card. Can you guess what shape that could be?

Reception children are really looking forward to performing in their Christmas Countdown show next week!

THE RECEPTION TEAM

The Assembly focus this week has been ‘Children Around the World’. Year 1 have thoroughly embraced this topic over the week and we have been delighted with the interest, respect and empathy the children have shown when learning about how children’s lives differ around the world. Year 1 have sung a song learning different greetings in various languages, explored the backgrounds of the school persona dolls and have listened to stories from children in other countries. They have enthusiastically identified similarities and differences between their own lives and those of children from India, Ethiopia, Brazil and Russia. Year 1 have developed their understanding of important values of respect, acceptance, courage and friendship and have linked these back to the saying “We are all the same yet different.’ THE YEAR 1 TEAM

CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD - YEAR 1

AUTUMN DT PROJECTS - YEAR 2Year 2 have finished their Autumn DT project which has culminated in the creation of some amazing technicolour coats for teddies. The children have really impressed us with their creativity, resourcefulness, perseverance and incredible sewing skills.

To reach this stage they have had to design, consider different joining techniques, make patterns, sew fabrics together, evaluate their overall design and write about the process. They learned different sewing techniques which they used to make Advent stockings.

To celebrate the end of this project the children made multi-coloured cookies which they enjoyed at a Teddy Bear’s picnic.

THE YEAR 2 TEAM

SHREWSBURY HOUSE PRE-PREP

WORDS OF THE MONTH

Zaki R (NT)

for Caring

Max E (2ID)

for Respect

Douglas H (2KR) for

Pride

Oscar F (2ID) for

Respect

Zane G (1VB) for

Honesty

Ronan M (2KR) for

Kindness

Ollie C (1VB) for

Pride

Ellora S (NO) for Patience

James M (1VB)

for Courage

Ibby R (NR) for

Pride

SHREWSBURY HOUSE PRE-PREP

A FOND FAREWELLWe say farewell to Ms Cline at the end of this term as our violin teacher. She has smoothed the path of many of our children on their way to virtuosity and we wish her well. I am delighted to confirm that Miss Rochman, known to many for her piano teaching, is also an experienced violin teacher and will be assuming that role. There are plans to develop the violin playing at School and these will be announced shortly.

NOTICES:Please can all borrowed books be returned to the library next week. Thank you.

A reminder that on Monday 4th December children will not need a bag, snack or reading folder in School as they are being collected from the church and won’t be taking these belongings with them. Children will all need a blazer and tie.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARYMon 4th Dec: Advent Service (2:15 - 3:00pm)Tues 5th Dec: Nursery & Reception Christmas PerformanceWed 6th Dec: Nursery & Reception Christmas PerformanceWed 6th Dec: Yr 1 and 2 Christmas PerformanceWed 6th Dec: Reception Christmas StoryThurs 7th Dec: Yr 1 and 2 Christmas PerformanceThurs 7th Dec: Nursery and Reception Theatre TripFri 8th Dec: Last After School ClubsTues 12th Dec: Christmas Jumper DayTues 12th Dec: Children’s Christmas lunchTues 12th Dec: Children’s Christmas Parties (pm)Wed 13th Dec: End of Term (noon)

HOUSE POINTS

Jupiter - 171 Earth - 121 Neptune -170 Mars - 104

CELEBRATION ASSEMBLYIn our Celebration Assembly this week Music Merit Pencils were awarded to the following children for excellent practice:

• Calum S, James M, Hiro S, Sophia N, Zane G, William D-E, Oscar F, Harry W, Alex W, Aiyan S, Hugo N, Charles B, Henry G, Alfred P, Sacha B and Max H.

A special Happy Birthday and thank you to:

• Oscar F for his Periodic Table Birthday book donation• Elliot G for his Map Mazes Birthday book donation

SPAA NEWSELF RAFFLEYou should all have received an email from your Class Rep and an envelope in your School bag with details on how to enter the raffle for your child to be an Elf for the day. Please don’t forget the deadline for returned envelopes is Wednesday 6th December. Good luck!

CAKE SALEA huge thank you to parents in Reception and Year 2 for baking such amazing cakes and for giving your time to sell them. Thank you also for those who supported the sale by enjoying the goodies and raising £174.10.

SPPA Committee Meeting: Monday 4th DecemberIf you would like to be involved in the Committee and have not already joined, then please email:SPPAssoc@gmail.com

Harry S (2ID) for

Respect

Aiyan S (RNW) for

Pride

Dylan R (RNW) for Happiness