Dear Parents,
At this time of year, pre-pandemic, we would usually be waving off our eldest children as they set off on their five-day French trip. However, once again restrictions have forced us to stay here so we have had to pull out all the stops! We want our children to leave St Bernard's Prep with plenty of experiences and memories as they set off to their secondary school, so they have had a roller-coaster of a week, lurching from Brighton to Chessington, London to Legoland. After all the excitement staff and children alike are looking forward to a well deserved restful weekend!
The rest of the school has also been busy. We have enjoyed rounders and cricket, minibeasts and water play. The children have shared a beautiful Liturgy and Multi-Faith Assembly and rehearsals for The Selfish Giant are well and truly underway!
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Remove's fun-filled week!
Our Year 6's week began with a trip to the seafront in Brighton, where the children could put their Geography learning into context. They walked along the beach, saw the pier and had a sandwich snatched by a seagull! Tuesday was a giraffe spotting, adrenalin-filled screamfest at Chessington World of Adventures. On Wednesday the children waged war in an epic Nerf battle and rolled around zorbing. Thursday's first stop was The National Gallery to take in some of the beautiful paintings we have been studying in RE and see some iconic classics, such as Van Gogh's Sunflowers. After lunch in Trafalgar Square, they learnt that a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down with a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious visit to the theatre to see Mary Poppins. Friday they put their STEAM learning to the test with a Lego masterclass followed by more roller-coasters. I am sure that this week will go down as one of the best ever for our Year 6 children - they thoroughly deserve it after all their hard work.
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Physical computing
Prep (Yr 1) have begun learning about coding in computing. This week they have been learning how to write instructions for a robot mouse to navigate a course. These are their first steps in coding, which will form the foundation of their knowledge of computer programming. Watch out Bill Gates!
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Multi Faith Assembly
The whole of Early Years put on a wonderful Assembly this morning on world faiths. The way the children, some only two and a half years old, are able to learn their lines by heart and perform to a packed hall so beautifully never fails to impress me. I know the audience of Mums, Dads and Grandparents were just as impressed, and visitors who saw the rehearsals could not believe the standard. Well done Early Years, children and staff!
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Clothes Bank
We now have a clothes recycling bank in the car park at school. Please do drop any unwanted items. All proceeds will go to support FOPS. Items that can be donated are: clothes, towels, sheets, handbags, curtains, paired shoes and sleeping bags.
Thank you so much.
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Mung beans and Liturgy
Lower Trans (Yr 3) have plenty to be proud of this week. They led a beautiful Liturgy which included poetry, songs and readings. We really noticed how they have improved on their presentation and oracy following the hard work they put into their Peace Performance. In science the children have been learning about germination and growing their own mung beans. When visitors to the school asked them about their experiment they were able to talk confidently and clearly. Great ambassadors for the school.
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Sports Star of the week
This week’s Sports Star is Vihaan in Year 6, who participated in the Berkshire Athletics Championship held on Saturday, May 14th 2022. As an 11 year old, he secured 2nd position (silver medals) in the under 13 categories for both the shot-put and discus competitions. Well done Vihaan!
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Cricket
On Saturday the 14th of May, a combination of our Under 10 and Under 11 players played in a Saints vs Bernard’s cricket match at our school. It was a very entertaining match, and with fantastic weather on our side the players were able to showcase some phenomenal play with both bat and ball in hand. In the end it was the Bernard’s team who won the match by 16 runs. Well done to all the players and a special congratulations to Aarush who scored 21 not out, and Arjun S with outstanding bowling figures of 5 wickets for only 10 runs.
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Wellbeing Workshop and Snack 'n' Chat
Mrs Clark's Wellbeing Workshop is proving so popular that another slot has been added. It is so lovely that we make time in the busy school week to enable the children to slow down and come together to talk about things that might be worrying them, or just to forge good friendships.
Miss Mehta's Snack 'n' Chat session is also running in Year 4, another opportunity for children to choose different activities and games during their lunch hour.
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Dates For Your Diary
23rd May - Remove (Yr 6) auditions
25th May - Remove (Yr 6) Rounders vs Long Close
26th May - Prep and Upper Prep Production - The Selfish Giant
27th May - Upper Trans C (Yr 5) Assembly
30th May - 3rd June - HALF TERM
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Mrs Verma's Big Ideas for Curious Minds
As a school we love to stretch and challenge our children, to enrich their education beyond the curriculum. Every week I will be sharing with you some discussion topics, new vocabulary, Maths riddles and book recommendations, that will continue infecting our children with a love of learning. These will all be posted in the Parent Portal section of our website as well.
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Word of the week: Pallid (adjective)
Pallid: pale, lacking vigour
She saw a pallid face looking back at her through the window. She screamed!
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In The News This Week - Nato
Sweden and Finland have formally submitted their applications to become members of the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).
Nato is a group of countries, which includes the UK and US, which promise to defend each other if they are attacked.
The organisation's secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said it was "an historic moment, which we must seize", adding that the Nordic countries' membership would increase shared security.
Experts say the decision made by Sweden and Finland is one of the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Calling all Bookworms - Books for reluctant readers
This week we are recommending books for reluctant readers. Sometimes children find reading a chore, and it should be a joy! Encouraging children to read for pleasure can be a challenge, but we are recommending some books that can be more accessible because of their style and illustrations. Enjoy!
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“Unity does not imply uniformity; it does not necessarily mean doing everything together or thinking in the same way. Nor does it signify a loss of identity. It means knowing how to listen, to accept differences, and having the freedom to think differently and express oneself with complete respect towards the other who is my brother or sister. Do not be afraid of differences!” - Pope Francis
Have a wonderful weekend.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs A Verma
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