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Sports Special Newsletter - Friday 17th June 2022

Dear Parents,

I hope those of you who were able to join us for our Sports Day last Friday and the Early Years Sports Day on Thursday, enjoyed watching your children compete. Sports Day is a wonderful opportunity for our children to get involved in competition, learn about good sportsmanship and resilience. We are very lucky to be able to use Thames Valley Athletics Centre for Years 1-6, and our Early Years children did incredibly well, especially given how warm the weather was.

Elsewhere in school, Remove (Year 6) have been busy coordinating rehearsals for their end of year production, performances at Reading Hexagon, trips to Baylab to explore the circulatory system and sitting GCSE maths papers!

Upper Trans (Year 5) have enjoyed a trip to The National Gallery and the theatre to see Matilda! Transition (Year 4) have produced some beautiful written work on people who inspire them, Lower Trans (Year 3) have been learning about the anatomy of a plant and progressing well in their swimming lessons. Our younger children in Upper Prep (Year 2) have been meeting their older buddies and Prep (Year 1) have been on a hunt for the Bog Baby, based on a book they are studying.

"Our World" has been the topics in our Early Years department and the children have impressed Mrs Biscardi and the Early Years teachers with some incredible number work in maths!

Sports Day at the TVAC

On Friday 10^th of June all the children from Years 1 to Year 6 attended the TVAC for our annual Inter-House Sports Day. There was plenty of excitement in the build-up to this occasion as always, and the day did not disappoint. All athletes put on an incredible performance whilst competing for their houses. The track races kept us on the edge of our seats. The children competed in sprints, hurdles, skipping, relays and long distance running. There were some amazing efforts on the field, which included vortex throws and space hopping - plenty for the crowd of supporters to cheer about!

The results were very close in both the Lower and Upper School’s final standings. In the Lower School’s competition, it was MATTHEW who were the overall house winners, whilst in the Upper School, LUKE came out on top to claim the Sports Day House Shield for 2022.

A very well done to all the athletes for their outstanding efforts, not just for the day, but also for all the preparation and practise they put into it. We look forward to another exciting Sports Day in 2023!

Early Years Sports Day

On Thursday 16^th June we were delighted to have our youngest children take part in their Sports Day at school. With plenty of parents present on the day to cheer and support, all the athletes were super motivated and did not disappoint the large crowd with some exciting races. Whether they were balancing eggs and spoons, skipping with the hoops or even sprinting with the balls, these little stars put in an incredible effort, displaying some great athleticism. Congratulations to all these children for their outstanding performances, which is the result of all the hard work they put in during their weekly PE lessons. Well done everybody!

Under 11 Cricket vs Long Close

On Wednesday 8^th of June our Under 11A and B Cricket teams travelled to Long Close School. Both matches were very tightly contested, so much so, that each match was decided by the last ball. In the end, it was our boys who showed composure, and big-match temperament and secured the wins in both matches, respectively. Coincidentally, both teams won the match by 2 runs off the final balls bowled. Congratulations to all the players and a special well done to Devam and Nivaan for being nominated as MVP’s for their teams.

Under 11 Rounders vs Dair House

On Wednesday, 15^th of June, two Under 11 rounders teams, mixed with boys and girls, travelled to Dair House. In what were two very exciting matches played, with very good all-round fielding and batting skills on display, both our teams came out on top by winning the matches 13-8 and 7-3. Well done to all these players, and a special well done to Jagat and Joran for being nominated as the MVP for each of their teams.

Sports Star of the Week

This week’s sports star of the week is Aarush in Year 6. Aarush has been selected to represent the Berkshire County Cricket Club U11 external squad for the 2022 season. He will be presented with a county green cap in the coming week. This is a wonderful achievement - congratulations Aarush!

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, which will infect our children with a love of learning. These will also be posted in the Parent Portal section of our website as well.

Word of the week: aliped (adjective)

Aliped: the Usain Bolt of the team who leaves all others in their wake. From the Latin for ‘winged feet’.

Calling all bookworms

We have recently appointed Tulsi from Trans G to review and recommend a book for our newsletter. This week is The Garbage King, written by Elizabeth Laird.

In The News This Week - Children doing chores

You might not be a big fan of helping around the house, but new research suggests that doing chores can help you develop problem-solving skills and even do better in school!

The study has come from La Trobe University in Australia.

More than 200 parents of children aged 5-13 were asked about their child's engagement after doing chores.

They reported that chores helped to boost a child's executive functions: These include the ability to focus, to plan, to switch between tasks, to remember instructions and control their behaviour.

Led by researcher Deanna Tepper, the study's results indicate that taking part in chore-like activities such as cooking or gardening may be particularly beneficial for young people.

She said: "Children who cook a family meal or weed the garden on a regular basis may be more likely to excel in other aspects of life - like schoolwork or problem-solving."

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the sunshine.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs A Verma