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It has been a productive and exciting term for Lower Transition, and Mrs Kimberley and Ms Underwood are very proud of all that the children have achieved. The highlight of the term was definitely the residential trip to Ufton Court. The immersive learning experience at Ufton allowed the children to gain a wonderful insight in to Stone Age Life. Despite the rather chilly weather, the children had a wonderful time and returned to St Bernard’s tired, but very happy. As always, the behaviour of the children at Ufton Court was exemplary and the teachers were delighted to receive feedback from the Ufton Court staff saying that the children were the ‘best behaved group who had ever visited’.  Well done Lower Transition – Ms Underwood and Mrs Kimberley are looking forward to more adventures next term!

Under 8 Rugby at the Wynford Phillips Festival

On Sunday the 26^th of March our Under 8 Rugby team took part in the Wynford Phillips Festival, hosted by Slough Rugby Club. St Bernard's Prep was the only school amongst rugby clubs from across the region to take part in this event. Our team put up a fantastic performance and produced some amazing rugby in front of the hundreds of spectators present. We played exceptionally well, scoring plenty of well-orchestrated tries. A very well done to each of our players for their brilliant efforts and participation, and we look forward to returning to compete again next year.

The highlight of the term for Upper Prep was the fantastic written work the children produced in English. They made some amazing information booklets about London based on the book ‘ A Walk in London.' They also really enjoyed reading 'The Day the Crayons Quit' and their persuasive letters that followed were brilliant! The children were also particularly proud of their Mother’s Day teacup with a tea bag and kit kat, which went down a treat with their mums.

Upper Trans have enjoyed a wonderful Lenten term, with all the children impressing us with their resilience and independence. We have been very busy and there are so many highlights to choose from. The children have done particularly well in their Science lessons this term, learning about forces and putting their science knowledge to the test, while building boats, cable cars and testing materials for brake pads. Their science vocabulary is really improving, they are now able to explain their hypothesis and the thinking behind their predictions. It has also been lovely to see the children further developing their spirituality through their RE lessons. They have started to think deeply about their own beliefs and the beliefs of others. We have all loved corresponding with our prayer partner, Sister Mary Philippa, through letters and cards. It was particularly special when we seized the opportunity to speak to Sister Mary Philippa this week during a Zoom call. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing about her daily life and her upcoming plans for Easter. It has been a real pleasure to see how much the children have grown over the last term and we look forward to seeing how their continued hard work will pay off over the Pentecost term. 

It has been very exciting in Computing this term, from Year one learning how to code robot mice, to Year 6 working incredibly hard, creating their own adventure games in Python.

Year 2 have created beautiful work editing their own photographs and Year 3 have been designing infographics all about online safety.

Year 4 have enjoyed programming turtles to draw different patterns. Year 5 inspired by our new Atrium used a CAD programme to design their own 3D school. My particular favourite included a Rafferty Hall, a Young Building and a Verma Atrium!

Remove have had a wonderful, busy and productive term. One of the highlights has definitely been celebrating Shakespeare. From meeting the characters of The Tempest, writing Sonnets to Ferdinand or Ariel, to adding their verse to the Witches Spell in Macbeth they have loved it all! Playing Top Trumps, miming sketches and chanting the spells were definitely some of the Removes’ favourites – a great term of work!

We are really looking forward to putting together our version of The Tempest in the next term's summer production.

It has been a busy term in Early Years. From Space to Spring , Toys to Traditional Tales and everything in between. New learning, fun and experiences taking place both inside and out.

Trans have had an absolute BLAST this term! The children have worked their socks off across all subjects and their curiosity has really shone through. There has been moments of awe and wonder in both History and Science, as well as an opportunity to argue their point when debating in RE. 

Alongside Lower Trans, we took part in the production that had everyone clapping along to Change The World, where we raised awareness of the importance of looking after our common home - our world. The children’s passion for changing the world led them to choosing The Rainforest Trust for our Go Givers Social Action Project this year.

They have enjoyed working collaboratively with Lower Trans, and together they raised £179! In History, we have been studying Ancient Egypt. From the discovery of King Tut’s tomb to the Nile’s importance of their everyday way of life, the children have relished the opportunity to explore this era. In fact, they stepped into the shoes of Ancient Egyptian embalmers and mummified their own tomatoes! All the children and teachers look forward to seeing what has happened to them on their return after the Easter break. In Science, the children have learnt about Sound – from the structure of the ear to Alexander Graham Bell, they have thoroughly enjoyed working scientifically. They even had their own string telephone conversation with each other when looking at how sound travels through different states of matter. We cannot wait to welcome them back for their final term in Transition!

The Big Skip!

We are delighted to be sending the final total of £1,676.65 to CAFOD to help those suffering from the after effects of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. A very special shout-out to Ibrahim Kazi in Early Years 1, who single-handedly raised £577! Well done Ibrahim! A fantastic effort.

Places of interest to visit during the Easter holidays

Horrible Histories, Terrible Thames Live on board from Tower Bridge Quay.

Ninja Warrior UK Guilford and Watford with soft play for Mini Ninja’s.

The Globe Theatre in London, is showing a child-friendly adaptation of William Shakespeare's ‘The Tempest’.

Litter Bug Train in Black Park 17^th March – 16^th April

Discover giant bugs made of litter around Black Park! Come along with your family and friends to enjoy their FREE trail. Learn all about how to reduce, reuse, recycle and most importantly, why not to drop litter. Don’t be a litterbug!

Saturday Kids Crafts, Craft Coop, Windsor Yards 1^st April

Sticky Questions...

As you all know I truly believe the power of questions. All the children have thoroughly enjoyed answering their weekly Sticky Questions and here is a round-up of some favourites:

Y1 - If animals had a city of their own, who would do what?

Y2 - Should children be paid to go to school?

Y3 - Would you rather be an unhappy human or a happy sheep?

Y5 - What do parents owe to their children?

Y6 - What would happen if money disappeared?

As you can imagine there have been plenty of discussions both amongst the children and staff. Some of you may wish to try some of these conversation starters at home. Finally, Sophia R came to see me today to ask me the following sticky question: 'If a tomato is considered a fruit, does it mean ketchup is a smoothie?' Don't you think sticky questions are great?

Final thoughts...