Newsletters

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to school! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas break and a Happy New Year. It was absolutely delightful to witness the children, buzzing with excitement at the school gates, as they returned from their Christmas holidays. Seeing all those beaming faces was truly heart-warming. We hope you all had a fantastic festive season, full of love, joy, and well-deserved relaxation. Now, it's time to dive back into the wonderful world of learning and our dedicated and enthusiastic teachers are ready to inspire your children, encourage their creativity, and help them continue to develop their love of learning.

This term, we have an exciting line-up of educational activities, interactive lessons, class trips and extracurricular clubs that will spark curiosity and ignite passion in all of our children. Whether your child dreams of being an artist, a scientist, or a musician, we have something for everyone. 

Additionally, we are pleased to announce the Year 3 and 4 children will be performing a spectacular show towards the half-term. I know their performance will be a remarkable experience for everyone. 

So let's make this term a memorable one. Together, we can take an unforgettable journey of growth, discovery, and endless possibilities. Remember, the sky's the limit!

Let the adventure begin!

We had an absolute ball at our Little St B's Baby and Toddler Group this morning. With giggles and glee echoing through the hallways, it was a morning filled with endless joy and excitement. 

The little bundles of cuteness explored our colourful play area. From stacking blocks to toy cars and water play to shopping in the Little St B's village store, their imaginations ran wild.

We want to extend a big thank you to all the parents and their little bundles of joy for making today's Little St B's Baby and Toddler Group an unforgettable experience.

Don't miss out on the next session on Friday 26th January, join our Little St B's family by emailing admissions@stbernardsprep.org. We can't wait to welcome you and your little one with open arms! 

Early Years 2 - Epiphany

The children in Early Years 2 have been diving into the magical world of the Epiphany this week. They have been immersing themselves in the story and even re-enacting it, bringing the tale to life in their classrooms. 

The Epiphany is a meaningful celebration commemorating the visit of the Three Wise Men to the baby Jesus. Our little ones have been captivated by the story and have discovered the importance of this special Christian event. 

Through exciting role plays and creative activities, our children have blossomed playing the main characters of the Epiphany story. They have donned majestic crowns and costumes, let their imaginations take flight, and embarked on a journey of discovery along with Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar. 

As devoted educators, we are delighted to witness the children's enthusiasm, as they learn about different cultures and traditions. This immersive experience has opened doors for conversations about traditions and the beauty of sharing values across communities. 

Year 1 - Paddington Bear

Our year 1 children have been so eager to participate in a variety of Paddington Bear activities since returning to school. From tracking his incredible journey all the way from Darkest Peru to Paddington Station, to writing letters to Aunt Lucy about his thrilling adventures. 

In their classroom, you will find markers on maps, highlighting every step of Paddington's journey, and together they will retrace his pawprints on a world map. Aunt Lucy is eagerly waiting to hear all about Paddington's escapades, and the children have started to write the most thoughtful letters to make her feel she is part of the adventure too. 

Year 2 - Castles and Plants

It has been a very cold but exciting week in Year 2 as we began our new topics of Castles in History and Plants in Science.

The children learnt the names of different parts of a castle, labelling our book corner before drawing their very own illustrations. As you can see we definitely have some budding artists in our midst!  

On Thursday we were joined by Mr Cheesman who bought the science behind seed dispersal to life. The children created some wonderful mini-booklets to show their learning.

Next week, they are looking forward to becoming farmers and getting their farming topic underway in earnest.

Year 3 - Forces and Magnets

Our Year 3 children have eagerly dived into their exciting new science topic: 'Forces and Magnets'.

Our bright minds have been exploring the fascinating world of forces and how they affect our everyday lives! From the simple act of pushing a door open to pulling a toy car backwards, forces are all around us. 

They also discovered how forces can be seen in motion, changing the shape and speed of objects. Thinking scientifically, they shared how these amazing forces can be harnessed by engineers and inventors, to create incredible solutions that transform the world around us. 

Year 4 - Papyrus Paper

This week, our curious Year 4 children have embarked on an incredible journey through time, delving into the fascinating world of the Ancient Egyptians.

From creating their very own papyrus paper to deciphering hieroglyphics, our budding archaeologists are channelling their inner Howard Carters and uncovering the secrets of this mesmerising ancient civilisation. 

To truly immerse themselves in a hands-on experience, our Year 4 children have experimented with creating papyrus paper, just like the skilled scribes of ancient times. They're learning that this ingenious invention played a vital role in recording Egypt's rich history.

Fascinatingly, this immersive journey into Ancient Egypt is paving the way for our children to develop their historical understanding, creativity, and teamwork skills.

Year 5 - DT - Juggling Balls 

Our talented children have been honing their sewing machine skills by creating their very own juggling balls.

Learning how to use a sewing machine is a fantastic skill that allows our children to explore their creativity and develop their hand-eye coordination. Not only did they learn how to thread the machine, choose the right stitch, and practice sewing straight lines, but they also used tie and dye on their fabric to create their design.

Our children absolutely loved the process of bringing their ideas to life, and their confidence grew with every stitch they made. It's incredible to see how proud they are of their handmade juggling balls.

Year 6 - DT - Tote Bags

Our Year 6 children are on the verge of completing their fantastic tote bags, and we can barely contain our excitement! Stay tuned because next week, we will unveil their marvellous creations.

Our talented young designers have put their heart and soul into every stitch, selecting fabrics, creating 'Hapazome' patterns, and exploring imaginative designs. Their dedication and hard work have paid off, and we cannot wait to showcase their impressive craftsmanship.

These tote bags promise to be more than just stylish accessories; they symbolise the creativity, resilience, and perseverance of our incredible Year 6 children. With each stitch, they have grown as individuals, pushing their boundaries and stepping into the world of future fashionistas with enthusiasm and pride. 

Achievements

Myra (Yr3), participated in the Autumn Club Championship at Slough Junior Athletics Club on December 16, 2023. Despite competing against older children, she performed exceptionally well in the U9 Girls multi-sports category, earning a bronze medal. We are all incredibly proud Myra!

We are thrilled to announce that Bella has earned her level 6 and level 7 swimming certificates during the Christmas break. Congratulations, Bella!

Congratulations to Ria (Yr5) who has been taking the acting world by storm. In February 2023, Ria took her speech and drama entry-level exam and achieved a distinction. In December, Ria took two more exams. She excelled in both, achieving a distinction in her Speech and Drama Level 1 exam and her Public Speaking entry-level exam. Well done Ria! 

Weekly Wellbeing with Ms Underwood

Resilience

As a society, we are all under increasing levels of stress caused by pressure to do well, be the best we can and compete with those around us. The world is also a changing place with new threats from people, natural disasters and life events. It is not possible to protect children from experiencing these events or being aware of them; however, how we support them through these events is within our control. We can teach them successful coping strategies, an ability to think about the situation and take positives from it. Building resilience in children will help them to cope well with stressful events and will protect them from emotional and psychological distress.

There are many ways to teach children to be resilient, you may or may not be surprised that you already do a lot of them!

• Children need to feel safe and secure in their home environment. This can be achieved through providing a loving and safe place to live where they are able to express their true emotions without worrying about any repercussions.
• Try to encourage your child to talk about how they are feeling: they need to be able to express their emotions without worrying that they may appear weak or unable to cope.
• Focus on your child’s key skills and attributes. Highlight these wonderful skills and attributes and give direct praise about them. This will not only help your child to feel good about themselves but will also help them to understand that others are able to see those qualities in them and value them as a person. Being valued by someone is really important and crucial in learning to be resilient.

• Offer your child choices and let them make decisions. For younger children these could be very simple choices escalating to much more important choices for older children/teenagers. Allowing your child to make decisions will help them to feel empowered. It will also provide them with an opportunity to make mistakes! It is important to make mistakes and to learn from them.
• Avoid comparing siblings or friends to one another as they are all unique and will all have different life skills and coping strategies. Look again for the individual differences and embrace these so they can see the value of being different.
• Your child will naturally grow in confidence if they are praised for the specific things they do or the qualities they possess. This increase in confidence will help to build resilience.
• Try and think about what your child is doing during the week: are they taking on too much? Do they do a lot of after school clubs, sports, extra classes? Are they enjoying this and coping well with this or are they struggling a bit? Are they showing signs of stress, tiredness or anxiety? If so, sit down with the your child and speak to them in a very honest way about how they are feeling. What would they like to continue doing? What are they not enjoying as much and maybe want to stop for now? Explain that it is not a criticism, it is important that they recognise that everyone has limitations and too much activity can cause exhaustion and have an effect on them physically and emotionally.

Resilience is a life-long attribute; however, it is not a guarantee that every child will be resilient. As supportive adults we can help them to be as resilient as they can be and lead a happy, healthy life!

Sports News

Lower Trans Swimming 

During the Advent Term, our first group of swimmers in Lower Trans took part in a number of assessments and activities at the Langley Lesuire Centre.  Over 10 weeks, our children made super progress and demonstrated confidence and enthusiasm in the swimming pool. 

All of our children achieved great success throughout the term, with 3 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze accolades being awarded.

Well done to all our swimmers, and good luck to our second group who are participating this term.