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Dear Parents,
I trust you enjoyed a relaxing half term break and spent some quality family time together. All the children have come back to school with great enthusiasm, Years 3 and 4 dived straight into rehearsals for their production of 'The Peace Child', children throughout the school have enjoyed STEAM activities and we had many families join us for our Friday Lent reflection and CAFOD Breakfast.
I am extremely proud of our talented children for their hard work, demonstrating creativity and commitment throughout the show. From their fantastic acting to their beautiful singing. They truly brought the story to life on stage.
'The Peace Child' was a touching play emphasising the significance of peace, harmony, and unity, with a sprinkle of bears and a crocodile for added excitement! Witnessing our children embrace these values and captivate the audience was truly remarkable.
Thank you to all the parents who attended, your support and presence made this event truly special and memorable. Special thanks to all those who donated after our production to MacMillan Cancer Support.
I would also like to thank all staff involved in bringing 'The Peace Child' to life. Your passion and creativity, made this production a wonderful success!
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Lent Reflection and CAFOD Family Breakfast
We extend our gratitude to all the parents and children who participated in our Lent Reflection and CAFOD Family Breakfast this morning. It was a pleasure to have each of you here as we gathered to reflect upon the importance of Lent and to contribute to CAFOD's remarkable efforts, fostering meaningful connections and unity.
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Upper Prep
This week the Upper Prep children became botanists. They have been studying plants for a few weeks in their science and art lessons by looking closely at them in detail and naming the different parts. Last half- term the children learnt about hydroponics and how people grow plants without soil. The children were tasked with growing cress seeds at home and beans in the classroom, and over half-term they have shot up!
In their art lessons they created some wonderfully realistic flowers using air dry clay, which they delicately painted in an array of different colours.
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STEAM
Thursday we had a morning to remember, as our brilliant Year 1 children were designing Afrian and UK villages, while Year 2 amazed us with their castles featuring pulley drawbridges!
But wait, it gets even more exciting! In Key Stage 2, marshmallows and spaghetti took centre stage! Year 3 demonstrated their creativity by building cozy igloos, whilst Year 4 proved their engineering prowess by constructing bridges spanning an impressive 40cm.
However, it didn't stop there... Year 5 showed their determination by designing structures strong enough to withstand an earthquake!
We are incredibly proud of all our children, who embraced the STEAM activities with enthusiasm and skill. Their creativity, collobrative skills and problem-solving abilities were truly impressive!
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Year 1 - Comparing villages in the world
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Year 2 - Castles with Draw Bridges
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Year 3 - Arctic Challenge, making an Igloo
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Year 4 - Spaghetti bridges tested with weights
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Year 5 - Structures to survive an earthquake
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Valentines Disco
We want to extend a massive thank you to our incredible FOPs team for organising such a successful Valentines disco before the half-term.
Their hard work and dedication paid off, as we raised a fantastic total of £372.21! This money will go towards supporting our children and providing them with even more amazing opportunities.
We would like to give special thanks to all the FOPs volunteers who put in countless hours to make this event possible. Your commitment is truly commendable.
The Valentines disco was an evening to remember, filled with love, laughter, and fantastic music. We couldn't have asked for a better celebration!
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Achievements
Congratulation to Myra (Year 3) for her outstanding performance in the Thames Valley Tennis Red Ball tournament for U8's last Sunday. She reached the finals, played a tight match, and clinched victory with a score of 15-13, earning her the title 'Tournament Winner'.
Congratulations to Niko who clinched the top spot in the U8's tennis tournament. In the final, he emerged victorious with a score of 2-1, with a remarkable 23-hit rally in the deciding game he ultimately won!
Congratulations to Meraya (Y6) for receiving a 'Young Writers Award' for her original piece of creative writing, which will be featured in a Young Writers' Anthology.
Congratulations to Reece (Year 3) for his support towards a charity dear to his heart, due to his fondness for dogs. During the half-term break, Reece visited the Dogs Trust, where he generously donated food and toys for the dogs.
Well done to Elle, James and Ryan who went skiing for the first time over the half term and all received Skiing Certificates.
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Kaiden Yr6
We are thrilled to share the exciting news that Kaiden (Y6), after auditions, has been accepted into the National Children's Orchestra (NCO) for the second year in a row. Congratulations, Kaiden!
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Woodwind Instruments
There are currently still a few places left for children to take up regular Woodwind (Clarinet, Flute and Saxophone) lessons in school.
Learning a Woodwind instrument is a great social and fun way to learn to play music, as these instruments give children the opportunity to play in groups with other like-minded musicians whilst still encouraging all the other life skills that learning a musical instrument gives us (motor and co-ordination skills, listening skills, reading skills, counting skills, multi tasking skills, music appreciation skills ....), the list is endless!
Our Woodwind teacher, Sue Dunsdon, has many years of teaching experience and has had a 100% exam pass rate at St Bernard's Prep, with her students often gaining at least Grade 3 ABRSM before leaving primary school. Sue was initially a classically trained musician but also has a degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. She is a proficient 'instrument doubler', performing on Clarinet, Flute and Saxophone in local jazz Big Bands and Pit Orchestras for musicals shows, such as 42nd Street, Oliver, Little Mermaid, Sister Act, The Sound of Music, Grease, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Footloose, to name but a few.
If you are keen for your child to take up this amazing opportunity to learn one of these instruments, please fill in the form in the Parent Portal and return it to reception. Places will be taken on a 'first come first served' basis, so please don't leave it too long before applying as your child may miss out. Your child may well be the next Benny Goodman, James Galway or Charlie Parker of today!
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Guitar Lessons
We currently have limited slots available for anyone wishing to take up Guitar lessons at school on a weekly basis.
Our guitar teacher, Travis Williams, is a true rockstar. He has been a professional drummer, guitarist, and singer, and has shared the stage with legends like Shane McGowan (The Pogues), Paul Simonon (The Clash and Gorillaz), Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), and many more!
What sets Travis apart is his passion for teaching and ensuring children have fun whilst learning. With his expertise, Travis's students have achieved an impressive average mark of 86% in all graded exams. It is not uncommon for his pupils to achieve Grade 4, which is GCSE level, before leaving primary school!
If you are eager to get your child started on a musical journey, simply complete the form in the Parent Portal and return it to reception. Don't wait too long, as slots are limited and in high demand!
Get your child's creative juices flowing, boost their confidence, and let the music fill their souls! Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity!
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Football
Under 10's Football vs Thorpe House
WHAT A GAME! The Friday before half-term we witnessed an absolute battle between the Thorpe House and St Bernard’s U10 teams. The game was absolutely brilliant, 10 amazing goals, goal line clearances and fantastic saves. The game swung St Bernard’s way and the Thorpe Houses way constantly, with the final score being 5-5! Well done to all the players who performed so well as a team and showed great charisma and determination. Mr B and Mr Hawkes were incredibly impressed and entertained. Well done to Archie, who was the MVP for his team.
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Netball
Under 11 Netball vs Gayhurst
On Wednesday both, our Under 11A and B Netball teams travelled to Gayhurst to battle against, not only the wind and rain, but a strong Gayhurst teams too. The U11A team ran out comfortable 14-9 winners against their opponents. The U11B team lost their game, but again put up an outstanding fight against such a strong opposition. Well done to Ellie and Chia who were their respective team’s MVPs.
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After a whirlwind week of non-stop fun and adventure, I wanted to share a hilarious moment that perfectly sums up my jam-packed week with all of you.
In the midst of our excitement, laughter filled the air as Saacha valiantly attempted to conquer the ever-sticky marshmallow goo armed with nothing but tissues. It was a moment that captured the essence of our incredible week filled with joy, laughter, and a few unexpected surprises!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs A Verma
Headteacher
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