PREP WEEKLY NEWSLETTERPREP WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

HEADlines ...And all of a sudden, it’s done: that was the Lent Term 2019.

Final Assembly this morning allowed us to ramble through what has been an excellent 3 months for so many children and they can all head into the break feeling satisfied with their hard work and commitment.

The newsletter this week once again demonstrates the extraordinary amount the children get up to and when looking back over editions since January there is a humungous collection of activities and achievements to feel proud about.

This final week has been blessed with such fine weather that it has drawn out the old chestnut “I suppose that was Summer, then?” but I hope we can be a little more optimistic than that and keep fingers and toes crossed for a benign climate for next term.

Talking of toes, plenty of toe-tapping in the Sports Hall this afternoon as we concluded the term’s events with such a fun House Music competition. I trust you all enjoyed the occasion and perhaps your toes are still tapping away as you relax into the weekend.

Finally, farewell from HEADlines for a few weeks and I wish you all a peaceful and Happy Eastertide.

Justin Chippendale

29th March 2019

www.kingshalltaunton.co.uk facebook.com/KingsHallSchoolTaunton

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EASTER HOLIDAYS

King’s Community Swimming & Aquatics

Intensive Swimming Classes8 - 12 April 2019

Following the success of our February half term intensive swimming courses we will once again be running a holiday programme during the Easter holidays.

The learn to swim lessons will take place daily from 9.00 - 9.45 am and are for children of all abilities aged 4+.

Our skills, drills, starts and turns workshops which are designed for more experienced swimmers who wish to take their training to the next level will run daily from 10.00 - 11.00 am. These sessions will focus on a stroke per day, as well as including competitive swimming skills, such as starts and turns.

Children do not have to necessarily attend the full week.

As well as these classes, private 1-2-1 and 1-2-2 lessons and coaching sessions are available.

To find out more information and to book a place for your child,

please contact: communityswimming@kings-taunton.co.uk

HOCKEY CAMPS

Monday 8 April5-9 year olds

Tuesday 9 April9-14 year olds

Friday 12 April12 years +

FOR MORE INFORMATION

AND TO BOOK PLACES PLEASE

CLICK HERE

CRICKET CLINICfor girls and boys

Monday 15 - Wednesday 17 April

Group 1 Under 12s

Group 2 Under 10s

Group 3 Under 8s

FOR MORE INFORMATION

AND TO BOOK PLACES PLEASE

CLICK HERE

The School Uniform Shop will be open over the Easter holidays:

Monday 15th - Thursday 18th Apriland

Tuesday 23rd April

To make an appointment please phone the School Office on 01823 285920.

If you have any uniform-related queries please email the School Uniform Shop directly:SchoolShop@kingshalltaunton.co.uk

A REMINDER THAT CHILDREN RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER EASTER WEARING THEIR SUMMER UNIFORM.

HOUSE MUSICAs usual, the curtain on the term was brought down in fine style with another House Music competition featuring just about every pupil in the Prep department (a small number of overseas pupils have returned home and the rugby players have been competing at Rosslyn Park) showcasing a wealth of vocal and instrumental talent.

The entries for the Junior groups were varied, exciting and accomplished and received positive comments and constructive criticism from this year’s judge, Claire Brickley.

Beginning with the recent hit High Hopes, Gibbs’ band featured an impressive number of singers alongside three electric guitars, trumpets, violin and drums. Oldham followed with the classic Katrina and the Waves number Walking on Sunshine in which a quartet of singers was given rousing support by two trumpets, two guitars, french horn, trombone, violin and drums! With seven singers and effective use of solos, Whitby gave a moment of wonderful calm with Strong from the 2015 film version of Cinderella. The final Junior entry was Bradfield with the toe-tapping We Go Together from Grease featuring a couple of saxophones as well as the vocalists.

The Senior entries followed with a similarly diverse field of songs, all again receiving informative and positive feedback from Claire Brickley.

Whitby began with the popular Marshmello/Bastille song Happier which was performed with a good sense of staging and included pupils on piano and drums. Bradfield followed with a similarly effective rendition of The Script’s Superheroes which also included clarinet, french horn, piano, drums and bass guitar. A shift of mood was offered by Gibbs with Someone You Loved in which sensitive accompaniment was provided by guitar, french horn, cello and drums. The final group in the competition was Oldham with Abba’s classic Waterloo featuring a (fabulously-dressed) quartet of singers with percussion and drums.

The House Songs this year were inspired by Brexit (and sometimes even featured some suitably Brexit-themed lyrical amendments!). Gibbs opened with Anna Kendrick’s popular Cups (When I’m Gone) which featured some excellent ‘cup-ography’ from the Year 8 girls, and effective use of smaller groups and ukulele. Oldham went second with a well-sung rendition of the catchy Beatles number Hello, Goodbye. Bradfield rocked with the Oasis hit Don’t Look Back in Anger, while Whitby finished the competition with a lively performance of the famous Europe (the band!) number The Final Countdown.

Many congratulations and thanks to all the performers and staff involved. What a wonderful way to end the Lent Term!

The Junior class was won by Bradfield

The Senior class was won by Whitby

The House Song was won by Bradfield and the overall winner of the 2019 House Music Competition was also Bradfield.

A VIEW FROM THE ROSE GARDEN ...

ACADEMIC LIFEThis term in IT ...

8S have been looking at Prezi which is web-based tool for creating presentations (called prezis for short). It’s similar to other presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint, but it offers some unique features that make it a good alternative. They will use it to present their visit to London in an assembly next term.

8K and 8H have been green screening, where you replace the real background of a video with a digital background. It offers the most natural-looking way to integrate your subject into your video. Disney Pixar use it.

Year 6 have investigated databases. They have been using search engines (giant databases) such as Skyscanner and Kayak to plan a holiday.

Year 5 have also looked at databases. We have made top trump games and based our database on the planets to fit in with science.

Year 4 have made their own blog about technology where they made a list of the technology that they and their parents had used in the last 24 hours. They have also learned about safety on the internet and know not to give out any personal information.

Year 3 have also looked at creating a simple database about themselves using j2e . From this they sorted, searched and asked simple questions.

This term in science, 5H have been learning all about micro-organisms with the topic culminating in the children carrying out their own investigations into the best conditions to grow yeast – the results showing in the amount of CO2 they collected.

4F & 4T had an eggscellent Easter egg hunt which everyone one was really eggscited about!

First we had to hide the Easter eggs. Then we had to find the letters and numbers on the windows in our classroom.

Once we had found all the pieces for each egg, we put the pieces together. Both 4T and 4F had to work as a class team and Mrs Foster’s team won by one piece!

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO...

A FEW WORDS FROM ...... Hettie Chippendale, this term’s Head GirlI have thoroughly enjoyed being Head Girl this term and I’m excited to pass the job on to the next girl.

One of my favourite things to do as Head Girl is taking the younger children from the bus to the Pre-Prep in the mornings – I love hearing all their stories.

I’m really looking forward to House Music and our song is sounding really good! Sadly, this will be my last time being part of House Music and I hope that it goes well.

Being Head Girl means that you can attend Pupil Council and I’m looking forward to some charity events next term, including the Year 8 fete. I’ve enjoyed going to the previous fetes and I hope that ours will be as good – I can’t wait to make my own stall.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and come back refreshed and ready for the last term of the year: Summer is coming!

Mrs McDermott’s Year 7 tutor group have had an exciting final week of term, in the glorious sunny weather – how different from 12 months ago!

House Music practices are in full swing, with the children learning their words and moves. Oscar, Erin and Darcey have been practicing for their Senior Group pieces.

The girls travelled to Bruton School for Girls for their last netball matches as U12s, whilst the boys contested for inter-house hockey glory.

Thursday afternoon saw the inter-tutor hockey challenge in Plus Rewards. We decided to play in Red & White against Mr Thomas’ ‘All Blacks’ and Mrs Coles ‘Blue n Yellows’.

Recent news includes Tilly Fuller’s fantastic show jumping results on her pony Skye – she has qualified to ride at Hickstead both as an individual and as part of the King’s Schools team.

Both Oscar and Eve ran fantastically last week in the Larkman Cup at Blundell’s.

Will gave a super performance in the Taunton Drama Festival winning his class.

Darcey was a TV star, on BBC Somerset, talking about water polo.

THIS WEEK IN THE LIBRARY

At King’s Hall we love our Book Clubs!

Whether you are a fledgling independent reader in Year 3 or a fan of teen fiction in Year 8, there is something for you.

Our Year 3s and Year 4s are welcome to bring a parent along to their Book Clubs where we have fun chatting about the story and generally celebrating the joys of reading through some creative activities.

The step up to Year 5 and 6 Book Club means an after-school time slot with added tasty treats and often the opportunity to communicate directly with the author to offer our own feedback on the book we have read.

Then, in Years 7 and 8, pupils have the opportunity to gather for Danish pastries and juice at our Book Breakfast for senior pupils.

Book clubbers have some fantastic Easter reading in store for them this holiday…

cilli@kingshalltaunton.co.uk.

PUPIL COUNCIL

OUT OF THE CLASSROOM This year’s Exmoor challenge takes place on Saturday 4th May and over 100 teams will be taking part. There are four children in a team, and they have to follow a 16-mile route which is not marked, so following instructions, map-reading, and compass skills are essential.

Last Saturday, in preparation for the challenge a group of 12 Year 8 pupils (making up our three teams) spent the day on Dartmoor using pacings and bearings to help them in their navigational decisions. After venturing onto the highest part of the moorland to sit on Black Tor, the group finished up paddling their tired feet in a small stream before boarding the bus for home.

Well done to them all for their participation and collaboration over the course of the day.

Year 8 pupil Maisie Everett has just returned from fencing for England at the Challenge Wratislavia European competition in Wroclaw in Poland. Fencers from 42 countries took part and a staggering 212 competed in Maisie’s age group. Maisie was seeded 81 out of 212 and went on to make it through to the last 128 before she lost 12-8 to a Polish fencer.

We are very proud of Maisie who has done brilliantly to get this far during what has been a really busy few months. Please click here to read more ...

Our groundsmen have been making the most of this beautiful weather ...

SPORTS

NetballThe girls had a fantastic end of the season with fixtures against Perrott Hill on Saturday and Bruton School for Girls on Wednesday. There was not only excellent sport on display, but lots of support on the sidelines too!

During match tea at Perrott Hill there was a spontaneous performance of the Cup Song by both teams. Do click on this link to see what was a fantastic sight!

CUP SONG

Please see our sports website for a complete set of match reports and results:

http://www.kingshalltauntonsport.co.uk/

Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens is the largest schools rugby tournament in the world with some 7,000 boys and girls aged 13-18 taking part. Our U13s are taking part in the prep schools’ competition today and in preparation for this they had a cracking afternoon of 7s on Friday afternoon with Dubai College.

At the time of going to press, the boys had played five matches with three wins, one draw and one loss under their belts meaning they are in joint 2nd position in their group. Well done, boys!

The Larkman Cup Cross-CountryTwenty-seven children from King’s Hall took part in this cross-country fixture at Blundell’s School last Friday – it was fantastic to see so many children taking part. They all worked so hard, judging the distance and pace of the races to perfection, with their stretch and endurance coming to the fore in the closing stages of the races.

Special mentions must go to the following for finishing within the top 10 in their race:Barnie Gothard (10th), Oscar Mack (8th), Nicolas Du Toit (5th), Katie Rowe (4th), Lexie Wallace (3rd), Kendra Druce (1st) and Charlie Sidhu (1st).

The running was brilliant, but I was most impressed with the camaraderie and team spirit shown between all the King’s Hall children; some of the older pupils who have done it before, walked the course and imparted valuable advice to the younger ones, and then the younger children took it upon themselves to hand out cups of squash to the older children as they finished running.

Also, special congratulations to Lexie Wallace who competed for the final time in this competition, having done so for the last five consecutive years where she finished 3rd on four of those occasions – what an achievement!

THE BOARDERS’ WORLD

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What a jolly week this has been – the school has been full of music and it has certainly added a spring to my paws. It has also been a week of birthdays. I think I mentioned recently that my birthday is in May; I will be two years old. I’ll let you know the exact date nearer the time in case you want to send me a card. One of my boarding friends celebrated her 13th birthday on Monday, and what a celebration it was. I would like to have a party like that when I’m a little older. However, for this year I am hoping to get plenty of cards, some doggie treats and some toys. A small party wouldn’t go amiss, though (hint, hint Mrs Masters)!

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to the Easter Holidays. In the first week I am going to Cornwall, and having visited a couple of times before, I know that means lots of beach play. I can’t wait to relax in the hot tub at my lodge in the evenings. For the Easter weekend I will be staying with a relative of mine, Noah the miniature Daschund, in the Lake District. When I visited The Lakes last summer I went boating, paddle-boarding and kayaking; I hope that this is repeated.

You must be thinking, ‘what a lucky pup’ I am.

Anyway, have a good one and see you all next term.

Sunday was a simply perfect day to have an Easter Egg hunt and our first barbecue of the year.

With its flowing streams, rope swings, woodlands and lush green grass, Great Woods at Ramscombe was so tranquil, even with 27 children and a dog!!!

What a fantastic way to end the term and we look forward to many more days like this next term.

The boarders and staff would like to wish you all a very happy Easter and enjoy the holidays.

Please click here to read our Lent term newsletter

GETTING TO KNOW YOUEach week we will be asking a different member (or group) of staff to tell us a little bit about themselves through a varying collection of questions...

... and this week it is the turn of our cleaning and housekeeping team who are another group of unsung heroes – here is a selection of their answers

What is one of your favourite memories? Ultimately the birth of my daughters and grandson, but also seeing live music – The Prodigy was definitely a highlight! That would have to be Christmasses as a child which were always very happy times. That’s an easy one – the birth of my grandchildren!

What is your go to band or artist when you can’t decide on something to listen to? It would depend on my mood but is likely to be The Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine, Muse, The Stereophonics, Enter Shikari or David Gray. Definitely Shane Filan (from Westlife).

Which of your past jobs are you pleased you don’t do now? When I left school I thought I wanted to work in an office ... but I hated it!Working in a cheese factory – I hate cheese!

If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes, whose would they be and why? The Queen, to see how she keeps going!I think I would like to be my grandson for a day!

If you could have a super power what would it be? The ability to understand my dog! To be invisible.

Who do you most like spending time with and why? My grandson as he makes me laugh! My family and friends.My two brothers – every week we have a catch up over coffee and cake!

Who was the last person you sent a text to? A friend, to wish them well on their first day at a new job. My son.

If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for? For me and my loved ones to always be happy and healthy, for my house to always be clean and tidy and to see my mum again. To be healthy, to be happy and to have enough money to not have to work. To be happy and content, to be able to spend time with my mum again and to have a bit more money in the bank!