This morning, Mrs Moss and Mrs Gough delivered our assembly which had the theme of ‘Terrific Transitions’. Our pastoral theme at the moment is about transitions around school and how we safely, happily and respectfully move around school. This includes opening doors, being organised and prepared, being punctual, being aware of others around us and the difference good manners make to everyone in our school.
This week we did our Well Done winners and Academic Excellence winners twice – once from last week, delayed after our Uganda assembly on Friday, and once this Friday as normal. William N, Sandro, Mina, Elias and Charlie received Academic Excellence awards on Monday for last week and Well Done certificates were awarded to Sofia, Ava, Hamo, Martha, Finlay, Nora and Louis. Ava, Juliet, Elsie, George, Tessie and Baxter also received a certificate for their Summer reading challenge from Dorchester Library. Last week Max and Sofia won the Commitment award, Finlay and Yasmin the Compassion Award, Anna and Violet the Courage award and Grace and Frank the Creativity award.
This week our Well Done winners are all of Reception, Forms 1 and Forms 2 for excellent behaviour on their trips out this week, and Tessie and Aria. Our Academic Excellence winners were Orlando, Tessie, Beau, Jia Wei and Rory. Harry and Penelope won the Commitment award, Baxter and Orlando the Compassion award, Ava and Mina the Courage award, and Alice and Bea the Creativity award. Well done to you all.
On Thursday, our music prefect Lottie, enjoyed a jazz workshop with one of Europe’s top trombonists, Barnaby Dickinson, along with 20 other top musicians, selected from other independent schools. She had a wonderful and inspiring day which culminated in a performance shared with parents.
On Monday, Form 7 worked with Lizzie Mehta from Art in Poundbury creating some fantastic bird artworks. The pupils used their hands as a basis for the birds, then added brightly painted feathers and finally added a positive message on the back. Their artworks will be on display at Jubilee Hall in Poundbury from 23rd to the 30th November as part of the Art in Poundbury exhibition. We are looking forward to seeing their artwork displayed!
This week Form 1 and 2 had the exciting opportunity to visit Lorton Meadows as part of their ongoing science learning. This trip was directly linked to their “Minibeasts” unit, providing a hands-on learning experience in the great outdoors.
Lorton Meadows woodland was the perfect setting for our exploration. The children spent the day excitedly collecting and observing various minibeasts. The children were tasked with identifying the different minibeasts they encountered, from familiar creatures to some new surprises! One such discovery was a silverfish. The students also learned about the distinct characteristics of a pill woodlouse, compared to the more common woodlouse.
A key part of the trip involved exploring different microhabitats within the woods—whether under logs, in the leaf litter, or in the soil. The children observed and noted where they found the most minibeasts and discussed how different creatures prefer specific environments. This hands-on activity helped the students gain a deeper understanding of the diverse and interconnected ecosystems around them.
The Reception Class were incredibly lucky to be invited to Herringston House on Thursday afternoon. The children explored the beautiful grounds and collected autumnal treasures, using them when they got back to school, creating collages. We ended the afternoon with delicious hot chocolate and cookies, relaxing in the conservatory.
On Wednesday and Thursday this week, a team from ILG came down to visit us to give us a mock inspection. Whilst we are always looking for ways to improve the outcomes for our children, I was so heartened to hear the feedback from their 2 day visit, in which they talked about the excellent behaviour of our children, the warmth and family feel of our school and the inspiring teaching from our staff. This made me especially proud as this week was World Teaching Appreciation Day.
Today it has been lovely to welcome Amelia Johnson to Sunninghill. Amelia has been taking photographs of all the children to be used in all our marketing material over the year. The children have loved being photographed, and we can’t wait to see all the photos when they come through. As we know a picture tells a thousand words, and these photos really tell us how much nursery enjoyed their lunch this week! We are so lucky with our lunches here and grateful to our wonderful catering staff.
Have a restful weekend everyone.
David
