There really is nothing quite like World Book Day!
This morning, the school was awash with the most fabulous costumes as every child came to school dressed as one of their favourite characters. During assembly, each child paraded around the hall to rapturous applause! After assembly, Form 8 went down to Junior Prep for some book sharing and Junior Prep then enjoyed a fabulous banquet. Mrs Fernley has been very impressed with all the work that has gone into World Book Week. She reminded the children of how important reading at primary school level is, and how there is a direct correlation between reading and school attainment.
This week, our Well Done awards went to AJ, all of Form 1, George, Emily, Benjamin, Sukey and Aria. Our Academic Excellence winners were Romeo, Sofia, Beau and Scarlett A. Congratulations to you all.
Our 4 C’s winners this week were Emily and Izzy for Commitment, Romeo and Rex for Courage, Rosie and Tabitha for Creativity and Violet and Dexter for Compassion.
We also celebrated an incredible achievement from William in Form 3 who ran 100k in February to raise over £400 for Great Ormond Street Hospital. We are so proud of you William!
Form 1 and Form 3 had a lot of fun writing a shared story in their Buddy Reading session on Thursday for World Book Day. They sat in a circle and verbally all added a line to build up a fantastic story. Miss Wake-Walker wrote it out. Here is their story below:
Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a girl called Jasmine. One day Jasmine found a cave. In the cave she found a magical rock. She jumped on the rock and it flew her to a magical place. In the magical place she spotted a unicorn. Jasmine asked the unicorn, “Where are all of your friends?” but the unicorn did not answer. The unicorn just galloped off into a beautiful forest. Jasmine sprinted into the forest too to find it. Jasmine lost sight of the unicorn!
She gave up and decided to try and find another creature she could be friends with. “I wonder where another magical creature might be?”, she thought. Suddenly from behind a tree, another unicorn jumped out! However, this unicorn had a rainbow horn! Jasmine asked this unicorn, “please can I ride on you?”. The unicorn didn’t say a word but pointed to a pink puppy sitting on a branch of the tree. The puppy said “I will be your friend!”.
The puppy and Jasmine danced around and around. They were so happy. As the dancing was going on, thousands of other magical creatures descended from a space portal! Jasmine and all the creatures had a big party. They ate magical, floating food that Jasmine had never tried before. Jasmine realised that the rock from the start of the story was in front of her. She thought she better return home to finish her homework. “Bye-bye new friends, see you soon!”.
This week we have been celebrating ‘National Careers Week’. Our week-long event has presented a wonderful opportunity for our pupils in Forms 5-8 to explore various career options and gain valuable insights into the world of work. The children have taken part in a series of exciting activities designed to help them broaden their interests and aspirations. Some of the key events have been:
1. Virtual Careers Fair: The children have participated in a virtual careers fair where they have had the chance to explore a wide range of career paths. They have had the opportunity to interact with professionals from different industries and gain valuable information about potential career choices.
2. Careers in All Subjects: The children have explored the connection between subjects taught in school and their real-world applications. Throughout the week, we have highlighted the various career opportunities available within each subject, showcasing the relevance and importance of their learning.
3. Careers Fair with Guest Speakers: On Thursday, 7th March, we hosted a live careers fair in our school hall. This fair featured guest speakers from diverse professional backgrounds (including medicine, water sports, wildlife tourism, journalism, architecture, IT development and engineering) who shared their experiences, insights, and knowledge with our pupils.
Additionally, as a part of our National Careers Week, every child has created their own Careers Passport. This passport has enabled them to record their aspirations, achievements, and personal goals.
Thank you very much to all our wonderful guest speakers and to all the teachers for working collaboratively to provide an exciting and enriching week for all our senior children.
This week, Form 1 were very excited to head off to the Dorchester Museum as part of their topic on the Jurassic Coast and Fossils. They had a talk about Mary Anning, the English fossil collector and paleontologist and enjoyed a gallery tour. Well done to Form 1 for all your enthusiasm about this topic.
Form 4 also had a wonderful day out, living the life of a Viking when they visited the Ancient Technology Centre. The host provided a day jam-packed with activities, giving the children a truly authentic experience.
The morning saw the children learning how to create a hazel hurdle fence using long narrow branches, which they were required to weave in and out of posts and then to stand or sit on, ensuring the fence was tightly packed and secure.
A session in the long house involved handling different artefacts including weaponry and battle paraphernalia, clothing and art related items. They then gathered around the central fire pit in the long house which was lit using flint and natural materials that would have been available at this time. Lunch was therefore a warm affair, with the children cosying around the fire!
The afternoon offered more immersive experiences, with the children learning how to spin wool and weave using small wooden looms. They finished their day out by playing a typical Nordic game using wooden posts and blocks to try to outwit the opposing side. Mr Stazicker was sad to be on the losing side.
Our host was really impressed by the children’s questions and the knowledge they displayed throughout the day. The children had a wonderful time, some even asking about the possibility of a sleep over!
Last night we held our Senior Informal music concert. The performers played and sang beautifully, and I am grateful to them all for sharing their talents with us, and to their teachers and parents for all the support. Tonight we are looking forward to the Senior Formal Concert with Mr Vanburgh whilst Mrs Nolan-Stone will be accompanying several finalists at the Weymouth and Dorset Music Festival. We are very excited to hear how they all get on. It is wonderful how many opportunities our pupils have to perform and shine here at Sunninghill.
Today, 15 of our pupils, past and present, took their ABRSM music exams from prep test to Grade 6. We are very proud of how well all of the children performed and we look forward to receiving the results soon.
Finally, there are only 2 weeks until the Weymouth Half Marathon, there will be 10 representatives from Sunninghill – staff, parents and friends of Sunninghill. We will be raising money for an ILG partner school in Malawi – and our hope as a group is to raise £1,000 to put towards girls education, and to provide desks and toilets to their new building. It would be wonderful if as many of you as can could make a small donation – or come along to Weymouth on Sunday 17th March to show your support.
Our Sunninghill Team will all be raising money under this one Just Giving page:
Please don’t forget to get your tickets to Sunninghill’s Got Talent which will be held next Friday evening – one of the highlights of the Sunninghill calendar! Tickets are free and available from the Reception desk. Next Friday is also Red Nose Day – a chance for your child to wear red and support a very worthy cause!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best wishes
David
