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Prep (Ages 7-13)

Newsletter

10 March 2023

HEADlines

HEADlines

by Justin Chippendale

You might be thinking the major episode of this week was obviously the more-than-anticipated amount of snow.  Well you’re wrong – a much bigger deal has been the disappearance of Mrs Cole’s precious perfectly perfumed palatable prized pink porcine pleasures. There have been various threads and activities in a terrific STEM week but the search for who stole Mrs Cole’s Percy Pigs has been at the forefront, all brilliantly introduced and hooked in via a wonderful film setting the scene in Monday’s assembly.  A fabulous week has ensued and there is a link to the film in the newsletter.

The snow came and then it went. In many ways this was the perfect amount/time of snow as there was something for everyone: a mix of natural beauty to enjoy, the thrill of massive flakes falling from the sky, a chance to make snowmen, lie in the snow and throw snow at each other, an excuse to wrap up with a hot chocolate and a book – but it only caused short term, minimal disruption so not too many adjustments to make. Will there be the odd smattering to follow up this weekend?

It did wipe out an afternoon of matches but fortunately it came at time that didn’t stop parents coming in for visits to classes in Pre-Prep, to the Year 4 parents’ evening, to the Friends of King’s Hall coffee morning or for the Year 8 Transition meeting.  There will be more parents in next week for the Year 5 parents’ evening, the Year 6 play performances (not limited to only Year 6 parents btw) plus we have our Open Day next Friday, and then in two weeks we have House Music.

Open Days are always such positive occasions and so if you have any friends wanting an insight for their children then do encourage them to sign up, come and join what is already a large number of people visiting.

Contrary to all these welcomes to the school site, it’s time to clear the school out for 48 hours and so I do hope you have a good, restful Long Weekend ahead.

This Week in Pre-Prep...

This Week in Pre-Prep...

by Claire Luckhurst

It has been a STEM-tastic week in Pre-Prep!  Thank you to all parents (and grandparents) who joined us on Monday to launch the week in style.  We hope you enjoyed getting involved in the huge array of activities staff had set up in the classrooms and our celebration of all things STEM through song, dance and jokes at the subsequent assembly.

Pelican News

Next Week....

Please see the School calendar and SOCs for more details and timings

Monday 13th March

Year 8CE Geography Field Trip and River Study

Year 8CE Geography Field Trip and River Study

Quantock Hills and Kilve Beach

Year 6 Book Club

Year 6 Book Club
Year 5 Parent Teacher Meetings

Year 5 Parent Teacher Meetings

Tuesday 14th March

Year 5 trip to Whatley Quarry

Children need to arrive in school wearing uniform and bring with them over trousers/tracksuit bottoms, waterproof coat and wellington boots. Please see MSP for further details.

Year 5 trip to Whatley Quarry
Year 4 Book Club

Year 4 Book Club

Thursday 16th March

Year 7 Book Breakfast

Year 7 Book Breakfast
Year 6 Production to Parents

Year 6 Production to Parents

Roald Dahl Collection

Friday 17th March

Year 3 Trip to Exmoor

Year 3 Trip to Exmoor
Open Day

Open Day

Year 6 Production Performance to Parents

Roald Dahl Collection

Year 6 Production Performance to Parents

Upcoming Events

DAY PREP BOOKING

DAY PREP BOOKING

Week commencing 13th March

If you require day prep provision for your child next week please book them in using the link below. The booking form will close at 9.15 am on Monday; if you need to make a late booking or make any changes after this time please let us know by emailing SchoolOffice@kingshalltaunton.co.uk.   

If your child uses School transport and you need to make any changes next week please email Transport@kingshalltaunton.co.uk to let us know.

Day Prep Booking Form

Boarding Blog

by Anna Hardy

High Street, High Ropes, High Fives 

We braved the cold weather and headed into town on Sunday morning. The children have developed a real love for shopping, so we headed to the High Street and ended up in Sainsburys. Match Attacks, pot noodles and Tabasco Sauce were some of the weird and wonderful items the children decided to purchase. After lunch on the go, we headed to the High Ropes course at Vivary Park. We started with the climbing wall and after all our recent climbing experience, the children made light work of quickly scrambling to the top. We then headed to the ‘low ropes’ course, although that was still pretty high and I was so impressed that everyone got round, with certain people really conquering their fears and pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. Nearly everyone then decided to attack the ‘high ropes’ course suspended 9m off the ground. Some of the obstacles were tricky (speaking from experience), but everyone flew round - quite literally when getting to the zip line! As if we hadn’t faced enough of our fears or produced enough adrenaline, we then decided stepping off a platform and ‘falling’ to the ground was the best way to get down! Everyone did it in style, high fives all round – proving yet again how this amazing group of young people are up for anything and are great company. 

We have said goodbye to all the boarders this afternoon as they head off to see friends and family. It is very quiet and definitely not as much fun without them around, but a chance for us all to recharge our batteries. Have a great ‘long weekend’.  

A few words from this term's Deputy Head Boy

Leon Enzler

This week there was snow! It was so exciting, but it has already started to melt. Yesterday, before school started the boarders went to play in the snow. It was so much fun throwing snowballs at each other. Last weekend the boarders went to the high ropes in Taunton. The funniest thing was the leap of faith. This week it is also STEM week, and we must find out who stole the Percy Pigs from Mrs Cole. Who do you think is the culprit? Now we are into a long weekend, I am going to Bristol to celebrate a friend's birthday. Hope you have had a good week and enjoy the long weekend!

A few words from this term's Deputy Head Boy

A View from the Rose Garden

What a fun-filled week it has been! STEM week has involved lots of investigative work in both maths and science lessons. The highlights in maths have been the Mini-Olympics, the Smartie Investigation and the Maths Trail around the school.  Working in Houses, the children have proven what great team skills they have.  

In English our focus this term is performance poetry, paying attention to rhyme and rhythm. The children have used their creative skills and written some striking poems inspired by Benjamin Zephaniah.  

The snow on Wednesday caused great excitement and this inspired some excellent work during the drama lesson, where the children created and acted out their own SNOW poems. 

The children are coming towards the end of their DT textile project, designing and sewing felt monsters.  Their blanket stitch skills are most impressive! 

Have a lovely weekend all!  

Snoops' Diary

by Snoops the Dog

Hi Folks

Well, who would have expected snow this week? What a lovely surprise, I’m most definitely a lover of that fluffy white stuff. 

I know we British are renowned for talking about the weather, but we are no experts when it comes to snow.

It is a commonly known fact that Inuit people have 52 different words for snow. But it’s not just the Inuit people who are able to distinguish between the different types of snow. The Swedes also have approximately 50 different words for snow and Greenlanders claim to have about 70.

Here are some of my favourites from Sweden:

  • Kramsnö – squeezy snow, perfect for making snowballs
  • Julesnö – snow at Christmas
  • Klabbsnö – wet, warm snow for building snowmen
  • Kolsyresnö – frozen carbondioxide
  • Kornsnö – small white snow breadcrumbs
  • Majsnö – surprising and unwelcome snow in May
  • Åsksnö – snow that pours down during a thunderstorm
  • Spårsnö – snow that allows footprints to be formed
  • Firn – liquid-like snow that can cause an avalanche
  • Stöp – a mixture of snow and ice resembling porridge. 

Now for my most amazing fact about words for snow: There are an astonishing 421 Scottish words for describing the different types of snow (and they are all officially logged). Here are my top five: 

  • Snow-smoor - Suffocation by snow
  • Grudge - Watery snow.
  • Slibber - That which causes slipperiness. 
  • Slubber - Slush, half-melted.
  • Snifter - A strong blast/flurry of driving snow.
  • Tinda - Fleecy snow.

Well, did you know any of those? I didn’t but just for your information, the canine word for snow is, “woof” (hehe!) In fact, us dogs are the opposite to you humans. You have all these fancy words for one thing, but us hounds are able to communicate with our one word for all manner of things. There are variations in the tone, pitch, volume and tempo of the word “woof” but all the same, we can communicate perfectly. 

Oh, I nearly forgot, we use a different word for ‘tree’- do you know what it is? 

Bark!! (haha) 

Have a great weekend, my friends, and see you next week. 

Best wishes from the school Floof

Snoops X

Mr Guedes' Tutor Group

Mr Guedes' Tutor Group

Year 5

STEM Week with a Snowy Day 

It has truly been an extremely busy Lent term, however, every single child in 5G has given their all. They all have truly got a ‘Spring’ in their steps this term; whether it is in the classroom doing a MasterChef maths competition, showing their skills on the sports field, or performing their musical talents in the music concert and the upcoming House Music Competition. This week we began with STEM week, where we combine science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The children have the chance to complete experiments in science, design a robot using technology and engineering and in mathematics the children  experienced a variety of group activities, representing their Houses. During the middle of the week, we were fortunate to witness snow falling, creating extra excitement and happiness amongst the children. All of the children in 5G engaged extremely well in all of the STEM activities and can be proud of their efforts. We have all had an incredible week!

Teddy A's Snow Sphinx!!

Teddy A's Snow Sphinx!!

Snowed in!

Year 7 pupil Teddy A made the most of a snow day this week by making an amazing Snow Sphinx! Very impressive Teddy it must have taken a long time!

Academic Life

Maths

 

STEM Week has been jam-packed with challenging and fun activities, although the identity of the person who stole Mrs Cole’s Percy Pigs remains a mystery for now...  

During maths lessons, pupils throughout the school have worked brilliantly in house teams to solve the maths trail, compete in the maths Olympics and work under pressure to solve as many Countdown problems as possible in half an hour. 

There has also been fierce competition in Year 3 as the different houses compete to outdo each other in Sudoku, whilst Year 4 took maths outdoors in their Outdoor Ed lesson, using natural materials to make symmetrical butterflies, shapes showing fractions and shapes with obtuse and acute angles. 

Year 5 estimating length and width of sports hall and tennis courts. Additional problem solving of how many cars could fit along one length in the sports hall, hence getting an average length of an automobile!

Lots of fun, but lots of learning as well!  

In Years 6 and 7 the maths Olympics was a test of physical fitness as well as mental toughness, as the house teams were split into two sub-groups and had to cover a large area of the sports hall to communicate with each other, working together to solve problems. 

The maths trail led the pupils all around the school grounds, requiring them to apply their knowledge, number and estimating skills to solve problems related to different parts of the school buildings and rooms. 

A great week of fun and challenging tasks for all. 

STEM Week

STEM Week

The Case of the Missing Percy Pigs

We’ve had a very busy and successful week in science, with a STEM forensic science investigation taking place across all year groups. The children were treated to a video spoof, featuring many of the Prep staff (Who Stole Mrs Cole’s Percy Pigs?). The video set up various suspects and the children then spent their science lessons looking at samples of hair, pen ink chromatography, fingerprints, soil samples and chemical matches. They worked in House teams to eliminate the suspects and come up with the culprit and their motive. If you would like to find out who did it, then please ask your children! The winning House and culprit will be revealed in Monday’s assembly.

Who Dunnit?

News from the Library...

Let the book clubs commence...

Let the book clubs commence...

Year 3 kicked off this term’s book club sessions in style this week, amidst fairy-tale creeping vines and rose shaped cup-cakes. They animatedly discussed Creeping Beauty by award winning author and Children’s Laurette Joseph Coelho. An intriguing richly illustrated read with some lovely moral themes throughout which the children demonstrated they had really taken to heart. In the story, spells are cast for both selfish reasons and to change things for the better; Mrs Lowery was delighted with the children’s responses when she asked them to imagine if magic was real what purpose would they cast a spell for. They would stop the environment being destroyed, take back hurtful words, to help people forgive and be happy, to name but a few magical suggestions. Although this book was from the Fairy Tales Gone Bad series it certainly inspired a great deal of good.

Well done Year 3 – you were enchanting!  

Year 6 Present...

 

A collection of Roald Dahl stories including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

This year's Lent term production is taking place next week. Seats can be booked through My School Portal by going to the School Diary, going to 16 or 17th March, finding Year 6 production and clicking on Book Now.  There is no need to print your tickets and seating plans will be available in the Arts Centre on the night.    

 Whilst we don’t charge for tickets, there will be a collection in aid of King’s Hall drama and we do hope you will feel able to support this generously.   

Please note that bookings will close at 5.30 pm on Tuesday 14th March and, as always, if you have any problems, please do contact the School Office 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A message from the Pupil Council

Thursday 23rd March

Thursday 23rd March

Raising money for the RSPCA - West Hatch Animal Centre

The Pupil Council invite you to get involved on Thursday 23rd March for a suggested donation of £2 or more if you wish the children will be able to wear home clothes to school for the day in support of the amazing work the RSPCA provide. Make a difference to animals housed locally at West Hatch Animal Centre. Here are a few photos of some of the animals currently at the centre.

Sports Update

Please click below to see this week's sporting updates via our King's Hall Sport Twitter feed.

King's Hall Sport Twitter
Easter Residential Sports Camp

Easter Residential Sports Camp

3 - 5 April 2023

For children aged 8 - 15. This exciting new residential camp at King's College is designed to help players develop their skills and techniques in a broad range of sporting activities, whilst having fun and making new friends in a safe and supportive environment. Over three days, children will gain access to a team of experienced coaches and have the chance to explore some of our wonderful facilities, including the state-of-the-art Sports Performance & Cricket Centre, netball and tennis dome, as well as sprawling sports pitches. 

To register or find out more visit the website www.kings-taunton.co.uk/events or email or phone Admissions - 01823 328204

A leaflet containing more information is available by clicking the link below

Information
Walkers Academy Performing Arts Camp - 'Matilda' 5-11 Years

Walkers Academy Performing Arts Camp - 'Matilda' 5-11 Years

11th-13th April

For school years Reception to Year 6

Join workshops from the world famous Matilda film and stage show. The programme will include learning songs, dances, staging and acting for castings from Matilda, delivered by Walker Performing Arts Academy. Train with working industry professionals from TV, film and theatre, and take part in a fun Acting for Camera and Casting workshop with a professional cameraman from Clockwise Films. Learn new skills in dance, drama and singing whilst growing in confidence, having fun and being creative. No experience necessary, just the passion and focus to embrace Performing Arts.

The workshops will run for three days at £195 per child, or there is the option to book two days or less for £75 per day.

Payments need to be made online via BACS

Further information

KING'S HALL SCHOOL SHOP

Our school shop is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30 - 5pm.

The shop stocks all the uniform items your child needs and includes some second-hand clothing. 

For a list of uniform items, shop opening times and payment details, please click the links below:
Nursery and Pre-prep
Prep

If you prefer to order online, please click here to visit the website.

Do you Have a Story? Get in Touch!

Has your child achieved something that you'd like to share with us? Email our marketing department: khsnews@kingshalltaunton.co.uk with your news and photos!

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