This week’s newsletter for Rossall Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School.
Dear All,
Open Day was a delight to attend as both a Headmaster and as a parent. Watching our outstanding pupils tour prospective families and speak in front of a packed Big School, made me feel incredibly proud of the job we do of instilling confidence in every aspect of the children we work with. Only at Rossall would you see students taking the spring lambs for a walk around site, make a spoonful of sugar in a Prep classroom, all whilst listening to the delights of the bagpipes emanating from the CCF!
Following on from our wonderful performances of Mary Poppins last week (I still cannot get the songs out of my head), we have not paused for breath. The amazing photographs can be found on Flickr here. Year 1 has been at the zoo, learning about the environment, animals that inhabit our planet, and what we can do to protect them.
Year 6 have been looking at law and order; they have a real sense of what is right and wrong! This included a trip to Lancaster Courts on Tuesday and then we were delighted to welcome barrister and current parent, Mr Sonny Flood. Sonny provided an opportunity for a session for the pupils to better understand how sentencing works, related to their class book, ‘Holes’. Our sincere thanks to Sonny for offering to come into School and delivering such an insightful session.
Sport has not stopped this week, nor did it towards the end of last week. The footballers went one better in making the semi final of the ISFA Northern Finals before cruelly being knocked out on penalties. We are hugely proud of them for such an incredible season.
On Wednesday, the girls travelled to St Marys Hall for yet another tournament, whilst the boys took on Giggleswick, also in hockey. The girls came back with Bronze medals and every boy across Year 5 and 6 took part! It was certainly a busy afternoon of sport to round off what has been an incredible term of fixtures and tournaments!
Last Friday, the children from Year 2-6 were lucky enough to be invited to a Science Week event where they were able to watch ‘Science in Action’. There were fireballs, liquid Nitrogen, as well as plenty of other experiments to keep everyone entertained.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a relaxing and peaceful holiday period and to once again thank you for your support over what has been an incredibly busy and successful term for the Preparatory School. I sign off ready for an early rise as we head to Italy on the Prep School Ski trip at 4am! I am delighted to once again be leading the trip, despite the early departure!
Have a great Easter!
Mr M Turner
Headmaster of Preparatory School & Nursery
Easter Egg Appeal
This term, the Prep School Council has organised an appeal for donations of Easter eggs and treats for sick children at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. Thank you so much to everyone who made a kind donation to this appeal. We received over 140 Easter treats and around 20 colouring activities to contribute to the total contribution. These will be very gratefully received and sure to bring huge smiles to sick children in the hospital.
U11 Footballers Reach the Semi Finals of the Independent Schools North West Finals
Congratulations to the U11 Football team for a fantastic winning streak at the ISFA Football Finals at Stockport last Friday.
With victories over Bolton School, Oldham, Bury and Cheadle Hulme, we progressed through to the semi-finals, playing wonderful football and showing outstanding teamwork. Unfortunately, we just missed out on penalties to Kings Chester after battling to a 1-1 draw.
This has been an incredible season for the team, achieving so much success. Manchester City timed their partnership to perfection!
Prep Hockey Success for Year 5 and 6 Boys against Giggleswick
Congratulations to all the boys in Years 5 and 6 for representing the school so impressively against Giggleswick.
This was the first time that the children had played hockey competitively against another school, and the commitment they showed and the progress they made throughout the afternoon was extremely rewarding for the teachers, parents and the team.
Well done, Rossall!
Rossall U11 Netball Tournament
Last Friday the Rossall Prep U11 Netball team had an early start, heading off to King’s School Macclesfield to play netball. There were 16 teams from across the North West in this AJIS competition, and the standard of netball was very high. This only inspired the Rossall girls to produce their best netball. As the day progressed, so did Rossall Prep, finishing with back to back wins! Well done to all the girls for representing Rossall so magnificently.
Bronze Medals for Rossall Prep at St Mary’s Hockey Tournament!
Wednesday was the final hockey competition for all the Year 6 girls this year. This annual tournament is always one of the highlights of our hockey calendar. It was also a fantastic opportunity for all the Y6 girls, having two teams in the competition, to play competitively. Both Rossall Reds and Rossall Blues demonstrated determination, skill and resilience on the pitch. Rossall Reds finished in third place overall, and were delighted to receive their Bronze medals! After a long day of hockey, the girls thoroughly enjoyed their hot dogs and juice, as well as the hearty sing-song on the minibus back to school! It has been fantastic to witness the superb progress each member of the Y6 squad has made this hockey season, both on and off the ball, not to mention the exemplary attitudes displayed at all times. Well done girls!
Mary Poppins Show Photos
Year 6
Despite the excitement of last week’s production, this week has been anything but slow-paced. From immersive historical experiences to insightful discussions on literature and science, our students have truly excelled.
In English, through non-fiction writing, our students delved into the life and work of Charles Darwin, posing thought-provoking questions that illuminated his discoveries and motivations. Utilising the advanced language and grammar skills we have honed throughout the term, we crafted writing rich in detail and insight, showcasing our mastery of the present perfect verb form, cohesive devices, and punctuation such as colons.
On Tuesday, we stepped back in time to experience life as Victorian children during a visit to the Judges’ Lodgings Museum. From the confines of a Victorian classroom to the intricacies of serving in a Victorian household, including polishing the silverware, we immersed ourselves in the era, gaining a deeper understanding of Victorian life and its societal norms. Additionally, we had the opportunity to interact with authentic Victorian toys, bringing history to life in a tangible way. This hands-on experience complemented our classroom studies on the expansion of the British Empire during the Victorian era, helping us to gain a holistic understanding of this pivotal period in history.
Thursday morning brought a visit from Mr. Sonny Flood, a distinguished barrister, who provided our students with valuable insights into the justice system and various forms of punishment. This discussion, linked to our prior exploration of “Holes,” enriched our understanding of law and order, encouraging critical thinking and reflection.
In the afternoon, we embraced the outdoors for our final Rossall Rotation of the term, refining our golfing skills and showcasing impressive shots that demonstrated both technique and precision. And what better way to conclude the week than with our beloved Easter traditions? Friday morning was filled with laughter and excitement as our students participated in our annual Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Egg Rolling competition. A fantastically fun way to end what has been a busy and successful term!
Year 5
Year 5 made the most of the sunshine this week, and headed out to the playground to conduct a Science investigation on the earth’s rotation, studying light and shadows. The children enjoyed drawing around each other’s shaded outline with chalk markings every hour, ready to discuss their findings. Everything was going splendidly, until the clouds came (again!) and scuppered our results. However, we had an excellent scientific discussion, and we certainly made the playground look more colourful with chalk before our artwork was washed away by the rain – it was like Mary Poppins all over again!
We finished the final pages of our class novel on the inspiring story of the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. This book captivated our interest on the Apollo 11 moon landing, but also made us contemplate what we would like to achieve one day, or in Year 5. With two terms completed and one to go, we are definitely going to make the most of every day, so have a lovely Easter break and get ready for an action packed summer term!
Year 4
What an egg-cellent end to the busy final week we have had in Year 4, with egg rolling and egg hunting!
In English, we have completed our final piece of writing involving dramatic and devastating natural disasters. We focused on including excellent expanded noun phrases and correctly punctuated direct speech to our stories to create atmosphere and imagery.
In Science, we have been creating invertebrate and vertebrate information posters to present many facts about each animal we researched.
Our final Rossall Rotation has also taken place this week with us making delicious S’mores around the campfire and making lots of Easter crafts using natural materials.
Have an egg-cellent and restful break!
Year 3
What an egg-cellent final week of term we have had! It is hard to believe we have reached the Easter holiday and are now two thirds of the way through Year 3 – crazy!
As is usual for the final week of term, we completed our final write for this term’s English unit. For this, we created our own Year 3 Wildlife Magazine filled with articles about blue whales. The children all wrote their own articles using subheadings and persuasive features, as well as lots of blue facts and information. It is wonderful to see it all together in one magazine!
In Maths this week we continued learning about mass, looking at equivalent weights with grams and kilograms. We will continue this unit after the break.
To finish off our Topic on ‘Protecting the Planet’ this week we looked at all the things that we can do to make a difference and help protect the environment. The children made posters filled with information and tips, as well as finishing off the slideshows we made in Computing.
We did some Easter themed Art this week and made ‘Egg Surprise’ cards! The children made their own creative designs and used their careful cutting, sticking and folding skills to complete the effect.
We also had our final Rossall Rotation session at the Farm! It was lovely to check in with the animals and also see how our little plants are coming along.
To finish off the week with egg-rolling and egg-hunting was a fabulous way to wrap the term. Well done for a wonderful Lent term Year 3, have a fun Easter break!
Year 2
For the Year 2 children it is the last week of term, but for myself the last week of thirteen years at Rossall School. Though the prospect of moving on is exciting, it is also very sad. However, the children of Year 2 have made the last two terms and especially this final week fun and memorable. We may have started this week with assessments, but once these were out of the way we were able to relax and enjoy the last few days together (whilst still managing to get all our work done). This has included s’mores making, a little movie, egg hunting and rolling, baking and Easter art. It has been a lovely way to finish my time with this wonderful class, they have been an absolute joy and will be missed dearly, but I will be making sure I know exactly what they are all getting up to in the summer term.
Year 1
What an EGGciting start to the week we had! On Monday we visited Blackpool Zoo to help us with our learning about animals. We took part in a workshop learning all about different animal habitats and what some animals eat.
We got to look at and hold, lots of animal artefacts including snakeskin, parrot feathers, animal skulls and shark teeth. For those of us that were brave enough, we got to touch a Madagascan hissing cockroach. I must say the children were much braver than me! We saw feeding time with the big cats, a sea lion show and visited the newest addition to the zoo, a very cute baby orangutan. We had an EGGcellent time!
We finished off the week, and this half term, with an Easter EGGstravaganza; an egg hunt and the egg rolling competition.
I wish you all a wonderful and restful Easter break. I look forward to welcome you back refreshed and raring to go for the Summer term.
Reception
This week, Reception has looked at some Easter traditions.
We watched a short film that focused on Christianity and narrated the story of Easter. It told us the story of Jesus’s crucifixion, his rising from the tomb three days later to the delight of his followers, and his ascension to heaven.
Eggs have been our focus topic this half term so we had to include Easter Eggs too! An egg is a symbol of new life and for Christians, Easter eggs are used as a symbol for the resurrection of Jesus.
Nowadays, most Easter eggs are made from chocolate and covered in coloured foil. Traditionally though, chicken eggs would be hard boiled and then decorated by hand. Traditional Easter egg hunts remain popular with both Christian and non-Christian children. The children thoroughly enjoyed both of our Egg Hunts outside!
Did you know that the Easter Bunny is a legendary Easter gift-giving character that originated in Germany? In some traditions, children put out their empty baskets at night for the Easter Bunny to fill up while they sleep. The children had to help the Easter Bunny this week as he had lost all of his carrots and as a reward for finding them, they got some chocolate!
We ended the week with our annual ‘Egg Rolling’ competition which is apparently a Scottish tradition. Although our competition is slightly different, traditionally eggs are boiled and painted before children roll them down a grassy hill. Whoever’s egg rolls the farthest wins! The rolling of the egg symbolises the rolling away of the stone from Jesus’ tomb.
Have an EGG-cellent Easter!
Nursery
This week in Nursery we have focused on Physical Development.
The Sanderlings
This week the babies in the Sanderlings room have been enhancing their physical development skills. The babies have been encouraged to practise their mark-making development through sensory activities such as paint, sand and shaving foam. The Sanderlings team have also been encouraging the babies to strengthen their grip by holding paint brushes and crayons and to join in with songs with finger actions to build on their fine motor skills. In addition, the babies have been practising their gross motor skills too by experimenting with the new tunnel, crawling in, through and underneath and taking part in dancing to music and experimenting with movement.
The Sandpipers
This week The Sandpipers have been building on their physical development by taking part in an array of activities. These have included having the big slide inside the classroom and engaging in a variety of outside activities including an Easter hunt and a trip to the beach. When using the indoor slide, the children have practised taking turns and going up and down the steps to the slide independently. At the beach, the children worked on navigating the steep steps, running up and down the sand and seeing how high they could jump! In the garden the children have been working on peddling the bikes and taking part in group games such as hide and seek and ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’. Also in the garden, the children have used lots of different ways to move around such as skipping, hopping, jumping and running. The children have also been focusing on being more independent in regard to taking on and off their own shoes and coats with an adult close by for support when needed.
Pre-School
It has been a busy week in Pre-School this week and the children have taken part in a variety of activities that have focused on physical development. These have included dancing and yoga activities that have enabled the children to use their whole bodies and experiment with different ways of moving in order to develop their gross motor skills. In addition, the children have also taken part in fine motor activities that aid their physical development. These have included experimenting with mark-making tools and playing with playdough. Playdough is a sensory kinaesthetic activity that is good for the muscles and joints in a child’s hands and arms which also contributes to their pre-writing skills. The children have enjoyed the spring weather and have engaged in lots of outside activities, including making nature pictures with reception class, a spring hunt and having a lovely time at the beach.
House Point Awards
Year 6
The certificates for the highest House Point achievers in Year 6R go to Ahill and Nilanth, and in 6S, Seluleko, Nicholas and Archibald.
Year 5
The certificates for the highest House Point achievers in Year 5 go to Alfie, Olivia and Billy.
Year 4
The certificates for the highest House Point achievers in Year 4 go to Felix and Ryan.
Year 3
The certificates for the highest House Point achievers in Year 3 go to Alicia, Darius and Arla.
Year 2
The certificates for the highest House Point achievers in Year 2 go to Yuha and Olivia.
Year 1
The certificates for the highest House Point achievers in Year 1 go to Joshua, Kennedy and Chika.
Reception
The certificates for the highest House Point achievers in Reception go to Stefan, Edward and Henry.
