This week’s newsletter for Rossall Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School.
Dear All,
What a wonderful week in the Preparatory School! The indoor athletics team started the ball rolling last Friday, as they ran, jumped and threw their way to victory as we hosted local schools for a competition right here at Rossall. Congratulations to all competitors but special mention to our hugely enthusiastic and committed team of athletes!
Monday’s assembly began with a wonderful performance of ‘Abide with Me’ from Huxley. The pupils often perform as individuals as the school file in to sit down and I was delighted by the confidence of one of our wonderful brass players. Well done.
Assembly was super this week in that we spoke about what superpower you would choose. The options were: X-Ray Vision, Flight, Speed, Strength, Mind Reading or Invisibility. It was very interesting to listen to the children’s reasons behind their choices and that ‘Flight’ came out as the winner – just! The main reason was to reflect on the real superpowers that our children possess, namely Persuasion, Positivity, Observation, Modesty and Insight, to name but a few. We are all better at some than others and when we display them, there is no doubt that we can appear to have superhuman abilities. That has been the challenge this week and both myself and the teachers have witnessed some fantastic examples of super heroes in our midst.
FOR MATILDA TICKETS CLICK HERE
The rehearsals for Matilda are progressing wonderfully; please do not forget to book your tickets via the link.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mr M Turner
Headmaster of Preparatory School & Nursery
Rossall Prep vs Westholme School U11 Netball
On Wednesday the 25th January, Rossall Reds and Rossall Greens hosted two competitive netball matches against Westholme School.
The games were exciting, with both teams showing a great deal of confidence on the court! Rossall Reds fought hard, and managed to finish with a resounding win of 14-3. Rossall Greens had some amazing passages of play, improving greatly throughout the match!
After the final whistle we said our three cheers and voted for players of the match, which were Xanthe and Sophie respectively. We then took our visitors over to the dining hall to enjoy a delicious tea. Well done to everyone who took part and represented Rossall so exceptionally.
By Xanthe and Amelie
Year 6
“What you practice grows stronger”
We have been discussing the idea of ‘Growth mindset’ with the children over the last few weeks. The idea that ‘What you practice grow stronger’ is a powerful one that can be integrated into all aspects of our lives. Children understand that incorporating new ideas into their daily routines and practicing kindness, curiosity, perseverance, resilience and respect are all vital to help them to become the best versions of themselves. Everyone has times when we think, “I cannot do it”. It is more constructive, as our pupils know to say, “I cannot do it, yet”. One word changes the paradigm of the sentence and our outlook on life becomes a more positive one.
Year 6 are having a busy start to the Lent term. ‘Matilda’ is fast approaching and there has been much excitement as we prepare for the opening night. Dances, songs and lines are being polished and costumes are being fitted. We continue to enjoy reading Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Selfish Giant’. The children have written some incredible paragraphs showing their understanding of personification. We have continued our investigation of our hearts and the vital role that they play in keeping us healthy.
Year 5
This week, in Science, we have been learning about reversible and irreversible changes. We have thought about different solids and liquids and how they can be changed through heating or cooling, and whether it can be turned back into its original form. We thought about many things you would find in your own kitchens; water, chocolate, butter, bread, eggs. We followed on with the ideas from Science in our Rossall Rotation activity, making cookies. We found that cookie mix, once heated, can’t be reversed.
In Topic, we have thought about settlements and studied Ordnance Survey maps to identify and locate map symbols. We have also continued to learn about the differences between rich and poor Tudors and are looking forward to our trip next week to Turton Tower.
In English, we have continued to read our class book. We have re-enacted scenes from the book, taking the role of different characters to help us develop our understanding of the story from different character’s perspectives. We have also recounted Arthur’s journey to the Land of the Gods, using a range of grammatical features we have been learning about.
Year 4
This week our Year 4 classroom has been filled with songs and chants all related to Times Tables. Anyone wandering past our classroom would have wondered why the children had become keen rowers or been chased by a lion at the zoo. Believe it or not this has all been in aid of supporting the children’s multiplication recall skills. They loved learning all the different songs for their 6 and 7 Times Tables and are looking forward to the next singalong involving the 8 Times Tables.
In English, the children have been dusting off their diary writing skills to imagine what life would be like in Pompeii – pre-eruption. They used the trusty teabag trick to create the effect of old paper and proceeded to write their diary entries in their neatest handwriting ready to go on display next week.
Our investigation into the Roman era has led us down the path of Queen Boudicca, one of the most well-known figures of the time. The children have consulted a wide range of historical sources of information to learn about her fascinating life and the reasons behind her notoriety. We discussed the various sources we have at our disposal and which ones we could trust, focusing primarily on the reasons we shouldn’t use Wikipedia! With the help of their research, the children compiled all the pertinent facts about Boudicca’s life to create a fact file.
As part of our ongoing study of States of Matter, we have conducted experiments with ice and water to investigate condensation and its origins. The children watched as an ice-filled glass gradually changed as condensation started to form. A fascinating discussion about the possible sources of this water followed, with some amazing suggestions!
On Thursday, we had another ‘stella’ astronomy Rossall Rotaion session with Dr Lister. The children received a personalised message all the way from the Paranal Observatory in Chile where they were able to view special images of nebulas and supernovas. The children also learnt about different constellations in the sky and are ready to put their knowledge to the test with some stargazing at home.
To finish, I shall leave you with this classic joke that a member of our class shared with the group during our astronomy session:
How does the Man in the Moon cut his hair?
Eclipse it.
Year 3
Every week in Year 3 is a busy one!
This week we have finished our book Stone Age Boy. We completed some writing using ‘speech sandwiches’ do describe a scene in a cave, and then used prefix words to write about the final scene of the story.
We have also continued reading the Iron Man and completed some comprehension activities about it.
In Maths we have moved on from multiplying 2-digit numbers to dividing 2-digit numbers which is also challenging! For Topic this week we learnt about Stone Age food, and became Stone Age Chefs designing our own Paleolithic Menus, including how we got the food and how we cooked it.
In Science we have extended our learning about Rocks to learning how fossils are formed, and discovered some fossilised poo, called coprolite! We also had Rossall Rotation this week which was Forest Schools, we created pieces of art using all natural materials.
Well done for a fabulous week Year 3!
Year 2
Our trip to Clitheroe Castle has definitely been the highlight of the week. On Tuesday the Year 2 children were incredibly excited at the prospect of discovering more about our topic, Castles.
So much so that the chorus of are we there yet began before we had passed the River Wyre. After navigating terrible traffic we arrived at a misty Clitheroe, but the weather did not dampen the children’s spirits. Our tour guide Jules was absolutely fabulous, she told us that Clitheroe Castle was a motte and bailey and that it had been standing for about 1000 years, the class then had the opportunity to build their own, then try to destroy them with the use of a catapult.
This was followed by a tour of the keep, the class found out about all the different rooms, especially the dungeon, where they all looked particularly at home. Our final activity was a visit to the museum, this involved a treasure hunt that the children particularly enjoyed, there was a competition involved and we wait in anticipation to discover if there will be a winner from Rossall School’s Year 2 entrants.
It was an absolutely fabulous day, the children were a credit to the school and I am now already thinking about the preparations for an academic trip in the summer.
Year 1
In class this week Year 1 have been working hard to extend our writing and to really push our potential. It’s been fantastic to see everyone trying their hardest, remembering their Kung Fu Punctuation, and writing sentences that make superb sense! We have especially been working hard to spell big words using vowel sounds and split digraphs. We’ve been reading about animals that are extinct and questioning why this happened. We have also been writing about what we learned using lots of adjectives at the same time. We really liked reading about the Dodo and the Sabre Toothed Cat. In English we have written our own class poem and we were inspired by Michael Rosen’s poem ‘We Can’- it was so fun to create together! In Science this week we are discussing ice and we have been making predictions and asking questions about how best to melt ice- it’s so interesting! It has also been a week of sharing and caring in Year 1, where we have been sharing photos of our ‘first’ moments in life and we have been learning about looking after our friends. We understand the importance of kindness and how best to treat our friends and it’s been lovely to see our children trying out our positive ideas. Well done Year 1!
Reception
Millions of people will be celebrating Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, for 15 days from the 22nd January.
It is one of the biggest events of the year for many East and South East Asian people and it will be marked by communities all over the world.
Families and friends will get together to eat lots of yummy food, enjoy fireworks, wear special clothes and hang red lanterns to mark the occasion.
Jasper is celebrating Chinese New Year with his family and has become a ‘Mini Teacher’ this week, explaining all about his family’s traditions and showing his friends several photographs of decorations and the delicious hot pot they shared together on Sunday.
In class we tasted prawn crackers, ate fortune cookies and enjoyed a fabulous Chinese themed lunch! The children have also been learning how to write in Chinese and how to count to ten in Mandarin.
In Chinese tradition, each year is represented by one of 12 different animals, which feature in the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The children loved listening to this story and learning that we are now entering the year of the Rabbit. We also took part in a yoga session where we practised all our animal poses.
At Lunar New Year, it’s also traditional to give a bright red envelope (known as hóngbāo) to your friends and family, which has money inside – to represent good wishes and luck for the new year ahead. The children have enjoyed filling these envelopes in class but I can’t promise that they are filled with money!
Nursery
The Sanderlings have had such a busy week! The babies have taken a particular interest in messy play so Miss Schofield, Mrs Beddis and Miss Heatley ensured their wishes were fulfilled. Messy play week started off with shaving foam on a tuff tray with cars for racing, it was fascinating watching all the marks that the tyre tracks could make – there were different sizes and patterns all perfectly formed in the foam. To further reinforce mark marking, oats and flour were put on the messy table with paint brushes to create our own shapes, it was very tricky to keep all the flour and oats on the table but a fun time was certainly had by all. In the tuff tray the babies enjoyed a sensory experience with warm water and citrus fruit slices. Mrs Gaynor (from Preschool) brought in lots of new story books, each story was listened to with great interest and will be used in the next few weeks to set up a small world table. To celebrate Chinese New Year The Sanderlings used red tissue paper for a glueing and sticking activity and took part in a whole school banquet – there was delicious food for all to enjoy. Finally, as always, The Sanderlings room wouldn’t be complete without a musical activity of the week. The babies have enjoyed moving to music, using musical instruments to create their own music and singing along to their favourite nursery rhymes.
The Sandpipers had a welcome addition to their home corner this week, they now have real life objects such as straighteners, brushes and hair dryers to encourage the children to act out real life experiences they see in their home. This has created a great learning opportunity for the children as reenacting activities they see outside of nursery helps to develop communication and language skills. In Mathematics the children have been learning about shapes and exploring the characteristics of each of the shapes. In the tuff tray there has been lots of pouring and emptying using words associated with mathematical language such as more, less, full and empty. To celebrate Chinese New Year the children have taken part in lots of tasks such as writing chinese symbols in rice using paint brushes, making their own Chinese New Year celebration decorations and of course finished off by enjoying a Chinese banquet of Kung Pao chicken, spring rolls, boiled rice and prawn crackers. The Sandpiper’s have been on a beach walk to collect treasures they could find in the sand, there were shells and stones of all shapes and sizes to talk about and build upon the language of comparison. In preparation for Valentine’s day the children have been making Valentine crafts – look out for those coming home over the next week or so. Finally, the children expressed an interest in dinosaurs so they had fun playing with all our small world dinosaurs matching up dinosaurs that are carnivores or herbivores.
The Preschool have been spending lots of time in their garden, using the balancing beams to strengthen their gross motor skills. It is wobbly at first but once the children gained their balance they were able to move freely along the beams without falling off or losing their balance. Joining in with Chinese New Year festivities in the nursery the children have designed and made their own Chinese lanterns. Miss Simms brought in chopsticks which not only helped us to practise our fine motor skills but provided us with utensils for our Chinese banquet which was perfectly decorated by the lanterns the children had created. In beach school this week the children set off on an expedition with Miss Emsley to find shark eggs, over the coming weeks we have found out that the beach at Rossall may become awash with them. This week Preschool celebrated Burn’s night by making their own jigsaw out of paper to create the Scottish flag. Finally, in weekly school readiness the children have been writing their own names and learning to recognise the individual letter sounds in their name.
Awards
Year 6
Congratulations to our award winners this week:
Joseph- fabulous knowledge and participation in Science
Emily excellent work in English
Jessica outstanding creative writing
Roman outstanding ability in Mathematics
Year 5
Well done to this week’s award winners, in 5R, Mia for focus and attention in Maths and for writing an amazing, creative and imaginative poem, and Henry for an excellent performance in the Indoor Athletics and being a perfect example of a Rossall pupil, and in 5S, Jasper and Nick for fantastic collaborative learning and organisation.
Year 4
In Year 4 this week our certificate winners go to Florence for fabulous diary writing in English and Archer for outstanding perseverance in our class assembly.
Year 3
Our Year 3 certificates this week go to Lexi and Roman for making a great effort in their work and conduct.
Year 2
Certificates go to Darius and Harry for outstanding attitude and application on our school trip.
Year 1
This week’s Certificates of Achievement in Year 1 goes to:
Jessica for having sensible and kind ideas when discussing how we look after our friends.
Bow for always helping her friends out when they are in need or feeling down.
Reception
This week’s certificate of achievement go to Isabelle and Chika. Both children have been very enthusiastic and engaged in Music lessons each week. Miss Silverton has been very impressed and said they are both strong singers too! Well done.
