This week’s newsletter for Rossall Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School.
Dear All,
Forgiveness, empathy and compassion are the focus of my blog towards the end of this piece. Three words that hold so much weighting in all that we do and try to achieve as a School and as a community. I hope that once you read of the amazing exploits of our children this week, you can spare a moment to read of the reasons why we are the role models for our children and what an important role it is that we play!
I often highlight just how much as a school that we punch above our weight from a sporting perspective. However, I must take a moment to review this statement. Many of the schools who we face competitively, are in high catchment areas and therefore have a much larger number of pupils to select teams from. This fact does not take into consideration that we are Rossall and just like the mythical proverb that states that aerodynamically a bumble bee should not be able to fly, we do not recognise this fact and so keep on flying all the same! Our girls’ hockey team took part in the U11 AJIS Hockey tournament on Monday, emerging victorious with the Plate and a huge amount of pride, particularly after only conceding one goal all day! Huge congratulations!
The sport was not finished there for the week, as all boys across Years 5 and 6 took part in rugby matches at home against Highfield Priory on Wednesday, with the girls travelling over to Preston for the reverse hockey fixtures. A fantastic afternoon of sport in which so many of our pupils played competitively for School. Representing your school is an incredibly proud moment for any child and I was delighted so many pupils have had the opportunity to experience that feeling.
Wednesday evening provided the chance to travel to Blackpool Sports Arena where our athletes competed in the Wyre & Fylde Indoor Athletics finals, after previously securing a place as one of the top 12 schools across the district. A joint 4th place finish was an incredible performance as we were also crowned as the top performing independent school! Once again, huge congratulations to all involved – including the parents after enduring the noise levels of the sports hall!
The Year 5 class assembly was a typical Mr Condon special this morning, as he provided the children with the means by which to deliver a simply wonderful performance of Horrible Histories: The Tudors. The audience of children and family members were wowed by knowledge, singing, and acting, through a series of wonderful performances. Year 5, you have such confidence and ability – I am exceptionally proud of all of you for the way in which you brought history alive!
It is wonderful to see so many of you once again this week at our sports matches, Parents’ Evenings, assemblies and other events. I would like to remind you of our upcoming Afternoon Tea and Parent Forum, to be held in Mondo’s Cafe on Tuesday, 5th March at 2.30pm. Afternoon Tea and a discussion on all things Preparatory School; what fantastic way to while away an hour, with the promise of some home-made delicacies! If you would like to join us, please sign up here.
Last weekend I went for a walk with my family at Stanley Park and was surprised to see the Fire Brigade on a training exercise, using the water from the lake to pump back through the hoses. It was really interesting to watch and got me thinking about what it must be like to be a firefighter. I am fairly positive that the depiction in many of the movies is nothing like reality and remember reading of how ‘unreal’ films like Backdraft were depicted as being. I would love to have a better understanding of what it is like when moving into a burning building, the dispositions required, and the varying emotions that would be evoked by the heat, smoke and flames.
Later this week, I was in a meeting where there was a discussion around some of our Sixth Formers studying BTEC Sport, who have been focusing on gym programming for specialist populations, including wheelchair users. Considering and understanding the varying differentiations – seeing the world through someone else’s eyes, can be a difficult task.
Why the paragraphs about firefighters and wheelchair users? In school, we try to help the children to look at situations from varying perspectives, whether it be in our English lessons through exploring characters’ views, or perhaps when a social interaction goes wrong on the playground. Our children learn from situations and very quickly forgive and move on with their learning and growing, accepting that we do not always get things right. In a world that often seems divided by differences, where conflicts often arise from misunderstandings, and where forgiveness can feel like a scarce commodity, it becomes increasingly vital to embrace empathy and forgiveness in our lives. The simple act of empathy has the power to break down barriers, foster compassion, and promote unity in our community. Furthermore, forgiveness is a gift – it is a conscious decision to let go of resentment, anger, and bitterness, opening the door to healing and reconciliation. Forgiveness, empathy and compassion are so important to teach and model for the children and it is a huge privilege to act as role models for them. Let’s all try to be a little kinder is my simple (yet convoluted) message this week.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mr M Turner
Headmaster of Preparatory School & Nursery
Mary Poppins Musical Tickets Available
Join us on Wednesday 13th, and Thursday 14th for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time as our Preparatory School present Mary Poppin’s Jr. So, don’t invest that tuppence at the Dawes, Tomes, Mousely, Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank – buy your tickets now!
Rossall Rugby on the Rampage!
It was a fantastic feeling for the Year 5 and 6 children to run out on the rugby fields for the first time this year as we welcomed Highfield Priory for three competitive rugby matches.
There were tries galore for both teams, with Rossall victorious in two of the matches and gaining a draw in the third. The camaraderie shown by all the players was superb.
This was an excellent opportunity for the Rhinos to practise their skills in preparation for our Rugby festival next week, now in its 46th year!
U11 Indoor Athletics Wyre and Fylde Finals
Rossall Indoor athletics squad successfully qualified for the Wyre and Fylde indoor athletics finals in January. The finals were held at Blackpool Sports Centre on Wednesday evening. We were now competing against some of the strongest athletes on the Fylde coast!
Each child took part in both field and track events. There were too many amazing performances to mention, and the team showed resilience and determination in their events. More importantly though, was the camaraderie and team spirit in Team Rossall. We were delighted to finish 4th overall out of 12 teams. Thank you to Lee Cadwallader for organising yet another brilliant event. Good luck to Sacred Heart School who were the Wyre and Fylde Champions, and have qualified for the Lancashire finals. Well done to everyone who took part!
Rossall Prep Crowned AJIS Hockey Champions!
The journey to Manchester did not deter the spirits of our Rossall Prep hockey squad on Tuesday. From the first whistle onwards Rossall produced some of the best hockey we have played to date. Our skill set, positional and tactical awareness were incredible. Not to mention our self-belief and dogged determination.
After the group stage, in which we won 2-0 against Newcastle Under Lyme, lost 1-0 against Cheadle Hulme and drew 0-0 with Kings School Macclesfield, we qualified for the semi-final of the Plate Cup. We were now against Merchant Taylors, and really stepped up to the challenge with an impressive 3-0 win. In the final, we met Bolton School and the standard of our hockey was once again superb. We dominated the game and this was reflected in the final score of 3-0. The girls were delighted when they received their medals and silverware. What an achievement…well done girls!
U9/10 Hockey at Highfield Priory
What a fabulous opportunity for our U9/10 girls on Wednesday at Highfield Priory, to play competitive hockey matches. Rossall played with enthusiasm and determination throughout, managing to score some super goals too! It was exciting to witness the girls grow in confidence and enjoy the whole experience. We really have the makings of a fantastic squad. Well done girls!
Easter Egg Appeal
As in previous years, the Prep School Council have decided that one of their chosen initiatives is to support the Easter Egg appeal for Blackpool Victoria Hospital Children’s Ward.
We are asking for donations of Easter Eggs or an alternative e.g. colouring books and pencils. These contributions really make a difference to the children who are unable to be at home for Easter. The deadline for donations is Monday 18th March. This appeal has proven to be really successful in the past and along with the contributions from the Senior School, we have exceeded over 1,000 donations!
Thank you on behalf of the School Council.
Year 6
Charles Darwin said, “It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.”
Year 6 are thoroughly enjoying discovering their new book, ‘The Island, A Story of the Galapagos’ by Jason Chin. We have been amazed to learn that the Galápagos Islands are born from beneath the waves and began their lives as volcanoes spewing forth lava and molten rock. This week the children have produced some excellent work using the present perfect tense, colons and adverbials.
The link with their Science topic, ‘Evolution and Inheritance’ has led to some amazing discussions about how the creatures of the Galápagos Islands have adapted to survive, many of them evolving to become endemic.
‘Who lives in a palace like this?’ has been the question in our History lessons. We have had a ‘through the keyhole’ peep inside some of the most famous buildings in the land. The children have enjoyed investigating the Royal residences and have created some fabulous leaflets and PowerPoints to showcase them and entice people to visit them.
We continue to work hard during Mathematics lessons to solve problems involving the multiplication and division of fractions.
Mary Poppins is in full swing and the rehearsals are going well. We are all becoming a little nervous but the excitement is certainly mounting as the production gets ever closer. I am certain it will be, “Practically perfect in every way!”
Year 5
What a week of wonderful opportunities it has been in Year 5, with every pupil having the chance to represent the school in rugby or hockey, and then performing our Tudor assembly in front of the whole school in the Performing Arts Studio.
We have such a talented group of performers, and it has been extremely rewarding to see the children work together to script the play, learn their lines and then deliver such an entertaining performance. The children loved taking the rest of the school on a journey back in time to the Tudor era, where they shared their knowledge of exploration, renaissance and of course Henry VIII and his wives. There was laughter, love and lots of learning for all, not to mention some catchy tunes that put a smile on everybody’s face at the finale. Well done Year 5 for a memorable performance!
Year 4
This week in Year 4, we have been writing lots! ‘When the Giant Stirred’ has been a continuation of inspiration for our lessons in English. Putting ourselves in the shoes of the villagers escaping their island after a volcanic eruption and tidal wave hit has not been easy, but we have done this in different forms. We have written a recount of events using many expanded noun phrases and emotions and also letter writing to a distant relative to explain the devastation.
In Geography, we have been revisiting the Earth’s layers and how volcanoes are formed along with delving deeper into investigating tectonic plates. We plotted the world’s tectonic plates onto a map and labelled each one for an extra challenge. This also led to using Google Earth to locate famous volcanoes around the world. Plotting the volcanoes on the map proved to be very tricky but we loved the challenge!
The volcanic theme continued to dominate our DT/Topic lessons this week with us learning about the geophysics of volcanic eruptions by creating their very own mini volcano. Throughout the week we worked our way through a mountain of papier-mâché to build our volcanoes. We cannot wait for our next lesson when the volcanoes can be completed, ready for the big moment – the eruption!
In Science, we have learnt how to classify vertebrates and what questions we would need to ask to do so. Our questions had to be closed-ended questions to determine which animal belongs in which group.
Year 3
Another lovely week in Year 3 and extra special as we had the ‘Leap Day’ which feels like an extra freebie!
In our English, we continued reading the Big Blue Whale and started the week writing some beautiful Whale Poems. For these, the children used similes and commands, and some even included onomatopoeia. Some children shared these with the class, reading aloud beautifully. We then progressed to looking at some non-fiction writing and how we use sub-headings to organise information texts.
In Maths this week we have been making a good start to our fractions unit, looking at comparing fractions, making whole fractions and the difference between unit and non-unit fractions.
For Topic this week we explored plastic pollution, reading a book called ‘Planet Full of Plastic’. The children did some research and drawings about how plastic pollution impacts animals, wildlife and the environment. This is of course extra important in preparation for our trip to the Sealife centre on Monday!
In Science this week we started an investigation into what plants need to survive. For this, we are ‘sacrificing’ some dear plants by putting one in the dark, one in the fridge and starving one of water. As one of our class mentioned, it is wrong to make living things suffer in this way but I have promised we will be able to bring them back to life! After a few days, we will see how they have coped to demonstrate what plants need to live.
We also put the finishing touches on our Van Gogh-inspired Flower art which is now beautifully on display in the Year 3 corridor, bringing a lovely Spring feel to our part of the School.
Well done for a fabulous week Year 3!
Year 2
It has been another incredibly busy week in Year 2. The children have been enjoying our new book “Major Glad, Major Dizzy” and have been working hard to complete some descriptive writing using adverbs and adjectives.
In Maths we have been multiplying and dividing using the 2, 3 and 5 times tables.
In Topic we have been finding out all about the Great Fire of London, most recently making comparisons between the London of today and the London of 1666.
On Wednesday we had our weekly visit from Mrs Payne, her artistic flair helped inspire us to begin our Fire of London masterpieces. As you can see from the picture, we have created the fire, next week we will be finishing these off by adding the buildings of London.
If all this was not enough, we have also begun to develop the content for our class assembly. The theme will be spring/Easter and all parents are cordially invited to join us on Friday 15th March, more details will be sent out closer to the time, but in the meantime please enjoy listening to your little chicks practise the class song.
Year 1
In English this week we have enjoyed taking part in some drama activities. We put ourselves in the role of the animals from our class book to think about how they perceive the Lion and what they think about the way he behaves. This helped us to write from the perspective of the animals and enriched our vocabulary and sentence structure.
In Maths, we have completed our unit on Addition and Subtraction. We used a variety of strategies including number lines, part-whole models and bar models to support our subtraction and to find related facts. The children had excellent knowledge of fact families.
In Science, we classified groups of animals by their characteristics based on our learning from earlier this year. We have been looking at animal diets and identifying whether they are herbivores, carnivores or omnivores.
In Topic, we have started learning about Africa. We looked at maps and globes to find the names of the continents and the oceans to help us with our labelling activity. We have started to think about where Africa is in relation to the UK.
In PSHE we thought about the Fundamental British Values: Respect, The Rule of Law, Democracy, Individual Liberty and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs. We learnt about what these mean and how we show these in our daily lives and in school.
Reception
The definition of a ‘family’ changes according to your experience and culture and, as new social dynamics emerge, family structures everywhere have transformed significantly, redefining the notion of the family and its members. But, while the definition of family may have evolved, its value remains as important today as it has ever been. In our book ‘The Journey Home’, Hattie Peck has collected eggs from all over the world, hatched them, and raised her blended family of cockatoos, storks, owls, and anything from an egg – even reptiles.
For children in particular, caregivers in a family unit are essential to their development, their sense of security and their ability to create and sustain healthy relationships in the future. It is after all family members who provide basic needs like food, shelter and nurturing. But the role of the family extends beyond those basic needs too, helping to create a sense of belonging and community, a support system, security, and especially at the moment, an education! The children will look closely at families and differences, learning how to make hard decisions, letting go, and inclusion through this term’s storybook.
Children whose families support their learning and take a keen interest in their education do better at school and in later life. Working in partnership with parents and/or carers is central to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). We believe in consulting parents about their children’s experiences to help us plan for effective learning in class, and help us support parents in continuing their child’s learning development at home.
We encourage and welcome all contributions from parents, sharing interests or information about your culture, but also by informing us when your child achieves something new or wonderful. We are therefore reintroducing our Wow Moment cards, and ask you to record these moments and pass them onto myself. The Wow Moments are added to our class display and support assessments throughout the year. Feel free to send in as many as you would like, parents/guardians usually complete a page of wow moments each half term.
Nursery
This week in Nursery we have focused on Understanding The World.
The Sanderlings
The Sanderlings have had some new technology toys to explore, which has allowed the babies to investigate and make sense of objects and how they behave. Due to St David’s Day this week, we have had some daffodils for the children to observe and Miss Schofield, Miss Heatley and Miss Sumner have promoted early language to describe the colours and sizes of the daffodils. To expand on this, the babies have been able to use their senses to feel and smell them and discuss flowers of different colours. Furthermore, the babies have also used the daffodils to make some artwork which has allowed the children to use a range of media and practise making marks.
The Sandpipers
This week The Sandpipers have been on a walk around the grounds to look for daffodils, we found lots! The children used their senses to look, touch, and smell, using language to identify their colour, size, smell and texture. The children observed that the daffodils were “yellow”, their stems were “green”, they felt “soft, bumpy” and they smelled “yummy”. The children also used mathematical language to identify the different sizes of daffodils using language such as “big, little, small, tall, and short”. In addition, the children have been learning about what flowers need to help them grow. The children have demonstrated an increasing interest in this as the week has progressed and they are now able to identify that flowers need ‘sunshine and water’ to aid the growing process.
Furthermore, The Sandpipers have talked about their home lives and family including how they look and their occupations. We have also discussed different cultures and backgrounds to promote equality and diversity, using books, flags, and small world toys to understand differences.
Finally, we have been looking at all the different types of transport. We talked to the children about how they arrive at the nursery in the mornings and the different modes of transport they have used. Furthermore, we also talked about people who help us and the transport they use including ambulances, police cars, fire engines and lifeboats.
Pre-School
This week the Pre-School children have enjoyed being outside exploring the playground. They have enjoyed following the numbers and letters on the floor games and sharing their knowledge of colour and number recognition. In addition, the children have been taking turns playing their own games as well as playing group games such as ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’, ‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘What’s the Time Mr Wolf’.
On Wednesday the children were given the opportunity to make their own playdough with Miss Simms during group time. The children used their gross and fine motor skills to mix the ingredients together while commenting on the different textures they were creating. The children will be bringing their playdough home to share with their families.
On Thursday the children visited the farm where they stroked the rabbits and held the Guinea pigs. Whilst on the farm visit the children were also joined by a very loud cockerel who was singing so loudly in his pen, that some of us sang along with him too: “Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!”
Awards
Year 6
Well done to our certificate winners from 6R this week: Nilanth for excellent effort to complete Home Learning tasks and Rio for excellent contribution, independence and perseverance during Mathematics lessons. Our 6S winners are Monty for dedication to all aspects of school life, and Eleanor for demonstrating excellent leadership skills.
Year 5
This week, our certificate winners are Henry for outstanding contribution in class activities and Oleg for outstanding talent and determination.
Year 4
Our certificate winners this week go to Sarah-Anne and Anthony for fantastic team work, leadership and commitment toward their volcano making in Topic/DT.
Year 3
This week our Year 3 certificates go to Arla and Sam for their fabulous, creative whale poems!
Year 2
Well done to our certificate winners this week: Olivia for determination and effort in Mathematics and Dylan for outstanding independent writing.
Year 1
This week’s awards are for Vova for excellent progress in his handwriting and independent writing, and Xander for his perseverance with his handwriting and working hard to use the correct pencil grip.
Reception
This week’s certificates of achievement go to Dotty and Hashvini. Dotty has grown in confidence when contributing and sharing her ideas in large group situations, even talking in front of the whole school with Mr Turner. Hashvini has been trying hard in all aspects of her learning, especially listening carefully to instructions and confidently tackling all new activities.
Well done to both children!
