Prep Newsletter Michaelmas Term Week – 5

This week’s newsletter for Rossall Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep School.

Dear All

I hope this week’s newsletter finds you all well as we near the end of a truly wonderful and productive half-term. There has been so much happening at Rossall Prep over the last few days, and I am excited to share our recent experiences and upcoming events with you all.

Over the weekend and into the start of this week, I had the privilege of visiting the Cayman Islands to meet with current and prospective families. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with our international community and share the incredible journey our school is on. Hearing firsthand about the successes of our Rossall students abroad and the genuine enthusiasm of prospective families was truly heartening. This trip reaffirmed the strong, global connections that make Rossall such a special place, and we look forward to welcoming new students from Cayman in the future. 

On the home front, we had some exciting sporting events this week. Our football and netball teams went head-to-head with Highfield Priory in some highly competitive and enjoyable fixtures. Our footballers demonstrated excellent teamwork and resilience on the pitch, while the netball team impressed us with their coordination and precision. We were immensely impressed by the commitment and pride displayed by the children whilst representing Rossall.

Our Year 6 children had an incredibly enriching experience this week during their visit to the Imperial War Museum in Manchester. The trip offered a unique opportunity for the children to deepen their understanding of modern history, particularly the impact of war on society. They took part in a documentary challenge and explored all aspects of the museum in order to complement their WWII learning.  

This week also marked the official launch of our new Prep School Instrumental Programme, a significant step in enhancing our performing arts offering. The enthusiasm with which our pupils have embraced the opportunity to explore new musical instruments has been a joy to witness. From violins to trumpets to clarinets, it was lovely to witness the parents and pupils playing together and gaining a better understanding of how to advance with their instruments. I am confident that this initiative will help unlock new talents and foster a lifelong love of music in many of our pupils.

Our Year 6 children, along with Reverend Ayoma, led a heartwarming and reflective Harvest assembly on Friday. It was a beautiful reminder of the importance of gratitude and giving, particularly at this time of year. The children shared thoughtful messages about community, kindness, and the significance of the harvest season around the world. Mr Condon also retained his title of Grandmaster of Conkers, after a hard-fought battle against newcomer, Mr Drake. It was a meaningful assembly, and I thank the community for turning up in such numbers and offering donations that will be transported to The Pantry charity today. 

As we approach the final stretch before half term, we have several events on the horizon. Our parents’ evenings will take place next week, offering a valuable opportunity to discuss progress and celebrate the achievements of the pupils this term. I encourage all parents to attend and engage in these important conversations.

We are also thrilled to welcome a visiting author to the school next week for Reception to Year 3. Stephanie Kwok, author of ‘Granny Gets Golf’, should help to inspire our young readers and writers as they hear from a successful author about their writing journey, creativity, and the power of storytelling.

Finally, our annual House Poetry competition is set to take place next Friday. This is always a much-anticipated event, where pupils showcase their poetic talents and house spirit. I look forward to seeing the creativity and passion our pupils bring to the stage!

I am sure that some of you will be joining us tomorrow, as we host our first Open Day of the academic year. We have numerous families who have already signed up to visit the Nursery and Prep School and I look forward to welcoming them, as well as our current families, to our wonderful School.

Have a wonderful weekend

Mr M Turner

Headmaster of Preparatory School & Nursery


Extra News:

Goals Galore for the Rossall Rhinos, Rams and Raccoons!

We were delighted to welcome our good friends from Highfield Priory for an afternoon of football action this week with more than 60 children enjoying sporting action.

Under sunny skies with Rossall’s stunning chapel providing a majestic backdrop, three thrilling football matches took place between Rossall and Highfield Priory. Both teams showcased superb teamwork and were relentless in attack, treating spectators to a goal fest. Each game was fiercely contested, with end-to-end action and moments of individual brilliance. Rossall’s quick passing and Highfield Priory’s solid defence kept the tension high throughout. After the final whistle, players and supporters gathered to enjoy the post-match refreshments, bringing a perfect close to an exhilarating afternoon of football. Goals and great sportsmanship made for an unforgettable afternoon. Well done Rossall for two victories and one draw.

Highfield Priory U11 v Rossall Prep U11 Netball

What a glorious afternoon we had on Wednesday afternoon! A mini bus full of extremely excited Year 5 & 6 girls travelled over to Preston to play two netball matches against our friends at Highfield Priory. Both games were closely contested, resulting in a win for Rossall Blues, and a loss for Rossall Reds. Each one of the girls has made fantastic progress on the netball court, both in attack and defence. We truly have built some solid foundations to improve on even further! Well done to everyone that took part. Thank you also to Highfield Priory for your amazing hospitality.


Year 6

Imagine all those faces from the history books, the news; imagine for one moment that you’re standing in their shoes. Imagine having hopes and dreams, then everything goes wrong; and everything you want to be – reduced to dust – be strong”
Tony Walsh

This is a small extract from a poem the children listened to during their visit to the Imperial War Museum in Manchester this week. We were thoroughly immersed in the incredible exhibits and it was a pleasure to watch the children as they explored the timeline from the First World War to the present day. They thoroughly immersed themselves in the ‘Big Picture Shows’ and discovered the forgotten histories of service personnel and civilians. They also enjoyed the opportunity to see conflict through the eyes of artists.


While we were in the museum the children were recruited as documentary makers and commissioned to record mini-documentaries telling the stories that they felt were too important to be kept inside the museum. Year 6 were briefed on their task by a roving producer and sent into the museum to complete their task. It was fabulous to see them operating their recording devices, using clipper boards and microphones- we definitely have some budding journalists!


The IWM is a unique purpose-built exhibition space that gives a powerful voice to the extraordinary stories of ordinary people, forced to live their lives in a world torn apart by conflict.


This is a place where every object on display, every contemporary work of art and every exhibition is designed to live long in the memory.


A fabulous trip, enjoyed by all.


Year 5

‘O say can you see…’ From Columbus stumbling across the New World to the English pioneers creating the first permanent settlement of Jamestown, our Year 5 historians have enjoyed learning about the early American settlers and the impact they had on the land and its indigenous people.

Our topic work is linked perfectly with our art lessons in senior school, where the children use their artistic skills to design and create their own three-dimensional totem poles. The children love the opportunity to further their learning across the campus and relished the opportunity to welcome their parents to the Music Department, where everyone enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their musical talent!

As we come to the end of the penultimate week of half term, it is rewarding to reflect on the progress we have made as a class in such a short period of time. The new friendships made and the bonds between those who have been at Rossall previously are extremely strong, and this connection in the class creates an excellent environment for learning. The positivity, encouragement, and support of one another have been most heartening, and this is reflected in the standard of work produced every day.

We have completed our fascinating class novel ‘The Queen of the Falls’, which the children have loved, and the main character Annie Edson Taylor will be a beacon of inspiration to the class as we progress through the year. ‘Determined, courageous, fearless and motivating’ are some of the words the children have used to describe Annie, as she travelled over Niagara Falls in a barrel for fame and fortune at the age of 62! This has certainly been a book where we have agreed we won’t try this at home, and we all agreed we will be finding our fame and fortune in a far more sensible manner!


Year 4

As we progress towards the penultimate week of the half term, one of the highlights of our science curriculum has been the exploration of the digestive system. The children have engaged in a hands-on learning experience this week by constructing life-size cut-outs of each organ and positioning them on their friends. This fun and exciting activity has allowed the children to visualise the journey of food through the body, reinforcing their understanding of this complex system in an enjoyable and memorable way. Be sure to test their knowledge this weekend!

In addition to our scientific activities, Year 4 have been learning about Black History Month and the significance of this important occasion. The children have delved into the contributions and achievements of diverse individuals throughout history, fostering an appreciation for cultural diversity and highlighting the importance of this month-long celebration. We started talking about Katherine Johnson, the American mathematician who helped build the code for the Apollo space missions. We were amazed to discover her amazing story and her incredible contributions to the space programme.

Just to add to the excitement of the week, some of the Y4 boys took part in their first fixture of the year against Highfield Priory School, We played 4 mini matches with all players taking part and gaining some fantastic game time experience. It was great to see brilliant skills, excellent tactics and all-round brilliant teamwork on show throughout the afternoon. A huge well done to the boys who took part. For those who did not take part this time, we have plenty planned for the year ahead and look forward to all children having the opportunity to represent their year group.

Finally, we are delighted to share updates on our new gorilla display to link in with our class book, Gorilla by Anthony Browne. They have utilised various online sources to gather captivating information, which they have skillfully organised and presented in easy-to-follow text boxes. This project has not only enhanced their research capabilities, questioning the online sources found but has also encouraged creativity and teamwork, as they collaborated with their classmates to share exciting facts. 


Year 3

Year 3 has had a wonderful week filled with exciting and enriching activities!

This week, our focus was on the skill of inference. Students donned their detective hats to investigate the text, using inference to describe the main character. We employed dramatic techniques such as hot seating and role on the wall to deepen our understanding. Additionally, students crafted chronological paragraphs about the life of a seal, beautifully
capturing her experiences.


We had a brilliant time participating in the filming of an exciting new promotional video! Students truly enjoyed the experience and are eagerly awaiting the chance to view the final product.


In humanities, our studies revolved around coastal wildlife. We investigated how various animals adapt to coastal environments, with special attention given to rock pool habitats. Students began creating their own rock pool models, showcasing their understanding of these unique environments.


In science, we delved into the human skeleton, learning about bones and muscles and how they work together. Students examined the functions of different bones and compared human skeletons with those of various animals.


Year 2

Year 2 have enjoyed a fantastic week across all areas of the curriculum! Our English lessons have centred on creating our own version of the Troll Swap which we have been studying in class. The children came up with some fantastic new characters including messy penguins and untidy elephants!

Meanwhile, we continued our Lowry-inspired art work and added in some matchstick people. The children thought about how they could show movement with such small figures and even added in some small cats and dogs too!

Finally, I wanted to share some more detail about our latest Rossall Rotation session from last week. We had a riveting afternoon in the Astronomy Centre with Dr. Lister for Rossall Rotation. Following on from our last session where we learnt about comets, we learnt about stars and nebulas. Dr. Lister was blown away by some of our questions about space – such as ‘what would happen if the Earth was flat?’ We thoroughly enjoyed learning more about space and objects moving through it!


Year 1

This week, in Maths, we have moved on to our new unit of Addition and Subtraction. We have started by looking at the part-whole model and using mathematical vocabulary and the symbols + and = to write number sentences. 

In English, we have finished reading our story of ‘Lost and Found’. We have talked about how the characters feel at different parts of the story using an emotion graph, retold key events from the story and started to plan our own version of the story with a new character and setting. With Mr Veitch, in Drama, we have also been on adventures to different places, from the icy blasts on a South Pole expedition to a trek in the hot, dry desert.

We have played detectives – using clues to identify different animals, then matching pictures, names and descriptions. We have also created some stunning paintings of the landscape in Antarctica, thinking carefully about what colours and shapes to use.

In Music, we had lots of fun creating our own musical compositions using chime bars and glockenspiels. What a wonderful week full of creativity and imagination!


Reception

Patterns are central to maths and children have an instinctive idea of patterns.

Research shows that children’s ability to see patterns forms the basis of early mathematical thinking. When you teach children to become aware of patterns, they will build up the skill of spotting patterns for themselves, they will see how patterns change and notice irregularities.

This week we talked about and identified the patterns around them, so we could learn the words that describe different patterns.

As children have become more confident in making patterns and seeing connections, they have been able to talk out loud about what they have noticed.

The weather this week has allowed us some time to create patterns in the classroom and outside in nature, using a variety of different resources. We have even made patterns at snack time with our fruit kebabs! I wonder if the children could make any more patterns this weekend.


Nursery

This week in Sanderlings:

This week the babies have been focusing on Physical Development. This has meant lots of activities to promote getting their bodies moving. The staff have been helping the babies use the Montessori climbing frame. Taking a risk on climbing equipment and practising balancing is a good learning experience. Additionally, the babies have enjoyed the messy play of ‘edible paint’ which is a mixture of natural yoghurt and food colouring. This allowed the babies to experiment with different colours whilst using brushes to spread the paint, making a range of movements with their hands and arms.


Finally, the Sanderlings have been on an Autumn walk all around the Rossall grounds. The older babies were able to walk holding an adult’s hand, whilst the younger babies were in the prams. They stopped off at the secluded woodland area where the babies enjoyed a run, toddle and crawl around in the crunchy Autumn leaves.

This week in Sandpipers:

The children in Sandpipers have been focusing on Physical development. The staff have been talking to the children about the human body and looking at all the different body parts. The children were given mirrors to look at themselves to see if they could identify a body part when asked by a practitioner. The children have been doing lots of exercise such as yoga, dance, outdoor play and tumble tots. The children have been moving in different ways, such as: crawling,  jumping, climbing, running, jogging and crawling and many more. In addition,  the children have been on walks in the vast outdoor area looking for different Autumn objects; lots of acorns, leaves, trees and sticks were found! The practitioners have supported each child with opportunities to make marks with different tools to practice their hand grasp. Finally, to end the week the children have been practising their undressing and dressing as this is a vital skill to be encouraged.

This week in Pre School:

This week has seen the start of a brand new book of the month ‘Room on the Broom’ by Julia Donaldson. The children made potions from natural resources to coincide with the theme of the book. In addition, the children created some lovely masterpieces using felt tips, wax crayons and pencil crayons. The children love colouring and these activities help to strengthen the hand muscles. Another focus this week in the preschool room has been to independently put their coats on. All the children attempted this and the practitioners were on hand to support their efforts. Whilst playing outside, Mrs Gaynor helped a group of children throw and catch with different-sized balls. Another group of children helped Miss Simms pick some leaves off the trees in order to enhance the indoor areas. On Thursday Miss Heatley took some children to the Cookery class where they made delicious gingerbread men. Also, during the week the children went to see some of Rossall’s older pupils at their lunchtime concert. The children sat beautifully and they absolutely loved this. A lovely treat!

Useful links for parents

  • Free Children’s oral health resources:
  1. Brush DJ 
  2. Dr Ranji and Supertooth (for ages 0-3 years): How to care for the teeth of children aged 0-3 with Dr Ranj and Supertooth! – YouTube 

Dr Ranji and Supertooth (for ages 3-6 years): How to care for the teeth of children aged 3-6 with Dr Ranj and Supertooth! – YouTube


Awards

Year 6

Ralph for thoughtful ideas and written work in English

Benjamin for showing curiosity and independence in his Home Learning tasks

Harry for challenging himself in every aspect of school life this week

Billy for his excellent effort in History and English this week

Year 5

Hope for outstanding confidence and development in communication skills.

Misha for outstanding endeavour and positivity in all areas

Year 4

Darcy for an incredible effort with her handwriting this half term and for always stepping up to meet the challenge.

Darius for always giving his full efforts to every task, producing incredibly detailed and accurate pieces that showcase brilliant determination.

Year 3

Jessica for demonstrating an enthusiastic approach to learning and working hard to add lots of detail to work.  

Teigan for genuine curiosity and eagerness to contribute to class discussions, as well as persistence and determination with handwriting.

Year 2

Joshua for showing great determination and resilience

Kennedy for her progress in phonics and reading

Year 1

Milly and Hashvini for creating fantastic paintings of Antarctica.

Reception

Nathan and Elliott for confidently continuing, copying and creating simple patterns using a variety of resources. Well done!

September Tennis Programs with Top Tennis Coaching

We have a range of tennis programs on offer for players aged 6+ happening at Rossall School this term.

Our popular Before School Programs return from Wednesday 4th September (Year 3 & 4 – Wednesdays, Year 5 & 6 – Fridays) as well as a range of after-school programs to suit all abilities.

Contact Nick Arnold for more information:

07789 956147

[email protected]

*Bookings are essential prior to attendance of your first session. Visit our Bookings Page for more info