Pre-Prep Reflections Week 28 2024

Diary Dates

Please note the two amended dates highlighted in bold, which are now confirmed:

Thursday 9 May 5.30-8.00pm – Exeter School open evening

Thursday 16 May – Open morning for prospective families

Saturday 18 May – Devon County Show

Thursday 23 May 3.30pm – Drinks reception for Mrs Furniss

Friday 24 May – Staff INSET day (school closed)

Monday 27 to Friday 31 May – Half term

Saturday 15 June 1.00-4.00pm – Family Society summer fayre

Friday 28 June 1.30-3.30pm – Sports Day *NEW DATE*

Wednesday 3 July – Year 1 fire station trip

Thursday 4 July – Transition afternoon *NEW DATE*

Monday 8 July 3.00pm – Parent drop-in

Tuesday 9 July 2.30pm – Summer showcase

Wednesday 10 July – Summer term ends at 3.30pm

A list of term dates for the academic year 2024-25 is available on the school website.

Spotlight on Year 1

In English, we have been learning about formal and informal letters through the book Dear Greenpeace. The children enjoyed writing their own letters and sharing these with the class. We have been learning about plurals in phonics and when to add -s or -es to words to make them plural. In our Tuesday wellbeing lesson, we spent some time thinking about how we can be kind and the impact our words have on our other people’s feelings. In science, we have continued our learning about plants. This week, we discussed the difference between garden plants and wild plants. We are monitoring our broad bean seeds and have been excited to see some root growth this week. In mathematics, we have been exploring different ways to find halves and quarters of amounts. We also enjoyed exploring different map symbols in geography and identifying various keys on a keyboard in computing. The newest members of our class, Santi and Salvi, are settling in really well and we look forward to Levi joining us in a couple of weeks. 

Miss Lawrence, Mrs Thomas and Mrs Tyler

Year 2 printmaking workshop

We have arranged for Year 2 to visit the senior school art department at Exeter School for a printmaking workshop. This will take place on the morning of Thursday 6 June. We are aiming to leave as close to 9am as possible and will travel on school minibuses there and back. This means that we are unlikely to be able to hear every child read that day. We will be back at school in time for lunch. This will be the third year that we have run the workshop and it is always an enjoyable experience for the children. We look forward to sharing the results with you.

Mrs Goodwill

Healthy Eating

We have noticed some children bringing in playtime snacks that are high in sugar and salt. Please remember that sweets, chocolate and crisps are not allowed, in accordance with NHS guidelines. Items such as processed meats and cakes lack the nutritional value that children need to aid learning and concentration. Even some ‘fruit’ strings and winders have very high sugar content. We strongly encourage children to bring a small fruit or vegetable snack. Plain rice cakes or breadsticks are another healthy alternative for fussy eaters!

We also ask that every child brings a named water bottle to school so that they can stay well hydrated. Please note that these should only be filled with water; no squash, juice or fizzy drinks are allowed. Children are encouraged to refill their water bottles as needed throughout the day, and water is served in jugs and cups at the lunch table every day.

Please note that we are a nut-free school. Children are welcome to bring in individual cakes or cut-up tray bakes on special occasions such as birthdays, but please ensure these are nut-free for the safety of all children. Thank you for your continued support.

You’re invited…

We would like to invite all parents, children and staff to a special drinks reception to celebrate the retirement of Mrs Julie Furniss. This will be an informal gathering in the hall on Thursday 23 May from 3.30pm. Julie has been my PA and our invaluable school administrator for the past two years. We are all going to miss her hugely and hope you will be able to join us to say goodbye and wish her well. 

Mr Ayling

House Points

The children have continued to develop their understanding of our school character virtues and they are all trying hard to be kind kingfishers, helpful herons, curious curlews and teamwork turtle doves! The house point tokens have been counted up after the first two-and-a-half weeks of term and the winning house was announced today. Here are the totals:

Brixham (Yellow): 122

Bridgwater (Green): 124

Devonport (Red): 131

Bideford (Blue): 141

Congratulations to Bideford!

Family Society Summer Fete

If you would like your own stall at the fete, please click on this link to book.