Daneshill Diary 03/10/14

Headmaster’s Notes

If this really is the end of our Indian summer then we should be extremely grateful for what has been an extraordinary spell of good weather. I cannot remember a better start to the first half of the Michaelmas term. Watching school matches bathed in temperatures that are more normally associated with foreign resorts has undoubtedly spurred both players and spectators on. Lots of red faced pupils has provided a clear indication of the huge effort that has been expended on both the netball courts and football pitches. It has been particularly rewarding over the last few weeks to see our pupils compete against some of the leading prep and secondary schools in the area. Not only have they acquitted themselves well but have gained from playing at a higher level. They are certainly testament to the fantastic coaches we now have at the school and I am delighted that this enthusiasm has seemingly spilled over to the Mums who now wish to emulate their daughters on the netball court!

Mr Spencer

Quiz Club

On Thursday 2nd October, two teams left Daneshill to represent the school in the National competitions run by Quiz Club.  The individuals had been selected following internal trials as the highest scoring children in their year groups.

The Year 7 / 8 General Knowledge team of James Passmore, Harry Hare, Tom Swart and Jack Kellard were ahead for most of their competition until the final question when they were pipped for first place by Elstree. Having achieved such a strong score they do, however, stand a good chance of making it through to the final as one of the highest-scoring runners-up. 

The Year 5/6 Science team was made up of Olivia Irby, Isla Rattray, Honor Macdonald and Viola Mansfield, who came tenth in their heat. 

It was certainly a testing day for all concerned with some difficult questions, for example “Titania is the largest moon of which planet?” and “Which English monarch built the Tower of London?” Well done to all of the pupils who competed.

Mr Mikurenda

News from the Pre-Prep

In Reception we have started our new topic ’Above and Below’. We have been learning all about the story of Noah’s Ark and have been busy making an ark and animals for our classroom display. The writing corners have also been very popular this week, with many children choosing to write their new tricky words in a sentence starting with ‘I like to…..’

This week the children in Year 1 have enjoyed making weaving pictures in Art. Chants of "over, under, over, under…" could be heard all around the classroom. The children are thrilled with their results and are very excited about seeing their work in the Pre-Prep hall display very soon.

Extra challenges in Year 2 come in many forms from going to see Madame Passmore and speaking French twice a week, to learning how to play the Ukulele with Mr Soper. There is always great excitement when climbing the steep stairs to get into the Art Room ready to be inspired by Mrs Lock.

Miss Bull

Nursery Corner

One of the most rewarding experiences for us in the Nursery is seeing the children happily skip in and leave their parents without a second thought.  As a parent myself, I know that whilst this is exactly what we want them to do, the reality is it can be rather hard to realise that they are growing in independence and confidence and can do so many things for themselves!  This week has been a joy with few early morning tears and the children just naturally sorting their bags and joining into the activities and play opportunities available to them.  A huge well done to all!

This week we have continued to enjoy our outside classroom and much of the children’s 1:1 work has been done out there.  It takes a huge amount of concentration for our 3 and 4 year olds to carry out the tasks set with all the excited noises going on around them.  They are all doing so well and are certainly developing their ability to ‘listen and do’ which is one of the EYFS goals.

Next week sees us change our topic to ‘Our Body’ and we will continue to work with the numbers 1 and 2 in relation to this.  We have been busy taking pictures of our hands, arms, feet etc. in order to create our very own ‘Pairs’ game which I am sure will be great fun!

Have a lovely sunny weekend and we look forward to seeing you all next week.

Mrs Beeching

Sporting Fixtures

Boys:                                                                           Girls:
FOOTBALL TERM                                                         NETBALL TERM
Wednesday 1st October                                             Wednesday 1st October
1st XI vs. Bishopsgate                L 1 – 5                       U.13 A vs. The Abbey               W 10 – 1
2nd IX vs. Bishopsgate               L 1 – 4                       U.13 B vs. The Abbey                W 10 – 3
                                                                                   
                                                                                    U.11 A vs. Dolphin                       L 3 – 10           
                                                                                    U.11 B vs. Dolphin                        L 2 – 9 
                                   
                                                                                    U.10 A vs St Mary’s                    W 8 – 0
                                                                                    U.10 B vs. St Mary’s                    W 1 – 0
                                                                                    U.10 A vs. Rupert House            W 11 – 10
                                                                                    U.10 B vs. Rupert House             L 2 – 5
Friday 3rd October                                                                                                            
U.9 A vs. St Piran’s                    D 1 – 1                                    
U.9 B vs. St Piran’s                    D 1 – 1                                                            
U.9 C vs. St Piran’s                    L 1 – 3                         
U.8 A vs. St Piran’s                    L                                              
U.8 B vs. St Piran’s                    L 1 – 4                         
                                                                                                                                               

Weekly Sports Reports

The Year 3 girls travelled to St Gabriel’s School on Friday 27th September for some netball training games.  All 28 girls played in the five a side version of the game (High Fives) in a fun afternoon of netball.  Daneshill has five U.8 netball teams this year so we were very lucky that St Gabriel’s were able to host all of us on the same day.  I was delighted to see the girls moving around court so well; conscious of space and aware of their positional boundaries.  Considering the girls have only been playing netball for around three weeks, it was great to see how far they have come in such a short period of time.  

The U.10’s had a very busy afternoon on Wednesday with two matches back to back against St Mary’s and Rupert House.  Everything clicked into place this week and the mid-court play flowed much more consistently than in previous weeks.  I was impressed by the Daneshill fitness levels and their ability to step up and deliver when required, maintaining their discipline throughout the games.  Two hard fought fixtures with great results.

On Tuesday morning, Years 5-8 welcomed Helen Murray from English Lacrosse to Daneshill.  Helen, a South West and Bristol league player, gave a master class to the girls, introducing them to the game and giving them a number of skills to master within the session.  The girls thoroughly enjoyed the sport and are looking forward to more lacrosse at Daneshill soon. 

Miss O’Neill

This week saw two very tough matches for the First and Second IX. Both sides suffered defeats but it was very pleasing to see much improved play under pressure. If not pleasing it was very heartening to see the tears at the end of the match. It really showed the boys passion and desire to improve and win. Next week they again face tough opposition and it will be great to see another improvement.
 
The Colts did not have matches this week and instead we staged a tournament where all teams were divided into equal sides. This allowed each child to experience two hours of coaching from Mr Allum. Again it was fantastic to see some real triumphs for determination and skill. The ‘Blue’ team, who lost their first match 5-1 recovered to win the tournament!
 
Mr Baldwin