Daneshill Diary 07/11/14

Headmaster’s Notes

This week senior examinations started with a vengeance. For many pupils these assessments are vital in measuring their progress towards final transfer at 13+ especially those aiming for schools that are increasingly academically selective.

I am delighted to announce that Angus Leach and Harry Hare in Year 7 received very positive news this week following their second round of pre-selection for Wellington College. They have both been given definite offers for Sept 2016. This is a great achievement but they should be in no doubt about the hard work that lies ahead!

One or two others will also be feeling the pinch as we step up the level of expectation for those who are just a few months away from the realities of Common Entrance and the inevitable but exciting opportunity for them to demonstrate their true potential.

Unfortunately the opening of the science block has been delayed another week. The company that we have employed to fit the internal furnishings have mislaid some sinks, which means that Francis Construction are unable to complete their second fix on plumbing. Obviously this is hugely frustrating for all concerned but the end is in sight.

Finally, as a result of recent changes in regulation, I am required to inform you that the following documents are available at the school should you wish to view them:

  • Our policy on and arrangements for admissions, misbehaviour and exclusions; 
  • Our provision for pupils with statements and pupils for whom English is an additional language; ·        
  • Our curriculum policy; ·        
  • Our policy to promote good behaviour and set out sanctions; ·        
  • Our anti-bullying strategy and health & safety provision; ·        
  • Our academic performance during the preceding school year; ·        
  • Our complaints procedure and the number of complaints registered under the formal procedure during the preceding school year.

I hope to see many of you at the Fireworks later.

Mr Spencer

Year 5 Chemistry Spectacular

I am sure all the children would agree with me this was a whizz popping, smoke filled science show that certainly went off with a bang. We were guided through the history of chemistry since the dawn of time dating back 4.5 billion years ago to the first chemical element Hydrogen. We promptly covered our ears for an almighty bang as a taster of how loud this number 1 element can be when you light it! From there we moved rapidly on through the ages to Neolithic times where the first humans put their brains together to make the wonderful compound ethanol (otherwise known as beer!) The children learnt a vast amount from this inspiring show ranging from the structure of fireworks and how to make the colours to creating elephant toothpaste and a real light saver from the famous Star Wars films. Year 5 were brilliantly behaved and even came home with a bit of chemistry in their pockets just right to keep our hands warm during our annual bonfire night.

Mrs Blomfield

News from the Pre-Prep

In Reception our new topic is dinosaurs. We have been learning to order dinosaur numbers to 20. We are continuing to sound out writing our own sentences and are trying different forms of writing. A particular hit is our role play area where we have a dinosaur den. We have been matching the eggs to the mother dinosaur through an egg hunt. Imagine all our explorers hunting through the classroom.
 
Year 1 have been enjoying their practical maths lessons, which this week have been focusing on money. During the week the children have been looking at and naming coins. They were given purses with a selection of coins in them and had to find out how much money they had and who had the most. Some children were surprised that two coins could be worth more than ten coins added together. The children are looking forward to their next shopping trip where they can add some coins and put their skills to the test.
 
The Year 2 children have two new topics to study in the second half of the Autumn Term. In Science they have started to do various experiments with magnets. Finding out how magnets feel when they ‘repel’ against one another and listening and watching the strength of a super magnet picking up a small metal bar. Geography has also been introduced as a new subject, concentrating on some mapping skills and looking at the beautiful Hampshite countryside that Daneshill is situated in – lucky children!
 
If you haven’t done so already, please remember to be creative this weekend and make a poppy. These will be planted in the school grounds on the morning of 11th November. Have fun and we look forward to seeing them all in our Remembrance Assembly which will take place at 11 o’clock.
 
Miss Bull
 

Nursery Corner

The ‘Fireworks shop’ in Nursery has been a huge hit! Having made our rockets, sparklers and Catherine Wheel early in the week the children have enjoyed using the available props to create lovely stories and develop their imagination and vocabulary. There is also a ‘coffee shop’ next door so they are able to relax and enjoy a hot chocolate whilst taking photographs of the beautiful fireworks show – roll on this evening where they will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the real event.   They have made a fantastic rocket display too with the accompanying 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 BLAST OFF, much to the amusement of all as they see how high the can jump.

The children continue to enjoy the outdoors and we have set up a course over the crates and logs, sometimes with planks to cross, sometimes with large gaps to jump across. They are becoming more confident in their own abilities and more prepared to take on the challenges of balance and agility, it is great to see them experience this in the outside area as well as during their PE lessons each week.

Enjoy this evening and see you all next week.

Mrs Beeching

Sporting Fixtures

Boys:                                                                                       Girls:
FOOTBALL TERM                                                                     NETBALL TERM
Wednesday 5th November                                                     Wednesday 5th November
U.13 A vs. Thorngrove              W 4 – 0                                   U.13 A vs. Alton Convent          L 4 – 5
U.13 B vs. Thorngrove             W 2 – 0                                    U.13 B vs. Alton Convent          W 9 – 6
Colts A vs. Thorngrove             W 3 – 0                                    U.11 A vs. Highfield                   W 7 – 5
Colts B vs. Thorngrove             W 4 – 1                                    U.11 B vs. Highfield                    L 4 – 6            
Colts C vs. Thorngrove             W 3 – 1                                   U.10 A vs. Hawley Place            W 7 – 1
Colts D vs. Thorngrove             L 1 – 4 
 
Friday 7th November                                                                Friday 7th November
U.9 A vs. Holme Grange                       L 1 – 2                          U.9 A vs. Bishopsgate                L 5 – 7
U.9 B vs. Holme Grange                        L 1 – 4                          U.9 B vs. Bishopsgate                D 2 – 2
U.9 C vs. Holme Grange                       L 0 – 3                           U.8 A vs. Bishopsgate                W 6 – 2
U.8 A vs. Holme Grange                       L 0 – 3                          U.8 B vs. Bishopsgate                D 4 – 4
U.8 B vs. Holme Grange                        L 0 – 3                          U.8 C vs. Bishopsgate                D 2 – 2
                                                                                                                                               

Weekly Sports Reports

On Friday 31st October we welcomed back Helen Murray from England Lacrosse to lead a lacrosse taster session for the Year 3 and 4 girls.

Helen, who plays lacrosse for Bristol and the South West, taught the girls the fundamental skills of the game such as catching, using the stick correctly and passing accurately. Most of the girls had never played or even heard of lacrosse prior to the session but all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are really looking forward to learning more about the game in the future.

We had a good week of netball fixtures with games against Alton Convent, Highfield and Hawley Place. Our U.13 A team had a close game against Alton Convent on Wednesday. Both teams worked incredibly hard and it was goal for goal throughout. Unfortunately, Alton Convent just pipped us at the end with one extra goal to take the score to 4-5. The U.13 B’s managed to dominate their game and demonstrated a strong work rate throughout the game. They won their match 9-6.

The U.10 A and U.11 A teams were also triumphant, winning both their games confidently. The U.10’s in particular really dominated from the start and with some excellent shooting and interceptions maintained their lead throughout.

Miss O’Neill

This week has seen some great fixtures. On Wednesday we played Thorngorve and were successful in the method of our play. Our style of play was great to watch. As a school we drove up the middle and passed wide to create space and then looked to cross and score. And we did score! All teams came away with a favourable result. A special mention must go to Camilo Cowan who scored the very first goal of his career and the first goal for the D’s this season, a fantastic moment!
 
Today proved a tough afternoon with Holme Grange proving too strong in some matches. It was really good to see that we did not let our heads drop and kept fighting until the end. That is what the Daneshill spirit is all about! Next week we have the U.8 tournament on Friday plus fixtures on Tuesday and Wednesday so do keep a look out on the website to see when your child is playing!
 
Mr Baldwin