Daneshill Diary 17/03/16
Wacky Professors
On Tuesday 14th March each year group in the prep school came off timetable for a two hour period to participate in the events of Wacky Professors day. The task was to create a zoo enclosure for their adopted animals with an information board to go with their enclosure. Pupils were put into mixed groups within their respective years and asked to work as team to research, design and build their structures. Each team were given close to identical boxes full of recycled materials and set free to be as creative and imaginative as possible; and they did not disappoint. It was privilege to stand back and watch the children work so beautifully and so enthusiastically together and create such different enclosures. Thirty minutes into the activity we opened up a trading centre where pupils could trade an item in their box for something else they had an idea about; this was a very popular aspect of the task and children loved bartering with us for resources! After 90 minutes was up, each group embarked on a walk around the ‘zoo’ to look at what each other had made. The enclosures are on display in the science labs so please do come and take a walk through the zoo yourselves! A big thank you to all the children especially Year 7 and 8 who supported some of the younger children.
The winners were announced in celebration assembly where they each received a super house point and a wacky professors badge (which glows in the dark!). Runners up were also announced and awarded two house points each.
The Pre-Prep also took part in this event but with a different activity. Their task was to build a marble run. The aim: to see which class could slow the marble’s journey down to the floor the most. Each class were given an identical box of recycled materials to make their marble run from. Whilst Year 1 chose to work collaboratively and build an incredible 5 layered marble run, 2F and 2GJ decided to go head to head! It was wonderful to see the children working as a team to apply their developing scientific knowledge in such a practical way. The cheering and anticipation continued throughout Friday’s assembly as the final times were announced and badges were awarded to our budding ‘wacky professors’; we look forward to seeing their inventions in the future!
Chick mania strikes again
After the success of the chicks in previous years the Happy Chick company delivered 20 eggs to the school on Monday. One set were placed in the Year 3 classrooms and the other set in Reception. The eggs soon pulled in the crowds and we were greeted with a number of fluffy, chirping chicks on Wednesday morning. The remaining eggs hatched during the week where many pupils could be found gathering making mummy chicken noises to welcome the new arrivals and make them feel safe and secure! The chicks are with us until Thursday 23rd March.
Mrs Blomfield and Mrs Pursell
Pre-Prep News
Reception has enjoyed a week of awe and wonder as we watched ten eggs hatch. Never has there been so much excitement over a cracked egg! During Science week the children got to construct a marble run and show their understanding using problem solving. The children used various household containers and joined them together, testing their ideas. There was much laughter as the marble often took a different direction.
What a treat Year 1 had this week with a visit from Teddy’s father, Mr Carvosso, who arrived in full flight gear to talk to the children about his role in the RAF and subsequently with British Airways. The children have been learning about The Wright brothers and Mr Carvosso was impressed with what they already knew about Orville and Wilbur who started out working in a bike shop! The children were fascinated by the stories told, how fast a Tornado can travel and what Mr Carvosso had to do in order to become a pilot – obviously “work hard in school” was the key response! Inspired by all things that fly, Year 1 have made some excellent paper aeroplanes which had their first flights this Friday. Initial testing showed some excellent results with fabulous loop the loop turns and many returning back to their owners like boomerangs!
The rays of sunshine this week have helped the seeds in Year 2’s garden grow. We are pleased to report that the first crop has been harvested and cress can now be found in many homes, in and around the Hook area. Week four of our project has also resulted in the arrival of some friendly bugs and caterpillars; not only have the children sown seeds but they have also sewn minibeasts to enjoy their growing garden. Having the responsibility to care for nature and work as a team towards a best possible outcome, is teaching Year 2 how to respect each other and the world around them. This has resulted in both classrooms having a blossoming ‘Garden of Respect’, full of life and possibilities. The Easter Bunny even made an appearance!
The Pre-Prep Teachers
Sports
Wednesday 15th March
NETBALL
U.13 A vs. Reddam House U.14 L 7 – 11
U.13 B vs. Reddam House D 8 – 8
U.11 B vs. Thorngrove W 3 – 0
U.11 B vs St Neot’s W 8 – 1
U.10 A vs. Bishopsgate T’ment 3rd
RUGBY
U.13 vs. Dolphin L 30 – 35
U.11 A vs. St. Piran’s D 7 – 7
U.11 B vs. St Piran’s
U.11 C vs. St Piran’s W 6 – 2
U.10 vs. St Piran’s D 5 – 5
Friday 17th March
NETBALL
U.9 A vs. Bishopsgate T’ment 2nd
U.8 A vs. Bishopsgate T’ment 2nd
RUGBY
U.9 A vs. St Edward’s L 3 – 7
U.9 B vs. St Edward’s L 5 – 12
U.8 Red vs. St Edward’s
U.8 Blue vs. St. Edward’s
Reports
Thorngrove relay X country race – WINNERS!
Sixteen girls and boys from Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 took part in the Thorngrove team relay cross country competition on Thursday. Teams of four runners were required to run 1000m each before passing the baton to the next runner who then completed the course. The atmosphere was electric as eight schools lined up ready to race. All the teams started strongly but Daneshill were soon in the top three in each of their races. The pupils gave a really gutsy performance and dug deep when required giving every last ounce of energy they had. Our younger Year 3 and 5 boys and girls were particularly impressive and not fazed at all by running out of their age group, giving spectacular performances.
It was a thrilling race to watch and I’m extremely proud of every single competitor. The final results were as follows:
U8/U9 Girls – SILVER
U8/U9 Boys – 4th Place
U10/U11 Girls – GOLD
U10/U11 Boys – SILVER
OVERALL – 1st!
Mrs Cowd
U.13 A
Daneshill were 2 – 4 down at half time but gave away possession several times with some erratic passing to concede 4 goals to their 2 in the third quarter. A renewed effort in defence saw them draw the final quarter 3 – 3 but overall the damage had been done resulting in a 7 – 11 loss.
POM: India Fulford
U.13 B
After an excellent first half this team were leading 7 goals to 2. However, some positional changes and careless play allowed the opposition back into the game which ended 8 goals all.
Mrs Gill
POM: Scarlett
U.11 B
In the first match the U11B girls came up against Thorngrove. Daneshill were dominant from the onset, demanding every ball whilst closely tracking and pressing the opposition. This allowed Daneshill to have the lion’s share of possession throughout the match. Daneshill won the match 3-0. Our spirits were high for the second match against St Neot’s. Once again our use of the court was great and our passes accurate. It was Daneshill’s true grit and self-belief that really distinguished our girls from the rest and allowed us to come out victorious with the end result of 8-1. An excellent afternoon with superb netball played by every member of the team. Well done girls!
Mrs Fevrier
The U.10 A girls played in a highly competitive netball tournament at Bishopsgate School with nine other teams. They played four matches in their group, starting with a superb win against Eagle House, 3-1 with Jemima shooting well. The next game was also a strong victory, 4-1, against St Piran’s B team with Lily feeding the ball accurately into the circle and Imogen intercepting in the centre third on several occasions. The girls’ best match was a dominant 8-0 win against Holme Grange with Isla and Claudia keeping the ball out of their defending circle. Tiring in the heat we lost the last match, 3-6, against Bishopsgate A team, who had won all of their matches and therefore the whole group. Daneshill finished second in the group qualifying for the semi-finals, playing St Piran’s A who had dominated the other group. A very tough match with Daneshill losing 1-10 and St Piran’s going on to win the final. Luckily there was a bronze medal, 3rd/4th play off, against Ripley Court School. The most exciting, closest game of the day. Daneshill got off to a great start with Lola scoring two quick goals. Ripley caught up but we kept possession and were determined to the end. Freya and Katie defended well and fed the ball back into attack with ease. At three all we scored a crucial goal, winning 4-3 and taking home a well-deserved bronze medal. A long, emotional afternoon with some excellent skills demonstrated and confident teamwork.
Mrs Barnes
Another step forward with an improved performance from the boys; 2 fantastic tries scored by Joseph and Jack. Jack completed a try of the season contender from deep inside the Daneshill half.
The boys clawed the score back to 30-30 all, but complacency cost the team a try in the final minutes.
Mr Berwick
On a very sunny and warm day we travelled to St Piran’s to play them on their home turf. Our challenge was to build on the progress we had made in recent weeks and really look to make good decisions about when to pass or run and then to execute those skills. We started well with some fantastic passing through the hands which saw us get the ball to space. It was going so well that we decided to try this tactic every time we got the ball, rather than make the decision to play what was in front of us and unfortunately this meant we lost momentum for a little while, finding ourselves 3-1 down. Then, we switched into gear. We clearly realised that we had to go forward to create space out wide and duly did so. This resulted in 6 consecutive tries all as a result of the right decision and good execution. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite hold on and St Piran’s came back to level the match in the last two minutes. The boys can be very proud of their efforts though and it was definitely a giant leap in the right direction.
Mr Baldwin
Another very impressive performance from the Cs. Taking advantage of the slope in the first half, the boys got off to a flying start, with Harry S generously off-loading to Luca on the try line to dot down early. Robin and Percy used the wider channels well, illustrating both their great progress and the confidence that they have gained in recent weeks. Meanwhile Harry A, Oliver S and Edward T carried the ball well in the midfield, were the first to almost every breakdown, and held the opposition up over the Daneshill line on several occasions.
Further special mentions ought to go to Edward T, who defeated my attempts at a tackle count, and to Luca, who scored a brilliant hat-trick of tries. But very well done to all the boys – great preparation for next week’s finale.
Mr Kinsey
This was a closely fought game with many of the boys working hard to play free-flowing rugby with quick ball and running in straight lines. With a couple of injuries we utilised our bench well, managing to score tries at regular intervals. Ultimately, it was our structure that let us down though as we were not quick enough in defense to organise a flat line covering the wide areas.
Nicholas ended up being our lead scorer of the day and managed to score frequently when the opposition was off-guard.
With one game to go, the boys need to continue to observe what is in front of them and manage the game as a group.
Mr Soper