WHD Weekly 5th February

School Last Week

RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch and Bird Wise Assembly

Congratulations to the winners of our Bird Watching competition.  They each have been presented with a beautiful cuddly bird toy.

Bird Wise came in on Tuesday to present some very useful information about the coastal identification and protection of birds.  The children learned some very interesting facts about migration with some birds flying non-stop for 72 hours from Canada, during which time 190,000 calories are burnt and so 70 insects per minute are eaten to sustain them on their journey!

Eco Swap Shop

We would like to say a BIG thank you to our PFA for organising our Eco Swap Shop which took place on Friday.  They really pulled out all the stops to prepare eye-catching stalls and they liaised with local Eco retailers such as ‘Salt of the Earth’ to have a ‘pop up’ presence at the event.

Lots of families dropped by and it was great to see so much interest in sustainable shopping and recycling good quality clothing and books.

We have lots of plans for the future, thanks to Mrs Sabin-Dawson, Miss Claydon and our Eco Warriors, and we are currently raising money for some recycle bins.  We are well on the way to becoming a plastic free school, having completed our first targets.

Thank you to everyone for supporting us. 

Get Set Go Competition

Miss Claydon’s Year 2 class have spent some time learning about ways we can protect our environment and contribute to a greener school. One of the things they have been learning about, using the resources from Get Set to Go Green, is the benefits of a plant based diet! They discussed the wider impact of eating plant based alternatives, the things they are doing at home as well as how we support this at school, through our meat free Mondays.  The children were amazed to learn that a plant based diet is not only kinder to animals but it can reduce our carbon footprint by up to 73%!! 

The children created eye-catching posters to promote plant based diets and entered into the Get Set to Go Green competition. We are really proud to say that they have collectively won a cooking set for the class! We are sure they will be very excited to put these to good use! 

ISA Netball Tournament

Thank you to Mrs Crompton and her team for organising a huge Netball Championship Tournament for the London and South East Region, hosted at our school. Ten schools from the Independent Schools Association took part and we were delighted to offer our facilities and catering, with nearly a hundred children benefiting from this.  

The top four teams will go through to the Nationals in March and we would like to say well done to those schools for achieving a place in the top spot.  We would like to congratulate every school for taking part.

Year 6 Ski Trip

Bon voyage to eighteen of our Year 6 children who are already enjoying the slopes at Claviere’s ski resort.  Mrs Crompton, Ms Elliott and the children jetted off at 5am on Sunday morning and we wish them all a happy, exciting and enjoyable trip.  They are joined by several other schools from the Alpha Group and we have no doubts this will be an excellent opportunity to make new friends.

Please watch our social media channels for updates.  

Biathlon Success

Huge congratulations to Lyndon Smith in Year 4 who has qualified for the GB Schools Biathlon Championship Finals which will take place in March.  Having competed against hundreds of boys in his age group, Lyndon will go into the championships ranked third in Great Britain.  We are extremely proud of all his efforts and dedication to sport and we look forward to cheering him on later this term. 

School This Week

Mark Reading

Our first Mark Reading of the year was announced in our Assembly this morning.  All children in Years 4 to 8 were given “industry” grades out of 5 points by their teachers based on their efforts and attitude in the classroom and with preps.  Well done to the following children who achieved the top average:

Year 4 – Langa Ngwenya-Robinson and Theo Hempstead (5.00)

Year 5 – Rebecca Segawa and Izzy James (5.00)

Year 6 – Suri Lear and Clara Montgomery (5.00)

Seniors Felix Butterfill (5.00)

Most improved students are:

Year 4 – Lyndon Smith (+0.36)

Year 5 – Juelle Simpson (+0.34)

Year 6 – Dougie Taylor (+0.50)

Seniors – Felix Butterfill (+0.14)

The highest scoring form group  was:

6E (4.60)

House points league table: 

1st – Kingsgate

2nd – Stone

3rd – Viking

4th – Joss

The reports are now ready to view on the parent portal. Use the left hand menu to click on the appropriate child under ‘My Children’ and then click on ‘Assessment Reports’ to see the latest report. 

Year 1 Trip to Powell Cotton Museum – Monday 5th February

Year one will be stepping back in time today as they explore the Museum’s animal dioramas and see the different habitats that Percy experienced during his adventures whilst spotting some of the incredible animals that he encountered.  

Internet Safety Day – 6th February

We will be running some special assemblies and activities in class this week to educate our children on the importance of keeping safe online. Safer Internet Day is a global campaign to promote the safe and responsible use of technology, which calls on children and young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policymakers and more, to help to create a better internet.

Using the internet safely and positively is a key message that we promote in school and celebrating Safer Internet Day is a great opportunity for us to re-emphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year. We would be delighted if you could join us in celebrating the day by continuing the conversation at home.

To help you with this, the UK Safer Internet Centre has created some free activities and information for parents and carers which are available here.  Whether you have 5 minutes to start a conversation or hours to spare, there are top tips, quizzes and films which you can use at home with your child.

If you have any concerns or questions about keeping your child safe online, please do get in touch with your child’s class teacher/myself or Mr Spencer, our Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Pre-Prep School Show – Thursday 8th February

We are very excited to welcome Pre-Prep parents to our showing of ‘The Goblin Next Door’ on Thursday.  Doors will be open at 1pm for our first show and 2.30pm for our second.  We have no doubts that our children will shine throughout and cannot wait to see them in action.

Please refer to your individual Dojo class pages for instructions.

NHS Mental Health Roadshow – Friday 9th February

On Friday, we are welcoming mental health professionals from the NHS who will be running a ‘self-esteem machine roadshow’. They will be working with children from KS1 and 2 focussing on wellbeing and how to stay mentally strong.

Half term begins – Friday 9th February

This will begin at 3.30pm for all children. Please note that we will not run an after-school provision on that day.

Future Events

Pottery Workshops – 20th & 22nd February

On Tuesday 20th February and Thursday 22nd February we will be hosting pottery workshops for all of the children from Reception to Year 6.  They are being run by Mrs Fay Kelly, who will also be starting an after-school pottery club in the Summer Term.  To cover the costs of these workshops a small charge of £4 will need to be paid via school money by Friday 16th February. 

Winter Wander for Wildlife – Saturday 24th February

On Saturday the 24th of February, we will be encouraging the families of pupils in Year 6 and below to participate in a Winter Wander at Pegwell Bay Nature Reserve to encourage families to enjoy the outdoors during the winter months and raise money for the World Wildlife Fund and Kent Wildlife Trust. Bird Wise, RSPB and Kent Wildlife Trust will be present to help families to spot and identify wildlife. The idea is to meet at 11.30am at Pegwell, and for them to do two circuits around the Nature Reserve (which is 5km).

We hope that everyone gets behind this important cause and starts fundraising for their sponsored walk.  The funds will be going to two charities and you can start to raise funds for either:

World Wildlife Fund

Kent Wildlife Trust

WHD Challenge Final – Thursday 29th February

Who will be crowned champions of this prestigious general knowledge quiz?  We look forward to this nail biting final!

Free Book Giveaway – Thursday 29th February

Westgate Bookshop will be giving away free books on this day in the run up to World Book Day.

Senior School Open Day – Saturday 2nd March

We are opening our doors to prospective families in Year 7 and 8.

Year 8 Mock exams begin 4th March

Year 8 will complete a range of CE or scholarship exams in the Old Hall.

Mother’s Day Gift Room – Tuesday 5th March

The PFA are holding a gift room between 9am-11am on Tuesday 5th March.  Children can purchase up to 3 gifts which will be posted on School Money at a cost of £5 each.

Please complete this form to indicate how many gifts your child will purchase.

World Book Day (Little Denes to Year 2) – Thursday 7th March 

Children are welcomed to dress up as their favourite book character for the day.  There will be a range of fun activities happening that day for the children. 

Year 2 and 3 Trip to the Houses of Parliament – Friday 8th March

This is an exciting trip for our youngsters to witness inside one of the world’s most famous buildings and find out about the work of the UK Parliament.

Exeat Weekend – Friday 8th March – Sunday 10th March

Parent Consultation Evenings – begin 11th March

Please see your individual Class Dojo pages for more information.

Science Fair  – Wednesday 13th March

We are looking forward to celebrating Science Week beginning on Monday 11th March.  We will be holding a range of cross-curricular activities around the theme of ‘Time’.  On Wednesday 13th March we will be holding a Science Fair in the Old Hall, parents are most welcome to attend so please save this date in your diaries.  We will be issuing a project brief to the children where they will be guided to research and develop a science project/experiment of their choice to showcase at the fair.  We are also looking forward to taking the senior pupils to the Natural History Museum on Tuesday 12th March for a ‘Mission to Mars’ workshop.

Elocution Cup – Thursday 14th March 

For parents in Year 1 to Year 8, please save this date.  There will be three sessions in the Old Hall:

Year 1 & 2 – 9am

Year 3 & 4 – 10.30am

Year 5 to 8 – 6.15pm

Comic Relief – Friday 15th March

We will be supporting this important charity by wearing non-school uniform in exchange for a voluntary £2 donation.

Year 3 and 4 Show – Friday 15th March

Please note that this date has changed from the 8th March. We have changed the format of our Junior show this year, breaking it down into 2 smaller shows for Year 3 & 4 and then later in the year for 5 & 6.   We have taken this decision so that every child is able to embrace a larger part and so will have a better opportunity to shine on the stage.  2.30pm-3.30pm.  More details to follow.

Music Soiree – Friday 15th March

We are looking forward to an evening of entertainment, providing our students in Years 4 – 8 with a platform to showcase their talents, starting at 6pm. Please save the date for your diaries with more information to follow.

Denne Hill Cross Country – Saturday 16th March

This event is aimed at children in Years 4 and upwards, however children in Pre-Prep are very welcome to come along and run the course.  Cakes and refreshments will be served afterwards.

Lenten Service – Tuesday 19th March 

Please join us for our special service between 4-5pm in the Chapel.

Term ends – Wednesday 20th March

Please note that term ends at 12pm and there will be no after school provision on this day.

Easter Fair – Wednesday 20th March

On the last day of term, we will hold our annual Easter Fair with lots of fun and refreshments on offer.  The Easter Bonnet parade will take place in school time at 11.30am on the school field.  Once term has finished at 12pm, the Fair will begin with an Easter egg hunt, daffodil picking and games. More details to follow.

Reminders

Please ensure that you have labelled every item of your child’s school uniform.  Any lost property will be kept for 2 weeks.  After that time, any unlabelled items will be given to the second hand uniform shop for resale.

We issued a letter On Dojo this week regarding the anticipated VAT application to school fees – please take time to read this carefully.

School Values Awards

Pre-Prep

Seniors

Team of the Week:

U11 A team Netball winning against SLC 2-1. Great team work and showed fantastic resilience.

Year 4 for following the school values and bringing joy to the school.

School Calendar

Please click here and scroll through for the most up to date calendar of events for the term.

Menus

This week the kitchen will be serving menu week 2.

On Social Media