The Prep Newsletter 06-09-2024

Newsletter from the Head of The Prep – Week 1

Dear Parents and Guardians,

What a wonderful start to the academic year it has been! At the start of my role as headteacher, it is with great pride and joy that I write to you at the end of this exciting first week. I am so proud of each and every one of our pupils for the enthusiasm, resilience, and positivity they have shown as they embark on this new chapter of their educational journey.

This week has been filled with new experiences and challenges, and it has been inspiring to see how well the children have approached each one. Whether it was adapting to a new classroom environment, meeting new friends, or tackling fresh subjects, the pupils have embraced these opportunities with open hearts and minds. Their willingness to engage and try their best reflects the strong spirit of our school.

A special mention must go to our many new pupils who have taken their first steps with us. Starting a new school can be a big challenge, but I am delighted to say that they have made a fantastic start. I have already seen so many small but significant positive steps – whether it’s finding their way around the school, asking thoughtful questions in class, or showing kindness to a classmate. These are the moments that build a foundation for success, and I have no doubt they will continue to grow and flourish in the weeks and months ahead.

Uniform

As the term progresses and the weather inevitably turns colder, you may wish to send your child to school with tracksuit bottoms that they can put on under their waterproofs at playtimes and during Outdoor Learning lessons.  We go outside in all weathers and so pupils require waterproofs and a pair of wellies.  They may also benefit from an extra pair of socks that they can keep in school in case their socks get wet when outside. Main Prep girls will require shin pads this term for hockey.  Hockey sticks are optional as school have a supply.  It is crucial that all items of uniform, including shoes, outerwear, and accessories, are clearly named. This helps our staff ensure lost items are returned swiftly, but more importantly, it encourages our pupils to take responsibility for their own belongings – an important part of their journey towards independence.

Our New School Rules: Ready, Respectful, Safe

After careful consideration, we have identified three core values that we believe are essential to creating a positive and productive environment for all. These values will serve as the foundation for our expectations around behaviour and conduct in every area of school life – from the classroom to the playground. Children have been introduced to these rules this week. They are:

• Ready – We encourage pupils to be prepared to learn, both mentally and physically. This includes arriving on time, having the right equipment, and having a positive attitude towards their lessons and their peers.
• Respectful – Kindness, empathy, and consideration for others are at the heart of everything we do. We expect our students to show respect to all members of our school community, as well as towards school property and the environment.
• Safe – The safety and well-being of everyone in our school is our top priority. We are committed to ensuring that pupils understand how to keep themselves and others safe, both physically and emotionally, through responsible behaviour and thoughtful actions.

To reinforce these values, our teaching staff will be modelling, discussing, and reinforcing the language of "Ready, Respectful, Safe" with pupils in everyday conversations and classroom interactions, and we would be grateful for your support in this approach. The consistent use of positive language helps children understand the importance of these values and makes it clear what is expected of them in every situation.

Trips

I’m pleased to share that we have some exciting trips planned for the coming weeks, designed to enhance teamwork, resilience, and confidence outside of the classroom.

Prep 4-Prep 6 will be the first year groups out on trips and will visit Tittesworth Reservoir, where students will have the opportunity to take part in a range of adventurous activities. These trips are always a highlight for the children, helping to build essential life skills while having great fun in the beautiful countryside. To ensure everyone is well-prepared, please keep an eye out for emails in the coming days with important information about these trips.

MUSIC, LAMDA and DANCE LESSONS - Timetabling Issues

We are aware of an issue with our timetabling software (PracticePal/Involve Education) which has resulted in a number of parents receiving incorrect timetabling and lesson information via email. Please could we ask that any emails regarding lesson information from PracticePal or Involve are ignored until we have resolved the situation.

Correct lesson times are posted in hard copy in the Music School, and in the Main Corridor in the Main Building. Please ask pupils to check these on Monday morning to ensure that they know their lesson times.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused, and we expect electronic timetabling to resume as normal during next week.

Music Groups – a message from Mrs John

Hello from Music and Mrs John for a new academic year. There are so many groups for new pupils to join and I look forward to seeing some familiar faces too. The following groups take place every week in the music room at The Prep during morning breaktimes:

• Monday - Prep Band with Miss Oughton. If you play an instrument and you are a beginner, then this is the group for you!
• Tuesday - Show Choir Prep 3-6 with Mrs John. If you love to sing show/pop songs then we would love to have you join.
• Thursday – Percussion Group Prep 4-6 with Mr Priest.  A rhythmic and high energy group!

Friday - Chapel Choir with Mrs John. This Choir sings in Chapel and most services and you also get to wear robes which are very cool! These songs are more gentle and very beautiful to sing.

Everybody is welcome and we love the Prep School to be bursting with the sounds of music.  Pupils will have their morning snack before the groups begin.

Musical Performances

We have a number of opportunities for pupils to perform this term.  The first event is our Joint Informal Concert, where students from Prep 5 and 6 will join the 1st and 2nd Form of the senior school. This concert will take place on Monday 7 October at 16:30 in the Senior School Music Room. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our older Prep students to collaborate with the senior school musicians, and we look forward to a relaxed yet inspiring performance from all involved.

The following week, on Tuesday 15th October at 16:15, we will hold our Teatime Concert in the Main Prep Assembly Hall, featuring performances from our younger students, Reception to Prep 3. This will be the first of our teatime concerts for the year, offering our younger children a friendly, informal platform to share their musical skills.

If your child is learning a musical instrument or enjoys singing, they are warmly encouraged to speak with Mrs John about participating in either of these events. Even if your child takes lessons outside of school, we would love for them to take part. There is no specific standard required – we simply ask that students prepare a well-rehearsed and confident piece to perform.

More details will follow as we approach the concert dates, and you will receive further information via email. We look forward to seeing many of you there, supporting the children in what promises to be a delightful series of performances.

Afterschool Clubs

Our afterschool club programme will start next week with the exception of running club which starts the following week.  Pupils participating in clubs will be signed out at 5pm. Main Prep pupils should be collected & signed-out from the Prep 5 & 6 exit at the end of the building and Pre-Prep should be collected & signed-out from the Pre-Prep garden.  Swim squad finishes at 1830 and pupils should be collected from the swimming pool.  If you have any questions please contact Mrs Helen Heron [email protected].

Mobile phones

We do not encourage pupils to bring their mobile their phones to school.  However, we understand that there are occasions where pupils may need their phone, for example travelling on the school bus.  Any mobile phone or device brought into school must be handed to Mrs Heron in the morning and collected at the end of the school day.

Dogs!

We are a dog friendly site and welcome well-trained dogs on short leads to our campus to enjoy our fixtures; we ask that dogs (other than service dogs) are not brought in to school buildings. Please be aware, however, that when attending sports fixtures at other schools they may not have the same policy. Those travelling to Uppingham this weekend for rugby fixtures should be aware that they are a dog-free campus and we urge parents to check with visiting schools ahead of travelling to ascertain whether dogs are permitted.

Home to School Transport

Thank you to all parents who have already engaged in our new booking system and app. We have had some very positive feedback from parents so far, and thank you for your patience whilst this new system beds in. Please may I ask all parents to take note of the following:

• Every account holder should be setting up a direct debit as instructed by Vectare and termly charges will be paid via this direct debit. Please do not pay any charges for this academic year’s bussing via the school account.
• Please ensure your son/daughter is at their preferred stop a few minutes before departure time and not waiting in a parked car.
• If you know in advance that your child is not travelling on any journey that has been pre-booked, can you please cancel their journey via the app or booking system. This will ensure that drivers are not waiting around unnecessarily.
• Please ensure you do not send your son/daughter for the bus if not already pre-booked.  
• If anyone has a regular booking but wishes to add additional journeys, please may you email [email protected]; this will ensure you are able to book at the pre-booking rate.
• If you are unable to get your son/daughter on a particular journey, please may we ask that you add them to the waiting list so we can monitor the demand and possibly adjust our capacity as necessary.

Christmas Fair 2025

We are seeking a small group of parents who would be interested in forming a committee of volunteers to take on the organisation of the Christmas Fair. This Denstone tradition is so valuable and I know many parents will be keen to attend (and/or to have a stall). If you are interested in being part of this committee, please do email: [email protected]

Absence

Over the Summer months, the Government released a new document entitled “Working together to improve school attendance” to help schools nationwide tackle a growing absence issue. Whilst we have no such problem here at the College, the document does still apply to us and some significant changes have occurred. You are more than welcome to access the original document by clicking here.

We always promote attendance and wish to work with parents to ensure children are in school for as much time as possible. Naturally some absence may occur (occasional ill health or medical appointments etc). However, my power to authorise absence for other reasons is now significantly restricted and requests to be absent for reasons out with necessary requests will be rejected. If you elect to ignore this rejection, then any absence will be logged on our system as ‘unauthorised’. In the most extreme of situations, this data could be examined by the Department for Education and potential fines could be issued.  As ever, we will promote maximum attendance as educational outcomes can be severely jeopardised if not physically present in the classroom. We wish to remain transparent about this situation and ask that parents are honest in their communication regarding absence.

Individual Dance Tuition - New for September 2024

Denstone College currently offers dance across both the Prep and the College in both extracurricular and activities sessions. From September 2024, the Dance Department at Denstone will be expanding to offer students the opportunity for one-to-one and paired lessons on a weekly basis. Genres include ballet, jazz, modern, freestyle, tap, contemporary, street dance, gymnastic dance, stage dance, and musical theatre, all of which can be studied through the National Association of Teachers of Dancing syllabus.

If you would be interested in your child taking individual or paired dance lessons, please contact the Director of Music, Luke Wynell-Mayow, at [email protected] for further information.

The Denstonian Magazine 2023-2024

The Denstonian Magazine celebrates the successes of the previous academic year, including academic highlights, sports team season reviews and much more. It is a memento for pupils and their families to treasure. If you would like to order your copy for £14, please complete The Denstonian Order Form on the Parent Portal (located in the interactive/electronic forms section) by Friday 20 September. The magazine will be published in December for your child(ren) to take home before the end of Michaelmas term, and the cost will be added to Michaelmas bills.    

Evolve Trips

Please note that the following trips have been launched on Evolve:

Dates for your diary

• 18 September – P3 trip to Treak Cliff Cavern – information to follow
• 19 September – Informal Meet & Greet 16.00-16.30 – an opportunity for your child to show you their form room and for you to meet form tutors.
• 20 September – Non-Uniform Day, Cupcake Friday (15.45pm-16.15pm) & Exeat from 16.30.
• 26 September – European Day of Languages
• 27 September – MacMillan Coffee Afternoon at The Prep, 14.30-15.30 hosted by Prep 5.
• 28 September – Whole School Open Morning (all pupils are expected to attend), information to follow.

I’d like to take a moment to thank all the staff, students, and families for contributing to such a positive beginning to the school year. The dedication and enthusiasm we’ve seen from everyone have set the tone for a truly exceptional term ahead, and we can’t wait to see what the coming weeks will bring.  As always, I encourage you to reach out to us with any concerns or queries. Our doors are always open, and we are here to help and support your child’s wellbeing and learning journey.

Wishing you all a happy and relaxing weekend.

The following attachments can be found on the Parent Portal by visiting https://denstonecollege.parents.isamshosting.cloud 

• Curriculum Documents
• Timetables