3,2,1 Blast off! We had a spectacular evening exploring everything space at our ‘Starry Night’ event. It was lovely to see the children so confidently using our amazing outdoor space and gain even more independence. Every child was able to showcase their ever-expanding knowledge of the solar system and world around them. We think Pre-School are definitely ready to be astronauts now!
We’re going on a bear hunt! In Reception, we have been using our senses to go on a bear hunt and recall the story sequence when completing story maps. We have also been been working together to set a trail around Reception. Can they go over it? Can they go under it? Oh no! They have to go through it!! We have had great fun exploring patterns in various forms including body, colour, size and shape patterns.
Year 1 pupils have transmogrified into budding Alan (and Alana!) Sugars with their exploration of money, specifically making different amounts with different coins. Their listening and focus have paid dividends as they are all able to write an imaginative letter to certain characters from our class story, Here Comes Mr. Postmouse. Our highlight was watching the children engage and thrive in the inter house benchball match on the last day of half term: their team playing skills and great sportsmanship are the very embodiment of many British values, not least tolerance and respect.
Year 2 showed off their language skills by playing exciting games using their French vocabulary. It has been a real pleasure seeing how their confidence has grown and I have loved listening to their French conversations about animals. A special highlight of the week was the Year 2 science lesson where the children tested their knowledge of forces in teams. The children applied the force of pulling in different teams to see whose force was strongest.
The Year 3 pupils were inspired after an exciting visit from Year 6 pupils this week. Year 6 were keen to share the speakers that they had designed and built in design and technology lessons.
In English lessons this week the children were finishing off their ‘Egyptian Cinderella’ inspired story. They concluded the week by writing their own independent piece of creative writing.
In maths lessons the children were investigating the perimeters of rectangles and squares. At the end of the week, Year 3 were challenged to create their own gardens. They had to record the perimeter of flower beds, lakes, playgrounds and fences. Perhaps over half term your child might want to investigate the perimeter of different triangles and squares around the house.
In science lessons the children created their own puppets to use for a shadow investigation. They then used torches and metre rules to observe how the size and position of shadows change as a light source is positioned closer and further away.
Year 3 continued to create their own character profiles in drama lessons. We had everything from giants to fairies. It was a chance to get their creative juices flowing and Year 3 did not disappoint. We can’t wait to see how these characters develop over the course of the term.
The pupils continued to learn about the Egyptians in their Humanities lessons. This week the children were researching Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Did you know that there were over 2,000 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses?
In Year 4 the children have had the chance to put their poetry hats on. They explored kennings and wrote their own based on either the character of Grendel, a dragon or a Viking. This proved more challenging than they originally thought.
In maths, the children have continued their work on fractions. The week culminated in a challenging task of adding and subtracting mixed numbers.
In science the children have finished making observations of their science experiment they have been running recently. They have written detailed conclusions and have reflected back on past predictions.
Well done to Year 7 on a very successful week of exams. This was their first opportunity to be familiarised with the formal invigilation process, and they conducted themselves very well indeed. Now that they have completed exams in all academic subjects, we look forward to welcoming parents in on Tuesday 21st February to discuss the pupils’ results and set future targets.
Animal Farm Artwork by Henry, Jamie, Shona and Arthur
Congratulations to four artists in Year 8 who have worked hard to create their own propaganda posters, inspired by Orwell’s novel ‘Animal Farm’. The English department teachers are looking forward to the next stage of the learning which involves the pupils composing their own short satirical novels. Watch this space for inspiration!
Wellbeing Centre
The Wellbeing Centre, now located in the Chapel, is a quiet haven of peace and relaxation. Our seniors can drop in on any day of the week during breaktime to read, play board games and chat with friends.
Congratulations to Niccolo C in Year 8 who competed in the Hertfordshire county swimming competition and achieved an incredible 16 medals (12 golds, 3 silver and 1 bronze). Due to his success he won the award as Top Male Swimmer in his age group and is now topping many rankings and looking forward to the Regionals. Well done Niccolo!
Emilia C competed in these same championships and did extremely well with her highlight being a gold medal in the 200m IM. This is a fantastic achievement.
We also had Dotty W in Year 5 and Koby H in Year 6 who competed in these championships for the first time and both qualified for finals which in itself is a great achievement.
Well done to Monte M in Year 4 who took part in a London Junior Chess qualifying event where he came 3rd. He also received a medal for good effort in his play.
We had some fabulous rugby and netball results last half term and we are very much hoping that the boys and girls can keep this going. We are already looking ahead to next term and we have been running our winter cricket training sessions on a Tuesday evening and Saturday morning in preparation for the new session. I have been in contact with Radlett Cricket Club who have an excellent junior section which caters for boys and girls of all levels and they have started running winter training sessions at Edge Grove on a Sunday afternoon (sessions started on Sunday 19th February). Please see the information below:
U9/U10/U11Every Sunday, 6 weeks, 19th February until 26th March at Edge GroveU9s - 2.30pm-3.25pmU10s and U11s - 3.35pm-4.30pmU1219th February and 26th February at Edge Grove4.30pm-5.30pmThen…5th March until 26th March at Aldenham School5.15pm-6.45pm
U13/U14/U155th March until 26th March at Aldenham School5.15pm-6.45pmCost:
£10 per session if payment in advance
£15 for drop-in sessions, payment on the day
Free trial session available for new players (non-members)
Please email radlettcricketclubjuniors@gmail.com for more information or speak to Mr McManus.
Wow what a night Edge Grove’s Got Talent proved to be! An exhilarating end to the half term with an abundance of talent, bravery and commitment shown on stage by all 14 finalists as well as a stunning intermission performance from Emily Mc.
We were joined by a wonderful panel of judges:
Gaby Finer - LAMDA coachKatie Waissel - 2010 X Factor finalistMarc Kelly - 2022 Britain’s Got Talent finalist
And one you may all know… Mr Balfour!
Congratulations to our top 3 winners:
3rd place - Aarin S - Stratton Aarin performed a monologue from Beauty and the Beast2nd place - Amelie S - ChurchillsAmelie sung ‘Bad Cinderella’ from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical
1st place - Bella C - GillsBella gave an all-singing, all-dance performance of the song ‘Telly’ from Matilda
It was certainly a night to remember and we look forward to next year already!
As we approach a new half term, we are now only *drum roll…* 10 rehearsals away from the Matilda opening night! We hope you enjoy this footage from rehearsals last half term with lots more to come over the coming weeks!
We are very proud of the entire Matilda cast with how they turn up to rehearsals every Tuesday evening with endless energy, discipline and commitment. We have now staged the majority of the full-company musical numbers including ‘When I Grow Up’, ‘Miracle’ and are looking forward to continuing to set ‘School Song’ and ‘Revolting Children’ this week.
And finally…
A huge well done and congratulations to Arlo in Reception who spent his half term performing in five incredible shows of Frozen Junior by Drama Spectrum at The Radlett Centre. He was the second youngest cast member out of almost 90 children performing. Amazing achievement Arlo - well done! We look forward to seeing you star in more productions.
Safer Internet Day
Edge Grove got the conversation started with Safer Internet Day this year. The digital leaders in all year groups led discussions in their classes about what activities they do online. This year's focus was on being able to talk to others about our online lives, sharing experiences and knowing what to do and who to go to for help when needed. Being able to have conversations with others is a key to online safety and digital resilience. Pupils in Pre Prep made a slide from all of their discussions which you can see below.
Children's Mental Health Week
This year's theme was "Connections".
Normal computing lessons were suspended this week to make way for...everyone.
Each pupil made a video about themselves using short animated clips from a large online resource.
They picked five videos which represented aspects of their lives - their hobbies, tastes, culture and sometimes what makes them laugh. Some pupils also used their Chromebook cameras to record themselves. Each video was edited using an online video editor.
All of the videos will be collated into a large video wall, which will be accessible to all pupils, so that they can learn about others in the school and make connections! Well done all.
Pupils have been busy completing their projects in D&T this term. In Product Design, the projects incorporate a variety of practical skills that link to the materials being used in the manufacturing process. The pupils worked brilliantly throughout the projects and demonstrated a passion for the subject. The outcomes are fantastic and one they are all very proud of.
The projects include:Year 3 - Pop up cardsYear 4 - Desk organisersYear 5 - Resin lampsYear 6 - Passive amplifiers
