A leading independent prep school in Somerset, offering excellence in education for 2-13 year olds
Year 3 have been learning about how Athena came to be the patron goddess of Athens in their classical civilisation lessons with Dr Longley-Cook. Last week, they reconstructed the pediment of the Parthenon which shows the contest of Athena and Poseidon for the city. labor magnificus, omnes!
In the run up to Valentine’s Day earlier this month, Year 1 looked at the work of American artist, Jim Dine. Jim’s vast body of work includes painting, drawing, printmaking (including etchings, letterpress and linocuts), sculpture and photography, with ‘hearts’ featuring as a theme in many of his works. The children were inspired to explore different colours and textures to create their own hearts – and Mrs Palmer was blown away by their work!
Congratulations to our Year 7 pupils for their fantastic contributions to this year’s Public Speaking Competition. Pupils were asked to imagine that thirteen famous men and woman, whose lives have left a significant legacy, were travelling together in a hot air balloon. Only hours into the flight, a mechanical fault is detected causing the balloon to lose height. Each ‘passenger’ has to argue to save his or her life – and the benefit of their life’s work and discoveries. The finals were held on Thursday and it’s congratulations to Daisy, who won the debate speaking as Martin Luther King, followed by Rose as Rosa Parks and Evie as Aneurin Bevan. Very well done to you all and a huge thank you to our adjudicator, Mr Richard Pyman of Sherborne Prep.
Ahoy, me hearties! Our Nursery and Reception children battened down the hatches in true swashbuckling style before half term, as they enjoyed their very own Pirate Day. As well as donning their finest eye patches and parrots, they went on a treasure hunt around school (which included trips to the Science Lab, Surgery and Headmaster’s Study!) and had great fun at their pirate-themed Forest School afternoon. Many thanks to our wonderful EYFS staff for a fantastic day of learning.
Many thanks to David and Ruth Wilkins at Rampisham Hill Farm & Mill for a brilliant tour of their newly-installed woollen mill on Wednesday. Year 4 pupils gained a fascinating insight into the many stages of wool production (from washing to spinning and all points in between) and they were lucky enough to see their super flock of Dorset Down sheep and lend a hand feeding the ewes! A fantastic trip; our biggest thanks to you both.
We are now inviting applications for our 9+ and 11+ Scholarship Day on Thursday 3rd March. These awards are aimed at children currently in Years 4 and 6 (going into Years 5 and 7 in September) who can demonstrate significant potential in one or more areas of school life. Please contact our Admissions Assistant, Scarlett, on admissions@perrotthill.com for further details, including an information pack. The closing date for completed applications is Monday 21st February.
Our Eco Committee pupils in Years 3-8 paid a visit to Carymoor Environmental Centre near Castle Cary this week, where they discussed sustainability and the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. They also explored the waste transfer station where Somerset’s waste is first taken and heard about the recent fire (which is thought to have been caused by a spark from a battery) which caused £630,000 of damage. The moral of the story is recycle your batteries; don’t put them in the bin! Many thanks to Mr Coverdale and all at Carymoor Environmental Trust for a great day of hands-on learning.
Our bustling activities programme was in full swing last night, with pupils taking part in Pinhole Photography, Pre-Prep Tinker Club and Round the World Cookery to name but a few. Still to come this week, we have Minecraft Design, Music Technology and Multi Sports (along with many others) – and we’re looking forward to the third edition of our new Pupils’ Page on The Week Ahead. Look out for Albert’s interview with Head Chef, Mr Yeomans!
Year 5 put their French into practice last week with Madame Brooks’ sandwich challenge! The children were given a recipe in French and had to follow the instructions (including asking for the correct ingredients) to make their sandwich. Very well done to the winners (including Evie, Saba, Tilly and Arabella in 5LC – not pictured) and a big thanks to our Head Chef, Mr Yeomans, for acting as chief judge. Des sandwich délicieux, excellent travail!
Well done to pupils in Year 7, who led a section assembly last week on endangered animals. Working in groups, they prepared their own PowerPoints and gave a presentation to Years 6 and 8 about an endangered animal they’d been researching. The animals included takins, giraffes, elephants, giant pandas and hedgehogs!
