A Message from Mrs Knox

The Addams Family was an absolute triumph last week and huge congratulations must go to cast and crew for a spectacular performance. Thank you so much for the many, many wonderful emails you sent acknowledging the brilliance of the production, Mr Rye and his wonderful team. It has taken the pupils a few days to recover and get back into the swing of school. I also enjoyed helping Year 3 decorate our beautiful Christmas Tree in Old Hall on Monday, I think you can agree, they did a wonderful job! Tonight, we are looking forward to the Prep School Christmas Concert and, in particular, the Mums' choir! Good luck to all. Next week, before we break up for Christmas, will be a festive one with the Nativity show, Carol Service on Wednesday and Christmas jumper Day! The draw for the PADoK Christmas hampers will take place on Monday morning during our Prefect led Christmas assembly. Thank you for your donations - they are simply stunning! Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Knox

Key Information for the Final Week of School

Monday - Prep School Christmas Fayre @ 14:30

 

Tuesday - Pre-prep Nativity Show @ 14:30

 

Wednesday - School Carol Service @ 17:30

Departure Times for Wednesday:

15:00 - Pre-prep, Prep and siblings

15:30 - Seniors

15:00/15:45 - After school buses depart

 

Thursday - Christmas Jumper Day and School Christmas lunch

 

Friday - End of term

Departure Times for Friday:

12:00 - Pre-prep and Prep School

12:30 - Seniors

12:30 - After school buses depart

 

Sunday 11th - Saturday 17th - School Ski Trip to Austria

The Addams Family

What an amazing week it was last week for the Senior Performing Arts Department! A cast and crew of 85 pupils, 6 teachers and 7 visiting professional musicians  created three memorable evenings that saw audiences wowed, spooked, haunted and richly entertained in our production of 'The Addams Family'. It has been quite the journey for these pupils, from the workshop days at the end of the Summer Holidays through to the last minute Friday afternoon rehearsal on the day of the show. Putting on a full scale musical in 10 weeks is a huge ask, but once again the cast did us so proud, raising their game when it mattered and pulling three amazing performances out of the bag, despite illness, school commitments and external pressures. The principal roles were portrayed with professionalism and panache, giving the audience plenty to laugh about with their superb comic delivery, the ensemble song and dance routines were joyful and full of energy and the huge chorus of ghostly ancestors gave their all in every moment of this entertaining and memorable show. The set, the costumes, the make up, the lighting - I could go on for pages about how wonderful it looked and what an amazing job everyone did, but the audience saw that for themselves and raised the roof with their ovation at the end. 'Lurch' sized thanks are due to the amazing team of Lisa Lee, Mrs Honey, Mrs Punter, Mrs Douglas, Mrs Kerr, Miss Barnes and Mr Forrester, but the biggest thanks of all is to the pupils involved - we are so very proud of you, and you deserve all the plaudits you are receiving. Now have a rest!

Click here to see all the photos from The Addams Family

Some of the Year 6 Computer Science pupils have taken part in a computational thinking competition run by Oxford University. Mr Boden - and the event organisers - were impressed with the children's efforts, and they can look forward to receiving their certificates in assembly next week; well done, Year 6!

Another competition in which we have participated recently, was the World Cup themed 'England Rocks' contest run by Times Table Rockstars. Between 14th and 16th November, Prep School children spent an hour's worth of time - at home and in lessons - feverishly challenging themselves to answer as many times tables questions correctly as possible. Duke of Kent School did fabulously well, ending in 106th place. With 4,187 schools taking part across the country, this placed us in the top 2.5% nationally. Extra special congratulations to Alex J, Arthur S, Seren G and George S who scored the highest individual totals. 

As well as Year 3's superb Assembly, we were also treated to a very informative Talk by Lola C and Holly B. The girls shared with us their love for sweets, charting for the audience the history of how sugary treats first came into being (using honey and sesame seeds in the Ancient Egyptian times) and how they have since evolved.

There were already lots of rumbling tummies by 9am on Wednesday, and if the children needed any more reason to be excited for next week's Christmas Fayre and Class Parties, Holly and Lola have pushed the levels of anticipation even higher! Speaking of anticipation and excitement ahead, we are very much looking forward to the Prep Christmas Concert this evening, at 7pm, the Fayre on Monday afternoon and - of course - the Pre-prep Christmas Show on Tuesday, at 2.30pm. The Pre-prep children have been working hard at singing as a group, learning their lines and becoming more familiar with their cues, with gradually fewer prompts from the staff! It promises to be a lovely performance and we look forward to welcoming to you some of these exciting festive events next week. 

Reading Certificates: 

Bronze for Alexander I, Henry H, Douglas S, Emily C, Freddie G, Lois M, Henry W, Grace M and Penny A; Silver for Millie W

Values Certificates:

Grace M, Henry W and Henry H for Effort; Elizabeth S and Thibaut J for Respect; and Dante R-D for Responsibility

Mr Wright

Stars of the Week

Nursery: Heidi A for independence and focus in class and for reliably following instructions. Well done.

Reception: Ottilie H for super work in maths, especially when recording number sentences using the + and - signs.  

Year 1: Lottie F for a much improved focus on written tasks and for always being kind to others in her class.

Year 2: Elsie S for an awesome attitude towards challenge in Maths.

Mrs Henry

A busy week has seen a wave of illness descend on the school with many not functioning at 100% - I do hope all those who have been absent get well soon! 

On Tuesday, Mr Southee and myself hosted an assembly looking at the influence student voice can have within the school. With many channels of communication open, including the anonymous Student Voice form on the pupil homescreen and the vibrant Student Council, we discussed the impact student views have had on changes within the school and the current topics of discussion. Not all student preferences can be accommodated but we do not want anyone feeling their viewpoints are not valued and therefore reasons why some changes have or have not been made were communicated. 

Today (Friday) has begun with a hugely enlightening assembly from Mrs Lwambo about World Aids Day 2022 (which took place on 1st December). In particular, she highlighted the fear, misunderstandings and prejudice that were associated with the disease and how we can make a difference in the fight against Aids and prejudice today. At lunchtime today our STEM Prefect, Natasha Ball, has organised a pop-up Science event for the Year 7 and 8 pupils involving making their own slime, something that is sure to be an exciting and enlightening occasion.

Celebration Snack Break saw Isabella N, Alex B, Theo C, Iona H, Clara H-S, Ethan K, Rose S, Troy K, Alex K, Henry P and Lucian R receive a prize and lunchbreak fastpass this morning in response to gaining at least 25 Merit Points this term. Well done to you all!

Mr Wilson

Netball: U15/16 v. Moon Hall

On Tuesday we faced Moon Hall at home. The team started the match with a really strong lead, Macy B was working well with Maddie I and Izzy P feeding the ball into the circle to score and Imogen C and Natasha B kept the Moon Hall shooters under lots of pressure in defence. The team moved positions and tried using their skills in places they don't normally play on court and every player excelled at this. The girls worked brilliantly as a team and they way they played throughout reflected this. Well done girls for a triumphant win.

Mrs Woolgar

Girls' Hockey: U13 A v. King Edward's 

On Wednesday afternoon, the U13A team travelled to King Edward's for their last hockey fixture of the Autumn Term. The girls were excited for their last game and discussed how much they feel they've improved since the start of the term. The match was soon underway and remained 0-0 for the first 10 minutes with the U13A team having two short corners but not quite managing to score. King Edward's had a few very strong players and we found it hard to keep them out of the D leading to them scoring towards the end of the first half. Edie H in goal and Clara H-S and Iona H in defence, worked brilliantly, often cutting out their passes and clearing the ball wide. Alice B ran the midfield with some fantastic dribbling and Mercy M and Francesca R made some great passes ahead to Tildy C as our forward. After a quick half time talk, the girls went out with a renewed passion and managed to keep the game to 0-0 in the second half. With some extra time left before match teas, we decided to play another match! This time the girls had warmed up and got used to the bigger pitch size so they scored with 5 minutes and then the King Edward's keeper did amazingly well to keep out a further three shots on target. A win and a loss for the U13A and most importantly an afternoon full of fun with a delicious match tea to finish! Well done for a great season of hockey girls! Onto netball next term!

Miss Vickers

Football: U11 v. Moon Hall School

All of Year 6 boys travelled to Moon Hall School on Wednesday to play an U11 football match. There were plenty of substitutes and every boy played their part in an excellent display in the first half. The boys passed the ball well, turned and recycled the ball when needed and showed fabulous composure when in possession. This was the best performance of the season so far for Duke of Kent School as the boys were 5-0 up at half time. We called the game to an end at half time and mixed both schools together to play a thoroughly enjoyable game in the second half. Well done to all who played.

Mr Herbert

Football: U9 A v. Farlington

The U9 A team played their first game against Farlington on Thursday. After an excellent win against Shoreham the week before, The Duke of Kent School team were full of confidence and started the game against Farlington on the front foot. We took an early lead and looked confident in possession of the ball. Farlington had some skillful and agile forward players who brought their team back into the match and were 3-1 up at half time. Duke of Kent School showed great determination and some excellent finishing to finally win the game 4-3; an excellent comeback!! Well done to all who played!

Mr Herbert

Football: U8/9 B v. Farlington

The U8/9 B team played Farlington and showed just how far all the players had progressed throughout the season. The goals flowed from the start of the game with Duke of Kent School winning 8-0. Farlington battled well and were also given some Duke of Kent School players to make the game more even. Congratulations to all who played.

Mr Herbert

What Parents Need to Know about TikTok

TikTok is a free social media platform that lets users create, share and watch short videos ranging anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in duration. The app gained notoriety for its viral dances, trends and celebrity cameos and can be a creative, fun platform for teens to enjoy. Now available in 75 languages, it has more than a billion active users worldwide (as of spring 2022) and is most popular with the under-16 age bracket. In fact, a 2022 Ofcom report found TikTok to be the most-used social media platform for posting content, particularly among young people aged 12 to 17.

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as age-inappropriate content, dangerous challenges and contact with strangers.

Click on the link to find out more information about "What Parents Need to Know about TikTok".

Mr Boden

Young Musician Competition

The long-standing ISA Young Musician Competition celebrates the talent and passion for music performance that exists with our members’ schools. This competition offers an exciting opportunity for students to perform and support their peers at a live music concert. Open to Key Stages 1-5. Closing date for Entries is 8th December 2022.

For more information visit - https://www.isaschools.org.uk/arts/music/isa-young-musician-competition.html

Poetry Competition

A fantastic opportunity for pupils at ISA Members’ schools to showcase their poetry writing skills and have their work read by a renowned poet. Open to Key Stages 1-5. Closing Date for Entries 13th December 2022

For more information visit - https://www.isaschools.org.uk/arts/creative-writing/poetry-competition.html

Sony World Photo Awards

For young passionate photographers aged under 19 years-old, first prize is top Sony digital imaging equipment. Deadline for Entries 6th January 2023

For more information and how to enter visit - https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/youth

Mr Wyllie

Yesterday was the first day of December and whilst many will have enjoyed the excitement of opening an advent calendar door in anticipation of the upcoming Christmas festivities, some may be feeling the emotion of anticipation in different ways. Most will be practising the art of delayed gratification, the waiting for a happy or longed for event, made more exciting by the process of advent and awaiting a special day, experience or gift. Anticipation can be an exciting and gratifying emotion, prolonging the experience we are waiting for. However, this is not the case if we allow our expectations to build exponentially and unrealistically to a point of unachievable idealism.

It is important to pause and reflect on what our real expectations are for the period and consider what we want rather than only appeasing others. If that is rest and calm, it is important to factor that in amongst the social expectations.

Anticipation can also be a hard emotion when we allow anxiety, fear and nerves to take root. Our Year 11’s may be finding the anticipation of upcoming exams difficult to bear, and it is therefore particularly important that they factor in fun distractions and rest breaks around their revision. Small treats and opportunities to focus on something else entirely are beneficial.

Ultimately we must challenge the emotion of anticipation to: spur us into action; an opportunity to heighten the pleasure in an experience; encourage us to reflect on our needs and expectations, or a chance to await the as yet unknown. As in all of life, there is a choice to be made and a balance to be found.

“Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting.” - Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns

“Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work's important, family's important, but without excitement, you have nothing. You're cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what's coming.” - Nicholas Sparks, Three Weeks With My Brother

Mrs Douglas

There are plenty of bugs circulating at school as we approach the end of term.  We continue to hear of the occasional report of possible Scarlet Fever.  There have also been some potential cases of "Strep Throat" though no fully confirmed/diagnosed cases reported to the medical room (please do let us know if your child has a confirmed diagnosis).  Please keep children at home if they have a temperature of 37.8 or higher, or if they do not feel well enough to cope with a full day of school.   Phone 111, or seek GP advice if you are at all concerned.

Children with sore throats are welcome to carry their own supply of throat lozenges at school, and all pupils are reminded to adopt regular and thorough hand hygiene for good infection control, and to have a water bottle at school, which they should be drinking from frequently.

Please can all outstanding medications for the Ski Trip be delivered to Mrs Sarjant on Monday 5th December - please contact her directly if there are any last minute changes (csarjant@dokschool.org).  All pupils on the Ski Trip who have a prescribed inhaler, are reminded that they should carry their inhaler with them at all times on this trip, as the cold weather and exercise can be a trigger for episodes of wheeze/coughing.

Finally, please can Mrs Sarjant have all remaining French Exchange forms in by the end of term, and can parents of pupils in Years 7 to 9 please complete their E Consent for the nasal flu immunisations if they want their child to be immunised at school on 6th January.

Thank you and enjoy those Advent Calendars!

The School Nurses

PADoK News

PADoK Book Club

Last Thursday evening, the PADoK book club met to discuss “A Fatal Crossing” by Tim Hindle, his debut novel.  Although the challenge was set to send in our answers to who committed murder before we got together, no-one got it right!  The story is a set on a ship The Endeavour, in November 1924, and has all the ingredients of an excellent whodunnit in the style of Agatha Christie but due to the execution, we felt it just fell short of hitting those levels. Most of us agreed it was a good book to read and starts of very well, however, a lot of the action felt a bit repetitive (there's a lot of questioning people in cabins about the same things) and we wanted more depth to be provided about the characters. However, there's a good twist at the end, and overall, most of us would recommend it although mainly to those who relish reading whodunnit books.

One of our newest members to the reading group gave us a review too! “Just wanted to say thank you for making me feel so welcome tonight. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and was a bit nervous, but it was really lovely. Thank you”

Our next PADoK book will be “Snow Country” the Sunday Times Best Seller, by Sebastian Faulks.  Sweeping across Europe as it recovers from one war and awaits the coming of another, SNOW COUNTRY is a landmark novel of exquisite yearnings, dreams of youth and the sanctity of hope. In elegant, shimmering prose, Sebastian Faulks has produced an epic love story of timeless resonance.  We are looking forward to reading it and hope you can join us when we meet up again in the New Year.

Duke of Kent Singers

 We’ve had two great sessions with Mr Rye this week and those who would like to, are looking forward to singing at tomorrow’s magical Prep School Christmas Concert. 

‘Somewhere Only We Know’ is sounding lovely. Beautiful, warm tones with lots of gorgeous, rich harmonies. Such a wonderful blend of voices! We’ve had a lot of fun as a group learning this piece together. Great job everyone & good luck to those singing tomorrow evening, enjoy it!! 

As ever, a huge thank you to Mr Rye for giving up his precious time for us

A Taste of Burns – Friday 27^th January 2023 – Limited Tickets Available

PADoK are delighted to invite you all to our first “Taste of Burns” evening, here at the school on Friday 27^th January from 7pm.  An evening of ceilidh dancing, poetry and food to celebrate Scotland’s greatest bard, Robert Burns. 

Last handful of tickets available.  Book early to avoid disappointment. padok@dokschool.org

PADoK Running Technique – Friday morning 08.30 at Ness Hall

Great work everyone! 

A good session with some added work in preparation for those who are heading to the slopes.

All welcome. 0830-0900 at the sports hall, please email julia@therunningspecialists.com if you are new to join. Happy Running! 

Mrs Phillips

Senior School Optional Hoodie

The Senior School hoodies have redesigned by members of the School Council and the finished product can be seen above.  They have done a fantastic job at putting this design together and now finally getting to see the finished product.

This new hoodie is available from Stevenson's on their website: https://www.stevensons.co.uk/.  There is also the option to have your child's initials printed onto the front of the hoodie for a slight additional cost, something we would advise to avoid mixing up tops with other pupils. This hoodie is not an essential item of School uniform, so there is no expectation for pupils to have it.

If you wish to see the sample, please pop into the Main Office to see me and have a look at the new hoodie.

Mrs Woolgar

School Social Media

At Duke of Kent School we have three social media platforms; Instagram (dukeofkentschool), Twitter (@DoKSchool) and Facebook (Duke of Kent School). All of our social media accounts are public.

We recommend following all three accounts to receive push notifications with news, updates, educational articles, interactions with other schools, communities and public figures.

        

Mrs Woolgar