A Message from Mrs Knox

Another busy week culminating this afternoon in the ISA cross country and House debating competitions and the Prep disco! This follows the fantastic success of our debating team this week in the Rotary competition and first and second places for our teams in the SATRO event. Phew! Huge congratulations to all staff and pupils on an extremely enjoyable and busy half of term. In staff news, some of you may have seen a familiar face this week as Kelly Gourlay has rejoined the Grounds team. I would also like to congratulate Chris Wright and Polly Nicholson on their permanent appointments to the Head and Deputy Head of Prep and Pre-prep positions following Becky Green’s announcement this week that she will step down from her leadership position. Mrs Green, however, will return as a teacher in September. Thank you for her warm and inspirational leadership of the departments. Finally, the best of luck to Miss Francis and her fiancé Chris who get married this half term. Have a most wonderful half term break.

Mrs Knox

Catering News

Following a request from pupils this week, from Monday 20th February, the Catering team will be providing slices of bread and butter with an assortment of fillings for pupils to make their own sandwiches as an alternative to a hot meal. This will be an additional offering to the usual lunch service.

Mr Stacey 

GB and England Hockey player, Lucy Wood, Visits Duke of Kent School

On Friday afternoon, we welcomed Lucy Wood, a former England and GB hockey player, to our school to run hockey masterclass sessions with a variety of pupils ranging from Years 3 to 11! The afternoon began with Years 3 to 6 at lunch time, pupils were given the option to be involved and it was fantastic to see almost 30 Prep School pupils on the Wilsons' Pitch! They really enjoyed working in teams playing fun games with the focus on improving their dribbling and passing skills. Next up were Years 9, 10 & 11, it was wonderful to see a range of boys and girls excited about hockey and enjoying challenging themselves in 1v1 situations and practising their shooting and lifting skills. Finally, Lucy ran two more sessions with Year 7 & 8 pupils within their PE lesson.

Lucy's enthusiasm for hockey and encouragement for all the pupils to get stuck into any sport they enjoy was infectious! It was brilliant to hear a bit about her story and the amazing opportunities she has had through playing and coaching hockey at the highest level. Most excitingly, Lucy bought her 2014 Silver Commonwealth medal with her and gave all the pupils an opportunity to see the medal and lots of pupils managed to get a photo with it too! Lucy was very kind to sign a huge number of hockey sticks as a great memento of an inspirational afternoon of hockey! A massive thank you to Lucy Wood for sharing her passion and a big well done to all the pupils who embraced the opportunity! Lucy runs academy hockey camps in each school holiday in the  Surrey/Sussex area, there are posters with more information on the Sports Boards for pupils to see. You can also find out more about her camps by visiting her website: 

https://www.flamehockeyacademy.co.uk/

Miss Vickers

Safer Internet Day

As we celebrate Safer Internet Day, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the importance of open and honest communication when it comes to our online lives.

The theme of this year's Safer Internet Day is "Want to talk about it." This theme highlights the importance of talking about the risks and benefits of the internet and digital technologies with the people we trust, such as parents, teachers, and friends.

It's important for all of us to have open and honest conversations about the potential dangers we may encounter online, such as cyberbullying, online predators, and the spread of false information. By talking about these risks, we can help protect ourselves and others from harm.

But it's also important to talk about the many benefits of the internet and technology, such as the ability to connect with others, access information, and express ourselves creatively. By having these conversations, we can help each other to make the most of the opportunities that the internet provides.

So let's make a commitment to "Want to talk about it." Let's have open and honest conversations about our online lives, and work together to make the internet a safer and more positive place for everyone.

Mr Boden

SATRO - Problem Solving Competition

On Thursday evening 2 teams of pupils took part in the regional SATRO Problem Solving Challenge at Heathside School. They pitted their design, engineering and applied science wits against 6 other schools to design and build a prototype device for collecting and sorting plastics from the oceans.

After a couple of false starts and a bit of head scratching our KS3 and 4 teams both submitted design sheets that achieved close to full marks and went on to construct a working prototype. While prototypes were tested against the other schools the tension in the audience was palpable, but our machine operatives, Charlie G and  Henry C, maintained their cool and focus to achieve excellent scores.

I am delighted to announce that our KS4 team achieved second place in their heat, just 2.5 points out of 100 behind the winners! Our KS3 team won their heat, beating the school in second place by a full 7 points! This means that our KS3 team are heading to the finals in London on the 20th of March!

A huge well done to our KS4 team Sam S, Fleur S, Helena K, Ozzie H and Charlie G and our KS3 team Henry C, Willow D, Quentin J, Mercy M, Jack M and Harvey R. We wish them luck in the finals.

Mr Watson

The Rotary Club Debating Competition

Thursday 9th February saw Duke of Kent School host the Rotary Youth Debating semi-finals. The afternoon started with two debates from the Intermediate teams from Lingfield College and Seaford College. A well deserved congratulations go to the winning team, Lingfield College.

This was then followed by the Senior competition, where our amazing team consisting of Johnny McM as chair, Kai G as proposer and Ariane L as opposer were against a team from Sackville College. On spotting their opponents, Kai’s reaction was; “They’re huge!” We realised that we were up against their Year 13 team! Our three determined students completely stepped up. Their motion: ‘Technology is detrimental to society’, was professed by the judges to be well considered and thoughtfully argued. In fact, the judges scored as they never have before, giving both teams the full marks available. With this conundrum, they asked the Chair of the Rotary if both teams could go through to the final. So, here we come St. Teresa’s on the 5th March. Huge congratulations goes out to our outstanding debaters!

Mrs Punter

What better way to end the half term than with a chance to dance, and the Prep pupils most certainly used it with gusto at the Disco today! The 'tropical' theme brought some much needed warmth and colour to this often dull time of year, and we were hugely grateful to the catering team for the exotic, fruity refreshments they'd made especially. Rather appropriately, earlier in the week, we had a Talk from Layla B and Eva W about their love of music, including a recital (on the harp) of what is believed to be the first piece of music ever made - thank you girls - although the harp itself didn't feature at the disco. We were also grateful to Mr Boden, Head of Computer Science, for coming to talk to Prep and Pre-prep pupils about the importance of online safety, and reassuring them on how they can seek help if they have any questions or concerns.  

Other highlights this week include: Year 3 designing and making games involving magnets in their Science lessons and using 'The Explorer' by Katherine Rundell as a starting point for writing rainforest themed colour poems; Year 4 making their own papyrus and decorating it with hieroglyphics; Year 1 touring the site on a 'noun walk' categorising the names of people and things; and Year 2 furthering their study of the African continent by creating Ndebele tribe huts.

The dinosaur topic in Reception continues to captivate and inspire, as they made 'dinosaur island' maps and, for most children in Prep School, the week saw the culmination of their Endeavour projects - none more impressive than Lola C's Skill Development badge, for which she advanced her pottery skills quite spectacularly well! Lastly, pupils in Prep-prep craft club had a choice of making collage dolls or crafting a finger football set and there were some very creative designs! Congratulations to all the pupils on a super half term; we wish all our families a fun and restful break. 

On a personal note, I would like to pay my own tribute to Mrs Green's exceptional dedication and inspirational leadership throughout her time as Head of Prep & Pre-prep. I have big shoes to fill, and am enormously grateful to her for passing on the baton with both departments truly flourishing; it is great news that she will be returning to the team in September! I am hugely privileged to be taking on the role at such a wonderful school, and am delighted that I will be supported by Mrs Nicholson, and congratulate her on her richly deserved appointment, too. 

Values Certificates: Mila-Rose S for Effort

Rising Readers: Beth F, Evie B, Ben Wr & Grace M

Reading Certificates: Bronze for Max M, Herb M, Ivy B, Lois M, Holly B; Silver for Grace M & Halle S

Mr Wright

Stars of the Week

Nursery - Angus T for his continued good progress, sunny smile and improved fine motor skills

Reception - Charles L for amazing work with alphabetical order!

Year 1 - Harry L for great concentration during phonics this week and for growing confidence in his swimming.

Alfred A for his kindness in and around the classroom and all the effort he puts into his work, especially trying hard not to rush!

Year 2 - Clemmie R for interesting contributions to topic discussions.

Annabelle T for consistently approaching all tasks with a positive and enthusiastic attitude.

Mrs Henry

A busy week of sports, with Netball, Rugby and Hockey matches taking place across the year groups, culminated in the ISA Regional Cross-Country being hosted at Duke of Kent School on Friday afternoon. Teams from a number of other schools came to compete and our pupils showed their resilience, tenacity and camaraderie as they fought hard to succeed and supported other pupils admirably. 

Year 10 Drama pupils looked quite remarkable after their application of various make-up injuries as part of their study of The Crucible on Wednesday. A talented, if rather terrifying looking bunch! The Rotary Youth Debate semi-finals also took place on Thursday with Duke of Kent School lining up against a team four years their senior. After their success in the first qualifying round they yet again managed to find a way to come joint first and proceed to the final - a fantastic result for Kai G, Ariane L and Jonny McM! We also sent a team of Year 7-10 pupils to the regional heats of the SATRO Problem Solving Challenge on Thursday evening and were hugely proud of their efforts, with the KS3 team winning their competition (against eight other schools) and the KS4 team coming second by just two points, likely qualifying to the next round as highest runners up. A fantastic achievement for both.

On Friday we enjoyed a wonderfully enlightening assembly from Mr Boden on the theme of 'Safer Internet Day', with many helpful hints and tips about how to use this wonderful resource safely. The House Debating Competition also takes place this afternoon with Years 7, 8 and 9 taking it in turns to reinforce their points and constructively argue their position on a range of topics in the PA Hall.

The following pupils attended Celebration Snack Break this morning in recognition of their receipt of 25 merits or more this academic year. A wonderful achievement and I hope they will strive to attend again soon! They were; John B, Holly R (Year 7), Jude B, Kit B, Felix C, Oliver C, Arthur D-K, Iona H, Jonny J, Ben L, Mercy M, Emily N, Lucy P, Francesca R (Year 8) and Alex F, Charlie G, Ella S, (Year 10). Well done to you all.

Mr Wilson

Community Art Competition

The Community Art Competition challenges KS3-5 students to create an artwork celebrating inclusivity, diversity and togetherness.

Students must work collaboratively to create a work, in any medium they choose, which will benefit their school or local community.

Closing Date for Entries - 28th February 2023

For more information visit - https://www.isaschools.org.uk/arts/art/community-art-competition.html

Mr Wyllie

Boys' Hockey: U12/13 C and D v. Handcross Park

This Wednesday, the U12/13 C and D Boys Hockey Teams played back to back matches against Handcross Park. The C team played first, during this game there were some fantastic skills on display from both Ollie K and Patrick W, as well as some great goalkeeping from Harvey R in his first match as a hockey goalkeeper. Unfortunately the team struggled to create clear goal scoring opportunities in the opponent's D. After the first match it was the D teams chance to show what they had, Orson A worked hard throughout and Harris H-H made some good saves in goal, with this being his first appearance as a hockey goalkeeper as well. This game was a similar story to the first with the team being unable to create many goal scoring opportunities. Well played to everyone involved. 

Mr Orme and Mr Allen 

Rugby: U16 v. St Edmund's

Tuesday saw the U16s play their first rugby match of the season against St Edmund's. Duke of Kent School got off to a flying start with Tom H running from deep to cut through the opposition to score our first try of the match. Duke of Kent School continued this good start to lead at half time 21-19 with good team play from Luke I and Calum M. The second half started tightly with each team winning possession from one another and able to find gaps. It came down to the last 4 minutes with Duke of Kent School losing by 2 points but they kept their composure and ran in 2 more tries to win the game. Well done to all of the pupils involved as they played well as a team and kept going until the end. 

Mr Green

Netball: U14/15 B v. Box Hill School

On Tuesday afternoon, the U14/15 B team travelled to Box Hill for their netball match. The team were unbeaten going into this game and they were hoping to continue their impressive run so far this term! The match was very close in the first quarter, ending 4-3 up. The team knew that they could up their game slightly and began to push on in the second and third quarter scoring 15 goals in 20 minutes! Jess I was Esme P were on brilliant shooting form and were supported well with accurate feeds into the circle from Ella S, Isla B, Phoebe P and Bella S. The defence remained alert throughout the game and cut off all opportunities for Box Hill to get back into the game, a great performance from Saoirse W and Helena K. A huge well done to the girls for another excellent win! 

Miss Vickers

Netball: U12/13 B v. Box Hill School

On Wednesday afternoon, the U12/13 B team welcomed Box Hill to Duke of Kent School for their netball match. The girls completed a good warm up and went into the game feeling positive. It was great to see the girls begin the game with great composure, they ensured they were calm on the ball and got off to a good start with Annie B controlling the centre with confidence. Iona H and Tansy T worked brilliantly as shooters, particularly in the 3rd and 4th quarters with some wonderful link up play. The girls went 3-0 up at half time but knew the game was all still to play for. Erin C and Rose S worked tirelessly in defence making interception after interception! Mercy M was voted player of the game for her wonderful work in WA throughout the game. Box Hill came back into the match towards the end of the game but by that time the U12/13 B team had secured a strong lead. Well done to all the girls for a great win, 10-2. 

Miss Vickers

Mr Rye

Tips for Encouraging Open Discussions about Digital Lives

Most parents frequently chat with their child about how things are going at school or what’s happening in their friendship groups – but those discussions often don't extend to youngsters’ online activities. In fact, National Online Safety conducted a recent survey which found that only slightly more than half (54%) of parents regularly talk to their children about staying safe online.

It can be an awkward topic to broach and, of course, it needs not to feel intrusive. However, just checking in with your child about their digital life can get them thinking about online safety and alert you to any issues they might be having. In support of Safer Internet Day 2023, our guide has some useful tips on potential ways to start those conversations.

In the guide you'll find a number of useful tips such as being as honest as possible, discussing how misleading the online world can be and creating a ‘family agreement’.

Click on the link to find out more information about "Tips for Encouraging Open Discussions about Digital Lives".

Mr Boden

This week is Childrens' Mental Health Week and it continues on from the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week, which was Connections. For children and young people the relevance of connection is ever present, whether this is in relation to friendships, the difficulties of connection post-pandemic, with school, community or via social media. 

The need to connect is a basic human instinct required to develop resilience according to Michele Borba (1989). It comes from one of the five building blocks needed to acquire resilience known as Affiliation - the feelings of belonging and acceptance. Belonging and acceptance are reflected in the connections we make with others and the ability to experience ‘A feeling of belonging, acceptance, or relatedness, particularly in relationships that are considered important. Feeling approved of, appreciated, and respected by others.’

As children develop they are looking for these needs to be fulfilled in order to build their concept of self. These connections may be experienced as participation and subsequent approval in lessons, membership of a team or group, peer mentor relationships and friendships, roles of responsibility or representation in/of school, the representation or acceptance felt by the larger group. These are all opportunities we aim to offer within school to support pupils’ ability to build their resilience.

As we reach the half term break, pupils have an opportunity to continue building their connections - with family and friends outside of school, community and society and most importantly with themselves.

Restorative opportunities when we are outside of normal routines are vital to the feeling of connection to self.

5 Ways to Strengthen Your Connection to Yourself

1. Notice your feelings - what is the emotional and physical feeling you’re experiencing?

2. Name your feelings - are they what you assumed?

3. Accept your thoughts and emotions without judgement. 

4. Engage in enjoyable solo activities - listening to or playing music, exercise, reading, arts and crafts.

5. Practice self-compassion - be the positive supportive voice you need to hear.

Enjoy the half term break and the time to make connections with others and to self that it can create.

Mrs Douglas

With various infections continuing to circulate at school, the half term break will offer us all a much needed break, and chance to rest and recover.  Fatigue is your body's way of telling you it needs you to slow down and take things easy whilst it mends - do listen and enjoy a duvet day or two if you can!

At school we are already making plans to prepare for the many fun day trips coming up after half term, and also the various residential trips happening between now and the end of the academic year; from the Ski Trip Sequel in March, the Prep School Residentials, Year 10 Geography Field Trip, the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition, and the Year 11 Leavers trip to Eurodisney Paris in the summer term .  Please can parents keep an eye out for medical forms coming home for these overnight trips during the next few weeks at school.  We will need the completed forms handed back promptly (to Mrs Sarjant please) to allow plenty of time to plan first aid and medication provision for all of these trips, which promise to make the summer term very busy, but exciting and memorable.

Enjoy a restful half term break,

The School Nurses

PADoK News

Save the Date!

PADoK Macmillan Afternoon Tea – Friday 10^th March – 15.00 – 17.00

PADoK Book Club

We would love you to join the PADoK Book Club next month on Thursday 23^rd March.  We are currently reading “Snow Country” the new novel from the bestselling author Sebastian Faulks.   “Snow Country” moves from doomed love to post-war Vienna, and The Times described the book as 'Fascinating... A rich, dark story'.  It has also been described as “a superb novel, a love story of enormous emotional weight and a portrait of Europe torn apart”.  If you are not free to join us when we get together on 23^rd March but want to be part of the Book Club, we would love for you to read the book and send in your comments to us to share on the night.

Duke of Kent School Singers

Another fab session this morning with a great number of singers.

After a good voice work out, Mr Rye showed us a video of Sara Bareilles’ ‘Brave’.  We then started to run through the first two verses.  It is a wordy song and will certainly stretch us as a choir but what a great challenge to have.  Mr Rye is such an enthusiastic choirmaster and patiently works through each line so we all understand how it should be sung.  After half term we will continue to work on “Brave” and build in the harmonies. 

As always please do remember that there is never any pressure to perform, no set plan to unless we want to. Our focus is always on enjoying singing and getting the most out of our time together 

Huge thanks to all who come along and make the sessions so much fun. The group is a very fluid mix of past and present parents. Everyone is welcome to join at any time and we have a WhatsApp group you can dip in and out of as you’d like to. Please feel free to contact me directly if you are interested or have any queries rhodricathy@sky.com / 07813 282910. 

We would absolutely love to have some male voices coming more regularly. If you’re out there even slightly thinking about it, please come along and give it a go! 

PADoK Running Technique – Friday morning 08.30 at Ness Hall

Running club week 4 of our technique started with wall Pilates to help with the posture of our upper back whilst working our bottom muscles in a different and more challenging way. We then worked on rotation of our upper body to improve our arm use while running and to help us continue to strengthen our core stability muscles. 

Over half term we will be taking skipping ropes home to practice our single leg balance and cadence to improve our running speed. 

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