As the week which started with ‘Blue Monday’ draws to a close, I’m pleased to report that Pre-prep and the Prep School have been filled with happy faces and lots of enthusiasm. I’m sure that having some fun trips, such as Nursery’s outing to Little Street and Year 6’s visit to the reservoir can only have helped!
As part of the Big Bird Watch this week, Reception made bird feeders and some tasty ‘maggots’ out of bird seed and suet. The children have enjoyed the opportunity to connect with nature and learn more about the birds in our environment. I’m sure the local birds were very pleased with their new woodland dining options!
This week, Year 2 have been developing their technology skills on the School laptops. They practiced logging in, identifying keyboard keys, and also explored some aerial views of Cranleigh.
There have been a number of Scientific highlights in the Prep School this week. Year 3 investigated the strength of different magnets. They discovered that the largest magnet was the strongest, attracting a paper clip from an impressive 3.5 cm away, while the smaller ring magnet only managed the feat at 0.5 cm. Year 5 explored buoyancy in their Science lessons by measuring the weight of objects in water and air using Newton meters. Meanwhile, Year 6 investigated which materials are soluble and insoluble.
Many of the classes have also been making good progress with their new DT projects: Year 3 have begun making prototypes of linkage toys using cardboard and lollipop sticks while Year 4 worked collaboratively in groups to design prototypes for hedgehog houses. These models, made from card, are the first step in a project to install real hedgehog houses around the school grounds. Year 5 learned about different types of wood to inform their choices for their current exciting DT project: creating animal-themed bookends.
Meanwhile, in English, Year 3 have used ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ as inspiration to write their own letters of frustration from items in their pencil cases to their owners. I’ll never look at a pencil sharpener with a lead stuck in it in quite the same way again! Year 6 have also been writing heartfelt letters between the protagonist in their class novel, Holes, and his mother.
Stars of the Week
Nursery: Rupert G for coping really well on our school trip and for engaging with such enthusiasm.
Charlotte A for settling into Nursery life so readily and for participating with happy enthusiasm.
Reception: Ellie F for careful letter formation and improved confidence in phonics
Bobby C for fantastic enthusiasm and continued progress in reading.
Year 1: Humphrey G for self-managing your behaviour to meet expectations on how to behave in the classroom whilst maintaining such a high standard of work.
Flynn H for continuously working hard in every lesson and for embracing extension challenges. I was particularly impressed with your investigation of different materials in Science this week.
Year 2: Owen G for demonstrating a wonderful attitude towards challenge and always taking care with your work.
Sienna H for your typing in ICT. You navigated the keyboard successfully and remembered capital letters and full stops.
Swimmer of the Week
Gracie B - Continued growth in confidence, leading to a reduced reliance on swimming aids.
Mrs Nicholson
The pupils have got into the swing of the term this week with the return of fixtures and trips heading out. The routines of the week have been picked up again and this helps pupils in staying grounded and having an idea of what each day may hold. However, we know that everyday is a new adventure! The adventures this week have included Nursery heading off to Little Street, Year 6 to SES Water and nearly all of the Prep and Senior School taking part in fixtures - fantastic! I was lucky enough to take the Year 7s for their first rugby match in Senior School. I could not have been prouder of the determination, resilience and improvement I saw from the boys in the match. These three attributes are key to pupils development in all areas and we see them in abundance every day here at Duke of Kent School. 
This week, Nursery embarked on their eagerly awaited annual trip to Little Street in Frimley. The children were delighted by the diverse resources at Little Street and enthusiastically explored the site, engaging in imaginative role-play activities.
On Thursday, Year 6 pupils set off to Edenbridge to visit the Bough Beech reservoir. In Science this term, we have been looking at separating mixtures and dissolving; our visit to the reservoir was an excellent demonstration of how this learning is used on a much larger scale and as part of our day to day lives. Upon arrival, our tutors, Chris and Lisa, gave us a brief history about the reservoir and talked us through how the SES water treatment centre works, using multiple processes to clean the water in order to make it safe for their customers to use and drink in their homes. Once we had heard about the various stages of the operation, it was time to see it in action! A behind the scenes tour of the tanks where the water goes through chlorination, screening, clarification and sand filtration was fascinating. 
On Monday night, the DoK Flyers travelled over to Pennthorpe to play their first match of the year! Pennthorpe were at an advantage with 10 players to our 7 but the Flyers managed to stay consistent and calm throughout and took home the win. Well played everyone!