London Marathon - Sarcoma

Amelie C in Year 8 has her Aunt running the London Marathon this year to raise money for Sarcoma UK (our chosen School charity). She is using Amelie’s story to help her raise funds. Below is a link to her page if you wish to donate! Duke od Kent School wishes her and all those running the Marathon this year the BEST of luck!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/rebecca-holburn-1736439057445?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=WA

U11 ISA Netball Competition

The U11 girls netball team were extremely excited to travel to Lingfield College on Friday for the ISA London South Netball Tournament. The U11s were put in group B and had 5 matches throughout the day. The first match was a challenging one against Radnor House, the team played some great netball with Evelyn C showing great strength as GD and Ivy B working hard to get free in centre. They lost the game but felt positive for the next match. Next up the team played Gad's Hill, they got off to a flying start with some brilliant moves from Elsa H in WA and great shooting from Layla B to win 4-1. After a lunch break with everyone enjoying their baguettes and packed lunch snacks, the girls were ready to go again for match number 3. They were up against a very strong team from Weston Green School who went on to top the group. The U11s stepped up their play to match Weston Green and showed great team work throughout the game. Eva W and Evie B did a fantastic job at GK and Florence A and Charlotte P making interceptions and lovely passes in the mid court. Weston Green took the win. Their fourth game was against Claremont, this was the closest game of the day with Duke of Kent School creating some brilliant scoring opportunities but the team didn't quite manage to convert the chances and Claremont sneaked the win 1-0! The final game was a great finish to the day with a fantastic 3-0 win with some great passes in and around the circle from Seren G. It was a brilliant day of netball and such a great experience for our U11 girls. A huge well done to you all for showing great determination and being wonderfully behaved throughout the day. 

Mrs Monk

Year 9 trip to Harry Potter Studios

Take 32 Year 9 pupils and combine with a minibus full of excitement and enthusiasm. Gently combine with Fizzing Whizzbees and a little sprinkle of magic and - Alohomora! - the doors to the Warner Brothers Studio Tours sprang open before our eyes!

Manifesting our inner witches and wizards, we flew a broomstick in a desperate attempt to catch the Snitch; needed to use the Arania Exumai in the Forbidden Forest and immersed ourselves in the enchanted world of Harry Potter.

Chocolate Frogs and Butterbeer were enjoyed by all! (Thankfully not any Puking Pastilles!)

A huge thank you to Mr Allen, Mr Wyllie and Mr Boden for all their help on the day.

Mrs Punter

Year 7 trip to a Sikh Temple

On Monday morning Year 7 travelled with Mr Monk and I to a Sikh temple, the 'Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha', in Southall, London. This is the largest Sikh temple (gurdwara) outside India, and was to reinforce their learning of Sikhism which we are covering in Religious Studies this term. After taking off their shoes and fixing their headgear ('patkas') we were hosted by Parmjit Singh for a guided tour, beginning with a walk through the cavernous kitchen. This is where the communal 'langar' (charity food) is prepared, available to any visitor between 5am and 10pm. At least 10,000 meals are provided every day by volunteers for whom this is part of their 'seva' or service. The food is always vegetarian so anyone can eat it, and is enjoyed by everyone while sitting in rows on the floor. This shows how everyone is equal, a key part of Sikh beliefs. On that theme it was emphasised that any king's first teacher is his mother, so the two genders have to be equal! Sikhs are also expected to be generous, never rude and humble. Year 7 enjoyed their trip and a number hope to take their own families when possible! 

Mr Lodge

Year 5 trip to Sayers Croft

On Wednesday, Year 5 spent their morning in the glorious sunshine at Sayers Croft as part of their studies about World War II. The buildings have been preserved since they were built in 1938 and give a fascinating insight into what it would have been like for the evacuees who lived there over eighty years ago. The children experienced what it was like to sit inside the different air raid shelters. In the dark and the cold, with the air raid siren blaring, the children had a glimpse into how frightening it must have been. They dug up vegetables in the allotment and learnt about the importance of rationing and 'make do and mend.' The children really enjoyed the scavenger hunt which allowed them to race around the grounds, following clues, and learning about the evacuees who called Sayers Croft 'home' for several years. It was a really informative and immersive trip, enjoyed by all. Well done, Year 5! 

Mrs Tuite

Year 1 Palaeontology Day

Thursday was a roar-some day for Year 1, as we celebrated our much-anticipated Palaeontology Day! The children arrived at school clutching their beloved dinosaur teddies, eager to share their discoveries during our Show and Tell session. Many of them brought along fascinating fossils from home, adding to the excitement!

The adventure continued as the little palaeontologists got hands-on in and carefully excavated dinosaur bones using hammers, picks, and brushes. To their delight, some even unearthed fossilised teeth and complete dinosaur skeletons!

We took a moment to learn about the incredible Mary Anning and her groundbreaking discovery of the plesiosaur, inspiring the budding scientists with her story. The fun didn't stop there! In the afternoon, the children crafted their very own dinosaur fossil pictures using pasta, showcasing their creative flair.

Overall, it was a super day where our enthusiastic Year 1 students truly dug into dinosaur history! 

Miss Walpole

Prep School Council met this week to discuss, amongst other things: food (of course!), Junior Jungle, Year 6 Prefect duties, our exciting new Outdoor Learning facility, as well as Pre-prep football and the sports gender divide. The children are excellent representatives for their peers, and I enjoyed their sensible contributions. We are certainly all looking forward to JJ reopening from its annual hibernation after half term!

Over the last two weeks, we have had prospective pupils visiting Prep & Pre-prep classes, with our children unfailingly offering a helpful hand, ensuring they quickly know they are amongst friends. Our visiting speakers from the Guildford Bee Association, who gave a fascinating assembly, mentioned this very thing after their talk, commending the children for their cheerful politeness and attention, not to mention their excellent environmental knowledge. Our Year 6 House and Sustainability Captains, in turn, received an equally warm welcome on Monday when they visited Peaslake Infant School; our ambassadors eagerly shared what they had learned from our work with Surrey Wildlife Trust to assist the Peaslake pupils launch their own sustainability projects. 

Nursery children were learning about penguins this week, and how they look after each other; they related it to themselves and the care they give and receive at both home and School. We also all took a moment to reflect on how we look after ourselves on Wellbeing Day - about which Mrs Douglas has written elsewhere in this Bulletin. Year 4s continued work on their hedgehog homes in DT, devising the success criteria against which they will be assessed, and in Science they were considering how and why animals use echolocation in their study of 'sound'. Nature was even at the core of Year 6's Maths learning, surveying the types of tree in our grounds as a way of practising tally charts and data analysis. Have a lovely weekend!

Values Certificates: Effort for Austin Y and Responsibility for Herb M, Evelyn C, Seren G, Layla B, Eva W and Oliver T

Reading Certificates: Bronze for Max L; Silver for Harry R, Layla B, Siena N and Elodie Y; Gold for William C and Jenson Br

Rising Readers: Jenson Bo (3N), Georgia C (4G), Tildy T (4RF) Norah C (5T), Casey J (6N) and Ivan K (6G)

Stars of the Week

Nursery: Nia H for working well in class and for progress in her mark making skills. Well done.

Imogen K for playing with greater collaboration and confidence. Well done.

Reception: Martha S for always carefully listening to instructions and super creativity in the classroom.

Charlie R for a fantastic attitude to learning. You have such a positive approach to everything!

Year 1: Easton J for approaching everything with such a positive attitude.

Annabelle S for her enthusiastic approach to Palaeontology Day - very knowledgeable.

Year 2: Theodora J for applying yourself to learning with wonderful perseverance. You have really grasped the concept of time - practising at home too! Well done!

Ali S for creating a comprehensive lifestyle plan for the couple living an unhealthy lifestyle. You recommended a variety of foods and plenty of exercise - well done!

Swimmer of the Week

Oscar B for great confidence, body positioning and listening.

Mr Wright

What Parents & Educators Need to Know about JusTalk Kids

JusTalk Kids is an alternative version of the JusTalk app, aimed at an audience aged 13 and under. As that upper age limit suggests, this social networking platform is intended to be suitable for youngsters, providing them with a space of their own to interact with a community their own age.

Unfortunately, there are still risks associated with JusTalk Kids, so it’s vitally important for parents and educators to understand the potential dangers for those who use the app. Our guide delves into the most prominent online safety concerns of JusTalk Kids, while also letting you know how to ensure that children can be protected, should they wish to create an account.

Click the link to learn more about "JusTalk Kids".

***Also, Internet Matters is a great website that can help you deal with online issues, give you advice for different age groups, and give you step-by-step guides for setting controls for various devices.***

Date for your diary: Duke of Kent School School Parent Artificial Intelligence (AI) Webinar - Monday 24th February 2025 at 7 pm

Webinar link: https://meet.google.com/bpf-xzux-zqt

Things to note about the webinar:

• You will need a Google account to access the webinar.
• This event is exclusively for DOK school parents only.

Mr Boden

Yesterday morning there was a distinct feel of calm and creativity as I wandered the corridors dropping in on the pupils’ wellbeing activities. With some silently and mindfully colouring to relaxed music as others were contorting into all kinds of shapes as they practised yoga, followed by relaxed meditation.

This was, of course, all part of our Duke of Kent School Wellbeing Day celebrations. We tied our theme in with Place to Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week, which was - Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.

Years 3-9 started the day with an assembly about the importance of getting to know how different emotions feel to us. Like the characters in Inside Out, we have many different feelings that can emerge at different times. If we learn to recognise and name them, we can build our resilience and know what we need to help us cope with big emotions. The importance of talking and other outlets for our emotions such as exercise, creativity, music, performance, breathing, were all seen as fantastic ways to help our needs be met.

We heard from young actor, Jay Lycurgo, about how well he has reflected and learnt about himself and how he overcomes insecurities and anxieties “the person you are trying to impress has them too”. This led us to consider the importance of being ‘you’ and not trying to fit in with what everyone else is doing or likes.

After the assembly, pupils opted to take part in creating gratitude cards and crafts, making emotion jars, mindful colouring, crochet and crafting, pottery wheel practice, brain gym & yoga, forest bathing, outdoor meditation, drama games, mindful lego, board games and colouring, decoding doodles - where we marvelled at how individual each person’s interpretation of the same simple shape could be. As Mr Southee and I wandered and visited each group, I know I was very tempted to stay with the readers who were snuggled on the sofa, by the fire, with a hot chocolate and a good book. One pupil even said she wished she were able to stay there all day!

During lunchtime, the dining hall resonated with classical music as pupils ate their healthy lunches accompanied by tunes Mr Rye had organised for them. The Year 10 and 11’s also had the opportunity to take part in activities for themselves with board games, mindful colouring and origami taking place in the Meetings room with Lucy M (our Wellbeing Prefect) and Mrs Knox. pottery wheel sessions with Mr Watson and relaxing yoga with Mrs Goldsmith and myself.

Some pupils from Pre-prep to Year 11 also had the chance to meet or read to Dixie, Mrs Douglas’ rescue dog who came in to bring a little pet therapy to the day, along with Teddy, Mr and Mrs Gritton’s dog who accompanied those doing outdoor meditation.

There was a real feeling of both enjoyment and calm around the building today, as all pupils had a chance to reflect and get to know themselves a little better, as well as growing their skills and knowledge of themselves. Learning ways to build their resilience and to find out what makes them uniquely them.

Maya Angelou said ‘If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be’.

Mrs Douglas

A reminder that it's very helpful if parents use the absences@dokschool.org email to confirm details of any pupil appointments/illness/early pickups/change of plans so that you can be sure the message is seen and reported on our registers and to relevant staff as soon as possible; this helps avoid important messages getting missed.  Please also cc your child's form tutor so they are kept in the loop.

Senior residential trip first and medication planning is in full flow - a reminder that we are waiting for returned medical forms for the Year 9 Battlefields trip in April, the Year 10 Silver Expedition in May and Residential in June (one form to cover both trips) and the Year 11 Barcelona trip in June.  All ski trip medical forms have now been received with thanks - please can parents keep Mrs Sarjant updated on any significant changes between now and departure date (Saturday 29th March).

Planning for summer term Prep School residential trips will commence after the half term break; please keep an eye on your emails!

The School Nurses

PADoK News

PADoK Quiz Night - Friday 7^th March 8pm in PA Hall

Bookings are now open for PADoK Quiz Night. 

Please get a team together and come & have a fun night.  Prizes for the winning team.  

Teams of 6 or less. 

BYO drinks and snacks (no nuts please).

£10 per head. 

Please book at padok@dokschool.org

 

Second Hand Uniform Shop – 12^th February

The shop is open next Wednesday 12^th February from 3 – 4pm.  An opportunity to fill those uniform gaps before half term!

PADoK Clubs:

Duke of Kent School Flyers – Netball training 

Monday at 5:45 – 6:30pm & Wednesday morning 08.20 – 09.30 – weather dependent/Ness Hall availability.

Duke of Kent School Flyers had a great session on Monday night, lots of laughter, exercise & fun.  No experience necessary, everyone welcome!   Wednesday morning was a great session too.  Please do come along if you would like to play netball.

Duke of Kent School Singers

Thursday at 08:20 – 09:00am

Calling all Singers Great & Small!

Mr Rye started our singing sessions with a powerful warm up.  He encouraged us to sing with our eyes shut & to sing out with confidence.  We then had to really release our shackles (song we were singing) with movement & sing with the energy of a gospel choir!  Afterwards we all admitted to feeling energised so it definitely worked!  Work continued on the new song for this term.  The three part harmony is beginning to sound lovely.

Thanks to Mr Rye and Mrs Williams for leading the Duke of Kent School Singers.

Any queries or to express an interest please don’t hesitate to drop me a note. Hope to see some new faces!

Email: rhodricathy@sky.com

Important Note: please always park at the bottom of the site and walk up to Old Hall.

PADoK Core Control

Strengthen your body, improve your health with our Physio-Led Stability Group. Friday morning at 08.30 in Ness Hall  From this term there will be a £5 fee for each week.

Do you have new fitness goals or want to build on what you are already doing?  Julia is a physio who will help build your core strength and help your fitness training.  

Please contact Julia direct to complete a medical form.

Julia Rowe (julia@therunningspecialists.com)

Phillips and Mrs Horsburgh

Senior School optional hoodie

The Senior School hoodies have been redesigned by members of the School Council and the finished product can be seen below. 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 and have a look.

School social media

At Duke of Kent School we have three social media platforms; Instagram (dukeofkentschool), X (@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.