We love hearing about the success, sporting or otherwise, of our children outside of school. Prep V’s Ruby is a keen swimmer, and trains with and swims for the Horwich Leisure Centre Amateur Swim Club. She has competed in three galas and won all six races, competing in front crawl and breaststroke. Her next competition is on 27th April, so we wish her well with that!
As part of our continuous focus on literacy at Bridgewater, once again our children celebrated this year’s World Book Day as a way of emphasising the wonder of books and reading to our children.Our Early Years children delighted everyone with their stunning costumes and books, but all of our Prep children brought in copies of their favourite books. Several times during the day, a reading bell was sounded, our cue to down tools and read!
Don’t forget that next week, the ‘West End in Schools’ drama company will be helping us to further celebrate World Book Day with ‘Bringing Books to Life’. On Wednesday 8th March, Reception to Prep VI will be participating in some fantastic drama workshops during the day – parents should already have received details of this.
Prep II visited Manchester Museum on Wednesday 1st March. We arrived and were told that we were the first class inside since it had reopened.
Last half term, we learnt about dinosaurs as part of our child-lead topic so the first place we visited was the dinosaurs! As we walked into the room we were met by April the Tenontosaurus and fossils belonging to different species. In the next room, you couldn’t miss the massive cast of a Tyrannosaurus Rex as the real bones would not be able to withstand the running pose that the cast was in. In the fossil area we found out so many interesting facts. Did you know the first horse was the size of a Terrier dog and had four fingers on its front feet and three toes on its back feet? Also most groups of dinosaurs were already in decline for the last 40 million years they were on Earth?
Next, we went to the ‘We Belong’ section where we learnt about our relationships with plants, animals and the world and how it impacts. From there we stepped into the two different cultures- the Chinese and Asian cultures where we looked at things they used and what they did. In the Egyptian section we saw real mummies (how amazed the children were!), hieroglyphics and artefacts.
After lunch, it was time for the sections the children couldn’t wait to visit- The Living Worlds, Nature’s library and the Vivarium. Gasps from the children as we walked into the room were heard by the other people visiting. In there we were faced with a tiger, a lion, bears, bats, sea creatures, gorillas, skeletons and so much more! Another fact we learnt was that the oldest horse to ever live was 62 years old when he died, his name was Old Billy. He was 62 years of age and there are about 5,500 species of mammals living today. The Vivarium was full with lizards and frogs, even poisonous ones. There were sparkly lizards, some that were asleep, some that were camouflaged and one that even jumped on the glass in front of us!
Overall, Prep II had a brilliant day and we are very proud of how you treated each room and everyone around. Thank you to Manchester Museum and their staff for a brilliant day.
Our Prep Gardeners’ latest project is the repurposing of old wellington boots as planters – if you visit the Prep garden, you can see these displayed outside the greenhouse.
We are still looking for more wellington boots to plant, so if you have any at home that have been grown out of and you would like to donate them to the Gardeners we would love to receive them.
Prior to half term, our Gardening Club welcomed back former Head Boy Scott, who returned as one of seventy eight JCB apprentices to plant an oak tree at their old schools and inspire the next generation of pupils. The tree planting ceremonies form part of a series of events to mark #NationalApprenticeshipWeek, with each tree marking a year in business for the digger giant.
Last Friday Prep I enjoyed a trip to the Manchester Ringway Visitor Park as part of their topic on Flight.
The children were able to go into the ‘aeroplane classroom’ and learn about the different roles people have at the airport and on aeroplanes. They each had the opportunity to play at being pilots in the flight deck and also dressed up as air stewards, police officer, firefighters and airport ground staff.
They particularly enjoyed learning about how the airport staff scare away birds from the runway!
The children also had the opportunity to see Concorde up close and learn all about the fastest passenger plane in the world and got the chance to see inside some other old aircraft.
As always their behaviour and enthusiasm were a pleasure to see and they asked some excellent questions throughout the tour.
We finished off the day with a play at the play area whilst watching the planes take off and land a Manchester Airport.
A great day was had by all.
Our Prep IV and V netball teams were in action this week against local opposition. Both teams have been showing good development in their play, coupled with resilience and a desire to succeed. The Prep IV team played two tough fixtures, and narrowly lost the second game by just one point. The Vs’ improvement was demonstrated when they secured their first win of the season, helped by a Player of the Match performance by Izabella.
Well done all – keep the momentum going.
Gaming, of course, is phenomenally popular with children and young people. In 2021, for instance, more than three-quarters of teenagers played online games, with almost 70% of primary school aged children doing likewise. If enjoyed in moderation and supported by a healthy routine (staying hydrated, good sleep habits, taking breaks and so on), gaming can actually benefit a person’s mental health. As long as we stay alert for potential risks, games can be much more than what we see on the surface: they can be a way to socialise, an avenue for creativity and a route to solving problems. Our top ten tips outline how gaming online can sometimes work to your child’s advantage.
In the guide you’ll find a number of potential benefits including a sense of achievement, learning about teamwork and encouraging creativity. (source: nationalcollege.com)
Kindergarten donned their wellies this morning and headed into the woods to explore our amazing local surroundings. We listened out for the birds tweeting in the trees and the children were very excited to spot several nests too! We had a fantastic morning exploring, climbing and making the most of the fresh air and dry weather. Here are some gorgeous photographs from our walk for you to enjoy!
With Spring just around the corner (we hope!) our Junior Gardeners are busy prepping for the growing season ahead. Broad beans and sweet peas have been sown, cuttings are over wintering in the greenhouse, Spring bulbs are poking through the compost, potatoes are chitting… It’s all go! What an exciting time of the year in the Prep garden.
Bridgewater School - Prep. Department 