Pre-Prep: Up, up and away...!
In the Spoken English Competition, Form 7 took to the skies with their brilliant declamations on the History of Flight. Here is an eagle’s eye view of this term’s events and our teachers’ favourite moments.
Even though this is one of the shortest terms, it is often the busiest and there is so much change and progress in just a couple of months – it is now strange to think that the Pre-Prep started the term by tidying up after Storm Éowen but have finished by digging over the veg patches in beautiful sunshine, ready for new beginnings in April!
Some of the highlights of the term have included: Burns Lunch, with a wonderful performance from the Pre-Prep Choir; the Belhaven Cross-Country Championships; World Book Day, the Pre-Prep Hotdog Sale and the Spoken English Competition. Read on for a review of this popular and important event and to find out what the children have been up to in Music, STEM (F6) and DT & Art (F6). Finally, don't miss our teachers' favourite moments of the term...!
Spoken English Competition
On 14th March it was the Pre-Prep Spoken English competition. In Form 8 the children took us on a journey to learn about dinosaurs and palaeontology, which they have been studying in lessons. Each child took their turn to tell the audience about their dinosaur, with lots of brilliant facts they had learned by heart.
In Form 7 they have been learning about the History of Flight, so the children took it in turns to tell us about different individuals and flights over the past several hundred years from Leonardo Da Vinci to the Montgolfier Brothers to Amelia Earhart.
In Form 6 the children choose their own topic to research and then present. They covered a great variety of subjects, including 'sleeping', 'rugby' and 'being the middle child', but all centred around family life, so we learned a lot about the children and their passions, which was very enlightening!
It was a fun afternoon of wonderful entertainment. The children were confident and brave and did themselves proud. In Form 7 the runner up was Jasper and the winner Patrick and in Form 6 the runner up was John and the winner Hughie.
Pre-Prep Music
Form 8 are learning recorder, with our more experienced players building on their knowledge by learning new notes. This instrument is particularly good for co-ordination and fine-motor skills, as well as breath-control and ensemble skills.
Form 7 have taken up violin and they are progressing well by learning how to care for the instruments and bows, as well as playing all four strings.
Form 6 are flying with their ukulele skills. Their quick grasp of chords has opened the door to lots of repertoire for us to play and sing together.
Pre-Prep choir have started to learn songs that we will share with parents at our concert in May, including new songs in French and a return of the ‘Purple Gecko’, Pre-Prep’s favourite anthem!
Form 6 STEM
This term, Form 6 have been beginning their coding journey. The class have worked hard in exploring both plugged and unplugged activities and they have been using Scratch Jr, an app on their iPads, to learn block coding. Form 6 have explored what coding is, how to create sequences of code and have completed a range of coding challenges.
Form 6 DT & Art
Form 6 have been working hard this term with designing and problem solving in DT. They completed their stop motion animation about bones and have moved in to look at Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s furniture designs before creating their own chair designs using flower forms as a starting point. They they designed and made balloon cars and tested them, with much excitement, by racing them across the DT room floor. They are currently making animal glove puppets.
In Art they have worked really well in three-dimensions, producing some super penguin sculptures and some lovely pinch pot fish in clay. They have ended the term making some colourful press cockerel pictures.
Teachers' Favourite Moments
Mrs Macdonald’s favourite moment this term was seeing the children all dressed up in their fantastic costumes for World Book Day. They all put in lots of effort and enjoyed talking about their characters.
Mrs Hutchison’s favourite moment was the Pre-Prep at the Spoken English. To see all the children stand up and speak so clearly and confidently in front of a large audience was incredible. Everyone put so much effort into learning their lines and making sure that their voices were clear and loud. They should all feel very proud of themselves!
Miss Birrell’s highlight this term was teaching the Form 7 children to play netball. There have been many new rules to learn but the children have worked so hard each week to practise and have even enjoyed some mini matches towards the end of the term. Most pleasingly, each of the children have shown resilience and courage, even when the skills have been quite tricky to master!
Mrs Johnstone’s favourite moment was when Mrs Baillie came into school on Shrove Tuesday and talked to us about Lent and made us some delicious crêpes on her crêpe turntable. It was scrumptious!
