Prep School | ST2024 | Week 3
Dear Parents,
“Invent your own language. Sing your world into existence”
All Blacks Principles
I had a set of expectations of what we would learn as the All Blacks Sevens came to train at the College. I knew we would see impressive physical prowess and absolute determination. What was utterly charming was their generosity with our pupils and the whole community, supporting sports play and meeting and greeting everyone with grace and humility. But ultimately, the lasting impression is the power of music to unite people. You may have read many of the famous phrases shared as part of the proud All Blacks philosophy. I wasn’t aware of how they bring those that sing together to win together. Each day starts with a song, from one of the many aspects of the All Blacks traditions and as the guitar was strummed, voices sang strongly together and harmonised in a mesmerising way. The ‘waiata’ joined them all in one song and a shared determination to ‘get the job done’. While usually very patriotic in my support of sport, I am glad that Great Britain is not meeting the All Blacks in the pool stages; I may find my loyalties divided.
Drama Update (Mrs Nadene James, Head of Drama)
Frozen
I cannot believe that today we rehearsed the final scene. It feels like yesterday that we started asking the pupils which play they would want to perform. We still have fine tuning; dance and singing rehearsals to really bring this together but we are all beyond excited to share this performance with you. Thank you to all the parents that have provided costumes for their child and some spares donated for others. This really does help bring the show to life. The sign up sheet will be added into the newsletter a week before May Half Term for parents and friends to sign up. Please find the rehearsal dates as follow for the whole cast :
- Monday 6th May – 4.30pm – 5.30pm
- Saturday 18th May – 9am – 1pm (Pick up at Green Hall in Pre-Prep)
- Monday 20th May – 4.30pm – 5.30pm
- Thursday 23rd May – 4.30pm – 5.30pm
- Monday 3rd June – 4.30pm – 5.30pm
- Thursday 6th June – 4.30pm -7.00pm (Pick up at court – Students will have had supper)
Drama club
Year 4 – We have a script that has been written by our very own year 8 Drama Pengawas and Scholar Seth Murai with the help and inspiration of what the Year 4s have done throughout the year since the move to Upper Prep. They are excited to wear some of their outfits from over the last academic year to show the Year 3s what they have to look forward to next year when they move up.
Year 5 & 6 – This amazing group of individuals are looking to create their own script to showcase all the things they have learnt in Drama this year. They have started this week by considering the structure of the performance and creating an opening that will “hook” the audience.
All this, and next week pupils from Years 5 & 6 head to the FOBISIA Drama Workshops.
Auditions have started for this year’s MCM’s Got Talent! If your child has entered for auditions, please can you check that they have anything they need. We will be emphasising how proud we are of anyone who has the courage to try, whether they are successful or not. This is such a fun event and we are very much looking forward to our finalists from across the Prep School entertaining us.
Sports Update (Miss Laura Prentice, Head of Prep PE and Games)
Junior Touch Straits
On Saturday, we were thrilled to host an array of clubs and schools from Malaysia and Singapore in our annual Junior Touch Straits. Detailed match reports will be published in due course, however, for now, please see below a summary:
- U9s Fight Hard Our U9s squad displayed incredible resilience throughout the tournament, narrowly missing out on a medal as they battled their way to the 3rd place playoff. Despite the outcome, their passion and effort were truly commendable given this was their first touch tournament. This will set them up strongly for tournaments yet to come.
- U10s Shine Bright with Silver Our U10s team emerged as shining stars, clinching the silver medal in a display of skill, determination, and teamwork as they faced Tanglin Rugby Club. Their stellar performance is a testament to their hard work and dedication on the field.
- U11 Girls Secure Bronze In the U12 category, our U11 girls secured the bronze medal, demonstrating their prowess on the field and their ability to rise to the occasion when it mattered most. Their achievement is a source of pride for the entire team.
- U12 Girls Make Their Mark The U12 girls’ team left their mark on the tournament as plate finalists, showcasing their talent and competitive spirit. Their journey to the plate final was a thrilling testament to their skills and determination.
House Matches Update
The fields echoed with cheers and determination as Seymour, Hunt, Merlin, and Chichester clashed in our recent house matches, featuring cricket and touch rugby. In a display of incredible skill and sportsmanship, all teams showcased their finest talents, leaving spectators on the edge of their seats with thrilling plays and nail-biting moments. There are still a couple of house cricket and rugby matches to finish. Unfortunately, due to the weather we have had to postpone Year 3 house cricket to Wednesday 15th May 2024. Year 7 and 8 House Cricket will resume on Tuesday 15th May 2024.
House Cross Country
We are excited that House Cross is back on our calendar and it is coming up next week. Please ensure pupils have house tops, hats and water bottles.
Year 7 and 8 – Tuesday 7th May 2024 (08:30-10:00)
Year 5 and 6 – Tuesday 7th May 2024 (14:35-16:15)
Year 3 and 4 – Wednesday 8th May 2024 (08:30-10:00)
Cricket Festival – Sign Up
On Saturday 11th May, we will be hosting an internal cricket festival for Year 5 to 8. Please sign up your child using the google form attached here.
Message from Mrs Cassidy and the Pre-Prep Team
I have been amazed again this week by the commitment and generosity of some of our parents, and thank you so much to those Year 3 parents who have been busy painting the set for our Year 3 production. Once the set is done, it makes everything come to life and I am sure that the pupils will appreciate both the care and the time that has gone into doing it – I know I do!
You may notice that we are working hard on strengthening a sense of citizenship and responsibility in school. The children know that they should show strengths such as responsibility and kindness as part of our school community, but they are young and sometimes forget! Please help us by reminding them to follow our school rules, such as walking inside and tidying up after themselves. With your help, both in school and at home, we can help them to become superb citizens of the future.
We know that sometimes mornings do not run to plan, but please note that our class registers are completed at 8:20am. It is very important that we are able to keep accurate track of attendance, so we ask that you take your child to sign in at Pre-Prep reception if you arrive at school late. This helps prevent disruption during Lesson 1 and ensures that registers can be updated immediately. Thank you so much.
Have a wonderful weekend – I look forward to seeing some of you on Saturday evening; May the Fourth be With You!
“Be a good ancestor. Plant trees you’ll never see”
All Blacks Principles
I cannot promise that will be the last time I use an All Blacks quote and we wish the team all the best of luck this weekend. What a weekend and in fact week ahead of us all. We are truly blessed.
Warm regards,
Rachel Eaton-Jones
Head of Prep School
For all details of the weeks ahead please check the Almanac here on the College website.
