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KEW LIFE
Issue 106
May 2022
The Newsletter of Kew Green Preparatory School
HISTORY WEEK MAKES…HISTORY!
Due to Covid lockdowns, History week was starting to become somewhat historic itself having been postponed or cancelled a number of
times over the past few years. So, I was delighted to finally be able to organise and run a History week and what better event to tie it in with
this year than our Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The children spent the week learning all about the Queen and the Royal Family whilst also
focussing on a particular decade during her 70 year reign. They made us all feel incredibly old when examining floppy disks, which they had
very little idea about, thinking they were an old fashioned record player, audio/video recorder and even a notepad. It was interesting to hear
some of the names thrown about when trying to identify members of the Royal family past and present during the Royal hunt. A huge thanks
is owed to the parents of 5G who kindly themed their cake sale to suit our week too. Our week culminated, as so many Kew Green weeks do,
in a whole school dress up day and we were blown away by your efforts. The children (and staff) looked fantastic and really helped show the
evolution of fashion, style and culture through the last 70 years. Our Jubilee lunch was, sadly, rained off but didn’t dampen our spirits and the
staff were amazing, going out of their way decorating, preparing and cleaning the hall and serving the food along with the kitchen staff. A real
community spirit was felt and hopefully the children will carry this through into the upcoming Jubilee celebrations and the future. Mr Reed

YEAR 3 REACH HILLTOP
It would be impossible for me to imagine a place better suited for a Year 3 residential than the legendary Hilltop. From the moment pupils
board the coach, smiles beaming and bodies almost quivering with nervous energy, they embark on an adventure that will forever hold a
special place in their memories. The outdoor centre, with its spacious log cabins nestled within the beautiful woodlands and forests of the
Sherringham coastline, boasts some truly fantastic attractions! Not only do pupils get a chance to experience bush-craft activities like building
fires to roast marshmallows, they also take on obstacle courses, orienteering, archery and night time forest activities. High rope challenges
show children the importance of trust as they make their way across soaring beams whilst being belayed by their dependable friends below.
However, the ‘Big 3’ highlights of Hilltop are the towering Powerfan, Big Zipline and mighty Super Swing. All week long, children busily discuss
how high they are willing to go, how many goes they get and who will scream the loudest. With a motto of ‘Challenge By Choice’, the ethos of
Hilltop is all about children pushing through their own boundaries supporting the choices of others. Every activity is framed by delicious food
and a few minutes of down time in the game room, or a nightly bedtime story. The week always flies by and before we know it, we are pulling
up to the school gates, feeling 10 feet tall with many stories to share. Greg Searle
YEAR 4 AT MOORLAND HALL
On Monday, Year 4 left school full of anticipation and excitement for the week ahead. The first residential we had been on! First for the fivehour
trip to Devon. Once we arrived, we at once set off for a hike up the moors to burn off stored energy - we played Granny’s footsteps and
hiked to what seemed like the top of Devon! We jumped over thorny bushes and sped into the horizon. Once returning to our new home for
the week, we had a delicious dinner and got into our pyjamas; Ms Davies then read us the spine-chilling Grannie by Anthony Horowitz. A daily
routine that would follow every evening! After our first night in our new dormitory we set off early to go Kayaking and bask in the sunshine on
the water; so much so, some of us opted to run across the front of the Kayaks – a fun and exhilarating challenge. The 2nd group to go to the
lake, weren’t quite as lucky as the heavens opened and we were soaked through – whether we fell in or not! Meanwhile, back at camp the rest
of the year group were braving the leap of faith – it was euphoric… until we too were drenched! On the last couple of days of the trip we drove
to Cornwall, caught a boat across the water and walked along the beach. Crabbing was fun and amusing, (even though the crabs didn’t seem
to like our bacon bait much). The few we did catch were set free to go and enjoy the rest of their day whilst we enjoyed heavenly pizza on the
beach. We even had delectable, salted caramel ice cream. Based on the bus journey back, we wonder whether it was coffee flavoured rather
than salted caramel (thank you parents for paying). Archery was another firm favourite – we weren’t quite Katniss Everdeen, but we had a lot of
fun, nonetheless. Making and building rafts to race down the water was also a great challenge. It was lots of fun, even if perhaps in the end it
became a whimsical, majestic, sloppy mess in water. Making pizza dough to burn… I mean toast… on the fire was certainly something we were
all great at. Everyone demolished bread with a dollop of honey. Yum! Belle and Marnie 4K

YEAR 5 CAMPING IN DORSET
Camping? In England? In Spring?! What could possibly go wrong?!? Well, the occasional downpour had no chance of dampening the spirits of
Year 5, on their residential trip to Dorset that is unlike any other they do at Kew Green. Camping in a remote meadow, on the edge of Poole
Harbour, is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Kew, and the children embraced the change with gusto! During the week, they took part in a
wide range of activities, including rock climbing on the coast at Dancing Ledge, kayaking, and fishing in Swanage Harbour. But perhaps the
highlights of the week were seeing the children away from the activities; playing games around the campfire in the communal tipi, and then on
an evening walk before bed, witnessing them happily chatting to each other, teachers and camp leaders, before breaking out into mass
singalongs of everything from Queen to Katy Perry! Mr Puckle
YEAR 6 FINAL RESIDENTIAL
The children in Year 6 know how to have a good time! Come rain or shine, they threw themselves into the activities wholeheartedly. They
always encouraged each other too as for some, the activities were particularly challenging. One of them told me they were frightened of the
sea and probably wouldn’t go body boarding and yet, after 15 minutes, we had to encourage her not to go out so far looking for ever bigger
waves. The tenacity of this group was quite something. Moorland Hall is always full of exciting adventures and this was verified as we mountain
biked across the moors, gorge walked, scrambled, climbed, swam and hiked our way through the week. The Moorland Hall staff commented
on how mature they all were - more like a Year 7 group. Overall, we laughed and championed our way through a week of experiences never to
forget. It was everything a great residential should be. Thank you Year 6 for giving your teachers and the staff at Moorland Hall such a great
week. You were a delight to take away. Mr Peck

RECEPTION WALK THE PLANK
For our last term in Reception, the children have been exploring the theme ‘Shipwrecked’ which we kicked off with pirate day! The children
were challenged to work in pairs to plan, label and build their own pirate ship. They were offered recycling items as well as a variety of
building and connecting blocks such as stickle bricks, Lego, and magnetic tiles which they could mix and match if needed. The children
designed some very impressive ships and learnt words such as hull, mast, rigging and crow’s nest as well as their importance within the ship.
Reception children have been extended in their writing as well. They have now began writing their own pirate stories! All children have used
storyboards and word mats for support. Other children have begun independently incorporating adjectives to make their sentences more
interesting. We have been very proud of how they have been using their phonics knowledge and imagination to write their lengthy pieces.
Our maths lessons have been about doubling and halving pirate coins and treasure. It is important to help pirates share their findings equally
to make it fair for everyone! Children have also began exploring about coins by learning to differentiate them and know their worth. All
children have been busy at work and learning to challenge themselves. They’ve realised how stimulating and rewarding it is to tackle
obstacles which has also helped them build more resilience. The children will now welcome a well-deserved break before coming back for
our last half term to get ready for Year ! The Reception Team
CLOSE BUT NOT TOO CLOSE!
This half term we have been focusing on consent and how to respect the personal space of others. We learned that you cannot simply assume
that someone has given you consent, it is your job to be completely certain that consent has been given. If someone does not want you to be
in their personal space, you have to respect their boundaries.
“You need to go into someone’s personal space to give them a hug so you should always ask their permission. People are allowed to change
their minds.” Oli 3K
“Consent is very important because it’s asking someone’s permission. If you don’t you are not showing them respect and you might upset
them.” Alessandro 5K
We also learned that consent is something that had to be given willingly and freely. This means that you should never need to use sneaky ways
to persuade or force someone to give consent. At Kew Green we always treat each other with respect and ensure that everyone knows that
they have the right to protect their own boundaries. Greg Searle

FROM SCRIPT TO
THE BIG SCREEN
Earlier this term, the students in Ms Bennett’s English group entered the Richmond
Borough ‘Screen Your Story’ competition. The annual competition is a wonderful
opportunity for young story-tellers and this year’s theme was saving the planet.
Freddie’s story about a polar bear was chosen as one of the best and it will be
published in a collection called ‘Stories From The Young’ this summer. He will also
be given the opportunity to read it at the Children’s Literature Festival in Barnes.
Even more exciting, he may even have his story chosen by a professional director to
be made into a short film which will be screened at the Olympic Cinema in Barnes.
Well done for getting this far Freddie and we will keep our fingers crossed that you
will see your story on the big screen! Hannah Spencer
FRENCH FAYRE SUCCESS
Les Escargots, Les Grands Pigéons , le Pong, les Eclairs . les Trois Bague8es, les Pommes de Terre Amusantes, les Frites, le Menu Gourmand. These were some
of the ingenious stalls devised by our Year 6 Francophiles to entice the younger children to take part in their annual French Enterprise Fayre.
The weather was perfect, sunny, not a breath of wind and unusually warm. Spring had sprung at last! Spirits were high; partly as it was the last
day of term before the Easter break but also because it was the first big event without covid restrictions. The front forecourt was awash with
children dressed in the colours of the tricolore, playing in the sunshine and having fun doing the different activities. After two years of social
distancing, at last parents could mingle and enjoy the French market over un pe>t coup de rouge. Crêpes, barbe à Papa, pâ>sserie, fromages and
charcuterie were there to be savoured and enjoyed by all. Beautiful bouquets de fleurs and sacs de lavande , lovingly prepared by the Year 6
parents, sold like hot cakes and the stunning Paris- themed art merchandise stall was as busy as the Tate gift shop on a Sunday. The whole event
was thoroughly enjoyed by all the children and adults. Bravo et Merci to all the Year 6 parents and pupils whose hard work helped to raise
money to be donated to the French charity Médecins Sans Fron>ères. Madame T-W

LOCAL ARTWORK
We are truly fortunate to have so many wonderful attractions in our locality, and Orleans
House Gallery is certainly not least among them. Our trip included a workshop in which
pupils were challenged to create a tall structure using only wire and insulation tape, which
sparked great enthusiasm and amusement, especially with some of the ‘overly-ambitious’
structures. This was followed by an investigative tour of the Emma Theresa Jude exhibition
which looked at how the Earth’s geological movements and landscapes can be represented
on canvass. This was topped off with a visit to the majestic Octagon Room with its beautifully
intricate artwork. The day was a great success and we certainly learned a great deal about
how art can be linked to geology. Greg Searle
“I liked creating a tower with wires and was proud that mine was the tallest!” Thomas 3K
“we combined our wire buildings to make a mega tower!” Rex 3G
MUSIC POPULARITY
It is so lovely to see so many children continuing to take up instrumental lessons in school, with
over one hundred music lessons taking place each week. Some of our pupils have also been
trying out instruments for the first time in taster sessions, and impressing our music teachers
with their enthusiasm. We look forward to our next merit assembly performance on Fridays and
our music assemblies in June! The music department is also working hard with Year 6 ahead of
their final goodbye this coming half term. They are staging a version of Peter Pan, a musical
extravaganza. At the same time we are heading towards excellent musical performances at Prize
Day and choir is due to perform at the Kew Fete on Kew Green in a few weeks. The music
department is busy ... I can tell you!
A REVIEW OF MATILDA
Last Monday I had the chance to see the performance of a lifetime – Matilda,
played by the Epsom College students at the Big House. The story is about a
little and extremely smart girl named Matilda Wormwood, who has awful
parents who treat her like a ‘brat’. She goes to a school where there are two
main teachers – the gentle Miss Honey and the ruthless and ugly Miss
Trunchbull. The appalling Trunchbull has a ‘choky’ with nails and spikes on the
side and glass on the bottom. Pupils have to sit there for hours and hours if
they do something wrong. At a certain moment, we learn that Matilda has a
special power - she can move objects. Miss Honey – believe it or not – is
Trunchbull’s granddaughter. It seems that Miss Trunchbull has killed Miss
Honey’s dad.
The best – and certainly my favourite – part was when the newt went into Miss
Trunchbull’s clothes and the actor screamed ‘Ah! I got a newt in my knickers!’ I
also like the part when the pupils are swinging around and singing a gentle
song. One of my favourite songs was ‘When I Grow Up.’ It is a very happy and
hopeful song, in which the kids sing about their future and all the things they
plan to do when they grow up. My favourite character by far was Mr
Wormwood (he won me over with his moustache!) and Matilda. My rating is
4.9 out of 5. Tom 5K
AND FINALLY…
What a half term! Please remember that behind the residential trips, History week and dress up days that the children continue to be
challenged at every level of their education. However, we must remember that all of these events and activities, make up an excellent
education! The school feels incredibly calm, focused and productive academically and creatively. Residential trips during this half term have
been amongst the best ever with all groups reporting that the children have been exceptional in their attitudes and levels of enjoyment. I can
hardly believe, as I write this in the sunshine in Devon with year 6, that I am entering my final half term. As you might imagine, it’s going to be
an emotional few weeks but I intend to enjoy every moment. I wish you all a lovely half term week. Jem Peck, Editor.
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