Welcome to the Michaelmas End of Term edition of Life at Somerhill. Produced twice termly, these articles and photos are to serve as a reminder of all the fabulous activities that have taken place, and to celebrate the learning that our children are exposed to in so many forms.
Please enjoy the riot of colour, excitement and activity on the pages below. With every best wish for a happy and healthy Christmas holiday.
Duncan Sinclair, Principal
School Trips
Greenwich Royal Observatory
Year 4 girls and boys had an inspiring day at the Greenwich Royal Observatory, to coincide with their Earth and space topic in science.
They took part in workshops based on the Earth, moon and sun, as well as a look at some of the oldest parts of the observatory. They saw some of Halley's earliest equipment for stargazing and the large equatorial telescope. The highlight of the day was taking a tour around our solar system and beyond during the 'Universe on our doorstep' planetarium show. All of this was led by different observatory astronomers. An inspiring day!
The Curious Incident
Year 8 pupils enjoyed a special trip to Wembley Troubadour Theatre to enjoy 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' by the National Theatre. We were blown away by special effects, 4 sided projections, clever lighting, and outstanding physical theatre , which transported us into the world and mind of the lead character, Christopher, a 15-year-old with autism. It was an outstanding performance, and all our boys were completely entranced and invested in the character's story.
Maidstone Museum
Year 4 enjoyed their outing to discover all that the Maidstone museum could offer!
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Bebras
In the first 2 weeks after half-term every class from year 3 to year 8 had the opportunity to take part in the national Bebras challenge during their Engineering lessons. This week the official results were received. There were 4 age groups that the Schools at Somerhill took part in Year 3 (Kits), Year 4+5 (Castors), Year 6+7 (Junior) and Year 8 (Intermediate).
- Kits challenge - school average of 65 is 4 points above the national average.
- Castor challenge - the school average of 149 is half a point above the national average.
- Junior challenge - the school average of 112 is 12 points above the national average.
- Intermediate challenge - the school average of 116 is 14 points above the national average.
With over 230 000 participants across these four age groups these are some excellent results for the Somerhill pupils. 10 pupils were awarded the Gold Award for being in the top 5% of the country.
Diwali
As part of their work on Hinduism, Year 5 children learnt about the Festival of Diwali, a five-day Festival of Lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus. It represents a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
Hindus decorate their houses, shops and public places with small oil lamps called diyas and beautiful Rangoli patterns on their doorsteps. People also enjoy fireworks and giving presents including sweets, so it's very popular with children.
The year 5 children enjoyed making traditional sweets and exploring and creating rangoli patterns.
Art at Somerhill
Eco-Fashion Exhibition
It was lovely to see some Ex-DL girls showcasing their recycled garments at the Eco-Fashion Exhibition at Battle Abbey. We got to see some fantastic work by children from various schools, and celebrate those who won awards.
Music Soirées
How wonderful to have performances in front of a live audience again! Children from Years 2 to 8 have treated us to performances ranging from woodwind and brass, to strings, piano, singing and drumming, all played beautifully and with poise and confidence.
In the last few weeks, we have had 170 individual performances (some for the first time ever) – an incredible feat! Well done all and thank you to Miss Findlay and the amazing peripatetic music staff who have managed to keep everyone going in the trickiest of circumstances!
It has been wonderful to see the children calm and focused and spreading a little bit of magic.
Fireworks
It was a fantastic evening of fireworks at Somerhill, as families gathered to watch the display on the lawns, whilst munching hotdogs and sipping mulled wine. The sky above the paddock burst into life with brilliant explosions, gigantic sparkles, and magnificent crackles and whizzes.
We loved having the whole community together once again for one of our favourite events of the year. Many thanks to all those involved and to the ground staff and SLT for all their efforts on the night.
Remembrance Day
Somerhill held their Remembrance Day service on the morning of the 11th November. It is a great tragedy that across both the First and Second World Wars, 107 Yardley Court boys and teachers lost their lives. Their names are recorded on the Roll of Honour, on the entry to the Garden of Memory.
As a school, we promised their families and friends that we would remember them, and so each year, we read out one third of the names so that each name is recognised every three years.
Year 6 studied WW2 in drama, running alongside their studies in History lessons. Pupils explored the emotional side of life on the home front, by creating individual thought tracks and performances empathising with people's feelings during an air raid.
Anti-Bullying Week
Somerhill joined in with their support of the national initiative for"Odd Socks Day". This is organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, a group of organisations, charities and individuals whose aim is to work together to try and stop bullying.
Sporting Success
A busy half-term of sport in hockey, rugby, netball, cross-country, football and swimming.
In cross-country we were met with mud, glorious mud for the Dobson Trophy at Claremont. All our athletes relished the challenge, got stuck in and proved just how fit and tough they really are. DL and YC emerged as overall champions, with DL coming 1st in both the U9s and U11s, whilst YC also came first in the U9 and U13 events.
Despite it being a tricky term with some swimmers unfortunately missing the galas because of Covid-19, there have been some brilliant results in the pool this term. Somerhill won three out of their six galas, defeating Granville, Radnor House and Dulwich Prep. With every race keenly contested resulting in there being some exceptionally close races against Holmewood House, St Michael's and Walthamstow Hall.
Our team have all been working hard to build their stamina and improve their techniques and their competitive spirit has been fantastic! All Somerhill swimmers have conducted themselves brilliantly during the galas, reflecting the ethos and sportsmanship that is promoted within the school.
Huge congratulations to Tilly B-W, Jess H, Erin M and Ella who were all successful in securing their place in the U11 Kent Cricket Squad for the 2022 season.
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS
Carol Services
Junior Carol Service
It was tremendous for our Year 3 and 4 pupils to be able to perform their Carol Concert in front of family and friends at St Stephens Church, Tonbridge this week. The children sung their hearts out to some fabulous music and we all left feeling utterly uplifted and ready for the festive season. Many thanks to all involved in making this such a special event.
Senior Carol Service
The Senior Carol Service, held at St Augustine's Chapel, Tonbridge School is one of our favourite events in the school calendar. This year did not disappoint. The children sang beautifully and we cherished being able to celebrate together as a school community in these testing times. We have so much to be thankful of here at Somerhill and the service was both inspiring and uplifting.
Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper Day
A great day to show off our sparkles, reindeers, penguins and all things Christmassy! Pigs in blankets, mince pies and turkey galore were all on the menu for another delicious Christmas Lunch. With Christmas crafts on the menu for the afternoon, the children had the most magical of days to close the term.
