From the Headmaster:
Where did that one go?
I know we still have a busy week to look forward to but my goodness me! It seems only yesterday that I was welcoming you all back to the start of the academic year and now here we are heading into the final five days of what can only be described as a wholly successful three terms.
Sometimes you need to let the pictures do the talking. So I will cease and desist and allow you to enjoy a short video that is just a brief reflection of some wonderful memories from this year.
Enjoy your weekend and I look forward to seeing you all at the end of year production - it is an absolute Park Hill classic!
Alistair
Events for the final week of term -
Tough Mudder - 4th July (in school, Monday afternoon)
5th July - First and Second Steps trip to Chobham Adventure Park
End of Year Production - Main Performance Whole School (Nursery and School) 11.30am - 7th July
Wimbledon Trip - 8th July - details for both events to be confirmed.
School and nursery closes at 12.30pm on Friday 8th July with nursery reopening on 11th July for the summer.
I do hope that you will be able to attend the myriad of events approaching. The main end of year performance will take place at 11.30am on Thursday 7th July. This will include nursery children and the whole school.
👀👇 Vital Information 👇👀
Whole School Photograph - the photograph (which looks really rather impressive can be ordered directly through this link -
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After School Clubs - all clubs have now finished but after school care through to 5pm or 6pm and breakfast club are still operating as normal.
Evening Performance 7th July - We do seem to be facing a shortage of performers for the proposed evening performance on Thursday. In order to gain a clearer picture of exactly how many children may be able to perform I would be very grateful if you could complete this very short questionnaire. If we do not have sufficient numbers we may need to very reluctantly cancel the proposed evening performance.
Didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went to, West Wittering…
Reception to Year 4 off to the seaside and what a day they enjoyed!
Park Hill Pre-Loved Uniform
Our busy bees at Park Hill Preloved are moving the second hand uniform shop to a new on-line platform. From Monday you will be able to order the bits you need by going to Uniformerly – Buy, Sell and Give Away outgrown school uniform to other parents at your school ♻️.
The aims of the shop are to promote the reuse of uniform, raise funds for the school council school project and their chosen charity and provide families with the chance to get some uniform bits at a low price.
As the end of term fast approaches please give Lee (Rosie, Beth & Jess' mum), Lisan (Benjamins mum) and Rha (Kenzis mum) your preloved uniform bits to add to the shop.
Class News
Year 6
The end of the final year is always a time to reflect. But the end of the year when you are in Year 6 means big change is on the horizon.
From book studies of Oranges in no mans land, Wonder, and Holes to name a few, to free-form poetry of quite the profound nature, English this year has had some truly amazing moments. Beautiful reports have been written, wonderful examples of narrative writing from every pupil have been read out, animated, acted out, typed, and presented. Even on our final Friday lesson of the year, the pupils are still producing some great examples of climatic and anti climatic stories, considering how they can create an atmosphere to read their story.
Debates have been had through out topics, but specifically planned on typing vs handwriting with excellent (and close) results. Looking back upon this year, the pupils have come a long way in English and should be very proud.
Maths has travelled through every topic. Algebra was loved by some, while others found it challenging. Likewise, formula split the class, but provided many interesting examples of ‘out of the box’ thinking. We’ve made mocktails for ratios and measuring, taped up the classroom for shapes, cut cake and cookies for fractions, defused virtual bombs for operations work and strung up the classroom to connect numbers with their prime factors.
Throughout it all, Year 6 have proved adept and solving complex problems involving all these topics and many have vastly improved in confidence.
Science has seen us explore the sky and stars, delve deep into an atom (and solve a particularly explosive murder), find balance with weight and forces, and grow our understanding of evolution. Baby pictures have been shared and we’ve analysed how we grow from the moment of fertilisation to the ‘tweens’ they are now. So much understanding and observation has been seen in their work.
What fabulous work has been produced in Computing, from VR games and fully functioning apps, to newsletters and social media posters. The pupils skills have greatly improved and they have proven themselves creative and innovative members of our digital age.
While I could speak to every subject that I have had the pleasure to teach Year 6 this year, ultimately the pupils should be proud of themselves in both personal growth and academics.
Well done to them all and I hope they all have a restful and relaxing summer before the fun of secondary school.
Year 5
A remarkable year, one that has seen all of the children thrive and prosper in the multitude of opportunities and challenges provided and seized. This week was no exception as we revelled in the post TedTalk euphoria and the glow of sports day and prize giving.
We looked ahead to next year and started to reflect on our efforts this year and how to continue to grow as we head into Year 6.
The children have much to be proud of and with continued work over the summer, don’t forget to read, tackle century and work on on the creative writing I am sure you will impress again next year.
Year 4
A brilliant week in Year 4. The class have been working hard on their ‘flash writes’ and it has been wonderful to watch the class create short stories based around one image. Thirteen different stories created from the same image reminds me that each child is an individual learner and that their minds work in very different ways.
Individuality was the order of the day in our Maths sessions, where the children have been planning their summer holidays with a budget of £3,800. Some opted for the 1 star hotel, with first class flights and Gucci sunglasses, whilst others chose a 5 star resort but were happy in Economy with extra spending money.
Two fun packed day trips finished off our week and we all enjoyed a visit to the beach and a wander around Henry VIII’s home. The Haunted Corridor proved the highlight at Hampton Court, where we learnt the second chandelier was the most haunted part. We all stood underneath it but sadly we felt and saw nothing. Thank you to Miss Parkinson for blowing on everyone’s hair in her best endeavours to create an atmosphere. Well done Year 4 - a fantastic week.
Year 3
From the Crystal Maze to a day on the beach, Year 3 have had a fun action packed week! In Mathematics we have been continuing our work on grid multiplication With increasing difficulty. Excitingly grid multiplication helps you work out the answer quickly mentally, one member of the class even managed to work out a 2digit x3 digit number in his head!
In English we have continued our work on persuasive writing, continuing our chocolate bar project, making it using a 3D net and then exploring rhymes and jingles with a focus on persuasive language to make an advert. We look forward to sharing completed work with you at a later date.
Year 2
What a wonderful end to Year 2! I am beyond proud of everyone in Year 2 for not only trying their best in everything we do but working with a positive attitude through it all. It has been a pleasure to be apart of an amazing class and watch you all grow in confidence, knowledge and skills. As we wrap up the year with what I know will be an fantastic performance, I wish you all a fantastic summer. For those leaving us, we will miss you and do come back to visit us at Parkhill! Arthur, you will have to call me on that watch and let me know how your new school is! We will be cheering you on with every success and I am sure you will be amazing in every stride you take!
A big thank you to all the parents for their support, encouragement and positivity over the year. Thank you for being part of our amazing family at Parkhill! Have a wonderful summer everyone!
Year 1
What a wonderful year it has been for Year 1 and how far we have come in just one academic year. So much knowledge and skills acquired and experienced whilst our teeth are falling out all over the place!
Looking back it is incredible to think about the progress every member of our class has made not only academically but socially and emotionally. So many wonderful memories - exploring the beach and discovering crabs beneath the sand, becoming drenched at the Wetlands centre whilst watching otters play, lightbulb moments in class when someone grasps a concept, science experiments and woodland adventures!
I am so proud to have taught this incredible group of children and cannot wait to see how their learning journey develops next year!
Reception
What a fabulous year we have had together, Reception!
I got to know you from October, but joined you in class permanently from January and you have made my year!
You have used the time to cross the bridge from early years nurseries to main school in term of academic endeavour, maturity and social skills…. and you are all more than ready for Year 1 in September - lucky Ms Gardner (and Lucky Rokeby, Zayn)! I’m going to be sad to let you go and very glad that Year 1 is only next door.
You have gone from sounding out a few letters to reading and writing several sentences, from counting a few numbers to adding and taking away, sharing, measuring and comparing….
We have had such fun along the way too - tooth brushing in the playground, sing songs, growing butterflies, dojos, house point challenges and prizes, Orbeez, woodland school, swimming, beach shenanigans….and you had a soggy day at the Wetlands Centre without me!
Thank you for all your wonderful hard work, good company and kindness when my shoulder was poorly.
Thank you, Reception families, for all your support over the year. Wishing you all a fabulous summer holiday.
Three cheers for you all…
Hip, hip hooray,
Hip, hip hooray,
Hip, hip hooray!
Second Steps
What a year it has been. We have had trips to the bottom of the deep blue sea, being arrested having our mug shots and fingerprints taken, learning about different professions and becoming doctors, dentists and firemen, creating works of art and learning about our own and other animals lifecycles.
Last September we had a class of small, quiet, 3 year olds and we are getting ready to say goodbye to very tall, confident, very talkative 4 & nearly 5 year olds.
Both myself and Miss Wood cannot believe how quickly this academic year has gone.
Looking back at the photos it seems like a few weeks ago we were chasing the helicopter seeds as they fell off the trees, learning how to use hammers and nails at Halloween, making our own yellow submarine and writing letters to Father Christmas.
The children have grown so much in every area of their development and it has been a privilege to see. We couldn’t be more proud of the wonderful young children they have become, seeing how they handle new situations and environments, over hearing their conversations and mimicking what we say everyday. Seeing their confidence grow, becoming more out going and always ready for new adventures. We have loved having each and every one of you in Second Steps. It is always lively, loud and lovely, the only time it is quiet is when we are all eating.
We wish you all the best in the future, starting your journey through Reception at Park Hill or at your new school, we hope you have as much fun in Reception as you have had with us.
Miss Wood & Miss Finch
First Steps
What a wonderful year it has been. First Steps has been a new start to many of you. Separating from your parents, learning class routines was a very big challenges for you. And now, you all became very independent, confident and happy children.
Many of you have stopped having nap time and have completed your potty training. You have tried different foods every day and practised using the cutlery in appropriate way.
Our endless story times have helped you to improve your speech and many of you have started to create your own stories. How lovely it has been to listen to them all. We all practised taking turns and saying please and thank you. And now, you remind your friends or even your teachers to say them.
Woodland School outings were full of fun and we discovered the world around us together. We climbed up logs, picked up sticks and searched for snails… Each activity will stay in our minds forever.
And we came to end of this lovely journey. We can’t believe how all of you grown over the year. We hope you remember all the small and big adventures we had have in First Steps because we will never forget you!
We wish you all the best in Second Steps and will continue watching you from First Steps’ window…
Also, we would love to thank all our parents for their support over the year. Thank you for becoming part of our big Park Hill family.
First Steps Team
Physical Education and Games
Park Hill School has had the pleasure this 2021-2022 academic year attending a number of fixtures and sporting events. For a small class size school the pupils have created history once more such as winning in local fixtures, attending national finals, winning ISA triathlons and winning the majority of the ILG athletic events.
From September until now I can confidently say that their positive mind-set has only grown and this is evident from their individual and team success. I often think we are lucky as teachers because we get to see your children flourish as the weeks go by in many disciplines. Luckily and I hope you will agree with me, you saw the resilience your children possess in this years Sports day. The atmosphere the children and you as parents created was one of my favourites moments in P.E this year.
As the summer term comes to an end, we would like to wish you all a restful, fun and amazing summer and I look forward to creating more history with our Park Hill pupils next year.
French
In Year 6, we are already on Holiday mode! We have reviewed the different travel destinations from last week using a matching activity. For our next activity, children had to completed a travel checklist and they have practised making extended sentences using the form “ Dans Ma valise, je vais ranger …, ….. et …. . Je vais ranger aussi …. et …..”. Children were continuously reminded to pay attention to using the correct indefinite article before they got to share their sentences with the rest of the classroom. For our last activity, children had to use the verb “Aller” to talk about their future travel plan as well as which mean of transport they were going to use to reach their destination. After we had analysed and discussed which preposition to use and why, children experimented forming their own sentences using the correct preposition ( en / á ) .
Images from the Week
Key Dates
Whilst the dates for the term can be downloaded from the website, I would like to draw your attention to the following events
7.7.22 - End of term production
8.7.22 - Wimbledon Tennis Visit & last day of term
Social Media
#confidentcurioushappy
There are also some wonderful images from our Little Adventurers available through their own instagram page -
Useful Links -
Credits:
Alistair Bond