Prep School
Value of the week: gentleness
Gentleness is moving wisely, touching softly, holding carefully, speaking quietly and thinking kindly. When you feel mad or hurt, use your self-control. Instead of harming someone, talk things out peacefully. You are making the world a safer, gentler place.
Attribute of the week: thinkers
Thinkers exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognise and approach complex problems and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
A message from the School Counsellor.
A Special Report: Healthy Study Habits
In today’s world, where distractions are abundant and the pressure to excel is high, guiding children to develop healthy study habits is more important than ever. As students aspire to achieve academic success, the cornerstone of that achievement lies not just in their intelligence or drive but in the study habits they cultivate.
It’s essential for students to recognise that good study habits aren’t merely about spending extra hours hitting the books. It’s more about quality over quantity and having a more balanced approach. Emphasising the value of a routine is essential. Consistent study times establish a sense of structure and discipline, turning studying into a natural part of their daily routine rather than a burdensome task.
Additionally, how students approach their study sessions is equally important. Taking regular breaks is crucial in maintaining focus and preventing burnout.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes sufficient sleep, a balanced diet and consistent physical activity are indispensable elements that will significantly impact your child’s ability to study effectively. Fostering these healthy habits is one of the most valuable gifts we can offer children, paving the way for a lifetime of learning and achievement.
This special report will help you support your young person as they embark on studying for exams.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report and, as always, we welcome your feedback.
If you have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to your special report: Healthy Study Habits
Buddy Classes
Classes 1A and 6C are thoroughly enjoying their regular buddy sessions. Inspired by the recent Olympic Games, the boys participated in the Potato Olympics! They designed medals and created potato characters to participate in events on The Flat. Strong competition was seen in underarm rolling, shot put, relay races and cricket. While some potatoes did not last the distance, we all had a smashing time!
Years 3 to 6 House Chapel Services
To further build on the boys’ sense of belonging and connectedness, we will be holding our first series of House Chapels in 2024. This will involve all boys from Years 3 to 6 and is a compulsory event for boys to attend (we will be taking a roll and this will be entered on their report card). We also extend an invitation and encourage a parent to attend our House Chapels to build a sense of community in our house and enhance our Churchie Prep community. The boys in each of the houses will run these services, which will form a special feature of the service. We look forward to welcoming you to our 2024 House Chapel Services.
Details for each of the House Chapel Services:
Angles
Date: Wednesday 4 September 2024
Venue: Canon Jones Memorial Chapel
Time: 4:30 to 5 pm
Uniform: Whites
Guests: Years 3 to 6 (expectation) + 1 parent
Jutes
Date: Wednesday 4 September 2024
Venue: Canon Jones Memorial Chapel
Time: 5:15 to 5:45 pm
Uniform: Whites
Guests: Years 3 to 6 (expectation) + 1 parent
Saxons
Date: Thursday 5 September 2024
Venue: Canon Jones Memorial Chapel
Time: 4:30 to 5 pm
Uniform: Whites
Guests: Years 3 to 6 (expectation) + 1 parent
Danes
Date: Thursday 5 September 2024
Venue: Canon Jones Memorial Chapel
Time: 5:15 to 5:45 pm
Uniform: Whites
Guests: Years 3 to 6 (expectation) + 1 parent
Class placements 2025
As we move towards the end of the year, planning for 2025 is well underway. Class placements for 2025 will be communicated to our parent community at the end of this year in preparation for the commencement of the academic year. Our staff are in the initial stages of looking at class allocations, and we are undertaking a thorough process to ensure we continue to have the boys at the forefront of our decision-making.
When allocating boys to classes, there are several factors we consider. One key priority is ensuring we have an even spread of academic ability levels across each of our classes, and another is ensuring that the social structure of classes is conducive to both learning and the building of friendships. This sometimes means we need to separate boys when a friendship becomes a distraction to their learning and enables boys to further their friendship circles. Other factors that help determine our class allocations are the social and emotional needs of our boys, student interests and, if applicable, personal and family backgrounds.
As a school, we also need to consider our entry points and the impact this has on our class placements. The construction of class groupings is therefore a process we take very seriously and plan for carefully in collaboration with class teachers, specialist staff and the Preparatory School executive team. When creating class lists, we will consider all information about a boy that may have been communicated to the teacher, deputy heads and head of the Prep School throughout the year. Balanced classes are created according to the educational and social information we have about each of our boys. We do value these ongoing conversations; however, class placements will remain the professional and operational responsibility of the School and, as such, we will not be accepting requests for specific teachers.
As you can appreciate, the consideration of all these factors makes class placement a time-consuming but important process. We feel positive that the extensive time and care we give to this process, together with the talented and committed team of staff into whose classes we are placing each boy, means we can produce the best possible class combinations to benefit each and every boy.
We know you appreciate the careful consideration that goes into these decisions and the competence and dedication of every member of our team involved in the process.
Student free day Friday 30 August
A reminder to all families that this Friday 30 August will be a student-free day.
Mark Wyer
Head of Preparatory School