A Message from Mrs Knox

A huge thank you for your enormous generosity this week for our Harvest collection. All items have been taken to the Cranleigh Food Bank and they too have asked me to pass on their thanks. If you would like to continue to donate, most supermarkets have trolleys near the tills where you can pop items throughout the year. It was a pleasure welcoming Reverend Rosemary Mason to our assemblies this morning, and she gave an inspiring talk about the meaning of Harvest. It was also super welcoming Elliot Giles to our school today. Elliot specialises in the 800m and is best known for winning bronze at the European Championships. Another inspiring talk for our pupils! Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Knox

Biology Week

To celebrate Biology Week this year, pupils in Years 7 and 8 turned their hands to some new practicals. They tested different "blood" samples to determine their blood type and understand the importance of knowing this for organ transplants and blood transfusions. They dusted for their own fingerprints to look for the patterns and how many loops, whorls and arches they could see, and to compare them to a partner's and see how much variation there is. Lastly, they got to view some insect wings under the microscope and appreciate the intricate detail; they were surprised that hairs are present on certain species and it was interesting to learn the reason for this. We are looking forward to taking Year 10 to the Science Museum after half term.

Entries from students have started to be sent off to the BioArtAttack competition and we have already had some inspiring ideas, from a bacteria model made from a football, to a brain made of cauliflower! Entries can be of anything related to Biology and made of any materials pupils have to hand. A picture is sufficient so they don't have to be brought into school and the deadline is Friday 25th November.

Pupils also gave their suggestions for a name for our new skeleton model, and drawn from the hat this morning was Annabel O's suggestion, and they shall subsequently be known as Sir Skellington! Credit must go to the pupils for the mature way they conducted the challenging practicals and for the great thought and imagination behind the ArtAttacks so far.

Mrs Vermeulen

National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day was marked here at School not just on Thursday 6th October, but throughout the whole week, with a range of outdoor poetry workshops. We used our beautiful school grounds to celebrate this year’s important and relevant theme: the environment. 

We, in the English Department, have absolutely loved to see pupils from both Prep and Senior School, take time to join us to breathe in, and be inspired by, the nature around us. Staff have kindly shared their favourite poems about the environment, which are all on display for pupils to see in the Link corridor. 

Finally, on Thursday all pupils were invited to participate in the House ‘Share a Poem’ challenge. We look forward to learning about which poems inspire you, and awarding some house points too! 

Thank you to everyone who has come along this week, to write a few lines and engage with our environment! 

Mrs Southee

Charity Committee Shoebox Appeal

As Christmas rapidly approaches the Charity Committee turns its attention to our annual Shoebox Appeal. Every year we collect shoeboxes filled with gifts to send to children who may not be as fortunate as our pupils, and for whom Christmas can be a difficult time. This fabulous initiative is run in conjunction with our friends at Cranleigh Rotary.

The link below will take you to their instruction page which will take you through the 'dos and don'ts' of the Shoebox Appeal. Once you have completed your shoebox please drop it into Reception by November 1st, this is the first week back in School after half term. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ILsDNWjjUkcAORw3xViNNoKmWyW9ONre/view?usp=sharing

Last year we collected over 100 shoeboxes! Let's see if we can smash that record this Christmas!

The Charity Committee

Year 3 Social

Last Friday Year 3 had their social evening. They impressed Mrs Nicholson with their fantastic dancing skills when we did Just Dance. We had a few rounds of Pirate Ships and they exhausted themselves by climbing the rigging, scrubbing the decks and manning the lifeboats.  Hide and Seek seems to be the Prep School's absolute favourite activity for the socials and the best hiding spot in the Prep corridor turned out to be inside the recycling bin! We even managed to find time for a game of musical chairs too. The evening was topped off with a delicious pizza and millionaires shortbread. 

Mrs Nicholson

Prep School Council

At the beginning of each academic year Prep School Pupils have the opportunity to stand for election to the Pupil Council. In order to persuade their peers that they will make good representatives they prepare and deliver a short speech. Their speeches allow them to highlight any changes they would like to help implement at School and give them the opportunity to use their knowledge of persuasive language to get votes! 

Having completed the election process last week we now have three representatives (four from Year 6) from each year group.We were able to hold our first meeting on Monday and discussed what our objectives were for this year. We have agreed that we will focus on trying to develop the potential of Junior Jungle. We also discussed some of the issues that had been raised in different classes, such as the size of croissants!

Mrs Lock

Pupils have been making the most of our outdoor spaces this week. Year 5 were in Junior Jungle learning about perimeter and converting between different units of measurement. Year 3, meanwhile, had a fantastical Forest School experience, listening to the story of 'Sneeze' the moss-breathing dragon who had rather naughtily destroyed the Choo-Choo village, leaving the pupils to pick up the pieces and rebuild their houses, including some truly inventive uses of natural materials! Year 4 have also been imagining themselves deep in the forest, in Sherwood, no less, developing their descriptive writing, inspired by Robin Hood. In Pre-prep, we also love a good story, and Reception children have turned into shoe designers, emulating The Elves and the Shoemaker to practise their cutting skills. There are definitely one or two budding Manolo Blahniks in the class! Elsewhere in Pre-prep, children have been learning about presenting data - in Year 1 they made Venn Diagrams and in Year 2, two-way Carroll Diagrams. Children in STEAM club put their clay penguins - made last week - to great use, bringing them to life in a wonderful animation! 

Last, but not least, Mr Herbert has asked me to remind parents of Prep pupils that you (and grandparents) are all very welcome to support at the Years 3-6 Swimming Gala, next Monday afternoon, from 3.45pm.

Values Certificates: Ruby W (Effort); Dante RD & Penny A (Kindness)

Aloud and Proud Readers: Alfie H & Alexander W

Mr Wright

Stars of the Week

Nursery: Oliver A for his continued all round good effort and enthusiasm throughout the day.

Reception: Ottilie H for such an amazing week; being extra kind and helpful to her friends and  fantastic work in the classroom too!

Year 1: Harry S for working co-operatively as a team and using his number knowledge in PHSE.

Year 2: Florence H for an exceptional attitude towards her learning.

Jack M for an improved attitude towards his reading - both at home and at school.

Mrs Henry

With Biology Week drawing to a close we have enjoyed not only an enlightening assembly regarding the subject but also many events ranging from skeleton-themed quizzes and fingerprint recognition to blood typing and the Biology Art Attack competition (entries welcome until the end of November!). In recognition of National Poetry Day on Thursday 6th October the English Department has been celebrating poetry throughout the week, with teachers highlighting their favourite poems and daily poetry workshops taking place in inspirational locations around the school grounds, ranging from the top of the bell tower to the wooden toadstools at the front of the school.

Finally, we are delighted to announce that our first member of the Senior School to earn twenty five merit points or more is Humph G in Year 8, who has gained three commendations (each worth five merit points) and eleven merits, for his efforts so far this term. He has therefore been invited to 'celebration snack' in the Meetings Room this morning (Friday) where he will be congratulated by Mrs Knox and receive a prize. With so many others nearing the twenty five merit points mark, we look forward to welcoming many more to 'celebration snack' on a Friday morning over the coming weeks!

Mr Wilson

The Addams Family

As I'm sure lots of people already know our Senior School Production this year is the brilliant musical 'The Addams Family'. We have a cast of 75 pupils from Years 7-11 working hard to plough through the many numbers that are in this big show, and they are dealing with the choreography and harmonies splendidly! Parents of the cast please check your emails about the Sunday rehearsal this weekend. Tickets will be available after half term - more info will go out about this nearer the time. 

GCSE Drama

Our Year 11 GCSE Drama pupils came in last Sunday for an extra rehearsal in preparation for their 'Devising' pieces, which they are working hard to complete this term. Our GCSE pupils will also soon be heading off to see a physical theatre version of 'Othello' by the brilliant company Frantic Assembly,and in preparation for this Mrs Honey was hugely excited to take part last Monday in some CPD training at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre with Frantic Assembly practitioners. She has returned even more inspired and enthusiastic than normal!

Mr Rye

Boys' Football: U14/15 v. King Edward's Witley

This Tuesday, the U14/15 B boys football team travelled to King Edward's School. Spirits were high and the team started well, with some great attacking play from Duke of Kent School to take the lead. A quality strike at the edge of the area to find the bottom corner from Jamie P, who played fantastic throughout. After the first goal the game started to even out but just before half time Duke of Kent School found their feet again getting a couple of quick goals. The first half was fantastic to watch with the second half having some nice moments. Well done to the goal scorers Tom B, Moxon K, Jamie P and Issac P and well played to everyone involved. 

Mr Orme

On Wednesday the U13B football team played against Belmont on front pitch. Duke of Kent School started with some lovely possession football moving the ball around and finding gaps behind the Belmont defence. This continued for the majority of the first half which allowed Duke of Kent School to go 4 goals ahead at half time. The clean sheet was kept intact due to a great save from Jasper T in goal. Duke of Kent School continued to show their structure and passing skills in the second half with 3 more goals. Well done to all those who played as they have shown improvement every week. 

Mr Green

Boys' Football: U12/13 C v. Belmont

On Wednesday, the U12/13C team played Belmont away. The boys got off to a blistering start, with two quickfire goals from Elliott S. The pressure continued to build on the Belmont goal, it was only a matter of time before the team picked up their third goal with a super strike from Theo C. Some lovely passing and movement from the Duke of Kent School midfield resulted with a cracking cross from Elliott being turned in by Tom S. The boys ended the half with some excellent defending from Orson A and Ben J before Elliot secured a first half hat-trick! The team continued to apply constant pressure with their high line of defence, winning the ball in Belmont's half whenever they could. This resulted in three more goals from Oscar V, Max S, and a Belmont OG. The 8-0 victory was the perfect response from their defeat last week, showing good character and communication throughout. Well done to the whole team. 

Mr Monk

Boys' football: U10/11 B v. Belmont

We returned to winning ways this week, demonstrating powerful running and an improving level of fitness. The first-half downpour was barely noticed, as we built up a well-deserved 4-0 lead by the break. The second period was more even, with both teams showing moments of strong passing and attacking intent, sharing another four goals. Henry W deserves special mention - not only for scoring five goals, but also closing down opposition defenders with much more tenacity. Arthur and Mac also showed willing by volunteering to share goalkeeping duties - thank you, boys. The team spirit developing has been a pleasure to see - keep it up!

Mr Wright

Girls' Football: ISA Football Tournament

It was that time of year again - an exciting day in the School calendar for girls football, the ISA National Girls' Football Festival! On Tuesday afternoon, a mixture of girls from Years 8, 9 and 10 travelled to LVS Ascot for a day full of football. The U13 team had 4 group matches of 8 minutes per game. All of their matches were really close with the best result being a 3-0 win with Mercy M and Alice B as our goal scores. Clara H-S played fantastically in defence, positioning her body well to help her clear the danger and Edie H showed great determination in goal! Tildy C and Francesca R also had stints in defence alongside Clara H-S and put in some quality tackles to help the team. Alice B ran the midfield beautifully with some very skilful play and plenty of shots on target. Iona I and Mercy M rotated in midfield and as a centre forward to help create chances and showed some good control when dribbling at pace.

The U13s went into the plate semi final after some hard fought matches and were absolutely gutted to lose out in penalties after a 1-1 draw. Meanwhile, the U15 team were up against some extremely tough opposition with some of the best young talents of women's football at the tournament. The team played some great matches, especially when fighting it out in the semi final of the plate but narrowly lost out. Harriet P, Jess I and Emily B displayed great endeavour in the midfield whilst Sydney R, Helena K and Bella S were solid in defence. Star player must go to Saoirse W in goal for her epic saves in game after game. The girls made huge improvements throughout the matches and Alex K created some glorious opportunities and came within a whisker of scoring! Each member of the teams gave it everything and should be extremely proud of their efforts throughout the afternoon!  

Miss Vickers

Netball: U10/11 A v. Longacre

On Wednesday the U11/10 A team faced longacre at home. The weather was particular horrible so we changed destination and moved inside to the Sports Hall. The girls have been improving so much each week and were focused and determined to get their first win of the season. 

The team were dominant throughout, they focused on all the coaching points we had outlined; marking your player, passing into space, reacting quickly to lose balls and working as a team. Lola C and Holly B worked brilliantly as a shooting pair and the whole team worked brilliantly to secure an 11-0 win. Well done girls, I am already looking forward to our next match!

Mrs Woolgar

10 Tips for Parents and Carers: How to Be Green with your Tech

Right now, humans aren’t living sustainably: we’re taking too many resources and not leaving the world in a fit state for future generations. Old tech products are a clear example: if we throw them away, the poisonous lead and mercury inside can get into the food chain through the soil. Recycling tech, though, has its own issues: it’s often exported to countries where the law doesn’t protect people from hazards. Whole villages (including children) sort through discarded devices to remove useful parts and substances like gold, silver and copper – often putting their health at risk. Finding ways to reuse tech is the greenest option.

In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of tips such as donating your old devices to charity, reusing your smartphones and recycling the batteries.

Click on the link to find out more information about "How to Be Green with your Tech".

Mr Boden

Monday the 10th of October is World Mental Health Day and to mark this, staff will be wearing yellow in recognition of Young Minds', Hello Yellow campaign. Young Minds are a fantastic mental health charity providing resources and support for young people, parents and carers. For the last couple of years they have been campaigning for every school to have access to a counsellor for their pupils. Currently, they are highlighting the huge rise in childrens’ mental health concerns and petitioning for greater public funding to be directed toward mental health provision for children and young people.

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/about-us/our-strategy/

In school, we will be using Monday’s form time to focus on wellbeing and demonstrating to the pupils, by wearing accents of yellow, that every member of staff in school is united in the belief that how they feel matters.

On Thursday 13th of October, parents are invited to a drop in with the Learning Development and Wellbeing teams for a short presentation on the services and referral process of both departments. We would also like this to be an opportunity for connections between parents who may find they share similar issues with their children and would like to support one another.

If you would like to join us on that date please respond by Monday 10th October to office@dokschool.org

Mrs Douglas

There have been projections that this winter may be particularly bad for flu, further to the southern hemisphere already having experienced a tough winter (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63045190).  In response to this, the Department for Education announced this week that they plan to extend the nasal flu immunisation programme to pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9.  This is likely to be offered at School, but at the time of writing we have not been informed of any details of the plan for pupils at Duke of Kent School - we will notify relevant parents as soon as we hear what date the immunisations will be given.

Please can parents of pupils in Years 8 to 10 who are attending the Ski Trip this December, get any remaining medical forms to me before the half term holiday (Friday 14th October).  A PDF and also a Word version of the form can be found in "The Medical Room" area of the School website (within the Parents section).  Thank you in advance for your help.

Finally, Mrs Sarjant enjoyed spending time with year 5 yesterday for their first of several PSHE lessons on puberty and body changes.  Growing up can be a daunting, but also exciting time.  We hope that by talking about this topic openly at school, and with parents at home, we can make this sometimes challenging time of life a little easier to cope with for our rapidly growing pupils in Prep and Senior School.

Have a lovely sunny weekend,

The School Nurses

PADoK News

Bingo Night – Friday 7^th October.  8pm in the Dining Room

Tonight we are hosting our Bingo Night.  Please note it is a Bring Your Own event so remember to bring your own drinks, snacks and glassware.  Look forward to seeing you all and hope to see a dab of neon here and there!

PADoK Second Hand Uniform Shop

The shop will be open on Wednesday 12^th October from 15.00 to 16.00.

We are planning on making improvements to the shop over the next year or so.  In the meantime, we were wondering if any of the parent community might be help us with a few items.  We are in need of more storage so does anyone have any of the following they no longer need:

4 x 2 Ikea Kallax cube storage units – we need three please.

65 litre plastic storage boxes with lids.

If you do have any of the above then please email padok@dokschool.org.

Thank you in advance.

Duke of Kent School Singers

Duke of Kent School Singers met in the PA Hall on Thursday morning and there was another good turn out.  Today we sang lots of warm ups, brilliant rounds of Swing Low, Oh When the Saints and I Wanna Sing, leading into two part harmonies of I Can See Clearly Now.  We finished with a rendition of Hey Jude transitioning into Elbow!  It is amazing how much singing we do in 40 minutes.  Thank you to Mr Rye and Mrs Williams.

See you next week, venue tbc.  08.20.

This is a very relaxed session, no pressure to perform but an opportunity to have a sing song and a laugh with a really friendly group. So whether you sing in a shower or studio, all are welcome to come and make Thursday mornings a bit more joyful!!!  Contact Cathy on rhodricathy@sky.com if you would like more information.

PADoK Book Club – A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle

We wanted to read an old fashioned Who Dunnit and set the challenge to all that join us to send your guesses to Mrs Newman (claire@bluetreerecruits.co.uk) about who you think the Murderer is as you read the book and there will be prizes for those who guess who the killer is!  Join us at 8pm on Thursday 24^th November by the roaring fire in the great hall with a glass of wine to chat about the book, which has been described to have 'A very clever plot and a final twist which will delight Agatha Christie fans. You'll love it.' 

More information about the book is below:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-fatal-crossing/tom-hindle/9781529157840

November 1924. The Endeavour sets sail for New York, with 2,000 passengers - and a killer - on board.

When a body is found on deck, ship's officer Timothy Birch is ready to declare the death a tragic accident. But Scotland Yard inspector James Temple is certain there's more to this misfortune than meets the eye. Mounting an investigation, the pair uncover the theft of a priceless painting, and encounter a string of suspects with secrets to hide.

Now, with just days remaining until the Endeavour reaches New York, their search for the culprit is fraught with danger. And all the while, the passengers roam the ship with a killer in their midst...

Mrs Phillips

Senior School Optional Hoodie

The Senior School hoodies have redesigned by members of the School Council and the finished product can be seen above.  They have done a fantastic job at putting this design together and now finally getting to see the finished product.

This new hoodie is available from Stevenson's on their website: https://www.stevensons.co.uk/.  There is also the option to have your child's initials printed onto the front of the hoodie for a slight additional cost, something we would advise to avoid mixing up tops with other pupils. This hoodie is not an essential item of School uniform, so there is no expectation for pupils to have it.

If you wish to see the sample, please pop into the Main Office to see me and have a look at the new hoodie.

Mrs Woolgar

School Social Media

At Duke of Kent School we have three social media platforms; Instagram (dukeofkentschool), Twitter (@DoKSchool) and Facebook (Duke of Kent School). All of our social media accounts are public.

We recommend following all three accounts to receive push notifications with news, updates, educational articles, interactions with other schools, communities and public figures.

Mrs Woolgar