Prep and Pre-prep School Updates
This week we had a very special arrival in the Prep School, in the form of our new 'buddy bench'. Three giant mushrooms engraved with the words 'Always Stand Together'; words suggested by Myles C (Y6), thank you Myles! These friendship seats will provide a place for children to sit if they are feeling lonely or sad. When a child notices another child sitting on one of our mushrooms, they can offer the hand of friendship through a smile, conversation or an offer of play. These seats will offer a positive addition to the school's existing anti-bullying strategies, encouraging pupils to recognise and respond to the needs of others. We are very grateful for the generous donation we received which enabled us to purchase them.
In relation to learning this week, during Science lessons, Year 3 set up investigations to show how water travels through a plant, Year 4 have investigated how string telephones work and Year 5 have been investigating air resistance by making different parachutes. Reception have done some marvellous measuring using their toys and equipment at home as well as making themselves into a balance scale!
Year 2 have been learning about reptiles and completed a chameleon collage, selecting different materials to reflect the environment where their frog can be found.
Year 3 have also been on a fact-finding mission, collating information about different rainforest animals. In Year 6 English, pupils have been getting to grips with working in online groups, showing good teamwork to develop biographies of author Kenneth Grahame.
Value Certificates
Effort - Rebekah S, Arthur S, Holly B, William M
Responsibility - Ben W, Kit B, Tom S
Stars of the Week
Nursery - Gracie B for settling into Nursery with enthusiasm and an increasingly positive attitude towards new experiences.
Reception - Obie M for good number formation work and fantastic measuring with dinosaurs!
Bodhi G for amazing measuring and comparisons with his toys and for showing good effort with writing skills.
Year 1 - Joey S for attitude to learning especially in English and Maths.
Year 2 - Rufus S-C for a thoroughly improved attitude towards writing and English.
Mrs Green
What a treat the snow was this week. I so much enjoyed building a snowman and sledging down the bank at school. It was wonderful watching the children enjoying themselves too! It brought a little bit of welcome light relief! Thank you to those who have already completed the Remote Learning survey.
Tuesday's 'No Screen Day' saw some incredible creations from pupils throughout the Senior School. This included baking that would not look out of place in Mary Berry's hands and home-made erupting volcanoes that were borne out of creativity and ingenuity. I do hope it gave them a little respite from the screen and was a successful change from regular remote schooling for you.
Last week pupils were sent ideas for virtual Volunteering, and very well done to those who have been engaging with the new ideas. I also invite you to explore this link which explains how participants can complete their Volunteering section(s) by helping at home, for example, by helping younger siblings with remote learning. The Assessor cannot be a family member but can be a family friend, teacher (such as a form tutor) or DofE leader (namely myself or Mr Wyllie). Evidence, such as a log of events, can be provided as proof of progress. This can also be backdated as far back as the September your child began Year 9 (Covid related from 5th Jan). Note a participant can change from an existing activity to another or could do more than one event and combine the two together.
After half term, as part of our social media strategy, we will be launching a Duke of Kent School Facebook page. You will be informed when this page is live and available to follow. This account will be used exactly the same as Twitter. It is a public account, accessible without having to follow however, we encourage you to follow the account to receive push notifications with news, updates, educational articles, interactions with other schools, communities and public figures and to see upcoming events. The content shared is more formal and focused on showcasing the educational strengths within the school. Any pupils that have chosen to opt out of photography to be used on social media, will continue not being used with this new platform too. If you have any questions regarding this initiative, please don't hesitate to contact Emma Vernon, Marketing Coordinator on 
Our Twitter account is public however, our Instagram account is private to keep it strictly for the Duke of Kent School community only. You will need to request to follow the account. 
Please do follow the accounts to receive the regular updates and to see highlights from each day at School. There is a link to the Twitter account below.