The ISA Dance Competition

On Wednesday morning, nine jolly sailors set off for Reddam House School in Berkshire for the annual ISA Dance Competition. The team comprised of dancers from Year 6 to Year 10, some of whom only started ballet in September! Once we arrived, it was all hands on deck to get into costume before our performance at 10:30. Florrie P performed her ballet solo beautifully and confidently, and our Sailors' Hornpipe went down a storm, but it wasn't all plain sailing: the music started before Florrie had finished changing, which the whole crew dealt with very professionally! Whilst no awards were forthcoming this year, Ballet Club greatly enjoyed performing and watching the other schools' entries. After a quick picnic lunch, it was anchors aweigh and back to school for the last lesson of the day. Well done to all of Ballet Club: Natasha B, Isla B, Eddie C, Erin C, Ariane L, Eddie P, Florrie P, Anna S and Matilda R, and big thanks to Madame Fellous for coming to support us, and being navigator-in-chief!

Mr Rye

Year 1 Medieval Day

On Tuesday 2nd November Year 1 had their Medieval Day. The children arrived at school wearing their fancy dress costumes, there were princesses, knights, dragons and a jester. 

We started our day with art, where the children learnt that in Medieval times, all books were hand-written and decorated by hand, usually by priests and monks. They were seen as very precious works of art and you had to be very skilled to produce them.  

These manuscripts were called 'illuminated' because the letters and pictures were often decorated with gold and silver leaf. Year 1 embossed their own illuminated letters onto a piece of silver foil, then used sharpies to decorate them.  

During P.E. Miss Vickers showed the children some Medieval dance moves and the children were able to choreograph their own dance based on the character they dressed as. 

Finally, we were really lucky to have Mr Lodge come to our classroom and teach us about the Battle of Hastings, first we had a history lesson where we learnt about the Battle of Hastings, then we went outside and did a reenactment of the battle on the bank.

Miss Walpole

Movember

Movember fundraisers are a global community of fired up Mo Bros and Mo Sisters making a difference in men's health covering mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. There are multiple events that happen throughout the year to raise awareness and spread the word about matters that often get overlooked. Myself and Mr Gritton are taking part this year to raise awareness and money for this amazing charity.

Your donations could help save a father, a brother, a son, a friend, a partner or a man’s life.

We will be sharing weekly updates of the progress of our beards via the School's social media platforms!

If you would like to donate then please follow the below:

Donate to Movember

Mr Boden

Stretch and Challenge 

This week's suggested competitions and events are listed below. Remember there are many more that can be view on the Stretch and Challenge Website:

(https://sites.google.com/dokschool.org/stretchandchallenge/home)  

The Geological Society Lecture Mysteries in the clouds of Venus (Senior Students)

Although Venus is Earth-like in mass and size, a runaway greenhouse effect has rendered the surface so hot it can melt metals. Learn about this fascinating planet in this free online lecture on 17th November at 6pm. More information and booking details can be found here:

https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/11-gsl-public-lecture-mysteries-in-the-clouds-of-venus

ISA Christmas Banner Competition (5-10 years)

Get your design skills out and design the official ISA email signature banner for Christmas 2021.

Closing date for entries is Tuesday 23rd November 2021. For more information visit https://www.isaschools.org.uk/arts/isa-primary

I also wanted to take this opportunity to share the fantastic Poem that Hope Newman in year 4 produced for the Young Writers 'This is Me' competition. We look forward to hearing the results as we think this is a very special poem which also features 4 of our 5 school values!

KEHR
I am kind, a leader, protective and brave
I stand up for my friends even if they turn their back on me
This is true, but kindness, effort, honesty and respect are not untrue
Kindness for when you help someone even if you get laughed at
Effort for working hard to do something
Honesty for telling the truth even if it is hard
Respect for taking care of someone or something
All of that goes into one word, my word called KEHR
It is weird but this word is all of that
Makes me feel protected, happy and loved.

Mr Wyllie

Prep and Pre-prep News

Our return to School this week has seen the arrival of seasonally chillier temperatures, so I'd like to start this update with a reminder that children should always have their coat and wellies in School, as well as a recommendation that they have their school gloves and hats in from now on.

Despite the cold, the children have been enjoying plenty of outdoor learning, with Nursery leading the way as they made beautiful autumnal crowns and weaved some dream-catcher decorations, which now hang in the classroom. The Reception classroom has also had something of a makeover this week, following their reading of Hansel and Gretel; one corner of the room has been transformed with the children's artwork into a sweet-covered Gingerbread cottage where they will be able to enjoy some deliciously festive chocolate and pumpkin cookies they're making. Year 2 had a themed day to celebrate Halloween at the start of the week, and are ending it with a celebration of Diwali, whilst Year 6 have been donning their metaphorical witches' hats to make the potions for which they wrote instructions before half term. 

In Assembly, it was lovely to see the children share examples of project work they completed over the half-term break, on the theme of 'My Big Mouth'. Herb M's video of his upside down chin reciting the names for 'mouth' in different languages (including 'cockney'!) was a highlight, as were Evelyn C's fimo model and wordsearch, and Alexander I's finely crafted and annotated 3D diagram of a river. We have also enjoyed welcoming some of you in person this week as we held our Years 5 and 6, and Pre-prep Parent Meetings. The Year 3 and 4 Meeting slots are now open for booking, and we look forward to seeing many of you next Thursday.

Values Certificates

Effort - Alex I 

Mrs Green

Star of the Week  

Nursery: Aoife F for her continued enthusiasm and friendly attitude in class.

Reception: Maddie C for great measuring, making accurate comparisons and sorting lengths.

Year 1: Daniel L for showing great confidence and focus in our place value work.

George F for showing great engagement and enthusiasm during our re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings

Year 2: Elizabeth S for superb progress with your reading - you should be incredibly proud of yourself!

Mrs Henry

Matches

Hockey: U14 & U15 v. Kind Edward's

On the cold but sunny Tuesday afternoon the U14 and U15 welcomed King Edward's for two back to back hockey matches.

Up first were the U14s; a dominant display from our midfielders meant we were able to put their goalkeeper under pressure and eventually Eva L was able to jump on a rebound to score and put us 1-0 up! We were under pressure in the final few minutes but Fleur S made a match winning save with seconds to go so the game finished 1-0.

After a quick changeover of goalkeepers, the U15s were ready to go. We started slowly and despite some great defending we went 0-1 down. That didn't matter and we came back fighting with some lovely passing up the pitch, which was finished by Maddie I to level the scores. The match wasn't over yet and both teams had their chances but some lovely tackling and driving forward from Tilly C meant we were really pushing for another goal, it didn't quite come in time but a draw was a great result!

Miss Martin

Netball: U8 nd U9 v. Frensham Heights

On Thursday afternoon, the U8 and U9 girls travelled to Frensham Heights for a netball match. The girls were super excited and raring to go! Once we arrived, we got warmed up and then cracked on with the match. Duke of Kent School started with a bang - Ruby W and Jasmine W linked up brilliantly to score 5 goals in the first quarter! The team continued to work with great determination despite the extremely cold conditions! Lots of team played multiple positions demonstrating great versatility. Fast forward to the final quarter and Frensham Heights had really upped their game. Charlotte C worked tirelessly in defence to make interceptions and reduce the amount of goal scoring opportunities for the opposition. What a great afternoon - well done to all of the girls involved!

Miss Vickers

Football: U13 B v. Kingswood House

On a very chilly Wednesday afternoon, the U13 B team hosted Kingswood House on the Front Pitch. The ground was a little wet still from the weekend so the boys needed to be careful that they passed with power and accuracy. Duke of Kent School dominated possession throughout the game but struggled to find a breakthrough until Harry L scored with a fine effort. Two more goals from Monty L, who was a threat throughout, gave us a 3-0 lead. A late consultation goal from Kingswood House did not dampen the spirits of the U13 B team who all showed great spirit and determination throughout. Well done to all who played.

Mr Herbert

Football: U13E's v. Kingswood House

On Wednesday saw the U13E team travel to Kingswood House for football. They got off to a flying start with 2 goals from Jake L in the first half with assist from goalkeeper Declan E and Henry R. Unfortunately, Kingswood House fought back in the second half to win the game 4-2. But well done to all the boys involved as they showed good determination and commitment throughout the whole game. 

Mr Green

U10/11 A and B Team vs Kingswood House 

On Wednesday, the A and B team both played a 6 a-side match against Kingswood House. The A team match was a tough match up for the boys, but they kept playing and working their hardest until the final whistle. Henry O and Elliot S were the two players who stood out for their tireless work, which was great to see in a game the ended in a loss. The B team match, started well and got better throughout with every outfield player getting on the score sheet in a great win. The boys played some great football clearly using different parts of the game that they have worked on training, during the match. Well played to everyone involved and keep the high match intensity levels going.

Mr Orme

Football: U8/9 A v. Cottesmore

The U9 A travelled to Cottesmore on Thursday afternoon. Cottesmore wanted to use all of their Year 3 & 4 boys so split their numbers into three teams. This allowed us to play a four team tournament with each team playing three matches. Duke of Kent  School played extremely well as a team winning two matches and drawing one. Alex J scored five goals in total and Arthur S scored a spectacular goal in the first match. The boys should be very pleased with the progress they are making; they moved into good positions and were calm in possession of the ball. Well done to all who played.

Mr Herbert

Football: U8/9C's v. Kingswood House

The U8/9Cs had their 2nd game of the season v. Kingswood House on Thursday. Duke of Kent School started the brighter out of the two teams going 2 goals up very quickly with good play from Ivan K and Max M. The boys continued to pass the ball well and showed confidence dribbling, in particular from Rowan B and George S, with 2 more goals being added before half time. Duke of Kent School continued to pass the ball well and showed strength in tackling. Well done to Freddie G who recorded a clean sheet. 

Mr Green

E-Safety Tips

What Parents Need to Know About TikTok

TikTok is a video-sharing social media app which lets people create, view and download looping 15-second clips. Typically, these are videos of users lip-syncing and dancing to popular songs or soundbites (often for comic purposes), enhanced with filters, effects and text.

Click on the link to find out more about Tik Tok: Tik Tok Information

Mr Boden

Weekly Wellbeing

This week is International Stress Awareness Week: 1st-5th of November 2021, created to bring awareness to the physical and mental health impact of stress and give guidance on how to alleviate stress in everyday life. For the international community the stresses of climate change and the pandemic have caused worry and concern globally. Individually, we are all subject to our own personal stressors such as: relationship conflict, grief, financial worries, exam/ performance stress and image concerns amongst others; it is important to recognise the symptoms of stress and formulate individual strategies to combat it and regulate your wellbeing.

You may recognise symptoms affecting you:

Physically: tiredness, headaches, muscle tension, skin irritations, digestive issues, raised blood pressure, troubled breathing.

Emotionally: lacking confidence, irritability, isolation, low mood, apprehension, difficulty coping

Mentally: increased anxiety, brain fog, impaired judgement or concentration, nightmares, pessimism, indecisiveness.

Behaviourally: sleeping and eating habit changes, prone to accidents, loss of appetite, relationship difficulties.

Ways to manage your stress….

1. Take slow deep breaths.

2. Listen to soothing music.

3. Stretch your body - stretches, yoga, pilates.

4. Go for a walk or do gentle exercise.

5. Write things down.

6. Talk to someone about how you’re feeling.

7. Monitor media intake.

8. Eat healthily and regularly.

9. Keep good sleeping habits.

10. Take a warm bath or shower.

Take some time this weekend to consider your own stress levels and take action if you feel you are struggling with any of the symptoms. Wishing you a relaxed weekend!

Mrs Douglas

PADoK News

Christmas Hamper Donations 

PADoK Book Club

Focusing on the Christmas theme, our brand new book The Christmas Pig by JK RowlingThis is a book we can read with our children to get into the festive mood.

When Jack loses his beloved toy pig on Christmas Eve, the festive season seems to be ruined. But with the help of his trusty – if really, really annoying – new piggy present, Jack embarks on a thrilling adventure to find his favourite friend and bring them back home.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 25^th November at 8pm to get our thoughts on the Christmas Pig and maybe enjoy a festive drink and nibble at the same time.

Mrs Phillips

New Optional Senior School Hoodie

The Senior School hoodies have been 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).

Our Twitter and Facebook accounts are public however, our Instagram account is private to keep it strictly for the Duke of Kent School community only. To follow the School Instagram account you will need to request to follow the account. 

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