Good morning, Prep School children, Welcome to the month of April!
It’s Wednesday! I am so excited as I am going into school today to help look after the children of our key workers. It is my turn on the rota. I didn’t even snooze my alarm once this morning. I am proud of this achievement. It is also the day we break up for the Easter holiday. . . this is usually a day filled with excitement and there is no reason why today shouldn’t be the same! You have more time to spend with your family’s without the pressures of distance learning. You can relax and enjoy spending time together, you can use those life skills you have learnt over these past few weeks to help your mums and dads out and most importantly, you get to go to bed a little later and have a long lie in (ok, maybe that last point was aimed more at your parents and teachers!)
As a historian, I have been thinking a lot about what we, as a world, are going to be learning from the outbreak of coronavirus. What lessons can we use in the future, what errors did we make and what did we do really well. I find it fascinating to explore these questions and discuss them with my dad (also a very keen historian).
It also got me thinking about how we are living through a major event in history. We will, in the future, be teaching the children in schools about the outbreak of a virus in 2020 and the impact it had on our world and on our lives. Just like we learn about about major events in the past, people in the future will be talking about an event that we lived through!
When I was a little girl, I loved nothing more than sitting down with my grandma and grandad and listening to their stories about the war and all of the things that they had to go through on a daily basis. I found it fascinating that food was rationed, that my grandma’s wedding dress was made from the lining of an old parachute, how my grandad was shot down in his plane over Arnhem (in the Netherlands) and how he and his best friend hid in a hay barn for weeks to escape being captured by the German soldiers. Their journey to freedom was both scary and exciting but it is definitely something I will never forget.
You are going to have the chance to be able to tell your children and your grandchildren about this time in history that you lived through and experienced. It is a privilege that we will be able to tell the truth about how this time was. Perhaps this holiday, you might like to start a diary about the things that we have been through so far. Imagine you are reading this diary in 60 years’ time, write about the things that you would like to know. . . who looked after you? Was food rationed? What was it like not going to school? How did you speak to your friends? Did you live with any extended family? What was it like getting your daily exercise when the normally bustling streets were empty? If it is safe to do so, take some newspaper cuttings of daily events and add these to your diary. Take photos, draw pictures, interview your family – how are they feeling? I am keeping my Bennett Bulletin as a reminder of this time and hopefully in years to come, my family will ask questions and I will be able to show them what we lived through. Who knows, we might have the next Samuel Pepys at Highclare Prep!
I have attached a photo of my grandparents as I thought you might like to see them.
Don’t forget you have been exclusively invited to join the Highclare Prep School Pen Pals Club! If you would like to write letters to each other whilst we are at home during the holidays and beyond, Ms Kenny is setting up Highclare Pen Pals Club. Ms Kenny, Miss Upham and Miss Broder will match you with someone from the other site who they think you would get on well with. You can share drawings, stories or just information about yourselves.
As per my email yesterday, if you would like to take part in this club – it is very easy. Please ask one of your parents to email Ms Kenny (c.kenny@highclareschool.co.uk) stating that they are happy for you to be talking part in this club and that they agree to have their email addresses exchanged with another parent (this is essential!). Ms Kenny, Miss Upham and Miss Broder will then do the rest! Then hopefully, you can have more fun post coming through your door than your parents!
I have also attached a poster reminding you of Mrs Griffith’s ‘Great Junk Egg Challenge’ – what an egg-citing opportunity to get creative and egg-spress yourselves! Closing date it Thursday 9th and winners will be picked and announced! There may even be a small prize on offer!
So each day I promised I would be sending you a life skill task to complete and also a joke, poem, picture, fact or reflection. Here we go for Monday 1st April 2020:
Life skill of the day: Can you load and unload the dishwasher for your busy mums and dads?
Day of the year theme: ‘Fun Day’, ‘Day of Hope’ and ‘Sourdough Bread Day’ – fun, hope and sourdough – my perfect combination!
April is also ‘Adopt a Ferret Month’ – I’m completely positive that I will not be doing anything with this piece of information!
Thunk of the day: Remember, Thunks are unusual questions that are designed to make you think. There are no right or wrong answers -just your answer. The only rule is that you must be able to justify and explain your answer. You cannot just say the first thing that comes into your head. Really think about the question and discuss with your family!
Question: What would you get if you crossed a rabbit with a cabbage?
TOPS activity of the week: Can you create a poster celebrating the NHS? All the things NHS workers do for us/when was the NHS established etc.
Please keep sending these through to me – they are fantastic and I’m enjoying looking at them all.
Jokes of the day: Thank you, Morgan (Yr3W)
Q: Why did the jelly babies go to school?
A: Because they wanted to be Smarties!
And some from me:
Q: Why did the child throw his clock out of the window?
A: He wanted to see time fly!
Q: What are fish so smart?
A: Because they live in schools!
Q: Where do polar bears keep their money?
A: In a snow bank
Q: Why was the pony sent to his room?
A: He wouldn’t stop horsing around!
Quote of the day: Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy
And we cannot forget a very important countdown. . .
Sleeps til Santa: 268
Have a fantastic day, everyone, and enjoy the holidays,
Be good and don’t forget to help your parents as much as you can!
Be kind to yourself and each other,
Until the Monday 20th, take care and stay safe,
Lots of love
Mrs Bennett 😊
