Good morning, Prep School,
Yey! Friday has arrived! I’m not sure where this week has gone to. It seems only 2 minutes ago that I was writing this Bulletin for Monday! I think it’s fair to say it has been an exceedingly busy week for us all. From seeing baking on Zoom to scavenger hunts to assemblies to online staff meetings to amazing Zoom lessons to being in school – I know I haven’t stopped and I know you haven’t either! I hope you have enjoyed the week as much as I have. What has been your highlight? Your favourite part?
So do you have anything planned for the weekend? Are you doing anything this weekend that you haven’t been able to do for a while? I have a little bit planned (Mr Bennett thinks we are going to be cleaning the house. . . I think we are not). Tonight, Mr Bennett and I are going to watch the musical Cats. Since lockdown, and all the theatres being closed all over the world, Andrew Lloyd Webber has been releasing some of his famous and amazing musicals each week on You Tube. These have been free to watch and for a limited time. So far we have seen:
*Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat – really good, a classic, but not as good as Yr6P – it didn’t make me cry like yours did – but shhhhhhh we remembered not to tell anyone Mrs Bennett got emotional!
*Jesus Christ Superstar – brilliant but very, very thought provoking and upsetting in places (not one for some of you).
*Les Miserables – an amazing sound track. I loved the mix of humour and emotion. Very good but not my favourite.
*Phantom of the Opera – I LOVE this! This is my absolute favourite thing in the whole wide world. Since we watched it weeks ago, the sound track has been played none stop in our house and we have re-watched it many times. This really surprised me. I saw it many, many years ago on Broadway in New York but I really didn’t like it at the time and I fell asleep. I literally woke up when everyone was applauding at the end. Now, it’s is my new obsession! I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it! The music and the emotions it evokes are out of this world.
*Love Never Dies – this is the sequel to Phantom (before lockdown, I didn’t know there was a sequel to Phantom) – very good, another one we thoroughly enjoyed. Great music and storyline. Very enjoyable.
*Last week was By Jeeves – I sadly missed this – has anyone seen it? Is it worth me watching it? Maybe you could ask your parents for me?
*Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (This isn’t Andrew Lloyd Webber but It is a musical). I remember my mum watching this when I was little and I recall sitting and watching it with her whilst playing something else. I had forgotten all about it until one Sunday afternoon, I saw it on the TV. It was filmed in 1954 so it is very old fashioned in its views but it is delightful viewing. It made me smile and I was singing the songs for days – nothing big and dramatic like some of our modern musicals but really catchy songs and a cute storyline. It brought back some lovely memories of my mum.
Musical theatre has been my biggest discovery since lockdown. I knew the songs and the names of many productions but I never really took the time to watch any of them. I didn’t realise what I had been missing out on for the whole 25 years of my life. I used to dismiss them and think that I would enjoy them or I would be bored. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This revelation has made my lockdown far more enjoyable that it could have been. Mr Bennett also feels the same. So my moral from this – don’t judge something until you have properly tried it. Immerse yourself in something, don’t just dip your toe in. Try things and you never know what new enjoyment that you will find out there, sometimes right in front of you. Give it a try. https://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/the-shows-must-go-on/
Apart from Cats, I am planning to do my dad’s and my neighbours shopping for them (I am up to 4 neighbours now and my dad – I think the people in the supermarket think Mr Bennett and I eat a lot over a week, especially as everyone we shop for want similar things – milk, teas, sugar etc). I will then see my dad tomorrow to take his weekly shopping to him. I am going to bake some fairy cakes for my niece and nephew as they have been asking me to make some all week. I suppose I will have to help clean a bit to keep Mr Bennett happy and then we are going on a longer bike ride than usual. Hopefully the sun will stay out all weekend and we can enjoy being outside some more. Other than that, I think I might relax a little and read my book. I would love to hear about your fun weekends – please email me and send me some photos. Whatever you are planning on doing, have fun but stay safe.
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 Friday 15th May 2020:
Life skill of the day: Can you water the plants in your garden?
Day of the year themes: ‘Chocolate Chip Day’, ‘Bike To Work Day’, ‘Bring Flowers To Someone Day’, World Facilities Management Day’, Shades Day’, ‘Pizza Party Day’, ‘Endangered Species Day’ and ‘Straw Hat Day’.
What an amazing combination of things to celebrate today! I look forward to seeing what you do with these? Eat a pizza in a straw hat, wearing shades, whilst riding a bike to take flowers to your mum?
I am sure that you would all like to join me in saying thank you to our amazing facilities team at school who keep the buildings running like well-oiled machines! Thank you to you all for your hard work when we are in school and to Mr Hughes for helping us out during lockdown. . .your help and support is very much valued. THANK YOU!
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: If we moved the school building to the other side of town, but left everything and everyone here, where would the school be?
TOPS activity of the week: Can you find something in your house that starts with every single letter of the alphabet? Once you have collected all of these, can you take a photograph and send them to me please?
I have had some great photos for the above activity – if you have anymore, please send them to me.
Quote of the Day: “Amazing things happen when you try.”
Sleeps til Santa: 224
Have a super weekend, everyone. Please try and rest and recharge those batteries ready for next week,
Stay safe,
Love
Mrs Bennett 😊
