Good morning, Prep School family,
I hope you are well and looking forward to this final week of school before a well-earnt half term rest. I can hardly believe that we are at May half term already – it seriously only seems 5 minutes since we were starting back at school in September and now we are looking towards the end of another academic year. Where does time go?
I hope you had a good weekend? Mine was full of seeing family, catching up with friends and watching Eurovision! I even managed to watch a Midsomer that I had never seen before – a winning weekend!
Did any of you watch the Eurovision Song Contest? It isn’t something I normally do and it isn’t a tradition in our house – we never really watched it as children and my parents weren’t fans. However, some families take this contest very seriously. They thoroughly embrace the competition and many have themed buffets, fancy dress parties and decorate their houses with flags from all of the countries taking part. They create official score cards and try their hardest to mark the winners and decide which country gets their very valuable 12 points! It is the highlight of some people’s year!
I actually have no idea why I watched it this year, I think Mr Bennett and I put it on as a time filler when we were waiting for another programme to start but we were hooked from the beginning! There seemed to be something special about the competition this year. I really enjoyed seeing the live audience and it reminded me of how (hopefully) things are slowly getting back to normality. I am always wowed by the hosts and how they can speak so many different languages perfectly – added to this skill, this year they could also sing beautifully and looked extremely glamourous! I loved Graham Norton’s comedy commentary and his dry wit and brutal honesty – he says what we are all thinking! I also enjoyed listening to the songs and watching the performances. In previous years, the acts have been less than good and the accompanying light show or backing dancers have been. . . interesting to say the least. I didn’t feel this way this year. What I felt came through the power of TV was the extraordinary team work that it took to get a live show on this scale to happen in the middle of a pandemic. I thought that the songs were more than half decent for a change and the stage shows that accompanied them were very entertaining! I liked the fact they covered all genres from cheesy pop to rock. I liked the diversity on show. There was something for every viewer. The camaraderie that came through for each other performer was lovely – it felt like one big party.
I’m sure everyone had their own favourite acts and countries that they liked and were cheering on. For me personally, I liked (in no particular order) Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Malta, Lithuania and Switzerland. The judges and voting public obviously didn’t agree with me as Italy emerged victorious. I did feel sorry for the UK entry and his score of zero, only the 2nd time in the competition’s history but I was in no way surprised after the last few years. However, what I am taking away from this year’s contest isn’t the voting and or the points score (or not!) – it’s the fun, freedom and friendship that a competition like this brings and we all know that we all need these in our lives right now. Saturday night showcased these to the extreme and I really loved it. . . Now time to prepare my score card ready for next year!
Days of the year themes for the coming week: A very quiet week this week. . .
Tuesday 25th May – Towel Day, Tap Dance Day and Wine Day
Wednesday 26th May – Blueberry Cheesecake Day
Thursday 27th May – World Product Day and Sun Screen Day
Friday 28th May – Hamburger Day, Brisket Day and Amnesty International Day
Saturday 29th May – Mount Everest Day, Paperclip Day, Biscuit Day and Put A Pillow In Your Fridge Day!
Sunday 30th May – Water a Flower Day
Quote of the week: “Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you start to enjoy your life.” Joyce Meyen
Riddles of the Week: I thought for a few weeks we would mix it up a bit and replace out jokes and facts of the week with riddles of the week! Get your thinking caps on!
It belongs to you, but your friends use it more. What is it?
There’s only one word in the dictionary that’s spelled wrong. What is it?
I have a tail and a head, but no body. What am I?
Meaningful May calendar task (This month’s theme is all about reflecting on what gives our life meaning. Being a part of something bigger than ourselves and focusing on things that we value is key to our wellbeing. So let’s take time to reflect on what we care about this month and keep these things at the front of our minds as our societies begin to open up again.):
Tuesday 25th May:
Recall three things that you have done that you are proud of
Wednesday 26th May:
Make choices that have a positive impact for others today Thursday 27th May:
Ask someone what matters to them most and why
Friday 28th May:
Focus on how your actions make a difference to others Saturday 29th May:
Today do something to care for the natural world Sunday 30th May:
Find three reasons to be hopeful about the future
Sleeps til Santa: 213 days
Five things I am looking forward to this week (thanks to Mrs Hinch for the inspiration): Can you try this each day? Remember, it focuses your mind on the positive and reminds us to show gratitude for things, no matter how small!
This week I am looking forward to: bedtime stories with Arthur and Amelie, getting through my huge pile of washing, sunrises, sunsets and yoga.
Have a great rest of this week and an amazing half term, fingers crossed we get the warm and sunny weather we are being promised!
Lots of love
Mrs Bennett
Riddle answers:
Your name, wrong and coin!
