I hope you all enjoyed the half-term break and some wonderful spring sunshine.
I have been liaising with Paul Stewart from The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership and this week with Councillor Adam Stokes about our concern over the speed of the traffic on Gorse Lane. They are aware of the dangers and I hope that Councillor Stokes may be able to support us. Bollards will be placed outside the exit gate to help improve visibility when driving back into Gorse Lane and I will keep you informed of any further developments.
The digital world is constantly evolving and it must be increasingly difficult for many parents to keep track of the constant and steady influx of new games and apps. We regularly talk to our children about online safety and the NSPCC publishes advice for parents discussing online safety with your children. Please be aware that there is a very unpleasant "Momo Challenge" which is targeting young teenagers and younger children. We need to all be vigilant and constantly talk to our children about discussing everything we see on the internet. There should be no secrets. The NSPCC/Net Aware, is a useful guide for parents where the most popular apps/sites or games are reviewed. Parents can form their own views about whether an app/site or game is appropriate for their children.
We all look forward to performing at the Colsterworth Festival of Performing Arts on Friday 1st March at The Grantham Leisure Centre. Good luck to all our competitors on Friday and those who are taking part on an individual basis over the weekend.
Well done to our U-11 Netball team. After a very early start on Tuesday morning the team returned with silver medals from the ISA Midlands U-11 tournament (18 teams took part), Mr Park read out some very impressive winning scores in assembly yesterday morning. We now qualify for the ISA National Final. Well done girls, and Mrs Klimes and Mrs Clegg. Congratulations to you all.
Enjoy the weekend Kinds regards
Mrs K.A Korcz
Calendar & Events
Spring Term 2019
Term Starts:
Monday 7/1/19
Half Term:
18/2/19 - 22/2/19
End of Term:
Friday 5/4/19
Summer Term 2019
Term Starts:
Tuesday 23/4/19
May Day:
Monday 6/5/19
Half Term:
27/5/19 - 31/5/19
End of Term: Wednesday 17/7/19
ISSUE: 364 28th February 2019
IMPORTANT PARENT INFORMATION
Cool Cats Uniform Supplier: TGPS website - Please access the Uniform & Equipment heading on the home page there is a direct link to the Cool Cats website.
WEEKLY EVENTS
Friday 1st March 2019
Colsterworth Music Festival at Meres Leisure Centre
Monday 4th March 2019 U10 ISA Netball @ Malvern St James (a)
Tuesday 5th March
Pre-School visit to Brick Kiln Place
Wednesday 6th March
Online booking for Parents Evening opens at 10am
U11 Football v St Hugh's (a)
U9 Football v Wellow (h)
Thursday 7th March World Book Day - Come to school dressed as your favourite character
Author Karen Sanderson visiting
U11 G&D Hi 5 Netball League, Priory Ruskin
Tuesday 12th March & Thursday 14th March
5pm - 7.30pm
THE PARENTS' EVENING BOOKING SYSTEM WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM 10.00AM ON WEDNESDAY 6TH MARCH 2019, VIA THE PARENT PORTAL
To book an appointment please go to the parent portal https://mis.tgps.co.uk and log onto the system using your username and password. Alongside your child/children's pupil details there will be a tab to book Parents' Evening.
Please be aware that if you saw Mr Park last parents evening, you will be unable to see him this time.
If you require any help with your username or password information, or have a problem with the booking system please let me know, once the booking system is available.
Red Noses will be available to buy from the school office on Monday.
Cost £1.25 each.
Don't forget to bring in your extreme reading photos!
Have you got your costume ready?
Friends of Grantham Prep
"TGPS Uniform for Sale" is the name of their Facebook page where parents can advertise and buy school uniform. This is a monitored site and the name of your child's class teacher is needed.
Friends of Grantham Prep present
BINGO NIGHT - WITH MR MYTTON!!
On Friday 15th March the Friends of Grantham Prep will be holding a bingo night, to include Pizza and a tombola. Our very own Mr Mytton will be calling the numbers!!
We would like to ask for donations for prizes, so if you have any new or nearly new items that you would be happy to donate for tombola and bingo prizes, then please drop them off in the Reception area.
COST £3 - IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO, PLEASE GIVE YOUR NAME TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE
Pizza at 4.30pm followed by Bingo at 5.00pm
Tickets available from the school office for Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st March.
Cost: £20.00, Children 14 and under go free
Welcome Mr Jessop
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to Mr Jessop who joins us here as Caretaker. Please, if you see him around make yourself known and say hello.
This week has been a busy one! The children have been making the most of the sunshine and done lots of learning and playing outdoors. They have also learnt a bit about St Davids day which included making some yummy Welsh cakes!
The children in Class Two have put a great deal of effort into their homework over the half term. They were tasked with presenting their favourite animal to the class through a variety of different mediums. I have received some presentations that have been made on the computer, others have been hand written and some are on beautiful display boards. The criteria was clear and each child's presentation was individual and special. I am so pleased with the terrific amount of effort expended on these projects.
Yara's presentation on meerkats was truly inspiring, with excellent information and humorous pictures!
Thank you to all the children and any adults that helped, we could not achieve so much without your continued support.
The Christmas break brought about one of my favourite projects of the year - Volcanoes!
Year 5 were set the challenge of presenting information about these fascinating natural phenomena. They could build a model, it could explode (!), or it could be a poster or leaflet - the main criterion was that it must be an educational presentation to the rest of the class.
So, during the first week of term a vast array of multi-coloured creations started to arrive; along with questions about vinegar and even sparklers! The suspense was almost too much to bear.
It took a number of lessons to share the fantastic work of the Year 5's with each other. What with absences, swimming galas, music event and the such like... but we made it. Every single child spoke with passion about making their model, or researching a specific volcano, and truth-be-told for me, the true joy of seeing them present their work was that they were all different and original.
So, we packed up our stands, our instruments, our packed lunches and set off for Uppingham. Having taken a group last year, I knew that we were in for an extremely exciting experience; both hard work and tremendous fun.
Upon arrival, and after a quick drink and a biscuit (they're always really cross with me that staff get special cookies made for them!), we split off to rehearse in sections. There is not enough time to play every note, but everyone gets a chance to look at any tricky sections and to work on the rhythm - which is usually the most difficult part about it - it's quite simple; they just have to keep counting!
Later in the morning, there is then chance to rehearse en masse, either as part of the strings or wind groups, now piecing together the sections, looking at dynamics and tempo.
After lunch, and a quick breath of fresh air, it's time to run everything under the guidance of Mr Andrew Webster. This year's musical delights included sections of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, In the Hall of the Mountain King and music from The Greatest Showman.
Another quick comfort break, and parents started to arrive. There is no experience quite like being part of an orchestra, and especially not one comprised of 300 children.
Last year, we were conducted by a Harry Potter wand baton - but this year we were led by P.T. Barnum himself complete with a top hat and red tailcoat. The audience were supplied with 6 paper bags; one for rehearsal and 5 to become the canon in the appropriate moments in the 1812 finale (dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum bang bang - you know the one).
It was clear to all, that another excellent day had been had by all. However, we had all had to concentrate really hard and were looking forward to bed that night!
Well done Grantham Prep musicians! You were amazing. Looking forward to next year's already.
Congratulations to The Magnificient U12 Girls Hockey team
Congratulations to Georgie, Martha, Orla, Phoebe and Georgina J who have been representing Newark Hockey Club this season and are clearly enjoying their success with the team. Good luck to all the girls for the East Midlands Finals coming up next month. Kitty ( Yr2 ) is also playing for the club and we look forward to more successful news in the future.
U11 ISA Midlands Netball Tournament
The Under 11 girls travelled to Malvern St. James to compete in the ISA Midlands Netball Tournament on Tuesday 26th February.
The weather was a sweltering 19 degrees Celsius, which after last year’s snow, gave us the ideal playing conditions and was a welcome relief.
The girls competed in Pool 1 against the following Schools:
Tettenhall College: 5-3 win to TGPS
Bedstone College: 6-2 win to TGPS
Old Vicarage School: 3-0 win to TGPS
Crescent School: 9-1 win to TGPS
Edenhurst: 8-6 win to TGPS
Dodderhill: 6-0 win to TGPS
Ruckleigh: 7-6 win to TGPS
New bridge: 9-6 win to TGPS
The girls went on to play in the semi finals against Crackley Hall in Pool 2:
Winning 2-0
The girls gave it their all in the final against St. Edwards, however, a combination of exhaustion and the pressure factor unruffled their concentration. They were defeated 5-0. This was no reflection on their efforts and ability.
Securing the silver position in the tournament means that the girls have qualified for the ISA Nationals, as the top three teams qualify.
The girls should be extremely proud of their performance.
U9 v Ayscoughfee Hall
The girls approached this game with great enthusiasm and with the inspirational result of our U11 team ringing in their ears from assembly, they were bursting with desire to emulate their older peers.
It was a tough start to the match. Shooting into the glorious sunshine proved difficult and the height difference of our shooters to the opposition defenders was telling. Add to this some stray passing and we soon found ourselves 8 goals behind with nothing on the board to satisfy the desire. A spark was needed and it came from Savannah who had constantly been a nuisance to the Ayscoughfee defence but with little reward. Suddenly with the help of Sophia the attacking duo created an opening and Savannah took full advantage and got us on the score sheet.
Ayscoughfee scored again but that was to be their last troublesome attack. Savannah and Sophia began to gain the confidence to shoot and attack. With constant feeding from Hollie and Isobel who prevented the ball getting into the centre third, Savannah took full advantage. Goal 2, 3 and 4 went flying in. There was more peppering from Sophia, which enabled Savannah to score goals 5,6, 7 and eventually 8, which gave us hope that we could actually pull this game out of the mire and win. Alas, the hooter went.
A great example of what happens with a little belief, a little practice and a whole lot of heart. Well played everyone, a thoroughly entertaining match. Final result Ayscoughfee 9 Grantham Prep 8.
U10 Netball v Ayscoughfee Hall
The U10 girls played Ayscoughfee Hall School in Spalding on Wednesday 27th February in glorious winter sunshine.
The girls rotated around the court to enhance their understanding of all of the playing positions and the roles of each on the court.
A total of 40 minutes of netball was played over four quarters.
The girls won comfortably with 11 goals to 0.
The goals were scored as follows : 2 in the first quarter, 5 in the second, 4 in the third and 2 in the final.
It was lovely to see the girls moving to create space and receive the ball. There was some fantastic passing with the ball travelling in quick succession from the defensive end to our attacking end. Well done girls!
Please ensure that your finger nails are kept short for the netball season. As a guide, you shouldn’t be able to see your fingernails over the ends of your fingers when looking at the palms of your hands. This is for everyone's safety.
Mrs Klimes
U9A Football v. St Hugh's
We started the match warily, weighing up the opposition and backing off. Although we made tackles we watched what happened after, rather than chasing the ball and making another challenge if necessary. St Hugh's took advantage of our hesitancy and scored their first goal.
The game then settled and we began to grow in confidence. We had possession and attempts at goal that went wide of the post. Unfortunately, just before half time, St Hugh's took a shot from distance that travelled through a number of legs giving our Keeper little time to get down to make the save.
Second half was well matched and St Hugh's put their whole team behind the ball to prevent us scoring. This frustrated our players, who started running back towards our own goal to retrieve clearances. Even to the extent of tackling our own players and kicking towards our own goal. In the confusion, we gifted the ball to St Hugh's to score their third.
Final score: St Hugh's 3-0 Grantham Prep
The scoreline was unfortunate, we were just lacking in confidence, both ourselves and our team mates. If you played like you do at school, it would have been a much closer result. We just need a bit more self belief next time.
Harry D, Yuvan, Stanley, Jack (Captain), Finley, Harry T & Christophe.
U9 B Football v St Hugh's
On a glorious afternoon at St Hugh's the Under 9 B team took to the football field. It was the first time many of the boys had played competitively but they made a positive start dominating the early period of the game. The first goal remained elusive as half time approached, despite some good efforts from Milo, Harry and Matthew all going close. The hosts came out in the second half strong and some good defending from Thomas and Toby along with 2 fantastic saves from Seth kept the game level. With both teams tiring in the afternoon sun, an excellent break away from the energetic Theo, saw Grantham finally make the breakthrough after a scramble in the opponents area. With 5 minutes left to play concentration was needed to hold on and the team managed to do this to get the win, much to the teams and supporters delight.
Well done!
B Team: Seth N, Toby M, Matthew H, Thomas R, Harry K, Milo S, Theo B
To SEK Colombia is important that its students recognize the importance of eating a balanced diet identifying and recognizing the importance of nutrients through simple experiments, understanding portions, limiting sweets and sugary drinks, without imposing rules, promoting routines where Students record and think about their diet, reflect on their eating habits and acquire self-care commitments.
Colegio Internacional SEK Colombia BOGOTÁ - COLOMBIA
Eco Bricks
Helderberg International School is collaborating with our local Pick n Pay to create eco houses. The houses are made from plastic substances that are put inside plastic bottles to create an eco brick which is then used to build a perfectly structured and livable house.
The Community Service club have been collecting the resources, along with the rest of the school throughout the term. So far we have made 14 eco bricks and still have many more to make. The Community Service Club is still accepting all recycling donations. Please feel free to bring your recycling in so they can make as many house for our community as possible.
If you are selecting your child's lunches on a weekly basis, it must be done by midnight Thursday of the previous week. Once you have made your choices, unfortunately, you are unable to change them. However, if your child would like to change a meal, please email the school office (contact.grantham@iesmail.com) with the date and meal choice that you would like changing and we will make the changes for you.
The Wise pay booking system for hot lunches is available through the TGPS website.
Thank you.
School Bus Collection Points & Times
Bookings for this week:
Please contact the school office to book a place for your child.
8.10am Normanton on Cliffe
8.20am Ancaster
8.25am Wilsford
On Fridays the bus will run 15 minutes earlier to ensure pupils arrive in time for the *Music Machine" School Band rehearsal.
Access to the School Building after 4.30pm
As you are all aware there is now a gate which has a key code access to the Creche in the evening. If you do not have the code, please call 01476 593293 and your call will be answered by Creche.
