From the Head

Dear Parents,

European Day of Languages celebrations have brought joy and excitement to our week at St Michael’s as pupils and staff across the school have shared their love of languages with each other. 

Thank you to Madame Poracchia for organising an action-packed programme of activities to mark the event together with the Languages Department and Mrs Playell. We were delighted to welcome members of our International Club to speak to Pre-Prep and Prep about the languages spoken and cultures in a range of countries. Highlights of the day also included seeing the children dressed in flags and themed accessories, as well as the delicious lunch prepared by our talented Catering Team. 

If you haven’t yet, I recommend watching The Masked Michaelian video in this week’s newsletter which was shared with the pupils on Thursday as part of European Day of Languages. The pupils were excited to discover which languages their teachers spoke as they guessed who was behind each mask. 

On Monday I shared the role of Head with Year 8 pupil Theo who enjoyed his Head for the Day experience. Taking on a range of responsibilities throughout the day, Theo stepped into his role with enthusiasm and maturity, supporting me in many of my day-to-day tasks across the school. 

We were proud to fly our Eco Schools flag for the first time on Tuesday as members of last year’s Eco Committee gathered to celebrate St Michael’s achievement of the Green Flag Award. We congratulate the work of these members, and the wider school community, for their dedication to achieving this status. We look forward to embarking on many new eco projects over the coming years as we work to further improve our environmental sustainability. 

I’d also like to mention some of the IT developments that have been implemented behind the scenes recently including our Years 7 and 8 iPad programme which has seen each senior pupil receive an iPad and keyboard case to support their learning in and outside of the classroom. Replacement of interactive whiteboards, laptop upgrades and security enhancements have also improved our digital provision. 

We have ended the week with school photo day as everyone has showcased their best smiles and smartest uniform for the camera. 

Wishing you a brilliant weekend,

Nik Pears

From the Head of Pre-Prep

Dear Parents,

Our busy week has culminated in photographing all of your children with and without siblings. This ran as smoothly as possible thanks to Mr Wiseman’s logistics and an “all hands on deck” approach from staff. We will be reviewing how to bring Nursery and Kindergarten children in on a day that they don’t normally attend.

Thank you for coming to the Kindergarten Welcome Morning, P&F Meeting, Reception Phonics Workshop and Year 1 English Workshop. Some of you seem to have been here every day! Our European Day of Languages went well with children greeting me all day in different languages. I am really sorry I had to miss the assembly presentation by some of our international parents; it sounded like a lot of fun!

Next week we have the Year 2 Parents' Workshop for English on Monday 30^th September at 8.45am in the Pre-Prep Dining Room. On Tuesday 1^st October we have the Reception Parents' Maths Workshop at 8.45am. Wednesday 2^nd October is our Year 1 Parents' Maths Workshop starting at 8.45am.

In the afternoon of Tuesday 1^st October we have our Open Classrooms event which enable you to come in and see what your child has been up to in the first few weeks of term. This year we are asking that Kindergarten and Reception parents try and get here for 3pm in the hope that we can stagger the parking in Pre-Prep. The Years 1 and 2 parents will be invited into the classrooms at 3.15pm. This will help those of you with two or three children in Pre-Prep, to get around each classroom. The children will stay in their classrooms until you collect them. There are no activities after school except the paid ones for Dance Act and Mandarin.

Harvest Festival is at the end of the week on Friday 4^th October. We will gratefully accept your donations of food and toiletries all week. We have been told that the foodbank are short of strong plastic bags so if you have any spares, we will make sure these go with our Harvest to the food bank.

Overheard in Pre-Prep:

Child: "I know how you say “flip flop” in Australian…flop”

Another international one...

Teacher: "Which country is known for its pizzas?"

Child: "Pizza Express!"

Have a lovely weekend,

Zerrin Leech

We are delighted to announce that the below individuals have joined St Michael's as Governors:

Jonathan Lidiard - Safeguarding Governor

Jon is currently Deputy Head Pastoral and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Sevenoaks School, roles he combines with Classics teaching and rugby coaching. His previous roles have included Housemaster, Head of Department and coach of various different sports. Jon is a keen runner and more broadly a lover of nature and the outdoors, where he tries to spend as much time as possible alongside his wife and three young children.

Jon is looking forward to contributing to the ongoing success and development of St Michael’s as a Governor, and also to immersing himself in the school community, not least as a supporter on the edge of the sports field.

Callum Needham - Finance & General Purposes Committee Governor

Callum is an Old Michaelian who joined in Nursery and left the school in Year 8 during 2012, holding the position of Head Boy during his time here.

Following his time at St Michael’s, Callum attended Tonbridge School as a boarder. He particularly enjoyed getting involved with the sports and volunteering opportunities that the school provided. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Bath, followed by a Masters at Imperial College London. 

He now works in Project Finance at SMBC Group, covering digital infrastructure assets such as data centre, fibre and telecoms. 

Callum is a big sports fan and enjoys spending time with his family, playing with dogs, travelling and capturing landscape photography. He currently lives in London with his brother, Liam, who was in the year below him at St Michael’s.

Harvest Festival donations

St Michael's will be celebrating Harvest Festival with a collection of food and hygiene products to support local families in collaboration with the Trussell Trust foodbank again this year. We invite St Michael's families to donate to this cause; please find details below of the different collection arrangements for Pre-Prep and Prep.

Pre-Prep Harvest donations

Pre-Prep children are invited to bring in donations to our Harvest collection the week commencing Monday 30^th September. Please bring your donations to the Pre-Prep Office. 

Prep Harvest donations

Prep will be celebrating Harvest on Friday 4^th October. Due to storage challenges in Prep, we are asking that all produce and products be brought in at drop-off only on the day of the Harvest Festival itself Friday 4^th October. Please do not send anything in before this.

We look forward to supporting this very important cause together as a school community. Thank you in advance for your generosity. 

The Trussel Trust are also in urgent need of carrier bags - please donate any that you can along with your food and toiletries products

A Message from the School Nurse

Returning to school following concussion

Pre-Prep

Please inform the Pre-Prep Office if your child has been diagnosed with concussion. If your child has a concussion they will not play sport for 3 weeks, as a second injury to the head could have a serious consequence. We will also ask that any pupil with concussion sits quietly with the staff member on duty at breaktimes. 

Prep

Please inform the relevant the Prep Office if your child has been diagnosed with concussion. If your child has a concussion they will be placed “Off Games” for 3 weeks, as a second injury to the head could have a serious consequence. We will also ask that any pupil with concussion spends breaktimes in the Library.

Abby Carlton, School Nurse

Raising our Eco Schools Flag

On Tuesday morning we were proud to display our new Eco Schools flag on the St Michael's flag pole for the first time since we were awarded the Green Flag Award during the summer.

Gathering to celebrate the occasion were members of last year's St Michael's Eco Committee who all contributed to the achievement of this accolade.

We congratulate the work of these members, and the wider school community, for their dedication to achieving this status. We look forward to embarking on many new eco projects over the coming years as we work to further improve our environmental sustainability.

Theo becomes Head for the Day

Year 8 pupil Theo became Head for the Day on Monday as he experienced life as Mr Pears.

Theo began his day by meeting Mr Pears who outlined their busy schedule. The day's events included welcoming pupils into school, leading assemblies and attending a Senior Leadership Team meeting. Commenting on a highlight of the day, when Theo read The Storm Wale to Pre-Prep children in assembly, he said: "I really enjoyed reading to Pre-Prep. They listened carefully and were engaged by the story. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but I soon settled into it."

In an interview with our Marketing Gap Student Mr Marshall, Theo said he particularly enjoyed the SLT meeting, finding it fascinating to witness the behind-the-scenes discussions that take place. He added: "The lemon cake we had during the meeting was delicious and a definite perk!"

During the day Theo also attended a practice senior school interview between Mr Pears and a Year 6 pupil. Theo said: "The interview was great because I was able to share my experience of applying for the same school with the Year 6 pupil, telling him what to expect and giving him some tips for the real thing."

Theo's day with Mr Pears gave him an insight into the busy nature of the role. Commenting on the experience, Mr Pears said: "Theo has been an excellent Head for the Day. He has approached every task with enthusiasm and offered some brilliant ideas and insights during various meetings and interviews. Thank you, Theo!"

Reflecting on the day, Theo said: "The experience has been amazing and I'm so pleased to have done it. I have learnt so much about a Head's role which I didn't know before."

European Day of Languages

This week we have been celebrating European Day of Languages. 

Beginning on Tuesday, Mrs Playell gave a brilliant assembly to introduce Pre-Prep to the annual event and why it is so important to celebrate languages. Pre-Prep French Club concluded the assembly with an amazing performance of a French song which they have been learning together.

We continued to share our love of languages with each other across the school yesterday as parents from our dedicated International Club gave assemblies to both Pre-Prep and Prep about the languages they speak and life in Ukraine, Japan, Germany and Latvia.

Our day was made even more special with an incredible international lunch prepared by our Catering Team complete with delicious European salads and a selection of cakes.

Children across the school proudly wore vibrant flags and accessories to show their support for European Day of Languages.

Have you seen these brilliant international displays in Pre-Prep? 

The Masked Michaelian

We are delighted to present The Masked Michaelian. We hope you enjoy guessing which staff are speaking different languages under the masks!

School play cast announced

We are delighted to announce the cast for the next school play, My Family and Other Animals.

Congratulations to all pupils who auditioned and those who secured roles.

Somerhill U9 7-a-side Tournament

Last Saturday, our U9 boys participated in the annual Somerhill U9 Football Tournament, a fiercely competitive event featuring all the local prep schools. This year, the tournament introduced a new format: each team played a single play-off game, with winners advancing to the Cup Competition and losers moving to the Plate Competition.

The St Michael’s boys faced Mead School in a tightly contested match that ended 0-0, leading to an exciting golden goal period where a player was removed every minute. Our boys came up short and entered the Plate Competition.

The boys rallied and grew stronger as the tournament progressed. They won their next two games convincingly, defeating Somerhill 4-0 and Solefield 6-0, with goals from Cayden R, Fadil A and Matthew D, as well as some incredible saves by Tom B in goal.

Next, they faced New Beacon in a tough and evenly matched game, narrowly losing 1-2. Although disappointed, the boys regrouped after an honest team talk led by Captain, Edward H. They regained their composure and focus, winning their final game against Hazlewood 2-0.

These results earned the boys a well-deserved runner-up position in the Plate Competition. I couldn’t be prouder of the team. It was fantastic to watch all of the boys grow as individuals and as a team. Congratulations to all of the boys!

Squad - Fadil A, Harry B, Tom B, Albie C, Matthew D, Edward H, Cayden R, Zachary V and Albert B

Steve Brightman, Director of Sport

We have been delighted to see the introduction of new instrumental groups across the school this week as well as the continuation of many well-established ensembles. 

The new Pre-Prep Ukulele Group run by Mr Connell has got off to a great start. Mr Connell said: “The children are enthusiastic and very enjoyable to teach because of their energy! We had great fun! They have already learnt the C Major chord for Itsy Bitsy Spider. Next is the G7 which the brilliant Ukulele pupils have already begun!”

Meanwhile in Prep, Mrs Peters, our new violin teacher, is excited to introduce Fantastic Fiddlers, a new ensemble for beginner violin players and for those at around Grade 1 level. This group is perfect for pupils eager to explore fun, engaging music in a supportive environment. Rehearsals take place every Wednesday morning at 8.30am in the Chapel, offering pupils the chance develop their musical performance skills together with friends. Any violin pupils interested in taking part can ask their violin teacher for more information about joining. 

Mr Baird, Director of Music, and Mrs Crane, Pre-Prep Music Teacher

Need some reading inspiration?

A reminder that we have an account with 'Who Next?: A Guide to Children's Authors' which helps children read more widely by suggesting authors they might enjoy. You can search by author, book title, age group, theme and also by other options such as graphic novels and books published by specialist dyslexia publisher Barrington Stoke. You can access the school's 'Who Next?' account by clicking directly on the link below:

http://www.whonextguide.com/access/StMichaelsPrepSchool?

Open Library on Wednesday afternoons

The Prep Library is open after school on Wednesdays between 4pm and 5pm. All Prep and Pre-Prep children are very welcome, although they must be accompanied by an adult. Please come along to sign out and return library books, use reference books to complete homework tasks or take part in different weekly activities such as word searches, colouring and book treasure hunts. Tea, coffee, water/squash and cake are also on offer.

There is no need to book in advance and you are welcome to drop by at any time or stay for the full hour. Please enter through the front door of the Prep building which will be unlocked. There is no need to sign in at Reception.

The Library is also open to the children every break and lunch time during the school day. Children are allowed take out up to three library books for three weeks at a time.

Happy reading!

Mrs Andrade, Head of English, and Mrs Citron, Librarian

This week both the Breakfast Club and The Hive have enjoyed creating a sandy beach themed picture on a large wooden garden pallet.

In The Hive we also harvested our own home-grown potatoes to make a delicious cheesy mashed potato meal.

St Michael's Umbrellas

Please view the below poster for details of how to purchase St Michael's umbrellas.

P & F Christmas Fayre - calling all stall holders

Week commencing 23rd September 2024

Oliver and Sophie raise £758 for The Alzheimer's Society

Congratulations to Oliver and Sophie who organised a memory walk in Knole Park last Sunday to raise awareness and funds for The Alzheimer’s Society in honour of their Great Grandma. In total, they have raised £758 so far! Thank you for making a difference, Oliver and Sophie!

Luke's cricket success

Congratulations to Luke in Year 6 who has had an excellent season with Orpington Cricket Club. Luke's team won both the U11 Junior Smash Plate Competition, as well as the prestigious U11 North Kent League Division 2 Trophy, dominating the competition in winning an impressive 13 out of 14 games which meant they secured the trophy before the season ended. Each player received their own trophy for their participation in winning the Division 2 League at the recent OCC Colts Award Ceremony. Congratulations to Luke and his amazing team on an extraordinary season.

Please click the above banner for information about upcoming open events and admission dates for:

Benenden School 

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School

Bethany School

Box Hill School

Claremont Senior School

Cobham Hall School

The King's School Rochester

Lancing College

Malvern College

Oakwood Park Grammar School

Oxford International College

Roedean School

State Secondary School Open Events

Sutton Valence School

Tonbridge School

Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Girls 

Walthamstow Hall

Wrotham School

Please click the above banner for notices including:

Mrs Grayland's Half Term Netball Camp

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Make sure you are following St Michael’s social media channels for important updates and content throughout the year.