On Thursday 16th January, our Drama Scholars were invited to Malvern College to take part in a Performing Arts Day where they experienced workshops in dance and drama. After a fascinating tour of the wonderful performance space and theatre (including putting on hard hats and walking on the lighting rig), the children went into their first workshop which was dance. For many, this was the first time that they had taken part in a dance session where they had to follow choreography and perform – all within forty minutes. There were smiles all round, as the children shared their dance performances in small groups and it was amazing to see the progress made in such a short space of time. After lunch, it was time to take part in the drama workshop. Although this was more within the children’s ‘comfort zone, they were challenged with activities that were new to them. The improvised pieces that they performed were funny and emotional in equal measure.

The Drama Scholars worked with enthusiasm and focus and made a very positive impact on the teachers, including some very senior staff, who watched the performances. There were many comments on how talented our children are and what a brilliant attitude they had to their work. Well done to all!

Hoping to raise sponsorship for two excellent causes, Mr Dieppe has signed up to run an ultra-marathon. This time it is the Wychavon Way Ultra – a 40 mile route between Droitwich and Broadway which takes place on the 25^th of January, The School lost a dear colleague, Dr May, before Christmas. The plan is to split any funds raised between paying for a memorial for Dr May at School and a cancer charity chosen by Dr May’s family. In respect to the former, we would like to plant a tree, with a commemorative plaque, in the garden of the Main House. Mr Dieppe will be setting up a Just Giving page that will go live on the 22^nd of January.

Two of our kind-hearted pupils Edward and Otto came up with the idea last term to do a reverse advent calendar to help those in need of help at Christmas time.

Each day of the week, they opened the door on the advent calendar, then added an item of food to a box. They also encouraged their friends and family to take part. The food they collected was then delivered to Redditch Food Bank and The Basement Project to support their work at the busiest time of year.  A huge 89.4 kg of food was donated, for which they received a lovely thank you letter.

On Tuesday 14th January, the children in Year 2 experienced an exciting and informative visit to the Barber Institute in Birmingham, as part of their Art and Design study.  They were encouraged to improve their looking, listening and speaking skills through questioning and discussion, and to explore the fascinating history and purpose of objects and paintings in the collection. They particularly focused upon the West African Altar to the Hand, as a stimulus for their practical mask-making workshop.  The pupils developed skills in enquiry by comparing and contrasting European paintings with those of traditional Asian styles. Year 2s very own gallery collection will be on display soon.

Kind-hearted runner Kasey Newton has decided to set herself a Runuary challenge.  Here is Kasey’s story, written in her own words:

I’m Kasey, I’m 12 and in Year 7. This year, I decided to set myself a challenge and raise money for a charity called Cystic Fibrosis.

This charity is important to me, as sadly my cousin has been diagnosed with CF (CF is a life limiting disease that affects the lungs). I’ve decided that in January, I will run at least a mile every day. This will be a tough challenge for me, as there will be days when it will be dark, cold and rainy, or I’ll finish school late but I know by setting myself this challenge, it will help raise lots of money for Cystic Fibrosis. If you would like to help support me, please visit:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runuary

To find out more information on Cystic Fibrosis, visit

https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/what-is-cystic-fibrosis 

Daily updates can be found on twitter using #kaseyrunuary. Thank you for helping me make people living with CF have a better life.

Congratulations to talented violinist Willem VdHB, who has recently enjoyed a double celebration of his musical ability.  After receiving the news that he will retain his place in the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, Willem has achieved an incredible Distinction in his Grade 7 Violin exam.

This is an extraordinarily high level for a Year 6 pupil and we are excited to watch his progress in the future.

A huge thank you to Winterfold pupils, parents and staff for their continued support of our charitable and community work.

We have recently received a letter from Read for Good, congratulating us on our contributions to the charity, which transforms the lives of thousands of children in hospital by providing them with new books, funded by Readathon donations.

Winterfold has been supporting Read for Good since 1998 and twenty Readathons later, has donated a staggering £24,577 to the charity.  It is great to see that our pupils’ hard work has been recognised. Reading for pleasure also benefits our children, from improving attainment and wellbeing, to promoting citizenship, character, resilience and empathy.

We will be completing another Readathon during February.

Winterfold hosted its annual Ingle Shield U13 Football Tournament on Wednesday 8th January, with six Prep school teams hoping to be crowned this year’s winning side.  These were the first football matches of the season and they were all played in good spirit. Congratulations to Beaudesert Park in Gloucestershire, who were the overall winners.

Children in Kindergarten 2 are enjoying their new Space theme. They have a new Space station and love using their imagination, using role play. In addition to designing their own rockets, and building rockets using 2D and 3D shapes, the children have been learning how space stations and rockets work. The stories ‘On the Moon’ and ‘Whatever Next’ have been a big hit.