2 November 2007

HEADMASTER’S ITEMS
House Point Totals: 12 October 2007

Cooper	652	*Loveday*	*727*
Dowell	617	Roberts	575


Carol Services: Would parents please note that the services on the last day of term – Wednesday, 12 December will run as follows:
Yrs 3-5 [1.30 pm] and Yrs 6-8 [3.15 pm]

REMINDER TO PARENTS
Medication for Pupils: If day pupils need to have medication following an illness on return to school, may we ask parents to send in a note of explanation with the medicine and request their children to take this directly to the Matron, Mrs Newman. Thank you.

EXAMINATIONS FOR YEARS 6-8
Examinations for Years 6-8 are scheduled from Wednesday-Saturday, 7-10 November. We want to support the children as they prepare for their examinations. To this end, sessions have been built into the PSHE programme to help them to organise their revision. Mrs Pugh ran a Revision Workshop for all Years 7 and 8 pupils to outline revision strategies. She suggested that pupils buy a file to help them organise their revision. Revision lists are currently being given out in lessons.

Pupils have been given their examination timetable and encouraged to write an informal revision timetable. Revision sessions have been built in across the exam period; children should ensure that they have the appropriate books with them. A reminder that all pupils should have - an ink pen with spare cartridges, pencils, coloured pencils, rubber, 30 cm ruler and any mathematics equipment, including a scientific calculator. Calculators will be provided for those children without one.

We want the children to take their examinations seriously but not to become anxious. If you are concerned about your child, please contact his/her form/house tutor.

Please note: Tests for Year 5 are low-key and take place during English, Maths and Science lessons.

All exam/test results are reported to parents on the end-of-term reports, but the children will receive marks and go over papers in the days immediately following exams.

FIREWORKS PARTY
Tickets will come home with the children today. Please note that this is a very busy event for the school and if you are unable to park near the Centenary Hall, parents are asked to park on Fairwater Green or the shale hockey pitch at Taunton School.


SCHOOL CHARITIES
Charities for 2007/2008: This year we have chosen to support:
§ World Society for the Protection
of Animals
§ Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust
§ The Dog Trust
Cake Sale: Thank you to Years 3 and 4 for their generous donation of cakes. £124.60 was raised for the School Charities.

TPS “SEIZING THEIR OPPORTUNITIES”
The Big Draw: A big thank you to everyone who supported the big draw on Monday. Around 800 took part: children from aged 2, staff, cooks, cleaners, secretaries plus parents, all took part and the finished piece can be seen in the Centenary Hall for the next couple of weeks.
Venice Choir Tour: The 32 children who visited and sang in Venice and Verona over half-term had a fantastic time. The venues where we performed were outstanding and the children were requested to sing an encore in the mass at Verona. Everywhere we visited people commented positively about the talent and behaviour of the children. It was a truly wonderful experience.
Taunton Choral Society: On Saturday, 27 October, three of our boy choristers sang Britten’s St Nicolas with the Choral Society. Max Kelly was the young Nicolas, and Matthew Nawrat and Henri Cooney were the “pickled boys”. It was a good experience for the children to sing with an adult choir and accompanied by an orchestra.
National Children’s Choir: The South West auditions for the National Children’s Choir will be held at Taunton Prep School. If pupils are interested in singing with this National choir, information and application forms can be downloaded from the N.C.C. website. The auditions will be held on MONDAY, 5 NOVEMBER.
Instrumental Music Courses: IAPS R0esidential Courses to suit most requirements will be available during the summer holidays 2008, and if there is any interest from pupils to attend a course, would they please speak to Miss Pink ASAP.

HEAD LICE
There have been some cases of head lice recently. Please can parents check their child’s hair on a regular basis and take the appropriate action. Ask your doctor what regime is current in your area.

TESCO VOUCHERS
We are once again collecting Tesco Vouchers. Please send in vouchers to Mrs Gardner, the School Reception or you will find a box outside the Staffroom. Many thanks.

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Christmas Fair: If anyone would like to take a stall at the Christmas Fair to sell crafts or gifts, please contact Caroline Upton on 01823 451692 or e-mail on uptons@gmail.com. The cost of taking a table will be £15, payable in advance in cash.

Parents please note the day of the Christmas Fair is a MUFTI day for the pupils in both Pre-Prep and the Prep School. It would be appreciated if all pupils could make a donation to the Fair: Pre-Prep children could bring in a cake for the cake stall [to be delivered to the Pre-Prep Hall on Friday, 30 November – the day of the Christmas Fair] and Prep School pupils an item suitable for a Christmas Hamper. PLEASE MAKE SURE that all perishable items have a long sell-by date. These hampers will be raffled off at the Fair, so please bring along something nice that you would like to win in a hamper. This could also include wine, spirits, and chocolates, gifts for both adults and children. If anyone is able to
come along on the morning of the Fair and help prepare the hampers, then please put the date in your diary now. More hands make less work for everyone involved!!!
Please remember to look out your "as new" books, toys, comics and DVDs for the stalls at the Fair and leave any items in the Centenary Hall entrance area from Monday, 26 until Thursday, 29 November – the last day for items to be left.
Remember, all notices and minutes of meetings are posted on the Parents’ Association Notice Board in the Parents Waiting Area in Weirfield.
Parents’ meeting: The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 8 November at 8.20 am in the Library. The meeting is open to all parents, so please come along and join us. Coffee and biscuits will be available.

NETBALL FOR “MUMS”
If there are any mums out there who would be interested in playing Netball on Sunday mornings from 10.30-11.30 at school, would they please contact Janet Butters on 01823 444329 or e-mail j.butters364611 @aol.com for further information.

GAMES DEPARTMENT
Rugby v. Port Regis

1^st XV	0 : 10	LOST
2^nd XV	5 : 36	LOST
3^rd XV	5 : 0	WON
4^th XV	0 : 34	LOST
5^th XV	0 : 62	LOST
U11A XII	0 : 54	LOST
U10A IX	5 : 20	LOST
U9A IX	5 : 10	LOST


Additional fixtures
Rugby:U12 XV 1^st Round Floodlit Cup on Monday, 5 November [A] [Courtfields] Start 4.00 pm.
Rugby: U13 XV 2^nd Round Floodlit Cup on Tuesday, 6 November [H] [Kingsmead] Start 4.00 pm.

Hockey: Amendment to fixtures
On Wednesday, 7 November all matches v. King’s Hall are now at Home.

Hockey v. Clifton College

1^st	2 : 3	LOST
2^nd	0 : 1	LOST
3^rd	1 : 4	LOST
4^th	0 : 6	LOST
5^th	1 : 1	DRAWN
6^th	0 : 2	LOST
U11A	6 : 0	WON
U11B	5 : 0	WON
U10A	1 : 1	DRAWN
U10B	0 : 0	DRAWN
U10C	1 : 1	DRAWN
U9A	0 : 1	LOST
U9B	0 : 1	LOST



DATES TO NOTE
5 Nov First Steps and Pre-Prep Parents’ Evening in classrooms [4.00-5.30 pm]
6 Nov: Fireworks Party, Greenham [6.15 pm]
7 Nov: Parents: School Prayer Meeting, Babbingly [8.30 am]
First Steps and Pre-Prep Parents’ Evening in classrooms [6.00-7.30 pm]
8 Nov: Parents’ Association Meeting, the Library [8.20 am]
Headmaster’s surgery is cancelled due to Parents’ Association Meeting.

TAUNTON SCHOOL MUSICAL EVENTS

Popular Music Concert: This features music from the Wind Band, AVE, Dance Band, Sax Quartet, Orchestra, Boys Barbershop and many more. Please come along and join us on Wednesday, 7 November at 7.30 pm in the Arts Centre. Free admission.





CLASSICAL MUSIC AND CHORAL SOCIETY CONCERT
2007


All parents are invited to come and sing in the parents’ choir who will perform Jenkins’ The Armed Man with a professional orchestra at the Classical Music and Choral Society Concert, which takes place on Sunday 25^th November.

You need to have good reading skills to join as the music is performed on very limited rehearsals. You must be able to make two of the three rehearsals listed below and the rehearsal on the day is very important.

Thursday 8^h November 7.30 p.m.
Thursday 15^th November 7.30 p.m.
Thursday 22^nd November 7.30 p.m.

All rehearsals take place in the Gwyn Williams Room. Sunday 25^th November –

2.30 p.m. rehearsal – Chapel.
CONCERT – starts at 7.30 p.m. – we sing in the second half. A large glass of wine at the interval helps the vocal chords!