Head
Dear Parents,
A wave of cultural events carried us beautifully to the end of term, well supported by parents and families—thank you! The Nativity was confidently and smoothly performed, even by our youngest pupils in Nursery and Kindy, and greatly appreciated by the audience. The Christingle Service was inclusive and fostered a deep sense of Christmas spirit and sharing. Year 8 wowed the crowd with a visceral two-hour performance of ‘Lord of the Flies’. The standard of drama and confidence was more akin to 16+ pupils than 13 year olds – it was so good. Similarly, the Carol Service showcased some exceptional singing and performance, bringing us all together in the candlelight.
On the final full day, we enjoyed a festive Christmas lunch together, and Father Christmas made a special appearance in Pre-Prep Forest School, much to the delight of our younger children.
During the break, we will continue the gradual redecoration of Great Roke and move on to the Thomas More. The work includes installing new boilers in the Thomas More and completing the new heating system in Great Roke.
Staff will regroup for INSET before the start of term to plan another robust co-curricular offer for 2025. We aim to launch a daily array of activities in Week 2, encouraging children to explore their interests, develop their passions, or simply have fun. A Google form for signing up will be shared during the first week of term.
Wishing you a wonderful break, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year with your families. We look forward to seeing everyone refreshed on January 7th!
Kind regards,
Mr John Towers
Head of Upper Prep
Dear Parents,
The week has been full of festive fun in Upper Prep this week and the children have certainly finished the term on a high!
The cast of ‘Lord of the Flies’ performed to the Year 7 children and some of the staff on Monday morning and then again to their parents on Monday evening. There is more about this production elsewhere in the newsletter so please take a look if you would like to see what our oldest children have been working on this term.
It was lovely to see children from Year 7 and Year 8 at the Carol Service on Tuesday evening. Bo, Emilia, George and Delilah all read with great confidence and I was very proud to see Josh, Digby and Delilah singing so beautifully as part of the Bridewell choir. Digby, your solo was wonderful. Well done! Many thanks to the music department and Rev Radcliffe for organising this.
Everyone enjoyed our Prep department trip to the pantomime ‘Sleeping Beauty’ on Wednesday. Oh yes they did! Christopher Biggins and Faye from Steps made every laugh – and boo! I was proud of the children and the way they behaved and looked after each other.
Thursday saw the children of Upper Prep put on their festive jumpers and hats in aid of a very worthwhile cause – the Godalming & Villages Community Store. This charity provides vital assistance to local families in need. We all also enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch. Thank you to our fabulous catering team for cooking this.
Year 8 have mock examinations at the beginning of February so their teachers have set some papers to help them revise for these. There are also some useful materials on Google classroom and studying these over the holidays will really help the Year 8 children prepare thoroughly for these exams next term.
‘Track My Read’ continues in Upper Prep… Progress has slowed in recent weeks with only 9,000 minutes out of 60,000 minutes completed so far! The Christmas holiday is a perfect time to catch up with a book and everyone has signed out a book (or two!) from the library so aim to read daily if you can and those minutes will soon add up, along with improved comprehension skills and a more varied vocabulary.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for your support this term and wish everyone a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and a very happy and healthy 2025.
Mrs Mason
Head of Prep
Dear Parents,
What a thoroughly festive week we’ve had! The school has been buzzing with the joy and magic of the season, and it’s been wonderful to see the children embracing every moment of it.
Buttons, our mischievous elf, has continued to surprise us with his antics. This week, he took to the skies in his very own hot air balloon, spreading laughter and cheer wherever he went. The children have loved spotting his latest tricks and sharing in the fun.
We began the week with our Christingle Service, a special occasion that gave us all a chance to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. The themes of giving our time, love, and kindness resonated deeply. To quote the Grinch, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more.” The children from the Larks and Nightingales choirs sang beautifully, adding a magical touch to the service. A special thank you to our readers.
Our Carol Service was wonderful and the Bridewell Choir delighted us with their stunning performances.
On Wednesday, our trip to the Pantomime was a highlight for many! The children were thoroughly entertained, joining in with the classic pantomime fun. And dare I say it…so were the teachers – oh yes, they were!
Thursday saw the children don their festive jumpers for a day of celebration, and enjoy a delicious Christmas lunch.
Finally, we wrapped up the week with a competitive festive quiz. The children showcased their knowledge and teamwork, ending the term on a high note filled with fun and laughter.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for your continued support throughout this term, and we look forward to welcoming you back in January.
Kind regards,
Miss Tyrrell
Head of Pre-Prep
Dear Parents,
The Christingle Service on Monday was a beautifully festive welcome to the final week of the autumn term. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 entered Chapel cradling their own christingles which they had made in class a couple of days before and all were aware of what the red ribbon, sweets and the orange itself represented.
Our Year 2 elves have continued to deliver the Christmas post this week to recipients across the Pre-Prep. Our school really feels like a magical place at Christmas.
On Tuesday, Nursery and Kindy welcomed Sam from ‘Happily Ever After’ who came to give our youngest children a festive treat. Through singing, drama and storytelling, the children were gripped by the experience as the story of ‘The Odd Dog’ was brought to life.
On Wednesday, it was the turn for our older Pre-Prep children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to enjoy our annual Christmas treat to the pantomime. We travelled to the Yvonne Arnaud where we all enjoyed plenty of laughter, singing, dancing, a bit of a soaking for some, and plenty of silliness as we watched the performance of ‘Robin Hood’. The children enjoyed their picnic during the interval and returned to school full of festive spirit!
Perhaps the most exciting moment this week was when Father Christmas actually came to visit us, here at Barrow Hills! All of the Pre-Prep children had been enjoying games in the garden when Mrs Wilson heard a jingling from the woods, where the children found Father Christmas himself waiting to greet all of them. They each received a gift before enjoying a hot chocolate and s’mores around a fire in the woods. It was simply the most magically uplifting morning for all, adults included.
On Thursday lunchtime we arrived for Christmas lunch dressed in our Christmas jumpers and ready to tuck into a delicious feast. We enjoyed a traditional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings and chocolate log or mince pies for dessert. The catering team received a huge cheer and a collective thank you from the Pre-Prep!
Congratulations to Luke (1G) who was presented with the Pre-Prep Playtime Award at assembly this morning. Well done also to our Work of the Week recipients; Luca (Rec), Teddy (1G) and Beau (2G) who have all either been producing fantastic writing whether it be labelling the presents to the elves or letters to Father Christmas, or working collaboratively to subtract two 2-digit numbers. There has been a fantastic effort across the academics from the children this term and it’s not been an easy task for teachers to choose Work of the Week each week.
This morning saw Year 1 and Year 2 take part in the final of the annual House Quiz for the first year. They were a hugely supportive audience to those who had reached the final today and it was a fun way to spend the final morning of term together.
All that’s left for me to say, in our final Bulletin of the year, is Merry Christmas to you all. Here’s to a wonderful and even more exciting and ambitious 2025!
Mrs Barnett
BHCC
Merry Christmas from the Bacon Butty Team and we look forward to seeing you in January.
School Notices
Touch Typing
Practising touch typing is a really great activity to focus on over Christmas. Websites we recommend are: BBC Dance Mat and Typing Club. Both are free to use.
If you would like your child to experience an in-person course, Naomi Martin runs them in Farnham – there is some availability on her course in the Christmas holidays -17th-20th December. Further details can be found here.
Check here for important updates on school procedures during adverse weather conditions, including school closures, schedule changes, and distance learning arrangements.
Please refer to your handbook here on the website for useful day-to-day school procedures. Your password to this section of the website is found in your parent portal.
