Grow2Know visits NHP
This week, we welcomed NHP alumnus Tayshan Hayden-Smith (2008-10) to lead assemblies to our OB, JCB and PGB pupils. He introduced his non-profit Grow2Know CIC to the children and explained how he formed his charity which offers individuals and communities opportunities to connect and learn through nature. The pupils were challenged with the question ‘What does a classroom look like to you?’ and later to come up with some ideas to the question ‘What could a classroom look like to you?’. We had some fantastic answers involving plants, class pets, water slides, grass flooring, hovering desks, beanbags and much, much more! We look forward to working with Tayshan and Grow2Know on updating a number of the outdoor spaces at NHP, and even including some of the brilliant and original ideas from the children.
Read MoreBake Sale for the Earthquake Emergency Appeal
With the tragedy of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria remaining ever present and the need for support on the ground growing, NHP hosted two cake sales this week to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). Their emergency appeal is directly supporting those who have been so devastatingly impacted by the earthquakes through providing essential life-saving provisions such as medical supplies, food, water and shelter, at a time of great suffering for so many.
A big thank you to Mrs Kane for leading the efforts and to Miss Hibbert, Mr Clark and our Gappies – Grace, May, Finn and Isobel – for their support in helping to run the stall. And thank you to everyone who bought cakes and donated, an incredible £650 was raised for DEC that will have a life-changing impact for so many.
Read MoreWhat we’ve been up to for Children’s Mental Health Week
NHP children are leading the way in showing us that good mental health is so important and still remains our priority at NHP. Take a look at the photos to see what they’ve been up to!
6LL are linking hands to support each other and show how important friendship is:
4S below made some posters showing some mindfulness breathing techniques:
5HP won the prize for the longest paper chain that they made for Children’s Mental Health week ‘making connections’. Well done, 5HP!
Surrey Schools Bridge Cup 2023
Ms Kirkland: The NHP Bridge Club formed in January 2021 and the members of the club have been learning to play bridge with Mike Bell, a professional bridge player, at lunchtimes weekly. Eight of our players were invited to attend the Surrey Schools Cup held at Richard Challoner School on 3rd Feb 2023. They were the youngest players present and acquitted themselves extremely well. NHP came 6th and 9th out of 11 teams (a bridge team consists of two pairs), and we are very proud of all our players. An especial well done to Josie C and Kai S whose final ranking as a pair was 8th out of 22!
Will H: All the 8 bridge club players have really been looking forward to checking out what a bridge competition was like. Energy levels were high! It wasn’t until we were on the tube that Ms. Kirkland informed us that we were going to be up against Year 8s through to Sixth Formers. We were not deterred! I can attest that Nikolai and I played against some boys with beards. At the tournament, we geeked out on a piece of technology we hadn’t seen before – the Bridgemate scoring device. It’s a really cool way of sending the scores from each match/table to a centralised person to collate them. The tone at the competition was one of serious focus, compared to our usual chatty bridge club atmosphere. We faced some really strong competition – playing 22 hands (3.5 hours of bridge) in all. It was nice to really get stuck in; I had never played that many consecutive hands. It was a bridge marathon! Our two teams finished 6th and 9th in a group of 11. It was a really great experience – and I hope that future years get to go back and compete. Thank you to Ms Kirkland and Miss Grace for giving us this great opportunity!
Children’s Mental Health Week
This week we have been celebrating Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week and this years theme is ‘Let’s connect’ and the children have been looking at ways to connect with others, naming their trusted adults to help with their strength and resilience.
Pupils at NHP were also delighted to have author Amie Taylor visit and speak to them about her book, “The Monster Book of Feelings”. Her insightful talk helped the pupils understand their worries and feelings in a new light, and showed them how to cope with their emotions in a positive way. The pupils were captivated by Amie’s story and her relatable characters in “The Monster Book of Feelings”, and the book has since become a favourite among many of them. Amie’s visit was a highlight for the pupils and an experience they will never forget, as it has had a profound impact on their understanding and appreciation of their emotions.
We were also very fortunate to have Rachel Kelly, a keynote speaker, bestselling writer and mental health advocate in to see us at the PGB. She shared with us some of her own experiences about battling poor mental health and how the use of poetry helped her. We looked at the use of poetry together using extracts of her new book and the sophistication and challenge of a poet like Herbert and the poem ‘Love’.
Rachel commented: ‘I was profoundly moved by the brightness and engagement of the children. I salute all you are doing at the school to take well-being and emotional health seriously. If the children realise how important their mental health is at this age, they may save themselves anguish later. I only wish we had talked about feelings at my school!’
We also had a brilliant assembly singing as a whole school to ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ (supported by our wonderful staff band!). It was moving to see all of NHP coming together in support of such an important topic.
Read MoreBlenheim’s House Fundraiser for War Child
Blenheim House hosted a charity fundraiser this week in aid of War Child and it was a huge success. The event raised over £1400, thanks to the generosity of everyone who contributed and the hard work of the organising team. The highlight of the event was the NHP pupils who ran a mile in their morning PE lessons, which was both a physical and mental challenge for them. Their participation added a great deal to the success of the fundraiser, and the Blenheim House captain would like to extend his heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their efforts. It was an amazing week filled with laughter, joy and a real sense of community. The money raised will make a big difference to the lives of those in need.
Read MoreBradfield College Public Speaking Competition
On a crisp February afternoon, a group of Year 6 and 7 students from Notting Hill Prep set off on a journey to Bradfield College for a public speaking competition. The students were eager and nervous, as they knew they would be facing some tough competition.
Upon arrival, they were greeted by the welcoming staff and judges. The students were impressed by the beautiful architecture and the historical significance of the college. They took a moment to take it all in and to mentally prepare themselves for the competition ahead.
The public speaking competition consisted of a variety of topics, from contemporary issues to more light-hearted themes. The students did their best to captivate their audience with their speeches, speaking with confidence and poise. Their passion and dedication was evident, and they truly represented Notting Hill Prep in the best possible way.
There was a high standard of competition and unfortunately the students did not win. However, this did not diminish their efforts and achievements. The judges were impressed by the students’ bravery and determination, and they all received a round of applause for their performances.
The students returned to Notting Hill Prep with their heads held high, proud of what they had accomplished. They may not have won the competition, but they had performed admirably and had done Notting Hill Prep proud. They have learned a great deal about public speaking and have gained valuable experience, which will stand them in good stead for future challenges.
Read MorePeak District Adventure!
This weekend 15 of our children from Years 4 to 7 went on a proper adventure! They experienced hiking through the beautiful scenery of the Peak District as well exploring caves, and finally climbing up and abseiling down the rock faces of Hope Valley. Two days of intense adventure later and we have some very happy but completely exhausting children who to quote “wish we could have stayed for longer!” Thank you so much to Miss Sweeney and Mr Ashmole for supporting the children over the weekend and for driving them safely to the Peak District and back!
Miss Kirby
Read MoreNHP French Day
What a day we’ve had in the OB celebrating all things French! Pupils enjoyed a petit déjeuner, making sure to be courteous: using their magic French words ‘s’il vous plaît’ and ‘merci beaucoup’! Each year group had a workshop with Mademoiselle Jamieson and Madame Levell, where they sang in French and showed how much they have learned! Pupils applied past knowledge and communicated with clarity in French! The fun wasn’t over and we had a delicious déjeuner français, then later in the afternoon all of Lower School got together for assembly where we celebrated how well pupils participated and how fantastic all of their costumes were. We had one more surprise in store! French-speaking parents came and read a story in French to all classes in the OB. Merci, les parents! Nous adorons le français!
Pupils in the JCB and PGB were also able to participate in the French lunch, they had discussions with their forms about communicating in French and reflected on some famous Francophones, using their P4C skills.
It was really wonderful to see how much the children enjoyed every element of the day, celebrating their cultural and linguistic knowledge, and sharing their French skills with their friends and teachers.
Madame Levell et Mademoiselle Jamieson.
Cheltenham College Maths Competition
On Tuesday 31st January, NHP returned to Cheltenham College to take part in their annual maths competition. Four Year 5 and four Year 6 pupils, accompanied by Mr Lee and Mr Hayes, travelled down the M4 in the school minibus, excited about the prospect of retaining our gold medals from last year.
The children worked collaboratively on a range of tasks, which included a group round, a set of sequential questions (where no communication was allowed) and a team relay race. They displayed wonderful enthusiasm, great resilience and superb teamwork, which saw them surpass seven other schools to, once again, win first place in both year groups! The children were a credit to NHP and should be extremely proud of their achievement!
Well done to our gold medalists:
Year 5:
Júlia B-M, Lena S, Aditya P, Alexandra K.
Year 6:
Camille C, Nikolai G, Blake C, Winston H.
Mr Lee
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