Summer Term 1
I happily provide this newsletter in during what has certainly been a challenging and difficult time for us all. I have been really impressed with how much the pupils have engaged in their online learning during lockdown. I can appreciate how challenging this has been at times, so thank you all for your efforts so far.
As you will see from some of the pictures in this newsletter we have been busy in school getting on with a number of new projects to improve the school and make it even better for when the pupils do return. A key project has been the completion of our school Farm which Mr Pusey and his team have worked really hard on finishing during this lockdown period. The Farm will provide all pupils with the opportunity to cultivate the land, plant, grow, pick, and eventually cook using Muntham home grown produce. This will be a really exciting addition to the school curriculum during both Education and Care time. Our School Chef Mr Sweet is also looking forward to the contributions the vegetables from the Farm will make to the school kitchen.
Year 6 pupils will be returning to school after half term along with our high need group of pupils. We will be keeping everybody safe by maintaining social distancing and washing hands regularly and will therefore await further guidance from the government before anything else changes. Please do remember to contact your pupils teacher’s should you need any support with your child’s learning. Our Therapy Team and Family Intervention Team are also available for any emotional/well-being support needed.
Thank you all once again for your continue support and for the wonderful job that you are all doing with the home learning. I hope that you all have an enjoyable and well-earned break over half term. Please click on the video link below which has been put together by some of the staff team from Muntham House School for you.
Best wishes
Harry Anderson
Principal
Muntham House School
Some great news to share, a brand new playground has been installed within the Key Stage 1 area of the school for our youngest pupils. This specialist soft rubber surface will provide an exciting play space for the boys as well as protecting them if any boys fall over and stop any bumps and grazes. This wonderful new edition creates even more opportunity for outdoor play and outdoor learning which is so valuable in the development of our young pupils.
Within the new playground there is a race track for pedal go karts, hopscotch and numerical crossing points. I am sure that all our pupils will thorougly enjoy this new addition once they return to school. I am very much looking forward to seeing all pupils racing Miss Showk around the track.
Well, the last few weeks have been a very different way of teaching and learning for us all. I have learnt so much from our wonderful students and their families.
Just before lockdown, we introduced a new reading program to our school (MyOn) to enhance the already embedded Accelerated Reader.
All pupils have their own MyOn account and they have been accessing a fabulous range of books, choosing books to read and completing quizzes on a daily basis throughout this difficult time, showing real commitment to their learning and progress.
Also, they have been doing additional tasks that are built around a book, including a writing assignment, using graphic organisers and completing an assessment showing their understanding of what they have read.
The pupils, your sons, have brought into this way of learning and exceeded my expectations, showing they have a love of reading for pleasure as well as learning.
It has been a pleasure supporting the pupils and we are very proud of them.
Stay safe, well and in touch!
Congratulations to the winner of the Lockdown Music for film competition Alex Greenash.
Alex Greenash worked hard at home, despite not having access to GarageBand, he used his initiative to complete his homework by using YouDJ (an online app). Alex mixed various genres into his gripping piece of music designed to create tension similar to music used in film scenes. He also filmed his music composition alongside a backdrop to replicate that of a scene in an action movie.
Well done Alex, a fantastic piece of work!
Year 7 and 8’s must wait patiently to set sail
With the sea set calm and favourable wind, the Year 7 and 8’s were primed for an assault on the east coast of England. Nevertheless, for the time being, we must wait patiently.
Fear not friends. The Humanities Department has not gone stir crazy- we are talking Dragon Ships!
For the last few lessons prior to lockdown, we were working diligently on making our very own Viking Dragon Ships, or Long Boats.
As you can see from the pictures, we have assembled a mean fleet, and we will be sailing them to Lindesfarne, on the English coast, to see what we can plunder, steal and ransack!
Before the enforced lockdown, we were learning about the Viking way of life - their skills, their Gods, their social hierarchy and their fearlessness of sea exploration.
Well, do not panic chaps. The Dragon Ships are carefully stored in the Humanities cupboard, and we will set sail upon your return.
A big well done to Joe Tysoe who wrote this acrostic poem about life in lockdown. You will see that the first letter of the lines spells SLEEPING. What an excellent piece of work, which he did over and above this tasked work.
Well done Joe.
Staying at home
Learning new things from my school events
Entertaing myself so i don't get bored
Eating to stay energised
Persistently staying positive
Interacting with my family
Now and then calling people on the phone
Going outside to clap for the NHS
We thought you would like to see some of the hard work that has been going on at Muntham House School whilst it has been quiet, over the last few weeks. The primary classes have been painted by our fabulous staff and are now in the classic Muntham House Blue.
We hope you will like the new look, as we think they look very special ready for when all of you return to school.
At Muntham House School we have started our journey on the Food for Life project. A Food for Life Schools Award is a great way to demonstrate that our school is doing fantastic work to provide healthy school meals, great lunchtimes and food education that has a positive impact on both our pupils and the wider community.
As a school we are currently working to achieve the bronze award for our healthy and climate friendly food culture. The sky is the limit and once we have achieved bronze, we will start working towards the silver and gold awards. With the help of our dedicated staff, pupils, parents and carers, we know that we can achieve this!
None of this could be possible without the dedication and care from our fabulous school Chef, Mr Sweet. Mr Sweet ensures that our pupils receive freshly prepared, healthy, nutritious meals, providing a safe, happy and friendly dining experience.
As soon as the Covid-19 pandemic is over, we will be giving every pupil the opportunity to visit a farm, and to cook and participate in food growing activities at our school.
Finally, we would like to say a big thank you to all the parents and carers who completed the Food for Life questionnaire. The results will go a long way to providing evidence for the bronze award criteria.
If you would like some more information about the Food for Life scheme, please click here to download the free parent pack. Food for Life has provided some quick and easy recipes for you to try at home with your children. Please click here to take a look. We would love to receive some photos of our pupils cooking at home with you!
MUNTHAM PUPIL ACCEPTED AT THEATRE COLLEGE!
Year 12 pupil, Callum McKeon, has successfully passed an audition and has an unconditional offer to study a Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts at the Institute for Contemporary Theatre in Brighton! Callum, a member of Showdown Theatre Arts in Horsham and an A level student at The College of Richard Collyer applied to the college last month. The entry process included completing an in-depth application form and submitting a video audition. The head of the diploma course was very impressed with Callum’s performance, stating that he absolutely loved his choice of monologue and is very keen for Callum to join the college in September on their acting pathway. Callum will continue to attend Muntham House School and access the course in Brighton on a daily basis.
Callum has always had a keen interest in the performing arts and has performed at school events and concerts. He has even produced a single with his fellow Muntham band members at a recording studio. Callum joined the theatre group and agency, Showdown Theatre Arts last year and during this time was successful in landing two major roles in their productions of ‘Bring It On’, and ‘Aladdin’. Callum has been chosen by Showdown to travel to the USA later this year on a drama exchange which is a great achievement.
We are all very proud of Callum’s achievements and wish him all the very best at Brighton.
In 2014, as part of our international work with The British Council’s ‘Connecting Classrooms’ programme we, at Muntham House School, partnered with Regina Pacis School in Rwanda.
The aim of this partnership was, and continues to be, to help teachers to work together to develop international and cultural understanding. Through developing teaching practice together, lessons are enriched and pupils benefit.
Teaching staff from Regina Pacis School in Rwanda have visited Muntham House School, learning and developing their knowledge and understanding of SEN. After having been to Rwanda, teaching staff from Muntham House School have become more creative and determined to reflect global citizenship in their lessons. The projects have been fun and educationally impactful. Amongst the projects Muntham House School and Regina Pacis Schools have worked together on are; an international student cooperative business, English projects and more recently, a music collaboration that taught the concepts and importance of peace and justice.
Unsurprisingly, over the years, a strong bond of professionalism and friendship has developed between the staff and the pupils at Muntham House School and Regina Pacis School.
In March this year we were all hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It saw our school close and our country go into lock-down. It has been a challenge for all of us as we try to get used to the changes, from home schooling and ‘furlough’ to Zoom and PE with Joe.
Our partners in Rwanda are experiencing the same school closures and social lock down. Although most adults in Rwanda have smart phones and access to the internet, most homes do not have PCs, laptops and resources for home schooling. More concerning, Government aid such as the furlough scheme does not exist in Rwanda. This has led to crisis for many families.
Our partnership has not been about charity. It has not needed to be. In fact it was important that the partnership was an education partnership forged in collaboration and equality. However the current and urgent need for help and support in Rwanda cannot be denied.
With this in mind the Principal, Head Teacher and a former pupil of Regina Pacis School, began to work together with Michelle Dewsall, partnership coordinator at Muntham House School, to plan an emergency crisis response.
The aim is to provide basic food supplies the most desperate and vulnerable families in the Regina Pacis neighbourhood. By working with local leaders and through ‘Go Fund me’ Franco, Father Jean, Evarsite and Michelle have established a small but meaningful food distribution programme.
At Muntham House School, we are committed to supporting all members of our immediate and extended community this includes our friends and partners in Rwanda. Through charitable donations and fundraising activities we are able to help the food distribution programme to continue.
If you would like to read more about the programme so far and see photographs and video updates please follow the link to the Go Fund Me page. If you feel able to contribute, your donation would be greatly appreciated.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/rwanda-emergency-food-aid-appeal
Finally we thought you would like to see some new pupils who have been attending Muntham whilst you have all been away. Mr Bolton came into school last week to find we had a new influx of pupils in Primary.
We hope you like seeing them.
