1

NEWSLETTER Friday 2 October 2020 Volume 1, Issue 5 Autumn Term 2020

From the Headteacher

Dear Parents

What a chilly start and rainy end to the week it was! I now leave for my morning walk to School in

darkness. I am already missing some aspects of the summer. School is approaching another return to our

pre lockdown days in that more of our pupils are starting to wear winter uniform. They look so smart and I

am sure that it helps their mindset. A reminder that the deadline for our full return to winter uniform is

Monday 12th October. We are working on a way to share second-hand uniform sales with you and more

detail will follow shortly.

Monday’s assembly with the Early Years impressed me on many levels. Once again the focus and joy in our

youngest pupils was a tonic. We celebrated House Points, entrants in the Golden Book and I read a story

about what happens when there are a series of events that go wrong and how this situation is rescued by a

mother and her daughter.

Tuesday’s rain did not dampen our spirits and it was a day when I was able to catch up with some

individual pupils to support their wellbeing and happiness. The staff team have enormous expertise in

dealing with family issues such as separation, family illness, the impact of lockdown and other complex

situations. Every child I spoke to was clear that their Cavendish family was here to support them and could

identify adults who they would feel comfortable talking to.

Wednesday is always a particularly busy day for staff as we start and end the day with meetings. Staff met

in their sections before School and our Senior Management Team met with Heads of Sections after School.

We continue to work on our contingency planning, communications with you and various curricular and

pastoral endeavours. Wednesday’s assembly for Years 1 and 2 was led by Ms Thomson and explored the

technique of a black woman artist, Alma Woodsey Thomas who created colourful images inspired by the

patterns in nature.

Thursday’s assembly was led by Ms Leach and shared the story of Joseph Grimaldi and a theme of

changing your mind. We had Mozart to listen to at the beginning and Satie at the end with the double treat

of Mr Pritchett and Ms Marinou playing for us.

I will write more about the Year 5 and 6 assembly next week but I know that we are planning for our Year 6

House captains to have an important role.

I listen with trepidation to the news of the increasing prevalence of the virus in the UK. We keep these

anxieties away from our pupils when they are in School. We can see evidence of some tiredness in some of

our pupils but we remain happy and engaged in learning. Thank you for your support in keeping us safe

and working together in partnership.

Wishing you a happy, relaxing and healthy weekend.

Yours sincerely

Jane Rogers

Ed

ited

by

: R

ob

ert

Prit

ch

ett

2

This covid related Parentmail was sent out on 28.9.20

I would like to thank you for your diligence, caution and support in keeping your

daughters at home if they are unwell. This is of course the time of autumnal colds and

chills. I am very grateful for the understanding of those of you who have to keep your

child at home and have them tested as they have presented with some symptoms

linked to the covid virus. I know that this has been an arduous process for some of you. It is best if I do not

comment further on testing matters.

At this time of heightened anxiety, it has been reported to me that at least one of our pupils had a tempera-

ture and other symptoms but was given Calpol and sent into School. We need to be very clear here. Those

of us who were ill in March do not know if we had the virus as testing was not available. Anti body tests

may not provide reliable or long term information. You can get the virus again. Sending a child to School

with untested symptoms will potentially mean the virus spreading and in the event of one of our pupils or

staff testing positive, Public Health England will advise us to send your daughters class or year group or the

section/bubble of four classes, home for 14 days. In the case of multiple cases more classes would be sent

home. Children are fortunate in that when they do have the virus they are mostly not seriously unwell. We

have children, staff and parents in our School community who are very vulnerable. Several of our families

have already suffered bereavements. Please help me to keep our Cavendish family safe by acting appropri-

ately and particularly if your child becomes unwell. The impact on the education we can provide, the stress

of a closure and our health is of the utmost importance. We are working together and doing a good job so

far. Please let us continue with this joint endeavour. I do not like responding to uncorroborated and possi-

bly inaccurate hearsay but this is a matter of the utmost importance. If you hear of something that does not

seem right please follow it up yourself as well as letting the School know.

I apologise for starting the week with such a serious message. I want to do everything I can to keep our

School safe and open. The current guidelines make this an already complex undertaking.

Two more Governors on The Cavendish School board are Ben Crystal and Duncan Phillips. They also sit on the Finance Committee.

Ben is a Cavendish parent with two children at the School. He is in the Financial Institutions Group at UBS Investment Bank is the Head of Fintech for EMEA. He read Jurisprudence at Oxford University and enjoys skiing, rowing and triathlon.

Duncan and his wife, Hanako, have two daughters at The Cavendish. The family knows the school well as Hanako is a Cavendish alumna. Duncan’s professional background is in institutional finance, and more recently, financial technology. He also sits on the board of North Point Camden, a property management com-pany. He read Law and Economics at Edinburgh University. The family spent many years living in Tokyo and Hong Kong before returning to the UK in 2017.

3

School Video

As you know, last Thursday we were filming in school, making a video to show prospective

parents who have been unable to tour the school in the absence of our usual Open Morning

Tours. Mr Jones (no relation!) spent the day recording The Cavendish School in action and

managed to capture some wonderful footage of our fabulous pupils and staff during lessons

and at play. He is fully booked every day in schools up and down the country but will put

together some video for us as soon as possible, and we look forward to sharing the results

with you. His message to me the day after the shoot said: ‘It was GREAT spending the day

with you all, the school has a real energy that so many often lack.’ We agree, and can’t wait

to see this energy shine through in the new film!

Pia Pasternack

Admissions and Marketing Officer

“Well, Miss Rogers, you

definitely must have

inspired one Year5 girl...

this is what she came home

to do last night!”

4

Nursery and Reception children listened to Mr Pritchett playing The Teddy Bears ’ Picnic as they came into their assembly on Monday. It has been a popular children's song since it was first published in 1937.

Years 1 and 2 pupils listened to Allegretto in C by Diabelli. He was born in Austr ia and was best known as a composer of the waltz.

Years 3 and 4 pupils listened to Turkish March by Mozart, played on the piano by Mr Pritchett as they entered the assembly and Miss Marinou played Gymnopédie No. 1 by Erik Satie at the end.

On Friday Miss Marinou performed Gnossienne 4 by Satie for the Years 5 and 6 pupils at the start of their assembly.

Erik Satie was a great composer and his music is used frequently in film soundtracks. You can use his works to illustrate sadness, melancholy, joy of life, wonder, curiosity, the silence between people, the extraordinary moment just before a decision is made, the light in everything.

5

With Reception this week we transformed to beautiful and cheerful birds, formed our nests and learned how to fly away according to how music moves high and low, while listening to Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns’ Aviary from his musical suite: The Carnival of the Animals.

6

7

Translation by Lara Year 4

Hobbies by Aurora Year 6

Hobbies by Lorenza Year 6

8

3W Book Reviews In 3W we are writing a little book review to go on our book review display once we

have finished a book. Here are a few that we have made.

9

10

National Poetry Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on the first Thursday of October. This year it fell on October 1st. The aim of the day is to encourage “all to enjoy, discover and share poetry.” Each year, there is a theme. The theme for this year is “Vision.” In school, many classes shared a favourite poem and listened to or watched some poetry read by popular children’s poets. Recently in English, Year 3 have been looking at some Ted Hughes poems about animals and investigating how the poet creates wonderful images using similes and metaphors. They have also written their own poems! Year 4 have also been enjoying poems about the sea, which links to their Viking project this term. They have been exploring a range of poetic devices and have written some superb themed poems of their own. If you would like to find out more about National Poetry Day, you can go to their website: https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/celebrate-national-poetry-day/

Cheetah by Hedda (3W)

Quick on my feet Camouflage into the grass Glinting in the sunlight Eyes as glass I am gorgeous I am slim Have a race Guaranteed I’ll win. Silent as space Caught as my prey Have a rest I lay.

Sloths by Annabelle (3W) I love to climb trees Quiet and calm I am always relaxed And never alarmed. I am the slowest creature In the world so wide I eat green leaves From tigers I hide. I climb up the tree Bit by bit I have a nap Watch me sit.

11

Eagle by Charlotte (3L) It sees for miles It lives on the rocky mountain side. Its razor beak rips a mouse to bits A golden brown feather Floats down Its long wingspan Is steady and rigid As it lands They fold in close As it sits on its egg. The Summer Dolphin by Olivia (3L)

I live in the glittering sea, I splash with my floppy tail And eat gold fish. I am a mammal. I sleep in a gloomy, dark cave, And hide in the coral reef When my predator comes. I am a silvering sparkling cloud. I leap over waves.

Pippi

Longstocking

Book Review -

Florie 4H

12

Anna's Sea Poem

13

4L

Turner

Inspired

paintings.

14

5S have been using oil pastels to create these wonderful tree frogs and scarlet macaws in art.

15

16

17

18