Dear Parents, 

There have been plenty of challenges this week connected to the ongoing haze problems in Johor, and I am very glad to confirm that air purifiers have now been installed in all Pre-Prep classrooms. Teachers and Teaching Partners have worked incredibly hard to ensure that the pupils are not only safe, but also able to complete activities as close to normal as is possible, with rotated use of Green Hall and the Prep Sports Hall for PE, swimming and Forest School lessons as well as play times. We will continue to respond to any rises in PM2.5 pollutants by reverting to our alternative, indoor activities.

 Year 3 have been busy preparing for their upcoming performance, which has a Sustainability theme titled ‘The Litter Muncher‘. This will fit beautifully with plans for a whole-College Sustainability Day on 28th October. We can’t wait to see the performance – always one of the highlights of the school year!

Parent Beaks and BAS Clubs

Our First round of Parent-Beak meetings will be taking place this Wednesday, 7th October therefore please note that all BAS Clubs run by teachers next week have been cancelled on Clipboard. Paid clubs  – JBI, Gymnastics, Tennis, Swimming and Ballet – will continue as normal. We look forward to seeing many of you on Wednesday, when you can catch up with your child’s Form Tutor. Please note that these will take place in classrooms for Nursery to Year 4, not in Wykeham Hall. Refreshments will be served in the Pre-Prep dining hall.

 Concerns of ‘Squishies’

Due to concerns over toxins contained inside some ‘Squishy toys’, please note that children will not be allowed these in school. Our decision to ban these from school follows two incidents of these toys bursting in class and is based on Trading Standards findings on toxic chemical levels in fake versions, which are a significant concern for student health such as eye and skin irritation, headaches and possible respiratory irritation upon repeated handling. Unless specifically recommended to you by our Learning Enrichment Department, please ensure that children leave any toys – including ‘fiddle’ and sensory toys – at home.

Precious Plastics

Thank you so much for the donations of plastic for our ‘trash to treasure’ project. We are progressing well, but please can we pause on donations for a while due to restricted storage space? I will send out another request as soon as we are running low. However, we would love continued donations of coloured plastics, such as bottle tops, to add some colour to our finished product.

Car Park Safety

Thank you for the continued support with keeping the lay-by area clear for ‘quick’ drop off and pick up. Not having cars parked or waiting here has made  a huge difference to traffic flow and safety in this area. The option of using the lay-by for dropping off or picking up Year 2 or 3 pupils has been working well, so if you would like to use this option, please email Olivia and your child’s Form Tutor, stating which days.

There have been a couple of reports of drivers not following the one-way system, so please speak to drivers about ensuring that this does not happen and that no-one takes any short cuts that could put our families at risk. Also remember that pedestrians should only be crossing at the designated crossing nearest the Prep Sports Hall, as the crossing closer to the guard house is no longer in use.

 Have a wonderful – hopefully ‘haze free’ – weekend.