Week of 20.3.2020 DragonNEWS News and Events for Dragon Parents

Dear Parents his has been a challenging week for everyone, in the face of the considerable impact of the TCoronavirus pandemic locally, nationally and internationally. With the necessary cancellation of many school events, coming to the fore has been a remarkable Dragon spirit as we have tried to keep the rhythm of school life running as smoothly as possible. There has been a strong sense of unity and purpose around the School, and I am very proud of the way in which the whole Dragon community continues to rise to this extraordinary challenge.

In a recent Dragon News I shared with you now builds kitchens in schools and focuses on with double ‘e’, while Year 2 are concentrating that December’s Dragon Sale had raised the promoting education for girls around the on the spelling of ‘walt’ words as well as incredible sum of £206,000, thanks to the world. busily making presents for Mothering Sunday great generosity of our parents and the efforts – I will not spoil the surprise by telling you of young Dragons and staff. On Tuesday this Although we have had to cancel events and what they are! Year 3 Literacy Detectives have week, fifty Dragons fromE to A Block had the sports fixtures, work in the classrooms has been spotting and correcting grammatical opportunity to make presentations to a panel continued as usual and the children are as errors in sentences. of Trustees of the Sale about their chosen busy as ever with their studies. C Block charities, which included Great Ormond children have been learning about the Last Wednesday, E Block children took part in Street Hospital, Kith and Kids, and properties of gases in Chemistry, and in Sing Up Day, an event that sees schools all Gingerbread. These charities have variously History they are assessing the military over the world performing the same song and supported Dragon pupils and their families in strategies of the Spanish Armada battle. A sharing in their enjoyment of singing. This times of need. Other charities had been Block Chemistry lessons are focusing on the year’s song is called There’s a Power in the selected for their work local to our school complexities of chemical bonds, including Music, and the children did themselves proud. such as ‘At the Bus’ or, on a national level, double- and triple-bonded substances. D Over 200 schools were part of this year’s ‘Winston’s Wish.’ There were four Armed Block Art lessons have seen the children using project and we are hoping our recording services charities, reflecting our close links to pastels to draw pictures of fish and food; in might be chosen to form part of the DigiChoir, services families, and overseas charities were Latin they are mastering the vocative case, a virtual worldwide montage of contributions. also represented. These included Ukhanyo and in A Block History the topic of study has You can hear their uplifting recording here. Primary school in Masiphumelele township in been the Great Exhibition of 1851, as part of Cape Town, which has received money to the Industrial Revolution. Finally, in our whole-school assembly on help fund sports coaching and changing Monday, we looked at the idea of small steps room and toilet facilities, and Mary’s Meals, a Pre-Prep pupils are working just as hard, with in big journeys, using the example of the charity originally started in Malawi, which Reception class learning phonics and sounds astronaut Neil Armstrong. He had known

1 from the age of two that he wanted to fly, we will stay in close communication with all In these unprecedented times I am extremely and he pursued an education that would parents. You will soon receive more detailed grateful for the commitment and enable him to do so, culminating in his time at information about our plans for continuing professionalism of our Dragon staff, the NASA which eventually saw him ‘fly’ as far as your children’s Dragon education remotely if adaptability and enthusiasm of our Dragon the moon. Our young Dragons were Government restrictions prevent us opening children, and the generous and unstinting encouraged to see that they are capable of for the return of pupils at the start of the support of our Dragon parents. We will meet taking those first small steps towards their Summer Term in April. We appreciate that this this challenge together with a characteristic dreams and ambitions any time in their lives, is an anxious and uncertain time for many strong sense of community and a focus on reflecting on the fact that every life experience families, but please be reassured that even if educational excellence. We look forward to and educational stage taught Neil Armstrong the school is closed physically, our staff will continuing to work in close partnership with something important that came to bear still be hard at work to ensure we continue to you and your children. I wish you and your during his Apollo mission. provide an exciting, stimulating and interactive families good health and wellbeing in the education for all young Dragons. I have weeks ahead. Our Dragon community is highly resilient, spoken to all the children at the Bardwell wonderfully vibrant and genuinely forward Road Prep site this morning and Annie thinking. These notable qualities are sure to McNeile has spoken to the Pre-Prep children, With all best wishes serve us well over the coming weeks, as we so they understand the context of the closures embrace the opportunities of virtual learning and what we will be expecting of them next Crispin Hyde-Dunn for our local, national and international term when they return to school. A transcript pupils. We have excellent access to software of this assembly is being emailed to all parents for teaching, learning and assessment, and separately.

2 Notices

For all sports fixtures please clickhere . For the full calendar of events, please see the main School Calendar.

Drop off and pick up Please may we remind you to approach the school on Bardwell Road from the North/ D OA C R H ON East rather than from Banbury Road, NT A LI D L I N especially during busy periods at pick up G T O R N I V R and drop off. For the safety of all, please E O C R A H D C

A H

R do not park over the zigzag or double E B R

U W

R B E Y L yellow lines, or make U-turns in front A L R N O

B A of the school at any time. Please turn off U D

R N

Y

O R

R

vehicle engines when parked. T

O

H A M

D

O

O

R

R

O

A D

A AD DRAGON 4 RO 1 ELL D PREP SCHOOL 6 DW R R 5 A B A G O N

L A N E After-School Collection be avoided on double yellow lined marked home and School. It also creates the Staff have been reminding the Day children areas to ensure the safe and smooth access of opportunity to gain from other parents, to be regularly this past week to ensure that they are School coaches. supported and listened to, to meet others and consistently waiting in the correct place to be be part of a group. picked up after school. A and B Block children must wait in the Library and C-E Block children Anxieties If you would like to join a Parent Group, we must wait in E Block. We do not wish to have Dear Parents, urge you to think carefully about the expected any children waiting on the roadside for Tutors have been talking with their classes commitment before signing up. Each week collection after 4.30pm and, therefore, we about anxieties and how we manage these builds up the robust knowledge and have provided supervised spaces where they feelings. Coronavirus has been specifically understanding of the nurturing programmes, may relax or make a start on Prep. Tea is mentioned, and ways in which we can reassure concepts and strategies as a whole approach available in the Dining Hall at 4.15pm and any and support each other in the community. and only makes sense and is effective if there is Day children staying on after School are very Further to this work in School, you may find commitment to attend each week’s 2-hour welcome to attend. this article from The Guardian helpful to sessions. facilitate containing conversations at home. We would be grateful if all parents of Day Clare Strickland, Deputy Head Pastoral The groups are strictly confidential and limited children might reinforce this message so that to 10 parents. The cost of the course is £100, the children are waiting in safety and comfort which includes all refreshments and a copy of until parents are able to collect them from Family Links Parenting Group “The Parenting Puzzle” which we will refer to School. During the Summer Term we will be running a each week during the course. The dates are: Family Links Parenting Group here at the Prep School on Wednesday mornings (8.45- Wednesday 29th April Parking on Double Yellow Lines 10.45am) led by Caroline Kerr and Bruce Wednesday 6th, 13th, 20th May Many thanks to all those parents who have Anderson. Wednesday 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th June been making the extra effort to park legally at Wednesday 1st July drop off and collection at both Dragon School These groups, which are open to parents of sites. Unfortunately, it remains the case that a children at both the Prep and Pre-Prep sites, To book a place on this course please ring number of vehicles continue to be parked on give us time to reflect on what it is like being a 01865 315 478 or email Maxine McConville. the double yellow lines around the school at parent; to look together at what is going well, drop off and pick up times. Given the proximity and also how we cope with challenges. It is a to the school, this parking raises a number of chance to pause and consider our family safety issues. The area that is a particular relationships and increase our confidence. The problem at present is on the crossroads of focus is on the emotional health and wellbeing Bardwell and Charlbury Road at around of parents and children and is carefully 4.15pm – 4.45pm. Vehicles parked here designed into a 9-week course of 2-hour prevent the buses that collect a number of our sessions. We will think about different ages Day children, from turning into Charlbury and stages, behaviour we find challenging, Road on the approach to the passenger how we communicate and learn lots of positive meeting point. This not only holds up our ideas and strategies for building a happy family Dragons and the children at our partner life. The Parent Group will also link you in to schools (OHS etc.) but can also lead to traffic the language, concepts and approach used by congestion along the length of the Bardwell all Dragon staff in the Pre-Prep and Prep School Road. As a matter of priority, parking should so will help establish consistency between

3 Pre-Prep News

Zim, Zam, Zoom The Pre-Prep was buzzing when award winning Oxfordshire based poet, James Carter, came to visit and inject some ’Zim, Zam, Zoom’ into the children’s School day. The children travelled in a rocket, searched for a grumpy dragon, and explored space, colour and animals! The classrooms came alive with Kenning poems and riddles describing a variety of animals. The children and staff were excited and motivated, celebrating the day with bundles of Dragon Courage when sharing their inspired Kenning masterpieces.

Prep News

ESSA Swimming Report second behind the winner, achieving a very world.’ The Dragons were delighted to be part On the exeat Friday, Dragon School welcomed respectable 8th place. Well done all of you! of the event and took away a number of six schools from the local community to important messages. Minnie ‘loved seeing compete in the ESSA Oxfordshire Qualifying Sadly, the SUPA Junior Schools Polo Nationals Alexandra Adams and hearing her story about round. It was a brilliant way to start the exeat, has had to be cancelled. But it has been really being deaf and blind’ – despite her difficulties, and it was a great event with heats and finals, great to see our polo players grow and develop Alexandra is training to be a doctor. Leo including a very exciting Girls’ Freestyle Relay in skills to get competition ready. We look appreciated being reminded by Idris Elba that with the top four teams being separated by forward to seeing this continue in time for the ‘your voice matters’, and Molly felt ‘empowered’ 1.1 seconds. Summer Nationals. Well done to our by the talk from Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, wife enthusiastic and dedicated polo riders! of the current Prime Minister of Canada, and All Dragon teams successfully navigated the Julia Gillard, a former Prime Minister of heats and qualified for the finals. After a Australia. Lottie found the story of Maya 5-minute dance break it was time for the Ghazal, a Syrian refugee, particularly inspiring finals. In our first final, Girls’ Medley Relay, our and Natalya was pleased to listen to a range of U10s finished second after being beaten on women and girls addressing the issue of gender the touch by the Manor, our U11s finished inequality. Ben said that the day reminded him third and our Dolphins finished in fifth. In the that ‘everyone can change the world, not just Boys’ Medley it was a one-two for the Dragon, the celebrities, ministers and CEOs’. with the our U11s beating the our U10s by 0.14 seconds. In the Girls’ Freestyle Relay Final, our U11s came first, the Manor claimed second, again touching out our U10s, this time by 0.02 seconds. Our Dolphins team claimed fifth. It was another one-two for the Dragon Boys in their Freestyle Relay Final, this WE Day 2020 time it was the U10s beating the U11s by 0.10 Last Wednesday, twelve Dragons from C to A seconds. The final event, with mixed teams, Block travelled to Wembley’s SSE arena for WE was the ‘Just for Fun 12 x 25 Cannon Relay’. Day: ‘an unparalleled celebration of young The Dragon came second and third. Well done people who are creating positive change in the everyone!

Equestrian News Tilly, Daisy and Phoebe competed at the NSEA Showjumping on Saturday amongst really tough competition. Daisy and Phoebe had some good moments, with very educational rounds. Tilly flew around the 90cms jump off, in an enormous class of 80, coming just 1

Governors’ Challenge 2020 B Block are busily preparing for their annual charity fundraiser, the Governors’ Challenge. Each Tutor group is working together to create a product or service to raise funds for charity and have a positive impact on the world around them. Market Day, when products and services will be available, is on Saturday 2nd May. More information about this, including how to pre-order, will be sent out soon, so please keep an eye on your inboxes and ask your children to listen out at School. There will be a huge variety of exciting offerings, including a puppet show, handmade wooden boards, Drego (Dragon LEGO), and the opportunity to contribute towards a tranquility garden and support children giving back to the School community by, for example, washing bicycles.

4 Prep News continued

B Block Geography Field Trip – Youth Cricket Training 2020 Friday 24th April All abilities are welcome to join This is an advance warning that the whole of Wolvercote Cricket Club (ages B Block will be out of School on a Geography 9-15). Winter indoor sessions will be field trip on Friday 24th April 2020. The starting at the beginning of February children will spend the day collecting data for on Sundays and Tuesdays up until their Common Entrance or Scholarship mid-April when we will then go Geography fieldwork enquiry. The project outdoors. Please see the poster for that they subsequently write up in school is more information or contact Mr worth 20% of their final Geography result Knapp. and therefore, it is important that all children attend. We would be grateful if parents could ensure that any other commitments are avoided on that date. Many thanks.

Extra Language Lessons Available at the Prep 1:1 Mandarin, Japanese, and Spanish extra language lessons are available during Activities and after School. For more information please contact Mr James.

Once a Dragon, Always a Dragon

‘The Dragon above is the Dragon we love, so to the Dragon we sing!’ An Old Dragon got in touch with the School this week in an attempt to locate the words of the Dragon Song, the ‘Carmen Draconiense’. Our archivist, Gay Sturt, went straight to the Dragon archives and detailed the below;

“The words to the Carmen Draconiense were written by Frank Sidgwick (OD 1893) and first sung in Summer 1900 at the Sing-Song. The Music was composed by Colin Campbell Taylor (OD 1896), who became a professional musician and composer. This was his first published piece of music. Frank was the founder of two publishing companies, producing important books sold all over the world.

Both these men became highly thought of in their own fields. Both had a brother who equally made their own mark in their separate fields of the Government and painting portraits. The Carmen is still sung in the Sing-Song: although now in the Lynam Hall, the volume always rises as the last verse is reached.”

5 Events

Future Schools Forum, A Block Leavers’ Lunch, supporting on a weekly basis in term time, Friday 22nd May, 10.00am Saturday 2nd May helping with reading, speech and language Parents of E, D and C Block children are invited Invitations have now been sent to this year’s and piano tuition. Many of our current to attend a Future Schools Forum with Dr A Block Leavers’ Lunch. Please contact Mia volunteers will be there to share their stories Hyde-Dunn and other members of staff, at Suggitt in Development with any questions and we would love those who may be 10.00am on Friday 22nd May, in the MCLT. and dietary requirements. Please note, interested in joining the programme in This event is intended to give parents an booking for this event is essential. September (or just want to find out more) to overview of the process and timescales to be come along. Please email Nicky Laird and aware of when considering applications to Felicity McCallum if you would like to attend senior schools. More information will be Volunteer Programme, or if you would like further information. included in the end of term notices to parents Thursday 7th May but please do save the date and contact the You are warmly invited for tea at 2-3pm in the Future Schools Office to register if you are Small Dinning room at the Prep School on able to attend. Thursday 7th May. Next Open Mornings We hope this will be an enjoyable opportunity Saturday, 16th May – Day & Boarding to hear all about our wonderful volunteer Friday, 5th June – Pre-Prep programme at Windale Primary School. We have over twenty parents from Dragon

Beyond the Dragon

We are aware that we have many Dragons who also enjoy sport and other activities outside of school and achieve lots of wonderful things, either as individuals or part of clubs and representative teams. We would love to promote these achievements through our social media channels and within Dragon News in order to share your successes with the wider community. Please do let us know by sending us the details, and where possible, with the correct permissions in place, we will look to share. #DiscoverTheDragon

For more information about these, or any other events, please visit our website www.dragonschool.org or contact Dragon School, Bardwell Road, Oxford OX2 6SS • Tel: 01865 315400

The Dragon School Trust Ltd is registered as a charity, no. 309676, and as a limited company, no. 524331 at the above address.

6