Yule Logs
Have a look at these delicious Christmas delicacies! Pupils spent an enjoyable afternoon in the Home Economics room preparing and decorating their Yule Logs. Pupils in the Prep. Department are able to use the Main School facilities and always enjoy their time in Home Economics.
The Nativity in Egypt!
Performing to a packed audience, children from the Prep. Department delivered their rendition of the Nativity, but with a twist. This year the story started after Jesus was born and followed the journey Mary, Joseph and Jesus made to Egypt to escape the murderous plans of King Herod.
There was still room for a chorus of beautiful angels, the three kings and a handful of shepherds, but we were also treated to several Egyptian maidens and two Egyptian estate agents, who reappeared in a later scene as town councillors.
After much diaologue, all conducted through hieroglyphics, Mary and Joseph were granted permission to live in peace in Egypt and Joseph took on the role as town carpenter. Well done to everyone who took part, the singing was lovely and the costumes were great.
The Snow Arrives in St. Bees
Much to the delight of the Prep. School children, the beginning of December saw the arrival of the snow. Everyone was very excited at the sight of the freshly white fields, and after making sure everyone was wrapped up warm, the children were given the chance to go sledging on the hill behind school. As can be seen from the pictures, all had a great time.
Children In Need Non-Uniform Day
On Friday 26th November, the whole of the Prep. School took part in non-uniform day in order to raise money for Children In Need. The children took this as an opportunity to wear their favourite casual clothes, and a few even made the effort to dress up in costume! There were some wonderful portrayals of characters such as a sheriff, Snow White and a knight, amongst many others. Well done to everyone for taking part: your donations will go a long way in helping disadvantaged children in the UK.
Wasdale Mountain Rescue Dogs
The Prep. Department welcomed Christyne Judge Hall and David Hall to School along with their mountain rescue dogs Sky and Bute. Sky is a 12 year old collie who has worked with Christyne in the Coniston Mountain Rescue Team for several years before retiring a couple of years ago. Bute is nineteen months old and is undergoing training to become a mountain rescue dog. Christyne explained that it takes two years to train a dog and she showed the children the equipment that both her and the dogs use when they are out on the fells. The children saw the illuminous jackets that the dogs wear when they are on the mountains and also the harness used to winch the dogs into a helicopter if the rescue has turned into a helicopter rescue. Sky and Bute were very well behaved and demonstrated how they find a casualty by sniffing and barking. Many thanks to Christyne and David for bringing the dogs into School, the children and staff thoroughly enjoyed meeting Sky and Bute. 
Building Models
Prep. 1 have been busy building models out of Duplo. Oliver built this amazing Fire Engine all by himself. Well done Oliver.
Fire Brigade Visit
Members of the local Fire Brigade paid a visit to the Prep. Department on 5th November, in order to make pupils aware of the importance of safety. Despite all the excitement that may surround Bonfire Night celebrations, staying safe should be the primary concern. Children started the afternoon with a talk on safety, and then were rewarded with a look around the fire engine. They especially enjoyed sitting in the driver's seat, and extinguishing the pretend fires over the rugby pitch.
Operation Christmas Child
Children from the Prep. Department wrapped and packed shoeboxes full of gifts and goodies, ready for shipping off overseas. These boxes will be received by children who often live in difficult circumstances, and, without the help of the Samaritan's shoebox appeal, would have no means of celebrating Christmas. The pupils were very pleased to know that they would be helping to make Christmas special for other children, in a different part of the world.
Harvest Assembly
The Prep. Department's annual Harvest Festival took place on 21st October, in The Priory. This year, the children supported the charity 'North Lakes Foodbank': an organisation which supports individuals and families experiencing emotional or financial crisis. The children collected 51kg of food for the cause- that's equivalent to 125 cans of baked beans! These were presented to Mrs. Hendry, who gave a talk during the service explaining how the food bank operates within the local community. The children also sang traditional Harvest songs, and performed a play which showed the importance of sharing.
Oliver's First Birthday in Prep. 1
Oliver has enjoyed celebrating his first birthday as a member of the Prep. 1 class. He made some cupcakes and brought them to share with the rest of the Prep. Department last week, which the other students enjoyed very much. Oliver was five years old and is the youngest child in the Prep. Department.
The Ancient Egyptians
Prep. 3 have been busy this term studying the Ancient Egyptians, learning about pharaohs, hieroglyphics and the River Nile. In art they have been using the School Art room and having designed a sarcophagus on paper, they have been creating one out of clay. The next challenge is a tomb, and then a pyramid!
China National Day
Prep.3 celebrated China National Day with a special Chinese day. The children learnt all about the country of China and its people. They were particularly interested in the different animals that live in China including elephants, yaks, snow leopards and pandas. We then had a visit from six Chinese children from the International centre. They taught the children some Chinese words and how to write their names in Chinese. Then it was lunch time and the kitchens had cooked the whole school an amazing Chinese meal. The children particularly liked the fortune cookies. After lunch we had a special assembly about Gladys Aylward the famous missionary to China. Finally while the children labeled and coloured in a map of China we watched a video about life in China today.
Cumbria Primary Puppet Team
On Tuesday 28th September the Cumbria Primary Puppet team came to lead an assembly
called 'Whose World is it?' They introduced the theme through a snappy starter and were helped by Emily S., Emily K. and Yasemin who made fun shapes out of play dough. This was followed by a fun poem on creation and Hugo, Molly, Thomas, Solomon and Emily T. helped in this. Then it was time for the for the puppet play which was about recycling. After this they gave a short follow-up talk, a short prayer, and finally, a puppet song.
The children loved the whole assembly and would like to say a big thank you to the Primary Puppet team for coming in.
NISCU is a Christian charity involved in more than 200 schools in NW England. Their workers operate in both Secondary and Primary schools.
They assist with assemblies, clubs and lessons about Christian issues.
Northanger Abbey
On Wednesday 29th September, Prep. 3 had a drama day at Keswick's Theatre by the Lake. In the morning they attended a special 90 minute drama workshop run by Michael Eccles, Education Manager at the theatre. The children learnt how to behave, as if they had been young adults, 200 years ago when Northanger Abbey was written. First of all they learnt how to bow and curtsey and when they had mastered this they were taught how to dance. In the afternoon they watched 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen, which they have been studying in class. It was a wonderful show: romance, humour, a few scary moments and lots of gorgeous costumes. The children particularly enjoyed the ingenious stage settings. 
Science Day - Forces
To find out about the fun science day out Prep. 3 had, click here
Junior Sports Day
Junior Sports Day was held at the end of June, on the hottest day of the year so far. All of the pupils from Prep. joined in the track and field events which included high jump, triple jump, long jump, 100m, 400m, relay and the tug o' war. The children really enjoyed the day and competed hard to win. Everyone did really well but Alisha and Fabio stood out as exceptionally talented on the Sports Field.
Wasdale Residential
The Prep. Department took part in a residential trip to Wasdale Youth Hostel at the end of June. The trip consisted of an eight hour hike around Wasdale with all of the children having a go at map reading. Apparently, they only got lost once! The pupils tried out canoeing on the lake under the watchful eye of Ian Carter, one of St. Bees School's Outdoor Pursuits Instructors. Once Alisha, Yasemin and Emily went the right way, they had a fun afternoon on the water, so much so that Thomas and Hugo decided to jump in for a swim at the end of the afternoon. On the second day the pupils had a go at climbing at Eskdale and gyll scrambling at Netherbeck. Although the gyll was freezing and the water was running very fast, the children seem to have enjoyed this part of the trip the most; perhaps it was the full English breakfast they had eaten following the powercut at the Hostel that morning that gave them extra strength. 
Rock Pooling
Rock pooling on St. Bees Beach - what a lovely way to learn about the creatures and mini beasts that live on the shoreline. Pupils from the Prep. Department had fun catching crabs, shrimps and shellfish on a beautiful sunny day in June. The pupils were fascinated with the large number of jelly fish that had been washed up onto the beach and enjoyed using their nets to catch interesting types of creatures, before safely returning them to their watery homes.
Dove Cottage
The sun was shining and the birds were singing when the Prep pupils visited Dove Cottage in Grasmere at the end of May. The children went for a poetry walk and did some creative story telling with pictures from one of Wordsworth's poems, followed by a tour of the cottage. The children had a great time and have written a short report about their day which can be opened by clicking here.
Teddy Bear's Picnic
If you go down to the woods today be sure of a big surprise! More than 50 teddy bears
and their owners took part in the first ever Teddy Bear's Picnic at St. Bees School in its 400 year history. Children from several local pre-schools attended the event along with their teddy bears that had been dressed for the occasion. Pupils from the Prep School performed 'Goldilocks & the Three Bears' which they did with alot of energy and enthusiasm. The children then took part in some action songs, pass the parcel and a teddy bear walk before tucking into a delicious picnic. Everyone really enjoyed the day, so much so that we might even organise another one next year!
To view a report produced by Yasemin and Molly please click here. 
Yew Tree Farm
Down on the farm there are goats named after the periodic table! The Prep. Department visited Yew Tree Farm recently to learn how to care for farm animals. Click here to read Evie and Alisha's accounts of their day. The children would like to thank Mr and Mrs. Simper for showing them round and allowing them to get close to the sheep and goats.
Tag Rugby Competition
Pupils from the Prep. Department can be seen in action at the Tag Rugby Competition held at St. Bees School on Friday 30th April. The children tried hard and even though they didn't win, they had a fun time taking part.
St. Bees School were delighted to host the Copeland Schools' Tag Rugby Competition for a second time. Russell Gainford who represents the Copeland Community Rugby Union Coaches had organised the event which saw 28 local primary schools joining in, which meant 300 pupils took part in a fun if wet afternoon. This event was the culmination of all the work the Copeland Community Rugby Team have done throughout the year in the Copeland area. The St. Bees School fields were full of children in brightly coloured rugby kits; with 9 matches being played at any one time. There was an excited atmosphere as older pupils from School came to cheer the teams and give them encouragement. The final was a close run thing but St. Bees Village School beat Jericho in the end.Well done to the pupils at St. Bees Village School.
St. George's Day & Shakespeare's Birthday
On Friday the 23rd June the Prep Department celebrated Shakespeare's birthday and St George's Day. They made St George's flags and filled them with fascinating facts about St George. At lunch time the catering staff dressed up and served food and the dining room was full of Union Jacks. In the afternoon the children learnt about Shakespeare and pretended to be the three witches as they recited the start of Macbeth. Click here to read Thomas' account of Shakespeare, and click here to read Sophie's account of St. George's Day.
Fun on the Beach
A mermaid has been spotted on St. Bees beach!
Luckily the children from the Prep. Department knew all about it having spent a
fantastic afternoon with their sleeves rolled up collecting different textured stones to create their impressive statue. The rain stayed away long enough for the children to have a fun afternoon designing and building their creation whilst at the same time learning about different rock types and how the sea can affect the size of the stones as they roll around in the tide.
The project started in the classroom with some research into stories about mermaids and then progressed to the children putting their plans into place down on the beach.
Once complete the children then had fun decorating some of their favourite stones, turning them into mini beasts and sea creatures back in the classroom.
Prep. Department Newsletter: "The Buzz" 2
The children in the Prep. Department have produced the second edition of their own newsletter "The Buzz 2". Find out what has been happening in Prep. over the last couple of weeks.
Spring Flowers
At the start of the Spring Term the children planted hyacinths and crocuses in trays to help understand how flowers grow from bulbs. As the term has progressed the children have watered and cared for the shoots and they have now turned into beautiful flowers in full bloom. They have given wonderful smell and colour to the entrance to the Prep. Department.
Prep. Newsletter
The children in the Prep. Department have created a new Newsletter which they have titled "The Buzz". The children have written all of the articles themselves and have prepared all the artwork and photographs.
Reception Class
St. Bees School is planning to expand its provision to children aged between 4 and 7 years in September 2010, creating a new Early Years Foundation Stage Class. Class sizes are initially likely to be small (10 or fewer children per class) so provision will be tailored to the needs and abilities of individual children.
World Book Day
Children in the Pre. Department dressed up as a character from their favourite book on World Book Day. Click here for pictures