On Thursday, 3rd October 2024, the whole school came together for National Poetry Day 2024 to celebrate the power of words and the joy of sharing them with others.
To shape the activities for the day, English teachers Mrs Bygraves and Mrs Durrant encouraged the children to bring a favourite poem to read and share with their class. This activity prompted the children to start thinking about which poem they might like to learn by heart for the exciting literacy house competition, Poetry By Heart, on 28th February, 2025.
Pre-Prep Adventures
In Pre-Prep, Division I, children had a delightful time colouring nursery rhymes. They enjoyed listening to their friends read poems during library time and performed their coloured-in poems at the end of the day. Getting to bring in their pencil cases from home and rhymes with actions proved to be a highlight.
Division II children also shared poems they had brought from home, focusing on classic counting poems like “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” and “When I Was One,” and then had fun creating their own versions.
Junior Prep Creativity
Junior Prep’s Division IV pupils embraced the theme of ‘counting’ by writing their own nursery rhymes. The children were so proud of their poems that they were eager to share them with some of the younger children. So the following week, they performed their poems to an eager audience of Nursery children, who loved the rhymes and enjoyed practising counting with their older friends.
Senior Prep Reflections
Senior Prep pupils explored the theme of ‘counting’ through the idea of ‘What counts?’ They watched a performance of “Your Voice Counts” by young poet laureate Alina Brdar, which inspired them to write their own poems about what matters to them.
The pupils’ imaginative ideas ranged from the importance of friendship and the love for pets to their favourite school subjects and the power of using one’s voice to make a difference.
Mrs Bygraves and Mrs Durrant also invited all pupils to participate in a school poetry competition to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Glebe House school. We have already received some fantastic poems from our talented children, showcasing their creativity and passion for poetry.
Overall, the the day was a huge success sparking a love for poetry and creative expression across the school.
Click on some of the wonderful poems created by Division VI and VII to read more:
