From Chris Wilson, Head of Prep School
21st November 2025
Dear Parents,
“It is not how much we give, but how much we put into giving”
Mother Teresa
Outreach and the opportunity to give back in its widest sense is a core value that we look to develop in all those who are part of the Marlborough community. For the children, being part of events and activities that raise funds to support our charities, work alongside local schools and charities and develop their sense of philanthropy are a fundamental part of this.
Over the last ten days we have seen children crocheting poppies for Remembrance Day, selling juices at our weekly juice bar, bringing in jazzy jars and shoe boxes full of useful gifts, as well as writing get well soon letters from the heart to give to children in local hospitals. The engagement has been excellent to see from all in the Prep School.
It was a delight to see many of you at the Learning Showcase this afternoon. The joy that your children have in showing you all that they have been doing in class is always a delight, taking you through what they have learnt over the last few days in particular.
Elsewhere we have been enjoying a week of House Matches across the Upper Prep, with the camaraderie of such events a bonding and uniting experience for all in the shared pursuit of success for their House.
Whatever the long weekend holds for you, I hope you are all able to get some rest ahead of the final three weeks of term and good luck to our Under 13 Boys who are at the BISP football tournament.
With best wishes,
Chris Wilson
Head of Prep School
A Message from Mrs Cassidy and the Pre-Prep Team
The end of last week was celebrated with an incredible event in EYFS, run by some of our Senior pupils. The pupils planned and ran activities including face painting, parachute team games and drumming. The EYFS children absolutely loved it! How wonderful to see pupils of all ages collaborating and helping each other, as well as having a lot of fun in the process. Seeing this event and the positive effect that our children had on the older pupils, reminded me that I am so lucky to work here every day.
Following our beautiful Remembrance services last week, we have been talking about forgiveness in assembly. When people make a mistake, it can sometimes be difficult to forgive, especially when we feel hurt. However, it is so important for them to learn that forgiveness is an essential part of our wellbeing, and building positive relationships with others and ourselves.
It has been wonderful to see so many of you at the Learning Showcase this afternoon and I hope that you enjoyed sharing books, projects and ideas with your children. Hopefully this will be followed by a relaxing and replenishing weekend.
Message from Ms Thwaites, Head of Prep English
Headphone required for English Lesson Activity & Fostering a Love of Reading
This is a request that pupils need to bring headphones for an activity in their English lessons on the following dates:
Year 5 – Wednesday 26th November
Year 6 – Tuesday 2nd December
Year 7 – Wednesday 26th November
Year 8 – Friday 5th December
On a separate note, we are committed to supporting every pupil in becoming a confident reader, as strong reading skills are essential for success across all areas of learning. Equally, we aim to nurture a natural love of reading for pleasure that will stay with pupils throughout their lives.
To achieve this, we strongly recommend that all pupils in Upper Prep dedicate at least 15 minutes every evening (Sunday to Thursday) to independent reading, ideally in bed. Building a regular reading routine is key to developing a lasting reading discipline and a lifelong love of books.
Here are some useful UK lists to provide inspiration and ideas for reading: Year 4, Year 5, Year 6, Year 7 and Year 8. However, pupils should select books appropriate for their individual reading ability. If you would like recommendations tailored to your child’s interests and reading ability, please encourage your child to speak directly with their English teacher. (Please always monitor what your child is reading and refer to the Common Sense Media website for guidance.)
Message from Mrs Baxter, Head of Year 8
New Opportunities for Pupils: Prep Eco Council & School Council
We are delighted to introduce two new opportunities for pupils to take an active role in shaping our school community.
Prep Eco Council
The Prep Eco Council will run as a Friday activity and offers pupils a hands-on way to contribute to sustainability across the school. Pupils will brainstorm and implement practical projects, such as monitoring and tracking the water quality in the school lake, recording and challenging year groups on electricity usage, and developing other eco-friendly initiatives.
This is an exciting and educational opportunity for pupils to make a positive impact on their school environment. Pupils who wish to join the Eco Council should email Mr Wicling to request a change to their Friday activity choice.
School Council
The School Council will include one representative from each form from Year 3 to Year 8. These pupils will gather feedback from their classmates about improvements they would like to see or challenges they may be facing. Meetings will take place once every half term, and representatives will hold their role for the remainder of the school year. Form Tutors will manage the selection of representatives within their classes.
Being part of the School Council helps pupils develop leadership skills, confidence, and the ability to communicate effectively while representing the views of others. It is an excellent opportunity for pupils to make a positive contribution to the school community.
Pengawas Involvement
The Pengawas (Year 8 Prep School Leaders) will play a key role in supporting both councils. Their guidance, ability to engage with pupils across the school, and forward-thinking approach are expected to have a positive impact on the success of these initiatives.
Benefits for Pupils and the School
Both councils provide pupils with the chance to develop leadership, collaboration, and communication skills, while making a meaningful difference to their school. They promote pupil voice, encourage active citizenship, and foster a sense of responsibility and pride. The Eco Council, in particular, supports sustainability and environmental awareness, while the School Council helps ensure that pupils’ ideas and concerns are heard and acted upon.
Message from Mr Hartshorn, Head Librarian
Author Visit Malcolm Mejin (Diary of a Rich Kid) & Book Signing
We are thrilled to announce a unique literary event for our Year 4 pupils!
We will be hosting the incredibly popular Malaysian author Malcolm Mejin, the creator of the hilarious and action-packed Diary of a Rich Kid series on Friday, 28th November.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to meet a highly successful local author and discover the person behind the page-turning stories.
For Year 4 Parents:
The focused session for Year 4 will cover Malcolm’s journey, his writing process, and the inspiration behind his stories, helping to fire up their own creativity and literary curiosity.
Book Signing Event (Open Invitation)
Even though the reading sessions are being held for Year 4, we invite all parents and students from across the College community to join us for a book signing session after school at the Prep Art Cafe. This is a perfect chance to have personal copies signed and to briefly meet the author.
If you’d like to get a copy ready for the signing, you can find them via THIS link on Shopee (allow 2-3 days for delivery). Alternatively, there will be a limited quantity of books available to buy on the day (payment options include cash, Touch & Go, and Duitnow.) All books are RM50.
We encourage pupils to purchase or bring their copies of the Diary of a Rich Kid series to have them signed. We look forward to seeing you there!
Message from Mrs James, Head of Prep Drama
Thank You for Supporting ‘A Hint of Snow’ & Drama FOBISIA Updates
What a wonderful week for our drama community! A Hint of Snow was performed last week, and we would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to all the families and friends who came to support the show. It truly was a magical experience, and our students shone on stage.
Unfortunately, due to the high number of applications and a limited number of places, we were not able to secure a spot at the FOBISIA Junior Festival this academic year. However, we are delighted to share that we have secured a place at the FOBISIA Primary Festival in Jakarta this coming May. Invitations for Jakarta will be going out soon.
We are also excited to share that several of our Year 7 & 8 Drama Club students will be entering the FOBISIA Devising Online Competition. In addition, our drama clubs are working hard and looking forward to performing to our Pre-Prep students in early December. Please note that these performances are for Pre-Prep only and are not open to parents.
Report by Yui, Iskandar Boarder
Prep Boarders Sibu Island Adventure
During our trip to Sibu Island, we experienced many new things and enjoyed activities that can only be done in nature. The activity I found most interesting was snorkeling. Snorkeling in Sibu’s uniquely beautiful ocean left a strong impression on me. At night, we had various activities such as searching for hermit crabs, playing touch rugby, and sometimes gossiping together. Those moments were the most enjoyable for me. We also roasted marshmallows and made smores and shared snacks, which was also fun. On the first day, we dug a big hole in the sand and splashed water at each other, which made the day really entertaining. On the second day, we went hiking in the forest and experienced the beauty of nature.I got bitten by many sandflies, but it became a good memory. Taylor boys even started a little business by selling coconuts they found on a beach, and Iskandar girls spent time collecting seashells. We enjoyed many things that we could only do in Sibu. Since, this is my last year in Iskandar house, I’m really lucky that I was able to have such a wonderful junior boarder trip at the end.
Message from Mrs Selvaraj, Head of Prep Outreach
Christmas Fair Terrarium Project – Call for Donations & Outreach Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Following the previous week’s announcement, as part of our Christmas Fair, we are launching a special Terrarium Project to promote a sustainable ecosystem while raising funds for our school’s Outreach initiative to support the less fortunate in our local community during this festive season. A Year 6 pupil, has come up with a wonderful idea for this project, and we would love your support. We kindly ask for donations of glass jars, glass containers, glass pots, clear glass bowls, candle jars, or any other clean glass items suitable for making terrariums. The terrariums will be made in different sizes, and all funds raised will go directly to Outreach. We warmly invite pupils, staff, and parents to support this great project for a great cause.
Prep Outreach is encouraging our pupils and staff to participate in the Christmas Shoebox Appeal for underprivileged children in our local community. Last year, we collected a total of 465 shoeboxes in the whole school and distributed them to seven underprivileged charity homes and centres. Pupils are invited to wrap a shoebox in Christmas paper (ensuring the lid is wrapped separately) and fill it with items from the following categories: Arts and crafts, Personal Hygiene, Toys, Clothing and accessories, and ‘Wow’ items. Please refer to the included list for guidance on what to include and items to avoid. As a kind request, please provide empty shoeboxes if you have any too. Completed shoeboxes can be brought to school from until Friday, 28th November. Remember to include a labelled note indicating the appropriate age group and gender of the intended recipient. Prep pupils, kindly deliver these to the Outreach room and Pre-Prep children, please deliver them to Pre-Prep Reception. Thank you in advance to those who can contribute to this appeal.