Recently, every girl in the Junior School enjoyed a brilliant day out at Bristol Zoo Project.
It was a wonderfully relaxed start to the week where we walked around the site in small groups, finding out about the conservation of the animals. We learned that the giraffes were all male and that the Zoo needs to look after them well, becoming experts, before any females can be introduced. The bear talk was interesting and the opportunity to look at a bear skull was a fascination for most. Lots of curiosity was aroused as we explored, and we were able to follow the interests of the children.
Importantly, the relationships between the girls were enhanced by spending time with each other. Some found a shared sense of humour whilst others enjoyed a sense of adventure on the play equipment.
There were a few highlights of the day - watching the bears playfully chase each other up trees and into the pond! Rufus the lemur came up close to say hello in his enclosure and showed off his tightrope walking skills. Mid-afternoon, the delicious ice creams offered a welcome chance to rest and chat about all the lovely animals we had seen!
The Big Girl, Little Girl trip is an important tradition at the Junior School each September and really helps our many new girls get to know each other, and their “buddy” in an informal setting. We allocate all new joiners a buddy; usually an older girl, who can help show them around, and be a familiar face for them. It forms part of a number of initiatives we do here to support the settling-in process for new joiners across Years 3 - 6. We recently welcomed new parents in for Breakfast Club with their daughters, and look forward to having new parents in for lunch this week!