Pre-Prep Pupils take their Class Teddy Bears on Amazing Adventures

Over the course of the last two terms, you may well have seen several teddy bears peeking out of different corners in the Pre-Prep School. As any of the younger pupils will tell you, these are no ordinary teddies, but are in fact very special Wellington bears that each of the Pre-Prep classes have adopted as their own mascot. Since joining their classes, the Wellington bears have been named by the pupils, shared lessons with them, and even gone home with them for out-of-school adventures. Although not every pupil has had the chance to take their class bear home yet, they were all eager to share their experiences of their special time together: Andrew: Our class bear’s name is Alyce. Last Friday it was my turn to take her home. I read books with her, played games with her and took her on an adventure with my other toys. Rebecca: When we were naming our class bear we all put our name ideas on pieces of paper and put them into a bag. Then Mr Wright picked one out and that’s how Alyce got her name! Chloe: I’ve played with our bear during class and my friend built it a TV and a bed out of boxes. Lara: Our class bear is called Welly, which is the name that we all chose together. When I took him home he helped me with my homework and slept in my bed with me. I also played with Welly and my dog because they made friends! Aichan: Welly helped me with my homework because he’s a very smart bear. Each class has started their own traditions revolving around the bears, which has added further to their individual personalities. For some classes, taking the class bear home has become a special reward, rather than a simple rotation: “We like to let pupils have individual time with Alyce whenever they’ve shown particularly good behaviour or for achievements like the Golden Book certificate. She’s also helped celebrate quite a few birthdays too.” – Mr Wright As well as being a fun experience and a well-deserved reward, pupils are also being taught the importance of being responsible for their class bear whenever they take them home or go on an adventure. It’s clear to see that all of the Pre-Prep pupils take looking after their bears seriously, as they keep them from becoming messy, damaged or misplaced: “Whenever a pupil takes the class bear anywhere with them, they are always very careful to make sure that they keep it safe and don’t lose it. This acts as a gentle reinforcement of the Wellington values of respect, kindness and responsibility that we teach in class.” – Miss Hopkinson Each class also keeps a bear diary as well, which catalogues all of the adventures and exciting things that their class bear has seen and done. From festivals and picnics on the school field, to accompanying pupils on holidays to Thailand, many of the bears are now extremely well travelled! Now that the Wellington class bears are a more established tradition in the Pre-Prep, we can all look forward to seeing them out and about across the College grounds. No doubt we will also soon be hearing more tales of their latest adventures as they accompany the pupils far and wide!