From Plaistow to Plaistow

This week, Year 6 and Year 4 had a fabulous day out to Plaistow, London where we visited our new friends at Plaistow Primary School.

We went by train and tube and were then met by their deputy head teacher at Upton Park Station. From there, it was a short walk to their school. We spent time meeting children in their classrooms, played games together, had a lovely lunch in their hall and then played outside together on their playground.

It was so lovely for us all to meet the children and staff at Plaistow Primary School and we really look forward to forging a lovely friendship moving forwards. We will be welcoming their Year 6 children to our school in July and cannot wait to show them around our school grounds.

Once it was time for us to wave goodbye, we were able to spend some time looking in the shops nearby, enabling us to make comparisons between their Plaistow and ours.

Mr Butler, Mrs Powell, Miss Smith and Mrs Griggs would like to say a huge thank you to all the parents who accompanied us on the day - without you, we would not have been able to give our children this experience. We would also like to thank all the children’s parents for putting your trust in us - we know that some children had been a little bit worried beforehand but we really hope they enjoyed their day and that their confidence has grown as a result.

Festive pie ‘fun’

Year 6 was awash with pastry-based, circular items as we prepared our ‘actual pie’ charts. Admittedly, the definition of ‘pie’ was slightly stretched but it was great to see the class trying hard to place protractors on top of pork pies, chicken and leek pies, lemon pies, tarte tatin and chocolate fudge ‘pies’. We had done a survey of people’s top three favourite items from Christmas dinner ( I mean - obviously it has to be pigs in blankets, crunchy roast potatoes and gravy, doesn’t it?) and were then trying to represent our data on a real pie! ( OK - look, it seemed like a good idea at the time!)

It is always interesting seeing who can do what -cutlery skills perhaps needs to be added to the Y6 curriculum!

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas, manages to shake off these horrible colds, and here’s to a Happy New Year for us all! Xx

Farewell….

Well, what a blast this year has been. The worst part of being a Year 6 teacher is having to wave goodbye to them, knowing I may never see some of them ever again having really got to know them really well over a year.

Lovely Year 6 … have a fabulous summer. I am so proud of every single one of you. Be brave in September when you go to your new schools. You will be absolutely fine and will find lots of new friends, as well as being able to hold on to your old friends too.

I will really miss you. Xx

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside!

Year 6 had a fabulously sunny day out in Littlehampton. After all the hard work putting on our summer play, this was just what we needed. The children behaved brilliantly all day long ( ok, maybe a few don’t seem to quite understand that their knees aren’t on their shoulders… the paddling instructions!!!) and we are all hugely grateful to the lovely volunteer drivers.

What a great way to celebrate the end of primary school.

If you go down to the woods today, prepare for a big surprise!

Y6 had a magical trip to Brownings Farm this week, just on the outskirts of Kirdford. We had some lovely walks through the fields and woods, enjoyed watching the cows ( and huge bull) enter the fields, learnt about sustainability ( the farm has its own wind turbine) and saw some buildings left from when Canadian troops were stationed there during WW2. Huge thanks to Mr Nicholls and Mrs Allfrey for all their help in making this a lovely trip. Thanks, too, as always, to our wonderful Mrs Griggs, and also to Adam, our work experience student and former pupil.

On a personal note, I want to thank this amazing group of children for being such fun to teach this year. You have made me laugh out load many times and are just fabulous company. Surprising me in the woods today, with birthday-related lemon drizzle cake for all of us, is a moment I will never forget. Thank you! Xx

Wind in the Willows

Year 6 are working really hard at their rehearsals. I kindly request that all costumes come into school by Wednesday 6 July please. Also, please could parents help children rehearse their lines over these final few days - we would be really grateful for this.

Bikeability starts on Monday which should be good fun. On Thursday, we have our trip to Brownings Farm - children to arrive 9.20 -9.30, and to be collected at 3.00 please. I would be really grateful if all children could be collected on time. Many thanks.

Finally…. I pointed out to the children that yesterday was their last ever Thursday at this school! Gulp!!!

Log blog…

Year 6 decided the environmental area needed a proper tidy up this week and, as a result, we have spent a few mornings down there chopping down brambles, pulling up weeds and generally giving it a make over. Today, the log circle returns to life and we are feeling very pleased with ourselves!!!

As Bruce would say, ‘Didn’t we do well?’

Another good night

Everyone slept well again last night - we have had ridiculously huge breakfasts and are about to start our morning activities ( trapeze, Jacob’s ladder etc etc, depending upon which group you’re in).

Packing the suitcases was ‘interesting’… I make no apology for the fact that some parents might need to sift through each item, carefully removing bits of soggy crisp and half chewed Moam! Bleurrgghhhh…

Beds have been stripped and all linen removed - another interesting experience - trying to explain which bits were bed ‘linen’ and which bits were ‘bed’… at one point, one of the ‘boy cabins’ were attempting to remove mattresses etc!!!

We will take our packed lunches onto the ferry to eat there. I’ll try to add a final blog or two as the day goes on.

If I forget to mention this later, however, your children have all been completely fantastic, great company, gutsy, funny, kind… and a joy to spend time with. Xx