Year Sixes enjoyed smores and relaxed and reflective conversation for their last Forest School session with Rob on Monday.
0 Comments
On the 26th June, Y4 & Y5 from across several MAT primaries met at Simmons Park to set off for their Menadue Residential (this also happened to be Miss Spooncer's, Mr Pearson's and Mrs Reid's daughter's birthdays).
After settling in to their tents and facilities, the children took part in a range of activities and events on the site, including songs around the bonfire. The second day took us to Polzeath for a beach day and surfing lesson, which was hugely enjoyable. The dam-building to block the river was an impressive joint engineering undertaking. Despite the variable weather, the trip was a chance to learn a lot and have some great fun, and the setting, overlooking Trebarwith and Tintagel, was spectacular. The whole school were treated to a circus workshop led by Circus in Schools. The children had the opportunity to experience a range of activities including juggling, plate spinning and stilt walking. Not only was the day a fun way to end the academic year but also an opportunity for children to develop co-ordination, confidence and self-esteem. The children showcased their skills to families at the end of the day.
We managed to find a break in the weather this week for Year 6s, who worked so hard towards their SATs tests, to have the treat of cakes that they had been promised. The dedication they've shown to their learning over the past two years has been hugely impressive, and the chance to celebrate it in some sunshine was a lovely way to mark the achievement. We were honoured to have Miss Shingleton with us as a guest.
Mrs Findlay came to work with Barn Owls this week on some extremely practical and useful strategies for dealing with challenging and stressful situations. In an engaging and informative session, Barn Owls had the chance to use musical instruments and even foam balls and straws to experience how each of us could feel when under stress, and then how we could alter our breathing to help us manage those times.
Mrs Findlay talked about the brain and the sorts of responses we could experience when we feel worried or uncomfortable. The children could identify and describe the responses they may have felt on different occasions. It was a fun and varied session that gives all of us a wealth of ideas for future use when we may feel unsettled or overwhelmed. Many thanks to Mrs Findlay for giving her time for the class, and for the toys and activities provided. Barn Owls were honoured with a visit to the class by Eden Houlberg from Tavistock College. For her EPQ project, Eden is working to reduce the stigma and to remove any shame associated with menstruation. She talked to Barn Owls about periods and menstruation in an extremely engaging and informative way, for which we are very grateful.
Barn Owls enjoyed their final PE lesson (and the last one ever for Years 6s) with Mr Pugh by playing an electric and very closely fought rounders match. Attentive fielding and accurate throwing made for a very competitive game.
Children came dressed in rainbow colours to celebrate inclusivity. During our assembly we explored the fact that we are all different and it is important to be kind to everyone.
Our Y6s spent 2 days this week learning about cycle and road safety, most earning their Level 2 award. Marghitta and Shaun made safety the first priority, but also worked with the children to build their confidence and awareness of travelling on the roads. Marghitta was adept at making the occasional adjustment to bikes to make them more rideable.
Barn Owls were successfully coached in the rules and techniques for triple jump by Mr Pugh this week. Again, the focus was on bettering each person's or each group's best distance, rather than competing against each other.
Naturally, shade was found when needed. Athletics season is now here, with lines painted on the field, and dry, fine weather upon us.
This week in PE, Barn Owls worked on techniques for improving sprinting. Mr Pugh coached us in starting strategies, what body positions to aim for at different points in a race, and how to finish. Arthur and Edith are demonstrating the Olympic 'lean forward' in photos below, and suitable arm positions and stride lengths are being used by pupils. We also had the chance to time runs, so that each could try to better their times. Lots of pupils reported aching thighs after the lesson (but they still ran laps for the Oke 13). Mrs Joliffe has been with us for Music since Easter, and we have learned some WW1 and WW2 songs and compared them. We've also been looking at and learning about pitching and notation. Mrs Joliffe has remarked on the impressive singing by the class.
On Friday, we also had the chance to begin learning notes on the ukelele. Following on from the Y6 trip to Normandy last week, Barn Owls are reading and using a book on D-Day for English writing. The book uses testimony from a range of service people and civilians who were involved in D-Day in some way.
Having each studied the story of one of the protagonists, Barn Owls took the hot seat and answered questions from others in the class on their characters' roles in the conflict, and motivations for taking part. We looked at the way the text is written, using first person extensively, and the text layout. This will then lead to Barn Owls themselves writing on the theme of the conflict. Snowies and Barn Owls are running around a mile a week in the build up to the Okehampton half marathon. By running one mile each week over 12 weeks, it gives children the opportunity to enter to run their final mile on the day of the event (details sent separately).
There are varying levels of enthusiasm for running one quarter of a mile each day, but it's very enjoyable to get out in the sun, especially now the grass is dry. Mr Arnold has been a regular visitor into school since before Christmas, using his expertise and experience to encourage and lift our singing. We are very grateful to him for giving his time so willingly.
We have started to learn songs for the end of term Leavers' service, and will soon start learning songs for our end of term production. For our final meal on French soil, we had poulet-frites at a large restaurant that could accommodate all of us (but had totally insufficient toilets for our numbers!). From there, we travelled to the ferry port at Caen and boarded the ferry, but not until Mr Parker had dropped 21 systematically ordered passports and boarding cards.
Once on the ferry, we slept in the same lounge area as we had on our outward journey. Despite the fitful rest, you can see that the A-Team were always alert and ready to bring 44 children back to the UK. Passport control in Portsmouth was a lovely welcome back to the country, and still not the final establishment we visited where staff and members of the public complimented our (your) children on their manners, behaviour and patience. Soon after, we stopped at a McDonald's and had orange juice, a hash brown and a bacon roll for breakfast. Despite the brilliance and good-humour of the coach drivers, we had to have one hitch, which was becoming stuck in the car park near McD's. Teamwork got it sorted and, after some time, we were back on the road again. Then it was just the long journey back across Dorset and Devon to Okehampton. Every child (and some of the adults) on the trip had obstacles and difficulties that they had to overcome, whether it was homesickness, feeling poorly, finding some activities difficult, not liking some of the food, or even feeling bored at times, they all managed to overcome these. As their teacher, I was extremely impressed with how Bridestowe (and other schools) children managed their worries, anxieties and moods, and kept on reasonably even keels. They achieved this through independent reasoning and the support of friends, new friends they made, and the fantastic staff who were unrelenting in their effort and kindness. In every place we visited (including McDonald's in Portsmouth), staff and members of the public went out of their way to approach our staff to compliment the children on their exemplary demeanour and manners. We were all extremely proud of all of the 150 children on the trip, and hope that they had worthwhile and very memorable visit to Normandy. Normandy - Day Four: Sainte Mere Eglise Church and Market, the Airborne Museum and Bayeux Cemetery.20/5/2023 On Thursday, Mr Hill went for an early morning run, getting a PB for his 1/2, 1 & 2 mile, and 1km. Meanwhile, Mrs Reid went at a similar pace, waking lots of peacefully sleeping children from their dreamy slumber. After being roused, children made swift work of dressing and packing their final belongings for the journey home.
We had our final French breakfast, and made packed lunches for the full day ahead. While waiting for the coaches to collect us, we joined Miss Spooncer for some energetic Wake and Shake in the Chateau grounds. After boarding the coaches, we travelled to Sainte-Mere-Eglise, a small town with a very significant history. From the photo, you'll see that the church in the centre by the market has a parachutist (model) dangling from it. This commemorates the actual D-Day event when John Steele, a US Paratrooper, was caught on the church spire as he descended as part of the invasion force (the incident is captured in the film "The Longest Day"). He remained undetected for some hours, but was taken prisoner by the Germans, from whom he escaped. He rejoined his division and fought the Germans, helping to regain land that had been occupied. The church also features remarkable stained glass windows that are a memorial to those who fought in the War and liberated occupied France. The market was a great chance to spend the additional euros the children were given, and an opportunity to speak French with purpose. Many gifts were bought for family members and friends, as well as some crepes for instant consumption. After lunch, we visited the US Airborne Museum, also in the centre of town. This was a varied and comprehensive set of exhibitions and WWII artefacts. We then left the town, taking the coaches to Bayeux Cemetery. There, Mrs Underwood led us in laying a wreath. She also reflected on the whole visit to Normandy with us, finding it to have been a wholeheartedly positive event. On Wednesday, we woke early, boarding the bus and travelling to Mont St Michel, having fruit and a croissant for breakfast when we arrived there.
We then crammed onto shuttle buses, which took us all the way onto the island. Unfortunately, the buses couldn't climb the steps for us, but the nearly 200 members of our group made light work of that (living on or near Dartmoor saw to that). Once at the summit, we learned more about the history of Mont St Michel from Mrs Underwood (who is extremely knowledgeable about Normandy). She told us how the church at the top was constructed, and that William the Conqueror was responsible for it. We just missed a church service where the monks who live on the island sing, but had time to look around the structure as we began our descent. The similarities with St Michael's Mount in Marazion were obvious and (Wikipedia tells me) the Cornish version was modelled on Mont St Michel. The French version seems much more affluent and developed than the cousin in Cornwall. As we reached the narrow shopping streets nearly back at ground level, there were lots of comments on how similar it is to how Diagon Alley is envisaged. We ate some custard creams on the beach, waiting for shuttle buses, and were lucky to avoid seagull dive bombs. A-Team staff were ready for any defence needed. Returning to the coaches we spent the predictable 30 or so minutes getting everyone through the toilet system, and then had lunch, making sure sun cream was topped up. Splitting in to groups, we headed towards the coast to draw Mont St Michel. Mrs Underwood was on hand to share her tips on scaling the picture, and the drawings children produced were very impressive. When it was our turn, we headed to the Biscuit Factory, where each child was given 5 euros to spend on gifts to take home. After that, we were picked up by the coaches and returned to the Chateau for the final dinner, evening activities and night of sound sleeping before leaving the following day. Tuesday was another packed day. After a typical French breakfast and room tidying, we travelled to Arromanches. Here, the Allies had set up Mulberry Harbour, an installation they constructed quickly during and immediately following the D Day landings to enable the import of heavy materials, further troops and weaponry to support and aid the initial invasion forces. The concrete foundations they established are still evident in the sea today.
The 360 Cinema at Arromanches was extremely impactful, and gave moving testimony of those who witnessed the events of D Day, many of whom, of course, are no longer alive today. We then travelled to the British Normandy Memorial, an expansive and powerfully commemorative focal point for paying respects to thousands of the British military who gave their lives in the D Day invasion. After laying a wreath and saying the French version of the commemorative poem at the site, we boarded the coaches to Creully. Here, we ate lunch in the gardens of a chateau, along with children from a local French school. We then walked to the school and took part in activities with them. We played a tag game of 'Poulet, Vipre, Renard' out in their field, drew around our hands and coloured them to make Friendship posters, and asked and answered questions (in English and French) as part of a Bingo game. The French children continued to dazzle us with their command of English when they performed four plays for us of mostly familiar stories, such as "The Gingerbread Man" and "Jack and the Beanstalk". The hospitality was further extended with a French food tasting buffet of pear and apple juice, various apple-based cakes and puddings, and cinnamon rice pudding (Mrs Reid loved that!). Having made some great friends during the afternoon and had a good feed, we headed away to the coast again, visiting Gold Beach, one of the sites that British forces landed on on June 6th, 1944. We heard the troubling story of a young soldier who could not swim and had to jump into the sea, wearing his weighty uniform, and bring a heavy bicycle to the shore with him. Starting to drown in the deep water, his life was saved by another soldier who held him up and, miraculously, he survived to carry out his duties. Sadly, so many others were not as lucky, 9,000 servicemen dying on the first day of the invasion across the Normandy coastline. Later, we returned to dinner and then bed for 180 exhausted children and adults at the Chateau, knowing that the next day was an earlier wake-up. So much was packed into our trip to Normandy that it's hard to fit in everything we did.
We had a fairly lengthy journey to Portsmouth through some impressive Dorset countryside (which Miss Spooncer knew like the back of her hand), with a short stop to stretch legs en route. Passport control at the ferry dock took a while, but the children were very patient. We were arranged on 3 coaches, with around 150 children and 30 adults onboard. Bridestowe Y6s were on Coach A, Coach A teachers being the A Team, of course, along with Highhampton, Milton Abbot, Northlew and the Y7s from Okehampton College (including Felix J and Ben from last year). The overnight ferry journey was a little like camping, ie find somewhere as comfortable as possible to sleep and get your head down. The children managed to sleep very well. Early in the morning, we arrived in Caen, and then travelled to Pegasus Bridge, seeing where the first gliders from Britain that were part of the D Day landings arrived. It was sobering to see how brave those first men to fly in were, landing at great speed in enemy territory in fairly flimsy aircraft. These gliders were hugely important in bringing over up to 30 people in each, as well as large and heavy equipment, such as vehicles. We had breakfast overlooking Pegasus Bridge, and looked around the informative museum, later travelling to Bayeux. In Bayeux, we visited the impressive Bayeux Cathedral, meeting some French school children, and had lunch in a very French restaurant, with a typical Normandy pudding of tarte aux pommes. After that, we saw the Bayeux Tapestry, telling the story of William the Conqueror's invasion of Britain. There were all sorts of less overtly noticeable features on the tapestry to spot as we went along, some more appropriate than others. We had a good drenching in Bayeux, so it was lovely to arrive at the Chateau at which we were staying with the sun out and a chance to relax on the grass before finding our rooms and getting settled. Barn Owls played a fast-paced and very enjoyable game of cricket under some stunning cloud formations with Mr Pugh.
On Wednesday, the school had a visit from RNLI lifeguards. The children listened very carefully and explored how to be 'water smart'. The children learnt that to stay safe near water they need to take the following steps:
1. Stop and think 2. Stay together 3. Float 4. Call 999 or 112. Each child was given an information leaflet which explain the steps in detail. Please take time to read the information with your child - it could save a life. Barn Owls happily avoided the rain to get outside, working on ball skills and devising small-sided games. Children also made observations about how they gave each other feedback.
The whole school sang “To The Sound of Trumpets” for the new King, all dressed in red, white and blue! The sun decided to shine, so we took the opportunity to end the day by singing the song on our way out to our parents. Some children waved Union Flags and others wore crowns as they paraded around the playground. We have also made a recording of the song which can be found here:
https://youtu.be/oyIa7F1wtAI |
Classes BlogCategories
All
Archives
April 2024
Access Octomono Masonry Settings
|