Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's Weekly News, Friday 25th May, 2018
May 25, 2018
25 May 2018
Dear Parents
2D Assembly
We were transported back in time to 1969 and the First Moon Landing with 2D this morning. They began with a family watching the landing on TV (2D played the family and the TV presenters!). They even had very realistic astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins and we watched the real footage of the actual moon landing. The whole performance was rounded off with a very enthusiastic rendition of ‘I’m Gonna be an Astronaut!’ 2D’s enjoyment of the subject really shone through in their acting and their presentation, delivering their words with confidence and big smiles. Thank you 2D and Mrs Davidson for a fantastic assembly. What a wonderful way to end this half term!
News from Pre-School
Our Pre-School children were fully involved in the planning of their own Royal Wedding last week! They made flags, crowns and bunting and used these to decorate the Nursery garden for the party. The children also made biscuits and cupcakes which they enjoyed eating during their Royal Wedding party.
Pre-School also enjoyed parachute games in the garden this week which require lots of teamwork and support for each other. We also have some new arrivals: three butterflies have emerged! Well done Pre-School!
Nursery Dance Show
On Thursday afternoon, Miss Burns’ dancers entertained us with a variety of wonderful dances. We watched giraffes, elephants, horses, rockets and trains twist and turn gracefully around the room. The amount of different actions they had remembered was very impressive. You could clearly see the enjoyment of the children as they performed with big smiles and such energy and enthusiasm. They also enjoyed entertaining the audience with lots of waves to their parents as well as a quick detour for a cuddle or a kiss. Thank you to the children, Miss Burns and the Nursery staff for a very special performance.
Year 4 Trip to The Atkinson
On Tuesday, Year 4 visited The Atkinson in Southport which was hosting a touring Viking exhibition which is linked to the work they have been studying in class. The children were given the chance to look at lots of artefacts. They each chose an artefact which interested them and completed a detailed drawing of it. Arjun picked a coin to draw because there were patterns and a drawing of Thor’s hammer in the middle of it. This shows that the Vikings used coins to sometimes buy things and we know that some people got paid to do their jobs. Stephen and Hiba drew a Viking sword which was used in battle and a helmet which was used to protect their faces and noses. The sword also had runes on it and was found in the River Thames. Brooke said that she really enjoyed the practical activities, especially making the bracelets, pencils and butter. She also said that they loved having the pretend battle with helmets and shields and bows.
It sounds like a very enjoyable trip which has really helped 4S to add depth to the work they have been covering in class
Year 3 Trip to Myerscough
Extracts taken from accounts written by Aadi, Reya, Diya and Anshi.
On Monday, Year 3 went to Myerscough College. We went because our science topic is ‘Plants’. We saw many unusual plants like a Fly Catcher and a Cactus shaped like a circle. When we arrived, we met a lady called Christine who showed us lots of different types of plants. The main ones I can remember are the lemon plant, a strawberry plant and a tea plant that smelt of mint. Another plant I can remember was the Cactus. There are so many different varieties! Cacti are usually found in hot places around the world. We learnt that a cactus stores water inside the plant and they also have large spikes on the outside to protect them from animals and birds.
After this, we entered a jungle-like greenhouse. Inside there were ‘birds of paradise.’ These are plants that have flowers like the heads of birds. Then we saw a special tree that had a stem, which we cut out and it revealed lots of sap inside the stem. These plants are called Sugar Cane. Also, in the tropical zone, there were four terrapins, two with green eyes and two with red eyes.
Then we had a devilishly delicious lunch. We also got some strawberry plants to take back to school. I found the school trip interesting and I have learnt lots more information that I didn’t know.
Year 5 Trip to Jodrell Bank
William’s Recount
On 22nd May, the Year 5s went to the amazing Jodrell Bank for their school trip to learn more about Space. When we got there, we dropped our bags off and got our first look at the Space displays. We then saw the huge Lovell Telescope and it was glorious! We were told it was 89m in height and 53m wide! It was massive!
I really enjoyed learning about Mars and a robot that landed there a few years ago. We learnt that Mars once had water on it 10 billion years ago and that a robot called Curiosity was sent to Mars to conduct tests.
Yawar’s Recount
On arrival at Jodrell Bank, I was surprised to see the amazingly close view of a big satellite. We were greeted and guided by a kind lady who showed us the Solar System model and how to operate it. It was fabulous to watch the whole system moving. We enjoyed a quiz competition about Mars and I only got 2 answers wrong! We watched a movie clip of a robot landing on Mars which was exciting to see. Visiting the Space Centre was a fun-filled event. I spent the day enjoying the displays with my friends whilst learning some important facts about the Solar System.
Year 6 Cycling Proficiency
This has been an excellent activity for the Year Six children this week, straight after their NCTs. The children learnt the importance of maintaining their bikes and they practised their skills on the school site before going onto the local roads. This really honed their awareness as they learnt a number of manoeuvres including turning from a minor road onto a busy one. I think the whole week has been an extremely valuable experience, especially as many children will be going on to take a bus to school and road awareness is going to be very important. A big thank you to Mrs Guthrie and the Bikeability instructors from all the Year Six children.
Manor Adventure!
Good luck to all our intrepid adventurers who are off to Manor Adventure in Shropshire this week. There will be 50 children supported by Mr Sheppeck, Mrs Jones, Ms Eccles, Mrs Botton and Mr Drake. They will be taking part in several activities ranging from the Underground Maze to the High Ropes. We will be posting pictures on our Facebook pages throughout the weekend. Thank you to all the staff and especially Mrs Jones for making this trip possible.
Under 11 Cricket
We travelled to St. Mary’s Hall, Stonyhurst on Wednesday in wonderfully sunny conditions to play a hardball and a softball game of cricket. In the hardball game, we batted first and, after losing an early wicket, Alfie and Ivan managed to guide us to 106 runs off 20 overs with Alfie scoring 40 not out. We bowled well taking early wickets but St Mary’s were patient and won the game with two balls to spare. This was another very exciting game and a great finish to our hardball games of the season. The softball game was competitive with good batting from both sides, especially from Abdullah who crashed a few boundaries. However, St. Mary’s Hall’s bowling and fielding eventually won them the day. Well done to all the boys who took part.
Class Photographs
The weather was really on our side for the class photographs on Wednesday and it was lovely to see the children together in their classes in the school garden. They looked very smart and the camaraderie and closeness between the members of each class was very obvious to see. The team photographs will be completed next term on 12th June.
Whole School Photograph
The whole school photograph will be taken on Tuesday 12th June.
PTA
Thank you to everyone who brought your bags in on Wednesday; it was much appreciated.
Also, as you may have seen on the posters around the school, the Summer Fayre is on Sunday 8th July. We are still in need of raffle prizes. If you would like to make a donation, please contact the HPPTA or the School Office.
Merit Awards
RD: Monty RJ: Penny 1W: Yaseen 2D: The Whole Class 2E: Anoush
3H: Neelesh 3M: Sara 4S: Ayesha 5D: William 5M: Yawar 6H: Evie 6P: Ibrahim
Thought for the Week
The best way to predict the future is to create it. Anon
I hope you all enjoy the half-term break and I look forward to seeing you on Monday 11th June.
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
