The Wizard of Oz

This afternoon, Years 3 - 6 put on their first production of The Wizard of Oz.  If you are coming tonight, I can confidently say that you are in for a treat!  The quality of the singing and acting was just brilliant.

Well done to all!

Musical Maestro!

Last week, Hattie took her prep test for the violin. This is no small task and requires a great deal of courage and determination. Hattie has been working hard towards this test and the results demonstrate this. Hattie's examiner said that Hattie's pieces were "rhythmical" and that the "tunes were confident in tone". A fantastic achievement!

Hattie's examiner also said that the listening tests were thoughtfully and correctly answered.  Well done Hattie!

Small Schools Week

Last week, the school came off timetable to celebrate all that is great about small schools during National Small Schools Week.  Prior to the official week's activities, Years 5 & 6 took a trip to Paris to further develop their speaking and listening skills.  Children travelled by Eurostar and engaged in a treasure hunt around the city; a trip up the Eiffel Tower and the purchasing of souvenirs to further develop their French.  

Small Schools Week officially kicked off on Monday 23rd June and involved a great range of activities including:

• A teddy bear's picnic for Nursery/Reception with children from Flamstead School, Gaddesden Row and Little Gaddesden.
• A trip to Tring Museum for Years 1 & 2.
• Rafting on the Grand Union Canal for Years 3 & 4.
• Rock-climbing and caving for Years 5 & 6.
• A whole-school trip to Whipsnade Zoo.

As well as many, many more!  A great number of parents have told me how much children enjoyed the week's activities.  We are delighted and are already beginning to discuss next year's events!

Sincere thanks to all staff, parents and governors who ensured that the week was such a success. 

A special thank you to Nicholas and Viola Halsey for giving their time so freely on Friday and for the use of their estate.  (We are already discussing a re-visit in the Autumn Term!)

Wonderful Woodland-themed Writing

As part of Small Schools Week, children in Nursery and Reception spent their morning at the woods collecting various items.  This afternoon, they have created some woodland-themed writing and Trystan came to show me his work. 

Keep up the super work Trystan - we are very proud of you!

i-pad training

This afternoon, each class was given some training using some new apps for the i-pads from a company called Toucan.  Following this, all staff received training with some new and exciting apps for use across the curriculum.  This is largely in preparation for the new Computing Curriculum which we will be following as of September 2014, but following today's training, I think we will see some examples of the i-pads being used even more creatively in the not too distant future ...

Scientific Enquiry

There is a buzz of scientific themed excitement in Years 3 - 6 this morning!  Over the course of this half-term, children are working in teams to develop their understanding of the 5 scientific enquiry skills (Research, Classification, Fair testing, Observing over time and Pattern finding).  Each member of the team has a specific role to play, for instance Equipment Officer, Presentation Manager, Project Director, Photographer, etc.

At this stage, each team has decided on the theme of their Science project (plants, micro-organisms, electricity, etc.) and are now conducting research, using the ipads, to see what equipment/resources they will require to carry out their investigations.  We will keep you updated with their progress!

Super Readers!

There has been some fantastic progress going on with reading in Reception: Matthew, Maddie, Lucy and Olivia have all gone up a stage in their reading!

They tell me it's because they are reading all the time - at home, at school, at Grandma's house, at Nanny and Grandad's house at Grandpa's house, at breakfast time - all the time!

What a difference it's making!  Well done to you all.