Monday 30 June 2014

More...


So much to share I ran out of page!

Once our busy morning was done we started on our next project- the creation, with a lot of help from Liz Sergeant, of a new mural to decorate the corridor outside Elder's classroom.

A real legacy- each child in year 6 will have the opportunity to paint some part of the journey in topic form through Crabtree Junior School. Please do make sure you come and see the finished masterpiece on open evening. Meanwhile, here's a taster of what they have been up to...





Well ,this week just like all the others in year 6 has started at quite a pace.

This morning we were visited by the Spring Board East Workshop Company who took us on a whirlwind tour through British history. By the end of our 900 year journey we had learnt all about the development of our country's democracy and government. An fascinating and highly educational experience.
Children then participated in two separate workshops- a drama session to get an insight into life as a poor victorian child working in the coal mines and a craft session to create a poster for campaigning for equal voting rights for women- very enlightening for some!
Below are some of the posters we created:


 

Thursday 19 June 2014

Multicultural Week

Having spent a quiet weekend recovering from their Isle of Wight adventures the children were thrown in to a week of discovering what life in Brazil is like this week. Yes, there is more to Brazil than football!

We began the week by considering some of the geography connected with Brazil, including which continent it is found within and, linking very smoothly with the new topic in year 6 of rainforests and deserts, all about the Amazonian rainforest.
Throughout the week we have made masks and head dresses for our Crabtree Carnival on Friday afternoon. We have been lucky enough to have music and dance workshops where the children have experienced samba dancing and drumming alongside other traditional Brazilian instruments.

Liz Sargent and her colleague came in to work with both classes on some pieces of art, based on the theme of Matisse. The children used cut outs to create their own carnival linked pictures where they endeavoured to capture the essence of carnival through shape and colour. These will be available for you to view later in the term.

We will end our week with what has become the traditional Crabtree picnic on the field, weather allowing, and what we hope will be a spectacular Crabtree Carnival in the sunshine.
We look forward to seeing many of you there on Friday afternoon.

The Year 6 Team

Thursday 12 June 2014

Very jealous!

Just spoken to Mr Pattrick and they are just coming out of the aquarium and the sun is shining.  I'm not sure who is having more fun - the adults or the children!  It will be nice to see them come back tomorrow!

Will keep everyone posted on arrival times etc.  So keep an eye on the blog tomorrow :)

Enjoy your last evening of peace and quiet!

Mrs Clements

A Quiet night at last!

An update from Mrs Doran....

A very quiet night last night - a trip to the model village always a great place to discover the more quirky side of life in the Isle of Wight. Then off to the park for lunch and a play. This was followed by the Dinosaur Isle. From the outside it has the appearance of a pteradactyl - one we have spent all week gazing at from our beach. Inside the children thought they were in a regular museum until round a corner they suddenly came across a computer controlled velociraptor - much fun and growling - from the dinosaur not the children!
This was followed by a fossil hunt on the beach - 125 million year old wood and bits of dinosaur bone were discovered and everyone, adults included went home for tea happy
As if that wasn't enough in a day we then piled onto the coach for the short trip to the Waltzing Waters. An amazing display of what can really only be described as water fireworks ensued keeping children and adults alike totally enthralled.
No wonder they all slept well!
Awoke this morning to another glorious day- walking along the sea front this morning and then over to Fort Victoria for the aquarium and Sunken Treasure Centre.
See you all tomorrow afternoon!


It sounds like Charlie S must have had a great birthday yesterday!  We look forward to welcoming Year 6 home tomorrow.

Enjoy ANOTHER sunny day.

Mrs Clements

Wednesday 11 June 2014

The sun is shining!

An update from Mrs Doran....

Good morning.
A much quieter night and later morning today after the miles walked yesterday.
A very pleasant day spent at Osborne House. A tour of the house when our children made us very proud of both Thais behaviour and the questions they asked as they went round. Some time spent in the education room shopping in the Victorian shop and dressing up as princes and princesses.
The newly opened and updated Swiss Cottage had all the children wishing they could have a play house of similar proportions - be warned Dads!
A final walk down to Queen Victoria's private beach and ice cream overlooking a very sunny Solent ended our day at Osborne.
The evening was pur sand castle competition and there were some amazing creations as sharks, seals, horses and rowing boats took over the beach at Shanklin.
Today we celebrate Charlie's birthday and head off to explore the model village and hunt for dinosaurs!


Sounds like they are having a wonderful time!  When I spoke to Mr Pattrick this morning he mentioned that they were all asleep by 10 last night as they have been so busy.  The photo I was sent last night made me very jealous....



Hope you're not missing your cherubs too much.
Mrs Clements

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Hello from the Isle of Wight

Just a quick note from Mrs Doran and Mr Pattrick...

Morning All! A relatively quiet last night (by 11:30 all were asleep) with a rather early start at Mrs Doran's end of the hotel.  Bright and sunny this morning this morning with clear blue  skies - when I spoke to Mr Pattrick they were already down on the beach.  Off to Osbourne house for the day today, leaving in around 15 minutes.  Last night children "swam" in the sea and ran off energies playing football and rugby.  Amazing how immune children are to cold water!

Sounds like the children and the adults(!) are all enjoying themselves!

Hope you all have a good day!  Enjoy the weather.

Mrs Clements

Sunday 8 June 2014

Quick reminders

What a glorious day this has turned into!

On that note- having watched the long range weather forecast this lunchtime it does, at the moment, look warm, dry and settled for the week ahead. Now whilst this is England and we all know that it could change at any time I felt this would be a good time to remind for you all for the last time about the importance of sun hats, sun cream and water bottles.

Although the days look set to be warm we will be down on the beach into the evening so please make sure old, warmer clothing is also packed for playing in  the sand and possibly the smaller waves- nothing above knee height, that's as deep as I am prepared to go in the cold waters of the Channel!

On the topic of pocket money- please pack some of your child's money in their suitcase, if they only have the daily amount for tomorrow in their rucksack then there is no chance of them losing their spending money for the whole week in one go. Named purses and wallets please.

If your child is desperate to sport their leavers hoodie whilst away do make sure it is clearly named- they are all identical and mainly one size!
It will be great to see year 6 in their newly designed and decorated t-shirts for the journey.

We look forward to seeing you all from 8 a.m. tomorrow with a departure time of 8:30 a.m. so early to bed and see you bright and early in the morning- that's not just for the adults accompanying us!

Mrs Doran

Thursday 5 June 2014

First week back

Another busy week is drawing to a close.

Yesterday saw Elm's first aid training, tomorrow it is Elder's turn to learn how to apply basic first aid in an emergency situation, a really interesting session which leaves the children with skills they will have for life.

Today a very enjoyable afternoon was spent out on the field whilst virtually the whole of crabtree Juniors was involved in our very own Football World Cup competition. It really is a fantastic side of Crabtree- teams of players, organised by their year 6 captains, refereed by year 6 and the majority of the school playing at some point during the afternoon for their 'home country'. We await the results tomorrow with anticipation.

Looking ahead to next week we are getting very excited about our departure to the sunny shores (we hope) of the Isle of Wight.
Below is a copy of the kit list sent out earlier in case it has gone astray.

Children in Elder have today brought home a luggage label, Elm will get theirs tomorrow. This needs to be attached either to their suitcase or rucksack.
Please remember to ensure that your child has a strong water bottle, a sun hat, a packed lunch for the first day and a snack for the afternoon on that first day to eat on the ferry crossing.

I have been in touch with the coach company and unfortunately there will not be a DVD player on this coach so the children have been told to bring something, non electrical, to entertain themselves with on the journey.
It just remains for me to wish you all a happy weekend and a quiet week, next week. See you all bright and early for our 8:30 departure on Monday morning.

Mrs Doran

KIT LIST – Isle of Wight 2014

 ¨            A holdall or a small suitcase which you child will be able to carry from the coach to the hotel (there are some steps!)
¨            A backpack or rucksack to hold packed lunch; sketch pad; drink bottle etc on day visits.
¨            2 pairs trousers (beware new jeans can chafe when walking)
¨            Tracksuit or joggers and sweatshirt
¨            Shorts
¨            Sufficient T-shirts; socks and underwear for five days
¨            Sturdy coat preferably waterproof (with hood if possible)
¨            Sun hat/baseball cap
¨            Swimming costume/trunks and towel (for paddling!)
¨            A warm sweater
¨            Good, supporting trainers or shoes for walks - not plimsolls or canvas shoes or heeled shoes.  (We have found that it is inadequate socks and canvas shoes that lead to blisters.)
¨            Additional footwear and indoor wear
¨            Pyjamas
¨            Cuddly toy
¨            Large and small towel; toiletries; sun cream
¨            Shower cap – for children with long hair
¨            A plastic bin bag or similar to isolate dirty laundry!
¨            Book; magazine; travel games (no personal CD players/DS etc/MP3/iPod)
¨            A camera if you wish (a disposable camera may be more suitable)
¨            A purse or money belt
¨            A 500ml drink bottle named with waterproof pen; preferably more robust than a small soft drink or   mineral water bottle.
¨            A stamped (1st class) and addressed postcard for your child to write home
¨            Pencil case, pens etc as usually used in school
¨            A5 sketch pad (this is used for sketching and note-taking through week - card backing saves having to take clipboards and this size fits well into backpacks).