Wednesday 29 June 2011

Netball Success!

Earl Soham traveled to Sir Robert Hitcham's Primary, Debenham for an end of year friendly fixture. The girls started off quite anxiously, worried about the size of the school and the height of the opposition. A closely fought first game saw the hosts run out victorious 4 - 0. Credit must go to Debenham who played some fine netball in a very sporting manner.
Having learnt for their mistakes and realised that they were a match for the home side, a revitalized and refreshed group of players took to the court for the second match against a home side who had made many changes. In this match, Earl Soham were simply insatiable. The netball was fast and furious, with good passages of play being exhibited by both sides. With accurate shooting, stout defending and energetic play all-round, Earl Soham were this time the victors, winning 7 - 0. This was thoroughly deserved and goes to show how far you've come as a team - well done!

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Dance East - The technical rehearsals in the theatre

The children's dance was entitled  'ESCAPE'  and as the title suggests was about breaking away and being an individual, not following the crowd. It was a collaboration between group members and the choreographer, Mrs Jarvis, whom we must thank sincerely for helping each and every one of the children enjoy such an exciting opportunity.

The music used was Star Guitar by The Chemical Brothers.

The two videos below were taken from different angles. We hope you enjoy watching them as much as we did.



Writers of the Week

Wall of Fame



Friday 24 June 2011

Suffolk Schools' Dance Jam - The Rehearsals




Earl Soham @ Suffolk Schools' Dance Jam

Yesterday evening, if front of an expectant full house, the Earl Soham dance group entertained a diverse audience with a simply stunning performance.
It was the first ever Schools' Dance Jam to be held at Dance East in Ipswich. Following an afternoon of rehearsals, and many weeks of practice, the 'show' started at 7pm. And what a show it was!
Earl Soham were due to be fourth on stage. By 7pm, my stomach was tied in multiple knots. Having been entertained by dancers from Westbourne Sports College, Wells Hall Primary School and Kesgrave High School, the 14 dancers from Earl Soham took to the stage. At this point, I was trembling with a mix of excitement, anticipation and anxiety. Goodness knows how the parents and children felt. What was to follow was 5minutes of the most wonderful dance. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked on to see something quite incredible and is now so hard to describe in words which would do it justice.
I often use the word 'proud' to describe much of what the children at Earl Soham do. This performance, based on the commitment, effort and skills of all involved, has left me beaming with pride. One day after the event I still can't stop smiling about it.
Having spoken to many parents, I know that they were all similarly 'taken aback' by what their children produced. Thank you for your tremendous support throughout. As stated in an email I received after the performance - 'I am a very very proud Mum tonight. My child is on a high at the moment & I hope this is something he remembers for the rest of his life' - I believe that this is something to stick in everyone's memory for a long time.
Finally, huge thanks go to Mrs Jarvis for her encouragement and commitment to the children throughout this process.

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Athletics Tournament

Children in years five and six took part in the Thomas Mills and Debenham High School Pyramid Athletics Tournament today. The children battled valiantly through the numerous track and field events. We had a number of podium finishes (2nd and 3rd places) in the field events and congratulations go to the children pictured below left. 

Well done to all the 19 children who took part. You gave your all, encouraged others, and when things didn't go your way, accepted defeat graciously. You made me very proud!

Potato Harvesting and Fruit Picking

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Red Class @ Jimmy's Farm

Red Class had a thoroughly enjoyable trip to Jimmy's Farm earlier today. They saw a wide range of birds and animals including pigs, cows, sheep, pygmy goats, guinea pigs, chickens and peacocks.
One of the highlights was a visit to the butterfly house where the children were able to see a large variety of beautiful butterflies from around the world.
For many the most memorable event was seeing the pygmy goats playing in the adventure playground and trying to snaffle their packed lunches!

Friday 17 June 2011

Fluttering Butterflies

Following weeks of nurturing our caterpillars which turned into chrysalises (or chrysalides), have now grown into beautiful butterflies. 'Painted Ladies' are simply wonderful with fantastic orange, black and white wing markings when their wings are fully extended. This morning they were released into the Conservation Area and merrily fluttered away to the delight of a group of children.

Writers of the Week

Wall of Fame



Thomas Mills - Science of the Circus

On Tuesday, children in years five and six visited Thomas Mills High School for a day of activities based around the Science of the Circus.

In the morning the children worked with Mr Gionis in the DT room to produce a tightrope walker toy. The children enjoyed using the coping saws and pillar drill and everyone produced a toy to take home.

In the afternoon, Mr Halls introduced the children to a series of experiments in the science lab. They worked in teams to build a high-dive tower, and find out the science behind the human cannonball, and experimented with different chemicals to find out how fireworks get their colours.

The afternoon finished with a bang (literally) as Mr Halls demonstrated how hydrogen and oxygen could be combined to make water. He also wowed his audience by turning water into wine, back to water and finally into milk.

Enjoy the photographs!

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Year 5 Science Morning at Debenham High School


Having taken part in the 'Astronomy Roadshow', a multi-media mobile planetarium, the children moved into a science lab. Debenham High School Science Teacher, Mr Rockett set them the task of making rockets. Using simple materials including a piece of paper, card and a straw, the children set about their task.
Once their first attempt was completed they then went about testing and improving their rocket. Once outside, real testing could begin - congratulations to Jack whose rocket clearly went the furthest. Back in the lad, the children were placed in a spinning chair (to replicate the spinning action of the Earth) and fire their rocket at the 'Sun'. The children certainly had fun and learnt a fair amount about the earth and beyond...

Monday 13 June 2011

PTFA Summer Fun Family Evening

Mr Pearce's Perspective:
Following months in the planning, the hard work of the PTFA came to fruition on Saturday with a wonderfully well organised and superbly supported event.
Having never really camped (or 'tented' as some people referred to it as) I decided to arrive at lunchtime to piece together my recently bought 4 person tent. To say that this part of the day went like clockwork would be slightly pushing the boundaries of the truth. Needless to say, by half past four, a slightly 'wonky' tent was erect, although not necessarily near the plot which I'd chosen before hammering home the tent pegs. Maybe it was longshore drift?
The afternoon saw the arrival of many parents, laden with goods. In no time (compared to my own experience) 16 tents were erected, the barbecue was set up, salads prepared, strawberries washed, hall organised and the fridge stocked with drinks.
At 4.45pm, the barbecue roared into life expertly marshaled by men in aprons with tongs! Just a few hours later, 180 sausages and burgers had been dispensed with.
As approximately 100 guests filtered onto the field, an air of excitement and delight filled the air. Children of all ages happily played with each other whilst parents discussed topical subjects like the weather, Andy Murray's chances at Wimbledon, Ipswich Town's chances of achieving more than mid-table mediocrity and the merits of having a brewery in the village!
Later than scheduled, bingo started in the hall. The atmosphere built up into a crescendo of excitement as one by one the numbers were called in my desperate attempts at 'bingo language'. A few full houses later, the first part of the family quiz started. Quizzes are never easy to present, but the soothing effect of the children enabled it to go rather smoothly.
A short break, a run around in the fresh air, along with topping up of beverages saw the quiz re-start for the second part. Scores were incredibly tight as it went into the final round. The picture round... 20 cartoon characters from across the ages. Clearly, Clyde (from the Anthill Mob) caught everyone out. When the scores were added up for the last time 'The Dreamers' sneaked a win by one point.
A short break and re-organisation of the hall saw the first of the evening's films commence. Gulliver's Travels was well received as people tucked in to 'Eton Mess' (apart from myself as there was none left...).
By the end of the film, some of the younger ones made their way to under the canvas. Others, fuelled by hot chocolate and marshmallows, stayed for the second film, 'Gnomeo and Juliet'.
At about 11.45pm, everyone meandered off to their tents to lie back and listen to the live band playing up the road! Having never really camped before, I was amazed at how loud everything seemed. There must be a market for 'zip silencers' - maybe Mr Mansell could invent one for his next appearance on Dragon's Den?
The dawn chorus began at 4.05am. It was no good, I was cold (apparently I'd made the mistake of having my sleeping bag like a quilt rather than keeping it zipped up) and in need of a cup of tea. I was joined by a couple of young lads who looked as fresh as daisies in the kitchen for a timely brew. At half past six, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't taken any photos, so having hastily found an old camera, I set about taking a few snaps of the morning after the night before! Unfortunately, by this time the sun was shining in a clear blue sky meaning that the rather poor attempts shown below were my only pictorial record of the event. On closer inspection, it appears that, through sleepy eyes, I used a camera that may have seen better days. Or maybe, like me, it had only had one and a half hours sleep! As the morning developed, more and more tent flaps were opened with a variety of facial expressions on show. The kettle was doing a sound job and by 7am the bacon was sizzling away for the filling of fresh bread rolls.
Most adults discussed how good the band at the nearby party had been, whilst others had been asleep since 8.30pm and needed waking at 9am!
So, having been refuelled by caffeine and bacon, it was time to tidy up. Again, a superb team effort saw this completed in double quick time. To be honest, the rest of Sunday was just a blur involving sleep, sleep and more sleep. However, a really great evening had been had by all and all comments were along the lines of, "we must do it again." Fortunately, it took much less time to pack the tent away that it had to put up.
It was a delight to stand back and see everyone just so happy and getting along so well. The PTFA, you are brilliant - your commitment to the school and what you do is immeasurable. On behalf of everyone who attended, thank you for an unprecedented evening's fun. Early reports indicate a profit of approximately £400.
Having seen my rather dodgy attempts, some photos have been sent in. Thank you!

Friday 10 June 2011

Saving Water

Shortly before half term, children in Blue Class took part in an activity to learn about saving water and to get an idea of just how lucky we are to have access to clean running water.

The children were divided into two teams, one representing the UK and one representing rural Ghana. Each team were given a cup and a container to fill. The UK team had a short walk to the outdoor tap to collect their water, whereas the Ghanaian team had to make their way to the back of the hideouts to collect theirs from a dirty well. They also had the slight disadvantage of a hole in their cup.


Both teams were working hard to collect their water, but the UK team soon took an early lead and could start working on a maths puzzle. This represented the improved opportunities for education in the UK compared to Ghana. Unfortunately for the Ghana team, disaster struck about five minutes into the race, when one of their team fell and broke the cup. Since resources were limited, they were forced to continue with a cracked and leaking cup, and chose to improvise using a pair of socks to try and collect water!

It was a long time before Ghana were ready to start their maths challenge, but when they finally did, they worked conscientiously and cooperated and were the first to find a solution (with a little help from Mrs Exton, who got quite excited by the problem!)

We finished the activity with a discussion about ways in which water is used in both countries and how we can reduce the amount of water we waste.

Writers of the Week

Wall of Fame



Thursday 9 June 2011

Watching the Cars Go By!

This afternoon, our two Junior Road Safety Officers joined PCSO Hassler and PC Bones for speeding checks along the stretch of road outside the school.
Mr Pearce also had a go with the 'camera' which is quite incredible, especially how quickly it detects the speed of oncoming traffic!

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Year 4 Orienteering

This morning, our 12 Year 4 pupils travelled to Debenham High School to take part in a morning of orienteering. Joined by Children from Helmingham, Stonham Aspal, Sir Robert Hitcham's Debenham, Bedfield and Wetheringsett, the children were put into mixed-school groups and superbly led around the expansive fields by Year 9 Sports' Leaders.The weather was kind and the team work on show was a delight to see.

Thursday 2 June 2011

Half-term Dance Workshops - Tuesday 31st May

  
Many thanks to Mrs Jarvis for giving the children this creative opportunity during the half-term break - it was enjoyed by all participants and audiences of parents. Each dance was created from scratch in an hour and a half using many of the children's own ideas.


Key stage 1 children enjoyed being "naughty toys".


Key stage 2 were the "hidden faces of mischief" !