Thursday 31 May 2012

Celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

What a wonderful afternoon we had today! Princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses, courtiers and soldiers turned out in their finery. The hall was bedecked in red, white and blue, as were many of the staff and parents of the PTFA, when the children came out on parade around the playground.


After a rousing chorus of God Save the Queen, we settled down to watch the Queen's coronation. Following the pomp and circumstance which befitted the occasion, we began some celebratory games, including Queenie, Queenie, who's got the ball?, Pin the crown on the Monarch, Royal statues and a Jam Tart Relay. 




True to form, the British weather tried to dampen our spirits, but with a stiff upper lip we did what Brits have always done - reverted to plan B!

Some fantastic singing, including a performance of the Jubilee Song, Sing, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gary Barlow, gave us a respite from the worst of the weather. We then continued our games indoors.


Returning to the hall, the children were awed by the transformation. Thanks to the amazing efforts of the PTFA, the tables were lined with red, white and blue cloths, plates and napkins and a wonderful display of cupcakes in the form of the Union flag dominated the front table.
After a toast to the Queen, cucumber sandwiches, jam tarts and jelly were served to the ravenous hordes, who quickly demolished the lot.


The smiling faces show just how much the children enjoyed the afternoon, and I am sure it will be something that they will remember always. 

As with all events of this nature, without the hard work and efforts of the organisers it could not have gone ahead, and we owe a huge thank you to all the members of the PTFA who baked, served, washed, cleaned and tidied, and waved their flags vigorously to help us celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. 

School Council Olympic Day - pm

My apologies to the council for the delay in posting these photos from the afternoon session - the mislaid camera was found!!
The activities in the afternoon proved just as popular as the morning - with hockey, football and basketball shoot-outs, and the always competitive cup-stacking!
I was very impressed with the girls running the gymnastics session. They had a great warm-up routine to music which had everybody joining in...
...followed by a carousel of activities based on the BAGA awards...


...and concluded with a cool-down (well perhaps more of a go- to- sleep because we're worn out!!)


Well done School Council and everyone who helped out - not forgetting the ladies who supported you at the tennis courts all day on Wednesday, and the Earl Soham Tennis Club for the loan of the court and equipment for the day.

Wednesday 30 May 2012

Sizzling Summer Soccer

Earl Soham entertained their very welcome guests from Melton Primary School for two friendly football fixtures. With Earl Soham turning out in their new kit for the first time, the sun shining and an almost capacity crowd, a footballing feast was on the cards. 
Both matches were evenly contested with with the result against the first two teams on the pitch ending in a 
5 - 1 victory for Earl Soham, whilst the other match resulted in a 4 - 2 success for Melton.
Goalscorers in the first game were Ashwell with a very cool hat-trick, Austin (G) with a ferocious free-kick and Nesling (H) with a flick header. In the second game the goals were supplied by Norton with an absolute scorcher and Brinton, who was actually playing in goal!  
It was so nice to see two very different schools competing against each other in the right manner - well done to you all.





Tuesday 29 May 2012

Olympic Theme Day

When our school council chairman was elected, one of his promises was to hold a special Olympic theme day. With the support of the rest of the school council, today he was able to finally deliver his vision. After a lot of organising (and reorganising) the children all took part in a full day of sporting activities, ranging from ball sports, such as hockey, basketball and football, to track and field events, like high jump, hurdles and sprints.

The children were in year-group teams as they took on the different challenges during the course of the morning.


In the afternoon, all those who had signed up to compete in the four mini-tournaments (hockey, football and basketball shoot-outs, and speed-stacking) set off again, while the remaining children were treated to a gymnastics session, delivered by five of the more experienced gymnasts in Blue Class, under the supervision of Mrs Barker.

It was a mammoth undertaking, but the school council worked tirelessly to make it happen. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day a success. From the wonderful smiles on the children's faces, it was clear they had a fantastic time.

Auf Wiedersehen Madlen!




Madlen, Fremdsprachenassistentin der Thomas Mills Gesamtschule, hat seit Weihnachten unseren Deutschclub geleitet. Sie hat mit den Kindern gespielt, gesungen, geredet und gegessen! Leider muss sie uns nun verlassen, weil sie wieder  zurueck nach Deutschland muss. Ein ganz grosses Dankeschoen an Sie!

Wir werden Dich vermissen, Madlen!!! 

Good Bye Madelen!
Madlen, Foreign Language Assistant at Thomas Mills, has been leading our German Club since Christmas. She taught the children how to play, sing, talk and eat German style! Unfortunately she is now leaving us to return back to Germany. A very big Thank You to her! 
We will miss you, Madlen!
Hmmm - Wackelpudding mit Vanillesosse!




Sunday 27 May 2012

Writer of the week - 25th May

Wall of Fame

This week's sporting stars were the Quadkids Teams - one of which qualified for the county finals in July, and the Year 3 'Mini-Olympians' with their medals.

Yellow Class + 1 amassed a few certificates between them today- for Mathletics, Reading 'Eggsplorer' and Credit Cards.

We had one Gym certificate awarded...
                                         ... alongside other work from Red and Yellow Classes.

Thursday 24 May 2012

Year 3 'Mini- Olympics'

 This morning the Year 3 children set out for Debenham to take part in a 'mini-olympics' competition, a little unsure of what to expect. However they seem to have been inspired by the recent successes of the older children and came back bearing a total of 12 medals, of which 3 were gold.
The events  today were Beanbag Boccia, Foam Javelin, Cupstacking, Standing Long Jump,  Unihoc and an Obstacle Relay.
Well done everybody!



                                    Here they are in their moment of glory on the podium!


Monday 21 May 2012

Quadkids Glory

 This afternoon, Earl Soham took two teams to the 'Quadkids' Athletics Event at Hartismere High School. Each team was made up of five boys and five girls, with everyone competing in four events - 600m run, 75m sprint, standing long jump and 'vortex' throw. Individuals scored points for their team depending on the times and distances they achieved. Each team's scores were then added up to decide on the overall team result.
 
 Both teams did themselves proud. One team finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal - however, many of these were Year 5 children so the experience will really benefit them next year. The other team ended the event as 'champions' meaning that they have qualified for the Suffolk finals on July 6th at Bury St. Edmunds.
It may have been a chilly afternoon, but the efforts and smiles of all 20 of you warmed our hearts - very well done!

Sunday 20 May 2012

Everything in One Place

The school website is now back online at www.earlsoham.suffolk.sch.uk. Thanks to our new hosting service, it just got even easier to get to things you visit regularly.

For parents and visitors, you can now get to our blog by typing blog.earlsoham.suffolk.sch.uk (no www.) into your address bar. Don't worry, the old address will still work and will redirect you.

For staff and pupils with a login, you can access all your Google Apps more easily too. As before, going to start.earlsoham.suffolk.sch.uk will take you to our portal page where you can access all the tools we use in school, including the learning platform.

Alternatively you can get straight to certain services just by changing the first word in the address bar.

I hope you find these changes helpful. 

PTFA Summer Fun Evening

Saturday 19th May - A headteacher's view
I decided to arrive well before the crowds to erect my tent following my tribulations last year. This did mean that I would be protected from prying eyes watching my frustrations (and blood blisters on my hands) grow. After an hour of struggling, I finally gained the upper hand having decided to read the instructions!
I was fortunate that soon after some of the 'cavalry' arrived and the process of setting up the hall could begin. By the 'magic' hour of 4 o' clock (the time for fellow campers to begin assembling their tents - see below) the hall was ready, the bingo cards were cut, the pens were in place and the quiz sheets were itching to be written upon.
 A rather professional looking barbecue quartet arrived a little unsure of whether the charcoal was of the correct grade to enable their cooking skills to be fully displayed. A quick trip to the garage rectified that, although this did mean we were a little behind schedule. However, a marvellous barbecue soon roared into life and soon the air was filled with the queueing masses using such terminology as, 'Can I have another, I've dropped mine?' 'Have you got any chicken?' 'How well done would you like yours?' and 'Make sure you save one (or two) for Mr Pearce.'
Then it was time for Family Bingo! The crowd were quite expectant as I fired the machine into life and tried to recall the correct bingo 'language' - unfortunately I think I visited the wrong website for that, so had to make some hasty changes.
After four rounds of bingo, the evening moved on to the Family Quiz. It was now 6.30pm and an eagerly anticipated burger (with onions) finally arrived. Gratefully received and devoured, it was now time to proceed with a challenging quiz with culminated with a picture round of 20 cartoon dogs. This was always going to decide the winners with Dum Dum (from Touche Turtle), Huckleberry Hound and Henry the Mild-Mannered Janitor (from Hong Kong Phooey) being the decisive answers. Well done to the winning team who fully deserved their hamper.
A short break and a change round in the hall (plus strawberries and cream, of which mine were mislaid) saw the start of our first film 'Puss in Boots'. This was followed by hot chocolate and cookies (mine were mislaid, again) and tehn our late night screening of 'Johnny English - Reborn'.
Plenty of laughs later, it was time for sleep. Well, not sleep, sort of being in a tent listening to lots of noise would better describe the next few hours. To be honest, not fully inflating my airbed didn't really help. There then followed some very funny moments which proceeded the dawn chorus (4.30am) and some children deciding at 5am that it was time for a game of football.
I dragged myself out of my tent at 6.30am to turn on the heating and water urn. Soon a group of fellow helpers keenly appeared as bacon rolls were made (then devoured) and dished out with lashings of hot tea and coffee.
Tents were gradually dismantled, cleaning commenced and things were looking good. In fact, we won't mention the bacon that was left in the oven, not after just one hour's sleep!
Seriously - a magnificent team effort with many people to thank for making such a successful event. Looking out on the playground last night made me feel very proud of our lovely school, everyone seemed so happy - thank you for all your support, hard work and dedication which enabled this to happen.
Time for a snooze!

Sunday 13 May 2012

Writer of the week



 


We did enjoy this rendition of The Highwayman - in playscript form!!!

Wall of Fame









Lots of certificates again this week. Well done everyone!




Friday 11 May 2012

School Website Down-time

Just a quick note to let you know that the school website will be offline for a few days while we transfer to a new host. In the meantime, the site can be accessed on a temporary basis at the following address:


There may be some areas of the site that do not work correctly, and a few broken links. Sorry for any inconvenience. We hope to have the site back up and running soon.

Thursday 10 May 2012

Gym competition update.

I have received the latest edition of the High Suffolk Sport newsletter which has a report from Steve Parry about the gym competition and a photo of one of our stars on the bench. There are a few  other photos in the gallery too. Click on this link to go to the site.
http://www.highsuffolkssp.co.uk/

The date of the county finals is confirmed as Friday July 6th.

Friday 4 May 2012

African Adventure Days 4 and 5

Yesterday morning we heard the story of Wesselina, a woman living in a rural village in Morocco. Each day she has to walk 3 miles to the nearest well to fetch water. She must then carry the heavy load of water back the same three miles over rough terrain. She does this two or three times a day. In the dry season, when the well dries up, the distance doubles to a total of twelve miles.

When Wesselina returns with the water, her family can drink, wash and cook. But the water is not clean and she often gets sick.

In order to experience the sort of walk she has to face, we set off along cliff path. After a brisk 20 minute walk, we turned onto the beach and had a scavenger hunt. It was cold and windy, but we had jobs to do and running about helped to keep us warm. We found all sorts of exciting things, some natural and some man-made.


We headed back to the Hall, collecting litter on the way to help clean up the beach. Everyone was tired and ready for a drink and something to eat. In total, we had travelled about 2 miles; a third of the distance that Wesselina travels on a single trip to fetch water, and we had not had to carry our refreshments back with us.

In the afternoon, the children helped to return water to the village by building a pipeline. This involved careful thought and good teamwork.

We had a camp fire in the evening, with the wood we had collected the day before. This was an opportunity for the children to share some of their talents and to toast marshmallows!



It was then the turn of the boys to spend a night in the African huts.

Without the rolling thunder and deluge of rain of the night before, it was a less-dramatic entrance into the village and the boys were soon asleep.

We awoke to the final morning of our stay here, and after packing our bags, there was one more important task that we had to complete.

As we had discovered yesterday, our access to clean water was something that we take very much for granted. But without the technology that we have in this country, how could water be filtered so that Wesselina, and the countless others in her situation, drink without getting ill?

To begin to understand the process, we once more headed to the beach, where the teams worked together to build a rapid water filter using stones. 


After a short break on the beach, making the most of some slightly warmer weather, we returned to the village to finish the job.


There, we learnt that a small proportion of the cost of our trip (a total of just £40) had enabled a slow-sand water filter to be built in a Moroccan village, bringing clean water to a family, and making their lives just a little easier. We reflected on just how lucky we are to have clean running water on tap, some of us with as many as 18 taps in our houses, when many rural Africans have to walk many miles to access water that is far from clean.
There was one last chance to come together as a team, before departing back to our homes and families, but everyone left with beaming smiles and the knowledge that they had helped others.


Wall of Fame

Writer of the week

(With apologies for the quality of the camerawork!)

Thursday 3 May 2012

Our Thoughts of Duxford

For many children, their visit to Duxford was an experience which gave them many memories. As a short piece of follow-up writing, here are their thoughts on what they enjoyed the most:

As I entered hangar one I was gobsmacked at the types of planes suspended from the air. We passed Concorde, Harriers and even planes from as early as World War I. Most of the planes were old and not much use to us now, but it was brilliant to see them. We even went inside Concorde’s test plane - it was great. After seeing everything downstairs we moved to the interactive room, it was really good and I even worked out how to pilot a spitfire in an interactive game. There were lots of things to do at Duxford.
Overall, Duxford Imperial War Museum was definitely an amazing place to go as it is different from the theme parks around the country. It is definitely a fun day out for all the family.
Thank you for a brilliant day!!!
Harry N

On Monday we went to Duxford. First we went in Hanger one and I was surprised how big Concorde was and I was really excited because we were going inside. In Concorde there were millions of wires and controls, you would have to be a very experienced person to be a pilot. The huge engines must be very fast! We saw Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world I think .It was a shame that some of the planes have stopped working. 
Alice B

Duxford was great because it had planes as well as tanks. There were big planes, for example: Concorde and a Sunderland flying boat!
At the start, we put our lunch in ‘eating space’ and had a look around at the many planes. Then we went upstairs where we took part in many activities.
Sadie

Event: Duxford
Day: Monday
Time: Just arrived
When I entered Hanger 1 I was gobsmacked because of the size of the planes, they were massive! I saw loads of really famous planes (I found this out because Mr Pearce was pointing them out).
Whilst going ‘wow’ at every aeroplane, we actually got to go on a plane called Concorde! When we were on Concorde I realised that it was bigger than I thought, it was a brilliant feeling being on it.
We also saw an old RE8 and a Spitfire (which is my favourite plane of all time).
Keira



On Monday we went to Duxford. We saw a lot of war planes, it was really fun. Later on we got to hold a gun and it was quite heavy. We also put on some of the clothes the soldiers wore and they were really heavy. We went on Concorde, I was amazed at what it looked like inside.
Jamie

This was my first visit to Duxford. I was very happy. We all went to Hanger one to see the aeroplanes. We all had clipboards to write about the planes. We saw inside a Concorde.
Charlie



On Monday we went to Duxford War Museum to see all of the planes and other things that they keep there.
When I got into Hanger 1 I was really amazed at how many planes were crammed into one space and yet you could see them all really well. Concorde was really cool and really long, however very thin.
My favourite part was when we were in the American Hanger because I saw Blackbird (the fastest plane in the world) and lots of other cool American planes.
William H

To start off the week, Years 4 & 5 (and some from Year 6) went to Duxford. My first impression of Hanger 1 was outstanding, seeing as I had never been there before.
My favourite part of the day was going on Concorde. For me it was one of the best trips by far.
Sophie



When we arrived at Duxford War Museum I felt excited. When we went into the museum I first saw a giant rocket. After we saw the rocket there was a large door to more aeroplanes and helicopters. In the first hanger there was Concorde. I thought that there were many planes from France because of the red, white and blue, but they were made in the UK. I was really excited when we went to the other hangers. I really enjoyed the trip and wish I could go ten more times. I wishes that we could fly in a plane.
Laura


On Monday we went to Duxford. We went into Hanger 1 and I felt like my eyes would pop out at how many planes there were. I was amazed that they put a tank outside the entrance and a Spitfire! I was stunned that they let you hold a grenade!
Tommy


To start the week we went to Duxford. When we got there we were put in groups. First of all we went in Hanger 1 and looked at the small planes. I felt very small compared to the planes, I was very small! My favourite part was looking at all of the tanks in Hanger 8.
Jan


My first impression of Duxford War Museum in Hanger 1 was WOW! This was because I didn't know you could fit so many aeroplanes in one room. I thought that the interactive games were really fun. At the end my group and I went on Concorde and it was great!
Harry P




My favourite part was |Hanger 8, the whole of it. It had loads of tanks and artillery. Part of it was about D-Day where you could hold equipment that the soldiers had with them like sub-machine guns and rifles! The tanks were not just English, but from all over the world.
When I stepped into Hanger 1, I was amazed at how many planes there were. The way that they were arranged was a bit weird because planes were supported above other planes. The planes looked very expensive!
Rory


When we went to the war museum in Duxford, I felt very excited. I happily walked into Hanger 1 and wanted to see everything at once, but I didn't want to miss anything! We got to play on some science 'games' upstairs.
My favourite part was when I saw planes going up in the air, really fast, and doing loop-the-loops. I enjoyed watching the planes because they also came down swiftly and went up swiftly too. The planes were very noisy, but I didn't mind because they were so cool!
Elinor




On Monday morning we left Earl Soham full of enthusiasm! After what felt like forever, we finally arrived at DUXFORD!
As we entered Hanger 1, all I could say was 'Wow!' There were planes everywhere. One of my highlights was actually going on Concorde. Another highlight of mine was seeing two planes take off and land and we saw one plane do seven loop-the-loops. They were old planes as well! I also loved Hanger 8, it was my favourite hanger.
Katie S


Two days ago we went to Duxford Museum and we were in groups. When I went into Hanger 1 (which is a big room full of planes) I was shocked at how many gigantic planes were put in that amount of space. The biggest one of all, I think, was the Sunderland - also it could go on water.
There was also a folding helicopter!!! Now that was ace, man, literally ace, man. I loved it! But best of all was the whole trip, I loved it. It was really fun and that's why I want to go there again.
Sam


When we were on our way to Duxford, my heart was racing. Once we were there, I was desperate to look inside. Hanger 1 was amazing ; it had everything I could imagine. My favourite part of Hanger 1 was Virgin Galactic. It is two aeroplanes - plane one brings plane two into high altitudes (85,000ft) then plane one releases plane two. Plane two then goes up to 400,000ft. It was amazing!
My favourite part of the trip was the land warfare. You could see all of the artillery guns, weapons and tanks. They even showed a German 'Tiger' tank from World War II. My best experience yet!
Aldo


To begin the week we went to Duxford Imperial War Museum. In Hanger 1 we looked at all the fantastic aircraft, such as Concorde, which we also went on. We went to the army section where there were British and German tanks. They were really big.
One of my favourite bits was when I got to hold some real guns from World War II. They were very heavy - imagine running around in the wet with a really heavy gun and heavy gear?
Zach




At the beginning of the week we went to Duxford. In section one I felt surprised when I walked in because of how big Concorde was. I was excited because of all the different colours on all the planes and all of them would have been really hard to pilot. Some of the planes were held together with wire, they were older than the others. I think that the bigger planes could go faster - I was amazed at the different sizes and sorts. My favourite bit was going in Concorde and looking at Concorde.
Emily


On Monday we (Blue Class) went to Duxford Imperial War Museum. It was the best school trip I've even been on. My group (Eddie, Katie, Elinor, Joanne and myself) into Hanger 1. I thought that it was EPIC! It was epic because Concorde and the Harrier jump jet were there. We went on Concorde, it was huge!
James



On Monday, Years 4, 5 and 6 went to Duxford Imperial War Museum. As soon as we entered Hanger 1, I was amazed. There were so many planes! There was Concorde there too and we were allowed to go on it! It was very cramped.
My favourite part of Duxford was probably the whole of Hanger 8. It was all the land warfare things like tanks and jeeps. It was really interesting! Overall, I would say that it was an UBERbrilliant day - the best school trip I've ever been on.
William B

On Monday, me and my class went to Duxford Imperial War Museum. When I entered Hanger 1, it looked like hundreds of planes. My favourite in Hanger 1 was Concorde. Out of the whole site my two favourites were the Spitfire and the Vulcan. I thought that it was the best school trip that I had been on.
There was one problem though, there wasn't enough time to see everything in the hours that it's open for. My favourite hanger was Hanger 8 because it started from World War I and carried on to the weapons that we use now.
Kai

On Monday 30th April, Blue Class left school full of enthusiasm and excitement. We were leaving for a well known museum named Duxford! There weren't many of us because 13 Year 6 children have gone on holiday. When we arrived we got into our groups. I was with Katie, Elinor, James, Eddie, Mrs Johnson and Mr Perry. 
We entered Hanger 1. I stared up at the ceiling, gobsmacked. We all raced up the stairs to see more. There was a variety of planes hanging up in the air.There was Concorde, a Lancaster bomber, a Sunderland flying boat, an RE8, a Hastings and a Harrier jump jet. There were a lot more, but I can't remember! Then our our group played with the activities upstairs. We all moved on to the next thing, the Concorde! We went inside and looked at everything. Everyone enjoyed themselves and loved our trip to amazing Duxford.
Joanne

At the begnning of the week we went to Duxford. When we walked into hanger 1 we saw lots of planes that I did not know. Our group was Jan, Sam, Zach, William and Harry N. Also in Hanger 1 we played games and pressed buttons to make things move. I was so excited that I went back there later. I loved it!
George A