Christmas Carol Service

On Monday we held our traditional carol service in St Mary's Church. The children gave readings of the Christmas story, while children in red class formed a nativity tableau. We enjoyed performances from soloists, a recorder duet, and group carols and songs. It was a fantastic evening, and the church was packed as always. The service was followed by mulled wine (for the adults) and mince pies back in the school hall. Thanks to the PTFA for organising this. 

Well done to all the children. You gave amazing performances and sounded beautiful. We are very proud of you all.

Praise for our pupils

This week, children in Yellow and Blue Class headed into Ipswich, to the New Wolsey Theatre to see the annual Rock-and-Roll Pantomime. This year, it was The Sword in the Stone. As always the cast were magnificent and the show was funny, exciting and full of audience participation. Mr Mansell once again got hauled up on stage by Dame Bernadette Broadbottom, much to the amusement of pupils and staff.

We received this message from a member of the audience late on Wednesday evening and were delighted to hear that our children didn't let us down:

Hello

A group of your pupils went to see the Sword in the Stone at the New Wolsey this afternoon.

We were sitting in the row immediately in front of the block of seats you had booked and I have to admit that we were rather taken aback when we realised that there were going to be so many children directly behind us.

However, their behaviour was excellent and I was very impressed by it. They were very good ambassadors for your school. The adults with them made sure that their excitement at being there didn't disrupt things for everyone else. Their enthusiasm and enjoyment was contagious - somebody sitting in front of me said that it was more fun than the evening performances because the children were so involved.

Also, their shouting was excellent!

It is good to know that through all this jolity, the children maintained exemplary behaviour
.

PTFA Christmas Fayre 2015

Yesterday we held our annual Christmas Fayre, organised by our super PTFA. The hall was packed with people playing games such as 'pin the hat on Santa', and eating sandwiches, cakes and confections. There were Christmas craft activities to keep the kids busy, and a secret room where the children could find the perfect gift for mum and dad. The choir gave a performance of four Christmas songs, and it was great to see past pupils popping in to say listen and say hello. There was even a stall selling reindeer food and droppings!

Thank you to everyone involved in making the Fayre a success.

The Egg (continued)

Below are two videos. The first is an interview with the two year five boys who made the startling discovery of the giant egg, and the second is a compilation of clips from events of the last few days.

From The Egg

The Egg!

On Monday morning, an unusual surprise awaited us in the school grounds. Over the weekend a creature unknown had visited the school and laid an egg in a break in the hedges, behind the train. This was no normal egg, however. Measuring nearly 60cm high and 40cm across, this egg was a monster! It quickly drew the attention of the all the children, having initially been spotted by two year five boys. The find was quickly cordoned off and the relevant authorities informed. 

Back in the classroom there was much discussion about what kind of creature might have laid it. A second viewing led to further discoveries, including:

• a slimy residue on the picnic benches (pictured below);
• a part-eaten apple core;
• and scratch marks in the grass. 

The children quickly surmised that the adult creature could be herbivorous, or omniverous, and great care was taken to keep a watch on the area in case she returned to the nest. 

The local police put the school in contact with the National Museum for Strange Objects (www.nmso-london.wix.com/museum), who were quick to respond with advice on caring for the egg. 

On Tuesday, the NMSO sent a scientist, Professor R. Turner, to pay the school a visit. He took a range of measurements, working out the circumference, temperature and viscosity, and used a special machine to x-ray the egg and record sounds from within. 

The local vets, Earl Soham Vets, also sent representatives to check the health of the embryo by listening in with their stethoscope. They were unfortunately unable to identify the species of animal that laid the egg, but gave good advice in keeping it safe until such time as it hatches.

Gifted and Talented Maths Day

Today, some of the most able mathematicians from Earl Soham, Bedfield, Creeting St Mary, Helmingham and Sir Robert Hitcham, Debenham, came together to enjoy a day of maths puzzles, problems and challenges.

They calculated how fast they could run in mph and compared their average speed with that of other animals; they built an array of 3D shapes from wood and masking tape, and studied their properties; and they solved some tricky problems to earn crystals in the Crystal Maze.

It was a fantastic day, and a great opportunity for these children to mix with like-minded individuals from their local community and begin to forge friendships.

Thank you to Mrs Lawrence and Sir Robert Hitchams School for hosting the event.

Dance Club

On Wednesday at Dennington Village Hall the school dance club held a joint performance with  Middleton Primary  School. Well done to all the children who took part, and thanks to Mrs Jarvis for all her hard work in organising this event which we hope will become an annual venture.

Pop-Up Café

This week the school council's hard work led to their first fundraising event: the Pop-Up Café. Following kind donations of cakes and biscuits from parents, and some diligent baking from pupils during the day, the doors were opened to paying customers, who were invited to take a seat and be served by the year six pupils and members of the PTFA. Drink orders were taken and plates given out. Customers were then asked to make their selection from the mouthwatering mountain of confection in the centre of the hall. It was hard to know what to choose, there being so many delicious-looking options.

The hall was heaving with people, and seats were soon full. A happy buzz spread through the assembled patrons, and money flowed almost as quickly as the tea and pink milk!

After some careful counting it can be revealed that the children raised a magnificent £220. UNICEF and Cancer Research are to be given 10% each of the money raised, with the remainder going towards the painting of the train - one of the chairperson's manifesto pledges. Who says politicians don't keep their promises!

A huge well done to the school council for all their hard work, and a big thank you to the PTFA for supporting them in the organisation and serving of drinks.

Christmas Carol Service

Yesterday evening the church was once again packed for our Christmas Carol Service. The children read beautifully and our reception pupils formed the Nativity tableau, bringing a tear to more than one eye.

They sang with gusto and made us all very proud. The service helped get us all into the Christmas spirit and ready for the exciting week of Christmassy (is that a word?) activities ahead.

Thanks again to the PTFA for providing mulled wine, sausage rolls and mince-pies back at school. Your efforts were much appreciated.

Harvest Festival

This morning we celebrated our Harvest Festival at St Mary's Church. We are very grateful to everyone who donated produce. This has been given to the Ormiston Trust in Ipswich where it will be distributed to families in need.

The children performed their songs and poems beautifully. Red Class wowed everyone with their rendition of the Menu Song and it was interesting to hear from Reverend Brian the story of the rich farmer, who only thought of himself.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the church. We hope you will also join us before school tomorrow for a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Heroes of Troy

In the two days before the last day of term, we held our annual school production. This year, to fit with our school topic on Ancient Greece, we performed the BBC musical Heroes of Troy.

It was received very well by the three audiences who came to watch. In case you didn't get a chance to see it, or, for the children, to see what it looked like from the audience's perspective, please enjoy looking at the photographs. There are some from rehearsals, some from the dress rehearsal and some from the performance, as well as a few behind-the-scenes shots.

Thanks to Simon Garrett for the photos of the performance, and Mrs Exton for the backstage shots!

Sports Day

Today's Sports Day was a huge success. It was great to see so many families coming together to support their children in the field and track events. A big thank you to Mrs Barker for returning to organise the event for us, and also to the ladies of the PTFA who provided drinks and biscuits for children and parents half-way through the afternoon.

Congratulations to the Green Team on a fantastic win!


I hope you enjoy looking through the photographs as much as I have.

School Fete

Despite all that the British weather could throw at us, yesterday's fete was a huge success. We enjoyed pony rides, a delicious BBQ, glasses of Pimms and lemonade, plus lots of the traditional games and stalls. There were even hair, nail and (fake) tattoo salons in operation, which proved extremely popular and resulted in many children going home with a different colour hair to when they arrived.

Early indications suggest that a good amount of money was made. As always, events like this need a lot of planning and hard work to make them happen, so we would like to thank all the members of the PTFA and everyone who had a hand in running stalls on the day.

Another Fabulous Family Fun Night

What a fantastic evening! We are so lucky to have such fantastic kids, wonderful parents and such a hard-working PTFA. We avoided the thunderstorms and enjoyed a beautiful summer's evening packed with fun. From the bingo and the quiz, to the films and the food, everyone had a brilliant time. And it was lovely to be able to sit up and chat through the balmy June night in great company.

As I lay awake in my tent at 3:00am listening to the sounds of the owls, early-rising cockerel and pheasant, and the distant 'eee-awww' of a peacock, I looked forward to the bacon butty and cup of tea in a few hours, and despite the lack of sleep, reflected on what a wonderful school we have.

Thank you to everyone involved in making the night so successful.

Christmas Carol Service

On Monday evening children, staff, parents, grandparents and friends congregated in St Mary's Church for a celebration of all things Christmas. The service was an opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, and involved all members of the school community. Many children had the chance to do readings and poems, and everyone enjoyed singing Christmas songs and Carols. There was the usual offering from the staff - this year a sketch and song (I'm Dreaming of a Quiet Christmas).

A parent captured most of the service on film for us, for which we are very grateful, and this is embedded below (in three parts).

Earl Soham Remembers

This morning, with the bells of St. Mary's Church still ringing, the whole school gathered on the playground to participate in an act of remembrance. The bells then fell silent as everyone observed two minutes' silence.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

During lunchtime, a group of Year 6 children visited the church and then paid their respects by laying remembrance crosses at the village memorial.

Visit from a Feathered Friend

This Wednesday we were joined by a very special visitor from Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, Rascal. We learnt all about the great work that is done to look after owls there and some amazing facts. Did you know, for example, that there are an estimated 100,000 breeding pairs of tawny owls in Britain, compared to just 4,000 pairs of barn owls, yet we hardly ever see them. The barn owl which is crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) is much more likely to be spotted than its nocturnal relatives.

Thank you to Suffolk Owl Sanctuary for taking the time to come and visit us. 

Harvest Lunch

It was wonderful this lunchtime to see so many parents and grandparents able to join us to celebrate at our harvest lunch. There were lots of smiling faces and everyone certainly looked to be enjoying the fabulous roast dinner produced by our wonderful cook, Caroline, who served nearly one hundred dinners! 

Thank you, Caroline, and thank you to all our visitors for joining us today. 

Harvest Festival

This morning saw the whole school troop over to the church for our Harvest Festival celebrations. The many gifts of food brought into school had been placed in the chancel and the church had been decorated beautifully with examples of our county's bounty. 

The children listened well as Mr Pearce talked about the importance of food to everyone, people and animals alike, and the many varieties of food available around the world. And even the distraction of a robin flying between roof struts did not disturb their concentration as they heard Reverend Brian talk about eyes of potatoes, ears of corn, heads of celery, hands of bananas and artichoke hearts and the way that each of these foods reminds us of our responsibilities to others and the importance of loving one another.

Each class sung a harvest song. Orange Class gave a heart-warming rendition of Cauliflowers Fluffy, complete with actions and Green Class reminded the congregation that teamwork was the key to success in The Enormous Turnip Song. 

Finally, everyone sang together a rousing performance of Food, Glorious Food from Oliver. 

Christmas Carol Service

Last night St Mary's Church was heaving with people coming together to celebrate Christmas at our school Carol Service.
The service opened with a medley of Christmas Carols performed by the recorder group, which was followed by readings, poems and songs. Red class made a Nativity tableau, the choir sang beautifully and the staff choir finished the evening with a surprise sketch and Italian carol. What a fantastic night!



All of this excitement was followed by a party in the school hall to say a fond farewell to Mrs Barker, who is retiring at Christmas. We wish her all the best as she embarks on a new phase of her life, and hope that we will see her pop into school in the near future.