School News Update

Year 6 in France

18/05/2012 00:00:00

Day 1

Good evening, we are here at the Chateau - we arrived about 4.30 p.m. French time, in wonderful sunshine having had a slight delay at the crossing ! All the children are fine, having eaten well and now enjoying the evening outside in the grounds. Later this evening we have a quiz night with some of the other schools that are staying here.

The Internet connection at the Chateau is a little unreliable but we will try to keep you updated!

Click here to see photos

Day 2

Well – as Mrs Waterhouse said this morning “everybody got some sleep last night!”

Shreya got her room-mates off to an early wake-up call – she had stayed on English time, and Archie gave Miss Holloway an early call as he had a minor nose bleed at about 5a.m. But everyone was fine, and so we had breakfast and set off for the market. The sun was out and it was a bright morning leaving a clear sky after the heavy rain of last night. We made our way by coach to the town of Etaples where we were able to look around the traditional French market. Some of the girls soon discovered the stall selling hats and in particular berets, very traditional, and in some amazing colours. While the boys seem to prefer NYC baseball caps. The sweets were a favourite for most, followed by various small gifts and souvenirs, which I’m sure some of you will be proud to receive, at the end of the week! Miss Holloway meanwhile was in search of socks – ah well - it takes all sorts. Unfortunately as we started to get ready to return to the Chateau, the weather started to change. It has become colder and signs of more rain; not that it seems to bother the children who having had lunch are now off to their activities. Which is where I am going too – so hopefully will report back later.

This afternoon the children started their first activity sessions at the Chateau. They moved between different locations around the site for: Archery, Fencing, Abseiling, Obstacle Course and the Crows Nest. The Obstacle Course is an old favourite, and the group that I saw worked very well together, encouraging one another- especially through the tyres and the pipe! It was wet, and as they emerged through the end of the pipe they were greeted by a muddy puddle – just another obstacle! The children had great fun with the other activities and after their evening meal either played team games or went kayaking on the ponds. The instructors showed the children how to control the kayaks, but the real fun started when the game of Pirates started! Needless to say this concluded with many of the children falling into the water and those who didn’t - jumped in. Well done to Mrs Farrell who joined the children for the Kayaking – and managed not to fall in!!

What has been really pleasing is that all the instructors have commented on how, good and supportive of one another the St Olave’s children are. Katie, the abseiling instructor said “I would be quite happy to teach this group (St Olave’s) all day – they are just great!”...and they are!

Tomorrow we have more activities in the morning followed by a visit to a chocolate factory and a goat farm ... um... chocolate and cheese!

Day 3

While some staff were out running, (yes really!) several rooms of children needed waking up this morning after an excellent night’s sleep. Breakfast was eagerly consumed and then another exciting morning of activities followed; however today we were lucky enough to have glorious sunshine. Well, except if you were under the canopy of the trees in the forest where it was rather more chilly! Several fiercely contested duels were taking place in the fencing session on the patio, where enthusiastic shouts of ‘en guard!’ could be heard ringing across the lawns. Lots of faces were slapped with gloves too, which proved to be most popular for some reason...

This afternoon, our coach took us through the French countryside to the very charming Frenchman who demonstrated the art of fine chocolate making at the Chocolaterie. From there we moved on to the Goat Farm, where Madame (who, by the way spoke only French) explained to us about keeping goats on the farm and then went through the process of making le fromage chevré. The children recalled their French vocabulary admirably, showing great understanding. Many other animals roamed the farmyard, including ducklings, which the children were allowed to hold, and newborn baby lapíns, which were too young to be held but were adored by all.

After evening meal, two groups were on the water in canoes and kayaks, but not for long! As the photographs attest, they were in the water as often as in the boats. Tomorrow we will be enjoying a whole day of activities on site, and the children are already excited about the D I S C O tomorrow night!

Day 4

BREAKING NEWS!

MR COLLINS AND MRS WATERHOUSE LEAVE THE CHATEAU TO FIND A HOTEL!

Don’t panic though, it was for the benefit of the blog – Mr Collins needed to use the Wi-Fi connection in a local hotel to update yesterday’s blog, due to ongoing problems with the internet connection at Lé Chateau.

In the meantime, the children’s activities continued with the remaining groups taking to the water for kayaking and canoeing, or tackling the low ropes, abseiling or climbing the wall. There is no doubt that the children have developed many new skills over the last few days and had a great deal of fun achieving them! The games on the pond this afternoon inevitably included a great deal of capsizing and falling in, however Miss Holloway and Mrs Farrell shared a canoe, and paddled serenely around the pond, avoiding any major disasters!

The evening meal included les cuisses de grenouille and l'escargot on the menu. Most children sampled either or both and came to their own conclusion which they preferred!

Then there was much preparation for the big social event of the week – the Disco!

On entering the stairs to the children’s rooms there was a very strong mix of perfume and aftershave wafting down the corridor. This was accompanied by the sight of the children, dressed for the evening and looking quite different to the wet and muddy group who had been there a little earlier!

The Disco was a great success and included some impromptu street dancing from Liam and Dom. Some of Lé Chateau Instructors did a brilliant job leading the dancing and singing, getting all the children involved.

After the Disco the children had their snack, drink and story. Soon they were all in bed and very quickly tonight, fast asleep.

Day 5 Friday

We still have internet problems here, so another trip into Rue may be required to update the blog. But today we are all going- because the last activity before we head home today is the Rue Visit.

Assuming the crossing time is as scheduled we should be back to school about 4pm, but we will contact the school on route to keep the office updated.

Click here to see some photos

Webbies Update

04/05/2012 00:00:00

Celebrating the ZX Spectrum

As it is 30 Years since Sir Clive Sinclair brought out the ZX Spectrum computer, we decided to look at computer games in ICT , and to create some games of our own!

Children from Year 2 to Year 6 have been developing their skills at this, some even trying to re-create similar games to those that were around at the time.

The Webbies have taken on the task of looking at the various games being produced and helping to select a few for the website.

They have set the scene with two of their own which you can see, and of course play, in the Interactive Room.

Webbies keen to get started.

The Webbies have returned to school this week full of enthusiasm to contribute to the website - see their blog here.

Happy Easter!

30/03/2012 00:00:00

Happy Easter

Here is a video clip of extracts from the Easter Concert. The children gave a brilliant performance on the night at All Saints Church. A little of that experience is captured here.

The clip is password protected and you will need the pupil password to access it.

(Unfortunately, the audio quality is quite poor with a crackle in the background - It's not your computer causing it !!)

Mr Collins

Sport Relief Challenge

27/03/2012 00:00:00

Visit the Webbies to read their Blog and to see some photos of this event.

The ICT Catch-Up Club

22/03/2012 00:00:00

The Catch-Up Club

A couple of lunchtimes each week Mr Collins kindly lets us come in and finish off work. This week Year 6 have been using the Catch-Up Club to try and finish their Interactive Stories which are coming on very well. Children are also allowed to come in and play on I am Learning, an educational site which Mr Collins introduced us to. We would like to thank Mr Collins for giving up part of his lunchtime to let us come in and use the computers in the ICT suite for our work. From about Year 4 upwards we are allowed to come in and use the computers for any work or educational games that we might want to play. The photos are of members of Year 6 using the Catch-Up Club to finish their Interactive Stories.

By Emily Year 6

Well done Emily and thank you - I am more than pleased that the Children are keen to give up their lunch time to Catch-up and Extend their skills and interest in ICT.

Emily is our first St Olave's Webbie!

Our Webbies will be contributing to the Web site and will also have their own area in Kids Zone!

Mr Collins

Romeo & Juliet

15/03/2012 00:00:00

Romeo and Juliet Performance by St O’s Drama Club

Last night, the St Olave’s Drama Group performed ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare. With minimal costumes, sets and lighting, the children by the sheer magnetism of their performances, transformed the school hall into the streets of Verona.

The 38 children in the drama club portrayed the events of the play with a sensitivity and understanding well beyond their years. The play included a rap, written by the children, a dance performance to the music from West Side Story and a beautiful love song performed with lovely harmony by six of the girls.

The audience of parents, teachers and friends of the school showed their appreciation with rapturous applause and were heard to comment as they left, “that was amazing”, the children were wonderful”, “I can’t believe that children of 10 and 11 could perform Shakespeare so well”.

There is another performance tonight and the Drama Group are hoping to take the play on tour to other schools in the area.

Mrs Pettet

Swanage Day Four

08/03/2012 00:00:00

Thursday – We woke to blue skies and sunshine which set us up nicely for a lovely walk through the countryside to Putlake Farm, certain country smells told us that we were getting close. We were greeted by some very friendly horses and alpacas and the aahhhhs from the children soon began. We were split into two groups with some of us being given a tour of the farm, we saw chickens, rabbits, donkeys, goats, peacocks, shire horses to name but a few animals. Meanwhile the other children were having lots of fun in the soft play area. Everyone enjoyed feeding the animals and some of them appeared to be quite hungry! After a packed lunch being surrounded by hopeful chickens we all piled onto a trailer and were pulled by a tractor around the fields, a great experience for all. It was time to catch the coach back to the centre and no time to draw breath before we headed off down to the beach for ‘Beach Technology’. The children worked in groups to create their sandy masterpieces which included castles, boats, sharks and even a volcano! Then it was into town for shopping. The children thoroughly enjoyed buying tasteful quality gifts for their families to cherish. Time has really rushed by and the children have started to pack their things for our morning departure. Just as we thought it was time to put our feet up it was back down to town for chips on the seafront. All in all it has been another action packed day so the final night’s sleep should be a sound one (we hope!). Tomorrow morning we are doing team challenges on the low ropes and tyres course before we head off back to London. All being well we will be arriving back at school shortly after 3.30pm, please remember to call the message line for any updates.

Swanage Day Two

07/03/2012 00:00:00

Tuesday – Today we took advantage of the fantastic weather by changing our programme slightly. In the morning we set off with trepidation on our orienteering trek across Nine Barrow Down as planned. However, we soon became assured that the children’s compass skills would see us safely back to Swanage. On the way we took in amazing views across Poole Harbour, Swanage Bay. We saw buzzards, kestrels and skylarks. The tracks on the ground told us that deer were not far away. After a long hike we had our picnic lunch on the beach and built sandcastles etc. Then, swapping our compasses for binoculars, we began our walk towards Durlston Country Park making our way around Swanage Bay before climbing up to Peveril Point to see yet more spectacular views of the coastline including Old Harry. We walked on to Durlston Castle which will be officially opened by Princess Anne next Monday; we hope they will clear up our muddy footprints before she arrives! Before returning to the centre we heard a gruesome story about a quarry boy which the children will surely enjoy retelling upon their return. Plenty of whingeing and whining could be heard along with “How much further is it?” and “Are we nearly there yet?” frequently uttered. However this was only from the teachers as the children were full of energy and enthusiasm in everything they did. As if this wasn’t enough, we are shortly heading off for a swimming party at the local leisure centre. It is fair to say everyone will have earned their sleep tonight!! Look out for the next exciting instalment tomorrow.

Swanage Day Three

07/03/2012 00:00:00

Wednesday – After a very good night’s sleep we woke up this morning to a ‘slight’ change of weather from the glorious sunshine that we had yesterday, luckily we had an indoor activity planned! After breakfast we made our way to the classroom to meet Tim to begin the planning process for our land yachts. The children had to put themselves into teams and come up with a name, these included ‘Ninja Cows’ , ‘Machineries’ and ‘Rato’s’. They worked very well with the materials and tools provided in order to design and build their award winning designs which will be making an appearance at the Boat Show in the coming months. Much masking tape was consumed and glue guns had to be frequently recharged. Later in the day they put the yachts through their paces outdoors although unfortunately the windy conditions meant that even more masking tape was called for in the pit stops! Indeed one or two of the yachts were threatening to become hang gliders! With drier and sunnier weather this afternoon we headed off to Corfe Castle where we not only learned of the history of the castle but also assumed the role of spies to find out the best way to plan an attack. The teachers became historical characters to offer some advice with some dodgy Dorset accents forthcoming! Stories and role play followed before returning to the centre. This evening we had a long trek of 75 metres (the children had been told that it would take 2 hours!) to the centre’s very own underground quarry to learn all about smuggling in the Swanage area. A gloomy lantern lit atmosphere gave the stories a real sense of reality. Much fun was had during the dressing up, Lucy makes for a wonderful Granny! And so to bed with dreams of the farm, sandcastles and shopping tomorrow.

Swanage 2012

05/03/2012 00:00:00

Year 5 in Swanage

Monday – A very smooth journey down with New Forest ponies and Corfe Castle to see on the way. All of us are thrilled to be in the new Studland dormitory block with our friends, even more thrilled when we had a chance to go into the town and play on the beach with the sun happily shining on us, nobody got their feet wet!!! Everyone was well fed with fish and chips for most. We have learned to use a compass to help us with our orienteering and are heading off into the middle of nowhere tomorrow to put our new found skills into practice in order to get back for lunch. We are not at all worried that some of us will go hungry or won’t return until Friday morning at the earliest! We are now busy having fun in the games room and playing table football, air hockey and connect four with no noise at all (we wish). Forecast is good for tomorrow, ideal for our orienteering and land yachts construction. We would love to be able to say that the children will sleep soundly tonight, oh well back to the world of reality. Look out for another update tomorrow.

Sports News this week

03/02/2012 00:00:00

Sports News

The St Olave’s sports teams have been very busy over the last few weeks, with the final matches of the A league basketball matches being played, a mixed netball match and numerous football matches.

Basketball

The first match of the night featured St Olave’s and Chislehurst. The match started off very evenly, with the teams trading baskets, but 'St Nick's' pulled away in the last minutes to claim a 10-6 victory. Tubbenden enjoyed an emphatic victory vs Farringtons in their first match, but had to then face Chislehurst without a rest. Tubbenden looked to be in control, taking a 4-0 lead early. Despite a comeback of sorts by Chislehurst, Tubbenden looked to go ahead for good when they scored the league's first 3 pointer to go ahead 9-6 with a minute remaining. Chislehurst never gave up, and forced several turnovers and converted two lay-ups en route to a 10-9 victory. St Olave’s and Tubbenden played in the last match of the evening, a match-up that has proved very even throughout the season. Tubbenden couldn't really figure out St Olave’s defence, and as a result lost their second match of the night 9-6. With the regular season complete, the semi-finals will feature Tubbenden vs 3rd placed St Olave’s, and Chislehurst taking on Farringtons in the other semi-final. Both semi-finals and finals will take place on the 1st March at Darrick Wood School.

Mixed netball

The Year 6 mixed netball team played their first match of the season against Farringtons. Luckily the match was played indoors, but with two key players out with injuries it was always going to be a tough match against a strong Farrington’s side. Even though both teams played hard and fast, neither the A or B team were able to come away with a win.

Football

The Year 4, 5 and 6 teams had their first taste of action this week, with all the teams playing very well and with an excellent team spirit. The Year 4’s played against Farringtons and were unlucky to lose 5-3 in what was a thrilling fast paced match. The Year 5’s kept up their impressive record and against Bickley Park it was business as usual with a fine 2-1 win. The Year 6 team gave the new school strip its debut but were unable to find the goal against a physically large and powerful Bickley Park side. The Year 6’s were unlucky as they dominated possession and played some excellent football. With two more teams facing Farringtons today and the Year 3’s making their debut next week, there will be plenty more news to come!

Mr Schaller