Dear Parents and Carers
The children have all had a very exciting week, with the younger children having a great day out at Kingston Maurward, and children in Years 5 & 6 spending four days, and three nights, away in Bristol.
This is what some children from Oaks Class thought of their adventures:
The Adventure Begins – Katie L
The children arrived in school: excited, ecstatic and prepared. It was not much of a rush until the coach arrived. Once the children had got on the bus, their excited mood turned to boredom. The bus trip to Bristol was two hours and they had to walk to the famous suspension bridge after the coach ride.
They were accommodated by a man (Robin), who was dressed as Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He gave them a detailed explanation. He firstly gave them some important facts about how the suspension bridge came to be. As he began to lead them closer to the suspension bridge their curiosity developed until they couldn’t wait to walk across it.
They walked across the bridge, which they achieved quickly. There was a variety of views on the suspension bridge; they found it was a privilege to be there. The children recognised a few names that Robin mentioned. He also recommended they go to the museum about it, so they did and they found themselves equipped with many facts. Sadly, it came to an end. They really appreciated the tour. Right at the end there was an opportunity to ask questions.
Packet Boat Ride – Emilie
The children had arrived in Bristol that morning. They had just had supper and were about to leave the Youth Hostel. Once they had left, they split into 3 groups and walked to the Bristol Packet Ferry; equipped with cameras and drinks bottles. They then got on the boat in an orderly fashion and sat down at the tables.
Their tour guide was really helpful; he told them information facts about the surroundings of Bristol Harbour. He told them about the SS Great Britain (which they were going to see the next day), how locks work and lots more. All of the facts interested them and they were fascinated by the end of the trip. There were lots of questions being asked throughout the boat ride, though.
The class was sad to leave the boat because it was so fun and the children were eager to learn more. They got off of the boat still curious and waved good bye to their tour guide and driver. They got back to the youth hostel quite late and had hot chocolate in the cafeteria. They were tired from the programme of the first day so they went to bed (not straight away, obviously after a little while of chatting and talking).
Raft Building! – Eden
The day began buy xanax prescription online with the students of Oaks Class having an early start. After breakfast, the class packed their bags and headed off; equipped with food, water and old clothes suitable for the water activities.
When Oaks arrived, the instructors were fully-equipped and were eager to get teaching. The class ran through vital safety measures, which they found boring; in the end the safety tips really paid off and were greatly appreciated by all the children and Mr Stanford. Some of the children recognised the safety warnings.
The first hindrance of raft building was the creation of the raft. Lucky for the girl team they had expert help from Katie and Alisha, who had done raft building three times in a row! The raft included: 4 empty barrels, seven long ropes, 2 long logs and some paddles. The girls finished the raft and had a final check over by the instructor to mark sure it’s safe for the girls to use.
Once the teams were in the water, the girls had challenges which involved: Standing up, moving around and switching boats with the boys. Some of the class fell in and were extremely cold because the water was 17 degrees!
After finishing the activities, those who jumped in had the opportunity to get changed: along with anyone who accidentally fell in. After everyone dried themselves, the class headed back to the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) to have tea and eventually go to sleep after a bit of chatting and giggling.
The children certainly experienced what life is like in a busy city through a packed itinerary for the four days and, I am proud to say, were brilliantly behaved and interested in the activities. Having led residential trips for many years, I have never had so many positive comments from the organisers of our activities, from staff where we were staying and from members of the public, about what a great group of children they were. They were a real credit to the school.
Star Pupils
At the end of such an exciting week, each teacher decided to acknowledge the efforts of their whole class in our celebration assembly this morning.
Well done to all the children.
The next couple of weeks are also very busy, but please note that there will be no Carnival Club on Wednesday. Don’t forget Parent Forum on Thursday 28th, and on 4th July, the children will be spending the morning in their new classes (Year 6 spend the whole day at Gillingham). We will still be trying to get as much swimming done, in between play rehearsals and athletics and writing and maths, so please make sure the children have their kits in school each day.
With best wishes
James Stanford