Pancake Day

It was a fairly cold day on Tuesday; perfect weather for a pancake race. Many of the children came prepared with their pans. Later, we made more pancakes out of playdough and had pancake races in the playground. In the afternoon we had our own pancakes and the children enjoyed the lemon juice and syrup toppings. Now, with some rather sticky fingers, we really are ready for Lent! Happy Pancake Day! Click on the picture to make it bigger.

Reception Trip to Catford Library

On 13th February, as part of our Once Upon a Time topic, the Reception children, and many of their parents, visited Catford Library.

It was great fun travelling upstairs on the 54 bus and looking out for the local landmarks. When we arrived at the library, each of the children chose a book to borrow for the classroom and then Max, the Librarian, told the children all about the benefits of joining the library and he read them a story.

We all had a wonderful time. Thank you to the many parents who supported us. It would be impossible to provide these experiences without your support.

Dare to be Brave!

The Reception children are becoming more and more confident using the apparatus during PE. They are developing strength, co-ordination and balance, along with their willingness to ‘have a go’.

What better time to ‘have a go’ than during our Dare to be Brave Week. Click on the picture to make it bigger.

The Year of the Rat

Welcome to the Year of the Rat! The Reception children enjoyed celebrating this wonderful festival. They have been creating lanterns, fans and dragons. They made kites and flew them on a windy day in the playground. They cooked a healthy vegetable noodle soup which they ate using chopsticks. They also made two beautiful dragons and to finish off the celebrations they all took part in a dragon dance through the school, drumming on their drums and dancing with their dragons. What a fabulous time they had. Happy New Year or, as they say in China, Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Tate Britain: Steve McQueen Year 3 Exhibition

Last year, the children took part in an exciting project to explore and engage with artwork. They took a class photo which was later displayed at the Tate Britain among 3,000 other class photographs taken at various schools across London. This week, around 76,000 children were able to explore the gallery where their photographs were displayed for all to see. It provided a lovely image that we are all wonderful ‘works of art’, because photographs have a way of reminding ourselves about where we come from and where we are going; celebrating our individuality and enjoying our differences.

The children were able to quickly spot their class photo, which fortunately has been displayed at eye-level, meaning that it’s easier to see and recognise their own faces and think about where they were at that time, a year ago. They were encouraged to think about what their thoughts, feelings and aspirations were at the time the photograph was taken. The children later carried out some sketches, made some notes and took part in a series of physical and vocal activities to give them a richer experience of identity and culture: who they are now, and who they would like to become.

We finished up with a long walk along the River Thames, where the children were exposed to London life and landmarks, ranging from the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, to a group of daring young skateboarders, practising their skills. Once again, a series of photographs taken to remind them of these memorable experiences to treasure in the years to come. It was a very exciting, educational and fun day for our current Year 4 (formerly Year 3).

Spring Walk at Beckenham Place Park

In Year 4, the children went on a Geography Field trip to Beckenham Place Park. They have been learning how to read maps and were able to put their navigational skills to good use as they explored the local area. The children went on a ‘tree-spotting hunt’ where they were able to identify deciduous, coniferous and evergreen trees, as well as the local wildlife that live there. The children carried out a series of sketches and took some observational notes. It was a bonus to be able to meet up with Holy Cross, who accompanied us back to school for lunch and then took part in a follow-up art workshop, designing trees in the style of Gustav Klimt’s ‘Tree of Life’ using a range of intertwining patterns. It was a fun and memorable day for the children. Well done!

Multi-Skills Competition

This week, 10 children from Years 1 and 2 took part in an exciting competition held at Bonus Pastor, alongside Holy Cross, St. Winifred’s and Downderry Primary Schools. The challenges included a ball throw task where they had to throw a ball against the wall and catch it as many times as possible, without the ball reaching the floor. The children also had to really concentrate in both the Balance Pole and Balance Ball challenges where they were only allowed to balance on one foot for as long as possible. Finally, they took part in a series of running races where they had to run as fast as they could, from one cone to another. Each of the cones were numbered so they had to run in a particular sequence. This ended with a quick sprint race against Downderry Primary School. This was a fantastic opportunity for the children to showcase fundamental skills which will help them to develop their coordination, agility and skills, Well done!