THEECHO ECHO ECHO
Summer 2012 Edition
3rd Millenium Learning Success! Towards the end of the Spring term, St Margaret’s was invited, as an ICT Mark holder, to take part in a pilot project, working towards a new qualification – the 3rd Millenium Learning Award. Naace, the organisation which promotes ICT in schools, selected St Margaret’s as one of its 100 pilot schools to demonstrate that it is using new technology to ensure that children receive an education fit for the 21st Century. Staff and pupils created a video, complete with educational commentary, which illustrated how we have embraced technology in all aspects of school life. The video, featuring many of our pupils, showed, amongst other things, children filming each other in class and on a nature trail,
pupils linking up with a school abroad via Skype and boys and girls making music using digital technology. Its submission will now be used to show other schools how they can use technology in a variety of ways to stimulate learning. It was judged by a steering group of experts and we are very proud to announce that we have been chosen to receive the 3rd Millenium Learning Award, one of only 16 primary schools across the country and the only school in Wiltshire. Congratulations to all the staff and children involved and especially to Mr Sawyer, our Head of ICT, for guiding us successfully towards this outcome!
Welcome to the Summer Edition of The Echo As we reach the end of another highly successful year at St Margaret’s, we reflect with enormous pride on all that has been achieved. We look forward with enthusiasm and eager anticipation, firstly to the long and restful sunny days of July and August that await us, then to September, when we return to school and welcome new children, staff and parents to the St Margaret’s community.
As ever, we send our leavers on to the next stages of their lives with our good wishes, knowing that they are confident, articulate and ready to face with determination the new challenges that lay ahead. ‘All your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them.’ I look forward to seeing you at the start of the new academic year and in the meantime I send you and your families good wishes for a restful summer.
www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk Kindergarten Learn About Bulgaria During European week, Kindergarten looked at the country of Bulgaria. The children listened to Bulgarian music, made their own Bulgarian flag and wore clothes that were the same colour as the flag – white, green and red. Mrs Angelov came in and talked to everyone about one of the Bulgarian traditions, called ‘Martenica’. Martenica is an ancient tradition, and is still celebrated in Bulgaria today. On 1st March each year, Bulgarians give each other a martenica, as a symbol of the end of a long winter, and as a welcome to the spring. It is usually made out of red and white threads weaved together in different shapes or figures. People wear martenica until they see the returning storks and then they remove them and tie them to a blossomed fruit tree. This symbolizes the ‘official’ arrival of spring. Mrs Angelov then helped the children to make their own. Thank you Mrs Angelov!
Slimy Reception K The Reception K children have been learning all about snails. They brought in snails from their garden and explored what the snails like to do. Everyone did an experiment to find out what they like to eat - their favourite food was custard! Reception C and Reception K both read ‘Snail Trail’ which explores famous paintings of snails, they then created their own Matisse-inspired snail masterpieces which were all on display in the classroom.
1J Experience Ukrainian Culture The children in 1J enjoyed a variety of cross-curricular activities when they learnt about the Ukraine. In Literacy they had great fun learning a song called Spring ‘Vesniwka’, in both English and Ukrainian.
Reception C jump aboard a pirate ship! Children in Reception C have been learning all about pirates. They began exploring different types of transport that travel on water and the most popular was a pirate ship. They turned their role play area into a pirate ship and had great fun looking through telescopes and acting out different pirate stories. The class even had a go at writing their own pirate comic strip. The children made their own treasure maps and gave them to their friends to see if they could find the treasure chest. The class assembly was based on the theme of pirates and everyone spent a lot of time learning lines and rehearsing for the big performance. The children learnt a pirate song with lots of actions and really enjoyed performing to their parents.
In Numeracy the children used Hama beads to recreate repeating patterns found on Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter Egg) designs. They also used traditional Ukrainian counted cross stitch embroidery patterns, to create repeating patterns on book marks. The children had tremendous fun in Design Technology when they modelled, then painted clay figures, to resemble wooden hand-crafted Matrushka Dolls, originally made in the Carpathian Mountain region of Ukraine. In Geography they enjoyed watching a PowerPoint slideshow showing famous landmarks, lots of Ukrainian traditions, and the Ukrainian football team. In PE the children experienced Ukrainian Dancing, which they thoroughly enjoyed, and energetically displayed during the 1J Class Assembly; they were truly fabulous!
THEECHO ECHO ECHO SUMMER 2012 EDITION
2T Learn About Islam In Religious Education the 2T children have been learning about the special places that different faiths have. They have learnt about Islam and that the Islamic people call their special place a Mosque. The children in Year 2 had the opportunity to visit the Islamic Centre in Bath and to learn lots of interesting things about the Islamic Faith. In class they have drawn pictures of the things they have found most interesting.
1M Say ‘Ciao’! During European Week, the children in 1M participated in a vast range of Italian-themed activities. To begin the week, they had lots of fun with Mrs Vergani making traditional style pizzas with tasty toppings. In Art, the children looked carefully at Italian bridges, and made their own, effective observational drawings in black and white. They also learnt ‘Testa, Spalle, Gambe, Piedi’ (Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes) complete with actions. Fun facts and new vocabulary were essential ingredients for their learning throughout this week. To end this theme, the children participated in their class assembly, called ‘Giocchino and the Leaning Tower of Pisa’. It was great fun!
2R Blaze a Trail!
Year 3 Hooray for Harris
The 2R children have combined History and PSHE this term, whilst studying The Great Fire of London. Everyone loved learning about events from the past, acting them out and presenting this to the whole school in their class assembly. This work was helped by a visit from the Youth Development Team for Wiltshire Fire Brigade. The children got to share their knowledge of the past and then learnt vital tips on how to keep safe in their homes and what to do in the event of a fire. Everyone was lucky enough to have Blaze, a fire fighting teddy stay in their class and he enjoys going home with the children so he can check that there are good fire procedures in place. One of the important facts the children learnt and 2R would like to share with you…check your smoke alarm once a week!
Year 3 have been learning all about the Harris factory, which once supplied the people of Calne with around 2000 jobs. The factory provided families all over the country with pork products, such as bacon, Cornish Pasties, meat pies and sausages. The children were lucky enough to be able to visit The Heritage Centre to learn more about Harris and they were able to see old photos and artefacts, including workers boots and old food labels. Year 3 also had a visit from a lady called Josie, who worked for Harris’ for 40 years, as did all her 10 brothers and sisters! She explained that the factory was a fun and friendly place to work and that she felt very sad when the Town Council pulled it down in the 1980s. All of Year 3 have built their own Harris factory models and 3B can be seen here with their creations.
www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk The Luck of the Irish! During European Week, 3C were ecstatic to find out they had been given the Emerald Isle upon which to focus and were excited about the prospect of becoming honorary leprechauns for the week! This was certainly the case when taking part in craft activities to build a 3D leprechaun, mask and lucky shamrocks. Dia duit (hello) and Slán leat (goodbye) were amongst some everyday Irish phrases being spoken in and out of the classroom. All of 3C were quick to pick up the new language and enjoyed baffling their teachers with their friendly greetings. Irish dancing from our very own Irish teacher, Mrs Callahan, proved to be a definite highlight of the week and came in very handy during the school’s Eurovision experience when the class sang their rendition of ‘Cockles and Mussels’. As if all this excitement was not enough, the truly fantastic week was rounded off with 3C’s Irish class assembly. The children shared a very tall tale about the Irish giants Fin MacCool and Cuhullin and how with the help of Fin’s wife, Cuhullin learnt a toothy lesson he would be sure never to forget! A fantastic conclusion to a memorable week.
Year 4 Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee After a fantastic playground street party at school with rousing music and British food, the children set off excitedly for half term ready to make the most of the Jubilee weekend. Everyone came back to school with tales of wonderful village celebrations and Hugo and Harry told the class all about their exciting day on Waterloo Bridge watching the River Pageant on the Thames. The children decided to use all their newspaper cuttings to make posters about different aspects of the Jubilee, as well as writing acrostic poems about their experiences. They also did Maths problem solving for Buckingham Palace garden parties, made coats of arms and completed a quiz on the Queen’s life.
Year 4 – Patterns Everywhere Over the summer term, the Year 4 children have been looking closely at patterns. They have observed and made their own repeating patterns using templates, paper, paint and string. They have also used the iconic Olympic rings as inspiration for their own patterns, using circles and the colours of the Olympic symbol. By tessellating shapes and picture, everyone created their own wallpaper designs and pictures.
THEECHO ECHO ECHO SUMMER 2012 EDITION
Art Across the Curriculum in Year 5
Come Rain or Shine for Year 5 in Swanage
Both 5C and 5G have enjoyed creating some beautiful pieces of art this term, with many links to other areas of the curriculum.
Year 5 had a wonderful time on their visit to Swanage, despite having to dodge some exceptionally heavy rainfall on two of the three days! Overall though, they were very lucky as they had excellent weather for the last day.
In History the children have been investigating the Tudors and in PSHE lessons they have been discussing what values are important for our ‘Olympic’ behaviour; to complement these studies everyone designed an heraldic shield together with a motto that they felt best described themselves. The finished shields are extremely colourful and all include some very pertinent mottos! A key theme in Mathematics has been the study of Lines of Symmetry (also known as Mirror Lines or Axes of Symmetry). Year 5 took some Arabic tiled designs as a prompt, colouring their own pattern but ensuring that they applied one or two lines of symmetry. The finished patterns would look magnificent in any Moorish palace. Science has also provided opportunities for some lovely artwork during the class’ extended habitat projects. Many of the children have created some beautifully detailed observational drawings of plants and animals from their chosen habitats. The Geography field trip to Swanage was another major influence for the children’s artistic work this term. Working in teams of four, everyone painted wonderfully impressive enlarged pictures of some key tourist sites; Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Corfe Castle and the Purbeck Crumple are all displayed around the school to remind Year 5 of their fantastic visit. Everyone also collected shells from Studland Beach, which they have used for some observational drawings. Using view finders and sketching pencils to achieve depth and texture was challenging but very enjoyable. Finally, and most messily, Year 5 created sand paintings using sand that they had brought back from Studland beach. It was fascinating to build up layers of sand using PVA glue which could then be painted to give a 3D effect.
After a damp picnic lunch in Wareham woods, everyone arrived at Swanage Youth Hostel where they quickly unpacked, before spending the afternoon investigating and mapping the Town Centre. After a fantastic supper, a highlight was the evening walk to Durlston Head, where the children visited a huge statue of a globe on the headland. The misty weather held hidden benefits as dolphins were swimming in the water that evening. On the second day, the group visited Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole to look in detail at the geology and coastal processes that have shaped this World Heritage site. A delicious ice-cream helped everyone to ignore the very heavy rainfall that had started during lunch. Unfortunately this meant that no-one was able to climb the 200 steps to Durdle Door. All was not lost though, as teachers and children managed to squeeze in some shopping time back at Swanage instead! There was also plenty of time for fun activities including ‘Power Walking’ Rounders in the park and a sand sculpting competition which was of an extremely high standard! All too quickly the final morning arrived. After packing, the children interviewed the public to seek their views on Swanage, which enabled them to compare the town with Calne. They then visited Studland beach where everyone was just in time for yet another highlight. Mr Cunningham and his Hercules were dropping a Navy boat into the water at Studland by parachute on the same day! Everyone examined the processes involved in the creation of sand dunes, before having time just to play on the beach and to paddle... in some well earned sunshine! Everyone agreed that they couldn’t wait to return to Swanage.
www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk
Prize-giving & Sports Day
2012
THEECHO ECHO ECHO SUMMER 2012 EDITION
www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk Olympic Samba Band Some of the Year 6 children and staff were lucky enough to be chosen to play in the Calne Samba Band as the Olympic torch came through the town. It was a glorious day and the band was situated in a prime spot in the town gardens, overlooking the road. After all the rehearsals, the group knew the rhythms well and the signals from the leader’s whistle were followed. At one point everyone even ad-libbed to a new rhythm! The band entertained the public whilst everyone waited to see the Olympic torch travel through the town on its journey around the country. When the torch finally came past, the band played with extra spirit while trying to catch a glimpse at the same time. Hannah said: ‘It was a brilliant experience for the adults as well as the children! Listening to everyone cheer us and the torch was such fun. When the torch passed the people in the band got an amazing view, the girl who was carrying the torch even waved at us. I would love to do it again.’
Mathematical Year 6 The Year 6 children have been looking at more extended investigations in Maths. Both 6G and 6W started with a problem, tried to reduce it to its simplest form, then slowly increased the complexity and recorded their results. By setting what they found in a table, they were able to spot patterns and predict the next set of results. The children could then generalise for infinite levels of difficulty. In the picture, some of the group are investigating the number of moves needed for two sets of frogs to swap places, with a fixed set of rules for how they could move.
Red Mud at Black Rock Year 6 had a very damp week on their Black Rock adventure holiday. But they didn’t allow that to slow them down! Every child was keen to try out new experiences and to challenge themselves on the activities. For many the high ropes course was particularly scary; it takes a lot of trust in the rope and your partner when you are up in a tree with nothing to hold onto! The canoeing was great fun, with games such as standing on the gunnels and swapping seats with other canoes. The caving was quite a thrill for many. Deep under the ground when you switch all the lamps off it is completely dark; no light enters the eye at all. There were a range of squeezes to try, as well as sliding on your bottom or crawling on your stomach. What fun! Hope really enjoyed herself and said ‘Black Rock was a great experience - from climbing up Burrington Combe, to gathering up the courage to leap onto the trapeze bar in the ‘Leap of Faith’. We all managed to embrace the great activities. Each evening was completed with dorm time and quizzes or games. Overall the trip couldn’t have been better!’
St Margaret’s Preparatory School, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0DF Tel: 01249 857220 Fax: 01249 857227 Email: office@stmargaretsprep.org.uk Website: www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk