It’s important to us that parents know and understand how lunchtimes work in school. They are the one time in the day where children are not under direct adult supervision in teh same way as in class and food is such a critical aspect of life, not only for sustenance and health but also for bringing people together. Our lunchtime routines are well established as you might imagine and children took immense pride in showing their parents how they get their lunch from Michelle and Kelly in the kitchen, to sitting in the hall, clearing plates and even how to walk down the corridor! Small things but when you’re 5, they are the centre of your world! Parents were also able to try our cooked lunches and we had a superb turnout. They even joined in with hula hooping and playground games outside.
Children at Stockbridge took part in the annual santa dash – an obstacle race around some Santa themed props in order to raise sponsorship money for the great causes that FOSS support. Our PTA are brilliant and this super event was a real hit with children weaving in and out of present stacks, carelessly left behind by Santa’s elves then under the camo net – a sure fire way to catch cheeky elves out! They then took a run around the North Pole, went through a snowstorm and finally had to leap over Rudolph and Dancer’s hay bales to complete their dash.
To top it all off, the big man arrived in style with an Apache heralding his arrival and then Santa himself arriving in a brilliant army jeep. Despite popular belief, his suit is NOT fire retardant!! The Apache was piloted by one of our parents and landed safely, even allowing time for our children to be inspired by having a good FAQ with the crew and a walk around the helicopter.
We are so grateful to all involved in the events on this day – none of it happens by accident, only through sheer determination, organisation and creativity can these events go ahead and they will become long lasting memories that children recall in many years to come. The menacing Apache landing on the school field, Santa bringing every child a present and racing with your parent or grandparent is truly unforgettable.
Thank you to all.
Christmas really started on Friday 13th December with our annual nativity, held in St Peter’s Church on the High Street. For a week, children from lower school have traipsed up and down to rehearse and it was all worth it as they performed brilliantly for the nativity matinee and evening performance.
The tired angels and camels made it through the second performance and shone brightly as the animals in the barn where Jesus was born, narrated the story really clearly. It is Year R’s first exposure to performing and they did a brilliant job, not being too over awed at the large audiences who had come to support them at both performances.
Is what’s mine, yours? is our philosophical question in upper school this autumn term and children have been investigating the past, looking at the links in history between the roman period in Britain and the incoming invaders, the Anglo-Saxons. Their learning has been very practical and we were joined by Ufton Court who have specialists and lots of great artefacts to try to help us answer the question above.
Children explored, debated, investigated and deliberated in courts, groups and through a live debate what it would have been like to live in Anglo-Saxon times. The real life objects, some real artefacts, some replicas, from Anglo-Saxon time helped us to have a picture as to what every day life would have been like. Children had made their own Saxon brooches using evidence to support their designs and also modelled their own villages from clay, card and foraged willow and hazel.
Welly walks were a big event for us pre-COVID and we haven’t really got back into the swing of them so, we bit the bullet and did our first one post-COVID in early November. This was a sponsored event and resulted in us raising over £1600 with the whole school on a walk around Stockbridge Common and a cheeky little extra walk for Upper School who, with their longer legs and greater tenacity, overcame it no problems!
Many parents and grandparents joined us for the walk on a drizzly afternoon but we were not deterred by the weather and had a great walk – we were so busy talking, we missed the turning for the lower school so they actually walked a little farther than they should have done! Well done everyone and thanks for such great support.
Yea r6 headed to Libanus and the Hampshire Mountain Centre at Argoed Llywd in the first week of October and had the most amazing time. The weather was kind to us (which always helps) and we were able to enjoy a full programme of activities, including caving which had been under threat because of heavy rain the week before. The children rose to the occasion and really embraced all challenges – the more physical the better!
Martha here is supporting her team mates who climbed Crag y Dinas. We went canoeing too and managed to avoid capsizing! A mountain walk above Tal y bont reservoir gave us spectacular views and a real sense of achievement and we ended it all with a fabulous time in front of the waterfalls near Ystradfellte. What a week! What a year group! Read more about it on our website pages linked with residentials.
The first sporting event of the season for our cluster schools is always the cross country run, traditionally held at Wallop Primary School. It’s always a good test of skill and stamina with a challenging run through their woodland, top field and lower football pitches. This year, our team triumphed to win the event for the first time ever! We had individual successes in some year group races but the consistency and collaboration amongst the team made this 2024 win even more special – well done team!
We’ve welcomed a full cohort of 20 children to our Year R class, Sprat & Winkle this September. As well as the children, both of their teachers; Mrs Thomson & Miss Hatt, are also new! They’ve made a great start to their learning and really love exploring the outdoor space in their new Year R area as well as making a cracking start learning their phonics.
We can’t wait to see what they get up to for the rest of the year!
We’ve also welcomed 5 new faces in other year groups across the school from all over the UK as families move into the area or change schools. You are all very welcome.