Friday 19 December 2008

Key Stage 1 Nativity Play

Watch photo highlights from The Hopeless Camel production


Watch and hear the children singing 'The Hopeless Camel' song

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Classes DB &GM do Rocket Science!

Our two year 5/6 classes were invited to Thomas Mills High school for a whole day of activities called: "Rocket Day". The children had to make a rocket (in the Science lab with a teache called Mr Einstein) which was able to go at least 40 feet in the air. The rocket had to be able to get over a force field around Thomas Mills High School in order to send a message to the outside world. Some children are being trapped in the school and forced to become teachers! The children had to make an angle measurer (in the technology room with Bob The Builder) in order to calculate how high the rocket travelled. They also worked with an English teacher (Shakespeare's sister) to write articles about the scadal for a newspaper.

Watch the film below to see the children making a rocket flight measurer in the technology room.


Watch this film to see the children's rockets in action.





Carol Service 2008


Watch this film below with photo and sound highlights from a wonderful Christmas service put on by our Year 3 and 4 children.


Tuesday 16 December 2008

Christmas Poems

Some of our Key Stage 2 children having been writing some Christmas poetry for a bit of fun.
Here are some of their poems.
You can listen to this one by Mark in year 5.

Santa woke up early

He got up out of bed

He went to visit Rudolph

But Rudolph, he had fled

Santa, he was worried

Thinking of his mate

He went to find poor Rudolph

But hoped he wasn't late

He found his mate, poor Rudolph

Skiing down a slope

He crashed into a tree. Oh no!

He's okay. I hope

Santa took poor Rudolph home

Rudolph's friends were pests

They were having a party

And there were carrot thefts

Rudolph and his friends

Got tied to the sleigh

They got there in the morning

He said, "Oh no. It's day"!

This poem is by Alfie from Class DB. It is in a limerick form.

There was a man called Santa

His reindeer set off at a canter

He jumped in his sleigh

He shouted "Hooray!"

Then he sat down to watch setanta

There was a man called Santa

Who liked to bathe in fanta

One day his taps broke

So then he used coke

And his friends gave him lots of banter

One day Santa jumped on his deer

In his hand was a nice glass of beer

He fell off on ice

It didn't feel nice

He cried as he damaged his ear.

Monday 15 December 2008

WHOLE SCHOOL LETTER (18)

CHRISTMAS PARTIES – Thursday 18 December
There will be class parties this Thursday in the afternoon. Key Stage 2 children are to come to school in their party clothes. Key Stage 1 and Foundation children should come to school in their uniform and bring their party clothes in to change into after lunch. Nursery will have their party on Wednesday in the morning. Please ensure that party clothes and footwear are practical for normal morning lessons and outside playtimes.

SPRING TERM There is a non-pupil day on Monday 5 January and the children return on Tuesday 6 January 2009.

NEW TEACHER APPOINTMENTWe are pleased to welcome Mrs Susan Beddows to the staff, taking up the position of part-time Maths Teacher. We would like to give Mrs Greenacre our Best Wishes as she leaves us at the end of term.

SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS AND PAYMENT
The menus sent home earlier in the term are still valid until the end of April. Please remember that you will need to pay for the first week’s dinner money on the first day back (Tuesday 6 January).

CHRISTMAS FAIR SUCCESS
The Friends are really pleased to let you know that we raised an amazing £2,779 at the Christmas Fair!
In addition to this they have also managed to secure a grant from the Mills Trust, which means that the Trim Trail will be ordered in the New Year (installation date to be confirmed).

CHARITY DONATIONS
Our Foundation and Key Stage 1 Christmas Productions raised £376. Thank you for your generous support.

REMEMBRANCE POPPIESWe are pleased to inform you that £117.81 was raised for the British Legion for the sale of Poppies.

SIZE OF SCHOOL BAGS
If you are buying a new school bag for January please can you consider the size as we have limited space on the pegs in school and the smaller the better – drawstring or triangular bags are the best.

LOST PROPERTY
Has your child lost something recently? There are lots of items in our lost property container.
Can we please encourage all children and parents to seek for lost items in the container sited at the end of the corridor at the top of the stairs above the Nursery. We feel it is important for children to realise that personal items are their responsibility in school, and if they go missing, they need to look for them – the first stop being the lost property box. If any items are handed in at the office we put them in the lost property box. Needless to say, lots of the items are unnamed – so please can we ask that parents ensure names are on all personal items brought into school – especially sweatshirts. ANY ITEMS NOT CLAIMED BY THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER WILL BE SENT TO THE LOCAL CHARITY
SHOP OR DISPOSED OF.

MAY I WISH YOU ALL A PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS
AND HAPPY CELEBRATIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR

One Christmas Concert Highlights

There are 3 podcasts below from the One Christmas Concert at Felixstowe Spa Pavillion.
Each one has highlights from different parts of the show.

Wednesday 10 December 2008

Key Stage 2 Choir at Christmas

Watch this video of our wonderful Key Stage 2 choir.

Inter House Football Results

The final results from this term were:
Howard 7 Bulstrode 5
Hitcham 8 Mills 1
Howard 4 Mills 2
Hitcham 2 Bulstrode 3
Howard 3 Hitcham 2
Mills 12 Bulstrode 4
This meant that Mills, Bulstrode and Hitcham all won 1 game each. Howard won all 3 of their matches. Final positions:
1st HOWARD
2ND HITCHAM (goal difference +5)
3RD MILLS (goals -1)
4TH BULSTRODE (goals -9)

Year 4 Football

Mr Byer has been running year 4 football club on Wednesday lunchtimes all this term. Last week they challenged some of the year 5 children in a match.
The game was played in a great spirit on a wonderful sunny afternoon.
After going 2 goals down the year 4 team did not give up. In the second half they scored a goal of their own. The final score was a respectable 4-1 to year 5.
There are lots of talented players in year 4 and we look forward to them playing in house and school teams next year.










Inter schools Uni-hoc tournament

The annual uni-hoc tournament had so many entries this year that there where 2 different venues. Robert Hitcham's played in the Stradbroke High School Tournament with 4 other teams. We managed to win the tournament wih 3 wins and 1 draw.
We then played in a knockout competition with the top 2 teams from the Debenham tournament.
In our semi final we came up against Stonham Aspal. The match (even after extra time) finished as a draw. Stonham had a fantastic goalkeeper.
The game had to be decided by penalties - 2 boys and 2 girls from each team. Still the teams were level. Sudden death penalties saw the Stonham keeper triumph again. Stonham went into the final where they again won on penalties - this time against Debenham Primary. We played and won a 3rd place match against St Botolphs.






Christmas Fair a Great Success

Our Friends Association organised our biggest and best Christmas Fair ever!

It occupied virtually every room in the school and had 24 different stalls.Hundreds of people attended and lots of money was raised. We don't yet know the final total but we are confident that there are now sufficient funds for the planned 'Trim Trail'.

Watch the video below for images of the fair taken by Mrs Miller.

Tuesday 9 December 2008

WHOLE SCHOOL LETTER (17)

CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE – TUESDAY 16 DECEMBER 1.30pm
The Key Stage 2 Carol Service will take place at St Michael’s Church on 16 December at 1.30pm. Year 3 and 4 children will be leading in this service, and parents are welcome to attend. We would ask that you use the seats at either side of the church or at the back. A collection will be made at the end of the service which will be given to charity.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH – WEDNESDAY 17 DECEMBERPayment for the Christmas lunch is required on MONDAY 15 DECEMBER. The cost for the week is £10.30, the day £2.70, or an additional 80p is required if you have paid for the whole term but not for the Christmas lunch yet.

VACANCY - TEMPORARY TEACHING ASSISTANTWe are seeking to recruit a Teaching Assistant to work 1:1 support with a child with Special Educational Needs in our Nursery Class. You will need to work well as part of a team, be able to support the welfare and emotional needs of the pupil and adapt the teaching to meet their needs.
Part Time 12.5 hours per week - 5 mornings per week from 9am – 11.30am
Starting January 2009 for ONE TERM ONLY
Salary £6.52 per hour
Closing date Wednesday 17 December
The local authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
CRB checks required for relevant posts. Suffolk County Council – welcoming diversity.
Please contact the school office on 01728 723354 for an application pack.

ADMISSION POLICYThe 2010/2011 Admission Policy has been prepared by Governors and a copy has been placed on the parent notice board. If any parents would like to make any comments, please contact the school office by Tuesday 16 December

CHRISTMAS CARDS
We would like to let you know that through the sales of the Christmas cards we have raised £270. Thank you.

SCHOOL LINK BOOKS
Thank you to everyone who has supported us by buying books from School Link. Since we joined in the summer we have been able to receive 54 free books. 36 will be used as Group Readers in our Guided Reading Lessons and the remaining 18 will be used as ‘Free Readers’ in KS1. Thank you for your continued support.

SUFFOLK POLICE NOTICE
Suffolk police are reminding people to register their Christmas purchases and presents with the online property database Immobilise, to help keep property safe and reunite stolen items with their rightful owners. If you register your property at http://www.immobilise.com/ and the police recover it, you will get it back. Almost any item with a serial number can be registered, including: Mobile phones, Ipods, Games consoles, Laptops, Computers, PDAs, Sat Navs, In-Car equipment, Bicyles. Watches, Jewellery, art and antiques can also be registered.

ROAD SAFETY COMPETITION
The children are being given a letter detailing a competition to come up with a title and a picture for the cover of the DVD that we have made about Road Safety in Framlingham. If your child wishes to enter, they will need to return their entries before the end of term.

Friday 5 December 2008

One Christmas Concert


This Sunday children involved in the One Christmas project are heading to the Spa pavillion in Felixstowe. They are performing in the first of many concerts held over the week to raise money for Tearfund. Check the blog next week to see and hear how we get on.
You can now buy a CD from the school office.
A DVD will be available from next week.

Sunday 30 November 2008

Making Vegetable Soup

Class DB have been making their own vegetable soup.

Each Tuesday afternoon over this half term one of our parents: Mr Barlow-Shepherd has come in to work with a group of 6 children. He is a trained chef and has done a great job helping the children with their cooking task.


Some of the children took photographs of each stage of the process. They also used our new sound recorders to describe what they were doing.


Their pictures and narration have been combined (using 'movie maker') into a film which will show you how you could make your own delicious vegetable soup.

ADVENT


Advent is a term from the Latin word 'adventus' which means "arrival".
It is a time of waiting for the arrival of Christmas, the coming of Jesus to earth when he was born as a baby at Bethlehem about two thousand years ago.
What is Advent?
Advent is the new year of the Christian Church and the church season that leads to Christmas Day.
Advent is the time when Christians remember that Jesus came into the world in Palestine 2000 years ago and that Jesus also promised one day to return in all His glory.
Clergy typically wear royal purple or royal blue vestments during Advent. Many churches also include an advent wreath (sometimes called an Advent ring or crown) in their Advent services.

When does Advent start?
Advent begins on the Sunday nearest to 30th November (St. Andrew's Day) and lasts until midnight on Christmas Eve. Advent Sunday is the first of the four sundays before the 25th December.
• 30 November - First Sunday of Advent 2008• 07 December - Second Sunday of Advent 2008• 14 December - Third Sunday of Advent 2008• 21 December - Fourth Sunday of Advent 200825 December: Christmas 2008
What happens during Advent?
During the season of Advent, Christians across the world prepare for the celebration of the arrival of the Lord into the world through the birth of his Son Jesus Christ. Advent is a time to celebrate light in the midst of darkness. It is also a time to look forward to when Jesus will come a second time.
The beginning of Advent is when the preparations for Christmas really begin - the festive menu is planned, gifts are chosen and wrapped, carols sung, cards are written and posted and houses decorated.
History of Advent
In the 5th Century, Advent began on 11 November (St Martin's Day) and took the form of a six week fast leading to Christmas. During the 6th century, Advent was reduced to its current length and later the fasting was dropped.
Follow this LINK to an interactive Advent Calendar and lots of Christmas Activities

Friday 28 November 2008

Friends Christmas Fair

This year there will be over 20 different stalls spread around the school building.
Watch this video for details.


Remember that the fair starts at 6.00pm and finishes at 8.00pm.

Architecture Workshop

All of our Key Stage 2 children took part in a series of workshops which took them through the basics of building - strength, design, fit for purpose etc.
The objective was to build (in a team) a shelter suitable for 5 people to survive in a particular habitat. The choices were tropical rainforest, desert or polar habitats.
You can see the full range of stages the children went through by watching the video below.
The workshop covered many areas of the curriculum: maths, science and technology.

The company that runs the workshops have a website. Follow this link: http://www.architectureworkshops.org/
















Christmas Disco




Thursday 27 November 2008

House Football Hitcham v Howard

This week saw the most exciting house match this season. Two closely matched sides played some good quality football. Hitcham took the lead only for Howard to equalise. Hitcham scored again to take a deserved half time advantage.
The end to end action continued in the second half. Just as it looked as though Hitcham were going to hold on for a win, Howard scored two late goals to snatch a 3-2 win.
This meant that Howard have now got an unbeatble lead at the top of the table with just one game left to be played: Bulstrode v Mills next week.
In the team picture (the game finished almost in the dark) you can see brother and sister rivals: George from Hitcham and Lucy from Howard touching the ball.






Rainforest Topic


Year 5 and 6 are currently studying a topic on 'Tropical Rainforest'.









Class RV have done some brilliant art work on Jungle scenes. You can see all of their pictures in this film.


The topic was kick started with a trip to 'Amazonia' - a small tropical zoo in Great Yarmouth. The children got to see and handle lots of animals from tropical habitats.

Our school mascot 'Prickles' also enjoyed meeting some animals from different parts of the world.

Monday 24 November 2008

WHOLE SCHOOL LETTER (15)

PACKED LUNCH REMINDER FOR WEDNESDAY - PARENT CONSULTATION DAY
Please can we remind parents to provide a packed lunch for their child/ren this Wednesday as the hall will be in use for Parent Consultations and we cannot, therefore, provide school dinners this day.

ONE CHRISTMAS
We now have the ‘One Christmas’ CDs for sale at the school office. They are priced at £10 each, with all profits going to the charity Tearfund. Cheques should be payable to “Christmas Charity Album”.
For those families with children in the concert - don’t forget to book your tickets for Sunday 7 December from the Felixstowe Spa Pavillion box office 01394 282 126

MATCH CARDS
Unfortunately, due to some incidences of cards being ‘taken without consent’, we feel that these will now need to be banned from school with immediate effect.

THE GIVING MACHINE
Just a reminder from the Friends about this website which, once you have registered, you can use to do internet shopping at many online stores. The online stores then give a % of your purchase price directly to our school (as your selected charity) – it does not cost you anything and the school benefits directly. The Friends ask that you perhaps consider using this when doing your Christmas shopping online. www.TheGivingMachine.co.uk. Thank you.

REMINDER - BAD WEATHER ARRANGEMENTSWe make every possible effort to ensure that the school remains open in the event of bad weather conditions. Please listen to the following radio stations for information with regard to whether the school has to be closed or not:
· Radio Suffolk 95.5, 95.9, 103.9 and 104.6FM (have updates at 10 past and 20 to each hour)
· Broadland Norfolk 102.4FM
· SGR FM 97.1-96.4FM
· Beach Radio 103.4 and 97.4FM

NON-UNIFORM DAY – DONATIONS FOR SCHOOL CHRISTMAS FAIR – Friday 28 November
Please remember it is Non-Uniform Day this Friday, 28 November. Please bring in donations for the Christmas Fair - eg adult or children’s Raffle Prizes, adult, children’s or chocolate Tombola prize, men’s and ladies NEW items for the ‘Parent Presents’ stall, a Promise to Bake a Cake (to be delivered to school 5 December), Toys in excellent condition (please - no missing pieces from jigsaws etc), Books. Please leave donations in the boxes by the hall, but bring any alcohol or cake promises to the office. Thank you.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH – WEDNESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2008
In past years children have asked for a vegetarian meal on Christmas dinner day even though they aren’t vegetarians. If your child would like to try the vegetarian option and this year it is the same as last year - chick pea Wellington which is a pastry dish - please complete the slip overleaf by Friday 28 November.

SCHOOL CHRISTMAS POST
The school’s post box will be open for deliveries from Monday 1 December and is sited at the top of the stairs from the Nursery on the landing.
Please ensure that ALL cards are correctly addressed with the first name and surname and Class or Class initials. Could we ask parents of younger children to please check that their child’s cards are correctly addressed before posting. Thank you.
For information the class initials are as follows:
KS Nursery; CH Mrs Hopkins; EM Miss Montague; LC Mrs Cann; JC Mrs Colchester; PLDD Mrs Lord/Mrs Dwyer; CA Miss Ashberry; NS Mrs Spencer; GH Miss Hitchcock; RV Mr Vaughan; DB Mr Brook/Mrs Mawson; GM Mrs Morgan.

WE STILL NEED TO FILL THE FOLLOWING VACANCY:
RELIEF LUNCHTIME SUPERVISOR

Hours: 12.00pm - 1.20pm on an occasional basis when the need arises to cover regular staff
Rate of Pay: £6.37 per hour plus 12.99% holiday pay = £7.198 per hour
For further information please contact the school office: 01728 723354

Wednesday 12 November 2008

Road Safety Poster Competition

Our school Road Safety Officers have run a poster competition.
The Key Stage 2 winner was Isabel Brooks from Class DB.
Her design features 'Prickles' - our school mascot.

Abstract Portraits

Class GM have been doing abstract portraits in the style of Picasso.
They have a colourful display in the corridor near the school office.
Watch this video to see all of the work on the display.

House Football Bulstrode v Hitcham

This proved to be the closest and most exciting game so far this season.
Bulstrode took their chances in the first half to go into a 3-0 lead.
Hitcham hit back in the second half with 2 goals.
Lukas in the Bulstrode goal made several good saves to prevent Hitcham getting an equaliser.
In the end Bulstrode just about deserved to win a thrilling match.










Tuesday 11 November 2008

Armistice Day 2008




On the 90th anniversary of the end of World War 1 all the children and staff of Robert Hitcham's gathered together for a short service.

We could hear a cannon going off in the centre of Framlingham (at 11.00am on 11th November - the exact time that peace was declared) as we stood for a minutes silence.

Many of our children wore poppies to respect the men, women and children who were involved in wars around the world.

Monday 10 November 2008

JOB VACANCY

RELIEF LUNCHTIME SUPERVISOR
Hours: 12.00pm - 1.20pm on an occasional basis when the need arises to cover regular staff
Rate of Pay: £6.37 per hour plus 12.99% holiday pay = £7.198 per hour
For further information please contact the school office: 01728 723354

Friday 7 November 2008

Whole School Letter (13)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ
The school has been made aware that a girl walking home from Thomas Mills High School on Wednesday was approached by a man in a car at about 6.30pm.
We would ask parents and children to be extra aware and to reinforce the safety messages we give to the children in matters such as these.

MARIE CURIE MINI POTS OF CARE DONATIONSThank you all very much for your generous donations to this charity for the daffodil bulb planting. You will be really pleased to know that we shall be passing on £1521.73 to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

CHRISTMAS SHOE BOX APPEAL
Thank you to those of you who have kindly filled a Christmas shoebox for the children in Sirac, Croatia. We have received 47 Shoe Boxes into school which the Mendlesham Christian Fellowship will be taking out to Croatia in the next few weeks. Thank you.

LABELLING CLOTHESPlease can we remind parents to ensure that children’s clothes are labelled – especially sweatshirts and coats. Also please renew any names written in ‘biro’ as they do fade over time. Thank you.

MORNING SUPERVISIONThe playground is supervised from 8.30am, if you arrive before this time parents must wait with their child until the supervisor arrives.

Monday 3 November 2008

WHOLE SCHOOL LETTER (12)

REMEMBRANCE POPPIESThese will be on sale in the school as from Monday 3 until Friday 7 November. They will be brought to the classes each day when the children will have an opportunity to purchase a poppy.

START OF DAY ARRANGEMENTSAs children move into KS2 we encourage them to develop independence. Can we ask that unless you wish to see the teacher, you encourage your child to bring their belongings into school on their own and return straight to the playground. Thank you.

REMINDER INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS
Photos of all children and family groups will be taken on Tuesday 18 November. The children will be photographed in their white school shirts. If you wish to bring pre-school children into school to join your family group photo (which will be more formal in sweatshirts as in previous years), please come to the hall at 8.30am.

HARVEST CHARITY DONATIONSThe Harvest collection raised £147.00 for the Soup Kitchen in Ipswich and West Villa Homeless Families Unit in Ipswich was very grateful for the food donations. Thank you.

CATS’ EYES FOR KIDS – CHILD ROAD SAFETY
Each new child that starts in Reception is given a reflector to attach to their clothing/bag etc by the County Council sponsored by Nationwide. We have been informed that if your child has lost or would like a new reflector you may order these via the school for £1.00 each. There are several really nice designs available but the company are unable to specify what they will send us. Please complete the order form below and return to the school office by Friday 14 November

QUIZThe interactive quiz made £498, the Friends would like to thank all who supported the night and hope you had a good time – some photos can be seen in the school Blog.

WINTER WEATHER
Winter weather is now upon us and all children will NEED TO BRING A COAT every day. Thank you.

BAD WEATHER ARRANGEMENTS
We make every possible effort to ensure that the school remains open, but many of the staff do live a long way away which involves difficult cross country journeys. In the event of bad weather conditions, please listen to the following radio stations for information with regard to whether the school has to be closed or not:
· Radio Suffolk 95.5, 95.9, 103.9 and 104.6FM (have updates at 10 past and 20 to each hour)
· Broadland Norfolk 102.4FM
· SGR FM 97.1-96.4FM
· Beach Radio 103.4 and 97.4FM

NON-UNIFORM DAY – DONATIONS FOR SCHOOL CHRISTMAS FAIR – Friday 28 NovemberThe Friends of the School have asked that the children come in their own clothes on Friday 28 November in exchange for a donation for the Christmas Fair on Friday 5 December. eg an adult or children’s Raffle Prize, an adult, children’s or a chocolate Tombola prize, a Promise to Bake a Cake (to be delivered to school 5 December), Toys in excellent condition (please - no missing pieces from jigsaws etc) , Books, a Bottle for the Bottle Stall (all alcohol to be handed direct to the office) etc.

CHRISTMAS CARDS
We have had a few comments from parents about the high price of the Christmas cards that were done by the children. I would like to let parents know that we were not happy with the company who provided these cards and were misled on the pricing when we committed the orders believing the price to be £5 for both packs, not each pack. The school made just 50p on each pack of cards the balance £4.50 went to the card company. If we do this in the future we will research a better value company.
Please note that any outstanding cards or payments should be returned as soon as possible

KEY STAGE 1 ACTIVITY AREA
The Keystage 1 Activity area is set up as a structured learning environment. The area reflects the topics we are studying and the activities that have been set up have specific learning objectives. We would be very grateful if you could keep younger brothers and sisters away from re-arranging them – especially first thing in the morning! Your co-operation in this matter is appreciated.

Sunday 2 November 2008

Prickles on Holiday in The Lake District

Prickles has spent his half term on a walking holiday with the Brook family. The Lake District (Cumbria in the North West of England) was stunning in the Autumn. There had been a lot of rain the previous week so that river, streams and waterfalls were in full flow. The trees were in beautiful Autumn colours.
The temperature really dropped during the week and PrickLes found snow on top of the mountains.
He kept warm much of the time in Mr Brook's coat pocket but did insist on getting out to admire the views.
Prickles journeyed to the top of some of Englands highest places such as Skiddaw near Keswick. He also saw some lovely lakes at Ennerdale, Loweswater and Buttermere.





















Wednesday 22 October 2008

House Football MILLS v HOWARD

This was a very entertaining match between two closely matched teams. Mills took a 2-0 lead but Howard crucially pulled a goal back just before half time. The game really opened out in the second half. There were plenty of chances at both ends but Mills failed to score again whereas Howard scored 3 good goals.
Final score was 4-2 to Howard - giving them an early lead in this season's competition.





















Opening of New Building

Yesterday afternoon was a wonderful one for the school. Lots of guests turned up to see the official opening of the new classrooms, the new ICT suite and the new staffroom.
It was also great to have the high school Samba Band there to add some excitement to the occasion.
The cake was made by one of our parents: Mrs Bewick.