LEARN – competition
Using our school statement and Bible verse as inspiration,
At Blockley School, we encourage one another and build one another up,
aspiring to love learning, celebrate success, respect difference
and nurture others in a Christian environment.
Encourage one another and build one another up.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
pupils clearly put a great deal of effort into our LEARN competition. Each class had to follow the theme linked to the letter allocated to their class.
Class 1 – L – Love
Class 2 – E – Encourage
Class 3 – A – Aspire
Class 4 – R – Respect
Class 5 – N – Nurture
There was fierce competition with many entries, clearly a great deal of thought and care had been taken. Well done to all who entered. All who entered received a treat with the winners also having their artwork on display at the entrance to the school. Runners up will be displayed elsewhere in the school.
Life Education Visit
All pupils in school were able to learn some essential life skills at the start of term, relating to our personal, social, health and economic curriculum through the visit from Coram Life Education’s workshop. The workshops address pupil’s knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, to give pupils a voice and for them to feel empowered, able to identity and articulate their needs and feelings to make healthy life choices. Workshops are age specific and covered decisions, the brain and feelings. Harold, the healthy living giraffe mascot was able to convey the messages to the younger pupils in the magical learning environment of the inflatable lifespace tent. Previous use of these resources indicates that pupils find the workshops fun, engaging but most important, memorable, ensuring that they are equipped to make good decisions around the healthy use of their bodies and able to implement the wellbeing strategies they have learnt long after they have left primary school.
Parents Evening
Staff were pleased to be able to welcome parents back into school for our parents evening, giving everyone chance to look through their children’s work and speak with the class teachers. Thank you for your support.
Governor in School Week
Governors play a vital role in ensuring that the school is well managed. Governors visit school regularly to keep fully informed about how the school is functioning on a day to day basis. Periodically governor in school weeks are held where concentrated visits take place and governors join pupils lessons and events happening in school. Pupils will have seen governors attending school this term and participating in some of their lessons.
Residential Viney Hill
Firstly, our year 4 and then year 5 pupils enjoyed a three day, two night visit to Viney Hill. A Christian Adventure Centre nestling between the River Severn and River Wye in the beautiful Royal Forest of Dean. An ideal venue for pupils to have an activity experience and discover the great outdoors through adventurous and challenging activities in a supportive and nurturing environment. Pupils participated in activities such as low ropes, archery, navigation, bush craft, crate stacking, camp fires and night hikes. They slept in dorms, enjoyed hot food cooked on site and impressed staff with quiz knowledge and talent demonstrations!
Children in Need
A huge thank you to all for supporting BBC Children in Need on Friday 18th November. There were some amazing outfits and some really imaginative hairstyles. Thank you also for supplying and supporting our cake sale after school. We raised just over £250 for the charity.
Huge thanks to Lilah, Jean, Zach and Sylvia for doing a fabulous job setting up and running the cake stall at the end of the day.
Shoe Boxes
This year we supported the charity Teams4U. Each year they run a nationwide shoebox appeal to provide Christmas gifts to vulnerable children and families. The donated shoeboxes will be given to a vulnerable child, or family, through schools, nurseries, hospitals and orphanages. Their aim is that each box is given in relationship with the local community as part of a long-term commitment to these children. This year the shoeboxes will be heading to the Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia and Romania. Thanks to your amazing support we were able to send 44 boxes off this Christmas.
Sharing Assemblies – year 1, year 2, class 5
Year 1’s and 2’s in Class 1 and 2 did an amazing job in their respective sharing assemblies. They enjoyed sharing all the work they had done in English, maths, science, art, RE, geography and history lessons. The children were so fluent and clear when speaking in front of an audience and they should be so proud of themselves.
Class 5 have had a little more experience speaking in front of an audience than the younger children in the school. They delivered a fantastic sharing assembly and were able to showcase the work that they have been completing in class.
Class 2 visitors
Class 2 have had some visitors this term, with Dana visiting to tell and then explain the Christmas story through some wonderfully crafted figures. Then they had Bob Chorley, a historian visit (via zoom) from Coughton Court to talk the children through the Gunpowder Plot and discuss why and how it was put together. Pupils were able to discuss why it wasn’t successful.
Class 4 Slimbridge
As part of class 4’s learning this term about rivers (geography) and river voles (English), they paid a visit to Slimbridge Wetland Centre at the end of November. The children had the opportunity to explore the site and take part in workshop entitled, The Water Cycle, the Wetlands and Me. Pupils were able to gain a better understanding of rivers and wetlands with particular reference to these as a habitat for water voles.
Class 1 Cotswold Wildlife Park
In Science Class 1 have been learning about animals and in particular animal classification, they have also been looking at the continents of the world in geography and which animals you would find in each continent. To fully engage and help further their learning the class visited Cotswold Wildlife Park at the beginning of December.
During the day the children participated in a 40-minute session, delivered by a member of staff from the park to explain how the different animals in the park can be classified. Pupils also had the chance to have a hands-on experience with some smaller animals.
Class 3 Rollright Stones
Linking with the work that they are doing in class, the pupils in class 3 were able to visit Rollright Stones last week. Here they took part in several different activities, in cold but dry conditions, creating a rope timeline, participating in a stone-moving activity and counting the stones.
The Rollright Stones lie on the boundary between Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, on the edge of the Cotswold hills. They span nearly 2000 years of Neolithic and Bronze age development and each site dates from a different period. The Stones are made of natural boulders and were probably collected from within 500m of the site.
Interfaith Day
All classes participated in an interfaith day this term. This was held virtually with different faith leaders available to talk to classers. KS1 were told a Muslim story read by Abdul Malik from the Easton Mosque.
FOS Christmas Fair
Thank you to the FOS members for organising and running the Christmas Fair. Well done to the pupils for creating the games and for those involved in running these on the day. A great way to start the Christmas season off and raise some much needed funds for the school. Thank you to those that supported with time and money. Through such fundraising events FOS have been able to support class school trips this year, covering transport costs, ensuring that visit costs are kept as low as possible.
Christingle Service
The Christingle service, held at Blockley Church at the beginning of December was a wonderful occasion with 95 attendees and around 60 children enjoying the joyful celebration that is designed to bring families and communities together to share the light of Jesus and spread a message of hope.
Christingles are made using oranges and a few other treats. The candle is lit at the end of a service.
Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story:
- The orange represents the world
- The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Christ
- The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations
- The lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.
Panto
The whole school were able to travel to Chipping Norton Theatre this term to watch the pantomime ‘Dick Whittington’. Pupils were able to watch Dick and his feline companion on a globetrotting adventure from the chaotic streets of Victorian London to jungle palaces, from the world’s worst cook to the first female explorer. A twist on a traditional tale from the 50th year of Chipping Norton Panto.
Nativity
Reception and KS1 performed really well in their Nativity, Baaarmy Bethleham, the first nativity to their parents and they have been practicing hard to get performance ready. Interval refreshments and a raffle were provided by FOS.
Christmas
Class 1 have had a busy few weeks getting into the Christmas spirit. They produced a class letter to Santa and then went to the post box and shop for stamps to post it.
We have enjoyed many Christmas activities in school this week. A wonderful Christmas dinner, Christmas parties with educational games, films linked to class topics and a visit from Father Christmas! Thank you for your donations to Children in Need on Christmas Jumper day.
Upcoming Christmas Services
Carol Service, Blockley Church, Tuesday 20th December at 7pm;
Paxford Village Hall, Wednesday 21st December at 7pm;
Bourton on the Hill, Christmas Eve at 6pm;
Crib Service Blockley Church, Christmas Eve, 4pm for families;
Christmas Day Service at Blockley Church (bring a present you have unwrapped today) 9:30am.
The Arrival of the Wise Men (Magi, Kings etc), Blockley Church 9:30am on 8th January with bacon sandwiches and a short service.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We look forward to seeing pupils back in school on Wednesday 4th January 2023.