Primary School
PRIMARY SCHOOL UPDATE
Here, at school, we have continued to crack on with our varied curriculum - we have galloped across a wide variety of subjects this half term. We are really pleased to say it has been a joy to be able to host some of our usual events in the last term. Just before the October half term, we held our Annual Harvest Festival Service in the playground. It was lovely to see the children join together. We collected a generous pile of store-cupboard food for the local foodbank. Thank you to our parent community for the generous donations.
Armistice Day was marked poignantly this year by the children of Mulberry and Aspen Class [Reception, Year One and Year Two]. The children took time to research names of those fallen armed forces personnel from Berrynarbor and wrote individual thankyous to them all. You may have seen these on the lichgate to the church, marked also by the handmade poppies donated by our local community. It was a beautiful display of respect for those who gave their lives for our freedom. Some of our older children in Pine Class made their own reusable poppies and have raised money for the Royal British Legion by selling them to friends and family. We have heard we were also lucky to have had two of our Year 6 children attend the Remembrance Service in the village. The girls took responsibility for laying a wreath. Thank you to Brooke Bacon and Emily Stanbury - good work girls.
We
have seen the return to Ilfracombe swimming pool for our course of lessons for
Pine and Alder Class. Despite many children not able to attend lessons over
the last 18 months, they have adapted well to the pool environment once again
and made us proud with their efforts in the water.
We shall be performing our Walking Nativity around the village on Thursday, 2nd December, starting from the playing field at
5.30 p.m. and ending in the centre of the village. This has been a fixture in our calendar for the last couple of years. It will be great to be out and about in the village once again - seeing and hearing the Christmas story, singing carols and performing as a community. We have enjoyed learning carols and performing once again.
Towards the end of this half term sees our Christmas Dinner and Jumper Day. Looking forward to seeing all the cheerful Christmas themed clothing on display! Christingle will see the final event in our Christmas calendar - how wonderful it will be to gather in church for this special event. Greatly anticipated due to last year's cancellation.
We are all looking forward to a break over Christmas, spending time with our loved ones over the festive period.
Have a happy, safe and peaceful Christmas.
Su Carey, Faye Poynter and the whole Staff Team
12
PRIMARY SCHOOL UPDATE
We hope you have had
a lovely summer break. We welcomed the
children back to school from Monday, 6th September. The return to school has signalled a further
return to normality.
We should like to thank Sarah Hutchings
and her team for running another successful summer club for our children. This year we had record numbers come along to
enjoy fun activities together over the summer. In between running summer club, Sarah somehow
managed to find the time to get married and is now Mrs.
Higgins - congratulations Mrs. and Mr. Higgins!
We worked hard to make sure the school
environment was ready for all the children to return to. We very much hope that they can enjoy a more
settled year this year. At the time of
writing, we no longer needed to maintain bubbles, children have been mixing and
playing together across the school. We
are very excited to be able to allow them to be together again and hope to
re-establish the family culture of children caring for each other. We are
already seeing our older children helping our new little ones and it has been
wonderful to see our family together again.
Speaking of little ones - we are very
pleased to welcome our new children to Reception.They have settled into school life with ease.
Well done to all our new starters and
all our children for such a fab start to the year.
With the end of restrictions, we are
looking forward to continuing to offer our exciting and interesting curriculum.Our staff will continue to specialise in
their own subject areas and will be able to move freely between our two schools
- allowing us to teach in person once again.
Our children have been learning a wide
variety of subjects, from traditional tales and nursery rhymes in Key Stage 1
to the life and work of Vincent Van Gough in Years 5 and 6.We
have also been cracking on with literacy and numeracy skills. Pupils across all Years have been learning
and thinking about how to reimagine Disney's short story "The Feast" from a
different perspective - remembering to include a few adverbial phrases,
alliteration, dialogue, noun phrases, similes, pathetic fallacy, onomatopoeia
and relative clauses.Well done all of you!
Despite the obvious problems COVID19 brought
for us, we have discovered a silver lining by implementing a staggered drop off
and pick up time at the beginning and end to the school day. This has not only aided a more orderly start
to the day for children - we hope that you have noticed this has eased
congestion in the village too. We shall
continue with the staggered timings as it works so well for us and hopefully
helps you as residents in our community too.
We are tentatively starting to plan trips, visits and community
events. We have not planned to arrange
anything in the community until after the October half term, but we very much
hope to allow wider community events leading up to Christmas - fingers crossed
we shall be inviting our senior members of the community to the renowned Senior
Dudes evening. Watch this space!
We are also so looking forward to start
offering residentials and all the other extra-curricular experiences which
enrich school life for our children and families. We have been able to provide bikeability
sessions for our Year 6 pupils this half term - a further signal we are
returning to our usual rhythm.
Please do visit our website for further details of all we do
- the children have been working on their very own section of the site. It includes information for new starters and
even has a staff "Top Trumps" segment. Coming
soon!
Finally, in our last update we mentioned
our filming session on Saunton beach with our Year 6 leavers. If you haven't
already seen it - check out our Federation YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kqBVn8zMZs
With
best wishes,
Su
Carey, Faye Poynter and the whole Staff Team
32
SUMMER TERM UPDATE
Since
the return to school in March we have been busy cracking on with our work in
class. The children have settled back
into the daily routine extremely well - thank you to our staff and families for
enabling this to happen. We are pleased
to say that school trips are now firmly back on the agenda! The whole Federation has taken part in our
courageous camp-out at Stapleton Farm, hosted by Adam and Natalie Stanbury. Over the course of the week the children took
part in lots of activities, including foraging, fire lighting, pond dipping, a
stream walk, as well as meeting the cows and learning about where milk comes
from. How lovely for the children to spend a few days in the wilds at Berry
Down. Special mention must go to our
brave year 2's - they took part in their first ever sleepover at West Down
School. We are so proud of them for
camping out all night - they are all ready for the big camp out next year!
We
have also ventured out to Saunton for a day at the beach. We managed to achieve not one but two things
that day. Filming our socially distanced Year 6
performance in the absence of the use of the Landmark Theatre this year. It was fun to do some outside broadcasting! The children also had the opportunity to take
part in a surf lesson and they were all so good. We clearly have some talented sea farers in
our midst.
The
children have been trying out their French conversational skills in Mrs. Owen's
French Café afternoon. It was wonderful
to see our children playing the part of café customers. They confidently ordered hot chocolate and
croissants from their equally confident waiters and waitresses. Ambience was provided by French music and
games - bravo les enfants!
At
the time of writing, we are busy planning for Sports Day - sadly we shall not
be able to invite families to watch this year but the children have been busy
practicing for the usual array of events. We are so looking forward to holding a joint
Federation event across both schools next year.
While
lockdown has had its obvious drawbacks, restrictions on people visiting school
have allowed us to think outside the box in terms of careers education for our
older pupils. We have continued to host our Broadening
Horizons event. This includes virtual
presentations from a number of visitors, each showcasing their career. We have had some very interesting people
offer their insight and expertise to our children. If you would be interested in being
interviewed for our Careers Week event next year, please get in contact, we are
always looking to inspire the children.
We are incredibly proud of our school
family this year, including staff, children, parents, carers and governors. It goes without saying that this has been one of the most
challenging and difficult years in education. Children have missed a
significant amount of school, they have coped
incredibly well during this time. We
cannot thank our staff and families enough for the huge team effort it has
taken to get us to the end of the academic year. Despite such a tricky time our children have
been happy and committed to their learning. A wonderful tribute to our vision "being the
best we can be, committed to making a difference".
This
time of year is also full of pride and hope for our
wonderful
Year 6 who will have finished
their time with us. In our special Final
Assembly, we wished the very best of luck to them: Ruby, Donovan, Salah,
George, Alfie, Angus, Rosie S, Rosie T, Harley, Rhys, Benjamin, Eddie, Sky and
Lilie. You should be very proud of all
you have achieved both inside the classroom and out.
We
can't wait to welcome all our new starters in September - let's hope we are
heading for a restriction-free Autumn Term.
We
hope you have a happy and safe summer and we look forward to getting involved
in the community as restrictions ease - hope you enjoy a few pictures from our
camp-out below!
Su
Carey, Faye Poynter and the whole Staff Team.
17
FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Berrynarbor Staff are so happy to finally have all the children back in school. The last few weeks have been challenging for everyone and the staff, children and families have had to adapt very quickly to a new way of working.
Throughout lockdown the children enjoyed meeting up with their class each day through our online 'Are you ready' sessions. Here the children could speak to their teacher about the expectations for the day for their work. This was all set through the google classroom and google calendar. Berrynarbor children were able to access a variety of lessons, some pre-recorded, some live!
Children also had the opportunity to join in with lots of other exciting activities, such as live energy boost sessions for exercise and live story time with a member of staff at the end of the day. We even broadcast live from a farm where the children could watch some lambing taking place!
Now we are back at school, teachers are adjusting their plans to prioritise the learning most needed to progress as instructed by the Department for Education - we are arranging some exciting, weekly activities to celebrate being together again so the children have lots to look forward to.
As we told our parents:
'The media has been full of negative language in relation to children and learning - this is not helpful to anyone (unless it secures more funding for children and schools!). But we know that our children are amazing, resourceful and resilient young people. We're proud of what they have achieved at home (academically and in other areas) and can't wait to have them back in school having fun together again. We will be using positive language that values their unique experiences of lockdown and celebrates being together again and we encourage parents to do the same. All children will return to school having learnt differently at home - our skilled team are ready to meet the individual needs of all of our children and so no child needs to be anxious about what they have or haven't done in the last few months. Learning at home - both academic learning set by teachers and other learning that comes from being in a family - might be different to what may have happened in school if we had remained open but is no less valuable. So instead of talking about 'catching up learning' let's notice other things children have gained from being at home while some areas of academic learning have slowed or paused. Instead of 'lost' let's talk about what children have already 'found' and what they can look forward to next. Rather than using the phrase 'upheaval', let's congratulate our children on the way they adapted to ways of learning in the last year that had never been tried before. Our children are amazing and we want them to look back on this time and be proud of all that they have achieved.'
Hopefully in the next newsletter we can share some of the fab things we have been up to with you!
Faye Poynter and Su Carey - Co-headteachers
Since we have been back at school, everyone has been happy to be back and to have a bit of normality in our lives again. On the first Wednesday back, we had a happy together day. On this day, we were allowed to wear clothes that made us happy. We also played games with our friends [Covid friendly]! Every week up until Easter, the teachers are giving us a surprise. We are getting extended break times so we can have more social time with friends that we haven't seen for ages. We are still having staggered starting times and leaving times. We hope we can go on some epic adventures and trips again soon!
By Ruby and Rosie T - Year 6
11
FROM
THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Thanks
must be given to ALL the staff at our Primary School, who in these troubled
times for education, are keeping our school open, helping vulnerable children
and those of Key Workers, as well as holding on line classes.
An
Acrostic Poem about West Berry Federation Remote Learning
by
Ruby Barrow [Year 6]
Live lessons keeping
us motivated,
Outdoor intervals
keeping us refreshed,
Continued Federation
community brought together by a lunchtime 'Energy Boost' session,
Kind and caring
teachers doing their best,
Delivering devices to
help us,
Online play-times so
we can communicate with our friends
Wonderful teachers
keeping us as safe as we can be,
Normality - looking
forward to being back together with our Federation Family.
25
NEWS FROM
THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We are so pleased with the way the children are
working extremely hard in lessons, they are happy and everyone is very busy! Due to restrictions we have not
managed to do lots of the lovely things we normally do and this has
changed school life quite a lot. We normally pride ourselves on all the
lovely extra-curricular activities we provide for our children, helping them
become amazing young adults. However,
we are trying to adjust and adapt where we can to make sure we do get to do
some extra special things.
As a staff team, we are
very aware that due to the regulations of the second lockdown children are not
able to go to clubs, keep up sports and meet with friends. With the dark, winter nights closing in this
also makes being active a challenge. Therefore,
this term we shall be prioritising the physical and mental health of our
children. We'll be making more time in the curriculum for children to be
active, be outside and play with their friends. This may mean that
children don't get through quite as much of the curriculum as normal, however.
the well-being of our children must be a priority.
Our school came together to mark Armistice
Day and take part in a socially distanced two-minute silence on the school
playground.
It was lovely to be able to bring all the
bubbles together for such an important moment in time!
Finally, we should like to
take this opportunity to note the passing of one of the most truly
inspirational teachers we have ever had the pleasure of working at our school. Mrs
Lucas inspired and touched the lives of so many local children and adults during her time
teaching at Berrynarbor. Her dedication
to the profession and our school ensured every child that crossed her path made
excellent progress. She gave so much of
her own time to additional revision clubs and extra-curricular activities. Many events she introduced are still run by
staff now. She will remain in many
people's hearts and minds forever. A
true Berrynarbor Legend!
We
were so sad to hear that Nanny June had passed away over the half term. She was such a large part of the school and
local community. Nothing was ever too much trouble and she
always had time to talk and see how everyone was. Nanny June would come into school regularly
to hear readers and was also always there to serve tea and coffee at every
event. Sometimes she would just turn up
at school with a smile and KitKat!
She will be very much missed by both adults and
children
Faye Poynter - Co-Headteacher
9
FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
It's nice to be back at school after 6 months of lockdown. We all feel very safe back in this environment, but things are a bit different.
We have to go to school at different times depending on our houses, there are three time slots at the beginning and the end of the day. Our lessons are the same, however, now our teachers come to our classroom instead of us going to them. We have to stay in our 'bubbles' so we don't get to see the other year groups very often.
We wash our hands all the time!
Since the start of term, Year 6's have completed their Bikeability course and are all now safe on the road. All of the Reception children have joined and are happy in school, loving their lessons.
We have had 2 puppies visit school. One was a jack and the other one was a sausage dog crossed with a terrier. The whole school got to see and play with them, as we are doing an English topic on puppies.
Everyone is enjoying being with friends again.
Written by Rosie and Ruby, Year 6.
9
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
How were your first 3 months
of 2020? We began ours with a 45-minute
cross country run around Mill Park! The
weather stayed dry and sunny and we raised an incredible £1500, a portion of
which went to the North Devon Hospice.
Another highlight was
watching Ilfracombe Academy's performance of We Will Rock You. We were seriously impressed by their
talent.
World Book Day this year was
phenomenal! We all dressed up as word
warriors and had to solve the mystery of which a member of staff had been
pilfering from our extensive lexicon of superior vocabulary! The day made us recognise how important
language is and how powerful words can be.
At this time of year our
excitement is building as our residentials are coming up. We will tell you all about those adventures
in our next update.
Berrynarbor School Pupil Leaders
13
NEWS FROM THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL
What
a busy two months! The lead up to
Christmas is always frantic and brim full of exciting things.
Our highlights were the School Choir
singing at Exeter Cathedral, Alder Class cooking a full Christmas Dinner for
our annual Senior Dudes' Meal, the Walking Nativity - in the Manor Hall due to
the weather - the Lantern Competition, Christingle, the KS1 Christmas Play, the
whole school Christmas Dinner and an Assembly where our music students
performed on their chosen instruments!
One of our pupils spent four months travelling
the world and we enjoyed keeping up with his journey and learning more about
the countries he visited.
Now most of the glitter has been swept
away we can focus on the events of 2020.
We have an exciting year coming up and look forward to telling you all
about what we've been up to.
Berrynarbor School Pupil Leaders
6
NEWS FROM THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL
It is nearly the end of a busy term and
it has been a great one! Our
children [and grown-ups] have worked hard all year and the end of term
assessments and performances reflect this hard work.
At the beginning of July, Years 3, 4, 5
and 6 children joined together to perform an awesome performance of Rock Bottom
at The Landmark Theatre. A couple
of weeks later, children in Year 2 to Year 6 joined with children from West
Down School for a shared musical extravaganza. Ilfracombe Academy allowed us to use their
inspiring venue and their school band supported our children to perform
individually and in groups showcasing their musical talents. The evening ended with all the children
singing and playing their musical instruments together.
Sports day was great: perfect weather, lots of parents supporting
and, of course. children supporting each other to have a go and do their
best.
Mulberry and Aspen Classes had a great
day at Exmoor Zoo as part of their Jungle and Rainforests topic. Pine Class went to Beam House for a
residential trip. Year 2 children
joined with Year 2 from West Down School for their first sleep-over in readiness
for the many residential opportunities on offer as they enter KS2 in
September. All the children have had fun time learning both inside and
outside the classroom.
Our new children have been in to visit
us and get to know their teachers ready for starting school in September.
We're looking forward to welcoming them
to the school.
Next week we say goodbye to our Year 6
children. This is always a time of mixed emotions. We are
sad to say goodbye but very proud of them and excited to see them move on to
the next stage of education. We all wish them well in the future and hope
they'll stay in touch.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
17
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We have a lot to look forward to this term and hope that the
lovely sunny weather we are currently having will continue.
Our KS1 children are learning about the life cycle. They currently have caterpillars awaiting to
make cocoons, eggs in an incubator and frogspawn. Spring
really is an exciting season with everything bursting into life!
Our Y3/4 children recently travelled to the Roman Baths in
Bath and are now looking forward to their residential trip to Beam House.
As we write, our Year 5 and 6 children are sitting their
SATS exams. They are all doing an
amazing job! After this week they will all be able to relax
and enjoy starting to learn the script for their production in June.
After such a successful meal for the Senior Dudes, Years 5
and 6 students will host a meal for their parents. They
will spend the day preparing the meal and then dress up and serve in the
evening.
They also enjoyed their residential to London. It is
a great experience; seeing a show, travelling on the underground and visiting the
sights of the city.
As we move further into the term, our KS2 children will have
the exciting opportunity to see a performance by the BBC Orchestra and a
trip for Y3/4 to the Mix Festival. This is a large musical event where schools
have the opportunity to listen to and take part in musical workshops.
Sports Day is just around the corner and in the coming weeks
the children will be busy practising.
We have our PTFA Summer Fayre on the 5th July. We should love to see members of the community
there. Please keep an eye out for posters with more
information.
We are also planning a Wish Fish display for which the
Village Shop have kindly given us space.
The Wish Fishes' scales will show items that the school can use to
enhance the curriculum - our PTFA hope that parents and friends of the school
will take a scale and donate the items listed.
We already have a very generous
donation of some computing peripherals but other scales will list smaller items
- for example the ingredients needed to make playdough - or things that we should
like help making, for example outdoor cushions for a reading den.
It has been a busy year with lots of positive
improvements. Our new school uniform and federation logo was
part of our work on developing a strong ethos and vision for our schools. This vision and associated values have started
to embed and we are very proud of what the children have achieved. Our
teachers are busy making plans for next year which involve more subject
specific teaching for KS2 children and hopefully more opportunities for links
with our local community. If you'd like to get involved with school life
please let us know. We welcome volunteers and can organise the
necessary safeguarding checks and induction training.
From the staff and pupils, we wish
everyone a safe and happy summer. Sue Carey - Headteacher
Our
Vision and Values
"Streams
today, oceans tomorrow"
Our Vision:
Being
the best that we can be; committed to making a difference.
The West Berry Family -
working together
to broaden horizons and
constantly improve the outcomes
for each of our children
Our Values:
Truth
Freedom Honesty
Justice
Respect
Responsibility Integrity
Co-operation
Courage
Questioning Bravery
Self-assurance
Endurance
Hope Determination Perseverance
Compassion
Forgiveness Humility
Patience
Confidence
Calm Inner Strength Flourish
Curiosity
Questioning Reasoning
Growth Mindset.
11
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Happy New Year to everyone!
We hope you all had a great
festive season.
Our Senior Dudes' Meal was a huge success! The
children thoroughly enjoyed preparing and serving to their grandparents and the
community. The hall and tables were decorated beautifully
and added to the ambience, and the singing at the end really finished off such
a lovely evening. Thank you to all who came along to such a
wonderful community event.
The Walking Nativity was a great success and thoroughly
enjoyed by all, with the addition of a donkey!
We finished the evening by
warming up in The Globe with mulled wine and tea/coffee. Guitarists, ukuleleists,
a saxophonist and pianists performed Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed
Reindeer and Merry Christmas Everyone. We
closed the evening with the choir singing Mistletoe and Wine and Merry
Christmas Everybody. We should like to
thank The Globe for allowing us to use their family room and providing warming
refreshments!
We should also like to say another big thank you to The
Globe for donating the takings from their Christmas Raffle, £250, towards our
playground renovations.
Thank you to everyone that supported our Tesco Bags of
Help. We are just waiting to hear the
outcome and will keep you posted. The children have come back to school
refreshed and ready for the new Spring Term.
As a Federation we have increased our involvement with
musical events. During the Autumn Term children performed at
Exeter Cathedral and they took part in an all-day workshop with Debbie Kent [the
founder of the Teachers Rock Youth Choir] and Bazil
Mead [the Founder of the London Gospel Choir].
270 children and 100 adults from schools across Devon performed to an
audience of 700 people. The tickets sold
out in less than three weeks. This was
an amazing opportunity for the children.
We
also have several events coming up this term:
Beaford
Arts Community Event - Performing, Tiny Heroes and
my choirs from both Schools will come together to perform on the 8th February
in the Manor Hall.
Spring
Music Concert - every musician at Berrynarbor will play
their instrument, ranging from guitar, ukulele, saxophone and piano. The school choir will also perform some songs
and then there will be a grand finale with everyone singing and playing
together. [Date and place to be confirmed.]
Exeter
Cathedral Choristers outreach programme -
singing with 40 children, from Years 4 to year 6, from each School and a grand
performance, 2nd March at Exeter Cathedral, with one song being sung by 80
children all together from the Federation. And they will also sing three songs with
children from other schools who are taking part in the outreach programme.
Teachers
Rock Youth Choir, Spring and Summer Project with Debbie Kent
- five rehearsals in each term, in a local school and then the final
performance at The Grand Hall, University of Exeter on the 7th July with an audience
of 1500!
We are looking for volunteers to help in the school with
gardening and reading. We are also short of lunchtime supervisors [this
is a paid role]. If you have any spare time and would like to
help, please call the office on 883493.
Later this year we'll be holding an Aspirations event for
our oldest children. We are hoping to find people to come and talk
to the children about the many exciting things that they might like to do in
later life. If you or someone you know
have experiences that you would like to share with the children, please get in
touch and help us to inspire the next generation.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support of the
school.
Sue
Carey - Head Teacher
7
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
It has been a very busy term so far with lots to look
forward to. The Schools have been
thinking about our new adopted values and how we can relate these to Bible
stories in Art and RE Week. The
finished stories will be on display in the School along with a display of our
values and new logo.
Some of the art work also ended up in the Pannier Market in
Barnstaple as part of a wreath making competition, with our new strap line
Streams today, Oceans tomorrow. Look
out for it on the roof of the Pannier Market.
The wreaths are 2m by 2m and will be suspended above the ceiling using
chains. The fish were made by Pine
Class and Oak Class, and over 100 baubles were used to decorate it.
We have launched a new programme to help the children to
learn how to maintain good mental health.
We are running a training session for parents and any interested adults
on 22nd January, 6.30pm in The Globe.
You do not have to have a child in school to join us.
Christmas preparations are underway and we are looking
forward to our annual Walking Nativity on December 14th from 6.00 p.m. Come and join us as we tell the story of
Christmas whilst walking through the village, returning to The Globe for the
musical finale.
Please help our School whilst shopping at Tesco in
Ilfracombe, we are entered for the Bags of Help competition, which is running
through November and December. We
desperately need funds to help with our playground renovations. As a school, Berrynarbor could win up to
£4000 which could transform the outdoor space for all our children. Make sure you pop the token in the section
for Berrynarbor School.
Please join us for our annual Christmas Fair at the Manor
Hall on Tuesday 4th December. Pop along
for a raffle ticket, Christmas cupcakes and lots more!
Don't forget to sign your name up for the Senior Dudes meal
on the sheet in the Village Shop. The 6th
December, for a four-course meal, prepared, cooked and served by the children
in Alder Class in the Manor Hall. A
treat not to be missed!
From all at West Berry Federation, we wish you a Happy
Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.
13
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
A new school year, new children, a
new member of staff and many other new things to get familiar with this
Autumn. First of all, we welcome Sophie
Muggleston as our Schools Direct student for the year. She will be working mostly in Key Stage 1.
Building works
No
doubt, you will have seen the builders in and out during the summer break. The local authority had funded and organised
some extensive work to repair a very damp wall in Class 3. When the walls were uncovered, the
contractors found some structural defects so the works were delayed. The room is now safe, dry, functional and in
use. The plastering and painting will
be completed during the half term break at the end of October. Needless to say, this made the days before
term started rather frantic, but everyone pulled together so that we were ready
for the children on the first day of term.
What
an exciting day that first day was as everyone, except the new children in the
Reception Class and their staff, walked up to the end of Barton Lane to watch
the Cycle Tour of Britain pass by.
We went to watch the cycle race and
cheer them on. We used musical instruments and flags. The
instruments were bells, drums and tambourines.
I think the cyclists were very
brave. It was hard work and they looked tired and sweaty. Lilie
School Uniform
You
might have noticed that the children are wearing different uniform than
previously. The Governors had been
discussing a change in uniform so there was continuity across the two
schools. The decision was hastened
along when various suppliers ceased stocking our uniforms. Now the children
across both Schools have been grouped into Houses and wear coloured polo shirts
to denote which House they belong to. These are teamed with light grey jumpers,
charcoal grey trousers and skirts, with gingham dresses in House colours an
alternative option.
School logo
There
is also a new school logo, as heads this article.
Class Names
Reception
and Year 1 is now Mulberry Class [formerly Strawberry class]
Year
2 is now Aspen Class [formerly
Cranberry]
Years
3 & 4 are now Pine Class [formerly
Blueberry]
Years
5 and 6 are now Alder Class [formerly
Elderberry]
The
children will be learning about these trees over the course of the year.
School Values
Throughout
the year, the children will also be exploring our newly agreed school
values. Our values are:
•
Truth - honesty, freedom and
justice
•
Respect - responsibility,
integrity, co-operation
•
Courage - questioning, bravery,
self-assurance
•
Endurance - hope,
determination, perseverance
•
Compassion - forgiveness,
humility, patience
•
Confidence - flourish,
inner strength, calm
•
Curiosity - questioning,
reasoning, growth mind-set
These
values will be the backbone to learning, achievement and mind-set, they will be
entrenched throughout the school. This
will be visible during collective worship, recognised through personal achievements
and rewards, and be the common thread that binds Berrynarbor School and West
Down School together. The aim of a
clear Ethos and Vision is to create a shared goal which can then be used to
identify strengths and can also be a building block to create well rounded
children ready for the wide world.
Camping Out
Alder
and Pine Classes each had a camp-out night with their counterparts from West
Down during the first week of term.
Alder had a Wild Night Out at Stowford starting with a day of activities
including swimming and followed by a night under canvas. Pine had a night under canvas at Watermouth
Cove followed by a day of water-based activities. Great fun was had by all despite the rain in
the evening and overnight.
Exciting Auditions
Towards
the end of August, the Teachers Rock Choir and the Teachers Rock Youth Choir
auditioned for Britain's Got Talent.
Our very own Mrs
Barrow, Fiona, George, Isabel, Benjamin, Ruby and Roxanna are members of the
Choirs. Debbie Kent the choir leader
writes:
"Obviously,
there are no guarantees with 'reality' TV shows such as these, but Thames TV personnel
were so impressed they are going to do their very best to promote our mission and
help support our application to the shortlisting process for the live shows.
Their final words 'What
you are doing is unique, we have never seen anything like this before, you are
what this show is all about'."
The Year Ahead
We
are all getting back into the swing of things and are looking forward to
developing the new as well as building on what is already established. The
children are enjoying their after-school Sports Clubs, Music Clubs and Sewing
Club. Once again, we should just like
to say thank you to you all as a community for the support given to the School.
Sue
Carey - Head Teacher
8
NEWS FROM THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL
After the Half Term break the end of the school year seems
to have stampeded towards us, packed full of events and activities.
Residentials
In June, Blueberry Class
had a very hot couple of days at Beam House. They enjoyed a variety of outdoor
and water activities including body boarding and trapeze. Elderberry Class ventured a little further
afield and spent 4 days at a centre in Okehampton. They, too, had a variety of outdoor
activities such as low and high ropes, archery, kayaking and rock climbing. Cranberry Class had a sleepover with their
counterparts at West Down School.
Music
This term has been full
of music. Class 3 went to the Mix
Festival where they experienced a variety of music styles. Throughout this school year, many of our
children have been learning to play an instrument either with one of the tutors
who visit school, or an external tutor. Instruments range through violin, cello,
piano, saxophone, guitar and ukulele. Some
children also have singing lessons with Mrs. Barrow, and 5 have been involved
in the county-wide Teachers Rock Choir. There have been various opportunities for the
children to perform in assemblies, at the school fete, and at school concerts. Some played ukulele and guitar with their
tutor, Joe Steer, at Lee Village Fete.
Our concert choir had a
very special evening performing at the Military Wives Concert in the village
church.
The Military Wives Concert was a great success. There were 15 of us in the school choir. We
sang "Fix You" in 2 parts arranged
by Debbie Kent, and "Let it Be" arranged by Mrs.
Barrow, and Mrs. Gill accompanied us on piano. We had massive applause from the audience,
and many people complimented us. In the
Finale we sang "Any Dream Will Do" with
the Military Wives and Berrynarbor Village Choir. The whole
experience was amazing!
Ruby B.
Super
Sam
After completing SATs,
Elderberry Class had just 4 weeks to learn lines and get into character for
their musical Super Sam. Their hard
work paid off as they performed it brilliantly in the Landmark Theatre to an
audience of parents, siblings and friends who all booed, laughed, cheered and
clapped throughout the evening.
Ahoy
There!
Reception and Key Stage 1
children have had Pirates as their topic this term. They have investigated floating and sinking using
a variety of objects and materials. To
broaden their understanding of things nautical they have looked at the
structure of a fish and explored rock pool habitats on a Beach Safari in Combe
Martin, when they also heard about some local coastal history. Maps have been used to locate treasure and
the children have learnt about some famous pirates and life at sea. We hope you like the motley crew of pirate
puppets pictured below, each endowed with unique personality by its maker.
Reception & Year 1
Year 2
Summer
Fete
This was a great evening
with plenty of activities to keep everyone amused and entertained. The lovely weather was a bonus, with the
Manor Hall and its outside space such an ideal venue. Thank you to everyone who supported this
event.
School
Grounds
The improvements to the
playground are well under way. The
children are enjoying the new climbing wall and various other bits and pieces. The gardens have been productive and children
have enjoyed sampling freshly podded peas.
Farewell,
Adieu and Hello
It's that time of year
again when we say farewell to our eldest children. There are 14 moving on to
senior school in September. We shall
miss them as they have contributed to our school community in so many ways, for
example, serving on School Council, serving fruit at dinner times, looking out
for the younger children and being good book buddies as they enjoy reading
books with the youngest children. As
they move on with our best wishes for the next stage of their lives, we welcome
12 little ones into the school. They
have been visiting Class 1 for an afternoon a week through June and July so
that they will be coming in to something familiar in September.
Finally
We have builders in over
the holidays to rejuvenate parts of the building so there will be some comings
and goings over the next few weeks, hopefully with minimal disruption to
village life. Thank you once again for
all the support you have given to us throughout the past school year and we
hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable summer.
Sue Carey - Head
Teacher
15
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Summer Term started with a variety of activities on the
calendar including sporting events, educational trips and making music, to name
a few.
Class 3
trip to the Eden Project
We visited the scorching hot dome at the
Eden Project. In the dome they had lots
of beautiful plants. Some were soft and
silky. Some were rough and spikey! When you first walk in you feel the heat
difference. It is so hot. There are lots of fruit such as bananas,
hard coconuts and pineapples. My
favourite part of the day was looking very closely at the teeny tiny really
juicy pineapples. They looked so juicy
I could just have eaten them. As we
walked up higher it got hotter. Near
the top there is a wobbly bridge to go across and another bridge where you are
sprayed with water. It was so
nice! I would recommend a day at the
Eden Project because of the amazing things there. It is so much fun! Fiona and Emma
Key
Stage 1 visit to Arlington Court
We went to Arlington Court and went pond
dipping. It was great fun. We found a
dragonfly's cocoon and lots of tadpoles.
The Rangers with us for the day were Paul and Jess. We also learnt about habitats and life
cycles. The cycle starts with the
sunshine and the plants get their power to grow from the sun. The rabbit eats the plants and then the fox
eats the rabbit. Emily
Music
There are many music activities
ongoing. Some children have group or
individual tuition for guitar, ukulele, piano and singing. Pupils of
Joe
Steer showcased their guitar and ukulele skills earlier this year.
Mrs.
Barrow has two choirs who will hopefully be performing to the school later this
term. One of the choirs, the Concert
Choir, is busy rehearsing for the Military Wives' Concert in July. There are also six children involved with
the Teachers' Rock Choir, an exciting venture.
Here is an excerpt from the press release.
Teachers Rock Youth Choir record their
first professional 'live in session' album alongside Teachers Rock and Rev
Bazil Meade MBE. On Saturday 14th April, 125 young people
[aged 8-13yrs] from across the South West joined together for their first ever
recording session as the Teachers Rock Youth Choir.
"The pleasure of seeing young children
singing with enjoyment written all over their little faces is high on my list
of good experiences, a most important ingredient of that moment is having an
inspired tutor guiding them.
Debbie
Kent is excellent with children." [Rev. Bazil Meade
MBE]
The Teachers Rock Youth Choir is a new vocal development
programme initiated by Teachers Rock founder Debbie Kent. It offers young people unique learning
experiences enabling them to participate in high quality, transformational
vocal programmes which broaden and deepen their musical understanding and help
support the development of their musical creativity.
The Teachers Rock debut album featuring the Teachers Rock
Youth Choir is due for release next month.
To keep up to date with all the latest news subscribe to the Teachers
Rock website: www.teachersrock.co.uk The Teachers Rock Youth Choir are also on
twitter @TRY2cool4school and Instagram: try2cool4school
Playground
Developments
We had a Pride in our School Day one Saturday in May when
parents and friends worked hard to spruce up the school grounds and put in
place some of the new equipment in the playground.
Residentials
Both Key Stage 2
classes have residential trips planned, and Year 2 will be having a sleepover
with their partner class at West Down School.
Ethos
and Vision Day
This is a new venture for us, the children of Berrynarbor
and West Down Schools joining together to take part in a variety of activities,
including art and craft, outdoor team building, and other workshops. The aim of
the day is that it will help us to identify and celebrate our shared values as
a federation.
Sue
Carey - Head Teacher
Events
in the Bible - Elderberry Class [10/11]
Amy
Zac
Ben
17
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Well, what an interesting Spring Term it has been with many different activities on the go, including swimming lessons at Ilfracombe pool for all except the Reception children, gymnastics in Barnstaple for Year 4 children, trips out to both Exeter and Combe Martin Wild Life Park, developments in the playground and, of course, three days closure due to snow! In amongst all that, the children and staff have been getting on with all the everyday things that make up school life.
Blueberry Class Exeter Trip
When we visited Exeter, we went to St Peter's cathedral. It looked old and crumbly. We were split into two groups and had a tour guide. He took us on an amazing tour. We saw a massive organ and some amazing chambers. Outside there were statues. One was of incredible St. Peter. The other statues were of angels and people from the Bible. Lots of the chambers had people buried in them so people could honour them. They had a cathedral cat that guarded the clock. On the way out we saw a massive Lego model of the cathedral. They have been building it for three years. We then drew pictures of famous St Peter's Cathedral. We then walked to the museum to find out about Egypt and the rare Egyptian tomb of Shepenmut. There were lots of rare Egyptian items and hieroglyphic writing on the walls. The Egyptian things were very special. After we had seen all the Egyptian things we went to the shop and bought a few things. When we had finished we were all tired but amazed. Emma and Fiona
School Council
is a team of children from year 2 to year 6. We have meetings every Thursday to discuss what is best for our school. The reason we have school council is to make our school a better place. In our meetings we discuss loads of different things to improve our school. Some of the things we talk about are: fund raisers, how to save money, playground development and much more. In our meetings Mrs. Gill helps us discuss everything. We also have a suggestions box that anyone in the whole school can pop a note in about things they want to happen or things they are concerned about. We all feel proud that we are on the school council and that we are making a difference to our wonderful school.
Vincent and Dillon
Women's' World Day of Prayer We were going to use excerpts from this service (prepared by ladies in Suriname) in our assembly on 2nd March. Its theme of looking after our world is applicable to our school as we try to reduce, recycle and reuse our refuse. Unfortunately, we were closed on the day due to snow. However, we are hoping to use the material in future assemblies.
World Book Day
his event on 1st March was another that was snowed off. We held it the following week and had a great day celebrating and enjoying books. There were many different characters in school as pupils and staff dressed up as their favourite book character. The children had the opportunity for an extended time of story writing, a rare luxury in the everyday, crowded curriculum. There was also a Book Swap where children brought in a book they had enjoyed but no longer needed and swapped it for one they had not yet read.
Aslan from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter
Playground Development
We are currently redeveloping part of our playground area to provide a variety of areas for play. We are very grateful to the Round Table who have given a generous donation to pay for the materials for a climbing wall. The P.T.F.A. have committed all monies raised this year to go towards the playground improvements, so please support their events as much as you can.
There are still many other items that we are looking for: clean guttering / pipes, wood, tyres, paint [suitable for outdoors], kitchen equipment to use in mud kitchens - measuring jugs, sieves, bowls, pots and pans, utensils etc., cable reels, palettes, toys such as vehicles, happyland, animals, people, bricks, plastic crates, etc.
If you are able to donate anything on the list it would be much appreciated. We are also looking for people to donate some time to help build, paint and improve the playgrounds. If you are able to lend a hand, or want to find out more, please talk to the staff in the school office.
Ethos and Vision
The West Berry Federation is convening an Ethos and Vision Committee to set and
implement the vision for both schools and to celebrate and underpin Berrynarbor
School's Christian distinctiveness.
We should like to welcome a member of the community to join this
committee as the ethos and vision of the school reaches not just the pupils,
staff and parents but also out into the wider community.
If you are interested or wish to hear more about this please
contact stanburyn@westberryfederation.org.uk
16
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Although 2018 is now well under way, we'd like to send New Year
greetings from us all at the village school.
The final weeks of last term were full of Christmas activities and
enjoyment, with performances, choir items, Christmas dinner, community events
and lantern making, to mention a few.
Senior Dudes' Meal
elderberry Class traditionally puts on a
meal for their grandparents and senior citizens in the community.We
spent the day preparing the meal and people started arriving at 6.00 p.m.We
started serving the food at 6.30 p.m. They
loved the food and having us serve them. We also sang carols to them.We were given a box of Celebrations as a
thank you, and money was donated which will go towards next year's Senior Dudes'
Meal.Alex A
Walking Nativity
On Wednesday 13th December we had our
Walking Nativity. even though the
weather was extremely miserable, we still had lots of fun! We stopped at many different places in the
village and sang lots of different Christmas Carols. Our final stop was in the barn where we sang
"Away in a Manger", "Silent Night" and "We wish you a merry Christmas". We would like to thank everyone in the
community who came to it! Thank
you!
Dillon
and Sophie
It certainly was an enjoyable evening
and we'd like to thank
Dave
Spelman for playing the guitar to accompany our carol singing. We'd also like to thank Chris and Barbara
Gubb for the use of their barn for refreshments and our final sing accompanied
on ukuleles and guitars played by some of the children. We hope the cattle were entertained!
Village
Carol Service
Our School Choir sang at the village
Christmas Carol Service. We sang "When
a child is born" and "We're walking in the air" accompanied by Mrs. Gill's
enthusiastic piano playing.The Berrynarbor Choir was there, too. Our singing teacher, Mrs. Barrow, runs the
school choir and conducts all of our performances. She is great with music. Sometimes Stuart Neale also helps us with
things and gets us in tune. We had
three children, Benjamin, Ruby and Rosie singing "Once in Royal David's City"
as they walked up the aisle. May,
George and Isabel read out a Bible reading. The service ended with refreshments and we
all had a great time.
Ruby
B, Rosie T and Isabel.
Christmas Fair
Thank you to all who supported this. It
was a lovely social time and we hope you enjoyed it, too.
The year ended with a fond farewell to Mrs.
Mcentee who has taught at the school for many years. We shall miss her humour and turn of phrase
but wish her a very happy retirement. There
was also a joyful hello to a little boy born to Mrs. Orr and her husband just a
few days before Christmas, another grandson for Graham and Carol Lucas.
Now our attention is on the term ahead
of us. There has been some shuffling around of teaching staff with Mrs.
Poynter, our Deputy Head, and Mrs. Kentall teaching elderberries, our oldest
children. Mr. Jones is teaching
Cranberries in the mornings and running booster groups for some of our older
children in the afternoons here at Berrynarbor and at West Down school.Mrs. Barrow is teaching Strawberries and
Cranberries some afternoons each week and will be having some music fun with
various groups across the week.
The children from Year 1 through to Year
6 will be having swimming lessons this half term. There are also music clubs, football clubs
and a sewing club starting up as after-school activities. So, as you can see it's going to be busy!
Sue
Carey - Headteacher
13
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We've had a busy time at school this
autumn with many different activities alongside the regular curriculum. Here
are some of them.
Harvest
Festival
On
Thursday 5th October we had our Harvest Festival. The whole school really enjoyed singing their
songs and doing group performances. Personally, I enjoyed singing "Conkers" the
most, and we raised the roof of the church! It was one of the best Harvest Festivals
ever!May
Big Bang
Event
On
6th October Elderberries (Years 5 & 6) went to Torrington.First,
we went to the big hall where there were numerous people with lots of
inventions. Thomas almost won a Lego
building competition. Then we went to
another hall where a crazy scientist showed us magic tricks using science. Afterwards we went to a classroom and did
tests such as blood pressure. We saw a
cow's heart, ugh, and made slime out of glue, borax and food colouring. Alex A
Robot
Coding
Some
children from Year 6 went to West Buckland School to an event organised by
teachers there. Bray Lino, an
advertising company, were there and helped us to build and code robots. We then put the robots in a maze to see which
robot could go fastest. Zac
PTFA
Treasure Hunt
After
school on 6th October we had a Treasure Hunt at Watermouth Castle. It was comprised of lots of questions placed
around the castle grounds and marked by balloons. Participants had to write the answers down on
one of two sheets of paper (one for adults and one for children). The children
had to look for clues to answer the questions. The adults' questions often included trivia
about the local area. Afterwards there were jacket potatoes and soup. (leek and
potato made by Mr. Newell, and tomato and basil made by Tia, both equally
scrumptious!) As an end to the lovely
day, the children crowded on to the merry-go-round and begged for 20p's from
the adults to make it go round! Altogether
it was a fab time, and I hope it will be held again next year. Isabel
School Choir
Our
school choir sang at the wedding of Tia and Michael. We sang our own version of "Hallelujah" with
special words for a wedding and Mrs. Gill played the church organ. There were 12 people in the choir, and the
church was full of people. We all felt
very nervous when we were about to sing because everyone was listening to us.It
went well, though, and we had a great time singing at the wedding. Ruby B
and Rosie T
Art Week
The children enjoyed taking part in an Escher
Style Art week. We had help from Ruth
and Doug Burton, both established artists and parents to two of our pupils. Ruth has had work displayed at an Escher
exhibition.
The children were able to experience
tessellation whilst making their own pictures using Escher's intricate shapes
and designs. Each class produced a
large design that will be varnished and then displayed in the outdoor
classroom as we are making this into a Maths learning area. Doug also worked with the children to make
'brush bots'. These robotic brushes
created their own designs and were battery powered.
We should like to wish you all the best
over Christmas and into the New Year. Many
thanks to you all for the support given to the school throughout 2017.
Sue
Carey - Head Teacher
8
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The new school year is now well under way. Last September we welcomed 9 girls and 4 boys
into the Reception Class. This year the tables have turned and we have
welcomed in 3 girls and 9 boys. What a difference a year makes!
They are settling in to school routines
and enjoying their topic of Once Upon a Time, along with the children in Year
1. Many of them have an older sibling
further up the school and, at least one, a parent who attended the school when
they were young.
The Junior aged children in Classes 3
and 4 had their usual night out camping in the first week of term. Blueberry Class camped at Watermouth Cove and
were very glad of their food marquee when the rain set in. It made a cosy venue to sit and chat during
the evening. Elderberry class went to Stowford for their Wild Night Out. It certainly lived up to its name with the
wind and rain. After a late settling
down for the night, the torrential rain and distant rumbles of thunder woke
everyone at around 4.00 a.m. so there were not many hours of sleep for anyone!
Thankfully, they had the weekend to recover and dry out.
Year
6, our oldest children, have a few interesting events planned this term from
Creative and Problem Solving at West Buckland, to The Big Bang at Torrington
School.
We also have a few PTFA events on the
calendar, such as a Treasure Hunt at Watermouth Castle and a Movie Night that
all the children will be able to enjoy and we're
planning ahead for Christmas already. This
year we hope to invite members of the community to join us for a Walking
Nativity around the village. Please look out for posters nearer the time.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
11
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
So, we have come to the end of another
school year with the final few weeks a bustle of sports events, educational day
trips, the Summer Fayre, residential trips, a theatre performance, Year 6
visits to their future secondary schools, our September intake making weekly
afternoon visits to class 1 and then, on the last day of term, the Leavers' Assembly
and Presentation of Awards with our Year 6 children making their farewell
speeches. It was definitely a
celebration tinged with sadness but full of hope and expectation for the
future.
In amongst all this business the
children have still been concentrating on their academic studies. Here is one of the poems Cranberry Class [class
2] have written:
Our
School Garden
Fresh
air hitting my face.
Sun burning
hot.
White
fluffy grey clouds
Whooshing
through the air.
Stream
flowing nearby
Creating
a relaxing sound,
With
flowers running down,
Making a
whooshing sound.
Short
grass,
Just
been cut,
Creating
a lovely smell
Slowly
whooshing in my face.
Birds tweeting
in the trees
Watching over me as I pass.
Singing lovely lullabies.
Seeking worms their quest.
Leaves fluttering through the air.
Leaves dropping behind us.
Lovely, colourful leaves.
Falling to the ground.
Shadows are on the ground
Following you around,
Copying everything you do,
Always reflecting you.
We'd like to say a big thank you to all
who came to our Summer Fayre, especially those who donated prizes or helped out
at the event. It was a lovely evening
in all ways. The weather was perfect so
we were able to utilise the outside space as well as inside the Manor Hall and
there was plenty for everyone to do, from games to tombola, to a Prize Draw.
Always popular, the photo booth had a great selection of whacky items to put on
before striking a pose. There was
plenty to sustain the inner man, too, with a barbecue, beer tent, tea, coffee
and cakes.
In late June, some of Elderberry Class
went on a residential trip to London and had a great time visiting a variety of
interesting places as well as spending an evening at the theatre. Those who didn't go to London spent three
days doing special activities locally. Midway through July Blueberry Class went to
Beam House for two nights and had a great time doing a variety of outdoor
activities. The younger children in
Cranberry
Class
[year 2] had a sleepover with their counterparts at West Down School. For some this was their first night away from
family, so it helped that they were in a familiar place with staff they knew
well.
Once SATs were over, Years 5 and 6
started rehearsing for their play Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits. Earlier in the year there was uncertainty
about the venue for the performance but, happily, they were able to use the
Landmark Theatre, so had the full experience of performing on a proper stage
with all the props and technical details that entails. What a fantastic evening - it was full of
song, drama and laughter! Well done to them all and to Mr. Jones and Mrs.
Davies who coached and guided them.
Blueberry
Class spent a brilliant day at Combe Martin on a Sea Safari and would like to
thank Combe Martin Museum who organised such an interesting day.
There is so much more we could share
with you. The results of the younger
children's Growing Grub project filled their classroom with the earthy, fresh
smell of carrots, beetroots and other vegetables just harvested from the
garden. Sports Day was a great success and we were
blessed with ideal weather. Earlier in
June, some of the older children learnt safe cycling skills with Bikeability.
We are all looking forward to our summer
break and wish our Year 6 children well as they leave us to move on to their
secondary education. They have been an important part of our school community
and we shall miss them.
We hope you all have a lovely summer
and, once again, thank you for all the support you give to the school.
Sue
Carey - Headteacher
9
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
What wonderful weather we have had
through April and May. The children
have been making the most of it with many outdoor activities.
The Celebration of Learning for
Strawberry and Cranberry Classes at the end of last term was an evening Star
Gazing with their families. A great
time was had by all and everyone was very grateful for the telescopes that
someone had lent.They really enhanced
the experience.
On the first day of the new term they
went on a Spring Walk around the village.
One of the children said it was the best day ever.
Growing Grub is their topic this half
term, so part of the school garden will be an area where the children can grow
their own produce.There have been
Digging Days for each of the three Year Groups when parents and grandparents
came into school to work alongside the children in the garden.They are concentrating on growing edibles at
the moment, but will be looking ahead to refurbishing flowerbeds and
banks. If any of you have young shrubs,
perennials, etc., that might be suitable, then Mrs.
Wellings would love to hear from you.
Our older children in Key Stage 2 have
also been having a busy time with Football Tournaments, Speed Stacking and
other sporty things. As a treat for all
the hard work the children in Year 5 had done, they had a Wheelie Day early in
May when they brought scooters, bikes, wheelies and skateboards into
school. They had great fun in the
afternoon zooming around the playground.
During May, Years 2 & 6 had their
statutory assessments. We are proud of
the hard work they have put in and know, that although for some it is an
anxious time, they have all tried their best.
In the last issue of the Newsletter, we
mentioned our Question of the Week. Here are some more examples of the mind
teasers posed each week.
Would
you rather be brave and poor, or cowardly and rich?
Can you ever know what it is like to be
someone else?
Is there
more happiness or sadness in the world?
Can you
touch a rainbow?
Can you
cast a shadow in a dark room?
Would
you rather be an ant or a spider? Why?
Wednesday 26th April marked 20 Years of
Service at our school by Mrs. Sophie Bird, one of our Teaching Assistants.The depth of affection the children have for
her was evident in the way even the very youngest children managed to keep
secret the events planned for the day.
At the Morning Assembly there was a presentation of cards and gifts, and
at lunchtime we ate al-fresco together in the playground. This was followed by an afternoon of games
and sports on the playing field. To top
it all off the weather was glorious!
As we move into the second half of the
Summer Term, the children are looking forward to residential trips, sports day,
Elderberry Class performance and many other events. Year 6 children will be visiting their
future Secondary Schools and we shall have our September Intake visiting us
regularly each week.
We shall soon be counting and sending
off the Sainsbury's Active Kids vouchers, redeeming them for sports
equipment. If you have any lurking
around, please drop them into us.
School
Fete
The
annual School Fete will be held at the Manor Hall on Tuesday, 4th July. Please look for posters nearer the time.
Governor
Vacancy
One of our very valued Governors, Colin
Humphrey, has decided to retire from the Board of Governors here at West Berry
Federation. We thank Colin for all his
time and dedication while serving. This
leaves a vacancy for a Co-opted Governor.
The Board operates as one body across both Berrynarbor and West Down
Primary Schools. You don't need any
specific qualifications [full training is provided]. but you must be aged 18 or
over, with an interest in helping to monitor and raise standards even higher in
our already Outstanding schools. We are
very keen to recruit individuals with a range of skills on our Governing Board
and therefore welcome applications from all walks of life. If you would like more information please
e-mail our Clerk, Natalie Stanbury: stanburyn@westberryfederation.org.uk
or call Berrynarbor School
[01271]
883493 or West Down School [01271] 863461.
Sue
Carey - Head Teacher
10
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
It seems unbelievable that we are more than half way through this current school year and planning ahead for events in the Summer Term. Meanwhile there has been plenty going on. For example, the past month or so has seen various activities where parents have spent time in the classroom with their children.
Magical Maths
This was a great time when parents enjoyed a morning of Maths with the children. Here are some of their comments:
"Good to see children having fun doing Maths." "Brilliant. Lovely to see all the different ways to learn." "Maths isn't something to be afraid of!"
World Book Day
In early March we celebrated World Book Day. Our theme this year was Myths and Legends. Parents joined the children for part of the morning and, together, they explored the range of book inspired group activities set up around the school. The children also held a Book Swap bringing in books they no longer needed and swapping them with each other.
Parent Teacher Meetings Parents and teachers have spent time talking over their children's progress and looking at the next steps.
Celebration of Learning We are hoping that the weather will be kind to us towards the end of March as Key Stage 1 have an evening of Stargazing with their parents planned for the celebration of learning. This will round off their Space Topic brilliantly.
Swimming Gala A group of children from Key Stage 2 represented Berrynarbor in the Ilfracombe Inter-school Swimming Gala. They swam well and showed great sportsmanship.
Question of the Week Over the past few months the children have been given a weekly question to ponder over. The subject matter has been varied and entertaining, hopefully setting brains thinking and provoking debate. What would your thoughts and answers be to the following?
- What are you thankful for?
- Is prayer important?
- What if people had wheels instead of legs?
- What if houses were made of rubber?
Class Target
Each Class is set a weekly target to aim for. Here are a few:
•To be more organised personally
•To always be listening for instructions
•To show that you are putting in your best effort
- To keep the classroom tidy
•To fill the silence with thought not talk
Audits and Checks
In January, because we are a Church School, we had a SIAMS [Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools]. This was conducted by the local Diocese and we have come away from it with some useful ideas to help further develop our Christian ethos.
A few weeks later there was an administration audit which went very well and, again, left us with pointers to make our systems even better. Early March saw an audit of our Safeguarding Practices. This was also a useful experience as the safety and well-being of our children is of the utmost importance.
Politics and Pounds
As you can see our school is a safe, fun, inspiring and nurturing place for our 93 pupils. However, it isn't an easy site to manage and maintain so keeping it safe for our children eats into the budget. We do not receive any more in our budget than a similar sized modern built school with little expenditure on maintenance. It's true, as you might have heard through the media, all schools are struggling to balance their budgets this year. In Devon, however, schools are facing further cuts alongside rising costs despite having been underfunded for many years due to a historic schools funding formula. Our precious children deserve the best education and our society needs the next generations to be well-rounded, well-educated people, but this will be difficult to achieve without adequate funding. Nationally, our school system is at breaking point. If you visit www.schoolcuts.org.uk you will see the scale of the problem. Please add your voice to the case for fair funding in education.
Easter Greetings
As this busy term draws to an end we are enjoying the lengthening daylight hours, the bright spring flowers that are blooming and are looking forward to the Easter break. We should like to thank you for all the support you give to the School and wish you all a Happy Easter.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
5
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
New Year greetings to you all from everyone at the Village School. The new term is well under way now, but here are some reflections on happenings before the Christmas break.
Year 6 Friendship Day
Year 6 children had a great time at Ilfracombe Academy on Friendship Day thinking about relationships and transitioning from Primary to Secondary School.
Sports Hall Activities
We trained in the Manor Hall for competitions with James O'Sullivan from Ilfracombe Academy. We tested our running, jumping and throwing abilities. We hope we can do it again next year.
Christingle Service
On Wednesday 7th December we did our Christingle with Reverend Bill. We enjoyed the service and got to eat the food afterwards! After Reverend Bill's explanation on why we do Christingle we made them ourselves. Then we lit the candles on them and sang Away in a Manger. It looked very pretty in the candle light. Altogether it was great and we hope we get the chance to do it again next year. Isabel
Following the service was the PTFA Christmas Fair in the Manor Hall. There was a variety of activities, stalls and, of course, refreshments. A favourite with the children, and their grown-ups, was the dress up photography set up on the stage. As you can see, the staff enjoyed this, too. Thank you to everyone who supported this event and helped raise just over £400.00 towards updating the fitness tail.
Eily and her Grandmother
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Our trip to see the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at Exeter University was a long ride, but when we got there it was fabulous watching and listening to them. We had to do some interactive things like body percussion and we got to listen to some well- known music. Vincent
Elderberry Class Senior Dudes Christmas Meal
This was held in the Manor Hall on 30th November. We really enjoyed this event as we cooked, served and sang for the Seniors. We have received a lot of thank you letters to say that they really enjoyed it, too. Amber & Lily
Strawberry and Cranberry Nativity
The performance by Strawberry and Cranberry Classes was one to remember! We'd like to say a big well done to all of the children for their super singing and clear speaking voices. Superb dancing too! Thank you to all the teachers, staff and parents who helped to make it such a great success!
Christmas Carol Concert
What better way to end the term and prepare for the holidays than a Christmas Carol Concert in Berrynarbor Church!
On Wednesday 14th December Berrynarbor School held an outstanding carol service for their parents. It was a great turn out led by Canon Michael. The children sang their hearts out until they could sing no more and made everyone proud. Thank you to everyone who came along. We hope you enjoyed it. Finley & Amelia.
So, moving on into the New Year, the children are continuing with swimming lessons at Ilfracombe pool, and the after-school football club with Rosie Smith has resumed. We have World Book Day coming up on
1st February with the theme Myths and Legends. It hardly seems possible that a year has gone by since last year's Book Day when we had the Space Odyssey Planetarium set up in the Manor Hall.
The children in classes 1 and 2 have a Geography based topic this term centred around the location, landmarks, food and culture of China. Class 3 have the Romans as their topic and class 4 the Anglo Saxons.
Sue Carey - Head Teacher
12
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
What a lovely Autumn it has been, making
all our outdoor learning activities so much more pleasurable. As well as the usual curriculum studies,
there have been many other events and opportunities for the children to be
involved in. I'll let the children tell you about some of
them.
Harvest
Thank
you to all the parents who attended. We had a wonderful time to appreciate
Harvest and all the hard work the farmers put in. We hope the people who came liked our
displays. Finley
Big Bang
Event
This
was one of the best events I have ever been to. There were loads of exciting experiments; we got to make slime walk on water. We would definitely like to visit Great
Torrington School for another event like this.
Journey
to the Centre of the Brain Years
5 and 6 went to a brilliant presentation called "Journey to the Centre of the
Brain" - not a very catchy title! - which was performed by Make Believe Arts.
This educational play, which took place in West Down Hall, told the children
all the things your brain does and how they do it. There were songs to help you
learn it and parts where people got to join in. What an excellent way to teach!
It was performed by four people and, as you can probably tell, they all had to
play several parts each, now, that's clever! Part of why we went was because
our topic is Ourselves, meaning our body and what happens. Amelia
Military
Wives Concert It
was a great night starting with the Military Wives Choir singing 3 songs and
then Berrynarbor Village Choir sang a funny song about the opening of Ascot
horse racing track. In the first half we
sang a song that I had written the words to, called 'Somewhere in the World'. A lot of people thought it was quite
emotional. In the interval we had some
snack boxes and a welcome chat after being silent [mostly!] for when the
Military Wives Choir and Berrynarbor Choir sang their songs. In the second half
the Military Wives sang my favourite song of theirs 'Wherever You Are', and we
sang our second song 'This Little Light of Mine', which was a cheerful contrast
to our first song. Finally, to end such
an amazing evening, all three choirs sang
'Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho' as the grand finale. After that, the
school choir were each given a medal saying 'I sang with the Military Wives
Choir'. Isabel PS I
would like to thank everyone involved for putting on such an amazing evening. Bonfire
Night The
children in Key Stage One would like to share some of their firework pictures
and acrostic poems with you. There have also been ongoing football club,
cookery club, choir, music lessons [violin, piano, guitar and ukulele] and
since the Half Term break, weekly swimming lessons. Now we are busy preparing for a Spotacular Children
in Need Day, the Senior Dudes Meal and all our Christmas events. Term finishes
on 16th December this year so there is a lot to pack into just a few
weeks. The children have a Christingle Service
in the church on Wednesday, 7th
December which will be followed by the PTFA Christmas Fair, held in the Manor
Hall. There will be a variety of stalls
and activities and we would love to see you there. The PTFA are currently raising funds to update
the fitness trail at school. On the theme of fundraising, a huge
thank you to all who supported West Down PTFA's Raise the Roof Appeal, a total
of £4,298.30 was raised. Thanks to the
generosity of Cornwall Flat Roofing, the roof was repaired with plenty of funds
left over to have the internal damage repaired as well as the external lights
that were damaged by the thieves. Also,
many thanks to Foxhunters for providing the men with amazing breakfasts each
morning free of charge, and to John and Fenella for their overnight
accommodation. We should like to wish you all a happy
and blessed Christmas. 10
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL The new school year is well under way
and it has been a busy few weeks. Mrs.
Wellings and her team have been enjoying getting to know the 13 little ones who
have started in our Reception class this term. Throughout the rest of the school the
children have been settling in to their new classes and taking on different
responsibilities. For example, it's
great to see the older ones taking care of younger children at dinner times -
confirming their meal choices, helping them make a good selection from the
fruit bar and then cutting up and serving the fruit and sitting alongside those
who need help. The weather in the first week of term
was very changeable so Classes 3 and 4 had to postpone their camping trips
until the second week when the forecast was for exceptionally good
weather. Class 4 had a Wild Night Out
at Stowford Farm Meadows and Class 3 camped out at Watermouth Cove. As some of the children were busy with
their camps we delayed our celebration of Roald Dahl's 100th until Tuesday 20th
September. The children were invited to
dress up as a character from one of Roald Dahl's books. [See opposite]
The dinner menu choices for the day were BFG ears with snozcumber gravy,
No Bird Pie, Mr. Twits' Beard Soup, James and the Giant Peaches and Willy
Wonka's Chocolate Milk. The children
were also encouraged to join in a book swap by donating one they had enjoyed
reading in exchange for a book someone else had donated. The ever popular Football Club, run by
Rosie Smith, started up again in the week after the camp outs, and Sarah Peach
started a four-week Cooking Club for children in Class 4. The School Harvest Festival was held at
the end of September. The children enjoyed singing their favourite harvest
songs. On behalf of our partner school, West
Down, we should like to thank all of you who helped support their Raising the
Roof Appeal following the theft of lead from their school roof. Sue Carey - Head Teacher 13
NEWS
FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL A
bell has been erected on the top of the school consequently the children have
been much more punctual this week. The above is an extract from one of the
old school logs that came to light during our recent alterations and
refurbishment. It was entered on 22nd
May 1874. We have been fascinated by
the many and varied entries in the logs, all beautifully hand written, and
thought you might find some of them interesting, too. The following entries were found in the 1874
to 1930 log book. Royal Events: 1910 May
20th Funeral of the late King Edward V11. School closed by order of Education Committee.
1911 June 16th School closed
for a week for the Coronation.
Absence from School
(quite a topical subject today): 1878
April 12th Several of the elder children have been kept at home this
week planting potatoes. With 1st July 2016 being 100th
Anniversary of the Somme we looked to see whether there was an entry in the
log: 1916
July School closed 1st - 15th
for haymaking. Earlier this year scarlet fever was
doing the rounds across the country and a few of our children went down with
it. Nowadays, with antibiotic treatment,
it is quickly contained and affected children are able to return to school
after 24 hours of treatment. It was a
very different matter in the early 1900s. Here are some gleanings from the log:
1904
October 19th Many children kept away the excuse being the fear of scarlet
fever. November 21st School re-opened
after being closed 4 weeks for scarlet fever.
December/January School closed
for 4 weeks. 1905 Over April and May the school was closed for 9 weeks. We probably imagine children to have
been very orderly and well-disciplined whilst at school back in the day, but
this entry suggests otherwise: 1881
July 1st The children were kept in for 20 minutes for being noisy in their
arithmetic lessons. What a fascinating glimpse of our school
and village history, but now to the present and current happenings.At the
time of writing, Class 4 are busy rehearsing their musical Robin and the
Sherwood Hoodies, a tale of tights, fights and footlights. We held a Rainbow Fun Day for the
Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal and raised £220.05 for Bristol Children's'
Hospital. Many thanks to all who
contributed to this. We wish Year 6 pupils all the best as
they enter their new schools in the Autumn. They will be missed here for a
multitude of reasons, not least their care for the younger children. We hope you enjoy their artwork completed
earlier this term. As we come to the end of another School
Year we should like to thank you, the village community, for all your support
and interest. With your help we have
recently ordered new balls, hoops and other sports equipment through the
Sainsbury's Active Kids vouchers scheme. Thank you so much. We hope you have a lovely summer. Sue
Carey - Head Teacher Class
4 [Years 5 and 6} Art Work: We have
used brushes and acrylic paint to recreate the lino
printing style of Namibian artist John Muafangejo,
and are looking for somewhere to display them either in school or out and
about, if anywhere is interested?
In the fireworks go.
Right up in the air the fireworks sparkle.
Excited people waiting for fireworks.
What a beautiful sight.
Over the hills, the hills the fireworks go.
Rockets singing in the breeze.
Crackle in the air.
Spreading lights everywhere.
Benjamin [6]
I like firework time.
Rockets fly up in the air.
Everyone cheers and laughs.
Whoosh! Bang! Go the fireworks.
Off we go to watch the fireworks.
Rockets zooming and whizzing.
Kaleidoscope.
Skies full of colour.
Rosie [6]
11
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
This
year seems to be flying by.We are already in the second half of the
Summer Term at school. The SATs are
behind us and we are enjoying a variety of sports and other outdoor activities.
The school garden is flourishing with
purple beans, peas, four different coloured beetroots, kholrabi, potatoes,
rhubarb and various cane fruits, all growing well.
In the April Newsletter we mentioned
that the school was fund raising for Sport Relief. We completed the sponsored mile run and held
a Bake Off competition. There were over
30 entries including superb, simple sponges, a selection of decorated, themed
cakes, and some delicious creations with the most amazing aroma and taste. The prize for the tastiest cake was won by
Laura Eaton whose flavoured cake smelt delightful and tasted delicious. The Rolo themed cake entered by Jed and Dillon
Haines was voted the best for presentation and design. Thanks to our judges, David and Eve Walker,
who sampled and tasted each entry, and to all the children who paid to cast a
vote for design and presentation.At the
end of the day, slices of cake were available to buy. We'd
like to thank everyone who supported the fund raiser in any way. Nearly £700.00 was raised for Sport Relief, an
astounding amount.
Elderberry
Class, our older children, are busy rehearsing their end of year Musical. It will be staged at the Landmark Theatre in
July so will be a true theatrical experience for them. Before
that, however, they will be off on their residential trip 'Rock and Rapid' for
an adventure packed with activities. It
will be a time to relax and enjoy each other's company after the hard work in
the run up to SATs. Year 6 pupils will
also be visiting their chosen Secondary Schools in preparation for the new
school year. We wish them well for the future but will miss them come September
as they have been very active within our school family.Some have run after school clubs for the
children in KS1 including gardening, Lego, movie night, science, ICT and party
games. Others have helped serve fruit
from the fruit bar at lunch times as well as reminding children of their meal
choices. They have been caring, helpful
and supportive towards the younger children and we are very proud of them.
Blueberry
Class, our Years 3 and 4, are also looking forward to their residential at Beam
House where they can be sure of an action packed time. Meanwhile our younger children in Key Stage 1
will be welcomingSummer Club children
into their classrooms as they visit us prior to starting school in September.
At the start of a new term each of the
year groups from Year 2 through to Year 6 elects a girl and a boy to represent
them on the School Council which meets fortnightly. Before the Easter holidays our School Council
went to West Down School to meet with their School Council and the kitchen team
to discuss School Meals for the Summer Term. Here is a report from two of them.
'We talked about how healthy the menu
should be and discussed which hot and cold dinners would be suitable for the
summer menu. We added a fruit bar where
each day children can select portions of various fruits. We think this is a good idea as it helps with
water intake in the hot weather. We
tasted sausages and burgers from a new butcher. They were really good.'
As the
saying goes, 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating' and the eating seems
to be going very well at school lunch times as the children enjoy the freshly
cooked meals prepared by Sarah Peach and her team.
Sue Carey - Head
Teacher
22
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The second half of the Spring Term has
been a busy one. There have been a couple of inter-school sports events. Our swimming team did well at the swimming
gala with each competitor reaching the finals in their event. They took part enthusiastically and we are
very proud of them.
Elderberry class spent an afternoon at
Ilfracombe Academy playing Tag Rugby with children from other primary schools
in the area.
We are collecting Sainsbury's Active
Kids Vouchers again this year. Over the years we have gained some useful sports
equipment through this scheme. If you
have any vouchers going spare, please either pop them in to us or to the
shop. Thank you.
On the 3rd March we celebrated World
Book Day. Our theme this year was
Space, and the children were encouraged to make a costume to wear for the day. On the previous day we were all enthralled
and fascinated by the wonders of space as we spent time in the Space Odyssey
Dome that was set up in the Manor Hall. Thank you to the Pilates class for freeing up
the hall for us We hope that those of
you who experienced it found it amazing, too. This is what the children thought about it:
"I really liked the Space Odyssey. It was
awesome! We got to see loads of
constellations. They were amazing! We also got to see all the planets and loads
of space men and women. I loved it!"
"I liked the Space Dome. It was 3D."
"One day at school we went over to the
Manor Hall to an inflated dome where a man explained how the space station
moves around the earth. He also told us
what people think the stars look like. My
favourite star shape was a unicorn. It
was so magnificent. On World Book Day
we went to do 3 activities based on a book while dressed up as a space themed
costume. Most people dressed up as Star Wars
characters. It was spectacular."
"I enjoyed the Space Dome because we got
to see the International Space Station and inside it. Things kept spinning
around."
"On World Book Day the theme was space.
I was a galaxy."
"I loved the Space Odyssey. It was
incredible. We saw rockets and rockets going into space. We saw
Leo, Leo Senior and Orion. When I got
home I told mum everything. It was
amazing! The next day I enjoyed playing
Flanimals and making them out of playdough. It was the best!"
It is great that there is to be a
defibrillator in the village.
David
Blackmore from St John Ambulance came in to school to demonstrate and explain
how it works to Key Stage 1 and 2 children.
The
topic for Key Stage 1 this term has been Transport and they spent a great day
at Woody Bay and Lynton looking at and travelling on the railways.
The School Council, elected from each
class, meet regularly to discuss issues dropped into their suggestions boxes,
ranging from school meals to sticking taps.
At the time of writing, plans are under
way to raise money for Sport Relief. There
will be a sponsored Mile Run and a Bake Off. Years 3 to 6 will be making cakes at home. They will be judged on taste and presentation.
We shall have our very own Paul
Hollywood and
Mary
Berry stand-ins to judge both categories, but children will be able to judge
appearance and presentation for a fee of 20p.
Results and photos might appear
in the next issue of the Newsletter.
There are also other special things
happening in the run up to Easter. Blueberry Class will be putting on their
Easter play, the whole school will be going to the Landmark Theatre for a
performance by Kagemasha Tiako Drums, and KS1 along with Pre-school will be
walking to see the lambs at a local farm.
Meanwhile we look forward to our Easter
break and the lighter evenings.
Sue
Carey - Head Teacher
14
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
Happy New Year to you from all of us at
the School.
The children from Classes 1 and 2, along
with Mrs Wellings and staff, would like to say a big thank you to all who
attended their Nativity. Funds raised
from the sale of cast photos and refreshments have been used to purchase some
role play furniture for Key Stage 1.
Blueberry Class were the first to take a
trip out this year. They spent a day in
Exeter visiting the Museum to further their studies of the Ancient Egyptians,
and the Cathedral as part of their R.E. Curriculum, looking at places of
worship.
By the time you read this, the Soup and
Pud Evening will be over but the children have been busy colouring in pictures
of Soup and a Pud to be displayed at the event.
We are looking forward to World Book Day
on 3rd March. The theme this year is
Space and we are organising various activities over a couple of days to foster
a love of books. The Space Dome has
been booked and will be open to the community during the evening. Keep a look out for posters with information
about the when and where, and how to book tickets.
We are currently planning and developing
a Community Project to create stronger links between the children and older
village residents. More information will
be available at a later date, but meanwhile if you are interested in being
involved we should love to hear from you.
To enable us to purchase sports
equipment, we shall again be collecting the Sainsbury's vouchers. Please help us by giving us your vouchers!
Sue Carey - Head Teacher
12
In October we had a football tournament with West Down School. It ws enjoyable and both our teams were successful. Our KS2 team, drawn from Blueberries and Elderberries, are pictures celebrating their 3-2 winning score.
Since returning from our half term break, life at the school has been busy. All, bar the Reception children, have been enjoying weekly swimming lessons at Ilfracombe Pool, such an important skill to have. They return to school with healthy appetites for the tasty meals Sarah and Tia have prepared for them.
Tuesday 10th November was full of activity. In the morning, under the guidance of chef Jamie, KS1 children made gnocchi and pizzas for our lunch. This linked in with the work they have been doing on Italy. The results were delicious and many children tired gnocchi for the first time. At the end of the school day, some children from Elderberry Class organised a fund raiser for Children in Need. There was a Bring and Buy Toy Sale, a Cake Sale and Sponge the Teacher. The latter had nothing to do with cakes, water and foam rubber sponges were involved, 3 for 30p! Respect to those who put themselves up as targets and well done to the children who organised the event.
There have been a few out of school activities including Tarka Tennis Tournament for Year 4, Friendship Day at the Academy for Year 6, and for Years 3 and 4, a Problem Solving Festival.
On the 11th November, six children represented the school at the Remembrance Day Event in Ilfracombe.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
14
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
Well, what a busy start to the new
school year it has been. During the summer
break steel supports and dividing walls were put in to form a new office,
corridor and learning area on the ground floor. We are looking forward to the development of
a mezzanine floor above, creating space for a staff room and an
additional office space. Many
thanks to Lee and his team who worked long hours through the Bank Holiday
weekend to ensure the building was ready for the start of the term. Then, on the Wednesday, it was all hands on
deck as Staff and Governors cleaned, moved furniture and unpacked boxes ready
for school to start the following day. It has been exciting seeing this next stage
in the improvement of our learning environment unfold and we look forward to its
completion.
So, what else has been happening?
Twelve Reception children have been
welcomed into Strawberry Class under the care of Mrs Wellings and her team. There have also been some additions to the
other classes as a family of three have moved into the area. We hope they will all soon feel part of our
school family.
The lovely weather during the second
week of September fell at just the right time for our junior aged children's
Wild Night Out. The children spent a day
enjoying a variety of outdoor activities and then spent the night under canvas.
Blueberry camped at Watermouth Valley
and Elderberry was at Stowford. It
was a great way for staff and children to get to know each other at the
beginning of the school year.
The children have been harvesting
vegetables that they have grown in the school garden and one day enjoyed a
delicious potato salad made from freshly dug potatoes.
After school sports clubs have resumed
with ball sports and dancing being enjoyed by several children. All in all a happy start to the new school
year.
Sue Carey - Head Teacher
11
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
When you read this we shall be into the second half of the Summer
Term. Over the past weeks the children
have been enjoying taking their learning outside.
The younger children have had an expedition to Watermouth Woods as part
of their topic on mini-beasts.
On
Thursday 30th April, the children in Years 3 and 4 from both West Down and
Berrynarbor Schools visited Watermouth Valley campsite and Watermouth Harbour
as part of their topic on Pirates and Coasts.
The children walked from Berrynarbor School to Watermouth harbour to
study the boats and tides:
"I enjoyed walking down the
road. We had to be careful of the
cars." Ruby
"The harbour had lots of boats.
We saw the rocks at low tide."
Finley
The
group of forty-five children and several adults then went to Watermouth Valley
campsite to sketch maps and plot the equipment and facilities on the
campsite.
"We played on the fun playground,
I really liked the climbing ropes." Amber R
"I fed the goats my pear and some apple. They liked the apples best." Mylie
After lunch the group then went on a brisk walk to Broad Sands
beach. The children used local walking
maps to navigate their way. They were also looking for a Geocache called
Dragon's Nest hidden on the path. They
followed co-ordinates from a GPS. It
took the group down the 227 steps but to no avail as the treasure was very
elusive.
"I looked everywhere following the clues but couldn't find
anything. Perhaps it had been smuggled."
Xander
"We carried lots of washed up wood up the steps to make our
driftwood sculptures." Sam
This was a really informative, fun trip for
all, including the adults!
Thanks to Watermouth Valley Campsite for accommodating West Berry
Federation again!
On
28th April a group of children represented the School at an inter-school
swimming gala. They swam brilliantly and
managed to get into the finals of the girls' backstroke and the girls'
freestyle.
Elderberry pupils have been working hard for their SATs which they sat in
May. They are now looking forward to
their end of year performance as well as other events over the coming weeks.
Sports Day will be on Friday 3rd July at 1.00 p.m. - 3.00 p.m. in the
Sports Field, with Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th in reserve should the weather be
inclement on the 3rd. This year we shall
be using a PA system for announcements and music.
The
School Fete will also be on the 3rd starting at 3.00p.m. and will be in the
Manor Hall. It will have a Pirate
theme.
Elderberry and Blueberry classes will be going on their annual residential trips later to London and Beam
House, Torrington respectively.
In July the whole school will be going to the Landmark Theatre to see a
performance by the Essex Dance Company.
We always enjoy watching the children from Essex dance.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
Maps of
Watermouth Valley by:
Amber
and Dulcie and
Amelia and Summer
22
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
Soup and Pudding Evening
We should like to say a massive thank you to the organisers of this event in January and also to each one of you who supported it and helped to raise so much money for the Chemotherapy Unit and the School. This donation will greatly help the development of our outdoor learning space, such a useful resource for our younger children.
Assembly
Thanks to Graham Lucas who, since the departure of Rector Chris Steed, has taken on the Monday School Assemblies. The children really appreciate them. Class 3 write:
"Mr Lucas has done really fun stories and has had us interacting by getting us to be characters in the story. Reuben was Goliath and George was David."
Swimming
Years 1 - 6 have been enjoying their weekly swimming lessons at the newly refurbished pool in Ilfracombe.
Bloodhound event
Year 6 visited Ilfracombe Academy to take part in an event aimed at promoting and inspiring children to develop in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. It was run by scientists from the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car Development Team. This car has been designed to break the world land speed record and is now being built. The goal is to achieve speeds in excess of 1000mph! The children were shown a full size model of Bloodhound. They used telemetry equipment and studied the data produced. Then they built and raced their own rocket cars.
Over the course of the day they discovered how jet engines work, how rocket motors are fuelled by rubber, and then even experienced a sonic boom. Everyone had a fantastic day investigating, exploring and learning about the ways in which science, technology, engineering and maths impact our everyday lives. We have some budding engineers!
World Book Day
In the first week of March we celebrated World Book Day with a book based competition. The children were asked to design a sash based on a book they enjoyed, or on their favourite character. They could choose how many items, drawn or real, to put on to their sashes. We also had a bring and buy book sale. During the day a team of three children represented the school at an interschool Book Quiz. One of the team, Hazel, reports back:
"Three of us from Berrynarbor School went to a Book Quiz in Barnstaple Library. It was Berrynarbor's first time competing and we came fifth out of the fourteen schools taking part. We hope to compete again next year and come home with the trophy! We had great fun working closely together as we were tested on our knowledge of books."
Sue Carey - Headteacher
17
BERRYNARBOR
SCHOOL NEWS
Happy New Year everyone! After such a busy half term in the build up
to Christmas, the children enjoyed a fun filled two week break!
Staying Safe
Colette
Hudson from Childline Services visited Elderberry Class. The
visit was to provide children with an understanding of abuse, knowledge of how
to protect themselves and an awareness of how and where to get help. The afternoons were very informative and we
are hoping that Colette will return every other year to visit.
Fire Safety Talk
At the
start of the term KS1 and KS2 were visited by Devon and Somerset Fire Service,
who taught the children about fire safety.
They learnt to plan an escape route, how to test smoke detectors, steps
to take to avoid a fire and what to do if there is a fire. Remember to check your smoke alarm!
Football Tournament
Selected
children from Elderberry class attended a football tournament at The Ilfracombe
Academy. The children all played well
and enjoyed themselves. Well done Team. Also,
congratulations to
Josh Richards who was Man of the Match!
Senior
Dudes Meal
This
was my first venture at putting on the Senior Dudes Meal. It was very well
received by our guests and there have been many compliments given over the past
few days. Thanks to Sarah Peach, Paul Newell and Louise Richards for all their
time and hard work. Also, thanks to the adults who helped on the
night. Congratulations to the children,
they were very well behaved and served their guests perfectly. This was all topped off by the seal of
approval from the creator of the Senior Dudes event herself, Carol Lucas!
A
generous amount was raised for the MNDA, and the children gained many life
skills.
Mr. Jones
Christingle
Christingle
afternoon was enjoyed by all. Children made their own Christingle and learnt
about its associated symbolism, they then walked to church to take part in a
Christingle Service
Strawberry
& Cranberry Class Nativity
The
children did themselves proud with a fabulous performance of "A Little Bird
Told Me". The Manor Hall was packed,
and afterwards parents enjoyed tea, coffee and mince pies. An enormous well done to the children and a
special thank you to all the Staff team who made it possible.
Village
Carol Service
Thank you to our School Choir for performing so
well at the Annual Carol Service. There
was a lot of praise from people in the community, which
made us very proud of you all. Well done to all of the children for singing
so beautifully at the School Christmas Concert.
Think Road Safety
Thank
you to all parents/carers who have supported our Think! Road Safety campaign. It has been a great success. Our
children and their parents have been able to cross the road and walk to the car
park safely. Traffic flow through the village has been much smoother. Might
we politely remind parents not to park in the junction opposite the bus stop as
this is not a safe option. We
appreciate that the car park gets busy, but spaces soon free up.
Sue Carey
- Headteacher
LINE DANCING
Following the initial Tea and Biscuits
discussion, it appears there is sufficient interest for a class to run. We have now had our first full 1/2 hour
session - Thursdays, weekly, 2.00 to 3.30 p.m. - which was
good fun and enjoyed by all.
Hopefully we shall continue for the
remainder of this term and if anyone is interested in joining us, please ring
me on [01271] 883087 or 07837077313.
Michelle
17
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
I cannot believe we are already on the countdown
to Christmas, where has the year gone?
At this time of year the children enjoy
10 weeks' of swimming lessons but this year has been set back a few weeks due
to the repairs and refurbishment at Ilfracombe pool. Swimming is an essential part of the PE
Curriculum and particularly important in the area in which we live.
We have been very lucky to have had a
visit from a GB Athlete - David Hill a Paralympic Swimmer. The
children took part in a sponsored event and had the privilege of hearing about
David's career.
We should
like to wish everyone a
Very Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year
Sue Carey - Headteacher
22
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
The six weeks break has just flown by and we hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday. The weather has been great! We held 8 successful Summer Clubs during the holiday - 4 at Berrynarbor and 4 at West Down. These clubs gave the children the opportunity to meet their friends, have fun and do a little reading and writing to help keep their brains busy.
During the holidays we undertook major building work, moving offices and class 1. Lee Gooch worked amazingly hard and we now have a beautiful early years' classroom much more appropriate for the needs of our youngest children. Our offices have moved to the front of the school and we hope to add a mezzanine floor to provide a staff room and small group teaching space.
We welcome our new reception class and hope they enjoy their time at school. We officially welcome Mrs Lucy Jones who will be working 3 days a week and Ms Pip Owen who will be teaching 2 days a week for the time being. We have also been lucky to appoint Miss Jess Rollin who has joined our staff team in Strawberry class and Mrs Loanna Ball who is supporting Sarah in the kitchen. We are also pleased to welcome Mrs Julie Gooch back to our school.
At the end of the Summer Term we said goodbye to our Year 6 pupils. We wish them every success for the future. We have already heard that many are enjoying their new schools and have settled in well.
Elderberry class have just experienced a Wild Night Out at Stowford Meadows. Blueberry class enjoyed their Wild Night Out at Watermouth Valley campsite. This great experience gave the children opportunity to appreciate the natural environment during the magical twilight times of dawn and dusk.
The start of term has seen the start of our new curriculum with some exciting new learning projects planned. We have also finally managed to establish an afterschool club giving parents the opportunity to go back to work or training.
Our Harvest Festival this year will be held on Wednesday 1st October.
During the summer holiday we found some old school log books. These fascinating documents have given us a window on the work of our colleagues from the past. Looking back at the oldest log book I can see that the children had just one calendar month for their summer holiday back in 1883 and they returned to school on August 13th. They finished the school year in July with 122 on roll and an average attendance of 88 children per session! We expect the children to come to school every school day in 2014 and now have 87 children on roll - I'm not sure where we would put 122 pupils!
In September 1957 the head teacher recorded:
10.9.57 School reopened at 9am. No's on registers 49 - seven new entrants.
During the holidays the three rooms have been tiled with accotiles and each room has had an alicon stove installed in place of the old tortoise stoves.
11.9.57 Mr Jordan called in school to see the work which had been done.
13.9.57 One of the tiles in the big room has cracked badly.
19.9.57 Piano tuned and cleaned today.
20.9.57 Dr Vernon today gave polio vaccine to 10 children.
28.9.57 The annual jumble sale was held today and £23 was made for the school fund.
2.10.57 Mr Whitworth [district architect] called today. We are proposed new toilets - contract for which has been given to Pearce (Ilfracombe)
Sue Carey - Headteacher
13
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
We are nearly at the end of another year - the time has flown! It has been an action packed term and we are all ready for the holiday. As I write, Blueberry Class (Year 3 and Year 4), together with Willow Class from West Down, are enjoying a residential trip at Emercombe. They are sleeping in yurts, using composting loos, building rafts and dens and learning about the natural environment.
While Blueberry Class have been away, the rest of the school have hosted our third annual Federation Day. The children and staff from West Down were welcomed to Berrynarbor. The children enjoyed renewing friendships with friends from the other school while taking part in a morning of problem solving and team building activities and an afternoon of sports activities. Both schools enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch in the sunshine, prepared and served by Mrs Peach and her colleague,
Mrs Hazlehurst from West Down. Other highlights of this term have been the Elderberry Class residential to Bristol, a whole school trip to see Essex Dance, a visit from a hive of bees (yes the bees really did come into school to visit us - along with their keeper Mr Barrett) and getting to know the new children who will be joining us in September.
A few weeks ago we enjoyed our first community week - the normal timetable was suspended but lots of useful learning went on. The aims of the week were to give the children a greater understanding and appreciation of the community of which they are a part, to get the children out into the community so that our neighbours could meet and feel proud of the wonderful young people who attend our village school, and to extend the opportunities for the children to contribute positively to the community. The week started with the children delivering questionnaires to the houses in the centre of the village. Many of these questionnaires were returned and the children used them to find out about the wealth of experience and expertise that people living in the village had. Berrynarbor is a beautiful part of the world to live in, the children noticed from the questionnaires that some people had lived in the village all their lives, others had been born here, travelled the world and then returned and others had moved here for a number of different reasons. Some residents of the village came into school to be interviewed by the children and some children went out to meet our neighbours in their homes. Other children visited Lee Lodge and some older children took a turn at helping in the shop. A group of children met Bishop Robert in the village and presented him with a book of prayers that they had written. The children learnt more about the history of the church, some climbed the bell tower and they explored the graveyard and collected information about the families that had lived and died in the village in the past. In this age of social media and 'online friends' we taught the children about social etiquette and courtesy - how to greet someone, how to make eye contact
and talk confidently to someone that you are meeting for the first time, how to behave politely in someone else's home, how to show respect to people and property. The children made posters, wrote biographies and newspaper articles and plotted 'village links' on a world map. The week ended with a celebration afternoon when we invited our community to come to school to visit us. The children baked cakes and scones, served tea and coffee, led guided tours of the school and showed their visitors what they had learnt. Watching the children enthusiastically welcome our neighbours to the school and proudly share their work was wonderful and I should like to thank all those who gave their time so generously to meet and speak to the children.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the week - the most talked about activity was meeting and talking to our neighbours about their lives and hearing about how life was in the past. Parents have told us that their children went home buzzing about what they had learnt and the teachers and children all agree that we should like to repeat the project next year as there is so much more we should like to do - if you have any suggestions or would like to be involved next time - please get in touch. If you would like to be part of our school and spend time with the children helping with reading, craft work or gardening or simply talking to the children over lunch please get in touch. Safeguarding checks will be made and an induction will be given to volunteers. The children like other adults to share their achievements and support them with their challenges and they benefit hugely from people with the time to take an interest in their lives. Life can be busy for us all but simple conversations and sharing the wisdom of the past can make a real impact on the lives of children today. We should love to work more closely with our community.
With a week to go before the end of term, we are still looking forward to our traditional Year 6 water fight on the playground tomorrow after school and the Years 5/6 show in the Manor Hall next week. On Saturday we will enjoy a surprise tea party in the hall to say Thank You to Mrs Lucas for her many years of service to the school. Mrs Lucas, the organiser of many Senior Dudes Meals, Forest School and our much loved and respected Years 5/6 teacher will be retiring at the end of this term. She ends her time at our school on a high with a fantastic set of SAT's results and 'the most responsible group of children' to be taken away on residential. Next week we shall also say thank you and goodbye to Mrs Balment and our Year 6 children Dylan, Anna, William, Lawrence, Alfie, Roker, Ellis, Indianna and Sam. We wish them all success and happiness in the next chapter of their lives.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
26
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL NEWS
Well, what a busy time we are having -
The children are really enjoying the first half of our summer term!
Strawberry and Cranberry class are
learning about Growing Grub and have planted a variety of seeds.
Children in Strawberry, Cranberry and
Blueberry have recently enjoyed a trip to Tesco to take part in their new Farm
to Fork Trails. The children learnt
about fruit and vegetables and their origin along with a visit to the bakery
and a trip through the warehouse. The
trip was thoroughly enjoyed by all!
Elderberry class have been busy working
hard for their SATS which they sat in May.
Now they are complete, the children can relax, just a little, as they
will now be working on their end of year performance.
The summer term always sees lots of
events taking place and several of our KS2 children have taken part in a Tag
Rugby and Striking and Fielding festivals.
We shall be holding our Sports Day on
Tuesday 10th June, 1.00 p.m. in the playing field. Should we have typical English summer
weather that day, we shall move to the 17th June.
Elderberry and Blueberry class will be
going on their annual residential trips; Goblin Combe in Bristol and Embercombe
near Exeter.
During the last week of June we hope
that the children will be out and about as we suspend the normal curriculum for
Community Week. The children will be out
helping and getting to know our neighbours.
As part of this week we'll invite you to visit our school and see what
the children have been doing - please keep an eye on the notice board outside
the shop for more details.
The whole school will enjoy a trip to
the Landmark Theatre in July to see The Essex Dance Group. The
children love watching this performance, all performed by children too!
Our pupils will also be enjoying a
Federation Day with West Down School.
This is a great and fun opportunity for the pupils from both schools to
mix and get to know one another.
The PTFA are working hard to organise
their annual Summer Fete. Beaford Arts
will be visiting us again this year and the Fete will be held on Saturday 12th
July.
We hope everyone has a lovely summer and
the weather is kind to us!
Sue
Carey - Headteacher
17
BERRYNARBOR
SCHOOL NEWS
After what seemed months of endless rain
the children are finally able to enjoy the sun and play outside!
This term's topic for Strawberry and
Cranberry Class is 'What a Lot of Rubbish'!
The children have been really busy learning the three R's of waste
management: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE! They have visited Brynsworthy Recycling
Centre where they found out what happens to the recycling waste that is
collected - the children were fascinated by the amount of waste and what
happens to it. They were shown some of the many items made
from recycled materials including a fleece made from recycled plastic bottles!
Both
classes also met the friendly and helpful crew who collect our recycling in the
village and have entered a competition organised by Devon County Council to
REDUCE waste in packed lunches. They
have
been gaining a real sense of responsibility and explained to the whole school
in an assembly about using REUSABLE containers and wrote letters to parents.
All the children are motivated and
consider themselves Superhero's on a quest to save the planet! Make sure you don't drop any litter in the
village!
Elderberry Class enjoyed a trip to
Exeter to visit Places of Worship. The
children visited a Mosque, Synagogue and the Cathedral. It was a fascinating experience for them.
The Berrynarbor Restaurant has once
again been open for this year's Parents' Meal.
The children worked hard all day
to prepare the food, which tasted delicious! The waiting staff looked very smart and were
very polite. Well done class 4, and Mrs Lucas.
The topic for Blueberry Class this term
was 'Urban versus Rural' and this saw them on a trip down to Exeter so they
could see the difference between a city and a village. Blueberry Class will also be performing
their Easter play, 'The Selfish Giant, on Friday 4th April in the Church at 2.00
p.m. Everyone is welcome.
We hope everyone has an enjoyable Easter
break and look forward to the start of our summer term on Tuesday 22nd April.
Sue
Carey - Headteacher
28
BERRYNARBOR
SCHOOL NEWS
Happy New
Year everyone!
After such a busy half term in the build
up to Christmas, the children enjoyed a fun filled two week break! Hopefully not too many were affected by the
dreadful bugs that have been doing the rounds.
Senior
Dudes Meal
Well done Mrs Lucas, Elderberry Class
really rose to the occasion again this year!
They worked very hard all day
preparing everything from vegetables down to making the stuffing and cranberry
sauce. The adults thoroughly enjoyed
themselves and the children finished off the evening by singing carols
beautifully. A lovely evening was had by
all.
Rosemoor
Trip
Whilst Class 4 prepared for their Senior
Dudes Meal the rest of the school enjoyed a trip to RHS Rosemoor. Despite the weather the children had a great
day looking around the gardens. The younger children took part in an
educational activity 'natural sculptures', whilst the older children did
'discover your tree'. We'd like to say a
big thank you to the PTA for funding the transport for this trip.
Strawberry
& Cranberry Class Nativity
The
children in Strawberry and Cranberry Classes performed their Nativity play 'The
Nativity' in the Manor Hall on Friday 13th. The whole school, joined by the
preschool, saw the performance in the morning, followed by their big
performance to their parents and families in the afternoon. It was a great
success and all the children sang and performed beautifully - a credit to Mrs.
Wellings' hard work!
Village
Carol Service
Well done to the infants who performed
their nativity play 'The Nativity'. The
weather did not put us off and the show carried on in the church! This was followed by the village Carol Service,
where the school Choir accompanied the Church Choir. It was a lovely evening with a wonderful
Christmassy atmosphere.
This term Strawberry and Cranberry Classes'
topic is Barnaby Bear goes to China.
Blueberry Class are learning the difference between Rural and Urban
areas and Elderberry Class are studying the science of bread.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
13
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
I cannot believe we are already on the
count-down to Christmas!
We have
all just enjoyed a two week half term.
The children are now refreshed and looking forward to the busy end of
term ahead.
Following half term, the children have
started their swimming sessions. This
is an essential part of the PE Curriculum and very important in the area in
which we live.
For Remembrance Sunday on the 10th
November, the Church was decorated with Poems and Bunting that the children
made for this special occasion and we hope you were able to take time to look
at them.
We should like to wish everyone a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Sue Carey
- Headteacher
14
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We hope everyone enjoyed the summer holidays; at least the weather has been kinder to us this year! They seem to have flown by and I can't believe we are starting the autumn term already.
We should like to welcome into Mrs Wellings' class; Grace, Aston, George, Lily-May, Fiona, Joshua, Ellen, Indie and Rowan. Also joining us this term are William,Thomas, Elisa and Andres, we hope they enjoy their time at our school.
We also said goodbye to our year 6 pupils; Disnie, Elyse, Shannon, Addie, Jack, Jak, Louis and Luc. We wish them all every success in their new schools.
We have started our new year with our annual camping trips. Elderberry class stayed at Stowford and enjoyed a Wild Night Out under the stars! The weather was great and the children enjoyed laying down and looking at the constellations at night.
Blueberry class stayed at West Down in the school field where they enjoyed forest type activities.
This is a great opportunity for the children to get to know their new class members and their new teacher!
Children in Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will shortly be starting their swimming sessions. This is an important part of the curriculum, especially in the area we live.
Year 5 pupils are taking part in Forest Schools again this year, where they explore the forest, build dens, light fires using only natural resources and flints and learn about the trees and plants. They are taught to respect their environment and keep safe in it.
Our Harvest Festival will be held on Tuesday 8th October.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
24
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
As you read this we hope you are relaxing and enjoying nice summer weather!
The children have worked hard this term, and it was a long one too, 8 weeks! They have also had lots of fun with residentials and various summer activities.
Our Year 5/6 class recently returned from an action packed week on Dartmoor and our Year 3/4 children are soon to return from a 3 day residential at Beam House in Torrington. The Year 3/4 children have also been joined by their peers from West Down on camp and have been having a wonderful time. Year 1/2 pupils have been out on several trips including the farm and a visit to Verity and the Tunnels Beach. We have been very lucky with the weather and everyone has really enjoyed getting out and about.
The children due to start school in September have been attending school for Summer Club during the last few weeks and have settled in well. We look forward to welcoming them in September. All the children have worked extremely hard this year. It has been a pleasure to read through their school reports.
Our Year 5/6 children are practising hard for their show. Every year the children amaze us with their confidence. It is one of the last that this Year 6 do before they leave us for their new secondary schools. We should like to wish Jack, Jak, Luc, Elyse, Disnie, Shannon, Addie and Louis all the best for the future and we look forward to hearing how they get on.
The new school year will start on Thursday 5th September.
We hope all the children and parents have a lovely summer break and look forward to seeing you all in September.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
Below are two of the illustrated poems the children wrote for the 'Playing the Field' event. All the poems will be available to view at the Horticultural & Craft Show on Saturday, 24th August.
The poems were sent to Beaford Arts and six were selected by Katee Woods for inclusion. Katee writes:
I should like to give a huge thank you to everyone that submitted poems for my art work. The high standard made it incredibly difficult for me to choose which poems to use and I would have used more if my hopscotch board was bigger and I could assign more sounds to it! I really appreciate how much hard work everyone put into their poems. Your contributions make my work possible and I'm really grateful for this. These are the poems that I've chosen to use.
Kiera in Reception - I really loved the delivery of your poem, and how you
describe the hungry foxes and slimy snails.
Amilia in Year 2 - This is a very poetic piece and there are lots of
interesting descriptive words which is great.
Frankie in Year 3 - you're obviously a very confident speaker and you
read your poem very clearly. Your poem is also very positive which is
lovely.
Rueben in Year 4 - This poem has an intriguing mysterious quality. I love
the line 'In the air, birds swoop and dive but there is no sound'.
Ellis in Year 5 - I really enjoy the part in which you talk about the hidden
places in the countryside, and how different environment features
interact with each other.
Jack in Year 6 - there is lots of use of onomatopoeia in this poem which
really brings it to life. There is a definite vibrancy to this piece.
I hope to see you all at Playing the Field and, again, a huge thank you to everyone who got involved!
24
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Well, what a busy half term we
are having!
We
are pleased to announce that Elderberry Class are now back in their classroom,
work almost completed! They are working
hard towards their SATS exams that will take place the second week in May. The class will then enjoy a well-deserved fun
week away when they all go on a residential to Plymouth in June.
Blueberry
Class will be enjoying three days of activities at Beam House near Torrington
for their residential in July.
Strawberry Class have just started their
swimming lessons and will continue to be learning to swim like little fishes
for the next six weeks. We would like to
thank our parent helpers that come each week, it is much appreciated.
Work
in our sensory garden is progressing well and hopefully this will be in full
use later this term.
I'm sure you have all heard
about Beaford Arts visiting us again this summer. It is set to be a big village event! Blueberry Class have designed leaflets that
have been delivered throughout the village inviting members of the community to
produce poems for the event. The PTA is
working hard to help organise the event and the school Summer Fete will be held
in the playing field on the 29th June alongside this event.
In
the coming weeks we shall be holding a 'Pride in our School' day. If there are any members of the community
that have a skill, any unwanted cans of paint,
or time they might like to give, please contact the school, we should be
extremely grateful. There will be
refreshments throughout the day!
We'll be holding our Sports Day on
Tuesday 11th June, 1.00 p.m. in the playing field. Should we have typical
English summer weather that day, we move to the 12th or 13th June!
The
whole school will enjoy a trip to the Landmark Theatre in July to see 'The
Essex Dance'. The children love watching
this performance, all performed by children too!
At the beginning of July the
children will be enjoying a 'Federation Day' with West Down School. This
is a great and fun opportunity for the children from both schools to mix and
get to know one another.
We hope everyone has a lovely
summer and the weather is kind to us, we all deserve it!
Sue Carey - Headteacher
12
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Well, what a busy half term we are
having!
You may be aware that work is due to
start on the roof of the Parish Room. We have had to rehouse 18 children and two
adults in a very short time! We are
pleased to say that Mill Park have kindly offered the use of their function
room for the time needed, we are very grateful.
The children love their new
surroundings, especially the play area!
The 'Berrynarbor Restaurant' has once
again been open for this year's Parents Meal.
The children worked hard all day
to prepare the food; even the bread and pasta were homemade! The
food tasted delicious, the waiting staff looked very smart and were very
polite. Well done Class 4 and Mrs Lucas.
The whole school celebrated World Book
Day by dressing as Pirates. Parents were
invited into school to take part in Pirate activities; a fun morning was had by
all.
A team of children entered the recent
inter schools swimming gala. They all
competed very well, what great swimmers we have.
This term Strawberry and Cranberry [Years
Reception, 1 and 2] classes have been learning about 'people that help us' and
have been on a trip to Ilfracombe Fire Station to learn about fire safety and
have a look around a fire engine.
Here, with original spellings,
etc., are their thank you letters.
|
I learned that any fire is dangeros.Thank you. from Thomas I learned that if theres a Fire you haft go out side. Thank you. Love Amber xxx I learned today the fan blows the smoke out the way. Thanc yoo. From Sam Dear Fire Men I learned that you have to put a fire gard in front of a log fire. Thank you Katelyn I learnt today that in the night if there is a fire the smoke alarm will go off and I will shout fire so everyone else knows. Thank you. Laura I learnt that you used a fan to blow away the smoke. Thank you. Edie I learned that the fire fighters have to wer a speshul. sut on them. Thank you from Summer. xxx I learned their boots had metal in the boots. Thank you from Zinnia |
|
Dear firefighters, thank you for letting Berynarbor School come to the fire stashone. I learned that one of the pieces of equipment is called a branch. The best bvit about going to the fire stashone was when I learned stop, drop, role. Thank you. Amelia Dear Firmen I learned not too touch machis. Thank you. Olivia. I learned what the fan doos. Thank you. Zac I learnt today when the smoke alarm hurts your ears it wakes you up. Thank you from Arthur I learned about the fan. It moovs the smowc. Thank you Xander To Day I learnt abowt how the firemen use the fire hoses. Thank you. From Vincent I learnt not to play wif machis. I learnt to stop drop rol. Amber I learned abot fire engins. Thank you. Danielle I learned to not play with fire. Thank you. Sophie I learnt today that some fires are bad and some fires good. May I learned ti should not tuch ftry. Thank you. Alex I learnt that a fan blows the smoke Jed I learnt the ladr gos up. Fergus I learnt the branch gos on the hos Dulcie I learnt not to play wif machis. I learnt to stop drop and rol. Ruby I lirnt that the branch dus clip on the hows. fyt you. Ben Beer George I lernt that matches are dangerous I learnt when there is a fire on your cloths this is what you do. Stop, drop and role. I learnt what a branchy of a hoes is called. I learnt a fireman has a fan to blow away the smoke so they can see people. I learnt firemen do other things too other than takeing fires out. Charlotte |
Blueberry Class have been able to
experience a trip to Combe Martin beach and a talk with Tania Mugglestone, who
has just qualified in 'Coastal Schools'.
This has been a great opportunity for the children given the area in
which we live.
Blueberry Class will also be performing
their Easter performance of 'Resurrection Rock' on Thursday 28th March in the
Church at 2.00 p.m. All welcome.
We hope everyone has an enjoyable Easter
break and look forward to the start of our summer term on Monday 15th April.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
15
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Happy New Year Everyone!
After such a busy half term in the build up to Christmas, the children enjoyed a fun filled two week break! Hopefully not too many were
affected by the dreadful bugs that have been doing the rounds
Senior Dudes Meal
WOW! We had record numbers for this year's meal - and the smallest class! As always, the children rose to the occasion and worked really hard preparing and serving the food. They finished the evening by singing carols, beautifully. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal and the evening.
Strawberry & Cranberry Class Nativity
The children performed 'Shine Star Shine' to the school and pre-school and then to parents and families. The children sang and performed beautifully - a credit to Mrs Wellings' hard work!
Village Carol Service
Despite the weather the children performed their Nativity of 'Shine Star Shine' in the bus shelter to friends, family and members of the village. It looked and sounded lovely.
The children also took part in the village Carol service that followed. The porch was decorated with lanterns that the children had made, adding to the Christmassy atmosphere. The church was full to the brim! A very festive evening.
Educational Landscape
I am sure you have heard lots in the news about how education and schools are changing. We are really proud of what our children achieve and would love you to know more about what we do. Although this seemingly constant change can seem disconcerting at times, it also offers exciting new opportunities and we are determined to build on our success and embrace positive change so that we can continue to offer the best education to our children. I should be happy to come and present some information about our school to any interested groups - if you would be interested please contact the school.
This term Strawberry class will be learning about fossils and dinosaurs. If any community members have any interesting collections or expertise that they could share with the children we should love to hear from you.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
Are you, like me, intrigued by 'Strawberry & Cranberry'? The classes all now have names - all Berry fruits, I wonder why!
Reception and Year 1: Strawberry
Year 2: Cranberry
Class 3, Years 3 & 4: Blueberry and
Class 4, Years 5 & 6: Elderberry
Ed.
11
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
I cannot believe we are already on the
countdown to Christmas!
We have
all just enjoyed a two week half term.
The children are now refreshed and looking forward to the busy end of
term ahead.
We should like to welcome two new
children to our school: Austin who joins Mr Jones in class 3 and Alex in class
1 with Mrs Wellings. We hope they have a
very enjoyable time with us.
In the next couple of weeks we shall be
holding our Inspire Mornings. This is
where the children have a family member or friend come into school to see them
work for the morning. We have very good
feedback from these mornings and the children really do enjoy it - even if the
teachers are a little nervous!
This year we are involving the whole school
in a big 'stir up' of an enormous Christmas pudding. These puddings will then be shared with the
older members of our community . . . should there be any left, we shall be
enjoying them for our school Christmas Dinner!
As a school we raise lots of money for
charity by holding various events and activities throughout the year, currently
the children are:
donating
shoeboxes for 'Operation Christmas Child'.
This is a very worthwhile cause and brings the joy of Christmas to many
children.
On Friday 23rd November the
whole school will have done a fun run around the village in aid of Children in
Need dressed in their pyjamas! We should like to thank Edie Maytum in Class
2 for this great idea - please look out for them and give them a cheer!
As you can see the children really do
have a busy, but exciting time ahead and below are more events that will be
taking place.
We should
like to wish everyone
A Very
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
16
NEWS FROM
THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We hope everyone enjoyed the summer
holidays, despite the weather. They seem
to have flown by and I can't believe we are starting the autumn term already.
We should like to welcome into Mrs
Wellings class; Keira, Sophie, Ben, Dillon, Daniella, Joffre, Kensa, Lucy, May
and Alex. Also joining us this term are
Oliver, Emily and Melanie, we hope they enjoy their time at our school.
At the end of last term we said goodbye
to our year 6 pupils; Isabel, Kelly, Caitlin, Harry, Kyle, Charlie, Mo, Miles,
Kaitlin, Morgan, Lucy and Xanthe. We
wish them all every success in their new schools.
Children in Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will
be starting their swimming sessions now.
This is an important part of the curriculum, especially in the area we
live.
Class 3 and 4 children will be taking
part in Wild Night Out at Stowford Meadows.
This is a great experience for them, where they learn to appreciate the
natural environment during the magical twilight times of dawn and dusk. It really is a 'wild night out' as they are
not allowed to use the facilities after teatime!
Year 5 pupils are taking part in Forest
Schools again this year, where they learn forest crafts.
Our Harvest Festival will be held on
Wednesday 3rd October, 2.15pm at Sloley Farm.
We are looking for members of our local
community to help our Ethos Committee.
Volunteers could join the committee, help with projects in school, or
help by preparing and researching things at home. The Ethos Committee are developing our
community links and Christian distinctiveness.
If you would like to get involved please telephone the school on [01271]
883493 to find out more.
Sue Carey
- Headteacher
23
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
As you read this, we should all be enjoying our summer holidays, with glorious weather, hopefully!
We have had a very busy six weeks in the run up to the holidays. The children have been involved in lots of activities and Class 3 and Class 4 have been on their residential. Included are some of their writings about their experiences.
Class 1 and 2 children have been learning about various forms of transport through the ages. They went on a day trip to Ilfracombe, on public transport, and looked around the Lifeboat and other boats in the harbour. An exhibition was held in the Manor Hall to show off their work and the children wanted to raise money for the Lifeboat.
Years 5 and 6 have also attended the annual Junior Life Skills. It is a very informative morning where the children learn about the effects of alcohol, beach safety and safety around the home, including fire and electricity, basic first aid and lots more.
Classes 3 and 4 took part in the Arlington Cross Country when we did extremely well and came back to school with two medals. Well done!
The weather managed to hold for our Sports Day and we had a glorious day with all the children putting in lots of effort and thoroughly enjoying taking part. It was not so good for the Summer Fete but in spite of persistent rain, it was a well-attended and enjoyable evening that raised in excess of £1,000.
Mrs. Wellings has been introducing our new risers to the school, visiting once a week and, of course, we are saying 'goodbye' to our Year 6 pupils who will be moving on to their secondary schools. We wish them every success.
We hope you enjoy reading the children's writing and have a good summer holiday.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
Note: The Autumn Term starts on Wednesday, 5th September
9
NEWS FROM
THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
I can't believe we are well into the
summer term already.
The Children enjoyed taking part in the
recent Mean Feet Dance event organised by Beaford Arts and d despite the
weather everyone had a fun afternoon.
KS1 and KS2 children have recently had a
visit from the local Lifeguards. This is
quite an important talk for the children due to the area in which we live.
Class 4 pupils will have completed their
SATS week in May.
They will
be enjoying a day out to the Ocean Fest in June.
This term will see class 3 heading to
Embercombe near Exeter for their residential.
It is the ultimate 'outdoor classroom'.
The children will have great fun learning new skills and old, stretch
their imaginations and have lots of fun in the outdoors.
Class 4's residential is to Bristol this
year, where they will be visiting the SS Great Britain, the Clifton Suspension
Bridge, watching 'Phantom of the Opera', plus lots more. Mrs Lucas works very hard to ensure the
children have a very fun-filled week.
The whole school will be taking part in
an Olympic Torch event being held at Brimlands rugby field. This will be a great opportunity for the
children to view the torch as it passes through and to take part in a fun day
of sporting activities.
To celebrate the Queen's Jubilee, the
children will be having a street party lunch at school.
Sports day this year will be held on
the first fine day, either Tuesday 19th June or Thursday 21st June.
The PTA will be holding their annual
Summer Fete on Friday
29th June
- please see posters for times. This is
usually a really big fundraiser for the school, so it would be lovely to see
lots of people there. All welcome!
If there are any gardeners who have a
glut of fruit or veg and would like to donate to our school kitchen, we should
be very grateful. This enables us to try
and keep our costs down!
Sue Carey
- Headteacher
30
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
As Easter is early this year we have already nearly completed the Spring Term!
The children have been busy this term taking part in various sporting activities, including Sports Hall athletics at Ilfracombe College, and an inter-schools swimming gala at Ilfracombe pool. We have a group of children going to an Orienteering Festival at Ilfracombe College next week. There are also some friendly football matches being organised between some of the local schools and we shall be playing Ilfracombe Junior School on Monday 19th March.
Thursday 1st March was World Book Day. The children and staff were encouraged to dress up as their favourite fictional character, and parents were invited to school during the morning to take part in some reading related activities. This was very well attended and enjoyed by all.
On Big Yellow Friday, a fun day to raise funds for a charity supporting children with liver disease. We shall all be dressing in yellow costumes for the day to raise awareness and money for this worthwhile cause.
Our PTA have also been busy. Their recent Curry and Quiz night, held in the Manor Hall at the end of February was a huge success, and a good time was had by all. This is a great money raiser for our school, and we would like to thank everyone who took part.
Following on from the Senior Dudes Christmas meal, Class 4 children will be preparing, cooking and serving a wonderful meal, but this time it is for their parents and takes place on Friday 16th March.
Class 3 will be holding their Easter play in the Church on Thursday 29th March. All are welcome.
We shall again be collecting vouchers from Sainsburys and Tesco towards sports equipment for our school, and should be very grateful for any donations of vouchers.
This year saw our first team of Star Trekkers; Mrs Wellings, Mr Jones, Mrs Lucas, Mr Newell, Mrs Richards and Mrs Davies all took part and successfully completed the walk in 8.5 hours! Well done to you all!
We would all like to wish you a Happy Easter.
Sue Carey Headteacher
24
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We have had an exciting few months and
as usual a busy run up to Christmas. Our
Christmas Service,
Nativity Service and of course the Senior Dudes Meal were enjoyed by all. We also received a visit from Ofsted
Inspectors during the Autumn term.
The inspection was rigorous. We had two inspectors for part of the first
day and one inspector for the second day.
The inspectors looked at all areas of school life and spent a
considerable amount of time in every classroom. They spoke to children and
parents and spent time in the playground and lunch rooms. Until just before Christmas, the outcome of
the inspection was a closely guarded secret.
However, I am very pleased to tell you that the inspector, Mr Baxter,
judged our school to be OUTSTANDING which places us in the top 6% of schools
nationally. The full inspection report
can be read online and includes comments such as:
"The pupils' impressive academic and personal
progress is rooted in exemplary teaching and curricular activity,
combined with continuing strengths in the care
provided. Such strong provision, which
also safeguards pupils as they make full use of the school's restricted site, helps them to feel
very secure and take a high level of responsibility for their
learning. That stands them in very good
stead not only when working in school, but also prepares them especially well for
their future lives."
We are very proud of this result and I
think it reflects the commitment of our staff and children.
Our SIAS inspection took place this
week. The SIAS inspection considers our
effectiveness as a church school.
The children have warmly welcomed all of
these visitors and shown them what a wonderfully caring bunch of children they
are. We are hoping for a rest from 'visitors'
for a while now as we look forward to some warmer days and getting outside
more.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
34
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY
SCHOOL
We have had a busy Autumn Term. Our Wild Night Out proved to be a very soggy
one; however, the children still managed
to have a great time. The whole school
are currently taking part in swimming on Monday mornings.
We have just completed our Inspire Mornings when parents or
carers are able to spend the morning alongside their child. We have received positive feedback and are
looking forward to holding more in the Summer Term.
Our Christingle Service will be held on Thursday, 1st
December, at the Church. Family and
friends are very welcome. The service starts
at 2.15 p.m. Classes 1 and 2 will be
performing their Nativity on Thursday,
8th December and again
family and friends are welcome at the Church at 10.00 a.m.
Our Annual Senior Dudes meal will be taking place on Monday,
12th December. This is open to the grandparents of the
children and the older members of the community. There will be a sheet in the Shop and Post
Office for those wanting to attend to sign.
Finally, our Christmas Carol Service will be held on Friday,
16th December at 2.00 p.m. We hope that you will be able to join us for
this celebration.
We should like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year from all at Berrynarbor Primary School.
Su Carey - Headteacher
16
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The six weeks have just flown by and we
hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday.
Our caretaker had a busy August as we
have had most of our very old carpets replaced.
Most rooms have had a lick of paint and some new tables have replaced
the broken ones that after being welded many times had come to the end of their
life. Our classrooms now look brighter
and lighter and the children are enjoying their spruced up learning
environment.
We welcomed Ben, Dulcie,
George, Fergus, Amber, Arthur, Jed, Ruby, Olivia, Xander
and Caleb into our Reception Class and Xanthe into Year
6. We hope they enjoy their time at
Berrynarbor School.
At the end of the Summer Term we said
goodbye to our Year 6 pupils and wished them every success in their new schools.
We have been hearing how well they have
settled and a few have popped back already to let us know that they are doing
well.
We also welcome to the school, Mrs
Debbie Wellings who will be teaching Reception and
Year 1, and Mrs Catherine Orr who now shares Years 5 and 6 with Mrs Lucas.
The children will be taking part in Wild
Night Out at Stowford Meadows next week - weather permitting. This is a great experience for them, where
they learn to appreciate the natural environment during the magical twilight
times of dawn and dusk. Last year we got very, very wet so fingers
crossed the weather will be kind to us.
Our Year 5 pupils are taking part in
Forest Schools again this year, where they learn forest crafts. Their first week was muddy but very much
enjoyed by all!
Our Harvest Festival this year will be
held on Wednesday 5thOctober, at Moules Farm.
We shall be collecting food gifts for the local poverty action group and
will also take a money collection for an international charity.
Our federation with West Down Primary
began on 1st September. Staff are
already working together and the Governors
are establishing our new Governing Body.
We also have an Ethos Committee [at the suggestion of the Diocese] to
ensure that our unique Christian Distinctiveness is maintained. Teresa Crockett is leading this committee and
has already recruited members of the church and local community to help
her. If you would like to be involved
with this or would like to support our school in any other way, please contact
us on [01271] 883493 to discuss your ideas further.
Su Carey - Headteacher
Ron Toms would like to thank all the
pupils who visited him to wish him a happy birthday, sang their wishes to him
and gave him a beautiful card they had made.
15
NEWS FROM
THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
How
time goes so quickly! At the time of
you reading this the children will have already broken up for their summer
holidays. Our final 7 weeks of term
have been very busy.
As
you may already be aware, the Federation between Berrynarbor and West Down will
be going ahead in September. So far this
has been a lot of planning and paperwork, but in September we can get on with
making it work for real.
The
whole school took part in an enterprise afternoon where pupils were divided into groups and had to come up
with a money making idea. The children
had to think of everything from expenses, how much to charge their customers,
risk assessments and advertising. It
proved very successful and they learnt a lot.
Thank you to everyone who turned up on the afternoon to support the
children and to Miss Muffet's who facilitated the car wash enterprise.
Both
Class 3 and Class 4's residential trips were very successful. Class 4 had beautiful weather all week and a
good time was had by all. Class 3 didn't
have such good weather but all the children still had a fabulous time.
Despite
a day of heavy rain, the sun shone at the right time for our Annual School
Fete. We had a successful evening and
managed to raise approximately £1300 for
our PTA. Thank you to everyone who
helped in setting up on the day and running stalls in the evening.
Some of Fagin's Boys from the recent school production of 'Oliver'
Reproduced by kind permission of Tempest Photography
We are
saying 'goodbye' to our Year 6 pupils who will be moving on to their secondary
schools. We wish them every success at
their new schools.
We
are also saying a very emotional 'goodbye' to Mrs Newell who is leaving us at
the end of the summer term. She has
been with the school for over 20 years and will be very sadly missed. We all wish her well in her retirement . . .
enjoy!
We
wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer holiday.
Sue Carey
- Headteacher
10
NEWS FROM
THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Summer is here and things are getting
busy!
Our Year 6 pupils took their SATs last
week and are now focusing on getting ready for the move to secondary
school. They really are a lovely bunch
of children and we are very proud of the supportive group of young people in to
which they have grown. It will be a
tearful goodbye to them at the leavers' service on the 22nd July,
but just to make sure that they go out with a bang they have requested a Year 6
versus staff rounders match at the end of term which some of us are looking
forward to more than others!
Both Class 3 and Class 4 children will
be going on a residential in the next month or so. Class 4 are off to Plymouth for 5 days and
Class 3 will be staying at Beam House near Torrington for 3 days. The children are very excited and I am sure
they will have a lovely time.
Residential trips are hard work for staff but we look forward to see the
children grow in confidence as they try new experiences, overcome fears and
work together.
You might have seen in the newspaper that
we are considering federating with West Down Primary School. We have held a series of information
meetings for parents which have been well attended. The Governors of both schools make the final
decision on 27th May. If the
Federation goes ahead it will begin in September and we shall form one
Governing Body to manage both schools.
I consider federation with West Down a good move for Berrynarbor School;
it would enable us to work more closely together sharing resources, expertise
and costs and would put us in a stronger position for the future. We'll let you know the final decisions on
the matter through the Newsletter in due course.
We are hoping to stimulate our parents
this term by inviting them to attend an Inspire Day with their children. The parents will come to school with their
child for the morning, be able to observe them learning and then work with
their child on a task set by the teacher.
The idea came from another school in Somerset where two of our pupils
attended before moving to Devon. I was
lucky enough to watch an Inspire Day in progress and saw how much both the
parents and children got out of the morning and so thought we'd give it a go.
Class 1 have been learning about famous
people and some of their pictures are displayed here.
This year we shall be holding our School
Fete earlier on Friday,
10th
June, the Manor Hall at 6.30 p.m. An
annual event and one not to be missed!
Everyone is welcome.
Su Carey
- Headteacher
15
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Spring
is here and we've been enjoying the sunshine.
What a difference it makes to be outside in the warm sun. Let's hope it continues.
After
a quieter term, we are gearing up for the summer.
We
took delivery of our Mystery Seeds from the Horticultural Show team on
Friday. The children will be working in
teams to sow and bring on the seeds and try and identify them. We shall be drawing, measuring and charting
the plants' progress and competing against each other to see who can identify
the plants first. The teachers were so
excited when we were planning the project that they have asked for a set of
mystery seeds for the staffroom! I'll let
you know how we get on!
We
took part in Red Nose Day last Friday - the children dressed in red and some
created wonderful outfits. Two weeks
ago we took part in Big Yellow Friday to raise money for the Children's Live
Disease Foundation - once again the children dressed up, but this time in
yellow. A cake sale in the playground
ended each day and we raised nearly £200 for these good causes.
Our
We
are planning an Arts Week for the last week of term and hope to include puppet
making, music and dance. Class 3 will
perform their production 'The Son Flower' - a musical with an Easter theme, on
Thursday, 7th April.
Children
in Class 4 took part in a competition organised by Rotary Clubs UK. Lots of our children were very successful
and certificates will be presented on Friday, 1st April. The theme was Community Spirit. Lots of the children wrote stories or
reports. Tulsi chose to write a poem
which I have included below.
The Community Spirit Poem
From the top of the valley to the sound of the bell.
The old and the young we all help each other,
From the children in school to Father and Mother.
Everyone enjoys the crafts at the show,
It makes us happy when we are feeling low.
Our community shop has all the vegetables and fruits,
We have jumble sales and car boots.
In our carnival we have lots of amazing floats,
And in the raft race lots of sinking boats.
Our village won the Village in Bloom prize,
Because it's so beautiful it was no surprise.
Carnival, Fete, Church and School,
We work together because we love them all.
by Tulsi
Su Carey - Head Teacher
9
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Happy
New Year to you all. January
already! We are nearly half way through
our school year - where has the time gone?
We
have welcomed
The
lead up to Christmas is always busy and last term was no exception. The highlights were the whole school visit
to the Panto in Barnstaple, visits to the Exmoor Zoo - very chilly but lots of
fun - and, of course, the Senior Dudes Meal.
Our Christmas service was wonderful and we were joined by lots of families
and friends. The
The
children had an extended holiday because of our inset days and so returned to
school on the 10th January well rested.
The term ahead looks a little quieter, at the moment, but we still have
lots to look forward to including Aquasplash for Years 3 and 4, a visit from
the Explorer Dome and Arts Week.
The
whole school are working on a History topic this term. The children will be finding out about
On
Friday, 11th February, we shall be saying goodbye to our School Administrator,
Barbara Jordan. Mrs.
assembly to share those precious memories and
to say thank you and farewell.
Half Term:
Monday 21st to Friday 25th February, inclusive
End of Term:
Friday, 8th April
Start of Summer Term: Tuesday, 26th April
Su Carey - Head Teacher
Pictures by Johnnie Goring - Year 6
15
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Kyle Davies [Aged 10]
1st in Class 4
1st Overall
Disnie Thornton [Aged 8]
1st in Class 3
2nd Overall
Jed Haines [Aged 5]
1st in Class 1
3rd Overall
Lydia Carless [Aged 6]
1st in Year 2
4th Overall
Hello from all of us at the school. Once again we've had a busy start to the school year.
We have welcomed Lawrence and Laura and their family to our school community and also Mr. Rees and Mrs. Wilkins as Teaching Assistants.
You may have heard our daily 'Wake and Shake' that happens in the playground at 8.55 a.m. every day [weather permitting, and we are a pretty hardy bunch!]. The whole school [children, staff and some brave parents] undertake an aerobic workout, lead by a group of children, to music. It really is a fun way to start the day and get our brains working.
We have also had a very successful Parents' Evening with 82% of families attending. This was a fantastic opportunity to share information about the year ahead with our parents. Sarah Peach, our Kitchen Manager, prepared some tempting samples from the current menu for parents to try. School dinners really are very tasty and nutritious these days and more than half our children now regularly have a school cooked meal at lunchtime. We hope to repeat Parents' Information Evenings in a similar format in future.
Two of our Year 6 boys, Connor and Oliver, have been selected at local trials to take part in a local Gifted and Talented PE programme. The boys have taken part in training with other gifted children from across the Learning Community and have been having a great time whilst pushing their skills to new heights!
Class 4 visited the Queen's Theatre to watch a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in October, while the younger children went to the cinema as part of National Film Week.
The PTA have already held a Pamper Evening at The Globe and another very successful and fully booked Curry and Quiz Night. Plans are being made for the upcoming Christmas Bazaar. The PTA has kindly offered to pay for all the children to visit the Exmoor Zoo in the week before Christmas as a special treat.
We have a day of 'taster' activities planned for 26th November, when the children will take part in dance, art and drumming workshops and watch a science demonstration. These activities have been funded and organised through the Extended School Co-ordinator with the aim to give children the chance to have a go in the hope that they might identify something they would like to get involved with outside school.
Sadly, I am receiving, almost weekly, notification of cuts in funding and services that will affect our school and our children. The future continues to be 'interesting'! We value greatly the support of our local community. We already have a number of community volunteers who support our work. We should love more grown-ups to hear children read, but there are lots of other opportunities in which to get involved. If you have a particular skill that you would like to share or if you would just simply like to become part of the team and support in lessons, please give us a call. The number is [01271] 883493. The safety of our children is important to us and all volunteers would need to have a CRB and identity check.
All the children recently took part in a competition to design a Christmas Stamp. We were very impressed with their work and have included the winning designs for you to admire.
On behalf of the staff and children may I wish you all a Happy Christmas.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
Monday, 10th January Berrynarbor children back to school
19
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We welcome Mr. Trefor Jones, Teacher for Years 3 and 4. We are pleased to welcome new pupils in
Reception Class and Years 1, 2, 3 and 4, and hope they will enjoy their
education at our school:
It's been a pretty 'full-on' start to the Autumn Term and all
the children and staff returned to school full of energy and anticipation! We have lots of things planned for the
months ahead.
The
Wild Nights Out on 6th/7th September were unfortunately
very wet but the children enjoyed the experience. However, Classes 1 and 2 had a wonderful
sunny day for their outing on the Wednesday.
Music: We are thrilled that so many of our children
are learning to play an instrument. We
now have three teachers [Mrs. Barrow, Miss Collingham and Mrs. Jones] offering
music lessons which can take place in school, either during or after the school
day. Lessons cost £12 for 30 minutes or
£8 for 20 minutes [small group lessons may also be available]. So far, the teachers are able to provide
lessons for piano, keyboard, oboe, saxophone, singing, music theory, recorder,
clarinet, violin, 'cello, viola and flute.
Tuition for other instruments may be available - please ask.
Christmas
Cards: The children will shortly be creating their
very own Christmas Card drawings for their parents.
Junior
Great North Run:
Congratulations to Caitlin Burgess in Class 4 who completed the Run on
18th September in
Swimming: The whole school is attending Ilfracombe
Swimming Pool over the next 10 weeks.
Pantomime
- Aladdin: The whole school, along with the Pre-School,
will be going to see Aladdin at the Queen's Theatre this year.
Samaritan's
Purse - Shoe Box Appeal 2010: This is our 7th year of participating in the
Shoe Box event and each year the children prepare more and more beautiful
boxes. A leaflet is available from the
School Office is you would like to take part in this scheme. If you would like to prepare a box at home,
please bring it in to Mrs.
Senior
Dudes' Christmas Meal: Class 4 will prepare this memorable meal
which will take place on Monday, 13th December. Watch out for details in the Community Shop
nearer the time.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
17
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We said goodbye to Miss Vickery on the last day of term. She has been the temporary KS2 teacher
during Mrs. Carey's absence, and we should like to thank her for her
contributions to and support of our school.
Mr. Trefor Jones has been appointed Years 3 and 4 teacher
from September and we welcome him to our school.
The School Fete took place on the 16th July and despite the
weather turning to heavy rain half way through the evening, our
Our End of Year Service took place in the church on the last
day of term. This is a special time
when we say farewell to our Year 6 leavers and wish them well in the next stage
of their education. A memorable
occasion for everyone.
Many of our children are learning to play a musical
instrument. We now have three teachers
- Mrs. Barrow, Miss Collingham and Mrs. Jones - offering music lessons which
can take place in school either during or after the school day. So far our teachers are able to provide lessons
for piano, keyboard, oboe, saxophone, singing, music theory, recorder,
clarinet, violin, cello, viola and flute.
Stowford Farm Meadows have once again kindly offered us the
use of one of their fields for our Wild Night Out. We are starting the new academic year off
with this exciting opportunity.
We consider swimming to be an important skill for all
children in our school. Unfortunately
the school is unable to pay the full cost of the lessons and so we have to ask
for parental contributions. Our lessons
go beyond the National Curriculum requirement and our children swim more often
than many other schools. In an attempt
to minimise the cost further, we have booked swimming lessons for all children
in the Autumn Term. A coach has been
booked to shuttle children between school and the pool, giving us a total
saving of more than 25% on transport compared to last year.
Looking well ahead, once again the whole school will be going to see Aladdin
at the Queen's Theatre in Barnstaple
in December.
Enjoy the pictures children in Class 1 drew of the hanging
baskets they saw whilst walking around the village.
Mary-Jane
Newell, Acting Head-Teacher
25
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Our Summer Term has got off to a great start. This is always a really busy term with lots
of trips away and events taking place at school.
Classes 1 and 3 have started their 10 swimming sessions at
Ilfracombe Swimming Pool and Year 2 and 3 are having tri-golf lessons here at
school and will finish off with a tournament at Ilfracombe Golf club with other
local schools. Mark Davies is the
coach and he is spending many hours with all the schools, encouraging an
interest in golf.
On Thursday, 13th May, Class 3 spent a day at The Exmoor
Zoological Park with their teacher Miss Vickery. They had a talk from the Zoo Keeper about
the teeth and eating habits of animals, followed by a grand tour, picnic lunch
and ice-cream.
On Wednesday, 19th May, we were thrilled that the Tesco Great
School Run 2010 agreed to come to our school for the afternoon. They invited the local media to come along
and their Roadshow Team organised:
*
Fun PE-style games and
activities
*
Music led aerobic warm up
*
Mini fun run with inflatable
start/finish gantry
From 24th to 28th May, Mrs. Lucas and Class 4 will be off on
their well-deserved residential trip to the Goblin Combe Environmental Centre
near
Whilst they are away on the 27th May, Classes 1 and 2 will be
spending a day at the Wildlife and
Monday
19th - Thursday 22nd July, a.m. only - Year 6
Bikeability Training
Mobile
Phones
- If you have any old mobile phones which you no longer require, please bring
them in to school as we can obtain commission from a recycling company.
Billy - Year 5
School Fete - our
Fete will take place on Friday, 16th
July, from
Thank you for your continued
support.
Mary -Jane Newell - Acting
Headteacher
Pupils have been
drawing flowers seen in the village.
They are shown throughout the Newsletter.
28
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We are pleased to welcome
Congratulations to Sally and Mark Jefferys and Millie [Class
1] on the birth of George - 8lbs 5oz on 18th March. Everyone is doing well!
The Reverend Keith Wyer has been a wonderful supporter for
all our pupils, parents, staff and governors for so many years, and it is with
much sadness we learn that he is leaving us.
We shall be making sure he is really busy between now and his departure
time!
We've had a few events over recent weeks and our sincere
thanks go to the helpers and supporters who make these events successful.
*
£181 was raised from the Bring
and Buy and Cake Sale for
*
The
*
£80 was raised for Big Yellow
Friday [Liver Disease Foundation] on the 5th March
*
We sold off unclaimed/un-named
lost property for approximately £20.
We have received an 'All Clear' from our recent asbestos
inspection.
Once again we are collecting the current promotion vouchers
from Tesco and Sainsbury's. Being such
a small school it takes a while to accumulate a large number. Please ask your friends and families to save
them for us. Thank you for your
support.
Thank you for the kind donation of £100 from two village
members. The money has been used to buy
screening trellis with planters and plants.
Thank you also to the Community Shop for donating the Walt Disney Dinosaur
books.
Our school took part in the lovely Mother's Day Service in
the church and the children read their poems about 'My Mum'. Here are some for you to see:
My
Mum
by Billy, Age 10
|
Mum you are great You're more than a mate Because you are my mum And you are so much fun. You care for me Even before I was 3 You've helped me learn And you ask none in return |
|
|
Even when I'm bad You never get mad And I'd just like to say I love you more each day. |
|
|
Mother by Kitty-May, age 7 |
|
M My Mum is so special to me O She is the only Mum that is best for me T She takes me on bicycle rides H I love my Mum in my heart E Sometimes she gets grumpy but I know every single day she loves me and that's what counts R When the rain comes down she makes sure I am warm. |
My Mum
by Josh, age 5
My Mum loves me
My Mum kisses me
My Mum hugs me
My Mum cooks dinner
My Mum is lovely
My Mum helps me with my homework
I love you
My Mum
by Louis, age 5
My Mum does the lunch
My Mum does the feeding of my Little brother Ben
My Mum does the washing up
My Mum does the making of the beds
My Mum does the washing
I love my Mum.
Our Class 4 pupils will be cooking a 3-course meal for their
parents on Friday, 26th March. They
have chosen their menu and parents have made their choices. The children will spend the day preparing
and cooking the food under the supervision of Mrs. Lucas and they will serve it
and wait on tables in the evening.
We shall be having our usual Easter Egg Hunt before we break
up and then our hectic schedule of summer activities starts on Monday, 19th
April.
Thanks again for all the support we receive from the village.
Mary-Jane Newell
- Acting Headteacher
22
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Self
Portraits by Millie, Henri and Hazel - Reception
Happy New Year from us all at the village school. We managed to stay open for most of the
snowy start to term, despite the playground looking more like a skating rink!
Millie, Hazel and Henri have joined our Reception Class and
we hope they will be very happy at
Just before Christmas, the children joined in with the
Christmas Service at the Church. They
really enjoyed the singing and we hope we can take part in a few more services
in the future.
There are a couple of fund raising events we should like to
bring to your attention:
Friday, 12th
February: A Musical Evening with
Chilli Supper in the Manor Hall, in conjunction
with the Manor Hall Committee and Friday, 26th February: Our
PLEASE
COME
WATCH
OUT FOR MORE DETAILS
We have had a lovely addition to the school in the form of an
impressive new fence to border the path down to the playground. We also have a few new additions in the form
of 4 new children hoping to move to the area and we look forward to welcoming
them when they arrive.
This term, as a school, we are trying to encourage the
children to think about their Healthy Lunch Boxes, also Class 3 are doing a
topic about World War II. If anyone has
any stories, tales or memorabilia that they would consider sharing with the
children, we should love to hear from you.
As ever, if there is anyone in the village who feels they
have a moment or two to spare and would like to share any skill with the
children, please feel free to get in touch with us, we'd love to hear from you.
Mary-Jane Newell
- Acting Headteacher
24
NEWS FROM THE
They have arrived!
Our two expectant teachers have had their babies. Mrs. Carey had a baby boy on the 28th
October, Gilbert William, weighing 9lbs 12oz!
Unfortunately, Mrs. Barrow lost one of her twins at the birth, but has a
lovely little girl, Ruby Susan, born on the 24th October and weighing 6lbs 1oz. We look forward to them coming in to school
as soon as they can.
The rest of us carry on with many of our school Christmas
traditions, including the Christingle and Christmas Fair on Tuesday, 8th
December. The Senior Dudes Meal is on
Monday, 14th December and the Christmas Service on Thursday, 17th
December. The time and details of these
events will follow - please look out for these in the Village Post Office.
We hope to put in a visit to the pantomime in
We made a brave decision to put our 'occasional' days
together at the end of the October half-term so parents could take children
away out of term time and take advantage of cheaper holidays without taking
them out of school. This we hope has
worked better for everyone and we are very grateful to those parents that did
use this time. With an overwhelming
level of support for this idea, we may well be doing it again.
The lovely pictures accompanying our news are the winners of
our school Design a Christmas Card competition.
We wish you all a Happy Christmas and thank you for all your
continued support.
Mary-Jane Newell
- Acting Headteacher
16
NEWS
FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We
have had a lovely start to the year.
The children have come back settled and ready to learn despite such
miserable weather over the summer holidays.
The whole school feels happy and our new teachers , Miss Lewis and Miss
Slade, are very much part of the team already.
We
have welcomed Keely-Rose, Jake, Louis, Jed, Ryan,
Lola and Harry into Class 1 and Max into Class 3. All our new children have settled well and
we are particularly proud of our oldest children who really seem to have taken
on board the responsibility of being the 'big children' that the younger ones
look up to. They have been helpful and
kind as well as working really hard.
Year
5 started their
This
week has been a busy week as all our children have taken part in a Wild Night
Out [7-11 year olds] or Wild Day Out [4-7 year olds] up at Stowford
Farm Meadows. Mr and Mrs Noall kindly arranged for us to use a beautiful meadow near
the woods and away from the main camp site.
Their team of staff have been wonderful - helping to move kit bags and
tents up and down the hill and even dragging huge logs out of the woods to make
a sitting circle around the camp fire.
I popped up to visit Class 3 -I couldn't stay away from the fun! - and
was greeted with the heart-warming sight of a cosy
looking camp with children charging around delighted to be in such a lovely
setting with the freedom to run and play with their friends in the fresh
air. The children have also been
learning about the natural environment, experienced 'real darkness', and found
out about the bugs that come out at night and how they are different to the
daytime creatures that we are used to.
They have visited the Petorama to handle and
feed the animals and the older children also went swimming. Of course the children have had to learn to
look after their belongings and survive for a night without home comforts and
mum and dad to look after them - a challenge for some children for whom it was
the first time away from home over night!
It has been such a magnificent opportunity to start the year and we are
very grateful to Mr and Mrs Noall for providing such
a great venue and for popping up and down to check if we had everything that we
needed. I am also hugely grateful to all
the staff who worked so hard to get everything ready and gave up a good night's
rest to take part in the experience with the children - particularly Mrs Lucas
for doing most of the organising, Miss Lewis for being brave enough to camp for
the first time ever and with 23 children in her charge, Mr and Mrs Balment for rolling up their sleeves and mucking in, and Mr
Newell and Mrs Gooch for drawing the short straw and emptying the composting
loos!
Next
week we have our annual sponsored Woolacombe Beach Walk , which most of the
children appear to think is a beach run!
Then the week after we shall be celebrating our Harvest Festival. We have already started planning the
Christmas festivities which will include a meal prepared and served by the
children to the 'senior dudes' - but it is far too early to be talking about
Christmas so I shall say no more for now.
Mrs
Barrow will be starting her maternity leave at the end of the week and we all
wish her well. I shall be starting my
maternity leave at the beginning of October and will leave the school in Mrs
Newell's very capable hands whilst I am away.
I feel confident that this is going to be another good year for
Berrynarbor Primary and I shall certainly miss everyone whilst I am away
learning to be a mum.
Susan
Carey - Headteacher
17
NEWS
FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We
are nearly at the end of another year - the time has flown by but when I look
back at everything that we have done since September, it is not surprising that
our feet don't seem to have touched the ground!
We
have been lucky enough to enjoy three whole-school trips this term. In June we all went to RHS Rosemoor for a day
of exploring the grounds and taking part in workshops on a range of science topics.
Last week we all went to watch the
The
whole school have also visited the beautiful Tinnerdy Farm. Tinnerdy's owner - Capt. Nick L'Deau - has
encouraged a wonderful array of different habitats and ecosystems in the valley
and a postbox trail for the children to find their way around. All
the children have spent half a day at the farm in small groups and Nick has
guided them through the history of the property and was on hand to answer the
many questions about the flora and fauna.
The children had a great time and we very much hope we might be able to visit Tinnerdy
again at a different time of year to see how the habitat changes with the
seasons [and as Alfie pointed out - "everything
will look different so we can have the fun of finding the postboxes all over
again - especially the one with chocolate hidden in it."]!
Our
oldest children have had a particularly busy half term since their tests. They
have been on a residential trip to Dartmoor, enjoyed a day at Ocean Fest, had
an end of Year 6 treat on Exmoor [sponsored by the Round Table, to whom we are
very grateful] and this week are undertaking Bikeability training. You will probably have seen them out on the
local roads learning to cycle safely following the Highway Code.
Not
to be left out, the younger children have taken part in a Tri-golf Festival
held at Ilfracombe Golf Club with other local schools. Class
1 have visited the police station and have just finished their swimming lessons
- nearly all of the children were swimming without arm bands which is quite
impressive for 4-6 year olds!
We
should all like to say a huge thank you to the parents who helped to transport
children to various trips over the year helping us to keep the cost down for
everyone. We are also very grateful to the
I
am sure you will all be as proud as I am to hear that without exception the
children of Berrynarbor Primary have conducted themselves impeccably whilst out
and about this year. I have had many messages and e-mails
over the year complimenting our children on their polite manners and good
attitude.
Our
Sports took place on a beautiful afternoon at the end of June. All
children took part and many family and friends came down to the field to
support us. The
As
many of you know, both Christina Barrow and I will begin our Maternity leaves
in the Autumn term.
We have been lucky enough to
appoint Tania Slade and Amy Lewis to teach while we are away. Both Tania and Amy will start at the
beginning of term so there will be some overlap between us but by starting the
term with their new teachers, I am sure the children will have the continuity
they need to make a great start to the year.
We
shall end our year with our Summer Fair on Tuesday evening and then our Leavers'
Service on Friday afternoon when we will say a fond farewell to Paige, Aimee, Lucy,
Julia Fairchild who
has served as a
Over
the summer holidays we shall be making some improvements to our school grounds
and buildings. Our caretaker, Mr Colton, will be rebuilding
the steps to Class1, the windows in Class 1 will be replaced, the kitchen floor
will be renewed and a new servery fitted and we are hoping to have the external
windows repainted. We have also been advised that a number of
trees in our playground need to be pollarded.
It is with regret that we will see some beautiful trees reduced in size
and we'll certainly miss the shade they provide. However, following a comprehensive tree survey
conducted on behalf the local authority recently, we
have been told that there is no other way of ensuring the safety of the
children and neighbouring properties in any future inclement weather.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
In
spite of dubious weather, the Summer Fair was another successful evening, raising over £1,750.
Congratulations to all concerned.
We
thank all the staff at the school for the exceptional support, encouragement
and care they take of their pupils, and wish Christina and Sue healthy and
happy maternity leaves - we'll look forward to hearing about the safe arrivals
of their little ones. Ed.
18
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
As I am writing this, I
am sure that lots of the children from our school are busy preparing for the
week ahead.
The Year 6
children will start a week of national tests on the 11th May [SATs]. They will
sit nine tests in total over the week and have been working very hard in
preparation. At the beginning of the
year when the children return to school after the summer break, the tests and
the children's transition to secondary school seems so far away. Mrs Lucas always has a huge list of 'learning to get
through' - the task seems so big it appears impossible! However, once again Mrs Lucas has worked
her magic and with the children's perseverance they are ready to show the world
how great they are and with a little prod in the right direction, they'll be
ready to move on to 'big school' in just a couple of months!
The
children and Mrs Lucas have planned to escape to the woods after their last
test on Friday and I know that lunch cooked over the fire and the chance to
relax and play some games will be a great incentive to keep them going during
their tiring week.
Years 3
and 4 are off to Simonsbath House on the 11th May for a three
day residential. The children will try
a mixture of outdoor adventurous activities and geography field studies. For some it will be the first time away from
home. On Friday the children were VERY
excited - some had already been packed and ready to go for days! I'm sure we'll have a great time and our
absence will hopefully give the older children some space to settle to their
tests.
Not to be
left out, Class 1 start their swimming lessons on 11th May, Class 2 join us at Simonsbath for the day on Tuesday and then all of KS1 will
be off to explore Tinnerdy on Wednesday!
So as I
said, I'm sure that as I write children will be packing [or repacking again!],
finding swim gear, wellies and sunscreen, revising or
just relaxing and thinking through just what the week ahead has in store for
them.
James Uzzell [11]
Isobel Moore [10]
Daisy Wyatt [10]
Ellie Gray [10]
Lucy
Fairchild [10]
Bradley
Watkins [5]
Dates of events coming up: EVERYONE
WELCOME!
Monday,
29th June: Sports Day from
Thursday,
9th July; 'Annie', the Musical,
will be performed by Class 4 in the Manor Hall at
Tuesday,
14th July: School Fete, Manor Hall,
Watch the
School notice board outside the Community Shop for more information and
updates.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
25
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Spring
is here and the children are certainly enjoying the sunshine. It is amazing how a bit of fine weather can
change the atmosphere in the playground!
It is great to be able to get the children out and about again - long
may it continue.
It
has been an interesting winter and I think we shall all remember the snow! It was quite magical to take the children
out into the garden as the first few flakes fell - for many of them it was the
first snowfall they had experienced and to describe the atmosphere amongst them
as electric would be an understatement!
Children were vying to catch the most flakes and marvelling at their
beauty [that first sprinkling really did have some rather fine examples of
perfect snow, didn't it?]. It really is
one of the great joys of teaching to be able to share such a wonderful experience
with the children.
After
all the excitement and disruption of the snow, we are now gearing up for what
looks to be another busy summer. Year 6
are off to London next week-end - the trip planned for February had to be
cancelled as we were concerned that the adverse weather conditions could mean
that we wouldn't be able to get the children home. I have to say, the children weren't too
bothered by this prospect and were very disappointed when I had to cancel. However, once again Mrs. Lucas came to the
rescue and after walking into school on one of the 'closed due to snow' days to
collect the paperwork, she spent the day on the 'phone and persuaded all the
companies involved to rebook the trip at no extra cost! So the children will be off on Sunday to the
bright lights of
Class
4 and Class 3 are preparing for residential visits to
whole host of
sporting fixtures and experiences.
Years 2, 3 and 4 will be taking part in a singing celebration with children
from other schools in the local area.
Singing is a bit of a theme in Class 3 at the moment, with the children
rehearsing to take the lead in the Easter Service - at
In
addition to the usual summer festivities, we shall also be receiving a visit
from the Bishop and, with the Rev. Wyer's help, are
hoping to do a
mini 'Journey Through Time' presentation.
Watch the notice board for more news.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
Enjoy
the delightful pictures of spring dafffodils that
Josh, Mo, Johnny and Kyle have drawn. Josh's picture has been chosen to
illustrate the article Rural Reflections.
Kyle Age 7
Mo Age 8
Johnny
Age 9
34
NEWS
FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Happy New Year from us all at
Berrynarbor VC Primary School!
Christmas seems so long ago now.
It all started for us on 5th
December with our very first Festive Bingo in The Globe. It was a fun filled evening and we hope the
first of many Bingo evenings to come.
The school took on a theme of The Twelve Days of Christmas and all the
children helped adorn the classrooms with leaping lords, piping pipers, flocks
of birds and golden rings. A few days
later we enjoyed our tradition Christingle Service which was followed by the
Christmas Bazaar, raising over £300 for PTA
funds. Class 1 wowed us all with their
slightly alternative nativity [complete with elephants], Mary was suitably
serene and the play helped us all to remember the true meaning of
Christmas. Classrooms 3 and 4 were
transformed once again to accommodate record numbers of 'senior dudes' at the
Christmas meal hosted by the very talented cooks, waiters and waitresses of
Class 4, expertly lead by Mrs. Lucas.
Class 3 enjoyed a Friday Night Sleepover - a reward for their good work
and responsible attitudes. We had a
great time playing traditional Christmas party games that I remember from my
childhood and the children slept remarkably well [even if I didn't!].
The
term was finished off with a day of thinking about others and our Christmas
Carol Service when the children performed 'Bells Ring Out'. After only a week of rehearsals [though some
with expert tuition thanks to Stuart], the children sang and read beautifully.
Karina
joined our school just before Christmas and this term we have welcomed Reuben,
Poppy, Josh and Ptolemy into Class 1, and Isabel, Oli
and Dan into Class 3 [see pictures].
Our
big news this term is that we have managed to secure tickets for our oldest
children to see a ballet at the Royal Opera House and if that weren't enough,
the children will be visiting the Houses of Parliament and a number of other
cultural and historical attractions too.
Mrs. Lucas,
Mrs. McEntee
and ten children will be travelling to
The
children at Berrynarbor Primary are really very lucky - many of the additional
opportunities, additional support and experiences are available because of the many parents and
friends who volunteer their time and energy.
We should like to thank those who have continued to support the work of
the school so generously over the past year.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
 Karina |
 Reuben |
 Poppy |
 Josh |
 Tolly |
 Isabel |
 Oli |
 Dan |
9
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The
year is flying by and we are already planning hard for the many Christmas
events that are coming up! We sent our
shoe boxes of goodies to the Samaritan's Purse earlier this week and it is good
to think that the boxes will be taking our best wishes to children across the
world in time for the festive season.
Looking
back over the school year so far, there have already been many highlights - a
very muddy Wild Night Out for the oldest children and a Space Odyssey for the
whole school, to name a couple. This
week the children have been learning about road safety with the help of our
Chair of Governors and local PCSO Katie Simpson. You might have seen the children around the
village sporting our new high visibility bibs, purchased to improve the safety
of the children when out and about - you'll certainly be able to see us coming
now, even if we do resemble a class full of satsumas! Next week the national focus on
anti-bullying will see our Year 6 children going to the college for a morning
of art and drama with children from primary schools across the Local Learning
Community.
Our
philanthropy continues this year with fund raising for Breast Cancer care,
Children in Need and the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal, already totalling
over £200. The older children's efforts
to organise a bring and buy sale in aid of the Poppy Appeal followed work to
find out about the British Legion and the sacrifice made by so many during the
world wars and subsequent conflicts.
Five of the older pupils represented the school at the Service of
Remembrance held at the War Memorial in Ilfracombe, whilst the rest of the
school observed the two minutes of silence in their classrooms.
Our
work to improve the school environment continues with the addition of PC's in
Classes 2, 3 and 4. The children and
staff are enjoying the flexibility that this new resource offers and we hope to
extend their use by offering after-school access to computers and the internet
by the spring.
We
continue to build on the excellent academic standards achieved last year. Our focus on improving writing has led us to
adopt the Big Writing Programme. The children
are making good progress, writing for sustained periods independently of their
teacher. I have included for
publication a piece of writing by Dylan of which we are all particularly proud. He wrote a description of Bonfire Night and
his mastery of the English language at just five years old should be applauded
and celebrated by us all. Dylan is one
of the many children making excellent progress - watch the notice board outside
the shop for more examples of work to be admired.
On
the 8th November we organised a day out/shopping trip to IKEA and Cribbs Causeway in
Sue Carey - Headteacher
12
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We've been
back to school for a week and the children are in to the familiar
routines. Our Caretaker has worked
wonders over the holiday and has painted two classrooms and two toilets, and we
have had a good sort out! We started
the term with the school looking shipshape and the children are trying hard to
keep it looking that way!
This year
we are concentrating on improving our ICT facilities, continuing to develop the
teaching of writing and helping the children to become more responsible for
themselves, their learning and their actions.
Our new mantra is 'Is this my best?'
We'd love to hear any examples of children 'being their best' to be good
citizens outside school.
Later this
term we'll have a whole school theme week entitled 'Around the World'. Each class will be finding out about a
country and then presenting what they have learnt to the rest of the
school. The countries that we have
chosen are
By the
time you read this, we will have celebrated European Day of Languages when we
hope to give the children the opportunity to hear, see and experiment with
using lots of differing languages.
Our plans
for Christmas include a Christmas Giving
Day when the children will be encouraged to give something back to the
community. We are hoping to sing to
you, deliver cards and pack food boxes for a local charity to distribute to
disadvantaged people over Christmas. We
shall conclude the day with our Christmas Service in the Church. We hope these activities will help us all to
reflect on the true spirit of the season.
If you have any ideas for this special day, please get in touch.
A final
plea would be for any handy person who might be able to restore a poorly Singer
hand sewing machine back to working order!
I acquired the machine from the tip in the hope of being able to teach
the children to use it, but do not have the skill to get it running again.
After a
few hitches, we are trying to use the notice board outside the village shop to
let you all know of up and coming events, and to share our successes with
you. We welcome the involvement of the
wider Berrynarbor community with the life of the school and hope that you will
join us at some of the events listed:
3rd October - Harvest Festival
8th November - Coach Trip to IKEA & Cribbs Causeway [see
separate notice]
8th December - Christingle Service followed by the Christmas
Fair
15th December - 'Senior Dudes'' Meal
18th December - Christmas Service and Giving Day
Sue Carey - Headteacher
18
Kayleigh Hinsley - Class 3: 3rd
Oliver Ivan - Class 2:
Joint 2nd
Megan Webb - Class 2: 3rd
Molly Marangone - Class 1:
1st and The Men's Institute Cup
Louis Orr - Class 1:
Joint 2nd
Ella Gibson
- Class 1: Joint 2nd
Sam Walls -
Class 1: 3rd
21
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Hello All
I
am writing this at the end of a very, very busy term.
The
children finished school last Friday and are hopefully now enjoying the
wonderful sunshine that is streaming in through the office window as I write
this. During the term we have had no
less than three inspections! Ofsted, SIAS
[church school inspection] and a full audit. All these inspections happen at short
notice, but they don't usually happen all at the same time! The Ofsted
inspection report is available on the Ofsted website
and the SIAS one is available on the National Society website.
There
is so much news to fill you in with, so I shall try not to ramble!
We
launched into the Summer Term with a 'Body Week'. The children learnt about how to keep their
bodies fit and well, what a balanced diet looks like, and with much giggling, about
what that balanced diet should look like when it comes out at the 'other end'!
Year
6 were working hard in preparation for their SATs
exams when we received a call from Ofsted saying that
they would be visiting us the following week.
After a slight panic about how we could accommodate our inspectors -
with all available space already being used for exams - and working out how I
could be released from my teaching commitment to enable me to be interviewed by
the inspectors - without the use of supply teachers - and with all our staff
already at full stretch supporting the children with the SATs,
we were able to show them just how good our school is. The inspectors were 'housed' in the church
vestry, and we are very grateful to the church members for opening up and
allowing us to use the church.
Two
days later, two auditors arrived to go through all our systems, policies and
paperwork - another arduous few days.
And then came the SIAS inspector, looking at
our 'Christian Distinctiveness'!
Of
course school life doesn't stop because of these gruelling inspections and we
all worked hard to make sure that children's learning wasn't affected by the
additional pressure we were under.
Having had a chance to
evaluate the end of term assessments, I am pleased to report that children
across the school are doing brilliantly, with most pupils meeting challenging
academic targets and many exceeding them.
Our Year 6 SATs results arrived back in school
a little later than expected, but we are delighted with the results - all of
our children achieved the levels of attainment expected nationally and many
exceeded them. Two of our Year 6 pupils
astounded us with writing which received full marks - a result never heard of
before but very well deserved.
Alongside this academic progress and success, we have continued with our
programme of extra-curricular and enrichment activities.
Year
1 and Reception children have been enjoying a 10-week course of swimming
lessons. Year 6 pupils travelled to the
Fremington Army Camp to take part in a packed afternoon of safety training,
delivered by emergency and
health care services. Class 4 took part
in a giant Ukulele orchestra at
The next
week Class 4 were off to the
Our Sports Day was blessed with
perfect weather and we had a lovely afternoon of races which was well supported
by families and friends. The PTA was
great as usual - organising equipment and shelter from the sun and then selling
cream teas to the spectators.
Class
3 spent a night under canvas at Daisy's Farm and enjoyed exploring the farm and
woods during the day and night! Year 6
took part in a sports festival in Ilfracombe and then joined Years 1 to 5 at
The Landmark Theatre for the fabulous performance by the Essex Dancers.
The
following day, Class 4 performed their show 'Joseph and His Technicolor Dreamcoat'. Year 6
were then off for another day out - this time to the Eden Project with a stop
at Pizza Hut on the way home - a treat for all their hard work.
The
last week of term saw KS1 visiting the Tunnels Beaches, play space and the
Once
again the PTA performed the minor miracle which is needed to organise such a
wonderful event which raised a huge £2,068 with the fantastic support of the
Berrynarbor community.
On
the last Wednesday of term, the children enjoyed a performance and hands-on
workshops by a group of Ugandan musicians.
Then, at the very end of term we said our tearful
goodbyes to Joe, Charlotte, Skye, Kayleigh, Sally,
Daisy, Tia, Henry, Gareth, Jack and Lewis, who we send on to secondary
education with good wishes and fond memories.
The outgoing Year 6 had the traditional BBQ and water fight where they
soaked each other and any adults crazy enough to go anywhere near the
playground. Even Mr. Newell's carefully
researched purchase of a super-size water-gun,
automated water pistol and water bomb launcher was no match for the energy and
enthusiasm of children allowed to 'get their own back'!
As
you can imagine, we are all exhausted and definitely need some summer sun to
recharge our batteries. The staff enjoyed an afternoon relaxing together and are
[hopefully] now beginning to unwind and start thinking about how we can make
2008-9 even better than this year. We
are already planning more development to further improve our English
curriculum, an e-safety week, some more camping trips
for the autumn term and an international theme week - any ideas, resources or
photos about
The
events I have summarised are just a brief snippet of some of the things we've
been up to during the last couple of months.
All this happens because of the dedication of the wonderful staff team
and the support from parents, grandparents and members of the community who
give up their time to make our little school such a special place to be. Thank you to everyone who has supported us
over the last year.
Susan Carey - Headteacher
26
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Our
SATs tests took place during the week commencing 12th
May. This is a stressful time for our
pupils and for a special treat they went to the Go Kart Centre in
On
the 10th June we shall be having a whole-school photograph taken. It's many years since the last one and we are
hoping for a nice, sunny day!
Ron
Toms kindly came in to meet Classes 2 and 3 because we had been learning all about village life,
past and present. We took photographs
and recorded his visit. We had a lovely
afternoon and the children were really interested and listened intently.
We
have this year's leavers reunion with last year's
leavers on the 11th June. They have
party food and lots of fun, and chat and share experiences about their life at
secondary school since they left Berrynarbor.
Our older children
will be going on their annual residential trip to the Exmoor Centre for a week
on the 16th June, and they are all looking forward to a week away from
school! Lots of exciting activities
planned - part of the time they will be sleeping indoors and the remainder of
the time they will be camping.
After-school
clubs are well supported. This term we
have Football [Scott Balment and Joe Ivan] until
June, and then Athletics takes over; Recorder [Maria Howell]. Guitar [Mack
Gray] and Gardening [Julia Fairchild].
Plans
are well underway for the School Fete on Tuesday, 15th July. If anyone would like to run a stall
at the fete, please contact the school office on [01217] 883493. Thank you.
The
pencil drawings of Spring Flowers are the work of pupils in Reception and Year
1.
Susan Carey - Headteacher
Elyse Richards [6]
Disnie Thornton [6]
Ella Gibson [6]
Kitty-May Barten [5]
Molly
Marangone [6]
Ellie Saxby [6]
21
NEWS FROM THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL
We
have all been enjoying the snippets of sunshine over the past few days and are
looking forward to the summer. The
children [and adults] have been working hard and the warmth did wonders in
giving us all a lift. We have had a new
window fitted in Class 3 and the sunlight is streaming in.
Both
Classes 3 and 4 have been learning about finances over the past term and have
run two separate fund raising days.
Class 4 raised money for the Dogs' Trust. A lady came in with one of the dogs and
spoke to all the classes about responsible pet ownership and how the money that
they children raised would be used.
Class 3 raised money for The Children's Liver Disease Foundation and
organised a day of yellow themed activities.
You may have seen us in the Journal.
Class 1 has enjoyed a jump rope festival at
We
celebrated Easter with our Easter Service on the Thursday. The youngest children presented work about
springtime and new life;
the oldest children retold the Easter story using drama and Class
3 considered the commercial side of Easter.
We
are eagerly awaiting the arrival of some visitors from
CAN
YOU HELP? We are keen to improve our
lunchtime activities. At the moment the
children eat their dinner and then play in the playground. If we had another adult on duty at
lunchtime, we could extend opportunities for play and recreation to other parts
of the school. We have advertised
repeatedly for Lunchtime Assistants to no avail. Do you know anyone who could work
in our School over lunchtime?
Training is available and we really are a nice bunch of people to be
with!
27
Berrynarbor VC Primary School
HEADTEACHER'S REPORT
We are pleased to welcome Anna, Zoe, Indiana, Freya and Bradley to our Reception intake for January. We should also like to welcome James to our Year 5 group. We hope they will all be happy and fulfilled during their education at our school.
Katy, our temporary Kitchen Manager, has finished her temporary position with us and we thank her for our lovely school dinners - Sarah has returned from maternity leave and we look forward to more lovely school dinners! George has now relinquished his post as temporary Caretaker and we are grateful for all his hard work, we will miss him. We say 'Hello' to William, our new Caretaker, and hope he will be happy with us.
Senior Dudes Christmas Meal - once again, this was a great success. 35 senior dudes came along for the Christmas evening. The children prepared and served the wonderful turkey dinner, with all the trimmings, and sang carols to our guests. Some memorable photos of the event are here for you to see.
Spring Term 2008 - The children all returned from their Christmas break full of excitement and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, we have been hit by the much-publicised flu virus which seems to have dragged on a bit and our numbers have been somewhat depleted. We are looking forward to some improved weather to get us all back on track again. We have received many enquiries from parents and residents within the village to
Come and help at school on a voluntary basis. All our volunteers are CRB cleared to enable them to be involved in working with children.
Years 2, 3 and 4 are embarking on their 10 sessions of swimming instruction this term and Reception and Year 1 will have their tuition during the Summer Term. Swimming is part of the curriculum and it is vital our children know how to swim living in a seaside locality.
The Fire Service will be coming in to give a safety talk to our Years 2 and 5/6. We've had lots of wet weather playtimes and the children are hoping for snow ... not something I'm sure you are wishing for!
Love from us all at Berrynarbor School.
Sue Carey - Headteacher
25
NEWS
FROM THE PRI
We are pleased to welcome Bill and Disnie to our School.
They have moved from Nuneaton and we wish them
and their families lots of happiness in
We also have two new Governors. The Governing Body works hard to support the
school and we are delighted to welcome Mrs. Linda Balment
as Community Governor and Mrs. Sian Barten as Parent
Governor.
Operation Christmas Child We have received a lovely selection of
filled and wrapped shoe boxes to bring hope and a smile to some of the world's
poorest children. These have now been
delivered to a centre in
Children In Need On Children in Need day, pupils and staff
all went to school in their pyjamas! To raise money, they made a trail of 1p and
2p pieces and cooked Pudsey Bear biscuits. Photos were taken throughout the day and a
sum of £78.21p was raised.
Christingle We shall be holding our Christingle in the
Church at 9.15 a.m. on
Monday, 10th December. This is a
magical time and everyone is welcome to come and join us. The service will last approximately 30
minutes.
'Senior Dudes' Christmas Evening
Dinner Children from our Years 5
and 6 will be cooking this special dinner on Thursday, 13th December, for the
Senior Citizens of Berrynarbor. It
starts at
School End of Term Christmas Service Our end of term service will take place in the
Church on Monday, 17th December at
We break up for Christmas on Wednesday,
19th December and return to school on
Hockey Mrs. Lucas is very keen to teach hockey to
our oldest children. Unfortunately, we
do not have enough suitable hockey sticks.
If anyone has any unwanted hockey sticks that they feel able to lend or
donate, we should love to hear from you.
On
behalf of the Pupils, Staff and Governors,
we should like to
wish you all a Very Happy Christmas and
Prosperous New Year. Thank you for all the support which
the village offers
to the School throughout the year.
Susan Carey - Headteacher
34
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
It's
great to be back at the beginning of a new academic year. We are working to a new timetable this term
and have lots of exciting and inspiring projects and activities planned. The children have settled back into school
well and Year 2 is enjoying their new classroom.
Nine
of our Year 6 pupils have moved on to secondary education. We are pleased to welcome six new pupils in
to our Reception Class, three more are due to start after Christmas. We have one place available in our Reception
group, one in Year 5 and one in Year 1.
Could you please convey this information to anyone you may know who is
looking for a place for their child.
Driving
and parking in
A
very big thank you for the wonderful support at our School Fayre in July. £1,880 was raised towards school funds.
We
shall be holding our Harvest Festival on the 26th September at Moules Farm,
Castle Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Dave Richards
have very kindly given permission for us to hold it in their field, but if the
weather is not good, we shall use their barn.
We shall be supporting the Drop-In Centre for the Homeless in
I
was delighted to be invited to present the prizes at the Horticultural Show at
the beginning of September. Such
wonderful support and an exceedingly high standard of entries. Our children enjoyed preparing their entries
and we were excited at how well we did in the prize and trophy stakes! These events take a lot of planning and
organising and Berrynarbor is very lucky to have such a wonderful team
dedicated to making the Show such a success.
Mrs.
Lucas will be holding the Evening Dinner in December for the Berrynarbor Senior
Citizens. Please keep a look out for
details which will be available in the Community Shop.
Another
big thank you, for all the Tesco Computers for Schools vouchers which were
dropped in to the Community Shop for us.
We have collected 10,890 this year, which is a great achievement for a
small school like ours and have carried these forward to next year's scheme -
we now have a total of 17,911 including last year's vouchers.
Susan Carey - Headteacher
Berrynarbor
VC Primary School [01271] 883493.
28
NEWS
FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Phew!
It seems like only yesterday that I was writing for the village news and
a whole half term has nearly whizzed by already. Once again it has been a busy time for the
children and staff here at Berrynarbor VC Primary School.
We are all very proud to announce that
our Year 6 children all did brilliantly in their recent national tests. All of them achieved the nationally
expected level of attainment [level 4] in Mathematics, English and Science and
many achieved level 5's. These super
results reflect the hard work and commitment of all of the pupils and their
families. I know the children would like
me to thank Mrs. Lucas in particular for her help and support - she really is
one in a million!
But of course
we don't just teach children English, Maths and Science at Berrynarbor VC. I think some classes have been learning away
from the classroom more than they have been in it this term [and have got wet
on more days than they have stayed dry!].
Year 6 have been to the area Life Skills event
where they learnt about keeping themselves and others safe. They were taught by experts from the police,
health service, fire service, St John Ambulance and coast guard who packed a
huge amount of information into just two hours.
A few weeks later Years 5 and 6 were off again, this time to Oceanfest
where they spent an active day on the beach.
The children
were
really impressed with the air show and must have enjoyed the sand because they
bought most of the beach back with them to spread around school!
Class 3's classroom was transformed into
a one-night-only Berrynarbor Bistro and the children in Years 5 and 6 served
their parents a delicious three course meal which they had all helped to
prepare and cook. The children waited at
the tables dressed smarty in black and white with bow ties for the boys. We all had a brilliant night and we were once
again very proud of the children.
Last week Year 6 undertook cycle
training. Mrs Draper, one of our
parents, supported by another parent and Chair of Governors, Katie Simpson,
taught the children who all passed.
Classes
1 and 2 have both enjoyed a day at
33 children from KS2 came to school one
weekend to raise money for Child Line.
They took part in the Giant Sleep Over and brought their sleeping bags
to school to spend the night sleeping [eventually ?!]
on the classroom floor. They had such
fun that night that when Mrs Hodder came into cook us
breakfast early on Sunday morning, she couldn't get in as
we
were all still fast asleep! Thankfully,
she enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the village and came back later to
cook us a tasty breakfast.
A team of children from Class 2 entered
the West Down 5-a-side football tournament at the end of June. They had trained hard and did very well on
the day. They played against some much
bigger children but showed great resilience and a fabulous sporting
attitude. The team was coached by one of
our dads - Mr Scott Balment - who continues to
voluntarily coach the children in a variety of sporting disciplines.
Our Sports Day finally happened
following two cancellations due to inclement weather. All the children took part in at least one of
the 36 events. Our PTA worked as
diligently as ever to erect shelters for the classes and provide refreshments
for the supporters and Mrs Balment and Mrs Barton
organised medals and certificates for the children. The morning was enjoyed by all and it was great
to see so many people supporting the children in their sporting efforts.
The whole school visited the Landmark
Theatre to watch the Essex Dancers. A
vibrant and energetic 45 minutes later we were all inspired by what can be
achieved when children work together. A
few days later our Class 3 children were performing themselves in a musical
show - The Sound of Music.
The children have worked with an artist
to create a second outdoor sculpture.
They worked collaboratively to produce a multicoloured
turtle which now looks very much at home hanging on the wall outside Class 2 -
please come and have a look.
Perfect weather made our School Fayre
another great success. Lots of friends
and families turned out to peruse the many stalls, take their chance on the
games and raffles and help our hard working PTA to raise an impressive £1879.56
[gross]. Our PTA has kindly agreed to
use the funds to help us upgrade our ICT
facilities. A very big thank you from us
all to the dedicated team of organisers for their hard work, to the many
businesses and individuals who contributed prizes and items for sale and to
everyone who came along and spent their money!
We are hoping to continue to offer a
rich variety of learning experiences to our children and are moving to topic
based learning in the afternoons next year.
This learning can be greatly enriched by the children seeing real things
and meeting a variety of people. If you
have suggestions of how we can develop the curriculum or if you have skills or
memories that you would like to share with the children we should love to hear
from you. In particular we are on the
hunt for wooded areas near to school that we could use to extend our Forest
Schools programme to the younger children.
As the end of the term draws near we
wish farewell and good luck to our Year 6's as they move on to secondary
education. We are confident that they
will do well and look forward to hearing about their exciting new
grown-up
lives when they come back to visit us.
Ella, Henry, George, Anna, Shayna, Alex,
Gemma, Robbie and Sarah - you will be missed by us all and we wish you every
success in your futures.
And a final note to say thank you to all
the parents and members of the community who have done so much to support the
children and staff this year. I have
been here for nearly a whole term now and really feel that Berrynarbor VC
Primary is a very special place to be.
Sue
Carey - Headteacher
19
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Hello, my name is Susan Carey and I am
the new Head Teacher at Berrynarbor VC Primary School.
I arrived after Easter and already feel very at home in our wonderful
village school. I have been made to
feel very welcome by the children and their parents and am being well supported
by the committed team of staff and governors.
Children, parents, staff and school
governors joined together to bid farewell to Mrs. Crutchfield at the end of the
Spring Term - the children sang and presented her with gifts and flowers. We all wish her well in her new position as
Head Teacher at
We have had a very busy start to the
Summer Term. We made the best of the
good weather and have started a range of after-school clubs. The children thoroughly enjoy these
opportunities to pursue their interests in a range of hobbies including
recorders, football, choir, netball and guitar. Clubs are run by members of staff or parents
who give up their time for the benefit of the children. Lee Barrow [coach and scout for Plymouth
Argyll] will be running after-school training for six weeks later in the term
and children are already enthusiastically signing up.
Parent Mrs. Fairchild has been visiting
us weekly to work with groups of children from Classes 1 and 2 in the
garden. They have been tidying planters
and sowing seeds. The children look
forward eagerly to 'their turn' at gardening and we thank Mrs. Fairchild for
her continued support. Class 1 are learning about how things grow this term and the
children have created some pictures for you to enjoy.
A Bean Growing in
a Jar
 Miles Rees, Year 1 [6] |
 Jak Daglish, Reception [5] |
|
 Caitlin Burgess, Year 1 [6] |
 Ellie Saxby, Year 1 [5] |
Class
3 have been working with Mr. McMannus to learn to
play tag rugby and Class 2 have been swimming each
week. I have been impressed by the
children's confidence and ability in the water - such an important skill in
this coastal region. Class 3 will start
swimming again after the half term break.
The
oldest children have been preparing for their end of key stage tests [SATs]
which they sat this week. As I write
the children are returning from the beach - a treat for all their hard work. We are very proud of the responsible
attitude that the children have shown towards these tests. They have studied hard and I am sure will
obtain results to be proud of.
We
have been experimenting with our ten new keyboards which were purchased for us
by our hard working PTA. The Combe
Martin Carnival Committee have kindly donated £150 to the school which we shall
use to purchase some head phones so that the
children are able to use the keyboards more regularly - the acoustics in our
beautiful old build are good but unfortunately the sound insulation between
classrooms wasn't designed for our very
creative children!
Years
5 and 6 will be travelling to
The PTA are already planning our Summer Fete which will be held during the evening of
17th July. I have heard that it is an
event not to be missed and I am looking forward to meeting members of the
Berrynarbor community. We are also
planning an afternoon of sports to be held on the Parish field on Thursday,
28th June [or Friday, 6th July if the weather doesn't hold]. The PTA are organising refreshments and we
are hoping that our young athletes will be well supported by family and friends
of the school. The money raised by the
PTA will help to fund the upgrading of our ICT facilities.
As a school we are at the beginning
stages of planning strategic developments for the next three years. We feel very strongly that our role is to
prepare the children for their future so that they are able to take their place
in the community as responsible citizens.
To that end we shall be considering how we deliver the curriculum to our
children and would welcome the support and involvement of the village
community. If you have any suggestions,
skills or expertise or if you would like to know more about what we are doing,
we'd love to hear from you.
Susan Carey -
Head Teacher
16
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We
have had a busy Spring Term and survived the seasonal colds and bugs as well as
inclement weather.
Firstly,
the staff and children at the school would like to extend a very big thank you
to our wonderful Friends of Berrynarbor School who continue to offer
exceptional support to the school.
Through fundraising events we have been provided with 10 keyboards to
enhance music lessons [with headphones, I hasten to add!]. We have also received the gift of a
whole-class set of waterproofs for all of our adventures in the
We
have received an award for providing children with an active and health
focussed curriculum - The P.E.D.P.A.S.S. Award. This award also provided new playtime
equipment worth £150 to encourage active playtimes. So, well done to all our staff for offering
such a rich and varied programme of learning indoors and out.
In
January and February, Class 2 wrote and created a class play based on a West
African traditional story - The Leopard's Drum. The story tells how the tortoise may have
earned his tough, hard shell. We
visited
Reuben Noall, Year 2
Oliver Ivan, Year 2
Callum Rudd, Age 7
Macy Ivan, Year 2
Caolan Darch, Age 8
Lastly,
I should like to say a fond farewell to you all. I am due to become the new Head Teacher at
Mrs.
Susan Carey has been appointed as the new Head Teacher and I wish her, the
school and the community the very best for the future.
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield - Head Teacher
Karen, may we in turn thank you for the wonderful care you
have taken of our school over the last four years - you will be missed. However, we wish you well in your new post
at Braunton and look forward to welcoming Susan Carey at the start of the
Summer Term.
8
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The
end of the Autumn Term was as exciting and eventful as usual at
Class
1 had a special visit to
Our
Christmas Fayre was well attended and thank you to everyone in the village who
supported us by coming along and donating items for sale.
Our
annual Christingle workshop and service in the church was again a very special
event, especially when we light the candles and turn out the lights - there is
a wonderful hush and all you can see are little faces lit by candlelight in
quiet reflection. Once again, our
Christmas Service was also a great hit with the children's musical input, art
work, singing, drama and prayers.
Great
thanks to the Friends of Berrynarbor who again put on a Christmas Tea on the
last day of term in the Manor Hall, and a special visitor came to visit as
well. We played some party games and
the children had a great time.
Continuing
our whole-school focus on developing musical skills, we invited two groups to
work with the children and staff during last term. Junk Band came along to develop a
performance for parents using old discarded oil containers and beaters made
from tennis balls, as well as pots and pans and large sections of water mains
pipes! We also invited a music tutor
from a group called Drum Crazy who specialise in teaching children songs and
drumming skills from
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield [Head Teacher]
The
Friends of Berrynarbor School held a Dance in the Barn at Sloley Farm just
before Christmas with music provided by The Parcel of Rogues. A successful, but chilly, evening, enjoyed
by all, which raised some £250 to be given to The Children's Liver Foundation
and the School's Music Fund. A big
thank you to everyone who attended.
Class
3 spent last term working in small groups with a specialist Art Teacher, kindly
seconded by
Whole Group Collage
Artist: Anna
Bowden
Artist: Robbie
Reynolds
Artist: Bethan Gamble
17
BERRYNARBOR
SCHOOL
Berrynarbor
School Forest Schools : An exciting term
for Year 5 who have just completed an eight week course based in the woods in
the Sterridge Valley, by courtesy of John and Fenella Boxall. We had funded training from South West
Forests and this gave us the opportunity to trial a new initiative. The course which the children followed was
structured and planned carefully to enable them to learn new skills gradually,
safely and successfully. These skills
included: woodcraft using specialist
tools, woodland awareness, species identification and a whole variety of games
and activities to encourage team work.
At the end of the course the children invited their parents to come and
join in and to have a cook-out. The feedback from children, staff and parents
was very positive. We have three
members of staff now qualified as Level l Forest School Assistants, after a
three day training course at Bicton College. Our next steps will include training a member
of staff to become a Level 3 Forest School Instructor and to work as a staff
team to plan further opportunities out in the woods.
The
Christmas Church Service: Monday 11th
December at 2.15p.m. The collection
will be for the R.N.L.I. Everyone
welcome.
Road
Safety in Berrynarbor Village: The
Parish Council have commissioned a group of 72 local artists (the children at
our school!) to design signs asking visitors to slow down when driving along
the narrow lanes. The Parish Council
will judge the winning entries and these will be made into proper signs. The competition hasn't closed yet but here
are a few of the children's ideas.
Have
a restful and enjoyable Christmas and best wishes from everyone at the school.
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield [Head Teacher]
CaitlinBurgess,
Year 1
Connor Balment,
Year 2
Miles Rees, Year 1
Ella Gibson, Reception
8
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL
Our
new academic year has got off to an excellent start with eager and happy
learners ready for another exciting term.
We
have improved storage inside the school over the summer to give children more
space in their classrooms. Our
playground is now complete and this also offers more space for children to work
and play.
We
have our usual Christian celebrations this term, including Harvest Festival and
Christmas events to look forward to.
Mr. Fletcher and his team have already entertained us and supported our
worship programme with their engaging puppet shows in the church. We look forward to further visits from this
local group.
Another
exciting local connection is a new initiative we are trialling called 'Forest
Schools' with South West Forests. This
is a cross-curricular programme of outdoor learning based in local
woodlands. John and Fenella Boxall are
kindly allowing us to use their woodlands in the Sterridge Valley for this
venture and Fenella is also volunteering an afternoon a week to come and join
in with these activities with the children.
Year 5 pupils are following an eight-week programme of learning in the
woods this term.
We hope to send all our staff and volunteers on training courses if this
trial programme proves worthwhile and beneficial to learning. We'll let you know how this goes and our
great thanks to Fenella and John. Each year we ask the children what they
think of their school. Here are some of
their thoughts.
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield
[Head
Teacher]
 George Howarth - Year 2 |
 Robbie Reynolds - Year 6 |
 Kelsey Culley - Year 3 |
 Ella Fairchild - Year 6 |
 Charlotte Cornish - Year 5 |
|
10
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Summer Term 2006
We
have achieved two major awards this term after a lot of work and effort from
everyone at the school.
Healthy
Schools Award
After
extensive work in developing Personal, Health and Social Education at the
school we have had various official visits to see that all the correct working
practices are in place. In early July
two members of staff and two Class 3 pupils attended an official ceremony at
the Barnstaple Hotel.
Schools
Travel Plan Award
In
the last year we have been focussing on road safety and issues to do with how
families choose to travel to school. We have looked at large maps with the
School Eco-School Committee to see where families at the school live. Then we
considered the danger points for children living in this village. We have
worked closely with the Parish Council on highways issues e.g. children
designing 'slow down' posters for the village. The children have designed road
safety posters and we've asked parents if they'd like to join a car-share
scheme. We operate a small walking bus to the car park already and this is used
by three or four families. Dropping off and picking up children can be
hazardous times for children's safety and we work with our Community Police
Officers to tackle this problem. For completing an Action Plan and committing
ourselves to this work, we have received a new Digital Camera and £4170 which
will go towards outdoor facilities to develop cycling skills for our youngest
children.
Our
school grounds have really improved in the last year. Great thanks go to the Friends of Berrynarbor for raising money
for a greenhouse and plants. Mrs.
Fairchild, a parent at the school, teaches children about planting and she has
made our gardens a really wonderful learning resource. Mr. Howell, a grandparent at the school,
visits regularly to tidy up the borders and keep the gardens looking
wonderful. The Berry in Bloom team
continue to support our work in school with seeds, new plants and help. What fantastic support! We recently worked with a local artist,
Karen Hawkins, to create new outdoor sculptures too. We have also built a new fitness trail, shelter area and ball
/climbing wall.
Just
before we broke up, Friends of the School held the annual Summer Fete. A lovely hot and sunny evening, the event
was a great success raising, before expenses, the grand total of £2,264. A big thank you to everyone involved - the
organisers and the parents and villagers for your support.
Mrs.
Karen Crutchfield - Head Teacher
Here
are some photographs of our new outdoor learning spaces.
Our Fruit and Vegetable Garden
Our Outdoor Classroom
Our new Pond
18
The
Summer Term is proving to be another busy term for the school.
SATs
are over, reports out and now the children and teachers can relax a little with
summer activities including trips, Ilfracombe Victorian Week celebrations,
sports days, etc.
We
are in the process of having an outside classroom built which we hope to have
finished by Half Term. We are also
making good use of our greenhouse area - children growing fruit and vegetables
that will hopefully be edible before the end of term.
Thank
you again for the continued support of the Berrynarbor community - collecting
Sainsbury and Tesco vouchers - giving book tokens for our library - coming in
to school to hear readers - sharing expertise to enhance the curriculum. All help is welcome and gratefully received.
Thank
you one and all.
Mary-Jane Newell - Acting Headteacher
Class 3 having been writing a type
of poetry called 'Kennings'. Can you
guess what the poems are about?
|
1 Grass
eater fast
runner hard
breather nose flairer angry
kicker greedy
muncher silky
tail flowing
mane soft
toucher smooth
fur foot
stamper Olivia Needham (11) 4 great
glider mouse
muncher golden
feathers super
swooper great
hunter Danny Ellis-Fuller (10) |
2 Round
ear listener. Pint
nose sniffler. Tickly
feet scurryer Round
pipe hider. Water
bottle licker. Sawdust
nicker. In
hutch sleep time. Out in
day time. Dandelion
eater Couldn't
be sweeter.
|
3 Sometimes
annoying mostly
enjoying often
crashes game
player information
bringer sometimes
singer Kyle Chivers (11) 5 Slow
mover, Race
winner, House
carrier, Lettuce
eater, Shy
creature Lonely
preacher Winter
sleeper Garden
stroller William Cornish (10) |
|
|
You
guessed!
1.
Horse 2.
16
NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL
This term Class 1 have been thinking about safety and how to look after themselves. They have carried out surveys around the school site, looking for possible dangers and places to be extra careful. They have found out about Road Safety, with a Road Safety visitor from Devon County Council, using our wheeled toys and playground road set.
They have a fire engine in the role-play area and last week had an exciting visit to Chivenor Air Base and Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station.
Here is some of their work:
Karen Crutchfield - Head Teacher
15
NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL
On behalf of everyone at the School, may we wish you all a Happy New Year.
The end of last term was very busy as usual. In November all the children took part in a competition, to design a money box, in partnership with our neighbours at the Community Shop. Reuben in Class 1, Lewis in Class 2 and William in Class 3 were the overall winners, and they received Art and Craft prizes kindly donated by the Shop.
On 28th November we held our annual workshop and service for Christingle in the Church. Reverend Wyer and other friends in the village joined children, staff and parents to make our own Christingles, followed by a candle-lit moment of contemplation and prayer.
We invited the Working Space Theatre Company to the Manor Hall on the 30th November to provide an enjoyable production of A Christmas Carol. The children and parents really enjoyed this event, which was well matched to the age of the children.
It was lovely to have the space to hold our Christmas Fayre in the school building this year on the 5th December. Thank you to The Friends of Berrynarbor School for again organising this.
On 7th December I took all 15 of the Year 6 pupils to Bratton Fleming to help plant trees in a new Community Woodland - a Woodland Trust initiative involving lots of local schools. We planted 50 hazel trees in one morning! The children worked extremely hard and listened to the leaders carefully. I was very proud of our oldest pupils for their sensible attitude.
Our Christmas Service was written and prepared by the children. This gave us an excellent opportunity to consider the meaning of the Christmas story. Class 1 acted out the Nativity scene, Class 2 had to imagine how the shepherds might have felt and Class 3 told the story of the Three Kings. They sang really well, too, with musical accompaniment from our guitar, saxophone and clarinet players.
We finished our term with a wonderful Christmas Dinner, our Class 1 Play and a special visitor bearing gifts on the last day. Mrs. Lucas and Year 5 and Year 6 pupils provided a spectacular Christmas Dinner Party for our Senior Citizen friends in the village.
Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, holidaymakers who have stayed for many years in the village, for their donation towards our new Library. Any further donations for books would be very welcome!
Karen Crutchfield - Head Teacher
The Shoe Box Appeal
Shepherds and Kings at the Nativity Play
Pensioners' Party! Waiters and diners at the Christmas Dinner
15
BERRYNARBOR PRIMARY SCHOOL
We have had a very busy term of learning together.
The children have had various sporting adventures including an Orienteering day in Ilfracombe for our oldest pupils, an eight week Football coaching course for 6 to 11 year olds with a Plymouth Argyle Coach, Netball coaching from Fenella Boxall who has kindly volunteered to share her skills, Dance for Class 1 and clubs run at lunchtime by our older pupils.
Talking of clubs, we really do have a thriving range of opportunities on offer here! Parent volunteers, Staff, Friends from the village and older children all give their time to share their expertise with commitment. We have: Guitar, Saxophone, Pottery, Sewing, Christmas Crafts, Art, a Year 6 Magazine Group, Football, Netball, Lunchtime Sports, Eco-Club, School Council, Story Time, Library Club and Cookery. We are very lucky and thank all those who are happy to give up their time to help, including our older pupils. Every class swims for a term each year, as well as our other weekly Physical Education lessons.
As a school we aim to develop Citizenship and encourage the children to use their initiative to this end. The School Council and Class 3 organise regular fund raising events for the regular charity that we support, Amigos Orphanage in Uganda. This term we are also supporting Child Line and our children are organising a 'line of pennies' this week to raise much needed funds. Our Senior Citizens Dinner, on Thursday 15th December, encourages children to give their time to offer a special evening for our friends in the village. We also have an Eco-Club; the members are particularly interested in raising awareness about the environment. We support our village shop and worked with our friends in the shop this term to plan a Christmas Money Box competition.
Our new Library : We have a lovely new Library at the school and would like to ask our friends in the village if you would be able to offer us a Christmas book token to help us resource it? We will inscribe your name in the books we purchase as a lasting reminder. Thank you.
We have enjoyed various educational trips this term, including a Class 3 visit, in costume, to a Victorian School in Appledore.
Seasons Greetings from everyone at the School!
Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
18
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL
We'd first like to thank our neighbours and visitors to the shop for their patience during the building work at the school. Our new build is now complete and we are enjoying the extra space that has been created.
We have a new entrance, two offices, a staff room, a library, caretaker's room, a kiln room, storage cupboards and improved ICT facilities. We hope to announce an official opening date shortly.
This year we hope to improve our outdoor spaces further to maximise their use for learning. If any local residents would like to offer a donation to help us buy books for our new library, we should be most grateful.
Our Harvest Festival was held in the church on Thursday, 22nd September when produce was sold afterwards in aid of Amigos Orphanage in Uganda.
Please keep an eye open at the village shop for details of our Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner this year.
Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
26
BERRYNARBOR SCHOOL
As I mentioned in the last Newsletter, we are still nearing completion of our new school building. What we lack now are the finishing touches - we await the arrival of our library shelves and curtains, etc.
This term seems to have been a busy one - we enjoyed our trips to Bicclescombe Park and Rosemoor - both days were sunny. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our Sports Day which was rained off at first, but we managed to squeeze one in two days before the end of term. We have also had two dance opportunities - Essex Dance and Lindy Hoppers, the Small School Sports, Teddy Bears' Picnic with the Pre-School and a visit to Killarney Springs for the year 6's.
We had a very moving Leavers' Service in the church, then a lively waterfight and barbeque - traditional activities for our Year 6 pupils. We wish them all the best in the next stage of their education.
We must also mention our very successful School Fete run by the Friends of Berrynarbor School. It was a glorious evening with many stalls, live music, Barbeque, etc. Many thanks must go to parents and friends who helped raise about £2,000 for the school.
Now we all look forward to our summer break, the return of our Head, Karen Crutchfield, and hopefully to a fully finished/furnished new extension.
Mary-Jane Newell [Acting Headteacher]
Class 3 put on a production of 'Oliver' for their parents and friends on the last Monday of term. It was well supported and thoroughly enjoyed by all. We really need to say a big thank you to Mrs. Lucas for all her hard work and everyone else who helped. Thank you.
Sue Sussex - Governor
SELF PORTRAITS BY CLASS 3
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12
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
This term we have seen the near completion of the new school building. It has given us two new offices, a library, an entrance area and a staff room. We have also had several areas of the school updated, e.g. the heating system. It has been an upheaval but a very necessary one. I must thank all the people of the village who were patient with us when things were being delivered to the school, also to those people who suffered when the security lights went on and didn't go off! When the school is finally completed, we shall put a notice in the Post Office to invite everyone to see it for themselves.
As mentioned earlier, we have a new library in school and so we should like to make a plea for new books. If anyone would like to buy a book for the library we should be very grateful. As we have to be sure that any book fits in with our needs, please come in to school and donate a sum of money and choose from a range of books, or ring us on 883493 and we can arrange it for you. Any donations would be very welcome as we get the money for the build but not enough for all the extras!
This term we are going on two whole-school trips - one to Rosemoor Gardens, to fit in with this term's Science , and the other to Bicclescombe Park for a Victorian day out.
The children's pictures this time result from a visit to Berrynarbor Church by Class 2. The Rector gave them a tour and told them all about the building as part of their Religious Education curriculum. The resulting pictures are very impressive.
Karen Crutchfield, our Headteacher, is on maternity leave and has just given birth to a 9lb 12oz girl! We all send her our good wishes.
Don't forget our School Fete on Tuesday, 12th July.
Mary-Jane Newell - Acting Headteacher
May we, too, take this opportunity to congratulate Karen and her husband on the birth of their daughter. Our congratulations as well to Mary-Jane who has taken over as Acting Headteacher.
An Evening with the Parcel of Rogues organised by the Friends of the School on Friday, 20th May, was a great success. It was very well supported, particularly by parents and pupils, who had a great time. The energy and enthusiasm of the band was catching, with everyone, especially the children, joining in. £370 was raised which will go towards an interactive white board.
Gardening Club
With Chelsea in mind, 16 youngsters at our Primary School, under the guidance of Sarah Darch and Julia Fairchild, are setting up a new Gardening Club.
Wanted!
They are looking for donations to help them and plants, pots, compost, gardening tools, etc., would be very much appreciated. Rubble, too, would be welcome! In order to make a base for a small greenhouse, rubble is required to fill in a rather large pond.
If you can help in any way, please ring Sarah [882026] or Julia [882783] or take items to the school between 9.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m.
Skye [Age 8]
Charlotte [Age 8]
14
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Class 1 created a very impressive Nativity Play for their parents in December, singing solo, dancing and speaking clearly. Thank you to
Mrs. Newell and Mrs. Fry. Our Christmas Bazaar was well attended and thank you to all who came along. The Friends of Berrynarbor School worked hard on our behalf last term, so many thanks to them as always.
This term we have an exciting programme ahead of us. Next week we shall be spending a day at Exeter Cathedral with other Devon schools. We have two drama groups booked to come to school to stimulate ideas for writing. Class 1 are swimming every week and are really enjoying this opportunity. The Building Project is running very smoothly and we find the company carrying out the work very helpful and considerate of our needs. We have worked closely with our builders to develop safety awareness, considering the dangers on building sites. The children have drawn posters and the contractors have given prizes to us for this.
Charlotte, Year 3
Kyle, Year 5
We apologise to local residents for the Fire Brigade callouts over the Christmas holiday. The contractors have taken full responsibility for this. As a school we have a contract with Barum Security who are automatically called out when the alarm goes off. Can I please ask that the School Administrator, Mrs. Jordan, is not called during school holidays by residents of the village as she is only employed at the school during term time. If anyone needs a school contact number, please contact the school, we'll listen to your needs and ask the Caretaker to ring you.
Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
14
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We had a very busy start to the Autumn Term, and Year 5 and Year 6 pupils had a very enjoyable Educational Residential Trip to Bude in September.
Class 3 Recount their Bude Residential Activity Week
Getting ready for the disco. I was so excited! My thumb was banged but I didn't care. I wanted to dance [even though it was throbbing like made]. I put all my make-up on and we left for the disco. I had asked Zippy [Graham] to dance and play with me and he went round saying 'I've got a date for the disco' and pointing at me. Jemma
The first activity on Wednesday morning was the Blind Trail. We had to put old clothes on and clothes we didn't mind getting dirty. We went to the Archery field and put our goggles on, they were wrapped up in black tape so we couldn't see anything. Everyone had to hold on to the rope in single file and had to crawl under bushes and slide in mud. Because I was in front I didn't know what was coming but the people behind me knew because the person in front had already done it. After crawling through freezing cold dirty water and rolling in mud, we could take our goggles off. I found myself covered in mud from head to toe. That was the most exciting thing I had ever done! Harriet
On Friday, our caravan got up at about half past seven. We all changed into our clothes and had breakfast. Fifteen minutes later we walked up the hill towards the Archery field. Amber, our group leader, taught us how to put the arrow on the bow. The bow wasn't heavy or hard. We had a competition to see who got the most points. On the last arrow of my first round I scored 4. Harry got 2 gold and a red, his score was 12. I came fourth and Harry came second. The final event, we had to see what we could eat with. Blue was for a spoon, red was for a fork and gold was for a knife. Harry and I only got a spoon, he didn't eat that night because he was sick, but I did.
William
I was shivering when we were going to do the blind trail. Alexis told us to put some muddy gooey goggles on. When we got there he told us to like down in the cold squishy smelly mud. I felt like an army man. On the walk he used water pistols and poured freezing cold water over me. I stopped breathing for a second. We went over some lumpy wood and down a hill. Alexis told us to lie down in the water, which came up to our knees.
Charles
We have had a whole range of events in which to take part. An Orienteering Day in Woolacombe, our own Sponsored Walk on the beach, a trip to Lynton as part of a topic on Rivers and a lovely Harvest Festival. We borrowed a whole range of musical instruments for a week to gauge interest in our pupils, lots of new after-school clubs, a disco run by the Friends of Berrynarbor School, Class 3 Dinner for their Parents, and much more!
Our Christmas Festivities: We are looking forward to welcoming local residents and friends to our Christmas Bazaar on Friday, 26th November. We should like to invite you all to our Christmas Carol Service in St. Peter's Church on Thursday, 16th December, at 2.30 p.m. Last Christmas we were able to offer a Christmas Dinner for Senior Citizens. We shall continue this tradition but it will be a biennial event, so we hope to welcome all our friends again next year.
We have a whole range of events for our pupils including a Christingle Morning with a Service, Christmas Dinner, Class 1 Christmas Play and lots of good cheer [and hard work!].
The date keeps changing for the start of the work on our new build. This has nothing to do with the school and we pray for a start before Christmas! Please take care when driving past the school during the school day.
Karen Crutchfield - Head Teacher
Bude Action and Adventure Week
I have been asked to give an account of this brilliant week, where in just five days so much was learnt and both children and adults had so much fun.
We were taught and participated in orienteering, kite making, fencing and parachute games. Here are my accounts of some of the more memorable activities.
The Mud Trail - This involved all the children, Mrs. Lucas and Mr. Newell returning completely covered in mud after having to crawl on their stomachs under fences and bushes, etc. Having arrived after they had all started, I was very disappointed at not being able to take part - not really!
Canoeing - It was a very cold day and we all had extra warm clothes on, including a life jacket. We were divided into five canoes and I was with four boys and an instructor. We had a great time racing along the Bude canal to the lock gates and back. As we were winning, the boys were told they could stand up while we continued rowing. This was a mistake! The boat tipped over and the six of us ended up in the water. I grabbed Sean and floating on my back holding on to him, while the others were pulled back on board. I was towed to the side and told to climb out. I have never laughed so much in my life! The children thought it was great fun as they tried to rescue my hat and gloves, whilst taking great delight in telling me I still had my glasses on!
Surfing - Having had enough of getting wet for one day, I decided to be a spectator for this one and sat it out. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but found it very cold.
I had a great time with the kids, but no one told me I should be doing this when I was asked to become a school governor!
Sue Sussex.
16
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Well, here we go, another new school year!
During the summer break our playground was re-surfaced and enlarged, thanks to the BBC donation of £700, Friends of Berrynarbor fundraising and a Government grant. We raised £10,000 in total to complete the work. The playground is fabulous! We have about double the space and can now spread out at playtimes and have proper PE lessons. Our sports clubs will also benefit. Alongside this good news, we have also been awarded the Activemark award from Sport England for aiming to be a fit and healthy school. The assessors thought we were doing very well with quite difficult facilities for sport.
This week [20th September], Class 3 has left us for a week for an Off Site Educational Residential Trip to Bude for a multi-activity adventure experience and we have a Harvest Festival in the church on 29th September. This term we are hoping to start some music lessons. Is anyone in the village a qualified music teacher who could offer paid musical instrument lessons? We would require full police checks for anyone who could help and space in the school to work one-to-one or with small groups. Please give us a ring if you can help.
The major part of the building work is set to begin during the half-term break, Thursday, 21st October. We are really looking forward to having a staff room, ICT suite, storage space, front entrance, library and two offices, and hope the village can support the minor disruptions that may occur.
FRIDAY 26TH NOVEMBER, 2.30 P.M. CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
IN THE MANOR HALL - ALL WELCOME
Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
The Athens Olympics 2004
George, Year 2
Swimming
Daisy, Year 1
19
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
What a busy term for all of us! The older children have a class show of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the end of term. All the children have had swimming tuition at llfracombe Pool this term.
The children raised £517 toward our new playground from an Activity Evening in May. The work to resurface and enlarge the tarmac area will proceed this summer.
Celebration time! Keep an eye on the local press for details of our excellent SAT's results this year. We Shall also be in the press in September for achieving our 'Active Mark' award from the Sports Council. In May, we entered a national poetry competition. 67,000 children entered. 19 of our children will have their work published in a poetry anthology! We also had five runners up.
Wish us luck with our new building plans. We hope major work will begin in the autumn and that the local community and our neighbours are not inconvenienced in any way. Please let me know if you have any difficulties.
Poetry Samples:
"THE SEA"
The sea is smooth,
The sea is big,
The sea is wide.
The sea is blue,
The sea is green,
The sea is big,
The sea is wide.
I stand in the sea,
It's as cold as ice.
I ran back out,
f ran back in,
I dare to swim,
I promise I will.
The sea is big,
The sea is wide.
The fishes swim,
They're scared of you,
If you try to catch them,
They scutter away.
The sea is big,
The sea is wide.
The sea is loud,
The sea is clear.
There's more sea than land,
Land around you,
Sea around you,
Sea round you.
The sea is big,
The sea is wide.
Gracie [age 10]
"WEED"
With you there I have no rest.
I want to dig you out,
So I can plant my seed.
I look after my plant
Day after Day,
So get out of the way.
If you don't get out of my way,
I will kill you with a deadly spray.
Ross [age 9]
P.S. Are there any music teachers living locally who could offer afterschool classes to our pupils? Please get in touch if you are interested. I am sure that parents would pay for tuition if it were available. The school could rent a room for this purpose.
Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
27
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
To celebrate the School's recent Ofsted success, we thought you might like to read some extracts from the report [the full report is available on the OFSTED website.]
"This is a good school, still improving but already achieving high standards and developing real strengths in provision. It provides good value for money and is making much better use of its resources than it did in the past.
The school has made a very good improvement in the quality of education it provides thanks to the efforts of the new management team and staff. Serious weaknesses identified during the last inspection have been successfully dealt with.
Overall achievement is good. Children in their foundation year are achieving very weii and almost ail will reach the goals children are expected to reach well before the end of reception. Overall standards in Year 2 are average with pupils making good progress in Years 1 and 2. Pupils in Years 3 and 6 are achieving well in literacy, mathematics and science, and standards in Year 6 are well above average. The much better use of resources is seeing very good gains being made in ICT with above average attainment among younger pupils, but older pupils are still catching up. Progress in other subjects is good, notably in music where standards are high throughout the school. Boys and girls have developed very good attitudes, values and behaviour with the youngest children responding very well in their class. Relationships are very good throughout the school and pupils are always ready to use their initiative and take any responsibility offered.
Berrynarbor School provides a good quality of education. Teaching overall is good with strengths in the Foundation stage and music.
The school is very well led and managed with the Headteacher providing outstanding leadership. The school is very well managed. The governance of the school is good.
Parents are very pleased with the school, notably the recent improvements to the learning environment and the renewed sense of purpose. Pupils are very happy with the 'safe and friendly' school, particularly enjoying their relationships with their schoolmates and all adults, but they would like to have more space to work and play in.
The most important things the school should do to improve are:
- To seek to develop the accommodation so as to minimise the impact it has on inhibiting teaching and learning.
- Build up provision in information and communication technology so that older pupils can make the gains necessary to catch up with pupils in other schools."
Note for your diaries: The Friends of Berrynarbor School Fete will be held on Tuesday, 13th July, 6.30 p.m. in the Manor Hall grounds.
Class 3 recently visited the Science Museum in Bristol and here are extracts of pupils' views:
In Explore my favourite part was the simulator. The simulator was a big Space Rocket, when the doors opened everyone piled in to get the front seat, like a stampede of animals racing to get to the nearest water supply. I managed to get to the front, sitting next to my best friend Becky. The man who operated the simulator came and to/d us safety rules, then set it off There was a big screen in front of us and we were on a rollercoaster in space, which kept going off track. Everybody was screaming their heads off, with laughter and fear at the same time. Soon the ride was over and everyone came off happy.
Also my other favourite was the human size hamster wheel. There was a handle at the front of the wheel inside that you held on to to stop you falling over, then I ran it as fast as I could seeing how many buckets of water I could tip in to the pool. Because there's a rope which goes toa line of buckets full of water, which goes round when you run on the hamster wheel. As it goes up it tips the buckets of water over in to a big pool below. I went on it again with Becky, to try and beat Bradley's score of four buckets, but got just as much. Amy
As we had lunch we looked at the cathedral. We then had ten minutes to do what we wanted, so I went on the bit where you had to pull the string. Me and Scott W got to the top. Scott D
Mrs. K. Crutchfield - Headteacher
25
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
We have had a very busy term with lots of exciting events and new opportunities!
January During January we had a visiting actor, Clive Pig, who brought Tudor times to life for us through drama and use of artefacts. Year 6 worked with Lillian Sum, a community artist, creating clay tiles for a new garden in llfracombe.
February We are currently raising funds for an orphanage in Uganda. We had an interesting talk from a representative from the charity. We are raising money for cooking facilities. Children are using their initiative to think of ways to raise funds.
At the end of February we had our OFSTED Inspection. The outcome will be published shortly. At this stage we can say that we are very pleased with the judgements made. Look out for an article in the Journal close to Easter time.
March The Friends of Berrynarbor and Parents provided us with an African Drumming Day with Drum Crazy on 1st March. The children really enjoyed the day and performed their work to parents.
Class 1 had a trip to the Mullacott Veterinary Hospital as part of their topic on caring for animals. Thank you to the staff there for an excellent visit. Years 3 and 4 have just returned from a residential trip to the Beaford Arts Centre. Emily and Ella have written a report.
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
Beaford Arts Centre Residential Trip
Monday 8th - Wednesday 10th March 2004
By Ella [Year 31 and Emily [Year 4]
Day 1 First we had to get to school at 8 0'clock -we left at ten past eight and arrived at Beaford at half past nine. Afterwards we got our luggage and went into the house. We sat in the music room and put our luggage in the corner and sat down. The lady told us the rules of the house and then we had Drum Crazy with John. Then we had a break and played on other instruments.
We went to the common room, then we went for a walk to the church and did some sketching of some old doors then we went back to the house, got our aprons and went to the art studio and started making masks, but we did n't finish them. Then we went back to the house and had roast dinner.
After dinner we went back to the house and did some more of our masks. Then, after an hour we went back to the house and got into our pyjamas and went downstairs and had a drink and a story and went to bed.
Day 2 First, we woke up early and got dressed and met in the common room and went to the park after breakfast. Then we went to brush our teeth. Afterwards we went to the art studio and Year 3 made their model doors out of cardboard and Year 4 made pots with Miss Campbell and had a break and then we went to finish. After we had lunch.
22
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Happy New Year to all of our friends and neighbours in the village from everyone at the school.
We have had a busy and highly successful few months. In November, our Tudor topic really came to life with a Class 2 and 3 trip to Montecute House, a Sixth Form Tutor morning and a Tudor day in Class 2.
Our GovernorS Annual Meeting for Parents was a huge success. 26 parents attended and children demonstrated crafts, science and IT activities. The choir also sang for us.
In December, our Christmas Bazaar was smoothly organized by our Friends of Berrynarbor School Committee - a wonderful team who work voluntarily for the good of the school. Thank you for your support. E431 was raised, each class sang and we all had a great time. On the 8th December, the whole school made a Christingle each and with Reverend Wyer's support, we managed to create a golden moment with lighted candles and silent reflection.
Our Carol Service in the church was very jolly, full of lovely voices, young and old. Class 1 created a confident and entertaining version of the Nativity for children and parents.
Lastly, we have had many kind letters of thanks from our senior citizens who enjoyed a spectacular Christmas Dinner serviced by our oldest pupils. Thank you to staff and pupils and the good turn out.
This is what the children said:
"This special/ Christmas Dinner was fun for everyone who went! The people who came were very happy to be there, including all the children! With the Class 3 room all decked out, and looking beautiful, the children acted as waiters and waitresses serving everyone there. Al who came had a brilliant time, with Samuel, Harvey, William and some girls welcoming everyone in. When our guests were in, we served up starters of melon. A main course of Christmas dinner and Christmas pudding or trifle followed by tea or coffee. There were cracker toys and paper hats everywhere! Smiles and laughter, everyone was happy!! When the last person had finished, we cleared the tables of plates and gave out sweets. At the very end of it all, when we had finished singing Christmas Carols, we gave out Christmas cakes for our guests to take home. Our class had made them, marzipanned and iced them and had even made the decorations".
"Then suddenly it was all over. Everybody who was there as our guests were now gone. Only teachers left, we//, and us"!
"We would like to especially thank Ms Simpson who lent us the beautiful tablecloths and all the crockery. Also Mrs. Sussex and Mrs. Luckham who did piles of washing up, and of course our teachers".
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
Berrynarbor Dinner for Older Residents
Year 6 at my school did a roast dinner for the older residents in Berrynarbor.
We chopped vegetables, made cakes, drinks and laid the tables. Our teacher Mrs. Lucas organized it all and made it possible so we would like to thank her again.
It looked exquisite.
A friend and I waited at the gate to greet and direct our guests. They said it looked like a proper restaurant because we were all dressed up in black and white and we had decorated the tables and the room. The diners then enjoyed a three course meal with silver service, we didn't drop much food! We provided entertainment by singing songs.
Thank you all for your kind donations and for coming, we hope you enjoyed your Christmas cake. We hope to see you all again next year.
Emma
20
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
What a busy and successful term! We came back to a newly carpeted and refurbished school in September, which was a lovely surprise for everyone. We now have a school library in the main building and an outdoor play area for Class 1. The playground area has also been improved to provide a larger grass area.
Local Events
- At the end of September the children provided a wonderful Harvest Festival for parents in the church.
- Class 3 spent an interesting morning looking at The Globe Inn as part of our Tudor project. Thanks to all involved.
- The Friends of Berrynarbor organized an Autumn Party for the whole school which was very successful and we thank all of our dedicated parents for their support.
School News
- We-now have 13 clubs run by staff and parents at the School. There are lots of new opportunities available to the children and there has been an excellent response.
Christmas Events
- Saturday, 6th December - Christmas Bazaar [all welcome] 10.00 a.m., the Manor Hall
- Friday, 12th December- Year 6 Meal for Berrynarbor Senior Citizens, 5.00 p.m. Please see Post Office for details
- Friday, 19th December- End of Term
- Tuesday, 6th January 2004 - Start of Spring Term
We have a host of seasonal celebrations on offer for our children and parents, including Christingle, Advent and Carol Services. We shall be having our traditional school Christmas Lunch, disco and Class 1 Nativity. Seasons Greetings.
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
The Tudor Project
Tudor Queen [watercolour] by Charlotte, Aged 7
Tudors, Rich and Poor: King Henry VIIl
[drawn with pastels] by Ellie, Aged 8
Christmas Cards
[proceeds in aid of school projects]
Village Christmas Cards [designed by Debbie Cook] will be on sale at the Bazaar on Saturday, 6th December, at the Manor Hall, and at other venues and events from that date. Please buy some cards and help the school at the same time.
22
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
What a busy summer!
The School has had a thorough clean and tidy over the summer break. We have also secured government funding to refurbish the main building and to develop our school grounds. Our thanks go to the Manor Hall Management Committee who donated paint for our kind volunteers to redecorate the Parish Room.
Thank you to all of our friends in the village who have helped us to develop the garden area at the top of the site, particularly Ann Davies and her team of volunteers. Our new mosaic and arbour are particularly striking.
We have an exciting academic year ahead of us. We hope you can join us for some of our Christmas events - dates to follow in the next issue.
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield -- Headteacher
The following still life compositions are the work of pupils in Years 5 and 6.
27
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
I should firstly like to thank everyone I have met in the school, village and local area for the warm welcome I have received. I feel very privileged to be your new Headteacher.
Well ... the children, staff and parents at Berlynarbor are an impressive team! There is a wonderful atmosphere at the school created by children working hard, playing co-operatively and caring for one another. The staff are extremely committed to their work and provide excellent opportunities for all.
This term we have a host of educational, sporting and fundraising events to enjoy. We have already taken part in a Swimming Gala in the llfracombe pool. The Berrynarbor representatives were excellent ambassadors for us, encouraging each other and behaving beautifully.
We look forward to our Summer Fete on Tuesday, 1 5th July. This year it has an 'outdoor' theme. We shall be dressing up our wheelbarrows and designing gardens on a plate, all in aid of much needed playground developments. The PTA is also an impressive group, raising incredible sums for us each year. We hope you can join us for the fete - don't forget your wheelbarrow!
We have some very talented artists in Years 5 and 6. Here are a few still-life compositions.
Mrs. Karen Crutchfield - Headteacher
Harvey Year 5
Letty Year 6
Reve Year 6
Daniel Year 6
22
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Spring Term is a busy time for Primary Schools and it's no different for us here at Berrynarbor School. Years 2 and 6 are preparing for the statutory SATs Tests in May. Year 6 pupils are having a Booster Class after school on Thursdays to give them as much help as possible.
On 6th March we joined in the national celebrations for World Book Day. Children and staff came to school dressed as characters from their favourite books, and all work during the day was based on books. The children each received a El token towards the cost of a new book. Activities like this help to raise the profile of reading with children and to keep their interest alive.
Football and Netball Clubs have started again after school now the weather has improved. I am sure the children and parents appreciate all the extra work put in by staff outside normal school hours. The clubs are certainly popular and well attended.
Comic Relief was well supported by the school. Children paid 5()p to take part in a non-uniform day, and parents and friends produced a wonderful selection of cakes and biscuits to sell. The theme of bad hair was enthusiastically adopted by the children and staff! A total of £92.75 was raised by the school during the course of the day, and a good time was had by all.
Red Nose Day
You may look scary so be aware Comic Relief is here today
So make some money to give away.
Do something funny
To raise extra money
If you are rich and posh
You'd better give some dosh.
Listen to this next bit of verse
Cos we're telling you dig in your purse Every little helps so give, give, give,
If you want others to live, live, live.
Lydia Maloney and Charlie Hodgekiss [10]
The Governing Body has been successful in its efforts to find a new, Permanent Headteacher. When the Summer Term begins on Monday, 28th April, MIS. Karen Crutchfield will be here to look after the school and continue the good work currently being carried out by staff and governors.
I should like to take this opportunity to thank the whole school community for the help and friendship they have given me during my six months at Berrynarbor. I will take away many happy memories and will remember the school with great affection.
With best wishes,
Linda Simmonds - Interim Hcadteacher, November 2002-ApriI 2003
The children in class 4 have been raising money for an orphanage in Uganda. Last term we raised money to provide them with beds to keep them off the dirty floor. The children cooked a meal and made sweets.
Charlotte Ross
Although it is almost impossible to see the children in this photograph, their message is dear!
SPRING
I'm a little hedgehog
waking from my sleep.
I'm a lamb from a
sheep.
I'm a chicken laying
some eggs
I'm a child feeling
flowers around my legs.
Henry Dallyn [7]
| I'm a little hail stone Going weeeeeee as I fall | I'm a pretty daisy Coming up from the ground. |
| I'm a little animal And I'll soon be very tall. | I'm a little rabbit Hopping all around. |
| I'm a little child Playing in the sea. | I'm a little butterfly Coming out of my cocoon |
| I'm a Little seed And I'm going to be a tree. | I'm a little bumble bee Coming from the moon. |
| I'm a little sun Shining in the sky. | Ella Fairchild [7] |
|---|---|
| I'm a little child Saying why? why? | |
| Alfie Browne [6] | |
| I'm a cold raindrop coming down I'm a seed coming up from the ground I'm a Easter egg nice and sweet. I'm a small Easter bunny And I'm a little treat. Alex walls [6] |
I'm a daisy pretty and white. I'm a lamb shading from the light I'm a kite flying in the Sky I'm a ball thrown up high. Joe Barnes [6] |
36
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The school community would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.
Last term ended on a very successful note, with the excellent pantomime performances, beautifully presented Carol Service and a special Christmas Dinner for senior citizens. This was planned, prepared and presented by the children of Class 4 and Mrs. Lucas.
Ww also had a letter from OFSTED confirming that the latest visiting Inspector was pleased with the progress the school is making towards achieving its school improvement targets. Staff and children were proud of the press coverage given to the outstanding results achieved in Key Stage 2 SAT's, 2002 - the result of good work by staff and pupils during the last academic year.
The Spring Term is very much a time for working hard at the basics in school, as Years 2 and 6 prepare for this year's SAT's Tests. The children will have a little light relief on Thursday, 30th January, when a visiting theatre company will be performing a pantomime for them in the Manor Hall. We shall be joined for this event by pupils from Parracombe and Kentisbury Schools.
The Governing Body has a busy schedule of meetings lined up and continues its seach for a new permanent Headteacher. Governors work in a voluntary capacity and the school is grateful for the time and energy they offer so unstintingly.
Advance warning - the PTA will be holding its Summer Fete on Tuesday, 15th July.
Do contact the school if you would like further information on any of these issues.
Linda Simmonds - Interim Headteacher
A Very Special Invitation
It arrived - a week before the day - a hand-written, decorated invitation from the children of our Primary School, to a Christmas Dinner at the school at 1.00 p.m. on 19th December.
We, thirty elderly village residents with a few specially invited guests, were there 'on the dot', being welcomed into the warm and beautifully decorated school by a team of smartly dressed children, in their white shirts with smiling faces, who took our coats and offered us 'nibbles' and a seat until, in a few minutes we were ushered into the Dining Room - to our tables. Once settled, we were welcomed by the Headmistress, who stressed that the whole event had been taken over by the children themselves - preparation, cooking and serving, writing the invitations and decorating the room.
Artwork by: Reve Williams
While gentle Christmas music played in the background, teams of children came in and out, serving each course immaculately with 'silver service'; helping each one of us with courteous and cheerful attention and watchful of our every need. We were given a starter of melon balls in syrup, a fuli Christmas turkey dinner with all the accompaniments, the most delicious Christmas pudding we have ever tasted or a tasty trifle. There was cider to drink and afterwards tea or coffee with hand-made chocolate coated mints. What a feast! One could not fault the care and attention to detail and lovely happy attitude of our village school children, who gave us such a lovely Christmas experience - even entertaining us afterwards with songs, poems and carols, and then giving us a gift of home-made sweets to take home.
It seemed that every child in the school had a part to play. Thanks to all you lovely children and your staff, It makes our hearts swell with pride to think we have such a lovely spirit in our local school.
Grateful thanks from a pair of appreciative 'Oldies'!
We made a Christmas meal
In the Christmas pud we put peel
A Christmas meal to Remember
That was in cold December We prepared and cleared
We sang and they cheered.
Rebecca Farrell
Artwork by: Charlotte Ross
The Berrynarbor Class 4 children set up a lovely Christmas meal for the pensioners.
The children made, cooked and served a starter, main course and a pudding. After the food, the whole school entertained them with Christmas songs. We all say it was a day to remember.
Becky Walls
School Dinner
What memories those two words evoke! Very different from the delicious Christmas meal which some two dozen of us senior citizens sat down to at Berrynarbor School on the 19th December.
Everything was perfect - we were greeted at the school gate by smiling, polite pupils who took our coats and led us into school where we met our fellow diners.
Then we were shown into a classroom which had been transformed into an attractively decorated dining room. We were served with a delicious roast turkey Christmas dinner. The children had helped to prepare and cook the food and waited upon us. I understand the proficient silver service had been perfected by practising with raw carrots! There were plenty of second helpings, apple juice and crackers. Then a choice of super Christmas pudding [my choice] or trifle. This was followed by coffee or tea.
After the meal, the whole school entertained us to Christmas songs which were beautifully performed. Finally, time to go home but, in the tradition of all good parties, we had a gift to take with us. Everyone received a beautiful hand-made decorated box which contained delicious hand-made sweets.
What a very enjoyable experience! Our thanks to everyone involved and our good wishes for happiness and success in 2003.
Jill and Iain McCrae
Christmas Dinner
|
Christmas dinner, "please sit here. Ryan Beal |
T'was the day of the school Christmas meal Daisy Ivan |
