Under 11s Football Tournament

Well done to our Year 5 and 6 football team who played at the Gallagher Stadium on Monday. The boys were drawn against some tough teams but played extremely well. The boys secured a win against Discovery Primary School and Barming Primary School! They were just a point shy of securing a place in the final 16.

A massive well done to the whole team, who were fantastic ambassadors for our school.

Community art project

On Monday 23rd September, Miss Avila accompanied our Year 6 Arts Council members, Grace and Nicole to the unveiling of a local art project which we have been involved in.

Please read their report from the morning:

"We arrived and met the team, including Gerald the Giraffe. We were then kitted out in high vis and hard hats and walked over to the site where the art work is being displayed alongside other schools and the church. We had our photos taken by a photographer and interviews with the KM as well as members of Golding Homes. We talked about what we did and why, as well as how we felt about being part of the project and local community. There should be a photo of all of us and maybe a snippet of our interview in the KM!"

Visiting author

On Friday 4th October, Year 3-6 were lucky enough to be visited by the author of the Monster Doughnuts book series, Gianna Pollero. The children heard all about her favourite authors growing up and what inspired her to become an author herself. We also heard about how her daughter gave her the idea for her book series and helped her to create some of the hilarious storylines and characters. Some children also had their own copies of the book signed by Gianna and are looking forward to reading the latest book in her series.

Scarecrow Competition

This term Year 3 and 4 Art Club were kept very busy making a scarecrow for St Martin's Church's scarecrow competition. The children decided to recreate one of the scarecrows from Julia Donaldson's book 'The Scarecrow's Wedding'. They worked as a really good team, organising themselves to do the different jobs and designing him themselves. They worked in little groups to cut out and paint his scarf, sew the pieces together for his face and sew his clothes together so that the stuffing wouldn't fall out.
It was also a big team effort carrying the scarecrow from the art studio and into the hall where he went on display until he got delivered to the church!

We were all really surprised and delighted to hear that we came first in the competition!

World Mental Health Day

On Thursday 10th October, we marked World Mental Health Day by wearing yellow for 'hello Yellow; raising awareness for Young Minds. Young Minds is a UK leading charity fighting for a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health. 

All classes enjoyed theatre workshops called 'Captain Wonderweb and the Esteem Machine'. The workshops, delivered by Shooting Stars Entertainment, aim to empower children to develop strong minds and nurture positive self-esteem and were commissioned by the NHS for schools in Kent and Medway.  The children thoroughly enjoyed the workshops and Shooting Stars were impressed with the children's awareness. You can see a trailer for the workshop here. 

Green School Awards

We are so proud to announce that after putting our beautiful Ruby Garden forward for a Green School Award, we have been selected as one of the winners! The garden has produced a great crop before, during and after the summer and is still in bloom! We will be taking four children from Year 2 to the awards ceremony in Ashford, to find out which category we have won.

Forest School: 22nd October 2024

Year 3 had an exciting and enriching day this week, participating in a pumpkin carving competition hosted by Bellway Homes. The children had the opportunity to develop new skills, including designing their pumpkins and learning to use carving tools safely. Working collaboratively, they created some fantastic pumpkin designs, with a great deal of enjoyment and teamwork involved.

The pumpkins will be displayed at Parsonage Place on Thursday, 31st October, from 4pm to 7pm,

This Girl Can

On Thursday 24th October, a group of Year 5 and Year 6 girls participated in a This Girl Can Event at Aylesford Secondary School. They were introduced to a variety of new sports and had the opportunity to explore lacrosse, boccia, bowling and kin-ball. This event gave the children the chance to discover new sports and games; by the end of the day, everyone had a new sport they wanted to do again! 

Year 6 Bikeability

This week a group of Year 6 pupils completed their Bikeability course. Bikeability is the government’s national cycle training programme, designed to equip children with essential cycling skills and the knowledge needed to navigate today’s roads safely and confidently. The programme focuses on providing practical, hands-on training that not only teaches the mechanics of cycling but also instills a deep understanding of road safety, hazard awareness, and effective decision-making while riding in traffic.

Well done to the following children who achieved Level 1 and 2: Ugne, Teddy, Oreofe, Poppy, Jesse, Isobel, Oliver, Danny, Connor, Archie, Owen, Sam, Elliot, Alfie and Henry.

Year 6 Kooth workshop

This week, Year 6 participated in a valuable workshop delivered by Kooth, an online mental health community dedicated to supporting young people’s emotional well-being. The workshop focused on the crucial theme of friendships, providing the children with important insights into how to build and maintain healthy, positive relationships. Throughout the session, the children learned practical strategies for selecting good friends, setting personal boundaries, and recognising the importance of mutual respect and trust in any friendship.

Fine Diners

On the 7th November, we hosted our Fine Diners lunch, a special occasion to celebrate excellent manners. A huge congratulations to Millie, Seth, Yu Chen, Alfie, Lottie, Madaleine, and Owen for demonstrating outstanding behaviour in the lunch hall. Their impeccable manners are commendable, and as a result, they had the privilege of inviting a guest from home to join them for lunch at school.

KS2 Girls' Football Assembly

This week, the KS2 girls attended an assembly led by Tori Campbell, manager of Maidstone United's women's first team. We heard all about how Tori found her love for football when playing as part of her primary school team and lots more about her journey to where she is now. Tori will be leading our after school club this term, which is an exciting opportunity to be part of a girls' football team. 

UK Parliament Week

This week is UK Parliament Week, where outreach work is done by the government to ensure young people and adults know what Parliament is and how it links to our daily lives. We started the week with a launch film clip in assembly and by talking about the different people who are charge of our local area as well as the country. The children also talked about the word 'democracy' and what this meant. The children have been invited to take part in votes, debates and fact finding this week to further understand the concept. You can find out more here! https://www.ukparliamentweek.org/en/about/

UKS2 Boys' Football Tournament

On Thursday 21st November, our Year 5 and 6 football team took part in a tournament at Aylesford FC. The group played extremely well, despite the cold weather! They played against some challenging teams, showing good sportsmanship throughout. They played 4 games, drawing two of these, which unfortunately wasn’t quite enough to make it to the quarter finals. However, the team continued to persevere during their friendly and ended up winning this match. 

No Pens Session

On Wednesday 27th November, our school hosted a No Pens Session, an initiative designed to encourage children to engage in more interactive, hands-on learning. During this session, teachers focused on activities that did not involve writing or using pens. Instead, children participated in discussions, group work, role-playing, and problem-solving tasks.

The goal of No Pens Session is to help children build their verbal communication skills, improve teamwork, and enhance critical thinking. By shifting the focus away from written tasks, we aimed to create a more dynamic and inclusive learning environment, where children could explore ideas and express themselves in new ways. This initiative supports our commitment to developing well-rounded individuals who are confident in both their written and spoken abilities.

Emotional Wellbeing Team

Today, our assembly was led by the Emotional Wellbeing Team, who shared valuable information about the support they offer to both children and parents. They explained the important role they play in helping children manage their emotions, build resilience, and navigate any challenges they may face. It was an informative session, and we encourage everyone to reach out to the Emotional Wellbeing Team whenever support is needed.

Green Award

On Friday 29th November, Elsie, Maisie, Brooke and Oscar accompanied Mrs Dixon and Miss Munday to Ashford International Hotel to receive our Green School Award. We were recognised for our beautiful Ruby Garden. The garden has produced a great crop before, during and after the summer. The children had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to go on stage to receive the school's award. It was a proud moment for them as they stood together, beaming with excitement! The children made us incredibly proud as they spoke with such confidence to the event attendees.

Choir visit to Ashley Gardens

Yesterday, the choir visited Ashley Gardens to spread some Christmas cheer by singing a selection of our favorite Christmas songs for the residents. Poppy mentioned that it was a really enjoyable experience, filled with joy and festive spirit. Izzy shared how heartwarming it was to see the residents actively joining in, their kindness and enthusiasm making the performance even more special. Lilia added that the residents were incredibly sweet. It was a lovely afternoon and the choir were a credit to the school.

Rocksteady!

This morning, we were treated to two brilliant performances from our bands. From the moment the music started, it was impossible not to clap along! The children showed such confidence and we were all really impressed with the progress they have made since their previous performance.