Today J3 went to Poulton to see the archaeological dig. We were shown round by Mr. Mike Emery and we saw archaeologists at work. They have a reconstructed henge with silver birch posts, a partly completed round house, a partly excavated chapel complete with bones (and a skull!), a dugout canoe and lots of artifacts and information in the museum. It was absolutely fascinating and we want to go again next year to see what else they have found and reconstructed. They are a charity and are probably much better at “archaeologising” than fund raising but they make visitors very welcome (they prefer you to contact them first) and are very appreciative of any donations. Their website is www.poultonproject.org
At last, the eagerly awaited drama with students from the Hammond School just up the road. Every year they come and open our minds and this year the theme was MONEY – the root of many (if not literally all) evil. We watched and learned and took part in the set pieces and dramas then did our own freeze-frames. It was great fun, thank you for coming, we had a really great afternoon.
This year we managed to get the junior and infants sports days completed as scheduled. A great relief after having to cancel last year! The organisation was fantastic and a particular thank-you must be made to Mrs Burns who organised the Junior day and Mrs Williams who organised the Infant day. Thank you also to all the teachers and estate staff who worked hard to make sure everyone enjoyed the days.
Our school photographer Helen Venables took some great photos which we will be using in forthcoming publicity. In the mean time if you would like to see some other photos they are available here.
At the reception parents evening held last week Ted Longman gave a talk on the history of the Firs School and how his mother, Florence Longman, founded the school in Abbey Street, Chester, back in 1945.
We are planning to update our prospectus and publicity materials and consequently have engaged Helen Venables to take pictures of pupils, staff and hopefully parents around the school in the last few weeks of term and in the coming academic year.
Helen is a very experienced children’s photographer with an extensive client base in the US and London. Luckily for us she lives nearby in Tarporley and we are delighted to have her services.
Helen will therefore be taking some pictures at Fun Day and will return for other events such as the sports days and end of year services etc. When she comes in to do pictures in particular classrooms we will let you know so that you can make sure your children are looking their very best!
We will of course not release any photographs which feature children whose parents have asked not for their image to be used. If you would like to check the status of your permissions please contact the school office.
If you would like to see some examples of Helen’s work it can be found at her web site www.helenvenables.co.uk
Many Firs School pupils have been walking to school this term thanks to the success of the park and stride scheme. The children have enthusiastically been walking up and down to St. Columbas and gaining a star each time they do. Cerificates, badges and other prizes will be available for completed books of stars. Walking to school from St. Columbas gives the children some exercise before school and helps our relations with neighbours.
Mr Longman gives out some star stickers for walking pupils
On Wednesday 4th June some pupils from J1, J2, J3 and J4 represented the school at the Independent Schools Association Athletics Tournament in Wigan’s Robin Park JJB Sports Arena with Mrs Burns and Mrs Cheshire along with Miss Morris and Mr Norris from Chester University.
When we arrived there was sun shining upon the arena, and we had the pick of seats in the shade. All the pupils ran a lap or two around the track to warm themselves up for the coming events and then went back to the stands to ready themselves for the competition and apply lots of sun cream! Events that our pupils participated in included the 60m races, 75 m races, 600m races, the rounders ball events, the cricket ball events and the relay events.
The Boys line up for one of the first races of the day
This term, J3 embarked upon a healthy eating project. They all sampled a variety of cereal bars, evaluating each products taste, texture, and over all healthiness. They followed this by designing their own packaging for their very own cereal bars, having studied existing packaging and carefully observing the details that they needed to include, and what could make their own packaging eye-catching.
Finally, they split into groups, and with a variety of ingredients which Mrs Burns provided set to producing their bars. Some groups chose to use apple sauce to bind their mixture together, and some used honey. The different groups added a mixture of fruits and nuts, topping them off with chocolate, nuts and marshmallows. All this ended in delicious results!
Aaron W participated in an international conference in Liverpool recently. He had undergone limb lengthening surgery at Alder Hey Hospital and his case was presented at a symposium for Advanced Limb Reconstruction at the Liverpool Medical Institute which was attended by surgeons and their teams from across the world. Aaron attended the session and took questions from the audience about his experiences with a new technique which aimed to restore knee function after surgery within a much shorter time frame than had previously been achieved with this sort of operation. His surgeon Mr Nayagam is pioneering this approach and Aaron was his first patient. As a result of the excellent results it is hoped to use the same technique with more patients in the future.
We’re all delighted Aaron has made such good progress and helped to advance the field of medical science at the same time!
Aaron is pictured below with his mother, Annette and younger brother.
“Scientrific” on the ground floor is a hands-on, interactive gallery which was great fun to explore. Particular favourites included a giant bubble machine, fluidised bed and a smell-it exhibit.
The roof-top observatory gallery gave an excellent opportunity to spot environmental features and landmarks. Exhibits included a giant river jigsaw, digital microscopes, bridge building and environmental facts and activities.
A recycling workshop allowed the children to discuss the various ways we can dispose of rubbish and the benefits of each.
Thanks to parent helpers for their support – Mrs Jones, Mrs Hartmann, Mrs Littler, Mr Faulkner, Mrs Wood and Mrs Gilmer.
We are planning to update our prospectus and publicity materials and consequently have engaged Helen Venables to take pictures of pupils, staff and hopefully parents around the school in the last few weeks of term and in the coming academic year.
Helen will therefore be taking some pictures at Fun Day and will return for other events such as the sports days and end of year services etc. When she comes in to do pictures in particular classrooms we will let you know so that you can make sure your children are looking their very best!
