recent events
Orienteering
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 took part in basic orienteering exercises in Kensington Gardens. “We had fun running to the cones and then we had to look at the compass and read the directions to see which way we had to go.”
Burns Day
Roman Feast
“Today Year 3 had a Roman feast. Year 3 had plenty of different foods like sugar mice, olives and carrot sticks. I especially liked the little chocolate mice mousses. We had to go in a time machine two thousand years ago. I was a rich Roman lady and I had lots of little bracelets and rings. My favourite item of jewellery was a butterfly ring which had pink and purple diamonds on. I normally think of lunch time being normal but today I was so excited! It was really the best lunch I have ever had. On the table there was a beautiful gold table cloth and on top of that food and these lovely wine cups! (We didn’t really have wine just grape juice.) It was all so exciting. It was the first lunch I ever got to walk while eating and drinking! Some girls were slaves, Ella was an empress and there were rich ladies and men. Thank you to Mrs Green, Miss Brockbank and everyone who brought in food!”
Visit to Thames Explorer Trust
“On Wednesday 25th November Year 5 visited the Thames Explorer Trust. When we arrived we were introduced to a lady called Louise. We began the day with a walk down to the pier, where we were put into groups. Then we looked down at the river and had to describe the Thames, its colour, what was on the surface, and what was the Thames’ smell.
Next Louise showed us a Powerpoint presentation about the River Thames. We learned about what animals were in the River Thames, all about the water cycle and what the source of the River Thames looked like in summer and autumn. We also made a model of the Thames and learned how it was being polluted.
After lunch we went outside to do some experiments. We measured the Thames’ depth, the tide’s speed and the water temperature. Then we dug for sea creatures. We found small crabs, shrimps, lots of small snails and leeches. We talked about how there were small floods everyday and how the people in the houses by the Thames protect themselves. Thank you to Mr Harling for organising an amazing trip and to Lita, Nicole’s nanny for helping.”
“……..We watched a presentation about the River Thames and built a model of a river, in various stages. We had lunch in the sun, how lucky! My favourite part of the day was when we did lots of experiments like measuring the depth, speed and levels of pollution in the river. We went to the foreshore where we explored and found creatures such as leeches, crabs and shrimps. I was excited when I found a bone as did some of the others. Thank you to Mr Harling for organising this wonderful trip.”
“…. Louise had organised some very fun and interesting activities. We went down to the Thames’ foreshore where we had a great time finding shrimps, eels, leeches, crabs, swan mussels and clams. We found a huge clam, the most amazing shrimps and lots of leeches and eels. The wildlife was amazing. Thank you to Nicole’s Nanny and especially Mr Harling for a wonderful trip.”
Visit to London Zoo
“On Thursday Year 1 went to London Zoo and we saw penguins, zebras, and lions. We went to a workshop and played senses games. We saw snakes, tigers and gorillas. We saw hippopotamus and my favorite animals were meerkats.”
September
It has been a great start to the new school year….
On the sports front, we have had a run of successes winning 6 of 8 netball matches and 3 out of 3 swimming galas. Mrs Griggs was also thrilled to receive Tatler’s Best Prep School Head of 2009. “Since our launch in 2004 we have sung the school's praises, and indeed so does everyone we speak to, parents and pupils, staff and spies alike. Anita Griggs is doing a super job as headmistress and we have nominated her for an award on three separate occasions, so we thought it was high time we honoured her with the trophy. Congratulations.”
Year 3 Visit
“Year 3 went on a trip to the Museum of London to see the Romans. In the morning we saw lots of real Roman things, for example swords, coins and helmets. Then we went for lunch. In the afternoon we could touch some real Roman objects like a keyring and a hairpin. Then we got dressed up as Romans – I was the daughter of the Empress. I loved my purple dress with knotted detail on the sleeve… After that we had a quiz. We needed to guess what the Roman object was used for. But then it was really time to go home. So we hopped onto the coach and said goodbye to the museum and went back to school. And it was the best day ever!!”
Year 5 Visit
“On Wednesday, Year 5 went to Mrs Griggs’ house. On the way to the house we stopped off at a Pick-Your-Own. We all enjoyed racing down the fields for the best strawberries. We managed to get very large strawberries. Once we had finished we went to the house and unpacked and had a delicious lunch! Not long after that we got on to a ferry to go to the Activities Centre. We got into our sailing gear which was extremely heavy! We chose our instructors and off we went. Our instructors were very kind and we all had fun learning to sail. Our boat got a particularly big gust of wind so we all had to lean out to make it balanced again! After a hard day of sailing we settled down quietly back at the house and watched a movie. We all looked forward to the next day of sailing!”
“We woke up to the smell of a delicious breakfast. We had quite a big breakfast. We hopped onto the ferry and began sailing again. This time we didn’t have an instructor and it was two in a boat. We were both partners and we capsized twice! Some of us had a go in threes and I think we were better off! For the last half an hour, our instructor drove us all on the motorboat around the island. Then all of us including the instructor jumped off the boat! We all had so much fun and got soaked!! Thank you very much.”
Parents v Year 6 Rounders Match Report
“Last Thursday, Year 6 played a match against their parents! We had found out that the parents had been practising their fielding and batting secretly and were very competitive about winning. After the first half of batting and fielding we were leading 10-6. Then the parents were determined to win and managed to get a lot of our players out, and upped their game to get 7 rounders. We on the other hand were not doing so well and were only able to get 3 rounders. The match finished as a tie. Well done to the parents who took part and to all the girls for all the amazing batting and fielding.”
World War Two Tea Party
Ragged School Museum
“On Thursday Year 2 went to the Ragged School Museum. When we arrived we went to see an elderly lady called Martha who told us how people cooked and washed themselves in the Victorian times. Alicia got chosen to sit in the bath which was a big bucket and Martha pretended to wash her with carbolic soap. After that a lady called Alison took us to a Victorian classroom. Alison dressed up as a Victorian teacher called Miss Perkins and Year 2 had to pretend to be ragged school children which was fun but quite frightening! My favourite part of the lesson was when I got to write an answer on the blackboard. Thank you for such an interesting day.”
Shakespeare Workshop
“On Wednesday 3rd June, Years 5 and 6 were extremely lucky and got a chance to see Twelfth Night at the Unicorn Theatre. We walked to Gloucester Road tube station and travelled on the tube to London Bridge which was great fun! When we arrived we saw a statue of a magnificent unicorn. It looked as if it was made from curls of paper.
When the play started, it really seemed as if you were there in the time of Shakespeare. There were so many funny scenes but my favourite has to be when Mary, Sir Toby and Andrew had placed the fake love letter in the garden and were hiding it from Malvolio. Mary put a plant pot on her head and Sir Toby pretended to be a water fountain spurting out water!
I was very fortunate to be sitting at the end of a row as some of the actors sat next to me during the play. These were Countess Olivia (who played her part perfectly), Malvolio (who was hilarious) and Cesario who sat down and placed his cap on my head. When he was going back on stage he said that I was a good hat stand and kissed my hand!
We had a lovely lunch near to a water fountain and had a fascinating walk along the Embankment where we met lots of mime artists including a policeman wearing a tutu who twirled Mrs Dawson around! We saw lots of famous sites along the way such as Big Ben, the London Eye, the Tower of London, Millennium Bridge and the Globe Theatre.
Thank you very for an exciting day out. Thank you also to Mrs Griggs for allowing us to go on such a wonderful trip. I truly recommend everyone to go.”
Daunt Books
“On 19th May Years 3 and 4 went to Daunt Books on the Fulham Road to meet the popular children’s author Dugald A. Steer. Mr Steer writes –ology books. He read a chapter from his latest book, ‘The Dragon’s Eye’. We all made a collage of dragons and Mr Steer judged the best one. There were three winners. Well done! I thought the dragons were brilliant. We all got his autograph. Thank you Mrs Dawson for organising such an inspirational trip and Mrs Green for accompanying us. I shall definitely be reading the books from now on.”
Year 2 Pirate Day
“On Friday 15th May Year 2 had a pirate day and we were allowed to come into school dressed as pirates. When we came into the classroom the treasure chest was gone! We had to go and find clues and one of the clues was a map which led us to the treasure chest. Inside the treasure chest there was extra delicious treasure! At games we went to a pirate playground and had lots of fun on the pirate ship. In the afternoon we did a drama workshop. We imagined we were pirates looking for the sacred coconut and then found the sacred peanut! Thank you to Miss Nicholls, Miss Easton and Mrs. A for such a great day.”
Year 3 Visit to Lookout Centre
"On Wednesday 13th May, Mrs Green kindly organised for us to go to Hyde Park, the Look Out Centre. Once we got there, we got into groups with certain teachers and started to wonder around the park. One of the small birds we saw was a starling. It had beautiful wings. We also saw a female blackbird, wood pigeon, feral pigeon, kestrel, a ring-necked parakeet, magpie and a carrion crow. We also heard the other group saw lots of other birds too. We then got back together and had our packed lunch. We ate it quickly and very soon were back in the park as we were once before. We saw a tree which had been struck by lightning in 1999. After that we went up a hill into a small room. There were boxes of things that you make nests from and we were told that’s exactly what we were doing! So we went on different tables and created the most wonderful nests of all shapes and sizes. After that we had a competition which was such fun. It was a brilliant trip and I would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Green and Miss Day for taking us on this fun trip.”
Year 6 Visit to Tate Modern
“On 23rd April, Year 6 were fortunate enough to visit Tate Modern. We travelled by tube and spotted various landmarks along the way, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge. We crossed the Millennium Bridge which is a remarkable landmark itself. It was designed by Norman Foster and is a suspension bridge. Inside the Tate we looked at a surreal painting by Dali. His paintings were inspired by his dreams. We then had to produce a piece of art consisting of three random objects. We also discussed Water Lillies by Monet as well as two paintings by Pollock and Rothko. We then looked at a sculpture which described the energy in a horse, as well as drawing our own version of the sculpture. We were able to have a quick look at some pop art too. To end this inspirational trip, we were led to a room full of 3-dimensional art, which mainly focused on the materials used. Thank you to Mr Harley, Mrs Mackay and Mrs Broadhurst who kindly gave up their time to take us on this influential trip.”
Reception Visit to Natural History Museum
“On Friday Reception went to the Natural History Museum and we walked there. When we walked in the door we saw a very big Diplodocus and a very big robot T-Rex. We also saw a baby T-Rex. We walked back to school and had lunch. I had a lot of fun.”
Year 4 News
"On Thursday 5th March, Year 4 visited Tate Britain. First, we went to see a Greek hero as a sculpture; we discussed how the hero could actually be a hero and if his pose gave us any clues. Next, we looked at a painting and talked about the lighting. We also had a chance to draw one of Henry Moore’s sculptures called ‘King and Queen’. Lastly, before the break, we saw a magnificent metallic sculpture; it was supposed to be an explosion of a bomb and it was the shape of a gigantic mushroom. After the break we sketched our own pictures from the art that we saw."
Junior Citizen Programme 2009
"On Tuesday 3rd March, Year 6 visited the Territorial Army Centre to take part in the Junior Citizen Programme. We participated in ten different activities involving the Metropolitan Police, the NHS and the Fire Brigade. The interactive activities involved role playing and this included the recovery position, helping friends in danger, safety on public transport and fire safety, among other topics. The lessons learned covered tough topics but the teaching methods were thoroughly enjoyable and Year 6 had a fantastic and educational afternoon. We appreciated the emergency services that keep London safe every day. A big thank you to Mr Harling and Miss Cogdell for organising the trip."
Founder’s Day 2009
Falkner House went Chinese on the 1st March.
Learning to use chopsticks
Tasty but tricky!
Year 6 visit to Richmond Gym
"On Friday 27th February, Mrs Kelly and Miss Brockbank took Year 6 to Richmond Gym. Once we had completed our stretching exercises we moved on to ‘Fast Track’. Here we had to run along a track and jump into an eight foot foam pit – what fun!!"
Year 6 Trip to Syon Park
On Friday 27th February, Year 6 went with Mrs Kelly and Miss Brockbank to Syon Park.
"We looked at different animals and insects including fish, lizards and snakes. We were also lucky enough to feed the fish. Later, we entered a room and sat down on chairs and a man called Edward came and talked to us about different kinds of animals; he also brought some in for us to hold! We would like to thank Mrs Kelly and Mrs Brockbank for taking us on a wonderful trip."
Spot the odd one out?
Pancake Race February 2009
Team Building Activities in Itchenor
On Thursday 26th February, Year 6 were fortunate enough to participate in team building activities in Itchenor, organised by Cobnor Activity Centre.
"Two team leaders arrived at 12.30 to kindly teach us about working together in teams. The first few activities were based inside Jetty House, in the kitchen. We were divided into two groups: group 1 and group 2. We had to perform an elephant walk as well as race in the same style. We were then told to hold hands and make the shape of a Swiss Roll, by turning and moving in circles. Then, in teams, we had to solve a solution to get ourselves unwound back to our staring positions."
Netball: England v Jamaica
"On Sunday 22nd February, some members of Year 6, together with Mrs Apostolides and Miss Donald, took an exciting trip to the O2 arena to watch a match in the World Netball Series – England against Jamaica. The arena was packed with fans of both countries enthusiastically supporting their teams and we joined in waving our large foam fingers! The play was so fast and exciting; you could hardly follow the ball and the scoring was prolific. England took the lead from the beginning and controlled the match with far greater possession of the ball.
The final score was 67 - 54 to England. The afternoon was great fun and a truly exciting experience."
Y6 Visit to Chichester Cathedral
"On Thursday 26th February, Year 6 visited Chichester cathedral on the way back from Itchenor.
Chichester was founded in 1075. Some places in the cathedral are original but very beautiful like some of the paintings and stained glass windows. At the end of our tour we made some wonderful medieval pilgrim badges, which are on view in the Big Room."
Making medieval pilgrim badges at Chichester cathedral.
London 2nd February 2009
On this day: airports closed, stations closed, bus routes closed, motorways closed, most schools closed - but for Falkner House it was business as usual!!!
Well done to all those children, parents and staff who conquered the elements and enjoyed the winter wonderland that was Falkner House this Monday. Whilst Falkner
House fully supported parents and children who wanted to make the most of the snow, we were incredibly proud that we were able to remain open, upholding our finest traditions.
Charity News
Kids Company, our chosen charity for the Autumn Term 2008, has expressed their gratitude for the magnificent sum of £9,097.71 raised by Falkner House families.
Camila Batmanghelidjh, Director of Kids Company, extended her heartfelt thanks:
“Your contribution is really extraordinary and we are deeply grateful for it … The level of compassion you have shown and your commitment to our children’s welfare will leave a lasting impression on their hearts as well as improving immeasurably their emotional and physical well-being.”
