recent events
Year 2 Ragged School Visit
"On Thursday Year 2 went to the Ragged School. At the Ragged School a strict teacher called Miss Perkins taught us how to write the alphabet in Victorian writing on slates. At the end of the lesson we put on a dunce hat and then got our fingers put in finger holes to stop us from scratching and fidgeting. We then put on the bustle which is for under a dress. Before we went back to school Martha showed us how a kitchen would look like in the Victorian times and what you had to do. We helped by doing the washing in a tub in the kitchen. The funniest part was when we had to pretend to go to the toilet using newspaper instead of loo paper! At the end we helped Ted show us the Victorian way of washing in a bath tub. Thank you to Miss Nicholls and Miss Easton for taking us to the Ragged School on Thursday."
"……and dressed up as poor Victorian children. We had a Victorian teacher who was called Miss Perkins. Miss Perkins was strict which made us laugh. She made us write the alphabet in fancy writing. In maths we had to work out Victorian money and a maths problem. We got it right! We had to do spellings. Miss Perkins said the word and we had to repeat, then she spelt it and we had to repeat it. We were monitors and they handed out and collected all the slates and slate pencils and cloths. In Geography we had to repeat what Miss Perkins said about Europe. After lunch we went to go and look at a Victorian kitchen. The lady who taught us about them was Martha. She asked one of us to come up and be her granddaughter. Before they pretended to wake up she boiled water on a stove and then she woke up her granddaughter. After that her pretend grandmother went out shopping and she gave her some jobs to do in the house. She had to check on the baby, check on the fire and wash the clothes. When her grandmother came back she taught her how to dry the clothes on a mangle. Ted came up and he was a child in the Victorian times and he told us what bath night was like. They only had a bath once a week! Thank you Miss Nicholls and Miss Easton for taking us to the Ragged School museum we enjoyed it a lot!"
Year 5 visit to Itchenor
"On Wednesday 26th May, Year 5 went to Itchenor. After lunch we had a fun afternoon of sailing. A few people capsized and others went into the mud! After showering from the mud and after dinner we watched Kung Fu Panda. We had a great time sleeping with our houses in the dorms! We went sailing the next day and played games in the boat like climbing up the mast. There wasn't much wind but we still had a good time. We went crabbing and, at the end of the day, we had a whole bucketful of crabs (we let them go of course!). We were quite cold when we came back to Mrs Griggs' house but we soon warmed up. Then two activity leaders came over from Cobnor and did fun activities with us, like parachute, hot potato and treasure island. We had a really exciting trip. Thank you very much to Mrs Griggs and Mrs Nunes for inviting us and Mrs Kelly and Miss Brockbank for accompanying us. I would highly recommend this trip!"
Pirate Day
"On Friday 21st May Year 2 had Pirate Day. Everyone dressed in pirate costumes including Miss Nicholls! There were some fantastic costumes including homemade props. …. had a fantastic parrot whose tail reached halfway down her body to her waist and it was made by her mum. After assembly Miss Nicholls held a Pirate Emergency Meeting. She told us during the night some pirates stole our treasure. We had to search for clues because they would lead us to the map. Miss Nicholls read the map to us to find the treasure room. We all had problems finding the treasure but in the end we found it. Inside was heaven, ginger beer, haribos and gold. We really enjoyed ourselves. When we came back from break we each took some sweets and made some treasure maps for our guardian angels to follow. We had guardian angel break then went to the playground in Battersea Park. Yum! We had lunch which was hot dogs and had break again. After we did some cooking and made weevil biscuits. They had lots of weevils in! At the end of the day we did some drama. All in all we had a brilliant day! Thank you so much Miss Nicholls and Miss Easton for a wonderful day!"
"On……. We did a lot of fun activities and we dressed up as Pirates. The treasure hunt was my favourite part of the day. We found the treasure chest which was in the Art room. For PE, we went to Battersea Park's Adventure Playground. There was a big pirate ship for us to play on. We made cookies with weevils in. They were really candy. We drank grog which was really ginger beer. Yum-yum-yum! All of us drew maps for our guardian angel to follow in order to find the treasure in our classroom. At the end of the day, we sang the Pirate Song. Thank you Miss Nicholls for organising such a fun Pirate Day."
"On…. We came into school in pirate costumes. First we had a pirate meeting. In the meeting we found out that our treasure maps were lost. 3 at a time we went to find a clue the last person found the map. Then we followed the map up the stairs into the treasure room. We looked all around for the treasure. Finally we found the gigantic treasure chest. Then we all ate treasure. I chose my favourite. Some people loved the ginger beer but I didn't like it at all! Then we had to draw a treasure map so our guardian angel could use the map to find the treasure. It was really tricky. Last of all we went to games and went to the adventure playground and played on the pirate ship. When we got back we did a pirate sing along and went on another pirate ship. Arrrr!"
Visit to The Wetlands Centre
"On Thursday 20th May, Year 3 went to the Wetland Centre to see some birds. We spent the day walking around the Centre and seeing birds. Afterwards we had lunch and went to the playground. My favourite pen is the one with the biggest swan in the world! There were also barnacle geese, moore hens and ducklings. When we were walking we saw a lost duckling and we found its mother for it by shooing it in the right direction. I saw the most amazing bird. It had a black and white spotty beak and a red blop on top. Its feathers were purple, green, blue, orange and black with a tinge of gold. Thank you Mrs Green and Mrs Rogers. It was the most wonderful trip. I learnt a lot and I would like to go back again."
Charity Day at Coram's Fields
"On Thursday 26th May, Year 6 were fortunate enough to visit Coram's Fields. It was founded in 1739 by Thomas Coram and supported by Handel, the musician and William Hogarth, the artist. First we went to the foundling museum, which contained the replica of the very first art gallery and the original paintings by Hogarth. We then did charity work by washing and scrubbing a pavilion. We all had an amazing time. Thank you Mr Challinor for organising the event and thank you Mrs Rogers and mothers for accompanying us."
"On Thursday 26th May Year 6 visited Coram's Fields which was extremely fun. We first had a look at all the paintings most were painted by William Hogarth one of the most famous supporters of Thomas Coram another was Handel who was a famous musician and composer. Thomas Coram made a care home because he was shocked at the poverty in London because around that time 75% of children died under five, 90% of children died in workhouses. We then cleaned the Pavilion which included washing the windows and sweeping the floor which was terrific fun. Thank you Mr Challinor for organising the trip and Mrs Rogers and mothers for coming with us."
Courtauld Gallery Visit
"On Tuesday 18th May, Year 5 spent the day at the old Courtauld Gallery, it was great fun! Our guide was called Jim, he was a historian. He explained all sorts of paintings up to the nineteenth century! We looked at artists like Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat and Andre Derain. After lunch, we looked at Fauvist paintings. This was one of the most modern masterpieces in the gallery. We had a go at drawing some of the wonderful artwork, it wasn't easy but when it was finished it looked magnificent. On the whole we had a lovely time. Thank you to Mr Harley for organising the trip and to Mrs Kelly and Miss Griggs for accompanying us on such a fun trip."
French Trip
"On Monday (8th May) Year 6 went to France to stay at a château in Normandy. We did lots of fun activities there including fencing, archery, canoeing, assault course, aero ball and orienteering. Everybody at the château spoke French. Our French skills were put to the test when we had to go around the local market speaking French to the salesmen. It was difficult! We ate at the château everyday and the food was delicious! One evening we had to try snails, followed by a quiz on France. All around the château there were rabbits of every kind running around. They were tame so we could stroke them! The day's schedule was always jam packed! We got up at 7.30 am, had breakfast then went immediately into activities. One evening activity was a treasure hunt around the grounds finding all types of things like hats and feathers! Almost everyday we would have a "little job" to do, things like feeding the horses and llamas, tasting cider (1% proof!) and going in the mini farm! On the last day on the way to the airport we visited Mont St. Michel and it was very interesting seeing the island. It was a great trip and thank you to Mrs Dawson and Miss Easton for taking us!"
"Last week Year 6 went to Normandy, France and stayed in the Château de la Baudonnière. We participated in many fun and exciting activities, such as aero ball, fencing, archery and making bread. We also canoed and went through an assault course. In one part of the canoe ride, you had to stand up, which was when many people fell into the freezing cold water! In the assault course, one of the activities was crawling through a muddy ditch. It wasn't surprising that at the end of the course every person was covered in mud from head to toe! We also went on excursions to the Market, where we bought souvenirs. We visited Mont St. Michel, which had an amazing view. At the goat farm, we milked a goat and some of us got to drink milk right out of a goat's udder! Also, some of us rode a goat. Thank you Mrs Griggs for organising the trip, and thank you to Mrs Dawson and Miss Easton for taking us. We will never forget our Year 6 trip to France!"
TRAID Workshop
"On Wednesday 19th May, Year 6 attended a workshop with a representative, Rebecca, from TRAID. We made our own t-shirts or dresses out of recycled, old clothes fabric. Some of us made puffy sleeves and some of us made pockets, and many different results were amazing. With a little help, we were all able to create the item we had designed. TRAID raises money for water pumps in needy areas. To do this, people give old clothes to TRAID, and the people there turn the clothes into different, new items of clothing. These are then sold in TRAID shops all around Europe. This money is used to help their cause. Having Rebecca come in was incredible and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Houses of Parliament
"On the 7th May, Year 6 had a very exciting visit to the Houses of Parliament. We were first taken to a smart-looking building where MPs and Lords worked. We were put into two groups, each with a tour guide. We were then taken to the Houses of Parliament and were shown the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We were told about debates and then had a little quiz of all the interesting facts she had told us. We were allowed to have our own debate and vote on whether circus animals should be banned. The overall decision was that circus animals should be banned. A big thank you to Mrs Werner who kindly organised this fantastic trip, we all had so much fun!"
Falkner House Election
Year 6 were split up into three political parties, each standing for a meal of choice:
Blue - bangers and mash
Red - tortellini
Yellow - pizza
Elections were held in the Falkner House Big Room on Thursday 6th May. The total poll was 99% and 224 voters flocked, as is their right, to cast their vote in the secret ballot. The afternoon Nursery class had postal votes. With only 7 spoilt votes and 2 abstentions, the results were as follows:
Yellow 45.5%
Red 30.9%
Blue 23.6%
Congratulations to all candidates as canvassing and presentations were of a high standard. The Year 6 girls, organised by Mr Harling, created a very realistic atmosphere throughout the whole process and pupils now have a greater awareness of the value of democracy. Pizza is now on the menu for Friday!
"Starting from last week Falkner House has been running a 'school election'. This was led by Year 6, we were put into three parties; the Liberal Democrats, the Labour Party and the Conservatives. Each party was given a meal. We had to canvas these meals to the rest of the school trying to make them vote for us. The teachers got to vote as well as the school. The 6th May was our voting day. The big room was themed as a Falkner House polling station! We had a secret ballot box where you could place your vote in secret! The Falkner House election was almost as tense as the general election! A lot of effort was put into the election and all the parties did very well."
"On Thursday 6th May, Year 6 held an election for school lunch on Friday 7th May. Every speech was cleverly put together. After every speech passed by, I kept on changing my mind about which group to choose and vote for. It felt like a real election! Year 6 put an amazing effort into it. The presentations were fascinating."
"On Thursday 6th May, we had a general election at Falkner House. This general election was not for deciding who was the Prime Minister, but what food we would eat for lunch on Friday! Year 6 was split into three parties or groups. Each one had a different meal: Conservative had bangers and mash, Labour had tortellini and Liberal Democrats had pizza. For the past weeks the Year 6 have been advertising for their group's food. After Assembly everyone was able to vote, including teachers. It was very exciting voting. Thank you Mrs Griggs, Year 6 and Mr Harling for organising it."
Visit to Apsley House
"Year 1 went to Apsley House on Thursday. At Apsley House we pretended to be girls and boys. The girls wore lacey tops and the boys wore neckerchiefs. A lady called Ruth gave us a tour and on the tour we pretended to be servants. We polished the windows and scrubbed the floors. We then went to Hyde Park and had a picnic."
Visit to British Museum
"On Thursday 18th March Year 2 went to the British Museum. We looked at the section on Egypt. First we saw Rameses II's statue and drew portraits of him. Excitingly, next we saw the Rosetta stone which I was looking forward to the most! The Rosetta stone has lots of hieroglyphs on it. Hieroglyphs are ancient Egyptian writing. Next we saw a show about mummies and how they were wrapped. Then it was lunch time. My lunch was delicious! Finally we had our challenge. We had to find different objects. It was tricky but we found everything! It was really interesting how old and fragile the objects were. I really enjoyed the trip. Thank you to Miss Nicholls, Miss Easton, Miss Rogers and Miss A."
Hampton Court Palace Visit
To his Majesty King Henry VIII,
Thank you for inviting us to Hampton Court on the 17th of March. We were very impressed with your palace, it was splendid. Lord Toft particularly liked the astronomical clock in Clock Court.
When we arrived we visited the wardrobes and tried on some of your English outfits, including underclothes, a kirtle, a girdle, many jewel necklaces and a French Hood. Although they were very heavy, we still felt grand as we walked around in them.
After this we visited your state rooms and it was very exciting to bump into you in the Great Hall. We enjoyed spotting the eavesdroppers in the ceiling and really admired all the Tudor roses on the stained glass windows.
Later on we met two of your cooks, Mark and Robert, who took us on a tour round your kitchens. Charlie, the spit boy did a fantastic job operating the spit and we were most impressed with the six huge fireplaces.
All in all we had a magnificent time.
Yours sincerely,
Year 5.
Year 6 Visit to Junior Citizens
“On Wednesday Year 6 attended a ‘junior citizen’ exhibition at the Territorial Army Base. It was supported by ‘The Children’s Safety Education’ which works to keep young people in London safe. We gained a lot of knowledge about dangers of everyday life and how to cope with them. For instance, we learned “DR ABC” which stands for danger, response, airway, breathing and call 999. This is to help remind you of the five steps you should take if you come across someone who has had an accident. There were role play sessions concerning “stranger danger” which were very realistic and informative. The whole experience was a fascinating one that I won’t forget. Thank you to Mr Harling and Miss Apostolides for taking us on such a great trip.”
“On Wednesday 18th March, Year 6 visited the Territorial Army Base. As we arrived we were split into 10 groups. Each group did different activities at different times. We learned what to do when someone is drowning and when someone is hurt or unconscious, more about road safety and also what to do in a house fire. We also learned about the measurement of sound and during that session we had a screaming competition where the loudest screamer in each group received a certificate. The whole class had a marvellous time and I would like to thank Mr Harling and Miss A. for accompanying us.”
Primary Maths Challenge Finals
On Wednesday 3rd February pupils from Years 5 and 6 sat the Primary Maths Challenge Finals. They are all to be congratulated as they obtained very good results of 65% and over. Two medals were awarded - a Bronze Medal (80%) and silver medal (88%).
Well done to all, it has been an enormous mathematical success!
Year 2 to the British Museum
“On Thursday 18th March Year 2 went to the British Museum. We looked at the section on Egypt. First we saw Rameses the II's statue and drew portraits of him. Excitingly, next we saw the Rosetta stone which I was looking forward to the most! The Rosetta stone has lots of hieroglyphs on it. Hieroglyphs are ancient Egyptian writing. Next we saw a show about mummies and how they were wrapped. Then it was lunch time. My lunch was delicious! Finally we had our challenge. We had to find different objects. It was tricky but we found everything! It was really interesting how old and fragile the objects were. I really enjoyed the trip. Thank you to Miss Nicholls, Miss Easton, Mrs Rogers and Miss. A.”
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.”
