Christingle

In the build up to the festive season, we took time as a school to remember the true meaning of Christmas through our Christingle service led by Miss Coppens-Browne.After making their own Christingles, the children joined together in the hall in prayer and the lighting of our candles. It looked very beautiful indeed.

Christmas Lunch

Nearing the end of term, we were all ready for a hearty Christmas lunch. As you can see from the photos below, we enjoyed another beautiful lunch today, expertly cooked and prepared by Natasha and Lucy.  Thank you so much ladies and to all who helped (organise, prepare and eat!). It was fabulous.

Christmas Decoration Day 2015

Another hugely successful decoration day!  A combination of rice, glitter, tissue paper and a huge amount of glue led to a beautiful collection of decorations.  These can be found all around the school.
As well as being very creative, the children showed a number of MAGIC qualities today:
MOTIVATED by the spirit of Christmas, with a fabulously kind and helpful ATTITUDE, continuing to show GUMPTION when things didn't turn out as they had hoped the first time and fantastic teamwork aided by COMMUNICATION.

A huge thank you to all the parents, relatives and friends and staff who organised, participated and tidied up today.  It is much appreciated.

Universal Children's Day

Universal Children's Day is a celebratory day set aside by United Nations to mark the adoption of the declaration of children's rights.

This year, in order to promote the ongoing plight of less fortunate children across the world, Lucy Hall, along with Natasha, organised a Universal Children's day lunch, We were treated to Cajun chicken, vegetarian chilli con carne and a beautiful pineapple pudding with mango puree. The dining room was decorated with banners and the tables adorned with flags of countries world wide.

The lunch was very much enjoyed by the children, visiting parents and staff,
The children were incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to experience foods of other nationalities,  all the time considering those in less fortunate situations.

Thank you Lucy for a beautiful lunch.

http://www.un.org/en/events/childrenday/

Remembrance Service

Mrs Taylor and four of our Year 6 children travelled into Saxmundham on Wednesday morning to represent the school in showing their respects to the many fallen in wars.  The children were an absolute credit to the school, as remarked upon by members of the congregation and showed respect, compassion and understanding as they laid our wreath on the war memorial in Fromus Square.

A big thank you to the four for demonstrating just why Kelsale school is such a fabulous place to be.

Football Tournament

Some very proud adults and children in Kelsale tonight as our school football team returned heros.  Maintaining their clean sheet, the team stormed to victory, playing 6 games with 5 wins and a draw leaving them tournament champions.
We now just wait to see if we need to play another match or go straight through to county finals.

A fantastic afternoon.  A huge well done to all the children and a huge Thank You to Nick Denny and Miss Dempsey for all their hard work coaching the team.

Guy Making

A huge thank you to all the parents who donated or even bought clothing for guy making this year and another huge thank you to the adults helpers who joined us for the afternoon.  Guy making is always a hugely enjoyable event, allowing the children the opportunity to design, build and evaluate and develop perseverance and resilience to solve problems in order to produce, what I hope you'll agree, are some fabulous guys ready for Saturday night.

School Discos

A big thank you to Lee Ruffles for another excellent night.  As you can, see, it was enjoyed by all.  The staff were very envious of some of the dance moves shown by the children.

Harvest Festival

Please take some time to look at the beautiful photos from Harvest festival.  A fantastic effort from all children (and staff) for the beautiful songs, poems, prayers and fabulous fruit!

The parcels were successfully delivered to the community by some very enthusiastic children.  

A huge thank you to all those who contributed food for our harvest table and an enormous thank you to the lovely parents and adults who gave up their time to help bag up the food and deliver it (sometimes at high speed).  As you can see from the photos, some of our helpers were very fresh faced! The full range of photos can be see on the slideshow below the collage.

Happy Harvest.

Times table practice

As you may be aware, the children at school take a times table test every day, practicing tables at home to help them improve their score or time.  As promised to parents tonight, I have found a copy of a times table game to help children practice tables at home against the clock.  They can choose to practice a set of tables they find difficult, practice a random selection of all or even choose division/inverse questions.
This is an executable file which needs to be downloaded.  It is perfectly safe to do so.  Windows may try to block the game as it was not created by a large company (only created by my husband).

Times table game

Enjoy!

Spellbinder 2015

We were treated today with another visit from The Spellbinder.  Unfortunately, Spellbinder lady is still not very well but we send her our love and best wishes.

It is difficult, with just the aid of a camera, to capture the magic Spellbinder brings with him every time he visits.  The only way you can get a clue is to look at the faces of the children who are enthralled by his stories and giggle during his songs and dances.  Please enjoy the pictures below.
Pals 4 ever xxx

Bishop John Opens New School Extension.

We were extremely fortunate today to receive a visit from Bishop John Waine as he was invited to cut the ribbon to officially open the new school extension.  The whole school congregated on the school drive along with members of staff, governors, some parent and a few key members of the team responsible for the beautiful new build.
Mrs Taylor began with some big thank yous t those who supported the school before and during the work as Bishop John led the school in prayer before cutting the ribbon with two members of year six.

Bishop John then joined the school in collective worship where he answered some of the children's questions.

It was a fantastic morning.  A big thank you to all those who attended and a big THANK YOU to  Bishop John for his time and beautiful words.

KS2 Summer Play- Pirates Versus Mermaids

What an amazing performance.  Once again, our children did us proud with their amazing singing and acting.  A big thank you to all the parents for providing such fabulous costumes, thank you to the amazing Teaching Assistants for the props, scenery and face painting and to all other staff for such a huge effort.
Thank you to Mrs Gill for the gorgeous photos you see below (some need a laptop or PC to view).

And last of all, a big heart-warming thank you for the very generous donations to Great Ormond Street Hospital to show gratitude for the work with one of our pupils and her family this year.  Together we raised approx £450.

Fete and Sport's Day 2015

The fete and sports day took part on a beautifully hot July day. I arrived at school at 7.30 am to find a group of dedicated parents and friends already putting up the gazebos. This was quickly followed by Carla and Nick Denny, without whom the fete would not be possible.  They were busy setting up stalls and organising the field.  Lunchtime arrived and the Year 5/6's set up their stalls and Mrs Ward and Miss Dempsey scampered around the school field attempting to organise Sports Day.
A huge effort from all meant a very successful and enjoyable afternoon took place, as can be seen from the beautiful photos taken by Mrs Gill.  A huge thank you to all who supported the event.

Country Dancing Festival

This morning, KS2 walked to Carlton Park to take part in the annual Country Dancing festival kindly sponsored by Suffolk Folk.

Although it was quite warm out, there was a lovely breeze blowing across the park.  Perfect weather for dancing.
Photos were taken by the new Photographic assistant!

Race For Life 2015

Today, the culmination of Sports Fortnight; the whole school (children, teachers, support staff) headed out to the school field, complete with water bottles, sun cream, sun hats, pink tutus and fluffy bunny ears to take part in the Kelsale school annual Race For Life.
The sea of pink and blue lined up at the start lines and after a count down from 10, they were off.  Despite a cooling breeze flowing across the field, it was still a very hot afternoon.  To prevent the children becoming ill,  they were told to walk in the sunny parts of the field and then could run in the shady spots (a rule imposed for their safety, which all children and not all the adults(!) stuck to).

Once again, a glorious feeling of friendship could be felt out on the field, with the children supporting each other and the parents and relatives cheering us on.

A huge thank you to all our sponsors for their generous donations to a very worthy cause and a big thank you to Mrs Ward for her organisational skills.
Same time next year?

(Please see slideshow below).

Sports Fortnight- Fencing

All classes had the opportunity to try fencing today, led by premier sport.  After initial training with foam foils, the children were padded up and fought with a more realistic foil.  I think they look the part!  They were certainly very competitive!

If you cannot see the slide show of pictures below, try viewing on a PC or laptop.

Sports Fortnight- Judo

Wow, what an amazing day.  We had a visit from Mark Purllant and his son Jack from Blackdog Judo club   (Click name for link), both of whom gave up their time to allow all the children at Kelsale to experience Judo, some for the first time and some of whom are already registered with a Judo club.

It is always a humbling experience to see  such talented people showcase their work, as Mark and Jack did today, but it also gave us an opportunity to admire the talents of those who attend Judo club on a regular basis.

I took some many photos today and all of them are well worth a view as the excitement and joy is clear to see on the faces of the children.


A big thank you to Mr Ward for helping to transport the mats to and from school today and  huge thank you to Mark and Jack for spending time, energy and enthusiasm with us today.

Sports Fortnight- Golf

Mrs Taylor kindly gave golf lessons to Classes 1 and 2 this afternoon with golf clubs borrowed from Halesworth golf club.

Sports Fortnight- Street Dance

Today's sporting activity gave all the children their chance to bring out their inner divas and showcase some serious attitude.  Premier Sport provided the lessons which the children thoroughly enjoyed.

Viewing photos on the Blog

I am aware that some electrical devices as such Iphones and Ipads are not able to show slideshows of photos on the school blog.  I do try to use a collage of photos wherever possible, however, this does not allow me to show all the photos taken (it would take up too much space) and it seems such a shame not to give as many children as possible the chance to see themselves.
In order to view all the photos from the blog, you may need to use a regular computer or laptop.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

Sports Fortnight- Archery and Rounders

All classes had the opportunity to try archery today, led by premier sport.  Teachers were relieved to see arrows with suction cups and not points!  More pictures can be seen in a slideshow below.

We also set up a game of rounders to prevent too much standing around, waiting for a turn with the bow and arrow.

Sports Fortnight- Medal Maths

Maths continues during ports fortnight, but with a sporting theme.

The problem:

Thirteen nations competed in a sports tournament. Unfortunately, we do not have the final medal table, but we have the following pieces of information:

1. Turkey and Mexico both finished above Italy and New Zealand.

2. Portugal finished above Venezuela, Mexico, Spain and Romania.

3. Romania finished below Algeria, Greece, Spain and Serbia.

4. Serbia finished above Turkey and Portugal, both of whom finished below Algeria and Russia.

5. Russia finished above France and Algeria.

6. Algeria finished below France but above Serbia and Spain.

7. Italy finished below Greece and Venezuela, but above New Zealand.

8. Venezuela finished above New Zealand but below Greece.

9. Greece finished below Turkey, who came below France.

10. Portugal finished below Greece and France.

11. France finished above Serbia, who came above Mexico.

12. Venezuela finished below Mexico, and New Zealand came above Spain.

Can you recreate the medal table from this information?

The children used a range of strategies to form the medals table and enjoyed the process.

Feel The Force Science Show

Meanwhile, KS2 travelled to The Abbey School in Woodbridge to see the 'Feel The Force' show performed by educators from The London Science Museum.

They met the famous Phil The Frog (stunt frog), known for his many Hollywood films, such as Harry Frogger and James Pond.
We thank The Abbey School for their hospitality and the educators for a fantastic morning.

Science Museum Bubble Show

This morning, KS1 travelled to The Abbey School in Woodbridge to see the famous Bubble Show performed by educators from The London Science Museum.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the show and came home with a shared fascination of bubbles, but also an insight into a fail safe bubble recipe!  We thank The Abbey School for their hospitality and the educators for a fantastic morning.

Athletics Afternoon 2015

A beautiful, sunny afternoon was perfectly arranged (!) for our annual Athletics afternoon.  Undeterred by the building work, we all headed out to the school field for a range of activities such as discuss, javelin,  hurdles, penalty shoot out to name just a few.
The children were superbly behaved and had a wonderful time.
A big thank you to Mrs Ward for organising and all staff for their help  plus the parents for their support.

Sports Fortnight Day 2- Rugby

Classes 3, 4 and 5 took part in tag rugby sessions today, lead by Premier Sport.  We discovered some very talented players, some dedicated tacklers and some very intimidating front players.  There are some fantastic photos to show just how much the children 'threw' themselves into the game.

Sports Fortnight- Day 2 Handball

This morning, both Class 1 and 2 took part in Handball sessions, run by Premier Sport.  They have had a fabulous time, as you can see.

Sports Fortnight- Day 2 Sports Day Practice.

Just an opportunity for Mrs Mansell to practice taking some 'Action Shots' ready for Athletics afternoon.  I can see some truly determined faces here!

Sports Fortnight- Day 1

First day of Sports Fortnight and we have been incredibly lucky with the weather.  What was forecast to be a rainy afternoon, actually turned out to be beautifully sunny.  Today, Orienteering.
All classes were able to experience the activity- An organised hunt around the school field followed by a series of team games.
As you can see from the photos, the children are already having an amazing time, and with plenty of other wonderful activities planned, it's shaping up to be a totally enjoyable time at Kelsale.

Kelsale v Benhall Football matches

A beautiful summer's afternoon at Kelsale school and two well fought football matches provided excellent entertainment for the supporters.
Both schools should be commended for their effort and sportsmanship allowing all members of the football club to showcase their skills and enthusiasm.
A big thanks to Nick Denny for arranging the matches and coaching the teams and thank you to Miss Dempsey for her support.

Race For Life 2015

Once again, the pupils, staff friends and family of Kelsale school will be racing, walking crawling for Life on Friday 3rd July 2015 from 1.30pm.
The money raised all goes towards an excellent cause very close to many of our hearts.
Your support both financially and emotionally (on the day) will be gratefully received.

To pledge your donation online, click on the link below:

www.justgiving.com/KelsalePrimary

or text:
Whatever mobile network they're on, your supporters can simply text KCEP79 and an amount of £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to 70070. 


Please give whatever you can to support use all on this emotional, exciting, exhausting but amazing day.

Thank you xxx

Kelsale Football Tournament

The first (and hopefully annual) Kelsale Football Tournament took place at our school.  Teams from Snape, Benhall, Yoxford and Aldeburgh joined the Kelsale Team in a lovely tournament organised by Nick Denny (our team coach).
An excited set of 1st round games saw 4 teams go through to the semi final where Benhall played Aldeburgh through 2 halves, through extra time and into penalties where Benhall were triumphant. Kelsale won their semi-final, leaving them to play Benhall in the final.

The crowd increased in number as the afternoon sun blazed on.  Both teams played incredibly well but Kelsale, who had not conceded a goal all tournament, out played the other team and, with screams of excitement from parents, teachers and headteacher, took the trophy.

An absolutely fantastic result for Kelsale (playing for the first time in their very smart kit provided by Kelsale Parish council- A huge thank you to them) and very proud parents and staff.

Again, a massive thank you and well done to Nick for all his hard work and organisation and Miss Dempsey for her support.

New Build Week 6

The walls are on the way up and ,just today, the windows were removed from Class 5 ready for the bricks.  Very exciting!

New Build- Week 4

This week, we have seen the floor wired and concreted ready for the next stage in the build.  All looking very exciting!

New school lunches- Week 3

The last week of the new school menu.  Next week, we begin the cycle again, back to week 1.  Well done Lucy for making lunches so beautiful and being so lovely.
Remember, school lunches are provided for all KS1 children and are available for KS2 children for £2.30 per day, payable in advance to the school office.

New Build- Week 3

Another week and we are now the proud owners of some concrete foundations and the beginning of some walls!  Things are certainly moving on well as you can see from the pictures below.

'A Poem for Suffolk' Workshop with Dean Parkin.

On Wednesday, Years 4, 5 and 6 were fortunate to receive a visit from Poet Dean Parkin. His current project is 'A poem for Suffolk', and as part of this, Dean visits Suffolk schools and works with children to ask for their help to write the ultimate poem for Suffolk, which encompasses all of the things we love about our local area.

The children had a fabulous day and thoroughly enjoyed the creative opportunity.
The day ended with the children reading their poems to the rest of KS2 and then a poetry reading from Dean.  Needless to say, the children developed a new-found love of bubblewrap!

Thank you Dean for a fabulous experience.
www.deanparkin.co.uk 

New Build Maths with Class 5

Our new build site manager, Barry, kindly provided Class 5 with plans for the foundation works to the new build.  We decided to calculate the volume of the newly dug trenches in order to calculate an estimated cost of concrete to build the foundations, the number of lorry loads of concrete which would be required to fill the trenches and an estimation of the time it would take to complete the job.  Real-life maths in action!

New Build- Week 2

The build is moving on at an astonishing rate so their is something new to see almost everyday.
This, we have been watching the foundations being dug out and then on Thursday, the arrival and unloading of cement lorries to complete the foundations.  Almost all children in the school gathered around to watch the excitement unfold.

New School lunches Week 2

The new menu lunches are still looking good Lucy.  Well done.
Remember, school lunches are provided for all KS1 children and are available for KS2 children for £2.30 per day, payable in advance to the school office.

Sports For Schools- Danny Lawrence Comes to Kelsale CEVCP School

All at school today were privileged to meet and work with Danny Lawrence and The Sportivators from Sports For Schools.
'GB International gymnast Danny has made over 40 British International appearances and competed at 3 European and 3 world championships. Danny is a 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medalist and team England captain.'
(Sports For Schools website- http://www.sportsforschools.org/) 

The children all had sponsor forms to collect sponsors for the fitness circuit, which they completed this afternoon.  A percentage of the money raised will be given to the school to purchase new PE equipment.  We have a week in which to collect the money and send it to the school office so please do so as soon as possible.  A Big thank you to those families who have already handed their sponsorship money in.  

As you can see from the photos below, the children had an absolutely amazing afternoon.  They showed fantastic perseverance and team work in the fitness training, with cheers and squeals which raised the roof!  


We were then treated to a demonstrated of Danny's gymnastic skills and some inspirational words of advice for all the children.  A huge thank you to Mrs Ward for organising the event and Danny and the organisers from Sport For Schools for allowing us to be a part of such an amazing event.  

New Build- Day 3

Work has continued on the foundations of the new build with a tremendous amount of hard work by the builders followed by a tremendous amount of noise!
Embracing the beautiful weather, Class 5 carried their tables, chairs and work outside and carried on as normal, not to be deterred from hard work!

New School Lunch Menu

Along with all the other excitement at school at the moment, Lucy (Mrs Hall) has launched a new Summer menu. The smells drifting from the kitchen this week are mouth watering and as you can see from the photos below, the food looks absolutely delicious. Thank you to Mrs Gill for some fabulous photos.

Remember, school lunches are provided for all KS1 children and are available for KS2 children for £2.30 per day, payable in advance to the school office.

New Build-Day 1

What an exciting day at school.  As well as the quite astonishing changes that have occurred over the Easter holidays, today saw the first of the major 'wall removals'. The children were memorized. Mrs Gill will be taking photos over the course of the build to chronicle the events.

Golf Taster sessions

This week, Richard, the professional from Halesworth Golf club, is in school giving lessons to KS2 pupils. He will run an after school club for 4 weeks on a Monday from the 27th April. If there is demand he may run a second block of 4 weeks to cater for all of the children. There may be a small charge for this club.

Egg Decoration Day 2015

The frantic blogging tonight drew my attention to the fact that I hadn't yet blogged egg decoration day photos.  I apologise for the delay, but here they are in all their glory!

Snape Maltings performance video