Day 4 fun

It was great to arrive this morning and join two of our year 6 groups at Neath canal for some canoeing. The confidence on display was amazing and after a short practice they were soon navigating the narrow route along the canal.

Meanwhile the other two groups were conquering their fears down the caves- having an amazing time!

It was also lovely to help Millie celebrate her birthday this evening.
Tonight we are attempting to pack ready for a beach adventure tomorrow.
We will see you soon!

Happy birthday

A very happy birthday girl celebrating with 39 friends.

Year 6 Residential Day 3

Another brilliant day has been had. It was canoeing and climbing on the agenda for today and despite the sun shining for us, it was rather chilly. However, the children rose to the occasion, with enthusiasm and ever increasing resilience and had great fun. We have just had a slap up meal of roast chicken (or veggie sausages) and apple upside down cake with custard and are donning our layers and warm weather gear to go on a night walk to a nearby castle. The energy levels amongst the under 12s are staggeringly impressive and there are lots of rosy cheeks.

All ready for bed.........

Year 6 Residential Day 2

Sorry for the late post; it’s been a busy, but amazing day. Every child (and adult) challenged themselves and went out of their comfort zone to achieve something they weren’t expecting to. Two groups went caving and got posted through the ‘letter box’, as well as crawling through tight spaces and a lot of water. The other two groups climbed up cliffs and abseiled down. This evening was spent problem solving in groups. The teamwork has been phenomenal.

Good Morning

After a very quiet night (I’ve never uttered those words after the first night of a residential trip before!) everyone is refreshed and looking forward to today’s activities of climbing for two groups and caving (water levels permitting) for the other two. We are currently tucking into mountains of cereal and sausage baps. The sun has also made an appearance. Happy children and adults all round. 😀

Happy Eaters!

I just received this photo from Kilvrough where all is reportedly going very well. There will be tons of photos taken there, which we will be able to share with you when they're back, but uploading them there can prove tricky! We'll do our best.

Not sure what was on the menu but they look pretty happy :)

Year 6 Residential Day 1

Year 6 have arrived, had a fire drill, eaten, had a tour, selected waterproofs and wellies, completed a muddy team building exercise and are about to have an evening meal. Everyone is smiling (even the adults) and also very tired, which we are hoping bodes well for a ‘quiet’ night. However, the evening is yet young and we have more activities before bed time.

We are not sure we will be able to upload photos this week, But we will keep the updates coming.

Strictly comes to Cholsey!

On Thursday we had an exciting visit from Krystof and Natalia, two world class Ballroom / Latin Dancers! Both Krystof and Natalia perform all around the world and have even appeared on the Iranian version of 'Strictly Come Dancing'. They started the day by inviting two of their 13 year old students to perform some of their Ballroom and Latin dances in assembly. The children were mesmerized by their talent and many couldn't believe that they were only 13 years old! 

Following this, each class took part in a short workshop where Krystof and Natalia taught them some basic Cha Cha Cha and Waltz steps. 

There was an exciting buzz about dancing around the whole school, and it was lovely to see some of the children pairing up and performing on the playground at lunchtime. 

We are hopeful that they will be able to run an after school Ballroom and Latin Dance club for us starting next term.

Although they are based in London if anyone would like more information on the classes they run in Oxford each week please visit their website: www.krystofnatalia.co.uk or visit the school office for a flyer. 

Wind in the Willows

Congratulations to the Year 3/4 children and staff on their excellent performances of 'Wind in the Willows'. The children and staff have worked incredibly hard over the last few weeks ensuring it was the best performance they could possibly make it. Well done everyone!

Class Cup Winners

Sea Otters, Chameleons and Tigers are the first classes in their phases to win the new class trophies.
All week, staff were looking for classes who were lining up and moving around the school with care.
Massive congratulations to our first winners, who will keep the trophies in their classrooms for the week until we find out who are this week's winners.

Parents Evening - Thank You!

Thank you to all the parents who came in to see class teachers this week. It was lovely to see so many of you. The feedback we received has been overwhelmingly positive and we have passed it on to all the teachers.

Here are some of the comments left by parents:

A really informative meeting, felt that my daughters teaching really knew my child, very useful support at school and ways I can enhance my child's learning at home.

A genuinely lovely experience, I left feeling informed of how to help my son and pleased with his overall progress.

Wonderful feedback and very supportive and helpful

Teachers were also very positive about the experience and the support that they receive from you so thank you very much!

Recommended book lists

We often get asked to recommend age appropriate books. Below are some recommendations from literacy advisers and from Wallingford Bookshop. Ali, who works there, would be happy to advise you if you visit - mention you are from Cholsey school!

James’ Booklist

Great Picture Books

A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton

A Friend for Little Bear by Harry Horse

Again by Emily Gravett

Black Dog by Levi Pinfold

Chalk by Bill Thomson

Christopher Nibble by Charlotte Middleton

Courtney by John Burningham

Dogger by Shirley Hughes

Edgar Gets Ready for Bed by Jennifer Adams

Flotsam by David Weisner

Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs

Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen

Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd

Hermelin by Mini Grey

Hogwash by Arthur Geisert

Hoot Owl- Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor

House Held up by Trees by Ted Kooser

How to Live Forever by Colin Thompson

I am the Mummy Heb-Nerfert by Eve Bunting

Instructions by Neil Gaiman

I Really Want to Eat a Child by Sylvianne Donnio

Kicking a Ball by Allan Ahlberg

Ladybird Picture Books- Fairy Tales

Mother Goose’s Playtime Rhymes by Axel Scheffler

Max by Marc Martin

Mr Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham

Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Mr Wuffles by David Weisner

Mythological Monsters of Ancient Greece by Sara Fanelli

Night of the Gargoyles by Eve Bunting

Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

On the Way Home by Jill Murphy

On Sudden Hill by Linda Sarah

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Peepo! by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Penguin in Peril by Helen Hancocks

Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins

Shh, We Have a Plan! by Chris Haughton

Slow Loris by Alexis Deacon

Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon

Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner

Speckle the Spider by Emma Dodson

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Drywalt

The Deep Dark Wood by Algy Craig Hall

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

The Green Ship by Quentin Blake

The Island by Armin Greder

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris van Allsburg

The Paperbag Prince by Colin Thompson

The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan

The Selfish Crocodile by Faustin Charles

The Storm Whale by Benji Davies

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman

The Yes by Sarah Bee

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Tuesday by David Weisner

Weasels by Elys Dolan

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sandak

Would you Rather… by John Burningham

Retellings of Classics

Robin of Sherwood by Michael Morpurgo

Beowulf by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield

Myths and Legends retold by Anthony Horowitz

Collected Folk Tales by Alan Garner

Stories from Shakespeare by Geraldine McCaughrean

The Orchard Book of Shakespeare Stories by Andrew Matthews

Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green

The Orchard Book of Swords, Sorcerers and Superheroes by Tony Bradman

The Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales by Geraldine McCaughrean

The Odyssey Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds

Greek Myths by Ann Turnbull

The Adventures of Odysseus by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden

Atticus the Storyteller’s 100 Greek Myths by Lucy Coats

Classic Children’s Literature

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The War of the Worlds by HG Wells

Charlotte’s Web by EB White

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Poetry

Where my Wellies Take Me by Clare and Michael Morpurgo

The Nation’s Favourite Children’s Poems – BBC

Classic Poetry selected by Michael Rosen

The Ring of Words by Roger McGough

Cautionary Verses by Hilaire Belloc

The Rattle Bag edited by Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes

New and Collected Poems for Children by Carol Anne Duffy

Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl

The Oxford Treasury of Classic Poems

iF- A Treasury of Poems for Almost Every Possibility edited by Allie Esiri and Rachel Kelly

Collected Poems for Children by Ted Hughes

Beautiful Non-Fiction

The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins

A Dictionary of Monsters and Mysterious Beasts by Carey Miller

The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzenberger

How to Keep Dinosaurs by Robert Mash

The Usborne History of Britain

Professor Stewart’s Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities by Iain Stewart

What Makes Me? By Robert Winston

Wholly Irresponsible Experiments by Sean Connolly

Gravity by Jason Chin

Traditional Stories

Tales from the West Indies by Faustin Charles

One Thousand and One Arabian Nights by Geraldine McCaughrean

The Thousand Nights and One Night retold by David Walser

The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor retold by John Yeoman

Grimm Tales by Philip Pullman

Book House Ancient Greek Myths

The Odyssey retold by Robin Lister

The Trick of the Tale by John and Caitlin Matthews

Aesop’s Fables retold by Alice Shirley

Great Contemporary Fiction

Not the End of the World by Geraldine McCaughrean

His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman

Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman

Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman

Montmorency by Eleanor Updale

Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly

Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Last Polar Bears by Harry Horse

Clockwork by Philip Pullman

Holes by Louis Sachar

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf by David Almond

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

The Various by Steve Augarde

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin

Clockwork by Philip Pullman

Once by Morris Gleitzman

Diamond Brothers books by Anthony Horowitz

Young Bond books by Charlie Higson

The Magician of Samarkand by Alan Temperley

Wallingford Bookstore recommendations:

Picture books:

Oi Frog by Kes Gray and Claire Gray

Oi Dog by Kes Gray and Claire Gray

Quick Quack Quentin by Kes Gray and Jim Field

The Great Dog Bottom Swap by Peter Bentley and Mei Matsuoka

There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Peter Klostermann and Ben Mantle

Green Lizards vs Red Rectangles by Steve Antony

The Queen’s Hat by Steve Antony

No-Bot – the Robot with No Bottom by Sue Hendra

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Dogs Don’t Do Ballet by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

The Book With No Pictures by B J Novak

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

The Day the Crayons Came Back by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

The Story of the Alphabet by Olvier Jeffers

Oh No George by Chris Haughton

The Crocodile That Didn’t Like Water by Gemma Merino

The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer

Lion vs Rabbit by Alex Latimer

Bears Don’t |Read by Emma Chichester Clark

I’m Going to Eat This Ant by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

KS1 shorter chapter books:

Wigglesbottom Primary: The Toilet Ghost by Pamela Butchart

The Bolds by Julian Clary

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Polly and the Puffin by Jenny T Colgan

The Extincts by Veronica Cossantelli

Buckle and Squash and the Monstrous Moat Dragon by Sarah Courtauld

The Jolley-Rogers and the Ghostly Galleon by Jonny Duddle

Mango and Bambang: The Not-a-Pig by Polly Faber and Clara Vuillamy

The 13 Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Captain Pug by Laura James and Eglantine Ceulamans

Squishy McFluff: The Invisible Cat by Pip Jones and Ella Oksted

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy

Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans by Gary Northfield

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O’Hara

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephen Pastis

Witch Wars by Sibeal Pounder

Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sara McIntyre

Cakes in Space by Philip Reeve and Sara McIntyre

Pugs of the Frozen North by Philip Reeve and Sara McIntyre

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell

Claude in the City by Alex T Smith

The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig by Emer Stamp

Dinosaur Cove by Rex Stone

Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

Knighthood for Beginners by Elys Dolan

Spy Toys by Mark Powers

Witch Wars by Sibeal Pounder

The Racehorse Who Wouldn’t Gallop by Clare Balding

KS 2 books:

The Parent Agency by David Baddiel

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier and Douglas Holgate

The Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

Fortunately the Milk… by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell

The Trouble with Mummies by F R Hitchcock

The Secret Hen House Theatre by Helen Peters

Beetle Boy by M G Leonard

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt

Hook’s Daughter by Heidi Schulz

The River Singers by Tom Moorhouse

The Dragons of Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett

 Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell

Roof Toppers by Katherine Rundell

Dr Proctor’s Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

The Last Wild by Piers Torday

Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford

What Not To Do When Invisible by Ross Welford

Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine

Poppy Pym and the Pharoah’s Curse by Laura Wood

Year 6 suggestions:

Classics:

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

Redwall by Brian Jacques

Stig of the Dump by Clive King

Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliffe

The Sword in the Stone by T H White

Fiction:

Wonder by R J Palacio

Geek Girl by Holly Smale

Big Game by Dan Smith

Young Bond: Shoot to Kill by Steve Cole

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

Murder Most Unladylike by Robyn Stevens

River Singers by Tim Moorhouse

Parent Agency by David Baddiel

Ruby Redfort: Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child

My Brother is a Superhero by David Solomons

The Last Wild by Piers Torday

Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford

Historical:

Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine

Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley

The Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall

Black Powder by Ally Sherick

Fantasy:

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt

Reckless: The Petrified Flesh by Cornelia Funke

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

A Boy called Christmas by Matt Haig

The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig

Mortal Engines by Philp Reeve

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief

Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Wings of Fire by Tui Sutherland

Skuldugerry Pleasant by Derek Landy

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

The Monstrous Child by Francesca Simon

Sci-Fi:

Maze Runner by James Dashner

Rain by Virginia Bergin

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Itch by Simon Mayo

Graphic Novels:

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Young Bond: Silverfin by Charlie Higson

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Corpse Talk by Adam Murphy

Pirates of Pangaea by Daniel Hartwell and Neill Cameron

Troy Trailblazer by Robert Deas

Tamsin and the Deep by Neill Cameron and Kate Brown

Lost Tales by Adam Murphy

Bunny vs Monkey by The Phoenix

Remembrance

We held our remembrance silence today, accompanied by The Last Post and Reveille.

5/6 Science

This week, years 5 and 6 have been looking at the centres of gravity  with the help of some glamorous assistants about how equal and opposite forces allow us to remain in a stationary position. 

We also managed to defy gravity - or did we?

Can you work out how the cocktail stick manages to still hold up the forks? House points available for great suggestions!

Art Club

This week the children have put their acrylic painting skills to good use and have created some amazing flower pictures. Look out for the texture from their brush strokes and colour mixing. I think they're fab - hope you do to! Possibly some budding Van Goghs?

The Force is with them!

Years 5&6 have been learning about forces ; how equal and opposite forces make an object remain stationary. They then devised their own investigations to find out which ball ( different sizes and weights) fell fastest. Watch Brainiac if you'd like to see which fall first between a cooker and a pillow! The children had to work out how to make their test fair, often adapting their investigation as they went.

Dark Matter

Last week some year 5s and 6 children went to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories in Harwell for a Dark Matter Day. Dark matter is the stuff you can't see between stars but over 20 million dark matter particles can pass through 1cm depth of your hand and you don't even know it's there. Stuff is a good word to describe dark matter because no one has found it yet, so for the first activity, the children had to design, annotate their diagram and build their version of a dark matter particle. Have a look - see the interesting shapes.

They then learned how much data needs to be downloaded and programmed beebots to send the data from one location to the next.

They were also lucky enough to see the actual computer that sent Apollo 13 to the moon. It did look rather dated (from the mid 60s).

The highlight was being taken on a guided tour around the galaxy learning how to identify constellations, the stories behind them and then creating their own.

Edward said his favourite part was "the planetarium because we got to see a realistic dark sky". Sadly light pollution affects us so we don't get to see anywhere near so much, but do take a look into the night sky and enjoy the beauty of the stars!