Dear Parents and Carers,
What a packed week it has been, with some really 'stand out' work from the children.
TEAM Cross Country
We were delighted to once again host the TEAM Cross Country on Tuesday morning. This is probably the biggest sporting event in the TEAM calendar and it was incredibly well attended by the schools from our trust. It was wonderful to have no rain - and some sunshine for the large numbers of children to compete in. Everyone who took part from across all of the schools did magnificently on a long, tricky and this year, particularly muddy course. Everyone who started managed to finish and that is no easy feat. Super-well done to all of the HB children who participated. You were all brave enough to give it a go! Special mention of Maddison and Dylan who both slipped and took a tumble but picked themselves up to carry on and complete their respective races: great perseverance! Also, very well done to Kaitlyn and Freddie R who ran superbly to win the Y6 races. A huge thank you to Mr Turner and Mr Manning, TEAM's PE Leads, who organised such a fantastic morning and to Freddie M, Elsie, Francesca, Esmay, Emilia, Evelyn and Jack who had the important role of course marshals throughout the morning. A member of staff from another school told me how impressed they were with these HB children for the way they encouraged and applauded the runners as they went by - no matter which school they were from. Really well done to everyone involved.
Class Four Dartmoor Trip
On Thursday, Class Four had the opportunity to travel to Postbridge in the heart of Dartmoor to learn about the landscape, environment and the place of Dartmoor Ponies within it. We were blessed by reasonable weather, which helped (the sun actually shone for a while). Learning about the indigenous ponies and the ancient origins of the stone lines, circles and tombs was really interesting. The day made links back to our Exeter Racecourse trip, when we found out about a very different type of horse. It also links to our current project in History on Ancient China: the Shang people were living at the same time as those making Dartmoor their home. Here is what some of the class had to say:
"We saw many animals like sheep, cows, birds and of course ponies - with woods that they can hide in. I learnt that there are many sorts of trees and how they take non-native trees down to grow native trees which is good for the environment. My favourite thing to do was looking at the old houses: I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. [Daniel] It was a fun day with a lot of walking that was really worth it as we learnt many new things about the Neolithic period. We saw where trees had been cut down for logs and to allow native trees to be planted. My favourite thing was learning about the ponies. The hill ponies are not allowed in with the Dartmoor ponies so they can't interbreed. [William] We went into a section where the Dartmoor ponies were. Then we walked through the forest and Karen told us some facts about peat (it was used for heating and if it is burnt it lets out greenhouse gas). Finding out about peat and the stone buildings was amazing ... We haven't learnt about this before and I really enjoyed it. [Oscar] I learnt that peat is important for the environment as it traps CO2 from the atmosphere. I also learnt that Dartmoor ponies and the hill ponies will have mixed breed foals and they don't really want that. I liked sitting in one of the ancient houses ... One of the biggest houses on the outside of the village was a mystery: I thought it was a gatehouse or possibly a gaol. [Niah] I liked learning all about peat and also when we were told lots of facts about Dartmoor ponies. I also found out that Dartmoor was heavily forested in the Bronze Age." [Megan]
Both Sarah and Karen, who were our guides on the moor, were super-impressed by the children's enthusiasm, attention and politeness. They had a special mention for Jack whose knowledge was incredible.
Class Three Residential
Again with reasonable weather (on the first day at least) Class Three have had a wonderful time at St George's House on their residential this week. It is lovely to hear how the 'old hands' from Y4 have supported their peers in Y3 who were embarking on their first residential and time away from home. There will no doubt be some tired children this weekend after all of the activities in the day and the 'partying' at night! A big thank you to Miss Trofa, Mrs Kennard and Mrs Scowen for making this time away possible.
PTA Cake and Flower Sale
Many thanks to all those of you who baked and bought cakes to sell after school on Tuesday. Although I missed out, I hear that they were delicious! Thanks to Katie and Jemma for organising this - a fantastic £145 was raised to help us support the children in the school.
Recommended Reads - Year Fives
This week we hear what the children in Y5 like to read:
William H - I like the Tom Gates series because they are very funny and quite a light read.
William T - I have enjoyed, 'Virtually Christmas' by David Badiel. There is a lot of comic action and well described scenes in the story.
Megan - I read a lot of Jacquiline Wilson books. They are based on real life, but they are quite dramatic too.
Niah - I would recommend 'The Last Bear' as it is an adventure story and every chapter ends with a cliff-hanger, so you want to read on.
Maddison - I challenged myself to read 'Journey to the River Sea'. This is an adventure story about a girl named Maia who is sent from England to live with distant relatives in the Amazon Rainforest ...
Frank - I like the 'Eyewitness' WW2 book. There is a lot of reading, but it is broken into small sections with lots of photographs.
Harker - I love the 'Horrid Henry' series ... I don't really know why!
Oscar - The '... Storey Tree House' books are great because they are fun.
Donations to the Book Trust
Many thanks to everyone who donated money in exchange for dressing up for WBD. We have raised nearly £80 for this charity. What a great bunch of children you are!
Exmoor Challenge
Four of the five Y6s who are keen to tackle this year's Exmoor Challenge had their first practice walk today. Well done to them and a massive thank you to Mrs Vowden for walking with them.
Have a lovely weekend,
Rob Norton
Head of School
