Happy Hotter Holidays!

It seems like it was only yesterday that we started the autumn term. Now, it’s coming to an eventful end. Time to pack up our stuff and head out of that small, squeaky gate to freedom! Yes, you heard right. It’s the autumn term end! Meaning all you lovely students can head home, snuggle up to your sofa and watch Christmas movies! Although it’s quite mild, make sure you wrap up warm while you are outside. No one likes a cold (especially me)!

Also, remember that students come back to school on Tuesday 5^th January so there’s no excuse for not coming to school! Have a happy new year!

Who said glasses can't celebrate Christmas?

Adios Miss Cotten and Miss Clement

It’s really hard saying good bye to our favourite teachers Miss Cotten and Miss Clement. They are amazing and we’re remembering all the things they’ve done for us. It’s hard finding replacements for all the things they’ve done. Miss Cotten also taught English, Spanish and French, as well as Computing! And Miss Clement taught people new to England English, about plants and religion.

Both Miss Cotten and Miss Clement would like to thank everyone for all the good wishes that children and families have given them and they will miss the Avonmore community greatly. They would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Can you guess whose glasses are whose?

Lovely Local Area

On Monday 1^st December year 5 went around the local area with Emily to look at the different types of rocks. Emily works with different schools and goes to different places like the market or the park. We went through the local area to find buildings that have been built with different types of rocks like granite, slate, marble or chalk. We went to see Pizza Hut and Kensington High Street to observe what rock they used, what kind of texture it was and what rock was it. Pizza Hut was limestone and it was very mouldy and rough and Kensington High Street was granite: it was very polished. Now, whenever I look at buildings I will always know what type of rock it’s made from!  

Miss West's Brush With Fame!

Miss West, who popped out for lunch one afternoon, was in 7th heaven when she stumbled across one of her favourite bands-Busted! According to one staff member, who was with her at the time, Miss West became very shy, which is unlike her! When close to the band she was awestruck and unusually mute! The band were on Hammersmith Road doing promotional videos for their new album and concert tour.  Miss West describes her experience as "exhilarating and exciting!" Such amazing times to be had at Avonmore!

A new female singer for Busted? 

A Wonderful Christmas Fair

On Friday 4^th December we had our annual Christmas fair. Every class helped by making something to sell on the day. Year 6 made popcorn, Year 5 made Christmas cards, Year 4 made biscuits, Year 3 also made biscuits, Year 2 made baubles , Year 1 made reindeer lollies, Reception made Christmas cards and Nursery made some biscuits as well.

It all went splendidly! We raised £1000. AMAZING! We had multiple activities such as: Santa’s grotto, class stalls, a raffle, pin the nose on Rudolph, a ‘Stay on the reindeer’ ride, a choir (In which was incredible) and lots more. Lots of thanks to the friends of Avonmore, all the teachers and everyone who came.

Skating Pandemonium!

On Tuesday 1^st December KS2 all went on a fun trip to the Westfield Ice Skating trip! Everyone was having a really fun time. Year 3 and 4’s session was at 9 to 10 while Year 5 and 6’s was from 11 to 12. Some parents came to see their children ice skating. There were penguins to hold on to and some seals to push while your friends sit down on it (not real ones!). Everyone had such a fun time!

                                                                                                                                                             

What a fun occasion!

At one with the ice!

The Princess and the Panto

Recently, Year 6 (not in a magical pumpkin) travelled to the Lyric Theatre to watch a pantotastic panto, Cinderella. We were paying a lot of attention to main acting roles since Year 6 are starting a performance of their own: A Christmas Carol Pantomime. At one point, Buttons, one of the characters, started throwing sweets out at the audience. Yummy! Now, Year 6 have a fantabulous head start to their performance and have got to watch an amazing show!

A Big Preparation For a Big Play!

Great news! The Year 6s have been undergoing major preparations for their big play next week. They’ll be acting out the well-known play, ‘A Christmas Carol’ or as some call it, Scrooge. Although, we can’t make this play happen without your help!

 The Year 6s are in need of some clothing to make their play more magical and Victorian Britain. They need the following: Flat caps for the boys, hats for the girls, braces (suspenders), a top hat for Scrooge, waistcoats and blazers. If you can spare some of these items, please speak to Miss Betsworth. We need these items A.S.A.P and would be very thankful if you can donate/lend them. 

The Wrong Week For Bullies

In England, Anti-Bullying week is coordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance. This week is to help people raise awareness about different types of bullying and how to stop bullies. This year’s theme is ‘Make a Noise’ about bullying. Children have to understand when being bullied you don’t need to allow it: you should tell a teacher or adult. So, please, everyone must stand up to bullying!

Avonmore has already started making a noise about bullying!

Attacks in Paris

On Friday 13^th of November, tragically terrorists attacked Paris. At least 129 lives were lost. In remembrance of those who lost their lives we had a 1 minute silence on Monday 16^th November. We all thought about all those people who had either lost members of their family or had been badly injured and about how we would feel if one of our family members had been hurt or died or even if we experienced what happened in France. Our thoughts and well wishes go out to all of those who are affected.  

A Trip in the Digestive System!

On Tuesday 17^th November Year 4 went to The Science Museum. They looked inside a body with a special camera that linked up to a screen where they could see inside of the digestive system. The camera was swallowed by a man called Carlos. Along with this, Year 4 also met a lady called Imogen who taught them about chemical reactions and how the body works. She also told them about how burps come out and said, “We’re going to play a little game called ‘The Burp Factor’!”  You play it by picking 3 volunteers and you can only win by having the longest and loudest burp.  Imogen also got a ‘flour-shower’ and put flour on the top of it and then got a blowtorch and put it at the bottom of the ‘flower-shower’. The fire made the flour blow into a massive flame. Imogen brought a bowl that had a label on it that said ‘mouth’. She also brought some food that the Year 4’s had to mash together in the bowl labelled ‘mouth’. It smelt so bad.

The Year 4’s had a ton of fun.  One of them even said that they wanted to go back again! What a great learning experience for Year 4!

What a stink!

Brilliant Ballet

On Tuesday 3^rd of November year 5 went to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to watch the ballet. There were lots of different schools who were watching the ballet like us. We all ate on the floor because there were so many schools. After that, we all went inside the hall to watch the ballet. There were 3 different performances. We had three intervals which means to take a break. The first one was 11 mins. The second one was 3 minutes and the last one was 30 mins. We learned so many new tricks that Miss Florescu could teach us for PE. It was an eye catching view.  Finally, we took the bus home after a long, hectic day.

Windy November!

Remember, remember the windy November? Well, if you don’t, you’ll regain your memories since the wind is striking back. Have you noticed the difference between these two photos taken of the same tree in our playground. One was taken last Tuesday and the other today: only one week’s difference.  What do you notice?

November had just begun here...

What a difference a windy week makes! 

Poppies, Poppies Everywhere!

News flash! Poppies are taking Avonmore by storm! Yes, you heard right. Poppies are becoming very popular this month. But why? You may have already known this but, tomorrow is Remembrance Day! Remembrance Day is a day to commemorate the people who fought in the war and sacrificed themselves to protect our freedom.

So, please, if you can, purchase one of our various types of Remembrance Day merchandise to support the charity ‘Poppy Appeal’ that helps soldiers who need it.

Which item will you choose?

Do you wear a poppy to remember those who died for us? 

PE Trip

Not so long ago, 6 people from year 4 and year 5 went on a PE trip to Barn Elms Court Sports Centre. They did rugby, football, long jump, shot puts, 50 metre sprint and beach ball. It was fun but tiring. Sadly, in their opinion, they  ate on the busy, busy  bus. On top of the sports they nearly walked all the way. What an exhausting day.

Avonmore Pupils Greeted by a New Door for the New Term

Did you notice any changes in the front foyer? Well, if your answer is no, then take a peep at the newly fitted door. The new durable door took two days to install and helps in many ways including keeping dreamy warm air in and the horrible cold air out. Here is a further list of reasons this new door helps many people:

·    The old door used to click when it was slightly open which was disturbing especially to those working in the office

·    This new door is made out of metal so it’s heavy and will close on its own unlike the other door

·     There are larger windows so more light travels in

·     The old door was wooden so easily warped in the wet weather

So, the next time you’re in the foyer, take a glance at our new addition. Do you think the new door has improved the look of the school?

What a wonderful welcome to Avonmore

Day of the Sandwich

Today most of you may have been expecting to make your trusty, original cheese and ham sandwich but did you know today is the day you can get creative in the sandwich department! Most of you may not know this was a day but, today is National Sandwich Day! It may seem a silly thing to celebrate but think about the amount of times you’ve bitten into a sandwich. Now think about how good it tasted…delicious right?

My favourite type of sandwich would be a bacon and pepperoni one. What is your favourite sarnie? Get creative! Will you be able to be the sandwich master? 

So many possibilities, so many combinations! 

Wonderful World Food Day

On Friday it was World Food Day which is “a day of action against hunger” according to the World Food Day website.  Some people donated canned food all across the world to help some people in Africa and Asia mostly. In honour of the day, year 2 made pizzas in the staffroom. I got a chance to talk to some of the year 2 students about their experience making their pizzas. They said it was fun and, according to one student, the sauce tasted watery like soup. They all enjoyed it a lot!  Every year we have a focus for World Food Day and this year it was farming.

Yummy pizzas!

Super Science Trip!

Recently year 5 went on an amazingly fantastic science trip! It was on the 2^nd of October that Year 5 went on this fun trip to the science museum! They took the bus to Royal Albert Hall and from there walked to the museum. At first they admired the space gallery and then went to the interesting live show of an astronaut named Eugene Cernan. He was the last person on the moon and the man who stayed on the moon the longest. He told us a very interesting fact: it would take 1 second to get from the science museum back to school if we were in a rocket. That’s faster than a jet!

Super Space!

 

Fantastic drums!

On Tuesday 13^th October we had an African drumming workshop because October is Black History Month. The drum we played was called the Djembe drum: it was super loud! We did a special dance where we held shakers and moved our bodies side to side. This dance was really energetic and upbeat. Everybody liked this! We had to play different beats at different times. It was drumtastic! It was really loud but we really enjoyed it! It was a cool event.

Boys vs girls dance off!

Autumn Attacks!

Recently, the bloggers have taken a stroll around Avonmore’s gardens and spotted a few seasonal changes. One of those changes happened to be naughty squirrels stealing our spring bulbs which are currently being planted. The bulbs will lay dormant in the winter and begin to grow when the soil temperature increases in the spring time, but unfortunately for our gardeners, they make delicious snacks for hungry winter squirrels!  Which leaves (did anyone hear the drum?) us to our next point about hungry creatures. Have you noticed any spiders, which have become rather fat lately? Spiders are spinning large webs in order to catch prey so they can have an autumnal feast before they hibernate for the winter.  Wow! All of these changes are exciting! Keep your eyes out for any of these or other autumn sights!

At Avonmore, do the leaves really fall into the shapes of As?

A spider, post dinner.

Planting bulbs...keep away squirrels!

Rustly leaves falling softly.

 

Rebirth of the shed!

Hmmm… I’ve been having a feeling that something in the top playground has changed, but I just can’t figure it out. Let me have a look back.

I don't see any monkeys on these bars.

No not that…

Is this fake? It's amazing!

Whoa! Is that it? Yes! The shed has been upgraded. Well, half of it. Earl has been very busy recreating an upgraded shed. All that’s left to do is a new awesome paint job. While the shed looks snazzy the back of it is embarrassing because it doesn’t have the improved look. We hope this new design will be strong and won’t be damaged!

The embarrassing back...

Eid Party!

On Friday 25^th of September we had an amazing and exciting Eid party! Every child wore nice clothes representing their country. Parents came and everyone enjoyed the food together. Lots of mums and dads brought delicious foods, such as baklava, rice, cakes, tarts, chicken, bread, chocolate and pizza, to share! Each of the classes visited the party. Year 6 went with Reception, Year 1 went with Year 5, Year 2 went with Year 4 and Year 3 were fine on their own! After 3:30, everybody was able to visit for a short time! The party finished at 4:00 and everyone helped tidy up. What a fun occasion!

Tasty snacks!

A Caketastic Morning

As the recent blog post mentioned, we have had a coffee morning! This event was to fundraise money for Cancer research! So, thanks to everyone who showed up and donated; we have been able to give £480 to Macmillans. I hope everyone there had a great time and thank you for your help… every little counts. I would also like to say that the cakes tasted amazing!

Coffee Morning

Hello Everyone! The bloggers would like to take some time of your day to tell you about our coffee morning. The Friends of Avonmore have organised a coffee morning to fundraise money for Macmillan’s Cancer Research. There will be lots of cakes to enjoy and stuff your mouths with (And no… you do not have to pay but it would be amazing if you could donate to this fabulous cause!). 

This will happen at 8:30 am on Friday 25^th September at Avonmore Primary School. It would be great if you could attend! Donations are welcomed as it will go to supporting those “affected by cancer, from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond.” So all of us, as a community, can help beat cancer. The Friends of Avonmore and the bloggers hope to see you! 

Nothing like coffee and cake in the morning! 

What has 470 legs, 235 noses and can cause enough noise to scare a hungry pack of lions?

The students of Avonmore, of course!

Time for a fresh new uniform, new exercise books and a welcome for some new students, staff and newly painted classrooms!  We hope to make the 2015-16 academic years another fun learning year and hope the new nursery students fit in. This year we aspire to have another wave of hard working pupils to work as hard as or even better than last year’s!  Good luck to everyone at Avonmore!

Leaving Avonmore

Here we are the last week of school and it has been a wonderful eight years at Avonmore. I’ve had a great time as well as a great education.  Over the years I’ve had a number of great teachers that have boosted my learning and experiences.  I especially enjoyed year four because I got to work with Miss Cotten to improve my English through fun games and activities. A year later I was chosen to take part in blog with my computing teacher.  It was a really fun experience and now this is the last post I will be uploading which is sad because I really enjoyed the time I had.  However, I now have a new school to be looking forward to.  Farewell, Avonmore, it’s been a blast!!!

This is not goodbye: it's see you later.

Sports Day 2015

Sports Day was very enjoyable! First we walked to the huge playing field in Holland Park and sat in our team lines that were named after countries. Then we went to our first activities. My team's first activities were the sack race and bean bag balance. There were also lots of other fun activities such as egg and spoon, space hoppers and dribbling. My favourite activity was the running races. I came 4^th in the races which is pretty good. Then we had lunch. We had a nice long rest and saw a nice dog and we patted it. Then we got into our classes and went back to school. At school there was a big award ceremony and our team won an award for the sack race. It was a good sporty day!         

A hopping space hopper! 

            

Year 3’s Muddy Day Out

We walked to the train station and it took about ten minutes to get there. Then we had to walk a little bit longer until we came to a small house by the River Thames. We learnt about the wildlife on the River Thames and found out lots. Then we had lunch and walked to the Thames. We were looking for ancient pottery and found several pieces! My favourite part of the day was when we got really, really muddy as we searched for ancient artefacts. It was such a great day out! 

Learning about the River Thames

It would be tricky to climb this tree!

Mud, mud and more mud!

You have to have a sharp eye to find ancient pottery in this mess! 

              

Spectacular School Journey

This is the first week back to school for some lucky Year five and six students. So, on the first day of the school journey all the students came to school at eight o clock in the morning.  The coach ride was enjoyable, but most of us were confused when we stopped… at the ferry port! Finally! Then we took a ferry, ate our lunch, had a peep at the views then arrived at the Isle of Wight. We took one more coach before walking the rest of the way. Firstly, we had a quick tour of the centre. On the second day the activities began. On the second day we played pirate strategio. The best highlights were tree climbing because the tree was huge and how fun it was, oh boy, 100%! Another highlight was the raft building. Overall, the week was a fun week with learning provided!

Raft building

The longest walk EVER!

What grows on tress? Children, of course! 

Who brought the marshmallows? 

The Summer Fair's Arrival

Just as a reminder for everyone that the summer fair is this Saturday, 27th June, from 12:00-16:00, and the theme is medieval so bring your swords and your best war chants! Hope to see everyone there!

Could you be the medieval face of 2015? 

Summer Weather is Here!

Welcome summer weather! I wonder what this means for the Avonmore students? Please remember to bring in a water bottle to keep in class and stay hydrated and refreshed.  It would also be a good idea to bring in a cap and put sun cream on before leaving the house so your skin is protected from the sun’s rays. So, everyone, let’s look after ourselves in the summer! 

A selection of sun hats!

See, the frog even knows how to stay safe in the sun! 

Lights, Camera, Action!

Last week year 6 auditioned for parts in the production of Bugsy Malone. Pressure took over the children wondering if they got the part they wanted. Sadly, some kids are disappointed with the results but some are as cheerful as Mr Happy. But, that’s showbiz, kids! The students have been talking about their results ever since the auditions. Guess all we can do now is wait for the rehearsals!

Year 3 swimming

In year 3 we have had the chance to learn to swim. It’s been fun to have this opportunity. Our coaches have been really nice to us but they are a bit strict. We have been divided into different groups depending on how we swim or how good we are. Some of us get to jump into the pool which is really FUN! In one group they learnt how to do: front crawl, back stroke and rocket. And in another group they learnt pencil float, back pencil float and back stroke. We feel lucky to have this opportunity because swimming is an important life skill!

Packing for school journey

Welcome to the first week back and now it’s time to get back into going to school again.  I, and other students, am excited about the upcoming school journey. Here’s a reminder of the list of things those of you going have to bring: toiletries, towel, flannel, swim suit, swimming towel, sun cream, baseball cap, comfortable outdoor shoes, spare trainers, slippers, 4 x change of clothes, underwear, socks, torch, backpack, a black sack and a bottle.  And, importantly, don’t bring any electronics such as mobile phones. Anyway, I’m looking forward to going on school journey!!!  

Let's hope the students aren't as crabby as this fellow!

Planting Seeds

One sunny morning in Avonmore year 2 were planting seeds.  Miss Krarishma was giving us plant pots to put seeds inside.  We planted marigolds that you can’t eat, however, we can eat the rest of the plants.  The other plants are runner beans, radishes and peas.  We were sent out in groups of 7.  Next we put the seeds in the plant pot because we wanted to see when they would finally grow.  Then we started to water the plants and we had to be careful because if we put too much water in the plant pots the plants would drown.  Finally, we put the plant pots in the shade and we had to be careful because if they had too much shade they will not grow and will die.

Year 2's plant pots. 

Working together on a post. 

The Magically Marvellous Music Week

Starting on the 27^th of March and ending on the 2^nd of April we had a magical music week. We had the junkman, named Sal, play music using rubbish and  we even had a role in the music concert. So, the week started out when kids could bring their instruments to do a hint of busking in the playground. The children sounded fun-tabulous like profession musicians! Then we got to have Samba drum lessons: they were great. Then, we had the best music concert which was brilliant!

I am the Junkman, what can I play? What can you play? The Junk!

Our future Beethovens!

Busking in the playground.

The Big Plant Out!

Welcome to the summer term (well a late welcome…)! As it has become warmer, the flowers and plants are almost fully grown. So Miss Clement has asked all the families that go to Avonmore to bring in a beautiful flower to plant (no cut flowers, plants or seeds!).  Anyone who goes to Avonmore can bring in a flower to make our wonderful school look even prettier and vibrant than it already is. So get hunting for the perfect plant for The Big Plant Out!

Let's get planting! 

SATs

The entire year for the year 6s has been leading up to these exams (which we’re half way through!) and for me I think I’m doing pretty good so far but to anyone who’s having trouble, may I suggest to just keep persevering and try your best.  I mean, at the end of the day, what else can you do.  The only other piece of advice I can give is try not to stress.  I didn’t think this advice would help but trust me it really does. I wish you all very good luck.

Shady Solar Eclipse

On Friday 20^h March we had a school breakfast to celebrate the solar eclipse.  Unfortunately, the clouds ruined the view but the assembly, where students shared work on the eclipse they had created such as poetry, posters, etc., and breakfast made up for it. At the breakfast we had pastries, porridge, coco pops, hot chocolate, orange juice, etc. We had to get there at 8:15am which meant that we had to wake up super early but it was worth it because we got an amazing breakfast and some epic solar eclipse glasses that will serve as souvenirs. Even though we couldn’t see the solar eclipse, we definitely felt it as it got colder and a bit darker. Everyone had tons of fun! 

Have you ever seen so many bananas? 

Well, at least we had fun with the glasses!

The Supreme Climbing Experience

On Tuesday 24^th March, all the classes from nursery to year 6 had the chance to climb a magnificently tall climbing wall (rock climbing wall). Many people managed to skilfully clamber to the top then abseil down slowly. For the people who reached the top it was a beautiful view, but even for those who didn’t, they still had a great experience. As soon as someone got past the bottom section everyone started encouragingly chanting like it was the end of the world. Finally, the end of the day came and everyone had an experience they would never forget. 

Whoa! That is really tall! 

Step by step to reach the top! 

Booktastic Doors

On Friday 6^th March we celebrated world book day. Unfortunately, we couldn't celebrate world book day on the 5^th due to the Astrodome visit but, we still had a great time. Fortunately, we had a door competition. The way to win it was to make the best book themed door. All of the classes took part, even Nursery and Reception. I thought year 5’s door was the best but they were all amazing.  What a great way to celebrate the wonderfulness of books!

A door fit for a gangster!

The doorway to Narnia!

Does this belong in a History museum?

Not that faraway, just down the hall.