Year 2 Assembly

The Year 2 children proudly and confidently told us all about their topic on FOOD.

 

This topic covered many curriculum areas.......Maths for measuring and costing, Literacy for writing and following instructions, Geography as they found food grown in different countries.They designed and made individual pizzas and treated their parents to tea and pumpkin cakes.

They even sang a song about food!

 

Their topic books were evidence of a successful terms cross curricular work.

 

Well done Year 2 children and staff.

 

Kate Melvin

Another School Year - I feel privileged to be part of this school and
thoroughly enjoyed the first assembly of this new year.

The quality of the speeches seeking election for the post of House
Captain was excellent - a lot there to be learned by politicians - keep
it brief, to the point and make it interesting! Adding humour is
always a bonus. Wonderful!



The singing too was splendid and congratulations to the school for
enabling the children to know the song in just a couple of days - good
work by all.



I'm looking forward to the rest of the term.



Mike Lane

End of school year

On Friday, July 20th, the  last assembly of the school year was the Leavers Assembly.

Attended by the whole school and very well supported by parents and friends, standing room only called for extra chairs. Obviously it was an hour where emotions were many and varied.

As a governor, I found the whole experience sheer delight.

In groups of twos, threes or fours, year six had produced technically impressive mini-videos of school memories, tributes, experiences; all presented with panache and great good humour. After each mini-video Mr Lavis introduced the participants to the audience with such positive and fond characterisations that left no doubt to each pupil that they are valued by the school both now and in the future.

There was a lot of laughter and 'fun' was a word used many times. It is clear that these children have enjoyed their years at Blandford St Mary School. For children, enjoyment  is probably the most important aspect of school life. We know that, alongside the security that enjoyment brings, these children have achieved and developed and become a credit to the school, its headmaster and staff.

 Year six are now fully equipped to move on to Secondary Education. So, although it's always sad to see a year leaving, it's a happy, satisfying, fun time into the future.

Good luck to them all and may they continue to enjoy all aspects of their education.

 

Jennifer Haywood

School Governor

Messy Church

Popped in to Messy Church  and found it welcoming and well organised.
There were lots of activities laid out including problem solving games and
craft activities. Although there were only a few children there they
joined in the activities with enthusiasm. To begin they were told the
story of Noah and the flood and were invited to parcipate by creating a
flood with swathes of green material.  A huge beautiful rainbow was pulled
from a bag at the end. This was followed by a song and games involving all
the children. Healthy snacks and a drink were available during the
session. If more children could register for this after school activities
I am sure they would have a great time.

 

Emma Barton

Office Manager

Blandford St Mary CE VA Primary

 

Year 5 Camp

I have spent the weekend camping at school with year 5. Another time where staff give freely of their time to extend the learning of the pupils.
The weather was dry when we needed it to be, allowing Mr Osborne to run the activities as he had planned. The activities included zorbing, shelter building and orienteering.
The pupils were a delight to be with.
As ever it was a pleasure spending time with the pupils and staff of BSM Primary School.

Mark Phipps

Stadium Design

Olympic Design

Blandford Bridges run

I ran the Blandford Bridges 10k today. As a team of 20 runners we had a great day. It was a great team of staff, parents and governors.
Lots of runners running PB's.
Thank you to everyone who supported. There were lots of cheers all round the course.
Thanks to all those who ran, in particular Trevor Keep who organised the BSM team.
Thanks to all those who sponsored us.

Mark Phipps

Chair of Governors

Dads behaving dadly

2 grandads, 10 Dads, their children and Mr Lavis kindly gave up 2 hours of their time on Saturday morning to tidy up the grounds, move sheds and prepare raised beds for planting.
It was a great community morning.
Now all we need is a period of good weather so the children can plant some seeds and watch them grow.

Thank you to all dads, children and Mr Lavis.

Sent from my iPhone

Reach for the Sky

Wow!
What a fantastic show.
The subject matter was very apt, The Olympics.
Within this theme areas included the Ancient Olympics, LOCOG, how each athlete starts their Journey to the Olympics in PE lessons and the importance of participation.
The acting was great, the singing superb and the dance brilliant. All words were delivered clearly. The singing was loud and tuneful with lots of enthusiasm.
The choreography of the Olympic flame dance was amazing as was the timing and movement of the year 3 pupils who performed the dance.

The year 4 synchronised swimming dance was also amazing. Great choreography and delivery by the pupils.
All the pupils should feel extremely proud of themselves.

A big thank you to Mrs Harris and all the other staff involved for their time and effort directing the show.

Sent from my iPhone

Busy Wednesday

Year 1 children are studying L. S. Lowry during British Arts Week.

I was lucky to be with them on Wednesday morning when they were sketching local street scenes just as Lowry might have done.

Their sketches were pretty impressive.

Miss King has some talented artists in her class.

 

 

On Wednesday evening I was in school for a Governors Meeting.

We discussed school effectiveness and how the governors could contribute and support  the Head and his hard working staff.

It is going to be a busy half term, lots of outdoor activities happening over the next few weeks.

Let's hope the sun shine returns.

Kate Melvin

Governors' course in Salisbury - April 26th 2012

A useful day and so much to absorb. I'd forgotten what is was like
being in the classroom! It was interesting to hear how other new
governors are finding their way and to hear how other schools
operate.

I can see that I have a lot of learning to do but can also
see that Blandford St Mary Primary School is on the right track. Mike
Lane

Year 1 Assembly - skipping

A refreshing look at an activity - perhaps it will be carried forward
to the playground. Such good skippers and rope-turners! Well done -
most enjoyable.

Assembly

Everyone looked refreshed and happy at the first Friday assembly this term, even Mr Lavis who ran the "Catch up holiday club" and the children who gave up holiday time to improve their learning.

The cakes made by Year 4 were delicious and the singing was wonderfully sweet and tuneful.

Staff and parents must be very proud of the children's achievements in school.

Fw: Book Day

----Original Message----
From: mwlane@tiscali.co.uk
Date: 21/04/2012
11:02
To:
Subj: Fw: Book Day

Assembly - Friday,20th April 2012

I
always enjoy the assemblies on a Friday morning but yesterday, on
entering the hall, the smell of
cooking filled my nostrils and added
to the experience as before the morning was over I was eating the
product.

Year 4's contribution to Assembly was the making of the
Eccles cakes and it was encouraging to
hear that the children had made
them by simply following instructions - not sure I could have followed
instructions quite as well!

Assembly followed the usual format with
Show and Tell of achievements, suitably rewarded by acknowledgement in
the form of loud applause - comments always encouraging to the children
and their attainments.

The prayers of thanks for safe return after
the holiday with requests for help that easily relate to the children
and their experience allows them to see prayer as part of their
development.

The new hymn was delightful and the accompanying guitar
was accomplished. The opportunity was taken to remind the children why
certain things need to be done or not done - in this case why things
should not be leant
against a guitar.

The awarding of the Splodges
adds an extra dimension to the business of saving energy. All the
children are involved and all the children know that Mrs Rees' class is
the one to be beaten and the humour which runs through these
proceedings is inclusive - shared by all - the children, the staff and
the visitors.

The conclusion of this Assembly was the eating of the
Eccles cakes - delicious - in all shapes and sizes - just the right
amount of sweetness. Well done Year 4!

Mike Lane

Fw: Fw

As a regular attender at assemblies, I can see what a valuable part
of school life this is. It is good to see the children involved in the
process and particularly commendable is the response by the Head to
achievements as individuals are praised and encouraged.

The sense of
humour always present, with the ability to allow the children to be
aware of personal foibles and preferences, again adds to the overall
experience - for the children to see that teachers too are human - and
for the observers who appreciate the jokes.

Very well done! Mike Lane

Fw: Book Day

I thoroughly enjoyed my morning at the school on Book day.

I
enjoyed seeing the various costumes - from Alice to Wizards - they were
fantastic.
I was impressed with the older children's discussions of
their favourite
books and listening to the reception class who chatted
freely as they
explained their choice of costume was very
interesting.

What an exciting time for the children - to be able to
dress as their chosen
characters - so very different from my days at
school - when we had to
wear plain trousers and shirts and were never
allowed to get up from
our desks - it was a joy to see the children
able to move freely and to
be an active part of the school scene.

Thank you for such a good morning. Mike Lane

SDG Meeting

The school development group met this evening. As ever there has been lots of work done by both pupils and staff.
The curriculum has been enriched with the opening of the library with the visit of an author, chicks being hatched in Reception and Enterprise week running currently.

Sent from my iPhone

Meeting with Mr Lavis

Had a good meeting with Paul. We met for nearly two hours discussing, amongst other things the progress the pupils are making and how we can ensure all pupils are making good progress.
It was morning morning first thing, the school was incredibly quiet and pupils were focused on their learning.

Sent from my iPhone

Year 1 Stories

 

I visit Miss King and the Year 1 children every Monday morning.

Today was special because as well as hearing children read I had the opportunity to read their well written stories.

It all started with a story map or plan on which the children recorded their first ideas about characters and actions.

So when they wrote the final version they had this plan to help them along.

All the amazing stories are on display in the classroom.

Well done Year 1.

 

Kate Melvin

Year 1 Stories

 

Better reading partners

 

Better reading partners

 BOOSTING READING POTENTIAL IN BLANDFORD ST MARY SCHOOL

 

 

Parent helpers, teaching assistants and two school governors have been involved in a training course to support and motivate children to become competent and independent readers.

 

The aim of the course is to boost pupil’s reading potential so they become effective readers who read with understanding and enjoyment.

 

As adult learners we know how important it is to update our own skills. This course has certainly boosted our knowledge of the reading process and will make us more effective support partners in school.

 

Kate Melvin

23/02/12

Book Day

Wednesday 7^th March 20012 was an important day inBlandford StMaryPrimary School.

Kathryn White, a successful children’s author, came to school to inspire and capture children’s imagination by sharing her stories with them.

She brought her characters, settings and plots to life through reading, discussing, questioning and through the medium of art.

A memorable time was had by all!

Wednesday was important for another reason………….the new school library system was up and running for the first time. Children can now browse and choose from a wonderful selection of books.

The Dewey Classification System is used nationwide so the children will become familiar with it and be able to use libraries all over the country.

Kate Melvin

Foundation Governor

Library Launch & Reading Workshops 7th March

I had the opportunity to sit in on part of the reading workshop by Kathryn White yesterday involving year 6 and it was easy to see that she managed to capture their imagination as it was so quiet as she was reading to them. I also noticed that a lot of the children dressed up as characters from their favourite books and some of the costumes were marvellous Thank you all for making it such a wonderful day