Good morning parents!  I hope you have all enjoyed a quiet weekend but are now looking forward to a big squeeze from your kids when we arrive back.  The children have all had a wonderful trip and are nearly packed up ready to get on the bus at about 11am. We may be a little early arriving, but please be outside the school to pick up your child by 12pm at the latest.

Thank you - see you soon!

What a fantastic day!  When you ask one child what their favourite activity was, they say kayaking, when you ask another it is archery, or 5-a-side in the sports hall, or climbing... the list goes on.  

After not nearly enough sleep, we all got stuck into a cooked breakfast this morning before heading out for a big day of activities.  Kayaking on West Kirby Marine Lake was a big hit with all of the children and staff (see pictures).

"I loved archery!" said Lacey, "it was fun learning how to shoot the bow and arrow and trying to hit the target.  I hit the red but Ellie hit the gold bullseye!"

"The food here is outstanding," enthused Leighton, "I can't say a bad thing about it!  My favourite was the chicken nuggets."

Louis says: "I liked kayaking the best because it was fun to learn how to turn and move forward, and it was funny when Mike (the instructor) made us do the surfer challenge.  I was the best surfer all day because I stayed up for 9 seconds before I fell in!"

The children are currently enjoying the games room all around me, playing pool, snooker and table tennis whilst spending their tuck money on sweets and gifts for their brothers and sisters.  Soon we'll be lighting the coals for the evening BBQ.  I have a feeling they will be tired tonight!

Good evening parents!  I hope you are enjoying a relaxing and peaceful Friday night back in Liverpool.  We have had a fantastic first day here at Barnstondale - to quote Brian, "It's boss here - we've deffo got to come here again in Year 6!"

After arriving at about 11am, the children had a tour of the site and then headed out into the woods for a picnic. Then the teachers enjoyed watching the children attempt to make their beds, with duvet covers and pillow cases flying around in all directions!

When I arrived at about 5pm, the children were enjoying the freedom of the adventure playground, sensory garden and sports area, before heading to the dinner hall.  Everyone ate well and Group A completely tidied the hall and washed up every single dish.  Brooklyn was a star!

Then it was down into the woods again for the River Walk (see pictures) which was hilarious!  Most agreed that it was the best activity EVER!  After a shower and visit to the tuck shop, it was time for the campfire - toasting marshmallows whilst singing songs and listening to Miss Harrison and Miss Murphy's cheesy cheese jokes.

Now the children are finishing a quiz in the hall above our dorms, and the children will soon be in bed (although I'm not sure how much sleep they'll be getting...)

Looking forward to kayaking, abseiling, climbing and archery tomorrow...

Many thanks to Angela and Frank from Dobbies who came into school this week to enhance our Reading Garden further.  Dobbies kindly supported this community venture by donating a huge range of flowers, shrubs, fruit and vegetables as well as wonderful pots and decorations. Thanks also to governors, Martin and Gareth, for painting the reading shed (see picture).

Children from Y3, Y4 and Y5 helped to plant all the features, spending a relaxing hour on Tuesday bringing colour, textures and fragrances to this oasis of calm and tranquility in the heart of the school.

We're having a Maths Party! All classes will be doing fun and exciting maths activities on Friday 17th June and exploring how we use Maths in everyday contexts.

Take a look in the 'Virtual Bag' on our Maths page (click on link below) for lots of downloadable resources for children and parents to use at home.

http://www.normanpannell.com/mathematics/

Congratulations to Madison in Y6, who last night received her school's winner certificate at the Dot-art Schools Competition 2015-16.  The prestigious ceremony took place at St. George's Hall in the centre of Liverpool, with Councillor Nick Small presenting the awards.

Thanks to Miss Lamont (art co-ordinator) for her inspirational ideas and teaching, and Miss Harrison for supporting the event.

Congratulations to our Y4 tennis stars who competed against a range of other schools at Wavertree Tennis Centre.  Our three teams performed brilliantly with one of them qualifying for the City Finals next week.  

Well done Y4!

Click on the link below for a full report and all the photos...

http://www.normanpannell.com/physical-education-pe/

We were very excited by the news that Dobbies garden centre have agreed to support the school by providing flowers, shrubs, decoration and expertise to our recently completed Reading Garden.

Angela (events manager) and Frank (plant expert) were so impressed by the vision of what had already been achieved and the ideas of the school council, that they jumped at the chance of helping to make the garden even more beautiful, interesting and relaxing.  This additional work is due to start within the next few weeks and we can't wait to enjoy the results!

In the meantime, have a look below at the garden from above. These photos were taken from the school roof to give a unique angle on what has been created so far...