The Great Hacton Bake Off

Delicious aromas wafted through the corridors on Thursday as Year 6 children baked, iced and decorated cup cakes for the Great Hacton Bake Off. All the children worked in groups to plan a theme for their cakes, which they then baked. Once cooled the light, fluffy sponges were carefully iced and meticulously decorated to reflect their chosen themes: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; The 2012 Olympics/Team GB; European Football Championships; Year 6 Leavers; Funfair treats; Birthdays and Winnie the Pooh. With every group intent on winning, they knew their cakes had to be the best! The lucky Judges (Mrs Deane, Mrs Perry and Mr Armstrong) tasted and deliberated, struggling to decide which of the scrumptious cakes should win. Which group had baked their way to victory? A mixture of emotions stirred in assembly as the competitive bakers waited anxiously for the results... Olympic themed cakes were triumphant in both classes. Hopefully this will be the same for Team GB!

Year 2 Visit Havering Christian Fellowship

Year 2 pupils have been learning about Christian worship in their R.E. lessons and on Thursday afternoon they visited the Havering Christian Fellowship. After identifying the different features of this place of worship, George and Reece took part in a mock baptism. The afternoon ended with a beautiful service joining Charlie and Alice together in holy matrimony. The children had a very enjoyable time and this trip helped them gain a greater insight into the rituals and meanings of Christian ceremonies. Thank you very much to the Havering Christian Fellowship for their kind hospitality.

Junior Sports Day by Year 6

As the morning sun peeped through the clouds on Hacton Primary School, excited Key Stage 2 children competed in an action packed carousel of activities for their annual sports day. Nimble feet skipped along the ladders; Mega Howlers whistled their encouragement and tired children sprinted in the Tic-Tac relay, all desperate to win valuable points for their House Teams (Red, Yellow, Blue and Green). Fingers and toes were crossed when the final score was announced. Who would be victorious? Having been neck and neck throughout the morning, Red and Yellow teams waited anxiously... A jubilant cheer erupted from Red House as they were declared champions for the second year running, beating Yellow House by a mere 4 points! The final scores were Red 468, Yellow 464, Green 444, Blue 432. Thank you to all the parents for their support.

By Year 6.

Thank you also to Year 6 for organising the events.

Infant Sports Day by Year 1

On Wednesday 27th June Year 1 and 2 took part in sports day. We had 8 events. First we had to jump hurdles without dropping the ball, we had to dribble the ball around the cones. Next we had to collect cups and saucers on a tray and put them back again and then we had a relay race. Then we all stopped for a drink because we were hot and sweaty!

We had to run through hoops and try to get a bean bag in the last hoop. Next we played the over-under game which took a very long time and we couldn't finish because Mr Emes blew the whistle. We all really enjoyed collecting the bean bags in a shopping basket. The best race of all was the one where the teachers splatted you in the face with a wet sponge; we all got very wet. We had a great time, it was lots of fun and Yellow Team won.

By Natasha and Frankie (Year 1)

Year 5 Trip to Stubbers

Despite the howling wind and intermittent showers, the Year 5 annual trip to Stubbers was a great success. Everyone (pupils, teachers and parents) enjoyed the activities: team challenges, canoeing, high-ropes and Jet Ski rides. It was wonderful to see friendships building, laughter spreading and fears diminishing as the day went on. Mrs Sanderson queued up for an extra Jet Ski ride and Mrs Deane conquered the high-ropes! We would like to thank all parent helpers and the children for their impeccable behaviour.

Years 5 and 6 Play in a Day

On Thursday Years 5 and 6 explored the themes of love, betrayal, greed and witchcraft as they created a 'play in a day' of Shakespeare's Macbeth. With the expert advice and guidance from Sarah (from the Big Foot Theatre Company) each year group enjoyed developing their drama skills to recreate a key scene from the famous play. Impressive acting abilities were demonstrated by all children, with Hollie proving to be a very convincing, deluded Macbeth. The day ended as more of a comedy than a tragedy with various children winning 'Top Banana' awards for their thespian skills.

Netball: Hacton vs Towers

Yesterday, Hacton netball teams (A and B) travelled to Towers Primary School to play an away netball match. After and exciting game, Team A triumphed winning 7-3. The whole team were on good form with Grace and Isabella scoring fabulous goals, Jordan, Evie and Georgina getting the ball up the other end, and Lauren and Matthew preventing the goal shooters from getting the ball. Meanwhile, Team B, after a huge effort, drew 1-1. Zipping between other players, Francesca and Mia made sure the ball stayed up the right end while the rest of the team - Megan, Julieta, Sasha and Connie - played excellently. Morgan, who was the goal shooter, scored without it even touching the hoop! Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to the parents supporting us.

By Lauren (Year 6)

Birthday Cakes for Mrs Deane

Evie and Amy have been very busy preparing homemade cakes as a birthday surprise for Mrs Deane. The sweet smell of Amy's chocolate cake and brilliant icing colours of Evie’s cake have had staff flocking to 5MD’s classroom all day to take a look!

Amy worked with her nan to make the mouthwatering cake topped with strawberries: "I know Mrs Deane loves chocolate so I made a tasty chocolate cake for her birthday."

Evie made most of the cake herself with just a little help from her mum: "Mrs Deane is the best teacher and I wanted to make her happy on her birthday."

There are definitely some very talented bakers at Hacton and Mrs Deane was delighted by the unexpected treats. We all hope you have a very happy birthday Mrs Deane. Enjoy your cakes!

Havering Music Festival

On Tuesday evening, 23 members of Hacton Choir took part in the Havering Music Festival. Miss Oddy from Havering Music School said:

"I think we can say that it was an absolute triumph and all down to the hard work that you all put in at your schools. It was a pleasure working with you and please send my congratulations to all of your choir members, who were so focussed and well behaved, but also sang and spoke their socks off. I hope it was as much fun for them to achieve such a high standard and perform at the Theatre as it was for me to conduct them. I think the spontaneous arm waving in the encore said it all!"

The event was thoroughly enjoyed by children and parents alike.

Well Done to all of you who took part!

Infant Sports Day

Infant Sports Day will still take place on the afternoon of Wednesday 27th June commencing at 1.30pm as planned. With Junior Sports Day rescheduled for the morning, next Wednesday should be a fun-packed day. We look forward to seeing family members and hearing your best cheers of encouragement.

Junior Sports Day - Postponed

Due to the inclement weather, Junior Sports Day has been postponed until the morning of Wednesday 27 June commencing at 10.00am.

Sealyham Meeting

Thank you to Year 6 parents for attending the final meeting about the Sealyham activity week on Wednesday evening. The presentation from the evening is available here:

Year 4 Habitats Visit

Year 4 thoroughly enjoyed exploring their local habitats during a trip to Hacton Lane Park on Thursday. They tested the chemical balance of the soil, hunted for dog rose and learnt how to identify a leech in the Ingrebourne Valley. Acidic grassland, hedgerows, ancient woodland and a river... Who would have thought there were so many hidden treasures to explore on our doorstep?

A Visit from Colin the Chameleon

Children from Reception to Year 6 enjoyed a visit from Martin Rapley (a.k.a. The Bug Man) and his amazing reptiles today. Colin the Chameleon had pupils enthralled as he used his roving eyes to spy wriggling waxworms before darting out a sticky tongue to catch his unsuspecting prey. The green iguana made a surprisingly fast dash for freedom before being caught by Martin who explained an interesting fact about these reptiles: they have an extra 'eye' in the top of their heads that can detect shadows above them. Also making an appearance were some rat snakes and a royal python. After some initial nerves, children and staff were happy to hold the beautifully patterned chameleon and hang snakes around their necks. This was a educational experience clearly enjoyed by pupils of all ages.

Sri Lankan Masks

Year 3 and 4 made some Sri Lankan Masks during Jubilee week. Sri Lanka has a tradition of masked dancing with participants wearing intricately carved and brightly painted Devil masks. These masks are usually made almost entirely of wood but Year 3 and 4 made theirs out of plastic cups, card and paper. How scary do you think they are?

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INSET Day - Monday 11th June

Don't forget that we have an INSET day on Monday. We look forward to seeing all the children refreshed and ready for the final six weeks of the summer term on Tuesday!

iPads at Hacton: The First Few Weeks

It's an exciting time for ICT at Hacton. In addition to existing computing facilities, our school now has two class sets of iPads and 15 iPods. We've been trialling our first trolley of iPads and already pupils are showing us how this technology can help them quickly achieve their learning objectives. While netbooks have served us well, their capabilities are dwarfed by our new investment. Too often a lesson can revolve around the technology but with 'instant on' and straightforward, powerful apps iPads make it incredibly easy for pupils to produce stunning work in double-quick time.

It's been wonderful to witness classes where every pupil has an iPad on their desk and how, with the briefest introduction, they are up and running towards their learning goal: in Geography lessons to research coastal erosion, in Design and Technology to research product packaging, in History to video reenactments of Victorian magic tricks, in ICT to create movie trailers, presentations, virtual collages and more. iPads have been used to quickly produce video evidence of pupils Modern Languages abilities. Enthusiastic Staff have also been taking iPads home to catch up with the skill level of pupils, many of whom have access to iPods or iPads at home. All this in the first few weeks!

iPads have already demonstrated their worth in traditional lessons. The compact tablet sits comfortably next to a workbook on a desk, letting pupils quickly research topics and write up their findings in the usual way. The fear that new technology is at the expense of traditional skills is, so far, unfounded in our classrooms. Could the more seamless use of devices actually allow more time to develop creative skills and handwriting? Only time will tell, but if the first few weeks are anything to go by iPads are proving to be a very worthwhile investment for teaching and learning at our school.

Rainforest Scene by Year 3 and 4

Year 3 and 4 have been busy learning about the different countries of the Commonwealth this week. As part of this work, they looked at the Commonwealth's environmental project in Guyana to protect the rainforest. All of the Y3 and Y4 classes worked really hard to create a rainforest scene which is now on display in our Y3/4 corridor. Can you spot our beautiful collage creatures?

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Year 4 Royal Timeline

Year 4 learnt a great deal about the Queen's life last week. They looked at particular events in her life and wrote some sentences to describe how she may have felt at each event. The finished product has made a lovely classroom display!

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Year 5 Royal Commemorative Plates

Since the seventeenth century souvenirs commemorating royal events have been collected. Coronations, weddings, births, anniversaries, jubilees and other special events have been the subject of memorabilia collected by millions of loyal subjects and fans of the Royal Family.

Year 5 decided to paint their own royal plates to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Which design is your favourite?

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A Royal Reception

Her Majesty the Queen paid a special visit to Hacton reception classes on Friday where she honoured pupils with a regal reading from the popular book The Queen’s Knickers. The children were clearly amazed to have such a distinguished guest and sat in respectful silence throughout. In real life, the Queen bore a striking resemblance to our very own Head of Nursery, Mrs Lynch!

Jubilee Party

Jubilee celebrations reached a joyful crescendo at Hacton today with a whole school party on the field. Dressed in red, white and blue, each year group chose a decade from Queen Elizabeth 2’s reign and performed an energetic dance routine in front of the rest of the school. The appreciative audience could not resist joining in and it was a delight to see the entire school dancing to Rock Around the Clock, YMCA and the Cha Cha Slide. All the teachers also joined in and Mr Emes surprised everyone with his cool moves!

Bunting made in class adorned the classroom windows and nearby trees. This provided a perfect Jubilee backdrop for tables overflowing with party food that were soon emptied by pupils keen to refuel after their lively dancing.

It has been a fun filled week at Hacton with so many events and activities in honour of Queen Elizabeth 2’s 60 year reign: today’s festivities were the icing on the red, white and blue cake!

60 Laps in 60 Minutes

Congratulations to all the children for completing the 60 laps in 60 minutes challenge this week as part of Hacton's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Despite the scorching heat, all the children (from Receptiion to Year 6) paced their runs perfectly, cheering each other and the teachers on! Hacton School Council would like to thank all the classes for taking part...Olympics here we come!