End of the School Year

The last day of term has been full of mixed emotions. Children and staff have been excited to break up for the Summer Holidays but we've also had to say farewell to Year 6 pupils leaving for secondary school and staff retiring or leaving for new jobs. An inspirational Leavers' Assembly found Year 6 reminiscing about their time at our school including memorable, often hilarious moments and moving stories about the close friendships that they have forged. It's always difficult to say goodbye but we're so proud of the progress that the children have made academically and socially in their time at Hacton.

As the school year draws to a close, we would like to take the opportunity to thank parents and carers for their continued support. Hacton has enjoyed another very successful year with all our pupils working hard to achieve 'Personal Excellence'. We sincerely hope that the sun decides to shine throughout the holidays and pupils, parents and staff enjoy a safe and relaxing summer. Whilst we wish our Year 6 children every success as they venture on to secondary school, we look forward to welcoming back our pupils in September. Enjoy the holiday!

listen to ‘Leavers' Song’ on Audioboo

Summer Term House Point Winners

Excitement hit fever pitch in the penultimate assembly on Thursday morning as pupils eagerly awaited the announcement of the summer term House Point winners. Having worked their socks off earning valuable House Points all term, the children crossed their fingers and toes in anticipation of the result. It was a close run competition but the Blues were victorious and sapphire ribbons adorn the silver cup once again. Well done Blue House!

A Visit from Frankie the Lion

Pupils had a very pleasant surprise today: a visit from Frankie the Lion. Frankie is the mascot for Saint Francis Hospice and his visit was to thank us for the £272.02 that Year 4 raised at their Enterprise Week chocolate sale. The children were very excited by the surprise guest and it helped them realise how much their fundraising efforts are appreciated. Thank you for putting a smile on our face Frankie!

First Kick Football Rescheduled

The First Kick Football three day football and olympics course due to take place on the 22-24th August has been rescheduled. Revised course dates and times are:

Football: 15th and 16th August
Olympics: 17th August
Time: 10:00am - 3:00pm

If this is not convenient for you please contact the school before the end of the week.

A Proper Charlie!

Family and friends were transported to a world of pure imagination this week as Year 6 pupils took to the stage for their production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The talented children embraced the opportunity to showcase their talents with superb singing, dancing and acting as they told the classic Roald Dahl story of the eccentric chocolate maker Willy Wonka and the tour of his factory by five lucky golden ticket winners. The 49 young actors also doubled as stage hands and controlled lighting, music and special effects throughout the performance.

After an intensive week of rehearsals it was time to tread the boards in front of around 200 proud parents, teachers and friends. Mr Emes said, “After a year of hard work the pupils threw themselves into this production and gave an outstanding performance. We are all incredibly proud of the children.”

Olympic Torch Visits Hacton

Pupils in all classes had a very special visitor this week: the Olympic Torch. Jane Shingles from the Metropolitan Police brought the torch from New Scotland Yard where it was being kept as a backup. The torch had been used in Cornwall but, because rain kept dousing the flame, its outing was cut short and it is being kept for possible future use on the Olympic Torch relay. Did you know that the torch is made of lightweight aluminium that has 8000 perforations in it to represent the 8000 runners taking part in the relay? Thank you Mrs Shingles for allowing all pupils in the school to hold the torch and get even more excited about the 2012 Olympics; not long now!

Science Roadshow

Years 4 and 5 had a treat on Tuesday when staff and pupils from Sanders Draper School visited us with their Science Roadshow. Pupils were fascinated by the model that revealed the inner workings of the human body, they were intrigued by the display of pond life and they discovered amazing facts about the alkaline levels of different liquids. Children had great fun exploring the effects of static elecricity produced by a Van de Graaff generator: it was a hair-raising experience! We would like to thank the staff and pupils from Sanders Draper for an informative and enjoyable morning.

Netball Match Postponed

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the end of term mums versus pupils netball match planned for tomorrow has been postponed until after school on Friday 13th July. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Sealyham - Day 7

Having thrown many different shapes at the Disco last night, the children were woken to the sound of clanging frying pans this morning. Cases were packed and beds were stripped by breakfast time. Following fond farewells to instructors and staff we all boarded the coach (at 8.45) and set off on our long journey home, with many happy memories and plenty of stories to share!

Sealyham - Day 6

For our final day of activities we have enjoyed coasteering, archery, sailing, surfing and high ropes. Despite the constant rain and cumulative tiredness everyone has participated with enthusiasm. It's been an amazing week full of fun, laughter, challenges and plenty of mud! We are so proud of all the children, they have excelled in attitude, participation and have supported each other all week. Finally, their remaining task is to find clean clothes for the Disco!

Activity Week by Year 6

Grace, Alice and Kristi (6JF) have written a report about the trips and events enjoyed by Year 6 during their fun-filled Activity Week:

Monday
Year 6's first exciting trip was to London Zoo where they saw every kind of animal you could imagine including gorillas, monkeys, penguins and reptiles. Some of the gorillas amazed pupils when they posed for photos. After a tiring day the children returned home happy but exhausted.

Tuesday
At Sanders Drapers School the children enjoyed putting together a short performance (they’re a talented bunch!). The whole day was focused on the story 'Where the Wild Things Are'. After putting together a performance including drama, dance and music, pupils created elaborate masks to wear. Without a doubt, the pupils loved the day and couldn’t wait for the next exciting adventure that was to come.

Wednesday
Adventure Island was the best activity by far (even if one pupil was sick after tackling all of the spinning roller coasters!). Despite the screams of terror coming from above, most of the fearless kids went on the Rage roller coaster – some a whopping seven times! The last ride of the day was the Water Ride. During a moment of adrenalin-fuelled fun, two girls soaked each other on the way down; they looked like they’d just been swimming under a waterfall! At the end of the day, the exhausted children cooled down with an ice-cold Calippo and a few fell asleep on the train.

Thursday
Eager pupils went by the 193 bus to Frances Bardsley where they had another great day jam-packed full of art. They began by drawing and painting their own dream street, then with their groups and finally as a whole class. After accomplishing their mission of creating a gigantic map, the tired pupils relaxed on a slow journey back home. 

Friday
On the final day of Activity Week Year 6 pupils hosted a barbecue for staff. Delicious smells wafted down the corridor enticing members of staff into the small hall. They were greeted by polite waters who served them barbecued burgers, refreshing drinks and delicious home-made puddings. During the tasty meal, teachers were delighted by the entertainment on offer that included singers, dancers, a comedian and a magic act. When staff had finished their meals it was Year 6's turn to tuck into the leftovers. Yummy!

Year 6 would like to thank all the helpful members of staff who have put lots of time and effort into making this week as exciting as possible. We’d also like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Jacobs who helpfully offered to cook to the barbecue food – and did a fabulous job!!

Classical Champions

Pupils from the Hearing Impaired Unit have once again been involved in a project with the London Symphony Orchestra this time focusing on the Olympic Games. The children created a rhythmic Champions March using drums and chime bars. With Paul accompanying on the trombone, children marched proudly around the imaginary arena. This was followed by a section where eight 'champions' had musical conversations with Paul and with Liz on the violin. Medals were awarded to the Highest, Lowest, Loudest, Softest, Longest, Shortest, Fastest and Slowest. Pupils performed to class 3RG who were involved in a further workshop to develop the piece of music.

All of the children involved have had a very rewarding time working with the virtuoso musicians; there has been a lot of laughter as well as a great deal of concentration. This was Hacton's fourth project with the LSO and we can’t wait for the next!

Enterprising Year 4 Raise £272

For Enterprise Week, Year 4 pupils were transformed into Apprentices, with Miss Barnecutt and Mrs McDonach taking on the role of Lord Sugar! Their challenge: To plan a sweet sale to raise as much money for charity as possible. Teams carried out market research to discover the types of sweets that would sell well, scaling up recipes to make enough sweets to sell to the whole school, making spreadsheets of projected costs and designing posters and packaging.

Delicious Rocky Road muffins, chocolate mini muffins and peppermint creams were made by the teams of budding businesspeople. With the sweets beautifully packaged and displayed with care, each team began selling with gusto. Pupils impressed potential customers with their persuasive sales techniques and soon parents and staff were parting with their pound coins. The biggest selling teams sold out of their cakes with Powerful People making a £50 profit and Super Selling Six making £50.50 (the extra 50p came from the sale of a balloon!).

In total the takings on the day were an impressive £332.02. After costs of £60 for ingredients and packaging, Year 4 raised £272.02 for St Francis Hospice. Well done Year 4; you're hired!

Sealyham - Day 5

Having spent a night under the stars, the children were feeling a little fatigued. However, after a hearty breakfast they excitedly boarded the coach to St David's Head for a day of climbing and abseiling. Once again the weather was kind and the sun smiled down on the courageous climbers. Surrounded by stunning scenery, many children faced their fears and braved abseiling the cliff face. Whilst taking in the breath-taking views over lunch, we were joined by a curious seal bobbing in the lapping water below... amazing! Sleepy heads nodded on the return coach journey as the children recharged their batteries before their evening activity called Nightline. This was an exercise in trust. Blindfolded and joined by a rope, the children tentatively explored the woodland mud and undergrowth before receiving a quick dowsing of ice cold water from a natural source (Mr Grant and Mrs Delmonte)! Beds beckoned and after a long, physical day, lights were out and children silent by 9.30pm. Another incredible twenty-four hours topped off by some good news for Mrs Golding: she's a Grandma for the first time... she really doesn't look old enough!

Sealyham - Day 4

Finally the sun burst through the clouds to provide glorious sunshine at Sealyham on Wednesday. The warming rays were very welcome as the children found their sea legs surfing, kayaking and sailing. Later they basked in the sunshine at St David's where they explored the smallest city's cathedral, shopped for souvenirs and tantalised their taste buds with home made ice-cream. After an impromptu game of Rounders, dinner was devoured and the children prepared for the Bivi; a night in the woods! Teachers triumphed in the shelter-making competition (much to the children's disgust) and everyone enjoyed playing amongst the trees. As a blanket of darkness descended, sausages, marshmallows and bad jokes were shared around the campfire. Eventually, everyone settled for some much needed sleep under the protective canopy of the trees.

Netball Rally Winners!

Sun chased the rain away as Hacton took part in their first ever Netball rally on Saturday at Marshalls Park Secondary School. With five matches ahead of them, the team (as well as Mrs Chisnall and Mrs Seymour!) were fired up and ready to go. Lauren, Matthew and Georgina excelled in defence keeping the ball at the opposite end of the pitch as Hacton won the first two games 10-0. Grace and Isabella kept feeding the net bringing the team home to victory with fantastic scores in the next two matches: 9-1 and 16-0. With Jordan and Evie whizzing around the court and Julieta and Megan helping players make a break for the net, the last game tied at a respectable 5-5. Then the results were announced. Hacton had won the rally, bringing home some silverware for the school trophy cabinet.

Well done to every member of the team, you truly deserve your victory and thank you to all of the parents who came and ‘enthusiastically encouraged’ the team from the sidelines. 

Sealyham - Day 3

More rain! However spirits were not dampened and everyone enjoyed another action packed day: high ropes, orienteering, kayaking and coasteering. The highlight of the day was the Trim Trail after dinner, where all the children submerged themselves from head to toe in mud (and there was plenty of it). Mrs Delmonte sported a muddy blonde look, Mr Grant wallowed in the murky pool and Mrs Golding received a muddy hug. Hot showers and hot chocolate were very welcome... although there were still some grubby ears to be cleaned at bedtime.

Sealyham - Day 2

Rain certainly didn't stop play at Sealyham today. After a good night's sleep the children were raring to go with morning activities of surfing, high ropes and archery followed by orienteering, sailing and coasteering (depending on their groups) in the afternoon. All the children had a fantastic day conquering fears; relishing new experiences and packing their own lunches! After a sumptuous evening banquet (pizza and chips), calories were burned and energy sapped by another activity: an extremely muddy assault course. Everyone is still smiling and looking forward to more challenging fun tomorrow.

Year 1 Road Safety

Year 1 pupils have been learning about road safety. On Thursday they went out onto the playground for a fun, practical lesson where they pretended to be lollipop men / women, pedestrians and motorists. Children learnt about the use of road signs and markings and they had the opportunity to draw these in chalk on the playground. They also practiced walking safely over a zebra crossing. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon for Year 1 and they now have a greater understanding of how to remain safe near roads.

Sealyham - Day 1

We arrived safely in Sealyham after a long but pleasant journey. Unfortunately the heavens opened on our arrival and the rain hasn't stopped since. A wet and windy evening was spent at Broadhaven playing football and scouring rock pools. Hot chocolate and warm pjs were very welcome on our return to the house. With all the children tucked up in bed by 10pm, we are looking forward to another day that is jam-packed with exciting activities.