Family Matters February 2020 | Frome edition

FROME AND WEST WILTS EDITION

ISSUE 59 • FEBRUARY 2020

TIPS TO KEEP ACTIVE AT WORK

SCHOOL NEWS

www.familymatters-uk.co.uk

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WELCOME Hello and welcome to not only our first issue of the year, but also the first issue of a new decade!

We hope you’ve started this new year feeling refreshed after the holidays and settled smoothly into your usual routines and if not, hopefully this jam-packed issue will help ease you back in.

This issue we’ve got suggestions for a great Mother’s Day, ideas for treats on Pancake Day and ways you can help save the insects. That’s as well as all of your amazing achievements from last term! We always love seeing what you’ve been up to, so don’t forget to keep sending over your submissions for our WOW feature and keeping us in the loop when it comes to all your school news. If last year is anything to go by, you are all going to have an amazing 2020!

So, sit back, pop on the kettle and enjoy our first issue of the roaring twenties!

p5 world book day!

p7 WHAT TYPE OF PANCAKE WILL YOU BE COOKING THIS PANCAKE DAY?

p19 help save the insects!

p16 are you ready for

mothering sunday?

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Celebrate World Book Day on 5th March!

World Book Day turns 23 this year and is a huge celebration of reading that not only encourages reading but also gives kids (and adults!) the chance to dress up as their favourite characters!

Schools across the UK take part with activities and workshops as well as the chance to get your hands on tokens to pick up special editions of popular books.

Is your school getting involved with World Book Day? We’d love to hear all about it, don’t forget to tell your teachers to get in touch with us and let us know what you did for the big day – they can email us on info@familymatters-uk.co.uk!

To help you get excited for the big day, here are a few of our favourite books for you to check out together.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan Matilda – Roald Dahl Wonder – R J Palacio Goodnight Mr Tom – Michelle Magorian A Series of Unfortunate Events – Lemony Snicket Coraline – Neil Gaiman The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe – C S Lewis The Christmasaurus – Tom Fletcher Charlotte’s Web – E B White Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls – Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness Artemis Fowl – Eoin Colfer Harry Potter – J K Rowling The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Joan Aiken Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney Gangsta Granny – David Walliams

Have you read any of these or have any other suggestions?

You can get in touch with us on Twitter and Facebook at @ukfamilymatters ukfamilymatters |

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LILY AND THE ALBATROSS: TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY – 2PM

MARY POPPINS RETURNS: WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY – 2PM

PLAY-IN-A-DAY WORKSHOP: MONDAY 17 FEBRUARY – 10AM-2PM

MERLIN THEATRE BATH ROAD, FROME, SOMERSET BA11 2HG 01373 465949

www.merlintheatre.co.uk

OPEN DAILY

Join us this February Half Term for a new, nature-themed family trail, Tuesday family craft activities, and Thursday gardening fun. Make use of The Dragon's Lair Play Area and relax in our family-friendly Cafe.

crafty cats 18th FEb 10:30-3 nature ninjas 20th FEb 11-3

The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset BAS 2 PD 01749 988111 www.bishopspalace.org.uk

Pancake Day – 25th February Shrove Tuesday, aka Pancake Day, is by far the most exciting day in the calendar apart from birthdays and Christmas, it’s a day where we get to eat pancakes and because anything goes, we can have sweet, savoury or a mixture of both!

Pancakes are really easy to make and you can flavour them however you want, they’re also very easy to adapt if you’re following a gluten free or dairy free diet.

Here’s some basic pancake recipes for you to get your started.

traditional pancakes

vegan pancakes

100g plain flour 2 large eggs 300ml milk

220g plain flour 680ml of plant based milk 5 tbsp of vegetable oil

dairy free pancakes

gluten free pancakes

100g plain flour 2 eggs 300ml of plant based milk

(There are a number of brands to choose from in supermarkets or visit your local health food store for more options)

125g gluten free plain flour

Such as soy, almond or rice milk, or alternatively, buy a lacto free version of your usual milk from the supermarket.

2 eggs 300ml milk Or altern ati use the d vely, airy free recipe an d substitu the eggs for a ripe te ban – simply mash it in ana to the mixture fo r the sam e effect.

Once you’ve mixed your ingredients into a batter, you simply need a tablespoon of oil or cooking spray to coat your frying pan and then cook them, either as crepes or as fluffy, thick American style pancakes which you can then cover in whatever toppings you like! Make them savoury, make them sweet, shape them into different characters – it’s completely up to you! ukfamilymatters |

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TOP TIPS FOR TODDLER We’ve all been there. We’re in public, having a lovely time and suddenly your child spots something colourful or sugary, they ask the dreaded question, you tell them no and then the screaming starts.

Maybe you’re in the supermarket, maybe you’re in a department store, maybe you’re just walking down the street.

Perhaps you’re trying to drop them off at school/nursery/their best friends house.

Wherever you are at that moment it is never easy. You feel like the entire world is staring at you and of course, your child is clearly distressed – so what do you do?

Some people laugh it off, others find it hard to keep their cool, some roll their eyes and through gritted teeth try to be the voice of reason, whatever your reaction, we sought out some top tips with dealing with tantrums to help you out.

Firstly, what is a tantrum and why do they happen?

Well, according to the experts, young children particularly throw tantrums purely because they haven’t learned other coping skills yet and it’s the only way they know to express themselves. It all stems from trying to communicate that they want something, whether that’s more food, to take their shoes off, a new toy…

All that red faced screaming just comes from wanting something, not having it and getting frustrated by not being able to express that in a way that gets them the thing. When older children throw a tantrum it’s usually more of a power struggle, they want something and they try to assert themselves. Only when their parents or supervisor say no they have an outburst as a way of getting you to comply. Basically, until they grow out of it, it’s something you’re going to have to deal with, so we took to the internet to find out what you guys think is the best way to deal with a tempermental child.

• PAY ATTENTION TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES of the tantrums, if they tend to happen because your child is hungry, make sure to keep snacks on your person at all times, if it’s because they get tired, make sure to prioritise having naps during the day. That way, when you spot that they’re getting grouchy you can prevent a tantrum before it really gets going.

• ENFORCE POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR. Make sure to praise them for even small good behaviours, they’ll learn that being calm and happy is more likely to gain your attention than screaming.

• IF YOUR CHILD IS HAVING A TANTRUM at home, ignore them unless they’re actually in danger of hurting themselves or others, by taking away your attention you won’t reinforce this kind of behaviour. If you can, walk out of the room and stand the other side of the door where you can keep a check on them without them seeing you. When they realise they can’t get you to do what they want when they scream, it’ll happen less and less often.

• THE LOUDER THEY YELL, the softer you should talk to them. Because kids are trying to engage with you when they’re having a tantrum they’ll try to make themselves as loud as possible, so the softer you speak to them they will lower their volume too. If you’re in public, take them aside and give them a space where they can quiet down, some kids throw tantrums because they feel a lack of control, so having a choice to go somewhere else will give them a chance to retake that control and calm down. Just make sure you don’t give in to the original demand once they’re calm and continue to only reward positive behaviour.

• CREATE A DIVERSION. If your child starts throwing a tantrum because they’ve seen something they want, be sure to have a toy or snack that you can whip out and offer them as a distraction, some parents swear by this method saying it can even help stop a melt down before it even really begins.

There was one thing that everyone had in common, don’t give in, no matter how tempting, sometimes kids just need to vent, but it is important to keep your cool, you can work on getting your own rage out later. For some kids, they snap out of a tantrum as quickly as they went into it, as they start to calm down don’t dwell on it, focussing on negative behaviour causes them to inadvertently reinforce them in their minds.

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S M U R T N TA

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Enter now at www.familymatters-uk.co.uk

Win Prizes

Win 4 tickets to see BIG UP! At The Egg

Win Day Tickets to Cheddar Gorge & Caves this Easter!

We’re giving you the chance to win tickets for 2 adults and 2 children to Cheddar Gorge & Caves’ event: The Enchanted Cave, from 4th to 19th April. You can roam an underground and under cover, illuminated trail discovering mystical chambers where fairies glisten, flowers grow, crystals sparkle, and eggs glow. But there’s a problem, the mischievous troll has hidden the fairies’ precious eggs. Can you find the missing eggs and help the fairies before it’s too late?

Theatre-Rites and 20 Stories High present BIG UP! For children aged 4 plus and everybody who looks after them. What happens when a Beatboxer, a Singer and a Puppeteer arrive on stage but nothing is ready? No set, no instruments, no puppets. No rules.

Come and watch as they create a world full of joy and chaos, where objects come to life and everything is possible. BIG UP! celebrates the power of music, the power of play and the power of our imagination. A perfect show for little people who want to be Big, and Big people who... just might have forgotten how to play.

Win Longleat Day Tickets to meet their tiger family!

Win day tickets for 2 adults and 2 children and bring your family to Longleat to meet our tiger family.

Venture into the Park to discover animals from all over the world by road, rail, boat and foot including our tigers in the Safari Drivethrough. Immerse yourself in the animal kingdom with a visit to the UK’s original Safari Park. Gain hands-on experience feeding the lorikeets and sea lions with opportunities to handle tarantulas or snakes in the Animal Handling Hall. Delve into history as you enter Longleat House then discover the Adventure Castle, Hedge Maze, Longleat Railway and much more on your day out.

Find out more at longleat.co.uk.

Win a family ticket to Bath Racecourse’s Easter Eggtravaganza Tickets are for two adults and two children.

Bath Racecourse’s Easter Eggtravaganza is arriving on Thursday 9 April for an exciting Easter Holiday Raceday! There will be Easter packed fun for all the family, as well as 7 thrilling horse races throughout the afternoon! Why not join us for fun, food and racing before you begin to unwind for the Easter weekend!

TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING THESE FANTASTIC PRIZES, simply visit www.familymatters-uk.co.uk, click on the Competitions button and complete the form. It couldn’t be easier! Closing date for entries: March 3rd 2020

what’s on 15th - 16th February Snowdrop Weekends Snowdrop Walk to guide visitors around the Gardens and Palace.

There will also be a range of children’s crafting activities in the Undercroft, based on a snowdrop theme, and a children’s trail to lead them around the site. Included with admission - Palace Members FREE. Bishop's Palace, Wells.

15th - 23rd February Crafty Half Term Hop aboard the Hope Hub, and let your creativity run free on a variety of decorative items. Paint, glitter, pens, the choice is yours! Hope Nature Centre, Trowbridge.

15th - 23rd February February Half Term Trail Family activities will be based around a “Nature” theme, with a children’s themed trail running throughout the holiday week.

Little ones can take a journey following images of flowers in bud around the site, discovering different locations within the Gardens. Bishop's Palace, Wells.

15th - 23rd February Winter Warblers Celebrate and support birdlife at Stourhead. Get to know different species by trying our spotter challenges, testing out tunes and making a birdseed feast to hang in your garden. Stourhead House and Gardens, Stourhead.

17th - 21st February With daily entertainment, Puxton Park is the place to go this February!

Puxton Park, Hewish.

17th - 21st February Children's bird feed making Make your very own suet balls to take home. You will also get a bird feeder to hang your suet balls in your garden. All equipment in provided. Whitehall Garden Centre, Lacocok.

18th February Farmyard Fun Meet the animals from ‘Second Chance Petting Farm’ all of which have been rescued. They include a miniature pony, donkey, sheep and goats. Enjoy farm animal themed arts and crafts and a special themed trail around the museum. Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury.

18th - 21st February The Very Hungry Caterpillar The timeless classic has made its way off the page and onto the stage. The Bristol Old Vic, Bristol.

18th February Lily and the Albatross Lily & the Albatross is a story about a small family of three, the legend of Great Captain Markham and how they learn to fly in the face of a storm. A tale of wild weather, wild birds and wild ambitions for ages 5+. Merlin Theatre, Frome.

For further information about each event

19th February Family Charcoal Workshop Produce your own artwork inspired by the rural landscape with artist Alison Jacobs, who will be leading a fun and creative drawing workshop using charcoal. Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury.

19th February Hobby Horse Show Jumping Hobby Horse show jumping, create and make arts and crafts, cookie decorating, Valentine's trail and lots more. Farm open from 11am - 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday, free admission. A small charge will be made for activities.Go online and book your tickets now at https://tickets.worldhorsewelfare.org. Glenda Spooner Farm, Somerset.

20th February Traditional Weaving - Family Fun Join our Family Fun Day to see traditional Iron Age loom weaving and try your hand at stick weaving to create a bookmark or bracelet to take home. Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury.

28th February - 2nd March Frome’s Window Wanderland Frome Window Wanderland is a fun community event where anyone can make a display in their own window (or garden) and light it up for others to wander around and enjoy!

The event is completely free with no fees to participate. It is easy to sign up, just register and put your address on the online map on the Window Wanderland website: www.windowwanderland.com/event/frome-2020.

6th - 8th March The Three Musketeers Armed only with a baguette and his questionable steed, join hot-headed D'Artagnan as he travels to become a Musketeer.

Featuring hilarious heroics, raucous romances and some bonkers fun with BMX bikes, Le Navet Bete condense Dumnas' 700-page classic into two hours of non-stop comedy gold.

Bristol Old Vic, Bristol.

14th - 15th and 21st - 22nd March, Lambing at Lackham See the ewes with their newborn lambs, watch the dairy herd being milked, visit the cows, pigs, sheep and other animals. 10.00am - 5.00pm.

Last entry 4.00pm Visit shop.wiltshire.ac.uk to book your tickets NOW! Lacock, Wiltshire.

21st - 22nd March Mother's Day at Stourhead Treat Mum to a special lunch and relaxing stroll at Stourhead.

Paint a beautiful stone as a gift or souvenir to remember your special day together at these drop-in workshops. Stourhead House and Gardens, Stourhead.

22nd March One off Special Elizabethan welcome tour for Mothering Sunday Find about mothers and parenting in times gone by whilst enjoying a 45 minute tour of the grounds.

Montacute House, Montacute.

22nd March Mother's Day Express Join the Avon Valley Railway on this special day and treat your mother to a 3 course pines express. Our dining trains aim to recreate the glory days of the railway dining car. Avon Valley Railway, Bitton.

22nd March Mother's Day Lunch Treat mum to Sunday Lunch or our Afternoon Tea this Mother's Day, a delicious meal out for all the family! Hope Nature Centre, Trowbridge.

please visit www.familymatters-uk.co.uk

Sugar Awareness Week might be over, but that doesn’t mean you can revert back to old habits.

If you’re concerned about the amount of sugar in your family’s diet, then here are a few ways to help you cut down and have a healthier 2020.

There are lots of different ways that sugar can be listed on food labels – labels these days have a colour coded system so it is easier to spot foods that are lower in sugar, salt and fat, but for those of you who want to be more aware of hidden sugars, here are a selection of the names to look out for.

According to the NHS, the UK eats far more than the recommended allowance of sugar. The stats show that each individual in the UK is eating on average 140 teaspoons of sugar a week. That’s ridiculous!

They say that sugar shouldn’t make up more than 5% of the energy you get from food every day, but as sugar hides in many different forms, it can be hard to keep track of how much is in our diets. Many ingredient lists have different names for sugars too, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible to cut down.

SUCROSE, GLUCOSE, FRUCTOSE, MALTOSE, MOLASSES, HYDROLYSED STARCH, CORN SYRUP, HONEY, INVERTED SUGAR, FRUIT PUREES AND JUICES.

BREAKFAST Many breakfast cereals are high in sugar, even those marketed towards families and especially those that claim to be healthy such as granola. There are a few that are naturally sugar free or low in sugar, such as plain porridge, plain wholewheat biscuits, like Weetabix, or plain shredded cereals, like Shreddies. By making changes to your breakfast you can cut up to 70g of sugar out of your diet a week!

We know that having plain porridge or plain

You’ll find that many of your favourite foods, even those marketed as being healthy will have at least one of those ingredients listed, so here are some suggestions of swaps you can make during the day to reduce the sugar intake of you and your family.

ing, but instead anything isn’t very appetis topping your try not y wh of adding sugar, en fruit? You breakfast with fresh or froz med milk or skim i could also swap to sem biscuits with eat wh and e even make porridg water. ily, wholemeal If you’re a toast kind of fam n white, tha ter bet or granary bread is er in hidden low and e fibr in they’re higher ead or sugar spr sugars – try using a low fat spread for ate col cho free/ low sugar jam or sugar ed add no use or eet something sw g for a pin top a beans or scrambled egg as non savoury option.

ER

LUNCH & DINN

different names sugar can hide under Like we said before, pect like ready things you wouldn’t ex and even pops up in ner options din y da ndiments. Every meals, soups and co r in a jar and ga su of g 13 have up to like pasta sauces can n have up to 23g! even tomato sauce ca o contain ches and salads als wi Pre-packaged sand ad – so you bre the in ssings and hidden sugars in dre by making your of your daily intake can eliminate some the go. on than buying lunch own lunches rather gar options su er low ndiments for You can also swap co time, create and if you have the or leave out entirely you know y m scratch. That wa your own sauces fro n and you can rtio po gar is in each exactly how much su t. w much is in your die easily cut down on ho

SNACKS This is where the ma jority of sugars can be found, of cours e we know that chocolates, sweets, biscuits and cakes are all high in sugar as are cereal bars and dried fruit. You do n’t have to give up on your favourite sn acks – but eating less of them will de finitely help. You can also swap to smaller packs and eating unsalted nuts, unsa lted rice cakes, oatcakes, plain popc orn or malt loaf.

DESSERTS If you’re the kind of family that has dessert after every meal, why not try lim iting it to only a few times a week? That way you can enjoy your favourites without having to cut out desserts completely. There are a few tasty alternatives which have less sugar, suc h as fruit cocktails, low fat yogurts or rice pud ding.

You can also make a game out of choosing desserts by creating a shortlis t while in the supermarket and then com paring the labels and getting the one that has the least amount of sugar.

That way you can also help get the rest of the family more clued up about what is in their food too.

DRINKS

nks has hidden sugar, dri It isn’t just food that diet the s, nk dri are fizzy do too. Obvious ones ntain co do r ga su ve ha not versions which may it juices Fru . hy still not healt sweeteners which are se the t bu r, ga su o high in and smoothies are als ins am vit e lik ts ien red nt ing are contain other importa aw be t bu n’t cut these out and minerals, so do n. tio m for hydra and don’t rely on the tions and if squash are great op e fre r ga su d Water an eetener sw a e drinker, try using you’re a tea or coffe t way. tha wn do t nules and cu rather than sugar gra l tea, rba he a e lik w, ne mething th You could also try so wi n ow sweet or make your which are naturally r. ge gin or of fresh lemon hot water and a slice

Are you trying to reduce your sugar intake? Do you have any suggestions for meals or snacks that are low in sugar but still high in taste? Get in touch with us on Twitter or Facebook, you can find us at @ukfamilymatters

Mother’s Day is coming!

We have a couple of weeks to prepare, but Mother’s Day will be here sooner than you think – this year, the big day is 22nd March and because we appreciate all the mums out there, we thought we’d give you a few suggestions of how to show how much you care.

When it comes to Mother’s Day, you don’t have to splash out, you might want to get the mums in your life an extravagant present to show your appreciation, but that isn’t always possible, so here are a few options that you can do to treat your mum without exceeding your budget.

Pamper her This can be as simple as making her lunch or giving her a nice foot rub! Alternatively, surprise her with a trip to your local spa.

Go for a family trip Again, this doesn’t have to cost the earth, go out for a walk somewhere picturesque, maybe a trip to the coast or her favourite place.

Invite some of her friends over for a mum party!

Give mum a chance to let her hair down by inviting over a couple of her friends and providing drinks and nibbles. This gives the mums a chance to catch up and also gives dad or other family members the chance to spend time with the kids!

Make a slide show or video Get together with your siblings (if you have any) and create a show that will make her laugh, cry, and want to hug the bunch of you.

Provide housecleaning Your mum spent enough time pushing a vacuum and mopping up your messes, so show her some love by cleaning her house.

Personalise Put together a collage of photos from the past or make a mug with her nearest and dearest on.

This Mother’s Day why not make sure that mum takes some time for herself and really show your appreciation of all the work that she does! And mums, don’t forget, whether you’re a step mum, a biological mum, adoptive mum, grandmother or auntie – you’re fabulous and you’re doing an amazing job – thank you!

Can you colour in Floss so she's ready for a

Mother's Day party?

Can you help save the insects?

A report published in November 2019 has shown that the insect population of Great Britain has drastically declined in recent years and that this is having a huge impact on other wildlife, including bats, fish and birds.

According to the report, it isn’t just bees that are in trouble, but a great many insects. It has been found that the main causes of this decline has included habitat loss and the use of pesticides. Because of this, the Wildlife Trust is campaigning for the government to issue a new Environment Bill to help reverse this decline.

What can we do to help the insects?

If you have a garden, there are lots of things you can do to help provide a safe habitat for insects. Firstly, don’t use any pesticides on your garden plants – this can be tough, especially for those of you who want to grow roses and other flowers, but by leaving them to grow naturally, you can attract a whole range of bugs, including ladybirds and lacewings which will get rid of the problem of aphids (they’re the ones that eat flowers!)

You could also make a compost heap – this is a good way of helping your garden grow but it will also provide a good home for insects! Similarly, you could build a log pile, if you bury the bottom part of the pile, you’ll find that plenty of insects come to live there.

Make a bug hotel – not only are these a great way to encourage insects to live in your garden but they’re fun for the whole family to build! You can either create your own or you can buy kits from garden centres which will offer step by step instructions. These are a great way for the kids to learn more about the natural world.

Have you got a bug hotel? Send us your suggestions for building the perfect bug hotel and together we can work towards helping save the insects! @ukfamilymatters ukfamilymatters |

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10 ways to stay

active at work

If you’re an office worker, you’ll know that staying fit and active while at work can be a real challenge – especially if the majority of your day is spent behind a desk or on the phone. You might also know that a lack of activity during the day is one of the major causes of heart problems and other health conditions – so it’s always good to get as active as possible.

If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to be more active in 2020, we’re here to help with our handy list of easy ways that you can become more active during the working day.

Park further away or get off the bus a stop earlier, and walk the rest of the way.

Go for a walk during your lunch break if you can – getting out and about will help boost your creativity during the afternoon.

Take the stairs instead of the lift where possible.

Rather than call a colleague to ask them something, walk over to their desk.

When answering the phone, stand up rather than stay sat down.

You can discuss projects with colleagues while stood up or walking around the office.

Offer to make tea or do a bit of tidying so you can get up from your desk and move around more.

See if you can have the office equipped with standing desks, this will enable you to move around more and you won’t be sat all day.

Do a variety of muscle toning exercises at your desk including leg lifts (straighten one or both legs and hold in place for 10 seconds before releasing and repeating).

Check with your boss, and swap your desk chair for an exercise ball. These are a great way to help with core strength. ukfamilymatters |

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LATEST SCHOOL NEWS

EVENTS

DIARY DATES

YOUR SUCCESSES

News and Reviews CPR TRAINING FOR OAKFIELD PUPILS All Year 7 pupils at Oakfield Academy have received CPR training through Friends of Frome Hospital. The academy, which is the location of one of Frome's CPR defribulators, welcomed the training and all pupils found it extremely useful.

TWICKENHAM TRIP A coach full of excited year 7 and 8 Selwood Academy pupils headed to Twickenham Stadium, London on Thursday 12 December.

They were joining thousands of school children from across the country who wanted to cheer on the either Oxford or Cambridge University in the prestigious Varsity Rugby Match, an annual fixture since 1872!

Despite the poor weather, Selwood pupils enjoyed the opportunity to watch some high class athletes battle it out at the home of English rugby. Cambridge were victorious on this occasion, much to the delight of Macauley and Megan who won prizes for guessing the correct final score. Many thanks to all the staff who volunteered to support the trip.

BANKSY INFLUENCED ART AT WESTBURY LEIGH PRIMARY SCHOOL Year 6 at Westbury Leigh CE Primary School finished their term 2 topic ‘Does your vote matter?’ by creating an amazing art mural influenced

by Banksy. During their preparation for the art work, Year 6 looked at Banksy’s most powerful works of social and political commentary and this led to discussions around issues such as global warming, knife crime and diversity.

Year 6 studied his techniques, then used stencils, which they hand drew and cut out, to spray paint using their stencils on to a ‘wall’ which was 4ft by 5ft.

Sam aged 10 said, ‘I really enjoyed using spray paints on such a large surface. My favourite Banksy painting is Ryan and his Reindeer because it’s part graffiti art and part real life highlighting homelessness and I like the fact that someone added the red nose too’.

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FINDING THE PERFECT TOTO AT OAKFIELD!

OAKFIELD PUPILS VISIT ART GALLERY

Auditions with a difference took place at Oakfield Academy when Ms Parson (Head of Performing Arts) was casting the part of 'Toto' for their summer production of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Pictured, Oakfield pupil Alice Owen with her dog Woody, who was one of the successful hounds to be offered a part! Dancing, spinning and tricks were all judged during the auditions, all the dogs had the opportunity to prove they had the X Factor!

Oakfield pupils who have shown an interest in taking Art as a GCSE option, were invited to attend an Art Workshop at the renowned Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Bruton during last term.

All pupils had a tour around the exhibitions with discussions and art tasks.

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GREAT START TO A NEW YEAR AT WESTBURY LEIGH CE PRIMARY SCHOOL It’s been a busy start back to school at Westbury Leigh Primary with Year 2 and 6 enjoying entry points into their new topics for this term.

Year 2 are learning about Africa and had a thoroughly creative day decorating African masks with geometric designs. The masks were sculpted from sustainable Albizia wood and decorated in a traditional style; in the afternoon the children learnt an African Mask Dance and performed this to parents who joined in. James said: "I really enjoyed making the mask, and dancing with everybody was fun."

Year 6 launched into their topic, ‘What do we owe the Greeks?’ with a debate to answer the question: should the Elgin marbles be returned to Greece?

Prior to deciding on the answer, the children spent time researching using the internet, considering images of the marbles and reading current newspaper articles on the subject.

To bring the day to life, the children also wore Greek costumes – many of which they created themselves!

Great work year 6!

Abi Isherwood, AHT, said: “We are delighted to see the curriculum being brought to life like this – the children love learning in exciting and meaningful ways.”

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WESTWOOD RADIO AT BETT 2020 The broadcasters of Westwood Radio were all very excited as they headed to the largest education technology show in Europe, Bett 2020, at London’s ExCEL Centre. They were invited to present a live radio show on the official show station, NetSupportRadio, with Russell Prue of Anderton Tiger Broadcasting and this was a wonderful opportunity for the team to showcase the confidence and resilience that education radio has given them. Presenting in the centre of the show floor, they brought a taste of Westwood Radio’s outstanding weekly shows to an even bigger audience, both worldwide and to those delegates who passed the stand and stopped to watch the children at work. You can listen to all of the shows at radio.westwoodwithiford.org and follow them on Twitter @wwipradio.

SELWOOD SPORTS NEWS

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The Selwood Academy Year 7 Hockey Team competed in the Mendip tournament with 5 local Schools during November at Wells Blue School. All the girls worked really hard and played some excellent hockey, winning 2 games and drawing 3 games. The top two teams represented Mendip in the County Final.

1st – Wells Blue, 2nd – Selwood, 3rd – Fairlands, 4th – H Sexey’s, 5th – Oakfield and 6th - Crispin.

Selwood’s Year 7 Hockey team represented Mendip on 17th December at Millfield School in the Somerset School Games. The girls played extremely well, great goals being scored by Lexie H and Jenna W, player of the match awarded to Sienna ST. The Year 7 team came third place in their pool on the day, Selwood Academy is very proud of all the team. Well done.

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WELL DONE WESTBURY’S NATIVITY ACTORS Westbury C of E Junior School’s Year 3 and 4 had an incredible first performance of their Christmas play. In their latest production, they told the traditional nativity story through the eyes of a host of roving reporters and TV news anchors. With Christmas songs, traditional carols and even a lit jar lantern procession, it certainly brought the Christmas spirit to Westbury Juniors!

Mrs Platt, Year 3 teacher, added: “This has been a great team effort. We have all been very impressed with the children’s resilience, especially with the level of sickness around over the last few weeks."

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, SHELIA! A gathering of colleagues, both current and from the past, joined together to celebrate Mrs Sheila Fricker’s retirement after 36 years working at Oakfield. Some beautiful poetry was read by Oliver, Bella and Jacob from Year 5 and there were solo musical performances from Edie and Millie in Year 8.

Mrs Fricker was especially touched by a framed drawing of the school that had been done by Edie. We all wish Sheila a very long and happy retirement.

YEAR 5 LEARN FIRE SAFETY SCHOOL OF ROCK On Thursday 9th January pupils in Years 7 and 8, at Oakfield School, experienced what it is like to attend a rock concert when rock band The HARA performed a number of their tracks for them.

The band were promoting positive mental health and held a Q&A session after the performance.

Pupils in Year 5, at Oakfield School, attended an important fire safety assembly with Fireman Lee Dredge recently. Lee spoke to them about the importance of having an ‘escape plan’ in case of a fire. He also spoke about fire alarms, fire hazards, and what to do if your clothes accidentally catch fire! Year 5 pupil Oliver Coates even had the opportunity to dress up in a fire fighting uniform whilst Lee explained each item of the uniform and its purpose.

TRINITY FIRST SCHOOL’S FOREST SCHOOL SUCCESS During the summer holidays, the parents and teachers at Trinity First School worked hard to prepare an area of land that could be used for Forest School.

Paths were cut, shelters were built, tyre swings were hung and the area generally made safe and accessible for children of all ages and abilities.

Since then, there has been a great buzz amongst the staff and children with 26 |

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classes now enjoying a fortnightly lesson in the Forest School area. Children have loved the experience and taken part in a range of activities, including shelter building, making animal feeders and eating around a camp fire.

Broadening the children’s educational experience is a priority for the school and this another huge step to achieving this goal.

WELL DONE AYLA AND AMELIE! Congratulations to Selwood Academy students, Ayla in Year, who won the Frome Junior section of the Rotary Photography competition and Amelie, in Year 8, who received a high commended award for her photo.

The theme was "Through my eyes".

WOW

TRAMPOLINING SUCCESS FOR ELMHURST STUDENTS Congratulations to Jess, Orla and Olivia who represented Elmhurst in the 2019 South West Regional Trampoline Championships at the end of November. The girls did amazingly well and secured second place. Following their success, the team qualified for the Regional Finals in Gillingham which took place in January.

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WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT Name: Amaya Achievement: Congratulations Amaya! Her wonderful Christmas card design was chosen from hundreds of entries to be the official card for the school in 2019.

Name: Harvey Age: 7 Achievement: Passed his Grading at Judo, well done Harvey!

Name: Raya Achievement: Well done to Raya who won a competition to design an angel for her school Christmas tree!

Name: Skye Age: 5 Achievement: Skye took part in her first gymnastics competition and won 3rd on vault, 3rd on floor, and 3rd overall giving her a bronze medal! We are very proud.

Name: Ariane Age: 8 Achievement: Swam 600m to get the respective STA distance badge, good work Ariane.

Name: Samuel Age: 10 Achievement: Swam 3km to get his 3,000m distance STA badge. Well done, Samuel.

Name: Chloe Age: 6 Achievements: Chloe achieved a Distinction in her Tap Preparatory Grade Exam with Susan Hill School of Dancing.

Well done Chloe!

Name: Beth Age: 8 Achievement: Goldfish 3 Swimming Award – good work!

Name: Felicity Age: 5 Achievement: Stanley 5 Swimming Award – well done!

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