Colchester Zoo

On Wednesday 7th May we were all thrilled as we were going to Colchester Zoo! Once the register was complete we slowly walked to the coach and we were ready to go! Everyone was very excited, we discussed what we might see, what we wanted to see and played a few games. It took a little while but it was the worth the wait. When we got out of the coach it was really chilly but we didn’t mind, as after a while, it got warmer. We couldn’t wait to go inside, so we did! It was really welcoming.

At the zoo we saw some amazing and beautiful creatures. They made funny sounds and had stunning patterns decorating their skin. First, we saw a rare species of monkeys, they were the ‘Golden headed lions’, they were called this because, they had a golden mane around their heads (they were so cute!) Next, we walked ahead and saw some spider monkeys, they had really long spider like legs. After that, we went and saw sun bears! (They have very long tongues, about the size of 33cm!) Afterwards, we saw some Toucan birds with rainbow coloured feathers on their heads, that made them stand out. Not soon after, we went and had lunch. We caught up with class friends and enjoyed having a breather. Once we were energised we went to see the lions, the tigers, the wolves and the hunting dogs! These animals may sound vicious but when we saw them they were all relaxing, playing or having a nap! So not scary at all!

We then rushed quickly, to see the dusty grey elephants who were drinking water through their trunks. The tall giraffes, with their elongated necks having a nibble off of some tree leaves, were in the same area as the black and white zebras, all living in harmony. We saw lots of animals and debated whether they were happy, as although they were safe, the zoo is not their natural habitat. We wondered if zoos were a good place or bad, as some animals may have been lonely being separated from their families and tribes. We are still undecided on that topic, but we loved the trip to the Zoo…we think you should definitely go too!

By: Schreoshi & Isbah 4W

Year 3 visit William Morris Gallery

Year Three went on a fantastic trip to the William Morris Art Gallery. We took the 275 bus to Walthamstow and then had a five minutes walk to the gallery.

 When we first arrived we went to a room and saw lots of wallpaper designs. They were of beautiful flowers and leaves. We sketched some of the wallpaper designs in our sketch books, this was tricky because they were really complicated and full of great detail. 

Across the hall there were even more pictures that he had created. There was an enormous picture of  William Morris hanging in the gallery.

 We had the opportunity to complete some stone rubbings, this was amazing as the designs were clear on our sheets, it was just like William Morris had designed it.

 They created a beautiful pattern on the paper. Also in that room there was some of his old furniture from the Victorian Times, it was very different to ours. We all had a really enjoyable time at the gallery. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Live Webcast!

On Monday 28^th April Year 5 were invited to a live webcast with Jeff Kinney, the author of the Wimpy kid books. 

We were very excited as most of us enjoy the books and the films. 

It was presented by Helen Skelton who interviewed Jeff Kinney. 

During the show we were shown clips from the films that were really funny.

Jeff told us how the characters were brought to life by the actors and how they were different from the books.  He showed us how to draw Greg Heffley, (the Wimpy Kid) we all thought that it was really easy.

Finally Jeff Kinney revealed his new book, this is what everyone was waiting for, THE LONG HAUL. He only gave away one secret that Greg was going on a road trip and it all goes wrong. It will be out in November.

Written by Jake and Laila Year 5

Easter at Fairlop...

Easter Assembly

Today was our Fairlop Easter assembly. The whole school came into the hall including reception. We all had a great time listening to the Easter story and along with the Easter songs we all enjoyed. Although it was very stuffy and hot in the hall we had a lot of fun and enjoyed every bit of it. We had a slideshow on the screen which helped us with the songs. Each year had a song relating to what part of the story it was. It was a great thing to end our long term just like this.   

By Maleeha Class 5K

The Easter Egg Hunt!

 On Tuesday 1^st April, we had a magnificent Easter Egg hunt, on our school field! All together we had to find 120 eggs including special silver ones scattered all over and around the field. This was a house competition so the eggs were; Pink, yellow, purple, orange and green. When the egg hunt started, it was crazy and fun, we all dashed off to find as many eggs as we could. Some of us didn’t even find any but others got 3 or 4 eggs! By the time we finished, we were all sweating and eager to know the results. As we had competed well, at the end we got to munch on Cadbury’s cream eggs. 

The winning house team in years 5 & 6 was Tomswood.

By Samia and Shamiya 

My DNA.... by Branaven

DNA

On the 20^th March I went to Bancroft’s school for a science fair. My favourite area we looked at was about DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). I learnt that it could be made from my own saliva! It is a molecule that encodes genetics and is a mix of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus. First, we were given a tray and a small bottle of a transparent liquid (phosphorus). Then, some people gave us sticks and told us to rub it in our mouths and on our gums. We dipped our sticks in the phosphorus and then took the stick out. Then we extracted the main DNA. We then put it in a smaller bottle and tied a piece of string to it to keep it secure.

We also tried to draw patterns in a mirror. They gave us a star to copy in a mirror. We had to try and keep the pencil on the lines but mine looked terrible!

By Branaven

Sport Relief Day

On Friday 21st March, Fairlop supported Sports Relief Day. Children and Staff paid £1 to come dressed in sporting attire! Some also bought sports relief wristbands. We will let you know soon the total amount raised.

Also on this day a film crew from Youth Sports Trust visited the school. Various activities went on throughout the morning and these included:

Football practice
Netball practice
Netball Match between Fairlop and Caterham Year 7 Team
Cricket Club
Athletics Practice
Tag Rugby training
Squash for year 5 classes
Stacking cups competition for year 3-6
Ability challenge
Dance Club

All of these activities were filmed to promote the National School Games award sponsored by Sainsbury's.  A Youth Sport Trust representative then presented Ms Brannan with a Gold Sports Award celebrating all the sports activities that go on at Fairlop.

In the afternoon Year 4 classes held their own Greek Olympics with javelin, discuss and a 'chariot race'.

The afternoon ended with a sports relief assembly.

Science Fair

On Thursday 20th March 10 children from Fairlop went to a Science Fair at Bancroft's School. We were able to take part in many experiments. We also got to look at our DNA, build paper rockets and launch them using compressed air.


One of the scientists showed us some chemical reactions including colour change, by mixing liquids, making fire and causing massive bangs by popping balloons with hydrogen and oxygen in.



We discovered that some liquids totally dissolve in a polystyrene cup, as the cup is made up of only 2% plastic, the rest is air.


A teacher showed us how to make some strange shaped bubbles.


We really enjoyed our visit and learnt a lot. We would love to go back again next year.


By Charlotte (Class 5S)

Forest Academy Talent Show...

Last Friday, ten girls from year five and six took part in the Forest Academy talent show. 

A wide range of talent was performed ranging from street dance to singing. From Fairlop we performed the superb song, Titanium by David Guetta, and stunned the audience with our beautiful two part harmony performance.

Near the end of this fantastic evening, our phenomenal street dancer Onome, from year four, performed an amazing routine and everyone was stunned by how good he was.

We all enjoyed this spectacular event and hope that Forest Academy hold another talent show in the future, so that we can take part.

Our singers were:

Sabrina, Maleeha, Sancia, Ria, Sapphire, Kaynat, Lacy, Samia, Isabel, and Aliyah 

Street Dance Performer: Onome             

Jubilee Wood and Jubilee Trail

On Thursday 7th November we had a ceremony of unveiling our Jubilee Woods and Jubilee Trail Plaques.
Our School Governor Mr Patel came along to help us with the ceremony.
He was joined by members of School Council.
We were very fortunate to have had the help from School Council and The Friends of Fairlop to raise the money for our adventure trail, which we use every lunchtime and get a great deal of enjoyment from.

 

 

Also Phil the Gardener came along to our Jubilee Woods where we have planted some young trees. If we look after the trees they will make a haven for wildlife!
Members of Gardening club where there with Ms Brannan and Mrs Bailey to unveil the plaque.