West Twyford Gazette - West Twyford Primary School

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West T
WE SHOOT—WE SCORE !
By Ava Mangru and Dellie
Jean Elevique
Inside this issue
Enterprise Trip
2
Children in Need
2
Home Learning
3
Ragged School
3
PGL
4
Show and Tell?
5
School Expansion
5
Science Sensation
6
Pat’s Retirement
6
Pudding Recipe
6
Rachel Yankey
7
Concert Success
7
Netball Club
8
PSD Sports Service 8
Special points of
interest:
On the 28th November West
Twyford Football team visited
the Alec Reed Academy to participate in a football tournament. Children travelled by
two seven-seater taxis to
Northolt to compete against
Wood End, West Acton, Petts
Hill and Willow Tree primary
schools.
The team’s first game was
against Wood End. West Twyford lost 4-2 but Mr Graham
proudly proclaimed, “In the
first match the team was a little
nervous but in the second half
West Twyford dominated.”
Later the team played their second match against Petts Hill
winning 4-1. West Twyford
won their third match against
Willow Tree 3-2. It was a very
tight match but West Twyford
pulled forward to get a lucky
goal. Miss Caloghiris said,
“Everyone showed their true
skills in the match.”
Unfortunately, West Twyford
couldn’t play their final game
because there was a misunderstanding with the other team,
and they left early, so West
Twyford won by default. All
the children from West Twyford had so much fun. India,
age 10, midfielder, said “I was
What was the mouth-watering menu?
 Looking for the perfect
Christmas pudding recipe?
 What’s your opinion on
our new show and tell
assembly?
 Re-live the excitement of
Enterprise is helping pupils to develop challenge
skills.
main course and dessert which was served in
the main hall.
The tables were set out with Christmas crackers for each child. The atmosphere was noisy
with excited children pulling crackers, children chatting to their friends, lively music
playing in the back ground.
about going to PGL.
 Check out how Enabling
West Twyford has done incredibly well in the past two
tournaments, coming second
place in the league tables. The
team are excited for the upcoming tournament in February.
XMAS DINNER DELIGHT
 Find out what’s great
the Christmas concert.
so proud of myself. It was exhausting and brilliant.”
Reception children with festive hats await meal
There was a traditional turkey lunch with
trimmings at the side; there was also a vegetarian loaf and vegetables at the side. Elaine,
the school cook, explained, “When it was all
over I was relieved, but it was worth it in the
end”.
Most children look forward to celebrating
Christmas. Ava, aged 11, student in Year 6,
By Filsan Duale and Amar Jalkhi
said, “I really enjoy it because it’s even better
On December 13th West Twyford Primary than the usual meals we get.” This is an anSchool celebrated Christmas by hosting their nual event held in December to mark the fesannual festive lunch. They enjoyed an appetising tive celebration.
NEWS
Page 2
PULL OUT YOUR PURSES FOR PUDSEY!
REMINDER
West Twyford Primary prove heroes for Children in Need
Don’t forget to work to
By Luay Karim and Abubakar Aubi
On November 15th 2013, West Twyford
Primary School raised a whopping £241
for Children in Need. The school has a
tradition to dress up and give a pound to
Children in Need every year. This year,
they dressed as superheroes, such as Mr.
Incredible, Spiderman or even SpongeBob Square
pants!
Lisa, a student in Year
2, said “My
cape
was
sewn
by
mum
and
also
she
sewed an ‘S’
on my tshirt. I liked
preparing for
Children in
West Twyford Pupil
Need
and
dressed as a hero
being a superhero.” Linda Proto, a teaching assistant in Year 3 retorted further. “My outfit
was Marion Bartoli, the Women’s Wimbledon Champion 2013. My favourite part
was raising money for charity.”
hand your home learning
The children then proceeded to the school
hall in the centre of the school. Class by
class, the children stood up and paraded
around the hall as well as showing off
their snazzy outfits. They were then followed by the teachers.
13th January 2014
By contributing money, BBC Children in
Need are able to change children’s lives
across the UK. How do they achieve this?
Every donation goes towards disadvantaged youngsters in England, Wales and
Ireland. Children in Need try their best to
get everyone
involved. Celebrities from
all around the
globe get singing,
dancing
an d
d oi n g
crazy
things
for charity.
project in on Monday
For our winter home learning
project we would like you to
create a piece of art work.
What materials could you use to
create a piece of art?
Why not try acrylic, oil or watercolour paints?
Could you visit an art gallery for
ideas?
Have you thought of printing,
using batik, or fabric painting?
We would like you create a
piece of art work which will
be displayed on our Home
Learning Project board.
ENABLING ENTER-PRIZE AWARDED TO SNACK WINNERS
Team Terrific Tigers take prize in pitch showdown against competing teams.
By Sally Naser & Rhys
Year 6 were looking forward to the EnaOn Wednesday 4 December, Year 6 bling Enterprise trip as they were keen
took a trip to the east end of London to to meet children from different schools,
participate in an Enabling Enterprise and have the opportunity to work with
challenge.
th
When Year 6 arrived at the Enabling
Enterprise venue Renaissance Learning
in London Docklands, they were put
into groups and decided their team
names. Some of the names chosen were:
S.H.A.R.K, Terrific Tigers, Pascal’s
Triangle, Western Warriors and The
Enabling Team.
The teams were challenged to create
their own snack shop idea for the employees of
Renaissance Learning.
Groups were asked to design their own
logo and slogan to attract customers to
come to their shop as well as asking the
grownups what prices they would prefer
to have and how long they would be
willing to wait for their snack.
their persuasive slogan and their attractive logo and all the adults seemed to
agree. Luay, a child from Year 6 who is
especially talented in English came up
with clever slogan: “Snacks that claw
you in.” This was suited to their Snack
shop name of Terrific Tigers Snack
shop.
This journey was made by train, and
was very long but both staff and children from West Twyford Primary
School thought it was worth it.
Winning Team Terrific Tigers
them in teams. Abubakar, 10, said “I
like meeting different people from different schools as I got to learn many
things the different children liked to do”.
The winning team “ Terrific Tigers”
won a prize of chocolate. They were
judged to be the best team because of
Unfortunately Year 6 couldn’t take the
coach due to high costs and rush hour
traffic. Ahmed, 10 years old, said “I
didn’t mind taking the train because we
got to go on the DLR! I like the DLR
because they are automatic and no one
needs to drive it!”
NEWS
Page 3
WINTER HOLIDAY HOMEWORK ART ATTACK
By Alex Mangru
Last summer, West Twyford Primary
School pupils were asked to complete a
Home Learning Project about their
“Summer Experience”.
different places in my summer holidays
and my dad took pictures of these places
for me, which I have included in my
work and I have also described those
places in my home learning project
which I really enjoyed doing.”
Many students bought in some amazing
pictures, writing and interesting posters
about their summer holidays. Most of
the posters, writing and pictures were
displayed on the display board near
West Twyford Primary School’s library.
Prisha, aged 10, a student in Year 6
commented about her work, “I went to
YEAR 5 GO BACK IN TIME!
School trip takes children back to the Victorian classroom
By Ashlin Fernandes
The girls made their own caps and the
boys sewed their neckerchiefs with Miss
Jefferson and Miss Muir in art lessons.
They also dressed up as Victorian children. They travelled by train and the
other passengers were surprised because
they were dressed in costume.
Year 5 children dressed up as
Victorian children
On Wednesday 23rd October Year 5
journeyed to the Ragged School in Mile
End to discover what schools were like
in Victorian times.
At the Ragged School, the children were
transported back in time, to the Victorian
classroom. They had to write with chalk
on slates and the teacher was very strict.
Debbie, teaching assistant in Class 5
commented “The trip was an excellent
opportunity for Class 5 to experience a
realistic picture of a normal Victorian
school day”.
SNACK STOP SHOP
By Delford Elevique & Hayley Norwood
On Thursday 12th December, 20 children
from Years 5 and 6 went to the Royal
Bank of Scotland in Fleet Street as part of
their Enabling Enterprise project. The
purpose of the day was to learn how to
launch a Snack Shop. They also had an
opportunity to interview RBS, West
Twyford and Enabling Enterprise staff
about their jobs, working hours and experiences of work.
On arrival, the children played a game
and were then divided into four groups to
complete a Snack Shop Challenge which
involved choosing products for their shop
and calculating profits. Each group then
had to present their shop in front of an
audience of RBS Bank staff and representatives from the Enabling Enterprise
project.
They gave feedback on the good and bad
points for each team and the winning
team, The Dynamite Diamonds, received
a box of Heroes!
Overall, the children learnt a huge
amount about the real world of business
and how to make profit. All of the students that went thought it was very enjoyable!
The winter Home Learning Project will
be an “Art Project” in which the students can make a piece of art using any
artistic method.
Staff are looking forward to displaying
paintings, sculptures and art work to
brighten up the corridors. Miss Ahmed,
Year 6 teacher, said “I thought the standard of the last home learning project
was great and I’m looking forward to
seeing the artistic talents of pupils displayed through their interpretation of the
art project”
CRACKING
CAKE SALE !
Year 2 produce a brilliant
cake sale for Year 4 and 6
By Luay Karim and Abuibakar Aubi
On Friday 6th December, Year 2 organised a wonderful cake sale for Year 6
and Year 4 as part of their Enabling
Enterprise project. They were put into
separate teams, some being ‘Fantastic
4’, ‘Wolfblood’ and ‘The Stars’. The
two older classes brought 50p - £1 to
spend on cakes, drinks and milkshakes.
The cakes and milkshakes were homemade. The milkshakes came in two
different flavours; banana and strawberry. The cakes were decorated with
vibrant colours and Christmas tree
cases.
All the groups chose charities to donate
the money they had raised during the
sale. There was a variety of charities –
RSPCA, NSPCC and Water Aid. Altogether, they raised a fantastic £38.84.
Oscar, a pupil in Year 2, said, “I enjoyed people coming to our cake sale
and also baking the cakes.” The customers loved it too, well done Year 2!
FEATURE
Page 4
ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, PGL!
the teachers. Everyone who attended it
Year 6 from West Twyford Primary
thought it an amazing adventure and
School went on an exciting first-time
didn’t want to leave.
trip, last October to PGL and stayed
there for 5 days!
Activities included; Zip wire, which was
long and high. The steps to the top
By Fatimah Mirza
seemed endless and the time down
Ava, aged 11, said “PGL was filled with seemed too brief. The speed was more
adventure and, at the disco on Wednes- like a jet than an ordinary zip wire. Anday, I lost my voice because of all of the other breath-taking ride was on the giant
swing
where
talking with our teams that we did!”
two
peopl
e
PGL improves children’s confidence
depended
on
and independence among all the lasting
their friends to
benefits of the experience, and when a
pull ropes until
lot of children returned home it had the
they could not
same effect “I can do a lot of things on
my own now, and I feel more independ- go higher. Teresa was truly terrified
ent than I was before we left.” India, because, as a joke, she was put on backaged 10 explained. Her opinion was wards! Partakers also enjoyed the tunnel
shared by all participants and even by trail, raft building canoeing and trapeze.
But even though you might think the
days are already full, there is still space
for night time activities, so make sure
you save your energy for later! Night
activities include: Around The World
Quiz, Disco, Campfire, Sardines and
Ambush.
The wildlife at PGL was not only class
6; Kian, aged 10 said “At 3:00 in the
morning I woke to the sound of croaking, and, later on in the day I found out
that it was actually a frog that had got
stuck in our room!” A rabbit was also
seen at night
by a lot of
pa r t i ci pa nt s
when playing
‘Ambush’ and
‘Sardines’.
GET PACKING FOR PGL!
If you’re in Year 5 and not thinking of
signing up for PGL in October 2014,
then think again!
By Kian Arfaei and Hassan Baydoun
Flying High at PGL
Earlier this year in October, Year 6 experienced an amazing journey full of
adventure and excitement with an opportunity to meet new people when they
travelled to PGL Windmill Hill. In October 2014 Year 5 will have a once in a
life time opportunity to embark upon
this outdoor adventure course with fel-
low team mates. Teresa, the school administrator who accompanied the school
journey with Year 6 this year said, “I
had a brilliant time and I would definitely recommend this to Year 5.”
Exhilarating Experiences
The children will experience different
activities such as: Zip wire, Jacobs’s
ladder, Giant swing, Canoeing, Fencing
and Archery. These activities build confidence in children as Hassan, age 11,
explains, “The activities were very exciting and I developed more confidence
by challenging myself and participating
in activities that I
wa s
n er vou s
about.”
Fantastic Food
Ava, aged 11, said
“PGL was filled
with adventure
and, at the disco
on Wednesday, I
lost my voice
because of all of
the talking we had
done with our
teams.”
PGL provides
both children and
adults with a wide
variety of tasty
food.
Fatimah,
age 11, who attended the trip
this year said, “The food was magnificent. We had the choice between an
array of appetising warm meals and had
endless access to the salad bar which
was full of nutritious salad options.”
Kian, aged 10, added, “We had three
meals a day, which gave us the much
needed energy for the strenuous activities we did.”
Casual Cabins
Children share a cabin with 3 or 4 other
children some of which are bunk beds.
The cabin room includes an ensuite
bathroom which has a shower.
Remarkable Reviews
West Twyford pupils throw their hands in the air for PGL on school journey
Aleksandar, age 10, said, “I had a brilliant time and I know all my friends did
too. I would recommend this trip to
Year 5 because this trip is unbeatable!”
COMMENT
Page 5
SCHOOL EXPANSION - WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ?
By India Lim-Gaynor
Khazaal
& Hadi
Next year, West Twyford Primary
School will be expanding the school to
make room for more children and new
classes. The main reason for the expansion is because increasing numbers of
children who need a primary school
place due to place shortages in Ealing.
Many children are not getting primary
school places in the same school as their
siblings.
Ava, a Year 6 pupil said “I think that we
need it because our school is getting
quite packed now!
Many people agree with the school expansion because children with siblings
can be together and also parents do not
have to travel between two or more
schools, which can mean that their children may be late for school or picked up
late. This is proving a problem for many
schools in the borough.
Additionally the
school would have
more space and
would be eligible for
more funding. Furthermore a larger
school would open
the doors for more
jobs in the community which is greatly
needed during these
austere times.
Plans for the school expansion
The new school building which will be
built on the field will be bigger and better with more modern facilities, including a new library and a larger hall.
On the other hand,
many staff and children think it might
not be the best thing for the school because some do not like change and like
working in a smaller school where everyone knows each others’ names.
A larger school would pose the challenge of keeping both the infants and
juniors in touch with each other, as
many events that may have been together in the past may have to be done
separately for juniors and infants due to
space and time.
Miss Ahmed Year 6 teacher said “I can
understand the need as we need to cater
for siblings, however I enjoy working in
a small school and hope that we can
still retain the communal character of
the school when we expand”.
The building work is due to start in
April 2014 and may take up to a year
and a half to complete. This will cause
disruption for the school. Joanne Livingstone, Year 6 teaching assistant said,
“We all have to be patient and work as a
team and show West Twyford spirit.”
NEW SHOW AND TELL - IS IT GOING WELL?
By Julia Pyter & Ahmed Amin
On 7th November 2013
Year 6 performed and
modelled the
first
ever
show and tell
assembly in
West Twyford history.
Dellie-Jean and Denisha show results from
science investigation
But
why?
Well
this
year
West
Twyford Primary school have two
classes for Reception and Year 1 therefore classes have less hall time to re-
hearse for their performance assembly,
which requires stage rehearsals, props,
scenery and costumes. The idea of a
show and tell is that you have no costumes, no backdrops and need less time
to rehearse.
This idea has been welcomed by some
children and teachers because children
can learn their lines quickly, the audience learn something new and it is a
good way to showcase learning to the
school and family. Additionally, it is
entertaining and informative at the same
and parents can see what their children
have been learning.
On the other hand some children are
disappointed that they don’t have cos-
tumes and there is no drama. Some argue it is like a better rehearsed Friday
sharing assembly and it’s not as entertaining as performance assemblies.
Prisha, aged 10, said, “I liked the old
class assemblies because you enjoy being dressed in costumes or in your own
clothes.”
LIFESTYLE
Page 6
PAT’S PERFECT DEPARTURE
Pat’s friends and family were
invited to the party to witness
her retirement. Later on, the
children presented Pat with
presents and flowers for a
goodbye gift.
West Twyford gives Pat a perfect send-off
By Arthur Hacoupian and
Sarah Elghawi
Last month, on the 25th October
one a most valued member of
staff, Pat Blount, retired after 20
years working in West Twyford
Primary School. Mrs Hills, the
deputy head of West Twyford
Primary, arranged a farewell
party for Pat.
Since Pat was moving to the
beach, the theme of the party
was “At the beach”.
Pat’s perfect send off with family, friends, staff and children
The final event was the arch.
The children lined up from the
one side of the school to the
other in the corridor and put
their hands against each others. The pupils let go of each
other as Pat walked by and
then hugged her for a big
goodbye!
YEAR 6 SHOW AND TELL SCIENCE SENSATION
By Aleksandar Ivanov and Kwaku
Boakye
On the 7th of November 2013, Year 6
was the first class in West Twyford history to present a show and tell assembly. They chose to explain what they
had been doing in science lessons in
imaginative ways. The children worked
in groups to show the different experiments they carried out in Science lessons and used scientific words to wow
the audience.
One of the groups showed their work by
using muddy water and filtered it using
filter paper. The next group showed
their work by showing six solutions
that had evaporated leaving behind solid
residues on the plates.
The children felt their knowledge of disAnother group explained the concept of solving increased and became better
dissolving using salt and water. The last through doing the assembly.
group used tiny cubes to explain that
when a solid is crushed the surface area
gets bigger and the solid dissolves more
quickly. They used a chart to explain
their results. The dissolving experiment
was particularly enjoyable and made the
adults thirsty for more.
Year 6 sang a song called “Scientific
Method” to entertain the children and
adults and even teach teachers a few
things. Miss Ahmed, Year 6 teacher,
said, “Year 6’s assembly was fabulous,
they had a lot of confidence and learned
a lot.”
Year 6 pupils show how confident
and happy they are after the show
and tell assembly.
PERFECT PUDDING!
By Prisha Patel & Sebastian Asare
Are you looking for a treat this Christmas to enjoy with your family? Well
below we have a fool proof method of
making Chocolate Christmas pudding
for you to enjoy at Christmas.
Ingredients:
125g plain flour
120ml milk
2tsp baking powder 2 tbsp butter melted
¼ tsp salt
225g brown sugar
150g caster sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder 400ml hot water
Method
1. Preheat the oven 180 degrees Grease
and flour a 23cm square tin.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the
flour, baking powder, salt , sugar and 2
tbsp cocoa. Stir in the milk and melted
butter. Spread evenly into the prepared
tin.
3, In a small bowl combine the brown
sugar and 4 tbsp cocoa . Spread over the
top the mixture in the tin. Pour the hot
water over the entire mixture in the tin .
4.Bake for 45 min in the preheated oven
Then you are ready to eat!
CULTURE
Page 7
BLACK HISTORY HERO CAPS OFF THE CELEBRATIONS
Female footballer inspires children
during Black History Month to persevere if they want to achieve their life
ambitions.
By Yarah Hamed
On Monday 18th October 34 year old
Rachel Yankey, who plays for Arsenal
and England, came to West Twyford
Primary School as part of Black History
Month celebrations.
Luckily, a coach offered her a place in a
team where girls could play football.
On her time at school, Rachel Yankey
explained, ‘I wasn’t good at reading or
writing but I knew I was very good at
sport and that was what I wanted to do
with my life’’ She became the 2nd English professional female player, after
Gillian Coultard.
She achieved 127 caps for her country
and has played in a multitude of FA Cup
matches and won the Ladies football
league many times. Due to her success
in football she has now started her own
academy teaching school children football skills. She also holds the British
record for the most capped player which
is surprisingly even more than David
Beckham.
Each class was given a short lesson in
how to improve their football skills.
Ashlin, aged 10, commented “It was a
fantastic experience to meet a professional ladies footballer. She was such an
inspiration”. Pupils look forward to
practising these skills when playing the
worlds most popular sport.
In a special assembly she told children
how she became a footballer. Rachel
Yankey explained she had pretended to
be a boy called ‘Ray’ and shaved her
hair so she could be in a football team as
there were no girls teams around at that
time. Unfortunately, the referee spotted
her and sent her off.
WHOLE SCHOOL CONCERT PACKED WITH TALENT
WOWS PACKED AUDIENCE
By Mohammed Halmstrand and Chantelle Thorpe.
Teacher of West Twyford Primary School, Ms
Rachel Martin.
Every child from Reception to Year 6 took part.
The music coordinator,
Miss Parker, taught a
wide range of songs with
some challenging tunes
and singing was of a very
Year 1 Ash’s gentle performance on ‘Song of the
high standard. All classes
Trees’ excited the audience
had their own songs with
a good rhythm and unOn Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 11th
forgettable
tunes.
of December, West Twyford pupils gave
a breathtaking Christmas performance
Costumes were appropriate for Christon the story of Baboushka.
mas as all of them were reds, green and
Christmas traditions got off to a stunning start this week with
the annual concert presented by children in
every class. The concert
attracted a lively audience of parents and siblings
There was a friendly
opening and a lovely
introduction by the Head
Mrs Johnson, former teacher at West
Twyford Primary School said, “I enjoyed the first concert so much I wanted
to see the one on Wednesday as well.”
Baboushka
whites.
Baboushka is a lady from a Russian folk
tale and is very keen on cleaning her
house. She has given hospitality to three
wise men and missed the birth of baby
Jesus. She still goes around the world
giving a present to every boy and girl
she meets along her way. Where do you
think presents come from?
SPORTS
NEW SPORTS SERVICE PROVIDES ‘HIGHLY SKILLED’ TEACHER
By Hayley Norwood and Denisha Thomas
Do you like the new sports service? Mr
Graham, P.E. teacher, coaches West
Twyford Primary School and teaches
different sports on the play-ground and
in the school hall.
On Monday and
Tuesday each year group has their P.E.
lesson delivered by the PSD sports service teacher to gain new skills and have
exercise.
Jump and Spring
Everyone in Year 6 has enjoyed basketball,
even though some of the pupils don’t always
enjoy sports. They learnt skills like shooting,
dribbling, and how not to Double Dribble
while having tons of fun.
Raining but not ruined!
If it is wet outside on P.E. days the classes go
into the hall for their P.E. lesson. Mr Graham
either teaches Junior children Bench Ball or
Dodge Ball. Bench Ball is where you get into
teams of 6 or 7 and one person is the goalie.
Dodge Ball is where you have to dodge rubber
balls. Mr Graham also runs sports clubs at
lunchtime and after school.
Miss Caloghiris, Year 2 teacher and P.E.
Coordinator, explained, “ I think it’s a
great service. I think Mr Graham is
highly skilled and Year 2 are always
very excited to take part in his lessons.” Pupils from Year 6 learning key
Mary, Year 1 Willow pupil said, “ This football skills with Mr Graham
P.E. scheme is better than the old one!”
During the Autumn Term some Year 5 and 6 pupils trained for
1st Terrific Term
the West Twyford Football Team. The skills acquired so far are:
The first term of lessons got off to a flying start. All year
passing, tackling, dribbling and shooting.
groups have gained a variety of skills in a very short time and
Children are looking forward to what they will be doing in
seem to be fully engaged in their learning.
Spring Term P.E. lessons.
THE NEW NETBALL CLUB
West Twyford introduces the new after school netball club run by Miss Caloghiris
By Delford Elevique
Every Wednesday, Miss Caloghiris (Year
2 teacher and school sports coordinator)
takes pupils from Years 5 and 6 to the
Junior playground to show them key
skills for netball.
During these sessions, pupils from Year 5
and 6 participate in groups to acquire
essential skills involved in this team
sport. These skills include: passing,
shooting, goalkeeping and defending.
Mr. Graham, school football coach from
PSD, said ‘It’s a very good idea and more
girls can get involved in sports. Also all
of the skills we use in basketball except
for dribbling are used in netball.’ Netball
teacher, Miss Caloghiris commented further, ‘It’s a great way to learn new skills,
have fun and work in a team.’
Assyria, Year 5 pupil, said ‘It’s really
Fun!’ Chloe thinks ’It’s a good idea but it
would be better if we did it more often.’
New Netball club pupils are enjoying acquiring new netball skills
This newsletter was produced by the children of Year 6 as part of their Autumn Term Enabling Enterprise Project. We would love to hear your views on how you think they did.