Chalfont St Giles Village School

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Year 6 Trip to Chester - Thursday 25th May

Wednesday evening, and time for “Chalfont St Giles’s Got Talent?” Opinions were divided on the question, with James M and Cooper very unsure that Talent would be found amongst their friends. While some groups diligently worked on their routines, others chose to practise through a game of football.

First up, a dance squad of Bonny, Evie M, Scarlett, Evie F and Caitlin I. Mr H decreed the act brief but skilled in its execution. Lois went on as a substitute dancer, and a longer performance unfolded, this time expanded to include clapping and singing. Mrs S declared “I don’t like it, I love it”.

Next up, Yaro representing the Ukrainian entry to CSG-vision, with his rendition of Dream On, ably assisted by backing dancer Elliot. Mrs S was struck speechless, but controversially, it was a “No” from the other Mrs S, proving yet again she is a hard woman to please. Undaunted, Yaro had another go and this time received rapturous applause. 

Elise and Aditi performed a song written by Yaro and Jake, an emotional story detailing the consequences of excessive sweet consumption. Mr H was impressed with the positive audience reaction, and Mrs T thought it could become an ear-worm. Mrs S remained unimpressed. If she’d had a cabbage, she would have thrown it. 

Florence, Emily and Myla created an innovative dance routine with a freestyle ending (due to a woeful lack of rehearsal time). Mrs S pressed her Golden Buzzer. Mrs T said “it’s never too early for a ten from Pen” (wrong TV show, Mrs T). 

Kassi, Dylan, James E and Harry W were The Impressionists. Myla and Chloe were confused, surely they weren’t going to transform themselves into nineteenth century artists? They clarified these were impressions of the staff, but since most of their sketch involved shouting at children, it wasn’t easy to work out which teacher was which in their skit. Mrs T declared she hadn’t laughed so much all week. We couldn’t record Mrs S’s response because she was crying too much. 

Caitlin G wowed the crowd with her very talented Irish Dancing, proving that CSG really does have talent. Mrs S and Mrs L both pressed their Golden Buzzers.

Last, but definitely not least, Mr H and Leah ended the show with a sketch entitled “Penguins Playing Baseball” and the crowd went mad with joy. It was definitely time for bed. 

Thursday morning started with another birthday celebration as Mrs S turned 21 again (surely some mistake? Ed.).

Her present was to begin the final room inspection. Thanks, team. However, the
children excelled themselves. Mrs M was overcome with emotion at the cleanliness on display, although that could have been something to do with the cloud of Impulse and Lynx wafting on the breeze as Sam B, Harvey, Taylor, Megan and Surya scurried past.  Myla, Alayna, Aditi and Jayna had written Mrs S a special birthday song, while Anya, Beatrix, Caitlin G and Harriet modified YMCA into a birthday riff. Not to be outdone, Elise produced a poem celebrating the highlights of the trip. The room scores are being tallied and the winners will be announced at Leavers’ Assembly!


Waving us off, the YHA manager said they were a pleasure to have on site, and Steve, our bus driver declared that the children were the most well behaved he’s transported in the past 7 years.

The motto of the Youth Hostel Association is “where you go changes who you become”. We wish year 6 many more happy trips that will shape who they become in the future. It’s been a pleasure sharing this week with your children. 

Signing off until next time, your faithful correspondent, Lady Whistledown.

(a.k.a. Mrs Starrs)

 

Year 6 Trip to Chester - Wednesday 24th May 2023


The fun continued into Tuesday evening, as the year 6 team orienteered their way around the site. In preparation for our zoo trip, the children had to pose as different animals in order to get their next clue. 

Mrs T was left scarred by the interpretive dance of the clown fish created by Evie F’s team, and had barely recovered when she was treated to James E’s team demonstrating the fishing pose of the flamingo. 

Mrs L was faced with judging the performances of Aoife’s team, who (we guessed) were intimidating yet friendly snapping turtles, and Harvey’s team, who were channeling the power and majesty of the bald eagle. Apparently. 

The winners by a significant margin were Sam B, Sasha, Elliot and Tommy - demonstrating outstanding focus on the task, not to mention producing some entertaining animal impressions! 

After a leisurely breakfast and room inspections, it was time to head to Chester Zoo. We are compelled to pass comment on the children’s domestic science skills.  While Jamie and James B do know how to keep a tidy room, they were outclassed on the smell test by a group of boys (mentioning no names) who had drenched their bathroom in Dior Eau Sauvage. Mrs L is still trying to recover her olfactory senses.  Representing the girls, Surya’s room greeted the room inspectors with a morning mindfulness chant, which was certainly original. 

It was a very short trip to Chester Zoo. The Zoo is one of the largest in the UK and home to a number endangered species, including this rare black rhino.


Samuel N and Cameron impressed Mrs S with their expert knowledge of the habitat and lifestyle of the meerkat. Not a single mention of car insurance during their discourse! 

Aditi and Alayna adored the anteaters, and explained how their long middle finger is used to dig out insects and grubs. Their tiny eyes mean they are quite shortsighted and rely on an excellent sense of smell to track down their food. 


Over in the orangutan enclosure, Mrs T and Sienna M could hardly contain their excitement as we watched these magnificent animals rolling down a slope in a sack then rushing back up to do it again: Mrs M reflected that watching the orangutans was not dissimilar to break time supervision: Yaro said she was the cheekiest teacher in the world.

The majestic elephants munched their lunch and reminded the children that it was at least three hours since they had last been fed and watered. Taylor was doing a roaring black-market trade in sweets to ward off the starvation from which his comrades were suffering. 


Over in the butterfly house, some of the children were deemed sweeter than others as the butterflies ‘licked’ them seeking nectar. 


Toby and Harry W were fascinated by the aquatic display of the penguins, although Bonny thought she would prefer life as a sting ray, chilling on the sandy bottom; the penguins were far too active for her liking. 

Mrs M took some girls on a river ride; Jayna gave the boat top tips for wish making, and the girls made a wish every time the boat passed under a bridge. 

Evie M impressed Mr H with her elephant-taming skills, but all too soon it was time for us to exit via the Gift Shop.


Staff were relieved that we returned to the coach with approximately the same number of children we had started with, although there were rumours of a prisoner swap over in the gibbon enclosure…

Back at the centre, there was time for showers and chilling before evening games. Until tomorrow…

 

 

 

 

Year 6 Trip to Chester - Tuesday 23rd May 2023


Happy Birthday to Elise! Mrs M was very grateful to Elise’s roommates for coming to rouse her at 5am to remind her that it was officially Elise’s birthday: thanks Chloe, Lois and Megan, very kind of you. No sooner had Mrs M had dropped off back to sleep, than she was reawakened by the dulcet tones of James M and Dylan having an early morning meeting next door.  Great to hear from you, boys! 

It was a different story over the other side of the stables, where Mrs S and Mrs S slept on blissfully until the late hour of 6am, and Mr H had to use his Outside Voice to wake up Harry K and Robert, so deeply were they slumbering.  Mrs L had similar problems waking Diyanesh, Jack and Cass.  These boys take their commitment to 8 hours sleep seriously. Staff finally got everyone out into the lawn with the promise of cooked breakfast.


Quiz time: yesterday evening after dinner we had a chance to play some games and chat with friends. Some children became quite enamoured by the idea of Nail Art: does anyone recognise this hand? Shortly after this photo was taken, the gentleman in question began to appreciate the challenges ladies face with keeping their manicures on tip-top condition and by this morning, the nails had disappeared. Shame.

Back to this morning, and after an hearty cooked breakfast, we got back onto the coach to head into Wales, to Llechwedd Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog (not yet on the Year 5 /6 Statutory Spelling List) for our Deep Mine Tour. This morning, the Car-Pool Karaoke stand-out star was Parker, with backing singers in the shape of Emily, Florence, Mrs S and Mrs M (proving that they have all the arm-above-the-head moves). 

At the mine, we split into three groups to descend 500 feet below the Welsh mountainside into the slate mines, which date back to Victorian times. Hard helmets were compulsory, although Mrs S and Mrs L were both distressed at the deleterious effect on their hairstyles - but rules are rules, ladies.

 

The steps down were either slippery, or slimy, or uneven, or all three. Some children (and adults) were less than enthusiastic about the descent, but we all made it safely to the caverns. 


One of our guides, John, was the third generation of his family to work on this site, and told us how his great-grandfather tragically fell whilst working in a deep chamber and never made it out. We were reminded that mining was a tough occupation full of dangers. 

We learnt how to set an explosion to break off slate and chip it away, and explored some of the 25 miles of tunnels that remain. Caitlin I was our star interviewer, asking the guide lots of great questions. 

After descending so deep underground, Jessica, Anya and Harriet were not particularly looking forward to the ascent until they discovered that we would be taking the underground train - smiles of relief all round! 

After lunch it was time for Bounce Below, highly anticipated by adults and children alike, a series of trampolines, slides and scramble nets linking four vertical caverns. 

The sign at the entrance caused Mr H to pause for a nanosecond before he led the charge into the abyss, from which he emerged, pink-faced and breathless, approximately 10 minutes later. Bad luck, Mr H, 50 more minutes to go. 

Mrs S and Mrs L were more sedate in their approach, Mrs L holding onto the sides and Mrs S opting to lie down on the netting and pray for a rescue. In contrast, Thomas, Azeem and Samuel S tackled the slides and nets like commandos on a mission into enemy territory, stopping only briefly to take on more water before returning, reenergised, to the fray. 



Colwyn Bay beach was the next stop, a quiet bay filled with imported sand (Will was convincing as he asserted that the beach was identical to one in Cyprus). While one group enjoyed a game of beach football, another group ran straight for the sea, and a third began hunting for shells. Harry E won the prize for the largest variety of shells collected, while Scarlett was more interested in the possibilities of seaweed as hair extensions. Sasha contented himself with digging a tunnel to Australia. 

All too soon it was time to head back to Chester and a well earned dinner. As we left the Bay, Jake wondered if Wales had a different currency to England… give it time, Jake, give it time. 

 

 

 

Year 6 Trip to Chester - Monday 22nd May 2023

Blizzard's Yard Car Park was abuzz with excited children this morning as we gathered for our trip to Chester and beyond.  It quickly became clear that the staff have been rather 'enthusiastic' with their packing. A kitchen sink was not in evidence, but staff were seen dragging along, amongst other things, a large bag of sporting equipment, another of art materials, assorted teddies, and supplies for every imaginable incident (and possibly some unimaginable ones too). Lois, not to be outdone, arrived with a suitcase so large that she can actually get in it (or would be able to if she removed assorted soft furnishings deemed essential for the trip). 


For many children, the saying, ‘it’s not the destination, it’s the journey’ is one they live by, as staff were treated to a musical extravaganza. Curtains were drawn at back of coach to create a night club vibe, as the girls (led by Myla) sang along to Miley Cyrus to drown out the boys (led by Cooper, who had allegedly lost his voice) chanting Sponge Bob Square Pants over and over and OVER… Elise was auditioning for a future career as a holiday rep, using her suncream tube as a makeshift microphone to direct the singing. 

Our adventure into history at Warwick Castle began at the entrance where we were greeted by a splendid knight on horseback, who directed a selection of the children to the stocks, a punishment no longer permitted by the Department for Education…




Our exploration of the castle included a challenging climb of 500 steps up and along the ramparts and towers where medieval knights defended the castle from attack. Elliot thought he would make a good archer, but he and Leah agreed that a lift would have been preferable to all the narrow spiral staircases.

Parker impressed himself and Mrs L as he overcame his fear of heights to reach the top, and Caitlin G also showed great bravery to make it to the top as well.  The staff were very proud of all the children who had a go.

The Conquerer’s Fortress is the oldest part of the Castle, built in 1068, with magnificent views over the Warwickshire countryside. We agreed a hill is the best place for a castle, and that every home should have a moat.



After lunch it was time for the Birds of Prey show. The falconers  demonstrated incredible skills as they handled the birds, and the children were struck dumb (a rare event) as the birds swooped low over their heads (Evie F’s cap only just survived one close pass).

We all loved the show and the history of how birds of prey have been used for hunting for hundreds of years at Warwick Castle. Kassi was particularly impressed that the birds all did as they were told and thought that year 6 could learn from this! 


Next we watched a re-enactment of a 16th century battle to defend the castle. The star of the show was the 18m high Trebuchet, essentially a gigantic medieval catapult, which launched heavy ammunition into the air at the enemy. Items flung by the machine in the past included rocks, dead animals, human waste, naughty 11 year-olds from Chalfont St Giles, the list goes on… Mr H did a careful headcount at the end of the show to confirm we were all still present and correct. 

After inspecting the coats of armour and weapons in the great hall, where Beatrix impressed Mrs T with her knowledge of the Kings and Queens of England, it was time to move on to our next stop, Chester.


We passed the longer journey watching a film and playing clapping games. Will asked ‘what time do we get to the resort?’ - we feared that a resetting of expectations would be required soon. However, our accommodation was met with universal approval, and James E ventured to suggest it was reminiscent of Ibiza in its laid-back, shabby-chic style. Unpacking is now in full swing and dinner awaits, after which there will be games on the lawn, followed by a calm and orderly bedtime - wish us luck!  Until tomorrow…

 

 

 

 

 

Woodrow Day Two

It was a day of dodging showers and sliding through mud: tomorrow washing machines in the local area will be working overtime! 

The children have had another great day of activities. They've been building shelters using their knowledge of A-frames (although some chose a more unique design); stacking and destroying towers of crates; manoeuvring through puddles of mud blindfolded; and solving puzzles in their groups. The children have really impressed us with their enthusiastic approach to the activities; it's lovely to see the children excelling in a different environment. 

Having packed, they ended the day watching a film. I think everyone will sleep well tonight!

 

 

 

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