Simba - Spring 2014

Cross Country Bablake kept up its fine form in the cross-country relays on March 22nd.

The mixed team battled hard to come in 5th. Reef Billingham, Imogen Pemble, Patrick Heffernan and Jhodi Thandi against schools who were fielding their A teams in this event and were always challenging the leaders. Jhodi ran a particulary spectacular second leg, moving the team from 7th up to 2nd.

In the girls race Bablake were victorious for an amazing sixth year in succession! Emma Allroggen led the team off at a great pace and had set up an almost insurmountable lead by the end of the first lap. Her teammates; Imogen Starling, Evie Carroll and Freya

Bennett, kept up the stranglehold to take the honours.

The boys were up against immense individual talent in the form of a very strong Stivichall team and despite Sam Herniman setting up an early lead, Asad Ssemwogerere, Matthew Hart and Oliver Pemble did extraordinarily well to keep in touch and come home as runners up.

Once again we can be very proud of our runners – great determination produced outstanding results. Well done to everyone who took part and thanks especially to Mrs Price, Mrs Reed and Mr Hazell for their unstinting efforts.

Simba DIARY DATES APRIL Tuesday 29th SUMMER TERM BEGINS

Wednesday 30th Calshot Year 6 Yr 3, 4 & 5 Parents Evening MAY Thursday 1st Yrs 3, 4 & 5 Parents Evening Monday 5th BANK HOLIDAY Wednesday 7th Yr 6 Parents Evening Thursday 8th Yr 4 SATS begin Yr 6 Parents Evening Tuesday 13th BPP Open Afternoon 1- 3pm Tuesday 14th Yr 4 to Condover Hall Saturday 17th Joe O’Brien Cross Country Monday 19th Yr 6 SATS begin

The Boys Relay team were Runners-up

The Girls Relay team enjoy their victory

Bablake Junior was celebrating academic success once again as pupils won seven scholarships into Bablake School following the Entrance Exams in January.

In the picture are 2014 Scholars - Harry White, who won both an Academic and a Music Scholarship, Eleanor White, Grace Hollis, Alex Cox and Jasmine Harrison, who were all awarded Academic Scholarships and Toby Harkin who won an Art Scholarship.

Author Tom Palmer Inspires Young Writers

Friday 23rd U10/11 Regional 8-a-side Cricket Tournament at RGS Worcester

Netball Despite the weather, our teams have played 15 fixtures and 3 tournaments.

The U11A team were Runners-up in the Tudor Hall Tournament, third at KHPS and, after a close match against National runners up Milton Keynes, were losing semi-finalists at Rugby School. We defeated top prep school teams from Solihull, Fairfield, Bilton Grange, Sprattan Hall, Packwood and St Hugh’s school. Freya Bennett was voted ‘Player of the Tournament’ at Tudor Hall.

Our U11B team continued their winning ways with a fantastic 16-0 victory v The Croft and a 13-5 defeat of The Crescent. At Tudor Hall they reached the semifinals against Bablake A with the final score of 2-3 to Bablake A. The U11C team played fewer matches but scored a fantastic 6-2 victory against Arnold lodge A. The U10A team have learnt from recent experience the importance of confidence. Highlights of the term were a magnificent 28-3 win v Arnold lodge and 12-5 v Eversfield. The U10B team won 5 of their 6 matches; 18-1 v Arnold lodge, 12-0 v Eversfield, 8-5 v The Croft and 7-1 v The Crescent.

Wednesday 21st Yr 5 to Bushcraft

Bablake Junior Pupils win Senior School Scholarships!

The U9A team played with enthusiasm and secured a fine 12-5 victory against Arnold Lodge and a well contested 1-1 draw against The Croft. Congratulations to our U9 B team who recorded their first ever victory; 7-1 v Arnold Lodge.

Thank you to all parents for their support this season.

Helpful advice like ‘you are shooting the other way,’ has been appreciated! Hopefully we can rely upon your support for the rounders. Mrs Reed and Miss Shorter House Wins: Yr 6 Nelson, Yr 5 Eliot, Yr 4 Churchill

HALF TERM HOLIDAY Monday 26th – Friday 31st May Wednesday 4th U11 Rounders Tournament at The Croft Friday 13th Musical Tea @ BJS 4.00 Macmillan Cancer Support Fundraising Event Friday 20th BPP Sports at Bablake 9.30 – 11.00 Open Evening 5.00 - 8.00 Saturday 21st OBNO Sale 2.00 - 4.00 Monday 23rd Yr 6 Play 1.30 & 7.00 Tuesday 24th June Yr 6 Play 2.00 & 7.00 Friday 27th Yr 6 BBQ 4.45 - 7.00 JULY Tuesday 1st Prizegiving at Warwick Road United Reformed Church 7.00 Wednesday 2nd BJS Sports Day Friday 4th July TERM ENDS 11.40

BABLAKE JUNIOR SCHOOL SPRING 2014

The popular children’s author Tom Palmer visited Bablake Junior School this term.

In a workshop with pupils he took them through his experiences and explained how he had always loved writing but that it had taken him almost ten years to get his first book published. Now Tom has written almost seventy books and he is hopeful that his new book, about the First World War, will be his greatest seller.

Alongside Bablake pupils were those from St Osburgs and Christ the King Primaries. Everyone enjoyed meeting Tom and we hope a little inspiration will show itself in the childrens’ writing. Perhaps the next Tom Palmer will be one of those children who met him that day at Bablake!

Ski Trip - Lavarone 2014

Over the February half term, Bablake embarked upon their first ever skiing trip to Lavarone in Italy. The cosy resort, set in the heart of a mountain forest, with high views and tree lined slopes provided some spectacular scenery. From the start we knew that this holiday was going to be a memorable experience for all. With excited staff and pupils on the coach and anxious parents left behind, we set off on our adventure.

On arrival we were met by our friendly and hospitable 321 Ski staff at Hotel Monteverde. The facilities were most suitable for what we needed to warm hearts and satisfy hungry children at the end of an exhilarating day of skiing.

Bablake Junior Pupils defy the Floods to meet Mr Flood!

Each morning seemed to bring about a new set of challenging skiing conditions for the young skiers.

The slush, rain and thick powder during the course of the week kept all the skiers and teachers alike on their edges.

We are very proud of all the children that joined us; they were part of making this trip such a success. By the end of the week all the skiers had progressed tremendously.

Some children were skiing red runs, many taking on their first black.

The biggest highlight of the trip was the accelerated progression of the children’s skiing skills. This was closely followed by some exciting evening activities From the first day, the children quickly grasped the which included the exhilarating snow tubing, traditional basic snow plough turns on the nursery slope. By the Italian pizza evening and disco. afternoon, many were hitting the main slopes in the Special thanks must go to Mrs Price and Miss Davies resort. The size of the resort, gradient of the pistes and for all their assistance in making this trip so special for the snow conditions provided something for everyone. everyone. Mr Holder

4H Science Parachutes As part of our Science module this term we have been looking at ‘Air Resistance’.

The pupils of 4H conducted an investigation to test if the size of the parachute affects its speed of falling. They had great fun making 3 parachutes of varying sizes with a partner and carrying out the investigation.

The Bablake Junior Rugby team had a memorable trip to Leicester Tigers earlier in the term. The team were put through their paces by the Leicester coaching staff and learned a great deal despite the appalling conditions.

In the evening the boys got the opportunity to watch Leicester play Bath as well as meeting Toby Flood, the England fly half. He was able to share some of his England and Leicester memories with the boys before he moves to the south of France next season.

Bablake Junior Girls are Warwickshire Champs!

Bablake Junior Girls Under 11 Hockey team recently won the Warwickshire title. They then represented the county at the Midlands competition where they battled hard to come fourth.

and were exhausted at the end. Fitness was a key factor and the girls were able to build upon their cross-country successes.

Fred Bogyor, their coach, was delighted “The girls’ teamwork paid off; a great all-round effort.”

The girls started slowly with a draw against Warwick Prep before beating the Croft and Bilton Grange in their next games. Despite the damp and the cold the girls were unstinting in their efforts

In the picture are the team; Freya Bennett, Farrah AlDabbagh, Ife Olomolaiye, Emma Allroggen, Anna Williams, Imogen Starling, Imogen AlDabbagh

John Willis Inspires Bablake Pupils

Year 3 Poetry The Giraffe

The Meercat

Bear

Cautiously he stumbles along,

Gracefully smothered in hazel soft fur,

Slowly he sniffs the frothing river,

Stretching his long neck.

Lively with wobbly whiskers -

Swiftly the salmon jumps out.

Gradually he chomps the leaves,

Whiskers as long as a pencil!

Lazily the bear trots along the bank,

His dark tongue curls along his food.

Elegant peek-a-boo player,

Suddenly splashing into the freezing water.

Joyfully he swishes his tail.

Happily purring in excitement.

Fiercely he catches the enormous fish,

Happily his jewel-like eyes glimmer in the sun, Tippy toe to look out and squeak for his family,

Disabled swimmer John Willis visited Bablake to talk to the young people there about his disability and his determination not to let it hold him back.

Born without fully formed legs or arms, John has forged a successful career as a lawyer and is currently embarked upon another great challenge – swimming 1000 metres in fifty pools in one hundred days. Sponsorship received for John’s charity www.power2inspire.org.uk will be spent in helping able bodied and disabled people take part in joint activities, breaking down boundaries and forging greater understanding.

John spoke to the pupils at Bablake Junior about

the difficulties he had experienced and how he had persevered in his efforts to achieve all that he could.

His high aspirations had made this a difficult and challenging journey, but his sheer determination to access his potential was inspiring to all who met him. We hope that we can all be as strong as he.

John Willis was very down to earth and accessible.

The children gained a great deal from listening to him and his swim was a wonder. Boundaries were indeed diminished and we all came away a little humbler and a little wiser. We were inspired and I am sure no one will forget meeting this amazing man.

As gentle as a mouse.

Slowly he wanders back to the woods.

This extraordinary eater, here in the desert,

Shyly, as quiet as a mouse, he skips,

He uses his claws, as sharp as mountains,

Finally finishing the delicious meal.

Around the cage at the zoo.

To scrape along a tree.

The last curl of his tongue before,

Madly, teeth munch on his food,

Quietly, he trots into the trees,

Disappearing into the tall leaves,

Sweetly precious prey.

And he is gone.

We catch a last glimpse of his pale yellow skin.

Safely stumbling on his tip top tippy toes,

By Libby Harrison 3P

His tail swishes one last time,

Enthusiastically comfortable to cuddle.

He is gone away,

By Imogen Harmston 3P

Into the desert.

By Claudie Mutati 3P

These animal poems were written after we had studied shape poems and calligrams. We tried to include adverbs, similes and alliteration in our poems to give them rhythm and life. In many poems the descriptions were so vivid that the animals leapt from the page.

Year 5 - Signs of Spring Spring is in the air

All Football A Teams Unbeaten!

What a term of football this has been! Our Years 3-6 A teams are undefeated! Every single boy in the school has had the chance to represent the school in a football fixture with most age groups putting out A,B,C + D teams.

There have been 44 fixtures this term with Bablake winning 28 and drawing 7 of them.

Every year group is also undefeated against our fiercest rivals King Henry’s at A+B level. The U8 A team won 7-0 and 4-1, the U10 A team won 4-0 and the U11 A team won 6-1! A magnificent display.

The U8 teams have been exceptional this year. Fantastic

players who all work hard - they also had great victories against Eversfield this term.

The U9’s were the only team to really be hit by the wet weather but managed hard fought victories against Arnold Lodge and Eversfield.

The U10’s have performed exceptionally well, playing lots of fixtures including tournaments.

They have beaten Warwick, Eversfield, The Croft, Arnold Lodge and King Henry’s with Matthew Hart scoring some quite unbelievable goals! The B,C and D teams have also performed exceptionally well with the D team enjoying a 0-0 thriller

Quickly and ferociously he crunches the bones.

Dazedly he flutters his eye lashes.

The garden is changing its clothes,

against King Henry’s.

The Under 11’s have won all A team matches and were only beaten narrowly in the semifinals of the prestigious Coventry Schools 4 a-side tournament.

They have beaten Eversfield, Croft, KHVIII, Warwick (twice!), Spratton Hall and Arnold Lodge.

The B team have also performed well with good wins against Eversfield, The Croft and King Henry’s.

A remarkable season, maybe Roy Hodgson should come to Bablake and take some of these boys to Rio! Mr Benfield

Putting away the drab colours.

Instead bringing youth to the land.

Gracefully, daffodils dance in the wind, Nodding their yellow bonnets.

It’s a real advantage to have a classroom so close to the spinney as we’ve been able to watch the slow, wonderful advances of spring.

Bird watching has become a popular activity with 5K. We’ve spotted a variety of birds at the table, with bluetits being the most frequent visitors. However, as soon

as we put the food out the squirrels come to take their share, although we do enjoy watching their antics!

In English we’ve been trying to secure our use of personification.

I’m sure you’ll agree Aarushi’s personification of spring in this poem is really super!

Snowdrops make a carpet of white, Pastel shades abound.

Pink blossoms fall through the air like confetti.

The sun dances in the air, triumphant, For winter has been wiped out.

By Aarushi Khurana

Investigating Rocks and Fossils in 3P

Bablake Quiz kids get off to a Flyer!

Maths Challenge Finals

The Bablake Junior Quiz Team got off to a flying start at the recent regional finals of the National Primary Schools Quiz Competition held at Birchfield School in Wolverhampton. This was the first time Bablake had entered the competition and the early rounds followed the traditional question and answer format.

The later rounds were

On 25th November 2013, twenty seven pupils in Year 6 attempted the Primary Mathematics Challenge. The paper was particularly challenging this year and we were all glad that we had been practising in Maths Club.

Well done to Imogen Starling who received a gold certificate. Jasmine Harrison, Crystal Ng, Eleanor White, Tonderai Nhevera, Grace Fisher,

This term Year 3 classes have studied the topic ‘Rocks scratched all the different rocks to identify the softest and Soils. Doesn’t sound inspiring does it? But you’d and grade them on Mohs Scale of mineral hardness. be surprised!

We loved wearing the protective glasses, just like real scientists.

We examined different rock types with the help of hand lenses, digital microscopes and liquorice allsorts. When the sun was shining the whole of Year 3 went Now we can confidently identify sandstone, granite, outside. In small groups we used water and pipettes to slate, chalk, marble and pumice from their appearance test the permeability of different rocks. and we can use the correct geological terms to describe We also looked at different soils and identified the them. different characteristics of their appearance and their Using matchsticks, straws and two pence coins we properties using the digital microscope.

Connie, Aryan and Zac busily scratching rocks.

“Do these glasses suit us?” Wonder Claudie, Shannon, Arjun and Myles.

“Harder than you think,” Dylan and Freya.

managed rather differently and here the teams’ lack of experience told.

Tactically the team failed to spot maximum point opportunities and gradually their early lead slipped away.

“We will be even better prepared next time,” said Bablake Quiz Master, Mr Norman, “A steep learning curve but what an exciting day out – we shall return!”

Alex Cox and Grace Hollis received silver certificates. Nine Bronze certificates were also awarded. Miss Love

James Bounces to the Bronze at the National Schools Gymnastics Finals

“Isn’t this what you rub your feet with,” ponder Harry, Imogen, Bez and Alice.

Can you identify which is the compost, the chalky soil and the sandy soils from the pictures?

Bablake Junior pupil James McCook bounced his way to third place at last weekend’s British Gymnastics National Schools Finals. There were two parts to the event, a set routine and then another where the gymnasts put together their own combinations.

James has been trampolining for three years and was competing in the Under 11 Boys Novices section, representing the West Midlands. In the photograph James is being presented with his trophy by Olympic gold medallist, Kate Driscoll.

Kindergarten

Mrs O’ Neill from Bablake Senior School, the Pre Prep Council and Miss Reynolds; working together to support Zoe’s Place.

Reception

This term pupils across Bablake have been raising money for Zoe’s Place, a local baby hospice caring for children aged 0-5.

At the Pre Prep we have so far raised an amazing £815 on our Just Giving page. We have been raising money by decorating a Zoe’s Place teddy and by running a mile. We would like to thank everyone for supporting our fundraising. More information can be found on http://www.zoes-place.org.uk/ coventry.

Mrs McElligott, Mrs Sawdon, Mr Powell, Miss Holmes and Miss Baker all took part in the Coventry half marathon to help with our fundraising for Zoe’s Place, the baby hospice.

Thank you for supporting our runners en route.

Reception children enjoyed a visit from the Herbert Art Gallery’s Brian Wellings.

He talked to us about old toys, new toys and play through the ages.

Year 1

Year 2

Creative Kindergarten!

Mother’s Day Celebrations

Kindergarten children enjoyed learning about dinosaurs and made their own triceratops model using junk modelling.

Mother’s Day was celebrated with a display of arts and crafts made by the children. Mothers were invited to attend a ‘drop in’ session on Friday 28th March to view the work and enjoy a cup of coffee.

The afternoon was a great success and we all enjoyed looking at the children’s wonderful efforts from Kindergarten to Year 2.

The Arrival, a piece of creative writing by James McCook in 5L

My Magic Box

It has arrived. Hanging despicably over the melancholic village, it seemed to suck all hope and joy out like a dementor. Behemothically tall, terraced houses closed intimidatingly in on me. Barring citizens from the outside world, it seemed to warn me “enter at your own risk”. Closed down businesses and abandoned homes were dilapidated and skeletal. Deprived of life and plants it all seemed like an old photo, taken in black and white only the danger moving. Unsafe, the sense of eeriness was around. The unsecure, openness wrapped its forever squeezing hands around me, only intending to release me when I escaped its furious wrath. This place is awful and truly terrible. James McCook 5K

Writer’s Hats Year 5 have been working on their writing with great commitment and focus.

Nevertheless, we sometimes find it challenging to remember all the features of what a good piece of writing needs to have. So, in response, we decided to make a writer’s hat! Now when we write, we simply pop on our hat to literally have all those features next to our brilliant brains! It’s been really fun to see the variety of styles the children have invented: baseball hats, Easter bonnets, a magician’s top hat and even a chef’s hat.

It seems the children’s imagination has been really fired by the project and, most importantly, they’ve enjoyed writing with them on.

In English, Year 4 read the poem ‘Magic Box’ by Kit Wright. We used her format to write our own poems.

The Magic Box by 4L I will put in the box A bouncing baby racing along on spaghetti stilts.

A sumptuous sip of a giant’s chocolate, creamy lake.

Magenta ants full of rage, roaring at the Eiffel Tower.

I will put in the box A super snail snacking on tantalisingly tiny tacos.

Scent from polished paper spiralling through the solar system.

The tip of a freezing fire flowing up a vortex.

I will put in the box Eight crimson wishes spoken in Tamil.

The last brick of an ancient Greek temple, And the first steps of a newly born giraffe.

I will put in the box A thirteenth egg and a yellow sky.

An untidy tramp in a fairy tale castle.

A perfumed princess on a park bench.

My box is fashioned from zinc and saffron and quartz.

With green flames on the lid and pixie dust in the corners.

It’s hinges are hooves of a unicorn.

I shall ski in my box On the steep slopes of the magnificent Mount Everest, Until falling in a deep white snow drift, As fluffy as a duvet.

Fireman Visit Bablake to Aid Pupil Safety Bablake Junior welcomed members of Coventry’s Fire Service into school last week. The Firemen talked to the Year 5 pupils about fire safety and how to be alert to fire dangers, especially in the home. This was an immensely useful and informative visit – thank you to the firefighting team! In the picture are Year 6 pupils and a Coventry Fire engine.