Today we had our last league match of the season.  A close match with a determined opposition! An early goal put us ahead, before confidence grew and more goals came!  St Thomas More did not give up and slowly crept up on us until the last quarter where that KSM determination came through and the team came together using all of their team training and formations to clutch another win! After half term, we have some friendly matches coming up and we can't wait!  We are also inviting 14 year 3 and 4 children to begin their KSM netball journey! Well done team! Mrs Brown, Mrs Connelly and Miss Hewitt. Here's a picture of the Year 6's who took part today and a big thank you to Jess who brought added determination and sportsmanship from Year 5!

 We've had a busy few weeks at Nature Club. The children's input has been very helpful when deciding where to place the camera trap to effectively investigate what is living with us. You can find some clips from the camera trap earlier in the blog in the entry "Our amazing space". Last week we looked for evidence of hedgehogs and, rather unfortunately, found a dead one. The children's understanding of this sadness as part of the whole cycle of nature was pleasing to see as was their desire to see what more they could do to help this much loved species. On a lighter note this week, we found a fallen mistletoe ball complete with it's join to the host, in this case the large Acer in the wild area of the school field, and we researched the life cycle of this fascinating plant. I look forward to our next adventure! Mr Hopegood :)

Carrying on with our theme of cricket skills, this week we focussed on fielding as a team, passing the ball between team player quickly and accurately and a little bit of batting. The adults were very impressed with Year 5's good sportsmanship, team support and inclusive attitude. Mr Hopegood

 Over the last few weeks we have been able to explore the goings on around our school throughout the evening and the night due to Miss Lucas's brilliant idea. Miss Lucas secured us the loan of a camera trap from The Colchester Zoological Society, in association with Suffolk University, with the aim of allowing primary age children access to the secret world of our local wildlife. We first set the trap in our nature garden area and were treated to a procession of the local cat population before a treat which you can see in the clip below. It has also given us the view at night-time. The camera trap in situ. Last night the camera trap was set up to allow a view from the KS1 block towards the Eco-Garden area. And this is what we saw! Look out for further bulletins. Mr Hopegood :)

 A fantastic match which saw the team not only pulling together and really thinking about their positions and marking,  but also a game which reflected the kindness, understanding and sportsmanship of our team.  A team where the competitiveness is healthy and where our girls are also fully supportive and understanding of the other team. This was Gosbeck's first match with a newly formed team.  We helped the team to understand their positions, allowed some footwork to be disregarded and spoke politely when contact occured. The match ended in a 10-4 win to Kelvedon!  No photo this time as Mrs Connelly and Mrs Brown were too excited! Player of the match, chosen by Gosbecks went to Chloe! Well done team!

 At the first sign of Summer Year 5 has started to learn cricketing skills. Today's initial session was dividwed into four discrete games aimed at developing different skills around retrieval, co-ordination, team work, reacting to changes, accurate throwing and bowling. Reaction and retrieval Teamwork and co-ordination Aiming, bowling, teamwork Accurate throwing, teamwork and competition Mr Hopegood :)

 Today we played our second match for the CPSL league.  A second team went and absolutely outdid themselves.  This was the first time that this team had played together on the court against a strong team.  The defensive skills and amazing teamwork shown showed every ounce of 'The Kelvedon Way'.  Every team member showed resilience and respect, listening carefully to feedback from Mrs Connelly and myself and moving forward with gusto and determination. The game ended with a 6-0 loss, but the score didn't matter.  The team should be very proud of themselves and hold their heads high, ready for their next match.

 Now that Spring has sprung, there are flowers and blossom all around, it's time for Nature Club to start again. We've has a great start; remembering the Countryside Code, looking at our bug hut installation from last year and discussing the amazing Camera Trap organised for the school by Miss Lucas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKWyWMBJT8U Mr Hopegood :)

 We had our first match of the season today! Our club has gone from strength to strength and today, our first team of children stepped out onto the court for the first league match with a totally new team! The girls played amazingly, using the first quarter to warm up and find their feet on the court.  By the second quarter, formations were strong and the goals started to flow!  The calling out and teamwork were impeccable and we could not be prouder of what the girls achieved today! We finished with a 9 - 4 win! Mrs Brown, Mrs Connelly and Miss Hewitt

 Year 5 took advantage of a rare dry day for a lively PE session on the astroturf. We started with a trust game where randomly selected partners guided each other backwards before changing it to a co-operation activity. All the children in both classes did brilliantly with unfamiliar pairings getting down to work with each other. 

This morning, Miss Hunn and Mrs Brown had the pleasure of taking our year 5 and 6 runners to the Northern Gateway Sports Park for their cross country event.  We came away with a medal, some top 10 finished and some super speedy children. We were both so proud of all of the children. They showed all of our school values in abundance! They cheered others along to the finish line, kept themselves going being resilient.  Both of us were so proud of the children, they were true role models.  Here is a photo of our fabulous team!

 Although a soggy morning greeted us, the rain didn't dampen our spirits as we prepared for another action-packed morning of activities. After a warming breakfast of pastries, sausage baguettes and toast, we headed off in our groups to complete the final two activities of the trip. Those children tackling the aerial trekking and zip line had to show a huge amount of resilience and determination to overcome any fears, on top of the unrelenting wind! A particular highlight of the trip, according to the children, was the Bush Craft activity which allowed them to collect the correct sticks and learn the skills to create their own fire. Each group celebrated their fiery achievements with a much welcome mug of hot chocolate and a toasted marshmallow. Perfect on a drizzly day like today! Well done to all the children for demonstrating many of our schools' core values throughout the trip, and giving the adults many smiles and much entertainment. We hope they return with many happy memo...