In the ISA regionals Francesca, India Abi and I, and our mums all went up to Eton, for one or two races. When we arrived there it was extraordinarally big. We all waited for 2,3 or possibly 4 hours! Abi ran 600 meters and came first! All of our Mums packed a huge lunch, we barely ate any. We borrowed some money to go and buy some chips, they were delicious!!!

Then I did my ball throw, I came 8th out of 11, but two got disqualified. Year 5 also took part in the Regionals. Then an hour after the ball throw Abi, India, Francesca and I all did a relay it was fantastic but scary. When the man shot the pistol that looked like a gun, I sprinted as fast as I could. When I passed the baton to India I got nervous that I would drop it but I didn't. India also sprinted as fast as she could until Francesca overtook people like India and I did. When Francesca passed to Abi she was phenomenal. At the end we won all of our races. We were all proud of ourselves and so were our Mums. A couple of days later we received our medals in assembly and Abi received two. We enjoyed it very much and we hope we can have another experience like that again.

On the 18th of June 2008, Sienna, India, Abigail and Francesca  went to the ISA championships in Birmingham. It took us three hours to get there, so we stopped for lunch on the way, which was generously provided by Sienna's Mum. When we arrived in Birmingham the weather was nice, but throughout the day it got worse. We were allowed to practice the relay and we also played around in the long jump pit.

We were running for London West, we wore light blue vests, and special shoes with spikes on to make us go even faster. The relay was the last event of the day, so we were waiting about for ages. The race was 4x75 meters, we were set off from the sixth lane by a real gun! We were scared. Sienna ran the first leg, and was in second place when she passed the baton on to India. India stayed in second place in the second leg, and then she gave the baton to Francesca. Francesca also managed to stay in second place, before handing the baton for the last time to Abby. Abby then sprinted down the final straight and came second overall.

On 9th June 2008 the Under 9 netball team played against Mayville. It was our first ever match. Mayville were one hour late because their minibus got stuck in a ditch. With Francesca scoring 3 goals and Rebecca scoring 1, we won 4-0.

Pippy, 4W

The team travelled to St Margaret's to play a limited over friendly match. All the boys had no previous experience of playing a competitive game. The team consisted of three Year 4 boys and five Year 3 boys. Ben lost the toss. St Maragert's came into bat and batted with confidence. It was obvious from the start that St Margaret's had a wealth of experience. After their alotted 16 overs, the opposition amassed 309 for the lost of 1 wicket gained by John. Alton showed great spirit in their fielding display. However, when Alton batted, St Margaret's bowled very well and limited Alton to 214 runs for 8 wickets. On paper Alton were beaten by a superior team. Yet the boys scored a victory of their own as they played as a team. They encouraged and were positive throughout the whole match and afterwards at the teams' tea time. I was so proud of their manners and team display. They were lead by Ben in such a gentlemanly fashion. Well done!

Year 4 spent a brilliant day at Hampton Court Palace on Wednesday as part of their study of the Tudors. Despite the weather the class's first impressions of the palace were very positive, with many overwhelmed by the scale of this great Tudor building. We were met at the Buttery stairs by the mistress of the wardrobe, who regaled us with insider gossip of the King and his many marriages as we sat entranced in the wine cellar, before taking us up to explore the Great Hall itself, with its magnificent tapestries and stained glass. After a hasty lunch in the Buttery, we spent a while longer studying heraldic devices, carvings, glass and portraits in the state apartments before making our way into the Chapel Royal, which provided an interesting opportunity for comparisons and contrasts with our own chapel. We quickly toured the Young Henry exhibition in Wolsey's apartments, playing 'Where's Harry' with a number of epic paintings. For many, the highlight of the day was the multi-sensory tour of the palace kitchens with Hampton Court's two wonderfully entertaining and informative food historians. The whole day provided a wonderful opportunity to really enhance the children's understanding of the age of Henry VIII. Parents may be interested to know that the Palace has a very full programme of events both this and the next bank holiday weekend.

With the weather looking grim and the prospect of getting very muddy looming, Year 4 embarked on a trip that, for some, would be their first time away from home. Excitement coupled with anticipation and nervousness was high. Since the middle of September Mrs Whicher and Mr Walker had been preparing Year 4 for this trip, explaining what would happen and what to expect and now the time had arrived.

Year 4 were accompanied by Mrs Bothwell and Miss Orbell as well as their intrepid class teachers! We were all impressed by the way in which year 4 threw themselves into it and tried their best in every activity.

Upon arrival at Bethany house we were greeted by Sophie, the manager and Myles, our group leader. Both of them were in charge of organising us, making sure we ate on time and got to the correct activity on schedule. After finding our rooms (and engaging in the annual problem of putting a sheet on a duvet, for some children!) the children were taken for the first of their 3 evening activities lead by Myles. Afterwards we began the task which haunts the dreams of every teacher on residential, bedtime!

Today I went to INTECH with Years 4 and 5. We were put into groups of 7; I was in Mrs Matthew's group. First we went to an activity that had a chair camera and a dark room. When Hannah went and sat on the chair, I went into the dark room: I saw a screen where there was a picture of Hannah upsidedown. We also went to a big machine that blew out air. We put the ball on top so it stayed in the air. Another activity we went to was a grey platform with lots of wooden blocks. Using the blocks we built a bridge. After we had put the pieces together we pulled a leaver which made the platform go down, leaving the bridge standing with no support. After that we went to a big wheely bin, to test how much we recycled: I got a scanner and went into the 'shop', scanning the objects I wanted before going back to the screen - I got full marks!

In rugby there is no such thing as a “friendly”, especially playing a match against Mayville. Our team was based around a couple of players who play for a club. Mayville had a few boys with previous rugby experience. This showed in the result of six tries to one. However, the team did not give up and particular credit goes to the Year 3 members who gave a good account for themselves against bigger lads. James ”Egg” showed determination in attack as did our solo try scorer Jimmie. Harry, Tom and Katya were always in the thick of it . Harry “GG” showed great courage with his brave tackles. William was clearing away scraps of possession. All in all, Alton played with heart and commitment. Tom was Alton’s best player on the day.

On 30th January, Year 4 set off on their trip to Petersfield to attend a concert. We got in he minibuses with Mr Hoffman driving one and Mrs Whicher the other. The journey was about half an hour, but we kept ourselves entertained. When we got there, we sat on the bus for a bit and ate our snacks. Then we had a very short but pleasant walk to the theatre. When we went in it was astonishing to see all the instruments; there were violins, flutes, cellos, trumpets and much, much more. We sat near the top and I think we had the best seats there.