Public
National Finals of ISA Football Tournament (4th - 5th march 2010)
The team set off on Thursday dinnertime with an entourage of parents eager to enjoy the following couple of days of team bonding and great football. It was a pleasant journey down and we really timed the weather well.
On arrival at Cambridge Central, we checked into our rooms and met in the hotel reception, ready for a game of tenpin bowling and very civilised Italian meal. The bowling was extremely enjoyable, with the boys putting the parents to shame. Mr. Richardson was very fortunate to pip Mr. Lengden to victory twice, although an accusation of not being able to handle the pressure was unfairly banded about!
The boys were a pleasure to dine with at the restaurant. They really did show how mature Firwood Manor children are, making all of the parents and myself very proud.
The next morning the boys were up bright and early for the hour drive to Stoke College in Sudbury. It felt like the road to Wembley as we relaxed before the big tournament, listening to music or racing at 300 mph to Super Mario Kart. (Again, Mr. Lengden was an unlucky second)!
On arrival, we took the team photo and did our warm up in readiness for our first match. We drew our first game 1-1 and won the second 2-0, which was a fantastic start. The next three games were a little more difficult though and we were unlucky to lose on more than one occasion.
Our final game was in the quarter final of the Plate competition, losing to a golden goal in extra time to St. Nicholas School. The boys were reminded that it had been a huge achievement in just qualifying for a national tournament and we all agreed that it had been a really enjoyable couple of days.
The trip back up the A1 didn’t seem to take too long and we arrived back at Firwood Manor, very tired, for 8.00pm.
Many thanks to the parents and grandparents for supporting the trip through the sponsored penalty shoot out and coming down with them. It is something they’ll remember for a very long time.
Well done boys!
Mr. Lengden
Visit to Foxdenton Hall
On Wednesday 10th March, the Year 2 and 3 children visited Foxdenton Hall in Chadderton. We have been studying the history of Chadderton and wanted to find out about this old Manor House. We met a gentleman called Mike Lawson at Foxdenton Park. He was a founder member of the Chadderton Historical Society and knew a lot about the hall.
When we arrived at the park the sun was shining and the hall looked very beautiful. We went inside the building for a presentation on the history of the hall. We looked at lots of pictures of the people who owned the hall and found out about how the building had changed over the years.
The hall was first owned by Elizabeth and Robert Radcliffe who built the first Foxdenton Hall built as their home. William Radcliffe then had the hall rebuilt in 1620 in its current location. Unfortunately, William was killed with his son in a battle in 1642. The hall was then taken over by Alexander Radcliffe who had the hall rebuilt in 1700. Instead of having the whole hall knocked down he decided to take the top floor and roof off and leave the ground floor. He then had soil piled up around the ground floor so it was partially buried. The only thing that could be seen of the ground floor was the top of the windows and the stone block above the door that had WR and 1620 carved into it. This stood for William Radcliffe and the year the hall was built. Alexander had a modern hall built on top of the ground floor of the old hall, which is the Foxdenton Hall we visited. The building felt very old and had wood panelling and beams. The fireplaces were also from the original hall. The room we had the presentation in was full of pictures of the owners of the Hall. There was one portrait of Alexander Radcliffe that made us all feel uneasy. The eyes seemed to follow you wherever you were in the room and Mike told us how some people believed that they had been tapped on the back by him when they were in certain rooms of the hall.
After the presentation we split into groups. The first group went upstairs to look around the rooms whilst the second group went with Mike to investigate the outside of the hall. We were able to crawl underneath the steps of the hall to see the stone block with WR carved on it. We felt like detectives looking for clues. We also climbed on the old mounting block, which the Radcliffe’s used to climb onto their horses. The grounds of the hall were well kept and looked beautiful. Finally, we went and sat by the duck pond to eat our tuck before we came back to school.
We had a lovely morning at Foxdenton Hall and found out lots about its history.
By Years 2 & 3
Visit to Ebenezer Congregational Church, Uppermill
On Thursday 25th February Year One went to visit Ebenezer Congregational Church in Uppermill. We travelled to the church by coach. During our journey we saw the snow on the hills and felt lucky that we didn't live so high up. We were welcomed by Pastor Wroe who showed us into the church.
We sat in the pews and Pastor Wroe told us a little about the church. We saw a picture of the first minister from 180 years ago before we watched a video of a little boy being christened at the church. Mr. Wroe told us all about the Christening. We looked at the Christening roll, which is a record of all the children who have been christened at the church. The first christening in the book was also from 180 years ago. We also saw the font which we were not expecting to be so small. We had seen pictures of fonts at school that were made of stone and were quite big, but the one at this church was a lot smaller.
Afterwards we talked about how we could have our own christening. We began by singing 'Who Put the Colours in the Rainbow' then Pastor Wroe asked the parents, baby and god parents to go out to the front of the church and stand with him. He then took the baby from KA and blessed her with holy water from the font. The baby was named G.M.H.M. After that Pastor Wroe took the baby to show to the congregation. He gave us a certificate of the christening.
On the video after the christening the family had a party. So we went upstairs to the hall where there were some tables and chairs set up for us to have our lunch. We were all quite hungry and ate our lunches whilst having a little chat to our friends. When we had finished our lunch we had a story and then came back to school.
We had a lovely time and would like to say a big thank you to Pastor Wroe for welcoming us to his church and spending time with us.
by Year 1
Netball Match 24th February 2010
Firwood 23 - 0 South Failsworth
After the last performance it is obvious to see why Firwood went into this match with great confidence. They definitely did the school and themselves proud once again.
I probably will be stating the obvious with what I write but I'm happy to do so.
AS and EC were lethal in attack. AS wasn't once put off by the height of the opposition defence, as every time she found a way past them to score.
In the centre of the court was the supply to attack, OG, OB, AB and LM were outstanding. Again the speed and accuracy of the through balls was sensational and the number of interceptions which led to attack was extremely impressive.
The defence was water tight once more and to not concede is wonderful. RS, FM and SS provided the perfect base for the team to mount their attacks.
Well done again girls. A special mention must go to SS and LM who both made their debuts.
Manor Press 19 February 2010
Thought for the Week:
"The most beautiful experience in the world is the experience of the mysterious."
Albert Einstein
Head’slines
Valentine's Disco
Thank you to everyone who supported our Valentine’s Day Disco.
The children responded beautifully to requests to behave well and sit nicely with Mums and Dads whilst supper was served.
Thank you to the staff for giving up their precious relaxation time to ensure that the children had such a wonderful time.
Value and Habit of Mind
This term’s Value is……
Respect.
Our Habit of Mind is Responding with Wonderment and Awe.
Finding the world awesome, mysterious.
Being intrigued with phenomena and beauty.
Have fun figuring it out!
Thinking Skills lessons will focus on....
Thinking through Concepts.
Grimsby Football Tournament
The Firwood Manor football team travelled to Grimsby on a freezing cold Monday morning, to play in the northern section of The National Independent 5 a-side Competition. They were hoping to qualify for the national competition in Suffolk, like the team did last year.
We were drawn in what proved to be the toughest group, playing Beech House B (won 12-0), St. Martin’s, (won 3-2), Hull Collegiate, (drew 1-1) and Scarisbrick, (Lost 3-1). These results put us in second place in the table and meant we had qualified for the semi-finals, and therefore the national tournament. The boys were understandably delighted!
Unfortunately, we ended up coming in fourth place, as tiredness and the extremely cold conditions seemed to affect us later in the day, but it was a fantastic achievement nevertheless.
The team will now be travelling down to Suffolk for a stay over on Thursday 4th March and competing on the Friday at Stoke College. Many thanks to Mr. F for helping on the day and giving up his time and I’m sure you’ll all be routing for the team.
Mr. Lengden
Visit from Freda Millet
On Thursday 11th January the Year 2 and 3 children had a very important visitor in their classroom. A local historian called Freda Millet came to speak to the children about life in the cotton mills in Oldham. She is a very important lady and has written lots of books about Oldham. We were very excited, and were looking forward to hearing the stories she had to tell.
She told us lots of stories about children who worked in the mills in Chadderton including one about a very young girl who lived in Waterhead. This young girl worked part time at a mill in Chadderton and had to walk from Waterhead to Chadderton every morning. She had to be in the mill ready to work at 5.50am every morning as the machines started at 6.00am. We couldn’t believe how far she walked in the morning to get to work. Freda told us that you had to be 11 or 12 years old to work in the mill but lots of children worked when they were only 9. She said that they used to use the back door of the mill so the Bobby (policeman) wouldn’t catch them. Nobody in the mill ever asked how old the children were.
It was very dangerous for children working in the mills and there were lots of accidents. Freda told us about one young girl who lost two fingers in the machine. She had to go to hospital and then went straight back to work. The owner of the mill felt sorry for her and let her sit on the skip until the end of the day and then he took her home to tell her home to tell her mum what had happened. Another man lost four fingers on one hand when they became trapped in the machines. He was given £30.00 compensation for his injury, which was a lot of money at that time.
The mills were very noisy places to work and the children had to learn to lip read, as they couldn’t hear what anyone said. Freda said that children were so good at lip reading that they were always late going to sleep at night as they could communicate with their brothers and sisters without their parents hearing.
We all thought we were very lucky that we don’t have to work in the mills like those children did. We had a lovely morning talking to Freda and thank her very much for giving up her time to visit us. We would also like to thank BH’s mum and grandma for putting us in touch with Freda Millet.
By Year 2 & 3
Netball Match 11th February 2010
Firwood 17 - 4 Limehurst School
The girls set off to this netball match with great confidence and after this performance and scoreline it is clear to see why.
Firwood showed their superiority early in the match and this was the key to victory.
EC and FM's shooting was exceptional as always and to score 17 points in one match is fantastic.
RS and OB were magnificent in defence and formed a solid base for Firwood to attack.
In the centre of the court was AB, OG and AS. They marked aggressively when defending but dominated possession of the ball. This enabled them to constantly feed the ball through to attack, which was done with unbelievable speed.
Well done girls, Firwood Manor is very proud of you!
ISA Cross Country
Our Cross Country Team took part in the ISA North Area Cross Country competition in Cheadle on Wednesday. Mr. Lengden and I accompanied a very plucky group of children from Years 4,5 and 6 on a very cold and snowy afternoon. As we got off the coach, it was evident that the competition would require guts and determination. The course was long and quite slushy in places and, with about ten schools participating, we knew the going would be tough but nothing was going to deter our youngsters. There were four races – Year 6 boys, Year 6 girls, Year 5 and under boys and Year 5 and under girls, with over 100 children in each race.
Our Year 4 and 5 girls were first away and they certainly laid down the ground rules. The girls fought their way through the start and all completed the course. This race was followed by the Year 4 and 5 boys. TB led the way for the first part and eventually finished a very creditable 16th. He was closely followed by TD, GR, WA and WL and HM from Year 5 and JG, TB, JS and ET from Year 4. Our Year 6 girls were valiant in their efforts. Congratulations go to AB, OB, DR, RS, FM and EC. Finally, came the Year 6 boys race and we are so proud to let you know that CC came 2nd. He was ably supported by HK. CC received a beautiful silver medal and will go on to represent ISA North in the National Championships later in the term. This is a wonderful achievement. Well done. We are looking forward to supporting you in this competition. The standard at this competition is always high and we are very proud of all of our pupils.
Our boys’ football team go to Grimsby soon to take part in the ISA North Football Tournament. We wish you every success boys!!
Manor Press 5 February 2010
Thought for the Week:
"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide."
"When the mind is thinking, it is talking to itself."
Plato
Cross Country
Our Cross Country Team took part in the ISA North Area Cross Country competition in Cheadle on Wednesday. Mr. Lengden and I accompanied a very plucky group of children from Years 4,5 and 6 on a very cold and snowy afternoon. As we got off the coach, it was evident that the competition would require guts and determination. The course was long and quite slushy in places and, with about ten schools participating, we knew the going would be tough but nothing was going to deter our youngsters. There were four races – Year 6 boys, Year 6 girls, Year 5 and under boys and Year 5 and under girls, with over 100 children in each race.
Our Year 4 and 5 girls were first away and they certainly laid down the ground rules. The girls fought their way through the start and all completed the course. This race was followed by the Year 4 and 5 boys. TB led the way for the first part and eventually finished a very creditable 16th. He was closely followed by TD, GR, WA and WL and HM from Year 5 and JG, TB, JS and ET from Year 4. Our Year 6 girls were valiant in their efforts. Congratulations go to AB, OB, DR, RS, FM and EC. Finally, came the Year 6 boys race and we are so proud to let you know that CC came 2nd. He was ably supported by HK. CC received a beautiful silver medal and will go on to represent ISA North in the National Championships later in the term. This is a wonderful achievement. Well done. We are looking forward to supporting you in this competition. The standard at this competition is always high and we are very proud of all of our pupils.
Our boys’ football team go to Grimsby soon to take part in the ISA North Football Tournament. We wish you every success boys!!
Firefighter
We are indebted to Mr. E for arranging for a firefighter to visit Firwood Manor soon. Mr. D is one of Greater Manchester’s firefighter hero rescuers who helped save two year old Mia from earthquake ravaged Haiti. He will speak to the children about the difficult conditions they worked in and will bring a rescue dog to demonstrate the fantastic work these dogs do.
Manor Press 22 January 2010
Thought for the Week:
"I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think."
Socrates
School Council
The children have suggested that we raise money for the recent earthquake in Haiti. We would like every child to bring a donation on Monday.
Website Addtions
The latest photographs added to the website for public viewing are as follows:
All In One Garden Centre (Christmas Holiday Club)
Christmas Celebration
Firwood Manor in the Snow
Lledr Hall 2009
Strinesdale Autumn 2009
Young Voices 2009
Manor Press 18 January 2010
Thoughts for the Week:
"To be able to concentrate for a considerable time is essential to difficult achievement."
Bertrand Russell
"If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right"
Mary Kay Ash
School Council
We now have everything in place to begin our own composting and on Thursday, Jo Stanley from Oldham Council came to speak to the School Council about composting so that they can kick start our initiative. The pictures will be on the website this weekend.
Pupil News
A pupil in Year 5 has made some amazing snow sculptures, pictures of which are on the website. The Russian church was part of his project work on Russia and shows an ingenious way of fulfilling the task. These pictures are so fantastic that they should have been on national television!!
Manor Press 16 December 2009
Thoughts for the Week:
"Change is fun and exciting and, like a new haircut, looks funny at first; but once you get used to it, it’s great."
Anne Blair
"If you never change your mind, why have one?"
Edward de Bono
We would like to wish everyone a very peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year.
Head'slines
We all had a fabulous time at the MEN Arena last Tuesday evening. We sang our prepared songs alongside thousands of children from other schools from as far afield as Kirby Lonsdale and Liverpool. We were also entertained by the fantastic girl group “All Angels”. The children sang their hearts out and danced until they could dance no more. It truly was a wonderful experience and many of our youngsters immediately asked if we could go again next year. Many thanks to our parents for their support.
We have had a super term. Our website is testament to the many varied activities and sporting events in which our youngsters have been involved this term. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Wild for all his hard work in keeping the website up to date and making it such a vibrant reminder of what our school is about. Please take the time to browse through it during the holiday. The password remains unchanged until January.
Many thanks too to the staff for enabling our pupils to show off their acting skills so well in our Christmas productions. The standard was once again set by the Foundation Stage and ably maintained by Years 1,2 and 3. The Christmas celebrations were completed with the Emergent Stage’s evening of readings and carols. We are hoping that Father Christmas thinks we have been good enough to warrant a visit on Wednesday. I am always reminded of the child who said, “Christmas should be sooner because children can only be good for so long.”
All that remains is for us to wish you a happy and safe Christmas holiday. We look forward to seeing you all again on Monday, 4th January 2010.
Value and Habit of Mind for next term:
Our value next term is Self-Discipline and our Habit of Mind is Thinking about Thinking. Thinking skills lessons will focus on de Bono’s Direct Attention Thinking Skills.
Website Additions
The latest FMfm Pupils' Blogs added are as follows:
Please also check A Good Sport for reports on sports fixtures.
Christmas Cards
Our fabulous Christmas cards are still on sale. Please support your child’s class’s artwork and chosen charity.
You will find them all displayed on the website.
Umbro Cup 2nd Round
Firwood 11 - 9 Hull Collegiate
8 - 8 (after 50 mins)
11 - 9 (AFTER EXTRA TIME)
Not even Nostradamus could have predicted the final result of this game, which did nothing for Mr. Lengden’s health!
A sticky pitch and unknown opposition were just a couple of the factors which resulted in one of the most ridiculous score lines I have ever been part of. The boys got off to a bit of a sloppy start, gifting Hull a 2 - 0 lead through a lack of concentration, however it was just the kick they needed as they drew level 5 minutes later. Throughout the course of the game, Firwood scored some exceptional goals, through slick passing and movement, only to gift goals back to Hull from set pieces time after time. The half time score line was 4 - 4.
More of the same after the break did see Firwood take the lead for the first time in the game, but another goal conceded from a corner let them back into the match. By now the better football was being shown by Firwood and one touch switching of play resulted in the goal of the game from GR. Several goals from CC and AS amounted to the full time score of 8- 8.
Extra time saw Firwood take the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring after 4 seconds and then adding another to give us a 2 goal cushion for the first time in the game. They weren’t about to let me relax though and with 30 seconds of extra time left, Hull pulled one back. However, it was AS who finished off the game with a great long range effort to finally kill off a spirited opposition, with the last kick of the match.
The third round beckons. Please do not do that to me ever again!
Well done, boys!
Football Team Update
Thursday 10th December 2009
Firwood 0 - 0 St. Patrick’s
This was a game that Firwood dominated but couldn’t score in. The passing play and movement off the ball was very pleasing on the eye and was one of the best games they had played all season. From defence, through midfield and into attack, the boys maintained their discipline and were denied by a very good St. Patrick’s goalie, who seemed to stop everything. Hard luck boys!
Firwood 2 - 4 Stanley Road
This was a more frustrating performance from the team. Although they started strongly, Stanley Road were a tough team with lots of running in their legs and our team, hit by illness, were unable to keep pace with them. Flashes of quick passing were shown, summed up by a fantastic couple of one twos between AS and CC late on. The boys knew where they had lost the game and all plan to put this right on Monday.
Manor Press 4 December 2009
Thoughts for the Week:
"A person can grow only as much as his horizon allows."
John Powell
"You are the one who can stretch your own horizon."
Edgar F. Magnin
School Council News
A particular page on the website is to be opened for School Council News with details of our charity fundraising.
Christmas Cards
Our fabulous Christmas cards are now on sale. Please support your child’s class’s artwork and chosen charity. Unfortunately, we have already sold out of Year 3s.
You will find them all displayed on the website.
Sports Events
This week our Year 4 boys took part in the Gems Tournament at the Soccerdome and the Year 5 & 6 team have played more league games at Chapel Road.
Soon we welcome Hull Collegiate School’ soccer team, whom we have drawn in the second round of the Umbro Cup. The boys will be joining us for lunch afterwards. You are welcome to support us if you are able.
Website Additions
The latest FMfm Pupils' Blogs added are as follows:
Please also check A Good Sport for reports on sports fixtures.
STOP PRESS: The next newsletter will go to press on Tuesday, 15th December.
Football Team Update
Thursday 19th November 2009
Firwood 2 - 0 Hulme Court
A game against Hulme was something Firwood had not yet tasted success in to date. They were top of the table at the start of the day and so the boys knew it was going to be a tricky match. The game started brightly for Firwood. The midfield worked hard and JD stood strong in goal due to TA’s illness. Defending in numbers kept the opposition at bay and it was link up play from CC, AS and GR which saw the first goal come, scored by CC. A quick second killed the game and Firwood were able to play the game out. A great performance.
Manor Press 27 November 2009
Thought for the Week:
"Change cannot be avoided. Change provides the opportunity for innovation. It gives you the chance to demonstrate your creativity."
Keshavan Nair
Head’slines
From time to time I receive letters from past pupils. It is always lovely to read their news and to learn how well they are settling into secondary school life. It is very reassuring that they seem to attack secondary education with such verve and enthusiasm. Most secondary schools take the new intake away on a residential course very early in the new term. Because of the residential experiences here at Firwood, I know that this is one area which doesn’t phase them one little bit.
Matthew wrote, “Last week we went to Plas Menai. We did lots of fun activities such as canoeing, sailing, rock climbing, windsurfing and power boating. My favourite was windsurfing even though I did get stuck on the other side of the lake and had to be rescued. It was so much fun that I didn’t want to go back to school.”
I am sure that Mrs. Wroe will be heartened to know that Michael is missing her lunches. The ones at his new school are OK but not a patch on Firwood’s.
School Council News
Thank you for your support for Children In Need and especially for all the wonderful toys you brought in for the Toy Sale. We raised over £400.
On Wednesday we presented our cheques to Christies, Macmillan Cancer Support and Link 4 Pink. Please look out in the Oldham Evening Chronicle for our picture and write up.
Our Pudsey Bear made using pennies.
Website Additions
Please check A Good Sport for reports on sports fixtures.
Manor Press 20 November 2009
Thoughts for the Week:
"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
Michael Jordan
"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."
Michael Jordan
Please note there is no official newsletter this week. However, please read the articles below.
Children In Need
Please remember Children In Need is this week. Please click Pudsey on the left for more information.
We will inform parents in the next newsletter how much we have raised.
Book Reading
We were privileged to have local author, Adam Perrott, in school on Thursday. Adam read some of his first published book, Eerie Deirdre Darkly, to the children.
The feedback received was very positive and the children thoroughly enjoyed it. Adam has been in a few schools now and he was very impressed with our children, both their behaviour and also the questions they asked him. We have some copies of the book in school so if anyone would like one (parents included) they can be purchased from the school office at a reduced price of £5. They are selling fast but we can obtain more to meet demand.
For more information about the book please click on the front cover above.
Website Additions
The latest FMfm Pupils' Blogs added to the website are as follows:
Horrible Histories at The Opera House
Beamish
Visit from a Doctor
Please also check A Good Sport for reports on sports fixtures.
Visit from a Doctor
On Wednesday Dr D came to school to talk to us about medicines and who should take them. The first thing we saw was a big brown bag it looked like it carried a lot of medicines which he used at the doctors. He started to get out a lot of interesting medicines and a lot of sharp and pointy needles. When he had finished getting every thing out he showed us a stethoscope, which he uses when he needs to check a patients heart. Then he showed us a thermometer, which Dr D uses for checking your temperature. He also had some thing which measures your blood pressure. He used this monitor to test Miss Monaghan’s blood pressure and said it was fine. He showed us how medicines can be taken and how we should be safe when using them.
By two Year 3 pupils
Beamish
On Tuesday the 10th of November the pupils from years 4 and 5 travelled by coach to Beamish Live Museum. It took a long time, but we were allowed to take our electronic games and this helped pass the time. When we arrived there was a rainbow in the sky, we ate our tuck and then walked through the Museum until we reached the Victorian School.
We had to line up girls on one side and boys on the other side, a teacher dressed in Victorian clothes introduced herself as Miss Wright (what a coincidence) and then we were allowed to sit on the benches. Miss Wright gave us a book and showed us how to use the old-fashioned ink pen to write our names and the date, but we had to change the year to 1875. We then did some arithmetic (numeracy) chanted our nine times tables which she had written on the blackboard, and we learned about old money e.g. 9d was nine pennies, 12d was the same as a shilling, we then did some sums using money. Handwriting was next and we wrote “Manners Maketh Man” in our books. On the back of the book there was a poem called “Little Drops of Water”, we had to read it out aloud as a class THREE TIMES.
Miss Wright gave each of us an old penny and we were asked to draw one of the sides of the coin, either Britannia or Queen Victoria. At the end of the lesson Miss Wright passed all our books to Miss Byram and thanked us all for visiting. We left the classroom only to see that our tram was leaving, we all ran as quickly as possible but we missed it! Fortunately, a very old car came along the tram tracks and offered to take us into town. My Mum was horrified when she heard this and I had to explain that he was part of the museum!
Our next stop was the Victorian Tea Rooms, which had a very big Moose Head on the wall. It was quite scary! After we had eaten lunch we bumped into a lady who told us there had been a murder in Beamish Town. She explained what she had seen and we had to become detectives and work out what had happened. She showed us into the Ladies Room at the station and there was a dead man (a pretend one) lying on the floor! There were clues scattered around the dead mans body and we were all split into smaller groups to try to work out where he had been and who had murdered him. The dead man turned out to be Charles Bullturn, and the murderer was called John Smith.
After we had solved the murder we were allowed to walk around the Town and look in all the shops. We visited the Dentist and the man in there talked to us about teeth and how he treated people in the Victorian times. We then went to the Sweet Shop and spent some of our money (yum yum). Time was running out so we were not able to buy anything else. We caught the tram and travelled back to the Main Building.
There was a shop in the Main Building that sold souvenirs. When we had finished in there our visit to Beamish Museum had come to an end and we boarded the coach for our very long journey home. When we arrived back at school Mums and Dads were waiting for us, because we were a bit later than planned. We had a great day at Beamish and can’t wait to go again!!
by a Year 5 pupil
Manor Press 13 November 2009
Thoughts for the Week:
"I dwell in possibility."
Emily Dickinson
"A wise man changes his mind. A fool never will."
Spanish Proverb
Please regularly check the FMfm Pupils' Blog for reports on visits and A Good Sport for sports reports.
School Council News
Children in Need
All children may come to school in their own clothes next Friday, 20th November. In exchange for this privilege, the children should bring a £2 donation to Children in Need. This includes a Pudsey Bear cake. (Please note that toast will NOT be sold next Friday.) We shall also hold our customary Toy Sale which gives you the opportunity to clear unwanted toys prior to Father Christmas’s arrival with a sackful of new ones. The children should bring no more than 50p to spend at the Toy Sale. We would be grateful for donations of unwanted toys and books from Monday. Finally, we hope to make a Pudsey from loose change so would be grateful for a clear out of coins from your pockets and purses!!
Cheque presentations
We are organising a press release on our fundraising when we shall present our cheques for the Christies at Oldham Appeal, Macmillan Cancer Support and Link 4 Pink. If you remember we raised money last term for Christies at Oldham through Firwood’s Got Talent. The final amount was £462.78.
Head'slines
We were very proud of the children on Wednesday when we held our two minutes silence. They were absolutely silent and full of respect. In the words of one of our Reception children, “It was very solemn.”
School life is so busy at the moment that I can hardly keep track of all the events. The football league has begun at Chapel Road and I am pleased to report that so far we are unbeaten.
Horrible Histories at The Opera House
We were all ecstatic about going to The Opera House to see Horrible Histories. Norman drove us down on Wednesday 4th November to see a show all about The Great War, which is what we’ve been studying during our History lessons for ‘Our World.’ When we arrived we were given 3D glasses, which got us even more excited, as we knew there were going to be some special effects!
The main character in the show was called Anjelica. She was researching things on her laptop about The First World War, when she was suddenly zapped into it!
She met a German and an English man who argued about who was right and wrong. They sounded ridiculous.
She also met a boy who fought in the war who was only 16, but he lied about his age, as many boys did.
After the break it was all in 3D and we learnt how the soldiers could get rid of the rats:
· Splat it with a trench spade
· Shoot it with your rifle
The next set of tips were how to kill the lice on your body and uniform:
· Burn them with a lighter
· Pop them in your fingers
· Have a bath every 2 weeks!
Every time they were destroyed they came out of the screen at us, making us all scream, (including the boys)!
The show ended with poppies falling from the roof, which looked beautiful but made us all feel quite sad. It was a fantastic show. Thanks to Mr. Lengden for organising a great trip.
By two Year 6 pupils
Football Team Update
Thursday 5th November 2009
Firwood 2 - 2 Chadderton Hall
Our first game of the season was against one of the stronger sides in the league to whom we had lost all our previous games, but Firwood were in confident mood after winning and drawing their 2 pre-season matches.
The match started with Chadderton Hall attacking and only brave defending and cool goalkeeping kept them at bay. On 5 minutes, Firwood broke the deadlock with a fine individual goal from CC. This lead was stretched to 2-0 moments later after the opposition had almost equalised.
Chadderton Hall came back strongly and clawed one back in the last 5 minutes and then disaster! A dubious penalty resulted in the points being shared.
A great first game, though.
Thursday 12th November 2009
Firwood 1 - 1 Yew Tree
This game had provided great entertainment over the last couple of seasons and it was to continue! Although their team seemed to be twice the size of ours, (I must check dietary information for some of these schools), it didn’t faze our boys and we got straight into what was to be a game played mainly in midfield.
Good wing play and battling performances all over the pitch pleased the crowd despite Firwood going 1 - 0 down. But the fighting spirit the team had shown all season was about to be shown again as a neat dribble and finish from CC got Firwood a deserved draw.
Firwood 1 - 1 Corpus Christi
Firwood continued their unbeaten start to the season with a draw that could have so easily have been a win. Firwood took a deserved lead with great pass and move from GR and WL leading to a very smart goal. Tiredness then seemed to creep into the team as they had played 2 games on the bounce and we had to defend manfully.
Corpus equalised after they had previously hit a post but the defence regrouped and stopped the threat for the rest of the match.
A little more awareness of our team mates could have released a couple of players for a 1v1 on their goalie but I’m sure these lessons will be learned for the next match.
Well done Firwood.
Manor Press 6 November 2009
Thought for the Week:
"If you are too attached to your own thinking and how everything is done now, then nothing will change for the better."
John C. Maxwell
Head'slines
Our new half term has started very well with all staff reporting that the children were raring to go this week. It seems to have been a very calm week but things begin to hot up next week with meetings for parents for residential visits and another visit for Years 4 and 5 to enhance their work on the Victorians.
