Congo Class

Year 4 Hilltop residential, day 2; our main day

This morning, we all woke up and it was still mild and dry. Everybody had finally got to sleep, including Mrs Tooley and I. Table football, pool and ‘playing’ the piano all seem to be popular activities when we can squeeze in some common room time. It was so great seeing some of the confident pool players teaching other children how to shoot with a pool cue; yet another skill learned at Hilltop!
Breakfast was delicious – a hot one, with bacon and waffles, as well as cereal and toast. We needed plenty of fuel in our tummies for our first activities. 

Today was the day when Mrs Tooley and I felt most proud of Congo Class. They all received so many compliments, for their politeness, their team spirit, their camaraderie and their just being able to push themselves past their comfort zone. Mr Taylor was also here today – I bet he felt so proud!

In the morning, we were either on the power fan (like a bungee jump) or the climbing wall. For these activities, children needed to be aware of a lot of safety aspects, and all donned harnesses and hard hats. The climbing wall involved a lot of teamwork and trust – the children all rise to it. 

After an energy-filled lunch of jacket potatoes and chocolate crunch, we honed our skills at bushcraft. Toasting marshmallows by a cosy fire on a February afternoon is great fun. 

As a contrast, our final afternoon activity was the zip wire. This was an activity which wouldn’t have worked without collaboration and mutual support. If you want to use a high zip wire, you need a harness and helpers to undo you. So many thanks to all of you who helped to hold the zip wire in place for us. 
Right now we’ve had a huge, but lovely, tea and are all in the throes of Year 4 disco. The walls are vibrating with cheesy tunes, and the children are just having fun. Flossie seems to be tonight’s dancing queen! (We do also have a chill out quiet area to take a break). 

Today, the word ‘home’ has barely been mentioned, if at all. The children have all formed a great bond. They seem to be growing in independence by the minute. They will be very tired when they get home, but also quietly confident about the way they’ve coped. 

Bedtime today, as with yesterday, will probably be nine!

Hilltop Residential, Congo Class

And so, it has finally happened!  No one was poorly, and we all made it in one piece, despite two of us desperate for the toilet when we were five minutes’ drive from our destination. 

And the weather forecast seems to be in our favour too. It’s been mild all day today. We have found our rooms and put our quilts and sleeping bags on our beds. 

Once we’d had our packed lunches (outside, as it was so mild), we began our first activity, the Air Drop!  Nothing like starting with a bang!  The ethos at Hilltop is Challenge by Choice, and feeling comfortable enough in our comfort zone to step outside it a little. And Congo Class didn’t half do this today. Every single person, not only challenged themselves, but also cheered on and encouraged someone else. We now know that Ted and Nancy have no fear, and can casually walk off an eight metre drop, while Mrs Tooley and I can only stare in utter disbelief!

The assault course afterwards was in the woods. It was dirty, some of it was dark, it was challenging but all great fun. Ms Perry’s favourite moment was being Tarzan on the rope swing across the muddy water. Gino didn’t actually believe it when we were told that the tunnel was actually pitch dark!

We had our dinner – fish and chips, with jam pudding and custard. We couldn’t eat any more if we’d tried. We all now know how to scrape plates and wipe tables, so there’ll be no excuse when we get back home!

And, as if we didn’t have enough packed into our day, we’ve just had our enchanted walk, with warm jackets and torches at the ready. You really can’t beat wide games in a dark forest on a very mild evening. 

After a brief chat in the common room, we’ve finally called it a day. We’re very excited about the bacon and waffles for tomorrow’s breakfast. Yummy!

Congo Class learns about Incarnation

Children in Congo Class visited St Peter and St Paul’s Church, whilst learning all about Incarnation. The children were detectives, finding ‘I am …’ clues from St John’s gospel. Great work finding all those clues, everybody!

What great Greek urns you have made, Congo Class!

Who would have believed that a Year 4/5 class would be able to make such original, creative and diverse Greek urns as these?  Well done!  Once we had learned what these urns were used for (any kind of carrying and storage, basically), we then set about learning, firstly, the pinch pot technique and secondly, the coil technique.  We could see how the coil technique took a lot longer and was fiddlier, but it made our pots so much more rigid.  We had some great shaping from all of you – and some of you even added handles to your urns.  We then used imagery from genuine Greek urns to find out more about everyday life in Greece, learning about issues as diverse as Slavery, the Role of Women and Leisure and Pleasure in Greek Society.  We realised what a sophisticated society the Greek people were.

Congo Class Art

Children in Congo Class have been looking at work by the American hyperrealist Dennis Wojtkiewicz, who made detailed studies of the cross-sections of fruit.  Children explored the texture and composition of pieces of fruit and vegetables, sketching them, and then making them larger than life.  They then made printing blocks and created their own hyperrealist imagery.  Great work, Congo Class.

National Poetry Day

For National Poetry Day, Congo Class listened to a range of raps, then worked collaboratively on their own.  We created a chorus with good rhythm, then chose a verse each, in groups, on the theme of Harvest.  We were so pleased with our rap that we recited it at the church for our harvest festival.  Well done, Congo Class.  What do you think?

With A Wham And A Bam And A BimDownload

Football Tournament

Well done to the 12 Year 5 and 6 children who took part in the Football Tournament in Hartismere. The whole team really enjoyed themselves and showed admirable resilience, commitment and sportsmanship despite finishing ‘second’ in each of their games! As we kept on telling ourselves—it’s the taking part that counts!

Cross-Country Success at Mellis

Well done Nancy, Sonny and Liam who came second, fourth and fifth in their year groups. The three will now proceed to the Cross-Country County Finals which takes place in the Spring. Indeed, well done to all the children who raced around the (very) long course on Mellis Common last Friday. All the children in Yangtze and Congo classes took part and great resilience and determination was shown by all. Some opted to take part in the fun run (which was also over a long-distance) and others took part in the competitive course, which was slightly longer again.

Fressingfield CofE Primary School, School Lane, Fressingfield, Eye, Suffolk IP21 5RU
Telephone: 01379 586 393
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