- Kitwell Primary School

Kitwell
Chronicle
Issue 39 Summer 2014
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
‘The Hood’
Kingswood 2014
Meet the Head
Visit us on the web at www.kitwellschool.com or www.kitwellprimary.org
Follow our Twitter @KitwellPrimary
Tia from Class 6 reports
about the Kingswood 2014
weekend in Norfolk.
On Friday 13th June, Year 5
West Runton, Norfolk.
and
6
went to the
Kingswood Centre
in
Journey
On the way there I sat by Paige and in front of me there was Teigan and Bayleigh. We were all talking to each
other and having fun and then Mr Kendrick came round with the video camera and started to record us. We
stopped to have our lunch and have a toilet stop and then we were back on the coach.We all carried on being
loud and we all ended up with sore throats!
When We Arrived
When we got there a man called Peter gave us a tour around the site and then we were shown our
dormitories. We all chose our own beds and we made them.
Mr Kendrick came round and checked to see if our beds were done and if they were then we could line up
for our first activities!
Our First Activities
When we had finished in our dormitories, we had our first activities. There were three groups - G1, H1 and
I1. G1 had indoor climbing. H1 had bush craft and I1 had bush craft too.There were two different bush crafts.
One of them was knife work and the other one was lighting a fire!
Mini-Olympics
For our night activity, we had Mini-Olympics. We had loads of different tasks like being a chicken giving birth
and also acting out our reaction if we won one million pounds.
Field
Most of the boys played football on the field and we watched them play. In one match, we played a school
from Essex. McKenzie scored for Kitwell which meant that the Essex school were losing 1-0. In the end, we
beat them 1-0.
Hot Chocolate (bed)
At night, we all went to have hot chocolate then we went to our dormitories and we all started talking and
the dormitory opposite us was playing football at 2am. The ball was banging off the walls and they were
shouting, ‘Goal!’
We were up until about 3 am and when we all got up in the
morning we were moody. We all had bags under our eyes
and we all realised that we should have had an early night!
We could also hear the teachers laughing and having a good
time. Our dormitory was right next door to the teacher
lounge so we could hear the teachers from all the different
schools. They were all watching football because it was the
World Cup!
Saturday
When we went for breakfast and we had a choice of a cooked
breakfast or cereal then we all had half an hour before we
started our first activities.
Activities
We had loads of activities we had: Laser Quest, Jacobs’s
Ladder, beach, Nightline, Leap of Faith and our night activity
which was Scrap Bottle Rockets.
Leap of Faith
Me, Antonia, Lewis, Ethan, Ryan, Brandon, Mr. Williams, Mrs
Pincher and Miss Southall all did Leap of Faith. We were all
petrified but when we all made the leap we were all happy.
Page 2
Laser Quest
Laser quest was good however your gun ran out
really quick and it meant you couldn’t play for the
rest of the round.
Jacob’s Ladder
Jacobs’s ladder was hard but fun. It was a challenge
but all you needed was team work. It was a ladder
and you were in partners and you had to try and
help each other get to the top!
Beach
When we went to the beach, Peter and Kirk and
the teachers talked to us about safety then we
went off and played games, made sandcastles and
the boys played football or caught crabs. As we
were leaving, we went to the beach shop to buy
ice creams and chocolate and stuff.
Nightline
When nightline started I had a waterproof jacket
and water proof trousers on but that didn’t mean
anything. I still got drenched by Mrs Pincher
and Mr. Williams. Mr. Williams got mud and put
it in your mouth. How mean!! Mrs Pincher put
seaweed down your back and in your mouth
and it smelt horrible. At the very end they threw
buckets of water over you. When the man told
me to rate Nightline I rated it -100 because it
was horrible!!!!
Sunday
On Sunday we did: Archery, Indoor Climbing, Bush Craft, Mission Possible, Pool Party and Go-Karting
In Archery, we were shown how to shoot a bow and arrow and then we were in teams and we counted up
our scores and found out who won.
We moved onto Indoor Climbing and we got into partners and my partner was Paige and she made it to
quarter of the way and I made it to half way up the climbing wall.
After that we did Bush Craft and we were using flint and steel to make sparks which made fire eventually.
We added sticks slowly and carefully so the fire got bigger and bigger and the group that got the highest fire
was my group.
In Mission Possible, you had to use team work and communication to solve different problems.
In Go-Karting, we all put helmets on and waited for our goes.The quickest time was nineteen seconds which
was held by Mrs. Leech. Most of the people got between eighteen and forty seconds.
Our last activity for the day was Pool Party. The music that the man had put on made the water vibrate. We
all played games and had fun splashing around in the pool.
We all went back, had hot chocolate and went to play on the field. Some people stayed in the dormitories
and had showers but most people went. We all came back and had all-nighters because it was our last night
in the dormitories!
Monday
It was our last day! We all got up and got ready. We had breakfast and after that we had to go back and strip
the beds. Mr Kendrick told us to pack our suitcases and things and make sure the room was tidy. If it wasn’t
we had to clean it!
We all had our last activities and our group had Abseiling. It was raining and we had to abseil down a wet cold
wall. Most of us did it. Some didn’t but we all had fun!
After that we all sat in the hub and waited for our coach to come.When it came, we put our suitcases on the
coach, said goodbye and we went home.
Page 3
Mrs Shevels has been at Kitwell for
a term and is learning all about the
school, the children and the parents...
but maybe it’s time for you to learn
a little bit more about Mrs Shevels.
Read on...
MEET
THE HEAD
What was your favourite subject at
school?
At Junior School, I loved reading and writing.
I was a bit of a book worm and spend nights
reading with a torch when my parents thought
I was asleep! Enid Blyton was my favourite
author at that time!
At Secondary school, I developed a love for
languages, studying English, Latin, German,
Spanish and French. I went on to do a French
and Italian degree. It was whilst I spent my
third year in Reims, France that I first started
teaching...
As a teacher… tricky to choose just one…
English, RE, PSHE, Art and History have been
my favourite subjects to teach over the very
many years in the many schools!
Do you have any children?
I have an eleven year old son, called Alex. He goes to Alvechurch Middle School. He thinks school is okay!! He
loves footie and playing on his X box (typical 11 year old boy!) I think he is epic!
What is your favourite colour?
I like the colours red, black, blue… (not yellow and definitely not pink! My home is very colourful and full of bright
objects that I am very lucky to bring home from my holidays…
What is your favourite fruit?
I have a banana or grapes most days. I also love strawberries and raspberries, especially with ice-cream and a splash
of chocolate sauce!
What is your favourite food and drink?
I have always been a veggie so this limits what I can eat! I enjoy Italian food, especially pasta and ice-creams.
However, my number one food has got to be a curry. Love curries! A Ceylon (hot, sweet and sour with coconut!)
is my absolute fave!
I drink a lot of sparkling mineral water and Diet Pepsi….On the very rare occasions when I have a drink (!!) I love
white and fizzy wine. Reims is the capital of the Champagne area of France, so I developed a bit of an expensive
taste for champagne when I was teaching over there…
What football team do you support?
Footie is a bit of a contentious issue in my house….
My husband is a life-long Toon Army supporter and,
on trips up North, has taken me and Alex to St James’s
Park to watch the odd match or two. Meanwhile,
my eleven year old son, Alex, decided to become a
follower of Southampton (probably just to annoy his
dad!) about two years ago.. He is now gutted that
Lallana and Lambert have left to go to Liverpool!
As for me, well, I have always had a bit of a soft spot
for Liverpool. This dates back to when I was eleven
/ twelve and Liverpool were at the top of their game.
Fun times during ‘Match of the Day’ in the Shevels
household!!
Page 4
Page 5
HEAD’S REVIEW
What is your favourite type of music?
I am always listening to music – in my car, at home and at
work…. I love listening to Kerrang Radio Station! My favourite
band at the moment is definitely Kasabian! I also like bands like
The Black Keys, Foo Fighters and, more recently, Rival Sons and
Royal Blood. I also like a bit of older music from The Rollling
Stones and Led Zeppelin.. I do, occasionally, like to listen to
chill out music too…
What’s your favourite pet?
I love cats! I grew up with cats in my family and truly believe
that no house is a home without a cat or two in it! I currently
have two cats – Mojo (a big, fluffy ginger moggie who is as
soft as a brush!) and his sister Marla (the brains of the two of
them! She has the loudest purr on this planet and dribbles for
England!) As a child, I also had catfish, dogs and guinea pigs…
What is your favourite hobby?
I like to get out and about at weekends– visiting friends and
family in Stoke, Bristol, Sheffield and London. I like to meet up
with friends in Birmingham too – going out for a meal, ten-pin
bowling, cinema or just staying in for a natter.
I am a member of both The National Trust and English Heritage
so like to make visits to museums, castles, stately homes etc…
To relax, I like to listen to music, do sudoku and play online mah jong!
One of my favourite things to do is to visit the seaside – I love to walk along the promenades and piers, play
crazy golf, eat doughnuts and play on the 2p machines in the amusement arcades!!
Who is your role model?
At Secondary school, I had a teacher called Miss Smart. She was most certainly smart by name and by nature!!
She taught me Latin (a mighty fine language) but most of all she inspired me to have more belief in my own
abilities. She treated everyone with the greatest of respect and helped me to realise that it’s what is inside
a person that is truly important and not the designer labels that are worn on the outside! I remain ever
indebted to this inspirational teacher and hope that, over the years, you are lucky enough to have a teacher
who inspires you in the same way….
In terms of well-known role models – Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela would be high on my list!
What would you make better in our school?
Kitwell is such a caring and friendly school - I have been made to feel so welcome by everybody since I
joined here at the end of April. However, there is always room for improvement.. A few things I’d like to see
happening here at Kitwell:
Forest School – I have seen the difference that Forest School has made to so many children over the
past few years. Opportunities to explore the
outdoors and take risks in a safe and secure
environment greatly impacts upon children’s
self –esteem and confidence, as well as
broadening their academic experiences and
achievement… Watch this space!!
I have a love of reading and would really like
Kitwell to have a stimulating Library area
– bursting with texts that children want to
read and that reflect their interests..
School and parents working together more
to support the learning and progress, both
academic and social, of each and every
child…
I have lots more ideas that I’d like to
introduce, but Rome wasn’t built in a day….
I’ll save those ideas for another time!
SCHOOL
Miss Rich has taught all around
the world and now finds herself
at Kitwell Primary School. In her
‘School Memories’ she tells us
about life in Canadian schools and
she also gives us a geography lesson!
I
moved to the
of
2013. I
UK
MEMORIES
permanently in the beginning
have lived and taught in three different
countries
(Canada, South
Korea, England)
and have been blessed with the opportunity of
travelling to many different continents.
I
love
I love to learn which is why I became a
8 years with
the youngest student being 4 and the oldest being
72. On top of the regular school subjects, I have
also taught a variety of other subjects like baking,
dance, robotics and make up artistry.
school and
teacher. I have been teaching for over
Teaching in the UK is quite different to teaching in Ontario. There
are differences in the clothing, school schedule, the subjects taught
and the language used. The biggest difference, I think, is that most
students in England walk or take public transportation to and from
school. In Ontario, all students are picked up and dropped home
– by a big yellow school bus! The older or more popular you are,
the further you sit from the front of the bus. This is true for both
Primary and Secondary school – which leads me to another massive
difference. From the age of 3/4 to 13/14 you attend Primary School
and from 14 to 18 you go to Secondary School. You cannot leave
school until you are 18 – it is the law!
What is similar is that there are three main types of schools –
Religious, Public and Private. Religious and Public (government)
schools are free to attend but Private schools you have to pay for.
In Private schools you must wear a uniform while you wear regular
clothes in Public schools. Religious schools are either uniform or regular clothes, it’s the school’s choice.
Although we speak the same language many words used in school are different. For example P.E. is Gym and a kit is half of a
chocolate bar; we change into our gym clothes to do Gym. We have recess in the morning and after lunch, not break. We have
a Principal and Vice Principal, not Deputy Head and Head Teacher. We play soccer, which is the same as your football, but we are
not as fanatical about it. We also play football which you know as American football. The sport we are fanatical about is called
Hockey - not Ice Hockey – as hockey is always played on the ice. We also play road hockey in the summer and in school we have
two types of hockey teams – hockey and field hockey.
We have grades in school, not years and our youngest
years are called Junior and Senior Kindergarten not
Nursery and Reception.
I have never had a snow day. Ever. I have been to school
when it’s minus 40 out (with the wind) and the snow
is up to my knees. Depending on where you live, the
roads may be so dangerous that the bus won’t pick
you up but school is still on. If busses are cancelled
you have to get a drive to school. I am really looking
forward to having my first snow day in England.Where
I lived in Ontario, all families had a snowblower;
and not just a handheld one. I have some awesome
memories from school – like once, I bet a friend of
mine in high school that he could not wear shorts
for the whole year – and I lost. Another fun memory
I have is Halloween. Halloween is a big celebration in
Canada – no matter how big or small, young or old!
For me, Halloween is more fun now than it was as a
child – I do miss trick-or-treating though.
Page 6
When I started school at age 3 I went to
a Montessori school which is similar to
a private school in that you had to wear
uniforms and you had to pay to attend. I
loved going to Montessori school – it was
so much fun. It was a pretty small school,
what it known as a one-form school here.
After Brampton Montessori I went to Tall
Pines for a few years. In both schools, I
was very close with the Principals – Mr.
Shine and Mrs. Flett. I still keep in touch
with the school secretary Mrs. Tait. I left
Tall Pines Montessori School in grade 4
and went to the local Public School. On
the opposite page is a photo of what I
looked like when I left Tall Pines, which is
about the same age as a year 4 student
is here.
Page 7
SCHOOL MEMORIES
I went to Caledon Central Public School until I was 14 (Grade 8). It was such a big
change from wearing uniforms to wearing whatever I liked. Part of the back to school
excitement was getting school supplies and a new outfit for the first day of school.
One summer I entered a competition in my favourite department store and ending
up winning a $500 dollar gift certificate (worth about 270 pounds). That got me a lot
of new back to school clothes! I can still remember my favourite teachers and what
the classrooms looked like. Mr. Forsythe was my French teacher and the first teacher
to ever play a practical joke on me.When I was 11, during class I went to sharpen my
pencil and he snuck a whoopee
cushion under my chair. I was
so embarrassed! Everyone
laughed so much, even him!
He did feel bad in the end so
he gave me extra marks on my
final grade at the end of the
year.
In grade 9 I went to Private
school which was an hour’s
drive away. Since my older
brother did sports we went
to school early so I usually left
the house by 6.30am. Both him
and I were on sports teams
so we didn’t leave school until
5.30pm. Being a freshman in a
small private school in grade
9 was very difficult and it was
very long days at that school.
I was so unhappy that after a
year I left and went to the local
Public School called Mayfield
Secondary School. When I was
at school, there was 5 years of
Secondary/High School. At that
time the earliest you would leave school was 19 (after Grade 13).The year
after I graduated high school the government decided to remove Grade
13 and it is now 4 years of high school. It is mandatory to learn French
up until grade 9 but after that you can choose which language you learn
for the next two years. I studied Spanish with Miss O’D. who taught us
how to speak by listening to Ricky Martin songs and cooking for the other
teachers.
Whenever you leave school you have a graduation party, including a cap
and gown ceremony – in Kindergarten, at the end of Primary School,
Secondary school and University or College. My mom has lots of pictures
of me in graduation outfits.
Canada
Canada - just so you know...
is a very big place and the population is quite
small for the amount of land in it. Canada is huge!
At 9 984 670 sq km (comprised of 6 time zones) which is about 40
times the size of Great Britain but the UK has twice the amount of
people (the UK has a population of 64 million while Canada has a
population of 35.4 million). Unfortunately not all places in Canada
are habitable – what that means is that some places are so cold that
people cannot live there and things cannot grow. Most families own
cars because it is difficult to visit friends and family without one. I
myself grew up in the country, about an hour’s drive northwest of
Toronto. I lived on a farm but did not raise any animals.
Canada has produced some amazing talent, some of which you may
be aware of. Some famous Canadian singers are Celine Dion, Bare
Naked Ladies, Justin Bieber (personally I’m not super proud of that
one), Bryan Adams, Blue Rodeo, Shania Twain, Nelly Furtado, Alanis
Morissette, Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan and Steppenwolf. Some
famous Canadian actors are Pamela Anderson, Jim Carrey, Ryan
Reynolds, Keanu Reeves, Todd McFarlane, Matthew Perry, Kim Catrell,
Donald and Keifer Sutherland, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Ellen Page, Seth Rogan, Mike Myers, Michael Cera, Michael J. Fox,
James Cameron and William Shatner.
Canadians have invented some wonderful and invaluable items. Here are a few: the modern telephone, wireless transmissions,
G-suit, snowmobile, electric cooking range, snowblower, electric light bulb, the
baseball glove, general use gas mask, insulin, Superman, pacemaker, basketball, Winnie
the Pooh, instant replay, walkie talkie, alkaline long-lasting battery and the zipper.
There is difference in accents of Canadians who live on the East coast compared to
those who live on the West coast however there’s not much difference to people
living in between.There is such a wide range of accents here in the UK and they often
change when you travel 20 minutes north, east, south or west from where you live.
The Canadian accent is different to the American although it is not easy for nonNorth Americans to differentiate. I am still getting used to all the different accents
here and I find it quite amazing that there is such a wide range of them. When I first
moved here I used to watch daytime television to get exposure to different accents.
Page 8
YEAR 6 SIGN OFF...
To all of our leaving Year 6 children...we wish you the very best in your new school careers!
Thanks for all the fun!
Page 9
PHOTO ALBUM
PHOTO
ALBUM
Take a look at some of the photos from
recent school events!
You can view more photos by visiting our
website at:-
Page 10
www.kitwellschool.com
PHOTO ALBUM
Page 11
PHOTO ALBUM
Visit our website at
kitwellschool.com
for more Kingswood 2014 photos!
Page 12
PHOTO ALBUM
Page 13
PHOTO ALBUM
Year 5/6 Production
‘Little Red Riding Hood’
from Roald Dahl’s
‘Revolting Rhymes’
Page 14
Our Nursery children have been making shape
people and learning about mini-beasts by visiting
the Butterfly Farm.
NURSERY
CHILDREN’S WORK
Insects by Karys,
Liam, Neveah, Halie
and Gabriella.
Page 15
CHILDREN’S WORK
RECEPTION
Page 16
Our Reception children have been
learning about mini-beasts by visiting
the Butterfly Farm.
Year 1 children have been learning all about The Gambia.
YEAR 1
Gambian
work by
Bassmalla
and Precious.
CHILDREN’S WORK
Page 17
CHILDREN’S WORK
YEAR 2
Our Year 2 children have been learning about Captain
Cooke, improving their writing and painting aboriginal art.
Writing by Emily and Michael,
Captain Cooke art by Imy and
Aboriginal art by Josh.
Page 18
Year 4 children have been learning all about life
during the Second World War.
CHILDREN’S WORK
Page 19
YEAR 4
CHILDREN’S WORK
YEAR 3
Year 3 children have been learning about life
during Ancient Egyptian times.
Page 20
YEAR 3
CHILDREN’S WORK
Egyptian work by Bailey,
Phoebe, Taylor,
Maisie,
Maryah and Tillie.
Page 21
CHILDREN’S WORK
YEAR 5
Our Year 5 children have been learning about the healthy
eating and life during Ancient Greek times.
Ancient Greek work by Georgia and Matthew.
Healthy eating work by lots of Year 5 children!
Page 22
BIGGEST SOCCER SCORE EVER
It
was a mighty day with
the sun beaming down on
us (the ‘Kitwell Spartans’).
We
were becoming even
more
the
professional
minute
by
by
warming
Marcus (the P.E
instructor).
up with
Our opponents were obviously
looking pretty good, but nothing
was stopping us from getting
more and more motivated. We
didn’t know if we were going to
be the victors in today’s match
but we were going to do our
best and play our hardest.
We kicked off. Harborne’s
manager was the referee.
Harvey passed it to Josh and
Josh passed it to the full-back
(who was actually Reiss). Then
he booted the ball to Harvey
and he scored. Everyone was in
shock at how fast the process
happened. Just to note that our
opponents were missing some
of their better players but we
know that wouldn’t have made
a difference even if they were
there. Every time they kicked
off we just pressured them until
we scored.
By half-time, it was 5-0 with
Harvey scoring two, Josh scoring
two and Kartell scoring one.
It was the second half. Marcus
was now the referee. Marcus
did a ‘brilliant’ job when he let
them have a goal kick when it
should have been a corner!
Thanks a lot!
We just kept scoring and scoring.
Then Jahvell came on… it went
quiet. He replaced Morgan in
the middle of the park. Jahvell
was our secret weapon. Our big
Page 23
beast. He was ‘funny’.
We played, we scored. We
scored and we scored. We
were running out of celebration
ideas and hardly knew what we
were doing at this point. We
felt like having a lie down in the
scorching sunlight. Taylor was
sitting down in his goal. Nobody
knew he was there. He hardly
did anything.
At the end of the game it was
13-0 to the mighty ‘Kitwell
Spartans’. Josh had scored a
whopping seven goals. Harvey
scored three. Kartell scored
two and McKenzie scored one.
Thanks for all the support from
everyone who came to watch
us!
Report by
‘The Beaver’ and ‘The
Gerbil’
KITWELL CONQUERS ALL
Another day and another
match. This time we were
playing
St. Michaels.
The ‘Kitwell Spartans’
warmed up, once again,
with our team mascot…
sorry…our sports coach
- Marcus. We were very
confused
by
our
warm
up but we didn’t let this
distract us from a chief
o b j e cti v e … con q u e r in g
the opposition!
The game started. We had kick
off. The St. Michaels coach was
the referee. Josh passed the
ball to Harvey then he quickly
passed it to Kartell. He made a
run down the wing and crossed
it in…
Josh headed it but it deflected
off the keeper and came back
to Josh. He whacked it into the
back of the net with a volley.
The score was now 1-0 to the
‘Kitwell Spartan’ warriors!
We played all the way to halftime and, once again, our form
was excellent. We scored seven
times. The half time score was
7-0. Josh had scored three.
Harvey scored three. Kartell
scored one. Josh only needed
one more to get his target of
twenty five goals. If he reached
his target then he would win
chips, curry sauce and kebabs
for the team. Josh had never
been more determined to score.
The second half started. They
had kick off. Marcus was now
the referee. Josh had only one
thing on his mind. Kebabs!
Josh sprinted with Harvey
behind him. Nothing happened.
We were getting weaker. We
conceded twice.
Then…brilliantly…McKenzie
scored from his corner kick.
If McKenzie’s mom is reading
this, he deserves a raise on his
pocket money.
Josh was on the attack
immediately. He was thinking of
only one thing…delicious doner
meat. He shot and missed the
ball but it came back to him
and he volleyed it with his leftfoot…
GOALLLL!!!!!!!!
Josh had reached his twenty five
goal target and he and his team
mates would be getting a chip,
spicy lamb and curry sauce feast.
The whole season had been
leading up to this point. Kebabs
were on the way. All was well!
The game finished. The final
score was 9-2 to the mighty
‘Kitwell Spartans’. Our chip
feast was delicious. We stayed
at school and played in the
I.C.T room and we also played
football.
That evening, we also had to
do the play and that was very
exciting.
This was our very last match for
Kitwell and we are going to miss
the ‘Kitwell Spartans’. Thanks
for everything. Thanks for all
the fun we had. Farewell Kitwell.
Best wishes for the future!
‘The Beaver’ and ‘The
Gerbil’...signing off.
KITWELL PRIMARY
SCHOOL
HAS GONE DIGITAL!
Find us online at:-
www.kitwellschool.com
www.kitwellprimary.org
Follow us on Twitter at:-
@KitwellPrimary
Check out our photos at:-
kitwellphotogallery.wordpress.com
Listen to our choir songs at:-
www.youtube.com/user/kitwell
And find out more about our Global Links at our
brand new website:-
www.globalkitwell.org
Kitwell Primary School
and Nursery Class
WYCHBURY ROAD BARTLEY GREEN
BIRMINGHAM B32 4DL
PDK - July 2014
TELEPHONE 0121 476 0694
FAX 0121 476 1700
Website: www.kitwellschool.com
Twitter: @KitwellPrimary
E-MAIL enquiry@kitwell.bham.sch.uk