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• The Vine – Year 6: Hilltop Residential

  Mon 16 Jan 2023

  In December 2022, we visited Hilltop Outdoor Centre in Sheringham, Norfolk. We left at 9am and along the way we entertained ourselves with some fun singalongs! Once we arrived, we got introduced to our rooms which we stayed in for 3 days. On the first day we did our first set of activities: Tree Top Trail, Archery and Team Tasks. These were incredible and a great way to start our adventures. In the evening we played Owls and Mice which was like an enormous game of Manhunt but set in a dark, expansive woods. We finished the evening with a warming hot chocolate before bed.

  On Thursday we had a jam-packed day with lots of exciting activities including: The Super Swing, The Big Zipper and the challenging and muddy assault course. Once again, these activities were fantastic and also quite scary at times, we were really pushed to our limits. In the evening we shopped for souvenirs and enjoyed an orienteering task in the dark, enchanted forest. After a full day of activities we had some time in the games room to relax and recuperate.

  Our final day finished with two more thrilling tasks and a hearty lunch before our journey home (which was much quieter, zzzzzz!) We said our goodbyes to the encouraging and entertaining instructors, who gave us all a once in a lifetime opportunity. We can’t wait to go back!

  “Face your fears and have fun with your friends”

  “Each step you take you learn new things”

  Article written and quotes by Year 6 pupils

   

  

• Year 4 bringing cheer to Uplands Place.

  Wed 11 Jan 2023

  Fabulous article in the Cambourne Crier for our visit to Uplands Place, Cambourne.

  

• Queens Green Canopy Christmas tree

  Wed 21 Dec 2022

  The Global Ambassadors planted the Queens Green Canopy Christmas tree and Reception added the first decorations to it. We used our Vine vision day bird feeders and we hope the birds will enjoy them.

  Special thanks to the Vine Volunteers for funding the tree and our shiny plaque.

  

• Autumn Term at ASC

  Wed 21 Dec 2022

  The start of the school year has seen us welcome preschool children and new children into the After School Club, they have settled in well and are enjoying their time with us. 

  We have been very busy with a wide variety of construction and craft activities. As the nights started to draw in and the weather changed from being mild to cold, we decided to bring the children indoors for the last hour of the after-school club where we played games like "Granny’s Footsteps", "What's the time Mr Wolf" and "Musical Statues."

  We have really enjoyed the latest craft activity, snowman handprints for a keepsake for parents.  We have also looked at Diwali and Hanukkah celebrations.

  We hope you all have a lovely Christmas and New Year. - from the After School Club team.

  

• Bollywood at The Vine

  Thu 01 Dec 2022

  On Tuesday 29^th November a touch of Bollywood came to visit Year 1 at The Vine. We were lucky enough to have Jessica, a Bollywood dance teacher, spend the day teaching us some dance moves and formations. We had time to practice these before performing them to our parents at the end of the day. This was made even more special as we got to wear special costumes as well. This linked to our learning in RE where we have been finding out about different festivals of light including Diwali, Hanukkah and Christmas.

  

• International visit to Spain

  Wed 23 Nov 2022

  The Vine places huge importance on our international links and for the past few years, The Vine has been fostering links with a bilingual Spanish Catholic school with similar values to ours. This October half term, 4 members of staff were finally able to undertake a trip to Cadiz to spend time at Colegio Salesianos after having to cancel the previously planned trip due to the Covid pandemic.  The school is largely like the Vine, with a big emphasis on the school ‘family’. From their visit to the Vine, Salesianos staff took back our school prayer, and our values, the fruits of the spirit. It was amazing to see part of the prayer on the walls around the school, as well as printed in their workbooks. It’s very touching to think that there is a part of The Vine enhancing the lives of pupils in southern Spain.  We hope pupils will get the opportunity to interact with each other by writing and exchanging letters and book reviews. Who knows, maybe we can even arrange an exchange one day too!

• Garden News - Did you know that earwigs have wings?

  Sat 19 Nov 2022

  Garden Club have been learning about all the insects that live around us, such as earthworms, woodlice, centipedes and stag beetles.  We were surprised to learn that although they are reluctant fliers, earwigs do have wings that unfold from underneath their thorax.  We are realising how important insects are to our lives, recycling organic matter, pollinating plants and providing food for other creatures.  Our pupils made some very thoughtful and creative log pile homes, some of which resembled adventure playgrounds.  I am sure our insects will feel very welcome there.

  

• BMX Challenges!

  Fri 04 Nov 2022

  On Wednesday we had a visit from a former BMX champion Mike Mullen. He talked to our KS2 children about Growth Mindset and encouraged children to think about changing I can’t do this, into I can’t yet, and how he used this concept to learn new skills both on his bike and in his life. The Year 6 children then had an opportunity to apply this thinking during a BMX workshop where they kept challenging themselves to try new tricks; including feet on their handlebars, standing on their crossbar and riding with no hands; all under the expert supervision and tuition of a BMX champion. They all broke barriers and wowed the adults around them, whilst continuing to expand their thinking. A fantastic day and experience.

   

  

• Vine Year 5 RE Trip

  Fri 21 Oct 2022

  At the Vine we’ve had a great start to the year welcoming new staff, pupils and families to the Vine family.  Our school trips have begun, and Year 5 visited Queen’s Park in Bedford. The purpose of the trip was to experience the cultures and religions of Christianity, Islam and Sikhism as well as visiting their places of worship. Queen’s Park is an ideal place to visit a church, a gurdwara and a mosque as each one is only 5mins from each other. The church offered a great experience to wander around finding symbols of faith. The Mosque welcomed our questions, and we learnt a lot about Hajj. During our time in the Gurdwara we enjoyed their hospitality, and we were fascinated by the colours, smells and sounds of this new place of worship.

  This was a great opportunity to bring R.E to life through these first-hand experiences. This visit gave our pupils’ a glimpse of a community in which people live alongside each other, recognise difference but celebrate the common life, culture and beliefs that they share.

  At the Vine this is very important to our Vision of a happy peaceful school. 

  Comments from the pupils.

   

   "We had a really great time enjoying the religious places of worship and had a party on the bus on the way back!" Aashvi

   

  " It was all new and interesting to us because I haven't visited any of these places." Rufus

   

  "I learnt a lot today which I didn't know before". Lily-Mai

  

• Y1 visit Woburn Safari Park

  Thu 07 Jul 2022

  On Tuesday 28^th June our Year 1 pupils went to visit Woburn Safari Park. This linked to our topic on Africa where we have been learning about animals that live in Africa as well as learning how to classify them and writing our own fact files about them. This was a special day for many of us as it was the first time we’d been on a trip and for many of us the first time we had been on a coach. We loved seeing the animals such as giraffes, lions, zebras, and monkeys roaming about as we drove through the park on the coach. We then explored the rest of the park seeing the penguins, reptiles, and our favorites, the sealions and the meerkats. A fun day was had by us all.