Cinema and Christmas Dinner

Well what an action packed weekend we had! After a full afternoon of sports fixtures all of the boarders hopped on board a coach and headed to Wells Cinema Centre. We were lucky enough to nearly have the entire screening to ourselves. The film on show was Hugo and we have now developed a very good relationship with the owners due to the excellent behaviour of the children. With that in mind I am sure that we will go back there a few times next term.

Sadly the weekend was also the last for Miss Caughley and Mr Hodgetts who will soon be jetting back off across the other side of the world. They have both made a real impression upon the boarding community and will be missed by both the children and staff.

On Sunday it was the annual Boarders' Christmas Dinner. St Bede's was festively decorated and as you can see from the pictures there were even some clear plates, which means that someone is eating their greens! After a great meal the children moved to the gym to play a variety of party games. As always the way to appeal to a boarder is through their stomach and sweets were on offer as prizes!

This week we have a 'Christmas Disco' on Wednesday where DJ Billy and MC Florence will be spinning some party tunes! After all packing has been completed on Thursday we will then take to the main staircase for the now traditional 'Christmas Carols on the Stairs'. This is a welcome last chance for us all to come together (hopefully in good voice) and celebrate as a community.

I hope that you all enjoy a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. See you in 2012, the All Hallow's Resident Team!

We've Been Busy!

The second half of term has started with a real bang! (Sorry. Bad joke, I couldn't resist!)

The first Sunday back, saw us head off to Clarkes village. The children enjoyed the chance to move around the shops. If truth be told the sweet shop still appears to be the favourite destination, although sports shops and pasty shops now run a close second and third.

The Boarders' Fireworks Night had to be cancelled on the first Friday back due to poor weather. We re-scheduled for the Tuesday , which also co-insided with the Year 5 sleep over night. We had a fantastic time eating chocolate covered apples and making shapes in the air with sparklers as Mr Veal's expertly lit fire roared behind us. Next came the main event. Mr Hannah, assisted by Mr Veal and Mr Hodgetts treated us to a twenty minute display of bright colour and banging noise. as you can see from the photos, we all had an amasing time.

Last Sunday the children cooked their own three course meal. We split into groups and prepared different courses, all under the watchful eye of our catering manager Emma! The menu was as follows:

Soup with Blintzes

Pancakes with Roasted Vegetables and meatballs, in a creamy tomato sauce, topped with cheese

Cupcakes with butter icing

The children had a fantastic time making their meall and then all sat down together as a family to polish off all the food.

Next weekend is Exeat weekend!

Portraits and New Friends!

What a busy weekend. Saturday was a very full day. The morning began with our weekly boarders meeting, before lots of the children took the opportunity to watch Wales come close to reaching their first World Cup Final. (In truth Mr Lucas and Mr Hanratty were more upset than anyone else!) Following on from that was the Saturday moring enrichment programme. A stand out on the day was the Year 6 Ready Steady Cook held in Scouts Wood. Two teams created a three course meal for the judges to try. I hope to put some of the pictures on the next blog for you to see. Next came a whole raft of sports fixtures, all played in fine weather. By the evening everyone was fairly exhausted and relaxed in the Boarding House as the darkness drew in.

On Sunday we had guests from Hazlegrove School join us for the afternoon. The boys and girls from each school were mixed together to form eight teams each consisting of eight children. Each team then undertook three challenges designed to test their ability to work together as an effective unit. Each challenge was timed and the team that completed the challenges in the quickest time were then crowned the winners. At the end of the afternoon all the children were treated to a barbeque before Hazlegrove headed home to Sparkford. It really was a pleasure to see the children from both schools bond and develop new friendships as the afternoon progressed.

At end the day we went to Mass before indulging in some hot chocolate and a movie before bedtime. Some serious sleeping took place after such a hectic fun and food filled weekend!


I have also taken pictures of a few of the portraits that Mr Lucas has taken of our boarders. I apologise for the flash that is in the pictures, but they give you a taster of what is on display. Each boarder has been photographed and their pictures adorn the walls of their landing.