Forget the Ashes… the St Mark’s boys cricket team have won their latest tournament on Friday 10th July at the South Wilts Cricket Club. Well done! They were also excited to see England fast bowler Simon Jones at the event (pictured). Thank you to Jordan for blogging the news so quickly! More details to follow…
Thank you to Mr Harris for passing on this link to an amazing piece of music. Year 6 enjoyed listening to it and 6W had a go at performing the thunder storm introduction in class. What do you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbpwlqp5Qw
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This week, we have had our sports week, including Sports Days, Swimming Galas, Golf, Martial Arts and finished off with Clockwork Sports on Friday. Let us know what you have enjoyed most.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to School Grounds Day, in whatever way. It was a huge success, and everyone here is agreed that it was a wonderful culmination to our ‘Who Do We Think We Are?’ week, and was much enjoyed by everyone who took part.
With our wonderful workforce we achieved quite a lot during the afternoon, and our garden area is taking shape nicely. We are hoping to continue the good work by starting regular work parties, perhaps one afternoon a week, from September. We would love to hear if you are interested in taking part.
Mrs Bale
Visit our website www.st-marks.wilts.sch.uk/garden_project.htm for more details.
What does Hawk Conservancy Trust do? The Hawk Conservancy Trust is basically funded by you visiting and donations made by you. Without these the Trust would not be able to provide the amazing homes, food, care and shelter that the spectacular birds of prey need. The hospital at the trust has had two hundred birds pass through it alone this year; it also costs one hundred and thirty nine pounds a day to run. One hundred and fifty birds are looked after at the trust. However, these birds aren’t your average crow; oh no these birds are a lot different…
What is there to see and do at the Hawk Conservancy Trust? Bird Displays… At eleven forty five, two o’ clock and three thirty there are flying displays. This is when falconers come out with the birds and fly them. This is exciting as you watch the birds fly and being fed. Sometimes Cedric, one of the falconers accidently fires food in the audience. It is also amusing to see falconers such as Jimmy and Gary being attacked by bald headed eagles like Cheyenne and El Juan. The vultures, which are very sociable birds, fly very low, sometimes only ten centimetres above your head so you have to duck! Sometimes they land on the seat in front of you. It is also lovely to see the red kites fly upside down and the owls in the woodland display at three thirty. After each display there is a chance to hold a barn owl! Yes, a real living owl! You can hold Mulberry, Test or Avon. They are very cute and they would never hurt you. In fact none of the birds would ever hurt you.
What Birds you can see… There is a vast variety of birds for you to admire including the Secretary bird that is in a family of its own. It is mainly black and grey. However it has a bright orange marking around its eyes. You can also see vultures, eagles, owls, falcons, kites and even deer! The majority of the birds cannot be found in the UK. Vulture Restaurant… At the Hawk Conservancy you can watch the greedy vultures eat their food. Vultures eat carrion and are very important to wildlife as they get rid of dead animals. Unfortunately, because farmers feed their cows with chemicals, when these cows die the vultures eat them and get poisoned. Although this is now illegal, it is predicted that many species of vulture will become extinct in the next few years. So the vultures are fed skinned rabbit by the falconers and you can watch them fighting over food. It’s really amusing to watch! What Amenities Are There? As well as all the birds, there are many amenities including: a play area, picnic area, gift shop and coffee shop. Disabled facilities and large parking areas are on hand to make your day as smooth as possible. The Hawk Conservancy always promises fun for all. Lydia, who visited early this year, said: “It was really fun. I loved the flying displays and seeing the eagles fly over the top of my head!” Hannah, who also visited, commented: “I loved holding Test, the barn owl” Other comments from 6CS and 6W included words such as breathtaking, exhilarating and phenomenal. It’s definitely worth your money. Go and visit the Hawk Conservancy Trust today!
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Well done to all those who took part in the Mini Marathon last weekend. What great success we had as a school! Could you post a comment below to let us know how you got on… ?
Five year 6s have been working on Friday lunchtimes designing and making clocks. Here is the first completed one – an impressive rainbow clock by Alicia.
Clocks still under construction include: a castle clock, 3d football clock, abstract clock and swirly string clock. Pictures of these will appear on the blog when they finish. If you could design a clock, what would it be like? What theme would you choose: animals, sports,…? What shape would it be? What materials would you use? Perhaps you could have a go a designing one…
The book swapshop has been really successful, but only for a fairly small number of people. I am wondering whether we should give it a break, and start again in the autumn, when more people are indoors reading! I am happy to continue through the summer if you would like me to though. Let me know what you think.
Mrs Bale
Another win yesterday. Well done girls. Lots to look forward to for Years 4 and 5 girls next season! Mrs. Bale
Here are a couple of sites with some great science simulations. Have a go and let us know how you get on…
(On the second one, there is a game called Plant Force where you have to grow plants by giving them water and heat – I have neve managed to make a profit! Let me know if you can…)
