How could I forget them! Billy and his cohorts were UNBELIEVABLY good with their performance of one of my poems, 'New Terms, New Germs.' This is one of my harder poems to perform as it has quite a lot of tricky words in it, and is also pretty long. Most children shy away from it, but these boys didn't. They put it to a rap, added some beat boxing, and overall busted their way through to a wonderful ending. Thanks for being the celebrity guests at the poetry competition, and here's hoping that we can get you onto my website with your video recording of the poem.
Who knows...one day you lot could be famous!
Saturday, 30 November 2013
SEVEN HILLS PRIMARY - MORLEY
And so, at eight minutes to midnight, a fantastic week at Seven Hills Primary in Morley has finally finished. Well, actually, it finished at round about four o'clock, but two films and a Nando's later, and now it's nearly tomorrow!
This has been one of my best weeks in a school ever. It really has. And made all the more memorable because, mid week, school got the dreaded call...yup, Ofsted were on their way in! And did I run away? Did I hide in the staffroom? Perhaps I felt like that, but I didn't...I got involved. In fact, I even got GRADED!!!!!!!!!! I wasn't expecting that. But going through an inspection with the staff has really made me feel part of the team there, and so any of you Seven Hillers reading this - thank you! Thank you for making me feel so welcome. And Sue, THANK YOU times two for the beer! I might not have looked VERY professional carrying around an oversized bottle of Becks all morning, but I was SUPER chuffed that you gave it to me.
And the children? They were AMAZING! Really, capital letters AMAZING. The poetry contest at the end of today was fab. Choosing a winner was pretty hard work, but eventually Mason was crowned champion, and he was delighted. A year 2 child beating off competition from much older children. He took it all in his stride and made sure to remind his class that they should all thank him, seeing as how all his sweets are going to be divided up into party bags for them next week.
A mention also to Bethany from Year 4 and Malachi from Year 3 who came second equal in the competition. And to everyone else in the final - WELL DONE! - and maybe you'll win next time.
And I couldn't write this whole blog entry without a special thanks to all the office staff - thank you ladies, for buying my lunch every day (!), opening doors with your magic fobs, and being generally lovely and smiley. I'll see you on Friday for the Christmas fayre (thanks for sorting THAT out too...it seems that I have you to thank for most things that have happened this week!).
Thank you all at Seven Hill - it's been really fab. I'll leave you with my Ofsted poem, inspired by the real-life inspectors. Just remember...she's gonna getcha!!!
This has been one of my best weeks in a school ever. It really has. And made all the more memorable because, mid week, school got the dreaded call...yup, Ofsted were on their way in! And did I run away? Did I hide in the staffroom? Perhaps I felt like that, but I didn't...I got involved. In fact, I even got GRADED!!!!!!!!!! I wasn't expecting that. But going through an inspection with the staff has really made me feel part of the team there, and so any of you Seven Hillers reading this - thank you! Thank you for making me feel so welcome. And Sue, THANK YOU times two for the beer! I might not have looked VERY professional carrying around an oversized bottle of Becks all morning, but I was SUPER chuffed that you gave it to me.
And the children? They were AMAZING! Really, capital letters AMAZING. The poetry contest at the end of today was fab. Choosing a winner was pretty hard work, but eventually Mason was crowned champion, and he was delighted. A year 2 child beating off competition from much older children. He took it all in his stride and made sure to remind his class that they should all thank him, seeing as how all his sweets are going to be divided up into party bags for them next week.
A mention also to Bethany from Year 4 and Malachi from Year 3 who came second equal in the competition. And to everyone else in the final - WELL DONE! - and maybe you'll win next time.
And I couldn't write this whole blog entry without a special thanks to all the office staff - thank you ladies, for buying my lunch every day (!), opening doors with your magic fobs, and being generally lovely and smiley. I'll see you on Friday for the Christmas fayre (thanks for sorting THAT out too...it seems that I have you to thank for most things that have happened this week!).
Thank you all at Seven Hill - it's been really fab. I'll leave you with my Ofsted poem, inspired by the real-life inspectors. Just remember...she's gonna getcha!!!
Ofsted
Inspector
Ofsted
Inspector
She’s
gonna getcha
You
just betcha
She’s
gonna getcha
Enters the room
Like a cloud of doom
Eyebrows raised
Finds it hard to praise
Looks through books
Giving filthy looks
She’s got a stare
That’ll curl your hair
School Inspector
Misery collector
She’ll arrive when you
Least expect her
Ofsted
Inspector
She’s
gonna getcha
You
just betcha
She’s
gonna getcha
Just one sigh
Makes the teachers cry
They stay up late
Trying hard to be great
Dream of being
Marked as outstanding
But this inspector
Is far too demanding
Constant objector
Anxiety infector
Devilish director
Dark-side defector
Ofsted
Inspector
She’s
gonna getcha
You
just betcha
She’s
gonna getcha
Getcha! Getcha!
She’s gonna getcha!
Getcha! Getcha!
She’s gonna getcha!
Getcha! Getcha!
GOTCHA!
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Poetry Fun and Flockton First School's Christmas Fayre
Christmas is on the way...which means one thing...SCHOOL CHRISTMAS FAYRE'S. Now, in all honesty, they're not always fantastic. Some schools aren't overly well supported, some schools have stalls that look rather tired.
Not Flockton! It boasts just 80 pupils and yet was busier than school Fayres I've been to with four times that many pupils at the school. I was kindly invited by the school to read some of my poems to the children in a morning assembly, so I blasted them with 'I'm a Superhero', 'Mabel Mobbler' and 'The Biscuit Burglar.' Then I returned to school this evening for the Fayre, and ran a poetry competition for any children who fancied flexing their poetic muscles. What a great response! We even got some of the high school children involved, though they didn't win...sorry!
But there was a winner, and here she is...
It's a poem by Caitlin, in class 2, I think?!!!! Yes, it is. You'll see how I know when you read the following poem...
At School I am in Class 2
And it's right next to the loo
It sometimes smells
And I can tell
Who has been to the loo...
...IT IS YOU!
Written by Caitlin
Well done young lady! Enjoy all your goodies that you won (and mum - don't eat ALL the jelly babies...at least not in one go).
So, new friends made at Flockton, and a successful Christmas Fayre all round.
Night night. Time for me to get my head down...
Not Flockton! It boasts just 80 pupils and yet was busier than school Fayres I've been to with four times that many pupils at the school. I was kindly invited by the school to read some of my poems to the children in a morning assembly, so I blasted them with 'I'm a Superhero', 'Mabel Mobbler' and 'The Biscuit Burglar.' Then I returned to school this evening for the Fayre, and ran a poetry competition for any children who fancied flexing their poetic muscles. What a great response! We even got some of the high school children involved, though they didn't win...sorry!
But there was a winner, and here she is...
It's a poem by Caitlin, in class 2, I think?!!!! Yes, it is. You'll see how I know when you read the following poem...
At School I am in Class 2
And it's right next to the loo
It sometimes smells
And I can tell
Who has been to the loo...
...IT IS YOU!
Written by Caitlin
Well done young lady! Enjoy all your goodies that you won (and mum - don't eat ALL the jelly babies...at least not in one go).
So, new friends made at Flockton, and a successful Christmas Fayre all round.
Night night. Time for me to get my head down...
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Eva's Brilliant Butterfly Poem!
Before summer, I went to Middlestown Junior and Infant School to help with the Christmas Fayre. It was fab! I also ran a poetry competition, which a number of children entered. I promised a lovely four year old girl called Eva that I'd put her poem on my website, because I REALLY liked it...and then...the summer holidays...and then...back to school...and then...and then...and...well, I'm afraid it never actually made it onto my website. But, thanks to a gentle nudge from Eva's mum when I returned to Middlestown on Monday, here is Eva's (long awaited) poem!
Butterflies are
So beautiful
Bees collect pollen
Both fly away
In the night sky
Eva, well done, keep writing poetry, and I'll see you again in January when I come back to Middlestown for a two day visit.
Butterflies are
So beautiful
Bees collect pollen
Both fly away
In the night sky
Eva, well done, keep writing poetry, and I'll see you again in January when I come back to Middlestown for a two day visit.
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
But I can only write in the title section, because the blog won't let me write any text. Which is annoying. But I'm back! And if you've looked at my site recently, you might have wondered quite what had happened to me. Busy? Yes! Children to look after? Yes! New poetry book to launch? Yes! But that's all behind me now...so here I am.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Brilliant poetry from Dyson...and I don't mean the Vacuum Cleaner!
Halfway Nursery Infant School is ALWAYS a lovely place to go - the atmosphere amongst pupils and staff is truly lovely - corridors full of happy, smiling characters. So I knew I'd have a good day there today. But the most special part of the day was meeting Jacob, in the Hungry Caterpillars. Jacob had, of his own accord (with mum's permission) written me an email a few weeks ago to say he was looking forward to my visit. He then sent me the following poem, written COMPLETELY by him...
there was a man who lived in a pan .
and he cooled himself down with a fan.
he got out of bed and jumped up to the moon.
and landed back in the pan!
Sounds to me like the man in the pan was having a pretty adventurous day! And so, Jacob, I say KEEP WRITING!
And I'll keep reading.
there was a man who lived in a pan .
and he cooled himself down with a fan.
he got out of bed and jumped up to the moon.
and landed back in the pan!
Sounds to me like the man in the pan was having a pretty adventurous day! And so, Jacob, I say KEEP WRITING!
And I'll keep reading.
Monday, 14 January 2013
I am a scary cat
Well, the New Year is here, the snow is falling, and, after a WONDERFUL Christmas break, I'm back in schools with a bang. It's full throttle from here to Easter. And, when work stretches ahead of you like an apparently undending road, you need some levity to lighten your load. Which is exactly what I got when I visited St Paul's Alverthorpe this morning. I'd been in last Thursday to visit Early Years and Year 1 and Year 2. This morning I was back to see the older children. I was passed a bundle of thank you cards made for me by Mrs Hayton's class. And they were just awesome. But two stood out for me, so much so that I read them out to the Key Stage 2 children this morning, and am now publishing them here.
Dear Conrad,
This is a story for you...
Once Conrad went to school and they wanted to marry him and they kissed him.
Brilliant card, don't you agree! But my personal favourite is this one...
To Crorab (!)
I am a scary cat
Love from
Amazing! It really made me laugh. Surely noone has ever had a thank you card like it? So thank you to whoever wrote that card (name was cunningly withheld). It made my day!
Dear Conrad,
This is a story for you...
Once Conrad went to school and they wanted to marry him and they kissed him.
Brilliant card, don't you agree! But my personal favourite is this one...
To Crorab (!)
I am a scary cat
Love from
Amazing! It really made me laugh. Surely noone has ever had a thank you card like it? So thank you to whoever wrote that card (name was cunningly withheld). It made my day!
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