Year 4 have been working with professional artists this year. This week some of them worked with Sarah Mander to produce their own art installation, in the grassy area. They were part of the Creative Partnership’s Dysarticulate project and used pages of print to make flags and create a design, inspired by the Olympics.

Brenda Rattray is a composer, a poet, an artist and a professional vocalist, and when she came to Cherbourg last week she worked with the whole school as well as the choir.  She talked in her inspirational way about self-belief amongst other things, and the day culminated in a whole-school singing lesson which the children thoroughly enjoyed.

Our new amphitheatre was opened today by the Mayor of Eastleigh, Councillor Wayne Irish.  It’s an area of the school grounds that can be used for learning, entertainment, quiet relaxation or story telling, and the children are keen to start using it after watching its gradual development.

Lego for Learning: children from Year 5 visited Quilley to work in their Lego suite again.  The team from Lego Education had arranged a number of activities based around the Olympics.  Children had to get their thinking hats on to design the Olympic village, problem-solve the cost-effective building of the stadia, as well as program Lego models to clap in the crowd.

A group of pupils from Year 5 have created jingles for their very own radio slot, using Garageband on the Mac computers at Quilley.  Click here to listen to what they produced.  

Safer Internet Day at Cherbourg was on Wednesday 8th February and we held a parent-child activity session to highlight this.  Click here for session information and photos.  

Children from Year 6 visited another school recently as part of an able-writers group.  They learnt a lot and came away with loads of ideas about how to improve their writing.  See the Cherbourg Blog for some of their ideas.  

School had to be closed to pupils on 4th November due to flood damage caused by heavy overnight rain.  These pictures demonstrate just why the school had to be closed.  

Year 5 and Year 6 children have travelled to Winchester to represent the school in a Tag Rugby tournament.  There were thirty teams from around Hampshire all competing in this fun team sport.  The team played really well and came back to school with a second-place medal.  

Children from Years 3 and 4 travelled to Winchester a couple of weeks later and represented the school at Tag Rugby too.  They played exceptionally well in the morning, winning all of their games, then lost their games in the finals.  

Our street party to celebrate the centenary was a huge success, and the weather was glorious too.  The children dressed in their year groups' decades, and there was food, music and dancing.  You can click here (login required) for some photos from the whole week, and ask your child's class teacher to show you some of the hundreds of others that we cannot put online.  

The culmination of The History Detectives project was an exhibition of their work.  The focus was on the history of our school, and much of their time was spent interviewing past pupils, as well as creating some stunning artwork.  Click here for the photos.  

To celebrate our 100th birthday, everyone at school dressed up in traditional Edwardian clothing, and experienced drill and lessons in the style of the day.  Photos can be seen here, along with others from the week!  

The winning entry in the Cherbourg centenary logo competition was designed by Leanne Baldwin in 5C.  We had a variety of designs and a difficult job choosing the winner.  It was a close decision, and the final four designs can be seen in the main entrance.  

Year 4 children have again been on a residential trip to Beaulieu.  View a low-resolution version of the Photo DVD here, listen to an interview about the experience in our podcast, or read children's comments here.  

Click here for information about how people with disabilities can access sports opportunities in the local area.  Eastleigh Disability Lesuire Access Group are running a number of these opportunities.  

Our Gypsy Caravan has arrived and is now in position.  This puts the finishing touches to the redesign of the Reception playground.  

The Year 4 classes had an afternoon of designing and making their own healthy sandwiches.  They had previously spent time tasting different breads and fillings, and their fillings tried to include food from at least three different food groups.  

The School Gate is a live site which shows play and sports activites suitable for children with special educational needs and disabilities.  There is also funding for 'short breaks' for disabled children, (i.e. children on higher rate disability living allowance or those who are eligible for the allowance).  There is a self assessment form available from school if you think your child is eligible but you are not currently claiming.

A group of Year 6 children represented the school at Eastleigh's service of remembrance this week. The children were asked to plant poppy crosses and scatter poppy petals in an act of remembrance for those who have given their lives in past and present wars.  See more pictures here.

Our recent 'Issue of the Month' encouraged children to think about what our school stands for - what we value and what we think is important.  Our motto is 'We're here to Learn', but the children were asked what else they could say about Cherbourg in words the whole school could understand.  Here is one interpretation of the result!  

The weather was gorgeous when Cherbourg took to the Quilley playing fields for the annual sports day.  The children had a fun-packed afternoon taking part in a number of activities.  

Year 4 pupils have taken part in an exciting day of activities at Quilley School of Engineering, which culminated in a fun fitness competition.  They spent the morning visiting different classrooms, learning about the cultures of Spain, Poland, India and Italy, as well as learning a form of street dancing.  After lunch in the sunshine and chatting to children from other schools, they tried to earn points for their teams by doing a range of exercises.  

The Student Leaders Conference at the Marwell Hotel was attended by four Year 5 children, who had opportunities to speak to student leaders from other schools.  They had a busy day finding out about how pupils can practise their leadership skills at school.  By the end, they were brimming with ideas, such as focussing on taking control of their learning and making lunchtimes more fun.  

Pupils from Cherbourg were present at a short ceremony in which the Armed Forces Day flag was raised by the Deputy Mayor of Eastleigh and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.  The children afterwards had refreshments and a chat with the local dignitaries.  

May's Silver Surfer event provided opportunities for grandparents to use computers and the internet alongside their grandchildren.  Activities on offer included searching and surfing the web, exploring maps and Google Earth, scanning images and playing online games.  Comments from participants included: really interesting - it opened my eyes to computers; my granddaughter will make a good teacher; I've really enjoyed this afternoon - I'm not new to computers but have lots to learn from my grandson - it was lovely to be involved in this part of his school life; it was nice spending time with my grandson in a different environment.  Click here for some photos of the event (you must be logged in to view them).  

Our spring-term science workshop was well-attended.  Thanks to the hard work of Miss Compton and her helpers, a large number of parents and children worked together on a range of experiments as an after-school club.  Click here to view more photos (you must be logged in on a Cherbourg account to get access).  

November saw the long-awaited launch of our new-look playground.  Children, parents and Friends of Cherbourg had worked hard to raise money for new playground markings and equipment.  This fantastic resource, which will be used both in and out of lessons, was formally opened by Sounthampton FC star Ricky Lambert!  

The school hall has been relaunched, and now features brightness, convenience and all-round good design.  A group of pupils worked hand in hand with the Sorrell Foundation to come up with ideas for this much-used space.  

We have been awarded the Arts Council's Silver Arts Mark Award.  ‘Arts mark is a national award scheme managed by Arts Council England that recognises schools with a high level of provision in the arts. By gaining an Arts mark, a school shows its commitment to the wider development of young people and teachers and to raising the profile of the arts in the school and local community.’  (www.artscouncil.org.uk/artsmark)