What’s on at The Grove.
A look at some of the things we have been doing this term.

When we went to the Mandir, my partners were Leah and Saul. We were very excited and didn’t really know what to expect. After we arrived, we waited for everyone to come off the bus and went in together. We could smell spices and hear something that sounded like music. We took off our shoes and sat down quietly. There were some people praying.  Mrs. Bharti asked us lots of questions about things we had learnt and after we had answered the questions, Mrs. Bharti said we could look around. There were lots of gold statues representing different Gods. It was fascinating. We saw food that people had brought to give to the gods and burning incense sticks.

Finally, when we had finished, we put our shoes back on and lined up to go back on the bus. It was quite noisy on the way back.  We were all amazed by the things we had seen.
By Courtney B and Paul P


One day, I went with my class to the Mandir. We travelled in a brand new coach.  On the way we listened to soothing music. The Mandir that we visited was in Leicester.

When we entered the Mandir we had to take our shoes off and be very quiet to show our respect. We walked up onto the balcony to watch people praying and singing to the gods. When we went into the main room we could see a picture of someone rocking a baby and we could see offerings of money. Mrs. Bharti asked us lots of questions.  She said she was pleased we knew so much about Hinduism and we could look around by ourselves.  I saw amazing sights of gold statues, fruits and flowers and strong smells of incense.  I will never forget this day, I had an amazing time.
By Ayla H

Olympic Week
This term we had Olympic week.  We were split into different groups and got to try different activities. I went to Mrs. McGrath’s class where we put together our own opening ceremony.  We made up our own dance using ribbons.  The music started off slow and then got faster. We had to concentrate and move in time. It was fun.

My next activity was in Mr. Weller’s class, where I made an olive leaf crown and I also coloured in an outline of a man wearing traditional clothes from Ancient Greek times. I learned that in ancient times only men took part in the Olympic Games and that only unmarried women could watch the games.

On the Thursday, we held an open evening for parents and I took part in the opening dance. I also tried some pancakes and biscuits from Poland, took on the basketball challenge and tried out the exercise machine.

We finished off the week by holding our own version of the Olympics, The Grove Sport’s day (You can read Tom and Ahmat’s report about that in our sports section). The obstacle race and the sack race were very hard but good fun.

I really enjoyed Olympic week and I hope we do it again next year.
By Nicole Y

 
Key Stage 2 Trip to Wicksteed Park
When I went to Wicksteed Park I went on the Pirate Ship.  We went really high, Kiera almost cried with excitement. Lisha and I went back and had about 10 goes. It is my favourite ride in the park. I can’t wait until I go back next year.
By Kaitlin W

I really enjoyed the rollercoaster because it was fast and I like fast rides.  It was also scary but I went on it about 10 times. I didn’t enjoy getting splashed on the water ride near the boats with Miss Dzuiba!
By Kane H

I really enjoyed the coach trip there and going on all of the rides and moving around the park. I liked going on the roller coasters time after time.
By Joe B

We went on the pirate ship and it went really high. I was very scared even though I’d been on it before. I liked the Lazar Quest where you had to try and shoot people on the other team. My team won.
By Brandon C

Nottingham Forest footyplayers came to the Grove!!
Two Nottingham Forest Football team players Aaron and Gareth, came to The Grove to teach us football skills. We played heads and tails to win prizes and had a dribbling competition.  The idea was to get ball around the cones. The fastest team won. It was amazing, the teachers joined in. (Some were better than others, but I won’t tell you now.)

We dribbled and ran and created such a commotion. How many points did we get?  That is a good question.

Well, we got 75 points and we were screaming like mad.
I couldn’t believe it!
It couldn’t be better!!
It was a fantastic day!!!
By Danielle E

The great competition debate
Some people think that we shouldn’t have competitive games in school because it means there will be winners and losers.  Some people think that if children experience losing at an early age they will believe that they are not good enough and develop a low opinion of themselves.

This time we asked the question …

Is it OK to have competitions that create winners and losers?

Here’s what you said:

Nathalie T “If you have tried hard and you lost, it is upsetting but at least you tried your best”

Jordan R “Competitions are OK, it is exciting and if they lose there is always next time.”

Emily E “Yes, it is OK because if you lost the first time, it might encourage you to try harder to do better the next time.”

Ainsley A “I agree with competition. It’s just a game not the end of the world, especially if it’s a friendly match.”

Mr Mcquade “I think it is important to experience both winning and losing, it’s all part of growing up.”

Mrs Sinclair “Yes it is OK. Everybody has a chance and every body wins at something.”

Nicole Y “No, I don’t think it is OK. People feel bad when they lose.”

Connor C “I don’t think it’s right that some people get medals and prizes for winning other people get nothing.”

Juliet N “Yes, It is OK.  If you train hard to become a winner that should be rewarded and even if you don’t win that time, you might win at something else.”

Oliver E “It’s the taking part that counts.

Mrs Bradley “In my opinion, competitive sports should be allowed because when we are adults we have to compete against one another, for example in getting jobs.  We have to learn to cope with disappointment at a young age to be able to cope with life’s upsets.”

Joshua H “I think that the people who don’t win should have something as a prize so that they don’t feel left out.  Winners could also give the others tips and encouragement so that they could do better next time.”

Brandon C “Yes, it is OK, because everyone can take part and enjoy it.  It doesn’t matter if they win or not”

Saul P “Yes, because it’s important to experience losing so that you know how to deal with it and if you try again you might win next time.”

Joe B “I think that it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s about taking part.”

Emileigh W “It doesn’t matter if you win or not, at least you are taking part and having fun.”

Feature pages
Find out about our new houses and see who’s doing what.

House groups
Have you heard about our new house groups? Everyone at The Grove is part of a new House.  The houses are called the Sun, Moon, Stars and Earth.  You can get points for your house by doing loads of different things like finding things, being good, doing good work and having good manners.

Mr. Mcquade’s class, the Suns are winning, they have got 24 points so far. The Moons won the most points on Sports Day, but every class is different. 

All the house points in every class are added together to get an overall total.  This is displayed on the board in the downstairs corridor so that you can see which house is doing best overall.
By Christella E

Sports/Clubs
Read more about the great clubs and activities on offer at The Grove. Have a go at something new.

Sports Day
This year, Sports Day took place on Friday 13th June. KS1 raced in the morning and KS2 in the afternoon. Our prayers were answered and it was a lovely warm, sunny day. I, Tom N, took part in all of the Year 5 races and some of the Year 6 races.  I really liked the sack race and would have come second but, Matthew who was leading, tripped over and I just managed to beat him. Ahmat enjoyed the relay and earned a couple of extra house points for his effort.

House points were given to all the competitors and Moon were the overall winners of the day. All in all, it was a very successful Sports Day. I am looking forward to the next one.
By Thomas N and Ahmat R

REVIEWS
Some of the books films and games we like to play with in our spare time.

Tell us about your favourite.

I think Dr Who is an amazing programme. It is futuristic but without the light sabres that you get in Star Wars. It is a lot more action packed, with amazing fight scenes, great escapes and spectacular stunts. The stories always revolve around The Doctor, who is a Time Lord and travels through time, space and eternity in the Tardis. On the way he finds new friends and foes and has spectacular adventures. One of his main foes is Dalek Kahan, leader of the Daleks. They have many gruesome battles.

I think you will find it is a gripping series. It gives you a taste for adventure and when I first saw it blew my mind.
Joshua H

Sims 2 is a computer game.  It is available on PlayStation and the PC, as well as WII, DS, and GameBoy. The aim of the game is to invent a virtual world. You create buildings and people and they go about their business. When things go wrong you have to put it right.

I like Sims  2 because it is just the same as life.  I visited a university, looked after pets, changed seasons, went on a trip and found an apartment to live in. All in the best possible taste of course!
James K

Wacky Websites
Here are a few of my favourite websites for you to try in the holidays.

www.cubpenguin.com  On this website you can meet new friends and play on games.  You complete missions to achieve awards and gifts. If you like a challenge this one’s for you. You will need your parent’s email.

www.stardoll.com More suitable for girls maybe? Here you dress up dolls and put make up on them.  You can also meet new friends. You will need your parent’s e mail address.

www.glassgiant.com This website lets you play around with special effects for presentations etc...

www.fudgegames.co.uk Here you can find a selection of different games for all ages 4-12 years. My favourite is smashing computer. It is funny.
By Saul P

WARNING You should always ask permission before you download any material from the WEB and make sure that your parents know what you are doing.