Beech and Holly had a wonderful trip to Pizza Express where they went through the rigorous training to become a Junior Pizzaiolo. We had a very informative workshop about all the ingredients that come together to create the wonderful flavours in a pizza. They explored the different tastes of Mozzarella and tomatoes and then the exciting dough appeared. We discovered what we needed to make the dough and then we had to knead it, flatten it, spread it and roll it. It was so much fun and the children finished it off by throwing the dough in the air and catching it just like the professionals! Once our dough was safely in the pizza dishes they added their cheese and tomato toppings. They went into the stone ovens and then came out pipping hot and scrummy yummy. This was one of my favourite trips I have ever taken children on as they were so excited and engaged with everything that they did. The children were beautifully behaved and a credit to the school and I was so proud of them. Well done Beech and Holly- I look forward to our next adventure together. Mrs Collins

Our half term activity week begins on Monday 22^nd October. Please click the links below to view the timetables.

We (Sycamore) are having a great time on our educational visit to Liverpool. We arrived yesterday and visited Lady Lever Art Gallery. After supper we enjoyed a walk along the Albert docks.

We woke up bright and early for breakfast at 7:30am. We are walking to the cathedral this morning before our visit to World Museum where we will see the Terracotta Warriors.

After visiting the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral designed by Gilbert Scott we visited the Terracotta Warriors exhibition where we took part in a special interactive workshop with replica items to find out about the first emperor of China.

We are on our way back to The Grove now.

ETA: 6:45-7:00pm

Thank you to all of our staff for helping us keep The Grove open today. Playtime was especially fun with the additional excitement of more fresh snow!

ETA: 5:15pm

Friday: The children have packed their bags and are heading off for their last activities. It has been a great Travel Week this year and we are looking forward to getting back to The Grove to see you all.

Thursday: The rain has arrived! Only a little bit of rain though and iOS thinks it will be clear by 7am… We have lots of photos to finish uploading so don’t forget to check back soon. We will let you know when Wednesdays folders are complete.

This morning we have the following activities.

Group 5 – 8 will be taking part in Kayaking and Raft building this morning on Condover Hall Lake.
Group 1: Rocket Launch, Conquest.
Group 2: Lazermaze / Grid of Stones.
Group 3: I.E’s, Abseiling.
Group 4: Abseiling, Swimming.

Afternoon Activities.

Group 1: Tunnelling / Vortex, Abseiling.
Group 2: Abseiling, Sensory Trail.
Group 3: Conquest, Rocket Launch.
Group 4: Conquest, Lazermaze and Grid of Stones.
Group 5: Conquest, Fencing.
Group 6: Climbing, Conquest.
Group 7: Lazermaze and Grid of Stones, Conquest.
Group 8: Circus Frenzy, Conquest.

Wednesday: Another beautiful morning in Shropshire, the thunderstorms have not made their way over from Milton Keynes. We have an early start which will give Pre-prep plenty of time to prepare for their lake activities after breakfast.

Groups 1 – 4 will be taking part in Kayaking and Raft building this morning on the Condover Hall lake.
Group 5: Circus Frenzy, Dance Mania.
Group 6: Sensory Trail, Circus Frenzy.
Group 7: Rocket Launch, Archery.
Group 8: Tunnelling/Vortex, Abseiling.

Afternoon Activities.

Group 1: I.E’s, Lazermaze/Grid of Stones
Group 2: Circus Frenzy, I.E’s.
Group 3: Dance Mania, Circus Frenzy.
Group 4: Climbing, Dance Mania.
Group 5: Lazermaze/Grid of Stones, Climbing.
Group 6: Tunnelling/Vortex, Abseiling.
Group 7: Abseiling, Tunnelling/Vortex.
Group 8: Fencing, I.E’s.

Tuesday: Good morning! The children are wide awake and playing on the netball court before breakfast. We have the following activities this morning and will number the group photos for you.

Group 1: Circus Frenzy, Climbing.
Group 2: Archery, Swimming.
Group 3: Sensory Trail, Archery.
Group 4: I.E’s, Tunnelling Voertex.
Group 5: Tunnelling Vortex, Sensory Trail.
Group 6: Fencing, I.E’s.
Group 7: Dance Mania, Fencing.
Group 8: Sensory Trail, Dance Mania.

Afternoon activities.

Group 1: Dance Mania, Swimming.
Group 2: Climbing, Dance Mania.
Group 3: Swimming, Climbing.
Group 4: Archery, Circus Frenzy.
Group 5: Rocket Launch, Archery.
Group 6: Lazermaze, Grid of Stones.
Group 7: I.E’s, Sensory Trail.
Group 8: Fencing, I.E’s.

Monday: We left The Grove as scheduled at 10:00am and stopped for our picnic lunch on the way. The children were all full of energy and excitement as we got closer to Condover Hall.

We arrived at Condover Hall at 2:15pm. The children were very excited as we announced their rooms. Just before their first activities, we split the children into their day groups for group photos (online soon) and this afternoon we have: Archery, Rocket Launch, Tunnelling/Vortex, Sensory Trail, I.E's, Dance Mania, Circus Frenzy, Lazer Maze and Grid of Stones.

The children are all in bed resting for their first full day tomorrow. We are now uploading photos from this afternoon and evening to the gallery website.

Photos:

During Travel Week we aim to upload as many photos as possible, a selection of photos will be uploaded here, the rest will be uploaded to our gallery website. If you require a password reset, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if the data connection is strong enough we will also upload occasional photos to Facebook and Twitter. The Group photos will be online later this afternoon (Monday). Group numbers are inlcuded on the photos below.

The two teams of mini-vehicle designers from Chestnut and Sycamore competed in the Kimbolton school design challenge involving designing and making a vehicle to ride a ramp and jump across a shark infested river carrying Batman! (or egg with a remarkably `Batty` look!).



The teams spent all day designing and building their marvellous creations using the workshop facilities at the school. In the final test the Sycamore team came a well deserved 2nd place against several other schools (also beating the Kimbolton Home team!) whilst the Chestnut Batman was feeling a bit shattered! (A bit more work needed on seat belts!) An “eggsciting” day was had by all with lots of enthusiasm from everyone!

Well done to all involved.



Mr Slater

Our December activity weeks begin on Wednesday 14^th December and run through to Friday 23^rd December, we will be closing at 4:00pm on Friday 23^rd December.

Please use the form below to sign up for pre-season sports training and contemporary dance. All other activities which are detailed on the timetables attached to this article do not require you to sign up.

Please ensure you arrive by 10am and please do not leave before 2pm. Earlier collections can be arranged if your child has an appointment or special occasion, please let us know at the office if you do need to collect before 2pm. Please be aware that as our first activities begin at 9am, you may not get your first choice of activity if you arrive after 9am.