We were very happy to welcome Reverend Andrew into school for our Christingle Assembly.  Year 2 hosted him after they learnt all about the Christingle and made them to take home.  The classroom smelt wonderful - so Christmassy!

Reverend Andrew shared the meaning of each part of the Christingle and enjoyed the children’s creations.  Each year group were given a christingle to see and shared in the experience, remembering their time in Year 2.

Monday 5th December saw the Girls’ football team play their first league match against Welland Academy.  Our hosts were polite, thoughtful and provided a fantastic pitch to play on.  We were determined to score this week and an early goal from Syanna put us ahead.  With some strong defence from Lucia and Poppy we were able to hold them off until the last minute of the first half when they managed to make it through.  In the second half both sides really stepped up their game.  Sophie and Scarlett came into their own trying their best to get the ball into the box for a winning goal.  Sadly this didn’t happen, but Milena our goalkeeper saved the day, thwarting a last minute attempt - both sides stood in shock at the brilliant save!  We came away happy and muddy with a draw. Maybe next month we will come away with our win!

We had a fantastic time at the Peterborough Football Tournament.  We started and ended our day singing our very own version of Sweet Caroline in the taxi.  The girls were very well mannered and supportive, showing a fantastic attitude towards the other teams.  They demonstrated some excellent skills, Milena tipped a ball over the bar with the tips of her fingers, a cracking save.  Lucia and Maja were persistent in defence.  Leilah worked well to move the ball whilst Scarlett and Sophie performed a brilliant set piece to set up a goal by Poppy.  We are so proud and looking forward to our next match!

Year 2 had a wonderful trip to Peterborough Cathedral this week, which linked with our learning about Henry VIII and his links to Peterborough.  The children had a brilliant time learning about the lives of the monks who lived at Peterborough Abbey.  They took on the different roles monks would have had for example, cleaning, cooking, looking after the sick and singing.  We learnt about Abbot Kirkton and his naughty monks before John Chambers become the first bishop when Henry VIII made it a cathedral.

Children also created their own illuminated manuscripts using swan feather quills and beautiful collages of the cathedral using contrasting colours.  Here are some of the children's comments:

"I really enjoyed making the patterns using crayons and ink." - Jarmaine

"I loved writing with a quill and colouring around the sheet." - Iliana

"I thought writing with a feather was fun because it was my first time." - Chinenye

"I liked painting." - Aiden

"I enjoyed making a collage of the cathedral." - Michael

They also had the opportunity to learn more about Catherine of Aragon when we visited her grave. We also learnt what a pomegranate looks like- it’s not an apple or an onion!

During the last week of half term the children participated in a friendship run.  For KS1 and EYFS this focused on finding items in the environment which matched the colours of the rainbow, whilst KS2 had the opportunity to set goals in small groups and teams.

The aim was for children to form new friendships, set collective targets and develop their desire to achieve their own goals!  It was also another opportunity to develop healthy habits through physical activity.

It was wonderful to see children make the choice to participate and work together with little support from their adults!  Well done to all those children who made a good choice to improve their health and form lasting friendships through sport.

We were joined by Reverend Andrew Avery for our Harvest Festival this year. It was an online assembly but also live for 2CF as they hosted the event.  We began with the CBeebies Autumn Harvest song and children recalled their time in Reception and sang along.

Mrs Knight talked about our Harvest displays of food donated to Peterborough Foodbank and thanked everyone for their contributions - applause was heard throughout the school!

Reverend Andrew showed us fruits and vegetables harvested from his garden, the shops and from his friend’s garden. There was an apple, a marrow, a squash, a banana, a tomato, a kiwi and an avocado. We learnt about these and appreciated where they came from: a marrow is just a courgette allowed to grow!  We celebrated God’s harvest and thought about those people in our community and beyond who do not have any or enough food.  We talked about the Christian celebration of the Harvest Festival and thought about the kindness shown by many on this day.