Download - The Real Meaning of Easter - Meridian Primary School Laser...The real meaning of Easter cont’d 1. Where is the Easter story in the Bible? 2. Why does the date of Easter change from

The Laser/Easter Edition 2011

The Real Meaning of Easter The Real Meaning of Easter The Real Meaning of Easter

Written for the children

by the children!


Continued on page 2

by: Poppy Trevithick, Yr2/ Gabri-

el Cadogan,Yr3/ Sydney Lai, Yr4

There is a real meaning to

Easter that many Christians

believe to be the most im-

portant event on the Chris-

tian calendar. Customs, such

as the Easter bunny and

Easter egg hunts, have be-

come part of the holiday's

modern celebrations and are

often observed by Christians

and non-Christians alike; so

even if you‟re not Christian

you may still want to know a

bit more about this festival

and how people celebrate it

and what it‟s all about. Read

on to find out more.

At Easter time Christians

remember the last week of

Jesus' life also known as the

'Holy Week'. It signals the

end of Lent, the traditional

time of fasting in the Chris-

tian calendar, and starts with

Palm Sunday, going through

Maundy Thursday, Good Fri-

day and ending in Easter

Sunday when we gather with

family and friends to share a

meal and eat chocolate.

Easter is always on a Sunday

regardless of the fact that

it has a moveable date which

varies from year to year be-

cause it is based on the lunar

calendar. It is celebrated on

the first Sunday after the

full moon (also the first day

of Spring), on or after March

21st.

The name Easter originally

came from Esostre who was

the Anglo-Saxon goddess

worshipped in Spring. It is

thought that this goddess

saved a bird whose wings

were frozen by turning it in-

to a magic hare that could

lay eggs cementing her sta-

tus as the goddess of new

life and fertility.

Eostre is not connected in

any way to the religious story

of the resurrection celebrat-

ed by Christians on Easter

Sunday and that is why a lot

of people believe that East-

er‟s name should be changed

to distance it from its pagan

naming.

Pagan traditions give us the

English word "Easter" which

comes from the word

"Eostre". The Anglo-Saxon

word for April was "Eostre-

monath" (the month of open-

ings). However, it should be

remembered that Christians

celebrated the resurrection

of Christ long before the

word "Easter" was used, and

the word they used for the

celebration was "Pascha",

which is derived from and

linked to the Jewish festival

of Passover.

According to Bede, the Eng-

lish monastic historian, the

English word Easter comes

from the Anglo-Saxon name

for the month of April, which

was known as "Eostremonath"

in the Anglo-Saxon tongue

and since Pascha was most

http://www.bedesworld.co.uk/academic-bede.php

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/saxons/who.htm

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/year/april.htm

often celebrated in Eostre-

monath, the English Chris-

tians began calling it

"Easter".

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday commemorates

Christ‟s arrival

in Jerusalem. In

the bible it is

said that when

Jesus entered

Jerusalem on

his donkey,

the crowds

laid palm branches at his

feet. So these days in many

churches, during Palm Sunday

services, large palm branches

are carried in processions in

remembrance of that day.

Maundy Thursday

This is the Thursday before

Good Friday. It commemo-

rates the last supper that

Jesus had with his disciples.

Derived from the Latin word

“ m a n d a t u m ” , m e a n i n g

"commandment," Maundy re-

fers to the commands Jesus

gave his disciples at the Last

Supper: to love with humility

by serving one another and to

remember his sacrifice.

The real meaning of Easter cont’d


on Good Friday. Many go to Church

on that day to give thanks to God

for saving Jesus. Church bells are

rung and flowers are hung in cele-

bration. Families get together to

celebrate and children enjoy East-

er hunts, coloured Easter eggs and

chocolate bunnies.

The origins of Easter

traditions

This bunny is sometimes

known as the Spring Bunny in

the US. It is believed to bring

baskets filled with coloured

eggs, candy and toys to chil-

dren the night before Easter.

The eggs are usually hidden

around the garden for the

children to find the next day

when they wake up. Rabbits

are also a reminder of Spring

Continued on page 3

Cont’d from page 1

Good Friday

Good Friday commemorates the

day that Jesus Christ was killed

on the cross. Good Friday is a sad

day when churches do not deco-

rate with flowers and there is a

sombre meditative mood. Some

Christians believe that on Good

Friday after Jesus Christ was

executed his body was taken

down from the cross, and buried

in a cave. The tomb was guarded

and an enormous stone was put

over the entrance, so that no-one

could steal the body.

On the following Sunday, some

women visited the grave and

found that the stone had been

moved and the tomb was empty.

Jesus himself was seen that day,

and for days afterwards by many

people. His followers realised

that God had raised Jesus from

the dead.

Easter Sunday

This is a happy day for Christians

because they be-

lieve that it is the

day that Jesus rose

from the dead af-

ter being crucified

The Easter Bunny



and new life.

Eggs have always been a sign

of fertility in history.

The first eggs to be given as

gifts in the UK were hen, duck

or goose eggs. Later they

were replaced by artificial

eggs. Chocolate eggs only ap-

peared in the late 1800s.

The tradition of colouring

Easter eggs dates back to the

Middle ages when people

would paint the eggs differ-

ent bright colours to symbol-

ize the start of the Spring

season.

Easter Eggs

Buns marked with a cross

were eaten by the Saxons

during their spring celebra-

tions - it's believed that the

bun represented the moon and

the cross the moon's quar-

ters. Christians continued the

tradition but to them the

cross symbolises Jesus' cruci-

fixion.

This cake is eaten at Easter

and particularly on Mothering

Sunday which falls on the

fourth Sunday of Lent. It is

believed that in the past girls

working as domestic help were

given the day off to visit

their mothers. They would

usually take a simnel cake

back with them as a present.

This cake is particularly asso-

ciated with Mothering Sunday

and is traditionally a fruit

cake with two layers of al-

mond paste, its top is deco-

rated with 11 marzipan balls

to symbolise the faithful dis-

Hot Cross Buns

ciples (Judas is therefore

left out).

Good to Know !!!

In Greece, lamb is the

traditional food at Easter.

In Poland, they eat sau-

sages and poppy seed

cake; the poppy seeds are

a symbol of new life.

The celebration of the

Jewish festival of Passo-

ver, which commemorates

the exodus of the Jews

from captivity in Egypt,

has been intertwined with

Easter from the begin-

ning and the Hebrew

word „Pesach‟, originally

meaning Passover, came

to mean Easter as well.

In Poland, Easter Monday

is known as “Wet Mon-

day”. This is because of

the practice of going to

people‟s homes and the

boys would throw water

on the girls that they

fancied.

Simnel Cake


Why not try our Simnel cake

recipe this Easter? The recipe

can be found in our RECIPES

section.



The tradition of painting eggs and using them

as decorations or gifts is not common in the UK

as it is in some other European countries or in

the United States, but it is becoming increas-

ingly popular in recent years. If the egg is to be

used as a decoration the contents need to be

removed from the shell.

The process is as follows:

- Put the egg into an empty egg container and

hold it firmly in place with one hand.

- hold a needle in your other hand and use it to

make small holes at the top and bottom, one end

larger than the other.

- Use a long needle to mix together the yolk and

the egg-white.

- Place the egg over a bowl and blow several

times through the smaller hole, so that most of

the contents come out.

- Put the egg in a container containing a mixture

of water and some vinegar - let the egg become

half full of water.

- Shake the egg gently and blow it again, until

the shell is empty.

- Clean the shell by leaving it for a while in a

mixture of water and vinegar (about 3 times as

much water as vinegar).

- Leave the egg to dry overnight.

- Once it is dry, decorate the shell with paint or

dye.

- Place a thread through

the smaller hole and out

the other end.

- Hang the egg, either

from one end of the

thread (by tying a knot)

or by pinning both ends

of the thread.

How to paint your

Easter egg


O n

Maundy Thursday in England the custom of

washing feet by the Monarch was carried out until

1689 in commemoration of the time Jesus washed

the feet of his disciples during the last supper. Up

until then the King or Queen would give food and

clothing and even wash the feet of the poor on

Maundy Thursday in Westminster Abbey. The

last monarch to do so was James II.

In Britain today, the sovereign takes part in the

Ceremony of the Royal Maundy. This ceremony

involves the distribution of Maundy money to de-

serving senior citizens (one man and one woman

for each year of the sovereign's age), usually cho-

sen for having done service to their community.

They receive ceremonial red and white purses

which contain coins made especially for the occa-

sion. The white purse contains one coin for each

year of the monarch's reign. The red purse con-

tains money in place of other gifts that used to be

given to the poor.

This year The Maundy Service will take place at

Westminster Abbey on 21 April, 2011.

What is the Royal Maundy Service?



1. Where is the Easter story in the Bible?

2. Why does the date of Easter change from year to year?

3. What is the name given to the period of fasting before Easter?

4. Easter is the end of Lent. How long does Lent last (not including the Sundays)?

5. Who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver?

6. Which sport takes place at the White House each year on Easter day?

7. Which type of cake is usually made on Easter day?

8. Can you guess how many eggs were sold in the UK in 2007. Was it 70 million, 80 mil-

lion, or 100 million?

9. Where did the legend of the Easter bunny originate?

10. Easter Island is a special territory of which country?

11. Where was the Last Supper held?

12. The Easter Rising was a rebellion staged in Ireland in Easter Week of which year?

13. What food is made on Shrove Tuesday?

14. What is the flower of Easter?

15. What is “Pysanka”?

Answers

1. Mark Chapters 14 to 16, or Luke Chapters 22 to 24 and in the gospels of Matthew and John/ 2. Because it is

based on the lunar calendar. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon, on or after March 21st / 3.

Lent / 4. 40 days / 5. Judas Iscariot / 6. Egg rolling / 7. Simnel cake / 8. 80 million / 9. Germany / 10. Chile / 11.

Jerusalem / 12. 1916 / 13. Pancakes / 14. Lily / 15. The act of painting eggs.

Test your knowledge with our quiz and see how much you know about Easter. Why don‟t you

ask the questions to each member of your family and see who gets the most correct. The an-

swers are at the bottom of the page. Good luck!!

Take our Easter quiz

by: Zita Akande, Yr2/ Charlotte McLeod, Yr2

School News


Meridian Primary performs for charity by Miriam Kenedy, Yr3 & Lulu Pennicott-Banks, Yr3

Illustrations by Miriam Kenedy

In February Meridian Primary School held its 2011 Charity Concert in which the school managed to raise over £600. The donations were split be-tween two charities; Water Aid and Save the Children.

Many people took part in the concert that offered music, singing, poetry and dance. It was a fun evening with lots of cake to go round donated by parents from across the school served in the Bottom Hall to the delight of all.

This is the second time that a charity concert takes place at the school, the first having been for raising funds after the Haiti disaster back in 2009. Organized by former headteacher Dave Suttle and parents David and Rianka Kenedy and Elaine Pennicott-Banx, the concert has gone from strength to strength.

―A concert is a good way of bringing lots of people together and also to raise money for charity,‖ explained Elaine Pen-nicott-Banks, one of the concert organizers who is already think-ing of plans for next year’s con-cert that will see children from Meridian’s Guitar Club joining in.

Elizabeth Taylor (no relation to the late movie star – we think) who played a huge part organ-izing the school choir and who boasts a love of all music rang-ing from Stravinsky to Red Hot Chilli Peppers, to name a few, attributes her love of music to her days when, as a child, she was part of the Scottish Junior Singers choir. Although lead by an ―excellent but intimidating Agnes Duncan‖ she received lots of singing and performing skills. She now boasts one of the best singing voices at the school.

Elizabeth also organized the school choir that performed at the concert and says she got

her inspiration for the songs from olds books she’d had for years or from music websites. Asked what she thought of the concert she said she was ―very pleased‖ and wished there was more time and energy to do lots more.

The concert this year saw a big collaborative effort not only on the part of the organizers and performers but also from par-ents and carers who showed up in abundance to support the event. One such was parent and well-renowned cartoonist Jeremy Banx who provided the illustration for the concert pro-gramme and posters advertis-ing the event in the local com-munity.

Teaching Assistant, Sharon Crawford also stepped in to of-fer her help in many areas one of which was her computer skills.

―I put my computer skills to

Continued on page 5

Meridian Primary performs for charity cont’d


good use and I pro-duced the programme for the night using Banx’s cartoon, infor-mation about the charities we were rais-ing the money for and of course, the list of all the performers and what they did on the night. There was a lot of information to squeeze this year,

with some last minute changes, but I just about managed it.‖

There were many magical moments on the night, some quite emotional, but all in all it was a very lovely night that managed to seal the sense of community at the school and we can’t wait for next year’s show.

Water Aid works in 26 countries across Africa, Asia and the pacific region and transforms lives by improv-ing access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities.

Save the Children works in more than 120 countries, saving children’s lives, fighting for their rights and help-ing them fulfil their potential.

―I did play the clarinet at school for a short time. It was great to see so many children and adults playing at the concert. As they were so inspiring, perhaps one day I will have a go.‖ — Sharon Crawford on whether she played any musical instrument.

―I played around with the idea of someone asking for money and came up with the trumpet idea. But first I had to beat my head against the desk a few times.‖ — Cartoonist Jeremy Banx on how he came up with the idea for the charity’s poster.

School News


Monster invasion on Red Nose Day by Yousef Bouran, Yr3 & Krisha Beyka, Yr5

Red Nose Day was cele-

brated in style at Meridian

Primary School on Friday

18th March with a proper

invasion of pupils dressed up

as monsters showing up to

attend school that Friday

morning. The theme for Red

Nose Day this year was mon-

sters and monsters there

were all around the school.

“I was scared to come to as-

sembly this afternoon with

the amount of monsters

around the school today,”

said Headteacher Jo Graham

at assembly that afternoon.

Nearly everyone at the

school joined in to dress up

for the day and that includ-

ed the teachers who only

saw it fit not to miss out on

the occasion. Although there

were prizes to be had at as-

sembly that day, the teach-

ers sadly didn‟t win any be-

cause the prizes were just

for the children.

The costumes on the day were

AMAZING; from monster post

boxes to robots and from creepy

brides to clowns and a shark,

everyone seemed to have put in a

lot of work and thought into

their costumes. So even though

prizes were given to the

best costumes everyone still

looked great. And then of

course there were two

teachers who stood out:

Mark & Christine who were

in a category all on their

own. Talking to many chil-

dren at the school most

agreed that if there had

been prizes for the teachers

that day they would have

definitely won.

There was a cake sale on the

day and we all donated £1

each because we know how

important a day like today is

because the money we raise

transforms lives across the

UK and Africa. What a treat

to have a cake (or two) dur-

ing school though. There was

such a big selection of cakes

and muffins that it made

choosing a favourite very

very hard. We made over

£500.

All day we learnt about Red

Nose Day and about when it

started and how the money

raised by everyone on that

day goes to building schools

for children and even makes

people in care homes happier.

How great is that!

Comic ReliefComic ReliefComic Relief

Comic Relief is a British charity organization that was founded in the UK in 1985. It raises money all year round not just on Red Nose Day.

Comic Relief is the name of the charity; Red Nose Day is the name of the events on the day to raise money for Comic Relief. The first Red Nose Day was on February 5th,1988.

Every two years, thousands of people do something fun-ny for money. They do it at home, at work, in schools and, well, just about every-where.

Monster invasion cont’d


Red Nose Day 2011

Interviews


Q & A with acting Headteacher Jo

Meridian Primary School has

just appointed Jo Graham as its

new Headteacher. Parents and

children alike are thrilled at the

news as most of them have

known Jo for many years

now. The Laser got togeth-

er with Jo for a quick chat

and uncovered a few things

you may not have known

about Meridian Primary‟s

new Headteacher.

Kate: How does it feel to

be the new Headteacher

of Meridian Primary

School?

Jo: It feels very exciting

to be taking on this new

role and I am also very

proud of the position.

Miriam: Was it a shock

when you were told the

news?

Jo: Not a shock at all but I

thought that it was exciting

and I was extremely

pleased.

James: What new rules

will you introduce into the

new school?

Jo: I think we already have

very good five rules around

the school which are very

useful and important to all

of us; Be polite and consid-

erate, keep hands, feet and

objects to yourself, follow

instructions (given by all

adults), walk silently around

school, and finally take care

of everyone and everything

in our school.

Charlotte: What other

things are you going to do

for the kids here?

Jo: Listen to people and

always do what is in the

best interest of the children.

Charlotte: When did you

first arrive to Meridian

Primary School?

Jo: I have been at Meridian

Primary School for close to

eleven years now, since

September 2000. I came to

Greenwich from Sheffield

to take on the post of dep-

uty head teacher at this

school.

Miriam: Are you going to

change anything in the

school?

Jo: I am going to keep all

that is good in this school

and aim to build on these

good things and make them

even better. My goal is to

make Meridian Primary

Interviews cont’d

School an outstanding

school in the area.

Kate: What inspired you

to go into teaching and

what is your favourite

subject?

Jo: I have always wanted to

be a teacher, ever since

working with the Halifax

Building Society, because I

really love children. My fa-

vourite subject would have

to be Art and English.

Zita: What is your favourite

book?

Jo: I have hundreds of

books at home for me and

the children. When I read a

book I always have to keep

it and when I move house

they are the first things

that I unpack. As a child I

loved Enid Blyton and the

Famous Five. As I grew old-

er I enjoyed Fantasy books.

My favourite book of all

though has to be To Kill a Mocking Bird because it really

makes you think.

James: What sport do you

like?

Jo: I was very sporty at

school and was very good at

the long jump because I had

very long legs. I was also

very good at cross country

running. Then as I grew older I

was into horse riding. Unfor-

tunately these days I am

too busy to do any sport at

all but I do enjoy watching

the horse races on TV.

Miriam: How do you spend

your free time?

Jo: I spend all my free time

with my family. The kids and

I go to Greenwich Park or

we take the London train to

visit a museum or an art gal-

lery.

Charlotte: What is your

favourite colour?

Jo: I love pink because I

think it is a cheerful colour.

If I could I would paint my

whole house pink. But I also

like to wear blue.

Zita: Do you like jokes?

Jo: Yes I like good jokes

but I never seem to remem-

ber them and always falter

with the punch line. So real-

ly I like hearing them but

not telling them.

Kate: What is your favourite

ice-cream?

Jo: Strawberry.

Miriam: What is your favourite

food and do you cook?

Jo: I love Thai food be-

cause I enjoy spicy dishes.

My partner does all the

cooking because he is an ex-

cellent cook whereas I am

very good at doing the laundry.

James: What do you like

about Greenwich?

Jo: I like the river

[Thames], love Greenwich

Park and the museums and

old buildings. I enjoy the

restaurants and shops in

the area very much. But

most of all what I love in

Greenwich is Meridian Pri-

mary School.

Kate: What is your favourite

animal?

Jo: I have always loved

dragons.


by: James Thorogood,Yr2

Charlotte McLeod, Yr2

Kate Chollet, Yr2

Paarth Maheshwari, Yr2

Zita Akande, Yr2

Miriam Kenedy, Yr3 On the day of the interview

Paarth was not there because

he was ill and away from

school but he did take part in

preparing the questions.

Interviews


The Laser masthead gets a make-over

Vic Haidar, graphic designer, par-ent of Siddy, Yr3, and the brains behind The Laser’s new logo popped in to have a chat with members of The Laser Newspaper Club. He discussed the idea be-hind the newspaper’s new logo and what elements were used to come up with the finished design. Vic also gave a live demonstration and talked about graphic design as a profession and how big publish-ing companies apply graphic de-sign to produce their publications. It was a very enlightening and useful afternoon. We were also able to slip in a few other questions unre-lated to the logo, read on to find out more…

The Laser: How did you come up with the design for The Laser’s masthead?

Vic: I tried to keep it simple and to think of the three ele-ments I wanted to include in the design; Your newspaper’s title [The Laser], the laser beam [the inspiration behind the name of your newspaper] and finally the Royal Observa-tory [the source of the laser beam]. I put all those together using design and balance then I drew the illustration and chose the font.

TL: Did you enjoy creating the logo and did it take you a long time to finish?

Vic: I enjoyed working on it very much and though it took a couple of hours, I was very satisfied with the finished work.

TL: Why do you like living in Greenwich?

Vic: I like living here because it is a very friendly community very similar to where I grew up. I also enjoy Greenwich Park and walking by the river Thames.

TL: How long have you been working with computers?

Vic: It has been 20 years.

TL: What is your favourite food/recipe?

Vic: I always enjoy a good BBQ but I also like Spanish and Indian cuisine. In terms of

recipes I make a really mean lamb curry.

TL: What is your favourite place in Greenwich?

Vic: I like Café Rouge and Piz-za Express and my children Siddy (Yr3) and her brother Bill enjoy eating there too.

TL: What is your favourite colour?

Vic: Turquoise

TL: What’s your favourite music/song?

Vic: I like all sorts of music and my favourite song has to be It’s a Perfect Day by Lou Reed.

TL: What do you think of the de-sign of the London Olympics 2012 logo?

Vic: I don’t like the logo much because it is far from modern and is not dynamic.

by:

Rosie Delap Yr3/ Yousef

Bouran, Yr3/ Katelyn Lai,

Yr2/ Krisha Beyka, Yr2/ Kai

Ring, Yr4


Creative Corner

The Pegasus

Early one morning I took a stroll to the park. The gates were closed but I climbed over them

and walked towards the lake. As soon as I was there, something strange began to happen.

There was a statue coming to life. It rose out of the water, its body glistening in the sunlight.

It had a silver mane, a tail that glittered and flapping wings that beat hard against the wind.

What was it?

I looked at the thing carefully studying it closely. Its blue eyes gazed at me giving me the

feeling I was being X-rayed. Why wasn‟t it flying away? Suddenly, I noticed its legs. They

were chained to a log with heavy bolts that I couldn‟t undo even when I tried. Luckily, I had a

spanner on me because I was going to the mechanics‟ shop later on. The bolts finally off, the

Pegasus was free.

I watched joyfully as the Pegasus galloped around trying to get used to the feel of its legs

again. As I was hoping it would stay, it gave a sudden flap of its wings that saw it soar into the

sky. I watched it go wishing that it could have stayed instead. Head hung low, I trumped slowly

back towards the mechanic‟s shop. Suddenly the Pegasus was in front of me. I clambered onto

its back and we went soaring high up into the sky.

We went up higher and higher until suddenly I didn‟t know where I was. The next thing I know

I‟m fast asleep on the flying Pegasus. Where are we going? Who knows?

The End

by Miriam Kenedy, Yr3

Short Story

What did the rabbit say to the carrot?

Nice gnawing you!

What kinds of books do rabbits like?

One‟s that have hoppy endings!

What do you get if you pour hot water

down a rabbit‟s hole?

Hot cross bunnies!

Easter Jokes

by George Edwards, Yr3

Out & About


Things to do this Easter break

Come rain or shine, there‟s loads to do during

the Easter holidays as James Thorogood

(Reception) and Kate Chollet (Yr2) are find-

ing out.

Greenwich

You could go on a

donkey or horse

ride up near the

Blackheath gates

of Greenwich Park

or you could do

boating at Greenwich Park. Of course you can

always take a picnic with you and make a day

out of it. Don‟t forget that you can take your

ball, scooter or even your bike and that way

you‟ll have fun and get in some exercise too

which is really good for you.

Blackheath

Every year at this time

the Circus and funfair

come to visit town. They

are up on the heath in

Blackheath which is really

close to Greenwich Park.

There are loads of great

rides and cotton candy.

The heath is also a great

place to fly a kite but

make sure you take an

adult with you to help because it could get

tricky. If you are riding your bike there make

sure you wear a helmet and be very careful

when you cross the road. Look both ways and

listen to what your adult says.

Eat Out

We love to eat out during the holidays and es-

pecially when we get to have a treat from time

to time which is so much

fun. We recommend

McDonald‟s or Chinese but

there are other choices

too.

Mudchute Farm

Did you know that if you live in Greenwich, it is

so easy getting to Mudchute Farm just by us-

ing the Greenwich Foot tunnel? They have

loads of animals to look at and pet and you can

run around in the park by. But please do not

feed the animals as the people who take care

them say it can harm them and may even kill

them. They have to stick to their own special

food.

A train ride

Why not hop onto a train to London and go see

the Tower of London, the London Aquarium or

the horse guards parade at Buckingham Palace?

Who knows, you might get to see the Queen if

she‟s passing by on that day.

At home

Why not have a lie-in? It is the Easter holi-

days and no need to rush to school. You can

always ask your parents if you can play games


Out & About cont’d

on the computer or if they‟ll let you watch

some TV. You could make some crafts togeth-

er or bake a cake or even read your favourite

book again. You could always ask mum or dad

to arrange for you to have some friends over

or maybe even have a sleepover. So much fun

and cake is guaranteed.

Visit the Museum

Right next to our

school, only a few

minutes‟ walk away

is the National

Maritime Museum.

You can go there for free and they have a lot of

activities for children. We love going round

and seeing all the huge boats on display. May-

be you can even spend some of your pocket

money at the gift shop (if your mum and dad

agree).

Read a book or watch a movie

Check out The Laser‟s reviews section for in-

spiration.

Whatever you decide to do we hope you

have a lot of fun and see you after the

break.

You will need:

Wooden spoon

Pink paint

Pale and bright pink craft foam

Pink pompom

Wiggle eyes

Glue

Pink heart or circle sticker

Pink pen

Instructions:

1. Paint the wooden spoon pink and leave to dry.

2. Cut two ears from craft foam. Cut two inner ears from a contrasting shade of pink foam and glue these

to the centre of the ears. Glue the ears to the top of the spoon.

3. Glue a pink pompom to the handle for his tail.

4. Stick the pink sticker on to the back of the spoon for a nose and stick on the two wiggle eyes.

5. Finish off by drawing on some whiskers with pink pen.

Wooden Spoon Puppet—Bunny


Reviews

Movies with Charlie

Opens Friday 1st April.

If you're looking for a film

to see over the Easter

Holidays, how about 'Hop'?

Hop is about a funny rabbit

who is able to poo jelly

beans. He doesn't want to

be the Easter Bunny.

If you like Alvin and the Chipmunks, you'll like this

film because it's directed

by the person who directed

Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Russell Brand, the comedian, is the

person who did the bunny's voice.

Your mum will really like it

t o o , b e c a u s e J a m e s

Marsden is in it. (He's

from Enchanted and 27

Dresses. 27 Dresses is a

film that your mum will

have seen).

Mars Needs Moms is all

about a boy called Milo.

He has a row with his mum,

and a bit later his mum is

taken away by aliens be-

cause they need mothers

to raise their children. Milo

chases the space ship and gets

taken away himself. He

then makes friends with a

human space pirate who

helps him to get his mum

back.

This film is really enjoya-

ble to watch and it is fun-

ny.

This is an old film made in

1988, so you can get it

A t the Ci nema

Mars Needs Moms

Hop

A n E a s t e r S p e c i a l

Who Framed Roger

Rabbit


Reviews

from the DVD shop.

Roger Rabbit is a really silly

bunny and is framed for a

murder. He then meets a de-

tective and the detective

tries to help him get the po-

lice to believe that he didn't

commit the murder.

It's really clever because of

the way Robert Zemeckis (the

director) combined cartoons

with real live people.

This is the next instalment

in the Narnia series. The

children go back to Narnia

where they go on a voyage

on the Dawn Treader.

For those under 6, you should

not watch it because there is

a lot of violence in it.

On DVD

The Chronicles of

Narnia: The Voyage of

By Charlie Thorogood, Yr 2

Wii Game Review

Super Smash Bros Brawl

By George Edwards, Yr 3

Super Smash Bros. Brawl offers masses of charac-

ters, levels and game modes

to explore, the music is fantastic

and the gameplay is great.

Among the new characters

in the game are Meta

Knight, the sword-wielding

nemesis of Kirby; Pit, the

angelic archer from Kid Ica-

rus; Zero Suit Samus, the

powerful Metroid series

heroine minus her versatile

armour and Wario,

One secret cheat for the

game is to win ten brawl matches to win Marth.

This game is amazing but of course, you can't really go

wrong with Nintendo games. I rate it 5 stars.

Have you watched a

good movie lately? Why

not let us know at The Laser and we can tell

others all about it.

Promise!


Reviews: Books

Ella is feeling painfully alone.

Her mum is in a coma not mov-

ing, her best friend has gone

off with someone else. Can

things possibly get any worse?

Ella‟s baby brother is getting

most of the attention and is

keeping her and her step-dad

up until 10 o‟clock. Then she

gets put into after-school club

with horrible Martha and they

get into a fight. Martha rips

up Ella‟s whale project. But

what will happen to Ella‟s

mum?

I liked this book because it is

imaginative and it tells you

what life is like when your

mum is away and your original

dad broke up with your mum.

When your step-dad isn‟t very

kind to you it can‟t be very

nice at all.

I hope you enjoy this book as

much as I did.

Jacqueline Wilson was born in

Bath in 1945, but spent most

of her childhood in Kingston-

on-Thames. She always wanted

to be a writer and wrote her

first „novel‟ when she was nine,

filling in countless Wool-

worths‟ exercise books as she

grew up. As a teenager she

started work for a magazine

publishing company and then

went on to work as a journalist

on Jackie magazine (which she

was told was named after

her!) before turning to writing

novels full-time. One of

Jacqueline‟s most successful

and enduring creations has

been the famous Tracy Beaker,

who first appeared in 1991 in

The Story of Tracy Beaker.

Jacqueline‟s books are loved

and cherished by young read-

ers not only in the UK but all

over the world. She has sold

millions of books and in the UK

alone the total stands at over

25 million!

In 2002 Jacqueline was

awarded the OBE for services

to literacy in schools and from

2005 to 2007 she was the

Children‟s Laureate. In 2008

she became Dame Jacqueline

Wilson.

The Longest Whale Song

by Jacqueline Wilson

reviewed by Rosie Delap, Yr3

Jacqueline Wilson

Check out www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk


Scrumptious Carrot Cake

by George Edwards

Ingredients

140g (5oz) butter or margarine

140g (5oz) soft brown sugar

2 large eggs

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 orange

175g (6oz) grated carrot

½ Tsp. vanilla essence

55g (2oz) sultanas

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C/

Gas 5

2. Lightly grease a square tin

(18cm/7in).

3. Line the base of the tin.

4. In a bowl mix the butter

and sugar together until

light and fluffy.

5. Beat in the eggs.

6. Add and fold in the flour,

baking powder, orange

zest and juice, grated car-

rot, vanilla and sultanas.

7. Scoop the mixture into

the tin.

8. Bake in the oven for 45-50

minutes until golden brown.

9. When it‟s ready, remove

from the oven and let the

cake cool in the tin be-

fore you take it out.

10. Carefully take it out of

the tin and when it is cold

add an orange icing.

To make orange icing

100 g butter

2 tsp. grated orange rind

2 cups icing sugar sifted

1-2 tbsp. fresh orange juice

Yellow & red food colouring

drops for orange hue (optional).

Cream the butter until light and

fluffy. Add the orange rind and

mix through. Beat in the icing

sugar gradually. Add the orange

juice. Finally, add the colouring

if desired.

Quick shortbread biscuits

by Katelyn Lai, Yr2

Makes 12

Ingredients

500g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

500g plain flour

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C / gas

mark 4

Cream butter and sugar until

fluffy. Stir in vanilla; add flour

and mix well.

Roll out to 1cm thickness and

cut out desired shaped with bis-

cuit cutters. Bake for 10-12

minutes


Ingredients

175g/6oz light Muscavado sugar

175g/6oz butter, softened

175g/6oz self-raising flour

3 large eggs

25g/1oz ground almonds

2 tbsp. milk

100g/4oz sultanas

100g/4oz cherries, quartered,

washed and dried

100g/4oz dried apricots, snipped

into small pieces

100g/4oz stem ginger, finely

chopped

1 tsp. mixed spice

2 tsp. ground ginger

To serve

450g/1lb golden marzipan

3 tbsp. apricot jam

1 egg, beaten

To decorate

Flowers such as primroses, narcissi or

violets

Egg white

Caster sugar

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to

160C/320F/Gas 3

Grease and line the base

and sides of an 20cm/8in

deep, round cake tin with

baking parchment.

Measure all the cake ingre-

dients into a large mixing

bowl and beat well until

thoroughly blended. Place

half the mixture into the

prepared tin and level the

surface.

Take one third of the marzi-

pan and roll into a circle the

same size as the cake tin,

place the circle on top of the

cake mixture. Spoon the re-

maining mixture on top of

the marzipan and level the

surface.

Bake for about one and

three-quarter to two hours

or until golden brown and

firm in the middle. If toward

the end of cooking time the

cake is getting too brown,

loosely cover with a piece of

foil. Allow the cake to cool in

the tin before turning onto a

cooling rack.

When the cake is cool. Brush

the top with a little warmed

apricot jam. Roll out half the

remaining marzipan to the

size of the cake and sit it on

the top. Crimp the edges of

Easter’s marvellous Simnel cake

by Sydney Lai, Yr4


the marzipan and make a lat-

tice pattern in the centre of

the marzipan using a sharp

knife. Make 11 even sized

balls from the remaining

marzipan and arrange around

the edge.

Brush with beaten egg and

glaze under a hot grill for

about five minutes, turning

the cake round so it browns

evenly, so the marzipan is

tinged brown all over. You can

also do this with a blow torch

if you happen to have one

lying around the house.

To crystallize the flowers,

lightly whisk the egg white in

a bowl then carefully brush

over the flower petals.

Sprinkle over caster sugar so

the sugar sticks to the egg

white. Leave to harden in a

warm place, such as a shelf

above a radiator until dry and

firm.

Carefully remove from the

rack and arrange in the cen-

tre of the cake.

Simnel cake cont’d Garlic chilli chicken with cardamom riceGarlic chilli chicken with cardamom riceGarlic chilli chicken with cardamom rice

Cook the onion, chillies, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes in 2

tbsp oil. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add the

chicken pieces, season and cook for 5-7 minutes until they

start to colour a little. Add the tomatoes and a splash of

water. Bring to a simmer, then cover for 20 minutes. Add

the spinach and cook for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large knob

of butter or 1 tbsp. oil in a

pan with a lid. Add the car-

damom pods and cook for 2

minutes, tip in the rice, add

a large pinch of salt and

cook for another minute.

Add 2 teacups of water us-

ing the same cup to measure.

Bring to the boil, turn down

to a gentle simmer and put

on the lid. Cook for 15 minutes until all the water is ab-

sorbed. Fluff up the rice and serve with the curry.

1 onion peeled & finely chopped

3 green chillies, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves

4cm piece ginger, finely grated

Sunflower oil

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. chilli powder

4 chicken thighs, cut into

chunks

80g bag spinach, roughly

chopped

Butter or oil

4 cardamom pods, squashed

1 teacup Basmati rice

Written by Bea Delap, Yr5


Greek God of War

you‟ve a strong charac-

ter and you like to have

your own way; so why

not let somebody else

have theirs this

Easter?

Chocolate may not be your

favourite thing but that‟s

not the only way to get in

to the Easter spirit. How

about you go egg-rolling

with your friends?

You‟re a great friend be-

cause around you there‟s

never a dull moment. But

being the centre of atten-

tion isn‟t everything so

pipe down and give your-

self some time to relax.

You‟re a fun–loving, chocolate-

loving, Easter-loving person. You

like to live life to the extreme and

to be the centre of attention so

how about taking life more seri-

ously (only a bit!) and giving some-

one else the spotlight?

You are very popular at the

moment and people really

enjoy your company. You

are fashionable and cool but

some are jealous so make

sure you include every body.

You adore animals especially

those with stripes. Do you like

bunnies? Why don‟t you

find out about the real

meaning of Easter? You

may find it interesting.

You love science and have just

had a great idea but try not to

bore people to death about it

over Easter break. And for a

change try to share your

Easter chocolates.

You‟re a born leader and you al-

ways know what‟s best for your

group but people often find you

bossy; so why not rest on your

laurels this Easter and let some-

one else take charge?

You are very fashion con-

scious and you adore shoes.

But style isn‟t everything so

why not stop thinking about

the way you look and think

about more important

things instead?

You are bouncy, friendly

and fun and you are a

great friend although you

like to switch around peo-

ple to play with. Why not

try to include everyone

this Easter?

You are creative, fun

and love to draw. Why

not colour in one of the

many designs in The Laser newspaper? It

will be fun.

You love animals so very much and

that is why you are thinking of

becoming a vegetarian. That may

not be everyone‟s thing but it could

be just the thing for you.

21st April—21st May 21st May—20th April 22nd May—21st June 22nd June—23rd July

23rd July—22nd Aug 23rd Aug—21st Sept 22nd Sept—22nd Oct 23rd Oct—21st Nov

22nd Nov—21st Dec 22nd Dec—20th Jan 21st Jan—19th Feb 20th Feb—20th Mar


I enjoy things that some children at

my school find uncool. I’m not sure

what to do. Help!

Let me give you the best advice I was given

when I had the same problem. Here it is.

Ready? “Who cares what anyone else thinks,

it‟s what you think that matters!”

Let‟s be honest, “cool” and “uncool” would mean noth-

ing if the people around didn‟t reinforce its meaning. I

understand it can be hard not to care about what oth-

ers think and say sometimes but always remember it

is always better to be yourself and to hang out with

the real friends who respect you and what you do and

who do not care about labelling people. These friends

will stand by you and support you in whatever you

choose to take up in life and will guide you and offer

you positive advice.

It could also be time to change those so-called

friends who think you are uncool and hang out with

more positive people. And remember to never change

who you are and what you think just to please other

people. Stay true to yourself and you‟ll be just fine.

Lastly, maybe it would do to explain to some

who you care about and want their friendship

more about the activities you do. Maybe if they

understood more about it they could join in and

share in your hobbies and interests. Sometimes

all it takes is for us to take the time to explain

things to others. You would be surprised how

people are ready to accept things once they

learn more about them.

I’m really worried about my end of

year test. What if I don’t do well?

So much time and energy are lost

worrying over things that have hap-

pened or might happen in the fu-

ture. The difference is that you can

never change the past but you can always

work on making the future the best it can

be.

In other words, instead of worrying your-

self sick, concentrate on your work, put in

the time to learn and remember what you

need to do to pass those tests. Give it your

best shot so that you won‟t regret it in the

future and I am sure that your hard work

will be rewarded.

If you feel you are struggling with the work

or there is something you do not under-

stand you can always ask for help from

teachers at school or from family members.

I am sure they will all be more than happy

to help you .

It is only normal that you be a little nerv-

ous before exams but if you are well-

prepared then on the day of the test, take

a deep breath, concentrate and you‟ll find

that you know the answers and your nerves

will calm down.

I am sure you‟ll do just great.


Easter bonanza wordsearch


Maze The Easter egg needs to roll on home in time for Easter Sunday. Can you help show it the way?

by Yousef Bouran, Yr3


www.A

ctivityVilla

ge.co.uk

www.A

ctivityVilla

ge.co.uk

Easter Colouring Have a go colouring in these great designs drawn by some of the The Laser team members. They’re

great for a rainy day or to give as presents to family and friends. Have fun!

By James Thorogood, Reception


By Sophie Edwards, Yr1

Paarth Maheshwari, Yr2


Easter Colouring cont’d

Kate Chollet, Yr2

Sophie Edwards, Yr1

James Thorogood, Reception James Thorogood, Reception


Comic Strip

By Lulu Pennicott-Banks, Yr3

SPORT Champion wrestler ‘Edge’: a profile

By Kai Ring, Yr4

Adam Joseph Copeland, also known

as „Edge‟ is a wrestler and actor.

He was born on October 30, 1973 in

Canada.

He was trained by Ron Hutchinson

and Sweet Daddy Siki.

His billed height is 6ft 5in.

He has won 31 championships in

WWE including 11 world champion-

ships.

He has five ring names: Adam

Copeland, Adam Impact, Conquista-

dor Uno, Damon Striker, Edge and

Sexton Hardcastle.

His debut was on July 1st 1992

He has a signature called „Inverted

boot‟ and his finisher is called „the

spear‟.

Copeland has appeared in the 2000

fantasy film „Highlander: Endgame ‟

and made guest appearances on tele-

vision shows, including The Weakest

Link, Deal or No Deal, and MADtv.

He is currently World Heavyweight

Champion on WWE.

We’re on the web!

www.meridian.greenwich.sch.uk

Meridian Primary School, Old Woolwich

Road, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NY

Thank you to everyone who helped make this newspaper

possible and we look forward to producing many more

issues.

Special thanks go to Rianka Kenedy & Ellen Edwards for

their help and support at Thursday‟s Newspaper Club.

Another special thanks goes to Vic Haidar for all his sup-

port with the mastheads and some of the graphics in

this issue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander:_Endgame

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weakest_Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weakest_Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_or_No_Deal_(U.S._game_show)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MADtv

Download - The Real Meaning of Easter - Meridian Primary School Laser...The real meaning of Easter cont’d 1. Where is the Easter story in the Bible? 2. Why does the date of Easter change from

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