School finishes on

Wednesday 21 December at 3.30pm

Enjoy the Festive break!

School starts Wednesday 4 January INSET Day 3 January 2017

Message from Headteacher It is hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. Time once again to dig out the decorations, send Christmas cards to friends and relatives and find the perfect gifts to place under the tree for our loved ones.

Once again the children at Holland have made us very proud and the Christmas production of Nine lessons and Carols was a real success. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff for their hard work and contributions, Rev. Eltringham in allowing us the use of St John’s Church for the staging of this event, and in particular Ms Martyn-Coles, who has once again risen to the challenge of writing and directing a wonderful play.

I would like to say thank you to the staff and the pupils for their hard work throughout the term, and indeed the support we receive from parents and carers in making a difference to so many young lives. Finally, I would like to wish all pupils and parents, from all the staff and governors of the school, a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Our new term begins on Wednesday 4th January and we look forward to seeing our pupils return refreshed and eager to learn in the new calendar year. (Please note Tuesday 3rd January is a staff INSET Day)

Best Wishes

ALL READY FOR CHRISTMAS LUNCH!

Look out Mary BerryLook out Mary BerryLook out Mary BerryLook out Mary Berry———— Holland bakers are about!Holland bakers are about!Holland bakers are about!Holland bakers are about!

I like eating what’s left over. Decorating I like eating what’s left over. Decorating I like eating what’s left over. Decorating I like eating what’s left over. Decorating Rudolph cakes was fun. MaxRudolph cakes was fun. MaxRudolph cakes was fun. MaxRudolph cakes was fun. Max

I’ve enjoyed making the chocolate chip cookies. I like I’ve enjoyed making the chocolate chip cookies. I like I’ve enjoyed making the chocolate chip cookies. I like I’ve enjoyed making the chocolate chip cookies. I like icing and decorating. Dannyicing and decorating. Dannyicing and decorating. Dannyicing and decorating. Danny

Getting to eat the rest of the Getting to eat the rest of the Getting to eat the rest of the Getting to eat the rest of the decorations is the best thing! decorations is the best thing! decorations is the best thing! decorations is the best thing! AlfieAlfieAlfieAlfie

I liked making these cupcakes. I liked making these cupcakes. I liked making these cupcakes. I liked making these cupcakes. They look really good! They look really good! They look really good! They look really good! AmberAmberAmberAmber

Spending time cooking and Spending time cooking and Spending time cooking and Spending time cooking and being with other people is the being with other people is the being with other people is the being with other people is the best thing. Ryanbest thing. Ryanbest thing. Ryanbest thing. Ryan

You get to be creative when you do stuff You get to be creative when you do stuff You get to be creative when you do stuff You get to be creative when you do stuff and you can make your things look and you can make your things look and you can make your things look and you can make your things look different . zinniadifferent . zinniadifferent . zinniadifferent . zinnia

I liked making I liked making I liked making I liked making pizzas best. pizzas best. pizzas best. pizzas best. Lucy Lucy Lucy Lucy

It’s fun because you get to decorate It’s fun because you get to decorate It’s fun because you get to decorate It’s fun because you get to decorate everything just as you want it. Taylaeverything just as you want it. Taylaeverything just as you want it. Taylaeverything just as you want it. Tayla

My favourite thing is getting to eat all the My favourite thing is getting to eat all the My favourite thing is getting to eat all the My favourite thing is getting to eat all the yummy stuff when you take it home. yummy stuff when you take it home. yummy stuff when you take it home. yummy stuff when you take it home. PhoebePhoebePhoebePhoebe

The best thing is the food always tastes great! MeganThe best thing is the food always tastes great! MeganThe best thing is the food always tastes great! MeganThe best thing is the food always tastes great! Megan

Decorating cakes is the best! Decorating cakes is the best! Decorating cakes is the best! Decorating cakes is the best! LilyLilyLilyLily

The best thing has The best thing has The best thing has The best thing has been making the been making the been making the been making the Rudolph cakes. Rudolph cakes. Rudolph cakes. Rudolph cakes. JasmineJasmineJasmineJasmine

Baking cupcakes has Baking cupcakes has Baking cupcakes has Baking cupcakes has been the best thing about been the best thing about been the best thing about been the best thing about Cookery Club.Cookery Club.Cookery Club.Cookery Club. MichaelMichaelMichaelMichael

At the beginning of 2016 we started a

project to refurbish and renew the stock in

our school Library. Here we are almost

twelve months later with everything ready

to welcome our pupils to a brand new

space!

We sent over 20 boxes of books to schools

in Africa via a school charity ; boxed up

36 crates of books to keep; offered other

good quality books to parents free of

charge during end of year activities and

recycled old, worn and outdated books.

Thanks to all the parents who have so

kindly given up their time to help us

catalogue and display our existing stock.

This lovely new library offers space for a

whole class to work together or different

seating zones for smaller group work. We

have some very excited children keen to

start borrowing books again!

Have you seen our

lovely new Library?

This term our children and parents have been very busy supporting some extremely worthwhile charities

and causes. At the start of the school year when the weather was fine and sunny we had our Macmillan

Coffee Morning. This was a good opportunity for our new Year 3 parents to meet up with some “old

timers” and as usual we had a good turn out for this deserving charity.

In November we joined many schools across the country in raising funds for Children in Need. The

children raised funds by wearing something spotty, baking and buying spotty cakes and many took part

in a “Spot Pudsey “ spelling competition.

Early this month we started collecting items for the Rotary Shoebox Appeal. Our families donated many

items to pack into shoeboxes to provide some of the poorest children in Eastern Europe with a box of

presents—for some of these children our boxes may be the first gifts they have ever received.

We filled over 60 boxes and thanks to the generous support from our HSA each box carried a £2

donation to cover delivery charges. Our thanks go to everyone who has helped make these gifts

possible.

As Christmas approaches we will be celebrating Christmas Jumper Day and collecting donations for

Save the Children.

By the end of this term we will have raised over £400 in cash donations to be shared amongst our

featured charities.

Many thanks for your generosity!Many thanks for your generosity!Many thanks for your generosity!Many thanks for your generosity!

Supporting Charities at Holland Junior SchoolSupporting Charities at Holland Junior SchoolSupporting Charities at Holland Junior SchoolSupporting Charities at Holland Junior School

BOOK CLUB

In Book Club this term we have spent time reading books, listening to audio books,

making bookmarks and book covers for our favourite books and writing book

reviews. We have loved using the new library as a base recently as it has great

books and cosy areas to sit and enjoy our stories.

SCHOOL MEALS

School dinners are £2.20 per day, £11.00 per week. Dinner money for the next half term is £61.60.

Dinners must be paid for in advance. Payment should be made by cheque, payable to:

SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL, or via ParentMail2 online.

PUPIL ATTENDANCE

Each week the class which has the highest percentage attendance is awarded a certificate. Below is a table showing the figures for this term:-

3M - 95.4, 3P - 95.2%, 4SL - 93.4%, 4M - 95.1%, 5N - 96.8%, 5B - 96.8%, 6B – 95.6%, 6J - 97.7%

CONGRATULATIONS TO CLASS 6J!!!!

FESTIVE ACTIVITIES AT SCHOOL….

Our Christmas Production 2016 On Monday the 12th of December our school performed our Christmas Production to parents. It was really fun! We acted and narrated nine carols and lessons. Some pupils were chosen to act out the stages of Jesus’s birth while others narrated. In between the lessons we sang carols. These included: O Come, All Ye Faithful, Riding Out, O little Town Of Bethlehem and many other classics. Ms Martyn-Coles worked hard teaching us the songs and changed some things around to make it suit us a bit more. For instance , did you notice the change in O Come, Emmanuel? The thing that really pulled this carol concert off, I think, was the twelve days of Christmas. All of us chosen to perform, worked hard practicing, we got a few laughs from the Partridge in the pear tree and Lords are leaping. Ms Martyn-Coles provided all the props; including baby Minion Jesus!!! This is my last Christmas event at the school as I am in Year 6 and I think that this was a good production to go out with. I think the rest of the tear will agree with that. Being at St John’s Church really added to the atmosphere as well. Hope you enjoyed it as well.

Frances (Willow)

SPORTS NEWS

This term has been an exciting one for sport at Holland Junior School! The school has been involved in the Tandridge Cross Country tournament; the children had to show a lot of courage and determination to complete the race. I was very impressed with the excellent team work and support for one another. We also took part in the Year 3 and 4 South Tandridge Handball festival, the children had great fun learning new skills and how to play the game of Hand-ball. At the end of the festival we took part in a mini tournament and the team scored 5 goals in two games. There are a variety of tournaments to look for-ward to next term, including: football, hockey and tag rugby. We have also seen great enthusiasm shown towards the out of school clubs run in school hall. A Year 6 football team has been formed in the recent weeks and proven to be a success so far; I might have spotted a few emerging foot-ball stars! Watch this space Year 5 there might be a team coming soon…...

Mr Newman

Year 3 ….

English Robot Stories In class we are learning about doing different drafts of a story. We were writing a story about two room cleaning robots having a day off. We wrote a first draft then we read over it and improved some of our sentences, making them better by adding more punctuation, more adjectives and conjunctions. We tried to find new words rather than using ‘said’ all the time.

Alex and Arthur

Volcano Models We have been making a volcano and doing it with a partner. We made a model of a volcano. First we got a cup and put it in the middle, then we put clay around the cup and used cutters to make patterns on the side. We also had to draw our own volcanoes on paper and label the parts.

Imogen and Sam

Fun Spelling Activities In spelling we have been using chalk on the playground and doing rainbow writing. It has helped me (Seth) because we have practiced lots and lots. It helps because when you write something then spell it out again it helps you remember.

I like writing in chalk because we don’t normally get to use chalk at school. And also you can do fun squiggly writing or use capitals or neat writing. You don’t have to work on your own but can work in groups with your friends which is good fun!

Seth and Mia Digestive System Experiment We were learning about the body and what happens to us when we eat something. It was disgusting! Especially when Miss Phillips squeezed mushed up food out of a sock. She was showing us how the small intestine works.

We then wrote a story about us being a piece of food and what happened to us. It was exciting because I have never written a story about food and what happens when it is eaten!

Kara and Thomas

Year 4

We had a DT day this month! We spent time researching, planning and then designing our lanterns, using our knowledge from our science lessons. We used batteries, a bulb, wires and even made our own switches so we could turn our lanterns on and off. Every-one worked so hard, we all received a star for our chart.

In science we have been learning about sound and in our last lesson we made some telephones. We used string, two plastic cups, a pencil to make a hole and scissors. First we were just with a partner but in the next lesson we managed to connect with others to make a group conversation. We learnt that the sound vibrates through the string if you have it tight and you will be able to hear each other.

Lois, Tayla, Rheya and Molly (Oak)

Year 5

We have had an exciting term since beginning Year 5…

Our Year started with heaps of fun as we began our topic ‘Hola UK’; we were

learning about the traditions of Spain and the United Kingdom and about the

different physical and human features of both countries. It was a fantastic topic that

began with a ‘traditional fish n’ chip picnic’, traditional stories from both countries,

lots of DT and so much more. We had so much fun closing the topic by creating our

own ‘Spanish Café’ with paella, sangria and a celebration through Spanish Dance

and entertainment!

Our next topic has also been really fun! During ‘Let the Battle Commence,’ we

have explored the invasion of the Vikings, the effects on England and the conflict

between the Vikings and Anglo Saxons. It has been exciting to find out how the

invasion brought changes to the country- it may have been gory… but it has been

fun to find out more in our history based topic! We have enjoyed retelling stories,

creating long ships, designing board games and reinacting the battle of 1066!

Year 6 … Ancient Greece Day Diary

Dear Diary,

On Tuesday, 20th September, year 6 dressed up as Ancient Greeks for the day! To start

the morning, 6 Birch’s teacher, Mrs Blackledge, gave us fantastic Greek names! My

name was the chatty princess, Ariadne. As soon as we finished getting our names, we

went down to greet our Ancient Greece Expert: Mike! To give us a little background of

Ancient Greece, he showed us a map of all the cities of Greece.

After that, we went upstairs into 6B’s class room. We played a fantastic

game called Pettea. One person would be Athens and the other person,

Sparta! The goal was to beat your opponent and get to their side! It was

quite exciting, really. I loved it!

Later on, we went back down to the hall and had to figure out a spectacular puzzle made

by Archimedes! I was in a group with Ellie, Millie, Maisie and Freddie. We had to try

and make a star, a square and a fox out of triangles. Pretty difficult, right?

Next, we went on a ‘Quiz Quest.’ We had to walk around 6J’s class room looking for

answers to questions we had been given. One thing that I found out that I thought was

quite interesting was that Spartan boys were taken away from their mothers at age 7!

After Lunch, Our Ancient Greece expert: Mike showed us some very old

Greek armour that Hoplites used to wear. One of my class mates, Charlie,

was very lucky because he got to hold an Ancient Greece Shield! The

designs on it were very cool. Mike came around and let us hold a real

sword, but I didn’t want to hold it because it was very sharp! Overall it

was very exciting!

When Mike finished showing us the armour, we had our own Ancient Greeks Olympics!

I was mesmerised when Mike easily threw the hoop over the chair. Half of my class ma-

tes got to do it too, but then we swapped over to do Javelin. When It was my turn, I felt

very nervous! I was surprised when I got the Javelin pretty far!

Finally, we performed an Ancient Greece play! Dylan was Zeus, Daisy was Hera and

Jake C. was Jason. What I found funny was, Zeus and Hera were siblings and…

Married! Although I wasn’t a main character, I really enjoyed it!

I think this day was amazing! I loved all the exciting activities and my favourite part was

the Quiz Quest!

Until next time, Bye Diary! -

Amy

Ancient Greek Day

On Tuesday 20th September year 6 had an ancient Greek day at Holland junior school. I woke up that morning feeling extremely excited! Once I had put on my costume and got to school we went down to the hall and met our Ancient Greek man, his name was Mike.

First Mike talked to us about how all the cities in Ancient Greece used to battle each other. As soon as he had finished his interesting talk we went back up to our classroom and played a very fun game called Pettea. I played against Jenson, our game went on for ages and we never found a winner.

After break we all went back down to the hall and Mike told us about a very famous Greek mathematician called Archimedes. Mike explained that he used to like making very complex puzzles to try and trick his friends. Suddenly he asked us to get in groups, in no time he brought round a sheet and a few pieces of puzzle we had to try and put the puzzle together, it was really hard! My group managed to work it out! Just as we were celebrating Mike came over and told us we had to do another one. We had to do a fox’s head, it was really tricky, but we managed to do it. As soon as wed finished Mike zipped over and gave us a crown to try and complete. We still managed to do it and we all felt really proud of ourselves.

When we had finished, we went upstairs to 6J and attempted a quiz quest! We were all given a sheet of paper with about 30 questions on it. The whole concept was there were information boards on different tables they were all based on a different thing I managed to complete the sheet I learnt some really cool facts that we weren’t taught in class.

After lunch, we came back to the hall Mike told us about the Greek armour and infantry weaponry. My friend Charlie got to hold the extremely heavy shield! Chloe from the other class got to wear the helmet. She said it was very heavy and uncomfortable. He showed us the spear and a sword; they were made out of a very strong heavy metal. My favourite weapon was the one handed slingshot which you swing round and let go. You also insert a bullet into the pouch. Next, we did the Olympics, our class was Athens and the other was Sparta. The activity I got to do was the hoop onto the chair throw, unfortunately I failed but it didn’t matter because our class won anyway. Then we re-acted some battle scenes, it was really fun because we got to run up and down the hall sticking our tongues out.

Finally, we did some Greek drama; we played Jason and the Golden Fleece. The basic plot was Zeus’s wife Hera is Jason’s mum but Zeus doesn’t like him. Zeus takes the Golden Fleece and Jason has to get it back. It was really fun and I enjoyed taking part.

Overall, I really enjoyed the day. I told my mum and dad all about what I had learnt; they didn’t know any of the facts. My favourite part was the Greek Olympics because there was a lot of tension and I love sport! By Freddie

A very warm welcome to all of our new Holland Junior School parents. It has been a busy Autumn term, starting with a coffee afternoon on the first day of term for our Year 3 parents in the front playground. This was such a success again. If you haven’t made one yet do come along to meet staff and other parents next time round. Keep an eye on the Weekly Update (Thursdays) for dates.

Our first fund raiser was a brilliant bingo evening for all of the family. The hall was bursting with keen competitors. The Autumn disco was next event with a record number of attendance. We rely on parent and staff support for the disco, so thanks to all that came along, we raised £660 that evening.

At the AGM in October, Louise Clements continued as Chair. We also have a new secretary, Louise Cole. Clara Cervera is our very trusty Treasurer, but sadly will be leaving and we are looking for a replacement. If interested please contact Louise Clements or Clara.

The Grand Christmas Sale sold a record 88 trees, raising £1100. We have had wonderful feedback from those that bought our trees! Thanks to our drivers. Christmas cards and other Christ-massy items raised £400 and a big thanks to the school for acting very quickly helping the children with their creations.

Other monies raised was from second hand uniform, coffees, teas, cakes etc. We also raised £126 from Phil the Bag. An other great success this Autumn has been the Movie nights. The children were very well behaved and we managed to raise about £270.00.

The HSA has paid for the cookers in the Art room, walkie talkies, reading scheme books, table and chairs as well as some costumes for productions.

As well as fund raising events the HSA have been delighted to help with the school’s open day and evening as well as the Rotary shoebox appeal.

A BIG THANK YOU TO MR MURPHY FOR HIS KIND DONATION TO THE HSA.

Events coming up: Spring Disco 13 January at 7 pm HSA meeting/Coffee to plan Easter Eggstravaganza 17 Jan. 2:30pm Art Room Movie night Yr3/4 3 March 3.30pm Movie night Yr 5/6 10 March 3.30pm Easter Eggstravaganza 25 March 12 –5 pm Family Bingo TBC HSA Night Out!!! TBC

Many thanks and have a wonderful Christmas break Louise Clements, Clara and Louise

REMEMBER WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL HELPERS WITH NEW IDEAS TO JOIN THE HSA COMMITTEE

HSA UPDATE