Jump to it... Mrs Maxwell needs your help!

Mrs. Maxwell has asked for some help. If you have any frogspawn in your garden or you know where you can get some, please would you contact either us here at the blog or Mrs. Maxwell at school.

Facts about frogs:

• Frogs travel to ponds in the Spring to breed (around Feb/March depending on the weather)
• Each clump of frogspawn can hold about 2,000 eggs
• Frogspawn can be killed by frost, other animals, drying out or disease
• Frogs have excellent eyesight
• A quarter of a frogs diet is made up of slugs and snails
• Frogs are attracted to water by the smell of algae which is a great food for tadpoles
• Frogs can breathe through their skin when they hibernate at the bottom of a pond
• Frogs eyes stick up so they can see out of the water but remain hidden
  

Nominate now for Teaching Awards 2008!

Say "Thank You" to our school -

We all know what a great job English Martyrs Catholic Primary School does, here in Oakham, and that our Teachers and Staff are fundamental to our children's futures. But they don't always receive the praise they deserve and the Teaching Awards is a fantastic way for you to show your appreciation.

Making a nomination is a fantastic way to give Teachers, Support Staff, School Governors and schools the recognition they deserve. The closing date for nominations is midnight on 1st March 2008.

---"The Teaching Awards provides a unique opportunity for us to celebrate those who, tirelessly and often selflessly, dedicate their lives to securing a future for the next generation" Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE.---

Please help us ensure that those individuals who make a real difference to pupils' lives at our school receive the recognition they so richly deserve. If you feel that the whole school has been working hard to promote and encourage a sustainable and healthy future, you can also make a nomination for the Teaching Award for Sustainable Schools which celebrates the team and their efforts to secure a greener future.

Absolutely anyone can make a nomination - simply log on to www.teachingawards.com and click 'Nominate Now!'

So go on, have your say - you can nominate any of the following:

• The whole school
• Headteacher
• Teacher
• Teaching Assistant
• Support Staff
• School Governor

But don't forget the closing date is 1st March 2008.

Brush up on languages..

Here's a clever little aid to help you brush up on your French, Spanish or Portuguese in time for the summer holidays ... yes, they do seem a long way off but before you know it the sun will be shining and winter legs will become bronzed and beautiful once more!!

Simply register with Bitesized Languages and receive FREE daily emails designed to help you learn your chosen language a little bit at a time.

Your free daily email contains

• 'Word of the day'
• A phrase using the word in context
• Links to MP3 recordings of the phrases being spoken
• Simple, easy-to-read, diary style format
• Even occasional jokes and film reviews to stretch your linguistic skills... all for free!

Another New Online Store!

A stalwart of high street shopping has just joined us here at the Friends of English Martyrs Blog!

BHS offers amazingly good value for a variety of homeware and fashion items. Don't forget them when you're looking for school uniform basics and remember click here first to get to their store and we earn commission on your online shopping.

There's no catch,

Just Click and Shop!

Is 5 too young to start school?

We've picked up on a story run by the BBC recently and wondered what your thoughts are on this issue.

Children in the UK start compulsory full time education at 5 years old but many, of course, start at 4. Whilst the government has recognised the problems associated with 'Summer born' children, little has changed in the age in which we expect our children to start school for over 130 years!

Orginally, it was the Victorians (in 1870) who thought it a good idea for children to start education at such tender age. However, the system was first implemented to keep them away from wayward parents and poor social conditions not to give them a love of learning. More social conditioning and child protection than improving literacy rates!

England now has the earliest starting age for school in the European Union and sadly the levels of achievement aren't the highest, in fact quite the reverse. Finland is the 'superstar' of education and is consistently among the top performers. In contrast to England's system, Finnish children start school at the age of 7 and have much longer holidays than their UK counterparts - 11 weeks in the summer.

So despite English children spending the most amount of time away from their families studying at school, they are not achieving the success of children in other EU countries. The Cambridge based, Primary Review, has scrutinised the way education is implemented in this country and has concluded that there appears to be no correlation betwen quantity and quality in education.

So, where are we going wrong? Do our children start school too early? What are your views?

If you'd like to make a comment on this topic, look at the end of this posting (after the ads) for "Posted by Friends of English Martyrs at 16:00 0 comments" click on the word 'comments' and type away! When you re-visit the blog a number next to 'comments' will signify how many other people have left comments which you can read.

Call for urgent help...

Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, our newly appointed Premises Officer at English Martyrs Primary School has had to resign.

We urgently need a new Premises Officer (Caretaker) and hope you can help us in our search. This is a temporary position with the possibility of becoming permanent.

The Premises Officer will need to work 20 hours per week and we are looking for someone who can start immediately.

For full details please contact the school on 01572 722 400 or use the contact form at the bottom of this page.

The school is also desperately in need of some temporary cleaners ... can you help? If you can offer an hour or so after school, any day Monday to Friday, please get in touch.

Your help, as always, is very much appreciated - Thank You.

Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day

Today is Shrove Tuesday. Traditionally it is a day of celebration as it is the day before the beginning of Lent. As eggs, flour, milk, cream and butter were all forbidden during Lent, people would use up these ingredients by making Pancakes rather than seeing them go to waste.

If you'd like to have a go at making Pancakes, here's a simple recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

For the Batter:

225g/8oz plain flour

2 medium eggs

up to 500ml/17fl oz milk

For the Filling:

250g/9oz good quality butter toffee (broken up if in a block)

3 tbsp milk

6-8 (one per person) ripe bananas, sliced

Method:

Sieve the flour and beat in the eggs.

Beat in the milk a little at a time until the batter has the consistency of single cream. Leave to stand for at least half an hour before making the pancakes.

Put the toffee and 3 tbsp milk in a heavy pan. Stir consistently over a low heat until the toffee has melted and the sauce is smooth. It doesn't have to boil but should be nice and hot.

Pour a little of the pancake mixture into a lightly oiled non-stick pan and fry the pancakes. When bubbles appear (after about 1-1½ minutes) flip or turn the pancake.

Stack them up and keep them warm while you cook the rest.

Place slices of banana down the middle of each pancake and pour over a generous amount of toffee sauce. Fold over each side of the pancake into the middle. Decorate with more slices of banana and an extra drizzle of toffee sauce.

Enjoy!

Request for PLAY

Just to show that we really do listen......

We had a request earlier this morning, from Sarah Archer, to feature a company called PLAY.com on the Friends of English Martyrs Blog. Just like Sarah, a few of us have discovered an alternative to Amazon. PLAY is well worth a visit. So, have a look and let us know what you think.

Remember, all your online purchases via our Blog help us to raise money for our school!

Thanks Sarah for the suggestion!