The autumn term seems to have flown past. We have had several new members of staff this term joining our growing school: three new teachers, one of whom is the new deputy Headteacher, Mr Mark Smith; two new office staff Mrs Jean Bjornsgaard and Mrs Elaine Hird who are getting to grips with all the tasks in our busy office; four new teaching assistants and a cleaner. The Governors gave class teacher Miss Lesley Green leave of absence for one year while she travels the world. She left in August and gives us regular updates. She has travelled to India, Nepal, Tibet, Vietnam and Cambodia. She stayed for several weeks in Thailand where she took a diving course and she is now in Malaysia.

Since September, all the children at St James are learning a modern foreign language. We are lucky to have two teaching assistants, one of whom is French and the other who is fluent in several languages, to teach the classes. The younger children in Key Stage One are learning Spanish and the older children in Key Stage 2 are learning French. It is rewarding to hear children greet each other in another language and they are certainly enjoying the activities. Year 2 children made puppets one week and they used them to introduce the puppet in Spanish to the rest of the class; Year 4 had a French picnic and prepared the food using French.

Elstead's Poppy Appeal Organiser, Andrew Jones visited the school on several occasions to work with Year 2 and Year 6 to help them understand why we wear poppies. He then joined us for our short service outside, at the front of the school, on Remembrance Day. Each child planted a cross inscribed with the name of someone who lived locally and who died in the first or second world wars and we held two minutes silence at 11 am. It is important that our children understand why we must remember those who died to keep our country free.

Our design and technology week in November had the theme of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and was hugely enjoyed by us all. Each class researched their favourite types of sweets, doing blind tastings to decide on the best texture for sweets; they invented their own recipes; developed advertising materials; designed and made the packages in which to sell their sweets. The older children developed business plans to cost the production and sale of their sweets. They named their creations and these were sold at our Christmas Fair. The week was very popular with the children and they covered much of the design and technology curriculum as well as many maths, English and art skills.

Our Christmas production of Hosanna Rock involved the whole school. This was a version of the nativity with each class taking an aspect of the story. The children sang some wonderfully catchy tunes which we are still singing. I was very proud of the school orchestra who brilliantly performed all the music for this production under the direction of our very talented music teacher, Mrs Clifford.

Ann Tann

The Governors of St James are looking for a clerk to take the minutes of their termly meetings. These are currently held one evening each March, June and November. There is a small honorarium for this interesting post. If you would like to know more, please contact William Lang, or Ann Tann at the school.