Page 14 - link magazine

14 The Link Magazine • July 2006 Free classifieds now available
Story time through drum talk
25th year fete
Children at Bridlewood Primary School had
Saturday 15 July, 12noon - 4pm a smashing time in early June when they
Freshbrook Primary School took part in a day of workshops run by
Each class will present song and Drum Crazy.
dance from the 70s and 80s Every class had a session with John Walter
Lots of attractions: bucking who helped them tell a story using different
bronco, beat the goalie, techniques, group drumming and percus-
Bluebelle majorettes, stalls sion.
and refreshments Rachel Hickman's Willows reception class,
Display of photographs and right, told a gruesome story of a lion looking
artifacts from the Iasi 25 years for breakfast. The youngsters loved drum-
ming out the blood thirsty description.
Meet former classmates
and teachers The day ended with a Key Stage 2 perform-
ance with help from younger children.
Shopping spree for competition winners
Greenmeadow Primary School had a novel idea for spending their
book budget this year. They ran a book review competition and the
lucky winners were taken to Borders to help spend £3,000 on reading
matter for the school.
Literacy co-ordinator, Jane was impressed by the selections.
Hornbogen, said, "we wanted the She said, "they made very good
children to chose the books be- choices and the only ones we had
cause so often we impose things to put back were the duplicates.
on them. We asked pupils to write This is something we'll do again."
a review of their favourite book For most families,shoppingwith
and picked the best from each two or three children is a night-
class." mare. But, Mrs Hornbogen had no
The winners, l6 Key Stage 1 chil- such problems with her troop of
dren and 20 from Key Stage 2, were book buyers. "They all behaved
taken to the North Swindon Dis- beautifully," she said.
trict Centre in two shopping trips. The books have been distributed
The young bookworms were around classrooms and the library.
given a completely free choice from Each book bears the name of a
the store's range. Mrs Hornbogen child on a special bookplate.
Thomas Dolphin and Lilly Posthlewaite with other book selectors
End game for Freshbrook's schools
Swindon Council's plan to remove 600 primary school places across
West Swindon could be resolved on 5 July when its proposal to close
1 both Freshbrook and Windmill Hill Primary Schools are discussed
\O<"
by the independent Schools' Organisation Committee.

School's minister Jim Knight receives the case to remain open from Windmill Hill
parents at a meeting in London in May arranged by Anne Snelgrove MP
The SOC agreed earlier in the out the case for closure and com-
year that Salt Way Primary would menting on objections can be found
I i . W close at the end of term and the at www.swindon.gov.uk
children transfer to Shaw Ridge The Schools' Organisation Com-
Primary in September. mittee is made up of different in-
Now the committee has to con- terests - the council, churches, un-
sider the large number of objec- ions and lay people. If the vote is
tions put forward by Windmill Hill not unanimous the decision will
parents who have argued that one be passed to the government's
of the town's best performing schools adjudicator. If the decision
schools should not be closed down. is in the council's favour, it pro-
The council says that the excel- poses to open the new school by
lence developed at Windmill Hill September 2008.
Yes can be transferred to a new com- • Swindon Council has removed
2'e bined school with community fa- the rebuilding of Toothill Primary
cilities to be built on the Freshbrook from the decision regarding schools
Primary School site. in Freshbrook and groundwork
The report to the SOC setting preparation will start soon.