The whole school met Tony De Saulles at Assembly, as he launched our Science Week. Tony is well known for illustrating the Horrible Science series. He has visited us twice before, and his sessions are always really enjoyable!
Lucky Years 4 and 5 had workshops with Tony. He talked about his new series ‘Bee Boy’, with a PowerPoint slideshow, drawing, a reading from the book, and a song! The children also did drawings of their own, with Tony guiding them through step-by-step. As well as being entertained, we learned a lot about bees and their importance to human beings. It's not all about the honey!
                                                                                 Remember: No bees = no pollination
                                                                                                    No pollination = no plants!
Lots of us bought Tony’s new book, ‘Bee Boy and the Clash of the Killer Queens’. Now, we're really looking forward to the next adventure in the series, 'Attack of the Zombees'! 

Class 3 claimed their prize of Afternoon Tea in the library on Friday 9th March. They were the winners of this year's World Book Day Classroom Display competition, with a truly marvellous display based on Roald Dahl's 'The BFG'. They had made their own Dream Jars, and made a beautiful arrangement of jars, glitter and fairy lights! When Class 3 arrived in the library they gasped in amazement:  there was so much cake!

Neela visited the Library with some of the parents to talk about storytelling with Sue, the librarian. We shared the tale of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff', using puppets, and comparing several books. We had fun thinking about using different voices for the three billy goats and the horrible troll. We also discussed the language used in the stories and that sometimes new versions change some of the details. The parents are working on a story of their own, based on 'The Princess and the Pea'. They were able to borrow books from the library, and next term will return to the library to  present their stories to Sue.

Emdad Rahman MBE came to visit Salma's Year 6 Literacy Group as part of our World Book Day celebrations. Emdad grew up a 'stone's throw' from Blue Gate Fields Junior School, and he talked about his life and achievements. His passion is writing poetry, and he loves football, so that is what he writes about. Emdad told us  that he is always having creative ideas, keeps notes on his 'phone, and keeps a scrapbook of his life. He explained that it is very useful to look back on, as it's so easy to forget all the things we've done as we get older! Currently he is campaigning and raising money for a Dementia charity, and also for projects in Bangladesh and Ghana. He read us one of his poems, which is shown below, about a footballer from North Africa, who was famous in his day, but has been forgotten. Emdad's poems have been archived by the Briish Library, and can be accessed online via football.org

Larbi Ben Mbarek: The forgotten genius
EMDAD RAHMAN
Tuesday, April 18th, 2017
 
The first to strike gold in Europe
Was that famous Black Pearl
Fondly known as Benbarek
To others the Moroccan Earl
 
El Ouatane aged fourteen
Honed the Black Pearl’s stealth
Two Spanish titles for El Prodigio
Order of Merit after his death
 
Forty three goals for Stade Français
As Larbi walked the walk
Fifty six as Spain’s Perla Negra
La perle noir du Maroc
 
From twenty Francs a day
An Iberian prince at Marseille
The first ever “black pearl”
Very high praise from Pele
 
Eight goals against Southend
A first French cap against Italy
War loomed and Larbi went home
With the arrival of the Nazi
 
French journalists raged in despair
When Atletico signed a cheque
One wrote; ‘Sell the Eiffel Tower,
But not Ben Barek’
 
Idéal Club Casablanca and US Marocaine
Stade Français adding spice
Atlético Madrid Los Rojiblancos
Where Larbi won La Liga twice
 
Nineteen caps for Les Bleus no myth
Danced on dictator Franco’s deck
Bel-Abbès and a stadium named
For Haj Abdelkader Larbi Ben M’barek
 
© emdad rahman
 
It seems Haj Abdelkader Larbi Ben M’barek has been airbrushed from football history.
 
What a player and what history!