Welcome to Onyx Class

Class teacher: Miss Barker

Teaching Assistant: Mrs Weatherley

e-mail address - onyx@edgebury.bromley.sch.uk

PGL Day 4

Our final full day at PGL has been jam-packed with some of our favourite activities so far. Trapeze, climbing, buggy building and rifle shooting kept Year 6 very busy! We cheered each other on as children reached the top of the climbing wall and leapt for the trapeze bar. Children worked in teams to build buggies from a selection of materials and then they took it in turns to drive around a short course. The rifle range saw Year 6 channel their focus and take aim at a selection of tricky targets- we have some sharp shooters on our hands! 

The children are looking forward to spending their last night in their cabins with friends before heading home in the morning to be reunited with you all. We’re expecting to leave the PGL site at around 10am in the morning, and the school office will be in touch to confirm we have departed and provide an estimated arrival time.

PGL Day 3

Wednesday arrived and it's hard to think that tomorrow is the last full day. With another busy schedule ahead there must plenty of fun to be had. Everyone had the same four activities over the course of the day - Jacob's Ladder, fencing, survivor and the zip wire!

Jacob's ladder combined climbing prowess with teameork skills in the ultimate timed challenge. Armed only with their trusty length of rope - Barry - children had to combine their efforts, children tried to scale the ever increasing distance between the rungs with many a cry of "It's harder than it looks!" ringing out.

Fencing gave an opportunity for some of that competitive spirit to be channeled in this classic 1v1 sport. Shown the correct postures and movements let them do battle with their plastic foils.

Survivor may have been a bit soggy for some but just made it all the more representative of wh these skills are so important. Taught about some basic knots, shelter building, knife skills and fire making, it is hoped that the children built their knowledge and confidence in what it would take to survive in 'the great outdoors'.

The zip wire was being talked about from early on in the week and gave the children that flying feeling as they soared through the air, many more than once.

The evening activity that had been planned, unfortunately, was a little washed out. However, this did give everyone a chance to stay warm and dry, with some much needed cabin time to help relax after the second long day in a row.

One more day of activities awaits tomorrow!

PGL Day 2

Day 2 saw the first full day of activities and they were every bit as action-packed as expected.

First up, after breakfast, were the sensory trail and all aboard. With blindfolds on and sight put to one side for a while, the children were led over it, under it and through it in this activity. Having to follow a guide rope and the person in front, they navigated obstacles, tunnels and a mini maze to come through the other side unscathed (if perhaps a little muddy!). All aboard, perhaps surprisingly, is a climbing activity. Teams of four were tasked with scaling a wooden pole to reach a platform at the top. Once safely harnessed off, the battle commenced and children would try, using their posterior, to knock each other off and be the last one standing. All of the children pushed themselves to their limits and even those that didn't end up at the very top should be proud of how far they went.

After lunch we had orienteering and abseiling. In their small teams, children got familiar with the site, using maps to hunt for stamps, trying to collect them all. Abseiling is a stalwart of the PGL experience with children making their way backwards down the sheer wall. It was great to see them all supporting each other and cheering for their friends, helping some overcome their nerves to make it over the edge.

Our evening activity saw us round the campfire, singing, dancing and even enjoying a toasted marshmallow! An ideal way to end any day before the children returned to their rooms to sleep and prepare for the next day.

PGL Day 1

The first day at PGL seemed to pass in a flash. The anticipation was clear as the children arrived at school and then boarded the coach - a journey filled with excited discussion and singing.

On arrival, the first item in the agenda was finding our cabins, getting in and settled before our first meal of the week. After a filling lunch, there were two activities for the children to enjoy this afternoon - the giant swing and problem solving.

The giant swing is often a favourite so to open the week with this high-flying fun certainly set a positive tone for the days ahead for many (despite facial expressions in the moment!)

Problem solving was a chance to keep our feet firmly on the ground and show our teamwork skills. Working together to overcome a series of challenges, the children showed good resilience and determination to come up with their own solutions.

The evening saw us take part in PGL games where children could get a little more competitive across a variety of mini team competitions.

A great day has been had and sets us up wonderfully the remainder of the week.

Have you been on Times Table Rock Stars today?

Did you know....?

• Knowing your times table facts can help you to understand lots of other maths such as fractions, decimals, money, time & division!
• If you can recall multiplication facts quickly when solving a problem you'll have more 'space' in your brain for reasoning!
• 5 minutes a day on Times Table Rock Stars can help you remember those tricky tables and improve your score!