Mr O'Brien is now a dad!!

Introducing Aoife Florence O’Brien to the Forest Fields Alumni. She was born on 19th July 2020. I'm a very proud dad and she is well worth the extra grey hairs and lack of sleep.

 

2019 - time flies!!

On the off chance that any of you still look back on this blog, I thought I would say hello. I imagine some of you will have left school, have jobs, or be at university. It would be really nice to hear what you are all up to now. If you still keep in touch with any of our former class members, I would like to hear what they are doing as well.

You were such a fun class to teach and I hope you are doing well and that you are happy wherever you are.

Mr O'B

Class of 2011 Update

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. I've just worked out that you're all in Y10 now and that it doesn't seem that long ago since we were together in Y6. I still look back on that year and laugh - it was great fun and still a special highlight in my teaching career.

So, I'm STILL in Singapore and Head of Year 6. There are 200 pupils in my year group (2000 students in the whole school). All is going well, but I'm excited about coming back to England for the Christmas holidays.

I haven't taught it since we covered Shakespeare in FF, but this morning I worked with my class on Macbeth and understanding some of the key scenes. It made think back to all the other things we did that year and I wanted to write something in here to say hello.

If you wanted to leave a comment saying what you are up to - it would be brilliant to hear back from you.

Mr O'B

Hello to all of the gang who still check this blog.

Its been really nice to see your comments and see how you are doing. I no longer update this regularly because I assumed you're all too grown up to want to hear from one of your old teachers. You were such a fun class and I really hope that you are happy in your schools and achieving what you deserve.

I'm well and just about to finish for the holidays. I'm still in Singapore and have been teaching Y4 but will be back to teaching Y6 next year. I'm always looking for fun lessons or topics so if you have done anything that you really enjoyed then let me know.

Enjoy the rest of your Summer Term and I can't believe you'll be in Y9 next year!

I feel old.

Take care,

Mr OB

Hi from Singapore

It's been a long time but I have just been on our blog and it was so nice to see lots of you still comment. Thank you so much for getting in touch. It's great to know how you are all getting on and hearing all of your news. You're all going to be huge now I expect as you are Y8 or Y9. I teach Y4, still in Singapore, which is a lot of fun but of course I miss my old classes at Forest Fields.

Did you all have goo summer holidays? I was in New Zealand and was quite proud of myself for doing a bungee jump and a sky dive - it was great fun.

I hope you all have had great starts back to school and you are being good for your teachers.

Work hard and take care

Mr OB

Happy New Year and Gong XI Fa Cai

Hello from Singapore,

I hope you are all well and had a great Christmas holiday. I was back in the UK and visited Forest Fields - it was so nice to see all the children and teachers, it is a really special place. It was odd not seeing any of the Year 6 from last year but it's always nice to come onto the blog and see how you are getting on. I always enjoy reading your comments and seeing what you are up to. Let me know what you are learning about and the subjects you enjoy.

There have been huge Chinese New Year celebrations this weekend (Gong Xi Fa Cai) I was actually in Malaysia but unfortunately I didn't see Ezzety, maybe next time.

It sounds like you are all having the best time in your new schools, you're half way there to becoming big year 8s. I was talking to another teacher the other day about the awesome Year 6s I had the pleasure of teaching last year and the amazing end of year performance you did. Great memories.

Be good,

Mr O'B

Hello from Singapore

Hello to my wonderful former class!

It has been a very, very busy last few weeks and I'm sorry for not writing a post sooner. I hope you are well and have had a great start to your new schools. Happy Eid Mubarak! Did you all have fun? How was Goose Fair? Have you all settled into Year 7 and made new friends? Most importantly I hope you are working hard and doing Forest Fields proud.

I've included some photographs where you will see me in Singapore when I went to Formula 1 race, getting close with my new friend Bob the Python in Australia and being attacked in by a monkey in Monkey Forest in Bali.

I hope you've had a great half term holiday.

All the best

Mr OB

Eid Mubarak

It must be getting very close to you all starting Secondary School. I hope you have had an amazing summer and have lots of stories to tell. I also hope you are all feeling nice and relaxed and ready to start the new term in a really positive way. Remember first impressions count - so make them great ones!

Well, I am here in sunny Singapore and it's a very nice place to live. Everyone is very friendly and helpful and I'm enjoying it (although I do miss my amazing class of 2011). Our school day starts very early - the children arrive at half past 7 and the school day starts at 7:50. Lunchtime is at 11:30, which takes a little getting used to. Our school day ends at 2:50 but almost all the children go to an after school club. So far I have helped out with the golf club and I coached some football today - it was very hot!

My new class are fun - they like football and there are lots of Arsenal fans (in fact Arsenal have a Soccer School based at my new school, which is exciting to see lots of coaches in official kit). Today, we did a bit of 'Let me see your bungalow' as I told them my old class used to like this game - it made all the other classes in the year group look at us like we were very odd.

Here's to a happy end of summer.

Missing you all lots and thank you, thank you, thank you very much for all of your comments - it's been lovely to hear from you.

Mr OB

Zak repost your blog address as I can't access it

Happy Holidays

Hi to all the (former) Year 6's.

I hope you are all having a fantastic summer. Post a comment and tell everyone what you have been up to. Mine has been quite hectic as I have moved out of my home, sold my car and tried to fit my life into two suitcases! It is not working very well and I wish I had small feet because my massive shoes are causing me problems.

I fly on Thursday 11th at 11:30 am so it's all getting very real now. I am very excited but also still very sad to be missing all my family, friends and all the wonderful and amazing and super talented children I had the pleasure of getting to know at Forest Fields. As I have said many, many times you are the best year group I have met and I still watch our Year Book which never fails to make me smile.

Here's to you all having a happy and safe summer. I will write a post when I am settled in and put some pictures up. Good luck to you all with your start to Secondary School, you will love it and within a few weeks your little primary school will seem like a distant memory (",)

Thanks for all your hard work this year - I am so proud of what you all achieved.

TERRATARS! AMROCKS! RULE!

Macbeth (in under 200 words)

Well done to Kayinat, Alvena and Sara for all of their hard work (and patience) in producing this film.

Well done

Class of 2011

It's an end of an era for our Year 6 children. Well done for your amazing effort and hard work at tonight's Macbeth performance. All of the teachers and your parents were so proud of you. It is an amazing achievement to perform Shakespeare - Well done to everyone.

Enjoy your Year Video - I hope it provides happy memories for years to come.

Mr O'Brien

Drayton Manor

Earlier this term, we went to the AMAZING Drayton Manor Theme Park for an awesome day out. We went on so many scary rides including Apocalypse, Storm Force 10 and Maelstrom. Everybody had so much - even the adults!

Sound Stations

Yesterday we worked with Year 1 and Year 2 and taught them lots of things about sound. We split off into ten groups and each station had set up a different science investigation focusing on sound. We have worked very hard on this task throughout the week, from experimenting and investigating ourselves, thinking about the activities we could carry out with the children and planning our lessons with lesson objectives, key questions and extension activities.

It was a really brilliant day full of learning and fun. We loved teaching the little ones and they enjoyed working at our stations. There were lots of brilliant activities led by the Year 6 children from Making Bonkos (from pringle tins), Blowing Bottles, Ear Gongs, Pitch and Percussion, Balloon Headphones, and Telephone Cups.

It was a great day and hopefully will become a Legacy of Year 6 to repeat it again year after year.

Macbeth: Theme Tune

Use the link below for inspiration to learn the words for our performance this year

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5df_1254429152

I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax
I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire
Don't touch me I'm a real live wire

Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

You start a conversation you can't even finish it.
You're talkin' a lot, but you're not sayin' anything.
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed.
Say something once, why say it again?

Psycho Killer,
Qu'est-ce que c'est
fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'estfa
fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better
Run run run run run run run away

Hola!!

Some of the children in Year 6 had a very special treat today as they Skyped a Primary School in Year 6. The school Arcipreste de Hita, located in El Espinar(60km north of madrid), Segovia, Spain.

First, we had to go onto Skype and signed in. Then, we video called the spanish school (Arcipreste de Hita).The school called us back saying they had a few problems with the microphone.Umar(pupil of Forest Fields Primary School)talked to a girl and he said "Hola Buenos dias, como te llams? ," (Hello good afternoon Whats your name?) The girl replied"Fiona y tu?,"(Fiona and you?) and Umar said"Mi llamo Umar,que es to deporte favoirta?(My name is Umar, whats your favourite sport?) Fiona answered"Natacion y tu?(Swimming and you?)Umar replied "futbal,"(Football) Fiona said " cual es tu equipo favorito?"(whats your favourite team?) Umar replied"Arsenal, Hasta luagos"(Arsenal Bye bye)


Finally, it was time to say bye and go back to class and there might be another conference next Thursday. It was a big success.

Legacy: Anne Frank

Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I've never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest.

'Paper has more patience than people.'

Anne Frank's diary is important to many people and is a tremendous legacy. We can use Anne’s words to talk about feelings, about growing up and family relationships because Anne wrote about all of these things.

Anne’s diary remains an inspiration to people today because even though Anne knew what was happening to her Jewish friends and neighbours, and even though she was trapped in the 'Secret Annex' Anne always believed in the true goodness of people.

The words and ideals of this young girl from sixty years ago remind us that we need to respect each other and appreciate and understand each other's differences.

An interesting website to find out more information about Anne Frank and the time she lived in can be found here http://tinyurl.com/6dau6a3

Legacy

Listen to the following song '100 years' by Five For Fighting.

http://www.contactmusic.com/videos.nsf/stream/five-for-fighting-100-years

and look at this amazing site with photographs taken of different people aged 0 to 101

Men: http://www.onehundredone.dk/men.html

Women: http://www.onehundredone.dk/women.html

What do you want your legacy to be?

Think about your time at Forest Fields Primary School. How will you be remembered? What were your happiest times and why? What has been your favourite achievement?

If you were to draw your timeline from 0 years to 100 years what would be the main ambitions and goals that you would like to achieve? Why are these important to you?

Brilliant Maths Site

Here is a great website for you to visit and practice any of the Numeracy skills we have covered this year. Simply click on the link and select 'Year 6'.

www.uk.ixl.com

Enjoy!

Year 6 had a birthday party last Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Mr.O'Brien's 30th birthday. buttons, biscuits, and much more including an A Team Birthday Cake! It was scrumptious. It was a birthday hall more likely instead of a classroom (We even got to watch some of the cricket We had great fun. Sir had kindly arranged lots of food such as; cakes, pizza, smarties, chocolate India vs Pakistan)

It was a great hit! A big bash! Sir had loads of gifts. He had 2 boxed up ties, a marshmellow jar, a dazzling watch, Celebrations(Chocolate box) and hundreds more. I can't name them all unfortunately.

The classroom was adorned with banners and ballons,confetty and secquins. He had 2 BIG BALLOONS. They were as big as him.Then we had a chocolate cake,everyone tucked in. We could hear lots of "YUMMY's" going on.

Time passed while we were having fun. After we ate the cake,we cleared the birthday hall transformed it into a 6POB classroom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lUCKILY,sir had a banner,an extraordinary banner with all his photographs of when he was younger. There was a picture where he was a small child. AAHHHHHHW,sir looked so cute.And then near it it was a picture with him and a fluffy dog.Next to that,there was a picture of him in school.(His hair were like royal curtains.)Safa said that he looked like a "Hogwarts baddie when he was at school!" then near that he was like now,polite and normal..........

Text Types

http://www.writingfun.com/writingfun2010.html

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/english.htm#C

http://www.athena.bham.org.uk/old/lit_resources.htm

Use these websites to help you write the features of the text type you have been given to write about.