Parlez vous francais?
Non? Allez a 'French Club'. Oui the LP Times knows a little french, but children at the school are learning a lot more. There'll be a letter sent out to the next group of attendees soon.

No PE Kit, no PE.
Don't forget - keep fit. The LP Times personal trainer has noticed that some children are forgetting to bring the correct clothing. Read more in this newsletter.

Christmas Fair 2004 It's always a cracker with a great atmosphere and this year was no exception.

Child's Play *new photos
School breaks will never be the same again! The first phase of the playground project is almost complete - check out our special Playground Project page for details and photos. But what's this?
Find out on the playground page.

Boxed In!
Well they should have paid attention in class! Only joking!

Far from being naughty, pupils have been 'doing their bit' to put a smile on the faces of children in Mozambique. One hundred and seventy three shoeboxes were filled with sweets, toys, games and other goodies to support the work of Operation Christmas Child.

Seen this Before?

Miss Lindley's class have been taking advantage of the new laptop trolley. As well as using them for a variety of activities they have also been looking at themselves on the school website, enjoying their Welly Wednesdays. See the pages they are looking at, on the website by clicking on the wellies on the right.

Have Faith in Education!
As part of their RE work, in comparing and contrasting major faiths of the world, year 5 and 6 children had the opportunity to visit the Jewish Museum and Synagogue in Cheetham Hill.

They enjoyed a fascinating talk, had a chance to look at the Torah scrolls and try on a kippar. Niall and Jessica (above) also tried on prayer shawls.

School Clubs
As if being in school wasn't enough, some of you may want to be there longer but it is for even more fun. Yes the school clubs are back. There's sport, singing, performing, art and even French - mais oui! To find out what's what, who takes what and where it's at click here to make sense of it all.

The Annual 'Prom'
The oldest pupils at Lower Park said goodbye to their primary school in style as they celebrated with their Prom. Many of the youngsters started the evening by arriving in limousines, Ferraris and even Harley Davidsons!!

Click on the image above for a bigger photo.
The children spent the evening eating from a huge buffet, being waited on by their teachers, dancing and taking part in some crazy games, like dressing each other up in toilet rolls like an Egyptian mummy!!

Tree Hugging!
What on earth is going on here?

Only one way to find out - click on the photo and discover what was in store for all those who went on the school trip to Ilam this year.

"Cabaret..."
They sang, ate and danced! The George Galway Big Band returned to the school on the 7th July and with the school band and the choir performing, it was an evening to be remembered. Although the LP Times editor could not be there, due to work commitments, he did have a representative who returned from the event with nothing but praise.

And for the children...
Kylie, Britney, Blink 182, McFly and for Key Stage 1 some magic thrown in. Fri. 9th July - kids only! More details here.

New Arrival
Congratulations to Mrs Ripper who has recently given birth to a baby boy. The LP Times wish the family all the very best and hoping they all get plenty of sleep! Waaaahhhhh, waaaahhhhhh .... ! And there may be more good news at the end of July as Mrs Byrne has started her maternity leave. Good luck to all the family.

Bike 4 Their Lives - from Lands End to John O'Groats!
Leigh and Paul set off on their epic cycling journey of 850 miles, hoping not only to complete it in 7 days or less but also to raise £1000 for each of their three chosen charities (Tearfund, Compassion and Cancer Research UK).

Lower Park pupils helped their cause by entering a 'word search' competition with a donation of £1. The winner will win an exciting pack of cycling goodies - said our spokesperson!

Hog Roast & Hoe Down
This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed at home, this little piggy got roasted..............and the rest danced all night long! Yes on Saturday 19th June all the big piggies, or the grown-ups to give them their real name, danced and scoffed hog roast from the Lower Park trough. The event raised £110 - not to be sniffed at!

The PTA Go Potty!
Well 'pot plants' to be precise. In a novel fundraising idea the PTA circulated leaflets around Poynton offering bedding plants for sale at a knockdown price. They were delivered by a team of very wet volunteers! Find out more by clicking on the photo below.

We Are The Champions
The school Cross-Country team are celebrating a fantastic achievement. They have won the schools championship for the third year in a row. We have all the details including an exclusive interview from our NEW web reporter Rachel. Click here for all the details.

Allo! Allo! Encore s'il vous plait!
Mais Oui Le Lower Park Times practises its French for a 'test' with a difference. The Year 6 end of term French assessment turned out to be much more fun than the pupils expected. Find out why by clicking 'ici'.

Special Trophy Winners
Daniel and George are the latest recipients of the termly prizes made at Lower Park School.

Daniel, aged 11, won the Chris Hammond award, while George 7, was delighted to take the trophy awarded in memory of Caroline Corlett.
Both children were taken by surprise at a special celebration assembly after they were chosen by staff in recognition of their positive attitude towards school life.

Christmas Fair
The fair was held on Friday 6th December 2003 and many pupils and their families went along to join in the fun. More details of how this festive event went can be found in this newsletter.

Easter Term
So Santa has returned to Lapland for another year and the Christmas holidays, which always seem to go so quickly, are over. But even though we can't promise Mr Claus there is plenty to look forward to this Easter term. As usual you'll be able to read about the highlights in words and pictures here in the school's own web newspaper. Roll on chocolate eggs and hot cross buns!

Children in Need

The school celebrated the annual fundraising event in fine style. We've had non school uniform days and even odd socks day, and this year the fashion theme, if you can call it that, continued with 'Silly Hat Day'. You can see some of those hats by clicking on the Pudsey Bear picture. There's also more details in this newsletter.

Food Glorious Food?
Enjoyed your lunch and your dinner? Well now it's time to get stuck into Cheshire's School Meal website. No we're not joking! It's cleverly named www.myschoollunch.co.uk/cheshire/ and you're in for a treat. Not only is there a fun and games section there's also info for parents and teachers. I never knew school meals could be so much fun! Click on the website address to pay a visit.

Did you get your skates on?

In the school hall on Friday 10th October plastic tiles were laid on the floor turning it into a warm 'ice rink'. No longer did children have to shiver at the local ice rink or fall on a very hard cold surface getting their trousers all wet from melting ice. It was a PTA event and what's more part of the event has been captured on camera click here to see a small selection.


Brain Juice!
Yes help is at hand to make you brighter: well that's what research suggests. Frequent sips of water during the day are not only good for your health but keep your brain more alert. The school has launched a new 'water bottle' scheme aimed at just this. So no more excuses for falling asleep in class! Great idea. Read more by clicking on the well.

Builders in Class.

The builders were invited to the last School Council meeting to discuss the progress of the playground project and hear what the children would like to see in the second phase of the project. Don't forget to see the latest playground project page complete with photos.

Keen as Mustard!
Well that's an expression you may have heard. Here at LP Times we've never quite understood it, but 'Mustard Tree' we have. So have year 2 children who were given a fascinating talk about the Manchester based charity, as part of their RE work, from Mrs Pilkington, one of our supply teachers who is a volunteer for the charity.

What's on my welly...

...and what are the reception class doing? ...and what is 'Welly Wednesday'? Click on the wellies below to find out.

Poynton Show Winners
At the annual event at Poynton pool two of our children, Becky and Craig, walked away with trophies after entering a wide range of competitions.

Even though they aren't school prizes LP Times felt their success was well worth a mention because they enthusiastically entered the local community spirit.

Disco Fever
In July all the new children who start school this term were invited to the Infants' disco. It gave them a chance to get 'into the rhythm' of Lower Park life and meet some of the younger pupils as well as taking part in the head's entertaining games.

Music Concert
A great opportunity to find out how well children, who are learning a wide range of music skills, have improved over the last year. Definitely an event to note! Tues 13th July. More details here.

Summer Fair
The annual event on Saturday 3rd July was an outstanding success. Despite not being a glorious day the fair raised a fantastic £2,500. So a big thank you to those who organised the event, helped out on stalls etc. during the day and of course everyone who turned out to enjoy and support the fair. Click here for more information.

Thirsty Work
A LP Times good health warning. Now we all know how hot the classrooms can get in the summer and that means everyone needs a drink, but where have all the 'cool' bottles gone? Read more here.

Techno-Fun!
Design Technology Week is always great fun, but hard work and this year was no exception. The Year 6 children were given the 'brief' on Monday morning and by Friday they ensured that the whole school had produced a 16-metre long 'Bayeux Tapestry' style hanging, depicting life at Lower Park. Here we see one of the year 6 pupils helping out in the reception/year1 classroom at the beginning of the week.

The results are absolutely stunning and will be on show at the Open Evening on July 15th. Watch out for our new DT 2004 web page showing you how the challenge was achieved. Read more about the tapestry here.

A VIP Visits School
It's not often we get a special visitor to the school but on Friday 23rd April a member of Her Majesty's Government came back to class: Sir Nicholas Winterton MP (for Macclesfield).

What's more he met with our school council and talked to the children - now how many politicians do you know that sit down and listen to the children's voice?

Find out more about his visit by clicking here or on his photo above. There's also more information in this newsletter.

Trophy Winners

Lower Park School was once again delighted to award their end of term trophies in recognition of an excellent all round attitude to school life. Megan from the Infant department received the Caroline Corlett trophy, while the Chris Hammond award was made to Amy from Year 6. Both girls were understandably overjoyed when the presentations were made in front of their parents at a special assembly.

"We're all going on a Summer Holiday .. no more working for a day or two..."
Well it might not quite be Summer but all those on the trip to Ilam hoped for some sunshine. It wasn't just fun and laughter either!

The children took part in all sorts of educational, team and leisure activities. Science, geography, history and fieldwork were all on the timetable. Watch this space for more news in the near future.

Tuck Shop and Toilets!
The children's voice is heard on the Lower Park School Council, which recently held its second meeting. The Council gives pupils the opportunity to make a real contribution to their education.

There are two council members from each class, elected by their classmates. But what do they do and will their views make a difference? Find out more in our New School Council Webpage. and view a bigger photo.

Governors reveal all
Yes, 2 more governors reveal 'inside' information about what they get up to as part of their role. Vicky Miller and Freda Dennis have given exclusive interviews to the LP Times about what the job is like in our 'meet a governor' section. Click on the photo below.

Puppy Love not Puppy Poop!
*More in newsletter
Children may love them, stroke them and enjoy their company but they are not allowed in the school grounds (with the exception of guide dogs).
No matter how cute, for the safety and comfort of all the pupils, please make sure that pooches are secured and supervised before entering the school grounds.

The 'Swing Band'
You may have seen them at the Xmas Fair but if you didn't you missed a real treat. Consisting of around 30 pupils, led by Mr Coulson, the band perform a wide ranging repertoire and no doubt you'll be able to see them in concert in the future. Find out more about the school's 'Swing Band' by clicking here.


It's a Bugs' Life!
It's tough enough as it is to be a bug, but even tougher if you have to go to school - even if you do have a sting in your tail.
Click on the photo to see more pictures from when the scary creatures came in for a lesson.