Last Thursday saw over 120 Longfleet pupils gather in the Poole High School theatre for an evening concert showcasing their instrumental skills.

The evening kicked off with a performance by the Longfleet Orchestra who were joined by the Poole High School Orchestra and a number of teaching staff to form a group of approximately 75 brass, woodwind, string, piano and percussion players. They started with a fun medley of pieces and ended with a stirring performance of Mussorgsky’s Night On The Bare Mountain. That was followed by some lovely performances from our pianists, violinists, cellists, flautists, clarinettists and brass ensemble. In the second half of the concert we were treated to some excellent drumming, perfectly rehearsed keyboard performances, two exciting pieces by our 34 guitarists and a fitting finale from Rock Band who performed “Believer.”

The standard of music was high and the children were professional, focussed and confident throughout. Poole High were fantastic hosts, supporting us with lighting, sound and logistics and it was a pleasure working with their music team. Thank you to all the performers, helpers, instrumental tutors and audience members who made this such a special evening.

The pictures below will give you a flavour of the evening. To see all of the photographs, please look on the music page of our school website

https://www.longfleet.poole.sch.uk/music-showcase-2020-photographs/

Earlier this week we had a visit from some wonderful English folk musicians. Soundstorm offered us this lovely opportunity to hear some music from members of the National Youth Folk Ensemble. A group of 5 musicians performed some traditional English folk tunes for some of our pupils. They played the flute, fiddle (violin), viola, piano accordion and button accordion as you can see in the pictures. The ensemble included Sam Sweeney who is the Director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble and a member of the acclaimed bands, Bellowhead and Leveret. He is also a previous BBC Folk Musician of the Year winner. On viola was Miranda Rutter (Methera) and on button accordion, Archie Churchill-Moss (Moore Moss Rutter, Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys). To play in the National Youth Folk Ensemble you have to be aged between 14 – 18 but you can do one of their taster days when you are 12 years old. Have a look at their website to find out more about them.

https://www.efdss.org/learning/young-people/national-youth-folk-ensemble

Years Reception to Year Six participated in the Sport Relief Challenge Run to answer the question, “How far can Longfleet run?”. The answer, it turns out, is a long way! Year 6 started the day with gusto, ending their stint with over 700 laps of our 500m track. This resilience continued throughout the day, with some children running for nearly two hours to improve our final total. With all year groups completed, the final total was:

 

2660 kilometres (From Poole to within touching distance of Moscow!)

 

As well as this, the kind donations of family and friends ensured Longfleet raised a grand total of:

 

£2200

 

Finally well done to Jamie in the Kites, who came closest with his guess of 2534km so won himself a £40 Decathlon voucher!

Year 5 and 6 netballers have had a very busy week!

 

On Monday, we participated in the Year 6 Poole Schools Netball tournament. Despite the rain, we played really well and managed to qualify for the semi-finals, which we will be playing on Thursday (weather dependent!).  

 

On Wednesday, a team of Year 5 and 6s went to Yarrells to play 2 friendly matches. Alfie and Jacob were nominated as players of the match after some excellent interceptions! We had a great time and even got some strawberry milk and a donut afterwards. 

 

After school on Wednesday, we played a league match against Ocean. Unfortunately, we lost 2-6. However, we played well as a team and will look forward to implementing what we learnt in preparation for our semi-final. 

 

Longfleet took two teams to this fantastic event, hosted by Bournemouth RFC and “Rippa Rugby”, who have recently been in the school teaching Tag Rugby to Years 3,4 and 5. All games were specific to the 5 core values of Rugby, and although not deemed competitive...

 

One Longfleet team remained unbeaten in five games, with the other team only losing one match in their five games. Overall, some brilliant performances, with Jessica and Alex winning the coveted prize of “most respected players”.

 

Look out for our first contact rugby tournament at Wimborne RFC, on March 27th.

Longfleet took eight Year Five and Six children to Carter Community School, where AFC Bournemouth coaches delivered sessions in shooting, dribbling and speed. Matches were played at the end to show off the children’s new skills, with Longfleet playing a mixed match with Hillbourne and Hamworthy at the end. All of the children enjoyed their evening, with some smart saves from Lucas and a well-taken goal from Ovo being highlights. 

If you are in Year 5 or Year 6 and play a musical instrument this may be for you...

https://soundstorm-music.org.uk/music-education-hub/young-musician-summer-school/

Bumblebees were pleased to see the sunshine yesterday and had a lovely time at Oakdale Library!  We enjoyed some stories and songs and each child chose a book to bring back to school.  

Children from Year Four and Five travelled to Corfe Hills School to participate in a Badminton Festival, which was delivered by Corfe Hills' Sports Leaders. Ten stations were completed overall, showcasing the children's serving, drop shot and agility skills. Our children had a fantastic time and are now expecting a new purchase of badminton rackets and shuttlecocks soon!

Longfleet hosted Dorset's inaugural SEND Panathlon, an event that included 6 schools and 10 teams in total. The children loved the activities on offer, which included: new age curling; boccia; flight path (velcro darts!) ;  parachute games; basketball; soft skittles; and the bean bag target game. Every child who participated got a medal and a certificate, whilst the children in first, second and third got a gold, silver and bronze medal respectively. A huge thank you to the Longfleet Sports Ambassadors, who delivered the events brilliantly. Here's hoping this event continues annually!