2009-10

The School Chess Team won the QPP Friendship Cup in magnificent style with a 45-16-9 victory over 'sister schools' Shibden Head and Foxhill in July.

Our tag-rugby team -'The Bears' -came second in the whole of West Yorkshire at the Youth Games, held at Leeds Met. University, on Saturday 26th June.

Class 4 visited the National Media Museum and saw a film on the IMAX screen while they were there.

We dressed as favourite story-book characters on 20th May (Story - Telling -Day)

Class 2 went to Nell Bank Outdoor Centre to 'have conversations about conservation'.

Classes 3 & 4 'went-back-in-time' 400 years for a 'Tudor Day' of cooking, feasting and dancing.

We had an exciting visit from the 'Flash Bang' Science Bus

Over 80 parents and grandparents came into school to join in the 'Phase One' Community Assembly ...here, Y1 go through their paces.

The Young Shakespeare Company visited us to perform 'A Midsummer Night's dream' for Y4, Y5 and Y6 ...it was hilarious!

Some of our pupils have been selected for the LAP (local Achievement Partnership) Choir which is held at Foxhill...they're having a great time!

Mrs Haigh's squad of tag-rugby 'Bears' played at Shibden Head winning one game and losing two against older players. They show great promise for the future!

Y1 visited Shibden Hall to find out what life was like for Victorian children

Several of our Y5 pupils took part in an after-school club for promising scientists from several schools.

Thanks to the generosity of Mr Dave Olokor and family (see picture) we now have a Nigerian Flag.

Some of our pupils in Y3, Y4 & Y5 had a great time learning in 'The Cookery Bus'.Thanks to Shibden Head School for inviting us. Unfortunately the heavy snow meant that some children couldn't go.

Thanks to the generosity of the Urbans family we now have the flag of Latvia to add to our display of national flags.

Thanks to our warm-hearted parents and pupils, our Christmas charity collection raised enough money to provide over 4000 school dinners for pupils in Gambia.

Reception Class presented their Nativity Play four times for parents and pupils in December.

The Chess Club Knock-Out Final was played in December.

Y4 pupils visited Robin Hood's Bay on their annual 'residential' in November.

Here are some members of the Chess Team which won the QPP friendship Cup in a Festival at Foxhill School in November.

In the West Bradford Schools Cross Country event our Running Team had individual first places in both the boys and the girls race and won the team events, too!

'The Bears' won the QPP 'Friendship Cup' winning all three of their tag-rugby matches against Foxhill, Shibden Head and Stocks Lane schools.

Mimika Theatre built their tent in our school hall and performed 'Small Worlds' for us, and for our friends from Shibden Head Primary School, sixteen times in October!

Y5 swimmers had to swim in a Y6 swimming gala because the older swimmers were in Grinton -they really 'gave-it-everything'!

Y6 had an exciting residential visit to the Yorkshire Dales (October 7th-9th).

Y2, Y3 & Y4 had an exciting opportunity to play 'Wheelchair Basketball in October.

The PTA Sports Day was great fun on 9th September (it had been postponed in July)

A new, exciting, multi-£k adventure playground for our Nursery and Reception pupils has been installed during the Summer Break. Our PTA provided some of the funding.

Harper (Australia) and his band from the USA performed for KS2. He demonstrated how to play the didgeridoo, too.

Our delighted winner of the best review competition ...he won a signed Harper CD

On Friday at Russell Hall School a band called Harper came in to play for Key Stage two.  They played six instruments, didgeridoo, harmonica, drums, an African drum, guitar, and bass guitar. The main man in the band was born in England, grew up in Australia and lives in America.  The band played Australian music.  When he played the didgeridoo he put animal noises in to give it a twist he out in these noises: Dingo (dog), Kookaburra (bird), Kangaroo, Emu and he made his own which was a motorbike. A lady brought round the didgeridoo for people to feel the inside and one end was all wet and sticky.  The outside was rock hard when you hit it, it really hurt.

My favourite song was one called “Ordinary Guy”, I don’t know why but I really liked it for some odd reason.  Although the other songs were brilliant as well.  I also really liked the bit when Mark the drummer played the African drum.

I really enjoyed it and everyone joined in even the teachers.  Everyone joined in most at the end when you had to make the noise you liked best out of the animals, you were also given the option of a snake, but I still chose the dingo because I really like dogs! 

Overall that was probably the best band I have seen in school ever!   

2008-9

Y5 & Y6 had a great time at the PTA Leavers' Disco ...good luck to all Y6 pupils at their new schools next year.

Bearfootin' played in a music festival, in July, at Springwood Community Primary School ...we made lots of friends.

Two teams of 'Bears' played tag-rugby at Odsal Stadium winning ten games and losing two.

We had an exciting visit from Gujerati dancers and musicians from India ...they were great!

On June 1st we were awarded the ArtsMark Gold Award by the Arts Council. You can see lots of our arts activities below and on our 'Clubs Page'.

Mrs Hughes and Mrs Cowton have started a ukulele band in Class 4 ...see how hard they are concentrating!

We now have the Flag of Estonia to add to our magnificent display thanks to Tormi Vahar -seen here with former pupil Craig Holroyd. The collection of 70+ international flags has been donated, over the years, by pupils, parents, staff, students and friends of Russell Hall School, past and present.

Members of the Chess Club who qualified for the Yorkshire 'megafinal' in York did very well on Bank Holiday Monday.

Members of the Art Club displayed their Easter Cross at West End Methodist Church

Y3 & Y4 pupils(and staff) dressed-up for a day of Saxon feasting, dancing, weaving and pottery-making!

Doing something funny for money!

Dutch Band 'The Backbones' joined in with the Red Nose Day fun (it doesn't happen in Holland!) on 13th March.  Here they are with members of the schools own band -Bearfootin')

We all had fun and raised over £440 for good causes....

Year 5 & Year 6 went to Bradford Industrial Museum, in February, to visit the Mill and the Classroom and learn what life would have been like for their great-great-grandparents.

Congratulations to our Y4 gym team who won gold medals in a championship at Thornton School. Mrs Howcroft ICoach) is delighted that they're now going forward to the all-Bradford finals.

Our Y5 violinists performed for the school, in February, with their teacher, Ms Cook.

(Pics - Miss Delehaye)

In January Memo Gonzales & the Bluescasters visited school -Bearfootin' opened the concert!

William won a signed CD for writing the best review of the concert.....

"On 26th of January 2009 Memo Gonzales and the Bluescasters came into school. The Bearfootin' Band was the support group. They were phenomenal but I was anxiously waiting for Memo Gonzales and the Bluescasters. The unusual thing was, Memo Gonzales, the harmonica/vocalist, Kai, the lead guitarist, Erkan, the bass guitarist and Henk, the drummer, were all from different countries!

Finally, my long wait was over and the best blues band ever came on the stage! They were out-of-this-world, amazing, brilliant. They sang my favourite song; 'You Got Me Rolling'! I loved it. The children were ecstatic, their faces glowing with excitement whilst the teachers danced the day away.

It was an outstanding event. It was great, it was exciting, it was amazing! I especially liked the part where Kai easily played the guitar behind his back, although the 'Rolling Song' wasn't far behind. It was brilliant, and Memo Gonzales was great fun!

At the end, Memo Gonzales gave away his own personal harmonica to the best dancer, it was Asdhley Baxter. The Bluescasters were from all sorts of countries such as : Turkey, Germany, Holland and the USA. They are all based in Germany now. I think it is incredible that they all work together. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who loves to dance! "

Class 2 became the first winners of the 'Russell the Reader' award for progress in reading.

Pupils enjoyed a entertaining look at the world of science in 'Cartoon Science' in November.

The winner of the first PTA girls writing competition ....£50 book token!

French/ American / Canadian trio 'The Groanbox Boys' played for Y3 & Y4 (and visitors from Shibden Head School) in October. To see review in Guardian Newspaper click -        

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/oct/28/folk

Alfred Hickling (left)- a journalist from 'The Guardian' Newspaper - gave tips to Y3 & Y4 on how to write a review.......

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....and here's the winner of our competition to write a review of 'The Groanbox Boys'