‘The best weekend ever!’

Another boarding year at FSM is well underway and we are excited to have welcome 11 new boarders in the house this term.  It has become an FSM tradition over the years and we were delighted once again to take the whole boarding house to Paulton’s Park on Sunday to kick-start our boarding year!

Following a beautiful drive across the New Forest, we arrived at Paulton’s Park, left our packed lunches at base camp and the fun began!  For many, it was a race to get to the Cobra or Velociraptor, for others the more gentle rides were calling!  Cries of ‘Mrs Rowntree!’ could be heard from the Edge as the children spun past, or from the carousel for those in need of a quieter few minutes!

The sun was shining and the boarders had simply the most wonderful day.  They were superb company all weekend and this is certainly going to be another fantastic year in the boarding house.

Please keep following our Blog to watch our adventures unfold!

The end of the boarding year

As the boarding year drew to a close, there was still time for some last minute adventures!

From a BBQ on the Moor, ‘At Home’ with Mr and Mrs Rowntree and a visit to Prezzo during Project Week to the Aztec Challenge courtesy of James at Wild Edge, the boarders ended the term with the fun and games we have enjoyed all year.  We also enjoyed games of Puddocks and water balloon volleyball as the sun shone on the last weekend of term.

We wish all our boarders a very happy summer and if you are not returning, we wish you every success and happiness for the future as you embark on new adventures.  Please stay in touch!

 

We do like to be beside the seaside!

Last weekend was a rather soggy affair in Fordingbridge but luckily the boarders dodged the rain showers as they boarded the minibuses and set off for Branksome beach.  We are lucky at FSM to be situated so close to both the beautiful New Forest and the seaside and watching the boarders playing with buckets and spades and burying each other in the sand always brings a smile to my face!  Lots of fun was had by all, my thanks to Mr Boyington and Miss Braund for accompanying the trip.

 

 

A busy Wicked Wednesday!

After the Year 7 and 8 boys visited Snowtrax some months ago, the senior girls have been waiting patiently for their visit and thankfully, all things come to those who wait! The Year 7 and 8 girls had a whale of a time enjoying the Ringos and Skibobs at Snowtrax as you can see!

Meanwhile, back at the Manor, there were lots of other activities on offer for the boarders.  The juniors took part in an A-Z scavenger hunt set by Miss Gorry and Miss Bismire.  There was also the opportunity for some physical fun out on the astro or for those who fancied a calmer, quieter evening, Miss King (our new Matron) was helping the children to work on their artistic skills, demonstrating different ways to draw.

What a fun and varied Wicked Wednesday we enjoyed!

Fun in the sun

Last weekend the boarders enjoyed a perfect summer’s Saturday evening: a BBQ out on the terrace, followed by tuck, then a relaxed evening of games and a dip in the pool.  Smiley, happy faces enjoying each other’s company and their surroundings was definitely the order of the evening.

Sunday proved to be a very busy one with a ten strong team competing in the Sandroyd Tetrathlon, as well as a group of girls heading to Taunton with Miss North to watch the England Rounders team play.  Some weary Year 6 Cubs returned on Sunday morning and after a short rest before lunch, it was time to get physical with an afternoon of climbing at Rock Up.  The boarders had wonderful fun scaling the different climbing walls, trying to beat the clock and the brave taking on the Stairway to Heaven!

‘At Home’ with the boarders

The weather couldn’t make its mind up on Wednesday and we went from Plan A to Plan B, then back to Plan A again for our Wicked Wednesday!

The boarders enjoyed a relaxing ‘At Home’ night with the staff, curling up in front of a movie accompanied by popcorn and lemonade.

This is always a popular evening with the children but Mrs Rowntree has had a word with the weather gods, after all it is the summer term!

We love Wicked Wednesdays!

It may not have been a balmy summer’s evening but this didn’t stop the boarders from enjoying their first Wicked Wednesday of the term.

The ice cream van appearing on the field was a welcome sight to kick start proceedings.  This was followed by a big house wide game out on the field which saw everyone getting involved with house points to be won.

What a lovely way to start our summer programme of ‘Wicked Wednesdays’.  We just hope the sun will return soon!

An action-packed first weekend

It was lovely to welcome ten new boarders into the house after Easter.  Our ‘in weekend’, which begins each term, not only helps our existing boarders to resettle after a holiday at home but also plays a vital part in helping our new boarders to settle into the house and provides time for new friendships to be nurtured.

This weekend has certainly been an action-packed one and Saturday night saw the children making the most of the lighter evenings, playing outside after supper and tuck or enjoying a swim in the pool.

Sunday started a little differently to usual with early morning swim training on offer before breakfast.  Following a full English and letter writing home, an eager group of runners gathered to run the second ‘FSM Loop’.  How lovely to see the children getting up and active on a Sunday morning.

Year 8 enjoyed relaxing on site whilst Years 3 – 7 headed out into the Forest.  There is a wonderful sandbank just 10 minutes away where the children can play.  From making sandcastles to running down the hill, their imaginations can run wild there and the children enjoyed playing together, with some paddling their feet in the stream at the bottom while others played on the rope swing.

After lunch, there was the chance for a little downtime to enjoy the cricket nets, Common Room, games in the DHH or similar pastimes.  The boarders were given a Monopoly Australia set by former gap students Miss Sippel and Mr Peel and it was lovely to see the children enjoying this.

At 2.30pm the boarders headed out to the astro to enjoy zorbing, an activity the children  had been asking to do again so it was lovely to see how pleased they were to hear that the zorbs were coming.  The Year 8s who had popped into Fordingbridge after lunch were able to come back and enjoy the zorbs too.  The afternoon concluded with the opportunity for a swim, a little time in the IT room or a movie before supper.

The house is quiet tonight as some very happy and weary children get some much needed rest before the week ahead after an exciting weekend together.

 

Heroes and Villains

From suffragettes to Superman and Cadbury’s Heroes to Cruella De Vil, FSM was awash with Heroes and Villains on Monday as the boarders gathered for this term’s Theme Night.

Once again the costumes were varied and imaginative and really set the scene for the fun evening ahead.  Matt and his team provided an ‘Incredible’ supper which the boarders tucked into before the evening’s activities got underway.

Sensei Simon led some fantastic martial arts sessions (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and the boarders loved the Tag Archery games in the DHH (Robin Hood).  Other activities included designing a superhero logo, card games (The Joker), Thor’s Hammer Throw and X-ray vision mystery boxes.

Each boarder was given a paw print at the end of supper and had to avoid making eye contact with Cruella during the evening otherwise their paw print would have to be surrendered.  Those still with their paw prints at the end of the night would win a prize.

Our last activity involved making cards for residents of our local nursing home.  The boarders relished the opportunity to do this, writing some lovely messages inside, and I know these will be warmly received by the residents of Allenbrook.  The boarders became real-life heroes on Monday night.

Please enjoy an album of Mrs Cochand’s photographs below:

 

‘Hoppy’ Easter!

On a glorious, sunny Spring afternoon, this term’s Boarding Star winners enjoyed our annual Easter Egg hunt on the moor.  They had to work quickly however as the crows flying above the trees also had their eyes on the shiny foil-wrapped eggs!  Lots of fun was had and only one Crème Egg was declared MIA (missing in action), that’s progress for Mrs Rowntree and Miss Brown!

‘Hoppy’ Easter everyone, have a wonderful Easter break!