On Thursday 27th September, we held our first musical events of the term with the Harvest celebrations.  In the morning the Early Years and Key Stage 1 children beautifully sang harvest themed songs and very confidently recited the poems they had learned. It was lovely to see so many parents joining us for the event and Reverend Kathy from St Johns Church helped us all to appreciate how fortunate we are to have the produce we enjoy.

In the afternoon, the older child gave their harvest performance and, once again, sang and performed their poems with confidence. This included a break with tradition in Year 5 where a class rap was very confidently delivered. Reverend Kathy used the children to bring the Parable of the Sower to life and reminded us all that sadly there are so many people locally and nationally who struggle for food. We are, therefore, very grateful for the many donations to the foodbank collection and proud that the West Lodge community can help local people. Thank you to everyone who so generously contributed items which were taken by the School Council to the foodbank.

On Friday 28^th September our runners took part in the Farringtons cross-country event. With eleven schools participating, it was a large event and the standard was high. First to run were our Year 4 girls and boys teams consisting of birthday girl Zara, Maya, Olivia, Kaife, Dino, Noah and Trey. All of the children showed genuine determination in completing the course with a private race between Noah and Trey in the finishing funnel! The Year 5 team of Eva, Amelia, Oliver, Oscar and George all ran equally well with Oliver the first to finish in 11^th place and Eva 22nd. Last off were the Year 6 children with Joanna, Mia and Jessica running in the girls’ race and Sam, Ashton and Amar competing for the boys. Following two circuits of the Farringtons’ playing fields the field was well strung out but, once again, our team showed great determination. Mr Francis had the pleasure of taking the team and he stressed what a pleasure to see such fantastic sportsmanship and teamwork along with the children’s desire to do their best - well done to all involved. Our thanks go to Farringtons for organising the afternoon and to the many parents who came along to support.

On a beautiful late summer afternoon Mr McCabe arranged the first West Lodge Football Festival for our Under 8 children. With a number of local state and independent schools participating, ten teams of very excited children played four matches in two leagues. For the vast majority of children, and certainly those from West Lodge, it was the first time they had played football for their schools and it was a pleasure to witness the wonderful team spirit shown by all involved. With the emphasis upon participation and enjoyment, there was plenty of healthy competition but great sportsmanship too, which was a pleasure to see. The matches were officiated by our Year 6 children, who did a superb job refereeing and were complimented by many of the visiting teachers and parents. Particular thanks must go to Mr McCabe for such a fantastic tournament and afternoon of sport. Well done to all involved!

Today, the Reception children walked to Sidcup Place Park to look for signs of Autumn. During carpet time, the children thought about and discussed some of the colours and nature that they might see. We also thought about road safety and how to keep ourselves safe during our walk. They found lots of signs of Autumn, and brought back lots of leaves, conkers, twigs and acorns to explore in the classroom. We even had time for a quick play in the playpark! The children were brilliantly behaved and were certainly ready for their lunch upon their return!