Newington Community Primary children have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious term of learning ahead based around the adventures of Mary Poppins.
The story of PL Travers’ magical nanny and her life with the Banks family in London has already captured the imagination of the school.
To get the topic off with a real sparkle the whole school headed for the West End to be enchanted by the Mary Poppins stage show at the Prince Edward Theatre.
Assistant Head Teacher Taralee Kennedy said the visit was a huge success. She explained: “It was a lovely experience for our children, some who haven’t been anywhere out of Thanet since the pandemic first struck more than two years ago.
“The show was fantastic and our girls and boys were enthralled and entranced. It is a great base for our learning programme that this term is underpinned by the arts and also looks at the Magic of London.
“We are proud of the way our children were great ambassadors for Newington which resulted in emails being sent to us from other theatregoers praising the pupils for their excellent behaviour.”
On their way to the theatre children stopped off at Greenwich Park for a picnic in the sunshine which added to their memories of a great day out.
The Mary Poppins theme has also seen Year 1 youngsters designing, creating and test-flying their own kites on the school fields, in celebration of the closing scene of the Mary Poppins film where families take to the park top fly their kites. They are also learning the iconic film song Let’s Go Fly A Kite.
Other activities include Nursery children learning the Feed The Birds song and investigating all sort of things about their feathered friends; Year 6 are making their own moving toys fit for the children’s nursery at the Banks family home; and creative artwork is transforming classrooms with beautiful London skylines and landmarks.
Each year group is making a giant kite to be hung together in the hall as a statement which unifies and connects the Newington school community.
The term’s learning, which has been co-ordinated by Deputy Head Teacher Rebecca Andrews, culminates with a musical to celebrate the term’s work. Staff are also planning a performance as part of the production that will be attended by families. Every child will design their own tee-shirt to wear in the show.
She said: “The learning across the school this term has been incredible. Term 5 is always a highlight of the school year for everyone at Newington; it’s a time which encapsulates the essence of collaboration and community, which is indicative of what make us so special as a school.
“Since our trip to the West End there has been a palpable buzz of excitement around the school; every child’s experience of learning this term has been magical, with enjoyment for learning being at the heart of everything.
“All children and staff are busy and working hard to produce Newington’s unique version of the show that we will be sharing with our parents. I am in no doubt it will uphold the high standards, ethos and sheer joy behind the original musical – we cannot wait.”