# Posted by Linda Hack at 15/5/08; 2:33:11 PM to the dept.
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Mitchel's Poem

# Posted by Linda Hack at 13/5/08; 3:19:12 PM to the Notices head's Letters dept.
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Bulletin May 12th

The team was confident. Training had gone well in the build up, but this was the big one! Final trials had led to the selection of a strong team for this year's Cannock and Rugeley Cross Country Tournament.

Excitement had grown during the day prior to leaving school at 3.30pm for the meet at Cannock Stadium. The car park was filling up as we arrived. Fourteen schools from all over Cannock and Rugeley were attending this year. The usual practice of walking the course followed regsitration. Some  of the children had participated last year, but there were still nerves and some declared butterflies. The course is long. Starting off on the running track, running around the perimeter of the stadium and then finishing off with a lap of the running track proper. The format is a continuous relay of five boys and five girls in a pre determined order, so it demands a real team effort from all involved.

Nerves were jingling as Callum Connolly set off for the first leg. A good start and by the end we were in third place.
Chloe Hodgson set off at a pace and we were second. Mel Crossley maintained a good even run to keep us in with a shout at third place. Josh Yates tremendous leg found us in first place with a margin of several meters.Tommy Tiernan took up the race and extended the lead, as did Emma Cooper, Samuel Lovell and Lucy Beck. All keeping a fantsatic pace and finishing well in the home straight. After the 6th leg we were comfortably out in front, but past experience led us to keep our excitement  in check. A slip or fall on the damp grass banks could put pay to a leading place. Fortunately, it was not to be! Bradley Hodgson and Sammie Mitchell completed the event in style, finishing over half a lap of the stadium ahead of second place. The children were ecstatic! Victory was theirs and well deserved too. They had run as a team, and won as a team. Each individual run had been superb. A proud moment for the school and all the parents who gave up their time to come along and support the runners.

Of the one hundred and forty children who took part in the whole event, it was the  ten of Churchfield who came out .....

The Champions. 

Following last week's endeavours, the year 3/4 football team soon had a chance to play again. They were invited to come along, with the netball team, to play a 5-a side match at West Hill Primary, Cannock.

The pitch was small, but the goals the conventional size. Rules were slightly amended for the conditions, but it was the same for both.

The kick off! End to end stuff! Plenty of tackles and attempts on goal by both teams. West Hill took the advantage, and by half time were up a couple of goals. The second half! The performance improved. Much excitement and cheering as the game was brought back to three all. One of our goals being scored by Matthew Cooper, our year 2 player. Then in the dying seconds, West Hill hit home the winner for a 4-3 home win.

However, the team had played well and scored three goals in this high scoring match, worthy of a Super Sunday game, so well done to the whole team for a really good performance.

Thank you to all the support and lifts offered by parents. A good turn out, which is always very welcome and gives the team a boost.

Squad

Ben Crossley (Captain), Matthew Sage, Megan Sage, Liam Cook, Patrick Hawkins, Rhaheim Uddin and Matthew Cooper.

Buoyed by the recent success of the netball team, Abigail Gilbert (the captain), made a request that she would like to play a match against West Hill Primary, Cannock. A ususal request you may think, but bear in mind that West Hill are  by far and away the best team in Cannock They have won all three tournaments they have entered, won their league final by eleven goals to one, and not lost a game all year. So a tall order, but a good measure to judge yourself against.

The match was to be an away game, our first. Already a player down due to illness, the convoy of cars ( the year 3/4 football team was also playing ) made their way to Hednesford. West Hill were ready for us. Rotations were discussed and places stationed. The whistle blew! The game had begun!

It soon became apparent what a good passing team West Hill were, but gaining possession we had a chance. A close miss! Within the seconds the ball was down the other end. A goal scored. The trend continued. We gained the ball on numerous occasions, but unlike in practise, the pressure of the game told. Miss after miss, followed by goals after goal for the home team. At last in the final quarter Churchfield scored twice to show a result  for all the hard endeavour of the match. It was a well fought game, but the result was never really in doubt.

If anything, Churchfield played too tight a game, not moving as freely into spaces, or making those quick runs to get into a goal shooting positions,as they are capable of doing. Nevertheless, the captain had had her request granted and stated after the match that she didn't realise how good they would be. But to get better, you have to play the best and the whole team now know the standard they can achieve.

West Hill are deserved Champions of Cannock and winners of the match, but who knows, perhaps we will meet again at the Festival of Sport for a rematch.

Thank you to all the parents who atended to offer lifts and support the team.

Squad

Abbie Gilbert, Alex Whitehurst, Emily Winfindale, Kyle Prince, Sam Beattie, Sammie Mitchell.

# Posted by Linda Hack at 25/4/08; 5:30:12 PM to the Notices Head's Letters dept.
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Bulletin April 28th

Another Saturday morning! This time it brought with it  the Cannock Year 3/4 Football Tounrament, as usual to be held at Gorsemoor Primary, Cannock.

The weather was cold. Very cold, but fortunately not wet! The team was keen, having played well in training during the week, and all were  on time for our 8.30am rendezvous at school, before setting off to Cannock.

Parking places were scarce with 18 teams, and their supporters, all converging on the one school. The pitches were small, but appropriate to the year group. Three leagues of six would play each other, with the top team from each going on to a round robin final stage.

First up for us was our local rivals, St. Joseph's. Again the only other Rugeley school, in this predominately Cannock tournament. A close affair with solid tackles and an over the bar shot from Matthew Cooper ( year 2 ) made for an exciting, but goaless draw.

All the other teams seemed much larger physically than Churchfield, presuming them to be mostly year 4's, unlike our mix of 3,4 and a year 2 players. Still not not to be out done they next tackled the host school, Gorsemoor, who had looked very good in their first game. Victory ultimately went to them, with a convincing performance.

The team started to look cold despite warm up sessions by Mr Cooper, and although battled well in the remaining three games, failed to convert any of their chances into goals, seemingly lacking the power of their opponents.

However, the team showed an enthusiasm and willingness not to give up, despite the conditions, and demonstrated that they have promise for the future, when they gain a little bit more composure and shooting strength to attack the goal.

We all eventually left at about 12.30 with mixed feelings but positive thoughts for the future.

Thanks to all the parents and supporters who came along, and who, if anything like me, probably took the rest of the day to thaw out.

Squad

Matthew Sage, Megan Sage, Ben Crossley, Liam Cook, Patrick Hawkins, Rhaheim Uddin and Matthew Cooper.

A windy, but thankfully dry Saturday morning, brought with it the annual Hagley Sports College Football and Netball Tournaments.

A tournament that Churchfield has previously had success in, winning the football in its first two years and reaching the final on three other occasions.The netball team similarly winning the first three years the competition was run.

Football

Having won all their games in the Rugeley league so far, and scoring a considerable number of goals, the football team had reason to be optimistic for a good result. 

Despite being drawn in the stronger of the two leagues, confidence was still high as the first game kicked off against Colwich.  A bit of a scrappy game still brought about a 3 nil victory and so we were off to a good start. Chase View presnted us with a challenging performance but we were dominant, attacking the goal repeatedly. However, the normal trusty goal scorers were not on song. Nil, nil! Still, another point gained. The next match against the Croft. A similar story. Shot after shot! Just wide or saved by the keeper and yet agaiin no goals. Another nil nil! Five points! Our last group game was to be against Hayes Meadow, accepted by most as being our main rivals in the tournament. Good play! Fluent passing! Near miss after near miss! The crowd was shouting the teams on. So close to scoring, but not to be. Hayes Meadow had a couple of break away attempts, but as with the previous games, our goal was hardly challenged. So yet again nil, nil. Would it be enough? It depended on other results. Waiting for the result of another game to decide our fate. Not much fun. Nor was it in our favour. We were out!

It's easy to see how football cliches came about. We had the majority of the possession in all our games with hardly a shot on our goal, and yet unusually we were unable to score. Arguably the best team there, we couldn't do it on the day. Very frustrating and disappointing for all concerned, but as they say;

Football-it's a funny old game!

The Squad

Samuel Lovell ( Captain ),Mark Sage ( Vice and keeper ), Bradley Hodgson, George Lindsay, Aaron Evans, Tommy Tiernan, Connor Parr, Jack Brown, Josh Yates, Adam Shaw.

Well played lads!

Netball

As with the football team, the netballers had confidence coming into the tournament, with good results in matches, and also playing well in training during the week.

The format was Hi 5 and the team were ready. First up were Hayes Meadow. A very tall team! Nevertheless, undaunted, the game started. End to end stuff! Good play by both teams. Only two halves and no quarters as is the norm in Hi 5, Churchfield were the winners. 3 nil! John Bamford were  next up. A closer affair with the score being 3 all at the end.

The next stage! A round robin to decide the places. The Croft were a formidable team, and although the marking got tighter as the game went on, we still lost my 6 goals to 1. Chase View was our last game! A better performance and a hatrick of goals by Emily saw us win the match 3-1. It was decided. We were second! The team proudly accepted their medals and posed, smiling for their photos.

The Squad

Abbie Gilbert ( Captain ), Sammie Mitchell, Emily Winfindale, Mel Crossley, Alex Whitehurst, Billy Horobin, Kyle Prince, Celina Smith.

Well played team!

A big thanks goes to all the supporters of both teams, who gave up their time to come and cheer them on. Especially Mrs Winifindale for managing the netball team, ably assisted by the quiet Mrs. Crossley.

# Posted by Linda Hack at 11/4/08; 2:21:41 PM to the dept.
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April 14th Bulletin

On Tuesday 8th April, Peter Ralley came into school to teach year 3/4BC about animation. 

 In the morning, they were all introduced to the  'Pivot' animation program and had to produce a short film.  After this fun Pivot lesson, year 3/4 learned to record mini films in the style of 'Wallace and Gromit' using Simpson figures and 'Digital Blue' Cameras!  By the afternoon all the class were confident enough to make a longer film using their own figures, adding text and music! 

They thought it was a great experience and can't wait to create more films in the future!

Easter 2008

Thank you to everyone who entered our Easter Competitions.  The standards were so high and it was so difficult to pick the winners.

yummy

What a beautiful hat!

Easter chick hats!

Class 5B are delighted to announce that five out of the six eggs eventually hatched on Monday March 17th.  Class 5B were so eggcited!  The classroom became a very popular place to be in the last week of term with pupils and staff wanting to visit the chicks. 

The last sporting event of the term was a Cannock Football League away match against Huntington Primary, Cannock. After the success in the last week of the cross country and netball teams, the footballers were keen to maintain the winning trend. 

It's the first time Churchfield has played this team and we didn't know quite what to expect from the pitch, or the team. On arriving it was clear that the pitch had a considerable slope and so would present its own challenges. Winning the toss we decided to kick up slope thus having the advantage in the second half. Huntington played in blue and had several big lads who looked rather intimidating on the field.

From the kick off Hunitington attempted to score from the centre, with little chance. We gained possession and quickly scored two goals in the first 10 minutes. The team then went into coast mode and didn't challenge for the ball and let the home team back into the match. Two all at half time.

Down the slope! The problem is always that the ball runs away from the players and makes close control difficult. A scrappy first few minutes and then at last Churchfield started to play their usual passing game. Post and cross bars hit! Near misses galore and then the third goal. At last! Going on to score a further two, Churchfield came away with a 5-2 victory. Far from our best performance but a well fought for result. So the boys did maintain the winning streak for Churchfield, taking us into the Easter break in a positive mood for events and matches to follow.

Well played lads!

As usual,  thanks to the parents who offered lifts and support.

A somewhat drier day than last week's game saw Churchfield netball team take on a visiting team from Chancel Primary. To my knowledge this is the first ever match between the two schools, and we had heard they were keen to show off their prowess.

Chancel arrived punctually in a very smart kit and looked the part; ready to play. The team were predominately year 5 pupils and did look a little smaller than us, but experience told us to never underestimate the opposition.

The match started! Lots of ball chasing before settling into a pattern. End to end stuff saw the score at 2 all after the first quarter. Churchfield being the more physical team and Chancel making the most of the opportunities they had to score well. Tighter defending and marshalling of their attackers lessened the chances for Chancel to score, but the game remained tight. The last quarter! With only a goal between the two teams, the game could have gone either way. Possession was nearly all Churchfield. Shot after shot was missed, Chancel looking for that break away goal.

At last the whistle blew for full time, with Churchfield emerging the winners by 5 goals to 4. A score not truly reflecting the possession and opportunities the home team had, but nevertheless, a very exciting game.

Well played to all the children of both side. Chancel certainly have the makings of a very fine team for the future and Churchfield are improving all the time, with their marking and passing fluency increasing with experience. Come on though lads and lasses! Let's score those goals and save the nerves of those watching, to whom I extend, as always, a big thanks. Especially to our umpire, Holly-Anne Tiernan.

On Saturday morning, when everyone else was still tucked up in bed, the year 5 ( and 4 ) football team met at school for an 8.30am start. It was the day of the Annual Year 5 Football Tournament, held this year at Norton Canes Primary School.

Arriving at the school the car park was packed. Seventeen teams from all over Cannock, Burntwood, Chasetown and two from Rugeley were represented. The latter being Churchfield and St. Joseph's. The format was three leagues of six or five teams, playing five minutes each way.

First up for Churcfield was the host team, Norton Canes. We started off slowly, showing nerves and uncerainty and were convincingly defeated. Next up were Gorsemoor. The first half was 0-0. Promising! Then an injury! A change of positions and a lesser defeat. Things were improving! Our third match, Fulfen. A much better performance! We pushed forward and attacked the goal, unfortunately just unable to capitalise. Still, a goaless result and a point. Moat Hall struggled against us to win 1-0. Finally, St. Jospeh's. A team of year 5's,  all of whom, but one, make up their first team. So a tough ask! A fantastic battling performance from the whole team, with lots of goal mouth incident, saw us hold them to another 0-0 draw. A terrific result for the children.

Much progress has been made since the year 4 tournament last year, and even during the event itself. We eventually left at 12.30, feeling reasonably satisfied.

Congratulations to all the boys, and one girl, who comprised the team. You played with real desire and committment. 

A big thanks to the parents, brothers and sisters, who gave up their Saturday morning to come and LOUDLY cheer on the team.

This Friday saw the annual running ( literally), of the Hagley Sports College Cross Country Festival, which is attended by the majority of Rugeley schools.

Preparations had begun earlier in the week with trials taking place around our excellent grounds. To the over 25 children who attended these trials, well done to you all. From the initial runs, 14 were selected to practise for the rest of the week with 5 girls and 5 boys eventually being picked to represent the school.

The format of the event is such that there are 5 races for the boys and 5 for the girls, with the positions finished counting as points scored. Essentially at the end of the day the school with the fewest points would be victorious. The course in over 1200m around the Hagley field, and is a very strenuous run indeed.

So the morning of the event arrived and the team set off with high hopes, having finished 2nd last year with many of the same runners. Nerves tingled and muscles flexed and they were off!

Suffice to say of the 10 separate races, not one of the team finished below 4th place. 3 children going on to win theirs. A tremendous effort!

Excitement mounted as the points were counted. Finger nails chewed. At last the result.

Churchfield were the winners!!!

Of all the events we have won  at Hagley, this is the only one that has eluded us, but no more. 15 points clear of the rest, it was a terrific event, with a massive congratulations going the the children who ran their hearts out and the parents who cheered their lungs out.

# Posted by Linda Hack at 14/3/08; 12:53:46 PM to the Notices Head's Letters dept.
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March 17th Bulletin

# Posted by Linda Hack at 13/3/08; 5:45:57 PM to the School Reports dept.
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SIAS Inspection November 2007

# Posted by Linda Hack at 13/3/08; 3:04:14 PM to the notices head's letters dept.
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March Newsletter

The school council are looking to set up a permanent stall that will be run once a month. We aim to fill the stall with unwanted books, dolls or toys that are still in good condition and then sell the items for no more than 50p. If you have any items that you wish to donate please bring them to Miss Adamson or one of the school council reps. If you would like to be involved in working alongside the school council, then again see Miss Adamson or one of the reps.

Tonight, on a wet and windy night, saw Churchfield take on Redbrook Hayes Primary. The likelihood of the match going ahead had been in the balance all day, but finally we made the decision to.play.

Needless to say, as the match was about to start, the heavens opened. Parents huddled under the canopy, but the players looked purposeful, if a little cold.

The first quarter! All Churchfield, but we couldn't capitalise and squandered many a shot. Evetually we scored in the second quarter to take the lead. Still, we atacked their net but to no avail. Then a break away score! One all!

Move! Pass! Grab it! Was to be heard from the side line. Then with two minutes to go in the final quarter, another goal to Redbrook Hayes. We were sunk. Almost literally! 

The whistle blew and the soggy players from both sides congratulated each other on a closely fought game, before seeking out warm and dry shelter.

Well done the wiinner! Roll on more clement weather for a rematch.

Thanks to the wet, watching parents, especially my assistant coach for the night, Mrs. Winfindale, and to her husband for wearing the brightest coat! 

Well, Friday 7th March saw us venturing as far a field as Stone to play in the only 11 a side competition for primary schools. The Mellor Cup! As last year, we faced Walton Priory Middle School, ( also the last year's winners ) who with over 500 pupils to pick from have a significant advantage.

Not to be daunted, we mustered 11 players, 3 of whom had never played for the school team before, and presented a 4-4-2 line up.

Big Goals!! ( larger than the 7 a side we regularly use ) Oh dear! Quickly, we were down 3 nil, but by half time we were back to 3-2. All to play for!

The team battled hard and despite valiant midfield play and bursts forward, it was Walton whose sorties goalward  scored the goals, thus leading to our ultimate defeat in this year's Mellor Cup.

Unlucky lads, but well played in a game in which we were always against the odds.

Congratulations to Walton Priory, and good luck for the rest of the competition.

Thanks again to the parents who came and offered their support, especially to Mr. Brown who acted as my chauffer, which made a pleasant change.

Today saw Churchfield attend the annual indoor Kwik Cricket Tournament at the Cannock Leisure Centre. Trials and training has taken place during the previous few days in preparation for the event. Batting, bowling and fielding had all been addressed and a team of 8 selected from more than 20 who turned up on the first day.

Arriving at 12.30pm we checked the team list for our opposition. West Hill ( our football nemesis) and St Luke's, both of Cannock. A tall order! St Luke's being previous winners of the event.

As a bonus we played a friendly match first against St Mary's, prior to embarking on the tournament proper. The first league match. West Hill! They batted first and gave us a total of 236 to beat. ( all matches start on 200 runs) By now, Churchfield had their eye in. Good bowling and batting. With one over to go we were 6 runs adrift. The last ball. A no ball! Another chance! We had to get 2 from the last ball to win. Alas it was not to be. We lost the match by just one run.

St Luke's next up. As usual in their white and boasting some handy players from local clubs. Despite a valiant effort, St Luke's went on to triumph over us in a closely fought match but with a score that perhaps flattered the result. Nevertheless, well played St Luke's. A slick outfit indeed.

We departed the centre vowing to improve our game and look forward to the summer outdoor event at Rugeley Cricket Club.

Well played to all the children who took part and thanks to Mrs. Winfindale for her help with lifts.

For the first time, Churchfield were invited to participate at the Leasowes Primary School Football Tournament in Stafford. This took place last Saturday on a cold but bright morning. Having never attended the event before it was a whole new list of names on the team sheet. Represented were teams from Stafford, Stone, Uttoxeter, Haughton, Cannock and Rugeley. ( Churchfield being the sole representitive from the latter.)

Our first match was against the home school's A team which we held to a draw. The next was against St Gilles of Haughton, who playing in orange, put up a good fight but were defeated 3 nil. Results went in such a way as to mean the last league stage match was to be between ourselves and Gorsemoor, Cannock, to see who went through. It was a tense affair! With a minute to go we had a corner. The kick was taken and cleared, but only as far as Aaron Evans, who fired a terrific left foot shot into the bottom corner, thus winning the match.

On to the semi final against Flash Ley from Stafford. Things didn't go quite according to plan and we went down 3 nil, so exiting the tournament earlier than we had hoped. Still, a good time was had by all and it was pleasant to play some different teams from other towns.

Thanks goes to Mr Rule, heateacher of Leasowes, for the invite to a well run and attended event.