Friends of English Martyrs (FEM)

Great Recipe for you to try!

2008-09-19T12:13:00.001+01:00

Banana & Apple Loaf (makes a 15 slice loaf)
150g Light Muscovado sugar
85g butter
2 large free range eggs (see Helen Jones or Mrs Neill at school!)
4 medium ripe bananas - mashed
1 grated apple
250g Self Raising flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 180c/350f/GM4. Grease & line a 900g/2lb loaf tin
2. Cream together the butter, sugar & eggs
3. Stir in the mashed bananas and apple and sieve in the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt
4. Once well mixed, tip into the tin and bake for 45 -45 minutes
5. Remove and cool on rack (in the tin) for 30 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.
6. Serve

Huge thanks go to Harvey's Mum, Sharon, for sharing this super recipe with us!

If you have anything you'd like to share just click here to get in touch!

Technorati Tags: banana,apple,loaf,recipe,baking with children,kids cookery

Welcome Back!

2008-09-05T16:42:00.001+01:00

"Hello" again to those of you who know us and "Welcome" to those of you who are new. This is the official website and blog of the Friends of English Martyrs who support English Martyrs Catholic Primary School here in Oakham.

We try to keep you informed with what's happening at school and give you information about more general things that we think may interest you and your family. Please come and visit us here regularly as we're always adding new information. We're also keen to have some new contributors this year so if you've got something you want to share with everyone here's your chance - just click here to send us an email and let us know who you are what you'd like to say.

Throughout this site you'll notice that we have handpicked some well known retailers to advertise their products. Every time you click on one of their adverts and shop online, you help Friends of English Martyrs to raise money for our school at no extra cost to you.

Last year shopping online through our site raised a wonderful £113.28. This year, we hope to bring you lots of super bargains and online shopping savings to help raise even more money for our school.

We're especially pleased to tell you that John Lewis will now be featured on this site ... look out for some super back to school goodies!

If you have any queries about this just get in touch by sending us an email.

SALE News - Discount Codes and more...

2008-07-17T11:22:00.001+01:00

You can't help to notice that there are lots of bargains to be had in the high street at the moment. Here at the FEM Blog the Sales are in full swing too!

Woolworths have a smashing offer - use the voucher code 'WWCLEAROUT' at their online checkout before the 22nd July and you'll get a further 10% off their already discounted clearance products!!!!

Another great offer is from our friends at Boden.

Save yourself up to 50% on their super Summer Sale. Sizzling savings are to be had right across their range including childrens wear, bags and accessories

Men's Linen Shirts have 75% off at Joules! Joules' fabulous summer sale includes 50% off selected items. Men's Linen Shirts are reduced from £35 to £8.75 and 'Offer of the Week' is for a Women's fitted Blazer, was £69.00 now just £34.50!

Don't forget to pick up some bargains over at Play.com - they have some super deals on books, gadgets, DVDs and music.

Shop at any of our featured online stores and help to raise money for our school at no extra cost to you.

Don't forget to sign up to our FREE email updates by entering your email address in the box near the top of the left hand column above the button 'Subscribe me!'

Technorati Tags: summer,bargains,joules,play.com,boden,woolworths,50% off,sale,deals,linen shirts,voucher code,savings,subscribe

Places to Go, Things to Do ...

2008-07-09T16:26:00.001+01:00

This is a nifty and free online tool that helps to plan ahead or rescue last minute plans and find you things to do in any area of the UK. Click the logo above and your browser will show you all the events going on in and around Rutland. Alternatively, click the 'Search' tab on the WhereCanWeGo.com site and enter the postcode or name of the location that you want to visit.

You can narrow your searches for specific requirements i.e. Museums, Family, Free/Entry fee. It's a great tool for planning ahead as it allows you to pick when you want to do something.

Organisers will also find it useful to publicise their event.

Have a look at the site and tell us what you think.

www.WhereCanWeGo.com

Technorati Tags: summer holiday,places to go,things to do,online tool,wherecanwego.com,Rutland,Event Organiser,Britain's Events Diary,Free searches,activities,family day out

Sports Day postponed

2008-07-09T14:04:00.001+01:00

Due to the dreadful weather forecast Sports Day has had to be postponed. Everyone hopes that next week will provide the glorious sunshine that we've all been waiting for!

Celebrate Sports Day with personalised photo-gifts for kids from Photobox

In the meantime, it does allow for some extra practice for those parents with a competitive or sneaky disposition. Here are a few tips to bear in mind .....

How to score in the parents' races!

• Remember it's the winning that matters, not the taking part. If your idea of exercise is a stroll from the car, any chance of doing a Chariots of Fire impersonation is all in your head and should be kept there.

• Tucking billowing skirts into pants is never a good look, even if Princess Diana did it. Stripping off your suit to reveal a "just in case" shorts and vest combination is a bit scary, for all the wrong reasons. But just happening to be wearing your most comfortable shoes is fine.

• Don't be tempted to try a runner's start. You'll just look desperate - especially when you finish sixth.

• If you're over 40, you're going to pull a muscle unless you warm up beforehand. Surreptitious stretching is key; just don't let anyone realise when you're bending for your mobile you're actually trying to touch your toes.

• If you do pull a muscle, remember you won't get sympathy from your spouse.

• Jokingly grabbing the person next to you and hanging on for dear life is called cheating.

• Don't do an alpha-male bellow as you reach the finishing line. Mild-mannered mastery is so much more attractive.

• Don't casually mention your sporting prowess at school. That was a long time ago.

Technorati Tags: sports day,school,summer,rainy days,rain,bad weather,postponed,parents race,looney tunes,photobox,photo gifts,personalised gifts,end of term

Rutland Freecycle

2008-06-27T12:16:00.001+01:00

Freecycle is all about encouraging people to give & receive stuff for free in their own towns. Freecycle encourages us to re-use everyday items which in turn helps to reduce waste going to landfill sites.

Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer
Membership is free
There are over 4,500 groups with over 5Million users worldwide.

The Rutland Freecycle group is open to all who want to recycle that special something rather than throw it away. Whether it's a chair, an ink cartridge, a fax machine, piano or an old door you can let others know what you've got on Rutland Freecycle. And don't forget, it's a great place to log on to if you're looking for something too!

Freecycle is a movement of people interested in keeping stuff out of landfills while building a sense of community. One simple, brilliant idea that's changing the world one gift at a time.

Technorati Tags: recycle,freecycle,landfill,environment,Rutland,Oakham,free stuff,free membership,community,gift,gifts,Rutland Freecycle,re-use,reuse,waste,giving,swap,reduce waste,helping the environment

Parish & School working together

2008-06-24T11:29:00.001+01:00

On Friday 27th June there will be a non-uniform day to support St. Joseph's Parish Summer Fayre.

In return for a donation of a bottle for the tombola stall, children can come to school dressed in their favourite sports kits!

Bottles of pop, sauces, wine, bath salts, fragrance, home made cordials ... what else can you think of that comes in a bottle?

The Parish Summer Fayre will be held on Sunday 6th July.

Technorati Tags: tombola,summer fair,fayre,non-uniform day,bottles,parish,st.joseph's catholic church,oakham primary school,sports kit

School Uniform ... Order NOW!

2008-06-24T11:08:00.001+01:00

We may be heading towards the School Summer holidays but now is precisely the right time to be thinking about ordering new school uniform.

Click here to view and print off a Uniform Order Form

When you've filled out the order form, pop it in a marked envelope with your payment and drop it into the School Office. Another job to cross off your 'To Do' list!

(If you have any problems viewing or printing off the order form, please let us know here at the FEM blog by sending us a quick email.)

Technorati Tags: schoolwear,uniform,back to school,order form,to do list,English Martyrs,Friends of English Martyrs,Catholic Education,Oakham primary school,summer holiday,vacation

Friends with Amanet

2008-05-31T20:22:00.001+01:00

Oakham based IT business, Amanet, has been a regular supporter of Friends of English Martyrs.

Based in Mill Street, Amanet can supply a huge range of IT requirements from computer hardware to software to multi-room music equipment!

Amanet have been involved in our latest fundraising effort and are pleased to support our blog.

For professional and comprehensive help with all your IT needs contact Amanet on 01572 770653

The Saint's a WINNER !!!!!!

2008-05-29T21:43:00.001+01:00

Facing a fearless opponent, Andy The Saint Sayers gave everything he had and came out victorious!!!!!

For more details log on to

http://andysayers.blogspot.com

It's not too late..

2008-05-29T11:19:00.001+01:00

For those of you who have been following the progress of George and William Sayers' brave dad, Andrew, and his fundraising efforts for English Martyrs Catholic Primary School here in Oakham, don't forget to log on to: http://andysayers.blogspot.com

A lot of hard work has been put into fundraising recently in anticipation of tonight's big event. A huge thank you to those of you who have already made pledges and donations from all over the world.

If you haven't sponsored Andy 'The Saint' Sayers yet, now's your chance!

A massive £2,705 has been raised so far.... can we make it to £3,000 before this evening??

You can click on the fundraising link on the right hand side of this posting and make a simple and secure donation whilst adding your message of support. If you'd rather not donate online please click here to send an email and we'll send you details of where to send your cheque or cash (please make cheques payable to 'Friends of English Martyrs')

All the news and results from this evening's big fundraiser will be posted on http://andysayers.blogspot.com throughout the night!

Everyone at Friends of English Martyrs

wish Andy 'The Saint' Sayers

lots of luck this evening.

Technorati Tags: fundraising,fundraiser,English Martyrs,Catholic,Primary School,sponsor,donations,online shopping

In Oakham and Online with Friends of English Martyrs

2008-05-28T12:13:00.001+01:00

We're especially pleased to bring you our latest shopping facility here at the Friends of English Martyrs Blog.

Lands' End operates from headquarters in Dodgeville, Wisconsin together with a European distribution centre here in Oakham, Rutland and serves millions of customers throughout the world.

Have a look at their great Summer collections by clicking on the pictures below:

Technorati Tags: online shopping,Oakham,Rutland,Lands End,Dodgeville,Wisconsin,fashion,Summer collections

Street Market Stall Cancelled

2008-05-25T16:02:00.001+01:00

Unfortunately, the weather forecast spells gloom for the bank holiday with heavy rain and blustery wind.

Rather than be faced with a complete wash out, Friends of English Martyrs have reluctantly decided to cancel their attendance at the Exton Street Market.

When the sun is shining an alternative sale will be planned and let's not forget that the School Summer Fair is not far away either.

If you know anyone who was going to support Friends of English Martyrs at the Exton Street Market, please pass on this message.

Come back and visit this site soon to hear all about our plans.

Technorati Tags: car boot sale,exton Street Market,street market,sale,jumble sale,good as new,fundraising,weather forecast,heavy rain,Friends of English Martyrs,School Summer Fair

School Holiday - rainy day savers

2008-05-24T11:41:00.001+01:00

With rain forecast for the start of next week's school holiday, you might want to get a few rainy day ideas from Amazon. We've got a great new widget (above) for you to try out - use the arrows to spin the carousel round to see a selection of Amazon's Bestselling Children's Books.

Alternatively, if you're looking for a family DVD or game that all the family can play, have a look at the carousels below:

To check on the long range weather forecast click here

Technorati Tags: Amazon,rain,school holiday,rainy days,books,bestsellers,DVDs,Board Games,traditional games,family,children

Exton Street Market

2008-05-21T11:31:00.001+01:00

Just a quick reminder to everyone that Friends of English Martyrs will have a stall at the Exton Street Market on Bank Holiday Monday 26th May.

We urgently need donations of suitable items to sell. (Please have a look at the earlier post further down this page.) This is a great opportunity to do a bit of spring cleaning and finally get around to doing some de-cluttering and donating all your unwanted items to a good cause.

All the money raised at the Exton Street Market will benefit all our children at school.

Click here to email Sharon Seel or Joanna Sayers if you have any items you wish to donate.

Please come along and support us on the day!

Technorati Tags: Exton Street Market,donations,spring cleaning,de-cluttering,unwanted items,good cause,Bank Holiday Monday

Corpus Christi

2008-05-21T11:09:00.002+01:00

The name 'Corpus Christi' is Latin for 'the body of Christ'. Catholics all over the world celebrate this day as a public statement that the bread and wine served at Mass during Communion are the actual body and blood of Christ.

When Pope John Paul II was alive he led an annual Corpus Christi procession from St.Peter's Square in the Vatican to the streets of Rome. Many Catholic countries still celebrate Corpus Christi with processions and a real festival atmosphere.

Corpus Christi is marked by a service originally devised by Thomas Aquinas. It includes five great hymns, including Panis Angelicus.

Click to listen to: Pange Lingua sung in plainchant (3:25 mins)

History: The festival was inspired by the religious experience of St Juliana (1193-1258). This Belgian nun repeatedly dreamed of the Church under a full moon with a black spot. The dream's meaning was revealed to her in a vision by Christ. The Church's calendar of festivals was represented by the moon and the black spot was significant in that it meant that there was no festival to celebrate the holiest element of the Church, the Eucharist. As a result of St. Juliana's dream and vision, Corpus Christi was celebrated in England from 1318 onwards. Corpus Christi plays were staged to mark the occasion.

Such is the significance of Corpus Christi that there are colleges at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and a major city in Texas, USA, that are named Corpus Christi.

More local businesses show their support

2008-05-16T12:15:00.001+01:00

With a little under 2 weeks to go before Andy 'The Saint' Sayers steps into the ring, Friends of English Martyrs have been contacted by Sam Clemons from his family run business, Hortus Ligneous, in Melton Mowbray.

Hortus Ligneous use traditional methods of construction to produce bespoke exterior timber products. By using quality materials and techniques handed down through three generations they have become one of the finest gate manufacturers in the county.

Some of you may know Sam's wife, Charlotte, who runs the highly successful and much acclaimed Jumping Beanz fitness clubs for children.

This enterprising couple have made a donation to show their support for Andrew's fundraising efforts for our school and taken time out of their busy schedules to wish him lots of luck and success on May 29th.

Technorati Tags: timber,products,bespoke,wood,exterior,gates,doors,leicestershire,melton mowbray,rutland,Sam Clemons,Melton Mowbray,Jumping Beanz,fitness,clubs,children,Charlotte Clemons,Andy 'The Saint' Sayers,May29th,Friends of English Martyrs,boxing,charity,boxing match

Exton Street Market

2008-05-10T16:01:00.001+01:00

The Exton Street Market is a popular annual event, now in its 27th year, and attracts in excess of 200 stalls and around 6,000 members of the public.

Friends of English Martyrs are going to have a stall at the Market on Monday 26th May. We will be selling all sorts of items so do come along to support us.

However, we do need your help beforehand....If you have any items in good condition that would fetch a price of £5.00 (items can be bundled if necessary) please contact Joanna Sayers or Sharon Seel at school.

Things you can donate:

Unwanted gifts
Children's toys
DVDs that your children may have grown out of
Things you bought on the spur of the moment that have stayed in the cupboard!
Clothing (clean and in good condition)
Baby equipment

The money raised will be used for the school to buy essential equipment that all the children will benefit from.

Technorati Tags: exton,street market,car boot,sale,stall,second hand,May,Rutland

Our 'Saint' in the News!

2008-04-30T15:52:00.002+01:00

The media have been quick to pick up on Andy 'The Saint' Sayers' story. The Rutland Times was the first to highlight the extraordinary lengths that George & William's Dad is going to in order to raise funds for our school.

Next came a piece in The Rutland Mercury which was swiftly followed by an article in The Rutland Messenger.

If you'd like to be kept up to date on the 'Saint's' progress with FREE email bulletins straight to your inbox, please click the following link: Subscribe to Andy 'The Saint' Sayers by Email

Don't forget, if you'd like to be a part of raising money for our school, please sponsor Andy 'The Saint' Sayers - just click here to use our secure online donation facility provided by JustGiving.com

'Cry God for Harry, England and St.George'

2008-04-23T09:31:00.005+01:00

Today, 23rd April, England remembers it's Patron Saint and celebrates St. George's Day.

St. George was originally a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed, on 23rd April, after refusing to carry out the persecution of Christians as dictated by the Roman army. He is a symbol for bravery, the poor and defenceless and is also the Patron Saint of soldiers.

Most people, however, believe him to have been a knight of King Arthur's round table and a slayer of dragons! This legend was popularised by William Caxton's The Gold Legend in 1483.

King Richard I prayed to St.George for protection and carried a banner with the red cross of St.George during the Holy Crusades. St. George became the Patron Saint of England during King Edward III's reign (1327-1377) and was adopted as the patron of his new order of knights called the Knights of the Garter, which remains one of the highest orders of knighthood to this day. The procession of the Most Noble Order of the Garter remains an annual event held at Windsor Castle and is led by the Queen.

Did you know that St. George is also a revered Saint in Canada, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, Serbia and Catalonia as well as being prominent in many cities such as Moscow?

Did you also know that Shakespeare was born on St. George's Day and 52 years later died on St. George's Day in 1616! Shakespeare wrote the famous 'Battle of Agincourt' speech which includes the inspiring battle call used by Henry V to rally his troops: "Follow your spirit; and upon this charge, Cry God for Harry, England and St.George!" (Henry V, Act Three, Scene 1)

Local Karate Club Shows Support

2008-04-16T21:36:00.011+01:00

The Sensei Bassett Black Belt Academy is proud to support English Martyrs Catholic Primary School by sponsoring Andy 'The Saint' Sayers.

The Sensei Bassett Black Belt Academy is well known to many of the pupils at our school. The Oakham based Karate club is hugely popular amongst both boys and girls and is dedicated to providing Karate for children between the ages of 6 and 16 years old.

As part of the United Kingdom Martial Arts Federation, Josh Bassett's successful Acadamy runs classes at the Vale of Catmose College, Cold Overton Road, Oakham, four times a week. Each session combines an exciting range of fitness and karate training that helps to improve self-discipline, concentration, fitness and self-esteem. Many of our children regularly win trophies and awards at Karate competitions and tournaments.

If your children would like to join this very popular Karate academy, please visit their website

or please call 07769 65 33 58 for more details.

More Retail Therapy

2008-04-15T22:53:00.006+01:00

We try to keep you up to date with all the goings on here at Friends of English Martyrs Blog. Well, it's a bit like waiting for a bus ... when one new family friendly online store joins us here on the blog, suddenly there's a whole queue of them waiting to join in!

You'll have to have a look around the blog over the coming week to spot what's new to see what we mean!

Whilst you're visiting don't forget to take a look at the online fundraising widget to see how Andrew Sayers is doing in his fundraising efforts. To learn more about what Andrew is doing for English Martyrs Catholic Primary School have a look at his blog http://andysayers.blogspot.com/

Family Friendly Shopping

2008-04-14T11:36:00.006+01:00

As promised, we always try to bring you great online shops to make life a little easier...and continue in our efforts to raise money for our school.

Today, we are pleased to announce The Great Little Trading Company is to join the list of family friendly stores on the Friends of English Martyrs Blog.

GLTC has been awarded 'best children's catalogue for 2008' by ECMOD, the mail order version of the Oscars!

They have plenty of ideas for busy parents - with departments for clothing, toys and games, home school and car essentials, the great outdoors, storage and bedroom furniture. There's an easy to use product finder and a 'wish list' facility for helping family and friends decide what to buy for birthdays and special occasions.

Click here to Have a look at their website and see what you think ...

Fight For Our School!

2008-04-08T12:34:00.005+01:00

....STOP PRESS.....STOP PRESS.....STOP PRESS.....

Andrew Sayers, George and William's Dad, is doing something quite remarkable for English Martyrs.... He's entered a Charity Boxing Match!!!!

No, this isn't a late April Fool's joke!

Andrew has entered a charity boxing match which will take place on May 29th in London. He is one of 16 contenders who has gone to considerable lengths to put himself through a punishing fitness schedule to ensure he will be match fit by the 29th. He fits his training schedule around his work commitments and, even when he is frequently abroad, he continues to get up early to use a variety of gyms and runs miles and miles of unknown territory (and on occasion, gets lost!). When in the UK, he leaves the house before the sparrows are up to travel to a London boxing gym and then does a full days work.

What can you do?
Andrew needs your sponsorship. He’s willing to put himself in a boxing ring and fight 3 rounds of pure adrenalin and all that he’s (hopefully) learned during his training – You get to do the easy bit! Please sponsor him as much as you can to show your support.

How do I sponsor Andrew ‘The Saint’ Sayers?

You can visit Andrew's blog http://andysayers.blogspot.com/ and click on the widget at the top of the page.

Or click here – http://justgiving.com/andysayers

DON'T FORGET: if you’re a UK taxpayer you can add Gift Aid to your donation (don’t worry just follow the simple instructions)...that’s an additional 28pence for every £1.00 donated (e.g. on a donation of £50.00 an additional £14.10 Gift Aid will be added to your donation and sent to Friends of English Martyrs).

So, now there's even more reason to tell everyone about this blog and sign up to our FREE email alerts!

Read All About It - in a variety of languages!

2008-04-02T09:28:00.009+01:00

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School has always welcomed children of all nationalities. Our school is proud to offer a warm and inviting atmosphere and have many successes of teaching children whose first language is not always English.

Although English is widely accepted in many countries it is not the most popular language in the world. In recent years, the Chinese language (Mandarin) is often reported as the most widely spoken language. However, in the internet community, the other popular language platforms are often Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, Malay, Italian, French, Japanese, and Korean.

In order to continue to embrace the multi-cultural ethos that we have at our school, we can now say that our blog is truly international too!

If you look at the top of this page, you will see that you can now translate all our news and information into a variety of languages. We hope to add more languages including Polish and Lithuanian soon. Remember to bookmark the original English version before trying the translations out, so that you can return to the English version if you want to. In the meantime, let us know what you think.

Frogs on the Blog!

2008-03-20T09:29:00.002Z

When you get a moment, have a look in the Reception Class for the latest additions to our school. Mrs Maxwell and her class now have a fully functioning 'Frog Creche'! Grateful thanks to Mrs McGill who has donated some tadpoles to the aquarium and Mrs Neill for the frogspawn.

For those of you worried by the recent story in the news about moving frogspawn, we can assure you that we have been in touch with Froglife who issued the press release. This is what they said:

"We released that news article to warn people of the dangers of moving spawn between ponds as this can spread diseases and invasive pond plants but did not intend to stop the rearing tadpoles for educational purposes, for example in a classroom environment. In our view this is an excellent educational tool (not to mention fun to watch!) and as the tadpoles are held in a tank, as long as they are returned to the pond they were found in there is very little risk of spreading anything."

If you'd like to sign up for Froglife's 'Frog-bites', click the link below. Frog-bites are free email bulletins from Froglife, aimed at providing up to the minute information on upcoming events, updates on Froglife’s campaigns, along with further details on the part you can play in helping conserve the UK’s amphibians and reptiles. To sign up visit: www.froglife.org/sign_up.htm

FREE Busy Bug!

2008-03-18T11:40:00.006Z

Just a reminder...

If you'd like to nominate a member of our school for the Teaching Awards 2008, log on to http://www.teachingawards.com/ and click "Nominate Now!"

In return for your nomination, you'll be sent a FREE Busy Bug!

Nominations are free and can include anyone involved in helping our children at school.

Read On ...

2008-03-10T15:01:00.006Z

Stephanie Cornwall thought that the following story would be wonderful for our blog. We have to agree with her. It makes you stop and think.

Read on....

"Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one.

My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fund raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query.The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realise true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognising that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realise the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them."

If you would like to comment on this post, please click on 'comments' below.

Spring has Sprung!

2008-03-10T11:56:00.006Z

We have lots of exciting things that are happening this Spring. So it's really important that you come back and visit us often or sign up to our FREE email bulletin service for all the latest news and information. Just enter your email address in the 'Free Email Bulletin' box, click submit and follow the simple instructions - we'll do all the hardwork back at FEM HQ whilst you receive all the latest news from the Blog straight to your inbox for FREE.

First up - A new shopping experience to help raise money for our school. We've been very successful raising money by offering online shopping - look out for the latest fundraising update - and we hope you'll enjoy using our latest 'widget'. Have a look around 'Shop Window' and let us know what you think of it (click on 'comments' below this post)

Jump to it... Mrs Maxwell needs your help!

2008-02-16T16:41:00.006Z

Mrs. Maxwell has asked for some help. If you have any frogspawn in your garden or you know where you can get some, please would you contact either us here at the blog or Mrs. Maxwell at school.

Facts about frogs:

Frogs travel to ponds in the Spring to breed (around Feb/March depending on the weather)
Each clump of frogspawn can hold about 2,000 eggs
Frogspawn can be killed by frost, other animals, drying out or disease
Frogs have excellent eyesight
A quarter of a frogs diet is made up of slugs and snails
Frogs are attracted to water by the smell of algae which is a great food for tadpoles
Frogs can breathe through their skin when they hibernate at the bottom of a pond
Frogs eyes stick up so they can see out of the water but remain hidden

Nominate now for Teaching Awards 2008!

2008-02-15T11:28:00.004Z

Say "Thank You" to our school -

We all know what a great job English Martyrs Catholic Primary School does, here in Oakham, and that our Teachers and Staff are fundamental to our children's futures. But they don't always receive the praise they deserve and the Teaching Awards is a fantastic way for you to show your appreciation.

Making a nomination is a fantastic way to give Teachers, Support Staff, School Governors and schools the recognition they deserve. The closing date for nominations is midnight on 1st March 2008.

---"The Teaching Awards provides a unique opportunity for us to celebrate those who, tirelessly and often selflessly, dedicate their lives to securing a future for the next generation" Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE.---

Please help us ensure that those individuals who make a real difference to pupils' lives at our school receive the recognition they so richly deserve. If you feel that the whole school has been working hard to promote and encourage a sustainable and healthy future, you can also make a nomination for the Teaching Award for Sustainable Schools which celebrates the team and their efforts to secure a greener future.

Absolutely anyone can make a nomination - simply log on to www.teachingawards.com and click 'Nominate Now!'

So go on, have your say - you can nominate any of the following:

The whole school
Headteacher
Teacher
Teaching Assistant
Support Staff
School Governor

But don't forget the closing date is 1st March 2008.

Brush up on languages..

2008-02-14T16:06:00.003Z

Here's a clever little aid to help you brush up on your French, Spanish or Portuguese in time for the summer holidays ... yes, they do seem a long way off but before you know it the sun will be shining and winter legs will become bronzed and beautiful once more!!

Simply register with Bitesized Languages and receive FREE daily emails designed to help you learn your chosen language a little bit at a time.

Your free daily email contains

'Word of the day'
A phrase using the word in context
Links to MP3 recordings of the phrases being spoken
Simple, easy-to-read, diary style format
Even occasional jokes and film reviews to stretch your linguistic skills... all for free!

Another New Online Store!

2008-02-09T17:29:00.000Z

A stalwart of high street shopping has just joined us here at the Friends of English Martyrs Blog!

BHS offers amazingly good value for a variety of homeware and fashion items. Don't forget them when you're looking for school uniform basics and remember click here first to get to their store and we earn commission on your online shopping.

There's no catch,

Just Click and Shop!

Is 5 too young to start school?

2008-02-09T10:30:00.000Z

We've picked up on a story run by the BBC recently and wondered what your thoughts are on this issue.

Children in the UK start compulsory full time education at 5 years old but many, of course, start at 4. Whilst the government has recognised the problems associated with 'Summer born' children, little has changed in the age in which we expect our children to start school for over 130 years!

Orginally, it was the Victorians (in 1870) who thought it a good idea for children to start education at such tender age. However, the system was first implemented to keep them away from wayward parents and poor social conditions not to give them a love of learning. More social conditioning and child protection than improving literacy rates!

England now has the earliest starting age for school in the European Union and sadly the levels of achievement aren't the highest, in fact quite the reverse. Finland is the 'superstar' of education and is consistently among the top performers. In contrast to England's system, Finnish children start school at the age of 7 and have much longer holidays than their UK counterparts - 11 weeks in the summer.

So despite English children spending the most amount of time away from their families studying at school, they are not achieving the success of children in other EU countries. The Cambridge based, Primary Review, has scrutinised the way education is implemented in this country and has concluded that there appears to be no correlation betwen quantity and quality in education.

So, where are we going wrong? Do our children start school too early? What are your views?

If you'd like to make a comment on this topic, look at the end of this posting (after the ads) for "Posted by Friends of English Martyrs at 16:00 0 comments" click on the word 'comments' and type away! When you re-visit the blog a number next to 'comments' will signify how many other people have left comments which you can read.

Call for urgent help...

2008-02-08T12:00:00.000Z

Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, our newly appointed Premises Officer at English Martyrs Primary School has had to resign.

We urgently need a new Premises Officer (Caretaker) and hope you can help us in our search. This is a temporary position with the possibility of becoming permanent.

The Premises Officer will need to work 20 hours per week and we are looking for someone who can start immediately.

For full details please contact the school on 01572 722 400 or use the contact form at the bottom of this page.

The school is also desperately in need of some temporary cleaners ... can you help? If you can offer an hour or so after school, any day Monday to Friday, please get in touch.

Your help, as always, is very much appreciated - Thank You.

Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day

2008-02-05T14:37:00.000Z

Today is Shrove Tuesday. Traditionally it is a day of celebration as it is the day before the beginning of Lent. As eggs, flour, milk, cream and butter were all forbidden during Lent, people would use up these ingredients by making Pancakes rather than seeing them go to waste.

If you'd like to have a go at making Pancakes, here's a simple recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

For the Batter:

225g/8oz plain flour

2 medium eggs

up to 500ml/17fl oz milk

For the Filling:

250g/9oz good quality butter toffee (broken up if in a block)

3 tbsp milk

6-8 (one per person) ripe bananas, sliced

Method:

Sieve the flour and beat in the eggs.

Beat in the milk a little at a time until the batter has the consistency of single cream. Leave to stand for at least half an hour before making the pancakes.

Put the toffee and 3 tbsp milk in a heavy pan. Stir consistently over a low heat until the toffee has melted and the sauce is smooth. It doesn't have to boil but should be nice and hot.

Pour a little of the pancake mixture into a lightly oiled non-stick pan and fry the pancakes. When bubbles appear (after about 1-1½ minutes) flip or turn the pancake.

Stack them up and keep them warm while you cook the rest.

Place slices of banana down the middle of each pancake and pour over a generous amount of toffee sauce. Fold over each side of the pancake into the middle. Decorate with more slices of banana and an extra drizzle of toffee sauce.

Enjoy!

Request for PLAY

2008-02-01T17:26:00.000Z

Just to show that we really do listen......

We had a request earlier this morning, from Sarah Archer, to feature a company called PLAY.com on the Friends of English Martyrs Blog. Just like Sarah, a few of us have discovered an alternative to Amazon. PLAY is well worth a visit. So, have a look and let us know what you think.

Remember, all your online purchases via our Blog help us to raise money for our school!

Thanks Sarah for the suggestion!

What & When is Lent?

2008-01-29T11:05:00.000Z

What is Lent?
Lent is a period of 40 days and nights when Christians prepare for Easter. During this time we commemorate the time that Jesus spent in the desert enduring temptation by Satan.

This year Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, falls on 6th February.

Why are Sundays not counted in the 40 days?
Sunday is the traditional day of celebration in the Christian church and commemorates the Resurrection which is why Sundays are not included in Lent.

What happens during Lent?
We prepare for the Resurrection by praying and fasting during Lent. Nowadays, people will often give up a favourite food, like chocolate, during Lent to show that they too can resist temptation. Performing charitable acts is another way to show our committment during Lent.

Other things that lasted for 40 days in the Bible:
Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai with God
God made it rain for 40 days and nights in the days of Noah
The Hebrew people travelled for 40 years to get to the Promised Land
Jonah gave the people of Nineveh 40 days and nights to repent of their sins
Elijah spent 40 days walking to Mount Horeb

Who are the English Martyrs?

2008-01-26T10:18:00.000Z

Our school has a name that is a bit of a mystery to most people. So, we thought a little explanation was in order.

Our school has four house teams: St.Thomas More, St.Edmund Campion, St.Margaret Clitherow and Blessed John Lyon

The houses were chosen by Sr. Olive the Headmistress of English Martyrs about 15 years ago.

St.Thomas More(1478-1535) was a lawyer and noble statesman, most famously as Lord Chancellor during King Henry VIII's reign. He coined the word 'utopia' in a book he wrote in 1516 about an ideal, imaginary island. He refused to accept Henry as supreme head of the Church of England which led to his execution for treason. St.Thomas More was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1935 and declared patron saint of politicians and statesmen by Pope John Paul II. His feast day is 22nd June.

St.Edmund Campion (1540-1581) was a well educated young man who found favour initially with Queen Mary and then Queen Elizabeth and her suitor the Earl of Leicester. He struggled inwardly with his Catholic beliefs during a turbulent time of persecutions by the Anglian Church. He fled to Ireland and then France returning to London in 1580 as a Jesuit. He was captured by a spy in Lyford, Berkshire whilst preaching and committed to the Tower of London. Queen Elizabeth offered him wealth and dignities if he renounced his Catholic faith. He was tortured terribly and kept in prison a long time to try to shake his constancy. Finally, on October 31 1581 he was charged with conspiring to dethrone the Queen. He answered the sentance of the traitors death with the Te Deum Laudamus. He spent his final days in prayer and was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 1st December 1581. St. Edmund Campion was canonised on 25th October 1970 by Pope Paul VI and his feast day is 1st December.

St. Margaret Clitherow (1566-1586) was married to a butcher named John and had two children. She converted to Roman Catholicism when she was 18 and became a friend to the persecuted Catholic population in Northern England. Her son became a Catholic Priest and she regularly held Mass at her home. She was arrested in 1586 for hiding Catholic Priests from the authorities. For refusing to plead against the accusations, thereby preventing her children from having to testify against her, she was sentenaced to be crushed to death. She was executed on Good Friday 1586. St. Margaret Clitherow was canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970 and her feast day is March 26th.

Blessed John Lyon is a bit more of a mystery. The first part of the mystery is that Sr. Olive was mistaken in naming him 'Blessed' he is in fact 'Venerable'. John Lyon is said to be Rutland's own Martyr, and was a farmer who lived in North Luffenham. He was hung in 1599 for his Catholic Faith near the 'swooning bridge' on the Uppingham Road in Oakham and very little is known about him. Research is still ongoing about this amazing man by two of his devotees and teachers at our school, Mrs Elizabeth Keogh and Mrs Maria Marriott. John Lyon was made 'Venerable' during 1970 when 40 Catholic English Martyrs were canonised by Pope Paul VI.

New Online Shops!

2008-01-25T11:13:00.000Z

We're pleased to announce three new online stores here on the Friends of English Martyrs Blog.

Coming soon...
We hope to be able to feature 'John Lewis' on our site within the next few months. So, keep coming back to see what's new or alternatively sign up to our FREE email bulletin service and have all the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Just enter your email address in the box provided on the right hand side and follow the instructions when you receive a confirmation email.

WANTED - Book Reviewers of all ages!

2008-01-22T13:10:00.000Z

If you hadn't heard, 2008 is the Year of Reading! So, Friends of English Martyrs have decided to do a number of things to help the Year of Reading go with a "....shhh...we're reading!"

First of all we wanted to know what everyone is reading at the moment. Is there a book you want to rave about or one that perhaps you didn't like? Is there a book you'd like to recommend for children or perhaps there's one you'd like to suggest for grown-ups?

Please take a little time to help your children write a book review for us and in return we'll publish it right here on our Blog and on our notice board at school.

You can either leave a comment after this post, email us (joanna at sayersmedia dot co dot uk) or hand in your reviews at school.

We'll keep you posted on all the events coming up this year.

2008 School Term Dates

2008-01-18T10:06:00.000Z

For those of you that have requested information about dates for the school term, please read the following:

TERM 3 - School opened Thursday 3rd January 2008; School closes Friday 15th February (for 1 week)

TERM 4 - School opens Monday 25th February; Good Friday 21st March; Easter Monday 24th March; School closes Friday 4th April (for 2 weeks)

TERM 5 - School opens Monday 21st April; May Bank Holiday Monday 5th May; School closes Friday 23rd May (for 1 week & 1 day due to Teacher Training on Monday 2nd June)

TERM 6 - School opens Tuesday 3rd June; School closes Tuesday 22nd July

Chicken Out Campaign

2008-01-09T14:13:00.000Z

The children at English Martyrs Catholic Primary school, here in Oakham, have been very proud of raising their own chicken, 'Flapjack Henny Penny'. They have been fascinated with her development from egg to hen and delighted to see her lay eggs.

Currently on Channel Four, chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is campaigning to improve the lives of thousands of chickens in the UK. Unfortunately, huge numbers of chickens don't have the idyllic life that Flapjack Henny Penny leads.

If you would like to know more about the Chicken Out Campaign click here. The final episode airs tonight on Channel Four at 9pm.

Blog Fundraising Update!

2008-01-07T12:36:00.000Z

It's time to give you another update of how much money this Blog has raised for our school.

The Friends of English Martyrs Blog started on the 9th October 2007 and has raised a magnificent £53.05!

Your online shopping has helped generate oodles of commission - it really does work! If you shop by clicking on any of our hand-picked online store adverts we raise cash for our school and what's more it doesn't cost you any extra.

Keep up the great work!!

Tell all your family and friends to log on to the Friends of English Martyrs Blog and do their online shopping through us! Why not send an email to everyone in your address book to let them know about our Blog and what we're all doing for our school.

Keen to know where we've generated commission? Here's a few of your most popular online shops:

Marks & Spencer

Letterbox

Early Learning Centre

Amazon

LookAtMyCrazyShoes

Majestic Wine

Brightminds

Boden

Please visit our Blog regularly as it is constantly being updated with news and new online shops for you.

Don't forget to let us know what you think of it and whether you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see here.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T12:02:00.000Z

Friends of English Martyrs would like to wish everyone a very happy new year!

We hope you all had a splendid Christmas and look forward to bringing you lots of news and fun activities to get involved in during 2008.

If you have a snippet of news or something you'd like to see featured on the blog, please get in touch. We'd also like to feature any blogs or websites run by parents or friends of English Martyrs - perhaps you'd like to nominate a site that you think others would be interested in ... Here's to a busy year of blogging!

Pope Benedict XVI

2007-12-27T13:03:00.000Z

The Pope's Christmas message concentrated on the 'light' that God shines into the world. Quoting St. John, he said ‘When the light of God shines in us, there can be no shadows.' Benedict addressed the crowd from the balcony of St Peter’s basilica, and the whole of St Peter’s Square was illuminated with bright sunshine!

Addressing the crowd of around 150,000 people, the Pope gave Christmas blessings in 63 languages which started in Italian and ended in Latin. Unusually, he also included a blessing in Mandarin and Guarani, an effort to reach out to people in China and the South American country of Paraguay.

Pope Benedict prayed for peace around the world and called for an end to terrorism. He appealed for 'just and lasting solutions' to be found to end suffering.

To see a video of Pope Benedict's Christmas address in Rome, click here

Peter Pan delights us all

2007-12-20T21:19:00.000Z

Today's visit to the Pantomime was wonderful!

Two coaches took excited children, teachers, parents and grandparents off to Nottingham to see Peter Pan. Some of the children (and some of the grownups) had never seen a Pantomime before so it was especially exciting for them.

The inevitable 'are we nearly there yet' queries started a full 12 minutes after we left school! And by the time we reached the theatre all the children were eager to tuck into their packed lunches.

The theatre was jam-packed with school children and the atmosphere was sizzling with anticipation. Boys and girls everywhere were yelling their cheers for the 'goodies' and their 'boos' for the baddies! It was a high energy production that included dancing, singing, slapstick comedy, acrobatics and tons of audience participation. Peter Pan, Wendy, Michael and Peter all took off and flew around the theatre whilst Captain Hook was both menacing and hilarious.

Tired children returned home after a fabulous day out, eager to tell their families all about their trip to the Pantomime.

If you were there today, let us have your comments. What did your children say about today's trip? Would you like this to become an annual treat for the children?

A huge thank you to all those grownups who organised the trip and helped out today - and yes you were all spotted cheering, clapping and booing with gusto!!

Roll up, sign up, stay in touch!

2007-12-20T21:08:00.000Z

It's a busy time of year and it's easy to neglect this corner of cyberspace. Sometimes it's easy to forget to come and visit the FEM Blog to see what's been happening - but it would be such a shame for you to miss out on all the things we're doing.

So to make things a little easier for everyone, you can now receive all the latest updates to the Friends of English Martyrs Blog straight into your inbox. Look down the right hand column and you'll see a 'subscribe via email' area, just pop your email address in the box and click on 'subscribe'. And that's all you have to do - updates to the Blog will automatically be sent to your email inbox for you to read at your leisure.

So don't delay, sign up and keep in touch with all the news from the Friends of English Martyrs Blog!

Christmas Nativity

2007-12-18T11:11:00.000Z

A quick reminder for everyone....

The English Martyrs Christmas Nativity will be held tomorrow night (Wednesday 19th December) at 6.30pm at St.Joseph's Catholic Church in Oakham.

Those of you who have children starring in the production need to arrive by 6pm.

It will be a wonderful evening and the children are all very excited about it - hope to see you all there!

Christmas Disco a Huge Success!

2007-12-11T10:38:00.000Z

Last Friday evening's Friends of English Martyrs Christmas Disco was a huge success and we were especially pleased to see such a large turnout from current and ex-pupils, friends and parents.

Our wonderful DJ, Steve, kept the dance floor packed with eager children all showing off their talents for singing and dancing. Who knows ... perhaps English Martyrs will produce another budding Hannah Montana or Corbin Bleu!

A huge queue formed outside Santa's Grotto and all the children were delighted to meet our visitor from the North Pole (see photo). Santa had lots of super presents to give to everyone that came to see him. He told us later that he was delighted to meet such lovely children who were all so well behaved and had such nice manners - he's looking forward to returning to Oakham on Christmas Eve!

A staggering £229.00 was raised throughout the evening, making it a wonderful success.

A massive thank you to everyone who volunteered their services and to those of you who donated prizes for the Raffle. We were overwhelmed by your support - you made a tremendous contribution and made a lot of children very happy!

FEM Christmas Disco

2007-12-04T20:48:00.000Z

The children are all getting very excited and

are really looking forward to a fun evening.

We need your help to make it a huge success!

Please donate a prize for the Raffle or get in touch if you'd like to help on the night

So come and join us

Friends of English Martyrs Christmas Disco

Friday 7th December

6.30pm - 8.00pm

Raffle, hotdogs, mince pies, sweet stall, glowsticks, Santa's Grotto and surprise presents!

Christmas Shopping Specials

2007-12-03T11:30:00.000Z

During the run-up to Christmas, we'll be featuring some very special offers from a number of the hand-picked stores that we feature here on our Blog - remember your shopping raises money for our school at no extra cost to you.

You'll have to sign up to our 'Exclusive Shopping with FEM' E-Newsletter to get all the latest special offers.

Don't forget to tell all your friends and relatives about our Blog!

Enter your details below:

We Need Your Support

2007-12-03T11:09:00.000Z

‘Friends of English Martyrs’ host a variety of fundraising events for our school throughout the year.

We are a group of parents and parish members some of whom are on the committee and others who offer their help when they can.

Without more support we cannot continue to help our school.

There are 2 ways you can help us next week:

1. We need helpers for our Christmas Disco which is on Friday 7th December 6.30 – 8.00pm

2. We need donations for the FEM Christmas Disco Raffle – donations can be left in the marked box in reception (i.e. bottles, gifts, chocolate, toys etc.)

Which one you can you help with?

Please speak to Joanna Sayers or any of the FEM committee members if you can help - alternatively use the contact form on this page to get in touch.

What's Up Doc?

2007-11-22T12:57:00.000Z

The Friends of English Martyrs love a good chat - 'More rabbit than Tesco's' to rephrase an old Chas and Dave song! But this time, it's literally true!

Frances Scoular, Bridget's Mum, is looking for a new home for a beautiful young rabbit that was found in Tesco's car park in Oakham. It is currently being cared for by Oakham Veterinary Hospital, where Frances works, but it really needs a more permanent home .... Can you help?

The bunny is a female, short haired rabbit and still quite young, probably only about a year old. She is very pretty with black and white markings and a black patch over one eye. She is used to people and being handled and is very friendly.

If you are interested in adopting this lovely little bunny, please contact Oakham Veterinary Hospital on 01572 - 722646 or have a word with Frances at school. Please help!

Calling all Elves...

2007-11-17T16:01:00.000Z

Friends of English Martyrs are delighted to announce that a certain elderly gentleman from the North Pole has accepted our invitation to attend the Christmas Disco on the 7th December.

Father Christmas is sparing some of his very valuable time to come and see the children but unfortunately will not be able to bring any of his Elves with him. Obviously the Elves are all hard at work and annual leave has been cancelled until December 27th.

Father Christmas doesn't want to disappoint the children and is well aware of Union Rules and would love to know if there are any 'freelance' Elves that would like to accompany him on his visit - perhaps there's an Elf or two who'd like to come out of retirement?

So, if you can help, please, please get in touch. We can help with uniform, transport and rates of pay include the usual Elf currency of mince pies and giggles!

Blog Fundraising Update!

2007-11-13T10:28:00.000Z

From time to time we will keep you up to date on the progress of how much money this Blog has raised for our school.

The Friends of English Martyrs Blog has only been running a short time and yet we have already raised a wonderful £27.08! This is the amount we have earned in commission from your online shopping - it really does work! If you shop by clicking on any of our hand-picked online store adverts we raise cash for our school and what's more it doesn't cost you any extra.

Whilst this is great news, we can do even better.

Tell all your family and friends to log on to the Friends of English Martyrs Blog and do their Christmas online shopping through us! Why not send an email to everyone in your address book to let them know about our Blog and what we're all doing for our school.

Marks & Spencer, Letterbox, Early Learning Centre, Amazon and Boden have been the most popular stores so far.

Please visit our Blog regularly as it is constantly being updated with news and new online shops for you. Don't forget to let us know what you think of it and whether you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see here.

Can you help?

2007-11-12T09:13:00.001Z

Mrs. Maxwell needs your help!

To enhance outdoor experiences for the reception children, she would like to have more equipment for them to play with. Can you help? Is there anything from the list below that you could supply?

If you can help or know of someone who can help, please get in touch by using the contact form at the end of the blog or by speaking to Mrs. Maxwell at school. Your help, as always, is much appreciated.

Tyres
Logs
Planks of wood
Drainpipes or guttering
Rope
Milk Crates
Bricks

Help Kids Read

2007-11-11T15:53:00.000Z

'One in five children leaves primary school

in the UK unable to read properly.'

That's a shocking statistic!

If you are interested to learn more about encouraging your child to read have a look at Channel 4's excellent site Lost for Words. Synthetic Phonics are the latest buzzwords in Literacy these days and there's an excellent guide to read and download. There's also an opportunity to watch a video of the excellent documentary 'Dispatches: Why our children can't read'. Lost for Words is packed full of interesting information, celebrity snippets, videos, a forum and favourite books - have a look when you have a moment, it really is worth it.

If you'd like to purchase a book for your child's class or the school library, please click on the link below. By purchasing through Amazon, you help us raise money for our school at no extra cost to you.

Friends of English Martyrs Meeting

2007-11-11T15:46:00.000Z

The Friends of English Martyrs meeting at Joanna Sayers' home last Tuesday evening was a great success. It was a great chance to relax over a glass of wine and talk about our wonderful school.

A number of topics were discussed including:

FEM will be purchasing a new electric fan double oven so that the children can benefit from better and more frequent cookery lessons.
School Christmas Disco will be held on Friday 7th December - there will be the usual DJ, games, face painting and lucky dip. Father Christmas has advised us that he will be making a guest appearance but we are looking out for volunteer Elves to assist him.
We now have a 'Wish List' from school staff which will be displayed shortly on this Blog.
Update on the progress of outdoor facilities.
All members of the committee felt that the school Library could do with a refit and it was agreed that this is added to the FEM action plan.
Various fundraising opportunities were discussed including a Spring Ball, Quiz Nights and a Bingo Evening.
Our Blog was discussed, especially how it is making money for the school (more on this later) but more people need to visit it and use it. An announcement in the Parish newsletter and Magazine about the Blog will be made.

If you'd like to receive a copy of the minutes of the meeting, contact us by using the contact form at the end of the Blog.

Bitesize Primary

2007-11-09T12:38:00.000Z

If your children are keen to play computer games but you'd rather they did something a bit more educational then help is at hand from the good old BBC.

Click here for a great selection of KS1 and KS2 Bitesize Games. They're designed to help strengthen your children's skills in Numeracy, Literacy and Science. There's 'Alien Punctuation', 'Camel Times Tables', 'River Rhyming' for KS1 children. And for KS2 children there's an online science project to make plants grow, mental maths games and Dictionary puzzles.

If you know of other websites that you'd like to share with us here on the Friends of English Martyrs Blog then please leave a comment after this post.

Poll Results

2007-11-07T10:05:00.000Z

If you've visited the Friends of English Martyrs Blog before, you'll have noticed a Poll on the right hand side of the site asking for your views. We asked you what would you like to see FEM raise money for.

Well, it's results time and this is what you told us:

28% of you voted for more Sports Equipment
42% of you were in favour of funding more School Trips
42% of you wanted more Playground Equipment
but a majority of 57% of you wanted our fundraising efforts to support the purchase of more Classroom Equipment.

Thank you to everyone who took part in this, our very first Blog Poll. We shall now canvas the School staff to find out what each class needs most.

Some suggestions already received are:

Painting overalls

Arts & Crafts supplies

Fiction and Non-fiction books

If you have any suggestions about what your child's class needs, please get in touch. You can use the contact form at the bottom of this page or use the comment button at the end of this posting.

It's Panto Time...Oh yes it is!

2007-11-05T12:03:00.001Z

For those of you who didn't know, Friends of English Martyrs will be funding the transport costs so that the whole school will be able to have a magical time at the Pantomime in Nottingham on December 20th.

This year's production of Peter Pan at Nottingham's Theatre Royal stars Debra Stephenson (best known as Frankie Baldwin in Coronation Street) as Peter Pan

John Challis, the inimitable Boycie from Only Fools and Horses and The Green Green Grass, plays the menacing Hook.

A full supporting cast, including tumbling pirates, THE ACROLOONS, add to the spectacular blend of fairytale magic, hilarious comedy, show-stopping songs and swashbuckling action.

It will be a wonderful treat for the children and I suspect that the accompanying teachers and helpers will have a jolly good time too!

George's Secret Key to the Universe

2007-10-23T13:49:00.000+01:00

This book is going to be a hugely popular this Christmas.

Written by the eminent scientist Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy Hawking, this is a children's book with a difference. It's a hugely entertaining adventure about a boy called George and his new neighbours Eric, Annie and a supercomputer called Cosmos. Great storytelling is combined with real facts and stunning pictures of space, the universe and ...well everything starry!

A super introduction for young and old alike to the worlds beyond ours!

If you'd like to buy a copy, click on the picture below - remember all your shopping here on the Friends of English Martyrs Blog helps to raise money for our school.

Biggest Cake Sale Ever!!

2007-10-20T10:00:00.000+01:00

It was wonderful to see so many people attend the cake sale held at school on Friday. A huge "thank you" to everyone who brought in cakes for the stall - it really is hugely appreciated and we really do understand how busy everyone's lives are. The range of baked goodies shows what a lot of talented chefs we have.

So, the bit you've all been waiting for......how much money did the Cake Sale raise for our school? Well, there are a few pennies still left to add to the pot but...drum roll please.... we raised over

£85.00!

This is a staggering amount for a tiny school like ours to raise in the space of just half an hour after school and it is the most that we have ever raised through a cake sale.

Well done everyone and thank you!

Shopping Update

2007-10-19T12:19:00.000+01:00

Fantastic news ....

Shopping here on the Friends of English Martyrs blog really does make money for our school. In the short time that the blog has been 'live' - you've already raise £11.13

Please keep coming back to our blog, you really do make a difference.

Thank you.

The Cake Sale is tomorrow!!

2007-10-18T16:49:00.000+01:00

As the Cake Sale is tomorrow, a wonderful recipe from the Domestic Goddess herself, Nigella Lawson, will definately hit the spot.

Nigella's Fabulous Fairy Cakes

You Will Need:
125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
125g self-raising flour
half teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
12 bun muffin tin lined with 12 muffin papers

What To Do:
(Preheat oven to 200 degrees C/Gas mark 6)

1. Put all the ingredients, except for the milk, in a food processor and blitz till smooth.
2. Pulse processor while adding milk, to make a soft dropping consistency.
3. Spoon in equal measures of mixture into the muffin cases.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until fairy cakes are golden on top.
5. Remove and cool before icing and decorating.

A variety of ready-made icing and decorations can be bought from your local supermarket or Fords in Oakham do an excellent range of cake decorations. (Nigella didn't write that bit, we did!) Nigella suggests that you cut off any mounded tops to your fairy cakes once they're cool. It will be much easier to ice and decorate on a flat surface than one that's pointy.

Enjoy.... and save some for us!!

Easy Peasy Recipe

2007-10-17T09:20:00.000+01:00

Briege Slattery emailed us here at the Friends of English Martyrs Blog suggesting a delicious recipe that she wanted to share for busy people with hectic lives.

Thank you Briege - a wonderful recipe!

Easy Peasy Pork Stroganoff (Serves 4)

What you need:

1 pork fillet, chopped into bit sized pieces
1 tub of half fat creme fraiche
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain mustard
1 chopped onion
1 large glass of dry white wine (and one for the chef!)

What you do:

1 Heat knob of butter with one tablespoon of olive oil;
2 When butter/oil is hot fry the pork, browning on both sides;
3 Turn the heat to medium and add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes until soft;
4 Add the wine and cook for a minute or so to burn off the alcohol;
5 Mix the mustards with the craime fraiche and add this, mix well, add some seasoning (salt & pepper to the novice) and you're done.

Serve with rice & veg.
Note: You can also add sliced button mushrooms with the onion if you like.

If you have a recipe you would like to share with us, please get in touch use the form below.

Shop with FEM and raise cash for our school

2007-10-13T16:32:00.000+01:00

In our constant efforts to keep up to date with technology, Friends of English Martyrs are proud to announce our very own Online Store!

In association with the retail giant Amazon, we've made raising cash for our school even easier!! At the bottom of this blog you'll see a virtual shop window. We've selected some books to whet your appetite but you can use the search facility and/or categories to find exactly what you're looking for.

You don't pay any more than you would do buying from Amazon but this way the school earns a commission for every sale made .... Easy Peasy!

So tell your friends, family and neighbours to log on to our blog and help us help our school.

Alternatively, click here http://astore.amazon.co.uk/englishmartyrs-21 to shop.

We'll keep you posted with news about how much money we've raised through the Store.

Any questions? Please get in touch if you have any queries or feedback about our Online Store.

Have Your Say - Vote in our Poll

2007-10-10T21:39:00.000+01:00

Here at FEM HQ we're really keen to hear to your views on our fundraising activities.

Over the years, Friends of English Martyrs has raised thousands of pounds to help our school and none of this could have been achieved without all of you. We value not only your views but your experience and we would love to know what you would like us to do on your behalf.

In the right hand column you'll see we've started a poll asking you for your views - please take a moment to make your selection. We'll run more polls in the future.

A word about Advertisements

2007-10-10T20:20:00.001+01:00

You may have noticed that there are a few ads dotted around our blog.
They're there for a jolly good reason.

Firstly, we've carefully chosen each ad to fit either a topic we're discussing on the blog or something we think you, our friends, would be interested in.

Secondly, by choosing to view an ad you help raise funds for our school. Every time you decide to purchase an item from one of our specially featured Advertisers or view a Google ad, we earn a few pence. Couldn't be simpler.

So, now you can do a little bit of early Christmas shopping and have a warm glowing feeling that not only are you being terribly organised but you're doing something wonderful to help our school.

You don't have to click on any of the ads but do let us know if you like our choice of Advertisers. Perhaps you'd like to suggest one you'd like to see featured on our blog - feel free to use the form at the bottom of the page to get in touch or click the 'comments' button just after this post.

Get Baking ...

2007-10-10T13:36:00.000+01:00

FEM would like to announce the return of the famous English Martyrs Cake Sale!

On Friday 19th October (the day school breaks for the Autumn 2 week holiday), FEM will be holding a Cake Sale in the school hall from 3.30pm.

So, please get baking and bring in all your scrumptious goodies for us to sell - all the proceeds go to the school. We appreciate that not everyone has the time to 'bake-from-scratch' so a little something from the supermarket is fine too. The children love taking part in this event so do make sure they have a little pocket money to spend.

If you have some time to spare and would like to help out at the Cake Sale please get in touch - you can use the form at the bottom of the page.

We'll keep you posted and let you know how much money we raise.

Your new FEM Committe

2007-10-10T11:31:00.000+01:00

Having thanked the outgoing FEM committee members for all their hard work, it's now time to introduce you to your new committee:

Joanna Sayers (Chairman)

Helen Jones (Vice Chairman)

Sharon Seel (Treasurer)

Sylvie Nguyen & Paula Menzies (Secretary)

As you can see Helen Jones is a glutton for punishment and has joined the committee for a second term. Welcome back Helen! Paula Menzies, previously FEM secretary, has kindly agreed to help new Secretary, Sylvie, learn the ropes until December.

If you would like to email your thoughts and ideas to the committee please click here

It's new, it's here!

2007-10-09T14:38:00.000+01:00

Welcome!

This is the all new Friends of English Martyrs blog and we hope you'll stay and have a look around and allow us to tell you a little bit about what the Friends of English Martyrs (FEM) are currently doing.

We also hope that you'll let us know what you think of this blog (you can leave comments after each of the posts and take part in the blog surveys) and get involved with what we're doing. Whether you're a parent, guardian or member of the parish please support us.

Right let's get on, we have a lot to do!

In this, the first posting on the new blog we must say a huge "thank you" to the previous committee members of FEM who have just completed their two year appointment:

Supreedee Boulton-Smith (Chair)

Cara Topping (Vice-Chair)

Helen Jones (Treasurer)

Paula Menzies (Secretary)

Their wonderful fundraising activities have included:
An amazing Golf Fundraising Day at the equally amazing Stapleford Park Country House Hotel End of term Discos
Cake sales
Summer Fete
Christmas Party - even Father Christmas and his elves attended!

All this hard work, and great fun, has achieved:
The purchase of white boards for each classroom
A variety of school trips for each year group
Visit to Nottingham theatre to see
Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat,
A new two storey playhouse for KS1 playground

Without their tireless efforts, great organisational skills and endless enthusiasm it would be difficult for such a small school as English Martyrs to provide the children with treats and extra equipment that they all deserve.