Save the Rhino Day – Hope in Action
Following a whole-school worship focused on our value of Hope and the powerful message that we can all make a difference in the world, no matter how young we are Jack did something truly special. He asked for a meeting with the Headteacher because he had an idea... and he wanted to turn hope into action.
That meeting was the very beginning of our Save the Rhino Day. From that moment on, Jack led with passion, determination and kindness - imagining and organising a day that has inspired our entire school community.
In the afternoon, we all took part in a sponsored 'Rhino Dash' around the school field. For this, we were joined by an international conservation hero - 'Rhino Boy' Chris! And what a privilege it was to welcome him to our school. Chris is not only a Guinness World Record holder for running 127 marathons in a rhino costume he is a passionate conservationist who uses every mile he runs to raise awareness of the threats rhinos face.
This year, he even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres above sea level!) in full rhino costume to shine a spotlight on rhino conservation. From the slopes of Tanzania's highest peak to the red sofa of BBC Breakfast, Chris takes the message wherever he can reminding us that ordinary people can choose to do extraordinary things.
Most importantly, he was absolutely brilliant with our children: warm, encouraging, generous with his time and truly inspiring. He showed them that you are never too small to make a difference.
We were so grateful that the sun shone for us and that there was such a wonderful atmosphere of love, hope and joy with plenty of laughter as children ran, walked and cheered each other on.
We were then treated to a truly special Celebration Worship - where every child was presented with a beautiful engraved wooden 'medal' to mark the day and their efforts. Afterwards, the celebrations continued with a cake sale, where children could also buy a very special book written by our guest Rhino Boy Chris a rhino adventure called 'Hope' (so perfectly named), along with rhino goodie bags lovingly made by Jack and his family.
To Chris: thank you so much for taking the time to visit our school and share your powerful message about rhino conservation.
To all of our families: thank you.
Thank you for sponsoring your children.
Thank you for donating cakes and buying them.
Thank you for cheering from the sidelines.
Thank you for embracing Jack's dream and helping to turn it into something so powerful.
Thanks to your incredible generosity, we have now raised over £800 - and still counting - for Save the Rhino!
One boy. One dream. His lifelong hero.
Together, we truly lived our value of Hope "standing up for what we believe in and trying to make the world a better place"
We could not be prouder of Jack - and of all of our children - who showed us just how powerful hope can be when it is put into action.
#TogetherWeGive
#Hope
#savetherhino
#rhinoboy
It was such a joy to all be together again for the start of a new half term! We have had such a lovely day - exploring, learning and playing in the beautiful Spring sunshine. Welcome back WSG - we've missed you! #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeGive #LoveHopeJoy
Save the Rhino Day – Hope in Action Following a whole-school worship focused on our value of Hope and the powerful message that we can all make a difference in the world, no matter how young we are Jack did something truly special. He asked for a meeting with the Headteacher because he had an idea... and he wanted to turn hope into action. That meeting was the very beginning of our Save the Rhino Day. From that moment on, Jack led with passion, determination and kindness - imagining and organising a day that has inspired our entire school community. In the afternoon, we all took part in a sponsored 'Rhino Dash' around the school field. For this, we were joined by an international conservation hero - 'Rhino Boy' Chris! And what a privilege it was to welcome him to our school. Chris is not only a Guinness World Record holder for running 127 marathons in a rhino costume he is a passionate conservationist who uses every mile he runs to raise awareness of the threats rhinos face. This year, he even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres above sea level!) in full rhino costume to shine a spotlight on rhino conservation. From the slopes of Tanzania's highest peak to the red sofa of BBC Breakfast, Chris takes the message wherever he can reminding us that ordinary people can choose to do extraordinary things. Most importantly, he was absolutely brilliant with our children: warm, encouraging, generous with his time and truly inspiring. He showed them that you are never too small to make a difference. We were so grateful that the sun shone for us and that there was such a wonderful atmosphere of love, hope and joy with plenty of laughter as children ran, walked and cheered each other on. We were then treated to a truly special Celebration Worship - where every child was presented with a beautiful engraved wooden 'medal' to mark the day and their efforts. Afterwards, the celebrations continued with a cake sale, where children could also buy a very special book written by our guest Rhino Boy Chris a rhino adventure called 'Hope' (so perfectly named), along with rhino goodie bags lovingly made by Jack and his family. To Chris: thank you so much for taking the time to visit our school and share your powerful message about rhino conservation. To all of our families: thank you. Thank you for sponsoring your children. Thank you for donating cakes and buying them. Thank you for cheering from the sidelines. Thank you for embracing Jack's dream and helping to turn it into something so powerful. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we have now raised over £800 - and still counting - for Save the Rhino! One boy. One dream. His lifelong hero. Together, we truly lived our value of Hope "standing up for what we believe in and trying to make the world a better place" We could not be prouder of Jack - and of all of our children - who showed us just how powerful hope can be when it is put into action. #TogetherWeGive #Hope #savetherhino #rhinoboy
As part of Children's Mental Health Week, we spent time in worship today exploring the question: "What does it mean to belong?" Together, we talked about what belonging feels like, why it matters and how we can show our wider school family just how much they mean to us. This afternoon, some of our children went 'shroving' around the village in the beautiful sunshine and left bright bunches of daffodils alongside messages of 'love, hope and joy' for local residents. It was such a special way to say thank you and to show how much we value the warmth, support and togetherness of our community. (One of our pupils was able to deliver flowers to a great-great aunt - a lovely reminder of how deeply connected generations are within our community!) We are so grateful to Mrs Goodall for organising such a meaningful and joyful experience. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeGive #LoveHopeJoy
Children's Mental Health Week – "This Is My Place" Today, we launched Children's Mental Health Week, with the theme "This Is My Place." Throughout the week, the children will be taking part in fun and meaningful activities exploring what it means to belong, feel safe and be truly valued. In worship this morning, Elm Class explored what the word belonging means to them. They each created a belonging mosaic and reflected on the similarities and differences in one another's work. The children loved sharing their artwork together and talking about what helps them feel part of something special a school family where everyone matters. More information for families about Children's Mental Health Week can be found here: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk
What a fantastic forest school session in WSG Wild Woods for Elm Class this afternoon! We had a great time - playing, exploring and making bird feeders. Thank you Jen! #TogetherWeGrow #forestschoolfun
We've had a wonderful day taking part in the RSPB's Big Schools' Birdwatch! The children were brilliant wildlife spotters and recorded a fantastic variety of bird species we were even lucky enough to spot a kestrel soaring overhead! It was a lovely opportunity to slow down, look closely at the natural world around us and celebrate our value of Hope - as we learn how even small actions can help protect our environment. If you'd like to join in at home, the Big Garden Birdwatch takes place this weekend and is a brilliant way to get involved as a family. You can find out more and take part here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch Happy birdwatching!
This week Oak Class have enjoyed exploring 'The Lost Words' – by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris - a beautiful book created to combat the loss of natural vocabulary from children's lives and to encourage people to notice and love the wild world around them. In our English sessions, we have used a range of writing techniques including similes and metaphors to create our own powerful images to describe different wildlife. In our Art enrichment sessions with Clare, we have also learned to use watercolour techniques to create illustrations to go with our poems! #TogetherWeGrow #TheLostWords
Today, as part of our learning about world faiths and festivals, we celebrated Makar Sankranti - the Hindu winter harvest festival which marks the start of the New Year! Known as the Festival of Joy, Hope and New Beginnings, it is celebrated across India and, while it has different names in different regions, kite flying is a special and much-loved tradition. It is believed to be a way of expressing appreciation and gratitude to God. Inspired by this, we made our own "kites of love, hope and joy" - decorating them with pictures and thoughtful messages, before having a fantastic time flying them together this morning in the beautiful winter sunshine. It was a wonderful way to learn, reflect and celebrate together! #MakarSankranti #LoveHopeJoy #TogetherWeGrow
Happy New Year to all our families! The new term has got off to the best possible start with some truly wonderful news to share... We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Wimborne St Giles C of E First School and Nursery has once again been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag with Distinction the highest possible award for the second year in a row! This is a real celebration of our whole-school commitment to caring for our world and of living out our school value of Hope. The Eco-Schools assessors shared this fantastic feedback: "Wimborne St Giles C of E First School's most significant achievement this year was the comprehensive participation of all students and staff in the school's Eco-Schools activities. From Forest School to beekeeping, these inclusive initiatives showcase the school's dedication to environmental stewardship and serve as a compelling reason for families to choose the school as an educational institution that values and fosters meaningful engagement with the natural world. This is a remarkable achievement, well done!" For us, this award is about so much more than environmental action. It reflects our belief in hope in action standing up for what we believe in and working together to make the world a better place. We teach our children that, no matter how small they are, they have the power to make a difference. We are incredibly proud of our children, staff and families for all they do, every day, to care for the world with love, hope and joy.
As this special season of Advent draws to a close, we have been truly honoured to be part of our wider community's Christmas celebrations. Again, with huge thanks to the Knowlton Circle Benefice, we were delighted to be involved with the creation of this year's Benefice Christmas card. The children wanted to portray the love, hope and joy at the heart of the Christmas story and, after another brilliant session led by our artist in residence, Clare Holmes, two of our Year 4 artists were really thrilled to be chosen as the winning design. Thank you to all within our school family and wider community for your continued support, encouragement and kindness throughout this year. It means so much to us all. On behalf of everyone at Wimborne St Giles First School and Nursery, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We also joined our DSAT family of schools for a very special Advent Calendar online!
During this special time of Advent, we were thrilled to be asked by our Knowlton Circle Benefice to join the Diocese of Salisbury and their Re:verse Christmas Carol! #LoveHopeJoy #dioceseofsalisbury
A Beautiful Christingle Service This morning we came together for a truly special Christingle service; led so confidently and beautifully by our children. Their singing filled the church and the heartfelt poems and prayers they shared were deeply moving a real reminder of the light and hope this season brings. Amid what is always such a busy time, it was a precious moment of stillness a chance to pause, reflect and give thanks together as a school community. We are very grateful to Rev Angus for his thoughtful and inspiring message and to John Radford for his wonderful organ accompaniment - which added so much to the atmosphere of the service. Thank you to all our families who were able to join us this morning and for your generous donations to our retiring collection. These will go directly to the children's charities: Child of Hope Uganda and Choose Love; supporting children and families including refugees at this particularly important time of year. It was a morning full of Love, Hope and Joy and a wonderful way to come together as a little school family to mark the end of what has been a truly magical festive season. #TogetherWeGrow #TogetherWeGive #LoveHopeJoy
Thank You to Our Amazing PTA – Christmas Fun Day A huge and heartfelt thank you to our wonderful PTA for organising such a truly magical Christmas Fun Day last Friday. It was a day full of joy, excitement and festive sparkle that our children will remember for a long time. The morning was filled with Christmas crafts and cooking, followed by a delicious lunch in the Village Hall - creating a lovely sense of togetherness and celebration. In the afternoon, the excitement reached new heights as the children were transported by a specially decorated tractor and trailer to Santa's Grotto on the Shaftesbury Estate an adventure in itself! Not only did we get to meet Father Christmas and receive a gift but we were also lucky enough to meet some of his reindeer which absolutely delighted the all of the children - and the grown ups! We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Shaftesbury Estate, St Giles Farm and all of our amazing grown-ups and volunteers who worked so hard behind the scenes to give our school community such a magical festive experience. Days like this truly capture the spirit of Christmas and reflect the strength of our school family. Thank you all for making it so special.
'I'm Gonna Shine' – and shine they did! What an utterly magical Christmas performance we shared today. From our tiniest Saplings to our mighty Oaks, every single child sang, danced and acted their hearts out. They lit up the stage with confidence, enthusiasm and so much festive joy. We could not be prouder of them – not only for their incredible performance, but for the way they embodied our values of Love, Hope and Joy throughout every rehearsal and in today's show. What a talented and inspiring group of children we are blessed with here at Wimborne St Giles CE First School & Nursery. A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful staff team for all of their hard work, creativity and care in bringing this production to life. Thank you also to our amazing families for being such a warm, enthusiastic audience your support means the world to the children. Enormous thanks to our brilliant PTA for providing delicious refreshments and helping make the afternoon feel so special. And a huge thank you to Clare Holmes and Jules Mayhew for their artistry and stunning backdrops, and to Jack's dad, Poppy's dad and Woody's dad for the fantastic stage set up and excellent light and sound. Your time, talent and generosity lifted the whole performance. Our Christmas show truly was a whole-community celebration and what a shining moment it was.