NO MATTER how busy a year it's been so far, we are in for even more exciting challenges.

Our new head teacher, Mrs Eelin Megson, was appointed at Easter.

Since then we have enjoyed visits by various groups. One of the favourites, throughout all age ranges, was our Takalani day, which we spent with Raymond Otto learning all about Africa and its customs and cultures. We even had a go at speaking in some of the many languages of that continent.

The highlight of the day was the whole school drumming session in the afternoon, when parents and friends joined us in keeping a rhythm while the eldest children danced.

During one of the visits of our new children we had an exciting afternoon, letting off more than 100 fundraising balloons. We recently learnt that the furthest had travelled to Lincolnshire and belonged to a very excited Sam Allerton.

We have been very busy on the sporting front too with Classes 3 and 4 having football coaching with Huddersfield Town players.

This culminated in all children in the school being given the opportunity to take penalties against one of their goalkeepers. The winner of a penalty scoring game was a very proud Sam Bates.

This theme was continued at our school fair, attended by Phil Senior the Huddersfield keeper. We were also lucky enough to be joined at this event by two of the Huddersfield Giants.

Our busy `Friends of Linthwaite' association put a great deal of time and effort into making sure this event, and many others throughout the year, were successful and enjoyable.

The Huddersfield Giants also came into school to help children with their reading.

In the last week of term the children had the opportunity to put all the new skills they had learnt into practice when we held our own sports afternoon.

In the first half term of our new school year we have already had a school book fair, and various trips. The children are also taking part in a King ball competition, and have been busily putting their football skills to the test each Thursday evening in our after school football club.

The youngest children have also been enjoying working with a qualified gymnastics coach on a Monday evenings.

During our recent visioning exercise where all staff and governors worked together to look at our vision for the future of the school we realised that this was just the beginning of a very interesting and exciting journey.

Our school will be having its Christmas Fair on Saturday December 6, so if you would like to come and see us for yourself you would be made very welcome.

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Time travel

WE had an exciting trip back in time to the Jorvik museum in York.

Years three and four travelled through Coppergate, seeing the Vikings at home and at work and smelled Viking smells - yuk!

We saw real Viking skulls and other artefacts.

After rushing to the ARC research centre we searched soil using tweezers to find all sorts of Viking remains. We had a brilliant day!

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Fun at Textile Centre

IN September this year we three boys from class 6 went for an exciting day at the Textile Centre of Excellence.

Activities included rapping with Foxy, drawing with Steven Waterhouse, story-telling with Roop Sing and acting with Ben Zoradi.

We also did some work on the internet on a website called Boys Web.

In the afternoon we listened to Colne Valley High School boys' choir where they sang Busted, Year 3000.

At the end of the day we shared with the other boys what we had achieved.

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We're covered

WORK is due to start in January on an undercover area for our youngest children.

The structure will provide a large covered area with two glass walls, a glass roof and front, and two large rolling doors.

The children will be able to use outdoor facilities even in the worst weather, and we will be able to open the front up in good weather.

It will increase the area available for our youngest children to work and play in and make our foundation stage a purpose-built and up-to-the-minute learning area.

When this building is finished we will start on a Year 6 classroom, where our eldest children can learn in a high-tech environment.