1st May is May Day

The first day of the month of May is known as May Day. It is the time of year when warmer weather begins and flowers and trees start to blossom. It is said to be a time of love and romance. It is when people celebrate the coming of summer with lots of different customs that are expressions of joy and hope after a long winter.

Traditional English May Day celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen and dancing around a Maypole. It also marks the the start of Well Dressings in the Peak District. Wells, springs or other water sources are 'dressed' (decorated) with pictures made from things that grow such as parts of plants.
Follow this link for customs and traditions about May

Newsletter 28

Newsletter 28, published on 24 April 2009, is now available to view. Features this week include St George's Day, 3K's Assembly, School Choir, a Year 6 Visit to Dorton House and the Year 4/5 Visit to Bluewater (with photos).

Welcome back to Term 5

Woodlands welcomes everyone back after the Easter Break. We have a very exciting next few weeks to look forward to.

We would also like to extend a very warm welcome to Roselands Pre-School as they open their nursery on our site today.

St George's Day

St George's Day is on Thursday 23 April, it is England's national day.

• Facts and information about St George's Day with photos
• The Legend of St. George and the Dragon with photos
• The Real St George
• What is England Famous for?
• Symbols of England

River Severn

In April 2007, Winnie the Pooh travelled down the River Thames in his boat. It took him several months and he had a fantastic time visiting many of the towns and villages along the way.

In April 2009, Winnie the Pooh decided to meet up with two friends, Berty Beaver and Percy Penguin, to travel down the River Severn. On their journey they learned about the different features of a river. You can read about their journey down the River Severn here.

Who visits our website?

Woodlands website was built to support the work we do in our school, however, from the comments below you can see that our website is also helping people of all ages and around the world too!

Radio Show Hosts
"Hi - we are radio show hosts in the US and went onto your website to learn more about St. George, as we are talking about St. George's Day on our show. Thanks for such a great website!" Barbara and Graham
Students in Britain
"The homework site is great. I had to learn lots about India, before I went back to school and because of your fantastic website I now have enough. 3 pages, my teacher will be pleased." Jess
Overseas Students
"Thank you for such a wonderful site! We are a Dutch school and your site is perfect for our bi-lingual first years." Class 1T Culemborg Holland
Teachers
"Yet again when searching for something I find just what I am looking for this time it is St.George. Thankyou you have on many occasions made my work as a teacher so much easier." Kirsty
Parents
"Thank you ever so much for a wonderful, informative website. Woodland’s children are very lucky. My daughter now enjoys homework and has a much happier, less stressed mum." Karen

Why is the day before Easter called Good Friday?

The name is derived from 'God's Friday' in the same way as good bye is derived from 'God be with ye'.

In Germany, the Friday before Easter is called Silent Friday, and in Greece, Holy or Great Friday.

Further Reading
Good Friday Superstitions
Friday 10th April 2009 - What is Good Friday?
Sunday 12 April 2009 - Easter Sunday / Easter
Monday 13 April 2009 - Easter Monday

Maundy Thursday (9 April 2009)

This Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday in the Christian calendar. On this day, Queen Elizabeth will attend St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury to present Maundy purses to 166 Suffolk pensioners.

Each recipient will be given two purses – a red purse containing a £5 coin celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII and a 50p coin to mark the founding of Kew Gardens, and a white purse containing 83p in Maundy coins.

You can read more about Maundy Thursday on our website.