Our project, for this year, is called “Speak Up, Branch Out”. To speak up for nature Harrison, in Year 6, decided he would like to start up a pupil blog space.

Do read his blogs and let him know if you would also like to write your own.

Hello and welcome back to St Albans 6th blog. Today we’ll be talking about the animals that live In our school grounds. We have plenty of animal friends at St Alban’s including birds, squirrels and some newts and frogs in the pond!  We have many different species of birds at school such as finches and great-tits. We a had a very nice man named Harry, who is a Force for Nature Ambassador, come and put up bird boxes in the grounds. Thanks Harry!

We also have newts, tadpoles and frogs in the pond area bringing more life in - it’s a large spot and wildlife is keen on living there. We all like looking over the edge of the bridge and spotting the animals, we have all made some great memories in there! Most of the school loves our pond area and we couldn’t handle losing it.

We respect the creepy crawlies that hide in the grass and the animals in the bushes and trees; we love nature and do as much as we can to care for it. All animals have a purpose and we try to make sure that as many people know that’s possible. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our world and animals.

Thank you for reading blog number 6! We can’t believe we have done 6 blogs. We are only able to write 2 more blogs as we’ll be leaving school in 2 weeks. Wait for the next blog. Bye !

Harrison– Chief Hogga Blogga – Maisy – Deputy Hogga Blog 

Hello and welcome back to blog number 5 for St. Alban’s Primary School. Today’s blog is about our roadshow that we had Saturday, so let’s get right into it.  Saturday was an amazing day for everyone, it was a very enjoyable day. We had so many different stalls which were so lovely, all of them different, all of them unique. It was amazing to see all our pupils here having fun and enjoying themselves, but it wasn’t just our own pupils, we had people who don’t come to our school come to the roadshow. I have a few things to talk about from the roadshow.

Madame Mayor came to the roadshow to look around ( I mentioned that in the last blog ) and it was so fun to have her there. Immy and I had the honour of showing her round the grounds and we loved it- we felt very special. The first thing she did was cut the rope to show the roadshow had officially started. She liked walking around the stalls and looking at what they do, she also liked to talk to the people who run them to find out more about what they do.

We had a very popular stall, and it was the one with the bikes. Everyone loved going on a bike ride in the large cart on the front of the cargo bike, which to be fair it was really fun. There were also two bikes on stands, in which you had to pedal as fast as you can in one minute and they announced the winners at the end.

This is the end of blog number 5. Keep waiting because blog number six is coming. See you soon!

Harrison – Chief Hogga Blogga 

Hello and welcome back to St. Alban’s blog. Today’s blog is all about our roadshow which is taking place Saturday ( 10^th of June ) Now this is exciting for us because we have a guest of honour, who I’ll be telling you about later. 

Ms. Newman had set up a whole trailblazing afternoon for year 6 to help her to prepare for the roadshow. They did signs to tell people what sort of area it was and how they should treat it. For instance, Hannah has made a sign for the Pollinator Meadow and has added bugs, butterflies and flowers. Elsie however has taken a different route and has made a sign warning people that there are delicate bugs in it. They are continuing all of their work today, so the grounds will look amazing for the roadshow on Saturday.

Now for our guest of honour. We are all very excited to welcome The Mayor of Havant. Mrs. Welton was put in charge and was told she could choose two pupils to greet the mayor, so she chose me (Harrison) and Immy and we are honoured to be the ones to welcome her. We will come to the roadshow early to greet her out of her car, she will cut the ribbon, we will show her around the grounds and the stalls and finally we will have a cup of tea with her. 

This is the end of blog number 4 so thank you for reading. BYE!

Harrison B – Chief Hogga Blogga and Hannah C

May 2023

Welcome to blog number 3 for St. Albans Primary School This week's topic is about:

How are Year 6’s leaving their legacy?

All the year 6’s are leaving in a few months now and have decided we want to leave a legacy. We are all working together to make it happen; we have some giving Bob (the scaremow) a makeover, some redoing our bee wall and finally some making a butterfly home.

Our first subject is our Scaremow. The Year 6’s that gave him the makeover were Harrison, Heidi, Ruby, Finlay and Cherish. They gave Bob a whole new outfit, a new WILDER shirt and a white jacket, which they decorated. The children designed the shirt with hedgehogs, flowers, grass and many different bugs. He then needed a redesign of his face and a new member joined our scaremow committee, Max, who worked incredibly hard to give Bob the new face which now looks brilliant.

We are all very proud of ourselves and Bob looks fabulous.

Our next subject is about our bee wall crew, who have been working very hard. Frankie had decided that the bee wall wasn’t looking brilliant so she figured we should redecorate it. She took parts out with other pupils and it wasn’t looking good, the wood was all rotting and it looked all yucky. In gardening club with her little team, Frankie had added new parts into where the old rotten parts were and have added in bamboo for the bees to lay their eggs in. Some people were scared of doing it because of the bees but the thing is, the bees are solitary bees and they don’t sting and if they do it won’t hurt. They have worked incredibly hard and the bee wall looks so much better already.

Our final subject is about our pollinator area which we hope is more welcoming to butterflies. The Year 6’s had recently helped Mr Simmonds pull up grass from the adventure trail, and it was sat in a large pile, just sat there. So we came up with an idea to get rid of it and used it for a big pollinator home. We have been chopping up sticks and bringing the grass over in our trusty wheelbarrow. The raised edge will provide beetle habitat and stop the lawnmower from mowing the newly planted butterfly friendly species of plants. We have just about finished and we will upload some final images later.

The blog is coming to an end now, so thank you for reading blog number three. Keep waiting because blog number four is coming. BYE!

Harrison Y6 – Chief Hogga Blogga

April 2023

Welcome back to St. Alban’s blog. Today I’m talking about Year Two’s Hoggy Hub.

Oscar and Lily are two students in Year Two who are very passionate about hedgehogs. I went to talk to Oscar and Lily  and they said “Hedgehogs are very important and we really care about them.” As you can see, this is why, as a school, we have started looking after hedgehogs more. Lily and Oscar have recruited many pupils in our school to help and even Mr Smith hopped in on the action, telling us how he had rescued a hedgehog. But it’s not just Oscar and Lily - the Hoggy Hub consists of more Year Two’s such as Wilf, Isaac, Georgia and Clara. In fact, all of Year Two have worked hard to learn about hedgehogs. I think it’s amazing how far they have come since year R; they’ve grown into amazing caring individuals.

You can hear some of their thoughts in the audio.

Many other students want to come in on the action because it’s important to look after nature. We are hoping Hoggy Hub can set up a stall at the roadshow to show many student’s families just how important hedgehogs are.

Our blog is coming to an end now, thank you for reading it and wait for blog number three.

Harrison Baldwin – Chief of the Hogga Blogga team

Grace wrote this hogblog.

How we can help hedgehogs!

Lots of people are helping hedgehogs but that that doesn't mean we can be a bystander; here are some tips on how to help our hoggies!

1. Hoggy Highway

The hedgehogs need to move around as well, being trapped in a space not good for them at all. So in your garden fence make a thirteen centimetre hole so they can move around!

Heres an example of ours:

2.Litterpick!!!!

Hedgehogs can get stuck, injured or even killed! Litterpicks are an amazing way to help so get out there!

So there it is folks, the tips to success.

I’m sure the hedgehogs will be very grateful you have made an amazing contribution.

Bye!

Grace Year 5 

3. End to putting leaves and twigs in the bin!

hedgehogs love using them to make their home so throwing them away is nowhere near helping. so end it now!

The students at our school are very passionate about nature.

Year 6 started learning more about nature in Year 4, with teacher Ms J Newman, who is also very involved in nature. Year 6 have met various people connected with nature such as Richard Pollard from The Tree Council and Mr Hampton, who teaches us about birds.

Year 2 have now become very involved with nature and decided that they will save hedgehogs with their hoggy homes. The hoggy homes have been built and donated by Lily's family. They have made badges for pupils and teachers who have made an application, showing they are helping hedgehogs.

Last year, the school did a Nature Roadshow, with many fun and exciting activities. A few of Year 5 (now Year 6) did a tour around the grounds.There's another Roadshow happening on Saturday 10th June this year. We hope that many of the pupils from each year will attend and maybe run some stalls.

As you can see, reading this blog, nature is very important to St Alban's and it always will be, generations after we leave.

We hope that I will be able to start the blog back up and running very soon. Wait for updates!

Harrison, Year 6