by Isabelle Preston

Australia meets TMS

By Georgina Loring
As you probably already know, we have a new
Australian Gap student called Miss Roberts and, as
Im doing an article on Australia, I decided to
interview her.
1. Where do you live?
I live in a place called the Southern Highlands, in a
town called Bowral. Its about half a mile from
Sydney, and is country side a lot like here just not
as cold or wet.
2. Do you live near a beach?
The closest beach is about thirty minutes from my
house, and is called Kiama. Wollongang is close as
well.
3. Can you surf?
I wish! I have tried but its very, very hard. Some of
my friends can though.
4. Have you ever been to the Great Barrier Reef?
Unfortunately I have not. It is very far away from
where I live. Unlike the UK, everywhere in Australia
is far away because its a huge country!! Almost triple
the size of your one! So it makes it very difficult and
expensive to travel to places. But one day I will go
there. Its on my bucket list.
5. What wildlife is there?
It is very common to see groups of Kangaroos quite
often, hanging out in paddocks. We have heaps of
possums (they are so annoying) and Koalas hang
out in the trees, although I havent seen very many of
them. Lots of snakes and spiders; they are very
common and dangerous.
6. What sort of temperatures do you get?
It all changes but generally summer is very hot,
twenty five to forty degrees Celsius, and winter quite
1 cold, seven to twelve degrees Celsius are generally
normal.

Team B

nd

Edition 74
January 22 2015
Founded by Ben Owen 2011

Editorial
Hola, welcome to another issue of Totally
Tockington, the paper written BY students FOR
students! This weeks theme is TT travels! And we
would first like to introduce you to our new
assistant Miss Roberts. Second stop - Cyprus,
where Archie Symonds tells you about all the
things you can do there! Next, off to the Andaman
Hotel in Singapore, Otis will tell you about the
amazing place (Im a bit jealous actually!). Back to
England to meet Tabithas adorable alpacas!
Finally find out what teachers do in their spare
time! All this and more, just read on, au revoir!
Georgina Loring
Editor
(from her sick bed!!)
7. Is England the coldest country youve been to?
Yes. The only other country I have been to is Fiji
and Fiji is HOT!
8. What food do you eat?
Australia is a very multicultural country. That
means we have people from all over the world,
therefore our food is very diverse. I eat a lot of the
same things as what you do here. I love vegemite!!
Its like marmite but better. Barbeques are great.
9. Are the schools different?
I have never been to a boarding school before so
Im not sure I can compare everything, but yes and
no. We get taught the same things but not the
same way I guess.
10. Do you have pets?
I have a horse called Mr. Maker, a dog called Lulu
and two chickens.
11. Why do you like Australia?
I like Australia because its my home. I love the
summer and the Aussie attitude. Everyone is pretty
relaxed and I think its a beautiful country with
amazing wildlife and great potential.

Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
By Archie Symonds
Every year we go on holiday to Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. In
1974 Cyprus had a war between the Greek Cypriots
and the Turkish Cypriots. To have peace the island
was divided into two halves with the Turkish Cypriots
living in the North of the island and the Greek Cypriots
living in the South of the island. Most people from
Britain visit the more popular South of the island. Our
house is near a seaside town called Kyrenia; it is in a
village called Karsiyaka. The weather is nearly always
sunny and it is very, very hot in the summer.
My top 5 things to do in TRNC:
1.

Go to Kyrenia for some shopping. I usually

buy Turkish delight, a magic box from the
wooden shop and lucky charms from the
souvenir shop. In Kyrenia there are lots of
restaurants and bars that look out to the
sea.

2.

Take a boat trip. Every year we hire a boat

for the day and we have a meal on the
deck and swim in the sea.

3.

Going to the beach. My favourite beach is

called Escape Beach. It has hammocks in
the sea and really good snorkelling. You
can also swim out to an island and if you
want, go on a banana boat ride!

4.

Hire a car and drive through the lemon and

orange groves. About an hour away from
our house is a brilliant restaurant on a
wooden galleon in the sea. After lunch you
can walk the plank and jump into the sea!

5.

Visit Chateau Lambousa. This is an

amazing hotel with a massive swimming
pool.

This Easter holidays I will have my birthday in Cyprus

and the best thing is my cousins are coming to stay
too. On my actual birthday I want to go on a boat trip
and eat in my favourite restaurant that has the best

2
ice-

cream!

Lions
By Ben Jacobi
Unlike other cats, lions are very social animals.
They live in groups called prides. Their habitat is
in grasslands, shrub, and open woodlands of subSaharan Africa. A small population also lives in
Indias Gir Forest.
Lions normally hunt at night. They can eat large
prey like buffaloes, baby elephants, hippos,
crocodiles, giraffes and cheetahs. After a good
hunt, the family of lions will go back to the pride
and share the meal. But there is a pecking order
with the adult males taking first claim, followed by
the lionesses and last of all the cubs.
Lionesses give birth to 2-3 cubs at a time. Usually
a couple of females give birth around the same
time. Lions are the laziest of the big cats,
spending around 16-20 hours of the day sleeping
or resting!

African lions could become extinct as the number

of lions is becoming low because of hunting.
There are now only 32,000 lions living in the wild
in Africa, compared to 200,000 just 40 years ago.
Some people believe they have medicinal powers
and others hunt and kill them for fun, known as
trophy hunters. I dont know how they do that to
these beautiful animals.

Andaman Hotel, Langkawi

By Otis Walker

In December 2012, my family and I went

on an amazing trip out to Malaysia and
Singapore.

One of our stops was an island off

Malaysia called Langkawi. We stayed at a
place called the Andaman hotel. The hotel
was in between a great big rainforest and
a lovely warm beach.

From our first day, we saw monkeys on

our balcony, lots of beautiful butterflies
around the swimming pool. The most
amazing part was when we saw a flying
lemur dropping its baby and trying to get it back. It was very sad to watch and we dont know if it managed to get it back
or not.

There was a pool in between the hotel and the sea. The hotel was very exotic
and the view was fantastic. We saw lots of little fish swimming in the coral and
shallow water. We went snorkelling and kayaking too.

The weather was amazing apart from when on one day it rained like Ive never
seen it rain before; they dont call it a tropical rainforest for no reason!

Our alpacas
By Tabitha Huby
Over the last 10 years, we have been breeding alpacas. We now have seven, they are:

Amelia who is a granny alpaca and who gave birth to Daisy, Buttercup and Freddie.
Daisy is a mother alpaca to our new baby, Holly.
Buttercup is a mother alpaca to Rose and this summers baby, Tulip.
Freddie is an uncle to Rose, Tulip and Holly.
Rose is a sister to Tulip and a cousin to Holly.
Tulip is a sister to Rose and a cousin to Holly.
Holly is our new baby alpaca.

Our new baby, Holly

On the 11th December, we had a great surprise: a baby alpaca. It is very unusual to have a baby alpaca in the
winter so we were all astounded. Daisy was an excellent mum so Holly was jumping around the field in no time.
Holly is really tame and she always comes to greet us, so we decided to make her even tamer by playing with
her in our back garden. She was a bit unsure at first, but she let us stroke her. Here are some pictures of her in
our garden:

This is a picture of some of our

alpacas in their field

My holidays in Australia
By Georgina Loring
I have been to Australia about six or seven times
and I love it. My Mums family is Australian, so I
have a few relatives over there. I go to a place
called Brisbane and a place called Coolangatta
in Queensland AKA the Sunshine State. I
remember once when I was eight stepping out of
the airport and into the fresh air with the sun
beaming down on my face looking at the tall,
slender palm trees and the colourful flowers.
My most recent holiday was in 2014 summer
holidays (it was winter over there though but it
was still hot) with my Mum. My Dad drove us to
Heathrow Airport in the afternoon. After the two
hour journey we finally arrived and I said a quick
goodbye to my Dad and we set off. We went
through security and went to a lounge for supper.
When our flight was called we went to the plane
and sat down in our rather uncomfortable seats.
We were on a six hour flight to Dubai and I
watched some films. When we arrived in
beautiful Dubai we went to the airport terminal
and had some food. The first few times I went to
Australia we went through Singapore airport and
it was amazing there, at least two playgrounds,
computers sticking out of the ground and even a
butterfly house. After that we went for an
eighteen hour journey to Australia and finally we
arrived for our three week holiday in Australia!
We took a taxi from Brisbane airport to my
grandparents house and I told my Granny about
England. Then we went to my Aunts and Uncles
house where I saw my six year old cousin,
Oscar, and I even got to see my other three year
old cousin Charlotte for the first time. After three
days we went to my Mums apartment in
Coolangatta.
During our time in my mums apartment we did
lots of things. The whole block of flats, which is
called Ocean Plaza, had a swimming pool and I
went in it almost every day. One day it was so
windy, and I was practising body boarding and
my board almost flew over the side! The place
also had a games arcade. Across the road there
is a beach.
5

We were on the balcony and we were whale

watching and my Mum spotted a whale stuck in
shark nets. My Mum posted a comment on

We were on the balcony and we were whale

watching and my Mum spotted a whale stuck in
shark nets. My Mum posted a comment on
twitter to an Australian version of BBC news
and later that day she appeared on TV! There is
so much more I could tell you about Australia
but if I did it would go on forever!
The best thing I have ever done in Australia is
definitely horse riding in the bush (outback). I
rode a horse called Nikki and she was so calm.
It was a beautiful day and wildlife was
everywhere! I saw cockatoos, Wallabies and
even a Koala! Our instructor was called Oli and
she was really nice. After an amazing three
hour ride through forests and rivers we had to
go home again.
I love Australia and cant wait to go again!

BREAKING NEWSBREAKING NEWS

David Walliams Might Drop In on

World Book Day its up to you !!
David Walliams, who wrote Demon Dentist and Awful
Auntie, has just launched a competition for World Book
Day. He is asking you to write 50 words saying why you
would like him to land at your school in a helicopter. He
is going to be visitIng several schools on World Book
Day. Wouldnt it be great if he came here?
Why dont you write no more than 50 words telling him
why you think he should fly in to TMS on World Book
Day?
Write your 50 words down and hand them in to Ms
Case, Mrs Glanville, or Mrs Gooch and lets see if we can
win that visit!! Closing date : Feb 6th.

Winter Wonderland Ice

Skating!

The Lake District.

By Lily Edwards

Our favourite holiday destination in the UK is a

village in the Lake District called Brigsteer.
In Brigsteer, our Grandma and Grandad own a
holiday house where all of our family go to
stay whenever they would like in the holidays.
Whenever we go up to the Lake District and
our Uncle Stuart is there then we always do
massive walks and 1 Uncle Stuart mile is
about 4 real miles.
This is a
picture of our
house with
Grandad and
our cousin
Leo in the
front.
SIZERGH
BARN.

Before Christmas, I went to Winter Wonderland

Ice Skating Rink at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway
with my Brownie pack Alveston 3rd.
The weather was very rainy and very cold- but I
still felt very excited as my mum drove to the Mall
in the dark. I was a little bit nervous as well
would I be able to stay standing or would I fall
over in the wet? When we got there, it smelt very
Christmassy with lots of food and sweets cooking
and the ice skating rink looked magical and
sparkly. Brown Owl gave me my ice skating
boots and mummy helped me put them on. They
felt very strange because you are balancing on
one blade. I made it onto the ice but it was very
aslippery
picture of
ourI was
house
with
and
a bit
scared! Mummy held my
hand and I held onto the side until I got used to it
and eventually I was ready to let go. I was very
happy because I didnt fall over but some of the
other brownies did and got very, very wet. Half
way through Brown Owl managed to get us a
little plastic seal which you could sit on or push. I
pushed it and felt a bit safer. Soon I was
whizzing round and giving lifts to my friends! The
session went very quickly even though it was
cold. Afterwards I had some candy floss and
SIZERGH
BARN.
went to listen
to the brass band playing carols. I
was ready for Christmas to begin!
I loved my trip to the ice skating rink and I think
you should try it this year if you can. But
remember your hat and gloves! And maybe your
waterproofs!

by Isabel and Jacob Browning

FACTS
The Lake District is 885 square miles, which
makes it Englands largest National Park.
The highest mountain is Scafell Pike, which
measures 978 metres.
The largest lake is Lake Windermere, which
is 14.8 square kilometres and it is the largest
lake in England.

What do Teachers do When Theyre

Not in School?
By Henry Packham
While I was at home enjoying the Christmas holidays
doing things like riding my bike, taking my dad to a posh
hotel for his Birthday tea, and having my friends over to
play, I began to wonder what the teachers were doing.
So, I decided to find out.
Miss Fox went to Disneyland Paris.
Mr Garbett visited his family in Wales. No doubt they
played some Garbett Games!
Mr &Mrs Glanville went to Prague, the capital city of The
Czech Republic.
Mr Mildon had an adventure in deepest, darkest Peru,
but I dont think he met Paddington Bear!
Mrs Wakeling went skiing in La Plagne.
Mr Jones visited his sister.

Mr & Mrs Symonds spent the holiday having a well

deserved rest at home.
So, our teachers do have a life out of school!

France & Spain

By Ryan Hann

During the summer we went on a voyage of discovery to France which involved the travel there
(18 hoursyawn!) and spending a lot of time in the French B and Q as my Grandparents are
renovating a house. I now know that I am very good at re-pointing old houses and that France
has some wonderful places to visit.
This year we went to Le Lac du Vasiviere (an inland lake with beaches, boating and camping)
and to Rocamadour (pictured) which is a big town built into the side of a hill and has magnificent
views from the castle and church and is well known as a pilgrimage site.
There are plenty of places for picnics In France and I would recommend a visit to the local
boulangerie to buy a tarte aux pommes or some croissants et fromage.

Holla amigos! I have been to Spain quite a few times; to Lanzarote, to Barcelona, to Santa
Susanna and to Santiago de Compestelo. The weather in mainland Spain is similar to
France although the sea was a lot more salty.
My mums cousin got married near to Santiago de
Compestelo. This part of the country is very
different to Barcelona & Santa Susana; more
mountainous with lots of green forest and very
traditional.
When I was at Santa Susana I was joined by my Dad, my stepsisters Beth and Georgia
and my step-mum, Bex. We could eat and drink as much as we wanted in the Hotel and
pool bar and they had entertainment like Bingo and a disco on in the evening. We went to
a really nice water park where there were lots of slidesI definitely want to go back!
7

Tockington Manor Ski Trip

La Plagne 2000
By Rachel Shutt
by Carmen Rey-Jones

After an early start on Saturday 13 December,

19 parents & children met Mr and Mrs Wakeling
at Bristol airport ready for the ski trip.
Once we had checked in, we went off to explore
the shops whilst the adults had a coffee.
After a change of seats so that all the children
could sit together on the plane, the flight
seemed short. We were entertaining ourselves
and all excited about being with our friends on
the ski trip. In France we had to take a 3 hour
coach journey crossing between France and
Switzerland borders to reach our chalet. WE
DID HAVE SNOW!
Eventually we arrived at the Chalet and quickly
raced to find our rooms and explore before we
had a slice of homemade cake and a drink.
Then, we were met by Oxygen the ski hire
company who took us to their shop to have our
skis and boots fitted.
After the first day, we soon got used to the
routine of what was happening each day and
set off in our small group classes for our
lessons with other children. We had days when
it was sunny, the slopes seemed icy but we also
did have a very deep snowfall. When it was
snowing it was difficult to see where we were
going.
Some of the boys went down a Bobsleigh run
that had been used earlier in the year for the
European championships. They travelled at
80kph. Mum and Dad and Mr & Mrs Banks went
on a ride that travelled 120kph. Never again
was what we heard.
The trip was great fun. Thank you to Mr and Mrs
Wakeling for organising the trip for us to enjoy.

Here are some interesting facts about Spain. Hope

you enjoy.
1.The name Spain comes from the word Ispania,
which means the land of rabbits.
2.Spain has more than 8000km of beach (thats a lot).
3. Real Madrid is the richest football club in the world.
4.In Spain there is no tooth fairy but a tooth mouse
called Ratoncito Perez.
5.Spanish is the second most spoken language in the
world.
4.In Spain you normally have two surnames - your
mums and your dads. Because my granddad is
Spanish I have two surnames (Carmen Rey-Jones).

Here are some Spanish words

Hola=Hello
Adios=Goodbye
Buenos dias=Good morning

Hope you learned some new facts because I know I

did.

Dubai
By Toby Gaulton
Dubai is a country just going into Asia. It is a very nice
place. The people of Dubai are very nice and they
speak Arabic.
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest
building in the world and it is
in Dubai. It is 828m tall 2,600
feet, Outside it is the biggest
working fountain in the world.
The Burj Khalifa has a lot in it.

Salcombe
by Talia Curtis
Salcombe is a holiday seaside town, with lots of shops, and restaurants and it is popular for sailing. The name
Salcombe first appeared in writing in 1244.

There are two beaches in Salcombe and lots of others nearby (Bantham is great if you like surfing or
Hope Cove is a good place to go rock pooling at low tide).
In Salcombe you can visit North Sands which is a great beach to take dogs for a swim or play beach
cricket or if you fancy a drink or ice cream (Salcombe ice cream is the best I have ever tasted) theres
a restaurant called The Winking Prawn. Alternatively there is a beach close by, another cove, called
South Sands. I think the sand is better not quite as wet, and you can catch a ferry there that goes to
the town centre. There is also lots going on at South Sands - it has a lovely hotel, a good caf and
you can hire sailing boats and kayaks great fun !

There are lots and lots of different shops; my favourite shop is Cranchs Sweet Shop!

Island Iona a Perfect Place

Perseus and Medusa
By Hannah Williams
Once there was a King called Polydectus, who wanted to marry a woman called Danae. Danae had a good son
named Perseus, who did not like the King.
One day the King challenged Perseus to kill and bring back the head of Medusa, a Gorgon. A Gorgon is a
monster with snakes for hair. Anybody who looked directly at her was immediately turned to stone (that is a
warning!). The King asked Perseus this, hoping he would not return.
Perseus was given five gifts from the gods to help him: a helmet of invisibility, a sword, a shiny shield and a
magic pouch. Perseus wore the final gift, which was a pair of sandals with wings that could make him fly. He put
on the helmet of invisibility and set off on his journey.
As he flew he saw, in a rushing river, an island in the middle of nowhere, and on the island were three
suspicious looking Gorgons! He thought, How will I see what I am cutting if I get turned to stone? He looked
into the shield Of course! He would look at Medusas reflection!
He swept down and cut off Medusas head. The other Gorgons chased him until they ran out of breath and fell
into the river.
When he got back home, he showed Medusas head to the King but before he could warn him, the King had
looked directly at it and was immediately turned to stone.
Perseus was very happy because he had succeeded in his quest and now his mother didnt have to marry the
King.
10

11