School Saving Club
This week, as part of our Money Matters themed week, was the first paying in session for children who have opened their School Saving Club accounts.
It was great to see children take responsibility and start to manage their money in their new accounts.
We have two more paying in dates this term and you are welcome to accompany your child to pay in their money.
- Wednesday 22 June 3.15pm
- Wednesday 20 July 3.15pm
Also, it’s not too late to open an account. Please ask at the office for an application form.
Buying Mrs Wells’ Lunch
At the beginning of the week, I gave the children an important task – to buy my lunch for the week!
They were given £10 and each day, I have taken 6 children to M&S for them to select and purchase my lunch. They have been great at looking for the prices and choosing items which won’t blow the week’s allowance!
Here are some photos from yesterday’s trip (which cost £1.85).
It was very exciting to go shopping!
We had to check the price to see if we could afford it.
We had to decide which coins to pay with.
Unfortunately, the money hasn’t lasted – there is only 15p left in the purse for lunch tomorrow! This experience has taught the children all about cheap and expensive choices and that money does run out if you aren’t careful. It has also given them a real-life experience in which they have applied their learning from in class.
Rights and Responsibilities Homework
There was lots of brilliant homework this week. Not only were they very creative, they also showed that the children had really understood rights and responsibilities. Here are some of our favourites:
Moneysense
As part of our Money Matters week, Year 1 and 2 took part in a Moneysense session supported by a volunteer from NatWest.
Angela, our volunteer from NatWest, was ‘pleasantly surprised by the attitude of a lot of the children towards money and donating it’.
The session focussed on how we use money.
- To understand that there are choices about what to do with money
- To understand that money can be spent, saved or donated (given)
- To understand the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’
- To consider the different ways a family might use money
‘I have learnt that if you get lots of money, not to spend it all at once.’
‘I realised how much things cost for a pet.’
‘I will save more money than I have dome before.’
‘I know not to use my money all at once to buy one thing as then I won’t have any money left.’
Finally, hope the children enjoyed their goody bags!
Money Matters
- Why do people get paid different amounts for jobs?
- What happens after you have spent the money?
- Why is there different money in different countries?
- Why do we need to have money to buy things?
- Who invented money?
- How has money changed over the years?
- How can I spend money wisely?
- What would happen if there was no money?
These are some of the questions suggested by children prior to our Money Matters themed week.
The week kicked off with our Hotshots fundraising event for our two school charities, Leeds Mind and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Children are encouraged to bring in their sponsor money and forms this week, following the event.
Representatives from Leeds Mind and Yorkshire Air Ambulance will be visiting during our week to talk about their work and how they use donations.
Today, St Gemma’s Hospice visited to talk about how our donations have support patients and families in Leeds. St Gemma’s Hospice were one of our previous school charities. We even got to meet their new mascot, Gemma the Giraffe.
We’ve also launched our class collecting jars where children are encouraged to bring in any spare 1ps and 2ps so we can create a penny trail on Friday. All proceeds to the two school charities. The jars are already starting to fill up.
Thank you to Barclays Bank who hosted all classes at their branch today, showing the children behind the scenes of a bank.
On Thursday after school, we will be holding our first School Saving Club paying in session. For those children who have returned their application forms this will be an opportunity to start to pay into their new account. Please note money should be paid in at these sessions rather than bringing money to the office. Accounts are also available for siblings. Please ask on Thursday.
Our cash4coins collecting tin is now available at the office. This PTA fundraiser uses old coins and any foreign currency to raise funds for the school.
Finally, thank you to those parents who have offered their time to come in and speak with the children about their money related jobs.
As the week goes on, please check on class news to find out more about our Money Matters week and discuss with your child/children about their learning this week.
We went to the bank!
Today, we took a trip to Barclays bank! We had a tour around the bank building, looking out for the security cameras. We found 19! Then, we were able to see some ‘secret’ parts of the bank such as behind the ATM machines! We found out how money is sent from the large safe at the back of the building to be stored in the safes for the ATM machines at the front of the building. Do you know? Ask your child – it’s really cool!
Excitedly waiting to go!
The people who work in the bank were telling us about their jobs.
Hotshots
Yesterday, your child participated in the sponsored shoot out to help raise money for our two school charities – Mind and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. It was great fun and all the children did really well. They each have a certificate with their fastest recorded shot, so if you haven’t seen that yet, check in their book bag!
Please remember to bring in your sponsor form with any money raised as none were brought in on the day.
Money, Maths and Yoghurt
Today, we applied what we have been learning about money to real(ish) life. I was very exited to open my first ever shop – Mrs Wells’ Yoghurt Shop! The children had to choose three fruit toppings for their natural yoghurt and calculate how much this would cost.
Then, they had to collect the correct coins to give me – the shopkeeper – the exact amount.
Once they had handed over their money, the children could serve themselves and enjoy their tasty, fruity yoghurt!
Whilst we were enjoying our yoghurts, we thought about different ways to make 12p. Hifza’s yoghurt cost 12p and she paid with a 10p and a 2p, which was a sensible choice! However, we found that there were in fact lots of ways to pay 12p. Well done to Will and Harris who thought of some less obvious ways such as 5p +2p+2p+2p+1p.
Ask your child if paying with 6p+6p would be a possibility.
We Are Scientists
The sunflower plants are doing well! We are in week 4 now and there are some very obvious changes.
We worked as scientists by observing the plant and its changes, measuring the height of the plant and the length of the leaves and then recording this data. We wrote up a short report by thinking of a sentence first, writing it and then checking it. Here are some pictures of our Year 1 scientists.
School Saving Club
As part of our upcoming themed week, Money Matters, we’ll be setting up a School Saving Club, in partnership with Leeds City Credit Union.
There will be a parent information session on Wednesday 18 May, from 3pm-4pm, to find out more information and pick up an application form from Leasey Newton, Leeds City Credit Union.
As an extra incentive, children in Year 3 will receive £10 from Leeds City Council for opening an account.
During our Money Matters week, we’ll hold the first paying in session on Thursday 26 May from 3pm-4pm.
The Savings Club will then run on a monthly basis. The dates for this term are Wednesday 22 June from 3.15pm-4pm and Wednesday 20 July from 3.15pm-4pm.
Leeds City Credit Union First Savers account
Opening your child/children a First Savers Account is a fantastic way to help them to learn how to save and will teach them a skill they can use in the future. It has been proven that children who utilise a savings scheme within a school, watching their savings grow, continue to save throughout their adult lives.
There are no minimum requirements to this account and with each deposit, however small; your child will earn rewards to collect.
Leeds City Credit Union has introduced a new fun way for children to save and would like you to say hello to “The Potts Family”.
All children joining the savings club will be given an individual membership number and savings card. After every sixth deposit a sticker will be given. Each sticker represents a member of “The Potts Family”. When all the five stickers have been collected your child will receive a special badge of “Dolla” the dog.
Once the account is open, and your child reaches the signatory control age, the account will stay theirs to do as they wish, setting them up to continue saving throughout their adult life.
If you would like your child to join the Savings Club, please ask at the office for a First Savers application form, or come along to the parent information session on Wednesday 18 May from 3pm-4pm.
