Three days to go
The Big Pedal starts on Monday 20th March for two weeks and we’re looking forward to seeing as many people as possible take to two wheels for their journey (or final part of their journey) to school. There are two lots of prizes up for grabs:
Big Pedal national prizes for all participating schools
Drawn daily for schools who achieve a minimum 15% participation (roughly 31 children for Moortown Primary) each day.
Details of the national prizes on offer are shown below.
- DAY 1 – BMX World Champ Visit & Show
- DAY 2 – Bespoke Travel Map For School
- DAY 3 – Three Brand New Islabikes
- DAY 4 – Superheroes/Moves Sample Pack
- DAY 5 – Alastair Humphreys Visit + Books
- DAY 6 – Three Brand New Islabikes
- DAY 7 – £100 Sustrans Voucher
- DAY 8 – Cyclepods Cycle Storage
- DAY 9 – Three Brand New Islabikes
- DAY 10 – Extreme Mountain Bike Show Visit
Individual prizes for pupils and supporters (parents/carers) at Moortown Primary
The more days you take part, the more entry tickets you’ll have in the prize draw.
Pupil prizes include two stunt scooters, an action camera, a bike pump, a copy of ‘The Boy who Biked the World’ by Alastair Humphreys and a Gruffalo Easter egg. Supporter prizes include two £5 M&S vouchers, a ‘hot drink and cake for two’ at Filmore & Union and a Lindt chocolate bunny.
Winners will be drawn during assembly on 31 March, the final Big Pedal day and last day of term.
How to win – pupils
Please fill in the tickets on the letter sent home, cut them out and put them in your school bag. Each morning you scoot or cycle, put your ticket in THE BIG PEDAL CONTAINER in your classroom.
How to win – parents/carers/supporters
Wherever possible, please take part and join your children on their rides to school. It’s a bit of fun, helps to reduce congestion and you could even win a prize. Each day you scoot or cycle, simply pick up a ticket from the school playground, write your name on it and pop it into the Big Pedal container. The more days you join in, the more chances you have of winning a prize.
Thank you in advance for your support. Please get in touch if you have any questions. Enjoy the ride!
Share your photos or stories: moortownoffice@spherefederation.org
Big Pedal
Get set… we’re taking part in The Big Pedal 2017, the UK’s largest inter-school cycling and scooting challenge that inspires pupils, staff and parents to choose two wheels for their journey to school. The challenge runs from 20th to 31st March. It’s free to enter and we would love everyone to be involved.
Why we’re taking part and prizes available
Active travel to school is proven to improve the health of children by preventing obesity, reducing congestion and carbon emissions around schools and increasing concentration in the classroom.
By taking part, the school will compete for a national Big Pedal 2017 Trophy and will be in with a chance to win some fantastic national prizes including world champion BMX and mountain bike stunt shows, a visit from world famous explorer Alastair Humphreys, 9 brand new Islabikes and much more!
We also have prizes just for pupils (and parents and carers) at Moortown Primary School including two new stunt scooters, a scooter action camera, a track pump (donated by Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative), M&S and Filmore & Union vouchers (both donated).
How you can help to increase our chances of winning?
On each day of the challenge schools compete to see who can record the greatest number of pupils, staff and parents cycling or scooting to school. Each day that at least 15% of pupils at Moortown Primary register a bike or scooter journey, the school will go into a daily draw for fantastic national prizes. Our best 5 days (based on % participation) will determine our final position in the challenge and if we clock up the most bike and scooter journeys nationally we’ll win a Big Pedal 2017 Trophy! Moortown Primary School prizes will be drawn separately by the school.
What’s next?
All you need to do is encourage your child(ren) to cycle or scoot to school every day during the event, and join them on their way – parent/carer and sibling journeys are counted too and you might even win a prize!
Some children tell us they can’t take part in these events because they live too far away from school and have to come by car. We encourage these families to park further away and complete the final part of the journey by scooter or bike. These journeys can be included in our school total.
Bikes and scooters should be stored as safely as possible in our storage area beside the Year 3 and 4 classrooms.
Finally, if you have any Big Pedal success stories or photos to share, please send them to moortownoffice@spherefederation.org so we can use them to encourage others.
World Book Day
As part of our World Book Day celebrations tomorrow, we’ll be holding a table sale of books written by a family member of two pupils in school.
Finlay and Evie’s auntie, Clare Luther, is the author of a great series of a SEAL related books and they will be available to buy after school tomorrow in the playground (weather permitting).
Have you tried the Be Food Smart quiz?
As part of the Be Food Smart Change4life campaign, have you tried the quiz to find out how much you know about what’s really inside your food and drink!
Transport Museum
We had a brilliant day today at The Streetlife Museum of Transport and The East Riding Museum in Hull. We started our day with a science workshop linked to friction and forces. Year 3 had to think about what forces are used to move different items.
As we walked around The Streetlife Museum we saw a variety of old fashioned transport: Victorian carriages, trams, railways, cars, horses, bicycles, boats and much more.
We also enjoyed exploring The East Riding Museum. The museum took us on a journey through time which linked really well with our history topic.
Here are some photos of the great things we saw…
Our new SEAL theme – Getting On
For this half term, our SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) theme Getting On covers four main aspects:
- developing the social skills of friendship
- working well together in a group
- managing anger
- resolving conflict
A key resource for children to refer to during this theme, and at other times, is Peaceful Problem Solving. This encourages children to sort out their own problems. You may wish to talk through this with your child(ren).
When group work takes place in school, some questions for children to consider are:
- Did everyone take turns?
- Did everyone listen to what other people thought?
- Did each person have chance to tell the group what they thought?
- If people had different ideas could the group reach a compromise?
The key areas of learning throughout this theme are empathy, managing feelings and social skills.
We start our weekly SEAL statements with a focus on manners, I don’t interrupt (with my mouth or with my hand).
Meet our new School Council
Congratulations to our new school councillors who were elected by their class in our whole school elections. Their first meeting will be held after half term.
School Council election
In an assembly this week, our current school councillors told us what characteristics are needed to be an effective school councillor. These included being responsive, fair, confident, resilient, a good listener, have good suggestions and accept the views of others.
Following in-class election speeches this week, our School Council elections will take place tomorrow, Thursday, 09 February. All children have the opportunity to vote at our polling station using the following instructions.
Before voting, please read the following:
- Vote once for one person.
- Place one X only on this ballot paper beside the name of the candidate you have chosen.
- Do not write or mark anything else on the ballot paper; if you do, your paper will be invalid and your vote will not be counted.
- When you have marked the ballot paper, fold the paper and place it in the box provided.
Votes will be counted tomorrow and our new School Council will be announced at the end of the day. This will be made up of two children from each class with the highest number of votes.
Good luck to all our candidates.
Upcoming elections
Our current school councillors recently held their final meeting as we prepare to elect our new School Council.
This year’s election date is Thursday 09 February.
Children from every class, including Reception, are encouraged to prepare a speech to present to their class as part of the election process. Our whole school homework before the election date (03 February) will give children the chance to plan their speech.
Thank you to our existing school council who have been involved with many decisions and discussions throughout the year.
They are welcome to stand again at the elections.
Spring/Summer term menu
The new school dinner menu, from our school meals provider, Catering Leeds, will be introduced after half term and this will continue for the rest of the school year.
As well as on our website, the three week cyclical menu is also displayed on our dining room window for you to discuss with your child/children. Have a look for the weeks ahead to make your child aware of what the daily meals are. If you would like a printed copy, please ask at the office.
School meals continue to be free for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. If your child is in Key Stage 2, please check for eligibility for free school meals. (It’s important to check for eligibility for younger children, too, because school receives additional funding for each child who is eligible for a free meal, even when they’re free in Reception and Year 1 and Year 2!)
If your child would like to start having school dinners, please inform the office. A combination of packed lunches and school dinners is also available.
Children are consulted on school meals through our regular School Council meetings. Feedback may also be given by speaking to an adult in school or completing a suggestions/comments slip and posting it in their class SEAL box.
Thank you to parents who also raise questions and give feedback. We can then ensure this is passed on to the kitchen staff.
