Staying safe online
As a follow up to the recent Safer Internet Day, PCSO Louise delivered an assembly for all classes to reinforce the key online safety messages.
Help at home by asking your child/children how the 4Cs relate to them when they are online.
Designing a pedometer
Today in our Computing lesson we programmed our micro:bit to act as a pedometer. After thinking about our design criteria and planning our algorithm, we created our code.
We tested the micro:bits outside to see if they met the design criteria. Most of them worked, although we thought of ways that they could be improved. 
Ask your child about the design criteria and if they can remember the code!
A setting description of Whitby Abbey
Over the last few weeks we have been building up to writing a setting description of Whitby Abbey. Everyone was able to create an eerie atmosphere by using figurative language and thinking carefully about vocabulary. Here are some examples:
I made a bad choice. They said brave people could only do it at 3AM. All I had to do was stay there for 1 hour. Easy, right? Not really. It was the darkest yet scariest point at night. No need to be scared. Although I was. Gurvar
Reluctantly, I approached the dungeon as darkness fell. The howling wind echoed through the atmosphere. Gargoyles sinisterly glared into my soul. I edged closer to the robust, iron bars. Much to my shock, the gates were ajar. Abdullah
As the gates creaked open, thick fog slithered over the abbey and seemed to loom closer every second. As the lightning struck, ghostly silhouettes flickered across the empty expanse of land. A solitary door grasped my eye and lured me into the night. Bridget and Eleanor
I hesitantly trudged towards the gloomy passageway. Escaping the unrelenting wind, silence reigned. As I edged along the tunnel, the walls seemed to close in on me. Death sliced through my beating heart as I let out my last breath. Jodie
With my hair standing on end, I hesitantly tip-toed towards the eerie passageway. It was like a magnet pulling me in. As I inched towards the tunnel, the creaking of rotten word rained on the silence. Shameel
Living and Learning: Safer Internet
Recently, we enjoyed a day looking at how to be safe online.
Safer Internet Day
One of our sessions involved a visitor!
We enjoyed learning some statistics about being safe online before deciding if some online accounts were real or fake. We learnt not to trust every piece of information we see online: online accounts on social media sites or gaming sites might not always be as they seem!
Think before you post: We also learnt that once we share something online, a picture or post for example, it’s out there for good no matter if you delete it. If you post a picture but change your mind, someone could have easily saved it and passed it on in that time!
Help at home by talking to your child regularly about the pros and cons of being online and monitoring their online usage!
Computing: programming a BBC micro:bit
Computing is our topic this half term and we are learning about programming. We are using a small computer called a BBC micro:bit which can be programmed using a laptop.
On Monday, we found out what a micro:bit is and discussed different inputs and outputs. Everyone was able to create an algorithm on the laptops before downloading it onto the micro:bit. The class enjoyed exploring the different functions of the micro:bit and seeing what it can do.
On Tuesday, we created a magical 8 ball feature by programming the micro:bit to say different things when you shook it.
See if your child can remember the algorithm needed to create this!
Well done Year 6!
Science: irreversible changes and controlling variables
In today’s science lesson, we explored an irreversible change. We mixed bicarbonate of soda with vinegar to create a chemical reaction which resulted in the formation of carbon dioxide. 
We then discussed how we could increase the amount of carbon dioxide that was formed and the importance of controlling variables.
- control variables (the variables we kept the same): the size of the bottle, the amount of bicarbonate of soda, the type of balloon):
- independent variable (the variable we changed): the amount of vinegar
- dependent variable (the variable we are testing): the amount of carbon dioxide
We found that increasing the amount of vinegar resulted in the creation of more carbon dioxide. However, the 100ml test (green balloon) didn’t support this finding. Possibly there was too much vinegar or maybe the green balloon made a difference! We discussed how repeating this test would make our date more reliable.
Supporting our school charity
St Gemma’s Hospice is our current school charity chosen democratically by the children.
Today, we welcomed Steph and Stewart from St Gemma’s Hospice for an assembly to find out more about the fantastic work they do in our local community.
Here, two of our junior leaders are presenting them with a cheque for £377 for the money we have raised so far.
Steph and Stewart commented on the impressive behaviour of the children and the intelligent questions they asked.
Our junior leaders are planning a visit to the hospice over the next few weeks to continue this partnership.
Cross country finalists
Today, four Key Stage 2 pupils represented our school in the Leeds cross country final after qualifying in the North East Leeds competition.
Well done to all the children who gave 100% in their races of over 100 runners and with a tough hill at the end.
Special congratulations to our Year 6 runner who after finishing 1st in his heat went on to finish 1st in the Leeds final today! A fantastic acheievement! He will now qualify for the West Yorkshire cross country final.
Thank you to parents who transported and supported the children today.
Model of our Solar System
In a recent Science lesson, we learnt about the different planets in our Solar System.
We learnt about the heliocentric model of the Solar System by which all the plants revolve around the Sun that is in the centre.
We learnt that different planets are different distances away from the Sun.
In order for us to fully grasp this concept, we scaled down the actual distances between the planets and represented their relative distances in the playground!
We found out that Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun and Neptune is the furthest away!
Help at home by seeing if your child can remember the order of the planets from the Sun. We made a mnemonic in class to help us!
Living and Learning: I know how to seek help.
In our living and learning sessions over the last two weeks, we have been exploring risks and how to seek help if we need to.
We looked at different scenarios and placed them on a continuum based on how much of a risk we thought they posed. Some of the scenarios were:
– learning to ride a horse
– learning to drive
– taking up a new hobby
– drinking energy drinks on a daily basis
– stealing from a shop
– putting your hand up if you’re not sure of the answer
After we’d established the risks involved with each, we spoke about how some things are worth doing because the risks are minimal but other things definitely aren’t!
When would you know if the risks involved made something not worth doing?
We spoke about how we often get that feeling in our stomach if we know the risks are too great. We also spoke about how if we weren’t sure, we should always speak to a trusted adult!
Help at home by talking with your child about different things they may encounter in their lives as they progress to high school and beyond and the risks associated with them! This will help them make informed decisions in the future!
Well done, Y6!
