STEM week – Monday
STEM week has got going from the off with projects begun and visitors galore! We started the day with an introduction to our project for the week which will see us go home with light up bookmarks! We had to create a design first and make sure our circuit would work using electronic thread.
Then, we worked with Mrs Garside to learn all about hacking on the internet and discuss what this means for how we should use it safely. We followed this learning up by creating a movie trailer giving people tips on how to stay safe on line when there are hackers about.
In the afternoon, our computing heads were on again as we had to create some complicated code which would control a robot. We worked in groups and then thought about how controlling robots fits into everyday life and a number of careers around today and many more in the future.
We can’t wait for the rest of the week now!
VE Day celebrations
We had a great time dressing up and celebrating our very own Victory in Europe day on Friday.
It was a fantastic way to end our ‘Class Novel’ topic and we all had a great time. As well as having lots of fun at our VE day party, we also reflected on all the great learning we’ve enjoyed over the last eight weeks. It was particularly useful to hear which aspects of the topic the children have enjoyed the most and why.
Ask your child what they learnt over the course of this big topic and discuss the relevance/importance of this learning.
Also, discuss their views on the class novel they read. Did they enjoy it? Why? Did they empathise with the characters? Why?
Anti-bullying tips
Thank you, Emma (Year 2) for recommending CBBC for lots of Anti-Bullying Week advice.
Spelling practice
Here’s a great example of spelling practice from last week. We’re always trying to think of fun and creative ways of practising spelling so that it doesn’t become boring.
Great homework as always
What are fractions? was our Creative homework question last week and there was a whole host of wonderful ways that it was answered. Lots I can’t show you as they were done on Scratch or as presentations but here’s a taste of what some of the children did.
As always with Creative homework, we looked at everyone’s then sat and looked at one in particular, commenting on their work and discussing what they’d done. The children said that they liked how we look at Creative homework as it was nice to hear what their friends thought of what they’d done.
In the mood
We brought our swing dance topic to an end this week with groups performing their routines to each other. Lots of the children have enjoyed this unit; some enjoyed it a lot more than they thought they would.
Not only were their dances great, but their feedback to each other was brilliant too. They could say what they liked about a routine: precision of movements, use of space, different levels. They were also able to give constructive criticism to suggest how a routine could be improved: moving at the same time as each other, clearer, bigger movements.
‘Power for good’
Next week is national Anti-Bullying Week.
The theme this year is ‘Power for Good‘ with the following key aims:
- To support children and young people to use their Power for Good – by understanding the ways in which they are powerful and encouraging individual and collective action to stop bullying and create the best world possible.
- To help parents and carers to use their Power for Good – through supporting children with issues relating to bullying and working together with schools to stop bullying.
- To encourage all teachers, school support staff and youth workers to use their Power for Good– by valuing the difference they can make in a child’s life, and taking individual and collective action to prevent bullying and create safe environments where children can thrive.
Our school definition has recently been reviewed by the School Council and remains unchanged.
‘Bullying is when you hurt someone, physically or emotionally, several times on purpose.’
We also encourage children to use their ‘Power for Good’, if they were to experience or witness bullying, by using another STOP message, start telling other people.
In class, children will discuss these aspects of bullying:
- Our definition of bullying (above)
- Types of bullying – cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion and belief, special educational need and disability
- What to do if children experience bullying. The key message is to tell someone (start telling other people)
Recently the School Council responded to this question, ‘What would you do if you were bullied‘?
- ‘Start telling other people – tell someone who I trust and who I can talk to.’
- ‘I would tell someone I trust (family member, member of staff or friend).’
- ‘If I were bullied, I’d tell my parents, a friend, a teacher and if nothing changed I would phone ChildLine (08001111).’
- ‘I’d tell a teacher, maybe a friend and put in a worry in the ‘worry box’. Also, I’d tell a parent.’
- ‘I would tell anyone I trust: my friends, my mum or dad or a member of staff. They could sort it straight away.’
- ‘I’d tell my mummy and daddy.’
All classes have access to their class SEAL box or a whole school worry box where they can tell an adult any concerns about bullying or any other issues.
For further support, bullying resources can be found at…
- http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/resources/disablist-bullying/resources-for-parents/
- http://www.childline.org.uk/explore/bullying/pages/bullying.aspx
- http://www.bullying.co.uk/advice-for-parents/
- http://www.youngminds.org.uk/for_parents/worried_about_your_child/bullying
Our noses are often in the paper
Year 6 enjoy a range of reading opportunities and one of our favourites is our weekly fix of First News.
We’re always keen to share interesting articles with each other and this brilliant paper never fails to disappoint. This week there was a man who’s best friend was a bear; a heart-warming story about a little girl who’s life had been improved by the efforts of WaterAid; and a funny little snippet on a ‘Petmiere’ – cinema for dogs!
We always read FirstNews on a Monday so ask your child at home what interesting articles (s)he’s read each week.
What are the 8Rs?
Year 6 have had a good start to this half term. We’re working on the 8Rs (resilience, safe risk-taking, responsibility, resourcefulness, responding, remembering, reflecting, readiness) to improve our learning behaviour, and therefore our learning, in class. These Rs are easy to apply at home, too:
- Resilience – try a new skill and keep at it if it’s hard
- safe Risk-taking – cook with an adult, using knives and other equipment
- Responsibility – be in charge of getting your own things ready for school or getting yourself up in the morning
- Responding – if an adult praises you for an action, make sure you do it again (or don’t do something again if you’ve been told about it before)
- Readiness – be ready to go if you’re heading out for the day with everything you might need
It’d be great to hear of any particularly good examples of children practising the 8Rs at home.
Christmas dinner themed menu
Catering Leeds, our school meal provider, will be running a special Christmas themed menu on Thursday 15 December.
Please contact the office, by 30 November, if your child would like a school dinner on this day.
