Our last weekly message of the year (Friday 19 July 2024)

We’ve reached the end of the school year…

Thank you…

…for attending all the events we’ve held across the year, whether that’s events to help support your child’s learning like our Watch us While We Work sessions or productions and PTA events. All the key events for 2024-25 are already in the calendar (including training days).

Thank you…

…to all those who completed the 2024 survey of parents and carers. We’re delighted with the results, including 98% of those who expressed an opinion saying they’d recommend Moortown Primary to others – fantastic! We’ve spent some time reviewing the suggestions, too – we can’t act on all, but we’ll certainly look at some of them more closely.

Thank you…

…to Miss Needham, for all her great work throughout her time at Moortown Primary, first as a Teaching Assistant and then as a Teacher. We wish her well for her adventures in Australia.

Thank you…

…for all your support throughout the year. Whether this is a simple smile and greeting at the school gate or something more, we’ve really appreciated it. In particular, thank you for your words of encouragement during the Ofsted inspection.

Have a lovely Summer break. Don’t forget our Summer Competition (in case you missed details, check back to last week’s message). See you all on Tuesday 03 September!

Living and Learning: Safety Week

Last week, Moortown Primary School were thinking all things ‘safety’.

Year 4 took part in a variety of workshops that included road safety, water safety, online safety and how to be safe around dogs!

Our favourite sessions was definitely when we took a trip to Roundhay High School to learn about how to be safe when trampolining and climbing.

Help at home by asking your child how they stayed safe on the trampoline and climbing wall!

Summer 2: Week 7

This week we have been talking lots about change. We have been looking at the way we change during our lifetime from being:

a baby

a toddler

a child

a teenager

an adult

someone that is elderly

 

The children were able to act out each stage and discuss the things that you can do during these times.

The children have been  talking and drawing about the things that they are looking forward to in year one.

We had a great Sports Day on Wednesday. The children showed real courage taking part in races infront of their peers and parents.

 

What a wonderful year reception class have had!

It has been a pleasure being able to share the last 9 weeks of their journey in reception. Even in that short time, the children have been a joy to teach  and  shown great progress.

They are now ready to start their new adventure in year one.

Thank you for all of your wonderful cards and gifts to reception staff.

Have a safe and fun summer.

Summer 2: Week 6 Safety Week

This week has been learning all about safety.

The children have been learning all about staying safe online, people who help us and staying safe around animals.

We have been lucky enough to have lots of visitors this week too.

During the week, we had a visit from two of our local police officers. They we able to help us identify who we need to speak to if an adult asks us for help. They also showed us some of the special equipment they use in order to keep themselves safe.

A person from our local dog’s trust came to talk to us about being safe around dogs. They taught us the five rules to stay safe around them.

We were also lucky enough to be taught some martial arts this week too.

Maths

During maths this week, we have been looking at time. We have been identifying  why we need to tell the time and what different things we can use to tell it. The children have enjoyed timing eachother to do different activities.

Reminder

Please can all children bring a bag in on Thursday 18th July so that they can take their school books home.

Our weekly message (Friday 12 July 2024)

It’s our penultimate weekly message of the year. It’s a bit of a cliché, but has to be said – we can’t believe how fast the year has gone.

Themed week

This week has been our Staying Safe week.

Of course, staying safe isn’t just about one week of the year. Check out these Summer safety tips. and this clip about staying safe near water.

This week is also a good time to think back to previous Living and Learning statements. For example, does your child know the two STOP messages about bullying from Autumn 2 (Several Times On Purpose and Start Telling Other People)? Does your child understand the importance of permission / consent? What online safety tips can your child tell you about?

Every year, we have two themed weeks. Next year, it’s the turn of Me and My Communities and Being Healthy themed weeks.

Moving on…?

The close of the school year sees Year 6 friends getting ready to move on to secondary schools. There’ll also be children in other year groups moving on, too – perhaps you’re moving house and therefore your child is switching schools.

Whatever the cause, this change can be a source of anxiety. It’s a perfectly natural response to a new environment and a new society into which to fit. With this in mind, Childline has published advice to help children deal with their feelings as they move on.

Our Summer competition

Have you and your child started to think about our Summer competition?

Take a pic of one particular letter in MOORTOWN – each letter is for a year group in school. This list refers to current years…

    • M – Reception
    • O – Year 1
    • O – staff
    • R – Year 2
    • T – Year 3
    • O – Year 4
    • W – Year 5
    • N – Year 6

The winning entry will be a letter that’s been ‘found’ or created in an unusual way. There’s a £10 book token for one winner in each year group.

To enter, email your pics to [email protected] by Friday 06 September. Enter ‘Summer competition’ as the subject.

Get caught in the Breeze

The Breeze people write:

Are you ready to have some fun this summer?! Breeze in the Park is back to bring family fun to a park near you this summer holidays.

We’ve 26 events plus 8 relaxed events, all jam-packed and ready to bring the sun, fun, chills and thrills to your holidays!

Expect sports, games, arts and crafts, interactive play, food, entertainment and, of course, their famous inflatables. Plus, much much more!

The events, which are aimed at 0 to 19-year-olds, will run as two separate sessions on the days. The first session takes place from 12pm to 2:30pm and the second session runs from 3pm to 5pm.

Along with the open sessions, eight of the events throughout the summer will also be hosting relaxed sessions for children and young people with additional needs. These sessions will run from 11am to 12pm and will have additional staff, minimal queuing and reduced crowds.

Tickets for Breeze in the Park are 50p per child and must be pre-booked in advance. Fast track five times on our most popular inflatables with a Breeze Pass…the best accessory for this summer giving you discounts, giveaways, offers and early access to many venues and events!

Book your tickets now and avoid disappointment.

Next Tuesday is our reserve day for Sports Day. We’re sorry about postponing last time – it was obviously a bad call on our part because despite the very wet conditions first thing, it dried up quickly.

Next Friday’s a non-uniform day here at Moortown Primary. Please check out the guidelines for non-uniform (they’re at the bottom of the first page).

Have a happy and healthy – and hopefully dry – weekend.

Food Technology: Summer Garden Salad

On Friday, Year 4 made a Summer Garden Salad. The children prepared all the ingredients, assembled the salad and enjoyed taste testing it afterwards.

We chopped most of our vegetables, grated the carrots and boiled the potatoes.

We stayed safe by keeping our fingers away from the knife and taking our time.

After we assembled all of the vegetables, we whisked together the yoghurt, oil and vinegar for the dressing.

Everyone tried it and the majority of us loved it! The dressing made all the vegetables really tasty and we all liked the different colours of all the ingredients.

Help at home by making it again! The recipe has been sent home with the children. Can you add something new? Could you try a different dressing?

Summer2: Week5

It has been a fun filled week for reception this week.

The children enjoyed going to see their new teacher on Wednesday. They asked lots of great questions and were excited to talk about their new classroom when they came back.

During the trip on Thursday, the children were fantastic. They enjoyed adventures in the woods, learning more about recycling, hunting for minibeasts and exploring with water.

The children were able to use our word of the week (humungous) to describe the play area.

Maths

The children have been looking at fair and unfair sharing. They are now able to identify when something has been shared fairly. We looked at sharing different amounts of objects between 2,3 and 4 people.

Help at home: by sharing objects out fairly and unfairly.

Our weekly message (Friday 05 July 2024)

With just two more weeks left of the school year, it’s time to start thinking of our Summer Competition!

Summer competition

Each year, we invite you and your child to take part in our Summer Competition. We’ve asked for pics to show extreme reading, happy and healthy, smiley faces… This year, we’re inviting you to think about our name. More specifically, take a pic of one particular letter in MOORTOWN, but one which is hidden away or created in some unsual way.

Each letter is for one year group in school (this list refers to current years)…

  • M – Reception
  • O – Year 1
  • O – staff
  • R – Year 2
  • T – Year 3
  • O – Year 4
  • W – Year 5
  • N – Year 6

The winning entry will be a letter that’s been ‘found’ or created in an unusual way. There’s a £10 book token for one winner in each year group.

To enter, email your pics to [email protected] by Friday 06 September. Enter ‘Summer competition’ as the subject. All entries will be displayed in school, and there are prizes for our favourites.

Here’s an idea to get you thinking…

Uniform

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve featured our updated Uniform Policy to help you to start preparing early for the new school year. Please read the latest version.

This week, we’re looking at what our policy says about jewellery…

Only discreet (ie small, not brightly coloured) stud earrings and items that are absolutely required by a religion are allowed. Advisors recommend no earrings are worn for PE; therefore, we will ask your child to remove earrings before the lesson and put them back in after the lesson. This will be carried out by the child. If they are unable to remove or put their earrings back in by themselves, they must not wear them on the day they have PE.

A watch or step counter is allowed. Any device that connects to the internet (eg a smart watch) or that can record (including taking photos) is not allowed for safeguarding reasons. Such items should be left at home, but can be handed over at the start of the day. Refer to the Positive Relationships Policy for more details of items not allowed.

We don’t accept responsibility for any loss or damage to an individual’s property.

Staying safe

Next week is another Living and Learning themed week.

The key message is how to be safe in a range of situations: at home, at school, online and in the environment. A variety of events and visitors are planned to help us deliver this key aspect of education, including…

  • road safety (Leeds City Council)
  • water safety (Canal and River Trust and RNLI)
  • fire safety (West Yorkshire Fire Service)
  • staying safe around dogs (Dogs Trust)
  • first aid (Leeds Beckett and Red Cross)
  • safety in our community (PCSOs)
  • e-safety (d:side)

Some of the events require parental permission and these letters have been sent out separately.

There are also some opportunities for parents and carers, from all year groups, to get involved in the week:

  • Monday 08 July, 3pm – 3:30pm: d:side e-safety drop in information session – a representative from d:side, a health education provider, will be available to discuss e-safety issues and details of your child’s e-safety learning in the themed week
  • Thursday 11 July from 8:30am: West Yorkshire Police bike register event –
    pupils are invited to bring along their bikes to be registered at this bike security marking event at school; registering your bike helps police and retailers identify and verify the legitimate owner of bikes that have been stolen or are being resold; this is a first come, first served event
  • Friday 12 July 2:35-3:15pm: Leeds Beckett University Carnegie Great Outdoors basic first aid session for parents/carers – there are limited places available so please confirm your place via School Gateway

Our Living and Learning statement is I make safe choices, including online. Check out these tips for helping children stay safe online.

The themed week is a good opportunity to continue to think about healthy, active and safe ways to travel to school. Children are encouraged to travel to school in a sustainable way, keeping safe along the way.

For a chance to win one of three £10 Love2Shop vouchers, we’d love to see their active travel staying safe photos, maybe using a traffic crossing or wearing their bike helmet (send photos to [email protected]). Photos should be sent by 4pm on Thursday 11 July and winners will be announced on Friday 12 July.

Due to the rising costs of visitors to school, this year, we’re requesting a voluntary contribution of £1 per pupil to go towards paying for visitors. This can be made on School Gateway. Thank you for your support with this.

Thank you for your support to keep Moortown a happy and healthy and safe place to learn!

 

Next week is also the Key Stage 2 production: Tuesday and Wednesday at 6pm.

Sports Day is postponed

We’ve made the decision to postpone Sports Day today because of the weather. There was quite a lot of rain last night meaning the grass is slippier than we’d like it to be.

The reserve Sports Day date is 16 July.

(The long-term forecast indicates the weather will be much more favourable.)

It’s always a difficult decision to postpone or cancel these events – we’re sorry if this has caused you inconvenience.

Leeds Industrial Museum – Armely Mills

Yesterday, Year 4 embarked on our last school trip of the year! We visited Armely Mills; the museum was full of amazing, old machines that take wool from a sheep and make it into fabric.

Each class had a weaving workshop where they carded wool to make it smooth and straight. This used to be done by hand or, in the later years, by machines!  Back in Victorian times, children as young as 7 were working on the machines… We decided that we’d much rather be in school learning!

Finally, we had a go at weaving ourselves. When we weave, there are two threads called a weft and a warp that go in different directions.  The weft goes from left to right and the warp goes from top to bottom. We weaved a variety of fabric to create some beautiful weaves!

We spent the rest of the day exploring the other parts of the museum and the gardens.

A fun-filled day had by all!

Help at home by watching this BBC Bitesize video about weaving. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0015x4s/bitesize-daily-79-year-olds-art-89-year-olds-3-weaving