Author: Mrs Quirk

02 February 2024

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

Our Living and Learning statement this week is I know how to seek help.

This week, we would like to you talk about different ways to stay safe including seeking help.

Because safety covers so many areas, your discussions could centre around these forms of safety as well as any others that you know of:

  • Online safety (e-safety)
  • Fire safety
  • Road safety
  • Electrical safety
  • Water safety

For each type of safety, talk about different settings and examples of when you might be faced with risks and how you’d safely deal with them. In each situation, it’s crucial you discuss the help you’d need if something goes wrong. Imagine that you’re in different places and with different people in each scenario. Perhaps you’re with family, friends or on your own. Are there any services that you can contact?

Here are some R2s to help you stay safe:

  • Think before you act.
  • Assess the risks. Is it safe?
  • If something goes wrong, again, think before you act.
  • Who can help you and how can you reach them?

26 January 2024

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

There’s a moral theme to this week’s Talk Time.

It is a waste of our time to learn about the past as it has already happened and we can’t change it.

This is a very topical statement given that we’re currently in the middle of a history topic. You may already have an opinion on this but it’s always worth pausing to consider a range of viewpoints.

This week’s R2s will help you to provide a balanced argument before you reach a conclusion:

  • What are the reasons for (the pros) learning about the past?
  • What are the reasons against (the cons) learning about the past?
  • Reach a decision. Is it valuable to learn about past events?
    • One list may have more points than the other.
    • Some points have a greater importance than others.

One way to approach this Talk Time is to have a debate with people in your household. This will not only help you generate ideas but also practise a range of oracy skills. The last half term’s focus was building on the views of others and reasoning. When someone raises a point that you’re in agreement with, use one of the following phrases to start your response:

  • I agree with you because…
  • That’s a good point. I also think that…
  • Furthermore, I’ll add that…

On the other hand, you may disagree with a point made by a family member. When that’s the case, it can be hard not to interrupt them. The oracy focus for this half term is turn taking. To be respectful of others’ opinions, wait until a person has finished speaking and then respond using one of these sentence starters or one of your own:

  • I hear what you’re saying but…
  • That’s a good point. However…
  • I understand your point but…

19 January 2024

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

Our Talk Time this week relates to the vocabulary that we’re learning about in our current History topic.

 Thinking about the new topic vocabulary, I can begin to use the words at home.

 Years 1 and 2 History vocabulary:

 

past something that has already happened
present something that is happening now
ancient very old
modern the present day
similarity when something is the same
difference when something is different
sequence put in the correct order
trade an area of land ruled by a monarch (a king or queen)
timeline a list of important events arranged in order

 Years 3 and 4 History vocabulary:

 

chronology arrangement of events or dates in time order
empire a large group of countries or states ruled by an emperor
invasion when a country or region is invaded by an armed force
tax a payment you must make to a ruler or government
to resist to stand up to or fight back against something
innovation an improvement or replacement for something
bias a viewpoint that may be based more on opinion than fact
kingdom an area of land ruled by a monarch (a king or queen)

 Years 5 and 6 History vocabulary:

 

chronology arrangement of events or dates in time order
primary source a source of evidence created at the time of event (eg diaries, letters, photographs, newspaper articles, artefacts)
secondary source a source of evidence created after time of the event (eg replica objects, text books, illustrations)
invasion when a country or region is invaded by an armed force
civilisation the society considered most advanced at a time
caliph ruler in a Muslim country
golden-age a time when an activity or society is at its best
innovation an improvement or replacement for something
trade the exchange of goods and services
impact the effect one thing has on another

Some of the words may not have been covered in class yet so be sure to refer to the definitions for words your child seems less confident about.

Encourage your child to think back to their history learning so far. The following questions might prompt your child to remember even more about the vocabulary:

  • What does this word mean?
  • Can you use the word in a sentence?
  • Can you (where possible) give an example of this?
  • Can you link this word to one or more of the other words?
  • Which of these words would you group together?
  • Are there any synonyms (words with the same or similar meaning)?
  • Are there any antonyms (words with the opposite meaning)?

This Talk Time provides the perfect opportunity to apply some of the oracy skills that we’ve been working on so far this year. These R2s will help your child to speak about the vocabulary confidently, fluently and at a good pace:

  • Make eye contact and have good posture when speaking (and listening).
  • Recall learning from class to help you remember the words you’ve used so far.
  • Take time to think about each word before trying to explain it.

Challenge yourself to play the ‘Erm…’ game. Start a stopwatch when you begin talking about a word. Keep the time running until you say a filler phrase like ‘erm’, ‘umm’, ‘you know’, ‘like’ or pause for more than a few seconds. Have a couple of attempts for each word to see if you can improve on your timings. How long can you talk for?

15 December 2023

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

Living and Learning is the focus of this week’s Talk Time:

I can describe different ways that people look after their mental health.

I can describe how I look after my own mental health.

Increasingly, we hear about the importance of mental health. Talk at home about different ways to look after your mental health. This might include restricting screen time, getting enough sleep, and taking time – even just five minutes – as a family to relax and recuperate after a busy day.

We all get worked up from time to time – how do different people calm down? At home, explore different strategies to calm down. These may be as simple as counting to ten, going for a walk, getting a glass of water – discuss what works for you and your child.

Finally, further information about mental health can be found on the Public Health England (PHE) website ‘Every Mind Matters’ website providing NHS-endorsed tips and advice to help children and young people’s mental wellbeing and equip parents and carers with knowledge to support them.

08 December 2023

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

This week’s Talk Time poses a moral dilemma that links to our current Art topic.

Is it right that a painting can cost a million pounds?

 In fact, only weeks ago, Banksy’s ‘Love is in the Bin’ sold at auction for a record £16 million.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58908768

The question does not have a right or wrong answer. You may already have a strong view on this but a key part of your discussions at home will be taking others’ views into consideration. Following this week’s Remember 2s (R2s) will help with that:

  • Why would someone pay a million pounds for a painting?
    • Think about what the painting represents and how it could make a person feel.
  • Why might it be considered wrong for a painting to cost a million pounds?
    • How else could that money be spent?
  • What is an acceptable amount of money to spend on a single painting?

Your discussions will build on the skills gained through this half term’s oracy focus: building on the views of others and reasoning. If you agree with someone else’s comments, you could respond with one of these sentence starters:

  • Picking up on what’s been said, I’d add…’
  • ‘As well as that…’
  • ‘In addition to that…’
  • ‘Furthermore…’
  • ‘Moreover…’

It might be that you disagree with the views of people in your household – that’s okay but it’s important to remember to respect their views, too. Whatever your opinion, using ‘because’ in your discussions will help you to put forward a strong argument.

01 December 2023

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

The Talk Time for this week leads on perfectly from the previous week’s statement.

I am confident that I would tell someone if I felt bullied, or if I know someone who was being bullied.

I can name people I would go to, and can explain why I’d choose them for help.

During our discussion’s a couple of weeks ago, you recalled the two meanings of ‘STOP’: Several Times On Purpose (our definition of bullying) and Start Telling Other People (our response to bullying).

We suggest approaching this Talk Time in two steps.

First, discuss why it is important to tell someone if bullying is happening. Remember, everyone is responsible for helping to prevent bullying. If you see someone being treated unfairly, don’t assume someone else will report it or that it’s a one-off.

How many reasons can you think of to tell someone if you feel bullied or know someone else is being bullied? On the other hand, why would not telling someone be a bad idea?

Second, come up with a list of people you could go to. Consider what makes someone a good person to talk to. This week’s Remember 2s are question prompts to help you when creating your list:

  • Who can not only help you feel better, but also help to explore and solve the problem?

Think of people outside of school as well people at school.

  • What do we mean by ‘trusted adult’?
  • Is talking the only way you can alert someone to a problem like bullying?

24 November 2023

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

Living and Learning is the focus of this week’s Talk Time.

I know how to STOP bullying.

Last week was Anti-Bullying Week, we placed a strong emphasis on what bullying is and how to stop it. In fact, ‘STOP’ is an acronym that provides a clear definition of bullying:

Several Times On Purpose

An example of bullying would be someone saying on multiple occasions that you can’t join in with their game. On the other hand, getting upset/angry in the heat of the moment or accidentally bumping into someone wouldn’t be considered bullying. As part of your discussions, can your child identify examples of what bullying does and doesn’t look like?

Our school ethos statement is that our school is a happy and healthy place to learn / a happy and healthy place to achieve and believe. School will not be a happy and healthy place if we do not know how to stop bullying.

‘STOP’ not only tells us what bullying is, but also how to make it stop:

Start Telling Other People.

Ask your child what ‘STOP’ means – encourage them to remember both: Several Times On Purpose and Start Telling Other People.

This week’s Remember 2s (R2s) are actions to take if you see, or are the victim of, an unpleasant behaviour:

  • Challenge the behaviour with that person. It may well have been an accidental or something not intended to be hurtful.
  • Tell that person that you don’t like that behaviour and that you want it to stop.
  • If the behaviour occurs again, let a trusted adult know so they can explore the situation.

17 November 2023

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

Our Talk Time homework this week is all about charity.

To start the discussion at home, talk with your child about charities. Things you might talk about are how charity is the act of giving help to those in need of it. It involves giving money, goods or time to those that need it, without expecting something in return.

Soon, the Junior Leadership Team will choose our new charity. Each school leader in Sphere Federation has suggested a charity and now it’s over to you. Spend some time at home considering each of the six shortlisted charities below. Which one will your child encourage the junior leaders in school to vote for?

Did you know you can find out more about any registered charities really easily:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission

This site tells you lots of facts and figures about different charities – even things like how much income they receive and how many workers and volunteers they have.

You might use this site to decide which of the six charities to support. (In the list below, the text in italics is taken from the Charity Overview page from the site.)

The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund

The main objective of the charity is to enhance the quality of care and support available to babies, young children and adult congenital cardiac patients, who are treated at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit, based at Leeds General Infirmary.

https://www.chsf.org.uk

Zarach

We receive referrals through our network of schools. We deliver a bed bundle for every child in the household that requires it; this includes a brand-new Bed, Mattress, Duvet, Pillow, Bed Sheets, Pyjamas and Hygiene Kit. We work with local partners to include Food Parcels and, if needed, a school uniform. We can also mediate between families and their support services, as well as making referrals.

https://zarach.org/

Leeds Hospitals Charity

To further any charitable purpose or purposes relating to the general or any specific purposes of Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust or the purposes of the National Health Service.
https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk

Simon on the Streets

Objectives are to: 1) prevent and relieve hardship and need and distress amongst those who are homeless and rootless by the provision of practical and emotional support, in particular but not exclusively to those who are sleeping rough or who are unwilling or unable to accept existing provision; 2) educate the public concerning the problems of social isolation and homelessness.
https://simononthestreets.co.uk/

Trussell Trust
The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of food banks and together we provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK. 

www.trusselltrust.org

Mind (The National Association for Mental Health)

We provide information and support, campaign to improve policy and attitudes and, in partnership with independent local Minds, develop and provide local services.

https://www.mind.org.uk/

The charities will be reviewed in class on Thursday 23 November. Each class will vote for one charity which will be brought to the Junior Leadership Team who will have the final vote on Friday 24 November.

10 November 2023

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

Living and Learning is the focus of this week’s Talk Time.

At the end of our Me and My Money themed week this is a chance to reflect with your child about aspects of their awareness of understanding all things financial. This could be:

  • Why money is an important part of most people’s lives
  • Understanding the difference between needs and wants
  • Choices about how to save and spend money
  • How to keep money safe
  • Comparing prices of things to give your child a growing sense of prices and value for money
  • Know where money comes from e.g. earning, finding, borrowing, being given

Have a discussion together. Is there anything they are already doing? e.g. they have a bank account, I can talk about their understanding of where money comes from. Is there anything they’d like to do/ learn more about?

20 October 2023

Our whole-school homework this week is:

Reading: please make sure your child is reading on a daily basis.

Number Fact Fluency: Use Numbots or Times Table Rock Stars in regular short bursts.

Talk Time

Living and Learning is the focus of this week’s Talk Time:

I can describe different ways that people look after their mental health.

I can describe how I look after my own mental health.

Increasingly, we hear about the importance of mental health. Talk at home about different ways to look after your mental health. This might include restricting screen time, getting enough sleep, and taking time – even just five minutes – as a family to relax and recuperate after a busy day.

We all get worked up from time to time – how do different people calm down? At home, explore different strategies to calm down. These may be as simple as counting to ten, going for a walk, getting a glass of water – discuss what works for you and your child.

 Finally, further information about mental health can be found on the Public Health England (PHE) website ‘Every Mind Matters’ website providing NHS-endorsed tips and advice to help children and young people’s mental wellbeing and equip parents and carers with knowledge to support them.