Living and Learning
Living and Learning is our new name for SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning).
Living and Learning will continue to cover SEAL learning but will also incorporate other aspects of PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) such as keeping safe, identity, drug education, physical health, rights and responsibilities and healthy minds.
We begin our Living and Learning learning this week with a focus on manners: I can greet someone politely.
For the rest of this half-term, we’re thinking about the ‘8 Rs for learning’. This theme is about promoting good learning behaviour for your child.
Each week, we’ll focus on two different ‘Rs’. We use an animal to symbolise each ‘R’, which might help your child remember all eight – can your child remember which animal matches the correct ‘R’?
You can support your child at home – we’ve listed a few ideas to help you below. Ask us if you’ve any questions or comments.
Download top tips for promoting the 8Rs for good learning behaviour.
I can show I am ready to learn.
Make sure your child is at school for a prompt start of 08:50.
Make sure your child has had plenty of sleep so they are alert and ready to learn at all times.
Encourage your child to ask lots of questions – that shows they want to learn!
I respond to feedback.
Ask your child if they remember their ‘stars’ and ‘steps’ in English and Maths.
I take a safe risk.
Talk about the difference between a safe and unsafe risk. At school, we want your child to take a safe risk by having a go at answering, even if unsure; trying something new and attempting harder learning.
I take responsibility for my own learning.
Provide time and space at home so your child is able to organise themselves: their PE kit, reading book, homework, spellings and tables… Don’t organise everything for them!
Make a link between rights and responsibilities: your child has the right to a great education, but needs to be responsible for their own learning.
I am resourceful.
Encourage your child to be organised so they can play with a range of different toys.
Encourage your child to try new ways to solve a tricky problem.
I am resilient.
Encourage your child to keep going! Set a tricky challenge or puzzle for your child to do.
Encourage your child to think of different ways of doing things.
Don’t let your child win when they play a game – they need to experience losing, too!
Celebrate mistakes as opportunities to learn – be happy that your child found some learning hard and encourage them to ‘bounce back’ and learn from the experience.
I remember.
Make sure they have time to learn spellings, number bonds and times tables – a little practice daily is best.
Play memory games:
Kim’s game: show them objects for 30 seconds… can they remember all the objects?
Can they build up the sequence, ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple and a bike.’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple, a bike and a cucumber.’ etc … Take turns!
I reflect about my learning.
Talk with your child about what they’ve learnt, asking questions about:
how they learnt
why they learnt it
when they’ll use their learning
how they would teach this to someone else
what learning might link with what they’ve learnt today etc
School meals
Following feedback from parents and pupils (School Council and pupil health questionnaires), and a successful trial of children selecting their main meal on Fridays, we will be extending this to every day from next week. Children will select their main meal choice at registration.
Please share the menu with your child so they are aware of the choices for each day.
A great start to Year 2
Welcome back after the summer holidays. Thank you for all the postcards you sent us; it’s been great to hear about your adventures.
We had a great first day back and it was lovely to see all the children ready for a brand new year.
There was a lot of information to take in but we are sure the children will enjoy taking more responsibility (one of our 8Rs for Learning) this year and will soon get to know the new routines.
We welcome Ms Slater who will also be supporting the class.
Here are a few things to be aware of:
- Please ensure that you complete your child’s reading record; books won’t be changed unless parents / carers have informed us that the book has been completed.
- Books are changed twice a week (Monday and Thursday). It is your child’s responsibility to put their book and reading record in the basket for changing.
- Homework and spellings will be sent home on Fridays and can also be found on the website. Homework should be returned by the following Thursday and spellings will be tested on the Friday. Spelling tests will now be done in the back of the homework books so you will be able to see your child’s results.
- PE days are Tuesday and Thursday. Please ensure all clothes (uniform and PE kit) are labelled clearly.
- In a change to our uniform policy, earrings must not be worn for PE. Therefore if children cannot take them out themselves at school, they should not be worn on Tuesday or Thursday.
- Water bottles should be in school every day.
- Henry, as named by the children on our transition afternoon, is our new class mascot. He’s looking forward to visiting all the children at home, for a weekend, over the year. Please support your child to complete some sentences and maybe a picture in his diary and return to school on a Monday.
For the first two weeks, our topic is based around the text Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, before we begin our geography-themed Big Topic, Explorers.
Please refer to our expectations for teaching and learning to see what the children will be learning across all subjects in Year 2.
There is a lot of information on our website for supporting your child at home and you will find some key information in your child’s homework book too.
We look forward to working with you this year and if you have any questions, please do come to see us at the classroom (Mrs Taylor on Monday and Tuesday and Mr Wilks on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).
Raring to go!
The Y4 staff are looking forward to welcoming you and your child back to school on Tuesday 05 September. We hope that you have all enjoyed the summer break – we can’t wait to hear about the exciting things you’ve all been up to.
Welcome back
Just a quick welcome back to our new Year 6s. Looking forward to seeing them all on Tuesday, ready to dive straight into some brilliant learning. Our PE lessons will be on Mondays and Wednesdays so no need to bring kits on the first day back.
Keep an eye on our class news throughout the year. There’ll be a couple of posts each week, some written by me and some written by the children, which will keep you up to date on what’s going on in class. Homework will be posted every Friday, along with a sneak peak of some homework we’ve particularly admired from the previous week.
See you on Tuesday.
Leeds Children’s Mayor voting
Congratulations to Pippa who was selected as our school entry and submitted her manifesto to be considered as the new Leeds Children’s Mayor.
Out of 48 entries, unfortunately Pippa wasn’t selected as one of the finalists.
Children are invited to vote for their two favourite manifestos from the twelve candidates.
The finalist who has the most votes when voting closes on 15 September will be elected as the new Children’s Mayor of Leeds.
Wow! What a year!
I’ve had a fantastic year and it has been great to see each child mature and make amazing progress. Each and every parent should be super proud!
Here’s a little note to each child:
Abdullah – You’ve really matured this year and this has been reflected in the super progress you have made. Keep it up!
Aleena – You know how to have fun yet you still work hard and make good choices – what a great mix!
Archie – You’ve become more confident as the year has progressed and your relentless effort is a really good example to your friends.
Brandon – What a lovely young man!. You are the most thoughtful, kind-hearted and genuinely nice person in the world!
Daanyaal – Mr Laidback became Mr Motivated. Well done, Dan!
Edward – You’ve made me laugh on many occasions this year. And, you’ve made me smile with the awesome progress you’ve made!
Elias– Being a maths genius is just one aspect of your amazing personality. You’ve had a great year – well done!
Enya – What can I say? You’ve helped, you’ve made me howl with laughter, you can be relied upon to finish the words to any pop song and you’ve absolutely smashed Year 5!
Grace – Disgrace: a very ironic nickname. You should be so proud of the immense effort you’ve put in this year. You are a great example to your peers and never fail to put a smile on our faces.
Harry – You are a very polite young man with an amazing ability to talk everyone round to your way of thinking – this is a rare skill!
Hibba – aka ‘The Sponge’! You have absorbed every bit of learning this year and have done extremely, extremely well as a result – I’m impressed!
Isobel – Not many 9 year olds are as confident in their own skin as you (not many adults in fact). You should be really proud of your non-stop effort!
Matteo – You have tried so hard in every aspect of your learning this year and have done incredibly well as a result. I am 100% confident you will smash Year 6 (and every year for that matter).
Matthew – I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you this year. I wish I could make you as confident in yourself as we all are in you!
Megan – You are a delight to teach. Your energy and enthusiasm infects every room you go in. Keep trying hard and being a bit silly!
Neive – ‘The Diva’. It’s been a pleasure to watch you mature over the year and you’ve made huge progress as a result.
Nico – A maths genius with creative flair. What a blend! Keep working hard and I’m sure you’ll do great.
Nishaan – You’ve improved your listening skills and have smashed the year as a result – well done!
Noah – Giddy, cheeky, sometimes silly – all of these things make you a pleasure to teach. Keep working hard as well (in all subjects!).
Oliver – A super hardworking young man. Keep making positive choices at all times and I know you’ll smash Year 6!
Owen – My fellow rugby nut. Keep transferring your skills from the pitch in to the classroom and you’ll enjoy a great year in Year 6.
Pavan – You’ve really come out of your shell and it’s been a pleasure to see you contribute more and more in lessons. Keep it up!
Pippa – You’ve had a superb year and have dazzled me with your maths and writing skills. Keep it up!
Pohnum – Your wonderful smile has made our class a great place to be! Keep up the hard work.
Saleem – You’re a very polite, helpful young man. Keep it up and I know you’ll have a great time in Year 6.
Sam – It’s been a pleasure to get to know you this year and you’ve amazed us all with your art.
Stan – aka ‘The Man’. I can always rely on you to make good choices and you are a great role model to your peers.
Umaimah – You’re sparky and bright. Use these attributes in the right way and I know you’ll go far.
Zack – It’s been a pleasure to teach you this year and I’ve seen you mature into a fine young man. Keep up the hard work!
Zeewa – You’ve channelled your creative flair this year and it’s been a pleasure to read your wonderful writing. Keep it up in Year 6!
Have a great summer holidays and come back refreshed and ready to smash Year 6 like you have Year 5!
Mr C
Bowling!
All of Year 6 had a great time bowling last night and all of them were as good as gold.
Thank you and goodbye!
It’s the end of the year and I would like to say a huge thank you. It has been a real pleasure teaching Year 3 this year. I am incredibly proud of all the children and their fantastic achievements this year – from swimming to the class production, all the children have challenged themselves and excelled.
Thanks to parents for all your support throughout the year and for your extremely kind gifts.
I am going to miss teaching at Moortown and all the children, teachers and parents. I couldn’t have wished for a better class to teach in my short time at Moortown.
Here is a short snippet of how I will remember each child in Year 3.
Year Three – ABC
A is for artist. Finlay has a fantastic artistic talent.
B is for biker Byron. Byron is a great athlete and a brilliant team player.
C is for challenges. Ben always challenges himself in every lesson.
D is for dancer. Laila has great rhythm and leads wake up, shake up with fantastic enthusiasm.
E is for energetic. Ahmad if full of energy, a keen sportsman and a great team player.
F is for football. Zidaan is football mad and super talented.
G is for going for goals. Kismat is always ready for the next challenge; she has made great progress this year!
H is for homework. Maggie’s creative homework never failed to impress. Creative, imaginative… Wow!
I is for imaginative. Zakariya has a wonderful imagination and writes adventurous, humorous stories.
J is for joker. William always puts a smile on everyone’s faces with his great sense of humour.
K is for knowledge. Alexander has a fountain of knowledge for a plethora of subjects.
L is for lovely. Gurnoor always has a smile on her face, come rain or shine.
M is for making new friends. Milo has grown in confidence and now has many new friends in the class.
N is for numbers. Sam always is the first to put his hand up with any calculation question. His progress in maths has been incredible.
O is for outstanding. Oliver is an outstanding pupil with impeccable behaviour.
P is for polite. Nayaab is a conscientious, polite and friendly member of the class.
Q is for questions. Evie always asks insightful questions and joins in with class discussions.
R is for rays of sunshine. Manpreet, Eve and Rabiya are always smiling, always happy, always giving 100%.
S is for swimming. Zara comes to life at swimming, laughing and joking with a great big smile on her face. Aisha has conquered her fears in the swimming pool and is now so much more confident.
T is for talkative. Arundeep always contributes to class discussions and talks enthusiastically in a group.
U is for ugly sisters. The brilliant and talented actresses and soloists, Poppy and Eliza.
V is for vibrant. Darien always has colourful bows in her hair and a lovely smile and personality to accompany them.
W is for wonderful reader. I love listening to Kirsten read. She reads fluently, with great expression and tone.
X is for X Factor. We will see Enas and her great singing voice on the television show in the future.
Y if for Year 3. Daniel has had a fantastic year and has grown into a confident, friendly, intelligent member of the class.
Z is for zesty. Eleni is active and full of energy.
Goodbye, Year 6
A final hello to you all as Y6’s time at Moortown draws to a close. I’ve had the most wonderful two years working with this class. They’re funny, work hard and just a nice bunch of kids. I shall say my farewells in verse as has become a tradition of mine and, although I’ve worked hard on the rhyming, every word is true!
The time has come to say goodbye,
But don’t you girls worry and don’t you boys cry.
Addam through school you’ve worked so very hard,
Aleena you’ve strived for every inch, every yard.
Adwait you’ll go to infinity and beyond,
Ava, of you, I am very fond.
Ben, so lively and so full of spark,
And Dom, with you, I’ve had such a lark.
Ebs just lovely, always does the right thing,
I know, to Emre, success life will bring.
Franks always true to just who you are,
And Grace (my little bookworm) a bright, shining star.
Haider quite honestly, the jewel in my crown,
Indi will always turn my frown upside down.
Izzy – two things – great girl, great writer,
And Jack makes the days that little bit brighter.
Jorja whose smile can light up the school,
Kieron so modest but also so cool.
Manya so calm but with friends she’s quite crazed,
By Mia’s creations you’ll all be amazed.
Malique, master of cheek, but does make me smile,
And Riya, oh so lovely, all of the while.
Kostas knows what is right, what is wrong,
Moses, great actor, loves to belt out a song.
Talha – so laid back – it’s been a blast,
Nats there to help me, right to the last.
Naran now grown into a fine young man,
And Owen, well, I’m his biggest fan.
Raj is a dark horse, so quick and so witty,
Subhaan, my little gent, he just loves Man City.
Sarah so kind with a great big heart,
Zaiyad, from whom, I don’t wish to part.
So Y6, I’ve had a great time and hope you all have too,
Be good. Enjoy life. Miss R will miss you.
