Living and Learning: New school charity
Every year, we vote for a new school charity to support.
Our new charity will replace our current school charity The Children’s Heart Fund. Thank you for all the donations and support given to this great, local cause, including £180 for our recent Rob Burrow Connect Challenge.
As part of our Me and my community themed week, children will be considering the following shortlist of charities. Children should start thinking about these charities and be ready to share their views.
Action Against Hunger aim to save the lives of vulnerable people affected by hunger. Action Against Hunger fights hunger and malnutrition around the world, because no child should ever suffer or die from it. Stop hunger today.
No child should live in poverty. All children should have their basic needs met so that they can achieve their full potential in life. Give every head a bed.
Each class will vote for one charity which will be brought to the Junior Leadership Team who will have the final vote on Thursday 07 November.
It’s nearly time to elect our new junior leaders
We have recently launched this year’s Junior Leadership Team election process. Our Junior Leadership Team is one of the ways that children are encouraged to take an active part in pupil voice.
The election process allows children to develop an understanding of one of the British Values, democracy, with two representatives from each class, chosen democratically by their peers.
Here are some of the qualities our junior leaders think are needed to be an effective JLT member.
- use the 8Rs for learning
- be respectful and polite
- help others
- be a good speaker and listener (to members of your class and in the meetings)
- share and be confident with your ideas
- let others speak
- accept the views of others even if you don’t agree
- be friendly and approachable
- follow our school rules and make good choices in class and around school
This weeks’ whole school homework is all about the election and democracy, ready for the elections on Thursday 24 October. For children who want to stand in the election, they will have the chance to share their speeches in class on Wednesday or Thursday this week.
Well done to all our current junior leaders who have represented their class so well this year. Remember, you can stand again in the election.
Autumn1: Week7
This week we have been reading the book Henri’s Scissors.
The children have been inspired by this story and created mater pieces of their own.
Maths
During maths, we have been continuing our work on subitising. This is where the children don’t need to count the amount of objects, they just know. We do this a lot without thinking for instance, when we read the amount on dice.
Help at home by playing board games with your child. When they are moving their counter, ensure they are counting accurately.
Phonics
The children have learnt lots of new sounds this half term.
Help at home by practicing these regularly to support your child with their reading journey.
We have started challenges in our areas of provision this week. These are focus tasks for the children to complete each week. The children have enjoyed completing them both independently and with adult support.
Junior Leadership
Next week the children will have the opportunity to put themselves forward to be a member of our Junior Leadership team. There will be two children selected from each class. Their role is to be the voice of the class and share our ideas with peers and adults. Please discuss this with your child and support them if they wish to put themselves forward for this.
We have been talking to the children about democracy and that everyone in our class has the right to their say. The children will be voting using a ballet paper and we will go with the majority votes.
Poetry Picnic
We have really enjoyed performing our poem this week.
Reminders
Thursday is class voting day.
Please ensure children have no earrings in for PE on a Friday.
Please write a comment in your child’s reading record and bring to school on a Thursday.
Please send in any pictures of things that your children have done over the weekend. We enjoy sharing these with the class.
Rugby ticket offer
Headingley Stadium has the honour of hosting the England men’s and women’s national team against Samoa and Wales respectively on Saturday 02 November 2024.
As a partner school of the Rhinos, we are pleased to offer children and families 20% off tickets. These are purchased directly from the Rugby Football League using the discount code shown below.
Autumn 1: Week6
This week we have been reading the story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. The children have enjoyed acting out this story and using our word of the week (squelch) to describe walking through the mud.
We have been on a grapheme hunt around school spotting different graphemes and traveling as if we were in the story.
Help at home by practicing the graphemes on this week’s phonics sheet.
Maths
We have been counting up to three objects using a variety of equipment.
Help at home by asking your child to find three of something. You could even choose three teddy bears for a picnic and select items for each of them.
Lots of the children were inspired to make kites by another child in the class who had made one. They enjoyed whizzing around the playground flying them.
The children had lots of fun developing their gross motor skills on the adevnture playground.
Thank you to everyone who managed to come to the first stay and learn session. I have attached the PowerPoint for those of you who were unable to attend.
Me and My Community week
Our next whole school themed week, based around identity, diversity and community, will be taking place from Monday 4th November. This is the first of two themed weeks in the year. In our ‘Me and My Community’ week, children will learn about what it means to belong to a community, from family to national or even international communities. Importantly, our children will also learn to respect and celebrate different communities. A variety of events and visitors are planned to help us deliver this key aspect of our Living and Learning education.
Events and learning during the week will include looking at our own identity including belonging and self-esteem, diversity of people around us including race, age, religion and disability and children will also be getting out into the community working with local organisations and taking pride in the local area for example by litter picking.
Active travel in the community
We encourage children to get out in the community in an active way on their way to and from school, with prizes available as part of the themed week. By walking/scooting/biking to school, families will by keeping our community safer and healthier by reducing congestion at the school gate. Maybe even pick up a piece of litter on the way. Even by parking further away from school your child could then to do the final part of their journey by foot, bike or scooter. Bike and scooter storage facilities are available beside the Year 3 and 4 classrooms.
Email us (moortownoffice@spherefederation.org) a picture of your active travel, maybe by a landmark in our community on your route to school, for the chance to win one of five vouchers. Entries to be submitted by noon on Friday 8th November.
New school charity
At the end of the themed week, classes will have the chance to discuss our charity shortlist and the Junior Leadership Team will have the final vote for which charity they would like our school to support, replacing our current charity, The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.
Identity day
Friday 8th November will be a non-uniform Identity Day. Children are invited to dress in clothing that represents part of their identity, for example uniform from a club they attend, a team they are part of or support or traditional dress to represent their heritage. There is no donation or contribution required for this day.
SAVE THE DATE PTA coffee morning Friday 8 November 9-10am
As part of the week, we welcome all parents and carers to an informal coffee morning to meet other members of our school community including representatives from the PTA. A whole school community Wake up Shake up will follow at 9:50am in the main playground.
Can you help?
Maybe you speak another language and you would be happy to speak to children about this or you would like to share about your own family culture and heritage. If so, please contact the office to pass on your details. Also, do you have any local community links that may support our week?
Our website continues to keep you up to date with key community events as well as our community noticeboard.
Reminder: stay and learn session
Phonics Phase 2 and coffee morning –10.10.24 9-10am
Autumn 1: Week5
We have been having lots of fun developing our finger strength this week. We have been cutting up things that we have found on the green and making teddy bears like the one in our story for this week-The Everywhere Bear.
The children have enjoyed acting out this story and using our word of the week (journey) when talking about it.
On Thursday, we were very excited to find out that our class bear (Fredrego) had been on an adventure around our school. The children were able to identify where he had been and go find the landmarks. When we got there, we were listening out for the different sounds that we could hear around school. We heard a range of sounds from different adult voices to lawn mowers.
Maths
During maths this week, we have been working on counting accurately. Throughout the week, the children have been counting objects in the classroom and counting each other’s claps.
Help at home: by asking your child to count different objects around the home within 10.
The children have enjoyed performing our poem of the week- Breezy Weather. Please encourage them to share this with you at home.
Please remember: if you have any problems with logging on to your child’s reading book online let me know and I will help you. It is crucial that they are reading frequently both at school and at home.
Please remember: to send in photos of the fun activities that you get up to at home. This could be conker collecting, baking, reading-the list is endless.
Here is our phonics home learning sheet and poem for this week.
Reminder: stay and learn
Stay and learn will take place next week.
It would be great to see you all there. It is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn how we deliver our lessons and the content that is covered. We are offering a coffee afterwards and a chance for you to ask questions about the lesson you saw.
Phonics Phase 2 and coffee morning –10.10.24 9-10am
Connect Challenge
Today, the whole school completed our Connect Challenge, in memory of Rob Burrow, by running walking or skipping seven laps of the back playground and the green. All the children gave 100% and were even asking to do extra laps. It was a great active morning!
Thank you for your donations so far. You can still donate on Gateway until the end of the week with money raised to be split between the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Appeal and our school charity, The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.
