A great end to the year
Spending seven weeks teaching Year 2 at the end of the school year was a pleasure. After teaching them last year, I was amazed and proud to see how much they have progressed and matured. This is what I will remember about each of you:
- Well done Grace, Isabelle, Frankie, Indi, Manya and Ebonnie – the amazing group of readers who have entertained me and amazed me with their knowledge and fluency.
- Malique, your talent for building paper aeroplanes astounds me but more importantly your behaviour and progress this year has been fantastic.
- Well done to Dominic, Subhaan, Zaiyad, Hasan and Sarah; you have made brilliant progress with your phonics.
- Ben, your learning behaviour has improved enormously – I was pleased to see how much more confident you are.
- Jack, Emre, Kieron, Owen and Luke, your progress in maths has been astounding. You gave me many ‘wow’ moments in the last seven weeks and Jack, your hairstyles get better every day!
- Thank you, Mia: you have kept me organised over the past few weeks, never letting me forget anything I need to do.
- Kostas, thank you for teaching me the Greek words for some of the farm animals; don’t forget to test me in September!
- Ava, Haider and Riya, you are brilliant role models for the rest of the class – keep it up for Year 3.
- Aleena, you are one of the happiest children I have ever taught: keep smiling!
- Well done Naran; I have noticed such a difference in your pencil control and your determination is an example to everyone.
- Thank you Addam, Talha and Moses for showing me how much you have learnt; your homework is always so interesting to read.
- Ubaid, you continue to persevere with your learning and your attendance was amazing in the last half term.
- Thank you Jorja, you are a star learner and have been a pleasure to teach.
Have a fantastic summer and be ready to show Mr Wilks your amazing learning.
Fun on the farm
First of all, I would like to say well done to all of Year 2. They were brilliant ambassadors for Moortown Primary and made the day very enjoyable. Lots of fun was had; the playground was a big attraction with some awesome slides and then, of course, the picnic (highlight of every school visit!). The main focus, the tour of the farm, was really interesting.
Did you know that a pig is pregnant for 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days?
Did you know that a good cow can cost between £800 and £1000?
We all learnt something today; you might be told you are putting sheep on your lips (lanolin, from wool, is in your lipstick)!
Flex and Stretch
Look at how flexible we are! Yoga was one of our lessons last week; here are some photos.
Keeping fit and healthy
Some Year 2 children keeping fit and healthy by taking part in the Roundhay Primary Schools Fun Run.
Goodbye, Year 2
To the parents:
I would like to say a big thank you for all of the cards and presents that I received on Friday. I was totally overwhelmed and not expecting the amount of thought and effort that everyone had put into them. I now have several gorgeous bunches of flowers on display and I’ve been treating myself to the delicious chocolates I received whilst drinking tea out of my new Cath Kidston mug and reading my fab new book all about things that you forget from school . I was lucky enough to get some writing materials that I’ll be using to keep note of my never-ending to do lists! The pens I’ll be using to mark books in my new school. Any decorative items are now proudly placed around my house. My Molton Brown products definitely make my bathroom look posher than it is. The new earrings I got are now in the beautiful jewellery box that my colleagues kindly bought for me. I am yet to spend the Debenhams vouchers that many of you generously collected for me. However, I’ll be use them to treat myself to a Jasper Conran watch that I’ve seen so thank you very much. The card was so very thoughtful and one that I will keep forever too.
I know that the children are going to continue to thrive at Moortown. The current teachers there are wonderful and the new recruits seem like they will settle in well too. (Mr Roundtree has a talent for choosing staff!)
You’ve all been so supportive with homework, spellings and communicating messages and that has had a big impact on how well your children are doing both academically and socially. I wish you all the best for the future.
To Year 2:
I’m so sorry that I had to leave before the end of year. I know that you’re going to have a lovely seven weeks with Mrs Weekes now though.
- Ubaid: You’re trying so hard with your reading – keep it up!
- Malique: I’m pretty sure we’ll see you on Britain’s Got Talent with your gymnastic or dancing ability sometime in the future.
- Subhaan: You’re liked by everyone. Keep up that good reading!
- Hasan: What a super star learner you’ve been this year! Remember to keep up that concentration.
- Jack: A walking encyclopedia – I think you could have actually done my job this year, Jack! Super progress made.
- Ava: I will miss our chats about your busy social life, Ava!
- Mia: What a lovely friend you are to everyone. Very creative, too!
- Haider: Such a lovely person. An excellent attitude to learning, too.
- Frankie: You’re totally unique and very funny!
- Addam: So polite and kind to everyone. You better not be taller than me when I next see you!
- Kostas: I’ve never known anyone learn things so quickly! We’re glad you joined us, Kostas.
- Indi: Such an amazing learner and loved by everyone in the class.
- Riya: You’re such a sweet young lady. You’re going to be a brilliant big sister!
- Zaiyad: Quite possibly the loveliest smile in the world!
- Aleena: Chatterbox! I will miss your bubbly personality.
- Grace: Just lovely. You always go above and beyond what is expected of you.
- Luke: You should feel really proud of your improved attitude to everything, Luke.
- Talha: WOW to the progress you’ve made this year, Talha.
- Manya: You’re like a sponge that soaks up every bit of information. Excellent learning attitude.
- Dominic: You make me laugh! Liked by everyone.
- Isabelle: You are so lovely and calm, Isabelle. I hope you keep enjoying Brownies.
- Owen: So polite and kind all of the time. Keep up the taekwondo!
- Naran: You put 100% effort into all of your learning, Naran. Well done!
- Sarah: What will I do without you in my classroom, Sarah? You always keep it so tidy! Keep up the excellent reading.
- Emre: You’ve always got a fascinating story to tell or information to share, Emre.
- Ben: You now have super learning behaviour, Ben. Keep it up!
- Ebonnie: You are so sweet. The song that you wrote for me is on my fridge door so I can see it every day.
- Jorja: I don’t think you could be any kinder if you tried. We’re all so glad that you joined our class, Jorja.
- Moses: You have a cheeky smile that brightens up our classroom!
- Kieron: Always one of the first ready to learn. Super manners too, Kieron!
Enjoy the next seven weeks with Mrs Weekes and make sure you show her your best learning as I will be checking up on you all!
Thank you to Mrs Stewart and Mrs Smithells for providing invaluable support this year too.
Missing you already.
New SEAL theme – Changes
This SEAL theme tackles the issue of change and aims to equip children with an understanding of different types of change, positive and negative, and common responses to it.
The key ideas and concepts behind this theme are:
- Change can be uncomfortable, because it can threaten our basic needs to feel safe and to belong
- Change can also be stimulating and welcome
- Both adults and children can experience a range of powerful and conflicting emotions as a result of change – for example, excitement, anxiety, uncertainty, loss, anger, resentment
- Worries about change can be made worse by uncertainty, lack of information, or misinformation and lack of support from others
- People’s responses to and ability to cope with change are very variable, and might be influenced by individual temperament, previous experience of change, and the nature of the change – chosen or imposed, expected or unexpected, within our control or out of our control.
Some children may welcome most forms of change and dislike routine and predictability. Other children may find even small changes very difficult.
Within school, children, who are coping with or have undergone significant change, are supported in a variety of ways:
- Our positive ethos within school
- Support systems, from staff and peers, for children who have undergone change or who maybe new to the school
- SEAL and circle time sessions where children feel safe to talk about their feelings
- Class SEAL boxes for children to record any concerns
- Preparing children wherever possible for planned changes for example, a change of class teacher, Key Stage or even school
We begin this half term with a focus on manners: I don’t talk with my mouth full.
Subsequently, I can get better at my learning is the first SEAL statement to launch the theme of Changes.
Safety, health and social benefits of walking to school
In association with Leeds City Council and Living Streets we are taking part in this year’s Walk to school week. We all know how congested the area around school can be at the start and end of the school day and so this week we are asking children to take part in the Leeds City Council Ben E. Fit competition.
Children who walk, or scoot, to school or walk part of their journey (at least five minutes, maybe by parking further away than usual) every day will be entered into a prize draw.
On Wednesday, Leeds City Council will deliver a whole school Walk to school assembly followed by pedestrian training for Year 1 and Year 2. We also start our scooter skills training this Friday for some of our Key Stage 2 children.
Why walk to school?
Our walk to school video has lots of facts and tips about walking to school.
According to Living Streets, there are many benefits to walking to school related to health, safety and the environment.
Time and money
- Trips to and from the school gates by car waste thousands of hours of parents’ and other road users’ time and cost an average of £400 per family per year
- At the peak time of 8:35am on week days in term time, the school run generates approximately 21per cent of all trips by urban residents in the UK
- 16% of school journeys under a mile are driven to school. This distance could be walked in 20 minutes
Safety
- Driving the school run denies children the chance to develop road safety skills, independence and an understanding of their local environment
- Child pedestrian collisions on the walk to school peak at about 12 years of age. This could be due to parents not preparing their children for travelling independently and practising road safety skills when their children are younger
- Parents of children who are driven to school overestimate the risks of abduction and ‘stranger danger’ while underestimating the risks of traffic
Benefits for your children
- Children who walk to school are actively engaged with their community and have better knowledge of their local area
- Children who walk to school have wider social networks: In a study by Living Streets, 84 per cent of the children who walked to school reported always or sometimes meeting up with classmates on the way to school, while only 66 per cent of those who were driven to school had the opportunity to do so
- Walking to school improves children’s social development in future years
- The more contact children have with their natural environment, the higher they score in tests of concentration and self-discipline
- Short-term and even superficial exposure to natural areas through brief walks have been found to have positive effects on mood, reducing feelings of anger and anxiety
- An American study found that after as little as five minutes of moderate to vigorous activity (i.e., running, walking), children were able to concentrate more
Health benefits of walking for parents and children
- 24.5 per cent of adults and 14 per cent of children (aged two to ten years old) in the UK are obese and obesity can reduce life expectancy by 9 years on average
- Young people who are obese are likely to have lower levels of fitness, suffer from social discrimination and have low self-esteem and lower quality of life
- Research has suggested that, without appropriate intervention, overweight or obesity could affect as many as nine out of ten adults and two out of three children by 2050
- Walking one mile (1.6 km) can burn at least 100 calories of energy and walking two miles (3.2 km) a day, three times a week, can help reduce weight by one pound (0.5 kg) every three weeks
- Three out of ten boys and four out of ten girls do not cover the recommended minimum of one hour a day of physical activity
- Children who generally travel to and from school by car, bus or other vehicle are more likely to be overweight at age 5 than those who walk or cycle
The environment
- The school run is adding two million tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year
- It is estimated that 17% of the total school carbon emissions can be attributed to school travel
This curry is the best…
Year 5 and 6 have been creating vegetable and chick pea curry. Here are some of the quotes about what we thought:
‘Amazing…awesome…surprisingly nice…I don’t usually like curry…this curry is the best…really, really enjoyed this.’
In conclusion, this is a quick, easy and flavoursome recipe so we encourage you to try it yourself. If you don’t like some of the ingredients, you can change them. Next time, we might add extra spice, chicken, tomato, quorn, peas or sweetcorn. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
Vegetable curry
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 pepper
- 1 courgette
- 150g mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic
- 1x15ml spoon oil
- 2x15ml spoons curry paste
- 2x15ml spoons tomato puree
- 200g chickpeas, canned (drained)
- 1 can coconut milk (reduced fat)
Method
- Peel the onion
- Slice the mushroom, courgette and pepper
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion, garlic, mushrooms, pepper and courgette for 5 minutes
- Stir in the curry paste, tomato puree, chickpeas and coconut milk
- Simmer for 20 minutes
- Serve with rice and / or naan bread.
Learning futsal skills
PE
PE will be on Mondays and Tuesdays starting from the week beginning 13 May. This is due to sports coaches that will be teaching Monday’s session.
