Living and Learning: Healthy Minds
- 15 April I use good table manners. Think about good table manners at home – not pointing our cutlery at someone or speaking with food in our mouths, for example.
- 22 April I recognise emotions in myself and others. Recognising emotions is an important first step in helping us manage our emotions. For example, it’s ok to feel angry, as long as we try to manage it in a way that doesn’t negatively affect other people. It’s great to feel proud as long as it doesn’t lead to showing off. Being aware of different emotions – both positive and negative – is an important basis for good mental health.
- 29 April I recognise mental health is important. Increasingly, we hear about the importance of mental health. Talk at home about different ways to help 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.
- 07 May I can describe and use ways to calm down. We all get worked up from time to time – how do different people calm down? We’ll explore different strategies to calm down, and encourage our children to adopt one or two of these. These may be some of the mindfulness techniques children have been taught or counting to ten, going for a walk, getting a glass of water – discuss what works for you and your child?
- 13 May I recognise the importance of money. In the final week of the half term, we have the second themed week of the year: a money-related week. This Living and Learning statement helps to introduce the week.
- 20 May I make choices about my money. Linked to the Money Matters themed week, we’ll explore different choices: to spend or to save, for example.
The topic of mental health can be introduced to children through this text.
Big Pedal
Thank you to all families who have taken part in the Big Pedal this week by making an active journey to school – the weather has certainly helped.
In some pupil interviews this week, one of the unsafe places around school that was quoted by a child was, ‘outside the school gates if there are lots of cars stopping’. Travelling actively not only supports our physical and mental health but keeps cars away from outside school making our pupils and families safer on their journey to school.
It’s the final day of the Big Pedal tomorrow so let’s hope we can keep our participation rate as high. After day 3, we are 83rd out of 500 schools taking part in the small primary school category.
Living and learning: Body Image
For the last part of this half term, our living and learning lessons have been focusing on body image.
- their own identity
- what makes them unique
- looking at their appearance
- appreciating their own unique facial appearance
- recognising that differences between us are not just related to appearance
- knowing more about themselves
- accepting and valuing their own abilities
Whenever we take photos of the children for the website, as well as having parental consent (permission), we always ask for the children’s consent to do this too. To reinforce this understanding of giving consent, all the children were asked to put a tick if they gave their consent to have their photo taken with their learning or a cross if they did not. They had the right to say no. As you can see below, one child didn’t give their consent to having their photo taken this time.
How to get active locally
With the holidays coming up, here is a reminder of some local physical activities that you and your child might like to get involved with.
The comprehensive physical activity guide was produced to signpost parents and carers to help children achieve the governments recommended daily 30 minutes of physical activity outside of school.
Leeds Gymnastics Easter camps
Leeds Gymnastics, who run one of our after-school clubs, are holding gym camps during the upcoming holidays. Contact them direct to book places.
School meals – parent/carer feedback and pupil voice
The School Council have recently discussed an idea we received from a parent about our school meals. Currently, where there is a meal served with a side, such as curry and rice, the curry would be served on top of the rice. The suggestion was made to have the curry served alongside the rice giving the children the choice to mix the two parts of their main meal if they wish.
The School Council held a vote to decide this democratically. The result of the vote, nine votes to one, was to change to have the part of the meal served separately. This has been fed back to the Catering Leeds kitchen team and will start immediately.
Thank you for your comments of how we can improve or make changes to our current meals.
A great start to the Big Pedal
After day one of the Big Pedal, we are 38th out of 500 schools in the small school category – the top school in Leeds! Brilliant news. The leaderboard can be viewed via the Sustrans Big Pedal website.
Well done everyone – keep your active travel going, great for you and great for the environment.
Remember active travel counts as walking, park and stride, scooting and biking. Supporter (parents/carers, siblings and staff) travel counts too.
Let’s keep those numbers high for the rest of the week and hopefully we’ll move up the leader board and be in with the chance to win prizes.
Year 2 skipping festival
This week, Year 2 will be taking part in a skipping workshop led by Jodi from Skipping School. Following the workshop, the children will continue to learn their new skills at school before we take part in the Leeds wide skipping competition. We would love for the children to continue developing these skipping skills at home too so we will be selling skipping ropes next Thursday and Friday in class.
The ropes will be on sale at a subsided price, funded by our PE Premium, of £2 (normal price £5).
If your child is interested in buying a rope, please send the correct money, if possible, to school next Thursday.
We can’t wait to get skipping!
‘Pop up art gallery’
Thank you to all parents and carers who visited our art gallery as part of our Katie and… topic review this afternoon.
The children enjoyed showcasing their art learning from the eight week topic and we hope you enjoyed viewing their pieces.
Moortown’s Got Talent!
The final of Moortown’s Got Talent was a great success last night with all of our finalists doing a fantastic doing (despite a few technical hitches).
Well done to everybody who took part and to all of those who auditioned. We are very pleased to announce our two runners up: Juho and Kian. Juho showed us some fantastic martial arts and Kian identified the flags of 100 different countries!
And, the one you’ve all been waiting for, our winner! A huge congratulations to Isla, Bridget and Eleanor. They treated us to singing que sera sera along with some dancing. Well done!
