Spring/Summer term menu
The new school dinner menu, from our school meals provider, Catering Leeds, will be introduced after half term and this will continue for the rest of the school year.
As well as on our website, the three week cyclical menu is also displayed on our dining room window for you to discuss with your child/children. Have a look for the weeks ahead to make your child aware of what the daily meals are. If you would like a printed copy, please ask at the office.
School meals continue to be free for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. If your child is in Key Stage 2, please check for eligibility for free school meals. (It’s important to check for eligibility for younger children, too, because school receives additional funding for each child who is eligible for a free meal, even when they’re free in Reception and Year 1 and Year 2!)
If your child would like to start having school dinners, please inform the office. A combination of packed lunches and school dinners is also available.
Children are consulted on school meals through our regular School Council meetings. Feedback may also be given by speaking to an adult in school or completing a suggestions/comments slip and posting it in their class SEAL box.
Thank you to parents who also raise questions and give feedback. We can then ensure this is passed on to the kitchen staff.
Be Food Smart
Be Food Smart is the latest health campaign from Change4life. Our everyday food and drink can contain surprisingly high amounts of sugar, saturated fat and salt, meaning most of us are eating more than we realise. National Child Measurement Programme data shows that one fifth of Reception and one third of Year 6 children are overweight or obese.
Public Health England has launched a free app, which families can use together to uncover how healthy their food choices are. The Be Food Smart app allows you to easily scan the bar codes of branded products, as well as supermarket favourites, to see how much sugar, saturated fat and salt is lurking inside.
This week, on a Good to be me theme, one of our parents spoke at a whole school assembly. She talked about changes she made to her diet and physical activity levels to become healthier.
One change she made was to have a healthy breakfast. We need this to give us a good start to the day.
Breakfast can have surprising amounts of sugar, saturated fat and salt. In fact, research has shown that children are eating nearly half their maximum daily amount of sugar before they get to school. See how sugar stacks up at breakfast time.
Having read this research, one family in school have recently made a change from sugary cereals to low sugar alternatives such as porridge and shredded wheat. Interestingly, at this same time, I commented to the parent that the particular child had become more focused in lessons.
Change4life provides lots of ideas for eating well and getting active, including ideas for packed lunches. The new lunchbox section has lots of simple, tasty and healthy tips for hassle-free lunches.
School Saving Club
The next School Saving Club paying in date is 02 February 2017 at 3.15-3.45pm.
If you are unable to attend in person, please hand in any money to be paid in, to the office in a sealed envelope addressed to Miss Hale.
For your information the paying in dates for the rest of the year are:
- 23 March 2017 3.15-3.45pm
- 18 May 2017 3.15-3.45pm
- 13 July 2017 3.15-3.45pm
If your child would like to open account, please ask at the office.
After-school club availability
Some of our after-school clubs, starting from next week, are now open to other year groups.
Monday
- Dance (Mr Lynch) – This club is now open to Years 1-3.
Wednesday
- Gymnastics (run by Leeds Gymnastics) – This club is now open to Years 1-3.
Thursday
- Dance (Miss Marsden) – This club is now open to Reception.
Please contact the office, by Thursday 26 January, if your child would like a place on these clubs.
Learning skills
As well as learning key historical facts and information in our Time Travel Houses and Homes topic, we are also developing other skills.
For example, while learning about houses in the Victorian times, in our topic lesson today, we were also focusing on reading skills, working with others and thinking skills.
The BBC Primary History website provides more information about the Victorian times.
Take a look at our representation of back-to-back terraced houses, common at this time to house poor Victorian families.
Year 2 athletes
Part of our PE Premium funding is invested in the Leeds Active Schools programme. This gives us access to a range of physical activity competitions and experiences.
Fifteen children from Year 2 were very excited to take part in the Active Schools KS1 Sports Hall Athletics Competition at Farsley Celtic this week.
It certainly looks like they have enjoyed all the field and track events. Well done for representing our school so well.
Creative House Homeworks
There were lots of excellent creative house homeworks to choose from this week. Here are our favourites:
Talented Year 2
This week, in the lead up to Moortown’s Got Talent, our SEAL statement is I recognise my talents.
After a great class assembly last week, we all know how talented Year 2 are.
Time Travel Houses and Homes
Year 2 launched straight into their new topic, Time Travel Houses and Homes, by talking a walk around the local area to see what houses are like today.
We spotted lots of different types of houses and noticed what was the same and what was different. Ask your child what is the difference between detached, semi-detached, terraced houses and bungalows.
After looking at what houses are like today, we will be going back in time to find out about houses in the past.
Take a look at what we found and maybe you might see some of the houses on your way to school.
Scientists and product testers
Today, Year 2 received a letter from Mr Vango asking for their help to test various materials to see if they are waterproof and therefore suitable for their tents. We used lots of science skills to test this out.
Questioning
- ‘Is the material waterproof?’
- ‘Is the material strong?’
- ‘Does it tear?’
- ‘Is it flexible?’
Predicting
‘We predict that plastic will be the best material because it’s strong and waterproof.’
Testing, observing and recording
Concluding
We found out that plastic, paper and foil were all waterproof but, when we considered other characteristics of the materials, we decided that plastic would be the best material for the tents. Our prediction was correct! We hope this helps Mr Vango with his research.
This online activity allows you to investigate properties of materials more.
