Active travel update
Here’s an update on our latest active travel initiatives for this half term.
Living Streets WOW Travel Tracker
Meltem from Living Streets visited school for an assembly today to launch a new challenge for our WOW active travel tracker.
Currently, children record how they get to school on the WOW daily online travel tracker and those who complete at least one active journey per week to school (bike, scoot, walk or park and stride) are rewarded with a themed monthly badge.
As this has been a big success, with increased active journeys and less journeys by car, from March, we will be challenging children to make at least three active journeys per week to earn their monthly badge.
There were some queries that were raised at the assembly.
Can your three active journeys be different?
Yes – active journeys include walking, biking, scooting and park and stride so as long as your journeys are any of these three in a week you would qualify for a badge.
What can be included as park and stride?
Ideally park and stride is where you park away from school and walk the final 5-10 minutes to school. This ensures that areas close to school are free from traffic. Marks and Spencer has many spaces available for families to park and walk the final part of the journey to school.
Sustrans Big Pedal 2019
Get set… the Big Pedal is back! We’re taking part in Sustrans Big Pedal 2019, the UK’s largest inter-school cycling and scooting challenge, that inspires pupils, staff and parents to choose two (or three) wheels for their journey to school. We would love everyone to be involved. For the first time, walking (and park and stride) will be counted alongside cycling and scooting.
This year’s Big Pedal will run for five days, from 25th March to 29th March.
On each day, schools compete to see who can get as many of their pupils, staff and parents cycling or scooting to school then our results will determine our final position in the national league table.
If you need the car to bring your child to school, perhaps you could park and stride the last part (our suggested park and stride site is Marks and Spencer car park).
The Big Pedal will run alongside our year round Living Streets WOW sustainable travel initiative where the children record how they travel to school on our daily travel tracker.
Why we’re taking part
It’s a great way to get more of our pupils travelling to school in an active way. Also, schools will be entered into a daily prize draw for rewards including equipment and accessories if over 15% of our school community cycle, walk or scoot on that day of the challenge.
What do you need to do?
All you need to do is encourage your child(ren) to cycle, scoot, walk or park and stride to school every day during the event, and join them on their way.
Living and Learning: Being me
- I cover my mouth (when I yawn, cough, sneeze). Get your child to demonstrate the ‘vampire’ method to family members at home.
- I can say something good about myself. It’s important that your child can confidently talk about themselves in a positive way.
- I pay and receive compliments in a sensible way. Try paying compliments each day to each other! Some children struggle to hear positive words about themselves, but this is important for self-esteem. Try paying (and listening) to praise and compliments.
- I recognise my talents. Talk to your child about talents, whether academic, physical, social or emotional. Some of us may have a natural talent, but most have talents that derive from lots of practice.
- I know the difference between being proud and showing off. We encourage compliments to be paid – but encourage your children to know the balance between being having self-esteem and showing off.
Living Streets (Moortown group) update
An update and a call for support (by Friday 15 March) from our local Living Streets group.
WE HAVE GOOD NEWS!
Back in autumn we submitted a response to the ‘Connecting Leeds’ consultation for improvements in Moortown. The feedback you provided in our survey helped us to share a number of ideas with Leeds City Council to help make the routes to school safer and more pleasant for all members of the community.
It’s very pleasing to see that a number of suggested improvements have been incorporated into the revised proposals, including:
• Priority for pedestrians at both the entrance and exit of the parade car parks (kerbs to run through with visual priority for people on foot so drivers know to give way).
• Replacing the badly positioned concrete bollards on the northern parade with a continuous low-level fence (to match the south parade) to prevent vehicles blocking the footpath.
• Low-level fencing at Manning Stainton to allow access only via the official dropped kerb and not across the full length of the footway.
• Planters adjacent to the road outside Manning Stainton to enhance the area and prevent HGVs and other vehicles driving and parking on the footway.
• Improved crossing times for pedestrians at the main M&S lights.
• A widening of the public footpath/reduction in road space adjacent to the south parade to allow for the future introduction of a pavement at the shops (not in the scope of this project).
Existing proposed designs for this future work can be found in Moortown Community Group’s Neighbourhood Design Statement (available at moortowncommunitygroup.org.uk).
BUT IT’S NOT A DONE DEAL YET. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP…
Although the public consultation for Moortown is now complete, there will still be some local targeted consultation with residents and business owners directly affected by the proposals. They will hopefully support the revised proposals too, but there’s also a chance some won’t, particularly if it affects current parking arrangements.
We want to ensure that the improvements for pedestrians many of us have been campaigning for are delivered and a great way to demonstrate your support is to post a comment about the revised plans on Twitter, tagging both Connecting Leeds and Moortown Living Streets Group, or email Connecting Leeds directly if you don’t use Twitter:
Twitter: @ConnectingLeeds + @MoortownLSG
Email: connectingleeds@leeds.gov.uk
Follow this link to see the updated Moortown plans as well as a number of other local schemes which are now open for public comment (including Alwoodley, Scott Hall Road and Chapel Allerton).
Many thanks once again for your continued support!
Dom Jacques
E: moortowngroup@livingstreets.org.uk T: @moortownlsg
World Book Day school dinner menu
On World Book Day, Thursday 7th March, there will be a special themed menu for school meals.
Please contact the office, as soon as possible, if your child would like to have a school meal on this day.
Art
Today, Year 3 looked at one of the visual and tactile elements in Art – patterns.
Tanvi explained, “A pattern is the same thing over and over again.”
Have a look at our pattern practise below.
Sukhmani shared, “We need to take out time with patterns as it helps it to look perfect.”
Patterns are precise, they need care and attention to perfect. Year 3 listened to some mindful calming music during this session
Aadil stated, “The music makes me feel calm and relaxed.”
Thanu said, “The music helps me concentrate and think.”
Ashton
Lewis
We then tested which media gave us the most effective pattern.
Christina said, “I don’t like using the pastel as it gives me a thick line and I want a thin one. I can’t see my pattern.”
Lewis added, “I really like this pen as it has a sharp end and it makes my lines clear. My pattern looks good!”
Amrit explained, “I prefer the pen because it’s neater. The pastel is too chunky and rubs off. I like mine to be nice and neat.”
Great artwork Year 3!
Living and Learning: Staying Safe week comes to an end
The final two days of our Staying Safe themed week continued to be filled with visitors, visits and more great learning.
Thank you to Allerton Grange who supported our themed week by hosting two of our classes. Year 6 had to be very safety conscious when attempting to scale the climbing wall. The technology department allowed Year 5 to safely investigate and explore a variety of different equipment.
Rachael from the Dogs Trust visited all classes on Thursday to talk about keeping safe around dogs. The children were taught to always check with an owner to see if it is safe to stroke a dog and what to do if a dog runs towards you. Have a look at Year 3’s class news post to find out more.
Jane Cusworth from Leeds Beckett University also joined us on Thursday to cover some basic first aid with different classes. Thank you to those parents and carers who joined her for the first aid workshop at the end of the day.
On Friday, Steve from British Military Martial Arts gave some great self defence tips to the children. BMMA run a martial arts after-school club at school every Monday so contact the office if you’d like more details.
There was also a water safety theme to the day with a visit from the Canal and River Trust to help to keep us safe by rivers and canals. Key water safety messages were given such as lying down on the floor when pulling someone out of the water.
Finally, thank you to Catering Leeds, our school meal provider, who gave hand hygiene sessions to Reception and KS1 classes. Keeping our hands clean and safe from germs will protect us from becoming sick and passing on germs to others.
There have been some great safety messages across the week from all our visitors. Ask your child/children what they have learnt across the week in respect to staying safe
- online
- at home
- at school
- in their environment
Canals and rivers – be safe!
There are lots of dangerous situations when near a river or canal. Luckily, Year 3 had an expert from the Canals and Rivers Trust to fill us in on how to be safe.
We learnt:
- We can’t stand on lily pads. We are too heavy and will fall in!
- We can’t walk on ice – we’re too heavy and that will break too.
- We can’t swim against the current in the river. It’s too strong and we can get lost.
- Say yes to life jackets.
- For emergencies at a canal or river the operator will send a fire engine.
Always:
- “Wear a life jacket when near water. Even if you’re a good swimmer!”Sasha.
- Tell the person in the water that you’re going to get someone to help them.
- Lie down on the floor when pulling someone out of the water.
- Call 999 in an emergency.
- Calm the person in trouble down by talking to them:
“Can you swim?” Evie.
“Calm down, someone is coming to help you.” Edris.
“Use a life buoy!” Aadil.
Remember – always throw the buoy near the person so you don’t hurt them.
Never:
- Sit on the side of a river or canal. Water levels rise and fall, boats go past and you could fall in.
- Swing on ropes from trees over a river. You could fall in.
- Throw things into water. This is dangerous and could kill wildlife.
- Go on a boat without a life jacket.
- Jump into the water to save someone.
- Use a life buoy like a hoop ring game. You could knock someone unconscious.
Dogs Trust
Today, the Dogs Trust came into our classroom – we were very excited!
Dogs trust look after stray, abandoned or mistreated dogs. Dogs are mistreated when when they haven’t been looked after, maybe not fed or walked. When dogs are in these situations they feel sad, worried, lonely heartbroken and terrified. Dogs Trust help them to feel happy again.
At Dogs Trust, a dog has its own kennel where they sleep. They have a walk every day and get to play with other dogs. They also look after them by feeding them.
What do we feed a dog?
Hope: “Dog food not burgers and chips!”
We done Hope – you’re right! Burgers and chips can hurt a dog’s tummy.
Dogs Trust also bathe them, give them clean water and pick up their poo. We talked about how important it is to pick up a dogs’ poo with a bag and not touch it as it can be full of dangerous germs that can hurt people.
Dogs Trust can’t keep dogs forever. They help to re home dogs with a loving new family.
Leah: “What happens if no one picks that dog?”
We learnt that most dogs get a home quickly and if they don’t then the Dogs Trust list carry on looking after them.
Dogs use their teeth to communicate. They can bite when they’re scared or anxious so we need to be careful and treat them carefully. We can make them feel like that without even knowing we’re doing it.
We met Lucy. Her elderly owner had died and Lucy was very sad and scared. Lucy was matched up with an elderly man who was looking for a dog. They now go on short walks together.
We then discovered how to think dog smart.
We wouldn’t stroke a dog:
- When it’s going to the toilet.
- When it’s barking.
- If it’s guarding something.
- If they have a jacket on that say please don’t stroke me.
- If the owner says “No.”, No means no.
- If the dog is in bed.
- If we don’t know the dog and the owner isn’t around.
How to stroke a dog safely:
- Ask the owner. The dog has to be with the owner to be stroked.
- If the owner says no – no means no.
- We then wait for the dog to sniff us.
- Stroke at the side of the head. We don’t go over the top of the dog’s head.
What if a dog comes running towards us? If we move it could excite the dog even more. We should cross our arms and tuck our fingers in. This makes us look boring to the dog.
We must not panic if the dog jumps at us or knocks us over. There is probably an owner on their way to get the dog. We would curl up as small as possible and tuck our faces into our tummies.
Dogs can’t show is their feelings in their facial expressions. We still need to treat them with respect and adapt our actions to suit to how they are feeling. Dogs can shake, curl up, shy away, their tails tuck under their legs.
When this happens, we should respect the dog, move away and give them space.
Angry dogs growl and show their teeth. When this happens we need to drop whatever we are doing and move away.
We then saw some situations and voted on our thumbs if we thought it was safe to stroke or not.
Great learning, Year 3!
Road Safety
On Monday, Year 3 kicked off Safety week with a road safety day. See some pictures, below.
We learnt about how to be safe when out and about. We also got to use our Green Cross Code skills again.
Can your child remember the Green Cross Code?
For some road safety online games to play, click here.
Living and Learning
Today, Year 3 and 4 discussed what consent is.
Daisy: “It’s when someone gives you permission to do something.”
Harman: “It’s when you need to ask your parents to do something.”
Edris: “Consent is when I have permission to get a snack from the kitchen from my mum or dad. I have to ask them for permission first.”
Billy: “Consent is something you have.”
This opened up lots more questions such as
- Do we just automatically have consent straight away if we have asked for permission?
- Are our parents the only people who can give permission to us?
- Do we have the right to give permission or not give permission?
We talked about the fact that we need to always ask for consent when our actions affect someone else. For instance we need to ask for consent when:
- Making physical contact with someone – even giving them a hug.
- We want to play on our parents’ computer.
- We want to take a photograph of someone.
We practised doing this by throwing a beanbag across the classroom and always asking for consent to do so from the receiver. We also saw how important it was to give someone time to think, make their mind up, give us their response and not pressure them to hurry up. We showed respect to those that said no by accepting that no means no and not ever ‘ask me again in 5 minutes time’.
Year 3 and 4 practised using their voice and not giving in to peer pressure and copying what their friends did – maybe they didn’t want to catch the beanbag. This applies in lots of situations – everyone (young and old) has the right to say no and be respected. We need to make sure we are actively asking and listening out to hear for permission to be given or not.
We talked about our right to change our minds. Just because we are used to receiving a hug from a friend or have always had our picture taken for class news posts, doesn’t mean we have to keep on giving consent. We can say no and not be questioned on this. It is our right. This includes with our class teachers and other adults. With this in mind, we discussed feeling nervous or guilty about saying no. We discussed that the more we got used to doing it – and taking that safe risk of just saying no – the easier it would become. We also shared that if we had any worries about this we could always talk to an adult or a teacher for some help.