Code Club starts at Moortown
It was the taster session for the new computer programming after school club today. Led by the very talented and inspiring Linda Broughton, the club uses Scratch to introduce children to computer programming. Over the next few weeks, the children will be creating their own games and animations which they can then upload to the Internet and finish at home or just enjoy playing them! The club takes place in The Space which was previously the ICT suite. This new area allows each child to have their own laptop so they can take their games in the direction that they want to whilst still allowing them to chat to friends and share what they are doing. This club is about inspiring a love of computing in children and celebrating their creativity – but most of all, it’s about having fun!
Tuck shop is back!
Our Key Stage 2 (Years 3 – 6) fruit and veg tuck shop regularly sells about fifty portions of fruit each week and it will be returning next Tuesday 17 September, during playtime.
Does your child sometimes forget their 20p to buy an item from the tuck shop and so misses out on getting one of their five-a-day?
From Tuesday 17 September 2013, for the remainder of the autumn term, we are offering you the option of paying in advance for your child to have a portion of fruit or veg from the tuck shop. We know that some children like to buy more than one portion of fruit or veg, either for variety or to top up their packed lunch and we can also offer the option of paying for two items.
The cost for one portion of fruit or veg from 17 September to 17 December 2013 inclusive (13 weeks) is £2.60 and the cost for two portions is £5.20. Please note that if you choose to pay in advance, your payment is non-refundable and must be made in cash with the exact money.
If you prefer your child to continue paying in cash on a weekly basis, that’s fine – we’ll continue to operate this system.
If you would like to pay in advance for your child to visit the tuck shop, please return the slip, from the letter sent home today, and money to the office by Friday 13 September 2013.
Thank you for your support for the fruit and veg tuck shop.
Teacher training!
This morning, the teachers have been learning/recapping how to use the school website to post news, homework and spellings.
New SEAL theme – New beginnings
As we start the new school year, our SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) theme focuses on New beginnings.
We begin this half term with a focus on manners: I can greet someone politely.
Subsequently, I can make someone feel welcome is the first SEAL statement to launch the theme of New beginnings.
New beginnings allows children the opportunity to discuss and reflect on how they or others may feel in a new situation or setting. This SEAL theme offers children the opportunity to see themselves as valued individuals within a community, and to contribute to shaping a welcoming, safe and fair learning community for all.
The key areas of learning throughout this theme are empathy, self-awareness, social skills and motivation.
Through discrete SEAL lessons, circle times and across the curriculum, children will explore feelings of happiness and excitement, sadness, anxiety and fearfulness, while learning (and putting into practice) shared models for calming down and problem-solving.
New beginnings supports the development of a learning community in each classroom where all members feel that they belong. Class contracts, produced at the start of the year, allow children to contribute to how they feel they can achieve a safe and fair learning community.
Time for a Smart Restart?
Coming back to school after the holidays is a great time to make a fresh start and to get into a healthier routine for the new term. Change4Life’s brand new campaign – Smart Restart – has now launched and encourages families to take on one change for the better, for six weeks.
Have you seen the TV advert for the campaign?
Research by Public Health England shows that sticking to a healthy routine right from the start of term can have real benefits. Children that do more physical activity have improved concentration levels, enjoy good relationships with classmates and have fewer reports of problems. It is also associated with lower levels of worry amongst children.
So by signing up for the free Smart Restart, you will receive offers, discounts and lots of support with the free app, emails and texts to help you stick to your chosen healthy change all the way through to half term. You can also enjoy Disney family fun and games in the kids’ zone.
From super lunches to beat the treats, there are a variety of changes to follow. Let us know how you get on.
Professional footballer visits Moortown!
On Monday, we were privileged to welcome an actual, real life professional footballer into our classroom! Carla Cantrell currently plays for Lincoln and has previously played for Leeds United. She has even played for England! Carla talked to us about what it is like being a professional footballer and the challenges and sacrifices she has to make.
It was really interesting to find out how different it is being a female professional footballer compared to a male professional footballer. For example, Carla has to work all day and then go to training for three hours after work! Wayne Rooney doesn’t know how lucky he is!
Water Aid
This morning, we had a visit from Gary who works for one of our school charities, Water Aid. We learnt that Water Aid is an international charity which helps people from many different countries who don’t have easy access to clean, fresh drinking water. We also learnt about how we have been helping Water Aid help our global community.
Water Aid
This morning, we had a visit from Gary who works for one of our school charities, Water Aid. We learnt that Water Aid is an international charity which helps people from many different countries who don’t have easy access to clean, fresh drinking water. We also learnt about how we have been helping Water Aid help our global community.
Tennis competition
Well done to the Year 3/4 tennis team who fought off all the local opposition and got through to the Leeds City Finals.
The finals took place last Wednesday, at John Charles Sports Centre, where the Moortown team did us proud and took fourth place overall.
Well done to the whole team – you played some fabulous tennis!
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.