Homework review
As always, Year 4 shared their homework today. We enjoyed finding out what our friends had produced around the statement I can make things better. Some people thought about making the planet better, some thought about making friendships better and others thought about making the school environment better.
Here are some of our favourites:
Spring term after-school clubs
Our spring term after-school clubs will be starting next week and while many of the clubs are full, we do have some spaces available for the following clubs.
Living and Learning: What is a drug?
After discussing alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and medicines in our Living and Learning lesson on Monday, Dave from d:side came in today to teach us more about alcohol.
We learnt about what is an is not alcohol; what alcohol does to people’s bodies; when it is legal and illegal to drink alcohol; and reasons might or might not drink alcohol.
Talk about this with us as home as we had lots of questions.
To finish off the lesson, some of us tried completing some simple tasks with ‘beer goggles’ on. This helped us to understand how alcohol can affect us physically and, although it was pretty funny in the classroom, we discuss when these affects would become dangerous.
Investigating circuits
Year 4 are learning all about electricity in their science lessons this half term. We started off our topic finding out about the difference between mains and battery operated appliances and how we can use them safely around the home and school.
Now, we’re investigating circuits. We found out how to make a circuit to light a bulb and are now using this knowledge to test our own scientific questions.
In this lesson, we had to use some key scientific vocabulary. Test us at home to see how much we’ve remembered: circuit, cell, bulb, components
Skipping rope sales
Year 4 have recently worked with Jodi from Skipping School in preparation for their upcoming Year 4 Skipping Festival. To encourage the children to practise at home, we can offer Skipping School ropes for sale at a subsidised price of £2. If your child would like to purchase a rope, they should bring the exact money to purchase their rope in class.
Living and learning: d:side visits
This half term, our Living and Learning focus includes staying safe. We have arranged for visitors to come into school to help to deliver this key aspect of education.
We have been working with d:side for many years and they will be visiting school to deliver sessions based around drug education and e-safey sessions to coincide with Safer Internet Day (11 February).
d:side is a comprehensive drug & alcohol education programme that encourages children to make positive & healthy life-choices whilst promoting a pro-active attitude to life. They focus on developing the children’s knowledge, skills & attitude, whilst equipping them with the appropriate life skills to successfully manage sensitive situations with peers & encourage a positive approach to life.
As part of these visits, there are two specific parent/carer information sessions.
Tuesday 21 January 3.05-3.30pm d:side drug education informal information session (open to all parents)
A d:side representative will be available to provide information about your child’s drug education learning with d:side and answer any other related enquiries.
Tuesday 04 February 2:50-3.30pm d:side e-safety informal information session (open to all parents)
A d:side representative will be available to provide information about your child’s e-safety learning with d:side and answer any other related enquiries.
Please contact school if you would like to attend.
Tennis opportunities
Today, Year 2 – Year 6 pupils have taken part in tennis sessions to give children a taster of tennis and to promote sessions starting locally at Chapel Allerton Tennis and Squash Club.
Celebrate Yorkshire themed menu
Catering Agency, our school meal provider, will be running a special themed menu on Thursday 16 January. Please contact the office, in the next few days, if your child would like a school dinner on this day (no action needed if your child normally has a school meal on this day).
Living and learning this half term
- Drug, alcohol and tobacco education (DATE)
- Keeping safe and managing risk
Here are the weekly Living and Learning statements, for this half term, to support this learning. There will also be some whole school homeworks on these themes.
- I don’t interrupt (with my mouth or my hand).
- I can make things better.
- I know what a drug is.
- I know how to seek help.
- I make safe choices, including online.
- I can assess my own risks.
Skillful Cookery
Year 3 and 4 have exercised their baking skills this week by creating stained-glass-window cookies!
Our cookies were vegan and gluten-free so that everybody could enjoy them. We weighed out the butter, sugars and vanilla paste first.
After mixing this into a smooth batter, we added the flour, bi-carbonate of soda and baking powder.
While we waited for the dough to chill, we learned how to make hot chocolate safely so that we can have plenty over the chilly holidays.
Once the dough was cold enough to work with, we rolled it out and cut it into different shapes. If you cut a smaller shape out of the middle, you could add boiled sweets which then melt in the oven to create a sweetie window – very cool.
