Tri Golf
Well done to some of our Key Stage 2 children who represented the school at the Leeds North East Tri Golf Festival at Cookridge Hall this afternoon.
It was a very close competition and the team were just 5 points off the winners.
New school meal menu
The new school dinner menu, from our school meals provider, Catering Leeds, will be introduced in September and continues until February half term.
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. 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.
Water safety advice
Following from our Staying Safe themed week and in association with National Drowning Prevention Week, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has released the following water safety advice.
As the Summer months are approaching and with more good weather on the way, young and old alike should be aware of the dangers of open water.
An open water source may look like a good way to cool down on a hot day, but every year, in the UK, around 400 people die from drowning as a result of an accident in or around water.
Nationally, the emergency services respond to over 100,000 water-related rescues, and flood events every year.
Reservoirs may look tempting to take a swim in but they can be killers and we’d like to raise awareness of these risks amongst young people. Cold water shock can lead to hyperventilation, increased blood pressure, breathing difficulties and heart attacks plus water temperatures remain just as cold in summer as in winter. Yorkshire Water have produced Cold Water Kills video to reinforce this message.
A summer safety message from the Royal National Life Saving Institute (RNLI), ‘Float to Live’, is a hard-hitting video, with advice on how to react should you become stricken in cold water.
Everyone who falls unexpectedly into cold water wants to follow the same instinct, to swim hard and to fight the cold water. But when people fight it, chances are, they lose. Cold water shock makes you gasp uncontrollably and breathe in water, which can quickly lead to drowning.
If you find yourself unexpectedly in the water, the message is to float until the cold water shock has passed and you will be able to control your breathing and have a far better chance of staying alive.
Safety Advice for Dog Walkers
- Avoid throwing sticks or balls near water for dogs – they will go after it if they think you want it back even if you’ve thrown it too far or into dangerous water
- Never enter the water to try and save a dog – the dog usually manages to scramble out
- Even dogs that like swimming can usually only swim for short bursts
- Keep and eye of your dog and don’t let it enter the water if it’s older or tired
- If your dog loves the water keep it on a lead and make sure you have control to prevent it jumping into hazardous or unsafe areas
- Remember the wet riverbanks, steep edges or jagged rocks can make it hard for a dog to scramble out and be a slip risk for owners
- Don’t lean into water and try and lift your dog out – you can topple in
- Dogs can have cold water shock too
- If your dog has struggled in the water it may have inhaled water and should see a vet as dogs can drown after the event if water has entered the lungs
What to do if someone falls into deep water
- The first thing to do is call for help – straightaway. Call 999, ask for fire service and ambulance. The emergency services will need to know where you are. Accurate information can save precious minutes. If you have a smart phone and have location services or map tool enabled, this can help.
- Don’t hang up – stay on the line but try and continue to help the person if appropriate.
- Never ever enter the water to try and save someone. This usually ends up adding to the problem. If you go into the water you are likely to suffer from cold
- Can the person help themselves? Shout to them ‘Swim to me’. The water can be disorientating. This can give them a focus.
- Look around for any lifesaving equipment. Depending on where you are there might be lifebelts or throw bags – use them. If they are attached to a rope make sure you have secured or are holding the end of the rope so you can pull them in.
- If there is no lifesaving equipment look at what else you can use. There may be something that can help them stay afloat – even an item such as a ball can help.
- You could attempt to reach out to them. Clothes such as scarves can be used to try and reach or a long stick. If you do this lie on the ground so your entire body is safely on the edge and reach out with your arm. Don’t stand up or lean over the water– you may get pulled in.
- Be mindful that if the water is cold the person may struggle to grasp an object or hold on when being pulled in.
Upcoming diving competition
The Swim England Diving National Age Group Championships 2017 are taking place at Ponds Forge, Sheffield on 06 – 09 July 2017. This is the largest national diving competition in England, with athletes battling for national honours across individual events on the 1m and 3m Springboards and the Platform, and as synchronised pairs from the 1m and 3m Springboard.
Tickets are available if you would like the opportunity to watch a National Diving Competition.
Maybe you might be inspired to give diving a go.
Edible homework?
This week, as is often the case, Year 4 produced some superb homework. The children certainly got their thinking caps on and came up with unique, explosive, detailed and edible ideas!
The theme was ‘Extreme Earth’.
Very well done to Pia who came up with the idea of baking buns and using icing. She created volcano, tsunami and earthquake buns – too good to eat!
Dylan and Albert both caused a big eruption!
Take a look at the photos on show.
Another well done to Isaac who made his very own Top Trump cards.
American Independence Day themed menu
Catering Leeds, our school meal provider, will be running a special American Independence themed menu on Wednesday 05 July.
Please contact the office by Friday 16 June if your child would like a school dinner on this day.
Sharing reading
On Friday afternoon, Year 4 spent some time sharing reading with Reception class. It was lovely to see how well the older children interacted with the younger ones and vice versa. Getting enjoyment through reading is something that we want to promote and all the children seemed to be getting a lot of pleasure through this activity.
What a super way to spend half an hour on a sunny Friday afternoon.
SEAL theme – Changes
We start this half term with a focus on manners.
Our SEAL statement is I cover my mouth (when I yawn, cough, sneeze).
For coughing and sneezing we have referred to the vampire method of sneezing into your elbow rather than a hand. After introducing this method a few years ago, it is great to see children now doing this without reminders.
During this half term, we start to think about changes the children will experience in school in terms of moving class, key stage and even school.
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 change. 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.
Perhaps you can support your child’s learning by discussing at home any current and future changes, too.
Half term highlights
Yet another half term has passed and what a busy one it has been!
Year 4 has been full of learning with lots of fun along the way. Here are some of the highlights from the past few weeks.
In English, we have been planning and writing our own descriptive settings. The standard of writing has greatly improved across the class. Children who have previously found writing quite a challenge were inspired and motivated by the creative way in which we prepared our work.
- “Gazing through the gaps in the leafless trees, shafts of sunlight hurt my eyes.”
- “As I stumbled along the narrow, rocky path, a tiny, yellow bird fluttered past me.”
- “Raging like a lion, water cascaded down the battered rocks and into the deep,blue pond below.”
Our new topic, ‘Natural Disasters’, is proving to be a popular one. The children have so far learnt about the Earth’s layers, volcanoes and the impact they can have on an environment. Our recent trip to Magna was a big success and full of fascinating facts. We even got to see a ‘fire tornado’! Some children have managed to carry their descriptive writing in topic lessons: “Boiling, hot lava charged down the rocky sides of the volcano like soldiers running into battle.”
Safety Week was jam-packed with activities and visitors: Dogs Trust, E-Safety workshop, safety awareness in various settings and bike safety to name but a few. There are a few photos below.
Here are some recent quotes from the children:
- “I love our ‘Reading For Pleasure’ sessions. They are so calm and we can just enjoy reading.”
- “I love school. It’s great fun with all the teachers.”
- “Playtime is great because lots of people play with me.”
- “My favourite subject is Art. I like being creative. Also, I like our SEAL sessions as they are calm and you can share your emotions.”
- “I like writing and you can get some really good ideas from other people.”
Below are a selection of photos from the last half term. Take a look.
Enjoy the half term break and we look forward to seeing you all for the final term of Year 4!
Staying Safe week so far
Our themed week has been jam-packed so far with visits from NSPCC, d:side drug education, Moortown Fire Service, Leeds City Council Road Safety team, Canal and Rivers Trust and Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative.
Children have also worked with different classes to take part in safety carousels including food safety, sun safety, water safety, first aid, safety in the home and the importance of safety helmets.
Ask your child about all the learning they have experienced so far.
Still to come is One Day Creative (e-safety drama workshops), local PCSOs, Dogs Trust and an outdoor adventure day for Year 6 at Yeadon Tarn.
Year 5 and 6 parents are invited to watch the e-safety workshop showback at 2:30pm on Thursday.
The weather has certainly helped to encourage lots of children to travel to school in a sustainable way on foot, by bike or scooter. There are two more days to register your journey to school to be in the prize draw for vouchers for each class.
