Hotshots
To launch our Money Matters themed week, on 23 May, we will hold a Hotshots fundraising event, led by TSC sports and dance coaching limited, to raise money for our two school charities: Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Mind. During the day, each class will be able to take part in the Hotshots event, with every child having three chances to score a goal and their fastest time recorded. All children will receive a certificate with their fastest shot and medals will be awarded for the fastest boy and girl in each class. Sponsor forms will be sent home and children are encouraged to raise money for this event. These should be returned, with any money raised, on the day.
Money Matters
Our next whole school themed week Money Matters, based around money and financial education, will be taking place from Monday 23 May 2016. A variety of events and visitors are planned to help us deliver this key aspect of education.
During the week, we will look at questions including:
- What is money?
- Where does money come from?
- How do we spend money?
- How do we manage money?
If your job involves an aspect of finance and/or money and you can support our themed week by coming into school, please contact the office.
I wonder…
Each week, Year 5 are donning their lab coats and goggles (metaphorically) and becoming scientists. Last week, we used our observation, questioning and planning skills with just water, skittles and a petri dish.
From such simple equipment, it was fascinating to see what happened and we took careful observations of what we could see.
Once we’d seen what happened, we had some question starters to help us to think about any questions we had as a result of this experiment.
From these question starters, we identified which questions could be researched and further our knowledge and which questions were testable. Focussing on the testable questions, as a group we chose something to test in next week’s science lesson:
What if you use use liquids other than water?
What if you use different sweets?
I wonder what would happen with different numbers of skittles?
We’ll be finding out what will happen by conducting these experiments on Friday 29 April so we’ll keep you updated.
Moortown PE kit
Has your child recently taken part in a sporting event wearing one of our Moortown polo tops?
If so, please could you ensure it is returned to the office asap to ensure we have all tops available for our next sporting events.
Rocket seeds
You may have seen on Newsround recently that many schools have received some seeds from outer space; we are one of those schools! Today, Year 5 were set the very important challenge of planting our schools ‘red’ and ‘blue’ seeds.
Each school has received two sets of seeds (red and blue); one lot is from space and the other are plain old Earth seeds. We don’t know which one is which but we’ve planted both and so begins our experiment to find out: will seeds grow if they’ve been cultivated in space?
This is a six week experiment through which we’re required to observe, record, measure and question – all essential scientific skills. Although Year 5 have planted them, children from across the school will be involved in looking after and monitoring them throughout the project. We’ll keep you updated as the seeds grow and let you know which ones we think are from space.
Which do you think?
Lights… camera…action…
Before the holidays, Year 5 were asked what they’d like their next topic to be about. Obviously we had lots of ideas which covered all of our different interests:
- food
- film
- sport
- mythology
- technology
After Miss Rushbrooke narrowed down the selection to just four, we voted on which topic we’d most like to learn about and the one with most votes became our first topic for the Summer term. Film snatched it and so we have begun our ‘Lights…Camera…Action…’ topic.
The children ‘oood’ and ahhhhd’ when they walked in on Tuesday afternoon to find many interesting and unknown objects to explore and question.
We identified what we could see, thought about what they might do and wondered who made them; when they were made; and whether they still worked now.
We then went on to look at how films began by making some optical toys which were the foundations of the technology to transform still pictures into moving ones.
It’s been a fantastic start to the topic with many more exciting things to come!
Free tennis
Tennis For Kids is a free 6-week coaching course packed full of action packed games and activities designed as the perfect introduction to tennis for kids aged 5-8.
Courses are available locally at Roundhay Park tennis courts and Alwoodley tennis club.
In addition, free family open days will be running locally, at David Lloyd and Roundhay Park, over the next few months.
KS2 Tuesday tuck shop
Our weekly fruit tuck shop returns on Tuesday 26 April.
As an incentive for selecting the pre-pay option, we continue to offer you one week free. Therefore, for the Summer term, the cost for one portion of fruit from 26 April to 12 July 2016 inclusive (11 weeks) is £2.00 (10 x 20p) and the cost for two portions is £4.00 (10 x 40p). 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. Each portion costs 20p.
If you would like to pay in advance for your child to visit the tuck shop, please provide money to the office as soon as possible.
KS2 fruit tuck shop takes place every Tuesday morning playtime.
Year 5 food technologists
Year 5 learnt a number of new baking skills while preparing our savoury scones including rubbing in. We’ve also learnt how to get ready to cook, about different ingredients and equipment used in a kitchen and also why some recipes need to be adapted to take account of food allergies.
The finished product appeared to be a popular after-school snack.
New SEAL theme
At Moortown Primary, we’re dedicated to the value of SEAL in promoting a happy and healthy place to learn. However, we’re always thinking about other ways to meet our children’s needs and interests. That’s one of the reasons we choose to sometimes break away from the national SEAL themes to do something different.
This half term, we’ll think about our rights and responsibilities and, importantly, that if we have rights, we also have responsibilities. Children will consider their rights and responsibilities at home, at school and in other places. These may include:
Their right to eat food, their responsibility to eat healthily.
Their right to a good education, their responsibility to listen to the teacher.
Their right to use the internet, their responsibility to go on appropriate websites.
Each week this half-term, we’ll concentrate on a different area:
- Week beginning 18 April: learning
- Week beginning 25 April: playing
- Week beginning 02 May: expressing an opinion
- Week beginning 09 May: staying safe
- Week beginning 16 May: being healthy
- Week beginning 23 May: general
Perhaps you can support your child’s learning by discussing and promoting rights and responsibilities at home, too.