We cracked the code!
Resilience was oozing out of the Y6 classroom in our geography lesson today. They cracked a code by using six figure grid references and solving an anagram.
Sam said, “It was so challenging. I feel tired now! But also proud.”
Zidaan said, “I thought it was super challenging. Our problem was that we were overthinking it and made it too complicated for ourselves.”
“I feel really proud. We worked so well as a team,” said Poppy.
Homework Heroes
Yet again, the homework in Y6 has been varied, delivered enthusiastically and worked hard on. We had drama, posters, videos, poems and comic strips. Here are some of many highlights. 
We know how to STOP bullying!
Living and Learning: My Community
We’re looking forward to lots of learning about identity, diversity and our community in our next whole school themed week, My Community.
Here are some key events taking place next week.
Christmas themed menu
Catering Agency, our school meal provider, will be running a special themed menu on Thursday 12 December. Please contact the office, before 28 November, 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: My Community themed week
Themed week – My Community
Our next whole school themed week, based around identity, diversity and community, will be taking place from Monday 25 November 2019. A variety of events and visitors are planned to help us deliver this key aspect of education.
Events and learning during the week will include looking at our own identity including belonging and self-esteem, diversity of people around us including race, age, religion, disability and gender. Classes will also be getting out into the community working with local organisations and taking pride in the local area for example by litter picking.
Active travel
We encourage children to get out in the community in an active way on their way to and from school, with prizes available as part of the themed week. By walking/scooting/biking to school, families will be keeping our community safer and healthier by reducing congestion at the school gate. Maybe even pick up a piece of litter on the way. Even by parking further away from school your child could then to do the final part of their journey by foot, bike or scooter. Bike and scooter storage facilities are available beside the Year 3 and 4 classrooms.
Email us ([email protected]) a picture of your active travel, maybe by a landmark on your route to school, for the chance to win one of five £10 shopping vouchers. Entries to be submitted by Friday 29 November 2019.
New school charity
During the themed week, children will be researching local, national and international charities and a new school charity will be chosen at the end of the week to replace our current charity, WWF. Children will have chance to consider and suggest charities in the upcoming whole school homework (Friday 22 November 2019).
Identity day
Friday 29 November 2019 will be a non-uniform identity day. Children are invited to dress in clothing that represents part of their identity, for example uniform from a club they attend, a team they are part of or support or traditional dress to represent their heritage. We invite a donation for the PTA Christmas fair.
SAVE THE DATE Community coffee morning Monday 25 November 2019 9-10am
As part of the week, we welcome parents and carers to an informal coffee morning to meet other members of our school community including representatives from the PTA, our governing body, Moortown Community Group and Friends of Moortown Park. There will be chance to hear about proposed plans for the new land to the rear of school. A whole school community Wake up Shake up will follow at 10am in the main playground.
Can you help?
Pupil feedback from our previous My Community themed week was to ‘learn more languages that other people speak’. Do you speak another language and would you be happy to speak to children about this? If so, please contact the office to pass on your details. Also, do you have any local community links that may support our week?
Our website and Twitter continue to keep you up to date with key community events as well as our community noticeboard with lots of information about the themed week too. It’s going to be a busy week!
Living and Learning: STOP bullying
This week, all classes have been learning about different aspects of bullying during national Anti-Bullying Week.
Thank you to those families who supported our Odd Socks Day on Tuesday, celebrating that we are all unique.
Classes have been considering the following during this week.
- Our school definition of bullying.
‘Bullying is when you hurt someone, physically or emotionally, several times on purpose.’
- Types of bullying – cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion and belief, special educational need and disability
- What to do if children experience or witness bullying. The key message is to tell someone (start telling other people)
STOP can stand for two key messages: the definition (Several Times On Purpose) and the solution (Start Telling Other People).
Our new child friendly anti-bullying policy has been launched this week and this was shared, by the four Year 6 authors, in assembly.
All classes have access to their class Living and Learning box or the whole school worry box where they can tell an adult any concerns about bullying or any other issues.
Please discuss this important learning at home (our whole school homework this week).
For further support, here are some resources and advice that can be found at…
- https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-information/advice-parents
- https://www.kidscape.org.uk/resources/
- http://www.bullying.co.uk/advice-for-parents/
- https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/news-blogs/get-involved-in-anti-bullying-week-2019-change-starts-with-us/
- https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying-and-cyberbullying/keeping-children-safe/
- https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/types-bullying/
- https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/feelings-and-symptoms/bullying/
- https://esafetyoffice.co.uk/resources/
Living and learning – I know how to STOP bullying.
Today was our Secret Agent of Kindness reveal party!
We had to guess who was being especially nice to us this week. Being kind spreads positivity, building others up instead of tearing them down.
In Y6, we’re on the same team.
Well done to Manpreet for being voted Secret Agent of the week by the class.
How does light travel?
In this week’s Science lesson, Y6 have been investigating how light travels and how shadows are formed by setting up an experiment.
We had to make sure we were being safe in the classroom.
“It was quite dark so we had to be aware of our surroundings,” said Zidaan.
Byron added, “Don’t shine the torch directly in anyone’s eye. It’s like you shouldn’t ever look at the sun directly.”
Challenge your child to finish these sentences:
Light travels in…
A shadow is formed when…
You could extend this challenge further by asking what would happen to the shadow if you changed the object that the light was shining on for one of a different size, shape or material.
“I am green for today’s learning objective, because I can explain to someone else how light travels,” said Rabiya.
Science Vocabulary
We’ve started a new science topic – light. We made a quick bar chat to show how many of us felt red, amber or green.
Help at home by discussing these words and using them in a sentence!
Living and Learning – Secret Agents of Kindness
Change starts with us! That’s why Y6 have been given a secret mission to become Agents of Kindness to spread positivity and make a change.
“It’s Anti-Bullying Week so we have been asked to be kind to someone in particular and disguise it by being kind to everybody,” stated Poppy.
“We’ve picked one person from the tub and that you have to be kind to that person (your secret target) all week,” said Kismat.
Zakariya said, “On Friday, whoever you got has to try and work out who their secret agent was.”
Watch this space!
