Active Schools Dance Festival
As part of our involvement with Active Schools, two teams of dancers have taken part in the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 dance festival today at Ralph Thoresby. With a total of eighteen routines performed, it was a great showcase of dance.
Congratulations to all the children who performed their routines with confidence on the ‘big stage’. A special well done to our Key Stage 1 team who won the award for ‘Best Choreography’. A great achievement!
Thank you for Miss Marsden and Mrs Charlesworth for running the after-school clubs in preparation for the event.
Thank you as well to parents who helped with transport.
Pupil voice: School Council investing their library budget
- The Usborne Book of Fariytales and You Choose in Space by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart (suggested by Reception)
- Meg & Mog Collection by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski and Geronimo by David Walliams (Y1)
- Lego Star Wars Movie Collection (Y2)
- Dr Who Collection and Six Animal Adventures by Michael Morpurgo (Y3)
- Tracey Beaker Trilogy by Jacqueline Wilson and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown by Jeff Kinney (Y4)
- The Parent Agency by David Baddiel and The Bolds Series by Julian Clary (Y5)
- Tin Tin by Herge and Secret Nightingale Series by Lucy Strange (Y6)
Living and Learning: Healthy Minds
- 15 April I use good table manners. Think about good table manners at home – not pointing our cutlery at someone or speaking with food in our mouths, for example.
- 22 April I recognise emotions in myself and others. Recognising emotions is an important first step in helping us manage our emotions. For example, it’s ok to feel angry, as long as we try to manage it in a way that doesn’t negatively affect other people. It’s great to feel proud as long as it doesn’t lead to showing off. Being aware of different emotions – both positive and negative – is an important basis for good mental health.
- 29 April I recognise mental health is important. Increasingly, we hear about the importance of mental health. Talk at home about different ways to help mental health. This might include restricting screen time, getting enough sleep, and taking time – even just five minutes – as a family to relax and recuperate after a busy day.
- 07 May I can describe and use ways to calm down. We all get worked up from time to time – how do different people calm down? We’ll explore different strategies to calm down, and encourage our children to adopt one or two of these. These may be some of the mindfulness techniques children have been taught or counting to ten, going for a walk, getting a glass of water – discuss what works for you and your child?
- 13 May I recognise the importance of money. In the final week of the half term, we have the second themed week of the year: a money-related week. This Living and Learning statement helps to introduce the week.
- 20 May I make choices about my money. Linked to the Money Matters themed week, we’ll explore different choices: to spend or to save, for example.
The topic of mental health can be introduced to children through this text.
Discovery Zone at Leeds University
Year 6 had a great morning at Leeds University in our final week of the Spring Term. Each and every one of them got stuck in to a whole host of scientific investigations, finding out loads along the way.
Big Pedal
Thank you to all families who have taken part in the Big Pedal this week by making an active journey to school – the weather has certainly helped.
In some pupil interviews this week, one of the unsafe places around school that was quoted by a child was, ‘outside the school gates if there are lots of cars stopping’. Travelling actively not only supports our physical and mental health but keeps cars away from outside school making our pupils and families safer on their journey to school.
It’s the final day of the Big Pedal tomorrow so let’s hope we can keep our participation rate as high. After day 3, we are 83rd out of 500 schools taking part in the small primary school category.
How to get active locally
With the holidays coming up, here is a reminder of some local physical activities that you and your child might like to get involved with.
The comprehensive physical activity guide was produced to signpost parents and carers to help children achieve the governments recommended daily 30 minutes of physical activity outside of school.
Leeds Gymnastics Easter camps
Leeds Gymnastics, who run one of our after-school clubs, are holding gym camps during the upcoming holidays. Contact them direct to book places.
School meals – parent/carer feedback and pupil voice
The School Council have recently discussed an idea we received from a parent about our school meals. Currently, where there is a meal served with a side, such as curry and rice, the curry would be served on top of the rice. The suggestion was made to have the curry served alongside the rice giving the children the choice to mix the two parts of their main meal if they wish.
The School Council held a vote to decide this democratically. The result of the vote, nine votes to one, was to change to have the part of the meal served separately. This has been fed back to the Catering Leeds kitchen team and will start immediately.
Thank you for your comments of how we can improve or make changes to our current meals.
A great start to the Big Pedal
After day one of the Big Pedal, we are 38th out of 500 schools in the small school category – the top school in Leeds! Brilliant news. The leaderboard can be viewed via the Sustrans Big Pedal website.
Well done everyone – keep your active travel going, great for you and great for the environment.
Remember active travel counts as walking, park and stride, scooting and biking. Supporter (parents/carers, siblings and staff) travel counts too.
Let’s keep those numbers high for the rest of the week and hopefully we’ll move up the leader board and be in with the chance to win prizes.
Living and Learning: What talents do we have?
Our homework review was great fun this week as we were treated to many wonderful talents from the whole class.
We had some fantastic artwork which had been used to create these brilliant information cards.
We enjoyed some writing, demonstrating some brilliant literary skills.
Some lovely paint work – I’d have the blue one on the right up on my wall at home!
Some comedy that made us chuckle.
We were also treated to some impressive gymnastics from Grace; really great singing from Martha, Manpreet and Noorpreet; a video on particle physics from Ripley; and some football skills from Kai.
It was really great to find out what children are interested in both in and out of school and lovely to give them the opportunity to show the rest of their class what they are proud they can do.