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Did you watch Nina and the Neurons?

Over the weekend there was a very topical subject explained on the cbeebies programme, Nina and the Neurons.  It was all about why people need sleep and that when people sleep the brain sorts out all the information taken in by your senses throughout the day.

If you missed it why not watch it on BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/cbeebies/episode/b01554dc/Nina_and_the_Neurons_Nina_and_the_Neurons_Brilliant_Bodies_Sleep/

There is also another episode you could watch about memory.

Hopefully it should help to reinforce your learning from Brain Box week.

What do you think?

Thinking was a main theme last week.  Do we think about everything?  Do we think the same thoughts as other people?

Our brains had a real workout in “Brain Box” week; our amazing brains never stop learning or developing.  Here are some thoughts that Year Five came up with when asked “What do you think?”

Reading in Reception

Your child will be bringing a reading book home this week. These first books don’t contain any words. Look at the book with your child, telling the story or saying the rhyme. Please make a comment in the yellow reading record so we know your child has read at home. Keep the book in your child’s bookbag and return it everyday for reading in school.

As parents or carers you are your child’s most influential teacher with an incredibly important role to play in helping your child to read.

As you know, the ability to read and write well is a vital skill for all children, paving the way for an enjoyable and successful school experience.

Children learn and practise many of the skills that they need for reading and writing from a very early age. They do this through a wide range of activities and experiences, at home, in settings and in school. They explore and learn through singing and saying rhymes, making and listening to music, talking with others, sharing books with adults and other children, dressing up, experimenting with writing and using puppets and toys to retell and make up stories.

In order to make a good start in reading and writing, children need to have an adult listen to them and talk to them. Speaking and listening are the foundations for reading and writing. Even everyday activities such as preparing meals, tidying up, putting shopping away and getting ready to go out offer you the chance to talk to your child by explaining what you are doing. Through these activities, children hear the way language is put together into sentences for a purpose.

Books are a rich source of new words for your child; words you would not use in everyday conversations appear in books. Children need to have a wide vocabulary to understand the meaning of books, so read aloud and share books as often as you can. They will enjoy it and it will be useful to them when they come across these words in their own reading later on.

Remember to ask if you have any questions about reading or would like ideas of things to do at home.

For information on the ways reading is taught at school and ideas for reading at home visit www.oxfordowl.co.uk

Reception walked for water!

Reception walked ten laps of the school to raise money for WaterAid. Please send your collected sponsor money as soon as possible. Thanks for your support.

Breakfast, lunch and water to fuel your brain

This week we’ve found out how a healthy, balanced diet and good hydration provides us with the energy our brain needs to function throughout the day.

Nutritionists believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but what children eat can be just as crucial.   Breakfast cereals and foods rich in whole grains, fibre and protein and low in added sugar may boost attention span, concentration and memory and prevent children having a mid morning energy drop. http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/breakfast.html

Fruit at playtime, provided free for Reception and Key Stage 1 and the only snack allowed at Key Stage 2 playtime, can provide an energy boost for the rest of the morning.  Remember the weekly fruit tuckshop on Tuesdays is available to Key Stage 2 costing 20p per item.

A healthy, balanced lunch is also crucial to refuel the brain for the afternoon’s learning and this week children, who bring a packed lunch to school, have been given a copy of our Guide for Healthy Packed Lunches (https://www.moortown.leeds.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/packed-lunch-guidance.pdf).  The guide was launched in September 2010 but may not have been seen by children new to the school or children who may have previously had school dinners.

The importance of hydration for the brain, to maximise learning, has been another focus of our Brain Box week.  Children need to have a water bottle to keep in their classroom to allow regular water breaks throughout the day.  This should be taken home weekly to be cleaned.  Water is also provided at lunchtime for packed lunches and school dinners.

As well as regular exercise and opportunities for relaxation these factors all contribute to a healthy brain!

Better brains with more sleep

‘Your brain needs lots of sleep to repair itself and to organise and sort everything you have learnt’… One of the messages in the Good-night guide for children, published by The Sleep Council, sent home today, at the end of Brain Box week.

Research carried out by The Sleep Council revealed that lack of sleep among primary school children was having a devastating effect in schools with nine out of 10 teachers (92%) complaining that pupils were so tired they were unable to pay attention in class.  More than a third (38%) said lack of sleep among youngsters is a daily problem for them.

This week, classes have been looking at The Sleep Council’s Better Brains with More Sleep initiative where children are encouraged to learn tips on getting their full sleep quota and the factors that can affect it.

Leeds Children’s Mayor Project 2012

Today, I have talked to the Year 6 class about this exciting project.

All of the class have been invited to take part in the competition, open to all schools in Leeds, to become Leeds Children’s Mayor.  They must write a short manifesto saying how they would improve Leeds if they were the Children’s Mayor, based on one of the 12 Wishes for a more child friendly Leeds.

Entries should be brought to school by Tuesday 02 October and one entry will be selected to represent Moortown Primary.  A panel including last year’s children’s mayor, Leeds youth councillors, city councillors and UK youth parliament members will shortlist all the entries down to a final ten.  Everyone in the city is then asked to vote for their three favourite entries.

Our entry last year, by Bronwen Grainger, was selected as one of the ten finalists.  Her idea was to link schools with local care homes / homes for the elderly and collect litter to improve the local community.

For more information and to hear from last year’s winner visit http://www.breezeleeds.org/pg/228/Leeds_Children’s_Mayor.

Good luck!

28 September 2012

This week’s spellings are all about shortened forms of words.  They are known as contractions.  The table shows the full version and the shortened form; the children are only expected to learn the shortened form.  The apostrophe replaces the letters that have been missed out.

They will be tested on Friday 05 October 2012.

28 September 2012

This week our spellings are a review of the three previous lists. These rules are:

• drop the e for ing
• drop the y for an i
• double up for short vowel sounds

Not all words from the three previous lists will be tested. They will only be tested on eight of the previous words. There will also be a couple of bonus words which have not previously been seen but which follow one of the three rules.

28 September 2012

This week, the spellings are words where you have to drop the y for an i when adding ly.

Children should learn all ten spellings and will be tested on eight out of the ten.