A letter from the Lord Mayor…
Well done to Naran, one of our Year 6 pupils, who submitted a manifesto to become the next Leeds Children’s Mayor. Unfortunately, Naran did not make it to the final 12 but he has received a letter from the Lord Mayor of Leeds congratulating him on his efforts.
We would like to say well done to Naran for having a go.
Another well done for Moortown!
We have a new School Improvement Advisor (SIA). This is someone from the Local Authority who visits us from time to time and monitors, evaluates and provides any support we may seek. Here are some of the words and phrases that help to sum up his report:
- ‘every inch of space available [is used] to create an effective and 21st century learning environment’
- ‘professional approach’
- ‘consistency is a key feature…displays, routines and learning behaviour’
- ‘bright and imaginative displays captured the current theme’
- ‘purposeful application of knowledge and skills’
- ‘sound teacher and other adult relationships had secured the best in terms of learning behaviours from the pupils’
The School Improvement Advisor saw two classes in particular. In Year 5, he saw ‘skillful’, ‘impressive’ teaching with ‘a natural command’ and, from the children, ‘some high quality speaking and listening’. In Reception, he praises the ‘highly effective indoor and outdoor areas … imaginatively created’ and the children’s engagement and ‘purposeful learning’.
He was also impressed by the quality of support staff: ‘…skilfully held the children’s attention in an outdoor PE session’.
04 November 2016
This week’s IXL homework is based around spelling and sentence work.
- Greek and Latin roots: PP.2
- Sentence, fragments and run-ons: C.2
IXL is a programme we’re trialling to decide whether we want to purchase it for use by school. The children all have log-ins which are written in to their homework books. If they then go to Y6 English, there will be a section which correspond with the subheadings above and an activity with the corresponding code. I’ve shown the children which activities they’ll be doing and how to get to it.
For IXL, it doesn’t ask a number of questions, instead the activity is complete once 100 points are achieved. Questions remain easier if mistakes are being made and, whenever a mistake is made, it explains what the mistake was. If children are answering questions correctly, they will get harder.
- run ons = squashed sentences
04 November 2016
This week, it’s time to get creative with Maths.
What are fractions?
We’re starting a unit on fractions which will keep us busy for the whole half term! On Thursday, we created a word study on the word fractions, thinking about what it means, how we could represent it as a picture, how it links to other maths and much more. Now it’s the children’s turn to be creative with it and answer the question in any way they choose. Here are a few ideas from me:
- a game involving adding fractions
- photographs of examples of fractions around the house or situations in which they might be used
- a story all about a family of fractions
- a page which teaches people how to do a certain skills to do with fractions
4 November 2016
This week, we’ve been looking at the Year 5/6 spelling list from the National Curriculum and finding spellings that we can think of tricks and tips for remembering them. The children have chosen their own ten spellings to practise and will be tested on them on Friday 11 November.
Look at the full list of National Curriculum Year 5/6 spellings (page 23).
Gymnastics
Today, Reception class had their first gymnastics lesson. The children demonstrated some great moves, balances and some super teamwork.
Have a look at what we’ve been up to.
Christmas dinner themed menu
Catering Leeds, our school meal provider, will be running a special Christmas themed menu on Thursday 15 December.
Please contact the office, by 30 November, if your child would like a school dinner on this day.
8 Rs for learning – our new SEAL theme
This half-term, we’re thinking about the ‘8 Rs for learning’. This theme is about promoting good learning behaviour for your child.
Each week, we’ll focus on different ‘Rs’. We use an animal to symbolise each ‘R’, which might help your child remember all eight – can your child remember which animal matches the correct ‘R’?
You can support your child at home – we’ve listed a few ideas to help you below. Ask us if you’ve any questions or comments.
Download top tips for promoting the 8Rs for good learning behaviour.
I take a safe risk.
Talk about the difference between a safe and unsafe risk. At school, we want your child to take a safe risk by having a go at answering, even if unsure; trying something new and attempting harder learning.
I take responsibility for my own learning.
Provide time and space at home so your child is able to organise themselves: their PE kit, reading book, homework, spellings and tables… Don’t organise everything for them!
Make a link between rights and responsibilities: your child has the right to a great education, but needs to be responsible for their own learning.
I respond to feedback.
Ask your child if they remember their ‘stars’ and ‘steps’ in English and Maths.
I can show I am ready to learn.
Make sure your child is at school for a prompt start of 08:50.
Make sure your child has had plenty of sleep so they are alert and ready to learn at all times.
Encourage your child to ask lots of questions – that shows they want to learn!
I am resourceful.
Encourage your child to be organised so they can play with a range of different toys.
Encourage your child to try new ways to solve a tricky problem.
I am resilient.
Encourage your child to keep going! Set a tricky challenge or puzzle for your child to do.
Encourage your child to think of different ways of doing things.
Don’t let your child win when they play a game – they need to experience losing, too!
Celebrate mistakes as opportunities to learn – be happy that your child found some learning hard and encourage them to ‘bounce back’ and learn from the experience.
I remember.
Make sure they have time to learn spellings, number bonds and times tables – a little practice daily is best.
Play memory games:
Kim’s game: show them objects for 30 seconds… can they remember all the objects?
Can they build up the sequence, ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple and a bike.’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple, a bike and a cucumber.’ etc … Take turns!
I reflect about my learning.
Talk with your child about what they’ve learnt, asking questions about:
how they learnt
why they learnt it
when they’ll use their learning
how they would teach this to someone else
what learning might link with what they’ve learnt today etc
York Art Gallery
After reading all about Katie’s adventures in art galleries and museums, in our class novel topic, we enjoyed a class trip to the York Art Gallery. We were very impressed by the children’s behaviour, interest and knowledge throughout the visit. Here is a snapshot of the day.
Welcome back
Welcome back.
This half term is going to be just as busy as the last one. The whole class have shown maturity, enthusiasm and a super learning attitude – keep it up!
We have had great fun with our topic so far. This half term, we’ll be designing and making our own picture frames. When complete, these will showcase the children’s wonderful Roald Dahl-inspired art work done in the style of Quentin Blake. Look out for our own Year 4 art gallery.
We also look forward to cooking this half term – you’ll have to wait and see what delights will make your taste buds tingle!
Please note a change of PE day from Thursday to Friday. The class are going to be taught by some students from Leeds Metropolitan University. An outdoor kit is essential as we hope to be outside whenever possible.