SEAL Changes and manners
As we enter our final half term, the next SEAL theme looks at Changes, starting from next week.
This week, we begin with a focus on manners and I cover my mouth (when I cough, sneeze or yawn) is our weekly statement.
The ‘Vampire method’ can help to prevent germs spreading. By coughing or sneezing into our elbow, germs are not spread into the air or on our hands which may contaminate other things.
Here is how it’s done.
Don’t forget to ‘use your sleeve to cough and sneeze’.
Walk Leeds walking festival
Following our Walk to School week, Walk Leeds is a week-long walking festival from the 31 May to 07 June.
The Walks Diary lists all the walks taking place.
696 journeys on foot
As we come to the end of Walk to School Week, there have been 696 journeys to school on foot and the class competition was very close.
- Reception 118
- Year 1 107
- Year 2 80
- Year 3 111
- Year 4 107
- Year 5 100
- Year 6 73
So, winning by just seven journeys, Reception will receive the martial arts session with John from White Rose Martial Arts, who runs one of our after-school clubs, after the half term break.
Here are some comments made by children about their journeys to school on foot:
- ‘The walk made me feel happy and energetic.’
- ‘We enjoyed meeting friends on the way and looking at different types of houses.’
- ‘We felt safe because there were safe places to cross and a lolly pop lady too.’
- ‘I felt fresh, awake and ready to learn.’
- ‘We enjoyed talking about the day ahead.’
- ‘There was no cost involved and we picked up litter on the way.’
- ‘We made a difference by leaving the car at home.’
- ‘We had fun by learning spellings and times tables.’
- ‘It was quicker and we didn’t get stuck in any traffic.’
- ‘We had great talking time, time to plan the day and after-school activities.’
We’re sure you’ll agree these are all great benefits of walking to school. Have a look at our walk to school video for some more facts to persuade you to use a sustainable method of travelling to school, in turn reducing congestion at the school gates.
Well done to our Where’s Wally? competition winners, too.
Let’s hope these numbers increase over the summer months along with journeys by bike and scooter.
Well done, Mrs Weekes
Following months of hard work, I am delighted to inform you that Mrs Weekes has successfully completed her National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL). The NPQSL is overseen by the National College for Teaching and Leadership is a significant milestone in the professional development of school leaders. This is a significant achievement and I’m sure you would like to join me in offering congratulations to Mrs Weekes.
Here are some extracts from the feedback Mrs Weekes has received:
You have a key strength in the seeking of information, using not only numerical data but your knowledge of the school and individual pupils to inform your decisions. Your analytical thinking led to the creation of a complex plan involving the upskilling of teachers and teaching assistants, workshops for parents, material on the school website and working with local nurseries. All of this was underpinned by a strong learning focus, using theory and pedagogy to enhance the experience of all learners.
You are a highly effective teacher and leader of teachers and other professionals supporting their work. Your success in structuring support for pupil premium children has been nationally recognised in praise for the school and you have secured practice which is ensuring sustainable continuous improvement. As a teacher you model excellence in the way you embrace and meet challenges in the classroom and your competence has rightly played a key part in ensuring that you have had wide impact on the way in which other professionals work with children and engage with their families.
You have significant personal drive and display total professional integrity in the way you consider educational research to develop your self-awareness as a leader and by the way in which challenge yourself and others to improve. Your robust and secure evaluation of the work of the school including through forensic analysis of data informs intelligent prioritisation and planning.
Walk to School Week
Walk to School Week will run alongside our themed week where children are encouraged to take a walk in the community on their way to school, maybe even picking up a piece of litter on the way.
Two walk to school competitions will run over the week – firstly, the return of our Where’s Wally challenge (using our walk to school website video) and also a reward for the class who make the most journeys to school on foot during the week.
Each day your child walks to school they should put a counter in their class’ totaliser jar. Even by parking further away from school your child could then to do the final part of their journey by foot. By Friday, the class with the most journeys to school on foot will win a martial arts session with John Weatherall, White Rose martial arts.
We hope you will support this initiative in helping children make a healthy start to their day and also helping towards reducing congestion at our gates.
Parent/carers coffee morning
During our themed week next week, there will be the chance to come along to an informal coffee morning and meet other members of our school community – representatives from our governing body and PTA. This will take place in the Space on Wednesday 20 May 9-10am.
A whole school community Wake up Shake up will follow at 10am in the main playground.
Everyone is welcome.
Who do you think you are?
Our next whole school themed week, based around identity, diversity and community, will be taking place next week, from Monday 18 May 2015.
A variety of events and visitors are planned to help us deliver this key aspect of education.
Events during the week will include looking at our own identity including belonging and body image, diversity of people around us – this might include race, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender. There will be various visitors to support this. Classes will also be getting out into the community working with local organisations such as our local charity, St Gemma’s Hospice; local care homes; Moortown Community Group; and taking pride in the local community by litter-picking.
Identity day
Following a suggestion from one of our school councillors, Friday 22 May 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 £1 voluntary donation and proceeds will be shared between St Gemma’s Hospice and the Nepal earthquake appeal.
Who do you think we are?
Do you think you’d recognise some of our staff in their early years? This photo competition will run throughout the week with details to follow separately. Again, proceeds will be shared between St Gemma’s Hospice and the Nepal earthquake appeal.
We’ll keep you up to date about events during the week through Twitter and the class news pages on our website. It’s going to be a busy week!
Our website and Twitter continue to keep you up to date with key community events. Upcoming events include the Roundhay Park Fun Run on 20 June and the PTA Summer Fair on 04 July. We hope you can support these.
Talk times
At Moortown Primary, we really value the importance of speaking and listening:
- the more a child listens well to lots of speaking, the more (s)he will be able to understand and use and write
- the better a child speaks, with interesting words and structures, the better (s)he will write, with interesting words and sentences
Thanks to the parent (Reception, Year 4) who recently mentioned a great resource. I’ve shared it with teachers, but why let them have all the good ideas?! Use the ideas in The Key Jar to open up some thought-provoking discussion at home or on a journey.
(Find out more information here.)
Great effort from all players
Well done to our netball teams who took part in the North East High 5 netball competition alongside over 20 local schools and had the opportunity to meet players from Yorkshire Jets.
Keeping safe and fit
John, from White Rose Martial Arts, demonstrated in the assembly today some of the skills that can be learnt at the karate after-school club, running again this term.
Pupils who have already attended the club confidently showed their karate techniques alongside some key messages about self-defence from John.
There was a lot of interest from the children so please contact John directly to secure a place for your child. Information can be obtained from the office or your child’s teacher. There is a free taster session on Tuesday 05 May but places are limited.
