A quick update…
Year 6 are having a great time on their residential so far. They’ve just finished their lunch (burgers and hot dogs – yummy!) after a super busy morning packed full of activities.
They’ll have a bit of down time now before another jam-packed afternoon of adventurous fun!
This week, I have been talking to some of the classes wondering what they have been doing with the R.E Drop Down Morning and if they enjoy our school. This article has some information that I have been told in some classes.
In 1,2B, I asked Mrs Latham if our school is a happy and healthy place to learn and I was told it was definitely a great place to learn. Mrs Latham says that there is great teamwork and it is a happy and fun place to be. Her favourite lesson is phonics because someone might come into school and not know how to read but then when they leave they know how to read perfectly. The lessons are always practical and all the teachers try to make them fun.
In 3,4C, I asked the children and Miss Wadsworth if they thought Scholes (Elmet) is amazing and I was told that it is great because people are included and cared for. I asked a few pupils what their favourite subjects were and they were art, writing and maths.
In 5,6A, I asked Mr Goodwin if the school is safe and respectful and he said yes. Lessons are great and they are really fun to teach to the children. The school is amazing and is happy and healthy. Scholes (Elmet) is safe because there are trained first aiders and there is always someone on the lookout.
In the whole school R.E Drop Down Morning we have been looking at Hinduism – it is the oldest of the religions we study. In our school, we focus on 6 religions which are Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and Christianity.
My opinion is that Scholes (Elmet) is amazing and the teachers are always kind and smile at you in the corridors. I think it is safe, respectful, happy and healthy. We all care for each other and make the right decisions.
By Thea (Y5)
from the 4th to the 8th November, we had our ‘Me and My Community Week’. Here’s a look back at what each phase of school got up to…
In Y1,2 they had a community themed talk and had a Wake Up Shake Up session where the children’s parents could have a look at them dancing and having lots of fun. The children went to the library and also saw Brian Abram, who is an author, who came to school to talk about his books and a bit about his life.
In Y3,4, they learnt about local areas, mountains and rivers. Lots of living and learning lessons took place, too. The 3,4 classes have also looked at the British Values, which are:
In Y5,6, they were doing zoom calls with different schools in our federation to see what things are different and if anything was the same in Moortown and St James schools. The had more living and learning lessons about friendships and family. They also saw Brian Abram, who is an author. Brian talked about his personal journey and the children’s books he writes. The classes also visited the library and parents were invited to school watch their children do WUSU.
Everybody in the school saw Brian Abram, did living and learning and did the ever-important WUSU.
At the start of the day, Miss Hague usually arrives in school at 7:30 then checks if staff are in and catches up with emails for the first hour between 7:30 – 8:30. She opens the gate at 8:35 and closes the gate at 8:55. Miss Hague will then come in and have meetings with parents and other people who work with schools to support children.
Did you know….
Miss Hague is also the SENCO. This means she is the Special
Educational Needs Coordinator for our school.
At 12:00, Miss Hague will work with children individually. Then, at 12:15 she helps supervise our lunchtime. Every Friday, children do litter picking for their amazing jobs with Miss Hague.
In the afternoon, Miss Hague will meet with children, have more meetings, visit classrooms and do lots of work on her laptop. An assembly is always provided on a Monday. After her busy day, she opens the gates at 3:05, unless it is raining and then she asks Mr Catherall to do it! But if she doesn’t go out she does more work on the laptop.
There is always going to be something different or unexpected almost everyday. Sometimes there are nice emails or complaints about bad parking. Miss Hague has also spent 7 years of being the head teacher of our school. She really enjoys her job and is really proud of it.
Why do we celebrate Halloween….?!
I did a little research and Halloween’s origin can be traced back to Ancient Celtic festivals known as Samhain, which was held on 1 November in contemporary calendars. It was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead would return to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to warn off spirits. Halloween is celebrated on the 31 October every year and it comes the day before All Saint’s Day.
To celebrate we spend lots of time decorating our homes and gardens with things that we associate with Halloween such as pumpkins, black cats, witches, ghosts and lots of other fantastic, scary things so that when the eve of Halloween arrives, we are all ready for trick or treaters! Trick or treats are usually children dressed up in Halloween costumes who are out to have fun on this special night of the year.
We are lucky at Scholes (Elmet) Primary School to have a school disco where we get time to celebrate and have an amazing night with our friends. Dressing up in Halloween costumes is optional but lots of people like to do this. It’s really cool to see how much imagination and effort people put into their costumes!
At the disco we will listen to music and dance. We can also buy drinks and sweets to keep us going. The proceeds from the disco, go to FOSP (our school’s PTA). FOSP are always looking for ways to help support school and our learning. For example, they recently helped us to purchase two new sports kits so we can represent our school looking smart!
Remember Halloween is on 31 October, and this is during school holidays! So, if you are out trick or treating – have fun, make sure you look really scary and stay safe!
By Thea Perks
This week, our Year 5 football team travelled over to Wetherby for their first game of the new league season.
Both teams played some fantastic football and it was an absolute joy to watch; the effort, commitment and skill on show was something many of those spectating will not have seen before.
Whilst there were many goal scorers, and many spectacular goals scored, the thing that shone most was the attitude of the Scholes (Elmet) team. They tried hard, supported each other and stuck together as a team!
Well done to the Year 5 football team – we’re very proud of you!
Harvest festival was on the 6th of October and our school did a collection of food and other household items. Harvest festival is to give thanks for the harvest and the food it brings from all the crops. We are very lucky to have farmers who take time and care into our crops.
Did you know…
Fun fact: Harvest Festival is usually celebrated on Sunday closest to the Harvest Moon, also sometimes called the September moon. This is the moon closed to the Autumn equinox, usually towards the end of September or the beginning of November. The autumn equinox is the two moments in the year when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are of equal length – this marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Pretty cool – eh!
It’s still not too late to contribute to our school collection. It would be helpful to brings things such as:
Long life milk
Canned food
Toiletries
Cleaning products
Tinned fruit
Rice
These are products that have a long use by date that mean they can be stored until they are needed. All the donations will be sent to the Wetherby Food Bank who will then make up food parcels for families and those in need.
Thank you for your donations and help for this wonderful charity.
Our new school journalist is Thea. She’ll be keeping you updated on lots of events happening around school. Her weekly article will provide some insight into school life: it could be interviews with adults, interviews with children, updates about events, or even, ‘a day in the life of…’.
Either way, we’re sure you’ll love her updates and we’re incredibly pleased to bring you her first article…
An Interview With Miss Gilliland
Miss Gilliland is a new teacher at Scholes and has been teaching for a month. I’ve been catching up with her to learn a little bit about her and to see how she is finding her new role.
Something you might not know is that Miss Gilliland was born and raised in Northern Ireland which is part of the UK. Miss Gilliland also has a dog called ‘Schnauzer’ – I wonder what breed this pooch might be!
Miss Gilliland was originally a trainee teacher and worked at Moortown Primary School which is a part of Sphere Federation. Since being at Scholes, Miss Gilliland says she loves learning new names and Wake Up Shake Up dances (or WUSU). She personally thinks Scholes (Elmet) Primary school is a happy and healthy place to study for children and adults. She cares for children every day by showing us all care and respect.
I am sure my friends across the school community will join me in saying a massive ‘Welcome to Scholes’ and that we wish her all the best with her new class this year!
This weekend, two groups of Y5s and Y6s represented Scholes (Elmet) Primary School in the Boston Spa Gala.
Despite some of the players only returning from the Y6 residential a day earlier, they had an entire day of competitive footballing action to get stuck into. All of the children represented school perfectly: they were polite, tried hard and had fun.
In the cup competition, Team Scholes fought bravely but, despite several strong performances and several close score lines, were unable to progress through to the final.
In the mixed plate competition, Team Scholes were unbeaten in the group stage and so, after a long, tense wait to find out (Mrs Hogarth still hasn’t recovered), made it through to the final and the opportunity to win the competition.
With a large crowd watching (including many Scholes parents and the other Scholes team who had stayed to watch the final), Team Scholes dominated the game and ran out 4-0 winners. There were many excellent individual performances but the real strength was the strength of the team!
And so, with great delight, we can officially say: Scholes (Elmet) Primary School are the Boston Spa Mixed Gala 2024 champions!
Well done to all the players involved on the day (in both teams). We’re really, really proud of you all.
Also, thank you to the parents who attended and supported the teams so brilliantly (and provided what seemed an endless stream of snacks!).
Finally, a huge thank you to Mrs Hogarth who, despite only just returning from 3 days on residential, gave up her time to organise the event and manage both teams on the day!
“Championes, championes, ole ole ole!”
This week, we are sad to say goodbye to the one and only Sue Yardley, our always cheerful lollipop lady. She has been doing this job for 30 years, earning legendary status in the village. She knows everyone at school so well and we all really appreciate her friendly, caring manner and the time she has put in over the years to keep us all safe. Leeds United fan Sue, who in 2014 was awarded a British Empire medal for her services to the village, is also well-known for her help at St Phillip’s Church.
I chatted to her last week about her experiences and plans for the future.
What job did you do when you were younger?
I worked in the Co-op offices on Albion Street in Leeds when I was 15.What are your plans for the future?
I’ve got lots of friends so we’re planning to go on lots of walks in the countryside.What is the strangest thing that has happened whilst you were a lollipop lady?
I was in the middle of the road crossing children over and a man drove straight past me whilst I was still in the road. I don’t know how he didn’t see me with all my hi-vis gear on.
Sue will be greatly missed by everyone at the school and we wish her all the best for the future.