Author: Mr Catherall

Being a scout helps you learn important skills for life, teaches you how to work well as part of a team and to help society.

The First Scholes scout group is located in the village and most of the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts go to Scholes school.

I spoke to Harry from Scouts and Noah from Cubs to find out about their experiences in scouting.

What is your favourite part of being a scout\cub?
Harry: We get to do lots of fun activities, make different foods and also go on camps and hikes.
Noah: Doing activities outside and camps because we learn new things as well as having fun.

What has been your favourite thing in scouts\cubs this year?
Harry: Making mascots for our competition on Saturday.
Noah: Going to the deep because I got to see what it’s like there and sleeping over because I had never been there before.

What are you most looking forward to this year?
Harry: The last week of scouts when we get to have a big water fight.
Noah: Going to summer camp at Bramham Park because we also went last year with cubs and it was a great experience.

On Saturday, there was a large scouting event called the Andrew Oliver Incident Hike which was created in memory of Andrew Oliver (an assistant scout leader at the Tadcaster scouts troop) who sadly died of Leukaemia in 1986. This year, Scholes entered the competition for the first time.

Tommy, Alex, Harry, Jayden and I took part. Scholes fielded two different teams, hoping for a debut win. The 8 and a half mile hike consists of 11 checkpoints where the team has to complete a task. Points are awarded for the speed, amount of times completed, or quality of an item built as well as politeness. Two examples of the type of task included putting up a tent and paper-boat building. All of the tasks had to be completed without adult help. Unfortunately, neither of the Scholes teams won but everyone had great fun and enjoyed themselves, as well as being exhausted at the end of a long, hot day.

Better luck next year, Scholes!

And now we go over to the sports desk where Jimmy has our latest news from the local fixtures.

Thank you, James. Welcome to Sports Report!

Starting with the football, there was an exciting and very positive weekend of end of season action. Collingham Eagles got their revenge for last year’s cup final defeat by beating Wheldrake 5-2 in their third place playoff. Year 6s Thomas, Jack, Elliot and I play for them. Jack put the cherry on his birthday cake by scoring a goal and Collingham ended their season with the bronze medal.

Kyan in year 4 grabbed 2 assists in Bradford U9s’ 8-5 victory over Burnley U9s. Bradford put on a great display and fully deserved their victory. In Garforth Villa U11s’ match, they won 2-0. Gene and Tommy in year 6 play for them. Tommy was annoyed to be denied by the post but the same post offered him a helping hand when his goal went in off it. Staying with Garforth Villa but moving down 3 years, the U8s drew 8-8 (that was a mouthful!) in a very eventful game. Max, Freddie, Joseph, Charlie and Oscar in year 3 play for them. Max scored a great goal which went into the top corner but was also angry when he got distracted taking a penalty that ended up hitting the post.

York City U9s thrashed Harrogate U9s 7-0. Caleb in year 4 scored and got a hat-trick of assists. In tennis, Lily in year 6 had a tournament in which she played 4 matches, winning 3 of them by the score-line 10-9 and then losing one 7-10. The tournament went very well for Lily as she took the gold
medal.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that in cricket, Barwick Thunder and Barwick Lightning’s matches were called off due to an electrical storm. Whilst Thunder’s game was a total washout, Lightning managed to get 6 overs of play in. Elliot in year 6 was the captain and Archie in year 5 was also
playing, but I was annoyed as my career best figures of 3 wickets for 10 runs were scratched from the record books due to the abandonment. The coach joked that next year the team should be called Barwick Warm Sun with a Gentle Breeze!

Earlier in the week, a combined Barwick team progressed through to the second round of the cup by beating Church Fenton by 90 runs. Thomas, Noah and I made valuable contributions with bat and ball, each picking up a wicket and scoring runs to help the team over the line.

Hello there!

Today, we will be informing you on the latest news around school.

On the last Tuesday before the holidays, we watched the Y3,4 production. It had a Roman bake-off theme, was funny and was very exciting. There lots of standout performers, including: Lorien, Lani, Theo and Joseph. But, everyone played a very big part and it took a lot of time to master the brilliant play.

We interviewed Lewis in Y3 (a very good joke teller) on this.

How did you feel performing?

I wasn’t too nervous as we did a lot of rehearsing. I felt comfortable telling the jokes on stage as I’ve already performed on the piano.

How did the play go?

Really well. Everyone was part of the play and it went smoothly. Everyone delivered their lines well.

Did you enjoy it?

I love being on stage and it felt even better being one of the main characters and the audience really enjoyed it.

We also interviewed Lani in Y4.

Was the play enjoyable?

Yes, it was really fun and a great experience.

What was your favourite song?

Bake. It was a really catchy tune.

What was it like being on stage?

I enjoyed it a lot but I did feel nervous as well because I had to deliver a lot of important lines.

In other news, starting this week, martial arts classes will be happening every Thursday. We had an assembly last week where some special visitors who are martial arts instructors from British Military Martial Arts came and told us about the new club.

If you’ve read our previous articles, you will already know that we have quite a lot of talent in martial arts around school.

Thank you for reading!

Hello there!

Today, we will be talking about Jeevan in Year 5 and his very special talent: Taekwondo.

He is currently the British champion and 3rd in the world for his age. He became the world number 3 in late 2023 and invests a lot of time into it. In the Easter holidays, he will be taking his black belt assessment. This is a very young age to become a black belt. He has also had to write an essay to show why he wants to achieve it and why he is worthy of it (check out the Y5,6 class news post from Mr Lindsay on Friday 22 March to have a read).

We asked him some questions…

Are you nervous about your black belt assessment?

Yes, because there are five grand-masters taking my grading and there is a lot of pressure.

You must spend a lot of time practising your Taekwondo. How long do you spend every week doing it?

I train for two hours with a club  but I do an extra 30 minutes at home each day.

How did you feel and react when you found out you had come 3rd in the world for your age?

Surprised! I never thought I would go that far in the competition.

What is your favourite Taekwondo move?

A 360 back kick. You take your stance, jump and, whilst in the air, you do a 360 and then try to kick to the head!

Do you have your hopes set on a career in Taekwondo?

Yes – I will train a lot and hopefully one day get to the Olympics.

Wow! Thanks, Jeevan.

And, thanks to the readers, too. Have a nice break and we’ll be back after the holidays.

Hi all it’s Jimmy, Louie and Zara here with another news report.

First, it’s Jimmy.

On Saturday, I went to see the City of Leeds Youth Orchestra perform Peter and the Wolf. It is a magical piece of music and can often inspire children to to try playing music. When I was three, I heard this piece and was then trying to play the part of the wolf on the French horn. Five years later, I started my French horn lessons here at Scholes (Elmet) Primary. This school offers lots in terms of music, with lessons on many instruments available including piano, drums and guitar. Music is very important and often brings out creativity and imagination in people. The City of Leeds Youth Orchestra is a music group in Artforms. Artforms is a music and arts service which belongs to Leeds City Council. It helps children achieve their musical goals as well as having fun with their friends.

Next, it’s Louie and Zara.

This week, we’re interviewing Archie in in Y5. We will be interviewing him about a recent trip the Y5s went on. We went to watch Beauty and the Beast at John Smeaton Academy last Monday.

Why did you enjoy the play?

I enjoyed the play because I loved to see the play come to life and it was done by the students in the school.

Who was your favourite character?

The Beast – he did very well to remember his lines.

What was your favourite song?

My favourite was ‘Be our Guest!’

All of year 5 enjoyed the performance. We all thought it was very impressive as it was done by the students. Overall, it was a great experience with smiles everywhere.

I guess that’s all from us.

See you next week!

Hi again

This is Jimmy, Louie and Zara with a brilliant news report for you to enjoy. We have been interested by the other jobs going on around the school. There are many, including community ambassadors who help to clean the community and lunch time play leaders who show children in Key Stage 1 how to play nicely, be polite and suggest games for them to play. There are also some others like lunch hall monitors and our school librarians.

We interviewed Elliot in Year 6 to find out about his job being a community ambassador.

What do you like about being a community ambassador?

I get to help the community which means there is less litter and more wildlife in, and around, Scholes.

What is your favourite part?

My favourite part is being with my friends and helping the world one piece of rubbish at a time.

Why did you choose to be a community ambassador over the other jobs?

I am energetic and this job lets me go outside and be active whereas other jobs only let you stay inside.

How much litter do you pick on average every time you work?

We usually collect around one and a half bags or rubbish.

We also interviewed Sienna, a lunch time play leader in Year 5 to find out more.

Why did you choose to be a lunch time play leader?

I like to help younger children and I want to help KS1 have less fallouts and accidents.

What is your favourite part of the job?

Helping children play nicely and finding them friends to play with.

How do you feel when you see children playing nicely?

It makes me happy because I have contributed to this along with the other leaders.

Why do you think your job is the best job? (No offence, but our job is the best job!)

I help people and play with them.

Well, I guess that’s all, folks – see you next week!

Hi all

This is Louie, Jimmy and Zara with an exciting report for you to enjoy. We have been excited by World Book Day, an annual event where people can share their love of reading to the world. This occurs on the 7th March. At school, everyone including teachers are allowed to bring in their favourite book to enjoy and share with the rest of the class. Additionally, people can choose to dress up as a character from their favourite books. This is a great celebration!

We asked some children in Key Stage 1 about what their favourite books are and who they are hoping to dress up as for World Book Day.

Clara, in Y2, said her favourite book is Little Red Riding Hood and she hopes to dree up as The Big Bad Wolf. Mila, in Y1, has a favourite book of The Faraway Tree. She is hoping to dress up as Bunny from the book. Ella and Georgie in Y1 and Y2 both said the same thing. Harry Potter is their favourite book and both hope to dress up as Hermione. Dawson and Rupert in Reception both have a favourite book of The Gruffalo.

We decided to think what our favourite books are. We had a lot to choose from and it was a tough choice. Zara decided on Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Louie said Tom Gates because he like the characters and the illustrations. Jimmy likes Harry Potter as it’s very interesting and action-packed.

That’s all from us! Ready, set, READ!

Hello there!

This is Louie, Jimmy and Zara with another school news report. Today, we will be looking at what our school is like in general. We are a happy and healthy school and there is lots to offer learning-wise and in entertainment; we are very proud of the curriculum in all subjects and we have lots of space outside: two playgrounds, an adventure playground, a field and lots of equipment to keep us happy during breaks. There is a great learning environment and plenty of opportunities to interact with friends and also to make new friends.

The teachers also have great fun working with each other. We interviewed Mr Lindsay (Y5,6 teacher) to find out more about this.

Why is the school a good place to learn?

Because staff make learning fun. They make it interactive and the children are very dedicated. 

What is it like being a teacher?

It’s the best job I could have because every day is different and you see children learning a little bit more about the world all the time. 

Why did you choose to be a teacher?

It’s great to work with children. I don’t like working with adults.

What’s your favourite subject to teach?

Maths – you see progress in children quickly and I like teaching a variety of subjects like there is in maths. 

We’ve had a great half-term to start the year with good maths, writing and history all over the school. In an action-packed half-term, KS1 have learned about Nelson Mandela, Year 3,4 have done a topic about the Romans and Year 5,6 have learned about the Vikings.

We’ve also had a superb addition to the school with the exciting new adventure playground.

We hope you keep coming back for more exciting news updates!

Have a great week!