Living and learning : I know what a safe drug is
Today in our Living and Learning lesson, we discussed what drugs are used for, when we should take them, who can provide them and how to safely store them.
We each shared stories about a time where we have been poorly and what types of medicine helped us to get better. We then acted out a number of scenarios to show our understanding of illness, what to do when poorly, who to tell and who to trust to give us medicine. We also learnt that we should only ever have medicine when we are poorly and never take somebody else’s medicine.
One child said ‘My Mummy keeps all of the medicine in a cupboard that I can’t reach. It keeps me safe.’
3,4B: Our New Class Novel!
Happy New Year everyone and welcome back.
We’ve had a super first week so far in 3,4B and we can’t wait for the rest of the year.
Our new class novel is ‘The Firework Maker’s Daughter‘. We’ll be reading this every day in class and enjoying hearing about Lila’s awesome adventure as she attempts to find the final secret in her quest to become a real firework maker.
Help at home by…
- asking your child what’s happened in the novel recently
- asking your child what they are enjoying about the book (note that this is a subtly different question to ‘Are you enjoying the book?’ where ‘No’ would be a perfectly suitable, but not that useful, answer).
- asking you child to summarise what’s happened in the book so far
Enjoying a class novel is one aspect of our reading diet in school. We know how important reading is for academic and life success so we place a huge emphasis on it. That’s why we expect you to be reading regularly at home with your child: it’s crucial!
If you’re having problems getting your child to read at home, please let us know and we’ll do our best to help.
Here’s to a great (reading-full) 2023!
Living and learning: I know what a drug is.
As part of our ‘Being safe’ theme, we have been discussing what a drug is, including alcohol. The children were encouraged to think about how they would manage risk and deal with influences and pressure. We talked about why people might choose to use drugs, smoke or drink alcohol. What would they say if they were placed in a scenario where they were offered any of these drugs? When discussing how to manage such scenarios, some strategies they could apply included being passive and not actively joining in. Other options included being more willing to confront people about what they were doing.
Help at home: ask your child if they know where to get help if they’re worried about drugs or being safe. They could talk to a trusted adult. Do they know who their trusted adults are? They could also contact Childline on 0800 1111 or even contact the police using 111.
Welcome Back!
Hopefully both parents and children feel rested and ready to start a new year. What a half term we have coming up.
Our main topic focus will be geography this half term. As geographers we will be exploring the environment and natural disaters. In this topic, we’ll look at the effects of global warming and discuss the use of fossil fuels and renewable energy. We’ll be using digital resources to look at how erosion has taken place over the last 100 years and how sea defences, such as groynes, help to minimise the effects.
In science we’ll be venturing further afield (not literally) into space as we explore the relationship between the Earth, Sun and Moon. We’ll resreach how opinions about space have changed over the years.
Our Living and Learning theme this half term is being safe. In the next two weeks, we’ll be discussing some influences associated with drugs and alcohol.
At home, continue to discuss our topics and perhaps carry out some reaseach for yourself. Keep an eye out for our moon study homework in the next few days.
School applications- September 2023
Have you applied for your child’s school place yet for September 2023?
Children born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019 are due to start primary school in September 2023.
You must apply on-line for your child’s primary school place. Applications must be submitted before 15 January 2023.
If you haven’t received an e-mail about applying for a place, you must contact Leeds City Council .
Leeds City Council recommend choosing five schools to give your child the best chance of getting a place at a school you prefer. Children that attend Scholes (Elmet) Primary School Nursery are NOT guaranteed a place in Reception.
Please visit the Leeds.gov.uk website for more information.
Happy Christmas Everyone!
The whole of 3,4 had a ball at our Christmas party! We’re sure that you’ve heard all about it by now. There was such an atmosphere of fun! 3,4 have got some serious dance moves and singing voices.
Well done to all children in 3,4, they have worked their socks off this term and we are proud of their efforts! We’d like to wish you all a safe and Happy Christmas!
Just a few photos of everyone (to give you a sense of the fun) and the after party for 3,4 B.
See you in the New Year.
The Christmas Countdown!
We’ve had a week full of festive fun!
The Christmas story
We’ve been learning the story of the first Christmas- The Nativity. We learnt that this is why Christians celebrate Christmas. The children independently wrote what they could see, in a scene from the story.
Christmas Dinner
Reception had a yummy Christmas dinner. They had fun exploring the Christmas inflatables, organised by Mrs Pennock.
Maths- Professor Myers and the candy cane experiment!
Professor Myers introduced our maths focus this week, with the candy cane experiment! We investigated the strength of a candy cane by hanging different objects from it.
We’ve also been exploring the language we use to describe weight; heavy, light, heavier, lighter, heaviest, lightest. We compared objects using balance scales.
Some children decided to compare their weight using the balance boards outside!
Christmas around the world
We’ve been exploring the different ways that people celebrate Christmas across the world. We looked at the difference between Santa in the UK and Santa in Australia.
We made Chinese paper lanterns for decorations.
We heard about the good witch, La Befana, who brings presents to children in Italy.
We made observational drawings of Poinsettia- a popular Christmas plant here, in Mexico and in India.
We went hunting for the lucky almond (in picture form). In Denmark, it’s a Christmas tradition to hide an almond in pudding. The finder has good luck for the year!
We added drawings of presents and sweets to a picture of shoes. In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas leaves gifts in children’s shoes. Our shoes were magic and turned into real treats at play time!
We discussed similarities and differences with our own Christmas traditions:
“I decorate with lights on my tree and tinsel in Mummy’s car”- Orlah (Christmas in China)
“We have a witch at Halloween but scary”- Daniel (Christmas in Italy)
“It is hot there. It’s cold and snowy here”- Mollie B (Christmas in Austrailia)
Poetry Picnic
Each week, we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. This week’s poem is Cup of tea.
We talk about how a poem sometimes has rhyming words and sometimes doesn’t. Can your child tell you the rhyming words in this week’s poem? We also talk about how a poem can have a fast rhythm or a slow rhythm. Can your child tell you if this week’s poem is fast or slow?
Here are some children from Sunshine and Rainbow classes, reciting this week’s poem:
Someone special visited our classrooms…
On Wednesday, the children received a special video. Santa had been to visit our classrooms and he’d left us all a present! He even took the time to read us a story on the video. We were so impressed that he came to see our school.
Christmas party day
We’ve had lots of fun today; dancing, playing games and being with our friends.
Thank you to FOSP (The Friends of Scholes (Elmet) Primary) who gifted us an online pantomime to enjoy- Cinderella!
Learning Journey drop-ins
Thank you to parents and carers who joined us for our Learning Journey drop-ins on Monday/Tuesday morning and Thursday after school.
If you were unable to join us this time, we’ll be offering more of these drop- in sessions later in the school year.
Phonics
It was another review week in phonics this week. We’ve been revisiting and consolidating all we have learnt across phase 2. The children have been brilliant in their reading groups and independent writing this week. It is fantastic to see them confidently using all of the skills they have developed this term.
This week we have sent home tricky words. Please practise these as your phonics challenge over the holidays.
A message from the Reception Team
The Reception team would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy spending time with family and friends this festive season. We look forward to welcoming you back on Tuesday 3 January 2023!
Reminders
Swimming/Football
Spring 1 – swimming
Rainbow Class- 4 Jan, 18 Jan, 1 Feb
Sunshine Class- 11 Jan, 25 Jan, 8 Feb
When your child is not swimming, they will be taking part in Foot Tech Football sessions. Please ensure your child comes in PE kit every Wednesday, including suitable trainers.
Mastering Maths
This week in 2C we have been focussing on subtraction in Maths lessons. We have been practicing subtracting a one digit number from a 2 digit number. In order to secure this knowledge, we repeated our subtractions using lots of different methods and resources including 10 frames, number lines, 100 squares and counters. We also looked at related facts. One child said,
‘I know that 10 – 7 = 3, so I know that 20 – 17 = 3.
Help at home by practicing counting backwards from 10, 20 and 100!
Happy Christmas
Have a happy and healthy Christmas and see you all in 2023. Love from the Key Stage 1 Team.
Christmas inflatables
We have had a lovely treat today.
Mrs Pennock and Mrs Jones kindly set up a Christmas grotto in school for the children to enjoy. We walked around admiring the inflatables and listening to Christmas music.
It was magical.
