Captain Tom 100 Challenge
Welcome back after the Easter break.
The brand new Junior Leadership Team are going to be very busy this half term and they’re ready for action! In the next few weeks, classes will be coming up with ideas for who our next school charity will be. The JLT will then make the final decision. Before we even do this though, we’re going to get cracking on some fundraising. Friday 30th April sees a campaign organised by the Captain Tom Foundation. This date marks a year from when Sir Captain Tom began the 100 laps around his garden. To mark this occasion, people are being encouraged to complete a challenge based on the number 100. We are definitely up for this challenge! Each class will be discussing and choosing their challenge. This could be based on a maths challenge, running 100 metres or even writing a 100-word poem. We will be asking for voluntary donations to support the children in their challenges. This money will be ready to be donated to our new charity as soon as it’s selected. Each class will be posting on the website their chosen challenge.
Thank you in advance of your support and good luck with all the challenges.
Science -flowers
Today, our Science learning involved exploring the part that flowers play in pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal.
We watched a wonderful video by artist Katy Scott of how flowers make new flowers. There were no words which made it all the more special.
The main points were:
- The bees visit the flowers to gather nectar and pollen which they need for food. Some of the pollen gets moved from flower to flower.
- Once the pollen has moved down the stigma into the ovary, the flower has been pollinated. Seed formation begins in the ovary.
We made the different parts from paper and put the structure together in groups.
Here are some pictures from the session.
The New Junior Leadership Team
I am pleased to announce that we have a new Junior Leadership Team. A massive thank you to everyone who wrote a speech, had the confidence to speak in front of their classmates and thought of creative ways to improve our school.
There was a flurry of activity this morning as all classes visited the hall to cast their votes. It was very tense!
Our new JLT is…
1/2 C – Michael and Nyla
1/2 K- Caleb and Hermione
1/2 V – Ava and Lorien
3/4 N – Aurora and Freya
3/4 O – Rowan and Jessica
3/4 E – Sam and Elisa
5/6 S – Paige and William W
5/6 M – Seth and Joseph
5/6 B – Nathan and Zoe
I can’t wait to meet with the new team after the Easter holiday and get started!
3,4O: certificates
Well done to all our certificate winners this week…
3,4NV class post
What another great week 3,4NV!
Today, we were really lucky to have a visit from Junior Jam so we could learn to play the Steel Pans and create some carnival music.
We all tried to learn the tune to ‘Under the Sea’ and some of us had the chance to perform this at the end of the session! We had great fun.
We have also continued to create the final versions of our carnival outfit designs. Have a look at this design.
Our certificate winners for the week are:
For great learning…
Zac – for excellent answers in reading.
For living and learning skills…
Leila – for always being ready to learn and for contributing ideas to class discussion.
For Sport and physical activity
Aurora – for fantastic tennis skills in PE.
Our TT Rockstar this week is Harry E!
Well done to everyone!
Mrs Wadsworth, Mr Gledhill and Mrs Richardson
Living and Learning: I understand that rights come with responsibilities
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Our local history topic is really making us think; think about British history, think about the primary resources we have and the information it gives us; think about how people were treated in the 1600s, and making us think about the effect on our lives today.
We’ve been learning about The Atlantic Slave Trade during the 1600s and how enslaved people were brought across from Africa to the West Indies, by boat, to work on plantations there. The British were the most active trading nation during these times.
We learnt about the horrific journey that people took, with only 5ft by 1ft of space for a child. This was easier to understand when we measured the space out on the floor to ‘feel’ how craped the conditions were. Unbelievably, boys were chained to this space for a minimum of 6 weeks whilst aboard the ship. We sadly learned that not all people made it and died on the journey because of the unsanitary conditions.
Here are some photos of the ship.
3,4NV class news
What another fabulous week of learning!
Over the last couple of weeks, we have been learning all about the Leeds West Indian Carnival. This week, we have started to design our own carnival costumes. Have a look at our sketches.
Our flowers are growing nicely.
Congratulations to our certificate winners for this week:
For Living and Learning
- Well done Harry B. You are always so polite and cheerful. Well done for excellent manners.
For Sport and Physical activity
- All of 3,4NV for excellent, creative ideas in PE.
For Great Learning
- Grace – well done for taking the time to make sure your sentences make sense and that you have included the Must Dos.
Enjoy the weekend everyone.
Mrs Wadsworth, Miss McAleer and Mrs Richardson
Help at home: reading
Reading is super important. In fact, we think it’s one of the most important things you can do to support your child at home.
Some studies have found that children who read regularly are more likely to be happy in adulthood, more likely to earn more money and more likely to do well in all school subjects.
Whilst we understand life is busy, we’d love it if you could read with your child every day (ideally for about 20 minutes but anything is better than not reading at all).
This article has a handy reading for parents guide if you’d like any more information or tips.
Our Reading Activities leaflet will provide lots of activities to make reading an even more enjoyable and active experience for all. Check out the ‘Help Your Child‘ section of our website for a range of guides and tips for helping your child across a range of subjects.
Some common questions about reading:
When should my child have their reading book and reading diary in school?
If your child is in 3,4O or 3,4N they should have their reading book and reading diary in school every Friday. If your child is in 3,4E they should have their reading book and reading diary in school every Monday.
Now my child is in Year 3 or 4, should I still sign their reading diary?
Yes. We’d love it if you could sign their reading diary and leave a comment at least once a week. We think it’s a really important link between school and home.
My child can read fluently. Should they still read aloud to me?
Ideally, yes. They can spend time reading on their own, too – we encourage this. However, it’s really important that children still practise the skill of reading aloud. It helps improve their confidence and improves their ability to read with expression. Being read to is really important, too – so don’t underestimate the power of a bedtime story!
The book my child has brought home is too easy / hard. What should I do?
This will rarely happen but if you do think your child’s book isn’t the right level please get in touch with their class teacher (our email addresses are at the bottom of this post).
If you have any other questions, comments or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your child’s class teacher. While we don’t encourage you to do this on the playground (to reduce numbers and enhance social distancing), we encourage you to email us instead.
3,4O – olliecatherall@spherefederation.org
3,4E – emmamccormick@spherefederation.org
3,4N – nicolawadsworth@spherefederation.org
Design and Technology
As our Leeds West Indian Carnival topic continues, we are learning more about costume designs and the designers who made them .
Arthur France and Hughbon Condor have designed many winning carnival Queen costumes. Hughbon Condor is actually an engineer and has always enjoyed bringing his ideas to life.
So, we had a go at the design process by researching a theme, sketching ideas and asking our troupe about our ideas.
Here are some…
