Year 5 - Online Safety
We continued our exploration of the online world by discussing the popular computer game Roblox. The children’s talked about their experiences and we considered how to stay safe during multiplayer experiences, how best to deal with friend requests alongside the financial elements of robux online payments.
Year 5 - RotaKids
Darwen Rotary Club visited us again to inspire us for our next project in the new year. We talked about how our shoebox collections helped refugees in Darwen and further ideas on how to support our school and international communities. The children were inspired by the principles and ideals of the Rotary Club and are already full of ideas for the future. We also received badges and certificates confirming our role as RotaKids.
Year 5 - Geography
We started our geography unit on mountains by revisiting past knowledge of the topic. The children’s mind maps included names of famous mountains, their height, their climate and where they are found. Then we moved onto defining a mountain as a steep landform 600m above the ground before using atlases to find the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents (the seven summits).
KS2 DPSSA Football League
Tonight, the boys played brilliantly in this week’s DPSSA league fixtures. They showed great teamwork and determination throughout both matches. Although they narrowly lost 2–1 to St Joseph’s, they demonstrated resilience and bounced back with an outstanding 9–0 victory against St Edward’s. It was a fantastic effort from the whole team.
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Year 5 Carbon Monoxide Workshop
On Tuesday, Year 5 had their carbon monoxide workshop. During this workshop, the children watched videos and took part in group/drama activities to help them learn: what carbon monoxide is and that it is known as CO; that you cannot see, smell, hear, taste or touch it; the effects carbon monoxide can have on our bodies and also how we can keep ourselves and our homes safe. The children received and brought home packs containing helpful information regarding CO.
Whole School Worship - The Importance of Trees
This week is National Tree Week and Mrs Ham introduced an exciting new tree-planting project that we will be undertaking as a school. Following on from Switch Off Fortnight, we will continue our Planet Protectors mission by planting trees on our school grounds and, of course, our fantastic children will be involved. To kick start the project, we had a discussion about why trees are amazing. The children gave some very thoughtful answers, such as “they give us oxygen”, “they take harmful carbon dioxide out of the air”, “they provide protection for animals”, “we love playing in the trees”, “we use trees to make things”. Mrs Ham also told us the story, The Man Who Planted Trees. It was about a shepherd who saw the barren land and wanted to improve it, so he started planting trees. He planted over 1000 acorns, and after many years, the landscape was filled with lush, green trees, rivers flowed and a town was built. We learned from this 100-year-old story that one person’s small act can make a huge difference. Just like in the Parable of the Talents, we learned that it’s important for us all to use what we’ve been given to make a positive impact on the world. We can’t wait to use the trees that have been donated to us by the National Trust to make a positive impact on our community.
KS2 Football Practice
Today’s football session focused on the effective use of a target man, emphasising intelligent movement to create space, link play and support attacking transitions. Players worked on timing their runs, offering clear passing options and using body positioning to shield the ball and bring teammates into the game.
Year 5 - Science
We continued our topic on the properties of materials by exploring what hardness means. The children used nails and coins to try to scratch a variety of materials and used their observations to order them from hardest to softest. They general found iron to be the hardest materials to scratch and fabric/sponge to be the softest. The children worked well together in groups using oracy skills to discuss their conclusions.
Year 3- TT Rockstars: The Battle is ON!
This week, we've kicked off the TT Rockstars Battle of the Bands, where our year groups go head-to-head to see who can answer the most correct times tables questions. We are dedicating 15 minutes each day over three days to this tournament during class time. The rivalry is fantastic! Currently, Year 6 is leading the charge on the leaderboard, but Year 3 is incredibly competitive, they are going home and logging extra time on TT Rockstars, determined to practice their way right into the Top Ten!
TT Rockstars Battles
Good evening, To further promote times tables within our school, we have set up a Key Stage 2 battle on TT Rockstars, where the children will compete once a month, for a week, to see who can take the top spot. We encourage all pupils to get involved, both at school and at home, battling it out to improve their times tables skills. Prizes will be awarded to the child with the highest score in each year group and an overall trophy will be given to the winning class. I will update next week with the winners of each year group and the overall winner. The battle will take place once per month and is scheduled for the week commencing the 24th of each month. This month’s battle is now live! Many thanks, Mr Bloomfield
Year 5 - Presentation of Learning
We finished our English topic of narrative poetry by presenting our learning to Year 6. The children told Year 6 all about the Highwayman by Alfred Noyes. They spoke clearly and fluently about the themes of the poem and the techniques the poet used to create a picture in the reader’s mind. They told year 6 about the metaphors, expanded noun phrases and onomatopoeia within the stanzas before performing the poem as a class using physical actions to communicate meaning.
Meet Our Science Ambassadors
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have expanded our Science Ambassadors and now have seven passionate representatives! For the first time ever, the role was open to both KS1 and KS2 students (previously KS2 only). We were overwhelmed by the incredible enthusiasm, receiving a huge number of applications from students explaining their passion and suitability for the role. The selection process was tough, but we have chosen our final seven. These enthusiastic leaders will be crucial in supporting our upcoming science initiatives; specifically, they will play a key role in the planning session with the Science Leader for British Science Week (BSW), where the team will focus on three key areas: determining the Big Idea by aligning the BSW theme with school goals; planning engaging Shows & Activities, including booking external providers, aiding teachers during practical lessons and assisting peers with scientific investigation to foster a culture of curiosity and learning across the school. We are so proud of them and look forward to Grace, Daisy, Jack, Harry, Elijah, Oliver and Minnie shining in their new role!