Harvington C of E First and Nursery School
‘Together we love, learn and grow’
Theme Days
Our curriculum is carefully designed from a precise understanding of our children’s needs. In recognition of the starting points of many of our children, we have designed a curriculum to provide a breadth of exciting, purposeful learning experiences to ensure a rapid development of knowledge, skills, independence and confidence. We follow our school’s Christian values ensuring these are embedded in the life of our school. The aim is for our children to have the skills needed for them to become positive, aspirational and moral citizens with an understanding of global issues and a voice to support understanding and change. As part of our curriculum design the children enjoy different trips and enjoy workshops within school. At the start of each half term all the children also enjoy participating in special theme days. These are days when the children spend the whole day learning about specific subjects and curriculum themes. They have great fun and can delve deeper into these subject areas. Here are some of the theme days, experiences and trips they have enjoyed recently:
Cluster Debate Event
Our KS2 Sunshine ministers and Vision and Values ministers met with Bengeworth and St Richards this week to discuss some ‘big RE questions’!
The children prepared some of their ideas before and then had chance to share their thoughts, ask questions about the other children’s ideas and then finally made a final decision on the answer to the questions.
The first question, ‘Does God exist?’ had mixed responses. Most of the children were against the idea that God exists however some children stuck to their idea that God does exist because ‘nothing else could create the entire world and every detail’.
The second question was ‘Is the Bible truth or fiction?’. This was very mixed with it being a nearly half and half split in responses!
Finally, the children discussed, ‘Should everyone follow the same religion?’. Most children thought that no, they should not because people have a right to make their own choices. However, a few children thought that everyone should follow the same religion as it might help stop wars.
Year 3 have started an art project in collaboration with the Evesham Abbey Trust! When explaining the project to the children they were keen to share their facts about the Battle of Evesham! Year 3 were even more excited to discover that they had a real artist coming to their classroom to help them! They started by designing their own lettering illustrations of names who fought in the battle or of special places in Evesham’s history. Then they traced their designs onto foam and made their own prints! They also worked in groups to create a scene from the battle! These will be put together along with the other schools' designs on a monk’s habit and a battle banner to be displayed in places such as Worcester Cathedral!
Miss Palmer
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World Book Day.
This year we chose an author and dressed up as a book character from one of their books. We then shared some information about the author. The staff joined in too!
DT Day On Friday 4th March it was DT day for the whole school. This year’s focus was puppets and each year group made a different type of puppet before putting on shows to other classes. The children were also lucky enough to have a workshop with ‘Innovation Ben’ where they learnt about construction and got to make their own bridges. Some bridges even held the children’s weight! A huge thank you to the PTFA for funding this day. Written by Mrs Whillock |
Sports Enrichment Day On Wednesday 2nd March, Key Stage One tried their hand at archery during our KS1 Sports Enrichment Day. It was very exciting trying to aim and fire our arrow at the bulls-eye section of the board! Children practised key skills including patience, focus and perseverance and all left with a great sense of achievement. Well done, Key Stage One! Written by Miss Beaver |
Salvation Day On Tuesday 1st March we celebrated Salvation Day. The children learnt all about the Easter story. Each of the classes took part in different activities and explored the Easter story and its meaning. One activity that most classes did was an outdoor Easter activity! They had five stations to explore. Daniel “We saw an arrow and a fireplace and rocks. We had to hold our rock and say a prayer”. Connie “We saw a cross and we had to find twigs to make our own”. Corrin “It was telling us about God and that he forgives if you are naughty”. As part of Salvation Day, each class also learnt that Christians don’t just live in the UK but that they live all around the world! Do you know any countries where Christians live? Written by Mrs Magee |
PSHE Theme Day Our first day back after half-term was spent focusing on how to keep ourselves healthy. The children learnt about how to eat a balanced diet and that exercising is important for good health. Some year groups also discussed what a healthy friendship looks like and what to do when there are friendship issues. Other areas the children learnt about included why medicine is important, how to stay safe in different situations and how social media can affect our body image and health. The children shared thoughtful insights and had some very interesting conversations following on from their learning. Written by Mrs Poole |
If it is a challenge it is a possibility. If it is difficult it is a possibility. If it is hard it is a possibility.
We learned about determination and perseverance from a very special visitor, Bart Gee.
Bart was born with Arthrogryposis (weak muscles and stiff joints), doctors said he would never walk, he may never sit up independently and he was given a very bleak outlook to life.
However he started walking aged three and later was able to take part in many sports and activities including playing the piano and drums. He is now 39 years old and in the last five years has completed a five km swim and three triathlons. He drives an adapted car and is able to lead a normal life.
Bart spoke to the whole school and then led a series of workshops with Key Stage Two. We all watched a video of Bart's achievements: swimming in the open water, cycling and walking as part of a triathlon. We listened to him playing the drums and the piano and we saw him playing snooker and football too. The children learned how to write even though they had restricted movement in their hands and they learned how to stand even though they could not bend their legs or use their arms. They achieved the unachievable and their excitement was clear to everyone. We were all inspired.
A Visit from the 'Animal Lady'
We were very excited to welcome ‘The Animal Lady’ who visited our school to bring a number of very exciting creatures for us to learn about, stroke or hold. We held Little Miss Fluffy the Tarantula, Kellogg the Corn Snake, Patsy the Slow Worm and Thelma the Bearded Dragon. Bill the Leopard Gecko sat on our heads and we loved the softness of Eric the little owl. Mrs Fishbourne’s favourite was Mrs Sniffles the Tenrec and finally we cuddled Esther the Kinkajou who slept through the whole day because we learned she is a nocturnal mammal!
Look at our lovely photographs:
Gospel Day Spring term got off to a busy start with Gospel day on Wednesday 5th January. The children learnt all about the four books of the New Testament which make up the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each class focused on a different school value and learnt about a parable from the Bible which teaches that value. We learnt how important it is to show these values, even when it isn't always easy! Reception class learnt about friendship and made some paper chain people with ideas on them about what makes a good friend. In Year 2 we focused on forgiveness and heard the story of the Lost Son. We then acted out the story. Lots of classes also linked their value to their class inspirational person. |
PSHE Theme Day Our topic for our PSHE day this half term is Dreams and Goals. On our PSHE theme day, the children thought about goals they would like to achieve over the coming term and how they could reach them. They also discussed ways to keep themselves motivated when it feels tough to persevere. The children in KS2 were encouraged to evaluate their efforts and assess how they could change their actions to better achieve their goals. We look forward to finding out how far the children have progressed towards achieving their goals at the end of the term! Written by Mrs Poole |
Sports Enrichment Day 7th January 2022 KS2 took part in our termly Sports Enrichment Day on Friday 7th January. We blew away the Christmas cobwebs by practising yoga and meditation with Steve from Sports Challenge and then in the afternoon took part in a series of mini hockey and netball matches, playing against the other KS2 classes. Everyone showed fantastic team spirit and really showed their developing sporting skills. Year 4 created their own outdoor games for you to try at home this term. Take a look at Sephi and Otto’s below.
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Christmas Festivities! The children (and staff!) enjoyed a whole host of Christmas festivities during the run up to Christmas. We started with our Advent Service on 1st December which was led by Reverend Richard at St James' Church. The PTFA organised a Christmas film night to raise much needed funds for the school. All children enjoyed an outdoor festive learning day and were treated to hot chocolate and biscuits! Our EYFS and KS1 Christmas production 'The Bethlehem Star' was a great success - the children were amazing. Christmas lunch was a huge treat for everyone; Class Catering provided a wonderful lunch. Father Christmas came to visit us and gave all the children a gift and afterwards the children enjoyed playing party games. Our evening of Christmas carols sung by KS2 children was a very special event held outside the church. The panto came to visit us this year and we were treated to a fabulous performance of Aladdin; thanks go to the PTFA for funding this. We ended term with a Christmas jumper day and each class enjoyed watching a Christmas film and eating KitKats, kindly supplied by Tesco.
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We welcomed a very special visitor on Tuesday 16th November .......Pudsey! Pudsey has heard all about the children's fund raising plans, organised by our charity ministers. He was especially impressed by the business enterprise project. Pudsey cannot wait to hear about how fabulous we all look on Friday, when we dress up in our spotty or Pudsey themed outfits.
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Understanding Christianity Theme Day On Tuesday 2nd November the whole school took part in our Understanding Christianity theme day. This time the focus was on People of God and Incarnation. In Reception class they learnt the story of David and Goliath. Year 2 spent some time focusing on their inspirational person (who is also one of the People of God) Moses. Year 3 also learnt about Moses and compared him to their class inspirational person, Harriet Tubman. They learnt that both of them showed the value of perseverance and stood up for what they believed in. Finally, Year 5 learnt about the two versions of the Christmas story and made comparisons between them. |
Early Years and Key Stage 1 Sports Day On Wednesday 3rd November Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 learned Boxercise! This entailed keeping fit through the use of boxing gloves and pads. The children had a great time and said how tiring they found it! Thank you to our very own Mr Marter from Sports Challenge for running such a brilliant session.
During the afternoon the PE Ministers, Jude and George ran a series of multi-skill exercises for the children. This included bean bag target throwing, ball rolling and balancing skills. Jude and George took their Pupil Parliament roles very seriously and gave some excellent coaching to the children. Thank you! |
Interfaith Theme Day Thursday 4th November was Interfaith Day. During this day the whole school took part in learning about other cultures and religions. In Year 5 the children learnt more about our link with Tanzania and found out that the children at Bishop Chitemo are mainly Christians. They discussed the similarities and differences between Christianity in Britain and in Tanzania. Year 3 wrote some letters to the children in Tanzania - they are hoping to become pen pals with them! They also learnt more about the Islamic religion and looked at different recipes. They made some yummy coconut cookies! Finally, in Year 2 the children learnt about the music in Tanzania and created their own drums. They also decided to make some chapattis as this is a food which is eaten at Muslim celebrations and the children are going to be learning about this religion this half term. |
History Day. The children enjoyed a full day learning about why we remember the 5th of November. Some of the children learned the rhyme and how to present it to an audience. They were encouraged to ask questions and the children were very interested to know why Guy Fawkes wanted to behave in such a way. The children also learned about the gunpowder plot and its significance to present times. The children created a chronological timeline from when Guy Fawkes was born in York through to his death in 1605 and especially enjoyed using the computer to create some pictures of Guy Fawkes. Year Two even built the House of Parliament in one morning! |
Year Five's Viking Day! Year Five spent Friday 1st October as Vikings. They had to make their own Viking village by making wattle and daub walls, longhouses, flags for their ships and crusty Viking bread. They learnt all about the different roles each Viking would have in the village and finished the day by cooking their bread over an open fire. |
PSHE Theme Day For our PSHE theme day this term, the topic across the school was Being Me in My World (which we will continue until the October half-term). This involved understanding and settling into new routines, developing friendships with our classmates and how we can support our school community. It has also given the children the opportunity to think about their learning by discussing different learning styles as well as what creates a good learning atmosphere in their classrooms and the wider school. The children have settled remarkably well into their new classes and have made an excellent start to the new academic year. |
Science Theme Day On Wednesday 8th September it was our whole school science day. The children carried out experiments in their classrooms as well as taking part in a mental health workshop. A-Life set up investigations and challenges in the school hall for children in Years 1–5 to complete. The children took part in exercise classes, mindfulness activities as well as an escape room. A huge thank you to the PTFA for supporting with this! |
On Tuesday 7th September it was our Creation and Fall day! All of the children in school learnt about the first two frieze panels which tell the story of the very beginning of the Bible. All of the classes listened to the story of Creation. Some of the children also heard about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden where Eve made a bad choice. The children discussed how our school values impact on our decisions and how we try to make good choices. The classes also completed art work such as the days of Creation on paper plates and story retelling activities. |
| On Thursday 9th September KS2 participated in our termly Sports Enrichment morning. So many exciting sporting events were planned including wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and even some relaxing yoga. Steve from Sports Challenge came in and delivered some fantastic fencing lessons. We learned so much including lots of new vocabulary. We already cannot wait for the next one! |
A WOW MOMENT!! The Nursery children were amazed by what they found in the role play house today (7th September, 2021) when they went inside to play. Wow!! We had two visitors. Mr Hippity and Mr Hoppity, hiding under the kitchen units to stay cool from the hot weather. The children were all fascinated and very excited and the adults had to ask them to stand back so that Mrs Allen could carefully catch them and find a new cool/ calm home up within Forest School.
(In the beginning God created Heavens and the Earth ~ Genesis 1:1)
The children then took a prayer walk and found some more amazing creatures and gave God praise for what they found. We also have been learning a new song: ‘5 Little Speckled Frogs’, and exploring different textures whilst decorating a froggy outline to make our ‘Speckled Frog’ maths display.
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PSHE Theme Day For our PSHE Theme day this term, we started some of our work on the Jigsaw units 'Relationships' and 'Changing Me'. This included lots of discussion about what family, friends and community mean to us as well as how we can contribute positively to them. Some year groups looked at parts of the human life cycle and others learnt about different animal life cycles. We learnt that everything we learn contributes to how we change as we get older; not just the physical changes we experience. The children have been keen to share their thoughts, ideas and concerns in these sessions which has enabled some excellent conversations and learning opportunities. |
Understanding Christianity – Kingdom of God
After half term every class spent some time learning about the Kingdom of God. We heard lots of Bible stories and explored what God's Kingdom is to Christians. Betsy-Bo said, 'the Kingdom of God is a place where you can worship and be with God'. Isabella added, 'it is a place where Christians want to be so they make the right choices to get there'. Ella-Rae shared, 'it is not a physical place it is everywhere but only if you worship God and do not sin'. |
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World Book Day
Here are some of the quotes that the children shared with us on World Book Day
'Cleverness is often just a willingness to work hard.' (Katie, Jaqueline Wilson)
'You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.' (Winnie the Pooh)
'The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.' (Dr Seuss)
'A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.' (Roald Dahl, The Twits)
'You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.' (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll)
'All you do is to look / At a page in this book / Because that's where we always will be. / No book ever ends / When it's full of your friends / The Giraffe and the Pelly and me.' (The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Roald Dahl)
'It is the quality of one's convictions that determines success, not the number of followers.' (Harry Potter, JK Rowling)
'Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light.' (Harry Potter, JK Rowling)
'Working hard is important but there is something that matters even more: believing in yourself.' (Harry Potter, JK Rowling)
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Online Safety In Early Years and Key Stage 1 they read the story of Smartie the Penguin who was learning how to be safe on the internet. They then did some activities around the story such as a Smartie the Penguin tea party.
In Key Stage 2 the children created their own quizzes, posters and power points about how to stay safe online. They also played an online safety game in groups.
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PSHE Theme Day - Healthy Me
This half term, all year groups focused on different ways to keep healthy. We looked at what we need to eat to maintain a healthy diet and different types of exercise that we can have fun taking part in. We also thought about our mental health and how to manage different emotions. Safety is another important part of staying healthy so we discussed how we can keep ourselves safe in different situations.
Written by Mrs Poole
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Music theme day - Thursday 25th February 2021
For our music theme day just after half term each year group explored a different genre linking to their music topic this half term.
Nursery and Reception learnt some new nursery rhymes and created their own instruments to play.
Year 1 enjoyed exploring Latin music, learning how to dance to Latin music and even created their own fans to use when dancing!
Year 2 learnt about reggae music and learnt some super facts about Bob Marley.
Year 3 enjoyed immersing themselves in Chinese culture and music. They learnt about the history of Chinese music including dragon dancing and the traditional Chinese instruments then they even created their own piece of music!
Year 4 looked at gospel/soul music and focused on the songs ‘Ain’t no sunshine’ and ‘Say a little prayer’. They explored the pieces by creating their own artwork for the songs.
Year 5 explored hip hop music and South American music linking to their current theme!
The children at school and at home had the opportunity to explore their genre in a practical way and choose activities from the music menu!
Written by Miss Palmer |
| Salvation Day
At the beginning of this half term the whole school took part in Salvation day. In Nursery the adults and children looked at the story of Jesus. They discussed the different events that led to Jesus’ death and his resurrection, giving the meaning to new life. They created each event to show the cycle through a piece of art and some of the children challenged themselves with writing the event.
Each of the classes took part in different activities too and explored the Easter story and its meaning. Some children were learning at home but it was great to see the activities that they completed too!
Written by Miss Boers
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EYFS & KS1 Sports Day On Wednesday 24th February Key Worker Reception and KS1 children took part in a PE day at school. They played lots of team building games which included playing parachute games, passing balls and assault courses. Reception children spent the day playing lots of games in their outdoor area and played with different sized balls. Year One learned how to play hockey and Year Two made a dome out of a parachute and sat underneath it. It was really good fun. Written by Miss Beaver |
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PSHE Theme Day - January 5th 2021
Our PSHE theme this term is Dreams and Goals. During our theme day, each year group took part in activities that revolved around motivation, challenges and resilience. Many children set themselves a goal or a target to complete over the half term. We also thought about what it is like to work independently, with a partner or as part of a team, and the pros and cons of each. We reminded ourselves about growth mindset and how we can adopt a positive attitude to help us when we are challenged.
Written by Mrs Poole |
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ART DAY At the beginning of this half term all the children took part in Art Day. Some children completed their activities at home whilst others explored them in school. Each year group learnt about a different artist and created their own pieces of artwork in the same style. Each year group used a different media and learnt different skills. In the afternoon each class had one of our school values and completed a piece of art working linking to the value. Written by Miss Kite |
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Gospel Day
During the first week of term the school explored the Gospel part of the Big Frieze. Some children completed their activities at home whilst others explored them in school. We all learnt about different parts of the Gospels which are made up by the books of the Bible by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and thought about the miracles that Jesus performed.
Written by Miss Boers |
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Sports Enrichment Day - Friday 8th January 2021
During the Sports Enrichment Day this half term the children in school took part in hockey sessions. They learned how to hold, use and dribble with a hockey stick as well as learning to score goals. The children then had the opportunity to pretend they were a hockey player who was competing in the Olympics and wrote their diary entry. After watching some real-life hockey matches on the whiteboard, the children drew themselves as a hockey player! Later on in the day, the children put their instruction writing to the test and wrote a set of instructions of how to play their favourite sport. They then got to try each others. It was great fun!
Written by Miss Beaver |
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Nursery support ‘Children in Need’ Day
The children all enjoyed our 'Children in Need' day. There were so many fun things to do from colouring in the dots on Pudsey bandana, making Pudsey headbands, bouncing balloons on the parachute and trying to catch the spots in the water tray. We had a discussion about how lots of children or families around the world can live differently to others and that the Children in Need charity helped to raise money in lots of different ways to help support families around the world. Well done everyone.
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KS2 Business Week November 2020
Children in Years 3, 4 and 5 have been very busy running their own business to raise money for Children in Need. The children designed and created ‘Positivitea’ Packs, which included a hand decorated mug and a few other treats chosen by the children. The Brilliant team work KS2!
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Computing Day 6th November 2020 For our computing day each class used a story book to reinforce online safety messages.
The children spent the rest of the day developing their computing skills including using the beebots, creating graphs on Purple Mash, researching facts on the internet and filming presentations. All of the children impressed us with their amazing knowledge! |
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Remembrance On Remembrance Day (Wednesday 11th November) every class had the chance to watch the video of the Remembrance service that we put together and observed two minutes silence. Reverend Thorniley led the service and every child took part by placing a poppy on the altar table. Year 5 respectfully read the names of the fallen. If you would like to see the clip it is in the Parent Share section of the website. In class, we learnt even more about Remembrance day - why we celebrate it and what people do to celebrate. Each class then created some work which we could display in school. |
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Not forgotten! Nursery children enjoyed making poppies to display in their nursery window. The adult talked about the brave men that lost their lives during the wars so that we have a better life today. Some nursery children took part in a slow remembrance walk to place their poppies on the altar.
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Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night On Thursday 5th November we spent the day learning all about why we celebrate bonfire night! Each class found out all about Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot. We found the story of Guy Fawkes fascinating - especially the punishments he endured! In Year 4 they had a big discussion about the story and found out the who, what, where, when and why's of the story. Reception class did some fantastic firework art work and in Year 2 and Year 3 they wrote some lovely poems and retold the story. Finally, Year 5 also did some poetry and firework art work and then retold the story of Guy Fawkes in their own words. We also discussed whether Guy Fawkes did the right thing and had some very interesting answers! |
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Sports Enrichment On Wednesday 4th November Reception and KS1 participated in a Yoga-themed sports enrichment day. Children learned about different breathing techniques and practised balancing skills. It was really tricky standing on one foot! Corrin from Year 1 said, “That was so much fun!”.
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Understanding Christianity day - People of God/Incarnation On Tuesday 3rd November it was our Understanding Christianity day where we explore different parts of the 'Big Frieze' - the story of the Bible. We spent the day looking at the People of God section and the Incarnation section. As part of our People of God learning in Year 2 the children took part in some Godly play in the hall and created parts of the story using Lego. Year 1 heard the story of David and Goliath and then wrote some fantastic character descriptions. Year 5 watched a video clip of the story of Moses and completed a character comparison of Moses and the Pharaoh. When we were looking at Incarnation, Year 5 compared the Christmas story in the book of Matthew to the story in the book of Luke. We were very surprised to find how many differences there were! |
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PSHE Theme Day For our PSHE theme day this term, our topic across the school was Celebrating Difference. This involved thinking about ourselves as individuals and what makes each of us special and unique, as well as comparing similarities and differences between people. Key Stage 2 classes also thought about how differences can sometimes lead to bullying, and what they should do if this occurs to themselves or someone else. Year 4's significant person this year is Anne Sullivan who taught Helen Keller (who was deaf-blind) to communicate. To try to understand what it must be like for someone who is deaf or blind, the children learnt what it was like to communicate differently by using Braille and sign language. Here is their display:
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Autumn Scarecrows - A Community Event
We asked the children to make scarecrows and then put these outside their homes for everyone to enjoy as they walk around during half term. We hope this is a way of making our community smile! Here are some of the scarecrows:
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Geography Day On the 10th September the whole school took part in a Geography Day. The children were challenged to find out about their inspirational person. Nursery – David Attenborough, Reception- James Braidwood, Year 1- William Hillary, Year 2- Tom Moore, Year 3- Robert Peel, Year 4- Ann Sullivan and Year 5- Chico Mendez.
The children all found out where their inspirational person was born and tried to find the location on a map. Children in Key Stage Two looked into the location in more detail and identified some of the human and physical features,
A range of Geography based activities were enjoyed by all and lots of the work produced has been displayed on our classroom doors so that others can learn all about our inspirational people.
Written by Mrs Brown
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Science Day On Tuesday 8th September it was our whole school science day. The children carried out investigations and experiments to find out about the impact of global warming and what can be done to save our planet. The children used their investigation skills and worked hard to answer questions on what we can do to protect our future. “Global warming is destroying our planet and we must turn lights off and walk to school more to help.” Kara Year 2.
Written by Miss Kite
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Creation and Fall Day On Monday 7th September it was our Creation and Fall day. All of the children reminded themselves of the first two frieze panels and listened to the story of Creation. The children wrote prayers and discussed how our school values impact on our decisions. They also completed art work, drama and story retelling. Year 2 even took part in a 'Godly Play' session. Miss Kite told them the story using the resources and then they had the chance to create anything they liked to do with the Creation story. They loved having the freedom to make their own choices about their learning. Another great RE day! Well done to all.
Written by Miss Boers
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Tanzania On Monday 7th September each class spent some time looking at Tanzania and reminding ourselves of our link with Bishop Chitemo Primary School in Morogoro. Year 2, 3 and 5 completed some art work inspired by Tanzanian artists and animals to update our display. Year 4 are currently working on their pen pal letters replies! We also discussed some ideas for fundraising events which could take place this year. Ideas included bake sales, art galleries and lots more! The children in Tanzania have now returned to school. I have been told they are finding the distancing very tricky as they still have limited desk space. We hope that once the desks we fundraised for arrive this will help them out. We will continue to keep you updated with our link.
Written by Miss Boers
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