Doves - The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly

Date: 7th Oct 2020 @ 7:53am

KS2 Assembly: 

This morning, we watched 'The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly 2020". 

This is a special film by The Diana Ward which aims to tackle the issue of bullying 

During this assembly we learnt about:

- The different types of bullying that may occur

- We listened to stories from other children who were bullied, their experiences and how they felt.

- We learnt and understood the term 'bystander', 

- We learnt about a support network and identified our own: 

Abigail - Mum, Dad, friends, teacher and head-teacher. 

Aoife- Parents, friends, brother. 

Brandon - Childline, parents, friends, teacher

Oliver - Parents, teacher, head-teacher, brother and trusted friends. 

Doves - Editing our ghost stories

Date: 7th Oct 2020 @ 7:45am

Writing:

Today, we worked in partners to edit and improve our ghost stories. 

We worked collaboratively and socially to reflect on our writing, identifying strengths and looking for ways in which we could continue to develop this.

During editing we focused on: spellings, punctuation and including simple sentences. 

We can't wait to share the final results with you! 

Doves - Spelling Shed

Date: 2nd Oct 2020 @ 3:45pm

In Writing, we continued to practise our spelling rules of the week 'cial'. 

We did this by trialling out the website Spelling Shed, playing the different games to help us secure our understanding of the spellings. 

Doves - Dichotomous Key

Date: 2nd Oct 2020 @ 3:38pm

In Doves Class today, we had fun developing our own dichotomous keys today.

They practised question types with a game of guess who before working hard in groups to classify a variety of different sweets and chocolates. 

Doves - Science SMSC Question

Date: 29th Sep 2020 @ 5:20pm

This morning, we discussed the question "Is it right to test human medicine and human cosmetics on animals?". 

We discussed how this question contributes to our Moral Development - this helps us to understand the difference between good and bad, right and wrong. 

Through this discussion, we respectfully agreed and disagreed with each other ensuring to consider the viewpoints of others before writing down our view on the question. 

Here are some of our responses: 

- In my opinion, I think it is not right to test human medicine and cosmetics on animals because humans have a choise but animals do not, they can not talk to say yes or no. 

- In my opinion, I think it is not right to test human medicine and cosmetics on animals because if something happens to the animal they may become extinct quicker than the human race.

-  I think it irresponsible to test human medicine and cosmetics on animals because it could badly hurt/injure or kill them. 

Doves - Star of the Week

Date: 25th Sep 2020 @ 3:59pm

Well done to the Star of the Week this week!

You are an absolute pleasure to have in the classroom. She always demonstrates a growth mindset in all her lessons, contributing to class discussions and always giving things a go. She has impeccable manenrs and loves to help out around the classroom. 

Keep it up! 

Year 5 - School Council Elections

Date: 25th Sep 2020 @ 3:57pm

Well done to the Year 5 children who took part in the School Council Elections this morning. 

We gathered in the hall to listen to a range of speeches about why they would be a good school councillor and what they would do in that role. 

We then voted democratically using the ballot slips. 

Our newly elected councillors will find out who they are in the Whole School Assembly on Monday :)

Big Question - How does Peace unite different cultures, races and religions?

Date: 24th Sep 2020 @ 9:15am

To continue promoting out Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development this week in Big Question we answered the question "How does Peace unite different cultures, races and religions?". As a class, we collated a range of ideas about what peace looks like and what it means to us. 

This helped us to understand the British Values as we discussed the importantance of Equality and Individual Liberty, having the right to express views and opinions. 
 

Doves Star of the Week!

Date: 18th Sep 2020 @ 2:54pm

Well done to our first star of the week in Dove Class. 
 

Since our first day back, you have shown a positive attitude towards all aspects of school life including the changes. You are so enthusiastic and contribute to all lessons, demonstrating a clear understanding and have shown dedication and maturity. 
 

I am super proud! Keep it up!

Writing - Ghost Stories

Date: 18th Sep 2020 @ 8:20am

We started our new writing unit this week - Ghost stories!!

We spent this week reading, watching and listening to different ghost stories: Alma, Francis and The Doll. Before we worked in pairs to reorder the story. 

We also analysed ghost stories to understand the key features needed. 

Big Question - Is Democracy fair?

Date: 18th Sep 2020 @ 8:10am

This week in Big Question we discussed the question "Is Democracy Fair?"

We recapped what democracy is and how it works in our country, primarily through the use of voting. We understand and learnt about who can vote and ensuring you cast a vote which can be counted. 

To mimic this, we held a class vote deciding on what we should do at the end of the day: 

- Watch Newsround

- Read our class novel

- Independent Reading 

- The votes were cast and counted and the majority (Newsround) won! 

We then discussed whether this was fair. 

Some children believed it was fair as the majority wins. They also believed it was fair as everyone has the opportunity to vote and express their views. 

However, children believed it was not fair, as sometimes decisions which can impact children are made by parents and not by the people who it impact e.g. children. However, we did discuss the reason for this being that Children may not be mature enough to understand the impact of their decisions. 

What is SMSC?

Date: 10th Sep 2020 @ 3:21pm

This afternoon in Doves, we looked at understanding what SMSC is and how it is promoted and incorporated at The Gates. 

We learnt that SMSC is an abbreviation for Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural. 

We then looked at definitions for each of these: 

Social - This involves the growth of a child's ability and their development of interpersonal skills. 

Moral- This involves understanding the distinction between good and bad, right and wrong and the opportunity to express their own views. 

Spiritual- This involves the growth of children's sense of self, their unique potential, strengths and areas for development. 

Cultural- This involves understanding the cultural diversity in Britain and the wider world and how this influences individuals and society. 

Using this information, we then discussed what activities/events we do in school which promotes these values. 

We used this to create some pointers for our display:

A super first week!

Date: 10th Sep 2020 @ 10:19am

We've had a wonderful start back to the school year in Doves Class and we've been so excited to be all back together!

We have spent this week getting to know each other and share some interesting facts! We have created a 'Figure Me Out' sheet in Maths, using calculations of addition, subtraction and division to share out information. 

In our Writing, we completed some work about ourselves!

Doves - New Class Blog - 17.07.20

Date: 17th Jul 2020 @ 8:06am

Good morning Doves, 

I can't quite believe this is the last transition blog! I have loved getting to know you all through these last two weeks, through your amazing work and through the zoom calls!

I hope that you all have a lovely summer, full of fun activities, laughter and memories! I can't wait to hear all about it in September, when we're finally all reunited. 

Todays Task: 

Interest/Passion Project

Today, you are continuing with your interest/passion project. Remember to do this based on something you are passionate about or extremely interested. This could be a hobby, a person, a place, animal etc. I want you to do as much research about it as possible and present it to me in a way that can best teach me about your chosen subject. 

Here is an example from someone who did a project on China.

I can't wait to see the end results!

Have a lovely day, 

Miss Fairhurst :) 

Doves - New Class Blog - 16.07.20

Date: 16th Jul 2020 @ 7:36am

Good morning Doves, 

Throwback Thursday  - Guess Who!

Today is Thursday which means there will be another 'Throwback Thursday - Guess Who' posted to the Whole School blog page (School Website > School blogs > School Blog). 

Make sure you have a look and cast your guess as to who you think the little person grew up to be! I can't wait to see your responses.

Your Work: 

It has been a pleasure to see all of your transition work so far! You are so motivated and hard working and I am super impressed. Well done!!

Todays Tasks: 

Interest/Passion Project

For the next two days, I would like you to create a project on something you are passionate about or extremely interested. This could be a hobby, a person, a place, animal etc. I want you to do as much research about it as possible and present it to me in a way that can best teach me about your chosen subject. 

Here is an example from someone who did a project on China.

I love travelling, music, walking and trying new food. But if I were to choose I would do a project on travelling and different holidays I had been too! 

Have a lovely day, 

Miss Fairhurst :) 

Doves - New Class Blog - 15.07.20

Date: 15th Jul 2020 @ 7:48am

Good morning everyone, 

We're already on Wednesday! Can you believe it? Our transition days are flying by. 

Once again, I loved seeing all of your work from yesterday! Your houses were impressive and I could see you put a lot of thought into them (even picking the colour schemes!). I have attached some photos to share the work of your classmates so you can see what their houses looked like too! 

Myself, Mrs Pal and Mrs McMenemy loved our Zoom chats with you this week and learning more about you. Thank you to those who joined, it was lovely to see you all. 

Last message, WELL DONE! Mr Horsley posted the results of the sports week and Doves came 2nd! You worked so hard last week and completed so many activities. You should be so proud of yourself, I know I am! 

Todays Task: 

Today's task is about  aspirations. 

I would like you to create me a piece of work in your own format about:

- What you would like to be when you are older?

- Why you would like to do this?

- How are you going to achive this. Think about what subjects you will need to excel in at school and if you will need to go to University? Will you need to do an apprenticeship? etc.

This website could help you.

https://www.firstcareers.co.uk/

Remember that you might not know what you want to do right now and that is ok. You might also change your mind in the future. I always wanted to be a teacher because my Grandad was an excellent teacher, but I also considered joining the Navy, being an engineer amongst a lot of other things.

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Miss Fairhurst

SPORTS WEEK RESULTS........

Date: 14th Jul 2020 @ 9:48am

I have counted up the overall scores for this years Home Olympics. The results were very close, so many of you took part and there were some amazing scores from pupils and parents across the school. The overall winners have been decided on the class which had the highest participation from its pupils. 

This years winners are....

Well done to Mr Simpson and his new Eagles class!

Some indiviudal winners include -

Well done to everyone who took part - you all posted excellent scores and it is important to take into consideration to range of ages across school. Use it as motivation to train and try even harder for next time. If you are somebody who feels disappointed when you do not win, remember that it is OK to feel this way. What is important is how you react to this. You should always show dignity in defeat, congratulate the winner or winners and use your disappointment to motivate you next time. Every single professional athlete will have experienced defeat at some point in their life, especially in their younger years, and if you ask many of them they will tell you how much losing can help motivate them to succeed in the future.

Long Jump - 

Oscar Mc (Eagles) - 1.65m

Washing Basket Challenge - 

Casey D (Owls) - 17

Star Jump Challenge

Neve F (Kingfishers) - 104

Burpees 

Chloe P (Kingfishers)

Parent Champions!

A special well done to Mr Winstanley and Mrs Prescott for your excellent scores! You are this years Parent Champions!

Thankyou to everyone who took part. I am looking forward to next years already.

Mr Horsley

Doves - New Class Blog - 14.07.20

Date: 14th Jul 2020 @ 7:58am

Good morning Doves!

I loved reading all your book reviews yesterday, it was great to see how much you all love reading and the range of books we enjoy reading!

Zoom Calls: 

Myself, Mrs Pal and Mrs McMenemy loved seeing all of your faces yesterday and talking to you! It was great to learn so much about you and see how well you're doing at home and all the exciting things you have been up to! 

We're super excited to speak to the rest of the class today! 

Remember: 

- Come prepared with 2 truths and 1 lie about yourself (I have mine ready to share). 

- Bring 1 piece of transition work you have completed, if possible

- Make sure to change your display name to your name (the child's) so I know who is entering the meeting 

Todays Task: 

I saw that Year 3/4 had done this task eysterday and the results looked amazing therefore I thought I would magpie it for you to try today. 

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Build, draw or paint your dream house. Perhaps it’s a castle or a tree house. Maybe it is as tall as the sky and has a slide for you to reach the bottom. Write 5 sentences about your house to tell us more about it. Talk about the colour, the rooms, the height, the size …. anything you like! Don’t forget to blog them when you have finished.

'

For me, I would definitely have to have lots of green house plants, big kitchen! a swimming pool too! 

Here are some examles from Y3/4

Have a lovely day everyone!

Miss Fairhurst

Doves - New Class Blog - 13.07.20

Date: 13th Jul 2020 @ 8:20am

Good morning Doves! 

I can't believe it's been a week already since our first transition activities! I have really enjoyed getting to know you all and I have some more exciting tasks for you this week!

Zoom Calls: 

Today is also the start of our Zoom meetings, I am so excited to see you all face to face and have a chat with you all! 

Remember: 

- Come prepared with 2 truths and 1 lie about yourself (I have mine ready to share). 

- Bring 1 piece of transition work you have completed, if possible

- Make sure to change your display name to your name (the child's) so I know who is entering the meeting 

Todays Task: 

Today I would like you to complete a book review about your favourite book from Friday. You can use the Amazon website to help you out!

I have attached a template below to use and also an example of what it might look like :) 

Have a lovely day,

Miss Fairhurst 

HEALTH AND FITNESS WEEK DAY 5

Date: 10th Jul 2020 @ 8:40am

Today will be our last day of the Virtual Health and Fitness Week - in my opinion it's the best one yet. I would like to start by thanking all of you who participated and challenged yourself this week. I have honestly been blown away by how many people participated this week and I hope that you have all had fun. Hopefully, some of you may have taken something from this week that has inspired you to try and make every week a Health and Fitness week in the future! 

Activities for today

1) Let's get warmed up with a 5 minute workout from Joe.

If you are feeling an extra challenge - you could try one of his full workouts on the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5DlVnxLjk

2) Activity Bingo - today is your last day to finish the activity bingo - can you get gold?

3) Balloon Tennis - 

Challenge someone in your house to a game of balloon tennis! I used two chairs and tied a piece of string to make a net. If not, a piece of string, ribbon, scrunched up t-shirt etc. would do the job! Try not to let the balloon land on your side of the 'net'!

Extra challenge - tie an old rag or dishcloth into a knot and use that as a slightly heavier 'ball'. You could use an even heavier pair of socks for an even harder challenge!

Water Bucket Shuttle Run

I saw this idea on Twitter and thought this would be great fun. Get two buckets, one empty and one full. Place them at opposite ends of the your garden. See how much water can you transport to the other in 5 minutes. Measure the water you have transported at the end and let me know how you got on - I am going to give this a go tomorrow! (A bit of Maths involved in there for you too Mr Simpson!)

@PEStJamesNN5 PE challenge with wather and sponge made Wiktor very tired and excited;););) Enjoyed so much !!! pic.twitter.com/l6Sg1Tiiqo

— joanna (@joasia8522) April 27, 2020

Home Olympics - Final Event

In my opinion - the hardest yet! They may look simple but this is a very tiring activity which will test your core stregth and stamina. This is a core activity that many professional athletes do daily to help keep them super fit and healthy.

The task is to see how many you can do in one minute.

Have a rest in between and try this 3-5 times to see how high you can get your score!

There will be a survey sent out on School Spider later today to submit your final scores for the week. Then we can see which class has won this years Home Olympics!

Have a great day everyone. I hope you enjoy the activities planned. Send in your pictures and videos for me to check out and repost.

Mr Horsley

Here's a video I found which might brighten up your morning...

Doves - New Class Blog - 10.7.20

Date: 10th Jul 2020 @ 8:22am

Good morning everyone! 

I can't believe that we are already at the end of our first week of transition activities, it has flown by! I have been so impressed by all of the work this week, I have learnt so much about you all! I received so many pieces of work yesterday, I have attached them all to this blog post for you all to see, it is great to see you're excited about lots of different aspects of Year 5! 

Next week, I am looking forward to seeing you all on our Zoom calls! Remember to come prepared with 2 truths and 1 lie about yourself (I will have mine ready for you to guess at too!) and bring 1 piece of your transition work from this week! 

Today's task - 

What is your favourite book?  Do you have a book that you could recommend to another one of your friends in our new class?

Your task is to draw a picture of the cover of your favourite book and give it a bit of colour. Leave a short review to let me know why you enjoyed it so much. 

“This is my favourite book and as a child, I would love to read about Amelia Jane and all of the adventures she would go on! She was a very mischievous little girl!”

I have attached for you a book design template which can be printed or copied for use of todays task. 

Health and Fitness Week:

Health and Fitness week is coming to an end so let's put in extra effort before the weekend. A survey will be sent out today for you to submit your final scores for the Home Olympics. Make sure you read the Health and Fitness blog post I will post later to see what challenges I have set you for the day.

Have a lovely day and a great weekend! 

Miss Fairhurst :) 

HEALTH AND FITNESS WEEK - DAY 5

Date: 9th Jul 2020 @ 6:51pm

Today will be our last day of the Virtual Health and Fitness Week - in my opinion it's the best one yet. I would like to start by thanking all of you who participated and challenged yourself this week. I have honestly been blown away by how many people participated this week and I hope that you have all had fun. Hopefully, some of you may have taken something from this week that has inspired you to try and make every week a Health and Fitness week in the future! 

Activities for today

1) Let's get warmed up with a 5 minute workout from Joe.

If you are feeling an extra challenge - you could try one of his full workouts on the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5DlVnxLjk

2) Activity Bingo - today is your last day to finish the activity bingo - can you get gold?

3) Balloon Tennis - 

Challenge someone in your house to a game of balloon tennis! I used two chairs and tied a piece of string to make a net. If not, a piece of string, ribbon, scrunched up t-shirt etc. would do the job! Try not to let the balloon land on your side of the 'net'!

Extra challenge - tie an old rag or dishcloth into a knot and use that as a slightly heavier 'ball'. You could use an even heavier pair of socks for an even harder challenge!

Water Bucket Shuttle Run

I saw this idea on Twitter and thought this would be great fun. Get two buckets, one empty and one full. Place them at opposite ends of the your garden. See how much water can you transport to the other in 5 minutes. Measure the water you have transported at the end and let me know how you got on - I am going to give this a go tomorrow! (A bit of Maths involved in there for you too Mr Simpson!)

@PEStJamesNN5 PE challenge with wather and sponge made Wiktor very tired and excited;););) Enjoyed so much !!! pic.twitter.com/l6Sg1Tiiqo

— joanna (@joasia8522) April 27, 2020

Home Olympics - Final Event

In my opinion - the hardest yet! They may look simple but this is a very tiring activity which will test your core stregth and stamina. This is a core activity that many professional athletes do daily to help keep them super fit and healthy.

The task is to see how many you can do in one minute.

Have a rest in between and try this 3-5 times to see how high you can get your score!

There will be a survey sent out on School Spider later today to submit your final scores for the week. Then we can see which class has won this years Home Olympics!

Have a great day everyone. I hope you enjoy the activities planned. Send in your pictures and videos for me to check out and repost.

Mr Horsley

Guess Who - The Reveal!

Date: 9th Jul 2020 @ 3:52pm

Hi everyone, 

Thanks to those who commented on who they thought the Throwback Thursday picture was. 

The Reveal: 

This little person grew up to be....

Mrs Jarrett

 I will post another Throwback next Thursday so make sure you're ready! 

Miss Fairhurst :) 

HEALTH AND FITNESS WEEK - DAY 4

Date: 9th Jul 2020 @ 8:41am

Good morning everyone!

I absolutely loved seeing your Yoga pictures yesterday. There were some amazing efforts across school and at home in the Washing Basket Challenge - it is safe to say that I did not win with my wonderful score of 4. Congratulations to Miss Southern who won the teachers competition - she scored 27!

Today's activities

1) Activity Bingo

Remember to try and tick off as many activities as you can! I've seen some great photos of your activities at home so far.

2) Mindfulness Day

Being healthy is not just about looking after your body, it's about looking after your mind. Although exercise is one of the best things you can do to keep a healthy mind, it is also important to be mindful and take time to think about the world around you - something which can be very difficult with the pace of modern life and the lure of technology/screens. 

Here are some activities which can help us to be mindful, maybe you could try one today.

Click here for more details on these activities.

https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/5-fun-mindfulness-activities-children-breathing-exercises

Some other activities: 

1) Yoga is also an excellent activity for both your mind and your bodies. If you enjoyed it yesterday, try this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZpkRAcgws4

2)Meditation is a nice way to relax and relieve anxiety after a busy day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWOHcGF1Tmc

3) Colouring! Spend 15-20 minutes colouring simple patterns. This is a great way to focus your mind on a relaxing task.

4) Turn your phones off and go on a nice walk - what sounds can you hear?

Activity 2 - Horizontal Rock Climbing

Find as many pairs of clean shoes or socks and scatter them across your carpet like grips on a rock climbing wall.

Can you try to get across the carpet by only placing your hands and feet on the shoes/socks? 

You could challenge each in your house by making tricky routes for them to pass through.

For an extra challenge - try and keep your body as low to the floor as possible when moving. Can you try and make a course around your whole house? You could be creative with what you use for grips - phone cases, shin pads, books, coffee cup lids .

Try and make it as long/tricky as possible and send me what you have done!

Home Olympics Challenge - Day 4 - Star Jump Challenge

This challenge is simple as it only includes one movement, however it will test your stamina and quick footwork.

How many can you complete in one minute? Keep a record of your scores to complete tomorrow. 

I will try my attempt this morning and then post the teacher scores later on in the day - keep posted!

Good luck everyone and have a great day!

Mr Horsley

Have a great, active day everyone. Keep sending in your pictures and videos.

Mr Horsley

Doves - New Class Blog - 09.07.20

Date: 8th Jul 2020 @ 9:08pm

Good morning Doves, 

Throwback Thursday  - Guess Who!

Today is Thursday which means there will be another 'Throwback Thursday - Guess Who' posted to the Whole School blog page (School Website > School blogs > School Blog). 

Make sure you have a look and cast your guess as to who you think the little person grew up to be! I can't wait to see your responses.

Your Work: 

It has been a pleasure to see all of your transition work so far! You are so motivated and hard working and I am super impressed. Well done!!

Todays Tasks: 

Activity 1:

For the task today, I would like you all to, Using an outline of a face, draw the aspects of Year 5 that you are looking forward to e.g. clubs, lessons, trips etc. 

Here is an example: 

My bubble of Year 6's did this yesterday, they drew what they were excited about for High School. This is what they did:

I have attached to this blog a document of two head outlines which you can print or copy :) 

Activity 2:

For your second activity, I would love to know if you can speak any other languages! I have set up a discussion feed on Woodpeckers page. 

If you speak another language, please let me know! I would love to show off our amazing talents :) 

Health and Fitness Week: 

Make sure to have a look at Mr Horsley's blog post on the main page to see what your task is for today!

Have a lovely day, 

Miss Fairhurst :)