Persistent with PE

 

This half term in P.E Year 5 have been persistent with developing their physical (and mental) health with their P.E classes. Lime class has enjoyed visiting the local swimming people and getting to improve their swimming skills and abilities. Meanwhile, Oak and Almond classes have been improving their team work and individual skills to become even better football players. We had initially started our lessons working on our dribbling and the different types of dribbling, eventually improving our control over the ball. 

During our P.E lessons we have used a couple of our 4R's such as resilience - by trying something different for those who were hesitant at first, reciprocity- by taking it in turns and sharing the ball to allow everyone a chance and resourcefulness - when we use our knowledge to choose a strategy to allow a victory.

Lime Class 

"Swimming has been great fun. I have loved learning new skills."Kindah, Lime

Oak Class

"It was great learning football in PE, I scored twice and now I feel more confident when it is break and lunch." -Meerab, Oak

Almond Class

"It was amazing to play football in PE and enjoy it." - Darcie, Almond

Year 5 Go Bonkers

 

This week Year 5 Got to enjoy Go Bonkers. They thoroughly enjoyed getting the time outside; being active; getting their heart rate raised; and stretching their legs. A popular choice was the helicopter and then the slides coming in at a close second. It was amazing to see children use their resilience and reciprocity when needed (especially those who were a little more hesitant at first). 

"I was really nervous at first, but actually... that was amazing!" - Mason, Redwood

"I've had so much fun going on the bouncy castles, especially the same ones they had in Mersea! - Freddie

"that was so much fun! I'm so glad they came today," - Brooke, Maple

World War Two Workshop in Year 5

 World War Two Workshop in Year 5

On Monday, Year 5 took part in a World War Two workshop which focused on the ARP (Air Raid Precautions). They started their day with a talk from Danny (the air raid warden) who told them about the lives of people during WW2, particularly within an air raid. Year 5 listened to air raid sirens and heard the various sounds people would have heard whilst in their shelters. The children demonstrated their resilience during this time and reflected on the lives of those involved in WW2. Danny also told them about the different types of bombs that were used. 

The children then took part in four other activities including: 

• ARP -The children were split into three groups and each had a goal. They were putting out 'fires' using manual pumps, carrying sandbags over to smother bombs and practicing using a hoe and shovel to safely deposit a bomb away from them. The children showed wonderful reciprocity when working together during these tasks. 
• Artefact investigation - Year 5 were able to look at real artefacts from World War 2 including: ration books, toys, gas masks, identity cards and much more. Each group had a series of questions to answer using the artefacts and were extremely resourceful within the session. 
• First Aid Activity -
• Timeline -  As a year group, Danny discussed the timeline of events of World War 2 to give us a better understanding of how it began and who was involved.

'The best part of the workshop was trying to do the first aid. ' Daniel, Willow

‘All the activities were really fun,’ Blake, Maple Class

Greek Theatre in Year 5

 

Pandora's Box

Year 5 enjoyed an ancient Greek workshop this week to finish off their topic all about myths and legends. 

On Monday morning, the children had the opportunity to take part in a Pandora's Box experience that they all thoroughly enjoyed. It was a lovely way to begin our week of learning and a fantastic end to our first topic.

 It was the best workshop ever! - Peter

I enjoyed learning a different version of the myth - Maddison

Dragon Dance Workshop

Dragon Dance Workshop!

Today Redwood and Willow participated in a Dragon Dance Workshop. The children were able to have a go doing a traditional Chinese New Year dance using umbrellas, fans and a large brightly coloured Dragon. We learnt steps to a dance then were able to perform it. This ties perfectly with the work we have been doing in Literacy where we are writing a non- chronological report about a Dragon. 

James from Willow said “I didn’t like it, I loved it”.

Joe from Redwood said “ It was funny”. 

Urban Strides Workshop - 08/07/19

Wow! What a day! Year 6 boogied and wiggled all afternoon in the Urban Strides workshop where their instructor, Andy, taught them some fantastic values. Andy has worked with some top pop stars around the world and decided to treat our year 6's like they were all pop stars!

Year 6 London Symphony Orchestra Trip

We believe in providing opportunities for pupils that widens their experiences.   Year 6 pupils were fortunate enough to be invited to an interactive interpretation of 'The Voyager' by the London Symphony Orchestra at The Barbican Centre in London.

Classical music and musicians may not play a heavy part in an average day for a 10/11 year old, so it was fascinating to see their amazement at the variety of instruments, the intricate conducting and the impressive collaboration the musicians demonstrated. Unfortunately, we were not able to take photos inside as there are strict rules in place at the Barbican.

My favourite instrument was the double bass because it sounded so magical and calming.
Bobby

I had a brilliant day! It has really inspired me to play an instrument. Maybe I should take up the violin!
Ella

We listened to the orchestra and observed how they changed pitch and tempo as well as participated in using hand signals to complement the mood of the music. We also sang 'The Voyager' to the tune of 'I vow to thee my country' by Gustav Holst which we have been learning in class!

The children had a brilliant day and thoroughly enjoyed themselves and consider themselves extremely fortunate to enjoy such a special day out.

Running 1000 Miles to Freedom

Last week, Year 6 were lucky enough to visit the Museum of London Docklands to become further immersed in their history topic 'Why should the world be ashamed of slavery?'. 

The children were excited to listen to the story of Ellen Craft, a woman born into slavery in America in the 1820s who later escaped under the disguise of being a man, with her husband (fellow slave William Craft). Between them, they became the most famous fugitive slaves due to their courageous and elaborate escape plan. 

The pupils were then able to explore the exhibition and study letters, artefacts and other historical information to deepen their learning and enhance what we have done in class. 

Although we have learnt about the abominable slave trade in class, it was fascinating to hear a first-hand account of a former slave who managed to escape and find a better life in England. 

Levan Towe-Enu, Redwood class 

This topic has been an extremely interesting challenge for the pupils but has allowed us to explore and debate concepts of freedom, equality and justice as well as hone our skills as historians. The children truly understand why we cannot ever allow this point in history to repeat itself again.

Mr Light

I thought the woman playing Ellen Craft was really engaging and she brought this incredible story to life! 

Teni Adu, Larch class

Redwood make pizza!

Today, Redwood visited Pizza Express to learn what it takes to make a pizza from scratch. To bring our topic of Italy to life, our children visited the restaurant chain and were given an opportunity to partake in the whole process of making a pizza. First they rolled out the dough, tossed it and shaped it to create the base. Next was the adding of the tomato base and finally they topped their pizzas with mozzarella cheese. Back at school, they had a 'pizza party' in class and ate their delicious creations!

Making pizza was really fun and not something I would usually do. My favourite part was tossing the dough into the air- you had to be so careful not to drop it!
Lelethu, Redwood

The children now understand the different aspects of making a pizza and where all the different ingredients have come from. Well done Redwood!

Macmillan Coffee Morning 9am Friday

Macmillan Coffee Morning:  Friday 29th September 9am

Please note the new start time of 9am. This is so the hall can be cleared in time for Reception’s lunch at 11.30am

Time	KS2 Class	EYFS/KS1 Class	Year 6 Redwood Helpers	Year 6 Larch Helpers
9am-9.15	Hazel	Apple	Ellis, Tegan, Jack E, Emily, Rashida Sam, Levan, Savannah, Fitzroy, Megan	Bradley, Ella, Elina, Lola Ayomide, Alisha, Yemi, Micayla
9.15-9.30	Maple	Mulberry, Rowan
9.30-9.45	Willow	Cedar	Rokas, Jacob, Rhianna, Ijeoma Abbie, Austin, Alfie, Caitlin, Arhaan	Harley, Elena, Alin, Shane, Taylor Charlie, Michael, Lacey, Lily, Ellie-Mae
9.45-10am	Birch	Cherry
10am-10.15	Ash	Alder, Aspen	Freddie, Tony, Georgia, William Conor B, Lillie, Lelethu, Connor P Sienna, Brandon	Ty, Archie, Tia, Bobby, Ethan B, Storm, Jack P, Martin Emmanuel, Ethan G, Teni,
10.15-10.30	Elm	Pine
10.30-10.45	Sequoia	Nursery

* Underlined Year 6 pupils will be undertaking Bikeability Level 3 training and so may be out during the coffee morning.

Year 6 Hampton Court Palace

Today's trip to Hampton Court Palace gave our Year 6 children a wonderful opportunity to explore and investigate life in another era and to put their historical skills to the test.

We visited the Great Hall of Henry VIII, the famous kitchens where it is said over 600 people worked at one point and the newer part built by King William III. The children participated in a fun and educational workshop which allowed the children to investigate the reliability of sources and the importance of remaining unbiased when enquiring historically. Luckily, on hand to help us out was Lady Beth (a member of the Tudor household)! 

Alfie, Redwood class said "I found it incredible to think that 500 years ago, King Henry the VIII and his wives would have sat in this hall to feast or would have strolled down the arched walkways!" 

We all had a fantastic time and the day enriched the children's understanding of our Topic. A big thank you to our school and parent helpers- Miss Hall and Mrs Peppit!

'Wonderland' performed by The London Symphony Orchestra

We believe in providing opportunities for pupils that widens their experiences.   Year 5 pupils were fortunate enough to be invited to a magical interpretation of 'Wonderland' by the LSO at The Barbican Centre in London.

Classical music and musicians may not play a heavy part in an average day for a 9 year old, so it was fascinating to see their amazement at how lots of people, playing 'lots of different instruments could make such an awesome sound!' Athenkosi, Maple

New experiences and knowledge:

I loved 'Dance of the Paper Umbrella' by Elena Kats-Chernin.  I could listen to it again and again! Holly Turner

"When a musician plucks the strings of their violin, it's called pizzicato."  Jack Silva, Elm

"Harps and pianos are grouped with the percussion instruments, I thought they would be with the strings."  Emma Bloy, Maple

"The sound of a celesta is magical!  In 'Sugar Plum Fairy' and the Harry Potter piece you could really feel the magic because of the celesta."  Ruby, Maple 

Game Changers

After our fabulous experience of creating our own Newsreport at the Sky Academy, Palm were asked if we could take part in a Game Changers rehearsal! Afterwards we were lucky enough to get a photo with the hosts of the show Di Dougherty and Darren Campbell. 

Eclipse

Year 5 are busy finishing off their pin hole cameras ready for the eclipse. Unfortunately due to the overcast weather we will have a limited view, though we do have BBC Eclipse Live on in class, keeping us up to date. This has been a fantastic addition to our Space topic, and the children have learned lots about full and partial eclipses. 

CSI Investigation day: fingerprints

Today, all of the children in KS2 are crime scene investigators examining the evidence found at a crime scene. In Miss Reynolds' and Miss Chau's classrooms, the forensic scientists are dusting for fingerprints, taking their own and identifying patterns such as loops, whorls and arches.