And so our preparation for Christmas begins…
This Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent, where we celebrate the hope that Jesus will bring into the world. The children are busy thinking about the promises that God made us throughout the stories in the bible. We now are thinking about the promises that we can make during this time of preparation. The next few weeks will be filled with song and scripture as we plan and produce our own Christmas Carol Service in church. This will be filmed for you to enjoy over the Christmas season.
We have been having some really deep and reflective discussions in class around the topic of refugees and migrants. The children understand the difference between the two and why people need to leave their homes for their own and their families safety. As an additional layer to this, we have been looking at the people who fight for injustice and those who have been persecuted because of their determination: Oscar Romero, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King. Next week we will be looking at Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman.
I cannot believe the generosity of you all. The amount of clothes that we have collected for our Afghan refugee appeal is great. If anybody has any more to donate, Wednesday 1st December is the final day so that it can be collated and distributed.
After great discussion about how to restart our charity work the children have agreed that if every family donates £5 we will be able to raise a large sum to present to Brian House. To do this they have planned two themed Fridays, the first on December 3rd – a Silly Sock or tight with uniform day - make your socks or tights stand out! The second on December 10th – a Christmas themed clothes day; a jumper, a t-shirt or simply Christmas colours. Mrs Hodges will organise ParentPay so that each family and members of staff can make a charitable donation.
In the past 10 years, the use of devices, mobile phones and group chats has increased significantly. I have noticed this within class. More and more children have access to these devices and as a result, there are more and more issues that are having to be dealt with.
This week’s session focused on what we use devices for, what happens when the children see something inappropriate, the watershed and watching films and TV programs that are age appropriate.
Many children told me that they take their phones to bed with them and that these are the first things that they check the following morning.
I have set the children a challenge, ‘CAN THEY LEAVE THEIR PHONES AND DEVICES DOWNSTAIRS AND SWITCH THEM OFF 1 HOUR BEFORE BEDTIME?’
Where else has our learning taken us this week?
English - Usain Bolt and Chris Hadfield biography analysis. We have been collecting language ready to write our own biographies.
Maths - Adding and subtracting proper, improper and mixed fractions.
History - Did marrying Anne solve Henry VIII’s problems? The children have also been working together to produce a paired newspaper report on Anne’s execution.
RE - Oscar Romero and injustices that have been experienced globally.
PE - Slap stick comedy dance - Laugh A Minute and the principles of invasion games in outdoor PE.
Leading Learners
Well done to Zac and Kaya this week.
Zac, you are really starting to blossom with confidence in class - it is great to see. Each piece of work you do is focused and progressive. Well done Zac,
Kaya, you always speak with such passion in our class discussions and debates. What you bring to the class cannot be researched, it is pure magic! Thank you for your wonderful contributions.
Have a wonderful weekend with your families.
Mrs Gregan