The mornings and evenings are getting lighter and Spring is on its way to warm and heal. This week, in worship we have been thinking about Jesus as our healer. We reflected on the compassion of Jesus, who numerous times in the Bible is moved to heal others.
We have had a big focus on online safety and how to keep ourselves healthy and happy online. We have thought very carefully about what we should and should not share online and how, if we are chatting to people online, we must never agree to meet anyone we do not know and must always be kind in our comments. Children have been taught to act SMART - and always question the truth of what they see and hear. If in doubt, tell an adult. Although the internet, chatting with friends online and playing online games can be such great fun, children have discussed things other than screen time that they can do to maintain a happy, balanced life. The biggest concern for them is when they sadly see images or videos that scare them - we talked about showing and telling a trusted adult. Together we have made a ‘Class code of conduct’ to help us stay safe online.
In our History this week, we learned about the Viking threat during Anglo-Saxon times and how close they came to taking over. We made a ‘living graph’ plotting the Viking threat from 786-1066. We then thought about whether King Alfred the Great really deserves this title!In French, we have found out about French seasons and dates.
We had a real treat on Wednesday, when we saw ‘The Lion King’ at St Bedes - it was amazing and children enjoyed it immensely. Very inspirational. Also on Monday, children had their enrichment afternoon, which they spent in Year 5 with Mr Cornwell. They had a sports competition and also a general knowledge quiz!
Here are some pictures of us at work this week:
Let’s Celebrate!
This week, the children have been voting for our certificate winners. They were asked to spot children who work really hard, listen brilliantly, participate fully in lessons and as a result are making great progress. The class voted for Jacob and Grace! I completely agree - at school, you are 100% learners! Well done both of you.
Eloquent and Truthful butterflies
This half term, our virtues are ‘Eloquent and Truthful.’ This week our butterflies go to Louis for joining in with lots of eloquent and thoughtful discussion points in online safety lessons and Rory for a selfless act at swimming.
Lunchtime role model of the week was: Sean
Marvellous Manners in the hall - Rose
Swimming stars were Toby, Daisy and Hudson
A message from Mrs Gregan
Dear parents,
At Our Ladys, I take great pride in ensuring that we are providing as many opportunities for our pupils as possible. All children are entitled to a rich and varied curriculum, one that is incredibly broad and full of challenges. It is my hope that one or more of these opportunities sparks their imagination and they choose to pursue it later on in life. This week, we had the pleasure of attending St Bedes to see The Lion King, a show that had been put together for the pupils and that involved many of our past pupils. Currently, Year 4 are experiencing the benefits of Shakespeare and preparing to take their versions of Romeo and Juliet to the stage. So many children sat there with excitement, looking forward to what they will have the chance to take part in coming years. Whilst we ensure that there are many things that we provide that go above and beyond the curriculum, there are a number of things that we legally have to ensure that the children learn and take part in. Music and Swimming are two of these areas.
Over the past half term, we have seen an increasingly high number of children either forget their musical instrument or choose not to take part in the lesson. I have spoken to the children about how Mrs Maddox has felt leaving our school after giving her time to come and teach them how to play the flute. There have also been many children who have not swam each week for various reasons. Of course there has been many illnesses around and medical reasons, we understand that, but if a child is well enough to come into school because of an upset tummy or cold, we would hope that they would be well enough to take part in their swimming lesson. I am passionate about the children being able to swim, we live on the coast and this is a life-skill that they need to have. This year, we have enabled Year 3 to go swimming too so that the age that they are competent is much lower. Leaving non-swimming children in school also has implications on staff ratios in school. We have also prioritised our school budget to enable the children to swim, it is so important that they do so and pass the 25m expectation at the end of Year 4.
Coming into school means that there isn't the opportunity to opt out of anything, especially the curriculum requirements - we give everything a go and grow our brain in the process. Through our virtues and learning characters, we try and teach the children that resilience is key and that sometimes we have to be brave enough to give things a go - even if we do not want to do them, because that is what life is all about. Following the half-term break, there is only 5 weeks of swimming left for Year 4, and I really hope we see an increase in participation.
Moving forward, I would urge you to support us with this in school. We need young adults who have resilience, grit and determination; even in the face of adversity. School and home working together is essential and the messages that we both give the children need to be consistent to help them become the very best versions of themselves.
Thank you for your support with this
Notices
Please see Homework section for important half term tasks - Lenten Boxes and Shakespeare parts.
Wednesday 7th March World book Day. We would love children to dress up as their favourite book character for a day of Storytelling! We would also like children to bring in a ‘magical object’ that they could tell a story about. It may be as simple as a feather, pebble or shell, a stick - they can use their imagination about what their special object can do!
Wednesday 13th March and TUESDAY 26th March Year 4 online Parent appointments. Please book a parents appointment on one of these two dates so we can discuss progress and targets. (Not Wednesday 20th March like the other classes)
Wednesday 20th March. Shakespeare performance at Hodgson High School. Children have now been given their parts to learn. Full details after half term.
Tuesday 24th March 9:15am Year 4 class Easter assembly on The Garden of Gethsemane
Enjoy your weekend
Mrs Lyons, , Mrs Ely, Miss Hennessey and Mrs Carter