As we head towards the season of Advent, now more than ever, we are trying to be the light that is shining in our world. Each and every day, I am reminded of the joy that each of your children bring. There is not a day that does not go by where we don’t laugh in class - we are really having such a wonderful time learning and overcoming all of the challenges that we constantly face. I am really looking forward to celebrating this magical time with the class. We know that our Christmas preparations will be different this year - maybe it will give us more time to reflect its true meaning. Advent brings us a time to stop and reflect on ourselves and whether we have made enough room in our lives and within our heart. Each week of advent, the children will be leading a reflection that I will post online. Please spend just a few moments in your week sitting down and praying as a family.
This week, the children have contributed to the parish advent reflection. This link will take you to the You Tube video that will be live at 6pm on Sunday. Why not sit together and watch this lovely advent reflection.
At the end of Monday, 6 curriculum areas had been covered or discussed - learning is certainly fast paced in Year 6. We are all fully immersed in learning, making incredibly progress and more importantly, seeing the power of independent learning. One thing that I have asked the children to do this week is to choose who they would like to work with in certain tasks. The children have enjoyed this and seen the power of working with different people who have a different skill set to themselves. We will continue this experiment in coming weeks. Yet again, I am incredibly proud of the children. As you know, Romeo and Juliet has been our focus in class for writing. The children have been busy working in small groups to produce Romeo and Juliet in 15 minutes. Please enjoy the children’s interpretation of this tragic tale. I hope that the children have all showed you their Showbie account and your have seen their diary entries that they have written. They are fantastic! In addition to the work on Romeo and Juliet, in Skellig, we have reached a part in the book where one of the characters reads William Blake poetry. This has led us to explore two of his poems, The Schoolboy and Tyger Tyger. We have been playing around with our new green screen in class to bring this poem to life. Another video for you to enjoy.
Learning has also continued in history where we explored the question, did marrying Anne Boleyn solve all of Henry’s problems? I know some of the children have been watching the programme that has been on Channel 5 this week about her arrest, trial and execution. We are really transfixed by this story. In science we have looked at adaptation and how habitats and environments are different. In RE and RHE, we have looked at the injustices in our world, and explored the story of The Calming of the Storm. The children (and teachers) all shared their fears and anxieties and we prayed to Jesus that he could help us to overcome them.
Last but not least, in PE, the children have been working in groups to devise their own invasion games. It has been so nice to just take photos and watch the children create some really fun but technically brilliant games. Next week, the children will be presenting their games to other groups and testing them out. Enjoy the beautiful photographs.
Our Leading Learners
Another outstanding week of learning and yet again, we have two enthusiastic learners…
Well done to Daisy and Darcey. Both of these girls have amazed me with their enthusiasm this week. There isn’t a lesson that the girls haven’t given 100% in this week - especially poetry. well done girls!
Christmas Reminders:
The children are busy planning the Santa dash for Friday 4th December - next FRIDAY, there is much excitement. It is hard to believe that the Christmas tree is arriving in school next week ready to start the Christmas celebrations. As we start to prepare for the arrival of Jesus, each house will be leading us in a reflection during the weeks of Advent. We look forward to sharing the miracle of Jesus’ birth with you. For the dash next week, please can the children avoid bringing lots of things in. They know exactly what they can and cannot do. Wellies or old trainers are essential, as well as PE tracksuit on the bottom half. Please can the children bring the £1 coins that they have raised as well. This will enable us to quarantine them before counting.
On Tuesday 15th December, we will be holding a Christmas Danceathon. Although we will not be able to gather on the playground like we usually do, we will ensure that there is lots of dancing in classes and at breaktime. The children will need to wear their PE kits and it is a £1 donation towards our contribution to Stella Matutina.
Thursday 17th December - Christmas party day and Christmas dinner.
Have a lovely weekend together, I know there will be some Christmas decorations going up.
Mrs Gregan and Mrs Webster