" Art does not reproduce what we see. It makes us see." - Paul Klee

In Year 4 this term we looked at Optical illusion art , we have researched some artists that use this technique and then had a go at making our own optical illusion piece. The Artists in year 4 were encouraged to draw their hands and then add straight lines across the whole page but we learnt that by changing the lines direction inside the hand drawing this would give the drawing an optical illusion as if the hand was inside the paper, children were amazed by this effect!

Year 4 also created some flags to cheer up our friends when we had a visit from Paralympic Stuart Robinson. We used print technique on to cotton fabric and added our own individual cheering message.

Together we found out all about sustainable art and how important it is for our planet and environment, we decided to upcycle everyday packages that would eventually go in the bin to each create a piece for a Christmas village, it was amazing to see the children’s ideas on their sketchbooks and there were so many great ideas! Because we were all in the Christmas mood we started our Christmas cards, children were encouraged to create their own using any techniques/mediums that they would prefer.

 

Year 2 Weekly blog - 'Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas' Peg Bracken

Wishing you and you families a safe, peaceful and Holy Christmas.

It’s been an absolute pleasure teaching your children this half term, I’m looking forward to welcoming them back into the classroom in the new year.
As of yet there is has been no news about Miss Woodend’s new baby - perhaps she’ll have a Christmas Day baby!


Let’s Celebrate!

We are celebrating Nathan and Phoebe this week and their fantastic performances in our class nativity. Both children spoke with confidence, enthusiasm and expression. They were stars! Well done Nathan and Phoebe!


As promised, here’s a few more photos of your amazing children from our KS1 Nativity production.

Merry Christmas,
Mrs Marham and the Year 2 team



Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it."- Salvador Dali

This term the year 3 artists have been very busy.

We looked at Paul Klee’s art , in their sketchbooks using coloured paper (choosing 2 primary colours and 1 secondary colour), year 3 created their own version of one of Paulo Klee’s famous art piece-“ Highways and Byways”.

Following the same technique (now using black paper only), in our sketchbooks the artists in year 3 tried to make some optical illusion pieces inspired on the artist Victor Vasarely. We researched about this artist and his art work, we were all amazed by Victor Vasarely art.

Together we found out all about sustainable art and how important it is for our planet and environment, we decided to upcycle everyday packages that would eventually go in the bin to each create a piece for a Christmas village, it was amazing to see the children’s ideas on their sketchbooks and there were so many great ideas! Because we were all in the Christmas mood we started our Christmas cards, children were encouraged to create their own using any techniques/mediums that they would prefer.

Year 3 Artists also did their own nativity scene using a glass window technique. We had to cut silhouettes and the stable, we have found this tricky but we persisted and we had amazing art pieces.

On our final week we looked at observational drawing and together discussed the key principles of drawing someone’s face. We looked at how splitting the face into sections and making sure the ears section has the eyes, eyebrows and nose will help us get the features as accurate as possible. We then sat opposite each other and tried to draw our friends, these were amazing and the children were so focus!

"There is no must in art because art is free."- Wassily Kandinsky

This term the year 2 artists have been very busy.

We looked at Aboriginal art and its origin, year 2 created a map in their sketchbooks using aboriginal art’s technique. We also found out what a didgeridoo is and decorated our own.

Together we found out all about sustainable art and how important it is for our planet and environment, we decided to upcycle everyday packages that would eventually go in the bin to each create a piece for a Christmas village, it was amazing to see the children’s ideas on their sketchbooks and there were so many great ideas! Because we were all in the Christmas mood we started our Christmas cards, children were encouraged to create their own using any techniques/mediums that they would prefer.

Year 2 Artists also started their own nativity scene in clay.

Each artist was encouraged to think about Jesus birth and how they imagine the stable would look like. These nativity scenes are adorable and the artists worked really hard to put them together.

 

“ The purpose of Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” Pablo Picasso

This term the year 1 artists have been very busy.

We looked at Andy Goldsworthy and land art , we had a little try ourselves in the school garden. we also had a try in our sketchbooks with some tissue paper and followed Andy Goldworth technique. This was so much fun!

Together we found out all about sustainable art and how important it is for our planet and environment, we decided to upcycle everyday packages that would eventually go in the bin to each create a piece for a Christmas village, it was amazing to see the children’s ideas on their sketchbooks and there were so many great ideas! because we were all so in the Christmas mood we started our Christmas cards, children were encourage to create their own using any techniques/mediums there would prefer.

Year 1 Artists also looked at Primary colours and together we discussed and experimented making a colour lighter (add white) or darker (add black), the children absolutely loved experimenting!


 

Wishing you all a happy and Holy Christmas...

On behalf of us all we would like to say huge thank you for the constant trust and support you have given us! We wish you all the most wonderful and Holy Christmas, enjoy some rest and special time with friends and family.

Our dear Miss Brisco said her goodbye’s today, I know the children and all those who work alongside you will very much miss her! Miss Brisco you are full of kindness, always the first to help help and full of love. We wish you so much happiness as you begin your retirement. Enjoy and remember …. we will be in touch to share with you how we are getting on.

When we come back from the holidays, we welcome Mrs Hotchkiss! We are all so excited to have you in our Year 3 team and we know that you are very excited to be back in the classroom too. Mrs Hotchkiss will be teaching our wonderful children on Thursdays and Fridays. Miss Bassett will now be teaching on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Reminders for January

  • PE DAYS: Outdoor PE will remain on a Monday. Indoor PE will change and now EVERYBODY will have PE on Thursdays.

  • We come back to school on Wednesday 4th January. We cannot wait to hear all about your Christmas holidays and what you have been up to.

Year 1 Weekly Blog 20.19.22 Wishing you a Merry Christmas

It was our Christmas party on Monday, we had so much fun, everyone looked lovely in their party clothes.

Today we made chocolate tiffin together, its a special treat from myself, Miss Liddell and Miss Johnson.

Here is the reciepe:

  • 175g shortbread

  • 75g glace cherries

  • 100g milk chocolate

  • 100g dark chocolate

  • 100g butter

  • 2TBSP syrup

Let’s Celebrate:

Well done to Eliza and our ‘Bobby Bee’ for working very hard during our nativity and for their super dances.

Henry is going home with this person for a super week at school well done.


Have a lovely Christmas Break :), thank you for all the wonderful presents.

Miss Drummond, Miss Liddell and Miss Johnson

Christmas Party 2022!!!!!

We had a fabulous time at the Christmas Party!

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!!!!

Party games and dancing!

Meeting Father Christmas.

Great fun was had by all!!!

Year 1 Homework 16.12.22

Homework books have been sent out, please can you decorate your homework book and complete the Christmas Holiday Homework, enjoy this break, we would love to hear about your Christmas news and see if you can complete some of the challenges.

Christmas Holiday Homework

Year 1 Weekly Blog 16.12.22

I am so proud of how hard the children have worked for our Nativity, they were amazing! and a huge thank you to Miss Liddell for teaching the children all the brilliant dances. This was mine and Miss Liddell’s first time organising a Nativity so it was extra special for us.

This week in Geography we looked at our addresses and wrote our address on a blank envelope. In RE we finished writing the Christmas story and made each other a Christmas card look out for the post they should arrive soon.

In Maths we have continued looking at number lines and counted different objects by placing counters on top of them, then moving them to a ten frame to see how many there were.

Let’s Celebrate:

Our certificate awardees will be announced on Tuesday :).

Henry is going home with this person for a super week at school well done.

Reminders:

  •  Please bring in spare clothes for your child, especially now the weather is wet. So they can get changed if they fall over and have wet clothes.

  • Please check the home learning section for the Christmas homework.

  • It is our Christmas party and christmas lunch on Monday, please come in party clothes.

  • Please make sure you don’t bring any nuts in for snack or in packed lunches, thank you.

Have a lovely weekend

Miss Drummond, Miss Liddell and Miss Johnson

‘Jesus is the gift that perfectly fits every heart’.

Christmas is inching closer and closer, and the children (and nursery ladies) are getting more and more excited!!!

Everyone has nearly completed their Christmas surprises- keep a look our for them coming home.

On Monday we went to watch the KS1 Nativity play. The children enjoyed being together with the whole school especially when they saw their brothers and sisters….one big happy family!

The frosty days have given us all great joy. The aew and wonder when we noticed that the grass was white!! Justine read us a story about Jack Frost and the children said he had been to their house too! We all melted the frost with our warm hands to make handprints!

It has been very cold though. The children have not wanted to spend as much time in the garden brrrrrrrr!

Colette’s Blog

Hello everyone.

The children were able to begin this week by watching KS1 Nativity. It was such a wonderful experience for them being in the audience especially as they know this beautiful story so well now. Last Friday afternoon the children were beginning to miss performing so much that they decided to build their own stage in Nursery and recreate their Foundation Nativity.  For the Nursery staff this really was the most joyful performance to watch because it showed how the children had really understood the true meaning of Christmas. They never cease to amaze us with how much they can remember in their ‘thinking brains’.

The freezing cold weather has given us lots of exciting things to find in the garden, we have found evidence of ‘Jack Frost’ everywhere. Lots of water had turned to ice and so we have had some lovely conversations about freezing and melting too!

May I just take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy Christmas with your wonderful families and thank you so much for everything that you do to support us at Nursery.

Enjoy the holidays and I’ll see you in 2023!

Colette

Steph’s Blog

Hello everyone

What another busy week! We enjoyed watching Year 1 and 2 in their Nativity performance at the start of the week – they were brilliant!

We loved performing in our Nativity so much that we’ve continued performing in the classroom and outside too! We made stages and took it in turns to perform and also be the grownups in the audience – it was so nice to see the children encouraging their friends and clapping for them. Lots of smiles all round!

We have made the most of the cold weather and ice and enjoyed putting small toys in bowls of water outside and explored what happened to them overnight – we learnt the words liquid and solid! It was fun trying to ‘free’ our toys in the warm classroom. The children also decided to make an ice cream shop outside – at least it was cold enough for the ice cream not to melt! This was a great activity to develop language skills and turn taking.

We have continued looking at our 10 sounds we have learnt so far – some of us even know more than 10! We enjoyed ‘crossing the river’ at carpet time. We had to listen carefully for our sound and could only cross the river if it matched. We are so good at recognising sounds on the carpet and also in our environment. Keep looking out for these over the Christmas holidays!

I hope you all have a lovely time with your families over the holidays – I’m looking forward to hearing all about it when we are back!

Steph 

Michelle’s Blog

Hello everyone,

This week has been so chilly but that has led to some wonderful learning about ice and the cold. This week we were scientists and we did our own experiments. We left some items outside in some water and wondered what would happen to them. The children said we were doing an ‘experiment’. We found out that the water had turned into ice and froze the items inside the ice. We also discovered that water when frozen is called ice and that it turns back into water when it gets warm.

We also discovered more about number 5 this week. We drew our high 5 fingers and played a game where we had to put the sheep in the field, always adding up to 5. Maths mastery is knowing that 5 can be made up in different ways. This knowledge will help children with addition and subtraction in later life.

We have also enjoyed watching the school children in their nativity performances, we do enjoy going in to the school hall and sharing special moments with the rest of the school.

Don’t forget party day is Monday 19th, party dress is essential!

Finally, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support this term. It is truly appreciated. I am sure you will agree with me that we really do have the best children here at Our Lady Star of the Sea Nursery. They are all amazing!

Just as few extras from Justine!

Our freezing and melting experiment.

As Colette has already mentioned, we put lots of different objects in cups and bowls then covered them with water. We put them into the garden to see if they would freeze. We learnt that the water was a liquid and when it got very cold it turned into a solid…ice! When we brought the ice inside our lovely warm nursery it changed back into a liquid…water! We could then rerieve all the objects which had been trapped in the ice. Take a look…

Healthy Start scheme- what is it?

If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.

If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. Your benefit will be added onto your card every 4 weeks.

You can use your card to buy:

  • plain liquid cow’s milk

  • fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables

  • fresh, dried, and tinned pulses

  • infant formula milk based on cow’s milk

You can also use your card to collect:

  • Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding

  • vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old.

If you need anymore information visit healthystart.nhs.uk/how-to-apply/ or click here.

Christmas Taskmaster

As in previous years i have sent home a Christmas Taskmaster activity sheet. If you are a loose end why not try a few of the activities. You may not have time and that’s ok! The important thing is to enjoy being together and having fun!

Purple Mash

Don’t forget to check Purple Mash for any Christmas activities!

Christmas Party

Don’t forget that the Christmas Party is on Monday morning 9.15 am (if it is not your usual day) until 11.45 am. We will be joining Reception and the rest of KS1 for lots of Christmas merriment. Party clothes a must!!!!

Packed lunches and hot lunches are as usual. We will be having birthday cake as a treat to celebrate Baby Jesus’ birthday at snack time. The children have been quite specific in their choice of cake. It must ne chocolate, with chocolate icing, Smarties and chocolate buttons!!! Sounds good!

We are also hoping for a visit from a very special person….I do hope I am on the good list!

Lastly, may I remind everyone that school and Nursery closes at 2pm on Tuesday.

Have a lovely weekend and I will see you for the last two days of the term next week.

God Bless

Barbara

Year 6 Home Learning

For homework over Christmas I would like you just to relax, make memories with your families and re-charge those batteries ready for another busy term.

However, the one thing we would ask is that you do lots of reading over the holidays!

It would be great if you could go to the library and borrow a couple of Biographies, as we will be writing our own when we come back! This will help you to gather certain vocabulary and get used to the style of writing, as well of course as being extremely interesting learning about the lives of others!

Here are some websites that you can download free biographies from incase you can’t get to the library:

https://freekidsbooks.org/subject/childrens-book-biography/

https://www.getepic.com/collection/37559/biography

https://www.ducksters.com/biography/

Year 3 home learning

From now until we return, we want you to relax and enjoy Christmas. Spend time together, take the pressure off… bake, watch your favourite films, visit somewhere new, re-organise your bedroom, learn how to play a new board game, GET CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN!

We would love for you to share these memories that you make… you have our emails and can send any photos that you would like us to share in class when we return.

Try and get lost in a new book, visit the library if you can. When we return we will be looking at describing settings and characters… maybe you could start to magpie ideas from books that you read over the summer. These ideas could go into your homework book so that you have them to use when in school.

Remember that you have TT Rockstars to continue to use. Can you earn enough points to make your character Christmassy?

All our love, and wishing you the most wonderful Christmas.

Your ever growing Year 3 team xxx