The Chronicle

This week in Science, Junior 6 have been finishing their topic on the life and work of famous naturalist Charles Darwin. As a final activity the children were tasked with being naturalists themselves and predicted what humans might look like in the not-so-distant future. We had all sorts of fantastic ideas such as long fingers for using our phones, gills for breathing underwater and even tails! It’s so brilliant to see such out of the box creative thinking. Great work Junior 6!

Junior 5W were treated to a whistle stop tour of the Far East this week by none other than their own classmate, Ted! After returning from six months travelling with his family he returned to Crackley and showed us all the different countries he had travelled to on a very well-thumbed map. We saw some authentic batik, woodcarving and heard all about the different transportation the family took between each step of their journey. Then a slideshow and video presentation took our breath away with the sights and sounds of countries on the other side of the world. We were particularly interested in the water-parks, wake-boarding and a huge Pokemon shop! Thank you, Ted. We have learnt so much from you.

Over half-term Grace and Charlotte P were so inspired by our geography topic of natural disasters that they created their own erupting volcano. It does look quite spectular! This week, in Science, Junior 4 have been investigating the effects of various solutions on our teeth. We have used eggs (shells) to resemble the enamel on our teeth, and we have sat these eggs in various solutions. We have made predictions on which liquids will be good, and which won’t, and we are going to observe the effects on these on the egg shells, over the next few weeks. In addition, we were all wowed by the Graffiti artists who visited us on Tuesday, and were inspired to produce our own cool, graffiti artwork! Plus, we have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Buddhism this week, which culminated in an exciting visit to a Birmingham Buddhist Temple. A great and varied week of learning!

Junior 3 have had a wonderful start back after half-term, learning all about the Jewish faith during our annual One World Week. Tuesday saw us heading off into the centre of Birmingham to visit Singers Hill Synagogue, one of the UK's few cathedral-style Synagogues, which was built in the Victorian era. It is a truly breath-taking building and Geoffrey, our guide, imparted so much interesting information to us. We were completely in awe. 

Back in school, we have enjoyed a range of activities linked to Judaism: finishing the story of the Prince of Egypt, making menorah candle holders, discussing Passover and the Seder plate and even coming up with our own 10 Commandments. Ask us about Judaism and we will be able to tell you loads. 

This week has been hectic week. Monday, we welcomed Warwickshire cricket for a taster session. On Tuesday, we visited the Greek Orthodox church, where children learned about St. Luke and Lazarus. Wednesday, we had a visit from Graffiti Artists. The children got creative, producing artwork based on their names and had an informative lesson on facts concerning the artists. We have finished off the week celebrating World Book Day. The children looked fantastic, and we had characters from many different genres of books.

Junior 1 have had the most amazing week as we returned from our half-term break. We are really enjoying our new maths topic of measurement and we have had lots of fun comparing the length of different objects before measuring them with cubes. One World Week has given us the opportunity to learn more about Christianity, visiting St. Mary’s church in Warwick. While they were there, they spotted the beautifully carved pulpit, the golden lectern, the long, wooden pews and some amazing stained-glass windows. We also learnt that stained glass windows tell a story. A highlight of the week was our graffiti art experience where we all had the opportunity to add to the school art piece, as well as making our own. We finished the week with an interactive geography lesson where we learnt more about Scotland and tasted some Scottish treats, including Irn Bru and shortbread. We are absolutely delighted to be back at school!

As part of One World Week Reception went to visit St Augustine’s Church. We listened to Father Kevin tell us about the Church and how it is used in the community by Christians. The children had the chance to ask lots of questions and have a look around the church. For many children this was their first time inside St Augustine’s. They were particularly fascinated with the bells and the statues of Jesus. In class we read the story of My World, Your World by Melanie Walsh. This started a discussion of how we are different and how we are the same as people all over the World.

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