The Chronicle

Junior 6 have had a fantastic Activities Week and fully embraced all the opportunities presented to them. Team-building activities on the sports field provided the perfect chance to enjoy some fresh air and tackle muddy outdoor challenges in the cold November sunshine. Back in the warm indoors, the children experienced the excitement and competitiveness of board games! They also enjoyed the calmness and relaxation of making their own bread, watching a film, and savouring a tasty Costa treat. In the classroom, they recreated a French café and listened to some Trenet during their French food-tasting experience. There were mixed reviews on some of the pâté, but the cheeses, pain au chocolat, and French biscuits were very popular!  
The children were fascinated, although some also slightly repulsed, by heart dissection! There were certainly some nervous faces before they started! For the ‘Bake Off’, they worked well in teams on their cakes, planning, baking and decorating. Towards the end of the week the pupils also got creative with wreath and decoration-making. While crafting Christmas cards helped them get into the festive spirit, just in time for Advent rehearsals.  

Junior 5 have been thinking about Christmas as a time of giving. During PSHE, J5L were learning about how they could make a difference and decided that they wanted to litter pick around the school during their break and lunch times, so they could give back to their environment. This month, the children have also been supporting our local community through bringing in donations for the food bank. They have brought in a variety of items such as: pasta, chocolate, tinned vegetables, soups and more. We are all proud of J5 for the generosity and willingness to give. Thank you for all that they have brought in to support our community. 

This week, J4 have been working hard on newspaper articles and their different features. They have looked at what makes a good headline and why we include direct quotes in a report. They have been interviewing each other as if they were eyewitnesses to the volcanic eruption at Pompeii, taking it in turns to be interviewer and interviewee. They will begin writing their newspaper stories next week.

This term, our J3 boys have been honing their tag rugby skills, focusing on tagging technique, passing and catching, as well as drift defence. This week, they've been bringing it all together by applying their learning to match scenarios, enhancing their overall game knowledge and teamwork. Meanwhile, the girls have been dedicated to improving their hockey skills, with an emphasis on static and dynamic passing in pairs and learning the crucial technique of ‘posting up’ to receive the ball. They've been showcasing their progress by integrating these skills into game play, demonstrating their growth and understanding on the pitch. It’s been fantastic to see the hard work and progress made by all our pupils!

We have had such an exciting week in J2! The children have been finding out everything they can about 'Living things and their Habitats' in our Science lessons. They began by exploring the local area for a range of habitats and signs of life. They then found microhabitats and minibeasts within the forest area and loved hunting for bugs! This week, they have been researching different habitats around the world and created some super digital work. Well done, J2!

During RE in J1 we have been learning about the Wedding of Cana. Children have offered meaningful insight into one of Jesus' first miracles, where He turned water into wine. This story helps children understand the significance of Jesus' divine power and His role in bringing abundance and joy. Through discussion, we talked about how miracles are not magic, but the generosity and love from God. This lesson has indeed helped the children experience kindness and faith. In PE we have been using our gross motor skills to help strengthen core muscles and improve coordination. Using specialist apparatus has helped children to build confidence and challenge themselves. We can also now balance and jump off with control and skill. Nothing can stop our wonderful J1 children!

This week in Reception we have had so much fun!  We started the week exploring ice, and last week's cold weather was really helpful when it came to discussing all sorts of icy vocabulary. We all knew exactly what cold, frosty, frozen, melting, hard, wet and slippy meant! We then used the sounds we are familiar with to write these lovely descriptive words in our books. On Thursday we had a visitor - Louise from the Warwickshire Road Safety Team - who came to see both classes and we had a great time finding out all about safe ways to cross the road. Thank you all for the Nativity costumes we have received so far, and for those of you who are so organised and have already sent in your Secret Santa gift! We look forward to seeing you all at the Christmas Fair on Saturday.