Y6 visited a local Mosque in Rotherham. Our RE curriculum looks at comparing Christian Aid and Islamic Relief. The visit was very informative and the children got to look at how different or similar churches and mosques are.
The children had a guided tour around the Mosque and learned about cleanliness, prayer and community.
Year 3 have been learning about the Reggae genre of music and in particular, we have been focusing on the work of Bob Marley. As a class, we have learnt to sing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” and it is definitely a Y3 favourite.
Now that we are confident singing the vocals to the song, we have started adding instruments into the mix, starting with the glockenspiel! Before learning how to play “Three Little Birds” on the glockenspiels, we looked at some different types of musical notes and what they mean. We have started to learn how to read notes on the treble clef using the acrostic “Every Good Boy Deserves Football” and remembering it’s “F-A-C-E in the space.”
The children had lots of fun playing the glockenspiel and especially enjoyed improvising to the song!
On arriving at school Monday morning, Year 3 children discovered that we had had an uninvited visitor over the holidays. It seems a mysterious, mythical creature had decided to make its nest in our school garden. Plant pots were overturned, the shed door was broken and their were even strange, foot-print like markings on the floor. Using our inference skills, we deduced that the gigantic, golden egg might belong to a dragon. Year 3 have been enjoying reading “The boy who grew dragons” this term so we know that some dragon’s like to eat vegetables so perhaps the mother was after what we have planted in the garden!
Newspaper reports to follow describing our cracking find – watch this space!
As part of our D.T textiles project, Year 3 have been very busy designing and creating their own purses/wallets.
First, we looked at existing products, discussing what makes an effective purse. We compared the different fastenings/materials used and also considered the ways in which the purses appealed to the target market.
Next, we experimented with a range of different materials to see which would be the most suitable to make a purse out of. We tested the materials strength and flexibility and also checked whether they were waterproof or not.
Children then designed their own products for their intended users. To do this, they needed to think carefully about what fastening/material they wanted to use. Furthermore, pupils tried to make their product designs appealing to their target market by planning to use applique, embroidery or fabric pens.
Afterwards, Year 3 had chance to practise using a range of different stitches including blanket stitch, running stitch and back stitch. This helped students to decide which stitches they would use when creating their products.
Then came the making! Children made paper templates for their purses before cutting their material. They used their own choice of stitches to join the material. To make their products appealing, pupils used a range of different techniques including applique, pens and even embroidery.
Finally, we evaluated our products as a class, considering whether they were appropriate for the intended user. Children discussed anything they would change if they had the opportunity to do the project again.
I have been absolutely blown away by the end results of our textiles project. Everyone has done absolutely amazing! Here are a few examples…
Today we received the excellent news that we have maintained our Platinum School Games Mark.
Here is a message from the School Games Organiser:
St Alban’s Primary excel when it comes to PE & School Sport and fully deserve their Platinum Award for 2021/22. Their offer caters for all children within their school to experience physical activity and sport at a level they are comfortable with – constantly engaging with School Games and key stakeholders to ensure maximum uptake in extra-curricular opportunities. Their commitment to those children who aren’t ready for the competitive environment has been key to their success this year, with their Sports Leaders / Council playing a massive part in ensuring their school offer is current, inclusive and engaging.
Mrs Jepson also needs recognition for her hard work with the School Games and wider physical activity opportunities – she really is the driving force behind their success and the children and staff are lucky to have her as their PE Lead. Well done Mrs J and St Alban’s!
Before the holiday, Year 5 were lucky to take part in a virtual meeting with Vashti Hardy who is a children’s author.
Vashti Hardy is a writer of children’s books spending her time between Lancashire and Sussex. She was a primary school teacher for several years, and has a special interest in children’s writing, especially free-writing and the use of journals and creating fantasy worlds.
We learned how we could create a fantasy world to inspire our writing.
She gave us five tips.
Maybe you could use these tips to create a world of your own to base a story.
Why not visit Vashti Hardy’s website to find out more.
We hope that you have had a lovely bank holiday weekend celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. To commemorate this special occasion, children from FS1 to Year 6 have created portraits of our Queen.
We are so proud of the children’s creations and love the way they have captured their own personality in their art work.
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back at school tomorrow.
Mrs Gurner
Children at St.Alban’s have ditched their cars this week, instead choosing to walk/cycle/jog to school! Not only is this better for the environment but also brilliant for both our physical and mental health. Well done to house Jericho for organising the week and thank you to all children who took part.
Here are some pictures taken from some students’ journeys to school….
In Year 5, we have been thinking about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Here are some of our sketches.
Today, we wore red white and blue as part of our celebrations.
Today, in collective worship, we found out more about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. A jubilee is a special celebration of a queen or king’s reign. They take place after the monarch has ruled for a certain number of years and each one is associated with a different type of precious metal. No other British Monarch has reigned for long enough to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, which is why many believe that this year’s celebrations are so special.
What are you going to do from 2nd to 5th June to celebrate?
