Living and Learning
This week our focus is to ‘recognise the importance of sleep’.
Did you know that at age 10, children are recommended to get around 10 hours of sleep each night. The average person spends 9,582 days of their lifetime asleep.
A good night’s sleep can improve a person’s:
- memory – Overnight, information moves from short-term to long-term memort.
- decision making – Our ability to think and make decisions is improved during sleep.
- concentration and mood – While asleep, activity in the brain improves a person’s focus.
- immune system – The immune system keeps a person healthy.
- body feel full after eating – This means a person who sleeps well is more likely to stay a healhty weight.
- body to grow and repair – During sleep the body repairs its muscles, organs and other cells.
We have been reviewing two different characters and thinking about their sleep patterns. We were able to highlight good and poor quality sleep and say how it might effect a person.
Then we devised our own action plan to help a young person improve their quality of sleep. It was important for us to consider daytime, bedtime and bedroom routines. Children we excellent at suggesting ways to improve these points (for example: less screen time, reading a book, blackout curtains, drinking water throughout the day). Finally, children suggested top tips for better sleep.
Children may be getting poor quality sleep due to worries and concerns. Children know where they can go should they be experiencing this:
Summer Term
Welcome back. Hope you are all feeling refreshed after a happy and healthy Easter break.
We have a short half-term ahead of us but lots of exciting things going on as well as lots of exciting learning.
Year 6 are working towards their SATS tests which take place from 12th – 15th May. The children are working so hard towards these in the classroom. They are really responding well and are taking suck encouragement from the progress they are making. Please continue to encourage your child to work through their SATS booklet at home and remember I can go through difficult questions with them in class, if required.
Year 5 children have several trips out of school this half term:
- Thursday 1st May – netball at Wetherby High School. 1-3pm
- Monday 12th May – ‘A Day in the life’ at Wetherby High School. All day.
Here are some of the topics covered this half term:
Reading – Our class novel this term is Letters from the Lighthouse. A superb book about WWII in Britain. Please speak to your child about the book and what they can remember/enjoy. Please also continue to encourage your child to complete activities in their reading record once a week.
Writing –
Journalistic writing. In History, children learn about The Blitz. In this piece, they apply this knowledge by writing journalistically about a bombing – imagining they’re there at the time.
Recount. Children learn about evacuees. They imagine they’re an evacuee who has just arrived at the new home. They write a letter to a loved one explaining what’s happened and how they are.
History – World War in Britain.
RE – What kid of a King was Jesus?
PE – Rugby.
Science – Variation and Adaptations.
Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.
Computing
In computing this week, we have been developing a pedometer. Pedometers are devices that track the number of steps you take. They contain an internal mechanism or arm that moves up and down in response to the motion of your hips. With each step, your body tilts to one side and your leg swings forward. As your body shifts the other way, your other leg moves forward as well. Each tilt of your hips, along with the forward swing of your legs, is counted as a step.
In our first lesson, we developed our code – the children needed to fix a few problems with their initial algorithms. We had to use decomposition to help us debug it. Then, we downloaded our pedometer code to our micro:bits and checked to see if they worked. We had do some trial and errors and tweak the sensitivity of our pedometers.
We then put our pedometers to the test outside.
Living and Learning
Feeling good and being me
We have been having a big focus on peer pressure and how this may impact on someone’s wellbeing. We are all clear on what peer pressure is and why it might happen. It is crucial that we speak up if we feel that is happening in any aspect of our lives (at school, home or online). Children were very mature and were very respectful throughout our discussions.
Help at home – discuss peer pressure with your child. Ask them what they can do should they be worried about something.
The Knitted Bible
We had a fantastic trip out this afternoon to St Joseph’s Catholic Church and our own St James’ Church to see scenes from the bible represented in knitted form.
We were warmly received at St Joseph’s and there were lots of activities for us to do. We even got the chance to have a look around the church – many of our children hadn’t been inside a catholic church before. We found many similarities with our own church and we followed the Stations of the Cross around, something we have been looking at in detail during our RE lessons this half term.
We then went on to St James’, where Val was delighted to see us. We were able to explore the church the knitted scenes and draw on our own knowledge of the Easter story. Before we left, we took time to reflect on what has been a busy week of assessment and Val said a prayer for the children, staff and our school community. The children chose a knitted gift to take away with them too.
There were many scenes; we particularly enjoyed the Zacchaeus scene that links to our Christian Value of Honesty and David and Goliath, our school bible story.
The Knitted Bible display will continue to be open to the public until Sunday 6th April. Further details can be found here: https://www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/event/the-knitted-bible-comes-to-wetherby/
Bikeabilty
Bikeability was lots of fun this week for our Year 5 children. Your child will be bringing home a certificate today as reward for their efforts.
Why not enjoy a bike ride this weekend?
British Library Workshop
This week, we were lucky to be visited by the British Library for a day of creativity. We used spoken language, visual literacy and reading comprehension to creatively explore and understand the experiences of refugees as they settle in a new country. Inspired by Sarah Garland’s heartwarming graphic novel, Azzi in Between.
The children thoroughly enjoyed learning about experiences refugees go through, creating dramas to explore characterisation and performing to their peers.
If you would like to borrow the book, please ask – we have a copy in our reading corner.
Chess Club
Chess Club is up and running…
Science
Circulatory System
Year 5 and Year 6 have been exploring the blood, what it is made of and how it works. We have learnt about red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma and what their role is.
We have been really creative and acted out how the blood works, travelling through the lungs to collect oxygen, moving through the heart and being pumped out around the body distributing oxygen and nutrients. The children really enjoyed the lesson and can hopefully tell you all about it at home.
Help at home – Ask your child about what the red blood cells, white blood cells and the plasma do. Can they draw you an image to show their understanding of how blood moves around the body?
Water Safety Week
This week is Water Safety Week.
We have been discussing how we can stay safe in and around water and reading some of the websites below.
https://www.rlss.org.uk/staying-safe-in-on-and-around-the-water
Help at home – Read through the webpages with your child.