Brownlee Triathlon!
This week, KS2 took part in the Brownlee Foundation Triathlon event! All of the children represented St James well and completed the whole course with huge smiles on their faces! The children had to swim, cycle and run their way to the finish line, working together and spurring each other on. We even got to meet Jonny Brownlee, who very kindly took a photo with our school! Thanks to all parents and adults who helped organise the event. Here are some fantastic photos from our day:
Good Luck Year 6!
As you will all be aware, Year 6 begin their SATS tomorrow.
I’m sure you will all join me in wishing them good luck. They have made so much progress this year and this week will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase everything they have learnt.
RE
Kingdom of God
Today, we thought more in depth about God’s Kingdom and considered a parable that Jesus told:
The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14: 15-24):
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
Children thought carefully about the reading and wrote down any thoughts and questions they initially had:
- Who were the original three? Why did they refuse?
- Who is the master? Why does he want people in his house?
- I feel bad for the master as he was turned down three times.
- Disabilities don’t matter; we are all equal, all the same.
We then considered some prompts about Jesus and referred to our previous learning and soon understood that the parable was Jesus’ way illustrating the Kingdom and God’s readiness to invite all.
Children spoke to each other at length about the reading links to the Kingdom. Here’s some of the things they shared:
- Everyone is welcome in the Kingdom – it is a choice yet not everyone wants to enter.
- All are equal, God doesn’t judge.
- Everyone is loved.
- God doesn’t mind how many enter.
- Is the Kingdom in Heaven/house/castle? The Kingdom is everywhere.
- The Kingdom can be different for everyone.
Leo M was then able to link the Kingdom to other faiths. He spoke about how the Kingdom can be different for people and linked this to the Hindu faith where many deities are revered.
A visit from Leeds Rhinos!
St James had a very exciting visitor from the Leeds Rhinos in today during our Collective Worship. Ian came in to talk to the children about teamwork and inclusivity – two key skills that help us to be happy and healthy in our school. We got the opportunity to learn about the different teams that Leeds Rhinos have, such as: men’s and women’s rugby; netball; a wheelchair rugby team and many more. The children responded really well when discussing the importance of inclusivity, teamwork and stereotyping, particularly in sport.
Ian also reminded us of the fantastic offer from Leeds Rhinos for pupils to go and see one of their matches! If you/your child is interested in this, discounted tickets can be purchased through school. Here are the details of the match:
Leeds Rhinos vs Hull FC
Friday 16th May
Kick off: 20:00
Netball at Wetherby High
Year 5 took part in a netball skills session at Wetherby High School this week, and it’s fair to say, we have seriously talented children! The afternoon began with lots of small team skills and games, where the children had to show teamwork, resilience and support for each other. I was super proud of how the children looked after each other and showed encouragement to not only our school members, but other schools, too.
The second half of the afternoon took us outside to play some netball games in a mini competition. Year 5 were split into two teams and competed against other schools. The children quickly adapted to the rules and positions needed for netball and showed off fantastic passing and shooting skills.
Again, I’d like to reiterate how proud I am of the Year 5 children and how they conducted themselves. They were polite, kind and gave 100% effort on a very warm day. Here are some pictures from the afternoon:
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/