Spring

Virtual Poetry Day workshop with Rowan McCabe

Today we had a Zoom session with Rowan McCabe, a local poet from South Shields.  He read us his poem, 'An Ode to a Seaside Town' before we created a group poem from our suggestions.  He also told us all about being a poet and talked about other poems he enjoyed reading.  He finished the session by reading another one of his poems that he has written about a barn owl.  We really enjoyed it!  We were so inspired by his poem that we have decided to write our own poems about the North East.  Watch this space...

NSPCC

John and Barbara from NSPCC came into class to talk to us about 'Speaking out and Staying Safe'.  They talked to us about different scenarios and whether it was okay or not okay.  We were great at speaking out with suggestions for how we could help the people in the examples.  We also knew lots of impressive terms and vocabulary linked to staying safe.  We watched an animation about Guy who was going through some things at home and school.  We could spot what was wrong in the animation and say what Guy should do.  Everyone was given a Speak out Stay Safe booklet to keep a list of people who we trust with us at all times.  This means we know who we can turn to if we have any worries.  

World Book Day

A brilliant day in class today!  Coming into school in pyjamas was great fun this morning and lots of the class decided to join in which was lovely to see.  Simon Bartram visited us virtually today to read one of his books and talk to us about being an author and illustrator.  We enjoyed drawing an alien alongside him...the results were fantastic!  We also shared some of our favourite stories with each other and explained why we enjoyed reading them so much.  It was nice to see such a selection of books brought in so that pupils could share special books to the class.  Several of the books were completely new to lots of children which was great.  

Tudor Day in Durham

The class had a wonderful day in Durham today learning about the Tudors.  They met Michael who led us on a tour of Durham Castle looking for signs of Tudor architecture.  After lunch we enjoyed looking at Tudor artefacts where we discussed what we thought they were and what that told us about Tudor life.  A fantastic day full of interesting facts!  

Team games with Newcastle PE and School Sport Service

The class had a great afternoon with Katherine and Alasdair this afternoon playing team games.  The class worked in groups to organise themselves on the bench by height, birthday etc... but could not leave the bench.  As the games became more difficult, the children were not allowed to talk (apart from the leader) and this made things even more tricky!  A brilliant session which the class loved.  We look forward to next week's activities.

Puberty Talk with Rachel and Sharon

Today Rachel and Sharon came into class to talk to us about puberty.  They talked to us about what puberty is and how our bodies will change over the next few years.  We listened well and asked thoughtful questions after the session.  Well done Year 5!    

Rock band Performance - Rainforest Rockers

Today was the final performance of our Rainforest song.  The class played their instruments well and enjoyed performing to their guests of parents and carers.  Thank you to everyone for coming to see your child play, they had a wonderful time playing for you all.  

Children's Mental Health Week - virtual session with Jade

Today we had a virtual workshop with Jade from 'Our Time'.  She talked to us about mental health and mental illness.  Jade showed us a video and discussed the story of Zara and the grey cloud.  We talked a lot about how anyone can get a mental illness and the different things we can do to help people who may be suffering with a mental illness.  We had lots of ideas and thoughts to share as Jade read the story and we were able to talk about what we would say to Jade to help her in her situation.  

Coding and Rockets with Mr Andrew

We had a lovely morning with Mr Andrew today.  He came in to do some coding with us.  We had to use our coding skills to work our way through the maze.  Mr Andrew was very impressed with how well we worked on this and how well we helped one another.  After that we went into the hall for a different activity.  We had to build paper planes to cross the hall.  We spent time on our designs and had time to reflect and change our designs before our final flight.  A brilliant morning!

More Band in the Box

This week we've had more music with Steve.  He introduced us to electric guitars this week which we enjoyed trying out.  Next week we are going to add the keyboards and singers and we'll be able to start rehearsing as a band.  Watch this space...

Visiting Newcastle Buddhist Centre

Today we met Amaradaya at Newcastle Buddhist Centre.  He talked to us about the life of Buddha and how Buddhists live their lives today.  It was a really informative morning where we found out lots of information about Buddhism, new vocabulary and what it means and we even got to try some meditating too.  

Design and Technology - Completed Rainforest Soft toys

After working on their rainforest soft toys over the past week, they are finally finished.  The class have worked very hard on their projects and feel very proud of their final products.  Take a look...

Design and Technology - Rainforest Soft toys

This week the class have designed and started creating their own rainforest soft toys.  At the beginning of the week, the class researched current soft toys and thought about what they needed to be like when making them.  They then created their own designs before creating a card template they could use to draw out their animal on fabric.  We practised some different sewing skills and this wasn't easy.   After cutting out our fabric, the class then added details to their soft toy using different sewing techniques they had been practising. They look great so far but there's still more to do.  Next week we will sew our two sections together and add the stuffing.  Watch this space...

Band in a box - Rock band

Today we got to work with Steve from Music Partnership North on creating a band.  This week he talked to us about the drums.  It was tricky because we were having to do three different things with our arms and feet.  Everyone found this tricky, including Mrs Gill so we spent lots of time practising.  Next week we will try out the electric guitars to add to our band and each week a new instrument will be added.  Watch this space...