Head and Deputy Weekly Update Archive 2018-2019
Friday 12th July 2019 - Week 38
We are coming up to the final week of the year before the big summer break. The children had their 'Meet the Teacher' session on Tuesday morning. We had a lot of excited faces and that was just the teaching staff. It can sometimes be a little daunting moving to a new teacher but everyone came out smiling. For anyone who missed the letter at the start of the week, the new classes for next year are:
Reception - Miss Morgan
Year 1 - Miss Phillips/Mrs Sales
Year 2 - Mrs Merrix
Year 3 - Mrs Hainsworth/Mrs Pickup
Year 4 - Mrs Reid
Year 5 - Mrs Gill
Year 6 - Mrs Tait
Mrs Williams from West Denton Primary School dropped off our trophy and medals from the Outer West Cycling Competition this week. It reminded us of how proud we are of our Year 6 children winning the overall trophy and having 4 out of the 6 medal places.
You may be aware that this week the Year 6 National Test data was published. Once gain we have performed extremely well and we couldn't be more pleased with the performance of all our Year 6 pupils. They have matured so much over the last year and alongside Mrs Tait have produced 'the goods' once again... wonderful role models to everyone in the school. The initial published data shows the following attainment:
READING - 84%
WRITING - 84%
MATHS - 96%
GPS - 92%
Combined R, W and M - 80%
At the end of the academic year, our Chair of Governors Mr Jones is standing down. He has been part of our school community for over eleven years and has been a constant support to the school during this time. May I wish him well in all of his future ventures and thank him for being such a positive part of the Newburn family.
As stated earlier in the week via a letter, due to circumstances beyond our control we have had to postpone the beach visit for this year. We will be holding our garden party on the school field next Thursday afternoon which all parents are invited along to. We are currently in the process of organising a number of fun activities and demonstrations to take place over the afternoon.
A reminder to Year 5 and 6 parents that the 'Wizard of Oz' performances take place next Tuesday (Year 5 parents) and Wednesday (Year 6 parents) afternoons. The performances will start at 1.30pm on the Tuesday and 1.15pm on the Wednesday.
Thank you all for your support at this time.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 5th July 2019 – Week 37
We’ve had a busy week in school this week. On Monday, some of our Year 4 children performed in the Sage, Gateshead as part of the Music Hub Gala day. I had the pleasure of joining the children and couldn’t have been prouder! The children performed confidently and represented the school well with their superb behaviour. Well done Year 4! Thank you to everyone who came to see the children perform. It was a wonderful night! We hope you enjoyed watching the show as much as the children enjoyed performing in it.
We had our final ‘Come and See’ of the year on Tuesday with lots of families coming in to see what was happening in each classroom. Thank you to everyone who came in to school. I hope you had a lovely morning, the children certainly did!
The school nurse has been in this week to talk to children in Years 3 and 4. In Year 3, they talked about emotions and how to manage them. In Year 4, they discussed the circle of healthy relationships and talked about what makes a good friend. Year 2 have been learning about ‘Keeping Clean’ in Science. They have thought about all the different ways we keep ourselves clean and can now talk about why it is important. This week they had ‘Glitter Germs’. They looked at different ways at getting rid of their glitter germs and found that the best way was using soap and warm water.
Year 6 have been in Edinburgh this week with fantastic weather. They have had a fantastic week with Mr Pickup, Mr Vyle and Miss Gibson. Please take a look at their class page for plenty photographs and information about what they’ve been getting up to while they’ve been there. Highlights include Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh Castle, The Ghost Bus Tour and a boat trip to Inchcolm Island where they explored the abbey.
Today was our Summer Fair. Thank you to everyone who came in to support school. We had a fantastic afternoon!
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 21st and 28th June 2019 - Weeks 35 and 36
I apologise for there being no HT/DHT blog last week. I will use this week to keep you up to date with everything that has been going on over the last 2 weeks.
Last week our fabulous Year 4 children ventured out on their first school residential. They visited Daleby House at Beadnell led by Mr Vyle, Miss Gibson and Mrs Reid. They had an amazing time rock pooling, watching the local wildlife (including dolphins, seals and lobsters), drinking late night hot chocolate on the beach and getting to know each other in an out of school context. Well done Year 4, you were great.
The Year 4 children that weren't at Beadnell on Tuesday last week took part in the Newcastle 'Big Gig'. It was our first time and we had a blast. They performed with over 1200 children to a captive audience playing tunes such as 'The Final Countdown', 'In the Mood' and 'Rocking All Over the World'. Next week they have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to perform on the stage in Hall One at The Sage Gateshead - we couldn't be more proud of them.
Performing on stage must be running though the Newburn blood at the minute as last Friday Year 6 performed their personally written monologues at the Alphabetti Theatre in Newcastle. They blew the audience away with their confidence and dramatic writing ... it was even commented that one our pupils must be a stand up comedian already!
This week has been a little topsy turvy with the weather stalling our sports day celebrations. Our Year 2 children have kept the physical development element going with their 20 day challenge alongside Mr Churchward. They are now up to Day 9 of push ups, leg raises, squats and double punches ... keep it going Year 2.
Mr Vyle and Mrs Tait took 18 Year 6 pupils to West Denton Primary to take part in a cycling challenge. As always they were a credit to the school and performed admirably showing determination and resilience ... we await the results!
Thank you for your kind donations for the summer fair next week. The children had a 'fine' of a bottle or chocolate if they attended school today in Disney fancy dress or non-uniform. It was a fabulous turn out ... thank you again.
A reminder that next week is our final 'Come and See' session on Tuesday morning - not for Year 6 and Year 1. Friday afternoon is the Summer Fair starting at 1.30 pm. We look forward to seeing you all there. Have a great weekend and enjoy the sun.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 14th June 2019 - Week 34
We've had another busy week in school with lots of different activities happening in and out of school. On Monday, Year 2 visited the Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth. They had a great time exploring the aquarium and watching the seal show but they particularly enjoyed the rock pool workshop where they got the opportunity to look at and touch a sea urchin and starfish. They demonstrated fantastic behaviour and I was very proud to be on a trip with the class. Take a look at the Year 2 class page for more photographs.
Also on Monday our Year 1 classroom was full of pirates. The class had a wonderful time and I look forward to their class assembly next week. The Year 1 pupils have been very busy this week as they had their Phonics Screening Test and they all worked very hard for Mrs Howse.
Although we've had a few days of rain this week, it hasn't stopped us getting out. Reception had Forest School on Wednesday and were out exploring the dene with Mr Vyle (despite the rain).
Also on Wednesday, Mr Vyle and Mr Pickup were cooking outdoors with some Year 3 and 4 children. They had a wonderful time making tomato soup. It looked delicious!
Reception had their time to shine on Thursday for their class assembly. They all did a fantastic job telling us all about their first year at Newburn Manor. I particularly loved all the songs with actions that they sang for us. Well done Reception!
On Friday, Year 5 finished their 20 day challenge with Mr Churchward. He was incredibly impressed with the class and the progress they had made. Next week Year 2 will be starting their 20 day challenge. Watch this space...
Next week is another busy one with our Year 4's residential in Beadnell, the Big Gig for our pocket trumpet players and the Year 1's will have their class assembly to perform to the rest of the school.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 7th June 2019 - Week 33
Welcome back after the half term break, we can’t quite believe that we are in the last seven weeks of the school year – time has flown by!
It has been pirate week in Year 1. On Tuesday morning, Pirates Pearl and Gump came into school and set sail with our Year 1 team. They all made compasses so that they could plot their journey for the pirate treasure. On Thursday, all of the children came to school in their pirate costumes and travelled to the Rising Sun Country Park. On arrival they met back up with Pearl and Gump where they followed the treasure maps and made their secret dens. They all had a great time… thank to you to all of the helpers who came along with us.
Our Year 6 pupils have continued their work with the Alphabetti Theatre in preparation for their performance in 2 weeks’ time. On Tuesday, Matthew Paul from Vision for Education brought the ice cream van along to the school as a celebration surprise for our Year 6 SATs heroes… everyone enjoyed their special treat.
On Thursday, we welcomed the parents of our new Reception pupils for next year. It was lovely to see some new faces and catch up with familiar friends to Newburn Manor. We had some lovely conversations and comments about the children and the school. We look forward to welcoming you further in September.
Mr Vyle and myself started up our outdoor cooking club this week. We were joined by members of Years 3 and 4 where we made apple fritters and s'mores. We learned how to make a campfire using fire steels, chopping logs and kindling. The children then made their own homemade batter mix before coating the delicious fritters in a sugar and cinnamon mix. We are looking forward to making further culinary delights over the coming weeks.
A reminder to this year’s Reception parents that it is the Reception class assembly on Thursday 13th June at 10.10am… we look forward to seeing you for their performance on growing and changing.
There are a number of events taking place this term. Please take a look at the school calendar to see when these are taking place. Thank you in advance for your amazing support with these events.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 24th May - Week 32
We've had a very busy last week of half term in school with lots of visitors and visits taking place throughout the week. On Monday, Mrs Howse and Mrs Peters ran their library club after school with children from Year 1 and 2. The children love having the chance to go into the library and read some different books - there's plenty choice!
On Tuesday, we had our Come and See morning in school. We had lots of families coming in throughout the morning to see the learning taking place in their child's classroom and to join in with my singing assembly! Thank you to everyone who popped in throughout the morning - the children loved it!
The Beavers were also in school on Tuesday to work with Reception again. The children had a fantastic morning with Mr and Mrs Beaver and it was great to see so many families coming in to school to take part in the fun activities. The class had a great time taking part in a spider dance, making spiders, dressing up as beavers, making mint tea and beaver biscuits.
Wednesday was a very busy day in school. The school photographer was in to take photographs of the children and Mr Vyle and Mrs Heslop led Forest School down in the dene. The group enjoyed crossing a stream using a zip line and loved putting up and using the hammocks this week.
We had another instalment of Open the Book on Wednesday with children from Year 3 helping to share the story of Jesus appearing to his friends after his death. The children did a great job acting out their parts for each part of the story.
Also on Wednesday, Year 6 visited the Battle of Newburn battlefields with Mr Vyle, Mrs Tait, Miss Gibson and Geoffrey Carter from The Battlefield Trust. They looked at the site of the Scottish cannon placement and possible sites of the English defence. The weather was wonderful and the class found it very interesting.
On Thursday, Reception visited Scotswood Natural Community Garden. They had a fantastic day exploring the woodland area, greenhouse, dipping pond and beehives. Rosie told the children all about how beehives work. They all explored the garden for minibeasts and got to look at them up close. They planted their own seed which they got to take home with them. Here are a few pictures from their day. Please go to their class page for more information.
I hope everyone has a lovely break. We will see you back at school on Monday 3rd June.
Thank you for your support this half term.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 17th May 2019 - Week 31
What a group of stars we have in Year 6 at Newburn Manor. As you will know, this week has been Key Stage 2 assessment week where the pupils have undertaken national tests in Reading, Maths and SPaG. Nothing phases our Year 6 pupils and this week has been no different. Their focus, attitude, determination and sense of humour have shone through all week and we couldn't be more proud of them... well done, you have been terrific! As a treat, they have visited Mr Mulligan's Space Golf in Newcastle where they have been able to unwind and relax... although knowing their competitive streak they will still have been giving it their all.
Reception have been working with Mr and Mrs Beaver this week. It has been their first week working together but they have already been involved in so many exciting opportunities. Out in the glorious weather, they sang and danced, made mint tea, created mud paintings and dressed up like Mr and Mrs Beaver. Next week Reception parents are invited to join the children on Tuesday morning as part of our 'Come and See' morning.
We enjoyed a lovely end to the week with Year 5 performing to the school and their parents. Year 5 visited Hawkhirst at Kielder 2 weeks ago and they put together a fabulous class assembly so that they could share songs, stories and photos of their fabulous trip. It had a bit of everything and the fact they had the audience laughing along with them showed how much fun and enjoyment we knew they had experienced.
Next week is the next 'Come and See' morning on Tuesday 21st May. School will be open from 9 am until 12 noon. It is a great time to come along and share in your child's learning experience. Could we please respectfully ask that mobile phones are not used whilst you are on site, especially in the classrooms. Please remember that next Friday (24th May) is a school training day and the school will be closed.
We look forward to seeing you all in school next week.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 10th May - Week 30
We’ve had another busy but exciting week at school with lots going on. On Tuesday, the Revd Alison Harding came in to speak to the children in assembly. She talked to the children about our strengths and weaknesses and how to be resilient when we are finding something difficult. The children were full of ideas on how to persevere and not give up. Alison was very impressed with the attitudes of the pupils.
On Tuesday afternoon, Year 3 had their Egyptian Celebration with Dodgy Clutch on the school field. The class took part in some embalming and the ceremony of the afterlife. They all enjoyed some Egyptian dancing and feasted on Egyptian flatbread with hummus or honey and Egyptian ginger beer. Parents and carers came to share in the experience and everyone had a fantastic time.
On Thursday, Year 3 then performed their class assembly to the rest of the school. They all looked fantastic with their Egyptian headdresses which they had designed and made themselves. They shared all of the facts they had been learning about, showed some amazing pieces of homework and even explained the mummification process with gruesome re-enactments. It was an amazing assembly and the class did a great job. Well done Year 3!
Year 6 have continued to work with the Alphabetti Theatre this week to work on their acting skills. They have also been working as a class to create a story about the Vikings and have been writing diary entries as their own Viking character. We look forward to seeing how they get on over the following weeks.
Miss Morgan took her gardening club out into our school grounds on Thursday afternoon. They did some weeding, planted some lettuce and took cuttings off a spider plant to take home. Also on Thursday afternoon we had our final maths booster club in preparation for next week’s Year 6 SATs. We wish them the very best of luck for next week.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 3rd May 2019 - Week 29
Week 29 started with Jennie Jones and her team in school for the April instalment of 'Open the book'. This week we heard the retelling of Tabitha, the disciple brought back to life by Peter. We had 6 of our Year 4 children helping Jennie out and they performed superbly.
Liz Bailey visited school on Tuesday afternoon working with parents and children from our Year 1, 2 and 3 classes. Liz worked on enjoyable and fun maths games that can be played at home with your children to help support the work they do in class. We had a good turnout and some really positive comments from parents about the session and strategies Liz used with them. Liz has been coming in to Newburn Manor for a number of years and we always look forward to her sessions... every year staff take something brand new back to their classrooms. Unfortunately this year was Mrs Bailey's last before she retires. We would like to say a huge thank you for all of the help and support she has given our staff, pupils and parents... a real star who we will miss.
Dodgy Clutch theatre worked alongside our Year 3 children this week in preparation for their family celebration and whole school assembly next week. They were busy making Egyptian headdresses based on research they have been doing in class. They look like they had a great time and we can't wait to see the finished performance next week.
I had the pleasure of spending a night at Kielder this week as I joined the Year 5 pupils on their residential to Hawkhirst. We had a great night of story telling, star gazing and late night orienteering. All of the children were gushing with stories of adventure, bravery and pride. Please visit our Year 5 class page for pictures and further tales of daring. I'm sure they'll all be sleeping well tonight.
Next Friday we have our first Healthy Tuck Shop of the summer term, remember to bring your 50p in to enjoy a range of healthy treats. On Tuesday afternoon Year 3 parents are invited in to attend the Egyptian celebration with their children, Year 3 parents are also invited to the whole school assembly on Thursday morning at 10 am.
Enjoy the extended weekend and we will see you all on Tuesday 7th at 8.55am.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 26th April - Week 28
Welcome back! I hope everyone has had a lovely Easter break. The children have all come back settled and ready for learning. During the holidays, our Key Stage 2 yard has been revamped and it looks amazing. The children love their new yard. The equipment looks fantastic and they have enjoyed spending their playtimes and lunchtimes with new places to sit and chat to their friends.
Also over the holidays, Year 3's classroom has been renovated and Year 3 returned on Tuesday to a newly decorated classroom which they love. On Thursday, we had the delight of Reception and Year 1's drumming performance. Steve and Franco worked with both classes on their animal pageant before Easter and the children gave a great performance using the Djembe drums. They told a story with many different animals and all the children had a part to play. Thank you to everyone who came in to watch - we hope you enjoyed it.
Year 1 have also had Mr Churchward in school this week to start their Taekwondo lessons. I can't wait to see how much they progress over the coming weeks. Feel free to check their class page for more photographs and to keep updated on how well they are all doing.
Year 6 have been working with the Alphabetti Theatre group this week. They are taking part in a project called 'Write Something'. They are going to be doing work based around the Vikings for 8 weeks and this will culminate in a performance at the Alphabetti Theatre where the class will perform poems and texts.
Next week Liz Bailey will be in school on Tuesday afternoon from 2-3 pm to work with parents/carers of Year 1, 2 and 3 in Maths. It will be a fantastic session full of hands on activities and games you can play with your child at home. If you are interested in coming and haven't returned the reply slip, please let the office know.
Year 5 are very excited about their trip to Kielder next week. We can't wait to find out what they get up to while they are there. Watch this space...
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 5th April 2019 - Week 27
The Easter break has arrived and we have celebrated in style at Newburn Manor this week. We held our annual Easter hat and tie parade performing for all the parents. We had a great turn out in both the morning and afternoon sessions and we would like to thank you all for coming along, it makes it extra special for all of the children. The choreography seems to get more complex each year and the children and staff outdid themselves with songs ranging from Tom Jones to Cotton Eye Joe - a great time had by all.
Thank you to everyone who brought a decorated egg into school this week. There have been some absolutely awesome creations seen from each class. It's great to see so many families showing off their creative skills ... you really can think outside the box.
We visited St Michael's and All Angels church on Thursday morning. Alison spoke about the Easter message and talked about the difference between shocks and surprises. She had a competition with our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils as to who could take the shell off a hard boiled egg the quickest ...Year 6 were the surprise winners. You will have received an invitation from Allison and Jennie Jones for the Cops and Robbers holiday club being run in the second week of the school break. It takes place every day from Monday 15th to Friday 19th April (10 am to 12 noon) at Newburn Parish Hall - it is free of charge. Children just need an adult to attend with them.
Attendance over the last few weeks has seen a huge upturn and most classes are above the school target of 97% for the last 4 weeks. Years 2 and 5 completed their 100% attendance challenges and have been receiving their treats. A massive congratulations to the 30 children who have 100% since September, they received a small prize during our final celebration assembly of the term. Punctuality continues to be an issue across the school, especially in Reception, Year 3 and Year 4 ... can we please ensure that all children are on the playground from 8.55 am each morning?
Our 'Built to Last' project had an open evening on Wednesday. We looked back through the school archives and had a number of visitors who had attended the school in years gone by. It was amazing reading back through records dating back to the late 19th century. It would appear that every week at Newburn Manor has been busy since the doors opened.
Thank you for all of the support over the spring term. It has been great seeing so many of you into school for consultation appointments, music performances, year group assemblies and 'Come and See' sessions. I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing Easter break. We look forward to seeing you all back in school on Tuesday 23rd April.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 29th March 2019 - Week 26
We’ve had another busy week in school. Year 4 performed their class assembly to the rest of the school and their families on Tuesday morning. They told us all about their topic of the Tudors and we enjoyed watching their live courtroom hearing (with the help of Elaine and Sarah from Dodgy Clutch). The class spoke clearly and we enjoyed listening to the song about Henry VIII and his many wives. The class have really enjoyed their topic and presented a great assembly to us all. Well done Year 4!
On Wednesday Year 1 visited the Dene with Gillian Brown (Ranger for Walbottle Dene) and Andrea. They looked at common plants in our local area. The class collected and labelled some plants to bring back to the classroom for a closer look. Here are a few pictures, please take a look at the Year 1 class page for more information and photographs.
Year 6 have been researching different biomes around the world with Mr Vyle. This week they created their own mini biomes using recycled water containers. They look great!
On Thursday Reception went on a Spring walk in our local area. They went on a bug hunt, collected treasures that they found along the way and did some tree rubbings. To top it off, they enjoyed hot chocolate and bananas. They had a fantastic morning!
Today Sarah from Dodgy Clutch was back in school to see Year 3. This week they started to create a child sized mummy using Mod Roc. They also created Egyptian jewellery and created a Hieroglyph Silk Painting. The class also wrote blessings in hieroglyphs to go into the sarcophagus.
On Monday, the Book People Fair will be in school. You are welcome to come and have a look from Monday to Thursday after school from 3:05pm until 3:30pm. Here is a sample of what's on offer:
Also next week, children can bring in their egg creations from Monday. There will be tables set out in the corridor. Please use the labels provided to add your child’s name to their eggcellent creation. We can't wait to see their imaginative designs.
On Wednesday we have our Easter Hat Parade Extravaganza. There will be two performances, one at 9.30am and one at 2pm. If you have a child in KS2, you are invited to our morning performance and if you have a child in KS1, you are invited to our afternoon performance. Looking forward to seeing you all there.
Thank you again for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 22nd March 2019 - Week 25
Another thoroughly enjoyable and action-packed week at Newburn Manor. Thank you to all of the parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents who have attended school this week for the half termly 'Come and See' morning and the Year 5 Kielder residential meeting. It's always great having you in and we have had so many positive comments about the work the children are doing on a daily basis. Thank you for the great feedback and we hope to see you again at the next open morning in the summer term.
Congratulations to our dedicated and fully fitness focussed Year 3 pupils. This week they completed their 20 day fitness challenge with Mr Churchward. Over the last 20 days they have built up the stamina to perform 20 press ups, 20 leg raises, 20 squat thrusts and 20 double punches. This a great achievement and they all feel so much better for it. Year 4 have now started out on their challenge and we're sure they will perform just as admirably.
Year 4 and Year 6 both ventured out on educational visits this week. Year 4 visited Bessie Surtees' house on the Quayside where they walked round to Dog Leap Stairs and met up with Mary - a Tudor rat catcher. Please visit year 4's class page for further information on this amazing day. Year 6 travelled down to Hartlepool to visit the HMS Trincomalee. It was all hands on deck as they travelled back in time to learn about life on the ship. Year 6's class page will show and inform you of the time they all had.
Our Year 5 pupils continued their work at Denecroft spending time with the residents and staff discussing what life was like when they were at school. We have a community event in school taking place on Wednesday, 3rd April at 4 pm. Please come along and share your stories about Newburn Manor from years gone by.
There have been so many other regular activities taking place this week including Mr Vyle's Forest School with Year 2, the Invention Shed, Cross Country Club and so much more. Please visit the relevant pages of our website for further details. On the topic of our website, we will soon be rolling out our brand new format, we looking forward to sharing it with you.
We have had some awesome attendance this week with a number of classes above our 97% school target. All of Key Stage Two were above 97% with Year 5 and 6 tying for top spot on 99.6%. Everyone was trumped by Year 2 who had 100% for this week! Great stuff and keep it up. Punctuality hasn't been as good - can we please ensure that children are on site for 8.55 am please.
Have a great weekend and see you all on Monday.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 15th March - Week 24
We've had another busy week here in school. Paul, our school photographer, came into school on Monday to take photographs of the fantastic activities that we do in school, ready to put on our new website. We can't wait to see the finished product and share it with you. On Tuesday, some of our Year 4 and Year 5 pupils took part in the Newcastle Schools Swimming Gala. They all tried hard and supported each other well. In year 4, Helen achieved a silver medal for her breaststroke and the Year 5 girls even got through to the finals! Well done to all the children who took part!
On Wednesday we had Parent Consultation Day. Thank you to everyone who came in to see your child's teacher. If you didn't manage to make an appointment, please see your teacher to arrange a convenient time.
Mr Churchward has been in school again this week, working with Years 2 and 3. It is great to see the progress that is being made on a weekly basis with Year 2. Mr Churchward is very impressed with how much they remember each week!
Today was Red Nose Day and the children came into school in non-uniform, dressed in red or wore silly wigs. Everyone looked great! Thank you for your kind donations.
The School Council also held their Bake Sale to raise even more money. Thank you to everyone who donated cakes to school. Altogether, we managed to raise over £509.47 for Red Nose Day which is fantastic! Well done Newburn Manor!
Year 4 had a fantastic Skype conversation with Jake Meyer, the youngest British person to climb Mount Everest. The whole class was inspired by his mountaineering adventures and loved asking him questions which he happily answered.
Next week is 'Come and See' on Thursday morning. We look forward to seeing you in school to take part in your child's learning. Feel free to drop in at any point during the morning to see what your child is learning in class.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 8th March 2019 - Week 23
What a week! Monday started with a lovely visit from Reverend Allison Harding from St Michael's and All Angels. She discussed Lent and its meaning. We had a number of our pupils involved and they discussed making sure we are prepared properly. It is always great to see Allison in school and we look forward to our Easter celebration in a few weeks time.
Franco and Steve from Newcastle Music service continued to wow our Reception and Year 1 pupils with their Animal Pageant session. The children have been learning animal names and sounds and matching them to beats using African drumming ... I can't wait to see the finished work and performance. On Tuesday, Year 3 visited the Oriental Museum in Durham. They were learning more about the Egyptians in preparation for this term's topic work. The whole class got to handle Egyptian artefacts as well as work with a real ancient sarcophagus. Year 3 have a number of great sessions coming up with Egyptian surprises planned for each ... keep visiting their page for updates.
James from Primary Site visited us on Wednesday as we move forwards with our new website. He filmed a number of great activities taking place around school including our Acorn Group, Reception's mud kitchen, the Invention Shed, pizza making at the cob oven, forest school and much more. We can't wait to see the finished product and be able to share it with you.
Our after school Booster classes are going from strength to strength. It's a pleasure to work with the children as they show real determination and focus to improve week on week. If you would like your Year 6 child to attend just ring the office, there is no limit on numbers.
Thank you to everyone who came to school in their Traditional Tales 'World Book Day' costumes on Thursday. The outfits just get better and better and Mums and Dads, you have shown off your unbelievably creative skills this year. Thanks again, it made for a great day.
Year 5 continued with their visits to our local care homes. This week they were at Denecroft, sharing stories from school as well as listening to tales of years gone by. We rounded the week off with our monthly Healthy Tuck Shop. Its popularity remains and it was great seeing children trying a number of new items on the menu.
Remember that next Wednesday the school is closed to pupils. We hope to see you all in for your parent consultation appointment. If you don't currently have one please contact the school office and we will be able to allocate one of the remaining slots. Friday 15th is Red Nose Day. School will be holding a cake sale where cakes will be sold at 50p. Children can come into school in non uniform or dig out their reddest outfits and wigs where we will ask for a small donation of around £1 for the privilege. We also have a limited number of Red Noses to purchase on the day at a charge of £1.20.
Look forward to seeing you all in school next Wednesday. Have a great weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 1st March 2019 - Week 22
We've had a fun-packed Art Week in school. Every class has used the painting of 'Men of the Docks' by George Bellows as inspiration for a week of art in their classroom and the results have been fantastic. Here are a few pictures of what's been happening. Please take a look at your child's class page for further information and pictures from this week. The work will be displayed throughout school over the next few weeks.
As part of Art Week, Year 6 had a printing workshop with Helen Donley from Northern Print. She came in to work with the class and turn their crane sketches into fantastic prints. They look amazing and will be displayed in school for everyone to see.
On Thursday, Oscar from the RSPB came in to do workshops with Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. He enjoyed going out into the nature garden in the school grounds. He looked at habitats with Reception, searched for minibeasts with Year 2 and described the outside environment using wild words with Year 1. The classes had a wonderful time spotting different creatures and looking at them closely with the magnifying glasses. It was great having Oscar in school and the children really enjoyed learning about the different creatures.
Steve and Franco from the Music Service have been back in school again this week. They are working with Reception and Year 1 using Djembe drums. We look forward to seeing how they progress and look forward to their concert to show us their new musical skills.
Julie Cragg, from YogaBugs, came in to school this week to work with Reception, Year 1 and Year 5. The classes were learning new yoga poses and were working on balance and core strength. We look forward to seeing them progress over the next few weeks.
It's been a busy week full of lots of different activities going on and with lots of different visitors coming into school to work in different classes.
Just a reminder that Parent Consultation Day is Wednesday 13th March. If you have not already asked for an appointment, please get in touch with your class teacher to organise one.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 15th February 2019 - Week 21
The last week before the half term break and it's been an action-packed week. On Monday, Reception invited Julie from YogaBugs into their class. They had a fabulous time and we were so impressed that we have invited Julie to come back for 10 weeks and provide further YogaBugs training for Reception and Year 1. I'm sure their class pages will keep you up to date with the children's progress.
Mrs Heslop and her Breakfast Club team have been having a huge push on healthy eating and this week they have been trying a range of different fruits. Mrs Heslop went above and beyond designing watermelon baskets ... they went down a storm!
Jennie Jones and her team visited school on Tuesday morning for the next instalment of our open the book Bible story sessions. Five of our Year 5 pupils took part in the assembly and thoroughly enjoyed playing their roles. We always look forward to seeing Jennie and her team.
Year 2 impressed the whole school along with their parents and family on Wednesday with their assembly all about Newcastle and the surrounding area. The hard work of the whole Year 2 team ensured they performed confidently and clearly ... all put together in just 3 days, well done! With half term taking place next week, Year 2's assembly gave lots of great ideas for holiday adventures ... why not try the discovery Museum, the Great North Museum, Hadrian's Wall, The Metrocentre and Eldon Square or the Angel of North? Let us know if you get to visit any of our wonderful local attractions.
Mr Churchward has been back in school all week. He has visited Year 3 each afternoon to introduce and begin his 20 day fitness challenge. The children have been taught the correct technique for leg squats, press ups and leg raises ... it is now Day 5 of the challenge and the children are already making great progress ... keep it up Year 3. Year 2 had their second week of taekwondo training; it was great to see how enthusiastic they all are. They can't wait to see what Mr Churchward has in store for them next time.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Valentine's Disco. The pupils and staff had a great time ... who knew Mr Vyle was such a whizz at the Macarena, what will he wow us with next time?
I hope you all have a great half term, we'll see you back on Monday 25th February. Recharge those batteries ready for another full half term of activities and learning.
Mr Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 8th February - Week 20
We've had another busy week in school. Some of the Reception children visited the Invention Shed this week to explore the tools and materials inside. They had a great time exploring and look forward to returning over the next few weeks.
Mr Churchward was in school this week to work with Year 2. He was showing them how to build their strength and was teaching some kicking and punching skills. Mr Churchward will be in school lots over the next few weeks to work with Year 2 on taekwondo technique and to do the 20 day fitness challenge, starting with Year 3 on Monday.
Year 5 have started work on the ‘Build to Last’ project this week with Poppy from Equal Arts. Some children visited Lindisfarne Care Home in Throckley on Thursday to introduce themselves to the residents. The residents then talked to them about their experiences of school. It was a great first session and the children were commended on their behaviour. Over the next few weeks, the rest of the class will get to visit either Lindisfarne or Denecroft Care home to chat to the residents there.
Today, Year 5 visited the Discovery Museum to look at the archive room. The children got to explore the physical archives, looking at maps, log books and old documents. The class took photographs and made notes about anything they found interesting from their research. We look forward to seeing this project progress over the coming weeks. Take a look on our 'Built to Last' page for further information and to keep updated.
Just a reminder that next Tuesday at 10.10am, Year 2 have their Class Assembly all about our area. Hope to see you there.
Please take a look at the class pages for more information about what your child has been learning about over the last few weeks. The Forest School page is also updated weekly so please visit there for information and photographs of their explorations.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 1st February - Week 19
The school looked lovely today with its covering of snow, all of the children loved spending time outdoors all wrapped up warm. Thank you for ensuring the children have come to school with warm winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves. Can I please ask that children have the correct uniform at school? Over recent weeks there has been a growing number of children with trainers on and jewellery is starting to appear more regularly, especially earrings and fit bits, which are becoming a distraction in class.
Thank you to everyone who came along to our third 'Come and See' morning. It was another great turnout with a wide range of lessons taking place. The teachers endeavour to provide a range of topics and lessons over the year, so please come along again when we have our next open morning on Tuesday 19th March.
On Wednesday, we welcomed Mr Roberts from St Nicholas' Cathedral. He came along to talk about the cathedral choir as well sing some songs with the whole school. Mrs Gill said he was very impressed with the standard of singing from all of the children. If you would be interested in your child joining Mr Robert's choir please contact Mrs Gill who will forward you any details.
Year 2 visited the Baltic to take part in a Building Bridges workshop on Thursday morning. They spent time at the viewing platform producing drawings of the famous bridges that span the Tyne. Following this they got to design and build their own bridges - they had a great time and their behaviour was impeccable, well done Year 2.
Mr Rudkin and his amazing trumpet playing is back with us and our Year 4 children have been keen to impress. His trumpet skills really get the children involved and we can't wait to hear them when they perform to the whole school and their parents next half term.
Our Forest School adventurers chanced the cold winter weather on Wednesday where they learned about bark recognition (involving some tree hugging) and visited the Devil's Chair in the Dene. Our Year 2 pupils have been making inventions that represent the meaning and the work done in the Invention Shed. Please visit the Year 2 class page and the Forest School page for pictures and further information.
Have a great weekend and remember to wrap up warm.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 25th January - Week 18
Well it’s been another busy week here in school. On Monday, Mr Vyle took some Year 2’s into the Invention Shed to do some joining without tape or glue. The children experimented with different ways to join materials, looking closely at wood. They used saws, drills, nails and screws this week to make a variety of objects. Please take a look on the Year 2 class page for more photos and information.
We also had another instalment of ‘Open the Book’ on Monday. This time we watched and listened to the story of the Wise Men visiting baby Jesus. We had the help of Year 3 to tell the story and they did a great job acting out the different parts.
On Wednesday Jen Brown from Read North East came in to visit Reception to talk about reading for pleasure. Thank you to everyone who came to the session. We hope you found it useful. All of Reception received a book from Jen to take home.
Also on Wednesday, our Forest School group was out at the Dene again. This week pupils were making journey sticks with all of the things they found on their way to the Dene. They also had some rope adventures to explore the area. They had a wonderful morning despite the cold and loved having their hot chocolates to warm them up.
On Thursday, it was Year 5’s Class assembly. The whole class entertained us with facts about America from the past and the present. We had songs, dances, lots of facts and some great costumes! Thank you to all the families who came to see the assembly. We hope you enjoyed it.
Next Tuesday is our ‘Come and See’ morning. We look forward to seeing you in school to take part in your child’s learning. Feel free to pop in throughout the morning to see what your child is getting up to in class.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 18th January 2019 - Week 17
Everybody is back into the swing of things and working hard. The school health team have been in Years 2 and 6 this week. Year 6 have been involved in learning more about puberty and Year 2 have been talking PANTS which is aimed at teaching young children how to stay safe from abuse. If you would like any further information on this please visit the 'Keeping your child safe' page on our website or visit the NSPCC PANTS website.
Mrs Gill and Mrs Merrix are currently involved in a Maths Teacher Research Group. This week they had the opportunity to visit Front Street Primary School in Whickham where they observed a maths teacher from Shanghai teaching an incredible lesson to a Year 2 class - Mrs Gill can't wait to try it out with our own Year 2 pupils. Next week 3 more of our staff will attend Front Street to watch some more inspiring maths.
Following a successful funding bid with Equal Arts, we are starting up our 'Built to Last' project. On Thursday Kate from Equal Arts came in to run Dementia Awareness Training with our Year 5 class. During the morning she spoke about what dementia is and how we can help understand how people are feeling who have dementia. All of our Year 5 pupils are now trained Dementia Friends ... the 5 key messages are:
- Dementia is not a natural part of ageing.
- Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain.
- Dementia is not just about losing your memory - it can affect thinking, communication and doing everyday tasks.
- It is possible to live well with dementia.
- There's more to a person than dementia.
Our new after school clubs have been in full action this week. Miss Morgan's Arts and Crafts club has been making kites and Mrs Merrix's Science Club has been learning all about chromatography. Can't wait to see what they'll be up to next week.
Reception and Year 1 had their celebration of pizza and a DVD for completing their 100% attendance challenge just before Christmas. We have started up again this term ... Year 2 currently leading the way.
We received a lovely letter from Catherine McKinnell this week congratulating our staff, pupils and parents on our fantastic school outcomes - well done to everyone.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you all ready for Week 18 on Monday.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 11th January - Week 16
Welcome back and a Happy New Year to everyone. I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas break and is ready for the new year ahead. Thank you to all the parents and carers who sent in gifts for the staff at the end of last half-term. It was very kind of you and the gifts were appreciated. We have had a lovely first week back at school with lots of lovely activities taking place.
Mr Vyle has been busy in the Invention Shed again this week with some more Year 2 children. They had great fun exploring the different tools and equipment inside.
Also this week, Mr Vyle and Mrs Tofield have been busy in the dene with Forest School and half of the Year 2 children. First, they had to learn all about the Forest School rules before exploring the dene. They had great fun making friendship bracelets, climbing down hills using ropes and making dens.
Mr Rudkin has been back in school this week to start pocket trumpet lessons with Year 4. He has worked with them in Year 3 so I can't wait to see the progress they make in the coming weeks. Watch this space ...
Year 5 have been investigating the area of composite rectilinear shapes this week in maths. They then created a Pic Collage to show their findings. Here are a couple of examples of their work.
Year 2 have been investigating bridges this week. Pupils worked in teams of 3 or 4 to build a bridge using only paper and masking tape.
We had a great time at the Theatre Royal yesterday afternoon seeing Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A huge thank you goes to Spincraft ETG Limited for their very generous donation which helped to fund the visit. The children and staff thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the children were an asset to the school, showing fantastic behaviour throughout. What a brilliant way to start this term!
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 21st December 2018 - Week 15
We've made it to the Christmas break and enjoyed a fantastic final week. The children have all taken part in their Christmas parties, sang along with the Hot Shots Rock Band and taken part in the annual carol service with Reverend Allison at St Michael's and All Angels.
Thank you again for your kind donations to the School Council Food Bank collection. We dropped of the food at West End Food Bank on Thursday and they were extremely grateful, they have enough food to keep the bank stocked into the New Year...great idea School Council. A huge well done to all of our 100% attenders this term. 64 of the school managed to be in every day and we had a large number of children who had 98%+ attendance - keep it going in the New Year.
Thank you all once again for the great support this term, you have been tremendous. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. From all the staff at Newburn Manor...Merry Christmas!
See you all back on Monday 7th January.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 14th December - Week 14
As we get closer to Christmas, the weeks seem to be getting busier and busier. On Monday Jennie Jones came in to school for another episode of 'Open the Book' to do an assembly on the life of Joseph the carpenter. Some of the Year 6's took part in the assembly and were great acting out the different parts of the story.
The choir sang for the Rotary Club at Eldon Square on Monday afternoon and it was fantastic. They also visited Throckley after school to sing for the lighting of the Christmas tree. It was a great night, full of festive spirit.
On Tuesday, Years 2, 3 and 4 performed their 'Tinsel and Tea Towels' extravaganza. It was a great success and everyone sang, danced and performed beautifully. The children were able to remember their lines and deliver them well. The children have loved this year’s production. Thank you to everyone who came to see them.
On Thursday, Reception and Year 1 performed their production of ‘What A Star!’ which was another success. They had lots of lines to learn and many songs. Everyone looked fantastic and gave it their all. Thank you to everyone who came to see them.
Also on Thursday, the choir were back in Newcastle, singing in the Grainger Market. We managed to raise £164.97 for school which is brilliant. Well done Choir! Thank you to everyone who came to support us at our many events this week.
Today the Reception children visited Whitehouse Farm to look at the animals and to meet Santa. They had a wonderful day despite the cold. Take a look at the Reception class page for photos of their day.
The choir were singing again today at The Grange to spread some festive joy with their beautiful carol singing. They sat with the senior citizens and played with their fortune tellers they had made, before singing some carols.
The School Council are very happy with the donations of food we have collected this week. Thank you to everyone who has brought in donations for the West End Food Bank. They will be gratefully appreciated.
Next week we have the Christmas parties in school. Year 2 and 3 party is on Monday, Reception and Year 1 party is on Tuesday and Year 5 and 6 party is on Wednesday.
The school is at the Church on Thursday afternoon at 1.30 pm for our Christmas carol service. Children will need to be picked up from the church unless they are attending the after-school club.
Just a reminder that on Friday the children will need to be picked up at 1.30 pm.
Hope to see you next week at the church.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 7th December 2018 - Week 13
We are now well and truly getting into the festive spirit at Newburn Manor. Along with all of the Christmas performance rehearsals, we have been learning Christmas songs, listening to an advent assembly and enjoying the Whole School Christmas Fair.
On Monday, Reverend Allison Harding was in school for her advent assembly. The children had to take objects from her hidden bag. Each item was a clue to what she was preparing for. The children always enjoy the hands-on approach to her assemblies and we look forward to seeing her in the last week at the whole school Carol Service.
The talented Mr Rudkin led Year 3 in their big band trumpet performance to the whole school and the Year 3 parents. It's amazing how far they have come in just 12 weeks. Only one person had picked up a pocket trumpet before this year and the fact they had the confidence to play in front of approximately 200 people shows real dedication. It was great to hear the variety of songs and those pupils who wowed us with their freestyle playing. We look forward to inviting Mr Rudkin back in the new year ... Year 4 the bar has been raised this year.
Years 5 and 6, alongside Franco and Steve, rocked the new hall on Wednesday morning. Over the last 6 weeks the children have learned how to play 4 instruments (electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboards and drums) and also written their own songs. The tunes were catchy and played extremely professionally ... it had some members of the audience headbanging away ... you know who you are mums and dads! Everyone left with a huge smile on their faces - please visit Year 5 and 6 class pages to watch videos of the performances ... we are so proud of all of you.
Year 4 enjoyed a printmaking workshop on Wednesday morning. They have been working on winter scenes and we can't wait to see the finished pieces on the hall wall in January. Keep watching for more photos.
The Christmas Fair was an absolute success on Thursday afternoon. Thank you all so much for your kind donations to the tombola. We also thank Mrs Rimington for helping us out with our raffle prizes ... you've been a star! The fair managed to raise approximately £1100 ... thank you again for wonderful support.
Next week we turn the Christmas activities up another notch. Tuesday is the Year 2, 3 and 4 Christmas performance, Wednesday is Christmas dinner and Thursday is the Reception and Year 1 Christmas performance. Everyone who asked for tickets to each performance has now been allocated a seat and they have been sent home with your child.
A busy, action-packed week ... thanks once again for everything and see you all in school over the coming days.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 30th November - Week 12
We've had another busy week in school. On Monday, we had a Marine Biology day in Key Stage 2. A member of the National Marine Aquarium came in to school and gave an assembly to KS2 before each class had a workshop where they got to dissect a squid. Everyone had a great session and got stuck in. Here are a few pictures from the day. Please take a look at your child's class page for more photographs.
On Tuesday we had a 'Come and See' morning in school. It was lovely to see so many family members coming to see the children in class. Thank you for coming in, the children loved it!
The whole school has now been decorated for Christmas and it all looks very festive. The classroom doors look fantastic and we have new festive boards in the main hall.
Everyone came in their Christmas jumpers today and looked very festive. Thank you for all of your donations of bottles and chocolates for our Christmas tombola. We look forward to seeing you at our Christmas Fair next Thursday at 1:30pm.
We also had Eric Ferguson and his team from Literature Works today for a subject lead session. It is always great to welcome visitors to our school. We hope to welcome them back in the future.
As well as the Christmas Fair on Thursday afternoon next week, we also have our Year 3 Trumpet Performance on Tuesday morning at 9:30 am and the Year 5 and 6 Rock in a Box concert at 10:30 am on Wednesday.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 23rd November 2018 - Week 11
Lots of great work and activities took place this week at Newburn Manor. On Monday the children had the next story in the Open the Book project. This week we listened to the story of the blind man. It linked very nicely with our discussion on random acts of kindness that we hope to share with you over the coming weeks.
Mrs Elliott, our Achievement Partner, visited us on Monday. She spent the morning going around all of the classes in school watching the children write, looking in their books and talking to a number of pupils. She was very impressed with every learning environment and saw lots of progress in each class. Well done Newburn! The immunisation team were in school in the afternoon to give the children their nasal flu immunisations. We had a huge uptake this year so thank you for returning the forms.
On Tuesday, Year 1 visited Beamish to look at toys from the past linked to their history topic in class. They had a great time and also got to help Cinderella make porridge as well as sample old fashioned fish and chips with Mr Vyle.
In around school, we have had Mr Rudkin preparing for his trumpet gig with Year 3 as well as Franco and Steve getting their Year 5 and 6 bands ready for their school performances. They all sound great and we can't wait to show them off to parents and pupils in a couple of weeks.
Mrs Peters has enjoyed a fabulous session in the Invention Shed with Year 2, a different group from the previous weeks. They have been learning how to use the different types of tools and are already looking like budding inventors. This afternoon Year 6 are involved in a live lesson with the BBC linked to Doctor Who. Visit the class pages for further pictures and information.
Remember that next week is 'Come and See' day on Tuesday 27th November. School will be open from 9am until 12 noon for you to come along and share in the amazing sessions the teachers have planned. Friday is our Christmas jumper day. Your child can come to school in a Christmas jumper or out of school clothes - the fine is something chocolaty or a bottle for our Christmas Fair.
Thank you for your contributions in advance and we hope to see you all next Tuesday morning.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 16th November - Week 10
We've had another busy week in school this week. On Wednesday Year 2 went on a trip to St Mary's Heritage Centre in Gateshead to learn more about the Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead. The class were all on their best behaviour and had a great time exploring the Quayside to look at where the fire started and how it spread. Here are a few pictures from the morning. Take a look at the Year 2 class page for more.
Yesterday we got to see Year 6's Greek Extravaganza Class Assembly. The class did themselves proud and put on a fantastic show. We loved looking at their masks, Greek vases and temples. We were amazed by how many facts they could tell us about the Ancient Greeks.
Well done Year 6!
Today we were dressed up for 'Children in Need' in school. Everyone came dressed in their pyjamas and donated money. Thank you to everyone for your kind donations. We have managed to raise £271.83 for 'Children in Need' which is fantastic.
Also today we had a wonderful treat in school. M & M Theatrical Productions came in to school to perform Dick Whittington for us all. It was great and all the children had a wonderful time. There was lots of singing and dancing and we even practised our three times table. A particular highlight was when Mr Vyle and Mrs Merrix competed in a 'Dance Off'.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 9th November 2018 - Week 9
I hope you all had a great half term break, it was a long first half term and now we have the run up to Christmas to look forward to. It has been an action packed first week back with parent visits, school trips, out of class activities and expert visitors.
On Monday afternoon, Mrs Peters and Jyl continued their super work with our Year 5 group in the Invention Shed. The children thoroughly enjoy their time together and their imaginations have produced some wonderful final results. This week they worked with clay alongside the tools. All of the teaching staff have now received their tool training in the shed so more children will be experiencing the environment, using their inventive creativity and the tools.
On Tuesday, Years 5 and 6 ventured over to Beamish to take part in a murder day...there had been a murder! The ‘body’ was found in the Ladies Waiting Room down at the Station near the Town. Clues had been left behind. The students needed to solve the crime...and they did! Questioning the folk of the town and collecting clues they all managed to solve the case. We can't wait to read the follow up writing taking place.
Wednesday saw Liz Bailey visit the school to run her 'Power up your early counting skills' session. The first part of the session was for our Reception parents and then our Reception pupils joined them for the second half. It was great to see so many of you at the session exploring the wonders of Early Years maths. I'd also like to thank our amazing Year 6 pupils who supported children whose parents couldn't attend. It was a great afternoon and we look forward to Mrs Bailey returning in the new year to work with the older children and their parents.
On Thursday we had the second of our open the school sessions for parents looking at Reception places for next September. It was lovely to see so many new faces and the sessions went very well. The pupils were an absolute credit to the school and their enthusiasm and polite manners were commented on by a number of the parents...well done Newburn! On the Thursday Mr Vyle and his band of merry helpers fired up the cob oven as well as the fire pit...it meant we could all enjoy some hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows and homemade hotdogs.
This week saw the start of our new after school clubs. On top of the sports clubs we currently have running (basketball and multi-skills), Key Stage 2 have Chess Club run by Mrs Hainsworth and Glee with Mrs Reid with Key Stage 1 enjoying board game club with Mrs Howse. They have been a huge success already and we will have further clubs available in the new year.
Mrs Peters has been doing an amazing job in our library. She has produced two lovely displays based around Remembrance Day. The books go into all aspects of why we remember as well as stories from both World War 1 and 2. She has hand made some lovely poppies using similar techniques to those seen in the invention shed. It looks fabulous...
As well as her Remembrance Day displays, she also keeps us bang up to date with children's literature. She displays new books as well as messages from the actual authors. I am currently reading The Lost Magician by Piers Torday with my son at home. It is one of the books highlighted by Mrs Peters and I can highly recommend to you all...thanks Mrs Peters.
Thank you for your continued support.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 26th October - Week 8
The final week of this half term has been another busy one! Earlier in the week, we had 'Open the Book' in assembly where the children were shown a story about being a good neighbour. Some of Year 3 acted out the story and did a great job. Afterwards we talked about how we can help each other at school and be good ‘neighbours’ to one another.
Year 1 went on a harvest walk on Wednesday. They went down into the Dene and into the Orchard looking for signs of Autumn as part of their topic work on Seasonal Changes.
Also on Wednesday Franco and Steve came in to work with Year 5 and Year 6 on their Rock Band. Over the next few weeks they will be using drums, keyboards, and electric guitars. This work will culminate in an amazing show at the end of next half term. Watch this space…
On Thursday, Mr Gill came in to work with Year 2 on creating huge Kenyan animals to go up on display outside their classroom. The finished animals look great! Here are a few pictures. Take a look on the Year 2 class page for more...
Today, Year 6 had their Greek Extravaganza. The afternoon was a complete success celebrating the wedding of Persephene and Hades. Thank you to everyone who came to see the celebration. It was a great afternoon!
I hope you have a lovely half term holiday and I will see everyone on Monday 5th November.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 19th October 2018 - Week 7
We have all thoroughly enjoyed a fabulous week 7 at Newburn Manor. We kicked the week off with the introduction of our new playground equipment sheds filled with new games and toys for the children to use at playtimes and lunchtimes. We will be adding more equipment after half term, in the meantime the children have been having a great time and it has gone down a storm with everyone. I'd like to say a huge thank you to our Year 6 Playground Team, they have been extremely helpful especially with our Key Stage 1 pupils.
Monday morning saw Reverend Harding visit us for a Harvest themed assembly - it really set the tone for the week and got the children ready for their own celebrations later in the week. On Wednesday, we invited all of our parents into school to watch our wonderful Harvest Festival. We had a great time and were treated to some gorgeous singing and tales of Harvest around the world. Can I thank all of you who came along, the afternoon session was full to the brim. The laughter, cheers and comments at the end showed how much you all enjoyed it.
If you couldn't make it to the harvest performances, can I thank you all for your outstanding generosity when bringing in items for our food bank collection. We are donating ours to the West End Foodbank and they will be over the moon with the items you have so kindly provided. Thanks again.
On top of all of these wonderful whole school events, each year group continues to pack so much into the first half term. Year 3 visited Pizza Express in Gosforth on Thursday morning. As part of their 'Where in the world is the Mediterranean?' they made authentic Italian pizzas, please see their class page for more information. Year 6 have been working with 'Dodgy Clutch' theatre company in preparation for another Greek extravaganza - we can't wait to see the final production. Year 4 are visiting Housesteads Roman fort today as part of their Roman topic. Mrs Reid will have lots of information on her webpage after they have returned.
Finally, well done and massive congratulations go to our dodgeball team. Last week they attended the Outer West Dodgeball Tournament at Throckley Primary. They progressed all the way to the final where they were narrowly beaten by Throckley 2 games to 1.
It was great to see so many of you in school this week. Thanks again for your support and generosity.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 12th October 2018 - Week 6
This week the whole school have been getting ready for our Harvest Assembly next week. Classes have been painting, singing and dancing in preparation and learning about what happens at Harvest.
Reception have been exploring outside, looking at nature and collecting Autumn leaves for their Andy Goldsworthy art.
Year 1 have read Oliver's Vegetables by Vivian French and painted some of the vegetables that appear in the story ready for their Harvest Assembly next week.
Year 2 have been looking at Autumn Trees and the colours they can see. Lots of the class brought leaves in to look at and compare. They produced beautiful Autumn Tree paintings using sponges and their fingers.
We had Parent Consultation Evenings on Monday and Wednesday this week. Thank you to everyone who came in to discuss your child's learning with their teacher. If you were unable to make your appointment, please contact school to rearrange your appointment. Mrs Hainsworth will get back in touch with Year 3 parents to arrange an alternative date asap.
Year 6 have been working with Dodgy Clutch again this week. Today they were making Rangoli patterns to be used as part of their Extravaganza later this half term.
Our harvest collection this year will be to collect food for the Newcastle West End Food Bank. They would greatly appreciate any of the following items: teabags, coffee, sugar, cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables, tinned fish, tinned meat, biscuits/snack bars, tinned rice pudding, rice, tinned fruit, long life milk and long life fruit juice. If you would like to make a donation of food, please could you bring an item in between Monday and Wednesday next week.
Our harvest festival will take place on Wednesday morning and afternoon. Families of KS2 are welcome to our morning assembly at 9:30am and families of Reception and KS1 children are welcome to our afternoon assembly at 2pm.
Looking forward to seeing you all next week.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 5th October 2018 - Week 5
This week has been relatively quiet compared to the last few weeks. That's not to say we haven't had a lot going on. All classes have now nominated their school council representatives for the school year. In their first meeting with Mrs Merrix they have discussed possible fundraising schemes to purchase a class set of ukuleles. We will keep you all posted about the outcome, a possible sponsored weekend walk was mentioned ...
Here are our fabulous school council reps for 2018/19:
This week saw the first healthy tuck shop of the academic year. It was great to see nearly every child joining in. It's a great opportunity for our pupils to try some new foods they may not have tried before. This week there was so much on offer, including kiwi fruit, pineapple, raspberries, blueberries, cucumber, malt loaf, pretzels, artisan breads, prawns and crab sticks. The cost is 50p a child, please look on the school calendar for the next offering of healthy treats.
Can I remind you all that next week we are holding two nights of parent consultations. They are taking place on Monday 8th and Wednesday 10th October from 3.15 to 6 pm. Please contact school if you don't already have an appointment and we can fit you in.
Please keep visiting your child or children's class pages where they will be keeping you up to date on all the recent additions to their year group curriculum and adventures.
Looking forward to seeing you all in school next week.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 28th September - Week 4
We've had another busy week full of lots of different activities throughout school. On Monday Jennie Jones came into school to 'Open the Book'. She told the story of the healing of the centurion's servant with the help from some of our children in Year 3.
Also on Monday, Year 5 and Year 6 visited Belsay Hall to get ideas for their writing. They visited the hall, castle and quarry to help them get inspiration for writing their descriptive narrative: The Ghosts of Belsay Hall. They came back with lots of lovely ideas and produced some wonderful writing.
On Tuesday Mr Rudkin was in to work with Year 3. He is teaching them to play the pocket trumpet. The class are enjoying it and were eager to talk to me about the notes they have been learning and the song that they have started practising. I can't wait to see how they progress over the next few weeks.
Mr Vyle has been in the Invention Shed a few times this week. We can't get him out of there! He has been working with some Year 4 children and some Year 5 children this week. Year 4 helped tidy up the storm damage and then planted some of the willow in the Forest School area. Year 5 made pendants to decorate our Invention Shed.
On Thursday we had our first Come and See morning of the year. It was a great morning where lots of families came in to see what was happening in their child's classroom. We welcomed 61 visitors in total which was fantastic. Thank you for coming in to school as your children love it. We hope you enjoyed it too!
Today the Dodgy Clutch company have been working with Year 6 on their Greek project. This week they started making Greek masks with Elaine and Sarah. They will continue to work on these over the next few weeks and this will culminate in the wedding of Persephone and Hades at the end of the half term. Watch this space!
Please check your child's class page for more photographs of what they've been getting up to in class over the last few weeks.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 21st September 2018 - Week 3
The amount of work and activities taking place this week has nearly been as frantic as the weather. Our Invention Shed pioneers are going from strength to strength continuing their creative journey with Jyl and Mr Vyle. The skills they are learning will be seen across the year as they share their expertise with their peers. We will have the shed open at our 'Come and See' session next Thursday.
Year 1 continue to impress us all with their development during Forest School with Mr Vyle. This week they have been exploring their emotions with their fruit splatter paintings. They've loved using tools and exploring the different fruits growing around the Dene.
Year 3 invited Michelle Wood in on Thursday for a printing workshop. They had a great time designing prints based around Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. Michelle took the children on a journey from design to final product. The end results were tremendous as you can see from the look on the children's faces.
Last week our children attended the Outer West Learning Trust 'Great Exhibition of the North' celebration at Walbottle campus. It was a huge success and they children loved showing off the banner they had produced with Mr Vyle. This week we were given a wonderful surprise when two members of the GETN team delivered another banner to school. In June, a number of our pupils prepared designs with a team of artists and our artwork was professionally produced and displayed at the Great Exhibition. They have very kindly given us the finished artwork and we hope to have it displayed in school very soon.
Finally, can I remind you all that it is our first 'Come and See' morning next Thursday (27th September). School will be open from 9am until noon. Please come along and join in your child's learning experience. It really puts a smile on their faces when they get to work alongside their family. Hope to see as many of you as we possibly can.
Have a lovely weekend.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher
Friday 14th September - Week 2
We've had another busy week in school. The pupils have all settled in well now and are enjoying their new classes. Thank you to everyone who attended the 'Welcome Meetings' that took place in various classes this week. The rest of the meetings will take place next week. This will give you a chance to find out what will be happening in your child's class throughout the year and ask any questions that you might have.
Some of our Year 1 children have had Forest School with Mr Vyle and Miss Gibson this week. They had a great time building dens, using a bow saw and then they searched for blackberries which they crushed to make blackberry juice. Here are just a few pictures from their morning. Take a look at the Forest School page for more...
Mr Vyle has been working with some of the Year 5 children in the Invention Shed this week. They used the recycled materials to make musical instruments for their parade at Walbottle Campus with the rest of the OWL Trust.
Today Year 5 visited Walbottle Campus for our Great Exhibition of the North celebration with the other schools in the OWL Trust. They paraded with our school banner, showing images that children throughout the school had created. They sang songs and they also performed their class poem about the North, to the rest of the Trust. Well done Year 5! The whole school displays will be brought back to school so that everyone can see the fantastic work that everyone produced for the Great Exhibition of the North.
Thank you for your continued support.
Claire Gill
Deputy Head Teacher
Friday 7th September - Week 1
Welcome back everyone! I'm sure you've all had a great summer enjoying the sunshine and recharging your batteries. It was lovely to see all the children back on Tuesday...the school never feels quite right without them around. Everybody looked so smart on the first day back...super smart uniforms and enthusiastic smiles to match. The teachers have all been extremely impressed with their classes - every one of them complimenting the children on their attitude, commitment and enthusiasm.
Even though it was the first week back, we have already had three classes out on school trips. Years 1, 2 and 5 all visited the Great Exhibition of the North before it closes its doors. Once again, the children were an absolute credit to the school showing interest and superb manners
We are currently putting together the new school calendar and as soon as its ready we'll put it up on the website and get copies sent out to you all - it is already looking like a busy year with lots happening in all the classes and a number of whole school initiatives and visits already in place. Please keep visiting your child's class page - as the term goes on you'll find more and more on there. For now here's a few photos from the first week back...
Look forward to catching up with you all over the coming days and weeks.
Stuart Pickup
Head Teacher