Our week...

In English this week we have been exploring Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet further. We’ve pushed the tables back in the classroom and using rehearsal room approaches we’ve got inside the characters’ shoes to act out and explore the underlying tensions between the two divided households of Capulet and Montague.

In Maths we’ve been adding and subtracting decimal numbers using mental and written methods and have also been revising the key concepts we’ve studied over the last few weeks. Some children also spent the day yesterday at St Nicholas Primary working with a maths consultant on maths problem solving activities with other children from other schools. The highlight, they tell me, was working on algebra!

In Science we have turned our focus to the human life cycle and have been looking at the key stages and looking at a general overview of the key developments that happen at each stage. We will look at each of these stages in more detail over the coming weeks. We will also be visited in school, in a few weeks time, by the school nurse who will talk to the children about puberty and the changes that the children will go through.

We’ve also continued our work on rivers in geography, researching and locating the longest rivers in the British Isles including the location of their source and the river mouth. In RE we’ve looked at how beliefs have shaped the life of Saint Josephine Bakhita. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

This week I’ve been so pleased to see so many of Year 5 increasing the amount that they are reading at home. I’m amazed at how many children have already finished their Lenten challenge book and are now onto their second or third book. Great work Year 5 keep this up and don’t forget to get your diary signed and record your minutes! It’s not only helping us with the 200,000,000 minutes challenge that school have signed up to, but also to earn points for our River challenge!

Working as a team!

Just an update on our River challenge. The photo shows the progress each team are making. We discussed in class how working as a team together will help us achieve better and push forward to gain the points. I’m pleased to see how some teams are ensuring that they are all making an effort to do their best in class but also making sure they are reading each night and getting their diaries signed.

School have signed up to the 200 million minutes reading challenge and so the children also need to be noting down how many minutes they are reading each evening and adding that on to the total they read in school. There will be extra points for the River Challenge teams for each reading book they finish from our Lenten book challenge. I was amazed at the number of children who had finished their first book already today and also so proud of those children who chose to sit and read during our wet play and wet lunchtime today. Keep up the great work Year 5 and don’t forget to note down how many minutes you have read!

World Book Day

Firstly, thank you to everyone for making such a fantastic effort with your World Book Day costumes - you all looked amazing! 

The children shared their favourite books and made some bunting to display in our reading corner to show how much we value reading in our class. The children had to think about their favourite character, write a synopsis of their book and say why they recommend it to others.

We were also challenged to have our story time in another part of the school today. Our chosen story that I’m reading to Year 5 is Wonder by RJ Palacio and so today we read our story on the stairwell as the children listened to how Auggie, the main character, felt about the tour of his new school.

Year 5 also chose their book for the reading challenge for Lent. They will bring this book home and I encourage them to read this one but also try and read one of the others before the last week of term. When they have finished their book, they will get a bonus golden ticket and points for their River Challenge team in addition to the usual reading rewards we have in class. In the last week before we break up, we will share our thoughts about the books and discuss what we liked and disliked about them in our Book club celebration.

Our Lenten promises and reading challenge

Today marks the start of Lent and this morning we all went to church to receive the ashes. In class we have been looking at the qualities of being a follower of Jesus and have looked at the Beatitudes and other teachings of Jesus. Based on these teachings, Year 5 have made special Lenten promises which we have displayed in class to remind us to keep them…

We have also made a class Lenten promise that we can do together to show our love for others during Lent…

I would be very grateful if each member of Year 5 could donate one piece of unwanted clothing before the end of term so that we can fulfil our collective Lenten promise. We have chosen Barnardo's as our charity as it links in with "Street Child" that many of the children have chosen as their Lenten reading challenge (see below). Thomas Barnardo first set up Barnardo's during the Victorian period when he met a street child called Jim Jarvis who the novel is based upon. Thank you so much for your support. 

Lenten Reading challenge

Year 5 also came up with a great idea for a reading challenge for Lent. We've decided to form a book club and so by the end of term, alongside our normal reading, we - Mrs McVey, Miss Evans, Mrs Hodgkiss and all of Year 5 - will read one of three books. The three books we have chosen to read from are: Street Child, The Secret Garden and The Demon Headmaster. In the last week before we break up, we will share our thoughts about the books and discuss what we liked and disliked about them. I'm so pleased with the enthusiasm the children showed - I wouldn't be surprised if they read all three! The book your child has chosen will come home with them tomorrow on World Book Day.

Please encourage your child to read their chosen book so that at the end of term they are able to take part in our book club celebration. Thank you!

Off to a great start and the week ahead

We’re now more than half way through the year now and Year 5 have got this half term off to a good start.

We’ve dived straight into our work… We’ve been focusing on mental multiplication and division methods in maths, writing and editing instructions in English and using ancient artefacts (Ancient Greek pottery) to find out about the past in history. In Science the children have been comparing gestation periods of different mammals. In RE the children have been exploring what Jesus meant by love in the New Commandment by looking at St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians 13. They then used this to look at how Saint Damien made decisions in his life to look after the lepers on the island of Molokai which were informed by his beliefs and values. We’ve also carried on with our work on Alberto Giacometti and have begun to make our own sculptures (Ancient Greek inspired!). Take a look…

Year 5 have also now begun their new challenge: The River Challenge (we will be investigating rivers in geography this half term). Children have picked their teams and they can collect points as a team by: good behaviour, effort in their work at school, reading at home, going on Bedrock (remember this should be completed three times a week to get the full benefit), handing in completed homework on time, completing quizzes for finished books… Please encourage your child to do their best to earn points for their team and particularly by reading at home regularly and get their diary signed. Reading really is the key to your child’s learning and they should aim to read at least 20 minutes daily at home.

Next week we have a busy week ahead…

Ash Wednesday signifies the start of Lent. We will be going to church to receive the ashes and we will be thinking about the Lenten promises that we will make that will bring us closer to Jesus. As well as making our own personal lenten promise, we will also think about some that we can do as a class to challenge ourselves to do something extra. Please look out for these next week.

World Book Day - Thursday 7th March As you are already aware, the children have been asked to come dressed as their favourite book character on Thursday and I also ask that they bring their favourite book with them too - some of our work that day will be based around this. Today all children have come home with some bunting of a book cover and they are asked to prepare it based on the book character that they are dressing up as ready for display in school. This needs to be completed and handed in by World Book Day. The older children have been asked to draw the character they are dressing up as and then do some writing about the following: What is the name of the character you are dressing up as? Which book is the character from? What is the book about ? Write a synopsis Why do you recommend this book? I look forward to seeing everyone dressed up as their favourite book character and sharing their favourite books.

Year 5 achieve

Today we sadly had to say goodbye to our little chicks. It’s been lovely having the chicks in class, seeing them develop over the last two weeks from hatching. We couldn’t believe how much they grew in such a short time. The chicks have now all gone to be re-homed on free-range farms.

Our Mount Olympus challenge came to an end at the start of this week and our winners were awarded with a team-building trip to Stanley Park to take part in four activities: orienteering, mole hole, crate stacking and a gladiator challenge. Well done to the winning teams! The children had a great day…

Year 5 have now begun their next challenge and have already begun collecting points for it. They haven’t yet chosen their teams and the theme of the challenge will not be unveiled till have to half term but Year 5 can collect points in advance over half term by: going on Bedrock (remember this should be completed at three times a week to get the full benefit), reading and getting their diaries signed and then on return to school, completing quizzes for finished books. Let’s see how many points you can gain from now till we come back to school!

Here are our Year 5 reading champions who have completed their reading bookmarks this half term. It’s lovely to see so many of you reading regularly and some children have now completed their fifth reading bookmark during Year 5 already. Well done!

Each time the children have read three times they are also able to collect golden tickets which are then placed in our golden box. At the end of each half term we pick two winners from the box to award them for their reading. Our two golden ticket winners this half term were Zuzanna and Holly. Well done girls!

All of Year 5 were also awarded in our special Golden assembly for the progress they have made in swimming. It’s lovely to see how far they have all come. Well done Year 5!

Great work this half term Year 5! Hope you all have a lovely half term!

Six little chicks

As part of our Science topic on living things and their habitats, Year 5 welcomed ten eggs to our classroom through the Living Eggs programme. The ten eggs were kept in an incubator and by Tuesday the first egg hatched and by Wednesday we had six little chicks, 4 male and 2 female. The children have been looking after the chicks and weighing them to help them understand the life cycle of a chicken better. The chicks will stay in school till Friday when they will go back to the farm they came from to be rehomed. The six chicks have all been named after Greek Gods (Ancient Greeks is our topic this half term) - Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hercules, Athena and Aphrodite. Take a look at the photos…

Poseidon

Athena

Zeus

Zeus

Hercules

Poseidon

Apollo

Aphrodite

Athena

Zeus

Spring term off to a good start...

It’s been a busy start to our Spring term and the children have been working hard…

Much of the work the children have been doing has linked in with our history topic of the Ancient Greeks. The children have been investigating who the Ancient Greek people were, when they lived and where and how they were able to establish their empire. They have learnt how the political system worked in Ancient Greece, investigated the legacy of Athenian Democracy and compared it with the political systems we have today. The children also compared and contrasted the modern day Olympics with the Ancient Greek events. In art, the children have been looking at the work of Alberto Giacometti (a sculptor) who is famous for his long thin sculptures such as “The Walking man”. The children will be making their own sculptures using his style but with the theme of the Greek Olympics. In English, many of the children have been looking at Greek myths and they have written their own story about Pandora’s Box. The children have been working hard to include their writing targets. 

In computing the children have been learning more about communicating information securely through an introduction to cryptography (the science of keeping communication and information secret). They have investigated early methods of communicating over distances such as semaphore, communicating with red and yellow flags, and Morse code, dots and dashes. They have also learnt about two early ciphers. The children have really enjoyed using code and have been successful in encrypting and decrypting coded messages to each other.

On Tuesday 5th February we celebrated Safer Internet Day. The aim of the day is to help build children’s awareness of using the Internet safely. Year 5 took part in activities, which helped the children understand the concepts of ‘consent’and ‘permission’ when they are online. They were able to identify the differentcontexts in which they may need to give or receive permission, explore theconsequences of doing so and understand the importance of choice andrespect online. For further information, parents/carers can download resources at https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers

 Last week Mrs Ormerod and I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon as part of our work as the Lead Associate school with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Accompanying us we had Ella and Alana, two of our Shakespeare Ambassadors, who had been chosen by the RSC to go to Stratford to set up the first RSC’s Youth Advisory Board. The girls were amazing throughout the three days they spent with the RSC and other ambassadors from other Lead Associate Schools - they fully embraced the opportunity and provided a great voice for the children of Blackpool and Wyre. Ella and Alana are in the process of typing up their own blog about their three days in Stratford which will include photos so please watch this space…

Challenges, Charity and Christmas...

Well here we are at the end of another term - how time has flown! The children have worked so hard over the last term and I’m proud of each of them for their achievements. Below are some of things Year 5 have been doing over the last couple of weeks…

Year 5 concluded their work with Bounce Forward by sharing what they have learnt about being more resilient. Thank you to all families who were able to come and share in the showcase - I hope you’ve all made your positivity glasses and are using them at home to help improve resilience. Year 5 will continue to talk about the resilient moves they make and will use our resilient moves box to make class challenges. What resilient moves will you all make over Christmas?

In Science the children have been investigating the effects of air resistance. The children made parachutes and observed the time taken for different sized parachutes to fall to the ground. Ask your child what they observed and what they now know about air resistance.

To conclude our space topic, the children were challenged to a series of activities which ultimately led them to planning, designing and making a moon buggy. Take a look at what they did...

First the children were challenged to make a simple chassis in 20 minutes. They were given a piece of A3 card, one piece of dowling, 4 wooden wheels and masking tape…

Then the children were split into three different groups and each group were given a challenge:

Challenge 1 - To make a simple frame from wood

Challenge 2 - To make a working chassis from tech card

Challenge 3 - To design and make an outer shell of a buggy

The challenges were a success!

Lastly, the children were issued with their final challenge - to work in groups to plan, design and make a moving moon buggy prototype using all the skills they had learnt from previous challenges. Take a look at our mini NASA engineers at work…

We were so proud of how hard the children worked. They all showed exceptional team work - great cooperation, good speaking and listening, turn taking and compromise when decision making. In particular one team stood out who worked exceptionally well - Team TBLBB ( Joshua, Ella and Fayth)

Our reading champions for this half term are…

At Christmas time it’s always important to think of others and this Christmas Luke’s family have very much been on our minds and in our prayers. Year 5 all took part in the Santa dance off (the Santa dash was rained off) in order to raise money for Luke’s little sister Amy. Thank you so much for all who have helped to raise money for Amy at this difficult time.

Well done to our Golden ticket winners for reading…

Thank you all for your continued support throughout this term. We wish you all a very happy and holy Christmas and we will see you all in the New Year.

Mrs McVey, Miss Evans and Mrs Hodgkiss

Bikeability success!

Well done to the children who took part in Bikeability this week. They passed their level 1 & 2 despite the very cold weather and rain. Congratulations!

The remainder of Year 5 will have the opportunity to take part in Bikeability at the end of Year 5.

Our Resilience showcase/assembly

Soon our Bounce Forward sessions will come to an end and it will be Year 5’s turn to share what they have learnt over the course of the sessions. On the 7th December at 3pm Year 5 will present what they have learnt and we would like to invite parents to join us if they can. Please put it in your diary and come if you can make it!

One of the ideas to promote resilience, that has come from the sessions, was to make a resilient moves box. We have made our box and each of the children has thought of a move that we could all do and put it in our special box. We will pick out resilient moves each week and the class will be challenged to try and do it. It would be lovely if the children could take a photo of them making the resilient move, or any other resilient moves, and bring it in so we can take a copy (or email me at admin@our-lady.blackpool.sch.uk ) to be shared in our resilience showcase/assembly. The resilient moves could be anything - spending time with family or friends, having a laugh, eating healthily, taking part in a hobby or sport… Thanks to those children who have already brought in photos of their resilient moves.

Take a look at the Resilience Framework to identify the resilient moves that Year 5 make…

Our trip to Jodrell Bank and team work

The highlight of our week was a trip to Jodrell Bank - the children were impeccably behaved and they showed off their great knowledge and understanding of our Space topic. Here are some photos of our trip...

On Friday the children also continued with their resilience training. This week they worked together as a team to make a pyramid of paper cups... but they weren't allowed to touch the cups directly! The children had to use different materials to help them stack the cups (blue tac, straws, elastic bands and foil). Take a look...

Monday's Bikeability riders...

Dear Year 5/ Parents/Carers (For those taking part in Bikeability on Monday and Tuesday)

On Monday 26th and Tuesday 27thNovember, you will need to bring with you your bike, cycle helmet, lock and key. The children will need to wear their school PE kit and appropriate trainers for riding their bike.  If the weather is wet, waterproof trousers and coat, if you have them, may be appropriate over the top or to change into. If the weather is really wet, the Bikeability team may choose to cancel that day but it will be entirely their decision.

Once through the school gate, walk your bike round to the KS2 playground (children are not permitted to ride their bike on the playground) and where possible lock your bike to the wooden fencing. After the Bikeability session, bikes will be locked up again where possible, ready to be collected to go home at the end of each day. Please can you ensure that all keys and locks have names on so that they are easily identified. Keys will be collected from the children and stored away safely during the day. If the lock is a combination lock then can I suggest that the combination is written down, placed in a sealed envelope and given to me for safe keeping should your child forget the combination. These will be returned to you at the end of Bikeability - we have had children forget their numbers in the past which has delayed their session while we call parents.

After Monday’s Bikeability session, the children will be informed as to whether they will need their bike for Tuesday - they will need to pass the first stage of the training to be able to proceed to the next stage. The children who are not taking part in Bikeability and anyone who no longer needs their bike will remain in class with me. Due to obvious safety reasons, the Bikeability team will only allow children, who ride their bike with good control, to proceed to the next stage and be taken out onto the roads. All decisions are made by the Bikeability team. 

Before Monday, to avoid disappointment please make one final check that your bike is road worthy and at the correct height for you as the first thing the Bikeability team will do, is assess your bike. Any that fail will mean that you cannot continue with the course.

 Happy riding and good luck everyone!

Thanks for your support

A Comedy of Errors

On Tuesday we were treated to a wonderful performance of ‘A Comedy of Errors’ by the RSC First Encounters tour. During the performance 20 of our talented KS2 children performed an ensemble piece during the opening scene of the play. The children had spent weeks rehearsing for the part and we all agreed that they did an amazing job and we were all so proud of them. Well done to Alana, Ella, Matthew and Mitchell from Year 5 who took part in the performance.

Take a look at the article and more photos which were published in the Blackpool Gazette last week… Gazette article

Year 5 have worked on Shakespeare’s ‘A Comedy of Errors’ for a number of weeks and showed a good understanding of the play. It was a joy to see Year 5’s faces light up when they heard speeches they recognised.

Year 5 recording their reviews of the play in their ‘A Comedy of Errors’ diary.

Reading Champions!

Well done to our Reading Champions for last half term who read regularly and completed their reading bookmarks. Keep up the great reading Year 5 and next half term I’d like to see all of Year 5 do the same.

Well done to Ellie and Ella who won our Golden ticket raffle for great reading.

Fieldwork and fencing

It’s been a busy week in Year 5…

On Tuesday and Wednesday the children undertook fieldwork around the local area to answer some geographical questions we have been discussing in class. The children worked in six groups and on Tuesday they were investigating land use in different residential areas around our school. The children made their own maps and looked at different physical and human features that were in the area. On Wednesday the groups then went to different areas around Squires Gate retail park to look at land use around there and to conduct research through questionnaires. I was very impressed with how well the children worked and particularly impressed with the confident and polite manner at which they approached the general public. Well done Year 5! Now the children will analyse the data they collected in order to answer our geographical questions about the local area. Take a look at the photos…

After our fieldwork on Tuesday the children enjoyed a fencing workshop. The children were shown the basics of fencing and how to score and got to wear the gear. It was so much fun! Take a look…

On 2nd November, straight after school, parents are invited to a presentation in Year 5 with Hannah from Headstart. Hannah is the resilience coach who is delivering the Bounce Forward resilience training to Year 5. At this meeting she will be able to talk you through the programme and answer any questions you may have.

Don’t forget the children break up this Thursday and Parent’s day is Friday. Please make sure you make an appointment so I can update you on how your child is settling into Year 5.

Thank you for all your contributions for Harvest, it is very much appreciated and so important to help our local community’s food bank. If you still haven’t brought in your contribution, then it’s not too late - please bring in on Monday as the food bank will be collecting all contributions then. Thank you!

Well done to all our award winners this week…

Golden award - Riley J

Last week’s Maths award - Mitchell

Last week’s Minificate winner - Kyle M

This week’s Minificate winner will be drawn on Monday

A Comedy of Errors and more...

This week Year 5 finished writing their free verse poems about the classroom. Through use of poetic techniques and inclusion of similes and metaphors they’ve been able to build vivid images of a classroom at the end of a day. Poems are not the easiest to write but Year 5 worked very hard and I’ve been very impressed with their efforts - they should all be really pleased with themselves!

In English we are now studying Shakespeare’s “A Comedy of Errors”. We are very lucky to have been given special diaries from the Grand Theatre and the RSC, where the children will be able to record their learning journey of the play. Through active approaches we intend to explore the play and we will use this work to develop our own writing. Today the children took part in a Whoosh activity to get to know the story of the play. Take a look…

On November 6th the RSC are bringing their First Encounters with Shakespeare Tour of Comedy of Errors to our school to perform for the children in the afternoon and then again in the evening for the local community. Talented children from our school will also be performing a scene alongside the RSC actors and I’m very proud to say that Alana, Ella, Matthew and Mitchell from our class will be performing too. Tickets for this performance have now gone on sale at the Grand Theatre so get your tickets before they sell out!

Our Bounce Forward workshop this afternoon was all about identifying our strengths to get us through the tough times. The children made badges to remind the children how their strengths can make them more resilient. Please ask your child which strength they chose and how it makes them more resilient. What resilient moves will you make this week?

Don’t forget that next week we will be on our fieldwork trip.

Well done to all our award winners this week…

Golden award - Fayth

Writing award - Joshua

Last week’s Maths award - Joshua

Minificate winner - To be drawn on Monday

Reading, writing, resilience and awards

Wow! I can’t believe we’re already more than halfway through this half term. The children have made a good start to Year 5 and have been working hard in all their subjects. I’m particularly impressed with the work they’ve been doing in our English work. We’ve been looking at free verse poems and are now writing our own poems about the classroom using poetic techniques such as personification, alliteration, similes and metaphors. I’m really looking forward to reading them when they’re finished.

I’m really pleased to see those children who are reading regularly at home and collecting their bookmark stickers, completing quizzes and earning our golden tickets for reading. At the end of this half term we will pick out our golden ticket winners and reward our reading champions. Please make sure your child is reading regularly at home to ensure they make good progress in this area. Remember Year 5, good readers = good writers!

This week has been the fourth week that our resilience coach, Hannah, has been coming in to class to teach the children about being more resilient - this will continue till December. Soon I’ll be inviting you in to school so that Hannah can talk to you about what she has been teaching the children. Please ask your children about these sessions so that you can support them in their quest to become more resilient - you'll be surprised at how much they know already! Ask them about the special potions and what resilient moves they will be doing this week to improve their resilience.

For more information/support, please see these recommended websites:

HeadStart

Boing Boing  

Well done to all our award winners this week…

Golden award - Jessica

Writing award - Archie

Minificate winner - Natalie

Swimming starts next Tuesday

Yesterday Mrs Ramsden, our new swimming teacher from Palatine, came to meet the children and talk through what they need to know. Swimming will be on Tuesdays (please see letter you received home today) and the children will be accompanied to the pool by Miss Evans and Mrs Hodgkiss. The children will need to come in their school PE kit for the day and will need with them their swimming kit in a separate bag to their school bag. Girls will need a one-piece swimsuit and boys will need swimming trunks (please see photo of acceptable type as baggy swim shorts are not allowed), a towel, swim hat for all girls and boys who have a longer hair style or fringe, and goggles if you return the signed goggles letter. The children will not need shampoo or shower gel as they will only have time to rinse and get dressed quickly ready to return to school. Please can the health forms be returned before Friday so they are ready for collection by the swimming teacher. If your child has asthma, inhalers will be taken to the pool by the teachers so please make sure your child has an up to date inhaler in school as soon as possible.

On PE and swimming days earrings will need to be left at home to avoid losing them as children are not allowed to swim or do PE with them in. 

Thank you. 

Welcome to Year 5

Welcome to Year 5. I trust you have all had a wonderful Summer holiday and are feeling refreshed and ready to start a new school year. I look forward to getting started on our new learning journey together and getting to know all of you better.

Our main topic this term will be Space. We will be exploring Earth and Space through Science  our creative writing will also link in with this topic. I hope to also arrange a Space related school trip later in this term which will be very exciting!

Just to let you know that Year 5 will have PE on Friday afternoons and swimming will take place each Tuesday morning throughout Year 5. The children will have their swimming induction with their swimming teacher in class on the first day back and will start swimming on Tuesday 11th September. Year 5 will be able to come to school on a Tuesday and Friday wearing their full PE kit. Please make sure that your child's PE kit, including jumper, is named to avoid confusion.