NEWS & EVENTS BLOG

<p>Reception class enjoyed learning about Lunar New Year and how it is celebrated in China. The children worked together to create their own lion mask and performed a dance to music outside. The class also enjoyed sharing some Chinese food and even used chopsticks to eat their noodles.</p>

<p>On Wednesday 21st December, we traveled by coach to perform for our friends at St Joseph&#8217;s Retirement Home. It was our first time back there since December 2019, sadly due to COVID. We normally perform for the residents three times a year, so it was wonderful to be back. KS2 Choir and Orchestra are bigger [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Today we were treated to a fantastic performance from KS1 Orchestra and the KS2 Composition Club. Both groups have only been running since the end of September and have worked extremely hard learning new skills such as playing the ukulele or glockenspiel, playing together as an orchestra and learning all about writing and composing music. [&hellip;]</p>

<p>For our second music afternoon we have been finding out about the film composer Danny Elfman. We listened to ‘Ice Dance’ from Edward Scissorhands and ‘What’s This?’ from The Nightmare Before Christmas which Elfman also sings on. We discussed how the music made us felt and listened to the music firstly without the accompanying movie [&hellip;]</p>

<p>We had so much fun yesterday creating our own Stone Age Cave art. We looked at examples from real Stone Age caves and thought about the different art materials Stone Age people would have had to use, they definitely would of made use of anything they had! We used oil pastels to get different colours [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Last Friday we started making our Angel of the North replicas. We chose our own materials from a choice of bases (kitchen roll tubes, empty water bottles) and used a range of materials including tissue paper, cellophane and cardboard and various shades of paint.</p>

<p>Reception class, Year 1 and Year 2 had a fabulous day in school yesterday; we worked in mixed groups to produce some Christmas master pieces. It was a wonderful day enjoyed by all. We all wore Christmas jumpers to get us into the spirit of Christmas! It was lovely seeing the older children helping their [&hellip;]</p>

<p>We followed instructions and looked at photographs to create our one model of Stone Henge. We discussed the different features of the structure including the Altar Stone to wonder and explore reasons for building such a structure. We wondered how people during this time were able to carry such heavy stones.</p>

<p>Today we enjoyed a fabulous story writing workshop. We worked with a team of writers, illustrators, directors and playwrights to create our own story. We had such a wonderful time and impressed the editor! She even published our book!</p>

<p>Today we came to school wearing odd socks to celebrate how we are all different and unique. We listened to the story &#8216;Simon&#8217;s Sock&#8217; by Sue Hendra &amp; Paul Linnet and then decorated our own pair of odd socks. We discussed what it feels like when somebody is being unkind to us or somebody else [&hellip;]</p>

<p>We really enjoyed our first Now Press Play experience. We experienced a day in the Stone Age; we ventured through a flint mine, shot a bow and arrow, completed a cave painting and saved our family from a woolly mammoth.</p>

<p>The children enjoyed making poppies to celebrate Remembrance Day. Every class used a different medium and technique to create their poppies, which were all brought together to make a whole school art display in the school entrance.  Well done everybody, what a super effort!</p>

<p>Reception class loved learning about the season of autumn. They looked closely at the changes the environment and investigated autumn vegetables such as pumpkins. Everyone enjoyed our class trip to Jesmond Dene to hunt for signs of autumn and when we returned to school the children even used their super writing skills to label some [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Reception enjoyed learning about Bonfire night. They used art resources to create a bonfire whilst talking about how to keep safe, created their own firework pictures by copying patterns of fireworks in chalk on to black paper and they even showed off their blending skills by writing words such as &#8216;pop&#8217; to describe the sounds [&hellip;]</p>

<p>As part of our Music lessons this half term, we have been listening to Jazz and Blues. We listened to Louis Armstrong&#8217;s &#8216;What a Wonderful World&#8217;. We thought about the lyrics, listened to his unusual voice and the instruments used. We then went on the create our own large-scale wonderful world pictures based on what [&hellip;]</p>

<p>This term the Nursery children took part in their first educational visit and were very well behaved! We went to Jesmond Dene to look for signs of Autumn. We collected leaves and visited the animals in Pet&#8217;s Corner before sitting down for a drink and snack!  On our return, we listened to the story &#8216;Leaf [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Today Year 2 invited parents to take part in  an art workshop as part of our art work this term on portraits. We learnt how to draw facial features and we drew self portraits. We also learnt about the artist Picasso and we made portraits in the style of Picasso using pastels. In the afternoon [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Today Year 2 visited The Shipley Art Gallery to take part in a workshop about portraits as part of our Art work this term. We talked about feelings and the meaning of the portraits. We made our own masterpieces around the story of Jack and the Beanstalk! What a fabulous day! We look forward to [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Year 2 have had a fabulous morning collecting natural materials from our outdoor environment. We worked in small groups and produced some real works of art! Each picture told it&#8217;s own story, from the tree of life to a Mine Craft creature! We turned our outdoor area into an outdoor Art Gallery.     I [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Year 2 have taken part in a fantastic project this year with an initiative called The Linking Project. This is a national project involves schools from contrasting localities becoming penpals. We have been linked withYear 2 at Belsay Primary School. We have been writing to our friends, having regular zooms and celebrating our similarities and [&hellip;]</p>