Croeso i Flwyddyn 6
Dosbarth Mrs Williams
Welcome to the Year 6 website pages 2019-20
Read the Year 6 page to find Newsletters, Photos and other useful information as the Term progresses. Please feel free to come to see us if you have ideas about what we can include.
Last day for Year 6
We had a fantastic time for our last day in school. Our outdoor gathering was great fun and it was brilliant to see almost all of Year 6 playing on the playground. The weather just about stayed dry and the breeze was perfect for blowing bubbles. You are never too old to blow bubbles!!
The thing we most missed was a chance for a goodbye hug, but we had our virtual hugs and handshakes instead.
Year 6 Leavers
We have now reached the end of Year 6 and, in such an unusual year, it has been very different way to finish the term. No Leavers Assembly, no hugs goodbye or group photos. But we have tried to do many of the bits we would usually include in our Leavers Assembly. The introductory PowerPoint has been quite a tradition over many years and you can watch this year's one below. The theme of this year's Leavers Assembly was going to be Memories and some of Year 6 have contributed their memories to the second video. And finally, Mrs Harrison has written her Leavers Poem and recorded it to share with you.
There is also a letter from Michael Hughes, our Chair of Governors who has given a speech at Leavers assembly in the past few years. He has put his thoughts in writing for Year 6 this year, so please have a read.
Monday 6th July 2020
Dear Year 6,
It was fantastic to see so many of you last week and I know those of you at home are still working on our tasks.
We will continue to work on the 2 week plan sent last week and hopefully you are getting through these bit by bit. You are also welcome to complete any of the tasks I previously set during this Home Learning time. They are all still accessible in Google Classroom.
I’d like to add a reminder about the Leavers Activity that I would like you to complete and share so I can prepare a whole Year 6 presentation, as we will not be able to have our usual Leavers Assembly. This is an urgent task for those not completed yet and unfortunately any of you who do not complete it this week will not be able to be included in this part of the Leavers presentation video.
1. I still need a photo of just a few of you when you were starting school… whichever school that was. It can be attached to an email here or uploaded to Google Classroom.
2. I’d then like to make another film using PowerPoint/Google Slides on the theme of Memories. We will use the song you were learning with Mrs Harrison by Maroon 5, Memories.
I would like you to make a PowerPoint/Google Slides (two slides at most) about your memories and saying thank you all those people who have made your primary years successful. You can use animations and transitions, change backgrounds (although these may have to change when I put it all together) and any photos or pictures you may have. Not too much writing though, just key points.
You will need to work directly on the one set up in Google Classroom OR on the PowerPoint one attached to this email.
Please get in touch if you need any support with work, transition concerns or anything else I could help with.
I hope you have a good week, please keep safe and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you again this week.
From
Mrs M Williams
Monday 29th June 2020
Dear Year 6,
Firstly, I'd like to apologise for not getting back to you with online comments and responses as regularly this week. I have spent some very long days in school helping Mrs Harrison prepare for our opening next week. Who would have thought there was so much paperwork!
I’m am looking forward to seeing the first group of you at our ‘check in, catch up and prepare’ session this morning and then the other groups on Tuesday and Wednesday. The work I have set for everyone, whether they are coming in to school or not, is all linked to helping you prepare yourself for your new school in September. These Purple Mash tasks are for over 2 weeks and are designed to make you think, research and respond to different things.
The mix between school learning and home learning will almost certainly now continue through into your new school, so I strongly encourage you get used to using online learning platforms and it is one of the things we will work on during the first week.
• Transition: These Purple Mash activities have been created to help get you prepared for secondary school. It will be quite a big change moving to secondary school, however you shouldn’t feel worried or nervous about it. It is an exciting, positive change that will enable you to continue your learning to reach your best potential.
• Maths: 10 of Mr Metcalfe’s lessons are listed for the next 2 weeks. These lessons will help keep your maths thinking sharp before the 6 weeks summer holidays so I strongly recommend you continue.
Each activity gives you space to gather your thoughts and write them down. I recommend that you save each activity and come back to it regularly. You might want to add more information or amend your work. Take time to reflect on what you have written and where possible share it with friends or family.
Please get in touch through 2Email in PM if you need any support with work, transition concerns or anything else I could help with.
I hope you have a good week, please keep safe and I’m looking forward to seeing most of you sometime this week.
Take care.
Mrs M Williams
Monday 22nd June 2020
Dear Year 6,
School is now almost prepared for our ‘check in, catch up and prepare’ and we will soon be able to let you know which day and which group you will be in. Online learning will continue for the days you are not in school and for those who are not able to return. I will also not be able to respond quite so quickly to you as I will also now be in school on most days. But I will try really hard to look at your work and reply to you as soon as I can.
This will be the last week on the theme of Dragons, although we have moved towards Dragonflies for this week’s additional tasks.
The mix between school learning and home learning will certainly now continue through into the new school year so I strongly encourage you to get used to using Google Classroom and it is one of the things we will be working on using on our contact days in school.
• Maths: 5 of Mr Metcalfe’s lessons are listed.
• Maths: Purple Mash maths 2Do on Probability are also set and a task in Google Classroom on the same theme.
• Literacy: Describe a Dragonfly. There are weblinks to watch first. These will help with the other task set this week too.
• Topic: Dragon themed Activities New ones have been added and you can still choose from all the previous too. I’d rather you did a few of these tasks in detail than lots of tasks briefly.
Please get in touch if you need any support with work, transition concerns or anything else I could help with.
I hope you have a good week, please keep safe and I’m looking forward to seeing most of you next week.
Kind regards,
Mrs M Williams
Monday 15th June 2020
Dear Year 6,
I’m looking forward to seeing those of you who are coming in to school for a ‘check in, catch up and prepare’. We are very busy in school preparing for this. We will let you know as soon as possible how this will be organised. We are working hard to make school a safe place for return. It will look a bit different around school, as I’m sure you will have seen on some pictures about schools going back in England.
I will be spending much more time in school over the next few weeks, so may not be able to respond as promptly to your work or any emails you may send. But I will try to do this as quickly as I can.
Dragons continues as our theme with some more added tasks. The majority of this week’s work will still be found in Google Classroom.
The mix between school learning and home learning will certainly now continue through into the new school year so I strongly encourage you to get used to using Google Classroom and it one of the things we will be working on using on our contact days in school.
• Maths: 5 of Mr Metcalfe’s lessons are listed. RM Easimaths and Purple Mash maths tasks are also available.
• Literacy: Welsh Dragon re-tell You’ll need to read the story on the two website links BEFORE doing this task.
• Welsh: Write as if you are a dragon using personal information patters. Help sheet provided. No Google Translate please.
• Topic: Dragon themed Activities New ones have been added and you can still choose from all the previous too. I’d rather you did a few of these tasks in detail than lots of tasks briefly.
Please look in 2Email in Purple Mash for some instructions about a task that we need to do for an end of term ‘Leavers’ surprise. No peeking parents please.
Please get in touch using 2email in PM if you need any support with work or have any worries.
I hope you have a good week, please keep safe.
Kind regards,
Mrs M Williams
Monday 8th June 2020
Dear Year 6,
I’m sure you have heard there are plans for you to be able to come back into school in small groups from June 29th over 4 weeks. We are busy in school making plans so that can happen safely. The main reason will be for us to ‘check in, catch up and prepare’ you for over the summer. I still don’t know what each of the different High Schools have planned but I’ll let you know as soon as I do.
Dragons has been a popular topic and I’ve really enjoyed seeing all of your work. This week I have added some new tasks linked to that. All last week’s tasks are still available too. The majority of this week’s work will still be found in Google Classroom.
As it now looks like the mix between school learning and home learning will continue through into the new school year so now is the time to learn more about these online systems. If you haven’t used Google Classroom yet, or very much, please look on our class page on the school website for instructions and help videos.
www.northophallschool.co.uk/year-6-19-20-blwyddyn-6/
• Maths: 5 of Mr Metcalfe’s lessons are listed, for those of you who have worked hard on these and are keen to continue your progression. You can always do some RM Easimaths or use the Purple Mash maths tasks.
• Literacy: Dragon Descriptions It is important to read the Dragons Descriptions resources BEFORE doing this task.
• PHSE and Transition: In Purple Mash, I have set a 2Do about thinking back over your time in Primary School. This work will be important, so please write in detail and thoughtfully, as I hope to use it in some kind of ‘Leavers plan’, which will not be the same as usual of course!
• Topic: Dragon themed Activities New ones have been added and you can continue with last week’s ones too. I’d rather you did a few of these tasks in detail than lots of tasks briefly.
Please get in touch if you need any support with work, transition concerns or anything else I could help with via 2Email in Purple Mash.
I hope you have a good week, please keep safe.
Kind regards,
Mrs M Williams
Monday 1st June 2020
Dear Year 6,
I hope that you had a relaxing half term and enjoyed the great weather!
Over last half term, it was fantastic to see so much of your work through the various platforms of Purple Mash and Google Classroom. The majority of this week’s work will be found in Google Classroom. If you are yet to explore this, please look lower down on this feed for instructions and help videos.
The planning grid looks a little different this week. Read through it very carefully.
• Maths: 5 of Mr Metcalfe’s lessons are listed, for those of you who have worked hard on these and are keen to continue your progression. You could always do some RM Easimaths or use the Purple Mash maths tasks or the maths tasks in the Dragon Activities.
• Literacy: Dragon Eggs: You will need to do some research on the types of eggs and answer the questions in as much detail as possible.
• Topic: Dragon themed activities Choose tasks from the Dragon activities over the next two weeks (I’ll add a few additional ones to choose from in the 2nd week). I’d rather you did a few of these tasks in detail than lots of tasks briefly. You can work by hand or use Word/Google Doc, PowerPoint/Google Slides to produce your work. Resources to help are in Google Classroom where you can also share pictures, files, documents, to show what you have done.
• Welsh: Write a diary about your half term holidays using past tense sentence patterns and any vocabulary that you remember from your lessons in school! I have provided a support sheet to guide you. Please don’t use Google translate for this task, if you don’t know a specific word then use the English word instead. There is a diary template on Purple Mash set as a 2Do if you want to use this or work by hand, or in a Word or Google Doc.
Over the last two weeks I have had online meetings with the various High Schools you will be moving on to, to share the information they need to help you with a smooth transition. Transition will be very different this year but everyone is working hard to make it as easy as possible for you. I know you will have heard directly from the schools, or will be hearing more form them during this coming half term. I will, of course, contact you with any updated information that comes to me.
Please get in touch through Purple Mash 2email or with a private comment in Google Classroom if you need any help with work, transition worries or anything else I could help you with.
I hope you have a good week, please keep safe.
From,
Mrs M Williams
Purple Mash Competition
Are you or your family budding online game makers? Do you enjoy Minecraft or playing computer games? Well now is the chance to have a go at making one of your own to enter a Purple Mash competition.
The closing date for the competition is 26th June. This will give you time to start planning your game before moving onto the exciting part, the building of the game! You’ll need to trial it, modify and improve it and check all the spellings are sorted so you are sure it is ready to share on the Purple Mash Display Board.
I won’t be setting this up as a 2Do so you will need to go to the competition icon or directly to the App, found from the Home Page – Computing – 2DIY3D.
I hope you take part in this competition, either on your own or as a family project. Maybe it could be a Half Term project when I won’t be setting you work to do or you do it as part of your work. I look forward to playing your completed games.
All the information you need to get going is below.
Good luck!
Monday 18th May 2020
Dear Year 6,
Can you believe we have reached the last week before Half Term? I have loved seeing all the things you have been doing, learning and enjoying, sharing these through Purple Mash or Google Classroom. It is important we keep in contact so if you can send me an email in Purple Mash 2Email that would be great. You can get on Purple Mash through a browser on mobile phones too.
This week we have some very important eSafety work to do as part of the Literacy tasks, as we are widening our digital footprint daily with all the new things we are using online!
We also need to keep up with our Welsh as much as we can, so a task has been included for this. The DuoLingo App is also a great way to do little and often for Welsh development.
Weekly Plan
All resources and instructions will also be available from:
2Email in Purple Mash
Google Classroom through Hwb
I can’t wait until we can get back together and hope it is soon.
Take care,
Mrs Williams
Monday 11th May 2020
Dear Year 6,
I hope you are still all keeping safe and well. I have enjoyed reading your emails, blog posts and Google Classroom messages this week and hearing about what you have been up to. Please keep sending these as I am missing you all and love reading what you have been up to.
It has been great that we have had some lovely weather which has allowed us to get outdoors in our gardens and for some exercise. I have enjoyed seeing photos of some outdoor activities and it’s brilliant to hear how many of you have been planting seeds and gardening. It appears we have some great talent for baking in the class too. Check out the Year 6 Blog for cake/food posts… it will make your mouth water!
I have now put a new video and help files below this, to help you to access Google Classroom, if you are still not able to get into it. It will be great for you all to get experience of logging in and accessing and sharing work like this, as it is also used for homework by some of the high schools during ‘normal’ school times.
Weekly Plan
·The outline of the week is again in the Weekly Plan document, see below here. You need to look at this plan, rather than just go to the 2Dos or activities in Google Classroom without looking at instructions on the plan.
·If you are interested in other things please continue with these, but it would be great if you share this in the Google Classroom General section, or update me with a weekly message in Purple Mash 2email .
You can send me messages in Purple Mash 2Email. These emails are just from you to me and back and don’t get shared with the class. The Blog can be seen by all of Year 6. I also enjoy reading your messages about your work in Google Classroom and will help with any questions or respond to your comments.
All resources and instructions will also be available from:
A SchoolComms email to Parents & Carers
2Email in Purple Mash
Google Classroom through Hwb
Please take care and I really look forward to when we can get together again in school.
Mrs Williams
Message from Mrs Williams
Hello everyone,
I am writing to let you know that I am now very much better and will be keeping in touch with you more, letting you know about ways we can learn together. I’m certainly having to learn how to use even more technology at the moment to keep in touch with people and share work.
I hope you are all keeping safe and well and trying to be as active as you can be, following the rules we have been given to help everyone. We are lucky to have had some lovely weather recently too.
I know you were sent home with a pack of work with lots of things that you may have been getting on with over the last week, but don’t worry if you haven’t got into that much so far. I’m sure you have been keeping busy outdoors or finding new things to learn and do with your family and getting used to a new way of living and working.
In case some of you wanted to explore something new, we have set up a section on the school website called Home Learning in the Parents section. It’s being added to bit by bit so keep checking back. I think the 30 day Lego Challenge looks great and I have been watching the Chester Zoo virtual tours and the Techniquest Daily Science Demos.
I also have set up a few ways on Purple Mash that you can keep in contact with your class mates and myself: ​
You can use any of these ways to communicate with a class mate or myself over the next few weeks. These ways to communicate are secure and safe within Purple Mash and our class only. If you want any information about your learning or how to use any of the tools on Purple Mash, just email me on there to ask.
Over time we will be setting up some other ways to do your home learning but I will let you know when we get that up and running.
Please keep looking after yourselves and I hope to hear from you very soon.
Mrs M Williams
Visit to danger Point - 13th February
Year 6 pupils spent an enjoyable day at Danger Point where they learnt about a number of dangers and how to keep safe. The areas which they learnt about included; safety in the home (including fire), safety beside the coast, dangers associated with trains, road, flooding and farms. They also found out about dangerous substances and how to stay safe on the internet.
Gwyddoniaeth/Science
Investigating the bounce of a ball!
This week Year 6 have been investigating 'What affects the height a ball bounces.' After discussing a range of different variables such as the surface it bounces onto, height of drop, type of ball, size of ball, angle of drop and force of drop, we decided to investigate whether the height you drop a ball from changes the height it bounces. The children decided that they would need very careful and accurate results and that using technology to help with this was the best solution. So by filming each height drop test on an ipad, slowing the film down and observing the height very carefully, each group gathered a series of very accurate results. They also decided that by testing each height more than once and calculating a mean average, they would ensure the results were reliable.
Watching in slow motion, they were also able to see the way the ball compressed on impact and expanded again as it pushed away from the floor. Great investigation and observation skills Year 6! Arddechog!
Hyfforddiant Seiclo Bikeability/Bikeability Cycle Training
17 pupils from Year 6 completed their Bikeability Cycle Training Course over three days last week. This important course teaches children about how to control their bikes safely and also teaches them about riding on the road using correct road position and signals. The children are also trained how to be aware of the traffic and pedestrians around them. All 17 children passed their Level 1 training with the vast majority passing the much more challenging Level 2. The trainers did say, however, that those who didn't quite pass Level 2 had made considerable progress from a slightly less confident starting position than many of the other cyclists.
This is the feedback we received from the trainers.
I would like to say a big "THANK YOU" to you and all school staff for inviting us and helping with the success of cycle training at your school starting Monday 27/01/2020.
We very much enjoyed our time spent with you and would also like to say a big "THANK YOU" to all the Year 6 pupils for their superb energy and enthusiasm throughout the course. We felt that they all really benefited from the experience and we hope they go on to put it all into practice.
Please also pass on our sincere thanks to the parents who gave permission for their children to participate in the course. Finally, thank you for inviting us to the school, for the help of all your staff who helped with much of the organising, and made us so welcome and looked after us so well.
Congratulations to everyone who took part.
Ysgol Goedwig/Forest School update - Building a chair
In Forest School this week, the children used used their communication and teamwork skills, in two groups,to build a chair with anything they were able to find in the forest area. They were only given string and a pair of scissors. They needed to be creative and imaginative and resourceful to succeed.
Have a look at what they came up with
Well done Year 6/ Arddechog Blwyddyn Chwech
What is our Topic this term?
Last week Year 5 and Year 6 mixed together for our new Topic immersion session.
In groups of 4 or 5, the children had to become History Detectives, visiting different evidence stations containing a range artefacts to work out what our new topic was all about. Once they had come up with ideas, they also had to visit different information stations to collect parts of a piece of text to help explain a process. Once gathered, the final step was to order the text to find out about a very famous historical process.
How did the Egyptians mummify a body?
And our topic? Ancient Egyptians! We can't wait to answer all the questions we came up with following the activity.
Gwyddoniaeth Super Spinner Science
Year 6 have recently carried out a science investigation to test a range of different spinners to see which variables needed changing help the spinners fall the slowest. They chose to test different weights, different wing lengths, different wing widths and different materials. They planned a fair test and worked very carefully together as a team to find out the impact of changing a variable.
They used the '2Calculate' spreadsheet in Purple Mash to enter their data, add a formula to calculate the mean average and generated graphs.
The next step will be to share their data, studying the four sets of results to decide on their criteria to build a 'super spinner'.
Once built, the children will need to use their explanation text writing skills to explain the reasons they have chosen the width, length, number of paperclips and material for their own 'super spinner'.
We're looking forward to our super spinner competition. Keep an eye out for the results.
Using LOGO to code and learn early programming skills.
Year 6 have been using 2LOGO in Purple Mash to develop their understanding of coding language. The children had to learn the specific commands and LOGO language to write instructions for the screen turtle to draw shapes. They also needed to apply their understanding of angles and calculate different angles to turn the turtle. The children then progressed to use 'Repeat' commands to draw more complex shapes and then programmed in some 'procedures'.
Following this the children had the chance to transfer their skills to a programmable car, a ProBot, to move it around a track with obstacles.
Great digital, maths and problem solving skills all in one project.
Building Land Yachts
During the first week of term, Year 6 worked on a D&T project, building the most efficient Land Yachts they could. The children had to design the chassis shape, choose the wheel type and position and design the sail shape and position. They used their science understanding of friction and air resistance to help them make their decisions.
​A wide range of tools and equipment were safely used, including side cutters, craft knives, tuff cutters and hole punches. The children built individual yachts but needed to help each other out at different stages of the build.
​Finally, when all the yachts had been built, some fair testing took place in the Hall to find the most efficient one. A fan provided the equal force of the wind, markings on the floor ensured all started at the same place and finishing points were marked at the rear wheel after the yacht had come to a stop for 3 seconds. Some discussion took place then about how they could modify their design to improve it, with most thinking about reducing friction around their wheels or changing the sail shape to 'catch more air'.
Thank you Mr Williams of TechnoEd (see Twitter: @technoeduk) for such a fun day!
Panto Day - Robin Hood
Last week, Year 6 joined everyone else in school to enjoy a travelling theatre groups's Panto performance on Robin Hood.
Everyone had a great time. Oh yes they did!
Santa Dash for Five Ways to Wellbeing
Today, the School Council organised a Santa Dash as part of 'Be Active', one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing we are working on in school. Resplendent in Santa hats, antlers and Christmas jumpers, the children took part in a vigorous festive warm up which included 'Melting Snowmen', Snowflake Star jumps, Working Elf, Reindeer Galloping and Snowflake Spin'. They then set off to complete 4 laps of the course, around the playground and up and down the long path. Well done to Toby who completed his laps before anyone else!
Cinio Nadolig/Christmas Lunch with our Reception Buddies
Today's Christmas lunch was not only delicious, but a special time for us to spend with our Reception Buddies. We collected them, helped them settle at the table then enjoyed having lunch with them, helping when they needed and chatting to keep them company. What a great time we had!
Helping Santa with his Journey
This is such a busy time for Santa with all the deliveries he needs to make. So Year 6 have been helping by working out the distances he travels and exploring possible quicker routes for him so he reaches everyone on time at Christmas. Maths and map work skills have been to the fore: problem solving; reasoning; calculation and of course using the atlas!
Arddechog Blwyddyn 6!
Making Calendars
We started our calendars today and began the session learning about rotational symmetry as this will be style of our calendars this year. Using a square as a starting shape, we cut out a section then drew around it, rotated it and repeated, four times in all to get a design that has order of rotation 4. This tile design was then repeated 4 or 6 times.
Early photos are below and check this page out again soon to see the finished calendars.
Update: All calendars now finished and they look amazing!
Christmas Cards in Year 6
Year 6 have been very busy making their stunning Christmas Cards this week. They needed to use plenty of very accurate measuring, drawing and cutting skills and then take great care folding their pieces accurately. These pieces were then re assembled to make the centre piece of the card. Listening, concentration and some perseverence were certainly needed for this task.
Bendigedig Blwyddyn Chwech!
Oscar-Worthy Performances!
Our KS2 performance of The Primary School Christmas Musical proved a great hit, with Year 6 taking on starring roles and the main singing, along with Year 5. Da iawn Blwyddyn 6! You learnt your lines, acted and sang brilliantly.
Purple Mash Christmas Games Update
Our games are now complete and can be played by anyone by following the link below, or by scanning the QR code.
https://www.purplemash.com/displayboard/5de631ae3a404f097508b0b3
Tree Decorating Service
This morning we decorated our tree during our Tree Decorating Service. Every child, from Nursery to Year 6, added their own handmade decoration to the tree after Mrs Harrison's bilingual Nativity story, assisted by some Year 6 children.
The tree, as always looks stunning!
Christmas Tree Decorations
Year 6 have certainly used some resilience and perseverance to make their tree decoration this year. The task was to use Art Straws to weave a 'paper bauble' using some fine motor skills and precision. After a trial run on Monday, it was down to the real thing and you could almost hear the children's concentration above the mutterings of 'this is hard'! But with focus, careful work and some help from a friend when needed, everyone completed the task. They will look fantastic on the tree after all the children in the school have placed their self-made decoration on it during our tree decorating service on Friday. Bendigedig Blwyddyn Chwech!
Making our own computer games in Purple Mash
Year 6 became computer game designers this morning, planning and building their own Christmas themed computer games using 2DIY3D, which is part of Purple Mash.
The children worked in pairs and cooperated well when designing, modifying and improving their games.
These will be available to play on a Displayboard on Purple Mash on Friday we hope, when they are all finished.
Thank you to Mr Williams from TechnoEd who worked with the children on this today. Follow the link below to see his feedback.
https://twitter.com/TechnoEdUK/status/1201923967445032960
Year Class Enterprise Project
We are putting our entrepreneurial skills to the test again this year! Leaning about profit, loss and the importance of breaking even have all been the focus of the Year 6 Enterprise Project, which we hope will raise some money we can spend, or further invest, as a class later in the year.
Following a kind donation of some glass paints, the children explored different options, calculated a way to make some festive tealight holders to sell at the school Christmas Fair whilst making some profit at the same time. Different candle holders were investigated and cost options worked out by the children for the best value and the best profit margin. They even came up with some money saving deals! We know what our break-even point is and have been busy painting the tealight holders ready for sale.
We hope you will be able to support the development of the Year 6s financial numeracy skills by visiting our stall at the fair.
Leaning About Lifesaving
Last week Year 6 had the fantastic opportunity to learn some very important life saving skills. As part of our investment in a defibrillator for school, we had access to basic life saving sessions for our Year 6 pupils. Understanding about the heart, finding a pulse and using resuscitation techniques were all included in the course. The children were good at listening and focused during their small group sessions. What a brilliant and vital opportunity this was.
National Takeover Day
​​Once again National Takeover Day has taken place and what a great success it has been, with new skills developed and some new skills discovered too!
The Year 6 children had responded to job adverts a few weeks ago and applied in writing for the jobs of Headteachers, Teachers and Teaching Assistants, explaining why they felt they would be able to carry out the different roles.
Once appointed, the 'new' staff members met with the current class teachers for planning meetings and spent two afternoons preparing plans and resources to use with their classes, using great teamwork, organisational and communication skills. Some even practiced story reading at home and continued their preparations.
When the day arrived, the Year 6s arrived in school very professionally dressed, collected their new name badges and set up their classes for the day. There was much excitement, anticipation and a few nerves, but as always they lived up to our expectations and worked very hard with their classes. They were somewhat surprised to find that not all children 'listen' to their teachers or do what they are told all the time and that younger children finish tasks very much quicker than they expected, but with a little support and guidance these challenges were overcome. The Headteachers interviewed pupils and teachers, sent emails, collected and counted the Children in Need donations, guided a visiting Governor around the school and planned and delivered an assembly after lunch.
​All of the school staff said how impressed they were with their focus and skills. A fantastic group of National Takeover Day Staff!
​Well done Year 6, I am very proud of you.
Remembrance Day in Northop Hall
This morning Year 6 took part in a Service of Remembrance at St Mary's Church and then at the memorial for 11 o'clock. Parents of the pupils and members of the local community joined us in the church and many more joined us when we moved across to the memorial.
In the church, the children shared the poetry they had written, read a Bible reading then, at the memorial, read the Ode to Remembrance 'They shall not grow old'. They also read out the names of the fallen of Northop Hall after the two minutes silence, a very poignant moment.
We were all very proud of the children, who were respectful and read confidently and loudly.
We would like to thank our Chair of Governors, Michael Hughes, for organising the use of the Church for us and another of our Governors, Jonathon Hodgins, for leading our service. We would also like to thank members of the Community Council, Linda Thew,John Golledge and Dave Norton for their contributions in organising the music and speaking during the morning. A true Community event.
Harvest Service - St Mary's Church
All the children, from Reception to Year 6, took part in our Harvest Festival at St Mary's Church this morning. We began by looking after our Reception buddies on the walk up to the church, having a chat as well as helping keeping them safe on the journey.
Once we had settled in at the church everyone sung and performed loudly and confidently when their turn came. Year 6 were last to perform with their poem 'I Am Water' to which they added performance poetry elements such as actions, echoes, changes in speed, voice tone and expression. They gave a great performance before everyone joined in for our final song, Harvest Tango. Da iawn pawb!
We would also like to say thank you to everyone who gave donations to our chosen charity for this year, Water Aid.
Tales of Wales
The incredible storytellers of 'Tales of Wales' visited us on Monday with three more traditional tales from Welsh mythology and history.
From The Bells of Cantre'r Gwaelod, a story of a lazy prince and a sunken city, to the tale of Dinas Emrys, King Vortigan and the magician Merddin (Merlin) and how the Welsh red dragon or Draig Goch defeated the Saxon white dragon, we travelled through the mythology of Wales. The final story was a historical one and included a battle between the invading Romans and the Druids and Celts in Gwynedd and Angelsey.
Many of the children became characters in the story and a group of Year 6s became the sea wall and gate which protected Cantre'r Gwaelod.
A fun and interactive way to learn and understand the heritage of Wales.
Taking Responsibility in Year 6
The all important School Council Elections have now taken place in Year 6 and we would like to congratulate our new School Council representatives. I would also like to say 'well done' to all the other candidates for preparing and delivering their election speeches.
We have also now finalised our Criw Cymraeg, Digital Leaders and Eco Committee members.
It's fantastic to see our Year 6 pupils taking on different responsibilities across the school. They have grasped the different opportunities of become 'leaders' within our school community.
Arddechog!
Croeso i Arfona Evans - Dŵr Cymru
Today, Year 6 worked with Arfona Evans from Dŵr Cymru to learn about the journey of water to our homes. The main challenge was to connect the Water Treatment Works water supply to a range of buildings in the area. The success criteria was to come in under the budget of £50,000 and have no leaks. Each cm of pipe cost £200 and connectors cost between £100 to £150. Once the system was in place, it had to be tested by pouring water in to the system to see if it flowed to all the buildings without springing any leaks (a £5000 fine per leak!)
With some great teamwork, problem solving, good communication and using their numeracy skills, all the groups managed to complete their task under budget and leak-free!
Da iawn Blywyddyn 6 a diolch yn fawr Afona.
Ysgol Goedwig, Wythnos 1/ Forest School, Week 1
Group 1 of Year 6 had their first session of Forest School this week. Exploring, teamwork, resillience and problem solving will be the important key skills needed during these sessions with Miss Gunther.
Building a bridge / Adeiladu y bont
The budding engineers of Year 6 had some hands on experience of building a bridge today. As part of an Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) project, five STEM ambassadors came to school to help us build the bridge.
First we all needed to be safe and so gloves, hard hats, high-viz and safety goggles were issued and a Health & Safety briefing took place.
Then, taking on specific roles, the children moved parts, installed joining pegs, placed the bridge road and attached and tightened the suspension wires.
The final test? To cross the suspension bridge they had built! We had great fun and many of the children said they hadn't realised engineering could be such good fun and hard work too.
Coding with Crumble
Whilst some Year 5 and Year 6 were at Nant BH, those who stayed in school spent a morning working with Mr Williams from TechnoEd, learning to use a Crumble controller to programme buggies to move around a maze. The children wrote their code and then modified it as they observed the buggy and identified what needed changing to succeed. They needed plenty of teamwork, discussion and perseverance to achieve their goal. Arddechog pawb.
Blwyddyn 6 a'i 'Buddies' Dosbarth Derbyn
Everyone in Year 6 now has a 'Buddy' in Reception. The children have begun to spend some time together, getting to know each other and sharing books. Then, as the year goes on, they will read together, explore and take part in some joint activities. This helps the very youngest children settle into school, with an older buddy they are familiar with. This also helps the older children learn important social and relationship skills, learning how to interact with youngsters and helps them develop their own communication skills.
We are looking forward to building our new friendships.
Dŵr, Dŵr yn pob man!
Water, Water Everywhere!
On Thursday we launched our new topic, 'Dŵr', with a watery exploration session. Paddling pools, pipes and pistols (of the watery type) added to buckets, gutters, tubes, hose sprinklers and plumbing pipes made for a fun 'wet' activity. The aim of the session was to come up with questions about water which we can then use to lead our learning this term. Some of the most interesting questions asked included: Why does water make us wet? Why and how do things float? How does water travel upstairs or up pipes? Where does water actually come from? and Why is the sky blue?
So we now have plenty of learning to be getting on with this term!
Secondary School Transition information
Details about Admission to Secondary School 2020 have now been released. A copy of the letter from FCC has been sent by email or as a paper copy to you directly. The letter can also be accessed below.
Key points from the letter are:
All applications must be received by the closing date. Any applications received after the closing date will be treated as late applications and considered after those received on time.
Perplexing Playing Cards
Can you arrange the 16 face and ace cards from a pack of playing cards into 4 rows of 4? OK, but can you now follow the rule that says no two cards of the same value or the same suit can be in the same row, column or diagonal?
Plenty of trial and improvement, discussion, resilience and perseverance need here!
Problem solving, teamwork and perseverance needed!
Our first week has been full of challenges which require persevence, problem solving and cooperation. This challenge involved swapping 'frogs' from one set of 'lilypads' to the opposite set following simple rules. The children then began to explore the patterns of 'jumps' and 'slides' needed to do this for different numbers of frogs.
Reading in Year 6
Reading in Year 6 is such an important aspect of learning as the demands of the curriculum have moved so much further beyond just reading the words and finding direct information from text.
Below are some resources and links you may find useful and some further information can be found in the Parents/Curriculum/Reading section of the website.
Spelling
Accurate spelling is a life long skill that we need to help our children develop. We will be using the same system of spelling this year, with two books, one with lists to learn, and one for the tests. the children will need to have BOTH books in school on a Friday.
Spelling lists may vary from child to child, will sometimes include words specifically identified from daily work and we will build on these spelling patterns or include related words. They may often have lists of specific topic words that will be used in our classwork. Overall the children will learn patterns as well as individual words, key words and topic vocabulary lists.
Although we may have spelling tests, the true reflection of whether a spelling has been retained is when it is used accurately in classwork.
To help your child learn their spellings, we recommend the ‘Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check’ method. Each part of this technique helps the child to learn the spelling in a slightly different way, adding to the retention of the word through identifying the sounds (say), learning the pattern of the letters through movement with joined writing (write) and matching what they have written to the correct spelling (check). We advise that this is repeated 5 times for each word on a daily basis which encourages the spelling to be fixed in the long term memory. Naturally, you will find the way that works best for your child.
Thank you for your support in helping your child to become more confident in their spelling.
Unfortunately not the ones with chocolate chips.
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