Christmas events
It’s a busy time of year with so many things happening. Here is a reminder of the Christmas events taking place over the next two weeks:
Wednesday 7th December, 2pm: Christingle Service at St James’ Church
Thursday 8th December, 2.15pm: Early Years and KS1 Christmas play
Friday 9th December, 9.30am: Early Years and KS1 Christmas play
Tuesday 13th December: Christmas dinner
Wednesday 14th December: Early Years and KS1 parties (non-uniform)
Thursday 15th December: Ks2 parties (non-uniform)
During our productions, we will be raising money for our new school charity voted for by the Junior Leadership Team. This year we will be supporting Cancer Research UK.
Pro Printers!
Year 5 and 6 have been putting our knowledge to the test by practising our very own printing process! So far, we have learnt about two designers:
- William Morris
- Orla Kiely
After looking at their design and printing work, we were inspired to have a go at creating some of our own. The children absolutely loved the process and we will definitely be practising again soon! Here are some images of our work so far – we are really proud of it!
St James’ does Tempo FM!
Today, some children did a fab job of representing St James’ on Wetherby’s very own local radio station – Tempo FM!
Maybe you tuned in and heard Dexter deliver the weather or Aubree tell us about local events or perhaps you heard Mrs Bald explaining why our school were visiting Tempo FM…
As part of community week, we joined up with the community radio station. All week, we’ve been thinking about what community means and what it’s like to be a part of a community.
Check us out in action…
Community Week: The Mayor of Wetherby
To kick start our community themed week, we welcomed the Mayor of Wetherby into school. Councillor Neil O’Byrne was elected as Mayor and he’s is in his third term of office.
The children listened to the Mayor as he explained his role in the community. Following this, the classes were able to ask questions.
Do you get paid?
Who voted for you and was it fair?
Do the people of Wetherby vote?
Why do you wear the chains around your neck?
Have you made a difference to the people and town of Wetherby?
Was there an election?
Don’t forget, the Mayor will be lighting the Wetherby bonfire on Saturday!
Happy Half Term!
Thanks to all Year 5/6 pupils for their hard work and positive attitudes during the first half term – everyone has started off really well! Thanks also to all parents that came to the parent/teacher appointments – you were all extremely supportive and I am very grateful for that.
Moving into the next half term, I am hoping to continue the progress Year 5 and 6 have already made – well done, everyone!
Mr Freeman
Living and Learning: Protected Characteristics
Our Living and Learning statement last week was…
I respect others
Year 5 and 6 have been learning about equality and discrimination. We have looked at many scenarios where an individual (or group) was being discriminated against. We discussed what these reasons might be and what we would do to change the world if we could.
Then, we had a look at the Equality Act (2010) and our protected characteristics that we can’t be discriminated against. Pupils were mature, engaged and active in this learning, which resulted in some fantastic discussions and advice for others.
Here are the nine protected characteristics:
- sex
- sexual orientation
- gender reassignment
- disability
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- religion or belief
- race
- age
We will continue to focus and test ourselves on these characteristics throughout the year.
What’s in the Box?
This week, Year 5 and 6 are writing our first piece of short, descriptive narrative. This writing is based around our class novel (Secrets of a Sun King) where Lilian, our main character, finds a mysterious package on her grandpa’s front door step.
Our aim is to engage the reader by showing them Lilian’s thoughts and feelings, instead of just telling them everything that’s happening. We can do this by leaving little clues for the reader to pick up on – this allows the reader to paint a better picture of the story in their minds.
I am so impressed with the amount of perseverance all pupils have shown with this writing – some children even started all over again because they were determined to improve!
Here are some examples of our work so far – well done, everyone!
British History Experts!
Year 5 and 6 are on a chronological learning journey through Britain!
For the last few weeks, we have learnt all about life in Britain during the New Stone Age (4,000 BC – 2,500 BC) and the Bronze Age (2,500 BC – 800 BC). Here is some of the information we’ve learnt so far!
So, what’s comes after the Bronze Age? Well, this week we’ll be adding to our timelines and learning all about the Iron Age!
A Fantastic First Week!
Hello everyone! Mr Freeman here with our first official Year 5/6 post of 2022/23. I hope you are all happy, healthy and excited for the upcoming year.
First of all, I would like to start by saying a massive thankyou to all pupils in Year 5 and 6. It’s never easy starting somewhere new – there are many emotions that both pupils and adults have to deal with. However, every single person in the classroom has made me feel so incredibly welcome. From the “Hello Mr Freeman” in the mornings, to playing zombie tag outside, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone and they’ve allowed me to settle in quickly and comfortably.
On top of that, the learning this week has been outstanding! The resilience to improve our handwriting, the British history knowledge in our topic learning and the fantastic levels of engagement in our new class novel are just some examples of the excellent week we’ve had.
If you’re wanting to build on the learning at home, here’s a quick breakdown of what we’re learning in lessons:
- Writing – capital letters, squashed sentences and basic punctuation
- Spelling – homophones (were, where, wear, two, too, to, which, witch)
- Handwriting – forming capital letters from the top and joining lower case letters
- Reading – class novel (Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll) and fluency
- Maths – Roman Numerals (Year 5) and place value up to 1,000,000 (Year 6)
- History – Stone Age to Iron Age and the Ancient Egyptians
- Biology – classifying plants and animals (Carl Linnaeus is our featured scientist this half term)
- Living and Learning/Christian values – I follow the school rules / perseverance
- PE – ball skills and teamwork
Thanks again, Year 5/6 – I’m looking forward to a brilliant year together!
Mr Freeman
Goodbye, Year 6!
A huge well done to all of the children in Year 6.
Everyone at St James’ is so proud of all you’ve achieved in your time here and we wish you all the best as you start the next chapter at high school.