Eagles

Welcome to Eagles!

We are Year 6 children. Our teacher is Mrs Handslip and we are supported in the mornings by Mrs Verrill

Our class governor is Julia Russell

On Thursday 5th March we shall be joining the country in their quest: 'sharing a million stories'. We believe that reading is power and we want to bring 'reading for pleasure' back! So there'll be no dressing up...this is back to books. We want you to bring in an extract from your favourite book; you can bring the whole book if you'd like, perhaps even the whole series...oh blow it, you can bring your library if you have a mind to! We shall be sharing these throughout the day; exploring passionate, peculiar poetry; playing with picture books and working wondrously with words.

Each class will spend time exploring the powerful message of kindness offered by these books:

Perhaps you could take a sneaky peek, if you haven't already.           Reading is Power!

Did you know your local library has thousands of ebooks and audiobooks?

You can borrow them, instantly, for free, using just the device in your hand.

All you need is a free library card; to download the app and then away you go!

https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/

Brain Academy begins after half term!

(Please note that the finish time has changed from the original post).

This after school club will run from 3:30-4:30pm on Tuesdays after February half term.

Feb 25th, March 3rd, 10th 17th, 24th and 31st.

Please do attend; biscuits and hot chocolate will be available.

Our final mock SATs will be delivered  in the week:

 9th March 2020

Breakfast Club:

During SATs week, we shall share breakfast together. I would urge the children to attend this as it provides a gentle, fun and settled start to each day for the children.

As we prepare for these tests, please remember the following principles:

• Strive to be your best version of you.
• Allow yourself to be proud of all the progress you will make.
• Try your hardest in everything you do.                       
• Support- we are all here to help each other. Remember that.

We have just finished a module of music learning called ‘The River’. The children learnt a beautiful Norwegian folk song in which they focused on their parts in a round and developing harmonies. Next we explored the stages of a river through listening to Smetna and finally composed ostinatos to express the flow of the river.

As you will be aware, we have just finished our first SATS mocks. You children have been amazing. They are now aware of the learning ahead of them. Please support them by encouraging them to practice using online games. Those which support maths facts and calculation will be great and especially those which support Spelling, punctuation and grammar (spag). I have attached free ones l’ve found here but there are many more apps. which can be downloaded.

Here’s a picture of an antonym and a synonym sorting game.

Year 6 SATs (statutory assessment tests) will be taking place  between 11th - 14th May 2020

Whilst this will remain a focus in year 6 we shall be having a great deal of fun throughout the year, continuing to explore a breadth of learning.

As we prepare for these tests, please remember the following principles:

• Strive to be your best version of you.
• Allow yourself to be proud of all the progress you will make.
• Try your hardest in everything you do.                       
• Support- we are all here to help each other. Remember that.

Mock SATs will be delivered:

w/c 4th November 2019

w/c 20th January 2020

w/c 9th March 2020

A parents/ carers meeting:

Wednesday 27th November at 3:30 - 4pm.

This meeting will help you understand the tests and how you can help your son/daughter.

Brain Academy:

This after school club will run from 3:30-4:45pm on Tuesdays after February half term.

Feb 25th, March 3rd, 10th 17th, 24th and 31st.

Breakfast Club:

During SATs week, we shall share breakfast together. I would urge the children to attend this as it provides a gentle, fun and settled start to each day for the children.

This half term sees a new theme in our library: SPORT!

Thanks go to ‘The Black Panthers’ who created the adventure themed library last half term. Tomorrow, our new year 6 team will be finishing the final touches to their library display. So, if you like sport, there are inspirational books on display for you to borrow. Families...come and explore after school and let’s kick off a great half term of reading.

God and the Big Bang

Leeds Minster

On Wednesday, we took part in a fascinating day of debate centred around faith and science. We were privileged to be led by 3 fascinating experts in the field of science who led us through ideas about the birth of the universe, the beginnings of life and scientific uncertainty. We all agreed that it was a brilliant day.

Day 4

Wow, what a fantastic day. This morning we had a wet, soggy but happy time scrambling in a beck. The children squeezed their way through lots of small passages between rocks; slipped their way over slimy stones and put their heads under waterfalls. The teamwork and support of each other was outstanding. Near the end of their beck scramble was a giant boulder that they used as a slide into the water.

After lunch, group 2 took part in a challenging and beautiful mountain bike ride across Danby Moor whilst group 1 went den building in the forest.

Tonight has been hilarious. Mrs Verrill and Mrs Handslip were highly entertained with Boshop Minkton's got talent. We followed this with a camp fire and silly songs and a final game of night group tig. We both agree that this group have been fun, adventurous, supportive of each other and a  real pleasure.

We will be leaving East Barnby at 1:30pm and intend to be back at school between 3 and 3:30pm.

Day 3

Today we went sailing on Scaling Dam reservoir. We were excited to be joined by Sam and Mrs Cowling. Firstly we learned how to build the boats and then were told what to do if the boat capsized. We had fun practising our sailing skills close to the shore; one boat between two. Some of us rather liked being in the water  instead of on the water! But eventually we managed to sail the boats expertly across the reservoir like ducks following their mum...sort of. The funniest part for the adults was the return to shore when most of the children 'accidentally' slipped out of their boats!

Tonight we have been sledging. After hot chocolate the children were ready for an earlier night.

Day 2- After a successful night sleep and a hearty breakfast, we  were prepared for the day's adventures. We launched our canoes at Ruswarp and spent a hilarious hour getting our paddling strokes correct in order to go in a straight line- mostly achieved! Along the way we saw herons, a salmon ladder and a cormorant; we played ball games in the river and had lunch on 'Lunch Island' before gliding into Whitby harbour. 

A large dinner was devoured, dorm inspections carried out by and we then started to think about our John Muir Award. Greta's speech in New York was watched and added a lot of passion to our discussion about conservation.

The children have raided the tuckshop and are now preparing for Silly Olympics. We are all well and looking forward to a day of sailing tomorrow.

We've arrived! We are happy, tired and full. After sorting out dorms, we have spent the afternoon bodyboarding at Sandsend. Mrs Verrill and I agreed that we had never seen so many children laughing their neoprene socks off. They have all eaten well. Tonight they will learn about the John Muir Award and the search the site for aliens...obviously!

What a great start to the year.

We are so excited about East Barnby. For those who couldn't attend the meeting, please don't hesitate to ask any questions. Attached is a kit list for you. There is no need to purchase anything. Your child will be kitted out with waterproofs, wellies etc. They are welcome to bring £5-10 to spend in the tuckshop. Here they will be able to buy sweets or East Barnby gifts if they wish to. We shall have access to the tuck shop on 2 of our evenings. 

Please do not bring any other food or snacks; there will be plenty to eat! No electronics please.

We shall be leaving after registration and return to school before 3:30pm on the Friday. If this time changes, you will be contacted by text.

Don't forget to check the class pages each night for an update and some photos of the days adventures.

Mrs Handslip

The Year 6 took part in a Ripon Cathedral Leavers Service today. We were in awe of a amazing building which is 1300 years old and is ours! The children make promises and hopes, displaying them on Rainbows. Four of the girls read John 2 v.1-11 (beautifully). Jesus changed the water at a wedding to the best wine- he can make us the best that we can be too. This was a lovely memory.

Primary Pounds Enterprise Project

I am so proud of our Year 5 and 6 children. They were tasked to raise money for Harrogate based Craft Aid International. The money raised would support differently abled people in Harrogate, Ecuador and Peru. They organised themselves and ran Mad Hair Day, a cake sale and Boshop Minkton's Got Talent! What a brilliant show that was- pictures to follow.

Our children have raised £319.00 to support people in developing skills, purpose and an income.

God uses us to do His work. You are all brilliant and we are all proud of you!

Our Year 4, 5 and 6 Production this year is......What a Knight! 

You have all been given a copy of the script and song words. Please practise your lines and song words as much as possible over the next few weeks. 

THE EVENING PERFORMANCES WILL BE ON MON 1ST JULY AND TUES 2ND JULY AT 6PM. PLEASE LET US KNOW ASAP IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND EITHER OF THESE PERFORMANCES. 

Thank you,

Mrs Cairns and Mrs Handslip.

Please note: Mad Hair Day date change due to swimming. Thursday 23rd May.

Cakes will be on sale after school.

Please give generously for the year 5 and 6's enterprise challenge initiative to raise money for Craft Aid International.

Puberty talk for YR 5 and YR6 pupils Wednesday 5th June 9:30-10:45

Letter attached with links to the films.

Look what the year 6 have made with the expertise of Ripon Grammar!

Mad Hair Day! Friday 24th May

Year 5 and 6 invite you to come to school in your normal uniform but with mad MAD HAIR!

There will be a prize given to the maddest hair in each year. 

We have not gone MAD. Please bring a pound donation as we are taking part in 'The Primary Pounds Enterprise Project' , supported by St Aidan's High School. We are raising money for  Craft Aid International. Please take time to have a look at their website to see the fabulous work they do with 'differently abled' people in both Harrogate and Ecuador.

http://www.craftaidinternational.org/

There will be a cake sale after school too!

Important SATS information and dates:

SATS week begins Monday 13th May. Please ensure that you are fully rested in the week leading up to this.

We shall begin each day with a shared breakfast. I shall be at school with cereals, toast and orange juice from 8:15am, Monday through to Thursday.  This will give us a chance to relax and chill together.

Our afternoons will be with the Year 5s as normal enjoying a range of practical learning such as PE, science and topic.

Here is the timetable of the tests:

• Monday May 13th 2019: SPaG Test- Grammar/Punctuation- 45 minutes
• Monday May 13th 2019: SPaG Test- Spelling- 20 minutes
• Tuesday May 14th 2019: Reading Test- 60 minutes
• Wednesday May 15th 2019: Maths Paper 1 (Arithmetic)- 30 minutes
• Wednesday May 15th 2019: Maths Paper 2 (Reasoning)- 40 minutes
• Thursday May 16th 2019: Maths Paper 3 (Reasoning)- 40 minutes

These will be in our classroom. The yr5 will be in taught in the zone.

Friday 3rd and Friday 10th May: We will have our final 2 DT sessions in school followed by our final 2 Brain Academy sessions. Pick up will be 4:45pm as usual.

Relax and enjoy our time together. There is nothing you haven't done before (except eat Mrs Handslip's toast). You'll all be fabulous.

Easter Holiday Homework

Have lots of laughter and rest and fun.

Year 5 Reading challenge- To read at least one poem and one non-fiction book to discuss with loved ones at home.

Year 6 SATS preparation. Do relax. Please find some time to do the following:

1 Reading CGP- at least 1x poetry, 1x non-fiction and 1x fiction. Use the mark book to see how you have done.

2 Arithmatic- I have given you the list of past calculations which you have seen before. Check through them all to see which ones you are weaker/stronger on. If you have forgotten, for example the fraction rules, use your CGP maths homework book to remind yourself. Perhaps change digits to practise some of the calculations.

3 SPaG -  Use your CGP SPaG homework book to revise your grammar and punctuation. E.g. What is a pronoun? Which is a subordinate clause? Do you know your tenses?

Have a restful break

Mrs Handslip

Here are two excellent examples of the children's persuasive letters-a year5 and a year 6. We are still deciding who best to send them to, in the hope that we can make a difference to others. All the children worked incredibly hard, researching and crafting their sentences to have the most powerful impact.

Ain’t no mountain high enough - Year 5 please practise ready for our Easter service on Friday!

If you need me, call me,
No matter where you are,
No matter how far,
Don’t worry, brother.

Just call out my name,
I’ll be there in a hurry,
You don’t have to worry,
’Cos baby there

Ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you, babe.

Remember the day,
You set me free,
I told you you could
Always count on me.

From that day on,
I made a vow,
I’ll be there when you want me,
Somewhere, somehow.
’Cos baby there 

Ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you, babe,
To keep me from getting to you! 

The children have been super creative putting together a Fairtrade Logo out of waste plastic. This will be displayed in the foyer of St. Peter's Church, Harrogate, to highlight the plastic problem in our world and the work of Fairtrade.

Bike ability- year 6

Reminder: On Monday 4th and Wednesday 6th March, our year 6 children will be taking part in the level 1 and 2 cycle training.The children need to be dressed in school uniform but must wear joggers or leggings and trainers. They will need a coat as they will be out all day, regardless of the weather.

Ensure that your child has a helmet which conforms to the following standard: EN 1078 or SNELL B.95

Remember by law the bike must have an audible warning e.g. bell.

If you wish their bike to be stored in school between Monday and Wednesday, we can lock it in the cloakroom overnight.

Today we had a wonderful, surprise visit from an Irish author,Sinead Hart. She was truly inspirational as she described her childhood and her road to becoming an author. She wanted to cultivate a creative brain; her advice was ABC-always be curious.

'Stories are like seeds; they can lie in darkness inside you for years, just waiting for the right time to sprout.'

Mount Kilimanjaro presentation from Mr Douglas 

This morning, we were really fortunate to have Leo and Fearne's dad come in to talk to Herons and Eagles about his experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa. It was really interesting and inspiring listening to his adventures and finding out about the conditions he endured whilst climbing the tallest mountain in Africa. A huge thank you to James for coming in and sharing his photos, stories and Haribo(!) with us. 

Top Trumps!

Eagles recently designed boxes from nets which they measured independently and found the volumes. This has inspired us to use our product design skills to create our own boxes of Top Trumps. The children have been exploring  classification of animals in science. This has led them to research African reptiles, African mammals and African fish. 

Primary Pounds- our year 5/6 enterprise project.

Today we launched a project to raise funds for Craft Aid. A locally run charity working here and in Equador, with people who are differently abled. Students from St Aidan's, helped us to understand the work of Craft Aid, who would benefit from funds raised and how to effectively plan  a successful fundraising. The students were inspiring and brilliantly prepared. 

We know from reading the Parable of the Talents, that God calls us to actively use our skills and abilities to make a difference in the world; not to be nervous but to have faith that he has given us what we need to achieve more for Him.

So watch this space...our 'primary pounds' will grow to support God's work.

Exciting news! Zawadi are coming! Tuesday 29th January.

Our year 5s and year 6s are going to have the opportunity to be involved in an enterprise project, 'Primary Pounds'. This project will be led by students at St Aidan's CE High School who are part of a charitable group, Zawadi.

Zawadi support two projects: Neema Crafts, a craft centre in Tanzania which was set up by a Harrogate couple Andy and Susie Hart, and Craft Aid International. This is a Harrogate based charity run by Susie. Both projects support people who are 'differently abled'.

Please take time to look at the awesome work of these two charities.

http://www.craftaidinternational.org/

https://www.neemacrafts.com/

Welcome back! We hope that you are refreshed and have had lots of family fun over the Christmas holidays. Mrs Cairns and I are very excited about our new topic -Africa. A big topic for a big continent.

Please can I remind you all that Times Table Rock Stars are set on a two week rolling programme. They are set for you to practice at home and to develop your Rock Star Skills. I have noticed from  the admin page those who are practising madly at home- well done to you.

Your log-in is in your planner but don't hesitate to ask if you can't find it.

https://ttrockstars.com/org

Dear parents/carers

If you would like to support your child/ren in their understanding of spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG), I would like to recommend downloading the  'SPaG Gold' app. They may practise wherever you go- such fun!

It can be bought from the Apple store from £3.99 and is published by Pearson.

SPaG Gold is aimed at year 6 and lower KS3

SPaG Silver-  years 3,4,5

SPaG Bronze KS1

Other Apps. are available too! Try the Educational App Store.

Our awesome author visit

Today, Edward Traynor whose pen name is Billy Bob Button, delivered a fascinating workshop on how to write a best selling book. He described how the reader is his starting point; that each of his books have 5 sections and that he uses adjectives, verbs and adverbs to give music to his writing.

Amy wanted to know who his idol was- a left handed tennis player! Molly wanted to know which was his first book- Wizards Bookshop. We also learned about his many notebooks in which he keeps lists and drawings of hats, doors and monsters.

Electric Eagles!

The children have been playing bingo to learn common electric symbols; these symbols have supported the children in their drawing of electrical circuits. They were challenged to create a lighthouse which could house a simple circuit. Finally, after reading about Alexandro Volta, we experimented with ways to make a lightbulb brighter or a buzzer louder.

People’s Book Prize Winner Visits School

The award-winning, bestselling children’s author, Billy Bob Buttons, will be visiting this school on the AFTERNOON of Tuesday 4th December.                        

He is the author of sixteen very popular children’s books including Felicity Brady and the Wizard’s Bookshop, the bestselling Muffin Monster, Tiffany Sparrow Spook Slayer, The Cool Kids Book Prize winner, WIDE AWAKE, and the UK People’s Book Prize winner and bestseller, I think I Murdered Miss. Last year, this book sold over 40,000 in the UK alone and won the 2014 UK People’s Book Prize.

Every year, he meets with approx. 50,000 primary school children to deliver his popular literacy workshops. Throughout the afternoon, he will be delivering the workshops to the Herons and the Eagles focusing on Planning a Story, Adventure Writing and Characters. 

There are a selection of his books in our library right now!

We have seen all sorts today to bring our WW2 topic to life; miniatures worlds in a light bulb made by a prisoner of war; lampposts which were white but painted black on the first day of the war; the Queen working with the engineers and unexploded bombs.

Don't forget that the Herons and the Eagles will be visiting Eden Camp on Thursday 18th October (note the change from 16th). This will be an amazing opportunity to bring our WW2 history topic to life. The children will experience the sights, sounds and smells of the Home Front and the Front Line.

The site can be chilly so please do make sure that you have an extra layer under your uniform and you have a warm coat.

Please take time to look at the website

https://www.edencamp.co.uk/

It's great to be back with our year 5s. Today we have been continuing our science topic on forces. The children have been carrying out fair tests;exploring which seed spinner designs are more effective at using air resistance to slow their fall to earth.

Our last full day! What an amazing time we have had. Some of us built dens and roasted marshmallows deep in the woods. Whilst others went on an awesome mountain biking expedition across the Danby Moors. These were our favourite activities until this afternoon...body-boarding! Tonight we have had the final dorm inspection followed by 'Boshop Minkton's Got talent' and the DINKEE LINKEE quiz-you'll have to ask!

We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow but not before we've scrambled a beck.

 I am very proud of all the achievements of each individual in this group. They are supporting each other, challenging themselves and showing a willingness to embrace all the adventures offered to them. As we speak they are chilling together with cards, pool and giant Jenga. Today we have experienced a mountain adventure day which consisted of rolling down banks, 'weasling' through the Wainstones and playing 'Capture the Flag' on a stunning if not a little windy hill top. Back at base we have had huge laughs sledging with lots of washing up liquid and moving along a night-line, blindfolded, to work on instructions and developing trust.

I am randomly and quickly adding a few sample photos from the 150 or so we are taking each day. If you child is not on them don't worry, you will have plenty more to see on our return.

East Barnby Day 2

We have been so blessed with the weather. After an excellent night sleep, we went as one group, on an awesome canoe adventure. With 3 children per canoe, we trekked down the river stopping on 'Lunch Island' where we played a game which consisted of finding objects which should not be there! As part of the John Muir Award the children are learning about conservation, exploration and discovery. We discovered pretty quickly that welly boots get stuck forever in thick mud and that certain children are drawn to water! I'll let you find out who on our return. We were treated to a wonderful end to this adventure as we turned the corner to see the welcome view of Whitby Harbour. Tonight, the children have been challenged to work together to 'save the duck' on the Low Ropes Course. A full and eventful day has been rounded of with silly songs and super stories around the campfire.