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The Good Shepherd

Catholic Primary School

“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my own and my own know me”. John 10:14"

Year 4 - St John Bosco

Role on the wall

We have begun reading 'The Boy at the Back of the Class' by Onjali Q.Rauf. This week, we have had an introduction to the four main characters in the book. We have shown what we know and can infer through role on the wall.

We have been learning to represent decimals in different ways.

Here is our final tomato sauce which we made, created labels for and sold after school.

We have been learning how computers store data. This week, we chose to store data about a topic of our choice. We then created a filter and used it to search for specific information. 

Now Press Play - a plot to kill Elizabeth I

​In this Now Press Play, we took on the role of a courtier of Elizabeth I. We discovered that a group of Catholics, who had to pray in secret, were plotting to kill Elizabeth. We had to stop them! 

​​​​​​Here is a selection of our Tudor projects from this half term.

We enjoyed our trip to Tudor World in Stratford-upon-Avon. In the morning, we had an Elizabethan theatre workshop, a crime and punishment workshop and a tour of the museum. In the afternoon, we had a Shakespearean tour of Stratford-upon-Avon.

We enjoyed our 'As Creatives' workshop all about electricity through time.

We used Google Sheets to store and search for data about gingerbread men. We realised that a computerised version was much more efficient!

We are enjoying our science week activities. In this workshop, we learned about how science can be used to create a more sustainable world. We were excited by some of the scientific discoveries that we may see in years to come! 

Cooking week 3

In this week's cooking lesson, we tasted some shop bought tomato sauce. We compared the taste and texture of them. Next week, we will be thinking about which ingredients we might use to create our own tomato sauce and how we would like the label to look.

How do computers store data?

We have been learning about how computers use tables store data. We learned that computers store records in a much more efficient way than humans can!

We really enjoyed our library session to celebrate World Book Day. We had the opportunity to hear extracts from many different books and have all chosen something old or new that we would like to read. We enjoyed guessing which book was being read from!

World Book Day outfits

Pitch and Volume with Miss Howard

Miss Howard joined this week's science lesson on pitch and volume. She taught us how sound can be created in lots of different ways using instruments and our voice. She also showed us how to alter pitch and volume using instruments.

In yesterday's science lesson, we took a trip to the park to measure the speed of sound. We had to use a stopwatch to time how long it took for a sound to travel across the park. We repeated the test many times to ensure it was accurate.

We have been learning about space in art this half term. We have learned how artists make artwork look 3d. Here, we are creating cardboard reliefs to show background, middle ground and  foreground.

English - Hot seating

In today's lesson, we came up with questions that we would like to ask the main character in our new book, Jub. We worked in groups to come up with questions and had the opportunity to ask them to her.

Computing - binary code

In computing, we are learning about data. This week, we learned how computers use binary code to store information. We learned that computers do this much more effectively than humans could!

In our cooking lesson this week, we made savoury dishes like vegetarian shepherd's pie, focaccia and garlic bread. 

PSHRE - bullying

In PSHRE this week, we spoke about bullying and things that we say that can make others feel bad. We played games and role played scenarios to help us to develop our sense of empathy. We also talked about how to practice resillience.  

Science - making string telephones

In this week's science lesson, we made strong telephones to show how sound travels. We learned that sound travels faster through solids, because the molecules in a solid are closer together.

Presenting data

We have been learning about presenting data in maths. Here, we are working together to create bar charts which accurately show the amount of runs scored in a cricket match. 

Conductors and insulators

This week, we have been working scientifically. We created circuits and added different materials to test which are conductors of electricity and which are insulators. 

This term, we are learning about how artists create space in art. We are learning from the work of Millet and Brugel the Elder. Using cardboard, we will be creating a piece of art which clearly shows background, middle ground and foreground. Here, we are preparing the background for our pieces of art, where things will be shown further away (smaller and less detailed). 

Multiplication and division

We have learned a variety of methods to show how to multiply and divide. Here are some examples of our partner work this week.

We have been exploring how to multiply using lots of different methods. 

We created a role on the wall based on Mrs. Tredegar. On the outside, we wrote all of the things that we know about Mrs. Tredegar. On the inside, we inferred what her thoughts and feelings were. 

We created electrical circuits in this week's science lesson to show how electricity flows. 

The Green Ship role-play

This half-term, we are exploring 'The Green Ship' by Quentin Blake. Here, we are role-playing the children's exploration of their new discovery, a green ship. 

In this week's lesson, we learned about variables and that Sphero has sensors. We programmed a true or false quiz - if the answer was true, we shook Sphero, if it was false, we kept Sphero still. If we got the answer correct, an achievement sound was played. If the answer was incorrect, an error sound was played.

In this week's lesson, we had to program Sphero to navigate its way through a maze. We learned that there were more than one algorithm that could be used to solve this problem. Some groups even managed to add penalties when Sphero bumped into the side. 

Now Press Play - the water cycle

In today's Now Press Play, we took on the role of a water droplet as it journeyed around the water cycle. 

King Canute

We worked in groups to create poems about King Canute. We then presented them to the class. Here is an example:

King Canute

Long, long ago about 1000 years from now,

a great, strong king would show the English how.

In 1016 he became a king,

peace, power and religion he would bring.

Travelled on a longship across the vast North Sea,

for 19 years, King Canute he would be!

King of an Empire for England, Denmark, Norway,

with an army on the ground, they were sure to stay.

He taught his subjects to show them wrong from right,

but one day they would have such a fright.

“You are a God,” his subjects would say,

but they didn’t know that the sea would not obey.

He threw his crown on the sand,

to show he could not control the sea with his hand!

We have been learning about how authors build tension in their writing. We worked in groups to create our own myth where a king or queen needed saving from a monster. We have been learning from the writing style of Rob Lloyd Jones.

Water cycle in a jar

We recreated the water cycle in a jar to show how a water droplet heats, cools and changes state as it moves around the atmosphere. 

In this week's computing lesson, we had a dance party! We used the 'loop' block when programming so that Sphero could create a dance that was repeated. We planned our code using psuedocode. We loved dancing to the music!

Conflict with Racha

In this week’s workshop, Racha and Miss Jackson had an argument while looking at the number 9. Miss Jackson thought it was a 6. We helped them to see that they were looking at the number from a different angle, just like how in a conflict, we can look at it from different sides. We then came up with some advice on how conflict can be solved, using a song to help us.

We have been using lots of different methods to show multiplication and division!

Visit from Neal Zetter

Today, we had a visit from Neal Zetter who is a comedy performance poet, author, and entertainer. We were inspired by his work and creativity!

 

Here are our final shell structures. We created trinket boxes. 

Friendship with Racha

In this week's workshop with Racha, we discussed friendship. We listened to the song ‘Count on Me’ and talked about what makes a good friendship. We created friendship recipes, which included all of the things that we felt was important in a strong friendship.

 

In this week's lesson, we programmed Sphero, a robotic ball, to move in different directions and to change colour. 

We have been learning about shell structures in D&T. Here, we are creating nets of shapes for our trinket boxes and decorating the.

Reading corner

We love spending time in our reading corner where we have access to books from a variety of genres.

Workshops with Racha

We have been enjoying our weekly PSHRE workshops with Racha which focus on self-esteem, empathy, friendships and dealing with conflict!

It Starts with YOU!

This week is anti-bullying week. The theme of this week is 'Make a Noise about Bullying'. Year 4 came together to write a poem called 'It Starts with You' which will be performed in Friday's assembly. 

 

Make a noise for the girls and boys.

Don’t let the bullies leave you no choice.

 

It’s your voice, so make a sound,

Don’t let the bullies push you to the ground.

 

We need to hear a voice and it starts with you,

Let’s join forces, we would need a few.

 

Something small can grow really big,

A few kind words will help very quick.

 

A hug and a smile can make someone’s day,

And remember to ask, ”Are you okay?”

 

We all are different and that’s a fact,

Let’s celebrate and make an impact.

 

We all are different and that’s alright,

Don’t take away other people’s lights.

 

It’s anti-bullying week and it starts with YOU,

Let’s work together and see this through!

 

 

Today we had an exciting trip to All Saints Catholic College where we experienced science in a lab! 

We got to use a wide range of scientific equipment, such as Bunsen burners. Our task was to observe over time what happens to ice cubes when we add heat. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and can't wait to do more science experiments at All Saints in the future.    

A trip on a Viking longship

In this week's history lesson, we took a journey across the North Sea on a Viking longship. We took on the role of a Viking girl who travelled to England in search of a better life. However, we were shocked to realise that we had actually come to steal, raid and invade the Anglo-Saxon's land. In the end, we learned that Alfred the Great, the Anglo-Saxon king of Wessex created a peace treaty between the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons. The Vikings were allowed to settle on parts of the land and have their own rules there. This was known as the Danelaw. 

Trust in God

Fr Mark came to visit to speak about our RE topic 'Trust in God'. We had lots of questions for him and spoke about how it is possible to trust in something that we cannot see or touch.  

We had a fantastic time at Sky Studios! After our behind the scenes tour of the studios, we had the opportunity to write, create and edit our own news report on our chosen topic 'cyberbullying'. We worked with sky's team of experts along with using the technology that is used every day to create real TV content. 

This half term, we have been learning about light in art. From the work of Caravaggio and Vermeer, we learned how to create a 3d effect by using different shades and shadows. We also learned how artists paint in layers to make colours stand out. Here, we are painting our final still life paintings. 

Over half-term break, we completed projects based on our next topics: Trust in God, The Water Cycle and The Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Here are some examples which we presented to the class. 

In English, we began studying 'Beowulf', an epic poem from Anglo-Saxon times. Here, we turned our partners into heroes that would be brave enough to fight Grendel the monster. We used the superlative form of adjectives to describe our hero. 

October marks Black History Month. This year's theme is 'celebrating our sisters'. Here are some examples of our home learning projects, where each of us chose a black woman in history who we are inspired by. In class, we learned about Esther Bruce, an inspiring woman who was a fire warden in WWII and was the first to publish an autobiography documenting the life of a working-class Black British woman. Esther lived and worked in Hammersmith and Fulham.

World Mental Health Day

Today marked World Mental Health Day. The official theme for this year's event was 'Mental health is a universal human right'. We attended assembly this morning where we spoke about what our mental health is and how we can look after it. Miss Howard wrote us a song, which we all learned along with actions. We wore yellow to raise awareness.

The digestive system

We used a food bag, tights, banana, cracker, orange juice and water to show what happens to the food in our bodies as it moves through the digestive system. The orange juice represented acid and  the water represented saliva. The bag represented our stomach, and the tights represented our intestines, rectum and anus. 

King Duncan's murder

We acted out the events of the night of King Duncan's murder, inferring what the characters must have said, felt and done.

Macbeth's conscience alley

Macbeth agonised over his decision to Kill King Duncan. To understand his thoughts, we created a 'conscience alley'. One side of the alley were for the murder, the other side were against. Macbeth (Nandin) walked down the centre, listening to both sides of his mind. In the end, he decided that it was not a good idea to kill the king. Will this be the decision that Macbeth really makes in the play?

Maths - place value

We have been exploring different ways to show the value of numbers in maths.

We enjoyed acting out a part of the first scene from Macbeth, the battle between Scotland and Norway. We learned that Macbeth was a brave warrior who won a war for his country. 

The children in Year 3 have been working extra hard this term on their joint Music-English project, Blues songs inspired by Elizabeth Cotton, and below are the final mp3 results! These songs have been written and performed entirely by the students, ukuleles and all - please enjoy!

The Racing Train

Hollie, Sienna K, Sesen, Amelia, Milo, Isaiha

The Fast Train

Luca, Theo, Nandin, Blaze, Sienna C, Rebecca

The Toot-Toot Train

Tallulah, Helena, Eileen, Isabella, Xavier and Theodore

My Best Ride Yet

Grace, Stephan, Ellen, Clemmie, Teddy

The Night Train

Leo, Alex, Jaiden, Isla, George, Vivien

Reading with Year 5

Maths - Lines

English - Voices In The Park

Today we worked in groups in order to create character profiles of the four characters in the book ‘Voices in the Park’. We were put into groups and given a character. We then had to write about what our characters thoughts, feelings and traits were. We then got to walk around to the other group’s characters and add in anything they might have forgotten in a different coloured pen. We also had an envelope which we could open towards the end with words that may or may not match our character. We had to discuss what we thought the word meant as a group and decide whether or not it matched our character.

Comparing Flowering Plants

Conscience Alley

We are studying Anthony Browne texts this half term. We are currently looking at Into The Forest. Pupils has to write a note to the boy persuading him to listen to his mother by going the long way around the forest or to ignore his mother's wishes and go through the forest!

Pupils have been exploring songs by Elizabeth Cotten, blues and jazz music and train poetry. Today, we were fortunate enough to have professional songwriter, Miranda Cooper, provide a workshop for the year 3 pupils. Miranda was also accompanied by guitarist Nick. Over the coming weeks, pupils will continue to learn to play the ukulele , develop the skills they’ve learnt in music so far and their  to write and compose their very own song. Today pupils used the poems they wrote in English to write lyrics in small groups, with the support from professionals. 

International Week 2023

Year 3 focused on Iceland. We looked at the geography of Iceland and how this impacts human and animal life there. 

Today we celebrated Our Lady, Mary. Father Mark led a decade of the Rosary, followed by the crowning of Mary. We began the procession by singing the hymn ‘Immaculate Mary’. We lead the procession in our Holy Communion outfits. Year 1 demonstrated the life of Mary through a drama performance, we participated in singing the rest of the hymns and songs. The celebration ended with all of the children in the school laying flowers in front of the statue of Mary.

English - Performance with music

English - Poetry - Shared Writing

Science - Animal Migration

We learnt about animal migration in science. In pairs, we researched an animal of our choice and explored their migration patter and the reasons why they migrate. 

Kings Coronation Celebration

Stations of The Cross

In English we wrote non-chronological reports. Firstly, we researched an animal of our choice. We created sub headings and wrote paragraphs including all of the research that we collated. Afterwards, we used Chromebooks and Ipads to type up our reports, thus creating our own version of a Wiki page. 

Using Colour to Create Form

Today we used oil pastels to draw a still life of an apple, using different layers of colour.

We set up an apple on white paper (so that any cast shadow is clear) so that everyone had a clear view of it.

 

Today we explored the parable of The Prodigal Son. We explored how we can ask God for forgiveness when we do the wrong thing, and God helps us to forgive others too! 

MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!

Skittleball Tournament

Well done to the Year 3 skittleball team who represented the school at the Hammersmith and Fulham Borough tournament. They played exceptionally well as a team and won a total 6 our of 7 games, finishing 2nd in their group. 

Locating Egypt on a Map!

Year 3 used atlases to help them locate Egypt on a map. The pupils had various elements to located with their talk partner. 

Features of a Newspaper

We are working towards writing our very own newspaper report. In our table groups, we labelled the key features of a newspaper. 

Art - Still Life

In Art we are learning about still life. We looked at the similarities and differences between different still life paintings. We looked at Andy Warhol's Marmite pop art. We discussed the colours he used in the painting. We were given a cut out of the centre of the painiting and had to complete the rest. We had to use paint and mix colours to accurately match the colours in the original painting.

Geography - Becoming River Trip Tour Guides!

Pupils became river tour guides today and brought the entire class down 'The Amazon' on a 'boat'. Children researched facts about the river and created their very own interactive and informative script to support them inleading their tour. It was very exciting, even Mrs Lavelle came to look at some! 

Children’s Mental Health Week 2023 (6th -12th February)

This year’s theme is Let’s Connect. Let’s Connect is about making meaningful connections. People thrive in communities, and this connection is vital for our wellbeing. When we have healthy connections – to family, friends and others – this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing. For Children’s Mental Health Week 2023, we’re encouraging people to connect with others in healthy, rewarding and meaningful ways. Our school councillor held a whole school assembly, talking about connecting with each other and how this can impact our mental health.  In class, we looked at the different ways we are connected and created our own connection link.

Year 3 have been learning about rivers this half term. Pupils have been exploring the features of a river, rivers in Europe, The River Nile and finally the Amazon. Pupils carried out their own research on The Amazon to support them in creating a script and becoming river trip tour guides on their very own boat down the Amazon!

Maths - Using Weighing Scales

We have been learning about mass in Maths. Children worked on pairs to predict the mass of items in our classroom then estimate their weigh before using a weighing to find the actual mass. 

English - Fact Finding

Pupils are continuing to prepare to write their propaganda letter to Mr. Zuckerman. Today, pupils researched facts to support their writing and help them build an argument. 

Pupils explored the riverside environment of the River Thames. Pupils went to Hammersmith Bridge where they observed the foreshore, tide, surrounding areas, animals and river features. 

Persuasion! Should Mr. Zuckerman kill Wiblur?

We are preparing to write a propaganda letter to Mr. Zuckerman to try and persuade him not to kill Wilbur for his Christmas dinner. Today we worked in our tables groups to create reasons why we think Wilbur should be saved. 

Testing the Strength of Magnets!

Today in science, we investigated the strength of different magnets. To test the strength of magnets we held up different magnets to see how many paperclips it supported. We learnt that there are some things that can weaken the strength of a magnet over time, such as heat, electrical current, and damage from being dropped or bashed around. If magnets are not affected by these things, they can keep a magnetic force for hundreds of years!

Year 3 have been busy researching, designing and creating pneumatic systems over the past few weeks. Today, we completed our final project and created our very own pneumatic toy. We picked a farm animal linking to our English text, Charlotte's Web. 

Year 3 busy making and testing the pneumatic systems. 

Year 3 went on a school trip to the science museum. We started in the flight gallery, then explored the Wonderlab and finished with the 'Feel the Force' show. 

Computing - Understanding the internet and computer networks

Today pupils looked at how the internet works in a similar way to transportation networks. Just as train networks carry people around, the internet carries data around. There are different ways to get to the same destination both in train networks and the internet. Some routes may be busier than others and/or have problems slowing traffic down. Everyone was given a starting point and a destination on the network. Their job was to come up with a route from their starting point to their destination, they needed to identify where they needed to stop to change trains and which line they were travelling on.

E-Safety - Trademark v's Copyright

Today pupils modelled a network and sent messages to each other around it.

The Lost Sheep - Role Play

Science - Exploring Magnetism

Today we did mini investigation in our classroom using magnets. We learnt that a magnet is attracted to metal. Magnets can either repel or attract metals, but not all! We used magnets to test the magnetism of different objects in our class. In pairs, we predicted whether we thought the magnet would repel or attract the object. After predicting, we investigated and wrote down our observations.  

Music Strings Workshop

Science Investigation!

We are learning about magnets and forces this half term. Today we did an investigation. we explored friction and learned that some forces need two surfaces to touch in order to the force to occur, friction is one of these. It is a contact force. After developing our knowledge we investigated the friction produced between toy race cars and different floor surfaces on a ramp. 

Maths - Length in cm and m

Pupils worked in groups to guess the length of four objects in our classroom, measure the length of the objects and say whether the objects they measured were longer or shorter than 1m. 

Pupils took part in the A-life Healthy workshop. They had a hands-on experience, allowing all to delve in and explore for themselves, the various activities based on healthy lifestyles. Pupils engaged in variety of different activities set up around the hall in stations. Year 3 and 4 pupils worked together to explore various scenarios and topics linking to PSHRE, PE and Science. 

Today pupils explored computer networks. We first looked at the different networks that we already know of; social networks and train networks. They learned that the computed network consists of the computer and the connecting hardware (WIFI access points, cables, fibres, switches and routers) that make it possible to transfer data using an agreed method (‘protocol’). Pupils worked in pairs to recreate our school network. 

Multi-skills - Ball skills in handball, netball and skittleball

Pupils are developing the skills used in netball, handball and skittleball. Pupils are gaining an awareness of transferable skills and how the same skills can be used in various sports. Today pupils focused on passing and keeping possession. The term defender was introduced and pupils each had a turn at defending the ball from the opposition. Pupils developed their passing and communication skills. Pupils became more aware of the importance of movement when looking for a pass. 

Feast of The Epiphany

Today we celebrated the Feast of The Epiphany. We went to mass in the morning and learnt about The Feast of The Epiphany on the 6th of January and also looked at Spanish traditions. We learnt that on the 5th January, there is a big parade in Spain to welcome the Three Wise Men. They pass by on floats throwing sweets to the masses. At home, Spanish children leave food and water for the Three Kings (called Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar) and their camels, before going to bed. Also, kids leave their shoes out so the kings know who lives there. After that, families have a special cake for breakfast: El roscón de Reyes (The King’s ring). This cake hides two wrapped little surprises inside: whoever gets a little figure, becomes the King/Queen of the day…but whoever gets a bean has to pay for the cake! Our King for the day was Theo!

 

Key Stage 2 Carol Service

Santa Visits Year 3!

Well done to Year 3 who competed at the Sportshall Athletics tournament. They showed great sportsmanship and teamwork. 

Pupils in Year 3 hosted a Stone Age feast for their parents. They have been working with Etain, our cookery teacher, over the last 6 weeks, exploring the different foods and methods of cooking in during pre-historic Britain. Pupils invited their parents into school where they demonstrated all of their learning from History and D&T. 

Maths - Division

Pupils have been developing this division skills. They worked in pairs and individually to split numbers up into equal groups, then writing an equation to support their answer. 

We are preparing to write a historical story in English. In preparation for this, we took part in a Now Press Play experience. We followed the story of a day in the life of a young boy living in the Stone Age time period. 

We attended the Celtic Harmony Camp where we had the wonderful opportunity to learn more about our Stone Age - Iron Age history topic. We had a hands-on learning experience from the Iron Age farmers at the camp. We explored the Chieftain's roundshouse, grinded grain on quern stones to make bread, weave yarn on warp weighted looms, help to cook Iron Age soup and dye bracelets with fresh herbs. We had a fantastic day!

Caritas Assembly

Today we had a visitor from Caritas. Sister Sylvana led our assembly. She spoke about Caritas and the jobs they do. Caritas Works with churches and schools so that we can learn to step forward and show love. They were inspired by Jesus and Pope Francis. Everything that Jesus taught us and his example by how he treats people. Pope Francis writes lots of letters expanding on Jesus’ teachings and life. Caritas means love, but not an ordinary love, it’s the love that we talk and show to people - LOVE IN ACTION. We can show Caritas love by showing kindness, providing care, sharing with others, being helpful and noticing things. It’s it important to know that EVERYONE MATTERS - we were created with this huge love by God. We are now continuing to be held in that love. We are valuable and precious. As a class we came up with reasons why we would want to become Caritas ambassadors. 

Year 3 pupils enjoyed some Drop Everything And Read time. They enjoyed reading their books from the school library. Some got to enjoy their book in our class reading corner!

Maths - Snap Games

English - Phonics Games and Dictation

Maths - 3 times tables

Today we became geologists. We looked at six different rock samples. As a group we discussed the properties of each rock sample. 

Today, KS1 and KS2 held a Black History Assembly. Each class completed study of an inspirational person from the local area.

Year 1 - Adelaide Louise Estelle Hall

Year 2 – Mary Seacole

Year 3 – Fanny Eaton

Year 4 – Dr John Alcindor

Year 5 – Ellen and William Craft

Year 6 – Gandhi

English - Persuasive Writing

English - Conscience Alley

One child, in role as Lob, walked slowly between two lines of pupils. As he/she walks, each child in one line in turn whispered reasons to stay at Clunny Cottage, while each child in the opposite line whispered the reasons to go. When the child in role reached the end of the ‘alley’, they explained what they were going to do, and what they heard which helped to persuade them. 

Maths - Subtraction Using Place Value Counters

Music - Drumming Workshop

Today the children had a special workshop with Music Mission. Firstly we had an introduction to playing the drums by exploring the drum kit itself and the different types of drum. After that, we explored the different types of rhythms used around the world, like the Samba and the ChaChaCha. Everyone got to join in with learning how to use your hands and feet on the drums as we finished off by performing some songs together.
 

English - Power of Reading - Role Play

English - Power of Reading

Today in English year 3 were Composing a short paragraph using assertive language choices to summarise their own opinions about Lob’s real or imaginary status and why they have come to that conclusion. Pupils stood in lines around the classroom depending on their opinion and what they believed. Pupils then had provide reasoning as to why they were stood in that line using information they have read from the text to support them. 

Maths - Creating Addition Sums Using a Dice

Today in English, we began looking at our Power of Reading text. We explored the front cover of 'Lob' by Linda Newbury and made predictions on what the book could be about. Afterwards, we looked at illustrations and a piece of the text. Miss Usher read the text we then closed our eyes and created images in our mind's eye of what the author was communicating to us. We discussed what phrases were most evocative. Our task was to draw an image of what was created in our minds. We then went outside and listened to the sounds we could hear. 

Developing Emotional Literacy and Awareness

Pupils hopped on board the feelings bus. Pupils had to think of and embody four feelings; happy, sad, love and angry. Pupils had to show how their face would look and how your body feels when experiencing a certain emotion. Pupils discussed how their feelings show on the outside and how they affect us on the inside (where in the body do we feel it).

Recycling Week

Recycling week took place 19th - 25th September 2022. Year completed a Now Press Play experience where they explored the topic of recycling. Afterwards, Year 3 wrote a landfill poem. 

Similes and Metaphors

In English, we have been learning about similes and metaphors. We played a game where we had to work in pairs to identify similes and metaphors. 

Interviewing Our Parish Priest Father Mark

Meditation

In PE, we have been exploring dance. The focus of this lesson was to respond to different stimuli being able to add drama and emotion to the dance. Pupils moved around the space to the beat of the drum. We were focusing on the weather for example; moving like the wind on a calm day.  Pupils worked in groups to create a dance sequences representing the different elements of a storm. 

Performance Poetry

In our English lessons, we have been exploring performance poetry. Pupils discussed different types of poems and what makes a good performance. Pupils performed the poem 'The Bug Chant' by Tony Mitton in groups, focusing on tone of voice and actions. 

Year 3 drew and painted self portraits during our first week back to school. 

Our term in review - Spring 2

We have had a very busy term so far! Take a look at everything we've been up to! 

 

Religion: We celebrated Ash Wednesday with a KS1 Liturgy in our school hall. Fr Mark and Laurence taught us all about why Ash Wednesday is a special day. We received our ashes and prayed together. We have also prayed everyday  for Ukraine with our whole school and some members of our families in a Novena for peace. 

 

History and Music: We had a wonderful trip to Cadogan Hall, to see a Classical Roadshow Production performed by the Philharmonic Royal Orchestra. Miss Howard has taught us all the songs in preparation for the trip which was based on Samuel Pepys diary of the Great Fire of London. The conductor was called Benjamin Pope and he was great fun! We are orchestra experts now! 

 

British Science Week: To celebrate British Science Week we had a Silly Science Workshop with Professor Nitro! We (safely) created fire using three ingredients, fuel, oxygen and heat. We also investigated the reaction between water also known as H20 and a vitamin tablet! The reaction caused lots of pressure to build up in the bottle which caused the bottle to explode! 

 

Art: We have been studying the work of French artist Henri Matisse. We have really enjoyed 'colouring with scissors' a technique made famous by Matisse! We even created an exhibition in our classroom!

 

Science: We are astronomers! We are learning all about astronomy this term. So far we have learnt the names of the planets in our solar system, how the earth travels and abut constellations. We even made our own models to help explain what we have learnt! 

 

Research projects: We have graduated from show and tell to research projects! We have really enjoyed researching lots of amazing topics! So far we have researched:

  • William Shakespere
  • The Stone Age
  • An inspirational person
  • Astronomy

 

On top of all of that we have even managed a sunny afternoon in the Mary Garden, listening to stories from the Bible - with some delicious ice creams! 

Let's see what next term will bring!

Miss O'Leary 

We can't wait to see what our next term will bring!

 

 

 

Costume ideas for our school trip to the Great Fire of London production.

Let's get reading! Camp out with a good book in Year 2!

Spring 1 - Round up! 

 Wow we have been really busy over this past term! Check out everything we have been up to! 

 

Cooking

We are cooks this term! We have been cooking every Friday with Etain our cookery teacher! Our culinary delights are inspired by food from the British Isles. We loved connecting our learning in Maths about mass to real life in our cooking lessons!  We even baked a special cake to say good bye to Kitty our wonderful Lunch time lady! She always kept our bellies full! Thank you Kitty! heart

 

Art:

This term we are exploring colour! We have been looking at the work by French artist Henri  Matisse - who famously painted with scissors! We have created coloured sheets and have cut them into shapes. Stay tuned at the end of the term we will create our own collages with the cut outs!

 

Science 

This term has been electric!  We have been learning all about electricity! We really enjoyed constructing our own electrical circuits and investigating insulators and conductors of electricity. Check out our circuits below! 

English

This term has been all about traditional tales! We have loved studying Bethan Woolvin's adaption of Rapunzel. This inspired us to create our own twisted tales which we are making into books! 

 

Geography

We have been learning all about the British Isles this term! We loved creating fact files and mini books about the England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. We even mapped out where all our teachers in school come from! Can you guess which country most of the teachers come from? 

 

Maths

Let's measure! This term we have been investigating different forms of measurement - such as temperature, mass and length. We loved doing practical lessons with Mr Davis investigating and measuring the temperature outside. We even measured the length of Miss O'Leary using cubes!  

 

Religious Education

This term was very special as it was our first time attending Mass with Fr Mark! We attended Mass with Year 5 and really enjoyed listening to Fr Mark reading the Gospel. We can't wait to go again! We also started a special Holy Story Time this term with Laurence from our Church. Laurence reads us a special story from the Bible every Wednesday. 

 

As a we had worked so very hard this term we had a special treat of a Hot Chocolate afternoon! We have been reading Roald Dahl's Matilda and loved listening to the story with a warm cup of hot chocolate with cream and marshmallow! 

Well done everyone!

Miss O'Leary

Autumn 2 Round up!

We have had a very busy term! Check out everything we did!

Class trip to the London Eye

As we are learning about the Great Fire of London we decided to take to the sky to get a bird's 'EYE' view of London! We travelled by Tube to the London Eye at Embankment Station. We loved exploring London and spotting all the famous landmarks we had learnt about! Once in the London Eye we could see the Houses of Parliament, St Paul's Cathedral and even Big Ben! We had a wonderful day!

 

History

This term we have been learning all about the Great Fire of London! We really enjoyed studying this important historical event. We created comics to retell the events and even drew plans of Sir Christopher Wren's 'new' London! We loved reading Samuel Pepys's diary and learning all about King Charles II (did you know he liked to party?). 

 

Art in Kite Studios

This term we are artists! We have really enjoyed our sessions in Kite Studios this term as we recreated buildings from the time of the Great Fire of London! Can you believe we actually set the buildings on fire in the playground! 

 

Religious Education

This term we have celebrated All Saint's Day and have been learning all about the Mysteries of God. We loved celebrating All Saint's Day and we linked our Show and Tell topic to researching our favourite Saints! We also performed in the KS1 Nativity and we were the stars of the show! We loved performing and learning more about the birth of Jesus. 

 

English

We took inspiration from COP 26 this term in our English topic! We decided to research ways to help protect our planet earth and stop climate change. We used persuasive writing to 'tweet' Borris Johnson with our statements!

 

Christmas Lunch

As our term came to a close we celebrated Christmas together with a delicious Christmas lunch followed by The Good Shepherd Talent Show! We really loved performing and are blessed to have so many talents! 

 

Well done everyone on a terrific term! 

Miss O'Leary 

 

Coding: introducing block code

We created code to solve different problems. Our work with Scratch Jr last year helped us.

Coding with Lightbot 2.0

We coded Lightbot to move through a series of different routes. We decided it was best to add a code block and then test it straight away to make sure it worked.

Black History Month

Our week in review - Week 4!

We have been very busy in Year 2 this week take a look!

Design and Technology: This week we learnt about recipes and spoke about the different ways food can be prepared! We all had great experiences following recipes, cooking and baking at home! In class we wrote a recipe on how to make rice krispie buns! We really enjoyed mixing, pouring and measuring! 

RE: We have been learning about  special person chosen by God! We read the story of Moses in class and learnt about how he was special to God. God chose him to save the people of Egypt from a cruel King. We understand that God believes we can achieve great things to help others.

Parliament: We also received the ballot results for parliament! The following members of our class were elected:

Helena - Department for the Environment

Max - Department of Learning, Culture and the arts

Grace - Department of  Health and Well Being

Milo-  Department of Peace and Justice

Geography: We are geographers! This week we have been investigating maps and our local area. We discovered there are lots of interesting sites around our school! We enjoyed using Google Satellite images to locate and describe amenities near to our school - some of us even spotted the roads we live on! 

 

Finally we are learning a poem for World Poetry Day next week! Our poem is inspired by our love for reading in Year 2! Check out our poem below!

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone, 

Miss O'Leary

Our week in review - Week 3

We had a terrific week! Take a look at everything we have been up to!

Maths:  We have started learning more about addition! This week we used pictorial and concrete resources to solve equations. We all practiced our number bonds - we even found a great song to help us! Check it out below!

Phonics:  This week we focused on tricky digraphs. We enjoyed playing buried treasure to practice blending sounds together. We wrote sentences based on our focus sounds too! Our focus sounds were -ai, -ay and -aw.

Science: We had a very special science lesson this week! Milo in our class kindly shared a wonderful experience with us - we released some butterflies! We really loved observing the changes in the lifecycle of a butterfly, we couldn't believe how quickly they grow and change! We released the butterflies in our Mary Garden and said a special prayer to God to look after them!

We also voted for our class members of parliament this week so stay tuned to find out the election results! 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, 

Miss O'Leary

I Know My Number Bonds 10 | Number Bonds to 10 | Addition Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann

Number bonds for 10 song. Number bonds are simply the pairs of numbers that make up a given number. Number bonds can also be called number partners or numb...

Our week in review - Week 2! 

This week was very busy in Year 2! Take a look!

Maths: This week in Maths we were learning about greater than and less than. We practiced playing games by comparing numbers. We also had some time to use practical tens and ones to make number bonds. We know that there is more than one way to make a number!

English: We really enjoyed reading more of our story 'The Night Pirates'. This week we compare Tom's bedroom to our very own bedrooms! We discussed the similarities and differences that we could see. Miss O'Leary has left a link to the story if you would like to read it at home!

Religion:  Our focus this week was our school mission statement. We discussed what it means to be like a follower of Jesus and how we can show our faith through our choices and actions.

RSHE: We loved creating our new class rules! We understand that we need to respect one another's things, space and feelings. We all agreed to follow our rules to make our school a fun and safe place!

PE: We loved practicing our gymnastic skills in PE this week! As it was our second time using the equipment we were experts at using it safely! 

Adventure time: This afternoon we went on a school adventure! We are learning about maps in Geography and have planned to create a map of our school! This means we need to know every nook and cranny of our school! We went on a tour of the school all the way to the top of the school seeing all the classrooms and offices along the way. Did you know Miss McDaid and Miss Kennedy are at the very top of our school!

We also had a surprise visitor in our classroom this week - a sneaky snail! We look at the different features of the snail before bringing him to a better home in the Mary Garden. smiley

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Miss O'Leary

Moses Story RE

Our week in review - Week 1! 

Welcome back to school! All the children in Year 2 have been working extremely hard in our first week back , take a look!

Maths: In Maths we have been learning about place value, practicing creating numbers with tens and ones. We loved playing a place value game on our school Ipads during our Maths lesson. Miss O'Leary has left a link to it below if you would like to try it out. 

Handwriting: We are terrific writers! This week Year 2 started pre-cursive handwriting and we love the challenge of using it in all our writing.

English: Arrrrrgh there's some pirates in Year 2! This week we have been reading a story called 'The Night Pirates.' We spoke about our favourite characters from the story and wrote about them using adjectives.

Art: We love colour! This week we created masterpieces inspired by Vincent Van Gough. We have also started to explore colour and today mixed primary colours together to make secondary colours.

PE & Cricket: We also started our cricket lessons this week! We loved our time with Coach Jonathan and we even managed to hit the ball a few times! We cant wait for our next session. In PE class we explored all the wonderful equipment in our hall and had the best time creating some gymnastic routines!

 

That's all for this week, I can't wait to see what next week brings!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, 

Miss O'Leary smiley

Welcome back!

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

2020 - 2021 ARCHIVE

 

 

Sports Day 2021

We managed to avoid the rain and have some fun at Sports Day!

Using time delay in Scratch Jr

We have started using time delays in our code when we want to pause the actions in our scripts.

Adding sounds to our animations

Year 1 recorded animal sounds to add to a simple animation scene of different creatures.

Using looping in Scratch Jr

We’ve moved on to using loops in our code to make our sequences repeat themselves.

Coding with Scratch Jr

We have started to code using Scratch Jr. We can now code sprites to move and change in different ways. 

 

The day we drew a line in the sand.

To celebrate our return to school Mrs Lavelle orangised a beach day for the children.

We left the worries of the summer behind us and enjoyed the day together. Making some great memories and enjoying the sunshine together.

Medium Term Curriculum Maps

Homework

Our School Prayers

 

Morning Prayer
Oh my God,
You love me,

You are with me night and day,
I want to love you always,
In all I do and say,
I try to please you Father,
Bless me through this day,
Amen

Lunchtime Prayer

Bless us O Lord

As we sit together

Bless the food

We eat today

Bless the hands that make our food

Bless us O Lord

Amen

Evening Prayer

God our Father
I come to say,
Thank you for your love today
Thank you for my family

And all the friends you give to me

Guard me in the dark of night

And in the morning send your light
Amen

Welcome back to a new school year. 

A few things to keep in mind for year 1. 

  • Please ensure all uniform is labelled, including P.E kits. 
  • Children are to line up in the playground, the bell will be rung at 8:55. 
  • Homework will be handed out every Friday, please hand completed homework in the following Thursday.
  • Please try to read daily to your child.

Welcome back, Year 1!

2019 - 2020 ARCHIVE

 

Thank you for sending me photos of some of the lovely things you are doing while school is closed.  I am enjoying seeing you tackling the tasks in your pack with such brilliant results.  I also love seeing photos of you playing and having fun.  I hope you enjoy looking at them, too. 

We can't wait to see you all back at school.  In the meantime, keep reading, keep busy and, most of all, keep smiling!   

heartsmileyheart

 

 

 

 

If you took a little pot home before school closed, how are your sunflowers doing? I think the foxes might have dug up the ones we planted in our school garden.  I can't see any sign of them anywhere surprise. 

 

Do you remember we kept a flower pot near to our fruit table and poked any pips or seeds we found into the soil as a little experiment?  Well look what's happened!  Two of those plants must be very tiny apple and pear trees.  But I can't think what else might be growing in there. Can you?

 

 

 

Our On the Move topic gave us lots of opportunity to experiment with movement and discuss our observations and experiences.  Children identified for themselves the forces of push and pull that were essential for movement to take place. 

              

 

            

 

            

 

            

 

                                               

 

Carpet times were full of descriptive, analytical language as the children explained how they made themselves and non-motorised vehicles move.  They delighted in explaining how by pushing the pedals on their bikes with their feet they saw the chain move and the wheels turn or how they created wind with the squeezy bottles to move the boats in the water tray. 

 

   

 

We had lots of fun with our class books, acting out some (very messy!) parts of the story, creating props and going on journeys of our own:

               

 

               

 

              

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLOCK PLAY

We know that children love playing with blocks but let us look at how important it is to their development.  Block play offers an open-ended, creative and valuable experience.  It boosts imagination, self-expression and communication, allowing children to co-construct, take turns and negotiate.  It also offers a great platform to develop problem-solving, allowing them to test hypotheses and practise scientific reasoning. 

 

            

 

 

They can take risks in their block play and experience a sense of achievement as they 'have a go'.  Due to the many shapes and sizes on offer, blocks offer ample opportunity to practise important maths skills, covering measurement, number, symmetry, balance and estimation, at the same time increasing attention span. 

 

 

We had a lovely visit on Wednesday afternoon from a group of Year 2 siblings who wanted to read their pirate-influenced rhyming couplets to their brothers and sisters!  It was lovely to see them back in Reception.

 

 

  

The children have got off to a flying start with their daily phonics sessions!  They are becoming familiar with the 42 letter sounds and main alternative vowel sounds they need to decode and read regular words through a wide range of interactive and stimulating stories, actions, songs and games and activities arranged throughout the class and garden.  Here are the sounds and an idea of the corresponding actions they are learning: 

 

 

Children are reading, choosing and changing books with Leanne every week and parents are using the reading record book to communicate with us how their child is doing.

 

Developing a love of books and reading is at the heart of everything we do in Reception.  You could hear a pin drop when children come to the carpet for a new story.  If it's one they know and love, they will recite it by heart along with us or join in with a repeated chorus. 

 

 

I'm sure all parents will have heard their child singing 'Rocking In My School Shoes', from Pete the Cat, one of our Books of the Week!  The children used this story to think about what they liked doing in their new school shoes, which took away any anxiety they might have had from starting the year in a new class, and for some children a new school, and with new teachers!

 

Here are some photos showing the different ways children are enjoying books, alone, with a close friend or as a whole class:

 

  

 

 

Building friendships, taking turns, taking account of others' thoughts and feelings and working together on shared interests are all key to a happy class and this is something we try to foster in everything that we teach the children:

 

                 

 

             

 

Helping children to develop the strength of their fingers and thumbs is the cornerstone of so much that we expect children to be able to do, from getting dressed and undressed to using cutlery and scissors and moving and handling everyday objects.  We plan a host of ways to develop children's strength and coordination to become independent and confident in their lives:

 

               

 

              

 

 

 

 

-Nursery 2018 -2019 archive-

Welcome to Nursery 

 

A place where we 

Image result for welcome to nursery

 

 

 

How can you help your child to settle in?

 

Practise our prayers

Each day we gather together to say a morning prayer, a lunchtime prayer and an afternoon prayer. 

 

Morning Prayer
Oh my God,
You love me,

You are with me night and day,
I want to love you always,
In all I do and say,
I try to please you Father,
Bless me through this day,
Amen

Lunchtime Prayer

Bless us O Lord

As we sit together

Bless the food

We eat today

Bless the hands that make our food

Bless us O Lord

Amen

Evening Prayer

God our Father
I come to say,
Thank you for your love today
Thank you for my family

And all the friends you give to me

Guard me in the dark of night

And in the morning send your light
Amen

 

Read a story under our awning before school 

We have a selection of books to read under our awning.  You can spend a few quiet minutes reading with your child before the day begins to settle them before you say goodbye.  

 

Build their confidence to become an independent individual

Each child has their own peg, please encourage your child to hang up their coats, jumpers and cardigans here. Build their physical skills by practising pulling clothing up and down, before and after using the toilet.   Practise going to the toilet and washing and drying hands properly.

 

Say goodbye to your child

Get to school in good time so you can say a proper goodbye to your child with a reassuring hug, particularly if they are occasionally worried about coming to school.  If you are late, your child may feel rushed and this may make separation difficult. 

 

Collect your child with a smile

Your child has had a busy day.  Greet them with a smile not your phone.  Talk to them about their day, tell them about yours, get down to their level if you can.  It is a long day; they have missed you. 

 

Share their WOW moments with us

In our individual meetings at the beginning of this term you were given WOW sheets.  Please use them.  We want to know about their WOW moments and love finding out about some of the positive things they have done at home;  we will share them with their friends, too. 

 

 

 

 

    

Growth, New Life and Good Friends

25th February - 5th April

 

 

 

 

 

Book Week

This week we had the opportunity of visiting our local library. While we were there the manager Zedh read us two stories, The Hungry Caterpillar and Dee Zoo. 

 

After listening to the stories we were able to choose our own books to read. We also chose numerous books to borrow. Miss Molloy used our class library card to check them out of the library. We can borrow them for three weeks.

 

On Thursday we also dressed up as our favourite book character, we went into the hall for assembly to see the other children’s costumes.  

 

 

 

During this week we also have had the beginning of lent. On Shrove Tuesday we made pancakes. We also made Lenten promises which we decorated to put under our awning.

           

 

 

 

                           

Opposites and The Holy Family

7th January 2019 - 15th Feburary

We have begun this term looking at the Epiphany, when Jesus was visited by the Wise men, who brought gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. We made crowns and presents for Jesus.

We have discussed our new topics of Opposites and The Holy Family.

Throughout Opposites we will be looking at light and dark, holes, contrasts and opposites.

Within the Holy Family we will be looking at Jesus as a small child, Jesus love for small children and the story of The Good Samaritan. Thinking how we can be compassionate and caring for others each day.

 

Opposites Curriculum Map

Autumn

Together we looked at our environment and the changes that we are seeing around us , such as leaves falling, the different colours and change in temperature

We investigated the colours we could see, make makes using those colours and investigated what happens when we mixed them together, what other colours could we make?

We looked at bonfire night and created our own fireworks using marble paining and magnetic painting.

Together we looked at the story of the Little Red Hen. What would we do if we were the characters in the story? We looked at harvesting on farms, the different machinery and produce we might gather. We made loaves of bread just like The Little Red Hen.

We look at nocturnal animals and animals that hibernate. Looking at books like Owl babies and Don’t Hog the Hedge. We made a class book based on nocturnal animals.

 

My Family

This half term we were focusing on our family. Looking at who is in our family at home,  at school and at church. 

Throughout this half term we learnt that Mary and Joseph were both visited by Angel Gabriel to tell them that Mary would have a baby, who is God’s son and would be called Jesus. We know Joseph and Mary had a very long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. We engaged in the Nativity story through a range of experience listening to stories, small world play and role play.

We became familiar with some Christmas carols, learning Away in a Manager for our Nativity.

God's Wonderful World

 

This term our religious focus is God's Wonderful World. Through this topic we will be exploring God's creation of the world with a particular focus on plants, animals, knowing that God made us and understanding that God loves us and always will.

Our religious focus links in with our class topic Special Me and of our being aware that we are all unique. Through Special Me we will be looking at faces and bodies, keeping healthy, looking after ourselves, our senses and our feelings.

Week beginning 24th September 2018

This week we were focusing on the plants and fruits in God’s wonderful world and how we keep healthy.

We read Oliver’s Vegetables by Vivian French and Alison Bartlett, talking about where our food comes from, what plants need in order to grow and who created the plants that we get food from.

We each planted cress seeds on cotton wool and have been watching them grow through the week.

                                

We talked about our plants, bushes and the trees in the garden. How can we help them to grow? We decided to have a compost collection bin.  Each day during snack time we collect our fruit peel and cores to empty into the compost bin in our garden.

                           

This week we used vegetables for printing and did observational drawing of plants, fruit and vegetables. We looked closely at them and used oil pastels to draw them.

                                       

We looked in our garden to see what we can find; we picked the apples growing on our tree and ate them.

Our apples got a big thumbs up!                            

We read Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. We talked about our own bones, which ones can we feel?  What do they do?  Our skull, protects our brain. Our ribs protect our heart and lungs. We talked about brushing our teeth to keep our mouth healthy.  We practised brushing large teeth with a timer.  

                                             

We made a fruit salad using bananas and oranges. We used our fine motor skills to peel the fruit and used our knives to chop the bananas.

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The Good Shepherd

Catholic Primary School

“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my own and my own know me”. John 10:14"

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With Love at the core of all we do at The Good Shepherd we: Learn to Love together, Love to Learn together, pray together and play together. Putting our faith into action. Growing in the Love and Truth of Christ in His Church for the benefit of all.
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