“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my own and my own know me”. John 10:14"
Songwriting Project!
Below are six different songs all written and produced by the children in Year 6. They formed their own bands and were tasked with writing a song with at least one verse and chorus in, as well as using the iPads to produce their own tracks. Have a listen and see which song is your favourite!
Year 6 had an amazing time at PGL! We took part in a range of exciting activities, including the Giant Swing, Raft Building, and a memorable campfire. To end our week, we enjoyed the PGL disco, which was a fantastic way to celebrate. The food was delicious, and of course, a trip to the famous PGL shop was a highlight for everyone! A fun-filled time was had by all, creating lasting memories.
The Young Shakespeare Company visited us today, staging an exciting performance of Macbeth. They picked some of us to join in the scenes, and the fighting part was the best! It was really exciting, and we had a lot of fun.
Today, we visited All Saints Catholic College for a cool science lesson on solubility. We learned to fill out a risk assessment form before starting our experiment, and we wore goggles for safety. Using a thermometer, we checked how fast potassium permanganate dissolves in hot water compared to cold water. After the experiment, we even tackled some Year 7 questions! We really enjoyed our lesson at All Saints Catholic College!
Today, Father Andrew from Oxford visited the Good Shepherd. We learned about how science and religion are connected and heard about important people from the Catholic Church who contributed to science. Moreover, we gained insights into the concept that, while things in the world may be temporary, the love and teachings of God are eternal.
In English, we explored a crucial moment in "The Journey." The refugee family had to decide whether to take a dangerous boat trip. The children formed a conscience alley, with the two "family members" listening to opposing perspectives on the matter. After considering different opinions, the two "family members" made a decision...
In Mathematics, we are practicing multiplication together so we can build a solid foundation in this essential skill to tackle more complex mathematical concepts in the future.
Today, we had the privilege of attending an orchestra concert presented by the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre. The experience of seeing the instruments we are currently learning in our music lessons expertly played by professional musicians, including the enchanting sitar, added an extra layer of appreciation to the performance. The concert was themed around Diwali. In the part where the monkey army had their victory, we all rose up to perform the accompanying song with the orchestra, even adding in actions and movements we had been practicing during music lessons. We had a great time at the concert!
In today's science lesson, we conducted an experiment to determine the most effective thermal insulator among tin foil, bubble wrap, and newspaper. We're eager to share the exciting results with the class!
In today's history class, we studied democracy in Ancient Greece. Taking on the roles of citizens in the Ecclesia, we engaged in a debate, discussing the merits of living in Athens versus Sparta. Responding to the opposing team's arguments, we passionately presented our own points.
In English, we are studying "The Journey" by Francesca Sanna, exploring the experiences of refugees amid war. Today, we created freeze frames depicting key moments from the family's journey in the forest—on the forest edge, at the mountain's base, in front of a wall, and while crossing the border. This activity enhanced our understanding of the hardships faced by refugees, fostering empathy for those affected by conflict.
We celebrated All Saints' Day on November 1st, with children dressed as their favorite saints for school. We attended the Mass in the morning and discussed the saints that the children were dressed as, along with their significant achievements.
On Tuesday, Year 5 visited Sacred Heart High School, joining other schools in the borough for an exciting athletics festival. We tackled hurdles and obstacle relays, javelin, and speed bounce, with boys and girls teaming up, working together to complete these events. Cheers and support echoed in the school hall as children rooted for each other during the races. Additionally, students showcased their skills in individual competitions, including vertical jump, standing long jump, chest push, and standing triple jump. All the children did their best and exhibited great sportsmanship. It was a fantastic day at the athletics festival!
This autumn, we immersed ourselves in 'Romeo and Juliet.' We learned to craft soliloquies and diary entries from the characters' perspectives and practiced our acting skills, emphasizing tones and facial expressions. Today, we delighted our audience with a captivating performance of the Capulets' party scene. What a journey it has been!
During our recent computing lesson, students had the opportunity to delve into the world of digital image creation. They explored various tools and functions on sketchpad, learning the art of crafting images using digital tools.
We learned about bullying and how children should respond when they or their friends face bullying issues. We had a unique experience with "Now Press Play," where children had the opportunity to step into the shoes of someone experiencing bullying through a guided audio story. They thoroughly enjoyed the activity and engaged in a discussion about their experiences afterward.
On October 10, 2023, students wore yellow additions to their uniforms to mark Mental Health Awareness Day. We had an assembly where our music teacher composed a song that emphasized the importance of mental health, and students learned, sang, and danced to it. The song encouraged self-care activities like reading for relaxation and taking breaks when needed. School Parliament members from the Department of Health and Wellbeing also joined in to demonstrate the song and dance.
We'll celebrate the Feast of All Saints on Wednesday, 1st November. Please come to school dressed as your favourite saint. Check the poster above for details!
As part of Black History Month, our students have researched a notable figure associated with Hammersmith and Fulham: Lolita Roy. They've gathered valuable information about her life and contributions, which we are pleased to share and discuss.
We had a fantastic day at The Good Shepherd's beach!
Activities throughout the day included:
We had an amazing day at the LookOut in Hyde park learning about how we can be more sustainable.
In the morning, we learned about the 5 Rs - refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose. We played lots of hands on games to learn about how we can be more aware of our carbon footprint.
In the afternoon, we took a walk to the stables where the police horses are kept. We had the opportunity to meet the horses and ask questions to the police about their role. The horses are used to in many ways to create a more sustainable park and city for everyone.
We have been learning to create digital animation frames and to use the copy and paste function on our animation app so that we can change each frame slightly. This creates an illusion that our animation is moving.
As part of our English text 'The Boy at the Back of the Class', we took part in a conscience alley. We had to decide whether the children should interfere with the government's decision to close the borer to refugees or not. We decided that the children should interfere and help Ahmet to reunite with his family!
We used Now Press Play to what learn about what positively and negatively affects our physical, mental and emotional health. We learned about the steps we should take when we need help.
We have been learning about how computer animations are created. We used onion skinning to create a set of frames that can be used for our animations.
Year 4 have been developing their tennis skills in their weekly lessons, particularly focusing on technique, footwork and strategy.
While reading 'The Boy at the Back of the Class', it was very clear that many refugees have their human rights taken from them when they are displaced. As a class, we learned about the Human Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Each of us took an article from the UDHR and simplified the language in it so that it is suitable for a KS1 child. We each created a page of our picture book which we will present to reception, year 1 and year 2 to inform them about their human rights.
Year 4 have been using teamwork, cooperation and coordination to grow their batting, bowling and fielding skills in cricket.
In computing, we are learning about animation. In this week's lesson, we learned about how animators create the persistence of vision, which is an illusion that the the picture is moving. We created our own flipbooks to show how animation works.
We have loved our lessons at Kite Studios. Check out some of our finished pieces of medieval art.
In this half-term's PE lessons, we have been developing our athletics skills through a variety of events such as sprints, hurdles, relays, jumping and throwing.
We loved dressing up in our country's colours or national dress to celebrate International Evening. We enjoyed food from all over the world!
We learned all about Ukraine for International Week. Varvara and Polina very kindly shared their knowledge of Ukraine from a personal perspective.
Year 4 performed a class assembly based on their learning about King Henry VIII.
In English, we have been studying the novel 'The Boy at the Back of the Class'. It is a story about a Kurdish refugee who is forced to leave his country, joining a school in England. Both the children and their parents are curious about Ahmet, and begin gossiping about him. In class, we created propaganda posters to put a stop to this gossip. We also created fact files about refugees to address these misconception.
We loved dressing up as monarchs for the day and having a coronation celebration!
Here are some examples of the activities we have been enjoying at Kite Studios linked to medieval art.
In today's Now Press Play, we learned about the affects that the 'Break with Rome' had on England for years after Henry VIII's reign. We took on the role of one of the Queen's stable hands who discovers a group of Catholics who were plotting to kill her!
In today's e-safety lesson, we learned about copyright and fair use. We read through different scenarios and worked in groups to decide whether we had permission to use the digital thing or not.
We had a fantastic day at Tudor World in Stratford-upon-Avon. In the morning, children learned all about the importance of the theatre in Tudor times and took part in role play based on the theatre. Additionally, we had a tour of the museum. Shortly after that, we took part in a crime and punishment workshop, where some children unfortunately were punished or beheaded for treason. After lunch, we met William Shakespeare who took us on a tour of the town. We visited where he was born, lived, went to school and died, along with the home where his daughter Susanna lived. We loved hearing stories about his life.
As part of British Science Week, we took part in a LEGO workshop. We worked together to come up with ways to travel around the world using different methods of transport e.g. boat, train or truck. As the theme of science week was 'connections', we explored the different methods of communication we could use and also worked in a team to build a bridge.
We have been enjoying drop everything and read time both in our classroom and in the reading corner.
In art this term, we have been learning how to create depth in paintings. Here are our final paintings, where you can see that we have created background, middle ground and foreground.
For this week's science lesson on sound, we were joined by Miss Howard. Miss Howard brought a variety of instruments to support our learning on pitch and volume. Francesca even played her cello for us.
Year 4 are learning about the importance of keeping fit and the benefits it can have on our physical and mental health. They have learned how to get fit in new, enjoyable ways e.g. through circuits with friends, boxing and dancing.
We have been working really hard on our Tudor projects and are enjoying listening to each other's presentations. We even got to taste some Tudor treats baked by Lena!
We have been learning about how computers store data in a database. We were shocked when we realised how quickly a computer can find a piece of information that is stored on it!
In science, we are learning about what sound is and how it travels. In our first lesson, we created string telephones to help us to explain how sound travels through different mediums. We learned that sound is a form of energy, caused by a vibration and that it travels in waves.
We were delighted to receive our certificates from the English National Opera for the piece of music we composed in the last half term.
This week is Children's Mental Health week. In Monday's assembly, Racha spoke to us about this year's theme 'Let's Connect'. In class, we had lots of conversations about the importance of looking after our mental health, hearing the stories of other people. To end the week, we created a paper chain, showing how we are all connected. We discussed how we are connected to everybody in the world, even those we have never met.
In this week's lesson, we programmed Sphero to answer questions about topics we have been learning about in class. Sphero had to roll to a question, land accurately on it, change a specific colour and say the correct answer out loud. The aim was to program Sphero to move from one side of the hall to the other, answering questions along the way.
In this week's science lesson, we tested various materials to decide whether they were conductors or insulators.
Well done to our year 4 skittleball team who won 5 out of 6 games at the Hammersmith and Fulham skittleball tournament. Pupils have been developing their hand skills in PE this term so it was a great opportunity for them to display everything that they have learnt. Well done to all of the year 4 boys and girls involved. Pupils enjoyed some lunch in the park on their way back to school!
As part of our learning in geography, we have been completing research on different settlements around the world to share with our classmates.
We have been practicing our defending, passing and shooting skills in our PE lessons.
In maths, we have been drawing and reading graphs to present data. We have had to be extremely precise when drawing our graphs to ensure the information we have presented is accurate.
In RE, we have been learning about the teachings of Jesus. We learned about how Jesus chose his first disciples. We compared these disciples to ourselves, the disciples of Jesus today. We worked in groups to decide which traits are important as a disciple of Jesus.
We have been cooking all things Spanish this half term in our weekly lessons with Etain.
In today's Now Press Play, we were at home with our cousin Thalia. As we were helping her with her dialysis machine, there was a power cut. We used household objects to make a torch and headed for the local hospital where the doctor told us there was a 2 hour wait. We set out for the local power station and noticed that there no smoke from the chimneys. We broke in via a hole under the fence. Causing the power cut was Danny, an anti coal protester who was throwing coal into the lake. Danny took us to a wind turbine. We turned it on and it lit up the town!
This half term, we are learning to play the recorder in our music lessons with Miss Howard.
Pupils took part in the A-life Healthy workshop. They had a hands-on experience, allowing all to delve in and explore 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.
In today's computing lesson, we took Sphero on a journey around the world. First, we came up Sphero's story, which included the 7 continents. Then, we coded Sphero to go on its journey around the world. It had to visit each continent in the correct order.
Year 4 have been refining their passing and receiving skills, as well as developing the important skills required to gain and keep possession of a ball. Additionally, they have been practicing shooting towards a target. These are transferable skills, which pupils can apply to netball, basketball, handball and skittleball, as well as many other sports.
We coded Sphero to move through a maze. We worked hard, having to debug our code numerous times. We were delighted when it finally worked!
As part of our wider Spanish curriculum, we have been learning about Christmas in Spain and Día de Los Reyes. Thank you to Carla, who shared her experience of spending Christmas in Spain this year. We loved hearing about all of the Spanish traditions you were part of.
In 'The Green Ship', we have been introduced to Mrs. Tredegar, an old lady who explores the ship with the children. In groups, we created a 'role on the wall' outlining what we know and can infer about her.
We enjoyed constructing our own circuits in this week's science lesson on electricity. We needed a battery, wire, switch and component to allow electricity to flow.
This half term, we are studying 'The Green Ship', illustrated by Quentin Blake. The children have made an astonishing discovery, a green ship in a forest. Here, we are role-playing the children entering and exploring the ship.
We loved learning more about the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings during our full day drama workshop.
We have really enjoyed creating our own Viking longships. In our pairs, we designed what we would like our longship to look like and gathered the materials we needed. We had to ensure our longship could float, the oars could move and the dragon head was detachable.
In today's Now Press Play, we learned how water moves around the water cycle.
In today's Now Press Play, we took on the role of a Viking child who took a journey across the Northern Sea in search for a better life in England. We were shocked to find out that our fellow Vikings had plans to raid and invade.
We learned how to repeat code using the 'loop' and 'copy and paste' functions on the Sphero Edu app. We programed Sphero to perform a dance routine that was repeated in preparation for a dance party.
Here is a sample of our Anglo-Saxons and Vikings home learning projects.
We learned how to use the draw function on the Sphero Edu app. We enjoyed leaving secret messages for our partner.
We have been learning to show multiplication and division in a variety of different ways!
In today's computing lesson, we learned how to use the Sphero app and make Sphero move. We enjoyed coding our robots to move around obstacles.
This term, we will be creating our own Viking longships. In today's D&T lesson, we researched information about Viking longships. This will help us in the plan, make and evaluate stages of our project.
In English, we have 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 adjective to describe our hero.
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
We enjoyed putting all of this half term's learning in art into practice. We took inspiration from Caravaggio and Vermeer's paintings and learned how to use tone, shade and shadows to create form.
We have been learning about the Bible in Religion and have studied the stories of many of God's chosen people from the Old Testament. Here, we are learning acting out the story of Moses and the Ten Plagues.
For Black History Month, we learned about Dr John Alcindor, a physician and activist from Trinidad who settled in London. Dr John Alcindor became known as the "Black doctor of Paddington." Here are some examples of our research projects.
Today, we 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.
During Autumn 1, we have been developing our throwing, catching, movement and agility skills through dodgeball in our weekly sessions. We really enjoy playing games as part of a team.
We went on a field trip to study how Hammersmith has developed as a settlement over time. This was part of our topic 'spatial sense'. In the classroom, we studied maps of Hammersmith from 1863, 1915, 1954 and today. We highlighted the changes we could see. Afterwards, we took a walk to the river Thames to observe these changes in real life. Finally, we created a field sketch of what we could see in the area.
We have been learning about how the artists Vermeer and Caravaggio used shade and tone in their paintings to create a 3D effect. We have enjoyed learning how to create form in our own artwork through sketching and painting various objects.
We enjoy using maths equipment to show how to add and subtract in many different ways!
We have loved studying the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The use of role play in our lessons has really helped us to understand the characters' thoughts, motives and intentions. Will Macbeth decide to murder King Duncan? Only time will tell...
In English, we are looking at the book 'Into the Forest' by Anthony Browne. Pupils had to write a persuasive note to the boy advising him on whether he should go through the forest or go the long way around. In preparation for their writing, we did a conscience alley where a pupil had to walk through the center, in role as the boy, and the people on the outside had to try and persuade 'the boy' on what he should do.
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 accompanies 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.
As part of our annual Laudato Si’ focus, in which Pope Francis calls upon ‘every person living on our planet’ to take environmental action to care for our ‘common home’, our class visited Gunnersbury Triangle, a wonderful nature reserve in the heart of our local area. Gunnersbury Triangle is a green oasis created by intersecting railway lines, close to Chiswick Park Station, saved from development and managed for wildlife and people. The pupils carried out pond dipping using nets and trays to explore our aquatic habitats. They also went mini beast hunting – looking in our woodland habitats to discover the small invertebrates that live within, and became plant detectives.
We also looked at climate change, in particular, diving into the Arctic Region. The Arctic is warming three times as fast as the global average. This is mainly because melting of snow and ice exposes a darker surface and increases the amount of solar energy absorbed in these areas (albedo effect). Pupils explored the effect this has on animal habitats and animal life in the region. Pupils completed a Now Press Play experience on Climate Change and also did their own research projects.
Year 3 are beginning to learn to play the ukulele in their music lessons with Miss Howard. This is going to compliment their English lessons where we have been focusing on the book “Libba” which is a story based on the life events of American folk and blues musician Elizabeth Cotten.
Well done to the year 3 and year 4 pupils taking part in the Skittleball competition at Sacred Heart Secondary School. Year 3 played a total of 6 games. They won 4 and lost 2 of their games. A massive well done to them all. They showed great sportsmanship and got better and better as the tournament progressed. Well done to the year 4 team who finished top of their group. They drew their first game and won the other 3. They then played against the winners of the other group where the game finished in a draw. Both teams did exceptionally well and were fantastic representatives for the Good Shepherd.