Friday 16th December 2022
It’s certainly been a busy week in North America class. The combination of Christmas just around the corner and it being enrichment week has meant that the classroom has been a hive of activity.
During enrichment week, we found out all about the festival of Diwali and how Hindus celebrate. We made our own Rangoli patterns using our symmetry skills. We also looked at how people in China celebrate Christmas and made a ‘traditional’ present of a wrapped apple with a lovely message (in Chinese writing). I’ve included some photos below.
I’ve also included photos of one of our maths lessons this week where we explored volume and made conjectures as to which box (varying dimensions) would have the greatest volume. I was so impressed by the children’s teamwork when approach the challenge. Here’s the link if you would like to have a go https://nrich.maths.org/89/note.
We also had a lovely Christmas dinner on Thursday this week and have done some fantastic writing in English based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Well done for working so hard this week.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McK
Friday 9th December 2022
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in North America class. In DT this week, the children have worked hard – often during break times – to complete their sock monkeys, including adding some extra (vital) accessories! I’ve been incredibly impressed by their DT skills and enthusiasm for the project.
In computing this week, the children have created a Powerpoint from their multiple-choice questions which focus on their knowledge gained during geography and history this term. Their Powerpoints include hyperlinks which guide the user through questions and inform them whether their answers are correct or not. I’ve been really impressed by the children’s ability to create answers which include ‘near answers’ to try to ensure that the user knows their subject really well. The Powerpoints will form part of our entertainment – the quiz - at our Christmas party.
In addition to all of this festive fun, the children have created snow poems which will be entered into a writing competition hosted by one of our governors (Melanie Cornish). I’ll look forward to sharing some of their entries with you once they have been judged.
Well done North America class. Hope you have fun in the snow this weekend.
Mrs McK
We can't believe that it is December already; however, it becomes immediately apparent when we come into our classroom as we are well and truly 'blinged up' and ready for the festive season.
We had a wonderful day on Wednesday this week when Bryan, a visiting teacher, came to give our children a lesson in Samba as part of their music curriculum. The children learnt that a samba band is a musical ensemble that plays samba music and that samba styled music originates from Brazil. The children took their turn learning lots of the key instruments in a samba band including agogo bells, the ganza, wooden blocks, bass drums, guiro, and tamborim. They learnt short sections on each of the percussion instruments and then performed as a whole band and included dynamics, pitch and tone in their performance. There was also some marching and dancing involved which added that little extra to the performance.
Hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McK
Friday 25th November 2022
The week couldn’t have started better: we thoroughly enjoyed watching England winning 6-1 in their opening match of the World Cup. It was lovely to see the children so excited and enthusiastically cheering the national team on.
The World Cup also featured in our English unit on newspaper reports this week and led to some super pieces of writing.
In maths we are getting deep into division and are focussing on using a vertical method for long division.
The week was rounded off really well this afternoon when we had an online workshop with the author Cressida Cowell of ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ fame. Cressida talked to the children about her new book – Which Way to Anywhere. Cressida told the children that she actually wrote the first draft of the book when she was the same age as them. She went on to say that she used to have a notebook that she would create stories and sketches in, which she would write in for about fifteen minutes a week. We all agreed that this would be a good way for the children to be creative.
After the session, the children went outside in the lovely winter sun to continue with our unit on fitness. Miss McPherson and I were so impressed with the way the children tried to improve whilst doing the fitness challenges. We reflected on the fact that the England squad would be warming up for tonight’s match at the same time – here’s hoping they can match our children’s resilience.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Mrs McK
Friday 18th November 2022
We’ve had a super end to a super week in North America Class. The children looked fantastic in their Pudsey themed outfits, and were so generous giving up their time to bake and help the younger children during Children In Need Day. I’m especially proud of George and Ivy, our School Council members, who helped to run all the fun activities for the whole school today, and of Annabel who won our ‘Star Baker’ prize for her beautiful Pudsey gluten-free cakes.
I was also bursting with pride today during our meeting with Liz Twist MP. The children’s questions were so insightful and mature. It is lovely to hear them talking about the issues that are important to them and respectfully asking our MP what could be done to help others less fortunate than themselves.
Well done done to you all. Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McK
Friday 11th November 2022
It’s been a ‘jam-packed’ week in North America class this week. In maths, we have begun our unit on equivalence when multiplying and dividing; in geography we found out all about the different stages of a river; and in PE we were lucky enough to take part in an orienteering event at Thorp Academy.
Thank you to our parents who came to watch the class assembly on Thursday; it was so lovely to have you back in school and enjoying finding out what the children have been learning about this term. I’m sure you will agree that the children were superb - delivering their lines beautifully and acting and singing with real confidence. One of my favourite parts of the assembly was the poems that were read out by the children after attending an online workshop: Remember Together: John McCrae. The workshop focussed on the poetry of John McCrea who wrote the famous war poem: In Flanders Fields. During the workshop, the children were given ten minutes to create their own poem based on ‘In Flanders Fields’. Here are some of the beautiful poems that the children produced.
Watching my friends being shot and fall
The guns they use are high and tall
People I love saying their goodbyes
I remember the last song I sung to my daughter – a lullaby
The poppies danced as the wind blew
On Flanders fields, we rest with you
Roo K
Poppies lie like those who die
Shot by the bullets of hateful foes
My lovely friends upon the floor
I cannot take this anymore
This is not peace
Isaac S
Remember me when I die
Will you also cry
I wish we had lived a little longer
Laughed a little stronger
Now, where we were poppies lie
Jessie MD
Friday 4th November 2022
We have had a lovely ‘first week back’ in North America and have settled straight back into enjoying our learning. The highlight of this week has to be our visit to Newcastle Central Mosque on Wednesday. The children had been really looking forward to the visit as we have been studying Islam, and what life is like for Muslim children, in our RE lessons.
We arrived at the Mosque and were greeted by Brother Kadim and Brother Ali who couldn’t have been more welcoming. We were able to experience all of what goes on in the Mosque and Brother Kadim and Brother Ali answered all of our questions – and there were many! They also gave us a present of a prayer mat and some lovely books to take back to school.
When we got back to school, the children wrote a letter thanking Brother Kadim and Brother Ali for their kindness and generosity and for teaching us so much about the Mosque and Islam. They also told the brothers how much they had learnt and what their favourite piece of ‘new knowledge’ was.
Have a lovely weekend North America Class and enjoy your firework celebrations. Stay safe.
Mrs McK
Friday 21st October 2022
It’s always good to end the half-term on a high note, and even better if you also have a Fairtrade cookie in your tummy! Some of the highlights of this week have been…
Receiving the ‘Respect Award’ from the Gateshead School Sports Partnership for our children’s outstanding performance at this week’s rugby tournament.
The children’s attitude and effort in the ‘Battle of the Houses’ intra-school football competition, which was won by Tyne House with Angel, Baltic and Sage all coming a close second.
Another highlight of note this week was the return to our school of ‘Prayer Space’ sessions. Prayer spaces enable children and young people, of all faiths and none, to explore life’s questions, spiritually and faith in a safe, creative and interactive way. The children entered the sessions and were so pleased to see the volunteers from the local church back in school. They really enjoyed taking part in all of the activities during the session and having some time to reflect.
Well done North America Class for working so hard this half-term and for being so kind and supportive to one another. You are a pleasure to be with.
Mrs McK
Friday 14th October 2022
Congratulations to Joseph who competed in last week’s Junior Great North Run and completed the 2.5 km race with a super time of 23 minutes, and to Lily who also completed the course in a super time.
Congratulations also to Nicholas iwho was Junior Falcon of the Day at last Sunday’s Newcastle Falcons' match and got to meet some of his Heroes. He proudly presented the match ball, in front of 7000 people at the start of the game, with Flash the Falcon. His Falcons' coaches were delighted for him as they know how hard he works at the camp coaching days, and what a huge supporter he is of his team and a role model to the younger players he has helped at camp.
Coincidentally, rugby was the focus of our PE sessions this week as the children prepared for the Ryton Rugby Festival which some of them will be competing in on Wednesday this week. With the Rugby World Cup being hosted in the UK just now, the children are really keen to impress and their attitude to their training has been fantastic.
In the classroom this week, we have begun our new unit in English on non-chronological reports. The children were able to write about a topic that they were very familiar with for their ‘cold write’; I feel like I have learnt so much from them!
In history we continued our investigations into the Victorian Era and debated which of the six factors - population, agriculture, factories, power, transport and empire - the children considered the most pivotal during the Industrial Revolution. It’s always an absolute pleasure to hear the children debating using their oracy skills.
Well done North America. Hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McK
Friday 7th October 2022
We’ve had a wonderful week in North America Class. Our English focus this week has been based on a beautiful book: The Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris which has inspired our young writers to create some amazing poems about birds. Some of the poems will form part of a whole-school display in the hall. Congratulations to Billytom who read his poem out in assembly today; here is a snippet.
Dove you soar on high so peacefully
Your white feathers gleaming in the sun
O tell us the sights you spy while up so high in the sky
Oh no I shall never speak of those secrets
I am a creature of peace and you are not
You are a creature of war
But I speak of love
In maths this week we have been learning all about large numbers – numbers up to 10,000,000 - and place value. We have been using Gattengno charts (ask your child!) to help us to investigate what happens when we multiply and divide numbers by powers of 10.
Have a lovely weekend,
Mrs McKenna
Congratulations to our Year 6 Girls Football team, who competed in the Gateshead School Sports Partnerships 5-a-side Primary School’s tournament at Dunston Powerleague, this week. The girls put in a sterling performance, winning 2 and drawing 2 of their matches in the opening round, which secured their place into the quarter final. The team dug deep for the quarter final and just missed out securing a place into the semis by one goal.
I was also impressed this week by the children's science skills whilst conducting a fair test to research how an objects' distance from a light source affects its shadow .
Well done North America.
Mrs McK
Friday 23rd September 2022
Our week got off to a cracking start this week with a visit to Newcastle’s Victoria Tunnel, which we visited as part of our history studies on WWII. We were so lucky to have amazing guides (Pete and Lynn) who explained the history of the tunnel and its various uses since its creation. We discovered so much about what life was like for children during WWII who took shelter in the tunnel during the blitz. We also had a session in the offices on Lime Street where we found out all about how families coped during WWII. I’m confident that the children will be able to draw on their experience as we find out more about WWII in our history lessons this year.
We ended the week with a super PE lesson (netball) outside where we made the most of the late summer Crawcrook sunshine.
Well done North America – have a lovely weekend.
Mrs McK
Friday 16th September 2022
We’re definitely ‘back in the groove’ in North America Class. We’ve made an excellent start to Year 6 maths and English and have started our unit on ‘light’ in Science, e-safety in computing and football AND netball in PE. We’ve also been preparing for our trip to the Victoria Tunnel in our history sessions – I can’t wait for the children to show the tour guides all they know.
We also voted for our Fairtrade Committee this week. Well done to all of you that made a speech – there were 17 of you on the ballet paper. Congratulations to Joseph, Georgia, Annabel and Louie who were voted for by the class after delivering really powerful speeches. Here’s a little taster of the quality on show:
As we know, Fairtrade was established to help developing countries that produce goods to get a fair price for their goods. Now I feel it is my time to be an advocate for them. I feel small things can make a big difference and, if we at Emmaville can play some part to improve the lives of famers and workers, that is wonderful and I would be honoured to be a part of it. (Georgia S)
I think I would be a good member of the Fairtrade Committee as I work so well with children and I am happy to support banana farmers to get a fair wage. (Annabel R)
I think that Fairtrade is a good idea because you are giving money to a good cause. (Joseph T)
Our week ended with a lovely school assembly to remember Queen Elizabeth II. Well done to those children that read their memories to the whole school: Frankie, Zoe, Billytom, Georgia and Nicholas. Well done also to those children who read out Roger McGough’s poem ‘God Rest The Queen’: Layla, Zoe, Isaac and Jessie.
Hope you all enjoy the long weekend.
Mrs McK
Friday 9th September 2022
I think you have to admit that the new North America class are a good-looking bunch – or am I just a little biased?
In addition to this, they have an attitude to their learning which is second-to-none. I am confident that we will have a lovely year together.
We’ve had a lovely week settling in to Year 6 life, finding out all about the continent of North America (which included making fluffy American pancakes) and making a class charter in PSHE.
Well done North America – I’m really looking forward to the year ahead.