Year 6 Weekly Blog- “Hope is being able to see that there is light desipte all of the darkness" Desmond Tutu

It is hard to believe that we are now coming up to the first week of Advent, the week of Hope. After a turbulent year which we see daily through the news, there is comfort to be found when we pause to read, pray, and reflect over the course of the Advent season in which we eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth. The first Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to centre our thoughts on hope.It's a beautiful chance to remember the hope God offers our world, and what He's given us through Jesus. We will be celebrating the start of advent alongside Year 3 on Monday at church. Please, if you are available, it would be lovely for you to walk down with us and join us in prayer. We will be setting off from school at 9:10 ready for mass at 9:30am.

Hope, this week, has been at the forefront of our RE lessons and worship as we continue our unit of work on Justice and the refugee crisis. We will be moving on to the study of significant people that have stood up to these injustices and the hope this gives us for a better world.

Year 6 have loved Science this week. We have been looking closely at inheritance and deciding whether traits are environmental or inherited characteristics. We have looked at this through Mr Men and Little Miss, thinkign about the characterisitics they could pass down to their offspring- we had such good fun with our creations…

Leading Learners

Well done to Daisy and Molly-Ann this week.

Daisy, Wow Daisy you know how to work your socks off! You have such resilience, stickability and a desire to succeed, it’s contagious! Keep enjoying your learning and giving it your everything.

Molly-Ann, we have been so impressed with your focus during our writing this week, we know you love it but it is such a treat to see such enthusasim and flair! You have really set your mind to it, been extremely determined and created a beautiful piece of writing, reflecting on your targets and listening to advice.

Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Stan Leo Georgia Dominic

Notices

Friday 8th December is a big day - £1 to wear your Chrsitmas jumper for the day, £1 if you would like to buy some cake and £3 if you would like to enter in the Our Lady’s Bake Off!! On your marks…Set… Bake!

We are out and about a lot next week, walking to church. Please could you make sure children have a warm coat and hat each day to keep warm.

We have decided as a school not to send individual Christmas cards to each other, but to instead put this money towards a chairty of your choice. Children can if they wish, write one card for the whole class.

Our Christmas performance is in church on Monday 18th December at 2pm and 6pm.

We close for Chrsitmas at 2pm on Thursday 21st December

Monday18th December Key Stage 2 Christmas party. Children can come to school in party clothes and sensible shoes. They can bring a non-fizzy drink and a small snack such as chocolate or a packet of crisps.

Have a lovely weekend all of you,

Mrs Harrison, Mrs Webster and Mrs Barker


Year 6 Weekly Blog - 'Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.'

And in the blink of an eye…another week in Year 6 has passed. From the minute that the children walk into class in the morning to the moment that they walk out of the door, they are constantly learning and challenging themselves to be the best that they can be. It really astounds me just how much work that the children have completed. As we approach Advent, and the birth of Jesus Christ, we continue to strive to be Faithfilled and Hopefull in our actions, which are our two virtues this half term.

Learning is always fast paced in Year 6 and this week has been no exception. This week it has been all about our writing! Every day, the children have taken a paragraph/ event from our class novel and we have either written our very own as a class or the they have independently innovated the main ideas to create their own paragraph. The next day, they look at the feedback they have been given and challenge themselves to meet this target. Wow, what wonderful writing they have created. They have all worked so hard and produced such depth, trying hard to blend their description, dialogue and action throughout.

In Maths we have been adjusting the calculations to be more efficient and accurate. Our RE topic this term is such a reflective unit of work, as we ask the children to reflect on the injustices within our world today. They are often surprised that some of the situations still occur. We spent today reflecting on a poem about the plight of refugees in our world. Why not read the poem and see what you think?

They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way.

Now read the poem backwards. What a powerful poem with a really significant meaning. The discussion around this and the empathy the children showed was so humbling, what a group of compassionate children you have. Following this lesson, the children have started to write their own poems about refugees.

Earlier this week we met our Recpetion partners, we did lots of talking to find out a little bit more about them and read a book together…

Leading Learners

Well done to Leo and Evan this week.

Leo, I have loved reading your writing this week. Your creativity and desire to hook the reader in and entertain them with your words, is beautiful. You have been so creative with your descriptions that I felt like I was actually IN your story! You have also controlled the pace of your writing creatively with your punctuation and variation of sentence lengths, just at the right time. Thank you for working so hard and reflecting on your targets. 

Evan, you are so focused on your learning and always engaged, ready to learn and answer any questions thrown your way! You listen to the learning, reflect, manage any distractions extremely well and challenge yourself in your work. You work so hard to improve and hit your targets every day and this is reflected in your work. A big well done Evan- keep up the great work!

Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Edi Harvey Tabby Iris

Notices

Our Christmas performance is in church on Monday 18th December at 2pm and 6pm.

We close for Chrsitmas at 2pm on Thursday 21st December

Friday 8th December is a big day - £1 to wear your Chrsitmas jumper for the day, £1 if you would like to buy some cake and £3 if you would like to enter in the Our Lady’s Bake Off!! On your marks…Set… Bake!

Have a lovely weekend all of you,

Mrs Harrison, Mrs Webster and Mrs Barker



Year 6 Weekly Blog 'Nothing worth having comes easy'

What a wonderful and busy week we have had in Year 6… the highlight of the week was most definitely our visit to Salmesbury Hall on Tuesday. This was a great way to kick start our learning on the Tudors, there was so much to take in, but we learnt so much from our tour guide Simon.We particualrly enjoyed learning about the ‘white lady’ where a few of us took on the characters extremely well. Take a look at what we got up to …

We hope you enjoyed our Curriculum Evening last night. It was so lovely to see so many families sharing our learning with us and we enjoyed exploring how we teach our wider curriculum. Thank you so much to those Year 6’s who came to help and support us, it is much appreciated.

Today, we have had another different day, where we have been very snuggly and warm in our PJ’s to raise money for Brian House- thank you so much for your donations!

Within class this week, although we have been struck with illness this week, we have continued working harder than ever, putting our resilience and readiness to good use. In English this week we have compared and created a toolkit for writers of how to engage the audience in story openings, before writing our own story next week.

SPELLING

A small plea- please could we ensure all children are practising their spellings throughout the week that they get for homework to ensure they have learnt and memorised crucial spelling patterns that they need to apply to their writing. Every week we do a quiz in class, and it is clear that some children are not spending the time on these that they need to. Thank you for your support.

Leading Learners

Well done to Angel, Alex and Lily-Mae this week.

Angel, you impress us every day with your enthusiasm, focus and determination in lessons. You have real ownership of your learning, and are a pleasure to teach, with your quick wit, curious mind and polite manners- you never miss an opportunity to thank us or offer help.

Lily-Mae, you have kind and beautiful soul, where you quietly and humbly show compassion to those around you, always willing to offer a helping hand or offer a kind word. You work so cooperatively with who ever you work with; listening, offering your opinion sensitively and showing great focus.

Wow Alex, you have really impressed us with your enthusiasm, focus and desire to learn during Science lessons. You have shown when you put your mind to it, you are capable of great things! Keep asking questions and investigating to find the answers!



Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Harvey Evan Owen Tabby

Notices

Those in the girl’s football team- please see detail on the sports page for next Thursday!

The Great Our Lady Bake off (and Christmas jumper day)- Friday 8th December

On this day, families can bake a cake for an entry fee of £3. Each class will decide on a winner and there is a prize! We will be inviting parents in this afternoon from 2:00-3:00 for coffee and to sample some of the bakes!

Key Stage 2 Nativity Monday 18th December 2pm and 6pm in Our Lady Star of the Sea church

All Key stage 2 children will be taking part in this beautiful event - they have brought home a song booklet this week, which they must keep safe. Please see homework for which songs to learn off by heart each week and keep the booklet safe.

Borwick Hall residential payment is now live on ParentPay for those that wish to make smaller payments more frequently instead of a lump sum nearer the time.

Wednesday 22nd November - Flu Vaccinations = a reminder below of earlier posts incase you have not already stated consent or no consent:

This vaccination is recommended to help protect your child against flu. Flu can be an unpleasant illness and can cause serious complications. Vaccinating your child will also help protect more vulnerable family and friends by preventing the spread of flu. There may be rebound in flu levels this coming winter following low levels in the past 2 years as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

Online Consent form: Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School

  • Please use the following link to access the online consent form:

  • Please quote the code for our school : BP119627

Please complete for both consent and no consent giving reasons

Have a lovely weekend all of you,

Mrs Harrison, MrsBarker and Mrs Webster

Year 6 Weekly Blog 'Lest we forget'

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. This week is always a poignant week as we stop and remember all of those fallen victims of war and conflict. On Thursday we put aside some time to reflect and contemplated as we looked upon our beautiful display of poppies coming down our chapel, sharing prayers for everyone who has been affected by war and conflict around the world.

The week has flown by and we have done so much exciting and challenging learning. We have read more of our class novel this week, explored how to make a successful circuit and experimented whether mateirals were conductors of insulators through our human circuit- it was all very exciting! In RE we have started our Justice topic, where we reflected on the meaning of this word and firstly what it means.

Our Mathematics this week has been on fire and we are no unstoppable at ‘shifting the difference’ to make our subtractions easier and more efficient and using our reasoning skills to tackle problems.Very impressive!

Here are a few of our magic moments…

Kidsafe

This week, we have completed our 5th and final Kidsafe lesson, before our recap in summer term, about hearing parents/carers arguing. Please click the button below to find out more detail about this lesson.

As you are all probably aware, we have changed our first said system in school now, so that if your child has recieved a bump to the head/ or has had a bad graze then you will recieve a standard text mesage from school, as well as the letter. PLEASE do not be alarmed by this, this is just protocol, as we realise often letters get misplaced or do not always emerge from bags until the end of the week and we want to let you know. Letter do not need to be sent back now with a response. Thank you.

Leading Learners

Well done to Edi and Connor-Sean this week.

Connor-Sean, you are a delight to teach as you ALWAYS work so hard and do your best in any task we give you. You notice when others need help and are always first to offer your services. You have great resilience, and never give up on any tricky areas. You really brighten up our day!

Edi you are so focused and engaged during lessons, which is then reflected in your work. Your determintion to be the best you can be is clear to see. We love teaching you- what a star!!!!

Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Edi Harvey Lily-Mae Matilda

Notices

On Tuesday 14th November we are going on our Samlesbury Hall trip. Please make sure you pack your coats and packed lunches (unless you have ordered a school one). Can you also make sure you have paid on Parent Pay and filled in the following form:

16th November 5:30pm- Curriculum Evening. Please come along and learn with us. We love as many of the Year 6’s there to help as possible. If you haven’t already, please let us know whether your child can come along and help:

Art Next week- please can all children bring in a shoe box or a similar size box to their art lesson next Friday.

Borwick Hall residential payment is now live on ParentPay for those that wish to make smaller payments more frequently instead of a lump sum nearer the time.

18th November- please come to school in your PJ’s and bring a ‘furry friend’ to school- we just ask that you bring £1 with you to raise money for Brian House.

A huge plea- please could you check that a navy coat with a fury hood, and with the name ‘Cato R’ has not been broguht home by mistake.

Wednesday 22nd November - Flu Vaccinations = a reminder below of earlier posts incase you have not already stated consent or no consent:

This vaccination is recommended to help protect your child against flu. Flu can be an unpleasant illness and can cause serious complications. Vaccinating your child will also help protect more vulnerable family and friends by preventing the spread of flu. There may be rebound in flu levels this coming winter following low levels in the past 2 years as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

Online Consent form: Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School

  • Please use the following link to access the online consent form:

  • Please quote the code for our school : BP119627

Please complete for both consent and no consent giving reasons

The Our Lady Christmas Bake Off!

See our poster and get involved! It is going to be so much fun!!!!

Travelling Nativity

Our Travelling Nativity has started it journey visiting your homes. It is yours to keep for one night only (unless you get it on a Friday) and then you must return it to Year 6. Please make sure that it is completely ready for another friend to enjoy the next day.

You will find instructions and a camera in the sack so that you can share photos of you enjoying the birth of Christ at home. We will download them each day on the return of the sack.

Have a lovely weekend all of you,

Mrs Harrison, Mrs Barker and Mrs Webster

Year 6 Weekly Blog 'Faith makes all things possible; Hope makes all things easy; Love makes all things work'.

Welcome back to our second half term together and this week has certainly gone with a bang! We have completed so much work in every single lesson, I really feel like we are flying! Thank you to all those parents who saw me on parents’ day. I always enjoy celebrating the children and to share just how well they have settled in to Year 6. We cannot ask the children to work any harder than they are doing, they just need to work smart too and produce the best work that they possibly can. Always use the opportunity to showcase just what you can do!

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Year 6 Weekly Blog ‘Autumn tells is the season that teaches us that change can be beautiful’

I can’t believe we have come to the end of our first half term in Year 6! It has gone by so quick, but what a start Year 6 have made. They have all grown so much in the last few weeks, developing their independence and reflecting on the areas they know they need to wok on- we couldn’t be more prouder of them. Make sure they get lots of rest this short break, so that they are ready and raring to go for another busy, run-up to Christmas. It has been so lovely to talk to you all at the parent’s meetings, celebrating the successes of each one of them.

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Day Two Castlerigg

What a lovely day we have had! This morning we had a creative workshop where we talked about our talents and how can use our talents let God’s light shine through. We also discussed the things that could hold us back showing these talents and what we need to encourage us.

After a delicious dinner, we then went on a beautiful walk to the lake where we spent our time skimming stones and did a short meditation where we took in the views and listened to the lapping waves. We are just getting ready for dinner now and party time!

Day One Castlerigg

What a lovdely afternoon we have had. Once we arrived, we had our lunch, met the staff and played some getting to know you games. Once we had settled in to our rooms, we completed soe creative workshops, where we made out own candles, masks and and keychain rosary beads. We have just come back from a beautiful mass in the chapel and are just having some downtime before we head to bed! We are looking forward to seeing what the day holds tomorrow…

Year 6 Weekly Blog - "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted."

Kindness doesn’t cost anything, it is something that we can all give and it makes our world a better place. This week, in our council meeting we shared the acts kindness we have seen within our class and celebrated those children. Another one of the Kingdom of God values. Seeing little acts of kindness around the classroom and on the playground throughout the week has been really lovely, and of course being active in the choices that we make. We have even started a kindness jar, where we add the acts of kindness we see throughout the day and share these with everyone.

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Year 6 Weekly Blog 08.09.23 'Be brave, take risks and allow the unexpected'

Welcome to Year 6!

What a week we have had! There has been such a warm and friendly buzz of excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm over the last two days in Year 6. We could not be happier with how the children have returned to school for their final year at Our Lady’s. We have spent a lot of time over the past two days talking about leadership and our vision for the year ahead. We have shared a beautiful story with the children called The Invisible. A tender story about how we all belong in the world. Please click on the button below to read the story

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Welcome to Year 6 2023!

We can’t wait to welcome you all back to school for a VERY exciting year, full of challenges, fun learning and service. The classroom is ready for you all to step in to and I know as soon as you come through the door, you are going to make such wonderful leaders of the school. This is your final year at Our Lady’s- let’s make it the best one yet, where we achieve everything we are capable of, love and celebrate one another and serve the school through inspiring all of our younger pupils. Don’t forget to send all of your House Captain Speeches in, your deadline is next Thursday- I have already had a few sent which are wonderful!

Next week we will be focusing on our leadership roles within school and how our two new virtues (curious and active) will be at the centre of these roles. We will be applying for the jobs we would like, looking at how WE can make a difference in our school and looking at some inspirational leaders of the past.

Don’t forget to come equipped with your own pencil cases, making sure you have all you need in there.

Indoor PE days will be on a Monday. On these days you need to make sure you wear tracksuits but also have a pair of shorts either under your trousers or in your bag to get changed in to.

We will not be starting Indoor PE the first week back.

Outdoor PE is on a Wednesday, our first one is on Wednesday 6th September.

Art in on a Friday- please remember to bring in your art tops to stop your uniform from getting paint on- we will keep this in our trays.

Homework- will go out on Friday afternoons, the same time as the weekly blog, and will be due in the following Thursday.

You are all invited to our Induction evening on Wednesday 13th September. This will be much different to last year, starting at 3:30 and finishing at 5:00. We would love for your child to show you around their new classroom, and for you to become more familiar with our school. You will also be able discover more about the exciting opportunities and topics that they will be learning during their time in Year 5. We will be in the classroom to answer any questions you may have! More information, such as important forms that will need completing will be available soon so please do keep checking the Year 5 page.

Important Notices:

Please make sure all coats and school uniform is labelled- let’s get off to a good start.

Don’t forget to keep those house captain speeches coming in!

We can’t wait to see you all on Monday and hear about your holidays!

We will welcome Marsden (Kenilworth Road entrance) and Harcourt (St Patrick’s Road entrance) at 8:45am and Bamber (Kenilworth Road entrance) and Plessington (St Patrick’s Road entrance) at 8:50am.
Enjoy your weekend,
Mrs Harrison, Mrs Webster and Mrs Barker

Our school ... our class ... is richer because of you

What an emotional but beautiful week we have had in Year 6. It is always sad to say goodbye, but my goodness, are they all so ready to spread their wings and fly at High School! It has been such a privilege to have taught Year 6 this year and we have loved every minute being with the on their magical journey. They have risen to every challenge, worked their socks off and showed so much love and compassion along the way. They will all be greatly missed by everyone at Our Lady’s.

It has been a week of celebrations and goodbyes. After a beautiful leavers mass for our Year 6 and dear Miss Hodges, we made our way to complete our crazy golf, chippy lunch and then the parachute games the children have been desperately asking for. The ice cream’s Mrs Gregan treated us to were also wonderful. We had so much fun altogether- Harriet sadly you were too poorly to come and missed you but you were there with us in spirit!

Wow, what a performance! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was amazing! We are so proud of them all…

Today was a perfect way to end their primary school journey … this morning the staff performed their very own ‘professional’ pantomime of The Wizard of Oz. Such a lovely way to thank all of Year 6 for the time they have shared with us.

Finally, the Year 6 team would like to thank you all for your continuous trust and support throughout the year. We have loved reading all the children’s cards and kind words and really appreciate any gifts we have received, although the real gift has been to teach all of your beautiful children. Thank you.

Have a wonderful summer and remember what Mrs Gregan said… ‘once an Our Lady’s, always an Our Lady’s’ so please do stay in touch.

Year 6 Weekly Blog 'the earth is what we all have in common' so let's look after it!

Happy Green Eco-Day everyone! Thank you for your donations!

It is another busy week next week, with the play. Most of you have ordered and received your tickets now. The show starts at 6:30pm and will be approximately 2 hours long. The children need to arrive at school at 6:10pm, to get changed in to their costumes. They all look fabulous in their outfits, thank you so much for making such effort. Here is a sneaky peak at rehearsals …

This week in class, we have discussed the arguments for and against home-schooling- a topic that was raised in our class novel. Our Maths and Geography has continued. During PE, this week we partnered up with some of our Reception friends, and made a game up for them to develop their fundamental skills. Year 6 loved it and were so lovely with them all.

Our ‘Castle Hodges’ has now been opened and we had a lovely blessing, naming and opening ceremony as a whole school, with who better to cut the ribbon, than our very own Miss Hodges! It is safe to say, the castle is a huge hit amongst all ages and Year 6 are relieved that it has been built just before they have left, as apparently this was their idea in council!

On the last day (Thursday) we thought it would be lovely if the Year 6 parents came to collect your children at the later time of 2:15pm, this gives more time on the playground to say your goodbyes and to take any pictures that you may want to take of their final day at Primary School.

We are all looking forward to the leavers day out next week! It is imperative that all children MUST have a bag with them, containing plenty of fluids, a snack, hat and sun-cream. They may also need a waterproof coat as it is so unpredictable at the minute. They are able to wear their own clothes on this day, however please could we be mindful of the appropriateness of outfits as they are attending mass first. Sensible shoes for walking must also be worn.

Reports have come out today with the children, I hope you enjoy reading and reflecting on them, they have so much to celebrate from their time at Our Lady’s but like everyone, always something to take away and learn from. The most important part of your child’s report, is the one written by us, as their teacher. We celebrate the WHOLE child, not just their performance on one day, so please let this be your focus and not the SAT’s results. SAT’s results are in the pack, so please have a good look at them along with the explanation- the standardised score on reaching expected for all papers was 100. Remember, results from a test never define you as a person, just look at what they have all achieved this year- there is so much to celebrate and be proud of!

Well done to Max and Asher

Wow Max, eyes are drawn to you while you are on stage. Your enthusiasm, confidence and delivery is infectious. Thank you for working so hard on your character, and doing your absolute best on stage! You know every single word of the songs and remember all of the dance moves- we are so impressed!

Asher, you are such a gentleman and an absolute pleasure to work with in the hall, as you push yourself daily out of your comfort zone to give your very best and you are doing amazing! We are so proud of the confidence you are showing! Likewise, in the classroom, you show great independence and focus- what an all rounder! Thank you.

Intentional and Prophetic Butterflies

This half term we will be on the lookout for all the children that are intentional in the choices they make, thinking about the impact this has on the world and others around them. We will also be spotting children who are prophetic, who do good deeds and who stand up for that is right. This week we thank Evie for being intentional and prophetic.

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Jack James Jacob M Jacob O

Final Notices:

PLEASE BRING X2 PLASTIC BAGS IN TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY READY TO BRING BOOKS HOME

A letter has gone home today about a grown up talk on Monday, please have a read of this over the weekend and if you have any questions just give me an email.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory performance: Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th July at 6:30pm. Children to arrive at 6:10pm.

Spare school shirts (not to be worn) for signing need to come in to school on Tuesday 18th July and be kept in trays until ready for signing.

Leavers Mass Wednesday 19th July 9:30-10:30am followed by the leavers day outing.

Thursday 20th July- Break up at 2pm.