Autumn term Issue 9: 10th November 2023
Dear families,
This week it has been all about STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics, with wonderful workshops happening across the school and year 5 repairing bikes!
Today we celebrated Children in Need, thanks for all of your donations, we have raised £656.44.
We also held the first of parents’ evenings, thank you to everyone who came, if you haven’t booked yet, there’s one more day next week. We’re also just waiting for one more club to confirm arrangements for next term, then we will update all parents.
There are lots of updates and links below from the Friends of SJSC for the Christmas Fair, please take a look and see how you can get involved.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Alli and Joe
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
This week Reception were amazed by the arrival of a tonne of sand. Everyone assured us they were strong and could move it… but we found out that actually, it was only by teamwork that we could resolve the problem of how to get it into the sandpit!
In Maths we found out all about circles and triangles… we proved that an upside down triangle wasn’t a diamond, but still a triangle. In literacy we finished reading the Story of Ning and the Night Spirits, we have learned a lot about how to be friends, and we can support other people who feel a bit shy. We had a lovely parade around the Reception classrooms. Mysterious Night spirit scrap books arrived today and we have been drawing our own characters and describing them.
And most exciting of all… Reception children can now choose to go out into the big playground at lunchtime… they love it, and we want to thank all the lunchtime play team for helping this go so smoothly.
Please, please, we need all reading books & reading records in school each day,
and please can we have some spare trousers!
Year 1
This week, we took part in two STEAM sessions. A big thank you to everyone who made it possible by bringing in lots of junk modelling! As you can see, we designed our creations first and then we got to work making playgrounds / cities for wild animals with all the materials we had.
Year 2
This week started off with two fabulous days exploring Biomimicry. The children designed and then created their own buildings and sculptures based upon the natural world around them.
Everyone loved working together as a team and both the creative brilliance, as well as the resilience, was outstanding. Well done!
Year 3
This week, year 3 took part in an online STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths) where we had to use coding and download our codes onto a microbit to make a motor move or a buzzer buzz. As you can imagine, this was no easy feat! However, we used our resilience and some of us managed to make them work. We will definitely be trying this again soon! Thanks you to Institute of Imagination (IOI) for providing us with the free equipment in order to learn our new skills.
Year 4
This week, in Science, we looked at the different states of matter. First, we passed around three different types of balloons: a frozen balloon, a water filled balloon and a balloon filled with just air. We had to determine the balloon’s state of matter. Next, in groups, we chose things around the classroom and categorised them by their state of matter. We had so much fun!
Year 5
In year 5 this week, we really enjoyed our bike workshop. It was really interactive and hands on. We learnt about different parts of a bike and how they work. We had a go at some bike repairs including changing a tyre and fixing a puncture. We also looked at planning bike journeys and how to be safe on the roads.
Year 6
This week in year 6 we have been exploring our topic ‘Living things and their habitat’. We looked at different ways we could classify plants and animals and then recorded our results. From this work we were able to compare the different ideas we had which led to a discussion on how classifications can be helpful to scientists.
News from the Art Studio…
This week in the Art Studio, Year 3 visited the October Gallery, to see the work of El Anatsui. It was amazing to see these intricate and monumental pieces close-up. The children explored some of the techniques used by El Anatsui to create their own artwork. We will be developing some of these ideas back in the Art Studio.
Music this week…
This half term, all the children will be working on a whole school project to create a school composition. The children will be looking at the science of sound and using Stomp The Musical as inspiration, will be thinking how we can make tunes, rhythms or beats from everyday objects including our own bodies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKa-pi577n0
Year 1 started by looking at PAPER and how different sounds could be created by scrunching, flicking, twisting and ripping lots of scrap paper.
Year 2 started to look at how to make lollypop stick kazoos. I am attaching a video for the children which shows you how you can make a clucking chicken from a plastic cup. You can also use paper cups but the sound does not have the same quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8T80Eur8DI
Year 3 are going to be making mini banjos from jam jar lids. If you have spare metal lids in your house, please send them to school so that every child will be able to make one. This week we looked at how a hex nut in a balloon can make the balloon scream and how whirling pipes with ridging on the inside can create an interesting, ethereal sound.
In Year 4 we are starting to get familiar with the song list for Young Voices 2024. If you have Spotify at home, you can find the playlist. Please encourage your children to listen to this in their spare time. They should also have lyric sheets which were sent home last term. For the whole school project, Year 4 will be composing a body percussion piece.
In Year 5, children will be thinking about writing lyrics for the school project. We started to look at examples of “hooks” in songs as well as the structure often used by artists of a verse, chorus, verse, chorus.
Values Certificates
This week we celebrated children who showed our values this week.
From the Friends of SJSC
SJSC Christmas Fair
The Friends of SJSC are busy getting ready for the SJSC Christmas Fair. We hope that you will support us and, most importantly, join us on the day. Just a reminder, it’s Sunday 3rd December from 1200 to 1500.
The fair is a great opportunity to come together as a school community and enjoy some festive fun. It’s also an important fundraiser for the school. Last year we raised almost £6,500. Please help us do that again so we can support our children’s education. We are currently raising money for OPAL training, school trips for all year groups, and digital microscopes.
Here’s how you can help:
Buy your Christmas tree from the Friends of SJSC (sales close Monday 20th November)
Reach out to your Class Rep about volunteering (note: we don’t have a Year 4 Class Rep - if you’d like to get involved, email friendsofsjsc@gmail.com)
Donate a prize for our raffle (email sjscraffle@gmail.com)
We also need donations for the booty jars, Elfridge’s, secondhand toy shop, and bake sale - speak to your Class Rep or visit our website for more info
We also have a special offer from our very own wine merchant, Siobhan and her company, Haynes Hanson & Clark. They are offering a mixed case of wine (Siobhan has selected 6 bottles red and 6 bottles white) for £150, with £15 per case going to the Friends of SJSC. So stock up on your festive wine or Christmas presents while supporting the PTFA! Available directly from HH&C with free London delivery. Offer available until 21st December.
Have a wonderful weekend - see you next week!