Dear Parents,
On behalf of all the Governors and staff at school, may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
It has been an extremely busy term in school, rounded off wonderfully by a whole set of performances which involved all the children in school. It was just great to see so many parents able to join us in school and at Church. We have really missed having a normal feel to school over the past few years, but thankfully, we are back on track again.
The children have been on trips out, we have had visitors in, some of the year groups have held special assemblies for parents.
As usual, the children have been amazing, have worked hard and deserve a lovely break during the Christmas Holidays.
We have all enjoyed working with the children and families this term and we look forward to continue doing that when we return to school in the New Year.
Once again, Merry Christmas to you all.
RECEPTION
Reception worked really hard to prepare and perform The Big Little Nativity show for the other year groups in school and their families. They were incredible and we are so very proud of them all. We have been busy making holiday cards for our loved ones and decorating baubles. Reception have also made calendars for 2023 and had lots of fun at our class Christmas party. We have been reading a different Christmas story from our advent book vote each day which are wrapped up. Reception learnt about Number Block 5 and recapped all the different ways of making 5. They have written letters to Santa and some members of the class delivered our wishes by posting the class letters at Calverley Post Office. The children met Santa on Friday and had a dance with him, he even left some gifts for them under the Christmas tree. It has been a very busy and fun first term in school!
YEAR 2
Year 2VB enjoyed their music lesson in which they listened to and appraised the Christmas song 'Ho Ho Ho'. We tried to move our bodies in time with the pulse and then we had a go at tapping the correct ntoes using the glockenspiels - attempting to keep with the rhythm. We had a great time being musicians for the afternoon!
YEAR 3
In Year 3 we have been learning about what is inside of a computer and how it works. We started our unit learning about what parts of the computer were inputs (keyboard and mouse) and which were outputs (screen). We displayed our new knowledge of inputs and outputs by creating an informative poster in small groups on “sketchpad”.
We then moved on to learning the technical names of the parts inside a laptop. We made our very own paper laptop which included parts such as the Hard drive, CPU, RAM, ROM and GPU. We had to cut and stick all of these parts in our paper laptops which was quite tricky but we did really well!
The final part of our unit on computing was about algorithms. To understand how algorithms worked, we worked together as a human algorithm. We worked in teams and had different parts to play in the algorithm. The tricky part was listening to our teacher to know when to “run” and when to “stop”.
YEAR 5
Year 5 have been busy making stop motion animations – learning to use the software, creating characters, adapting story boards and finally filming. The results of their film making were magnificent! Please watch the example – and keep your eyes peeled for further movies which will be uploaded to the Merlin/Y5 page in the coming week!
Year 5 have had a busy couple of weeks; parties, visiting Santa in his workshop, a trip to ‘Elfridges,’ sharing Christmas dinner with each other and not forgetting their fantastic performance in church on Monday for the annual Carol Concert.
Amongst all of this, they even found time to plan and write a short piece of suspense writing as part of our ‘mystery stories’ unit. The children began by looking at the story of ‘The Hook’ by Kevin Crossley-Holland and they were all very intrigued by the cliff-hanger ending. Both classes then studied the characters and setting and channelled their inner detectives to spot the features of this genre of writing. Using a story map, they then planned their own plot, thinking carefully about the structure of a mystery tale. Mrs Myers, Mr Hallas and Mr Harkins are so impressed with the level of writing they have seen so far and are looking forward to reading them over the holidays…let’s hope they are kept on the edge of their seats!
YEAR 6
Year 6 have been thoroughly enjoying the Christmas festivities – what a special time in school! The highlights have been: the competitive games and fabulous dancing at our Christmas parties, the wonderful carol concert in church and festive crafts in class. We would like to wish all the Year 6 families a happy holiday and New Year.
In between all the festive fun, the children have been working hard on their DT project. The children were tasked with making a playground using a range of techniques: creating cladding, landscaping and adding strength by adding triangulation. The children have enjoyed planning and working in groups and have come up with some creative and clever ideas to create places to hide, swing and climb for their LEGO figures. A great end to a super first term in Year 6!
TREE DRESSING DAY
Lots of chidlren throughout school took part in our Tree Dressing Days held within the school grounds. Children used old gardening magazines to make paper chains, they decorated old cds, wrapped ribbon and strips of material and left messages of gratitude on the trees. All to take a moment to recognise and appreciate the huge benefits we receive from trees. The child displayed a fantastic attitude and enthusiasm so watch out more Green Team events in the coming term!
SAFEGUARDING UPDATE
With the current cost of living crisis that may be affecting many families this year, we would just like to signpost you below to some website links and charities that may be able to offer support and advice:
Together Leeds
This website provides lots of information on where to get help and support.
Providing equipment and clothing for babies and young people.
This a link to the Warm Spaces map from Leeds City Council
We will also add these links and some other resources to our school website.
GIVE A DUCK FOUNDATION - RUDOLF RUN
Many thanks to everyone that has sent in sponsor money for the 'Give a Duck Foundation'. We have raised an approximate total of £1,021 which will be confirmed in the New Year. Thank you once again for your generosity.
CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE
Monday 12th December saw children from Y4, Y5, Y6 present the Carol Service at St Wilfrid’s church. In attendance were parents from Y6 who listened, misty eyed, to the carols which were beautifully sung by all the children. The children who read verses from the Bible and poems were excellent, showing no nerves in front of the large congregation.
A further carol service was presented on Thursday in the school hall. By the time the service began, the hall was packed to the rafters! The children, once again, sang and read beautifully.
Both services reminded us of the strength of community and the joy of being together, the real reasons for Christmas surely shining through for everyone to feel.
Merry Christmas everyone!
SILVER WOODLAND TRUST AWARD
We are delighted to share that the school has achieved the Silver Woodland Trust Award. This is all down to the hard work of staff, volunteers and the children's work, participation and enthusiasm for the tree dressing day. Well done to everyone involved!!
CLASS NAMES
For those who are unsure, below are the list of birds/insects names that are used for each of our registration classes.
Reception Butterflies Reception Caterpillars
Year 1VE Ladybirds Year 1ND Busy Bees
Year2WO Lapwings Year 2VB Kingfisher
Year 3MW Swallow Year 3LH Finch
Year 4OB Red Kite Year 4SG Falcon
Year 5CMJH Merlin Year 5AH Osprey
Year 6CK Owl Year 6RP Eagle
LEEDS LIBRARY SERVICE
Leeds Library Service are promoting a festive show which will take place at the central library. If you are interested in attending then please follow the link below.
Libellule Theatre presents... The Storymaker's Apprentice | Leeds Inspired
Two weeks ago, our children in Y5/6 took part in a netball skills festival at Pudsey Grammar. They worked on their passing, shooting, before playing games of ‘endball’ and facing other schools in 5v5 friendly matches. All the children had a brilliant time, had smiles on their faces and set a brilliant example of who we are at Calverley C of E.
On the same week, a different group from Y5/6 went to a basketball competition at Priesthorpe between local Pudsey schools. Before the matches, they practiced shooting, dribbling and passing. There were some fantastic examples of sportsmanship and determination, with every hard-fought game ending with a respectful handshake. It was brilliant to see everyone get involved and work together as a team. Well done to all those involved.
Staff Dodgeball - In the final week of term, Mr Hallas, Mr Minett, Mr Gardner, Mr Bayly, Mr Overton and Mr Harkins stood up and represented Calverley C of E at a Dodgeball tournament against other schools across Pudsey for the ultimate bragging rights. After 3 wins in the pool stages against Bolton Royd, Farfield and St Joesph, which had seen phenomenal performances from Mr Gardner with a great catch and attempted catch, they progressed to the QF. There, Mr Hallas held his own personal 1v1 before the they progressed to the SF. In the SF, it went down to the wire with Mr Harkins facing a 3v1 before emerging victorious. Even members of the watching crowd were wondering how this epic match had not been the final. With hearts racing and adrenaline firing, the team faced a strong opposition who ‘did not have a weak link’ according to one spectator. Our numbers dropped until only Mr Minett and Mr Bayly remained. They fought hard, showing some unbelievable athleticism to dodge the missiles fired by the other team, but through determination and skill, they wore the opposition down and found the winning throw. Well done to everyone involved; there were some great plays, shows of skill and respect between all teams.
Tuesday 3rd January 2023 - Training Day
Wednesday 4th January 2023 - School re-opens
Tuesday 17th January 2023 - Year 6 Parents' evening
