Great
Gaddesden CoE VA School
Last
month we held our third annual whole School “Super Science” day. Here are some
recounts from Reception and Years Five & Six about their day.
Miss
Ayres from Reception:
“Last month we had our annual Super Science Day. We dressed
up as mad scientists and did lots of exciting experiments! In the morning, Anne
from Sam's Simple Science helped us to make lava lamps using oil and water. We
also watched her put a stick through a balloon without popping it!
During our Play and Learn time in the morning we explored lots of different things including magnets, mirrors, torches, colour paddles and natural objects such as conkers and fir cones. We explored items in the water tray and tested them to see if they would float or sink. On the whiteboard we explored lots of different science games where we could experiment with different objects to see if they were bendy or waterproof. We also played a game where we had to keep giving a plant water to make it grow and William did an activity and then a quiz about light and shadows.
In the afternoon we made some fizzy potions in teams. We used vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and washing up liquid and explored what happens when we mix them together. To make our potions more exciting we added different colours and some glitter. It was great fun!”
During our Play and Learn time in the morning we explored lots of different things including magnets, mirrors, torches, colour paddles and natural objects such as conkers and fir cones. We explored items in the water tray and tested them to see if they would float or sink. On the whiteboard we explored lots of different science games where we could experiment with different objects to see if they were bendy or waterproof. We also played a game where we had to keep giving a plant water to make it grow and William did an activity and then a quiz about light and shadows.
In the afternoon we made some fizzy potions in teams. We used vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and washing up liquid and explored what happens when we mix them together. To make our potions more exciting we added different colours and some glitter. It was great fun!”
Pupil
from Years 5 & 6
Playdoh circuits
“We made different circuits with
a battery, a wire, playdoh and an LED light. First we had to split the playdoh
into 2 balls, then we got the wire and battery (once attached) and placed a
wire into each ball of playdoh. After that we took our LED light and separated
the legs - the long leg went in the piece of playdoh with the red wire - if the
legs were the wrong way around, then the light didn't work.
All of the elements made a
circuit when put together. Our experiment continued with us making more
circuits using playdoh which included parallel circuits.
We thought that Science Day was
brilliant!”
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One of
the things at the heart of school life is our House System. When joining the
school, pupils are assigned to one of our four houses; Beech, Oak, Sycamore and
Ash. The house points that each child collects contributes towards their
overall house score and the house with the most points each year wins the House
Trophy.
Children
also work in their houses for sport, with sports day in the summer being one of
the highlights of the House System.
We are
always keen to embrace other opportunities for children to recognise the house
system and so this month all children from Reception upwards have taken part in
a House Music Competition, working with their peers to recreate popular
Christmas songs using voice and instruments. We haven’t held a House Music
Competition in recent years and so this is an exciting addition to the school
calendar.
Our Year
Six House Captains have taken the lead, arranging parts and choosing
instruments and then teaching the song to the rest of their house. The children
have been working exceptionally hard on their pieces, and have been letting
their creativity flow which has been fantastic to watch. The winning house will
have the opportunity to perform their piece in public over the Christmas
period.
Years
One and Two went back in time this month to the era our school was built in and
spent the day learning what school life would have been like for a Victorian
Child. Their classroom was transformed into a Victorian classroom with rows of
desks and the children enjoyed a variety of workshops on Victorian life from
their school mistress Miss Groves. All of the children looked fantastic with
many of the boys dressed in waistcoats and flat caps and the girls in long
dresses and aprons. The one aspect of Victorian School the children were glad
to leave in the past was the use of the cane or slipper for discipline – not at
all appealing to the pupils of today!
Years
Five and Six have been studying World War Two for their history topic this
month. This has tied in with Literacy where they have been reading and taking
inspiration from “Goodnight Mr Tom” by Michelle Magorian. Pupils researched
what life was like for evacuee children and played out an “evacuation” of their
own. The children created identity/luggage labels for themselves to wear during
their evacuation and also wrote diary excerpts in the first person, imagining
how it felt for children to be away from their families, whilst knowing that
their male relatives were at war. I know that many of the children have found
this to be a fascinating subject.
Related
to this, staff and pupils also observed the two minute silence at the War
Memorial in the Church grounds on Remembrance Day with some of our pupils
repeating the experience at the Church Service on Remembrance Sunday.
Dates for your Diary:
A reminder that Reception Applications are open until the
15th of January for those
contemplating a Reception place for next September. Visits and tours of the
school are very welcome, please enquire via the school office. Please note that
when applying, you must also complete a supplementary information form which
can be found on the school website.
This month in the lead-up to Christmas there are lots of
exciting events to look forward to.
The PTA will be running a Christmas Fayre on 16th December from 3:15pm
which you are warmly invited to.
During December, Staff and Parents will also be taking
part in the Santa’s Sleigh event collecting money for local charities with the
Berkhamsted Lions Club.
Children in Nursery and Reception will be performing the
traditional Nativity Play during December whilst Years One to Six will be
recounting the story of the first Christmas through drama and song at our Carol
Services. The Carol Services will be held on Thursday the 15th of December at 2pm and 7pm at the
church for anyone who would like to join us.
Staff and Junior aged pupils will also be Carol Singing in
Great Gaddesden Village on Monday 12th
December after school and we look forward to the opportunity to visit you
and share the Christmas spirit with you. If you or someone you know are located
in the village and would particularly appreciate hearing some carol singing,
please let the school office know so we can ensure we get to you (weather and
location depending).
The school term ends with our annual Christingle Service
on Wednesday the 21st December. Children decorate
their Christingles at school and line up in the shape of the cross inside the
church. They light them and angelically sing “Away in a Manger” which for me is
one of the things that signals the start of Christmas. It is always a very
special service and a lovely way to round off the Autumn term.
On behalf of the Great Gaddesden School Community, we
wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas Season and look forward to sharing
our school news with you in 2017.
