December16/Jan17 Parish News

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!”

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 15^th 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 16^th 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 15^th 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 12^th 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 21^st 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.