This half-term, in 5AB, we have delved into the thrilling world of diary entries, inspired by the courageous Scott and the Antarctic expedition. We kicked off our journey by immersing ourselves in Scott's diary extracts. To truly understand the essence of his and his crewmates experiences, we have taken on the challenge of reconstructing his entries. By using different shapes to structure our entries, we've learned to capture the essence of each moment with precision and creativity. 
To deepen our connection with the expedition, we embarked on some hands-on experience days. Picture this - camping out under our desks, simulating the harsh Antarctic conditions while facing challenges like those encountered during the infamous blizzard. The emotional rollercoaster the crew endured became clearer as we engaged in activities that mirrored their struggles and victories. For example, when the crew discovered they were beaten to the South Pole. We even delved into playing games that lifted the crew’s spirits during tough times. Who knew comparing frostbitten feet in a game of 'who had the best feet' could be so enlightening? Thanks to the variety of feet provided by our amazing staff members, we gained a unique insight into the camaraderie and challenges faced during the expedition. 
Our journey didn't stop there. We're gearing up for our next immersive experience day where we'll step into the shoes of young soldiers enlisting in World War 1. By putting ourselves in their position, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of their struggles, further enhancing our historical knowledge. This immersive experience will pave the way for us to write our own diary entries from a soldier's perspective, blending our creativity with historical insights. By deepening our empathy for those who fought in the trenches, we will be able to draw parallels between their struggles and those faced by the Antarctic explorers, shedding light on the harsh realities of both experiences. 
In a lighter note, our music lessons have taken on a popular twist, grooving to 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' and belting out Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer'. Through dissecting these hits, we've mastered the tempo and pulse, proving that fast-paced tunes are no match for our musical expertise. 
As scientists, we've explored the essence of life processes in living beings, uncovering the wonder of mammal and plant lifecycles. From pollination to pregnancy durations (660 days for an elephant, who knew?), we've embraced the magic of nature, with a special shoutout to our buzzing friends, the bees, for their vital role in our ecosystem! 
Our class text 'Malamander' has captured our imaginations, steering us through the mysterious Eerie-on-sea series with bated breath. Each chapter unfolds new mysteries, leaving us eager for more as we get lost in the world of Violet and the enigmatic aquatic creature that lurks in the shadows. Who is it and what does it want from the people of Eerie on sea? And who is the mysterious Boathook man and what does he want with Violet? The questions are endless…. 
Finally, let's not forget our impressive 100% home reading streak, over the past two weeks. Let’s keep our reading records and books coming into school every day! Will you be one of our readers of the half term? ​

We have been making the most of the beautiful weather in the Summer term by enjoying some outdoor learning! 

Children in Year One have been identifying trees in Science and learning and discussing new scientific vocabulary such as deciduous and evergreen. In Geography, we identified the four seasons and were able to use words to describe each season. Spring can be sunny, rainy, bright or windy, winter can be wet, snowy and frosty, autumn can be rainy, windy and cold and summer is usually hot and sunny. We then planned a route around the school playground and followed our route to investigate the season we are in right now. During our journey, we collected seasonal objects and created a journey stick by using wool to attach leaves, blossom, pine cones and shells to our sticks. 

This is something that Nature club have also continued to investigate and explore with Mrs Donovan and Mr Powell. As well as this, in Nature club we have been creating pictures from natural materials which were amazing! The children also really enjoyed completing a nature treasure hunt. We came across a barrier when we didn’t have any pens! However, the quick thinking children used grass, mud and sticks to mark their items off! 
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We are really hoping that the warm, dry weather continues so that we can have lots more of exciting adventures in our wonderful outdoor area. ​

​It's been an exciting half-term in Year 4, filled with creativity, sports, and meaningful learning experiences. Let's take a look at some of the highlights from the past weeks.
 
In English, we've been exploring the magical world of Philip Pullman's 'Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp.' Our focus has been on writing fantasy narratives with a twist, where students reimagined key elements like the characters, magical items, and settings to create unique stories. This imaginative approach brought a new sense of excitement to our English lessons.
 
Maths has been equally engaging, with a deep dive into decimal numbers. We learned to convert fractions into decimals and explored contextual numbers by working with money—converting between pounds and pence. The worded problems helped us apply these concepts in real-world scenarios, making Maths both practical and fun.
 
Our afternoons were a creative mix of art and history. We designed our own Ancient Egyptian scrolls, using tea staining to give them an authentic look, before adding detailed drawings. In History, we delved into key events on the Ancient Egyptian timeline, linking these to our Earth Day explorations on pollution across the ages.
 
PE sessions were dynamic, with athletics and cricket activities. We participated in sprints, relays, javelin, and standing long jump competitions, while our cricket lessons focused on catching, throwing, fielding, and even batting skills.
 
Throughout the half-term, we've taken part in the Brain Buddies programme which has emphasised mental health and well-being, discussing ways to care for ourselves and support one another. It's been a well-rounded and enriching term, and we're looking forward to what's next!