Wow! What a bust last few days! From treks to Tandle Hill, Awards Ceremonies, Inflatable assault courses and much more- we certainly went out on a high! :) It has been nice to spend the last few days of the children's primary school career together doing lots of fun activities and celebrating their time at St. John's. I am immensely proud of each and everyone of them for individual reasons.

A special thank you to parents for your support especially over the last 18 months as we have navigated as best we can through these unfamiliar times. Also, for the lovely gifts and messages- they were very much appreciated and as I am sure the children will tell you did bring a tear to my eye.

All that remains for me to say that I hope that you all have a well- deserved break over the summer holidays and re-charge your batteries ready for the next stage in your educational journeys.

I wish you the best of luck- do me proud!

Love,

Mrs Browne x

Adventures are busy writing down their memories from their time at St. John's. We can't wait to share them with you all on the celebration day next week.

Take a sneak peek of the final homework grid for the summer term- remember to post any finished pieces onto the Showbie or you can request a paper copy if needed. 

Deadline is Monday 19th July! :)

Welcome back for an exciting final summer half term!

Our English focus will be on Anthony Horowitz's famous spy novel "Alex Rider- Storm breaker"- it's going to be exciting, intense and nail- biting- I can't wait to get started!

What a busy, action- packed half term Adventurers have had! We have wrote several quality pieces of writing based on our text "Way Home", learnt about forces and how they affect fairground rides in science, started to do a huge project on our transition to high school, learnt about a variety of historical events- both locally and world- wide with many forest school Wednesdays in between. 

The last part of the summer term will be just as exciting as we prepare for our summer production and take part in lots of Leavers' celebrations! July 21st will soon be upon us, so we hope to enjoy the time we have together while we can. :)

Have a lovely half term and I look forward to seeing you on Monday 7th June! :) 

Please take a look at a selection of Adventurers' homework- from work related to fairground rides to homelessness they have worked hard this half term...

Science Week

Adventurers have followed the theme of "Innovating for the Future." Following the TASC process and using STEM skills we have designed and created prototypes of Robo- bugs suited to different purposes.

Pupils had to decide what the "Robo- bugs" mission would be, based on what their own scientific knowledge and understanding of insects. 

As an additional task, pupils had to introduce their creations in 50 words or less.

We have had a fun, yet informative science week in Adventurers' class this week and I can see that we have some budding scientists, engineers and technicians in the making! :) 

NSPCC NUMBER DAY IN ADVENTURERS' CLASS!

We have the best day participating in Number day in aid of the NSPCC. We have done a range of activities from Beat the Dice, Who wants to be a Mathionaire, TTRockstars time and an Addition Hunt using our outside space.

The children and I have had a fun day enhancing our mathematical skills but also learning more about the NSPCC and the work that they do.

A big thank you for everyone who was able to donate- it is definitely a worthy cause! :) 

Super Scientists:

Adventurers are currently members of a development team for a new theme park called "Force-land" we are investigating how forces and friction affect the different rides. This week we looked at how a bungee jump works and investigated different questions such as- Does the weight affect how far the elastic stretches?

We had some interesting results! :) 

Adventurers have made a shocking discovery in the school grounds this morning...it looks like someone has been sleeping here over night?!! We have been investigating the clues and performed our very own version of "at the scene" news reports. We will keep you updated of our findings!

Today, Adventurers have started a transition programme in preparation for high school called "Be Awesome, Go Big!" We will do this for the whole of the summer term to prepare our year 6 pupils as much as possible for their next step.

Today we have been focused on "Being Awesome" reflecting on their own attitudes to school and learning and who they would like to be in secondary school- all of year 6 were very mature and we had very open discussions around this.

I look forward to the next session about "Unlocking our Minds" ! :) 

This is the work booklet that we will be working through, once completed pupils will bring them home to discuss with parents before starting their designated secondary schools.

Adventurers are all set to start this half term's text- "Way Home" by Libby Hawthorn. We have created the back drop, based on our own interpretation of the front cover, ready to fill with all of our wonderful work!

Keep an eye out for updates...

Adventurers have taken part in their first Project Chameleon session today ran by Global Policing.

We have already learnt a lot of information related to our rules and laws and have received our very own booklet, which we will work through in the coming weeks.

We look forward to next week! :)

Hi Adventurers!

Welcome back to school and the Summer term- this term is always a very busy one for a year 6 pupil so I hope that you are organised, ready and raring to go!

See you all tomorrow- in your P.E kit !

Mrs Browne :) 

This past week, Adventurers have also worked together to achieve 250 and 300 dojo points and a pizza party! Therefore, this afternoon, children have made individual pizzas with toppings of their choice- all in a very sanitized environment! All washed down with a milkshake and a cakey treat!

Adventurers have worked really hard during what has turned out to be a very challenging year. We like to reward and recognise hard work and hope that the children realise that hard work does pay off! 

We are now aiming for more dojos after the Easter break, which will go towards the Year 6 celebrations in the summer! Wish us luck! :)

As part of Adventurers' Class reward system in class, individually children have to collect as many dojo points as possible, to work towards a whole class total. Dojos are earned by the children for many different reasons associated to behaviour, effort, excellence, following our school values and rules, homework etc. At the beginning of the year in September, the children decided on the amount of dojos and what reward they would like. They came up with ideas such as: extra play time, non- uniform days and sports afternoons. 

During lockdown, children earned 150 dojo points collectively, therefore, they were rewarded with a games afternoon today. Children had lots of fun playing table- tennis, Uno, Ludo, Chess and other board games. It was a lovely treat as we approach the end of term :) 

Keep up the hard work Adventurers!

Adventurers took part in the St. John's Thornham Doubles Table-Tennis Championships this afternoon.

It was a close tournament but we had three pairs on the podium receiving gold, silver and bronze awards!

Everyone who took part did  fantastic job and it was clear that their skills had improved over the last few weeks :) 

Adventurers have been working in groups to add their own section of the Sea Shanty Dance... we hope you like our finished performance :) 

All of Adventurers were awarded stars of the week this week, as the whole class have produced some fantastic work and even fit in a new dance routine and some treats for Mother's Day!

It has been brilliant to have everybody back together again and they have all been a pleasure to teach- long may it continue! :)

We hope you all have a relaxing and well- deserved Mother's Day Weekend! 

Hi Adventurers,

We made it! :) 

A massive well done to those children who have continued their learning at home since Christmas, you have impressed me with your work ethic and organisational skills and produced work of a good standard- all of these skills will stand you in good stead for high school in September.

Also a big thank you goes out to those parents who have supported their children with this, as well as continuing to work themselves, whether that be at home or in the work place- I know what it is like, it is definitely not an easy task!

I very much look forward to welcoming you all back on Monday 8th March to continue your year 6 journey, we still have lots to do!

In the mean time, try and get yourselves up to date with all learning tasks on the Showbie app so we can start a fresh altogether next week!

Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Browne x

Hi Adventurers,

Please see this week's (and hopefully) the last week's remote learning grid!

Remember to make your toilet roll book character ready for the showcase on Thursday at 2.30pm- all details in the World Book Day folder on Showbie.

You have done so well with your remote learning- make sure everything is up to date ready for you coming back to school on Monday 8th March! I am really looking forward to seeing you all :)

See you soon,

Mrs Browne x

Calling all crafty Adventurers,

Next week (Thursday 4th March) is World Book Day- why not create your very own book character out of a toilet roll?! See the examples below for inspiration!

We will do a show case of our creations, via zoom, at 2.30pm on Thursday 4th March (look out for details on Showbie) where we will also be listening to a story read by yours truly :) 

Happy crafting!

Mrs Browne

Welcome back Adventurers!

I hope that you've had a great half term and were able to enjoy a well- earned rest. Hopefully we will be able to return to school and be back in class together soon. In the mean time take a look at this week's remote learning grid and the activities on Showbie. Remember to take lots of breaks and come back to something if you've not quite got it first time- don't worry we will look at it when we are back in school.

You all did such a fantastic job before half term- I know that you can carry on for a little while longer! :)

Take care.

Mrs Browne 

Hi Adventurers!

Please see below our next week's remote learning grid of activities- you have all been working hard so far, I am very proud of your efforts. I am sure that we can carry on for the next two weeks until half term... yes half term is nearly here! :) 

Make sure that you complete the tasks for each day and don't forget about the Fancy Dress Friday quiz at 2.30pm- it was great to see some of you last week!

I hope you are all keeping safe and well,

Mrs Browne x

Good morning Adventurers!

I hope everyone is safe and well.

Please see week 3's time- table  of remote learning activities and make sure that you read the tasks, questions carefully to ensure that you are completing them properly. Also ensure that you answer in full, punctuated sentences and in as much detail as is required for year 6 level work.

Happy Learning :) 

Take care,

Mrs Browne x

Hello Adventurers,

Have a look at the "Week 2 Remote Learning Grid", most things are on Showbie, but please use the time- table to organise your learning for each day to try and keep up with it. Let me know if are not going to be posting daily as some activities may take you longer than others. Don't worry- just drop me a message via Showbie! Like last week, try your best to get all activities completed before the following Monday so that you can start a fresh!

We had a fantastic week last week so I am hoping for the same this week. I am very proud of your efforts during these challenging times! 

Stay safe, keep smiling and happy learning:) 

Mrs Browne x

Here we go Adventurers- our first official week of Remote Learning starting on Monday 11th January 2021!

Please look at the below time-table for what you are expected to complete each day. We appreciate that everybody's home circumstances are different so have not set fixed times for anything to be completed by , however I will be logging into Showbie on a daily  basis and monitoring who is keeping up with the learning tasks. Also I will be on hand to answer any questions/ queries that anybody may have.

You will see on Showbie that some activities are "locked" that means that you do not have to complete them at that time, keep referring to the time-table as activities will be "unlocked" for completion on a daily basis. Anything still unlocked means that a member of the class is yet to complete it.

Make sure that you try your best to complete as many learning tasks as possible.

Overall, I have been impressed with the work that the majority of you have produced over the course of the last few days and how quickly and efficiently that you engaged with our new Showbie app!

Good luck and keep up the good work,

Keep smiling :) 

Mrs Browne x

Dear Adventurers,

So sorry to not be able to see you for the next few weeks due to another lockdown! :( 

However, do not fret.... I will be uploading activities for you to continue with your learning on Showbie and on the class blog.

For the next few days, I have already uploaded some activities to refresh your memory of how to use Showbie and present your work. Have a go at these and familiarise yourself again.

Next week there will be a full time-table of activities that you are expected to attempt and send into me via Showbie- We have been working so hard up until this point so I am keen to continue with the progress and new learning that we were doing.

I am looking forward to see what you create/ find out along the way.

I hope you all stay safe,

goodbye for now,

Take care,

Mrs Browne x

To all Adventurers and their families, 

We have finally made it to the end of term! Year 6 have had an action packed few weeks and overall have impressed me with their resilience in such challenging times. They have settled back into school life fantastically well and I am looking forward to what we can achieve in the new year. 

All that is left for me to say is I hope you all have a Merry and peaceful Christmas with your loved ones and look forward to seeing you on Monday 4th January, well rested and ready for the next term.

Best Wishes, 

Mrs Browne x 

Please go to the Video Resource Centre under the Children's tab to see our performance of the

12 DAYS OF LOCKDOWN

The Children had lots of fun creating their own parody to the original 12 Days of Christmas!

Christmas TASC Day 2020

Adventurers were set the task of creating "match box" gifts for a loved one. They designed and created their very own designs- some are very creative. Here is a selection...

Hi Everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying a well deserved half term! 

Please look at our Harvest videos that Adventurers prepared independently- from raps to prayers we had a fun time celebrating Harvest and giving thanks to God. (The role-play will be uploaded shortly.)

I look forward to seeing you all in our "new" classroom next week :) 

Take care,

Mrs Browne

IT'S NEARLY TIME...

Hi Adventurers!

I hope you have all had a great summer even through these strange times!

I look forward to welcoming you back into year 6 on THURSDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER through the old front door. I am sure that your parents and carers have gone through the letters from Mrs Hunter telling you all of the little changes that we have had to put into place to ensure that we can open to everyone again. Try not to worry as I will go through everything on the first two days back.

Mrs Williams and Miss Ireland will also be working with us throughout the week.

We can't wait to see you all and have a fun- filled year of learning for your final year at St. John's! :) 

See you Thursday,

Mrs Browne x

Dear Adventurers,

It has been a pleasure to teach you over the last three years- most of the time anyway! You have all worked so hard and become very responsible young people.

I hope that you enjoy looking at our class blog and our final memories together.

I wish you every success in high school and beyond,

Good luck and fond farewells,

Mrs Browne x

Year 6 have been working hard to create letters to their younger selves detailing their time at Primary School.

Look out for their videos on our class blog...coming very soon!

Hi Adventurers,

I am really looking forward to welcoming some of you back to school tomorrow for the last month before the summer holidays! Unfortunately not everybody is able to return, but we will continue to communicate via the web-site and your home learning activities so look out for more messages!

Stay safe everyone,

love,

Mrs Browne x

Letter to your younger self template of what to include:

• Informal chatty language
• Past tense
• Chronological order
• Memories of your time at primary school
• Interesting/ funny for the reader
• Set out in paragraphs- new paragraph for a change in time, topic/ theme etc
• Use a range of sentence and paragraph openers

FOR EXAMPLE:

                                                                                                                                   Date:

Hi Little Marrs bar,

Paragraph 1: Intro- why you are writing.

How are you? I know you are nervous about starting primary school but there's no need! You are about to embark on the greatest adventure you have ever had! Even better than those fairy stories you like to listen to. As your older, future self I will tell you all you need to know about life at St. John's Thornham.

Paragraph 2: Write about memories/ events that happened in Reception Miss Murphy.

On your first day, it will be nerve wracking. Mum will shed a tear and Dad will tell you to have fun. They will straighten your uniform and pack your pack 100 times or more! Don't worry, your teacher Mrs Read will greet you on the play ground and you will make lots of new friends- in particular Jodie who will be your best friend all the way through primary school. 

Continue with funny memories of your time in Reception/ Year 1.

Paragraph 3: Write about memories/ events that happened in Year 2 with Mrs Howarth/ Mrs Williams.

Paragraph 4: Write about memories/ events that happened in Year 3 with Mr Holland.

Paragraph 5: Write about memories/ events that happened in year 4/5 with Mrs Browne.

Paragraph 6: Write about memories/ events that happened in year 6.

Paragraph 7: Closing paragraph to sum up your time at primary school and maybe a point/ question for the future

Sign off- love from etc

I hope this helps to structure your letter- remember to email them over for me to have a look at and I can give you some pointers. There is no rush with this, I'd rather it was done right, so it will be on the home learning grid for the whole month of June.

I can't wait to read them! :) 

Hi Everyone,

I hope everybody is continuing to keep safe and healthy.

There are lots of activities to complete this week- see attachments underneath!

As you may or may not be aware, it is Mental Health Awareness week this week and the theme is KINDNESS, I think especially at the moment it is key to look out for each other and show little acts of kindness to make sure people are o.k and mentally strong. I have attached the video from the Mental Health Foundation and thought you could perhaps produce your own version or create a collage of photographs to promote Mental Health Awareness Week! Please send any into the school office so I can have a look and share them on our class blog. I hope you enjoy making them!

Bye for now,

Mrs Browne x

Hi Adventurers,

Just me again! I hope you are all keeping well and have had another active week at home?!

Well, this week would have been SATS week and I am sure that you are so disappointed that you will not be sitting them- I know I am, as I know how hard you were all working to get the level that you deserved for the end of your primary school journey. However, we cannot dwell on that and we should look forward to the future and hopefully the celebrations that we can have to mark the end of an era for you all.

Did you do anything to mark V.E day last week? We had lots of fun, as you can see we baked, decorated the windows with homemade flags, flew aeroplanes and we ate afternoon tea in our front garden! We even got  little dressed up for the occasion! :) It was lovely to remember those who fought in the war for our freedom today.

There are quite a few learning activities to have a go at this week, so please make sure you have a go at them and links to websites on the home learning grid for further learning. Don't forget to carry on with spag.com and TTrockstars as normal- keep those brains working in preparation for high school!

Hope to see you soon,

Mrs Browne x

Hi Adventurers,

Here starts another week in lock down and working from home!

I had a great week at work last week with some of you and we did some great activities from crafting to aeroplane flight testing to forest school activities. (See photographs attached)

It was also nice to speak to you all on the phone and hearing about how you are keeping yourselves busy and helping out your parents too!

This upcoming Friday 8th May should have been a bank holiday to celebrate V.E Day so some of this weeks activities are related to this- why not decorate your house and create things to have your own lock down V.E Party at home?

I have also attached the usual home learning grid and a science experiment to have a go at- remember to complete SPAG and TTRockstars each week too!

I hope everyone is continuing to stay safe and healthy and I look forward to seeing you all soon,

Bye for now,

Mrs Browne x

Hi Adventurers!

I hope everyone is keeping well and keeping busy over this unusual time.

Luckily, we have had some nice weather this week so the Browne family have been out in the garden lots getting fresh air and doing lots of gardening. As some of you are aware, we only moved house at the end of January so we are kept very busy doing DIY jobs!

I hope you are keeping up with some form of routine and school work as this really does help to structure your day- remember to add different activities that you are going to complete each day in the diaries I bought you for Christmas! These activities can include: home learning grids on the class blog, science investigation, personal physical challenges, spellings, spag,com, TTrockstars. morning maths and English challenges on the class blog and the SATS tests that were sent home. I am sure that there are lots of other things that you are doing with your family, which is great, but try to keep your brains active and structure your day, as this will help when moving up to high school.

I am moving to the Hub next week at Boarshaw Primary School so will look forward to spending time with some of you there. Otherwise, take care year 6 and hopefully see you soon.

Stay safe,

Mrs Browne x

Personal Challenges- Keep Active! 

This calendar can be started at any point during the month and each day has a resource attached to it which explains it in detail. 

All these resources are readily available on the rbsgp website, if you/or your parents click the challenge titles it should take you straight to their website and the page where these are situation. 

Please record your results and send any photographs over to the office- office@thornhamce.rcohdale.sch.uk 

Hope you enjoy doing them! :) 

Hi Adventurers,

I hope you have a fun and safe holy week, leading up to Easter Sunday! :) 

I have attached some Easter type activities this week, alongside the blue squares on the grid- this should last you two weeks! There are also some separate activity sheets attached linked to the current situation and what you have been up to whilst not being at school.

Remember to take part in the decorate an egg competition- the Browne family are starting their entry today!

Stay home, stay safe and hopefully the Easter bunny reaches you to deliver some eggy treats!

Love,

Mrs Browne x

Hi Adventurers,

I hope everybody is keeping well and enjoying spending that extra time with their families- as well as doing some home learning. Please email the office to show us what you've been up to - office@thornhamce.rochdale.sch.uk- I can then add some examples on our class blog! 

This week has been a busy one for us at home from decorating, salt- dough making, football drills, cake making to number and phonics work. We celebrated my husband's birthday this week and with not being able to go out we had lots of fun in the house and garden instead!

I am getting ready to go into school tomorrow and see some of you- I know Miss Callaghan has lots of exciting activities planned...:) 

See you soon,

Mrs Browne x

Hi Adventurers!

I hope you are all keeping well over this very strange period... I am sure that you are making the most of not being at school though and the gorgeous weather! I have decided to keep a bit of a diary over the coming weeks as to what I have been up to and how I am keeping myself busy- it would be great to hear from you guys too! I will try and keep you updated on a weekly basis.

As school is still open, the staff have split up into three teams- I am in team two so I am able to work from home this week. I am trying to see the positive side in this and I have been able to spend a lot more time with my son that I wouldn't normally get to do. He isn't going to nursery either so I have been doing lots of little kids kind of teaching and learning! You know this is out of my comfort zone year 6! However, so far so good and we are enjoying it- even phonics! :) 

Anyway, I hope we get to see each other very soon- please take care of yourselves and your families- remember to stay at home! 

It's not good bye...it's see you later!

Mrs Browne x

P.s I have attached a photograph of what we've been up to so far- who knew I was so creative?! :) 

Welcome back Adventurers!

I hope you have had a relaxing and fun half term holiday- despite the weather! I am looking forward to Spring 2 and the different and exciting activities that we have planned.

Our new topic for this short half term is GALLERY REBELS and we will be focusing on two famous artists- Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso; comparing and contrasting their art work and the medium that they used.

Adventurers have been classification connoisseurs in science this week.- children created different classification keys to sort living things (and sweets) into groups using their similarities and differences..

We will be focusing on the book "Holes" by Louis Sachar in English this half term- it has also been made into a Disney film which we hope to watch to compare and contrast events.

Our Spring 1 topic is "Hola Mexico" where we will be learning everything Mexican including: the history of the Mayans, authentic Mexican food, researching historical Mexican artefacts, The Day of the Dead and much more...

HAPPY NEW YEAR ADVENTURERS!

I hope you have had a lovely Christmas and new year with your families.

I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow for our first day back- ready and raring to go! :)

Mrs Browne x

Year 6 are braving the weather today and participating in bike-ability training- good luck year 6!

Our sentence of the week is:

Charles Darwin was born in 1809.

Children were asked to develop this simple sentence in order to improve it. They could include: a fronted adverbial, additional clauses, interesting openers, adverbs or adjectives.

These a few examples of what the children created:

- Charles Robert Darwin, who was the fifth child of Robert and Susannah Darwin, was born on the 12th February 1809.

-Charles Robert Darwin entered this great world on the 12th February 1809 in "The Mount House", Shrewsbury, which was the family home.

- On the 12th February 1809, Susannah Darwin gave birth to Charles Robert Darwin (her fifth child) in The Mount House, Shrewsbury.

Before writing our Charles Darwin biographies, we ordered key events in his life into chronological order.

Adventurers have been investigating the voyage of Charles Darwin today in Topic lesson. They have been studying different artefacts to answer questions related to some of the places he visited around the world such as: Australia, The Galapagos Islands and South America.

Our first English unit this half term will be studying the poem "In Flanders Fields" written by John McCrae during WW1 to mark Remembrance Day in the 11th hour on the 11th day, in the 11th month...

Welcome Back Adventurers

Our new half termly topic is: BEAST CREATORS.

We will be focusing a lot on evolution and inheritance, looking at how animals have evolved over time to suit their environments and habitats. It will be an exciting half term, as well as having all of the Christmas activities to look forward to!

Happy Half Term Everyone!

I hope you all enjoy your break but remember to complete the Key Stage 2 practice Maths and SPaG Tests!

They are due in on the first Friday back :) 

Adventurers made an unusual discovery today in the school grounds- several "creatures" had escaped from a classified box. We didn't know what they were or why they had come to our school- we were all baffled. We took them back to our classroom to investigate and experiment on them. Look out for our finished report coming soon...

Adventurers have been applying their badminton skills this afternoon by playing mini games against one- another! They have been working on different techniques and when to use them during game play!

What a great afternoon of sport!

Adventurers have been trying really hard to talk using standard English within the classroom- does one speak like the Queen?

Adventurers will be focusing on the book BROTHER EAGLE, SISTER SKY for the first part of the autumn term. The book details life as a Native American over 150 years ago and what they had to endure when Europeans took over their lands. It is a very thought provoking book about how everybody is linked and part of the "web of life". We look forward to producing some pieces of poetry and persuasive writing based on the book.

Welcome Back Adventurers!

Our first topic of the year will be "Amazing America" focusing on all things stateside.

MRS BROWNE IS BACK!!!

I hope that you are enjoying the final week of the summer holidays in the sunshine.

Look out for updates about the year ahead- I look forward to seeing you bright- eyed and bushy- tailed on the first day of school next Wednesday!

Manchester Cathedral Year 6 Leavers' Service

Year 6 were lucky enough to be, once again, invited to take part in the Year 6 Leavers' Service at Manchester Cathedral. They were part of 600 Year 6 children from across the Diocese of Manchester to take part in a Leavers Service at Cathedral. The service was a wonderful celebration of our children, their journey through primary education and everything they have achieved. The Bishop blessed the children and wished them every success as they move on. 

Whalley Abbey Trip

Years 5 and 6 had a fantastic time visiting the historic Whalley Abbey. Joined by Mrs Hunter, Rev. Jason and a number of the school governors, the children had the opportunity to reflect on the successes of their school year, as well as the challenge of moving class/school next year. 

Rev. Jason introduced the story of the chicken and the eagle (see below) and encouraged the children to think about what the message 'behind' the story was. Years 5 and 6 gave some fantastic responses and discussed the importance of being themselves, knowing their dreams and aiming to soar high. 

After lunch, the children worked on creating clothing for miniature fabric people. They then wrote the lessons they had learnt in the morning on to their creations.

Delving into Dissection 

This morning Year 6 transformed the classroom in to a laboratory, fully equipped to help them explore the mysteries of the heart. They enjoyed the gruesome challenge of dissecting a real pig's heart. 

The children worked very sensibly and were able to carry out the dissection with surgical proficiency. They cut in to the left and right ventricles of the heart and investigated the thickness of the muscle walls. After this, they then made further incisions to find out how the valves of the heart worked and the importance of the coronary artery. 

Despite some initial hesitance, all the children who took part had a fantastic time and some even considered what it would be like to become a heart surgeon. 

Well Done Year 6!

SATs week can be a very testing time for children in Year 6, where in the space of a few short hours, they have to try and demonstrate a lifetime of  learning in English and mathematics. 

In the face of this formidable task, I've been really impressed by the attitudes of lots of Adventurers who have shown dedication, perseverance and bravery. I am very proud of them. 

Well done Year 6! 

(Mr Holland)

Way Home

This term Year 6 will be considering the devastating impact of what it would be like to become homeless. We will be putting ourselves in to the shoes of others and imagining the daily struggles of people who do not have a home. 

The picture book 'Way Home' by Libby Hathorn is an excellent starting point as it details the journey of a young boy navigating the city by night. 

The Adventurers will be using this story as a basis to create their own dark and suspense-filled adventures.

Science Week

This week the whole school have donned their lab coats and safety goggles and entered in to the spirit of our science week. Year 6 has been no exception.

As part of science week, we have chosen to accept a dangerous and daring mission- to create our own submissions for Google's Luna X prize (with a substantial $20,000,000 prize). 

Luna X is a project that has seen teams from around the world competing to land a lunar rover on the surface of the moon with the aim of collecting data and transmitting it back to Earth. What was previously only do-able by superpowers, is now being attempted by small teams of individuals on a (relatively) shoe-string budget. 

Year 6 have worked in groups to design a lunar rover, devise a system of controlling it, investigate the rocketry necessary for it to escape Earth's gravity and have even worked in groups to create a sci-fi story of what their rover might uncover during its out-of-this-world adventure. 

Sphero Coding 

Sphero is a spherical robot capable of being controlled and programmed by anything with a bluetooth connection. This week we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to explore what is possible with Sphero. The children thought carefully about how to navigate the Sphero app and how to apply their prior coding knowledge to a new situation. 

Year 6 loved having the opportunity to race their Spheros around the hall by drawing a path on their iPads before then moving on to the potentially difficult task of using Scratch-like coding blocks to complete a number of challenges.  

Power-Up!

As part of Year 6's science lessons, this week the children were set a series of challenges designed to test their ability to design, test and fix different types of circuit. 

The Adventurers had great fun exploring simple and parallel circuits, predicting which would work and then designing their own electronic creations. 

We are soon going to be applying our knowledge of electricity to our D.T. project (creating a electronic board game). 

Let My People Go!

This week Year 6 have been working hard in their R.E. lessons led by Mrs Purser. The Adventurers have been revisiting the story of Moses and the exodus out of Egypt. 

The children were challenged to recreate this story in a new and creative way. We had comic strips, poems and performances which all tried to explain the key events. 

Framed!

This term the Adventurers will be reading and exploring the fantastic novel 'Framed' by Frank Cottrell Boyce. We started this topic by exploring the pictures on display at The National Gallery , we then played a game of 'Just a Minute' where the children had to use their research to speak for a minute about their chosen painting without repetition, hesitation or deviation. 

The British Red Cross- First Aid

This week the children in Year 6 undertook the first of two sessions they will be participating in led by The Red Cross. 

First aid saves lives and knowing what to do in an emergency can make all the difference. In order to help improve the children's knowledge and confidence of  first aid, we were glad to welcome our instructor in to our classroom to show us some of the basics. 

The children were split in to groups- each focusing on a different aspect of first aid. They were then encouraged of thinking up a creative way of demonstrating how to help someone in a particular situation. We had some fabulous drama pieces created to show the correct way of dealing with burns, seizures and head injuries. We also had a brilliant piece of art depicting what to do if someone suffered a deep and serious cut. 

After this, the children were able to get hands on and acted through placing someone who was unconscious (but breathing) in the recovery position.  They then had a go with the CPR dummies and the mock-defibrillator, so that they would know what to do in the event that they came across somebody who was unconscious but not breathing.

Ratio and Proportion 

This week Year 6 have been getting hands on with maths. We have been exploring the terms ratio and proportion and have conducted several investigations in to what they mean and how they link to other areas of mathematics.

We first turned our hand to paint mixing and were able to see how once we had found the perfect shade of bright orange to paint Mr Holland's kitchen we would have to scale up our ratio from teaspoons to paint buckets. 

We then undertook construction tasks using multi-link cubes. We were able to construct all manner of items using the cubes that conformed to certain ratios of brick colours. 

In the final few days of this week, we have been trying to apply our understanding of ratio and proportion to real life problems. Underneath this post you will find this week's maths challenge. We already have a number of different possible solutions on our working wall. Will anyone be able to crack it? 

Merry Christmas! /  Καλά Χριστούγεννα!

Merry Christmas from all of the Adventurers' Class! 

This year, as part of our whole-school investigation in to Christmas celebrations around the world, we undertook a study in to Greek Christmas. 

We researched, designed and made our very own Christmas boats. But our creations didn't just have to look amazing, we were also tasked with ensuring that our boats were sea-worthy (they had to be able to float). 

The children had a great time creating and decorating their boats and when the moment of truth came (when the boats were cast off in to water) I'm glad to report that almost every design was a success.

Interactive Inheritance!

The Adventurers' Class have had a fantastic day today learning all about inheritance. With the help of Tony North (an evolution, inheritance and natural selection expert) the children took part in a wide variety of different activities that helped them understand the science behind why animals and plants resemble their parents. 

"Does your gender affect the job you choose?"

This was the question Year 6 set to tackle this afternoon. The children discussed important issues of stereotypes and pre-defined roles in our society. They were able to talk through whether there are such things as 'boy and girl jobs' and what we could do to make sure all people, no matter their gender, are treated equally.

We also spent time this morning examining the lyrics to Aloe Blacc's 'The Man'. Initially, we thought that the song was about somebody being confident, but after considering our Picture News question, maybe it can be interpreted differently. 

This week we have been able to display some of the children's fabulous positive/negative space art in our classroom.  We started by examining optical illusions such as the one below and discussed how we could create art work that used similar techniques. 

The children were keen to suggest that we could create animal art works to link with our evolution themed topic. I think you will agree that the results are fantastic and that they have produced work they should be extremely proud of.

Bikeability

On Monday and Friday (5th and 9th November) we were lucky enough to be joined by the fantastic team from Bikeability. Over the course of two days most children got a chance to brush up on their bike maintenance skills and their road safety knowledge. 

The children worked fantastically hard, listening to instructions and taking in lots of new information. On Monday afternoon and Friday morning, the children undertaking their level 2 award were able to cycle down our school lane and put what they had learnt in to practise.

The instructors were extremely impressed with everyone's respect for the rules of the road. They were also keen to point out how impressed they were with the control the children had over their own bikes. This was great to hear, as both of these are vital to staying safe whilst enjoying riding our bikes. 

Adventurers' Class Assembly

Prior to our half-term break, Year 6 were given the fantastic opportunity to share some of their learning with parents, governors and the other children at school. The children delivered an exceptional performance which saw them cheerleading, singing and reciting their own poetry. 

It was brilliant that so many parents were able to attend. After the assembly (and over delicious bacon and sausage sandwiches kindly provided by Mrs Robertson) the children had the chance to show their parents their books. The Adventurers' class loved showing off the work they are so proud of and the challenges they have been able to overcome.

We Are One

Did you know that two children in the Adventurers' Class are actually film stars? 

During last year's summer term two children were chosen to star in 'We Are One'. Working in collaboration with 11 other Church of England Primary Schools from Rochdale and under the creative leadership of Parvez Qadir Nick Farrimond, the children put together a stunning piece that explores the Christian values and how they interact with diversity.

The film has one simple but powerful message. As members of society, there are many things that can divide us, such as: skin colour, faith and language. However, we all belong to one human race and in the eyes of God, we are one. 

"Every canvas is a journey all of its own."- Helen Frankenthaler

Last week the children in Year 6 experimented with the art style of the American artist Helen Frankenthaler.  Known for her modern and expressionistic works, she helped shape the art scene in the USA in the period after World War Two.

The Adventurers really enjoyed talking about and reviewing abstract art, reviews ranged from "It just looks weird" to "I love how you can see anything you want in it." Even greater enjoyment was had when they rolled up their sleeves and began to create their own work in Helen Frankenthaler's style. 

Diary Of A Disciple

Today we were lucky enough to be joined by the fabulous Groundbreakers team. Whilst they were here they brought together all the children in Years 5 and 6 for an afternoon of fun, important stories and big questions. 

Jo and Mary introduced a fantastic new book called Diary of a Disciple: Luke's Story. This retelling of the gospel aims to show familiar and unfamiliar bible stories in a fun new way, which is immediately accessible for young people. 

The children had a great time reading, making and acting. Many left the lesson with a much better idea of who Luke was and what he contributed to the bible. 

Give me a G! Give me an O! GO ADVENTURERS! 

Whether it's baseball, ice-hockey or football (American rules of course), no sporting event in the USA could be complete without a cheerleading squad! 

Here in the Adventurers' class, Mrs Howarth has kindly lent her dancing and choreography skills and has been showing Year 6 how to construct their own  cheerleading routines. 

The results look fantastic and the children have loved learning a new form of dance.

Ansel Adams- Landscape Art and Eco-poetry

Last week saw our class investigation into the people, places and culture of the USA lead us to the life and work of the photographer Ansel Adams.

A talented artist and environmentalist, Adams's work focused on capturing the natural beauty of the United States. He loved to photograph areas in the American West, in particular, Yosemite Natural Park. 

Year 6 had a fantastic time researching his particular style of black-and-white photos and were able to produce their own work. Unfortunately due to budget and time constraints they weren't able to travel to California and so instead created new and original landscapes by deconstructing and then reconstructing Adams's pictures. 

The children also enjoyed exploring and performing pieces of eco-poetry (poems with an environmentalist theme). As Ansel Adams was also a keen conservationist, it seemed only fitting to see if we could fuse our artwork with our poetry. 

I hope you will agree the results were fantastic! 

1st Day Back- Tipi Making 

 As part of our first day back, Year 6 were asked to use imagination, perseverance, and teamwork to construct a Tipi inspired structure that would be able to shelter their tribe on the St John prairie. 

The children had a fantastic time and it was great to hear their ideas about what traditional Native American life might have been like.

Year 6- American Dream

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome all the children to Year 6!

Myself (Mr Holland) and Mrs Hill are excited to get started on what we hope we will be a rewarding and memorable school year. Now the children are now in the oldest year group, I look forward to them being excellent role models for the younger children. I am sure that they will set a brilliant example by working hard, being respectful to all and enjoying school.

Our first topic for our first half term is USA- An American Dream. From Arkansas to Wyoming, from Truman to Trump and from sea to shining sea, the United States of America represents a rich history and fascinating geography. Through our class book ‘Brother Eagle, Sister Sky’ we will be learning about the native populations of North America and the impact human beings can have on the natural environment.

We shall be updating this page regularly with the children's work and experiences.

Thank you to all those who attended this week’s PTFA Leavers’ Disco on Wednesday. This event was a celebration and opportunity for all our children to say farewell to our Year 6 and say a huge well done for their hard work and the achievements they have gained. Our Year 6 had already had a fun packed Leavers’ Day, full of quizzes, games and a water fight! They had also enjoyed a special restaurant style lunch, for which they had chosen the menu and had their own “Top Table”. Our Year 6 were “papped” on the red carpet in a cloud of confetti as they arrived for this special occasion and everyone cheered and clapped. The paparazzi (Mr Costello) flashed their cameras as they posed for photographs!

ROBINWOOD ACTIVITY CENTRE TRIP

The children from Years 5 & 6 enjoyed a wonderful time at the brand new Crosslanes Centre in Wrexham last week.

The took part in a range of exciting activities; The Giant Swing, Zipline, Piranha Pool, Caving, Archery, Trapeze, Rock Climbing and the Dungeon of Doom!!! The children were impeccably behaved and were a credit to our school.

Our Year 6 children attended the Leavers’ Service at Manchester Cathedral today to gather with pupils and staff from the Diocesan family of primary schools. This event celebrates their years at primary school, gives thanks for all those who have served & cared for them through those years and look forward to the new challenges and adventures awaiting them at secondary school.

Year 6 travelled to and from Manchester by train and were accompanied by Mrs Hunter, Mr Holland & Mrs Hill along with Rev. Martin and Rev Pete. They enjoyed a picnic lunch in gardens outside the Cathedral and even got to go on the park! Well done Year 6 on your impeccable behaviour during this very special service.