Bishop Auckland, Co Durham
As part of our Sea Topic this term the whole school went on a visit to the Blue Reef Aquarium and Beach. They had a great day and learned about lots of aquatic creatures. They also had the opportunity to handle some in the workshops.
We all really enjoyed the seal show and had great fun on the beach!
This week the Bikeability team came in to school for the Year 4 to completed the Level 1 course and the Year 5 & 6 to completed the Level 2 course. The aim of the courses were to improve and enhance riding skills and make the children more road safety aware.
The children had a great couple of days with Alan and Angela the instructors for the DCC Road Safety Team and all successfully completed the courses and were presented with a badge and a certificate. Well done everyone!
On Tuesday we welcomed some very special people into school for dinner! Dads and Grandads were invited to join the children for a special lunch to celebrate Father’s Day. The choice for main course included Roast Pork & Yorkshire Pudding and Vegetable Quiche and for dessert there was Apple Crumble & Custard, Chocolate Cake, Yogurts & Fruit
Everyone really enjoyed their delicious lunch and we would like to say a ‘Huge Thank you’ to our cook Karen for making this such a fantastic event.
For over 2 years we have been using a movement sensor wildlife camera for the Mammal Web project and we have captured some amazing photos of the animals that visit our school grounds when we are not looking.
The Woodland School hedgehog has emerged from its winter hibernation and is regularly seen snuffling around the wildlife garden at night.
We record more rabbits than any other mammals, and one in particular grabs our attention. We call him Three Ears!
Domestic cats are also recorded for the project and the camera caught one hunting the other day, the mouse managed to wriggle away.
Mammal Web is run by a team of scientists at Durham University. Using ‘citizen scientist’ with wildlife cameras across the county they are gathering lots of data to monitor mammal populations, where they are distributed, and how they behave. If anyone is interested in the project check out their website www.mammalweb.org or speak to Mrs Bentley.
The children in Squirrel Class have been working very hard to write a blog called “A Day in the Life of Squirrel Class”. We have learned how to write a blog, take and save a photograph and how to stay safe if you want to put a blog on the internet. We have written our blog about the things we enjoyed learning in the last half term.
Alfie & Sara’s Blog Post
We used the pulley in maths so we could send things to each other. We did this because we were learning about the Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch. We put toy things in the pulley and sent it to our friends then they weighed it using some colourful scales. We wrote down what it weighed and we weighed it in grams.
Do you know how to use a pulley?
Adam and Jack’s Blog Post
We have learned about turtles and we read a book called Duffy’s Lucky Escape.
She ate a plastic bag and some bottles. Then she was very poorly. Next she got taken by fishermen to the turtle hospital. They made her better. We have learned you should not put plastic bags in the sea.
Rosanna and Fred’s Blog Post
We’re learning about the ocean and the Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch. We all worked together to make a large cardboard lighthouse. First we got cardboard then we rolled it and we painted it. Next we put a light on the top. The lighthouse is red and white and black and the light is very bright.
Sophie and Harry’s Blog Post
This topic we have been learning about the ocean. We have all made a shoe box aquarium. It had moving parts we used sticks and string to make the animals move. We are very proud of ourselves.
Do you like aquariums?
Josie’s Blog Post
We read the story of the Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch. Then we made mini lighthouses with an electric circuit. We played around with the equipment until the bulb lit up. We talked about how it worked and then we added a switch. Next we made a lighthouse and put the circuit inside so our lighthouses can switch on and off.
Can you make an electric circuit?
Charlotte’s Blog Post
We leaned about old times on the beach and when we go on the beach now
We did lots of writing about it and we realised it was different.
Do you know about old times on the beach?
On Monday 20th May we had a visit from some amazing creatures. Jay from Jays Animal Encounters came to our school and showed us a variety of animals. These included: a pair of curious bearded dragons, a magnificent chinese water dragon, a cute and cheeky meerkat, a sleepy skunk, a huge snail – plus some smaller albino snails -, a loveable albino hedgehog, a scuttling scorpion, an intriguing tarantula , a poisonous frog and not forgetting the incredibly long slithering snake. We had the opportunity to touch or hold almost everything and we watched Jay feed the frog live mealworm. We also had a chance to see the snake close as it slithered over our legs. Some of the children and teachers were extremely brave and had the snake around their neck!
Some very brave children had the scorpion – which still had it’s sting – on their arm! It was an educational and very fun afternoon.
This day was funded by the Co-op Community Fund that was raised by Cockfield Co-op for school.
We would like to thank them very much!
By Emily Gibson
On Wednesday the 23rd May school organised a Topic Celebration afternoon for our Sea topic this term. There was a range of activities for the parents and grandparents to enjoy.
In the Owl classroom there was a food web challenge, Haiku poem writing, what 3 things you would take with you on a desert island and some inventive thinking keys. In the library there was pebble painting and observational art with pastels.
In the hall was a scratch projects for us to try out our coding skills.
Squirrel class even had real dead fish and an squid – yuck – which we could hold! They also explored electrical circuits, talk to their parents about memories of the seaside and found the seaside place they had visited on a map. There was an ice cream sundae and sandcastle making station which were a lot of fun. We all enjoyed sharing our learning with our families.
To top the afternoon off Gary from Wonderful Whippy Ltd came with his icecream van and Friends of Woodland School paid for each child to have an ice cream.
By Rory Hart
Last week all the children enjoyed lots of celebrations and fun activities running up to the ‘Royal Wedding’ last weekend.
Our cook Karen prepared for the children and staff a buffet lunch fit royalty!
The children all came in to school in red, white and blue and enjoyed fun games, baking and activities and made wedding hats and crowns to wear. The day finished with us cutting the wedding cake which again Karen our cook had made for us to enjoy.
Look out for our full page spread in the Teesdale Mercury this week with lots of fantastic photos from the day!
During this week as part of the ‘All at Sea’ Topic, Squirrel Class have been reading ‘Duffy’s Lucky Escape’ which tells the true story of a turtle who was rescued after eating plastic rubbish in the ocean. As part of our work we made a bread turtle, wrote reports on turtles and danced like a turtle! We have had great fun!
This week we have started The Peer Assisted Learning Project (PAL) in school. This involves developing literacy skills through paired reading, thinking and writing. The children have been learning new shared reading skills and methods to help support each other to develop leading, thinking and social and emotional skills. It is early days but the children are really enjoying our new reading technique and say that it is weird but fun!
