Category: Our Classes

After some time in the chapel, it was time for the campfire with cocoa.  The children joined in with some rousing songs followed by a haunting melody played on the harmonica by one of the children displaying their talents as if by way of a prelude for tonight’s talent show.

We got the children as tired as we could but now we could not put off the moment we adults had been dreading- bedtime! Nineteen boys in one room, 14 girls in another,  away from home for the first time. What could go wrong?

To allay any fears, we told them they could, in an emergency, reach us instantly, at any time in the middle of the night, by pressing the doorbell to our rooms. We gave them the definition of emergency outlined by the Oxford Dictionary:

EMERGENCY – ‘a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action’
Oxford Dictionary:

However, something was lost in translation-

The Year 5 definition of emergency:

“I heard some of the other boys talking”; “I know you said we could use the toilet but I just thought I’d check”; “Is it time to get up?”;  “I’m not sure about my toe.”

Needless to say, there were no emergencies (adult definition) and although lively, the children were all happy; safe and sound and there were no tearful situations in the night.

We are all ready for the day ahead.

Now off to breakfast!

The atmosphere was buzzing as we embarked on our journey.  The sun was shining and everyone was looking forward to SPEC and wondering if, in reality,  it would be as pretty as the photos. Upon arrival, it felt like we had landed in Eden! After a brief orientation session, the children were shown to their rooms. 

The day consists of sessions in small groups punctuated by periods of down time where the children can relax in the grounds or play football.

Relaxation and free time

Orienteering:

Spiritual Sculpture

Outdoor Drama

Meals

Mealtimes can often be a flash-point with children being notoriously picky eaters. Not so year 5. A healthy appetite everyone.

A bit of football to work off the meal then some games, chapel and the campfire before bed.

Our RE topic is based around the theme of Spread the Word.

Key words for the topic are: risen resurrection Holy Spirit Ascension witnesses blessing Pentecost promise Good News

As part of this topic, we will consider the Big Question ‘Why should we spread Good News’?

The children will read from the bible to find out how the women at the tomb were asked to tell the disciples that Jesus has come alive again.  We will hear Jesus’s message that he would give them a special helper called the Holy Spirit and then find out about the effect of the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost as they then went out to spread Jesus’s word on the streets of Jerusalem.

RE home learning

As part of their home learning, the children will think about how they can pass on the Good News that Jesus is alive in each and every one of us.  Read John 14: 18-19 and Acts 2: 1-4 together and talk about how the Holy Spirit helps and guides us.   Your child will bring home a flower with the phrase ‘Jesus is alive in me’ at the centre, with a space where they can draw a beautiful self-portrait. 

Talk to your child about the different things that they do which show that the Holy Spirit is working through them.  These things can include

• reading the bible, maybe about the experience of Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection
• telling other people about the life and message of Jesus
• examples of how your child follows Jesus’ message to love other people through their actions and service
• talking about your child’s prayer life and what they pray about
• talking about ways in which your child contributes to the Common Good by giving time or money to charities so that they can do good works

Through a combination of images and writing, ask your child to fill in each petal with a different way in which they show that Jesus is alive in them.  They need to write their sentences in their own words (not a direct copy of the bullet points above!) and ensure that their handwriting is neat and correctly punctuated as the flowers will all contribute to a classroom display.

We are looking forward to seeing the finished flowers and you will be able to see them on display during our next Sharing Friday.

I will be holding a meeting for parents to give an outline of the trip and answer any questions/concerns you might have.

Venue : Year 5 Class

Date : Tuesday 7th May

Time : 6 pm.

Hope to see you there. If you are unable to attend, please feel free to see me for clarification on any issue. I will put any materials used for the meeting on the Year 5 web page.

In the meantime, please complete the health /diet questionaire that your child will collect on Monday and return to me as soon as possible.

Thank you for your support,

Mr Creaton

The children had a great time on Red Nose Day. They donated money to come into school dressed in red and shared a red snack together while wearing their red noses.

As part of their maths learning, the children found as many different ways as they could to pay for a £1.25 red nose. We also looked at the Comic Relief website and thought about the good that would be done as a result of their donations.

The children ended the morning by writing messages of thanks to our classroom cleaner Mandie, who has been working at St. Adrian’s for over ten years. They were very pleased to be able to give Mandie their messages, best wishes and a gift later in the day. Thank you once again Mandie.

On Friday, Year 1 and Year 5 paired up to share their favourite stories. It was lovely to hear the children reading aloud and enjoying each other’s books!

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As part of our design and technology topic, linking to our animals topic in science and toys topic in history, the children have started to design their own hand puppets. The children will need to be able to sew two pieces of fabric together and so we practised this skill yesterday with a big, plastic needle. The children realised that it was trickier than it looked, but persevered with the result of some great running stitches!

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