Head teacher blog 5/2/16
Star Wars came to Year 6 this morning! Desperate to enliven what might have been, frankly, a rather dull series of lessons on the use of active and passive verbs, the staff devised a morning on a Star Wars theme to deliver the learning in a much more engaging way. Some staff don’t need too much persuasion to get dressed up and the children joined in the fun – although a Star Wars branded onesie was pushing it! Meanwhile, Year 3 have been clogging up the Number 72 bus service as they have all been to Leeds City Museum for a workshop to support their work on Ancient Egypt – it is important to get out and about to enhance the curriculum and also give all children the experience of public transport.
On Tuesday Year 3 performed their African drums for all of Key Stage 2. They have been playing for the past 10 weeks and were proud to show off their skills. As well as developing rhythm, the children have really had to learn to concentrate hard, show self-discipline and listen carefully. This new initiative has been a great success and many thanks go to Ms Howells and, especially, parent volunteer Graeme Naysmith who has supported all these lessons so brilliantly. On Wednesday, we sent some children to an after-school tennis competition. All the children competed well, and the Y5 boys have progressed to the next round as their group winners.
On a much sadder note, this week our thoughts have been with two other schools in Leeds where tragedy has struck. On Tuesday, Whingate Primary School was closed for the day to mark the funeral of a child who died very suddenly – an unimaginable, heart-breaking loss. This was followed by the appalling murders in Allerton Bywater in which two children lost their young lives. I trust that the school involved is being supported through what must be a really, really difficult time. Domestic violence is a huge issue across Leeds* (and the country) and I am sure that there will be need to be a thorough investigation to see if lessons can be learned. If you or anyone you know are suffering domestic violence or abuse, there is help out there. For advice, you could speak to our Children’s Centre (ask for Vicky Evans) or follow this link. A full list of services available, including services that can help abusers address their behaviour, can be found below.
* There was also what appears to have been a DV murder in Idle this week, leaving a toddler orphaned.
