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Newsletter No: 27 Friday, 14th May 2021 quarters of UK children spend less time outside than prison inmates - so there can hardly be a bigger argument for taking learning outdoors. Learning outdoors can also inspire kids to become physically active in their spare time and this a great tool in fighting against the risk of childhood obesity. Outdoor learning vs screen-time
It's been so wonderful to see the way the children have engaged with our various activities around #mentalhealthawarenessweek. The main focus for the campaign this year has been on getting out into nature, and whilst this is something that always forms part of our daily life at school, it's been brilliant to see the extra spotlight on it over the last few days. The children have enjoyed using natural dyes in forest school to make bunting, participated in a gender equality boot camp experiment, made transient art with flowers, leaves, pebbles and twigs, baked flatbreads over a fire, taken off their shoes and socks to connect with the earth under their feet, done outdoor phonics, climbed trees and built dens and played on the new Reception building equipment and much more.
The powerful combination of a diversity of play experiences and direct contact with nature has direct benefits for children’s physical, mental and emotional health. Free play opportunities in natural settings offer possibilities for restoration, and hence, well-being.
We probably all have a faint idea that’s it good to be outside, and not stuck indoors. After all, it’s something our parents have drilled into all of us. There are real physiological, social and academic benefits to taking learning outside, just as there are drawbacks to not doing so.
Outdoor learning improves behaviour
Children work better in groups when they are outside and have a fuller sense of freedom. Collaboration outdoors can improve emotional, intellectual and behavioural development. Those learning outdoors develop their creativity, problem-solving, independence and confidence.
Outdoor learning connects us to nature
Outdoor learning gives children a love and appreciation of our natural surroundings Many academic studies have connected outdoor learning and play to instilling a sense of civic duty in young people, also feeding into a sense of place in their community. One report notes that “Playful, experiential and interactive contact with nature in childhood is directly correlated with positive environmental sensibility and behaviour in later life.”
It probably goes without saying, but getting outdoors provides a refreshing new setting - providing a bit of variety to the monotony of the four classroom walls. Outdoor learning encourages Outdoor learning improves personal children to be more well-mannered, child development tolerant and polite with each other.
Outdoor learning improves children’s health
Outdoor learning can improve our wellbeing - physical, mental and emotional.
Humans have a natural and innate desire to seek connection with nature. When we are deprived of these opportunities, negative outcomes can follow. This can include diminished use of the senses, difficulties with paying attention and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, children are exploring and interacting with the surrounding natural environment less often. In fact, three-
As parents, many of us struggle to find a balance between engagement with technology and healthy activities away from screens. Children who spend long, regular periods playing online games such as Fortnite, which has a PEGI age rating of 12 in the UK, can show increased aggression and difficulty concentrating. Research at the California State University indicates that in excessive users of the game, ‘the amygdala-striatal system – the impulsive section of the brain – was smaller and more sensitive in addicted players / users, in order to process the stimuli of games faster.’ The risk factors are higher for younger children, whose brains are still developing and whose reward system develops at a faster rate than their self-control system. There is plenty of evidence that appropriate online gaming has social and problem-solving skills benefits for children and gaming is certain to be a part of their lives in a way that it wasn’t for previous generations. If we aim to incorporate screen-time appropriate to the age and stage of the individual child and with an eye on online safety into a wide range of activities, structured and unstructured, indoors and importantly, outdoors, we can offer our children the most valuable opportunities for healthy development and wellbeing. As well as getting out into nature, we all know the positive impact that sport and
physical activity has on all of us. I particularly enjoyed seeing a link to this article on twitter in the New York Times, which gets under the bonnet in terms of the connection between exercise and purpose in life, underscoring the virtuous circle between physical activity and psychological wellbeing. https:// www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/well/move/ exercise-mental-health-flourishing.html I've also attached this really great resource for outdoor wellbeing games and activities, some of which we have tried out this week in school: https:// cdn.naturalresources.wales/ media/691058/activities-and-games-health -and-well-being.pdf and some research on the benefits of nature for children and adults https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/ documents/noticing-nature-report-feb2020.pdf •
https://childmind.org/article/ parents-guide-dealing-fortnite/
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https://www.pocket-lint.com/ games/news/144125-whatparents-need-to-know-aboutfortnite
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https:// www.digitalawarenessuk.com/ schools
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ news/2018/06/12/addictivevideo-games-may-changechildrens-brains-way-drugs/
Best wishes for a lovely weekend,
Notice Board MUSICAL NOTES Reception have been busy developing their chime bar skills this week. They have landed on their treasure island and are learning a new song to sing and play. Next week we are going to see if we can find where the treasure is hidden! Year 1 had a fantastic rehearsal for their concert earlier this week. 1E were amazing singing the harmony line in Drunken Sailor and I still can’t quite believe how good all
the recorder players are! It promises to be a fabulous concert! Year 2 have had fun with Jaba Jaba Djembe and have really got to grips with playing the drums together as a team. Year 3 have had their first lesson on their new set of instruments. 3C impressed me with their string playing; they were able to recall the notes of the strings and played Jig together, all in 40 minutes!
REGUGEE APPEAL Miss Evans would like to ask if anyone has any donations for three refugee families that her Mum is currently working with. They have arrived with nothing apart from the clothes they are wearing so anything would be gratefully received. They are hoping to be housed shortly and would also be grateful for any household items. If anyone has any unwanted toys or clothes for children then please see below for details:
Family 1:
Family 2:
Family 3:
Son age 12
Daughter age 13
Son age 9
Son age 14
Son age 11
Son age 6
Daughter age 9
Daughter age 8
Daughter age 4
Daughter age 3
house points trophy
Notice Board WALMGATE (LAST WEEK’S WINNERS)
MONK
learning superheroes •Charlotte W (RA)
•George P (1E)
•Lexie L (3C)
•Zachariah C (RA)
•Oliver T-P (1J)
•Rafe L (3M)
•Elizabeth B(RC)
•Alexei S (2H)
•Charlie H (3S)
•Charlie C (1C)
•Edmund F (2J)
•Raif E (3S)
value champions •Oscar P-B (RA)
•Sepehr A (1E)
•Seb B (2J)
•Zachary W-Q (RA)
•Rosamund G (1J)
•Maddie M (3C)
•David L (RC)
•Harry S (2H)
•Leo H (3M)
•Savannah H (1C)
•Joseph A (2H)
•Siena B (3S)
PE award •Owen F (1J) •Sam H (1C)
Music award •Georgia V (RA)
•Joy Elise McA (3C) •Kalina K (1J)
Reception have proved themselves to be PE superstars so far this term! In their Games lessons, they have been working on their teamwork. Over the past few weeks, we have been working on trust, working in pairs to guide one another through an obstacle course. To challenge the children further and test their partnership and trust, we then blindfolded one of the children, constraining them to rely fully on their partner to lead them through the obstacles using verbal
instruction along with physical guidance. We have also been focusing this week on relay skills. The children listened well to instructions to understand the rules of a relay race. They also demonstrated excellent concentration and teamwork in remembering whose turn it was to run next in their team. It was brilliant to see all the children cheering on their teammates and working together to complete the relay quickly!
developing their ability to roll a ball with accuracy. After discussing the points of the ‘crocodile snap’ technique, the children practiced rolling their ball using their ‘crocodile snap’ before chasing it and stopping it with their hands. Once the children were able to perform a straight roll, we introduced a target line, which the children aimed to roll and stop their ball on. The target allowed the children to develop their ability to adjust the power with which they rolled the ball In their Core PE lessons, in order to improve their the children have been
PE accuracy. Finally, the children then progressed their rolling skill further, working with a partner to perform an accurate roll to each other using the ‘crocodile snap technique’. It was very encouraging to see lots of powerful and straight rolls being performed! Well done Reception!
PE
ACORNS
"Children learn as they play. Most importantly in play, children learn how to learn."
CONKERS
Hi de hi Happy Campers! This week our holiday travels have taken the Conkers off to the world of camping!
RECEPTION This week has been an incredibly special week in Reception. Enormous boxes were delivered into the Reception’s outside playground. This sparked many questions about what may be inside? Why were some boxes bigger than other? Could they be moved? All was revealed when the first box was opened… we had some new outdoor blocks that can be rotated, slotted together and stacked higher than us! The level of excitement went through the roof! The children did not waste anytime as they began their building! Large 3D structures were created from trains and houses to cars and camps! Other resources have been incorporated to enhance this play such as desk chairs, materials, crates and much more! The children’s collaborative skills and team work were just incredible to see! (And of course, safety helmets were worn too!) As we strongly believe in re-using in the Early Years, we did not let those enormous boxes go to waste! The children have been busy making a cardboard city! The design skills were excellent! This week is Mental Health week with a special emphasis on Nature and Reception truly embraced this on Tuesday afternoon! The children whipped their shoes off and became free to connect and feel the world beneath their feet! We took part in a relaxing yoga session with Mrs Coyle and ran freely with the grass in our toes! We used lots of transient art resources to make nature pictures on the grass and also not forgetting how we watched the shapes of the clouds pass us by! To keep this theme going throughout the week, the children have began to
plant up our new snipping garden in the mud kitchen. Lots of new herbs have been beautifully planted and watered with such nurture and care. Hopefully we will be able to see them grow throughout the rest of the year! As well as the special delivery of new building blocks, the Reception children received some caterpillars! We are very excited to see and discover the changes in the life cycle of a caterpillar over the next coming weeks. We know that we have such caring children who will take great care of the caterpillars when they live with us! Deep in the forest on Thursday afternoon, the Reception children began to explore dyeing fabrics using natural resources such as petals. The children had to work their muscles as they used a hammer to push the colour out of the natural resources. Endurance and perseverance was most certainly needed and demonstrated by all! Together the children created the most beautiful nature bunting in the forest to celebrate the Mental Health Nature week. In the theme of shops that has blossomed recently, a pop up Toy Shop appeared in our classroom! Lots of children have made several purchases from the shop! Money and coins have been carefully counted to pay the correct amount but also due to current Covid restrictions, lots of children have enjoyed paying contactless with endless bank accounts! And finally, we have also been looking at gender stereotypes. The children decided whether they thought a job was a ‘male’ or ‘female’ job – or if it was a job that anyone could do! To start with the children decided that jobs such as builder or police officer were typically male jobs however after a fantastic discussion the children discovered that there is no such thing as male and female jobs and that anyone can do any job they want! What a fantastic week!
RECEPTION
YEAR 1
A brilliant week in Year 1. We started the week on a musical note as we spent the afternoon practicing for our upcoming school concert. We are so excited for you to 'virtually' see what musical delights we have in store for you. On Tuesday afternoon we managed to avoid the rain and had a fire down at forest schools. Some of us made flatbreads and cooked them on an open fire. They were delicious. We also
climbed trees, built dens, and played with our friends. We have had so many adventures so far this term and we love travelling around Asia. We have been making delicious curry pastes in provision and taste testing them. Some were just a little spicy! We have also been writing questions to ask an Elephant Sanctuary in Phuket and finding out more about how we can be conscious travellers. We are looking forward to their reply. Next week is STEM week and we have lots of exciting plans, we can't wait!
YEAR 1
We have been learning all about the Nice Numerator and the Demon Denominator this week in Year 2 as we have been working on fractions! Mrs Hall’s saying of ‘1 part of something which has been cut (equally!) into 2! ’ means one half and we have said it over and over again for all the fractions that we have been learning! We have looked at fractions of shape and of quantities and, as always, used our equipment to prove our learning! Our writing project on Bagheera’s escape from the cage he is in, based on ‘Into the Jungle’ by Katherine Rundell, has reached its final stages and, as I write this, I know that there will be some gripping stories written called ‘Escape!’ on Friday. We have continued to use our collage skills to make another illustration for our story, this time showing Bagheera happily in the jungle, surrounded by flowers and leaves. It has been really interesting to work with the children on editing skills, something that even grown-ups find really challenging!
Please could Year 2 bring in a clear glass jar with a lid, label removed, for a science activity on Thursday 20th? Thank you.
Our IT skills were in full use on Thursday when we worked collaboratively to use apps to make an information poster of Madagascar and in science we learnt about food chains. The thunderclouds on Monday afternoon stayed away long enough for us to enjoy some time down at Forest School. We cut out leaf shapes- very tricky with no pencil drawing beforehand!- finished our King Julian crowns and made special nature frames to photograph the beautiful plants and flowers busy growing at this time of year. In between all of this learning, Mrs Hall and Miss J have been going through all of the wonderful games available online through ICT games, maths and English. We use these games in class frequently to consolidate our learning and the children love them. They are appropriate for our age and even Mrs Hall and Miss J secretly play them when the children aren’t around! Here is the link if your child wants to play at home… https://www.ictgames.com/
YEAR 2
YEAR 3
What an incredible week in Turkey we have had in Year 3! After we sailed across the Black Sea, we eventually made it to Turkey and headed straight for the breathtaking region of Cappadocia! We learnt about the history of Cappadocia, discovering how it was formed and learning about its underground cities! Did you know that the region was formed 60 million years ago by the erosion of soft layers of lava and ash from different volcanoes in addition to wind and rain over millions of years? Incredible! On Wednesday we had another carousel of exciting activities based on our learning. We worked collaboratively in pairs to create iMovie’s all about Cappadocia with Ms Collins, we used pastels and black card to create a silhouette style piece of art with Mrs Salisbury and we baked some delicious Un Kurabiyesi biscuits with Miss Murray. We
then spent the rest of the week looking at the stunning architecture, famous buildings and attractions in Turkey, as well as exploring religion. We used questioning to develop our knowledge and understanding of different faiths and looked at life in a different culture. In Maths we have moved on to working with division and remainders! After developing our understanding of dividing, we learnt the bus stop method which enabled us to work on division with BIG numbers! We are looking forward to continuing this next week and challenging ourselves further with tricky problem solving. Finally, we have been celebrating Mental Health awareness week by taking part in little activities and using nature and the world around us to influence and support our wellbeing. Next week we are looking forward to STEM week and can’t wait to see what new challenges await…
YEAR 3
House Art
Competition St Peter’s 2-8 Paint, draw or model your pet, or a pet you wish you could have and enter it into our first House Art Competition! Named entries in to Mrs Hall by 19th May with winners chosen for each house in each year group. There will be an exhibition for all entrants after the competition has closed!
!!Please note– no photographs this time!!
COLLECTION DAY
Friday 18th June 2021 Bring in your bags of unwanted items and raise money for charity!
YES to all of these:Clothes
Paired shoes (tied)
Jewellery
Handbags
Socks and tights
Hats
Belts
Scarves and Ties
Lingerie
Curtains Bed Linen
Household Linen
Towels
(But NOT Duvets, blankets, pillows or cushions)
NO to all of these:Duvets, blankets, pillows and cushions
Textile off-cuts
Carpets, rugs and mats
Soiled, painted, ripped or wet clothing
SCHOOL UNIFORMS
Corporate clothing
Toys
COLLECTION DAYS Nursery – Monday 14th June Reception – Tuesday 15th June Year 1 – Wednesday 16th June
Year 2 – Thursday 17th June Year 3 - Friday 18th June 2021
The Collection Point for Bag2School will be behind the Nursery/ Hope House building, at the Friends of St Peters 2-8 shed.
Just follow the A-board signs, queue up at 2m intervals and use the one-way system in place, to ensure we abide by strict social distancing guidelines. If you miss your year group’s day, don’t worry, you can drop off on another day, but we are just trying to keep as socially distanced as possible.
Thank you Friends of St Peter’s 2-8
Sport and Cricket Camps @ St Peter’s School Sports £35
Cricket £25
1st – 4th June
per day
per day
• DODGEBALL • FOOTBALL • •DIAMOND CRICKET • BENCHBALL • • OLYMPICS ASSAULT COURSE • • FLOOR GYMNASTICS • AND SO MUCH MORE ...
PE Qualified level teachers, ches 3 ECB coa nding and outsta facilities
• BATTING • • BOWLING • FIELDING • • WICKETKEEPING • KWIK CRICKET • • DIAMOND CRICKET • • CENTIPEDE CRICKET • • PAVILION CRICKET • NETS • • ASHES • BOWLING MACHINE • AND SO MUCH MORE...
For bookings and further schedule information please use https://alloutcricketcoaching.class4kids.co.uk
All Out Cricket Coaching @AOCC3camps www.alloutcricketcoaching.co.uk Ofsted inspection passed April 2018 (URN: RP906899) Childcare vouchers accepted
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