Our School Councillors:

Ted

Ophelia

Our Eco Councillors:

Maizie

Flynn

Congratulations to these children for taking on their new roles.

English - 16.04.24

In English this half-term, the children are learning how to write a persuasive advert. They have learnt about a product called Stroodles (a biodegradable pasta straw) and will be promoting this product in their writing. We have tested the benefits of Stroodles by comparing paper straws with pasta when drinking. The children were also happy that they could eat the pasta afterwards!

Science - 16.04.2024

This half-term, the children are learning about the digestive system as a part of our animals and humans topic. The children have had great fun creating their own digestive system by pushing food through a pair of tights. Lovely experimenting Potter class! 

Eid - 12.04.2024

In order to celebrate Eid, the children have been colouring and designing hanging decorations to display in our classroom. It has been wonderful to hear the joyous times our Muslim children have had at this time of year. Happy Eid everyone! 

21.03.24 - Behaviour Champion Trip

Congratulations to this term's behaviour champions! The trip to Haden Hill Park was lots of fun for these children. 

15.03.24 - RE

In RE, we have learnt the story of Palm Sunday. The children have enjoyed acting out the story and enhancing their drama skills. Good work Potter class! 

12.03.24 - Science

This week in science, we have been learning about natural geysers. We have experimented with coke, mentos and bicarbonate of soda to create our own geysers. The children were fascinated and shocked by the huge explosions they caused. It was lots of fun!

British Science Week - 04.03.24

This year's theme for British Science Week is 'time'. Potter class have been investigating life cycles from the past (dinosaurs) all the way up to present day. They have really enjoyed themselves and learnt many facts and theories. 

On Monday, we investigated how dinosaurs became extinct. The children researched various theories and we conducted a debate where the children presented their arguments. 

On Tuesday, the children designed a dinosaur's nest to protect some... dinosaur eggs! They loved placing and arranging the sticks, moss, grasses, ferns and heather in the nest. We considered structure, safety and camouflage. They wanted to make it especially safe and comfortable for the baby dinos. There was a lovely surprise at the end of the week when the dinosaur egg hatched!!!

On Wednesday, the children had the opportunity to watch a science show in the hall. They were fascinated by the demonstrations!

After this, we cracked open some chicken eggs to discover the contents of an egg. We then labelled a diagram of an egg using the scientific terminology that we had learnt. Very impressive Potter class!

On Thursday, the children learnt about the life cycle of a turtle. They enjoyed seeing a video of baby turtles hatching from the nest and making their way towards the sea. The children completed a cut and stick activity, showing the stages of the turtle's life cycle. They also made notes on what they have learnt. Well done Potter class!

Finally, on Friday, the children learnt about metamorphosis. We used insects and frogs as examples of this process. The children looked at comparisons between their life cycles. Then, we created habitat representations of where turtles, frogs and caterpillars would lay their eggs. They had a lot of fun with designing the different habitats. The results were amazing! Potter class made a real effort, well done everyone!

Book Swap Shop - 28.02.2024

The children have enjoyed swapping their old books for new ones at the 'book swap shop', which is run by our PTA on a Wednesday.  

Any unwanted books can be brought in by the children on a Wednesday so that they can swap them for new ones. It is wonderful to see these old books being given new life and enabling our children to read for pleasure.

Chinese New Year

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the children engaged with some mindfulness colouring around this theme. The children had a lot of fun using bright colours for these intricate designs. 

Science - 08.02.2024

In science, the children have been investigating the melting point of ice. We considered how different temperatures affect ice by putting ice in different environments, e.g. the freezer. See below a picture of the ice that we kept in the classroom. We observed this ice throughout the day to see what happened to it. Of course, it melted by the middle of the day. The children were very excited to see how quickly the ice would melt.

PSHE - 06.02.2024

This week, the children have been creating potato people in PSHE. They considered what dreams and goals their potato people might have. As part of a competition, the children tried to make their potato person as funny as possible. It was very difficult to select a winner, as they were all very funny indeed. However, after much consideration, the winner of the funniest potato person was Drew! Congratulations! I particularly loved the eyes on springs - it was very original. The potato person is now proudly presented in our PSHE floorbook. A huge well done to the rest of the class for creating such wonderful designs. Some of the designs are shown below.

Children's Mental Health Week

To celebrate Children's Mental Health Week, the children have been completing wellbeing activities in the morning. The theme this year is 'My Voice Matters'. We have discussed what is meant by mental health and why it is so important to us. We have also considered the importance of speaking our minds, as well as how everyone is entitled to an opinion and deserves to be heard.  

A Visit from our Local MP

On the 26th January 2024, our local MP, Mr James Morris came to visit our school in response to the letters the children sent for Call to Earth Day. The children had the opportunity to ask him many questions in relation to his job and our local environment. Well done Potter class for asking such thought-provoking questions!

Science - 25.01.2024

The children have had loads of fun in science this week answering the question of 'can raisins dance?' We explored the science behind raisins being added to carbonated drinks and how this differs from when they are placed in still water. See the pictures of our experiment below. The children were mesmerised by their up and down movement in the drink!

Music - 22.01.2024

This term, the children are continuing to develop their skills with glockenspiels. They are getting really good at playing the different notes. Well done Potter class!

Breakfast with Santa - 19.12.2023

Today, the children had breakfast with Santa. They were very excited to meet him! Santa delivered some presents to Potter class which the children took home. We enjoyed some yummy croissants and pancakes with orange juice. 

Behaviour Champions - 14.12.2023

A huge well done to our behaviour champions who have demonstrated excellent behaviour throughout the term! Here are photos of some of our behaviour champions having fun.

DT - 04.12.2023

This week, the children made date flapjacks as a part of our Egyptian feast. The children thought that they were delicious and asked for seconds! 

DT - 27.11.2023

This week, we have made Baba Ganoush as a part of our Egyptian Feast. The children were very excited to try new flavours. Great cooking Potter class!

21.11.2023 - Science

This week we have made string telephones to learn about how sound travels. It has helped us to understand about the different mediums that sound can travel through and the vibrations that cause sound.

Road Safety Week - 20/11/2023

This week is Road Safety Week and the children have been learning how to keep themselves safe when crossing the road. We have specifically focused on road safety where bicycles are concerned as many of our children ride bikes. There was a lot of discussion around the importance of wearing protective headgear and bright clothing to ensure that drivers can see us. Furthermore, we debated the importance of drivers keeping to the speed limit in the local area.

After this, the children completed a reading comprehension for Road Safety Week. Well done Potter Class!

DT

In DT this half-term, we are planning and creating our own Egyptian style dish.

Today, we had a taster day where we evaluated different 'traditional Egyptian' ingredients to decide which we like and dislike. All of the children did really well trying new foods, including dates, melon, olives, cucumber, flat bread and aubergine.

Anti-Bullying Week - 13/11/2023

This week the children have completed a variety of tasks concerning anti-bullying and how to be kind.

We have discussed how we can protect ourselves from people who are unkind and what to do if we see someone else being bullied.

On Monday, we participated in Odd Sock Day! Many of us came to school in odd socks to promote inclusivity and celebrate the diversity within our school. Then, we all created our own odd sock to remind us of how we can all be kind and protect each other.

On Tuesday, we discussed the concern around the word 'banter' and how this word can be used as an excuse to be unkind. We debated how 'banter' can go too far and cause other people to feel upset.

We had some thought-provoking discussions and everyone was keen to share their ideas about how we can be kinder to each other. Well done Potter Class!

Remembrance Day

On Friday 10th November 2023, the children took part in a Remembrance Day lesson to help us remember the war veterans from World War I. We discussed why we have Remembrance Sunday and how people remember the soldiers who sadly lost their lives in the war. The children engaged with activities such as designing their own medals and completing word searches using key vocabulary. They produced some very colourful and interesting designs. Well done Year 4!

Diwali

On Friday 10th November 2023, the children learnt about the celebration of Diwali - the festival of light. This allowed the children to revise the story of Rama and Sita. The children really enjoyed creating their own Rangoli patterns and Mehndi designs as shown below. 

Call to Earth Day - 08/11/2023

The children created their own letters to send to James Morris, our local MP. This letter outlined how we can improve the Old Hill area in order for it to be more environmentally friendly. The children made suggestions as to how he can help, such as planting more trees. The children are really hoping for a response back to our letters. Good luck Potter Class!

Parliament Week - 06/11/2023

This week, the children have been learning about the government and how they run our country. This has included understanding how parliament is structured, how old the children would need to be in order to vote and the name of their local MP, James Morris. We reminded ourselves of the British Values throughout this lesson. 

Mental Health Awareness Week 20/10/2023

During Mental Health Awareness week, the children created some lovely posters to promote talking about mental health and who can help us to discuss our emotions. They learnt who we all need to contact should we need support.

Religious Education

The Vicar's Visit 05/10/2023

The local vicar from Holy Trinity Church came to visit Year 4 to discuss his beliefs and what a day in the life of a church leader looks like. The children were able to ask lots of interesting questions.

Black History Month

The theme of Black History Month this year is 'celebrating our sisters'. Therefore, we have explored the achievements of famous black women who have made positive changes to our world. The children have also had the opportunity to design their own carnival masks and colour in flags.

Languages Day 26/09/2023

On the 26th September, we celebrated Languages Day. Mr Rauh came in to teach us the story of Sleeping Beauty through the use of a German song. The children really enjoyed dressing up and acting out this song with gestures.

Roald Dahl Day - 13/09/2023

On Wednesday 13th September, we celebrated Roald Dahl Day! The children learnt about Roald Dahl's life and we designed our own chocolate bars. This was inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

There were some very inventive ideas! Great work Potter Class!

In our English lessons, we have been using our new English scheme called 'The Write Stuff' and we have been asking the question 

'Should Social Media be banned for under 13s?'

In Maths, we are learning how to use the

standard method of multiplication.

Over the next few weeks, before Autumn Term 2,

we will focus on the Gate Method for division.

Times Table Rockstar champion!

Remember to go on TTR's twice a week and build up your coins! 

Tuesday 24^th October 2023

Burglar Alarm and Clown Toy

Today, we had a letter from an electrician who asked the children to design and build a burglar alarm that could be used in people’s houses. They used their background knowledge of circuits and conductors/insulators to produce these, and even incorporated their own foil switch. The children really enjoyed creating their burglar alarms. Surprisingly, they tested them on our classroom doors!

Furthermore, some children created a clown toy with a light-up nose and spinning bow-tie. These were made by making a circuit, using bulbs for the light-up nose and motors to enable the bow-tie to spin. The children were especially interested when seeing the spinning bow-tie. They could not wait to design and colour the clown's face.