Esther Mahlangu Year 1 children have been looking at the art work of Esther Mahlangu, a South African artist. Mahlangu has a vibrant and distinctive art work which that has patterns which are colourful and geometric. Elements of art Printing Pattern– use a repeated design. Modelling Plasticine and print patterns using tools. Application of skills Use repeating or overlapping shapes. Mimic print from the environment (e.g. wallpapers). Use objects to create prints . Press, roll, rub and stamp to make prints. The children went through the process of : Investigating the patterns Designing & creating Painting Producing a masterpiece

Year 1 have been planting wild flowers and sunflowers in the Prayer Garden. First, Year 1 looked at the life cycle of  flowering seeds. Then we found out about what plants need to grow and be healthy. Finally we learnt about how we can take care of plants to make sure they thrive. Year 1 will now be looking after the plants and waiting for the Prayer Garden to blossom so it can be enjoyed by all!

Year 1 and 2 children had an amazing sports day. They took part in many team activities which included: The egg and spoon race. Running races. Dress the scarecrow. Skipping. Throwing the bean bags. Great fun was had by all!

Year 1 visited the Quayside as part of the the River Tyne Project for their Geography learning. First stop was the Baltic . The children got to enjoy the amazing views of the River Tyne from the viewing platform. They carried out some sketches of what they could see. We then visited the Millennium Bridge. We had a look around the control center . The Bridge Master talked about how the Millennium Bridge opens and closes to let the traffic of people, bikes and boats  go along their journey and across Newcastle Upon Tyne to Gateshead. The children then watched the bridge open and close. Our visit was completed with a picnic along the Quayside! Once back inside the classroom we painted the Tyne Bridge using the inspiration of a local artist called Ben Holland.

Year 1 have been learning all about Toys from the Past as part of our history topic this term. We visited the Discovery Museum to see what we could find out. The children thoroughly enjoyed the visit and were able to talk about all the different toys that they spotted.

What a wonderful visit to ‘The Angel of the North.’ The weather stayed dry and the children were all fantastic. A big thank you to all the volunteers who came along to help us.

Our Nursery families came into school for a Nursery Rhyme stay and play session. We had so much fun singing rhymes together with our parents. Our families then joined us playing with Nursery rhyme activities in the classroom.

In Early Years we have been learning all about minibeasts. We had Animal Antics come to visit us in school. We were very brave and held a range of minibeasts from cockroaches to tarantulas. There was a mixed reaction to the creatures – some children loved them and others were a little unsure, although they were happy to observe them.

Early Years went to visit the Prayer Garden for prayers and quiet reflection time. We saw someone very precious in our box… it was us! We are all precious to God.

In Early Years we had very special visitors… Two Owls called Bracken and Jesse. We found out interesting Owl facts and got to stroke the Barred Owl, Bracken.

This afternoon we gathered to perform music together after the rain prevented us from performing for parents outside. We had a fabulous time.