Year 2- The Great Big Assembly for Children’s Mental Health Week
Today we watched The Great Big Live Assembly. This week is Children’s Mental Health Week from 3rd - 9th February. The Worship featured Scarlett Archer who presents FYI on Sky TV. Scarlett highlighted how we can show our emotions in a variety of ways. We watched a clip from Inside Out ,the movie which highlights a range of emotions. Our mental health is like Riley’s computer system. It was once seen as difficult to talk about mental health but campaigns are helping to make people more aware of their emotions. We went through scenarios and watched clips from Inside Out to discuss how we feel. This included disgust, anger and joy. We all feel a range of emotions but they can sometimes get out of balance or control and this is when we need help with regulation. The best idea is to talk it out and use the rational thinking parts of our brains. It may be an adult, a friend or even a pet. What can we do to look after our minds? *Think about our feelings *Connect with others *Practice feeling hopeful How can we help a friend if they are feeling upset or struggling? *Just be there as a friend. Talk things through or suggest they can talk to an adult. We then met Daniel, a Ukrainian refugee who discussed his emotions when he first arrived in Britain, compared to how he feels now. his family and his friends were the people who got him through it and made him feel much safer. It was lovely to hear how far Daniel had come, even going to Downing Street to talk about his emotions with the Prime Minister!
Year 3- Class Worship- Know Yourself, Grow Yourself
Year 3 participated in class worship today by joining the live assemblies for Children's Mental Health Week. This year’s theme, "Know Yourself, Grow Yourself," focused on helping children understand their emotions and develop resilience. As part of the session, the children made different facial expressions to show emotions such as anger, shock, and happiness, helping them recognise and understand their feelings to face challenges with courage and hope. Daniel, an 11-year-old refugee from Ukraine, shared his experiences of overcoming trauma and what helped his mental health. We also heard from children in Ghana about their creative approaches to well-being, supported by World Vision. This was a valuable opportunity to show that every child’s story matters and that no one is alone.
Year 3- Science -Why is doing different exercises regularly good for our health?
Today in Science, Year 3 scientists explored the question: Why is doing different exercises regularly good for our health? They discovered how activities like football and swimming benefit the body, while sleep plays a crucial role in supporting the brain. The class also learned that dogs need regular walks and fresh air to stay fit and happy, while giraffes exercise by walking long distances to find food and stretching to reach high branches. This investigation linked well with Children's Mental Health Week, reinforcing the importance of physical activity for both body and mind. Our Science Ambassadors, Cassidy and Naomi, took their roles seriously, proudly wearing their lab coats to support their peers. They provided guidance and assistance to those who needed extra support, ensuring that everyone could engage in the learning and investigation.
Year 1 English- Following Instructions
To kickstart their new English unit on instructional texts, Year One had to listen to a series of instructions and carry them out in order to create and complete an obstacle course. They thoroughly enjoyed this and were very good at it. Year One spotted that instructions contain both time conjunctions and verbs. They will also learn that adverbs can be a useful part of instructional writing too. What a fantastic start to our unit and even better that it was during mental health week as we know how important exercise is to keep us happy and healthy.
Year 6 Class Worship
Year 6’s class worship this week was led by our members of the Wow Group. They did a fantastic job of leading a discussion around the government’s recent decision to promote more educational content on social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. The class talked about the influence that social media can have on us, both positive and negative.
Online Safety: Supporting Children to Develop Emotional Literacy
Big and difficult feelings are part of growing up but they can be easier to handle with guidance and support. This week’s guide and the latest episode of our #WakeUpWednesday podcast offer expert advice on helping youngsters develop emotional literacy. Download here >> https://ow.ly/qUgp50UOPOF Listen here >> https://ow.ly/InKO50UOPOG
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today our Reception children braved the cold and went outside for an observational walk to Jack Keys. We focused on spirituality this week and really focussed on what we could see, hear and smell. We stopped and looked around at all of God's beautiful creations. It was lovely to take a moment to really focus on what is all around us. We had a wonderful afternoon and we were really impressed with the children's resilience with the weather and the amount of walking we did.
Wellbeing Warriors Badge Design Meeting
Today our Wellbeing Warriors had a working lunch, so that we could prepare for the WOW design a badge competition. The children will be launching this in Celebration Worship tomorrow. This years theme is ‘Walk with Joy’ and every child in school will get to design their very own badge for the competition. We want them to be big, bold and colourful. Diversity and originality are key to stand out from the crowd. WOW badges are only 3cm, so simple designs without small details will work best. The Wellbeing Warriors can’t wait to receive and judge the entries, so let’s get cracking!
Online Safety: Health and Fitness Apps
From data privacy worries to potential costs, it’s important to understand the risks posed by fitness apps – especially for younger users. This week’s guide and the latest episode of the #WakeUpWednesday podcast address some concerns around these platforms. Download here >> https://ow.ly/HV3T50UKg31 Listen here >> https://ow.ly/ic8a50UBtAe
Reception: PSHE
Karen from Life Education visited Reception today. She explained how we need food, drink, exercise and sleep to stay healthy. Karen explained how we need to make sure germs don't get in by washing our hands with soap and water. We might need some medicine and we need to ask a grown up. We watched a video of Harold. Before he ate his breakfast, he washed his hands. Karen brought Harold's wash bag to show the children what he uses to keep clean. Harold has a flannel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste. Karen explained how it is very important to brush our teeth at least twice every day. Harold felt a little bit sad. Karen explained that if you feel a bit sad, you could cuddle a toy, play with a friend or talk to someone. Talking really helps when you feel sad and it can help you to feel better. Karen discussed a good bedtime. She explained how it is important to get an early bed time. We then took part in a calm and relaxing activity. At the end, we got to meet Harold, what a treat! Harold sang a song to us all about looking after our bodies and mind. Thanks Karen for a wonderful session.
Online Safety: Tik Tok
With 22% of its billion-strong userbase being between the ages of 13 and 17, the popularity of TikTok among the younger generation is indisputable. Providing entertainment in the form of a stream of short-form video content while allowing its users to post videos of their own the app has skyrocketed to prominence over the last few years, becoming a fixture in young people’s digital lives. Of course, with a platform as popular and gargantuan as TikTok, it can be intimidating trying to figure out how best to safeguard children and young people using the app. That’s why Wake Up Wednesday have released this brand-new guide to TikTok, detailing the main online safety concerns and suggesting strategies to reduce these risks for the app’s younger users.
Reception- Painting the snow with water colours
Whilst the children were junk modelling using water coloured paints, they came up with an idea of painting the snow with the water colours. We decided to get stuck into some child initiated play. The children had so much fun decorating the snow and becoming artists, mixing colours to make new ones and making pictures and patterns on a different texture.