Eagle Owls

Can you believe we are halfway through the year already! We ended this half term with a lovely Day of Calm run by our School Sports Partnership, Suzy. She taught different techniques that will help our pupils with wellbeing and good mental health. They ranged from free drawing to different musical tracks, breathing techniques, Tai Chi and slow careful movements to focus the mind away from worries, listening very carefully to a sound until it can’t be heard any longer and laying still with concentration on our surroundings and own breathing. We value skills for life and hope that our pupils can take something away from their session today, that may help them to find a calm inner peace and to support in times of anxiety.

Barn Owls and Eagle Owls enjoyed a Fantastic Forces Science workshop with Dr Cato where they explored forces as scientists and engineers. There were hands on activities as well as demonstrations that appeared to be magic! Don’t be surprised if they challenge you at home to one or two things from this great afternoon of science enrichment.

In Eagle Owls, pupils tested different surfaces for friction acting on a trainer with a spring balance, testing frictional force. The topic is Forces and involves lots of learning outside the classroom.

Eagle Owls are developing their skills in gymnastics, working in pairs or small groups. Year 5 are focussing on Matching and Mirroring, with the added dimension of trying to find contrasting shapes this week. They work so well together and have lots of fun.

Year 6 are focussing on Tension and Counter-Tension and are challenging themselves to create balances using the apparatus. They show high levels of skill and think through the shapes they create, involving trust and communication to hold the balances.

In Music this term, Eagle Owls are using technology to create a Hip Hop sound track all of their own. We first learnt what Hip Hop is and then are gradually laying down tracks simultaneously so that they blend together to make a musical track that the pupils have created independently. They are all so individual and all equally good! Have a listen to some of their tracks below.

Eagle Owls also enjoyed another active living history day – with their Viking day to end this part of their history topic. They came in some amazing outfits and home made shields and weapons – thank you to the parents who supported our history days! We made Viking food from viking recipes – Rye Bread, Soda Bread, Cheese and Leek pie and blueberry batter pudding.

Then the children met their Viking visitor who read from a Viking poem, telling of the creation of Viking society. We had our very own God – Rig – who visited many different Viking houses and 9 moons later a new baby arrived to start the classes – Jarls, Karls and Thralls. They had most unusual names!

They were also able to handle Viking materials such as cloth, trade materials and weapons. Those who wanted to could try some non- alcoholic mead from a horn!  It was a great day!

The whole school collaborated for a Church art project making lanterns. It was a lovely afternoon.

Eagle Owls continue to learn about how to read music and play increasingly more complicated tunes. This week they have been given the challenge of learning Silent Night on the recorder, if they would like to, to play in the Christmas production!

Eagle Owls have begun reading How To Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell – we are finding it very amusing, and also noting how different the direction of the movie went!

This week Eagle Owls started to use our Orienteering course that we have now set up on school grounds. They used the map to orientate themselves and the things that they could see, in order to find a set of controls that would lead them to a code name. They enjoyed the activity and did a lot of running!