Exploring our city

On Wednesday, we went into town to explore what the city centre has to offer. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed discovering new things in familiar surroundings, such as the gargoyles on the cathedral and the gold state at the top of the Town Hall.

We spotted the Women of Steel statue outside the City Hall and looked at art, old and new, in the Millennium Gallery and Graves Gallery.

After lunch in the Peace Gardens, we conducted surveys to find out what people think of Sheffield. The children were wonderfully polite when they approached members of the public and many people commented how well behaved they were.

It was really interesting to see all of the amazing attractions Sheffield has to offer and we’re looking forward to writing about them next week.

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Calendar News

Just a brief mention on Calendar news but here is a clip sent in by one of our parents if you missed it!

We Dance Meet Up

On Tuesday, we went down to Herries Lodge to meet the residents and perform for them.  As we entered the lounge, the children sang ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, which the residents loved.

We listened to poetry, performed the dance we have been practising and chatted with the residents.  I was incredibly proud of the polite and friendly attitudes all of our children showed, they are a credit to the values of our school!

Unveiling the new library

This morning, Y4 were joined by Alan MacDonald, author of the Dirty Bertie books.  We went down to the hall, where he taught us how to draw Bertie, then he set us the challenge of creating a new book for the series.  We created the front cover and wrote the blurb in the hope that he might use one of them in his next book!  We had Dirty Bertie: Love, Dirty Bertie: Pizza, Dirty Bertie: Prom and even Dirty Bertie: Egg.

Later on, the Lord Mayor of Sheffield visited school.  She spoke to us in assembly and two children from each class had the chance to see her cutting the ribbon to unveil our wonderful new library!  Mr Smith worked extremely hard to select books to suit everyone so we hope you will enjoy and cherish them.

A Fabulous Finish to our Autumn Term!

We had a lovely afternoon sharing our learning in Y4.

Firstly, the Y2s came to listen to our Dragon Poems. They sat with different children, whilst they shared their learning from the term. Both sets of children were a credit to themselves; presenting confidently and listening attentively.

Then our families came in to take a look. The children read poems, chatted about their learning, presented their poetry books and served biscuits. It was fantastic to see so many families popping in and I’m sure they were all impressed!

We also had a bit of a poetry competition with ‘What am I?’ poems about Christmas animals. There were some excellent entries so we’ll let the children judge them tomorrow!

Hotshots Basketball

Two teams of Y4s took part in a Hotshots Basketball Tournament this afternoon at Parkwood Academy.  We played a series of 3.5 minute games against teams from St Catherines, Pathways and Byron Wood.

It took the first game to warm us up but after that, the matches became quick and exciting with shots at both ends.  All of the children were involved in the play and quite a few of them scored, despite the nets being so high!

The third round was a match between Mr Tompkinson’s class and Miss Wood’s class. It was very tense but Miss Wood’s scored to win the game.

In the end, Mr Tompkinson’s came joint fifth place, while Miss Wood’s came second, putting them through to the final in January!  We’d like to say a big well done to all of the children who took part.  They encouraged each other wonderfully and had a fantastic afternoon of sport!

The Mystery of the Stolen Crown

It was an extremely eventful day in Y4 yesterday!  We came back from social time to find the classroom in a complete mess, with police tape everywhere.

We discovered that there had been an intruder, who had stolen the precious Viking crown! The valuable golden crown had been handed down over the years from the famous Viking warrior, Sigurd Iron-Beard of Shirecliffe.  Immediately, we called in PC Rich, who secured the crime scene and began hunting for clues.

Mr Tompkinson was the number one suspect because he was seen acting suspiciously over social time and there was blood found on his gloves and coffee cup (we think the criminal cut themselves climbing through the window).  

PC Rich took DNA samples from Mr Tompkinson but in the meantime, he was arrested on suspicion of theft.

Watch this space to see what happens next, we will keep you informed of any updates!

Bringing Beowulf to Life!

Having written some fantastic stories inspired by the Saxon story of Beowulf, we practised reading them dramatically this morning.  The children created a rubric for what makes a good performance and critiqued each other in partners.  They commented on use of voice (high, low, quiet, loud), actions and pauses to add tension.  

It was amazing to see our children bringing their stories to life and encouraging each other to make them even better.

Here’s a few videos of the children who performed for the class: 

Beowulf Story from Natasha Wood on Vimeo.

Beowulf Story from Natasha Wood on Vimeo.

Beowulf Story from Natasha Wood on Vimeo.

Beowulf Story from Natasha Wood on Vimeo.

Beowulf Story from Natasha Wood on Vimeo.

Beowulf Story from Natasha Wood on Vimeo.

Beowulf Story from Natasha Wood on Vimeo.

Making Lanterns

We had some special guests from ‘Friends of Parkwood Springs’ yesterday.  Y4 were chosen once again to help create lanterns to use in the Beacons Lantern Parade this Saturday.  We began by bending willow into the shape of a dragon’s spine, then got very messy covering it with gluey tissue paper and decorations.  I can’t wait to see the finished product, it’s going to be huge! We also helped to cover two badgers, which will be displayed on the route around the procession.

It would be fantastic to see as many families as possible on Saturday.  We are gathering at 5.30 and the procession will begin at 5.45, led by Sheffield Samba Band.  Look out for me and other Watercliffe folk as we’ll try to get a group together to represent the school (and share carrying those enormous lanterns!)

Here’s a link to the Friends of Parkwood Springs page if you want any more information.

The Legend of Beowulf

The epic story of Beowulf was the first recorded story in British history and is one of the most famous Anglo Saxon tales.  The Y4s brought it to life this week by creating freeze frames, saying how each character felt and improvising overheard conversations at key moments in the story.

The children had no trouble showing the dramatic battle between Beowulf and the terrifying monster, Grendel, as you can see below!

Can you match each picture to what happened in the story?  Click here for a quick video if you’re struggling!

We’re moving on to creating our own versions of Beowulf so watch out for some terrifying monsters and fearsome dragons coming your way soon!