On Tuesday 11^th February 2020, we marked Safer Internet day with a special assembly and activities in the classroom, designed to help us think and take action towards helping to make a better internet.  We explored issues around identity, understanding the differences between our real-selves and our online identities, which we often present in the form of an avatar.  We discussed the rights and responsibilities of everyone to make and keep the internet a safe place where people are free to be and express themselves appropriately.  We identified our attitudes and behaviours should be the same whether we are online, at home, in school or out in the community.  

Ice Skating

As part of our Frozen Kingdoms topic, we were fortunate to arrange for the class to ice skate at the popup winter market ice rink as the Port of Dover.  It was amazing experience, discovering what is would have been like to walk, run and play within this temporary polar-like environment.

See Term 2 page for photos.

Children in Need 2019

Year 6 organised and hosted a mini-market to raise money for Children in Need.  This was held on Thursday 14th November 2019 and was open to pupils across the rest of school to enjoy and donate their money.  Each group of Year 6 pupils decided on their chosen competitions, games, craft and beauty activities, along with cake and merchandise sales, working out their costs and setting appropriate prices to ensure they maximised profit.

It total we were able to raise in excess of £350 for Children in Need.  

Here is what the children thought of this entrepreneurial fundraising opportunity:

• Planning our own stalls to raise money for Children in Need was a great experience and lots of fun.
• Organising and running our own stall was hard work, making sure everything was set up correctly, but it was a good learning opportunity for our future.
• Having an extra competition as a class for Children in Need, as to who could raise the most money, helped us think our ideas through more carefully and budgeted to maximise profits.
• Children in Need was good fun and a great learning experience, particularly because we planned and run our own stalls by ourselves.  This has helped us grow in confidence and independence.

Harvest Festival

As part of our school Harvest celebrations, we shared something of the appreciation and work of Dover Soup Kitchen to whom our donations of food and financial contributions were to be given this year.

Following the links below to discover more about the work of Dover Soup Kitchen, and to view the poem we performed, written by Sean, a user of another local soup kitchen in the county.

On Monday 14^th October 2019, we had the privilege of experiencing a workshop led by Sam and Janette from the National Fruit Show.  Having laid out the hall with various activity stations, they lead up through the Science and Design Technology of growing and farming apples, developing different variety for taste and preservation.  We talked about nutrition and the importance of healthy eating, as well as caring for the environment by considering the packaging and food miles of the things we purchase (so a bit of Maths and Geography too!).  We undertook our own investigation, sampled fruit in many different forms and began to appreciate the high level of skills and knowledge required for a career in agriculture, including the use of new technologies available today.  Here is are some of our thoughts and questions following the workshop:

Thank you for teaching us all about growing and farming apples and bringing some for us to eat.

Sam and Janette, you are so positive and fun!

I liked doing the science experiment with apples.

How many different types of apples have been created or discovered?

I really liked your apple workshop and I’ve already bought some new types of apple to try.

I really enjoyed trying new varieties of apple, and healthy alternative crisps and snack bars. 

I thought Sam and Janette were amazing, especially how they organised all the different activities and investigations.

The workshop was amazing; I found it really interesting and learnt so much, particularly how to stop apples going brown, how easy it is to make fruit juice and that you can eat fruit in many different ways, including crisps and snack bars.

I loved having you lead our learning for the afternoon.

The apples tasted really good.  It was really interesting and fun.  I learnt so many things I didn’t know before.

How may different types of apple do you grow on your farm?  Do you grow other things as well?

How long do apples last?  How long does it take for certain apples to go brown?

What is the biggest apple on Earth?

 Do you make apple juice from your farm and if so, what’s it called and where can I buy it?

How many different types of apple can you name from memory?