This is our Year 6 related news. You can find this along with more Year 6 related information on the Year 6 page.
The class are currently learning about electricity and they have been using electrical equipment to make circuits. They have drawn diagrams of their own circuits and then made them to see if they work. More recently, they have investigated whether adding more batteries will impact the brightness of the bulb.
The class made waist coasts for their teddy bears. This required them to design a waistcoat and then measure and cut their own material before sewing together the shoulders and the sides and then finally sewing on buttons.
Year 6 researched the circulatory system.
In Year 6, we have been learning about the life of King Charles III, retrieving information from a range of texts and developing our understanding of key vocabulary. We have also completed a Maths treasure hunt, learning key facts about King Charles III’s life, whilst also practising our arithmetic skills.
Year 4 and Year 6 enjoyed a virtual author visit with Robin Scott-Elliot as part of Tameside’s Ready Steady Read festival. The children enjoyed listening to what inspired Robin to become an author and found out about his latest release – Hide and Seek. They were even treated to an exclusive cover reveal of his future book – Sweet Skies. It was great to see the children so engaged in the session.
GIFT Team delivering their Advent collective worship to Year 1.
Advent
This week, we have been very busy in Year 6, with our preparations for Christmas.
The children attended Mass with Year 2 on Wednesday – they read and sang beautifully and were a credit to our school. They have also made and delivered Christmas cards to the local community, which were very well received.
Miss Johnson
Year 6 have written a report, reflecting on the importance of the Advent season. They have thought about how we prepare for Christmas. The children have also led a beautiful prayerful liturgy encouraging us to think about how we can welcome Jesus into our hearts.
In Year 6, we have been looking at creating art illusions. The children have thought about perspective through their use of lines and shading to create an optical illusion and have created some fantastic pieces of art work. Well done Year 6!
In science this week, we have been investigating how light travels and how shadows are formed. The children worked in groups to make short videos to explain how light enables us to see the world around us. They also created silhouettes to investigate how shadows change according to distance from the light source and why this happens.
In Year 6’s Art lessons we have been looking at fashion, one of the lessons involved designing a hat, we looked at designers such as Philip Treacy, this was one of the super designs that was sent in from home.
Year 6 have been studying ‘The Amazon’ in our topic lessons, Ellie produced this fantastic piece of Artwork at home, linked to the rainforest.
The leavers video will appear here soon.
We are looking forward to welcoming our Year 6 children back into school on the 8th June (hopefully!).
Following the safety guidelines set out by the Government, school has been prepared and is ready for the children to return.
Home learning for all year groups is now available on the class pages. Some of the work may need downloaded to look at but the majority should be able to be completed within the children’s home learning books.
For maths there are also links to both the Power Maths scheme of work which we follow in school and has been adapted for use at home and also the White Rose Hub which is very similar, easy to use and navigate.
Please continue to use Times Tables Rockstars (we can see who has been using it regularly) and reading on a daily basis.
Finally, don’t forget to keep fit and active with PE with Joe Wicks each morning.
Year 6 held an assembly to launch the ‘Peer Mediation’ scheme, after completing their training the Year 6’s then explained in assembly how the scheme would work. Peer Mediation is a way of helping and supporting children to finding a resolution to any disagreements or conflict, the children are encouraged to explain their point of view and feelings about a situation that has arisen. The ‘Peer Mediators’ will then help the children to find a resolution that is fair for all.
Sister Dolores came into Year 6 to talk to the children about the Mass, looking at how it has evolved from ‘The Last Supper’ and then subsequently the Apostles meeting together after Jesus’ death, into the Eucharistic Service we celebrate today. Sister was able to give the children lots of interesting information and explain the different parts of the Mass, looking at the meanings and symbols. It gave the children chance to ask questions and gain a much better understanding of the Mass we celebrate today.
Well done to our year 5/6 school football team who put in an outstanding performance to overcome Micklehurst Primary school and progress to the next round of the Tameside Milea Cup.
Children from Years 5 and 6 were joined by children from St. Thomas More High School and St. John Fisher for the annual Christmas concert. Following performances by St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher it was the turn of St. Mary’s children and they didn’t disappoint. Following a beautifully read montage the children sang The Greatest Gift; followed by a reading from the Gospel of John before bringing their performance to a close with an outstanding performance of Mary Did You Know which they performed a cappella. The children were absolutely amazing and fully deserved the plaudits and congratulations they have received follo
wing the concert. Well done to all involved.
Our 4 houses at St. Mary’s battled it out to become the Book Quiz champions yesterday afternoon. It was excellent to see the pupils’ fantastic knowledge of books, characters, titles and authors so a big well done to everyone who took part. The competition was very close and in the end, all came down to a tie-breaker question between 2 of the teams. With their brilliant book knowledge and great teamwork skills, Arrowsmith pipped Ward at the post and became this year’s winners. Congratulations Arrowsmith!
Linked to their ‘Healthy Bodies’ science unit, Year 6 have been learning about the effects of exercise on our bodies. Checking our pulses and our heart rates when sitting, walking, jogging, doing star jumps and then sprinting, the children could see the difference in our heart rates during each activity. We also looked at the reasons, with the regards the circulatory system, for the increase when carrying out more rigorous activity.
Y6 had a fantastic time at Robinwood. They had a go at lots of different activities (canoeing, climbing, archery, trapeze, giant swing, high ropes, zip wire). They also worked in their teams on problem solving activities (piranha pool, Knight’s Quest and nightline). All the children had a go at every activity. We are very proud of their achievements. They were a credit to their parents, our school but most of all themselves throughout the trip.
After studying the Mayans for a number of weeks =, Year 5’s work has culminated in them getting to try out some recipes similar to those the Mayans would have eaten. This included eating totillas made from corn (as maize was a staple of the Mayan diet), making a salsa and getting to try an ancient Mayan recipe for hot chocolate which included, cinnamon, honey and chilli!
Linked to the RE unit this term the Year 6 children led the collective worship with the theme of the Kingdom of God. The children through roleplays looked at the values of the Kingdom of God, values such as hope, peace, forgiveness, love, truth, courage and faith. The children demonstrated ways to live out the values in our everyday lives. They retold the parable of ‘The master and the grand banquet’ sending the message that everyone is invited into the Kingdom of God and that we must not make excuses but accept the invitation with open arms.
On Monday, Year 6 enjoyed a great day out at firstly Safe Squad and then onto Sky High Adventure. Safe Squad was a very informative morning about things like, Internet Safety, dealing with peer pressure, first aid including CPR and fire safety, particularly spotting hazards around the home.
In the afternoon, we were really lucky to be going onto Sky High Adventure, we got to enjoy the climbing walls, the scary high ropes and the caving and bouldering. Watching Mrs Moran and Mrs Smith on the vertical drop slide was very funny, seeing their worried faces. Lots of us had to conquer our fears! We had a fantastic day and everyone loved spending the day together out of school.
The school hall was packed on Wednesday and Thursday nights this week for the Y5/6 production of Joseph. The children sang, acted and danced their hearts out and loved every minute of their performance. The response from our audiences was equally enthusiastic. Thank you to Mrs Wilson-Sly and Mrs Moran and the staff for preparing the children so well and giving so generously of their time. We hope the fantastic memories of Joseph stay with the children for a long, long time.
After an extremely busy week of SATs, where every child in Year 6 worked incredibly hard, class 6S went on a well-earned trip to Stockport Air Raid Shelters to find out what life was like for children during the Blitz of late 1940.
Dressed in period clothing, carrying gas masks and their lunches in brown paper bags, they arrived at the shelters as evacuees where they were shown around the underground tunnels that kept thousands of people safe during the war. After the tour, which also included an experience of total darkness and many opportunities to sing war-time songs, they headed over to the museum to handle real artefacts and to find out how to ‘make do and mend’ in a 1940s house.
Their behaviour was fantastic and they were a credit to the school
.
Year 6 enjoyed a very exciting morning when a Viking came to visit to explain what that time period was really like. Not only did the children get to observe how fires were made and try on the extremely heavy, chainmail armour, they also learn about how they lived and why they were such successful travellers, traders- and also raiders too!
Well done to Year 6 who have completed their performances of Matilda this past Tuesday and Thursday nights. On both occasions the children sang, danced and acted their hearts out in front of packed audiences who were thoroughly entertained. Brilliantly supported by the Year 5 choir the packed house was left speechless by the amazing professionalism and performances of the children and all involved. Congratulations to Year 6, you were amazing.
As part of their topic on WW2 and the Battle of Britain, Year 6 enjoyed a fun day at the RAF museum, Cosford. At the start of the day, the children attended a school, which was set up as if from the era and learnt all about the planes and people involved in the Battle of Britain. They had the opportunity to handle real life artifacts from the War, including an incendiary bomb (which Allie was allowed to hold!) and a chamber pot, which Jemima thought would be great for drinking coffee from.
Following that, the children explored different areas of the museum and were able to look at a number of different planes and vehicles.
Following lunch, we headed to the ‘fun and flight’ exhibition and had a go at a number of science experiments which explain how flight works. In this same area, the children (and adults) were able to have a go on the flight simulator which was an especially bumpy ride. In the war in the air exhibition, we saw a number of the planes we learnt about in the morning, including: the spitfire, Messerschmidt, Junkers 88 and hurricane.
Overall, a fantastic day and the children learnt an awful lot. Their behaviour and enthusiasm was excellent throughout.
Year 6 were visited by the fire crew from Hyde Fire station to receive a talk on staying safe during the firework season. During the talk the children asked some impressive questions and showed that they had a good knowledge of what to do and what not to do as well as learning more extremely useful information. In addition, during the visit, the children had the chance to try on some of the equipment and had a look around the fire engine . Thank you to the firemen for giving up their time to visit us.
St. Mary’s ended National Poetry day with each class performing a recital of a famous poem. The poems ranged from, ‘The Ning Nang Nong’ by Spike Milligan to ‘Macavity – The Mystery Cat’ by T.S. Elliot. Enjoy our videos below.
Year 6 kicked off National Poetry Day with a fantastic assembly which told us a lot about poetry including a reading of the oldest known poem – 4000 years old. Throughout the assembly the children recited a total of nine poems including ‘Freedom Poem’ as freedom is the theme of this year’s day.
Year 6 had a great time at Robinwood last week. Throughout the three days the children took on such challenges as the giant swing, zip-wire, dungeon of doom and the dreaded piranha pool! During their time at the activity centre the children showed great teamwork, enthusiasm and outstanding behaviour meaning that they really enjoyed their time. Well done year 6.
Year 6 and year 5 wowed audiences over the course of two nights with their amazing performances of Bugsy. Critics throughout the country are hailing it as the best new musical since The Lion King, with its mix of old and new and have stated that it should be given a run on the Westend but only if the magnificent cast retain their roles!
Throughout the two nights the children performed brilliantly singing, dancing and acting their way through the performances with the kind of skill, talent and attitude usually associated with Olivier award winners.
Well done to all the children, the rave reviews are thoroughly deserved.
Year 6 enjoyed a fantastic day out in the picturesque village Hathersage in the Peak District on Tuesday. As a reward for all their hard work throughout the year they were taken away for the day to study the village and learn about it’s history before enjoying an afternoon in the outdoor swimming pool.
Shortly after arriving the children met their guide (Mr Whittle snr) and embarked on a tour of the village which involved finding out information and details about the village (such as Little John is buried there) and completing a quiz. Following this, they walked to their lunch destination up a very steep hill and settled down for an al fresco lunch; after they had escaped the midges! After descending the hill the children finally made it to the pool where they enjoyed an afternoon which mainly involved jumping in; getting out; jumping in; getting out; jumping in and so on.
The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and their enthusiasm and behaviour was exceptional with even members of the public commenting on what a well behaved group of children they were. Well done to Year 6 on a fantastic day and my thanks to Mrs Smith and Mr Whittle snr for helping.
Following weeks of outstanding auditions it is finally time to announce the casting for this years production of Bugsy Malone. It was full of tough decisions and each part could have been played by numerous children. There are some other parts still to cast as well as dance routines to be involved in. Remember now the hard work really begins!
Cast List
Busgy – Ewen McGreavey (1) & Caitlin (2)
Blousey – Sienna (1) & Demi (2)
Fat Sam – Finley (1) & Lilly (2)
Dandy Dan – Isaac (1) & Oliver (2)
Fizzy – Alice (1) & Natalya (2)
Tellulah – Cayleigh
Pop Decker – Tom
Paperboy – James
Fat Sam’s Gang
Shake Down Louis – Louis
Roxy Robinson – Matthew
Knuckles – Ethan
Snake eyes – George
Ritzy – Jordan
Dandy Dan’s Gang
Bronx Charlie – Ewan G
Yonkers – Tom
Doodle – Ella
Laughing Boy – Gene
Chorus Girls
Tillie – Paulina
Louella – Katie
Bangles – Milly
Dotty – Eleanor
Velma – Isabella
Loretta – Fallon
Waiter – Gene
Oscar – Kevin
Auditioner – Matthew
Lena – Milly
Shady – Jacob
Leroy – Kevin
Cagey Joe – Jacob
Picket – Jacob
Babyface – Matthew
Looney – Quaid
Reporters – Quaid and James
Radio announcer –
Boxers –
Since September, Years 5 and 6 have been receiving guitar and singing lessons from Tameside Music Service. For year 6 this is their second year and the first for year 5. They have learnt a number of pieces and some which have linked to their topics in history and geography such as WW2. To showcase to the school their talents they performed an assembly for the school in which they sang beautifully and played wonderfully. Well done to both year groups.
Before half-term Year 6 completed a unit of poetry in English. They watched and listened to some examples of poetry and spoken word from such famous poets as Michael Rosen, before writing and performing there own. Take a listen and I’m sure you’ll agree that they are fantastic.
Year 6 yet again outdid themselves with their selection of outstanding projects based on The Battle of Britain. Throughout the term the children have been completing a wide range of homework from: making model spitfires; researching famous pilots; writing diary entries; making imaginative timelines and a wide variety of very intricate and detailed air-raid shelters. Well done to all the children for all their hard work.
Year 6 had a fantastic trip to RAF Cosford as part of their topic work on The Battle of Britain. The children had the opportunity to look at artefacts from WW2 and learn about pilots from the war. In addition, they had the opportunity to look at a variety of aircraft both from the modern era and also planes that took part in The Battle of Britain itself, including the oldest surviving Spitfire. The children had an excellent day and their behaviour and enthusiasm was outstanding.
During their science lessons, Year 6 have been learning about the heart and human body. As well as performing investigations, they have made and painted clay hearts of their very own.
Year 6 led the school in Collective Worship on Thursday with the theme of sacrifice and trusting in God. They told the story of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his own son Isaac to show his love and trust in God. They also helped us to think about sacrifices we may make and although it can be scary we can trust in God.
Year 6 have been working hard over the past couple of weeks to prepare costumes and props in order to re-tell the story of Moses freeing the Jewish people from slavery. They begin with Moses as a baby and go all the way up to the Passover and the people being allowed to leave.
Please find attached letter regarding trip for year 6 to RAF Cosford.
As part of their assessment Year 6 undertook first the bleep test followed by the standing long jump yesterday. The bleep test required them to run over a set distance between beeps which become gradually closer and closer together as the test goes on. All the children performed really well and will get have another go later on the year. Ewen, Ewan, Katie, Gene and Sienna performed particularly well.
Along with children from St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, children from year’s 5 and 6 took part in the annual parish Christmas concert. This years theme was a journey of faith. Through, acting and singing the children re-told the story of Good King Wenceslas, who made the journey through the forests and deep mid-winter snow to give alms to the poor.
The children put on a fantastic performance with their fantastic acting and singing. Well done to all who took part.
Year’s 5 and 6 began their PE assessments with coaches from Tameside yesterday afternoon. The children undertook two challenges,: the first to test their coordination and the second to test their agility and speed. Next week the children will be having a go at the dreaded bleep test!
Year 6 enjoyed an afternoon of maths at St. Thomas More on Monday afternoon, with maths teacher Miss Griffin. They were able to demonstrate their knowledge of shape, angles and coordinates to solve the murder mystery. Miss Griffin was especially pleased with the children’s subject knowledge and their teamwork and collaborative learning.
Year 6 have been studying classification of living things in science and how they may be grouped. In order to help them with their questioning they first classified some sweets and came up with some interesting names such as: ‘clockorian jellorium’ and ‘lucorious blackolicious’. Luckily, all of the sweets made it through to the end without any extinctions. Following this the children then went on to use their skills to classify a variety of animals in classification keys.
Well done to our Year 5/6 girls football team, who represented the school in the recent TCSSA football tournament at St. Damien’s Ashton. the girls played exceptionally well and came 4th. Top scorer on the night was Ella, but there was some fantastic play all round. Well don girls on a fantastic display
Year 6 began their gymnastics coaching on Tuesday afternoon. There were some fantastic movements and some excellent skill on display. Possibly even some future Olympians.
Well done to Year 5/6 tag rugby team who competed at the TCSSA tag rugby tournament last night at Our Lady’s in Ashton. The team came up against some tough competition, but showed they are made tough stuff and played exceptionally well and all within the spirit of the game.
Below is the link to the Scratch project Year 6 can use an example for their homework in which they create their own Scratch game/project which contains variables and an ‘if and else’ scenario. Good luck and I look forward to seeing them.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/125158775/
Today, year 6 attended the Tameside ‘Safe Squad’ in Hyde to learn about a variety of ways of keeping safe both now and as they get older.
Firstly, the children watched some scenarios that may affect them as they move to High school, such as: the correct use of 999; dealing with peer pressure; reporting and witnessing crime; learning what is a hate crime and the best way to tackle certain situations. The children gave some fantastic answers and showed great maturity, which was commented on by the actors and Police.
Following this the children learned about digital safety and how to stay safe online. They watched some videos about the effects of not staying SMART online. Again the children were very knowledgeable and gave fantastic answers and showed they are very aware of how to stay safe online and on social media.
Finally the children took part in fire safety, especially in their own homes and also they had the chance to have a go at CPR and putting someone in the recovery position.
Year 6 lead us in today’s collective worship all about CAFOD’s Harvest 2016. They certainly Brightened up our day and are asking that next Friday everyone joins in and wears their brightest and boldest clothes. In return we ask that the children bring in a tin or packet of food that can be added to the harvest display before being donated to the St. Mary’s parish food bank.
Year 6 have returned safe and well from their adventures at Robinwood, although maybe a little tired. They have spent 3 days/ 2 nights at the activity centre in Todmordon. Giant swing, zip wire, archery, caving, climbing and raft building are just a selection of activities the children undertook in what was a fantastic few days. The children had a go at everything and their positive attitude, teamwork, communication and effort saw them complete virtually everything. Throughout their time away the children’s behaviour was excellent, with Robinwood staff and staff from other schools commenting on their excellent behaviour, great listening and beautiful manners. They have been a credit to themselves and the school.
Here a selection of photos…
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Year 6 began their new science unit this week on electricity. They tested out different circuits and investigated which would work and which wouldn’t to refresh their memory.
Well done to Year 6 for their two fantastic performances to packed audiences. Both nights the children received standing ovations. Also, well done to Year 5, who supported the year 6’s brilliantly with their beautiful singing. Thank you to everyone who made such
a performance possible.
Years 5 and 6 put on a sensational display in front of a packed St. Mary’s Church to open this years concert, which also featured great performances from children from St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher. The children’s performance was on the theme of ‘The Christmas Star’. In addition to speaking clearly and beautifully, the fantastic acting the children also sang two songs; The First Noel and Christmas Star, which they sang acapella. They then joined children from the other schools to finish the concert with a selection of Christmas carols. Well done to all involved.
As part of their topic on map reading and learning about longitude and latitude, Year 6 undertook some orienteering in and around the school grounds. They had to read the maps and grid references carefully in order to be able to navigate from one checkpoint to another successfully.
As part of their topic on The Battle of Britain, Year 6 spent the day at RAF Cosford. After a long two hour drive they were finally able to come up close and personal with the very planes they had been learning about in school; the legendary spitfire (which was actually used in the Battle of Britain), hurricanes and the German Luftwaffe.
In addition, the children had the opportunity to touch and find out about artefacts and find out about some of the pilots who fought during the war for both sides. These included; Amy Johnson a member of the ATA; Lee Ashton, a Lincoln Bomber gunner; Hannah Reitcsh, a German pilot and the ghost of one of the planes in the hanger. They also had the chance to look around other parts of the museum and seeing RAF planes from the last 100 years as well as learning about the science of flight. A fantastic day was had by all and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Once again the behaviour and enthusiasm of the children was a credit to the school.
Please see attached letter regarding trip to the RAF Museum on 19th October for our Year 6 children.
Well done to year 6 and year 5 who put on two amazing performances to packed crowds on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. The acting, singing and dancing were fantastic and the children have earned rave reviews! Well done to all who took part.
24 children from years 5 and 6 enjoyed two days of artistic fun over half-term to create a masterpiece that will certainly brighten up school. With the help of Howard and Rene from Creative Arts and Minds, the children sketched, designed, drew and painted an 8 foot mural that shows off everything that is great about St. Mary’s. the children worked exceptionally hard and had a great time undertaking the project.
Our thanks go to Howard and Rene for guiding the children through the project and Mrs Evans for coming in and helping during the half-term break.
