The children and staff in school today took part in the TCSSA virtual netball competition by throwing socks into a basket from 2 metres away. The children showed great aim and technique to contribute towards a score of 216 in total. I’m not sure how much of a help the staff were though!
Category: Enrichment
News and information relating to extra-curricular activity in school. Clubs news is available separately. See also our Clubs and Enrichment page for more details.
Captain Tom’s 100th Birthday
To celebrate the 100th birthday of Captain Tom, Daniel, Malachy ad Tyler succesfully completed 100 laps of the school playground. Well done boys.
Chester Zoo – Virtual Zoo
At 10am tomorrow Chester Zoo will be having a virtual zoo day. Once their virtual gates open there timetable is as follows:
10:00 ???? Red pandas ????
11:00 ???? Rothschild’s giraffes ????
12:00 ???? Asian elephants ????
13:00 ???? Butterflies ????
14:00 ???? Sun bears ????
14:30 ???? Sumatran tigers ????
14:45 ???? Humboldt penguins ????
16:00 ???? Aquarium* ????
They have stated that there may be some surprises too!
Follow the the link:
Keeping in touch – pupils@stmarysdenton.com
At St. Mary’s we would love to hear about all the activities and work you have been doing at home during this unusual time. Therefore, we have set up a dedicated email address for you to send in pictures and explanations of your work, activities and anything else you have been getting up to. We will then add these to the school website so that our whole school community can keep in touch with each other. The email is:
pupils@stmarysdenton.com
It is now up and running. I wonder who will be send the first email…
Being creative in a range of subjects
- Chatterpack; A huge list of free resources and websites, including mental health support; https://chatterpack.net/blogs/blog/list-of-online-resources-for-anyone-who-is-isolated-at-home
- Powerpoint which includes lots of useful resources for parents to use at home
- Seneca; https://www.senecalearning.com/
- BBC Bitesize; http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Free education subscriptions
Below is an entire list of websites offering free subscriptions due to the school closure
Fun, family time activities
A range of fun activities to do together as a family.
CAFOD – What’s your goal?
Children from F2 to Year 6 took part in our Lent fundraiser – What’s your goal? Throughout the day children showed exceptional skill, determination and knowledge to perform keepie-uppies, score penalties, hit the crossbar and demonstrate their knowledge of football teams. The event was expertly organised the Year 5 children, who despite the cold and wet weather, maintained their enthusiasm throughout the day. Thanks to the children’s fantastic efforts we raised a brilliant £122. Thank you for your support.
Year 5 Bronte Museum
Year 5 enjoyed an eventful day at the Bronte Museum, Haworth. After an eventful journey the children finally arrived ready to undertake their day. However, due to the adverse weather conditions their moorland walk had to be cancelled. The children did not let this dampen their spirits though. They had the opportunity to look around the Bronte Museum and discovered the places where Charlotte and her family grew up. Also, they performed a drama workshop acting some scenes form the book Jane Eyre which they have been studying in class. Despite the weather, the children had a fantastic day and it helped to bring the novel to life for them.
Shrove Tuesday – St Joseph’s Penny
As part of our charity work to support the ‘St Joseph’s Penny’ appeal, we decided to sell pancakes at break time as a way to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, before we start our journey through Lent. St Joseph’s Penny is a very important charity that supports vulnerable children and families in our local community. We enjoyed our pancakes especially sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice – delicious!
Basketball
St. Mary’s entered two teams into the Tameside Schools Basketball finals on Wednesday after they both qualified from their heats last. Both teams played extremely well. They ended playing each other in the 3rd place play-off with the A narrowly winning 1-0. Well done to all involved.
Winter Topic in F1
This half term in Nursery we have been very busy learning all about Winter. We have used our senses to look for signs of Winter outside and discuss the changes we have seen.
In Literacy we have focussed on the books ‘Say hello to the snowy animals’ and ‘Lost and Found.’ We have been working hard on developing our mark-making skills practising different patterns each week and also thinking carefully about the initial sounds in words we can hear. The children have helped to create story maps of each story and also innovated the stories to change and add our own pages and endings.
In phonics we have focused on alliteration and played lots of fun games to get us tuned into hearing the initial sounds of words. The children have especially loved making our own silly soup!
In Maths we have continued to focus on numbers to 5 but also been working on suing some new vocabulary to describe quantities- ‘more, ‘less’ and ‘same’. The children have enjoyed singing new counting songs and rhymes around our polar animal theme and have also been practising counting other things that can’t be moved such as jumps and claps.
We have been thinking a lot about changes we can see outside during Winter and also exploring ice in different forms. The children have discussed clothes to wear in Winter weather and also learnt the names of some arctic animals. We found out that Penguins are from the South Pole and what it is like there. We have also celebrated Chinese New year and tried some yummy Chinese food. The children enjoyed making lanterns and finding out about the Zodiac calendar and animal race.
In R.E we have been getting to know Jesus and how he showed love to other’s. We have learnt about some of the miracles he performed and also thought about how we can show our love and be kind to others.
We have loved our new weekly dance lesson in the hall, practising some basic movements and also listening carefully to instructions. The children have mastered taking off/ putting on their shoes and socks in record time! Their favourite activity was singing ‘sleeping bunnies’ but changing the names and movements to some of the arctic animals we have learnt about in class.
In PSHE we have been learning about how we are all special and unique and the children have been able to think about what makes them who they are. They particularly enjoyed making their ‘I am special crowns’.
Outdoor learning has been fun with lots of discussions around the Winter weather we have experienced and also the signs of winter in the environment. Children have been busy making winter soups in the mud kitchen, fixing things in our new tool station and dressing the dolls ready for the winter weather.
Our next topic is ‘Under the Sea’ with a special trip to the Sea life Centre planned for 10th March. We will also be beginning our ‘Little Biker’s course in school each Friday next half term where children will learn to ride a balance bike.
What a great start to 2020 it has been in F1. Have a lovely February half term everyone 🙂
Football success
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.
Chinese New Year in EYFS
Today we have been learning all about the Chinese New Year. We found out about the different ways that Chinese people celebrate the New Year and listened to the story about how the different years got their animal names: this is the year of the rat! In our class we have looked carefully at different Chinese artefacts: the children particularly liked the red envelopes which are given as gifts with money inside. In our maths area we have been having a go at writing some Chinese numbers. We have been very creative, making dragon masks, Chinese red lanterns and Happy New Year cards. We also enjoyed some Chinese food tasting. The jury is still out on sweet and sour sauce, but the prawn crackers were a big hit! Happy Chinese New Year to all who are celebrating.
Our Visit to Denton Library
Today our class had a wonderful visit to Denton library. We listened to stories and had a chance to look at their fantastic selection of picture books. We learnt about library books and how to scan books out of the library. The children loved the visit, especially choosing their favourite books and talking about why they liked them. They are very keen to visit again soon! Every child will come home with an application form to join Tameside Libraries. If you wish for your child to join, please visit during the staffed hours (please see photos for times) and they will be signed up straight away and able to borrow lots of exciting new books. Happy reading!
EYFS Nativity
We are so proud of all of our EYFS children. They put on a fantastic nativity performance: beautiful singing, actions and story telling. Most importantly all of the children enjoyed themselves and joined in with big smiles on their faces. What a beautiful way to retell the story of the first Christmas.
F2 Delivering Christmas Cards to the Local Community
As part of our Advent preparations, the children of St Mary’s are delivering Christmas cards to our local community. After making our own beautiful pointillism Christmas card creations, the children of F2 delivered their cards to our Kynder Street neighbours. We hope that our cards spread some Christmas cheer.
Year 1 Babushka and Community Christmas Cards
Year 1 and 2 put on a fabulous of Babushka last week. The year 1 choir were an amazing support to our year 2’s, well done! This week we have also made some beautiful Christmas cards and delivered them to our neighbouring community. Merry Christmas everyone!
Year 2 Christmas Play Babushka
This week, Year Two have performed the Christmas Play Babushka. The children thoroughly enjoyed acting, singing and doing actions. They have worked very hard over the last few weeks learning their lines and perfecting their actions. Well done Year Two! What a fantastic Performance!
Music Assembly
St. Mary’s were joined by members of the Tameside Music Service who showcased an array of instruments to the children. These included a whole drum kit, a flute, a clarinet and a couple of saxophones. The children were enthralled with the spectacular performances and were very enthusiastic about trying out the instruments. Information has been sent out regarding lessons on a range if instruments.
St. Mary’s Christmas Concert
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.
KS2 House Book Quiz
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!
Moon Craters
As part of their science Year 5 investigated how craters may be created on the moon and what effect their height may have on them. They used flour and cocoa as the moon’s surface and balls as the meteors before dropping them from various heights and investigating their results.
Mayan Feast
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!
Safe Squad and Sky High Adventure
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.
Roman Workshop
On Monday, Year 4 were extremely lucky to have a Roman soldier visit their class to tell them all about what life was like over 2000 years ago. With a classroom full of artefacts and many thrilling tales, the soldier had them enthralled by describing what the Romans were actually like and how they invaded and took control of over 30 countries. They learnt how the Roman empire was formed, about different types of soldiers, the jobs they did and what armour they would have worn. They had a fantastic time!
Year 2 Time Traveller Workshop
Year 2 had a fantastic time learning about Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong on Tuesday morning through their time travelling guide. The children particularly enjoyed acting out the port of Genoa, travelling on a ship, and exploring new lands. They were then able to apply this to what they know about Neil Armstrong and learnt how the two explorers were very similar despite being many years apart. At the end of the session the children were made honorary time travellers.
CAFOD collective worship
Year 5 led the school in their collective worship which informed everybody about this year CAFOD appeal to Brighten Up and raise money for Harvest. The focus of the assembly was water. The children expertly told us how we use water everyday and take it for granted; however, there are also children around the world who are less fortunate and have to walk up to 5km, three times a day to fetch water for their family before going to school. However, with the help of the money so generously raised by St. Mary’s these communities are supplied with water towers and pumps which gives them a regular of water so that the children are all able to attend school. Throughout the school children took part in messy hair day and there were truly terrible hairstyles (and that’s just the teachers). Thank you to everybody for your kind donations and Year 5 in leading this year’s appeal.
Joseph!
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.
Yr2 Sky High Adventure
Year 2 had a fantastic time at Sky High Adventure on Wednesday. For two hours the children climbed, clambered and caved their way around a variety of obstacles. Once split into two groups the children began to explore the array of activities. One group took to the high ropes course which involved the children showing off the balancing and coordination skills as well as a lot of bravery. Following that they then entered the deep, dark cave to begin exploring. In the meantime the other group explored the variety of different climbing walls that were on offer. They demonstrated exception grip, balance, strength, determination and bravery to reach the top of some very tall and challenging walls. The groups then swapped over and experienced the other activities. It is clear to see that year 2 have some budding spider men and women among
their ranks as well as exceptional bravery and determination throughout. The children’s behaviour and listening was excellent and they had a thoroughly enjoyable (and exhausting) time.
F2 – Our Police Visit
As part of our People Who Help Us topic in EYFS we had a special visit in our classrooms from a police officer! We thought of lots of interesting questions that we wanted to ask her to find out about her job. We got to look at and try the police uniform and equipment. We learned lots of new things about the different jobs in the police force and completed a finger print matching activity, just like real police officers! Since the visit we have enjoyed using ink to create our own fingerprint patterns and have engaged in lots of police roleplay in our outdoor area. It looks like we might have a few future police officers in our classes!
Lantern Workshop
This week, the children attended a fun Lantern Making Workshop in preparation for this weekends Lantern Parade which will take part in Denton. The children really enjoyed designing their own Lantern and look forward to using them.
Young Voices 2019
The school choir had a brilliant time singing and performing at Manchester Arena for their Young Voices concert. We all had a wonderful time singing songs old and new. We also hope the parents who attended had as much fun as we did!
Year 2 Collective Worship – Being Chosen and Trusting in God
Year 2 lead the school in an excellent collective worship on Thursday telling everyone about how God has chosen people to do special jobs and how we must then trust in God. They told us about some very important people from the Old Testament; Moses and Abraham before acting out the story of Daniel who was saved by an Angel after being thrown in the lion’s den.They then told us about people they trust and how they felt when they were chosen for special jobs or responsibilities. Finally they gave us an excellent rendition of their song ‘You Can Trust in God’. Well done Year 2.
Year 2 Explorer Workshop
Year 2 had a fantastic time learning about Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong on Tuesday morning through their time travelling guide. The children thoroughly enjoyed acting out the port of Genoa. sleeping on the sheep and meeting the natives of the new world. They were then able to apply this to what they know about Neil Armstrong and how the two explorers were very similar despite being many years apart. In class we have also been able to link this to our learning about Captain Cook. Following the session the children were all made honorary time-travelers.
Magical Matilda
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.
World Book Day
To celebrate World Book Day, the children had a special day in which they interpreted stories through dance. The stories being Where The Wild Things Are and Alice in Wonderland. The children dressed up in a variety of colourful and wonderful outfits associated with characters from the story. They then the opportunity to interpret their particular story through dance with the guidance of a professional dancer. The children had a fantastic time and the results of their dancing were outstanding.
Film Night
The KS2 children enjoyed the film night run by the PTA here at school on Wednesday. They had the opportunity to watch “Khumba – A Zebra’s Tale” and all enjoyed a delicious snack bag. The children’s behaviour was excellent. Thank you to the PTA who organised this event.
Young Voices
The school choir had a fantastic time singing and dancing at the Young Voices Concert at the Manchester Arena on Tuesday. Their behaviour was excellent both during the rehearsal and the performance. Thank you to all the members of staff and parents who supported the event.
Dragon’s Den
Our Dragons’ Den Christmas Market was a great success this week. The quality of work from the children (with a bit of help from their parents) was amazing as were their selling abilities!! The teams made a fantastic £651.31 profit which is incredible. The School Choir also entertained shoppers and the PTA kindly provided tea and coffee which all helped to make the event the success it was. Many thanks for your generous support. Events like these really help the children to grow in confidence.
Fire Safety talk
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.
Robinwood
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.
Brilliant Bugsy
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 5 Anglo Saxon Trip
Before Easter, Year 5 went on an exciting trip to Tatton Park where they became Anglo-Saxon farmers for the day. They took part in many different activities which helped them understand how the Saxons lived and survived during that period in history. From making pottery to learning how build a protective wall during their weapon and shield workshop, they had an action-packed and enjoyable day.
Year 1 Trip to Portland Basin
Year 1 visited Portland Basin museum to learn all about toys from the past. We played with skittles, diabolo, yo-yo’s, ball and cup, music boxes and many more toys from the Victorian times. We compared old and new toys and even learned about a Victorian Christmas.
Year 6 at Safe Squad
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.
Robinwood
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…
Year 6 Orienteering
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.
Eco-Schools Vision Statement
1. Saving Money
We hope that by making small changes to the environmental management of St. Mary’s it will result in some financial saving. This will be achieved by cutting out draughts, closing doors and windows, switching off lights and appliances when not in use will help reduce energy bills.
2. Recognition and Publicity
Through Eco-Schools we hope to raise the profile of St. Mary’s, in a way that is enjoyable and rewarding for the whole school community.
Celebrating our success will encourage people to work towards the next level and continue to be involved in the project long-term.
3. Links to the Curriculum
At St. Mary’s we are aiming to incorporate a variety of environmental topics into our curriculum, developing creative ways of learning for all pupils. It will provide real in –school issues for the children to investigate in a scientific and analytical way. Learning about being an Eco-School will provide the children with an overarching framework, helping pupils understand and link issues together, i.e. the connections between transport and pollution or management of the school grounds and increased biodiversity.
4. Links to the Community
We will aim to build strong partnerships with the local community; a vital part of Eco-schools, ensuring pupils can become more engaged in the decision making. It will involve as many pupils as possible, both inside and outside school, to raise their awareness of environmental issues.
5. School Improvements
Eco-schools is a project that all of St. Mary’s can work towards. It will provide an ideal focal point for across the year groups. By encouraging our pupils to take responsibility for the environmental management of our school, we will help them develop an increased sense of responsibility for their surroundings.
Eco-Schools Bronze Award
We’re very proud to have been awarded the ‘Eco-Schools’ bronze award:
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Our ‘Eco-Schools’ record can be found here.
Eco-Action Introduction
The Eco-Action team is made up of children from throughout KS2, with the help of Mr Whittle and Miss Wilson. We meet every other week to discuss aspects of the school and what we can do to make it more environmentally friendly.
We have recently carried out an audit of the school and will be acting upon this to make some changes for the better.
More information regarding the ‘Eco-Schools’ programme can be found on their website.