Welcome to Blue Whale Class!

Blue Whale Class Weekly News

Friday 26th April 2024

With SATs just a few weeks  away, Blue class have been making their final preparations for the tests by completing their last cycle of mocks. It is so heartening to see the effort and commitment all are applying to their studies. They have come so far this year and should be commended for their industry!

Friday 19th April 2024

The summer term is certainly in full swing even though the weather has ben anything but summery! That said, the short lived break in the clouds allowed the athletes of Blue Class a chance to show off their sporting prowess in the first round of the Borough Sports trials. Children tried out for the flat race, standing jump and over arm throw- more events to follow next week!

Friday 22nd March 2024

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen- fortunately the chefs of Blue whale class can! As you will be aware, the children have been designing wartime pasties, in design technology, to link with the history topic of rationing. The challenge set, was for children to make and evaluate a plant- based pastry based on the principles of Lord Woolton Pie, the eponymous brainwave of the Second World British Minister of Food. 

Friday 8th March 2024

The fruits of our artistic labours were finally realised with the completion of our Henry Moore inspired statues. After planning and designing, the children were finally able to stand back and appreciate the impressive yet poignant reminders of those taking cover during the Blitz of the 1940s  

Friday 8th March 2024

Our annual trip to IWM Duxford came and went this Wednesday with the usual excitement and curiosity this grand day out affords. Children toured the museum and were able to see and discuss World War  2 topics which they had learned about in the classroom in subjects such as art. English and of course history. By sitting in and Anderson shelter or the cockpit of a spitfire or listening to the messages received by the strategy command room, the children of Blue Whale Class were in unanimous agreement that they had a far better understanding of this exciting though often complex subject!

Friday 1st March 2024

Here are our two finalists for Blue whale Class for the Spelling Bee 24 to be held on the Friday 8th March! After weeks of celebrating spelling and the associate strategies, it was down to the competition side of the event. After many taxing heats, which really stretched all competitors, we are pleased to announce that Maisie and Bethany will be our class representatives.

Well done to all who took part, and we wish our two girls well for the big day!

Friday 2nd February 2024

We are at the next stage in our investigation of Henry Moore! Building on from our last week’s  sketches and paintings, we created  armatures from wire and masking tape- scaled down models of our final sculpture pieces.

Friday 26th January 2024

This week, as part of our art project related to War 2, we have been looking at the renowned Yorkshire- born artist, Henry Moore.  Though famed for his inspirational sculptures, perhaps he is  less known for his role as an official War Artist. His sketches and watercolours haunt the pages of his notebook  used to convey the horrors and hardships of life during the conflict. In weeks to come, children will be sculpting their compositions in the style of Moore. They have made preparatory sketches for their models investigating , light shade and form.  

Friday 12th January 2024

Blue Whale  6 kicked off the New Year with two Learning to Learn days. They examined the question “ What does mean to be an effective team member?  and linked their acquired knowledge to our ASPIRE values. They then applied these skills to build and evaluate flood-proof houses which linked to their English and Geography work.

Friday 15th December 2023

As Blue Whale Class threw themselves into their French studies this week, they did so with a unique and exciting approach - by opening their very own confiseries (sweet shops)! Under the guise of fun and play, these young linguists were able to engage in a hands-on learning experience, delving into the world of confectionary and honing their language skills. Through roleplay, they were able to learn specific nouns, plurals, and how to ask and respond to questions, all while taking on the roles of vendor and customer. The sounds of euros changing hands and the bustling atmosphere may easily have transported one to chic streets Paris or even the vibrant teeming boulevards of Marseille.

Languages are for living!

Friday 8th December 2023

This week the children of Year 6 returned to the question of; how can we keep ourselves safe? We were helped along in our reflections by a visit from Sian (Southend Police) and Kelly (Essex and Fire and Service) who gave additional advice such as downloading the what three words and Life 360 apps which can find your location if lost and monitor your  child's whereabouts. As ever, the children asked insightful questions and listened careful.

Friday 17th November 2023

Blue Whale Class was a blaze of colour, as was the rest of the school,  as  children enjoyed the celebrations and activities to mark Children in Need. In addition to creating their own Pudsey Bear, children were invited to take part in the "Bearpee" (get it? ) challenge. At the time of writing, Blue Whale Class were top of the leader board by completing the most amount of burpees within ten minutes. Amongst all the fun and celebrations, however, we stopped to reflect upon those children who Children in Need helps such as children living below the poverty line, those suffering from mental health conditions or challenged by disabilities.

A fun filled day for a worthy cause!

Friday 10th November 2023

What a privilege it was to welcome The Dickens Theatre Company into school to perform their version of A Christmas Carol. The children experienced the heart-warming performance, which was presented in such a way to stay close to the original story line whilst being comprehensible and engaging to our Year 5 and 6s. A fabulous show which left us all thinking about the true spirit of Christmas!

Friday 3rd November 2023

This week, Blue Whale class have taken their learning to a whole new level! Children have been working hard to come up with ideas and prototypes for their own devices and gadgets that will improve the lives of others. We’ve seen everything from automatic pet strokers, a jaunty rubbish bin named Bobby who does on the spot recycling, and a headset that warms your ears whilst listening to your favourite tunes. At the time of writing, Blue Whale Class are set to do battle with the other Y6 classes to see who has the best idea. Should they triumph, they will go head- to- head with the winners of the Y5s heat in the assembly, on Monday, hosted by the Lions International charity, who sponsored the whole event. We wish them luck!

Friday 20th October 2023

As you are probably aware, in science we have been investigating the various classification systems for living things and asking questions such as what characteristics makes a mammal a mammal?  An insect an insect and a mollusc a mollusc etc? This week, the scientists of Blue Whale class, have turned their scientific scrutiny to the fascinating world of micro-organisms. Children discovered that even within the realm of microbes there are subdivisions and therefore necessary classifications such as yeasts, bacteria and protists.  Further investigation found that some micro-organisms can be helpful such as yeast in bread and wine making whilst others pose a threat such as the viruses which causes chickenpox and measles.

To understand which are the optimum conditions for the promotion of micro-organisms, we conducted an investigation to explore vary conditions such as damp, dark and highly illuminated environments on a piece of bread. We predicted the rate it might begin to go mouldy. We look forward to sharing our conclusions with you in later posts!

Friday 13th October 2023

Fresh from writing our own narratives last  week,  we were thrilled that the Travelling Book Fair once again rolled into town!

As authors themselves, the children, were  able to cast a more evaluative eye over the may titles on offer. They were encouraged to talk about their book preferences be they fiction or non fiction and were inspired to think critically about the their upcoming  writing project on a dragon non -chronological report!

Friday 6th October 2023

The children have been developing their hockey skills and as part of this, we played ‘dribble stuck in the mud’. The children learned skills such as dribbling, control, communication, trapping, speed and pace. A fun afternoon was had by all.

Friday 22nd September 2023

We were delighted once again to be visited by the Nat West Money Sense Team this week.

Children learned about the worrying lengths fraudsters would go to in order to illegally gain money from people’s bank accounts. They investigated scenarios and case studies and worked in teams to create dynamic presentations to inform potential victims of scams and offered practical advice and support about action they should take if they indeed fell foul to scammers’ activities. A big Thank you to the Money Sense Team of Tash and Garry whose advise was as compelling as it was instructive!

Friday 8^th September 2023

You will be pleased and relieved to hear that the children of Blue Class have made a resounding start to their first term of their last year at LNSPS! The class have jumped straight into their learning by creating shields to reflect their personalities and interests as a way of introducing themselves to their new teacher and fellow classmates. The shields link to their English and History work about castles and dragons which we will update you on as the subject progresses!