Welcome to Blue Whale Class!
Blue Whale Class Weekly News
Friday 6th December 2024
Christmas preparations are in full swing in Blue class this week. We can't wait to share our Christmas concert with you, we have been practising some showstopper musical pieces for you to enjoy.
Friday 29th November 2024
Year 6 are really passionate about their responsibilities as young citizens in doing their part to look after the environment. We conducted an energy audit of our local area. We are now considering some recommendations for reducing energy use.
Friday 22nd November 2024
In English this week, we have been enjoying planning an explanatory text around how to tame and train a dragon. We had great fun acting in roles as "dragonologists" being interviewed for T.V.
Friday 15th November 2024
In Science and Geography, we are considering our impact on the planet and exploring climate change. We looked at our school grounds in terms of how we encourage wildlife. We have also made rain gauges, which we will use to collect rainfall data this term.
Friday 8th November 2024
As part of Black History month, some members of Blue Class have produced some amazing posters. It has been inspiring and humbling for us to read about the legacy of these inspirational figures and their contributions to local, national and global communities.
Friday 18th October 2024
We have been working hard in English to create intriguing narratives that build atmosphere and draw the reader in. This piece by Freya is a wonderful example of this work.
Friday 4th October 2024
It's all jolly hockey sticks in Blue Class as we have been developing our dribbling and passing skills in P.E. We have been mastering the skill of turning our hockey sticks over so that we can move the ball in different directions.
Friday 4th October 2024
What a fantastically immersive experience we enjoyed at Stansted Mountfitchet. We were able to experience first hand Norman life in a Motte and Bailey castle. Not even the wind and rain could dampen our spirits when we were able to get up close and personal with the deer, goats, chickens, ducks and peacocks..
Friday 20th September 2024
Blue Class have started learning some British Sign Language. Sue our tutor taught us some signs for our school subjects. It was a bit tricky to remember them all but we are going to do a little practice every day. It was really fun. Our favourite sign was for French. Why not ask us if we can remember it!
Friday 13th September 2024
Blue class were excellent historians this week. They used sources of primary evidence to speculate about the events of The Battle Of Hastings. We were very impressed with their powers of observation and deduction.
Friday 5th July 2024
With the eyes of the world eagerly anticipating the start of the Olympic / Para Olympic Games in just a few short weeks, Y6 took part in the school's preliminary celebrations to mark this prestigious meeting of the world's finest athletes, through song, poetry and speeches our children learned about the true value of taking part, giving one's best and above all having fun! Sentiment which undoubtably accord with our ASPIRE values.
Friday 28th June 2024
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances..."
The Bard certainly got that right when he implied that we all have our parts to play! The pictures show the Y6 children hard at work in preparation for the Y6 Leavers' production. The children have been busily learning their lines and practising songs but they have found out that a play can not exist with just actors alone. Behind the scenes we have had prop making, stage directors, music and audio techncians not to mention the Y6 choir! It's a race against time...but it's coming together- we are certain it will be alright on the night!
Friday 14th June 2024
In a time where the cost of just about everything is rising and everyone is feeling the pinch, the annual task of Y6 children raising money for their Leavers' Party just got all the more tough. As you may remember, each child was given £5 to create a business-all profits to be pooled to go toward the party. The children more than to the challenge, and have fashioned enterprises of breath taking originality and run with ruthless efficiency. The discerning shopper was able to choose from a wide range of goods to buy such as crocheted, hats scarves and even octopuses or by pom poms and plants and a whole lots more besides!
Friday 22nd May 2024
The children of Blue Class had a chance to flex their designer muscles this week in the culmination of their design technology project on Chairoplanes. The children were tasked to design and make a themed fairground ride for a target audience. In addition to this, they had to apply their coding skills, learned in computing , to power and manipulate their rides. Take a look! The industrious engineers more than rose to the challenge!
Friday 3rd May 2024
This week, with all the talk of transition to secondary school, in English, we have been trying to predict the future - well sort of....
The children have been have been compiling their own horoscopes for their fellow classmates and themselves. To write an effective horoscope, they have learned, they must include figurative language, sage advice and of course a knack for unlocking the secrets of cosmos!
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 8th 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!