SPRING TERM

STEM Week Visit

During STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Week, the Year 6 children had a talk from a Technology Lawyer about the different ways technology permeates our lives today and how it will in the future. The children had many thoughts on the impact of social media, but hadn't really thought about other aspects of technology - except that many think robots are going to take over the world. The children did learn about how technology will impact their future jobs, but also the technological advancements in medicine, the environment, space exploration, sports and electronics we use today etc. The children agreed that we have a very exciting future ahead!

BSL - British Sign Language Week

During BSL, Year 6 were lucky enough to have a visit from a member of our Rockmount Community to teach us about British Sign Language. The children were able to discuss their experiences of communicating with deaf people and if any of them already knew any British Sign Language. The children learnt the importance of lip reading and then they were given the opportunity to learn how to sign their names. The children really enjoyed learning a new language!

Thames Barrier Trip

During our Spring 2 half term, the children learnt about Natural Disasters and the many different types of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Living in a part of the world where we don't really experience catastrophic disasters, it was difficult to get the children to relate to how challenging it can be living in a disaster zone. However, our trip to the Thames Barrier showed the children how their local area of London is protected from its own possible natural disaster - flooding. The children learnt about this amazing feat of engineering, which has on many occasions been put to use to protect London. They learnt about how it was made, how it operates and what the future holds for London's main flood defence.

COOKING FROM CANADA- DÉLICIEUX!

Linking to our Geography topic North America, Year 6 have cooked up a storm! We dived into our new topic and created a scrumptious, classic savoury dish from Canada- Poutine! Potatoes (peeled and chopped from scratch) with gravy and freshly grated cheese! And for our sweet dish- maple syrup pancakes!

Author Visit - Alice Hemming

Year 6 were very lucky to have a visit from the author Alice Hemming who has written many children's books, such as Leaf Thief, The Dark Unicorn Series and most recently The 13th Vampire. During an assembly, Alice talked about how she became an author and the writing process she goes through to create a book. The children then had a chance to do a piece of creative writing on a topic of their choice. The children really enjoyed having their work read by a published author and sharing their ideas. They then had the Alice Hemming books they had purchased signed by her.

Trip to Lihn Son Buddhist Temple

As part of their learning about Buddhism, the children had a trip to the Lihn Son Buddhist Temple. The children first met the monk, who was in charge of looking after the temple. Even with a language barrier, the monk was able to communicate to us the meaning of some of the objects we could see in the temple. In small groups, the children were given to opportunity to sit in the temple, being mindful of their surroundings, and sketch the beautifully adorned alter.

Finally, the children were able to spend some time in the temple gardens, answering questions about what they could see and the meanings behind some of the symbols and sculptures.

Autumn Term

Croydon Citizenship Scheme

As part of our year 6 transition program to help support our children as they prepare to move onto secondary school, the children took part in the Croydon Junior Citizenship Scheme at Croydon Fire Station.

The workshop taught the children valuable life skills to help them become more aware of what they can do to help themselves and others to make responsible decisions for a healthier and safer lifestyle. Some of the organisations that took part were the Metropolitan Police Service, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service, Hope UK (Promoting Good Health Choices) and Tfl Stars Safety and Citizenship Team.

Victorian Day

In Autumn 1, we learnt about the Victorians. As part of the children's learning, we had an excellent visit from a theatre group who worked with the children to tell the story of the Victorian times through drama.

The workshop explored what it was like to spend a day in Victorian England. The children were transported back to the late 1880's showing them everyday life in Victorian times. They also did this  dressed in Victorian attire, to get a real authentic feel of the period.

West Norwood Cemetery Trip

As part of our History topic, Year 6 visited West Norwood Cemetery in order to learn more about what life was like in our local area during the Victorian Era. 

This trip enabled the children to appreciate the depth of history the cemetery has to offer right on our doorstep. It is home to some famous Victorian graves such as those of Isabella Beeton and Sir Henry Tate - plus many more.

During the visit, the children used their geographical skills to follow a map around the cemetery and record information from the Victorian graves. Once back in the classroom, they used their mathematical skills to create graphs and charts to answer questions about birth and death rates during different years and look for patterns and trends. They then used their historical reasoning skills to provide explanations for these patterns and trends.