Year 4 have loved the start of our STEM week. This year, the theme Masterpiece links science, technology, engineering and maths to the arts. Today, the children have started to explore different ways that hobbies and interests can be shared. They’ve been amazing builders, working collaboratively to construct a stage! They then thought about ways they could use technology to further improve the stage.
Congratualtions to all the readers of the month for June. This month the children have been chosen for setting a good example to others with their reading. This includes returning home readers regularly, making super progress, challenging themselves to read more tricky texts and having a super attitude in school.
A special shoutout to:
Louis in Year 1 for his amazing progress with reading- moving up book levels very quickly and learning new sounds.
Orson in Year 2 who has made an outstanding 2 years of progress on Accelerated reading.
Grace, Riley and Isla in Year 5 for their excellent STAR reader test results.
We are incredibly proud of our year 3, 4, 5 and 6 pupils who participated in the national Leaders Award competition, where children are posed the question ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’ The children are tasked with identifying a problem and designing an invention to solve that problem. They created labelled diagrams of their invention and wrote letters to a panel of judges explaining what their invention did and the inspiration behind it. Out of thousands of children who took part, over 70 of our children were shortlisted to the final round of judging and had their work displayed at Sunderland University.
We are also delighted to announce that Carter, in year 6, was announced as the winner for the north east of England for his invention of the Emergency Stop System! Carter’s invention would help people cross the road safely and it would be especially beneficial for people with visual impairments.
Check out the amazing entries!
Thank you to everyone who attended our book fair recently.
It was wonderful to see the children so enthused about new books.
Thanks to the fantastic turnout, we have raised £554.68 to buy more books for school to support the children and their love of reading.
We look forward to hosting another book fair next academic year.
A peak simultaneous player count of almost 500,000. It’s safe to say that Helldivers 2 has taken the games industry by storm, attracting a wide array of fans from all over the world and – more importantly – from various age groups. Many young gamers are actively playing this title, both with friends and with strangers via online multiplayer – despite the game’s 18+ rating.
Unfortunately, the gore and violence of Helldivers 2 (combined with its in-game purchases and the ability to play with unfamiliar people online) present significant online safety concerns for its younger players. This Wake up Wednesday, our guide explores these issues in detail and advises on minimising the risks to children and young people.
Within the last few months, Helldivers 2 has propelled to immense popularity in the gaming community, with players of all ages enjoying its frenetic combat, humorous presentation, and challenging gameplay. Whether they’re cooperating with friends or competing with strangers, the game has attracted many young players despite its higher age rating.
As can be expected from an online game – especially one rated 18+ – there are several inherent online safety risks posed to children and young people who play Helldivers 2; from the content of the game itself to the dangers of interacting with strangers online. Our guide highlights the most prominent hazards of Helldivers 2 and provides you with top tips for keeping its younger players safe.
https://nationalcollege.com/
We always love celebrating the achievements of our children and we LOVE Reading!
This month our readers of the month were chosen because they show super effort with home reading; responsibly looking after their books and returning them each week. We also noticed children who make a super effort to look after our library spaces around school. They are all superstars!
Well done to all of our Reader’s for April. A special shout out for Kyle in Y5 who has made a spectacular 3 years of progress in his star reading assessment!
Around one in five headlines online are clickbait. That’s an estimate from experts at Stanford University, who conducted a study into this phenomenon which has gradually extended its reach to almost every corner of the internet – powered by a strategy of snagging users’ attention by any means necessary rather than a legitimate desire to inform or enlighten.
As that statistic indicates, this manipulative marketing strategy is difficult to avoid online. There’s still plenty that can be done though to limit its influence – especially in relation to young people, who are often more susceptible to sensationalist headlines. Today’s #WakeUpWednesday guide details the potential hazards around clickbait and has expert tips for avoiding them.
Cultural and technological changes have made the experiences of today’s children vastly different to our own childhoods; it can be challenging to engage youngsters in open, honest conversation – especially about more sensitive topics. This, combined with many children’s instinct to avoid “rocking the boat”, can make it difficult to stay up to date with the goings on in their lives.
However, it’s hugely important that trusted adults still offer an empathetic ear and feel able to encourage young people to open up about their day-to-day activities. This #WakeUpWednesday guide provides ten top tips for promoting open conversations with children – helping to make sure there’s someone they know they can turn to in times of need.
World Book day is always one of our favourite days of the year and this one was amazing thanks to the wonderful efforts of our children. It was so lovely to see so many lovely characters from the stories we know and love.
Throughout the day the children took part in a range of book related activities and enjoyed discussing how they could have different careers with books, including becoming an Author or illustrator.
We also held our Book swap event- giving the children a chance to swap an unwanted book from home for a new one to refresh their collections. Thank you for the wonderful donations.
It was a fantastic day!
Dreaming of a decent night’s sleep? Many of us are – and it’s a particularly pervasive problem for young people. Concerningly, research has suggested that around 70% of teens get less than the recommended 8–10 hours’ sleep per night. The effects of poor-quality sleep on a developing mind, of course, can be harmful over a prolonged period.
Although a significant portion of under-18s struggle for shut eye, there is still plenty we can do to support them in getting the beneficial rest they need during those formative years. Compiled in conjunction with our friends at award-winning mental health charity Minds Ahead, this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has tips on helping children to develop healthy sleeping habits.
For children and young people, low-quality sleep can become a serious issue. It has been theorised that poor sleep can have a significant impact on children’s brain development, affecting them for the rest of their lives. A healthy – and consistent – sleeping pattern, therefore, is incredibly important for children and young people’s wellbeing.
With the stresses and distractions that can present themselves to youngsters, it can be tricky to ensure they’re in the best mindset to wind down in the evenings for the rejuvenating rest that they need. The right approach, however, can give them a better chance of cultivating a healthy sleeping pattern. Our guide has some practical tips on helping them to achieve exactly that.
