This week we have been learning about the importance of Remembrance day and why we celebrate it. We all created beautiful artwork that was displayed in the hall for everybody to see. After our special assembly, we held a 2 minute silence to honour and respect the memory of the all the men, women and animals who helped fight for our country.
Around the world Black History is celebrated during Black History Month. This is a time set aside each year to celebrate the achievements of black men and women in the past and today.
We know that all people should be treated equally but sadly, this isn’t always the case, and many groups of people around the world still suffer as a result of discrimination. Thankfully, there are some amazing people who have done incredible things to fight for equality. Over the past few weeks, each year group has been learning about a different inspirational person.
Today we all joined together in assembly to share who we have been learning about.
Take a look below at what each year group has been learning!
Year 5 have completed a lot of work recently on Greek myths, particularly looking at Herakles and his twelve labours.
Each class was tasked with acting out one of Herakles’ labours. All groups worked together to produce a fantastic… and very dramatic performance!
Props were used and character’s lines were created by the children.
Among Us: fairly safe, or pretty sus? 
This scenario of spaceship crew members cooperating to complete tasks and uncover murderous alien imposters has garnered a sizeable and committed following with younger gamers 
Though Among Us is presented in a (mainly) sanitised visual style, any children’s game which essentially foregrounds the concepts of deceit, betrayal and killing is always likely to cause some concerns. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide gets among it with Among Us.
Created in 2018 by a small indie studio that (at the time) had only four employees, Among Us has become one of the gaming world’s biggest breakout hits of recent years. In 2020, for example, it was the world’s most-downloaded mobile game. Its simplicity helped Among Us to resonate with younger players in particular: the game’s second largest audience slice is the 13–18 age bracket.
While the 7+ age rating, emphasis on teamwork and cartoonish, colourful graphics all suit a young fan-base, however, the game does carry more serious risks than betrayal by a team-mate or an untimely on-screen demise – with in-game purchases and possible contact from strangers on our #WakeUpWednesday guide’s list of hazards that trusted adults should bear in mind.
Our History topic this half-term is the Ancient Greeks. We are so lucky that we have been able to loan a ‘Box of Delight’ with lots of Ancient Greek artefacts. We looked at different artefacts and discussed with our groups what we thought each artefact was. Then, we annotated our ideas and inferences around the objects on the tables.
Year 5 have been rounding up to 6 digit numbers. We worked together to solve challenging word problems and reasoning questions. AJ explained, “You find the 100,000 column, and then look at the 10,000 column. It tells you if you need to round up or round down. So 546,500 would round down to 500,000.” All the children enjoyed rounding numbers up to 1,000,000.
It’s a description of encryption proscription! 
The world’s most popular instant messaging service, WhatsApp has been appearing in the headlines even more often than usual recently over its opposition to aspects of the UK government’s Online Safety Bill 
Encrypting messages to protect users’ privacy has undeniable merit, but it also poses obvious risks – especially to young people. Updated to reflect the newest version of WhatsApp, today’s #WakeUpWednesday guide brings trusted adults the latest essential info.
WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging platform on the planet, with over two billion users (forecast to become three billion by 2025), across more than 180 countries. The majority of those people (70%) open the app at least once a day – but what exactly are they seeing? Contact from strangers, fake news and convincing scams are all among the service’s well-documented hazards.
According to Ofcom, WhatsApp is used by more than half of 3- to 17-year-olds in the UK (including one in three from the 8–11 bracket), despite its 16+ age restriction. If your child hops onto WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends or family, our updated #WakeUpWednesday guide to the service contains the key details you’ll need to support them in doing it safely.
Almost half (46%) of 8- to 11-year-olds in the UK play online video games with people that they don’t necessarily know 
While 55% of parents of young gamers worry that their child might be pressured into making expensive in-game purchases 
Most children find gaming immensely enjoyable, but its volume of potential risks – and capacity to influence behaviour – often make it problematic for parents.
Behind video-sharing platforms (like YouTube) and streaming TV shows and movies, gaming is the third most popular online activity for children in the UK. In fact, according to recent data from Ofcom, an overwhelming 89% of children aged 3 to 17 play video games. Of those, more than one in five (22%) talk to other players online who they don’t know outside the game.
The risk of contact from strangers is just one of the reasons that many parents are concerned about their child’s gaming: increased screen time, inappropriate content and in-game spending also figure among the most frequent fears. Agreeing on some rules around your child’s gaming activities can certainly help, and our guide has some useful tips for establishing these boundaries.
Millennials are Messenger’s largest audience group, with the 25–34 age bracket comprising around a third (32%) of the app’s user-base. That’s not to say it’s unpopular with youngsters, however. Back in 2017, Facebook tried to launch a version for under-12s – Messenger Kids – but it was met with negative feedback: particularly in the UK, where it remains unavailable.
Users as young as 13 (and in all probability, many who are even younger) having access to an app which lets them chat privately with each other, exchange photos and potentially be contacted by older people who they don’t know brings its own obvious issues.
Facebook Messenger is a communication app through which users can exchange messages and send photos, stickers, and video and audio files. Messenger allows both one-to-one and group chats, has a ‘stories’ feature and – via its latest addition, Rooms – can host a video call with up to 50 people. As of 2021, the app had 35 million users in the UK alone (more than half the population!) among its 1.3 billion users worldwide. Whereas Messenger is integrated into Facebook on desktops and laptops, it has existed as a standalone app for mobile devices since 2011.
In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as addiction, strangers and secret conversations.
Currently, group chatting is most popular among Millennials. Data from the USA, for example, reports that – whether they’re using WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger or any other platform – almost half (44%) of that 18–34 age bracket take part in at least one collective online conversation every day.
This is relevant because, of course, the schoolchildren of today are the 18–34s of tomorrow. Just like the current crop, online group communication will facilitate their blossoming social lives and expanding friendship networks.
Occurring through messaging apps, on social media and in online games, group chats are among the most popular ways that young people engage with their peers online. Involving, by definition, three or more individuals, these groups allow users to send messages, images and videos to everyone in one place. While they are useful for helping friends, people with shared interests or members of a club to communicate and coordinate activities, they can also leave young people feeling excluded and bullied – as well as providing opportunities for inappropriate content to be shared and viewed.
