This half term, lots of the children have worked incredibly hard on their homework projects linked to our topic of island life. They picked different Caribbean islands to research and then chose how to present this learning. Mrs Barnett was absolutely blown away by the effor that the children put into these projects - here are a few for you to see! 
It has been a brilliant half term is Willow Class so far and everyone is ready for a well-deserved break! See everyone on Monday 4th November! 

We have had an absolutely brilliant WOW Day in Year 6! We started our morning by making our own periscopes which link to our science topic of light. We discussed how and when these are used and after we made our own, we wrote down instructions on how to do so for others to follow. To finish off our morning, we decorated them and then went to spy on some other classes - we were pretty stealthy but eventually, we were caught! During the afternoon, we watching the film 'Hidden Figures', which is based on a true story and links to our learning about Katherine Johnson for Black History Month. We found it moving and thoroughly enjoyed! 

It was an exciting end of the day in Willow Class yesterday as we listened to all our applicants for the role of school council representative give their speeches. We couldn't believe that 16 of us wanted the position! Mrs Barnett was blown away by the effort put into our speeches and how clearly we spoke. It was a close call but this is our winner - please welcome Willow Class' school council representative 2024-2025! 

Today, we kicked off our learning for Black History Month by finding out all about the Windrush Generation! We started by looking at how people in Britain responded to people from the Caribbean arriving in Britain to supporting during World War 2. Afterwards, we watched a video and noted down all the information about the Empire Windrush journey in 1948. There was so much information that our mind maps filled up our pages! We look forward to continuing this learning next week. 

Willow Class have had so much fun performing their class assembly today! They performed to Sherwood Forest this morning and then performed to their adults this afternoon. All children did such a fantastic job at narrating and acting out the storyline of their core text: Coming to England by Floella Benjamin. Thank you so much to all the adults who attended - we hope you enjoyed! 

In today's Georgaphy lesson, we were presenting our learning on a double page spread. We have been learning all about the similarities and differences between the UK and the Caribbean. Our comparisons included: houses, beaches, weather and even fruit! We put such effort into our work and we were incredibly independent - Mrs Barnett is really impressed! 

In today's Science lesson, we conducted an investigation linked to our topic: light. We used torches and opaque objects to create shadows which we measured. We investigated how the distance between the torch and the object affects the size of the shadow. Now that our investigation is complete, we will be presenting our findings in the next lesson! 

During one of our English sessions this week, we had to bring an image to life by creating a story for it. We worked incredibly hard to come up with different storylines for the image and lots of our groups even had a narrator to help guide the story. Mrs Barnett was extremely impressed with our acting skills! 

Today, Herts Young Homeless (HYH) visited Whitebeam and Walnut to talk about managing anger and resolving conflicts. They helped us understand how these issues can affect families and even lead to homelessness if left unresolved.

The session started with students drawing what anger looks like inside their bodies. Some drew fiery shapes or storm clouds which helped us recognise how anger feels and affects us physically. We then learned about different "conflict styles" by discovering whether we’re more likely to avoid, confront, or try to solve conflicts directly. Understanding our own reactions to conflict gave us better insight into how we can manage disagreements in a healthier way.

Finally, we brainstormed ideas for preventing and resolving conflicts. Suggestions included taking deep breaths, communicating calmly, and finding compromises. HYH emphasised how resolving conflicts early can help prevent bigger issues at home and within our families.

The visit was a valuable experience, equipping us with tools to handle emotions and conflict, both at school and at home. Thank you, Herts Young Homeless, for teaching us important lessons about maintaining strong relationships and preventing family issues.

We have been kept super busy today with a wide range of activities: raft building, vertical challenge, problem solving and laser tag. After a hearty dinner, we then got dressed up for our disco. Our time is flying and we can't believe how soon we will be coming home!