Parents' Area

Updates

Week 1 of Eco Club

This week, Eco Club launched our exciting environmental project by becoming Eco Detectives! The children explored the school grounds with great enthusiasm, investigating different areas including the allotment, the Hazels, grassed areas and planting spaces to identify where wildlife already thrives and where improvements could be made.

During our walk, we noticed that several areas contained a surprising amount of litter. Demonstrating excellent teamwork and care for our environment, the children immediately took action by carrying out a litter pick to help make our school grounds cleaner and safer for wildlife. We also worked together to mark key areas for development on our School Biodiversity Map, helping us plan future projects to enhance habitats and encourage more wildlife around the site.

To finish the session, the children enjoyed a bug hunt, searching for minibeasts and learning about the important role they play in healthy ecosystems. It was a fantastic start to our Eco Club journey, and we are looking forward to making a positive difference to our school environment over the coming weeks.

 

Scarecrow or Scaredog?

Meet Our Very Own Scaredog, Honey! 🐶🍂

Our children have been busy getting creative, designing and helping to make a very special scarecrow inspired by our much-loved school dog, Honey!

With lots of teamwork, imagination and creativity, they brought their brilliant design to life, and we think our Scaredog, Honey, looks fantastic!

We’re sure she’ll do a brilliant job of keeping those pesky crows away! 🐦‍⬛

Families can pop along and see our Scaredog Honey on display at Apley Farm Shop! Make sure you have a look and see what our talented children have created.

Well done to everyone involved – what a fantastic team effort! 🐾🍁

Recycling Week Poster Competition Success! 🌍♻️

As part of Recycling Week, we were delighted to welcome Gaskells into school to work alongside our fantastic Eco-Warriors and speak to children about the importance of recycling and sustainability.

During a whole-school assembly, the team explained what happens to our waste after it leaves our homes and school, helping children to understand the journey rubbish takes and why making the right choices when recycling is so important. The session sparked lots of thoughtful discussions and encouraged children to think carefully about how their actions can help protect our environment.

To finish the assembly, the children were set an exciting challenge: to design a poster explaining why recycling is important. The response was incredible! Pupils from every year group produced creative, informative and eye-catching posters, demonstrating not only their artistic talents but also their growing understanding of sustainability and environmental responsibility.

A month later, we were pleased to welcome back Lucy from Gaskells back into school to announce the winners and present the prizes during assembly. One winner was selected from each year group, with each receiving a £20 Amazon voucher and a fantastic goody bag.

We were incredibly impressed by the effort, enthusiasm and thoughtful messages shown in all of the entries. The competition generated meaningful conversations across the school about recycling, reducing waste and the positive impact we can all have on our planet.

A huge thank you to Lucy and the Gaskells team for supporting our school and helping to inspire the next generation of environmentally responsible citizens. We are also very proud of our Eco-Warriors, who continue to champion sustainability and encourage positive environmental action throughout our school community.

Well done to all of our poster competition entrants and congratulations to our winners! 🌱🌎♻️

Exploring our Environment – Outdoor Learning in Year 4

Year 4 had a very good explore of our environment in our wellies on Thursday when we went on a minibeast and microhabitat hunt around our beautiful school grounds! We explored various places, including: under rocks, under logs, behind trees, in bushes, in ponds and many more! We understood why minibeasts prefer some of these places, especially if they are cold and damp!

Year 4 Science Investigation!

Mr Andrew’s Class investigated what effect different drinks had on our teeth this week! We used eggs to represent the enamel on our teeth and left eggs in different liquids for 5 days. After the 5 days, we found that the eggs in coffee, vinegar, orange squash and diet coke were quite stained/damaged, whereas the eggs in water and diet coke (but covered in toothpaste) were okay! We have learnt that we need to be careful with what we drink!

Pumpkin Carving Competition

🎃 Pumpkin Carving Competition 🎃

​Can you turn a pumpkin into your favourite book character?

​Carve or design your pumpkin to look like a book character.

📚 Extra points if you bring the book along too and can tell us about it!

📅 Bring your completed pumpkin into school from 19th October and we will display it for everyone to admire.

🎃 During our special Pumpkin Parade Assembly, all entries will be showcased and a winner will be chosen.

🏆 First Prize: An amazing £20 voucher!

​Get creative and happy carving!

Show Racism the Red Card!

Why We Are Wearing Red Today?

Today, pupils and staff are wearing red to help raise awareness and show support for an important cause. By wearing red, we are standing together to promote kindness, inclusion, and understanding, while helping to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Taking part in days such as this gives our children the opportunity to learn about compassion, empathy, and the importance of supporting those within our wider community. It also reminds us that even small actions can have a big impact when we come together as a school family. We would like to thank all of our children, families, and staff for getting involved and helping us make today a colourful and meaningful occasion. We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm and support shown across our school.

❤️ Together, we can make a difference! ❤️

Harvest at Sutton Hill Church

Mrs Yates and the Year 3/4 class, enjoyed a special visit to Sutton Hill Church to take part in a variety of Harvest activities.

The visit centred on the meaning of Harvest and gave the children the opportunity to reflect on the values that help us grow as individuals and as members of our community. The children explored the importance of patience, peace, joy, humility and generosity, considering how these qualities can be shown in everyday life.

The visit encouraged the children to think about being thankful for what we have and how we can support and care for others, particularly during the Harvest season. They participated enthusiastically and shared some thoughtful ideas about how small acts of kindness and generosity can make a big difference.

We would like to thank everyone at Sutton Hill Church for welcoming us and providing such an engaging and meaningful Harvest experience. The children had a wonderful time and represented the school fantastically well. 🌾🍎🍂

 

Outdoor Learning in Year 3/4!

This afternoon in Mrs Yates class year 3/4, we took our science learning outdoors and explored The Hazels to investigate soil and discover what it is made of.

The children carefully observed different samples of soil, looking closely at the materials they could find and discussed how soil is formed over time. They were excited to uncover a variety of natural materials, including small stones, plant matter, roots and other organic materials hidden beneath the surface.

Back in the classroom, we continued our investigation by examining our soil samples in greater detail. This hands-on experience helped develop their scientific enquiry skills as they asked questions, made observations and drew conclusions based on the evidence they found.

It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm and curiosity throughout the afternoon, with the children demonstrating excellent teamwork and a real passion for learning about the natural world around them. We look forward to continuing our investigations and discovering even more about the fascinating world around us! 🌱🔍🪱