Seeing the light

We all thoroughly enjoyed Science Week last week. Class 3 wrote recounts of their week for homework. Here is Abbas' thoughts on the week.

Science Week
On Monday it was the first day of Science Week and we did lots of experiments, for example, how to bend light around corners using mirrors. We also made periscopes and used them to see over the top of our desks.

Mr. Bishop came to talk to us about the eye. Did you know that your pupil is a hole? Also you have a jelly like substance in your eye (joke, I want mine to be lime jelly! ha ha).

On Wednesday a lady called Liz from the Lempen Puppet Theatre visited school. She performed her show 'Journey of a Turtle'. After the show she explained how she had made each of her puppets. In the afternoon Class 3 and Class 4 took part in a shadow puppet workshop. We made our own shadow puppets, they were amazing! Unfortunately, mine went all wrong.

We made periscopes and it was really fun, I thought Zac's was the best. On Friday it was the last day of Science Week. In assembly each class did a presentation to explain the activities they had been doing. Caius and I were at the end of our presentation, so I got pretty nervous, but I stood up and said my line loudly and clearly. It was a great end to a very action packed week!

Kallista plays in an Orchestra

On Wednesday and Thursday morning this week I went to Boston Spa High School to play my violin in an Orchestra (The EPoS Gifted and Talented Orchestra! - Mr M). There were children from all around Leeds coming to play in the Orchestra. It was great fun especially when we played in a concert to our mums and dads. The pieces we played were the ones had learnt during two days.

Kallista E Lawson-Tovey

Pinhole Cameras

Class 4 made pinhole cameras they work by passing light from a torch through a pinhole in a shoebox and projecting the image on the torch onto a screen [grease proof paper]. This image is upside down [in the same way our eyes work]. This only works if it is completeley dark.
We painted our shoeboxes black inside and then made a hole in one side of the box. On the other we cut a rectangle out and covered the whole with grease proof paper. Altogether, we had a great time.

Thank you for reading.

by Tom Rothwell and Seth Jamieson

"Body Tricks"

On Thursday 19th Class 4 went to Otley Courthouse because it was Otley Science Week. We did something called Body Tricks with Dr Marty Jopson from the One Show. First,we did Eye Tricks and you had to stare at some shapes and then they all went fuzzy and we all thought our eye sight was going fuzzy. After that we did Brain Tricks and a boy had to read out some colours and then the colours changed and the boy got mixed up. After the Brain Tricks we did Body Tricks and Marty Jopson cut a board in half with his hands!!! Once it was all over Marty said a carrot is very dangerous and we thought he was going mad but he shot a carrot at a board and chopped it in half !!! It was a great presentation!!

Dress like an Egyptian!

If you called into Class 3 this week you may have met up with Cleopatra or the odd pharoah! We were researching how the ancient Egyptians used to dress. We used our research to design our own outfits.

The challenge was to create a complete outfit in thirty minutes, so we had to use our group work skills to meet our deadline. I think you'll agree we look simply fabulous! :)

Everything is looking brighter!

Have you spotted the engineers around school with their ladders and tool kits? They have been installing our new projectors. Now we have fantastic new brighter projectors in our classrooms - so we can work from the interactive whiteboard without sitting in the dark.
"They are great!" said Billy. "So much easier to see and the colours are fantastic!"

Introducing Mrs Watts - Our New Class 1 Teacher

A big hello to everyone at Harewood Church of England Primary School!

My name is Dawn Watts and I am thrilled to be joining your fantastic school in January as the new Class One teacher. Mr Madeley has asked me to introduce myself to you all – so here goes!

I have worked in education for many years in a number of roles. At Bardsey Primary School, over the period of ten years, I worked as a Teaching Assistant, Special Needs Assistant, Learning Mentor, Higher Level Teaching Assistant and Graduate Teacher Trainee. For six of these years I worked in the Reception class and for my teaching degree I specialised in Early Years Education. I have also previously worked as an Education Officer for Harewood House Trust.

I am currently the Reception teacher at Colton Primary School, which is a brilliant school in which to work. I have been extremely happy at Colton and was only lured away by the prospect of working at Harewood – my dream job!

I have a deep commitment to learning and teaching and I strongly believe in the importance of parental involvement in children’s education. Consequently, I am committed to establishing close school and family partnerships and also believe that children’s personal, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing should always be a priority for teachers.

I have already had a long and very happy association with Harewood Church of England School. Both my children, who are now nineteen and eighteen years old, were taught by Mrs Holmes at Harewood and have extremely happy memories of the school. I feel fortunate to once again become part of this unique and very successful ‘family’ school.

I have the utmost respect for Mrs Holmes and we will meet later this term to discuss classroom routines at Harewood and how I can step into her much accomplished ‘shoes’ in order to ensure the continued progress of the children in Class One. I will of course also spend time with the children to help ensure a smooth and stress free transition for them. In addition to this, Mr Madeley and I will arrange a time when I can meet the Class One parents so I can introduce myself to you in person.

I very much look forward to meeting all of you and becoming part of your outstanding school.

Dawn Watts

Fabulous Ideas!

For much of Thursday and Friday Miss King and Mr Madeley were on a course learning about how to use computer games to encourage brilliant learning in the classroom. It was superb stuff! The course was run by a man called Tim Rylands and showed how wandering through virtual worlds, with the right guide, can inspire wonderful language, writing and learning.

We even got to see it in action, with REAL children in a REAL primary school. What they produced was magnificent. It was so good expect "Myst" to be coming to a classroom near you soon!

Homegrown vegetables in the soup!

Before the end of half term, Class 1 harvested the herbs and vegetables from our School Garden.

We picked carrots, onions, parsley, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins and tomatoes.

Once we had collected the vegetables, the children used their senses to feel the various textures, look at the different colours, smell and taste the raw vegetables.

The class then prepared the vegetables, peeling and cutting them to the right size.

We blended some of the vegetables for our soup.

A big pan of vegetable soup was soon on the cooker.

The children all enjoyed tasting our homegrown vegetable soup.

We made a Halloween lantern with the pumpkin.

Mrs Holmes read a story to the class about pumpkin soup.