St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Claughton-on-Brock
Claughton Primary School is an outstanding rural primary school situated in Claughton-on-Brock.
Autumn 1
People who Help us
What better way to learn about this then to hear from the very people themselves? We welcomed a local police officer into school today to learn all about how the police keep us safe. It was great learning about their work, how they keep themselves safe and testing out the equipment! All agreed that the siren was very loud, the car was AMAZING and the clothing was heavy, bright and tough. It was certainly put through its paces by the children!
Hattie the vet came to visit us and we heard about she helps us by looking after our pets and farm animals. We gave her a helping hand in checking over the puppies (one of whom we named Custard) using the stethoscopes and learnt that sometimes animals have to wear a collar after they have had sutures to protect their skin and help them heal. Hattie is certainly very busy though as she also volunteers with Mountain Rescue and so we heard more about how she helps rescue people then as well as when she takes her therapy dog Pepper to listen to readers in the local community and a local residential home. We all agreed that there were lots of times that we might see Hattie helping people!
We have also been on a trip to Garstang Library to hear, see and learn about how they help us. They have plenty of books, dvds, story times and also Lego club and a board games club.
We have been busy learning how dentists, hairdressers, mechanics and lots of other people help us too and we have been creating a book with all this information! Our manuscript will be published into a book shortly for us.
We cannot wait to learn more from other real life superheroes to find out how they help us and look forward to welcoming the RNLI to school next!
Speaking of dogs, the children were so pleased to welcome Bruce into school once more. He is our reading dog who we adore sharing stories and snuggles with!
Inspired by so many people who help us, we decided to try and be helpful ourselves! For our fundraising this term, we decided to bake and flex our motor skills. We hosted a MacMillan Coffee Morning with autumnal cafe vibes, jazz music and pumpkin spiced latte on the whiteboard and our bakes to share. We are so grateful to our families for supporting us and helping us raise just over £50!
Knowing Me, Knowing You
What a wonderful start to school it has been! Reception and Pre-school have settled beautifully into school life. They have been getting to know the layout of the classroom and school routines as we have been getting to know them and each other! It has been amazing to see friendships begin to blossom and to hear the sounds of fun, laughter and giggles from all areas of the classroom.
We have looked carefully at ourselves to draw and paint self-portraits and have also studied the artist Jackson Pollock creating both digital pieces of art and seasonal artwork inspired by his pieces. These were displayed at a community event and a local artist and school governor chose the winners. We are very proud to share with you that one of these winners was from Reception!
Our author studies have focussed on traditional tales so of course we had to make and taste some porridge to see what all the fuss was about when Goldilocks gobbled up Baby Bear’s porridge. The children have since been imaginatively making their own porridge in the home corner too. We decided to create some instructions to help us remember how to make porridge. Reception have produced the most amazing collaborative book which was created entirely by themselves! They also enjoy retelling Jack and the Beanstalk with our castle and small world and The Three Little Pigs on our library shelves.
Speaking of reading, Reception are loving taking home their reading books as well as a snuggle up sack for the weekend! Pre-school enjoy a snuggle up with a book every night to nurture their love of reading. We have also been enjoying having a surprise reader coming to share their favourite childhood story with us – who knows who it will be or what they will read?! All we know, is that it will be a familiar face to some or one of us. Our reading dog Bruce is also returning to school this year. We can’t wait to start sharing stories with him.
We have been singing lots of songs in maths and music. The children are also really enjoying using QR codes and purple mash to create their own pieces of music. Also, they are very proficient at using QR codes to generate digital art with a kaleidoscope effect.
The children are thriving using the continuous provision. Curiosity cave is supporting children with their motor skills and communication and language. We have overheard conversations about “putting on your hi vis jacket whilst you are in the construction site to be seen and safe” and learnt that objects are made from different materials including plastic and metal, some of which even conduct electricity to make a bulb light up! Our arrivals board and departures board at the airport encourage children to practice their letter formation, writing and number recognition and there are always stories to be shared using our Tonie Box. There really never is a dull day here in Acorn Class!