As part of our Christmas celebrations this year we visited Cleethorpes Parkway to see Pinocchio! We packed out the theatre and enjoyed lots of jokes, singing and laugher from Mamma Mia and Spag Boli. The children thoroughly enjoyed the day and had lots of fabulous memories and best bits to talk about when we returned to school.
Year 4
Year 4 have just completed their first DT project of the year! They worked in teams to create a ‘Shaduf’, which is an Ancient Egyptian piece of equipment used to get water from the Nile. We’ve learnt how to measure, saw and glue our projects and we also had to work together to solve any problems that came up! We had to ensure the lever arm could move up and down securely to collect the water in a bucket and we had to figure out what we could use as a counterweight on the other end. We are so proud of what we have achieved!
Year 5
To finish our fantastic Victorians topic this term Y5 have explored bridges. The brief was to make a bridge that held weight and lifted with a pulley. We have researched Isambard Kingdom Brunel and learned how his bridges work. We identified famous bridges around the world and looked closely at how they worked. The skills we learned were measuring wood lengths, sawing wood, gluing and creating a simple pulley mechanism. These skills were then applied to building our bridges.
What a fantastic Christmas themed day we had on Friday ! We wore our best Christmas jumpers and raised lots of money for Save the Children Fund. In the morning we had a very special surpsise visitor who gave us all a gift (here’s a clue – we love reading !) We then had our annual Christmas dinner which all of the staff and pupils enjoyed together. In the afternoon we were treat to a preview of the production club’s show ‘The Grinch’ which was amazing ! Finally we finished off the day with a fantastic Christmas community sing with all of our wonderful parents! Thank you so much to the hundreds that turned out on a chilly afternoon. What an amazing day!
Year 6 spent the day at the National Holocaust Centre in Newark, which was part of their learning for history on how the Holocaust affected peoples’ lives and how we can learn from it. The children listened to a real account of a man’s childhood under Nazi occupation and how he was part of the Kindertransport scheme. They listened intently and understood the significance of what they were listening to. As well as this, they explored a replica walk-through of a Jewish home, a school, a street during Kristallnacht and a damaged shop, following the journey of a boy called Leo. Our children were a credit to the school, they were extremely sensible and respectful and the guides on the tour expressed how impressed they were with the knowledge shown by the children and the maturity they behaved with. We are so proud of them!
Last week, we visited Old Clee Church for a Christmas service. We listened to Reverend Lynne who reminded us about the Christmas story and why Christmas is so important to a Christian, to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. We joined in with a prayer, thanking those in the emergency services, hospitality, retail and refuse workers at Christmas time. Some children took part in reading the key events of the Christmas story and we finished the service by singing the Christmas carols including ‘Little Donkey’, ‘Away in a Manger’ and Well Three Kings’.
This week, some very talented and creative pupils went to the Minster to experience, learn from and be inspired by Luke Jerram’s stunning installation, Gaia, at the Minster.
Measuring seven metres in diameter, Gaia features detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. The artwork provides the opportunity to see our planet on this scale, floating in three-dimensions. To enhance the spectacle, a surround sound composition by BAFTA award winning Composer Dan Jones is played alongside the sculpture. There was so much to see and discover. We learnt all about how we can protect the planet. We also learnt that Grimsby is one of the leading industries in the world with green/wind energy. To round off our amazing trip we did some beautiful observational drawings of Earth.
On Friday 18th November we celebrated Children in Need Day and worked hard to raise money for children less fortunate than ourselves. Not only did our pupils and staff come to school in non- uniform dressed in something ‘SPOTACULAR’, our WBJS pupil governors sold over 300 Children in Need themed cookies at breaktime to help raise even more funds!
We would like to thank all of our pupils and their families for all of their support with our charitable day which resulted in an incredible £411.70 being raised! Our great achievements were even shown on the Look North programme on TV!
Check our Twitter @WBJJuniorSchool for photos…
Last Thursday, we celebrated all things Hinduism and Diwali! We were met in the hall by Mrs Singh who taught us all about where Hinduism originated and we learnt about some of the key elements and symbols. Later on, we went in the hall for some traditional Indian dancing and music and everyone looked fantastic dressed in saris and churidars! We also got to sample some traditional foods including lentil curries, naan bread and yoghurt dip. In the afternoon, we got to experience henna tattoos and everyone chose their designs. In class, we read the story of Rama and Sita and acted out the key events. We created Rangoli patterns, lanterns and designed our own henna. We learnt so much about Hinduism and there was a real buzz about the academy!
Please check out our schools Twitter pages for more details and photo of the day @WBJJuniorSchool
On Friday 21st October, we had an amazing day all about our future careers and broadening our children’s horizons to dream big! In the morning, the children had the opportunity to speak to a variety of different people who work in a multitude of fields from engineers to mental health nurses, and soup developers to musicians. The excitement in the room was electric and all of the guests commented on how polite and well-behaved the children were, asking insightful questions and showing genuine interest in their lives. Around this, our work in class centered around really reflecting on themselves and thinking about where their hobbies could lead them in the future – it was a fantastic way to end Autumn 1!
On Tuesday 27th September, the year six team at William Barcroft were delighted to host a ‘Fish N Tips’ evening for the families of our year six cohort. The parents and carers of the year six cohort were treated to a delicious fish and chips in the hall and also attended an important discussion with their child’s class teacher all about the importance of their final year at primary school due to their SATs and preparation for secondary school. We discussed how parents and carers can help their children to prepare for their SATs and how to best work together to achieve all they are capable of. It was lovely to welcome so many parents and carers into the academy and discuss their children’s futures with them – we are grateful for their continued support.
