The children had a fantastic time today celebrating all things mathematical! As they entered their classrooms this morning, there was a buzz in the air and a great appreciation of the all of the amazing number themed costumes that the children were modelling. After a whole-school assembly, the day was then filled with a range of brain-bending maths games and number puzzles that developed not just our mathematical understanding but also our skills in team work and problem solving. It has been a fabulous day all round but, most importantly, it helped us to consider the vital work of the NSPCC and ensure that by raising money today, we can help children in need tomorrow.

On Thursday 30th January, as part of their Earth and Space Topic, Year 5 visited the National Space Centre in Leicester. The children had a ‘blast’, and learnt so much through a whole range of exciting activities and workshops. The children were completely immersed and loved developing their understanding of the Earth, Sun and Moon as well as the other planets within our solar system. They tested out gravitational strength through different experiments and even drove a smaller version of the Mars Rover. Finally, they got to meet Tim Peake and learn about his experiences as the first Brit to be blasted into space! WOW! What a great day!

This week, KS1 have been on a trip to Hartsholme Park to help them understand more about Joseph Shuttleworth, who they have been learning about in History. Whilst at the Park, Lisa (the Park Ranger) shared with the children some fantastic information about Joseph Shuttleworth. They were shown where he lived in the park and what the park would have been like when Joseph was alive. They even found out that the legs on the infamous white bridge are the original ones built in Shuttleworth’s factory over 100 years ago! All the children absolutely loved the visit and have definitely learnt lots more information that will help them back in the classroom.

The children also loved learning about all the birds that live on and around the lake. There are so many! Do you know the difference between a coot and a moorhen? Years 1 and 2 do!

Today our Rocksteady bands performed a concert to their parents and the rest of the school. Their skills on the instruments were impressive and it was fantastic to listen to the songs they performed. It is great to see such passion and musical talent in school and wonderful to see this being shared with the rest of the school!

This week in Year 5, the children took part in an exciting Tinkercad workshop in which they designed their very own moon bases!

They learned about the challenges of living on the moon, such as limited resources and harsh conditions, and used their creativity to tackle these problems. Their imaginative creations were truly amazing and wonderfully showcased their problem-solving skills and creativity! The children also explored how 3D design can be used in the real world, for example, in architecture and engineering, which sparked inspiration for future careers.

On Thursday, Mr Cannon took the school
choir to Risby Green Retirement Housing.
They entertained the residents with some
wonderful Christmas songs. Both residents
and children thoroughly enjoyed the festive
spirit.

On the 12th November, all the children and staff came to school in their craziest odd socks! Odd Socks Day is designed to be fun but it is also an opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes them unique! The children engaged in different activities throughout the day which enabled them to recognise and value their own character strengths but also see how these characteristics make us the special individuals that we are! It was a great day which also helped us exemplify our trust’s value of ‘happiness for all’!

On Wednesday 9th October, Year 6 were thrilled to be invited to the Bomber Command Centre to take part in a STEM Activity Day led by the RAF Youth STEM team. During the day, we took part in lots of different activities including: designing, building and programming LEGO robots, building model RAF planes and testing their durability during flight and completing a STEM treasure hunt around the Bomber Command grounds. It was a superb day and the RAF team were delighted with the behaviour demonstrated by all the children, even commenting that, ‘The children were extremely well behaved, easily at the top of my list of everyone I’ve EVER taught STEM to!’. A great day all round!

This week, our year 6’s wowed the whole school, families and carers with their performance of “Alibaba and the Bongo Bandits”. They worked incredibly hard for weeks, and really pulled off each and every performance. Hartsholme is extremely proud!