Our first week back we have been busy freeing transport from the ice, exploring ice, being creative, practising our phonics and writing and being active within our learning. We have also enjoyed our PE sessions in the hall exploring different ways we move, climbing, jumping, balancing and dancing to the music.
This morning, we were visited by Geoff Hewitt from XP, who is our school’s XP Pilot. Geoff came to show us his drone and explain how drones can be used to take aerial view photographs. This links closely to our current expedition and is something we will be learning more about as our work continues.
Geoff demonstrated how the drone works and shared some of the photographs he had taken. Together, we explored the aerial footage and discussed what we could see from above, noticing features that look very different when viewed from the sky. The children were fascinated by this new perspective and asked lots of thoughtful questions.
It was an exciting and engaging visit that helped bring our learning to life and gave the children a glimpse into how technology can be used to explore and understand the world around us.
Yesterday, we were delighted to welcome local author and illustrator Phil Sheppard into school. The children were especially excited as we are currently using one of his books, Discover Doncaster, as a core text in our learning. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to meet the person behind the book they have been enjoying in class.
Phil spoke to the children about what it is like to work as both an author and an illustrator. He shared how ideas develop into finished texts and showed us extracts from Discover Doncaster, explaining how the writing and illustrations work together to bring the subject to life. The children loved seeing the creative process and gaining an insight into how books are made.
Afterwards, the children asked Phil lots of thoughtful questions about his experiences, inspirations and favourite parts of being an author and illustrator. They were highly engaged throughout the session and showed great curiosity and enthusiasm. It was a really inspiring visit that brought our learning to life and encouraged a love of reading, writing and creativity.
In our crew session today, we focused on the importance of teamwork and why working together really matters. To put this into action, the children were set an exciting challenge: build a bridge that could hold 500g for at least 30 seconds.
Each group was given a selection of materials but no instructions at all – it was completely up to them to plan, design and build as a team. This encouraged lots of discussion, problem-solving and collaboration along the way.
The results were amazing! All five groups created very different bridge designs, and every single one was successful in holding the weight. A fantastic achievement and a brilliant example of teamwork in action.
Well done, everyone – engineers in the making!
To kick-start our expedition, we threw a fabulous Fiesta right here in Doncaster! Our mission? To learn all about Doncaster and compare it with the vibrant town of Tulum in Mexico. To set the scene, we went head-to-head with a Doncaster vs. Mexico theme – and the competition was fierce!
Round 1: Music Madness!
We listened to artists from Doncaster, including Louis Tomlinson, Tony Christie and Yungblud – who even sent us an amazing video message (huge thanks to Mrs Bubb for that surprise!). We then compared these tracks to the lively sounds of a Mariachi band and some of Mexico’s most well-known artists. Yungblud’s video was a total game-changer and helped Doncaster take the win in the music round!
Round 2: Language Fun!
Next up, we grabbed our backpacks and learned some Spanish with Dora the Explorer. We practised simple greetings and had lots of fun giving them a go. This round was too close to call, with the votes split evenly!
Round 3: Taste Test Challenge!
It was time for a food-tasting adventure. The children sampled English favourites like Yorkshire puddings, liquorice, celery and mustard, before moving on to Mexican treats including lime, mango, tortilla chips with dip… and even chilli! Everyone was incredibly brave and tried something new. The tortilla chips and dip were the clear winners, giving Mexico the victory in this round.
With the scores tied at 2–2, it was anyone’s game!
In the afternoon, we turned into artists. We listened to a story about the life of Frida Kahlo and her beloved Animalitos. Inspired by her work, we explored the art technique of pointillism, studying famous examples and discussing our favourites. Using the Animalitos as inspiration, we then created our own colourful pointillist masterpieces – and they looked fantastic!
What an exciting and creative start to our expedition!
What a wonderful way to end the term with so much festive fun! We were delighted to welcome a very special visitor as Santa popped in to spread Christmas cheer and smiles all around. The children also enjoyed a fun and energetic assembly led by our friends from St. Aiden’s Church, where they learned new songs and listened to the Christmas story.
Our school shop was a big highlight of the day, giving children the opportunity to choose a treat in recognition of their achievements throughout the year. We then settled down to enjoy a festive movie, complete with delicious doughnuts kindly provided by Miss Carter, before coming together to sing carols around the Christmas tree.
In the afternoon, the children were surprised by a visit from the Grinch himself, who reassured everyone that he would not be stealing any presents this year!
Thank you for your continued support. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas—enjoy making special memories together, stay safe, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in January.
Thank you for coming to our Nativity this week and making some Christmas crafts; we really enjoyed our parents coming in to school to work with us. We have had lots of fun on our Christmas party day and we even got a visit from Santa! We would like to wish all our families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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-Miss Blackham
#LovePlover
Thank you so much to all our parents and carers for joining us at our Christmas play. It was so lovely to see so many familiar faces and to share such a special festive moment together.
We are incredibly proud of all the children. They sang beautifully, spoke confidently, and took to the stage with such enthusiasm and joy. Their hard work and excitement truly shone through, and they should all feel very proud of themselves.
We would also like to say a big thank you for respecting our photograph policy during the performance. This allowed everyone to enjoy the moment fully and helped us keep the children safe and comfortable on stage. As a result, we were able to capture some lovely, christmassy photographs which we can’t wait to share with you.
Thank you again for your continued support and for helping to make the event so special. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the festive season together.
