Over the past two weeks, Mr. Wheatley and his Y11 History students joined Y6 for two sessions linked to our Term 2 topic on World War II.

Each session consisted of a carousel of 5 activities, led by a pair of Y11s.  They focused on a range of topics that included:

• An introduction to WWII
• The Nazi & Soviet Pact
• Appeasement of Hitler
• Chamberlain’s declaration of war
• Anschluss – the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany
• The Treaty of Versailles
• Auschwitz
• The Holocaust
• Ghettos 

 Y6 enjoyed learning new information from their older peers and were clearly taken in by their reflections about the recent Y11 trip to Poland and Germany.

 Gabriella from Y11 said 

 “For the past two weeks, every Wednesday my classmates and I have been going over into Primary and talking about WW2 and specifically Nazi Germany. I enjoyed this experience as, in my opinion, it is extremely important to talk about these things to the younger generations, so that history doesn’t repeat itself. It was gratifying to be able to share the stories and experiences we encountered during our visit to Germany and Poland as part of a History trip. The Year 6 class was a joy to be with and to talk to as they were eager to learn and listen to our stories. It was a huge delight to teach them and I hope to do it again soon!”

Our Deep Learning Projects give students the opportunity to really engage with topics on a deep level. As rehearsals for next term's KS3 play, Shakespeare's The Tempest, are in full swing we got the Year 7s and 8s to explore the play as well as help design the set and costumes for this. See the pictures of some of their great ideas. One of the Year 7 tasks was to write up what the different 'element' fairies might be like. Here is Nicholas' beautiful description:

THE FIRE FAIRY

The fire fairy’s ginger hair leaps towards the sky like flames. Her eyes sparkle in the dark. The brightness of her red, orange and yellow clothes shine around her. The crackling of her voice echoes in the air. She leaves an ashy smell on her way. She soars out from the smoke with energy. The passions guide her life. She has a fusion relationship with the Air and Earth fairies who help her burn unlike with the Water fairy who turns her off.

THE WATER FAIRY

Her translucent look can see through anything. Her hair leans onto her shoulders. She wears fluid blue clothes. Her words lap in her mouth. She smells like foam just out of the sea. She moves from one place to another balancing like waves. She could be very calm or stormy as she has an inconsistent temper. She is very nosy as she can slip through anywhere. She teases the fire fairy, she waters the Earth fairy with new ideas and she makes the Air fairy cry.

THE EARTH FAIRY

Her head is covered with blond twigs. Her long arms stretch like branches. Her skin is wrinkled like bark. Her low voice is cavernous. She smells like fresh clay. She slithers like roots on the ground. She always hides by planting or burying her face in her hands. She sows peace around her. She absorbs the new ideas from the water fairy, she dances with the air fairy and she is the sworn enemy with the fire fairy.

THE AIR FAIRY

Her hair is swirling around her head. Her body is inflated like clouds. Her look is light. She sounds like the whistle of the wind. She carries the scent of a delicious meal. She hovers like the wind in the sky. She is always being wacky. Most of the time she daydreams. She has a close relationship with the fire fairy, she listens to the sad stories of the water fairy and she dances with the Earth fairy.

The children in FS1 and FS2 at the Infant School have been getting deeply involved in the time of the dinosaurs and becoming mini paleontologists!

Last week this learning culminated in FS2s assembly about dinosaurs where they gave some incredible facts about the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Diplodocus, Pterodactyl and Stegosaurus. They also did the Dinosaur Stomp, much to the delight of their audience of parents!

Here are some for FS2s highlights and favourite facts!

"My favourite dinosaur is the Pterodactyl. The Pterodactyl has a long beak to eat fish. It is not a dinosaur - it's winged lizard!"

"Dinosaurs have sharp claws. T-Rex has short arms and sharp teeth. He has big legs to walk for a long time looking for food. His tail swoops away the bugs."

"Dinosaurs are extint - they don't exist anymore. It's left only bones."

"The Stegosaurus has spikes on his tail to protect him from other dinosaurs."

"Diplodocus has a long neck to eat leaves and plants."

We have a class of paleontologists in the making! Be sure to tune in next week to find out what FS1 have been up to.

Atharv Shinde is 10 years old and a member of Year 5. He has has done what many would consider impossible for a child his age - he is a published author!

Titled ‘The Behemoths, End of Warbringer’, the book centres on Randy, a 14 year old boy who becomes a superhero.  When asked what made him want to write the novel, Atharv said that writing has always been his hobby as he can explore his imagination through it. In ‘The Behemoths’, he does this by exploring a new city. The story is set in San Francisco and, although Atharv has never been there, he does a great job of imagining new places and describing them.

‘Drenched, I continued to skate down the road - I could see the red door of our house partially open.’

Another point of inspiration for the book came from Atharv contemplating having super powers himself, saying  “Especially when I’m feeling lazy, I wish I had Telekinesis!”. Atharv said that part of his motivation to complete the novel came from wanting to be the youngest author in India. He proved his dedication when he came to his parents with five chapters of the book already written. From then on his parents were fully on board, supporting him through the six months it took to write the book and the next three months of publishing and self editing.

All this may make one think that Atharv is a fully grown adult placed in a child's body. But be reassured that he is much like any another child, full of wonder.

When asked what advice he would offer to others his age, Arthav says, “Pen down your thoughts”, a statement which will serve him well as he plans to write his sequel, based on Randy's future son. We can't wait to read it.

- Interview by Charis Pulei

The children from Year 1/2 in Njiro and Kisongo have been studying Houses and Homes and Materials over this term and, as part of their learning, travelled to Moivaro Village to visit Laura Tarimo and the young people from the KIMAMAVIMO (Moivaro Youth Group for Self-development and Care for the Environment) Project.

The homes within the project are all made completely from natural materials and, with everything from compost toilets to an organic farm, they have created an almost fully self-sustaining environment.

On arrival, the children met Laura, her family and volunteers from KIMAMAVIMO. Laura talked about how the houses were made and the materials they were made from, then the children were given the chance to go and explore.

Adventuring through the lush organic farm, the children learned how to identify different fruit trees and vegetable plants, as well as learning about composting.

One of the children's highlights was learning about the composting toilet which uses no water at all!

The children then had the opportunity to build their own mini-clay houses using stones, clay and sticks. They worked in teams to build up their structures, making them strong and safe. They loved getting their hands all muddy and working as a team. Their end results were impressive and many commented that they would love to live in a house like Laura's!

Thank you so much to Laura and the team for welcoming us and looking after us so well!