Hats Off To Nursery’s Easter Parade!
Just like that the Spring Term has drawn to a close in Nursery, but not before the children put on a perfect Easter parade to proud parents and made a real splash in the pool! The youngsters in Woodlands and Meadows showed off the handsome headwear and bonny bonnets that they had lovingly created as they paraded through the woods to the delight of the watching parents. Each child chose their own design and carefully fashioned their hats using colourful card, pretty paper and even fancy feathers and their beautiful creations really were worn with pride. Wearing their hats, the excited children, armed with beaming smiles, then happily searched the woods for their very own Easter bunnies. Earlier in the week, parents got the chance to see their children show off their swimming skills in our wonderful pool, and they certainly proved just how far they have come since September while confidently splashing around in the pool. For many children the swimming sessions are their first experience of water without the security of their parents by their side. Although this isn’t always an easy process for some, they never fail to amaze us with just how resilient they are. They have been gently introduced to the water and gained in confidence every session, thoroughly enjoying their time with excellent swim coaches Sharon and Suzie. They practice kicking and floating on their fronts and backs and gradually find the courage to jump into the water with a little help from the adults. It’s fair to say the children have really made a splash!
Penny Hodnett, Nursery Class Teacher
Reception Spring Into Action In Quest For Seasonal Changes
With Monday being the first day of spring and the Easter holidays on our minds, the Reception children used Forest School as a chance to look out for signs of the change in the seasons. Inspired by their woodland exploration, the creative children got busy penning spring poems back in the classroom. Looking at non-fiction texts and relevant images, the children thought about what they could feel, hear and see during spring, and it proved to be an excellent opportunity for us to discuss buzzy bees, more sunshine, lots of animals, and a time of new growth. The children used their amazing writing skills to sound out some tricky words to help them produce excellence poetry. Reception were unanimous in deciding that their favourite parts of spring were the Easter eggs and delicious treats, so with that in mind we decided to make our own delicious (and healthy) Easter biscuits. We mixed, measured and baked while chatting about exciting holiday plans and what we had learnt about spring. In class, the children talked about the Easter story and what Easter means to different people, as well as looking at where the tradition of Easter eggs came from and how they symbolise new life. The children were so fascinated to learn that the traditions we celebrate have so much meaning behind them. Wishing all of our wonderful Reception children a happy and healthy holiday.
Hannah Feery, Reception Class Teacher
Busy Bees In Year 1 Look Ahead To Next Term
Year 1 have been thinking ahead this week, busy discussing our new Summer Term topic and asking the searching question ‘why do bees matter?’. The children put their thinking caps on and came up with a number of excellent questions that we would like to find the answers to next term. Year 1 have also been celebrating Easter this week and sequencing the Easter story, putting the key events into the correct order. During child-initiated learning time, in the ‘shared area’ as the children call it, Year 1 have had fun cooking, experimenting with magical magnets and exploring and consolidating their learning through activities of their own choice. At Forest School, the industrious children have been busy preparing kindling ahead of learning how to make our own small fires next term. Have a wonderful Easter break, Year 1.
Kerri Wilkes, Head of Year 1
Year 2 Embrace The ‘Four Rs’ In Woodland Work
If you went down to the woods on Tuesday, you were sure to have had a big surprise. For you would have found reflective bears, resourceful bears, relating bears and resilient bears aplenty in the form of industrious, curious and creative Year 2 children. This half term, the children have been busy colonising their new Forest School territory to create a space of their own. It was evident that they were engaging all of their learning muscles. Reflecting upon their existing den, they dismantled it, sure and determined that they could build a far superior model. The children also used their relating muscles to collaborate effectively, contemplating and deciding together exactly where to best position different lengths of branches. To witness the children working together in the woods, strengthening friendships and bonds across the year group, is always a delight to behold. In other areas, pupils were resilient while learning the technique of successfully using a palm drill for the first time to pierce holes in sawn, cylindrical pieces of chestnut. It was hard work, but no-one gave up. And the resourceful children enjoyed creating unique items, finding charcoal from an old campfire to decorate and personalise their creations. From chatting, playing, whittling and exploring to investigating, creating and navigating a newly-designed ropes assault course, the children and adults love the plethora of outdoor learning experiences available at Highfield and Brookham, and we are all looking forward to embracing many more opportunities in the Summer Term.
Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher
Thoughtful Year 3 Open Their Hearts And Minds On Mosque Visit
Learning about Islam, Year 3 were struck with awe and wonder this week when they visited the first purpose-built mosque in the UK. Having recently undergone a full renovation project to restore it to its former glory, the Grade I listed Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking captivated the children’s interest and attention from the off. Mesmerised by its ornate features, Year 3 gained a real sense of its promotion of peace, understanding and harmony after spending time in the gardens, prayer room and main mosque. During the tour, the children discovered key features, artefacts and symbols of Islam through an exciting quiz. Our guide, Mohammad, engaged the children as he explained the five pillars which uphold the Muslim faith. They were introduced to the Qur’an and told how it is a special book for Muslims written in Arabic from right to left. After visiting a synagogue in Year 2 and with their understanding of Christian places of worship, Year 3 were able to make some interesting comparisons. Through their curiosity, the children demonstrated their resourcefulness by making links and asking myriad thoughtful questions. As a result, they are beginning to gain an understanding of the different religious beliefs and ideologies in this country and around the world.
Henrietta Platt, Head of Year 3
Year 4’s African Adventure Ends On A High
This term, Year 4 have been on an African adventure in Topic. They have been developing their research skills by using different resources such as the web and reference books to discover lots of interesting facts about their chosen African countries and carefully presented their work as information posters. The children have also created wonderful 3D dioramas about various African animals and discovered the adaptations that many animals on the continent have to make in order to survive in the wild. Year 4 understand that Africa is a land of many contrasts. They have reflected upon the different living standards and conditions across Africa and what we, as a community, can do to raise awareness and support the work of aid agencies to establish basic human needs such as clean water. Finally, Year 4 explored the famous Maasai tribe and learned all about their way of life and their colourful clothing and jewellery. They were particularly fascinated by the Maasai jumping contest, where warriors battle to prove their strength and maturity. The children were so intrigued that they headed outside and hit the heights in a jumping contest of their own!
Natalie McIntosh, Year 4 Class Teacher
Year 5 Maths Marvels Solve Costume Sabotage Mystery
The final Maths lesson of the term gave Year 5 the chance to flex their mathematical muscles to solve the mystery of the Easter Bunny’s ruined costume. The children all rose magnificently to the challenge of solving problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions – leaving them plenty of time to discover the identity of the culprit who had destroyed the costume. There was a healthy, competitive attitude in class and Year 5 raced against each other in pairs to be the first to complete their tricky challenges. There was a great sense of accomplishment when they finally earmarked Doris Clubb as the naughty costume wrecker, proving along the way just how much fun Maths can be!
Ed Elgood, Year 5 Maths Teacher
Year 6 Potty About Brainwash-Style Art
In Art, Year 6 are currently learning all about Ancient Greek pottery. The children have looked closely at the names, shapes and uses of the aged vases, as well as how they are decorated with motifs and patterns. They have made a wonderful start drawing these vases; some of which are beautifully detailed! Year 6 have also been working hard on the Brainwash-style canvases, which will be displayed in the forthcoming Highfield and Brookham Art Exhibition in aid of Highfield Centenary Bursary Fund. Brainwash is the name used by French-born artist Thierry Guetta, whose work is a mash-up of styles that he calls ‘Street Pop’. He manipulates appropriated images with screen prints and stencils to create work that is heavily influenced by street and graffiti art.
Tamsin Pearson, Year 6 Art Teacher
Year 7 Planners Draw Up Earthquake Protocol
Following a fantastic second half of the Spring Term, highlighted by the production of The Tempest and the trip to the Science Museum, Year 7 have been completing this term’s Geography topic on tectonics. Throughout the term, the group have been discovering what happens beneath our feet and the effect that tectonic activity has on the present and will have on the future. Much of what we have covered has been linked to events that have occurred recently, including the tragic Kahramanmaraş Earthquake which badly affected Turkey and Syria. Year 7’s attention has also been focused on ways in which the impacts of natural disasters could be lessened. As a result, they created action plans surrounding how the school could best prepare for an earthquake. They considered plans for the entire school, including how they would be implemented throughout the day. Whether in the classroom, boarding house or on the sports field, procedures were created and shared through instructional videos. It was great to see the children put their knowledge and understanding to the test, and I enjoyed seeing their creativity. While it’s highly unlikely Highfield and Brookham will ever be hit by an earthquake, it is good to know that, thanks to Year 7, we are all in safe hands.
James Figgis, Head of Geography
Year 8 Spoon-Fed The Vital Message Of Equity
As an interactive end to their topic on diversity, 8B took part in a practical competition to help get to grips with the difference between equality and equity within a successfully diverse society. Each group was tasked with working collaboratively to create a new and diverse spoon character for judging. The resulting spoons were named Prudance, Jemal, Dimitrias and Gary, and the competition was tough! Once the spoon characters were created they were judged standing behind a wall. But there was a problem. The shorter spoons simply couldn’t be seen over the top of the wall and there were cries of frustration from the Year 8 creators. To level the playing field a small amount, each group was given a single Duplo block to stand their character on. It helped a little, but the taller spoons still held an advantage. After much discussion, it was concluded that the only fair way forward was to allow each team to have a number of Duplo blocks which would corresponded with their height, so the shorter spoon characters would have more blocks than the taller ones. Finally, there was parity and Dimitrias was crowned Spoon King. This was a truly exciting and engaging lesson which saw the children really grasp the reality of discrimination and equity in society.
Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of PSHE
