The Penguins

Animal encounters

Getting hands on with some unusual creatures!

We had lots of fun and laughs on Wednesday when the animal encounters team came into school. They brought a selection of creatures that normal live in arid, desert conditions. We got to hold most of them! There was a tarantula, an owl, a gecko, a millipede, a snake, a tortoise and a hedgehog! They were so cute (except the tarantula).

Wallington Hall

A wonderful day out in Northumberland

We'd love to share with you some photos from our lovely day out at Wallington Hall. Nearly all of our children told us that they had never visited this National Trust property before so it was a real adventure for them. We took the children for a walk through the beautiful gardens and grounds, across bridges and streams, before arriving at the playgrounds. The children had a great time climbing, exploring, balancing or just chilling out. It was lovely to spend time with the children outside of the classroom and it was a nice treat after a very busy half term. It was a beautiful day and considering all the rain we've had recently we were so lucky with the weather. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Science Week

A week of discovery and fun

Science week is always one of the children's favourite weeks at school and this year is no exception. Here's a flavour of what we've been up to this week including exploring gears and motors, learning to identify fingerprints and experimenting with boat designs.

BBC Microbit Version 2s

Coding with gadgets

We had two Computing lessons on Tuesday this week instead of one because Mr Rowlands invited his colleague Mr Hughes into school to help teach us how to use BBC Microbit Version 2s.

When we were in Year 3, Mrs Donaldson taught up how to use BBC Microbits. This week though, we became the first children in school to use the Microbit 2s! They now have a speaker, a microphone and a touch sensor.

We first reminded ourselves how to plug the Microbits in and to display images on the screen.

We then explored the new features of the Microbits. We got them to play melodies, to respond to our voices using the microphones and to respond to our touch.

Then in the afternoon, the coding got more complicated and the algorithms on our screen grew longer as we learned to program LED lights which we attached with crocodile clips.

The children did an amazing job. It was one of Mr Rowlands' favourite days ever at school because the listening and teamwork and coding was superb.

Thanks to Mr Hughes from GEM Education, Beech Hill's long serving advisor on all things ICT, for his fun lessons and his calm and caring approach to teaching the children these tricky new skills.

5RW at Pizza Express

Possibly the best school trip ever.

Following on from our DT topic about designing a pizza box, 5RW visited Pizza Express in the Metro Centre to make our own pizzas from scratch. The children were so excited, but they calmed down to listen and follow the instructions really well. The Pizza Express staff were marvelous, so paitient and good with the children.

Our tummies were rumbling and our taste buds on fire by the end! HOWEVER - we got to eat our pizzas as soon as we got back to school! And they were delicious. For me, a trip to make my favourite food with my lovely class probably made this the best school trip ever.

Mr Rowlands

5RW at the Discovery Museum

Santa vs Science workshop

Earlier this week, 5RW visited the Discovery Museum in Newcastle to take part in a Santa vs Science workshop. Following a morning looking round the History and Science zones, the children worked on a series of experiments in teams including building air powered sleighs. They had lots of fun!

The children loved looking around the museum. Mr Rowlands and Mr Wooton have never been on a trip where the children have pressed every button, pulled every lever and read every sign on the way round until now. We were so proud of their knowledge and enthusiasm. Well done kids.

Cinema Trip

Year 5 had a fab time on their trip to the Vue Cinema in Cramlington to see Sonic 2. The children were really well behaved on the bus, in the cinema and on the way back. They represented the school brilliantly. All the children came home with a card offering a free children's ticket at Vue in December.

The trip to the cinema was planned as part of our efforts at Beech Hill to provide the children with "cultural capital" opportunities - giving the children a range of experiences to help them grow as individuals.

Art

Andy Warhol

Year 5 have completed their unit on Pop Art where they learnt about Andy Warhol and his work.

They drew simple objects, and used marks and lines to produce texture. They also annotated their sketches in detail to show their understanding and thought process. Here are some of their final pieces of work.