Sports and ICT meeting.

Today all the staff had a chance to look at Year 3 and Year 6 blog. They were very impressed! It has given them the confidence to have a go themselves. So look out for the new blogs from other year groups!

The staff also had a very interesting meeting about PE and the activities we teach. We now know how tricky some of the activities we ask you to do are!!!

Architects in the Making!

On Friday afternoon, Year 6 were set a challenge.
Using only 4 pieces of A4 paper, glue and a pair of scissors, each group was asked to design a bridge, supported by books on either side and with a span of exactly 20cm. The bridge was free- standing, it could not be supported underneath. Each bridge was tested to see what load it could carry without bending or breaking.
This was a great opportunity for our year to investigate what makes a structure strong and how designs need to be improved and reviewed in the 'creating process'.
All groups had a very sensible go at the activity and five out of the six designs were deemed a success!
We hope to put photos of the activity on our blog shortly!

Rounders

This evening our school rounders team played in our League Tournament at Swanshurst School. We played well against four other schools and there was very tough competition. Everyone showed great sportsmanship and real enthusiasm. Holy Souls played with determination but were not the winners of our League. Congratulations to Our Lady of the Wayside. Well done to Year 6!

A very sporty day!

Today some of our children in Year 5 and Year 6 attended the Gaelic Football tournament. They have only been playing this sport for a couple of weeks and therefore did very well. They even reached a semi-final match!
Back at school, Year 6 enjoyed a fun-packed sports afternoon participating in athletics / relay races and rounders. We were lucky enough to have Mr Clifford and Mr Morris to help teach us. To top it off, the swimming club met for their weekly training after school and improved their underwater swimming.
Well done to everyone!

Rationing

We decided after a long discussion today that the rations for a grown man during WWII were just not enough. We found it hard to imagine what life would be like without the staple foods we are used to today and the lack of treats. Can you imagine having just one egg a week? By the end of our history lesson today we had also looked at propaganda Government posters encouraging people to stick to the rations and we had made our own ration books!!

Our Visitor

This morning Year 6 were visited by Mrs Cooke from Archbiship Ilsley School. She gave us a really useful talk about our induction next week and what we can expect in September. She also gave us the chance to ask lots of questions and put our minds at rest about things that were worrying us, or we were not sure about. Now we can not wait for our 'taster day' and where we will have the chance to try out new subjects in 'mini-lessons' and eat the canteen food!

Summer Fayre

Saturday 21st June was the summer fayre. The damp weather did not dampen spirits and a large number of children and grown ups came to support the school and the PFA. Every year group sang songs from a specific decade or period from the last century. Year 6 performed 'Quartermaster's store' and 'Washing on the Seigfried Line' with enthusiasm! All year groups sang brilliantly and many also put on dance numbers.
Everyone was invited to come in fancy dress and prizes will be awarded to the best dressed soon. Will it be you?

Parish Day of Prayer

On Friday ( 20th June) it was the parish of Sacred Heart and Holy Soul's day of prayer.
Children from Year Six spent time in collective worship over at Church. We were able to pray before the blessed sacrament which was on display at the Altar. We felt special to be involved in this important day for our parish.

The life of an Evacuee

Today in our history topic we found out about Ken, a boy who was evacuated during World War II. We looked at historical evidence - the diary extracts of this young boy - to help us understand want it meant to be evacuated and how children felt. We discussed how we would feel if we were forced to leave our homes and move to the safety of the countryside. Although we understand that Evacuation was a very important Govornment policy, we agreed that most of us would miss home, family and friends!

Sing-a-long with the 1940's!

Today Year 6 have been practicing their songs for the Summer Fete on Saturday. We are doing two songs from the 1940's ( our topic in history) but we will not ruin the surprise and reveal them now! The theme is 'the last 100 years'. Holy Souls School has celebrated the fact it is 100 years old during this academic year. Every year group is singing songs from a particular decade. Everyone is invited to dress up in clothes from the last 100 years. There will be a prize for the best! All are welcome from 12.00 noon until 3.00pm.

Decisions

Today Year 6 made a visit to the life bus. We spent a very interesting afternoon talking about our bodies, things we could do which might harm it and making responsible decisions. We even had a chance to meet Harold again, despite the fact that he does not normally visit year 6 groups!! We hope that 6K enjoy their afternoon in the life bus on Thursday!

Bird Show

Today our Year 6 children, along with other children from St. Bernadette's, visited Archbishop Ilsley School for a Falconry display. The 'bird man' showed us many birds of prey and we were able to answer question on adaptation, habitats and food chains. It fitted in really well with some of the work we have done in Science this year. We thank Mr Kelly, Mrs Girling and Mrs Dwyer for coming with us this afternoon!

DT Shelters Project

This weekend the children in Year 6 are investigating how structures are made. We are looking at famous buildings throughout the world - such as St. Paul's Cathedral, the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower. How are they made? What gives them their strength?

We have been thinking about the structure of the Anderson Shelter used in WWII. Over the next few weeks we are going to investigate how we can build a model of this shelter which is strong and provides protection. What materials shall we use? How shall we build it? Keep popping back to the blog to see how we are getting on!!

Science Week Continues

This morning we investigated how birds' beaks are adapted to the type of food they eat. We tried to pick up jelly beans with cocktail sticks, lolly sticks and plastic cups. We determined which of these 'beaks' was best adapted to 'eat' this type of food. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the work of the great Charles Darwin and the observations he made on the Galapagos Islands.

This afternoon eight children presented all the work we have covered this week. We took down the models of our adapted creatures, showed everyone the photos of our work with coca-cola and talked about our density experiments. It was very good fun to hear just what Year 3 and Year 4 had been investigating. Year 3 showed us what happens when you add fruit to fizzy drinks and Year 4 shared some fabulous work about forces.

We are all budding scientists in Key Stage 2!

Wow experiments!

Year 6 have been very busy with Science Week. Yesterday we discussed, planned and created creatures which are adapted to specific habitats. It was a great opportunity to be very creative and work in groups to bring our scientific ideas alive!

Today we carried out two experiments. We discovered that if we add 'chalky' sweets e.g. sherbet to a bottle of coca cola, they react with the acidic coke and it creates a 'fountain' as the coke fizzed out of the bottle. It looked impressive and we discussed ways to improve it next time!

We also learned about what density means. We discovered that when we mix syrup, water and oil they separate. Syrup is the most dense - it fell to the bottom layer. Oil was the least dense.

What experiments will tomorrow bring?

A Special Afternoon

Year 6 shared a very special afternoon. Firstly we had an assembly with our Faith Friends in Year 3. They presented us with cards and bookmarks to celebrate our Confirmation. They are beautiful! Each one was in an individualised envelope. They must have taken ages to make!

A while later, Bishop Pargeter visited Year 6 for a talk before we make our Confirmation this week. He answered many of our questions and we were able to demonstrate that we are ready to be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation.
In addition the Bishop attended a whole school assembly in the hall where we shared prayers and hymms.

It really was a very special afternoon!

Science Week

This week is Science Week!! Watch this space for the exciting WOW science experiments and investigations we will be carrying out in Year 6. We will record what we predict, observe and conclude in our blog........

Confirmation

It is Confirmation next week in Year 6. This weekend for homework we have some reflective activities to complete about the Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit and links between Baptism and Confirmation. Please remember to bring it into school on Monday!

Harvington Hall

Today Year 6 visited Harvington Hall. We had a really interersting tour around the hall and spotted no less than 7 priest holes!! Lots of us had the chance to go into one of the priest holes. We could not imagine how hard it must have been to be in that confined space for days!!! After lunch we celebrated mass at the church there with Father David. It was a beautiful service where we focussed on the Saints and preparation for Confirmation next week. A good day was had by all!!

Girls' 5 a side football

Today girls from Year 6, with Mr Barton, represented Holy Souls at the girls' 5 a side football competition in Perry Barr. The girls were able to play in wonderful weather and enjoyed meeting other teams from other schools. Our team played well and had a very successful first result of 5-1!! This was the first time this team has played together and they should be very pleased with their efforts throughout the afternoon. It is the boys' turn tomorrow!

Making a promise.

Today we have been talking about promises - especially what it means to make one. We have linked this into our work on Baptismal promises and understanding each of these that we will renew next week. Yesterday afternoon we spent time with our Year 3 Faith Friends explaining about our Confirmation preparation and sharing the new things we had learnt.

Visit to Church

This week we will be practicing for our Confirmation. Today was our first full run-through in Church and a chance to meet some of the children of the Parish who will be joining us in making this Sacrament. We must keep up practicing our readings and hymms as the week goes on!