As you have probably seen on the front page of the website, it is with much sadness that, following rigorous risk assessments, Down Hall will not be in a position to accept children back to school on the 1st June. Currently, we have a third of our staff who are self isolating or shielding. The maximum number of additional children we can accept back to school is 40. This is because we can only have 6 desks safely spaced in our classrooms and we only have 8 teachers who are able to be at school.
This would mean that we can not guarantee that your child will be with their class teacher or indeed with their friends in their normal classroom. We are concerned as a staff that this “return to school” would feel so alien to our children, especially to the youngest, that it could have a detrimental effect on their learning and also their mental health and wellbeing.
We will as a staff endeavour to support you and your children in all aspects of homeschooling as we move forward and will keep you updated via the website and the blogs of any future developments. Please remember that you can email us directly on ks1@downhallprimary.com with any worries, questions about the work given, or to share any good news stories.
Wishing you all well.
Mr Jude, Mrs Yuille & Miss Langley
Thursday Science Fix!
Down Hall Primary School Curriculum Statement
'We are learning to take care of ourselves, each other, our school and our world.'
Article 29 states that education must teach children to respect the environment, so in school we would have been asking children to think about this in relation to our seaside project. Let's begin today by setting a timer to generate as many ideas in 5 minutes in response to these three questions...
Why is it important that children learn to respect the environment?
What might happen in the future if children didn't learn this?
Which other children's rights might be affected if the environment is not looked after?
(There are some 'top tips' at the bottom of the blog to help you with this activity... I may have rambled slightly... that's why I've put it at the bottom... but it might be helpful!)
After your discussion you need to take a look at some environmental problems specific to coastlines. Here are a range of resources for you to explore:
here 'The Lump' - An animated story following an angel fish who investigates the big plastic monster in the sea. Don't miss the specific ideas near the end of this clip telling us what we can do to help. (6 mins)
here 'A Whale's Tale' - An animated story following a whale who uses his tail to tackle the problem of pollution in the ocean. (3 mins)
here A short video from Earth Day 2019. This short film does include some clips of real animals that have been harmed by pollution in the ocean, so you may want to watch it first yourself to decide if it is appropriate for your child. It very clearly illustrates the nature of the problem and we would use this type of clip in school to promote discussion of what is a real world issue. (2 mins)
Your task then, if you choose to accept it! After you have watched some clips and enjoyed lots of discussion, make a poster to promote taking care of our seaside environment. Your poster can be as detailed as you like, with clear instructions on what we should do, or just drawing and a few words. The important thing is that it communicates clearly how to care for our environment and why we should do so. You might want to include a slogan, ie; 'Save Our Seas'... or I'm sure you can probably come up with one far more imaginative than me!
Here are a couple of examples;
Remember, this is a poster, so where better to put it than in your window so that everyone can see it! And of course, you can send it to us at ks1@downhallprimary.com
If you want some more, or making a poster is not exciting you today, take a look at the links below:
here Learn a song with Miss Linky - 'Save The Planet'
here Watch a bbc bitesize clip entitled 'What should I do with my rubbish?' and then play a recycling sorting game.
Mostly, please just go where this learning takes you and if you don't end up with a glossy poster do not worry! Even if you just watch a few clips, have a good discussion and then investigate your own household recycling arrangements, this can still yield the most amazing learning... and that is what it is all about!
SUMDOG
We will be online tomorrow from 11-12 playing Sumdog for anyone who is ready for a challenge. Games as follows:
Street Racer 11:00 - 11:20
Stepping Stones 11:20 - 11:40
Dance 11:40 - 12:00
World Record
Don't forget that it is the Largest Art Lesson World Record Attempt at 4pm today so if you have registered, be at your device and load the link before 4pm. I can't wait to see the results of this!
Wishing you lots of Thursday fun!
KS1 Team
Top Tips for Talking About Children's Rights
Children's rights are for all children, all the time, everywhere. All rights are equally important and cannot be taken away. If a child is living in a situation where their rights are not being met, we say exactly that as all children have those rights but sadly not all children enjoy them. For example a child that has no access to clean water still has that right, but it is not being met.
In relation to our seaside project, here are some of the most relevant articles:
Articles 24 & 27
The links are clear here. If our environment and food is polluted, then these rights will also be affected as it may not be possible to enjoy the best possible health. Food and water may be contaminated and the environment may not be safe. Ask some simple questions - what might happen to the children playing on the beach if a person leaves a glass bottle behind?
Other articles that you might discuss if the questions take you there:
Article 1 & 42
All children under the age of 18 have the rights in the UNCRC, and it is our job to teach them what those rights are. But what happens once they reach 18?
On reaching 18 years of age, our pupils will become 'duty bearers', and as such will be responsible to uphold children's rights for others. They are the guardians and decision makers of the future and if we want them to make a positive impact on our world, we must teach them the importance of our common and shared world view. Therefore, if children don't learn that the environment is important, how will they safeguard it for the children of the future?
On another note, children can be reassured that when they do reach 18, they do still have rights! As adults, these are called 'Human Rights' as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
