Reception
Reception have welcomed Peggy to their reading sessions on Wednesday afternoons. Peggy is such a good listener and really enjoys hearing the girls practise their phonics and blending. Peggy thinks they are getting better every week!
Year 2
Year 2 have been busy outside of school too. Arya and Mia performed in a beautiful dance.
Arya and Mia have weekly Bharathanatyam lessons and practise at home A LOT! I chose to perform a Pushpanjali – a dance in honour of the Hindu elephant God, Ganesha. Arya’s dad edited the song on a music app to 140 seconds which she used for her school open homework project. Brilliant!
Mia said that it made her so happy and both girls were very excited.
Don’t they look gorgeous?
Back in class we ran our own little Year 2 Bootcamp this week as we discovered the impact of exercise on our bodies. Riley and Luna tested their pulse and found out that our heartbeat went up after running and jumping and they found that they panted rather loudly too as they took in extra oxygen. They know this is a good thing to get the blood moving round their bodies and it’s also good for their brains – and they were all rather quiet in class for a while as they got their breath back too! Win, win!
Year 4
This week, Year 4 went to RHS Wisley. They learned about the life-cycles of plants and how different plants are pollinated. They also explored Wisley’s magnificent glasshouses, and enjoyed a ramble through the garden with its glorious Autumn colours.
Year 5
On Thursday 9th November, Ms Ahmed gave a wonderful, inspirational talk about the Five Pillars of Islam. The afternoon started off with an entertaining and thorough explanation of the 1st Pillar -Shahadah. We were told that this means to commit to believing in the Prophet Muhammad, Allah (the Muslim name for God) and all the other holy people.
The second pillar of Islam was explained to us next – Salah, where you pray 5 times a day. You are expected to pray at dawn, in the morning, at noon, at dusk and before going to bed. There is also a voluntary prayer you could do at midnight.
For the 3rd Pillar (Zakat), it requires you to give some of your money savings to any charity that will help poor people in need. The purpose of this is so that you can share your gratitude and fortune with others who need it more than us. Ms Ahmed told us that the minimum you can give is £2.00.
Fasting is the 4th Pillar – Sawm. This is especially done in the holy Muslim month, Ramadan. Muslims believe this improves our patience, makes us less greedy and helps us feel others’ pain and sorrow.
THe 5th Pillar, Hajj, is the most important of them all – many will most likely do this once in a lifetime. This is when you make the pilgrimage to Makkah (the home of Allah). Over there, people all wear white apparel to show that to Allah, they are all equal.
At the end of each explanation of a Pillar, Ms Ahmed would always find time for bursting questions and answered all of them.
Overall, the talk was fascinating and informative and it taught everyone many more facts than Year 5 were expecting!
By Hemya B and Myra G 5S
Year 6
The Charity and Community Leaders in Year 6 went to the Salvation Army Foodbank on Friday last week to see how the centre is run and where our money raised from the harvest festival goes towards.
On Friday 10th of November, the Year 6 Charity and Community Leadership teams were invited to see the Salvation Army food bank to explore and find out how it works and where the money we raised.
First, we went to a special room where they kept all the extra food that was donated by the local community. Going downstairs, we went outside to see the yellow storage room where we figured out where all the food was stored, (well, most of it). Venturing back into the building, we made way into the room where all of the families would come with their special slips of paper saying how much food they would get and when they would come back again for a re-fill, (Monday and Friday, the day we came!). Looking to our left, we saw the fruits and vegetables that came fresh from the Sutton Local Community Farm, we found that out because of the dirt that was still on them, so they were very fresh!
Overall, we learnt a lot about the Sutton Salvation Army, that there was more to just food donations but also about how they help families and individuals with public transport, clothing and we all found it very interesting.
Maddison, Elaine, Harriet, Charlotte Y and Mari
Year 6 Community and Charity Leadership Teams
