Welcome to P6/7

Welcome to P6/7!

What a brilliant first few days we have had in P6/7! This week has been all about getting to know one another, settling into our new classroom and thinking about how we can make P6/7 the best possible place to learn.

We started with some Getting to Know You Bingo and found out lots of interesting things about each other. The class also learned a few facts about Mrs Teale… although they had to remember them carefully, as their knowledge was put to the test in a Blooket quiz on Friday!

Our Classroom Recipe

One of our biggest jobs this week was creating our Class Charter. We talked about what a happy, safe and successful classroom should look and feel like, with lots of great discussion around kindness, respect and how we treat one another.

To help us think about this, we looked at a recipe for slime. We discovered that if an important ingredient is missing, the recipe doesn’t work properly – and decided our classroom is much the same! Everyone has a part to play in making P6/7 a great place to be.

Of course, after all that discussion, there was only one thing left to do… make the slime! This was definitely a highlight!

Looking After Our Brains

We have also been learning about cognitive load and what happens when our brains have too much to think about at once. We explored simple things that can help us be ready to learn, including keeping our desks uncluttered, getting enough sleep and rest, having fresh air and using movement and brain breaks sensibly.

We also talked about fidget tools and their purpose in the classroom. We learned that they are learning tools rather than toys. Some people may find them helpful for concentration or regulation, while others don’t need them. The important thing is that we use them when they help us to learn, rather than simply because they are there.

Play-Doh Punctuation

Our first grammar session was a little different! We investigated the different types of punctuation we already know and identified some that we will be learning more about as the year progresses.

Then came the fun part – writing some fantastic sentences on our desks and using Play-Doh to add the punctuation!

AIM HIGH!

We have been thinking about what we would like to achieve during P6/7 too. Everyone chose a goal for the year and added it to a paper aeroplane. These will soon be flying from the classroom ceiling as part of our Aim High display!

We’re All Unique

Wednesday afternoon involved biscuits! We looked at lots of different biscuits and noticed how unique they all were. We linked this to our class and talked about how we are all different and unique, with our own strengths and qualities.

We then created some fantastic biscuit characters which will be going up in our classroom.

Team Challenge!

On Friday, Mrs Teale put P6/7’s teamwork skills to the test! Working with straws, the class took on a series of challenges where they had to communicate, listen to one another, share ideas and work together to find solutions. There was lots of problem-solving, perseverance and some great teamwork along the way!

Flashlight Friday

We also had our very first Flashlight Friday – and it was a big hit! We darkened the classroom, grabbed our little flashlights, found cosy spots in our dens and settled down for some fantastic silent reading.

It was a lovely, calm way to finish a very busy first week, and we think Flashlight Friday might already be a P6/7 favourite!

What a start! We have laughed, created, experimented, worked together and done lots of learning along the way. P6/7 is officially up and running, and we can’t wait to see what the year ahead brings!

Trip to Scalloway

Our P6 pupils were treated to some time out of school on Friday with a trip to Scalloway.  They have been working on personal projects based on ‘Our Place in Time’, with many pupils choosing to find out about events based in the South Mainland, as well as further afield.  Interest has been sparked in the ‘Shetland Bus’ operation and this led us to visiting the Scalloway Museum and waterfront area.

We had a quick snack, sheltering from the mist and rain, before going in.

We met Billy Moore who has a close, family history with the work of the Shetland Bus.  He has submitted many of the artefacts to the Museum over time.  He was so knowledgeable and everyone found something to interest them and learned so many facts and heard fascinating stories!

To begin our tour, Billy talked about Shetland through centuries past – from Neolithic Times, the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Picts and Norse settlers and also Scalloway’s history with the Scottish Earls, which resulted in the building of Scalloway Castle.

In more recent history, we learned about the Haaf Fishing and the herring gutters who followed the path of the fish, starting in Shetland, before following the fleets further south to make a living.

We spent most of our time, listening to the heroic tales of those who travelled across the seas to and from Norway on what became known as the ‘Shetland Bus’.  Agents, weapons and supplies were transported from Shetland to occupied Norway, while Norwegian refugees and resistance fighters were rescued and brought from Norway back to Shetland.

We looked at the map that showed how many journeys were taken from Shetland to Norway.  Billy told us that the boats tried to sail under the cover of darkness, during the winter months.  The longest distance to Tromsø in the north of Norway, would have taken them 5 days to sail in treacherous waters.

We learned about Leif Larsen, who became one of the most highly decorated naval officers of WW2.  He was the skipper of the fishing vessel ‘Arthur’ during an attempt to sink the German battleship Tirpitz in 1942.  The raid failed, but Larsen received a medal for gallantry, the first non-Briton to do so.

We had a quick lunch, a chat with the ponies and then on to our waterfront walk!

We spent time looking at the Memorial to those who lost their lives in the Shetland Bus operation – 44 in all.  We were surprised to see how many were just in their early 20s.

Next, we went to see the reconstruction of the slipway where the boats were taken out of the water to be mended, before being sent on their way again.

Then we walked on to see Norway House.

Norway House, this used to be a Sail Loft for mending sails and nets before it became a home for Norwegian refugees.
We stopped to find out more information as we went.

After a long time listening and learning, we thought we deserved some down-time at Scalloway park and pitch!

After a busy day, we headed back to school but not before we took a photo of our amazing windswept hairstyles!!  Typical Shetland weather for a summer-term, school trip!

Windswept and Wild!

What a special day with special people!  With grateful thanks to Mrs Graydon and Ms Stewart for accompanying us.

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SMUHA – DPS P7 SQUAD

It’s difficult to know where to start!  P7, along with their P6 classmates have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to prepare for their P7 SMUHA Squad duties.  Please enjoy the many photos from the build up to the big day, and the day itself.  Thankfully, the weather was kind to us! 🌞

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Preparations

The Bill

Creating the wording for the ‘Bill’ is harder than it looks!  The finished piece was a team effort … pupils, teachers and parents!  The painting of it though, seemed effortless!

The day has come!

This photo seems to convey the spirit of the day best of all!  😊

The P6/7 class would like to thank everyone who helped in any way to making our afternoon a success!

 

 

 

 

STEM at Cunningsburgh

P6/7 had a fantastic day out on Wednesday 4th March, taking part in a a STEM day focusing on Maths and Robotics, hosted by Eleanor Hutcheon from UHI.

Using our previous learning on measuring perimeters of shapes, we looked at finding the circumference of a circle. This helped us to work out one rotation of a wheel and how far the robot would travel for one rotation, which then helped us to investigate how many rotations would be needed to travel a set distance.  A wide range of Maths skills being developed!  There was also lots of problem solving and talking about all the different approaches used to find the answer.

Eleanor had some super challenges for the class to try, one of which involved the winners receiving their choice of LEGO figure.  P6/7 are a competitive bunch and were all determined to do well!

It was also great to get out in the sunshine and enjoy the play areas at Cunningsburgh Primary.  Thank you to the children and staff at Cunningsburgh who invited us share their play areas with them.  There was a very important and intense CPS v DPS football match in the multicourt too!

Thank you again to Eleanor Hutcheon from UHI and our parent helpers. who came with us  We are very grateful that you were able to support us on the day.

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Buddies

P7 spent some time with their P1 buddies this term, making some  Valentines crafts.   We always enjoy being able to play with our buddies.  So many important communication and social skills are being developed along the way!  Well done everyone!

 

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STEM

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P6/7 have been enjoying  some STEM sessions with Eleanor Hutcheon , a STEM Engagement Officer from Science Skills Academy.

On Monday, we had fun exploring how to use Microbits.  We learned about binary code and worked in groups to create different cup patterns, with each pattern representing a different letter of the alphabet.  The patterns were using 1s and 0s, just like binary.

Then we pretended to be robots and followed instructions given to us on a grid.  We tried hard to think about the most efficient route to get from A to B and how our instructions need to be very clear.

We had so much fun learning how to use the Microbits, we took them out again on Tuesday during our Playful Minutes session.

We spent Tuesday afternoon we welcomed Eleanor back to our class and we had fun programming Sphero robots.  We pushed back the tables, got into pairs and soon the classroom was busy with everyone exploring the capabilities of their tiny robot.

It was great fun to see the team work, creativity and problem solving going on.  We learned so much from each other and wish we had more time to see what else these robots were capable of!

Later in the term, we will work with Eleanor again at another STEM event, held in Cunningsburgh.   Details of this will be sent out nearer the time.

The possibilities were endless!

 

If at first you don’t succeed…
Coding the robot using the Ipad. It was a bit of trial and error to work out the correct speed and distance to move as well as which angle to turn.

 

 

 

RSPB Big Schools’ Birdwatch

This term we are taking part in the RSPB Big Schools’ Birdwatch.  We will be surveying the types of birds we see in our school grounds and recording the greatest number of each one that we see within a 1 hour period.  In preparation for this, we have been busy making bird feeders this afternoon.   Many enjoyed the feeling of the seeds in their hands.  Perhaps the feeling of lard in their hands was not so pleasant!

We hope that the birds in our local area come to visit us and enjoy our feeders.  We will have the binoculars at the ready!

If you are interested in taking part at home too, there is still time to sign up for the Big Garden Bird Watch.  Click on the link below to find out more.

Big Garden Birdwatch

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Overtonlea Visit

We spent a lovely time at Overtonlea today, singing to the residents and Day Care users and spending time chatting.  We were able to hand out some candle decorations we made in preparation for our visit.

Some pupils were able to see relatives and friends and have a catch up!

We hope we’ll be able to do this again.

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So here they are, the wonderful, fun loving new P6/7s Just another blogs.glowscotland.org.uk – Shetland site

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