Primary 1 did a good job last week learning and reciting their Scots poems. Well done to Frazer, Heather, Connor and Amber who presented their poem to the whole school in the new gym hall. They should be very proud of their achievement.
We were very excited to have Google Expeditions at our school last Monday. The children experienced a virtual visit under the sea to explore marine life.
This week we are continuing our interdisciplinary topic on dinosaurs. We will be writing a fact file about the Diplodocus and creating our very own fossils.
In Maths we will be starting our focus on subtraction. Pupils will be exploring the concept using concrete materials.
Reminders:
Please ensure that your child brings named gym rubbers to school to wear in class. We are hoping to keep our gym hall clean and so outdoor shoes will not be allowed in. Please can you check that your child’s shoes fit properly and that the straps stay on!
Outdoor PE will be on a Monday so please ensure that your child comes to school with a warm jacket and shoes they can run in. Indoor PE will be on a Thursday and children need a PE kit for this.
Thank you for your support
Miss Christy, Mrs Harris and Mrs Oliver
Primary 3 23.1.17
Primary 3 are learning about Scotland this week. We will be investigating Scottish Cities, Scottish food, Scottish song and dance, Scottish flag and Scottish landmarks. We are learning about Scotland as part of our Erasmus project. We will be taking lots of photos of our activities and completing short activities.
We start our Futsal workshop tomorrow which we are very excited about. Children will be learning Futsal skills, controlling the ball with their feet and working as part of a team.
We are handing out a BIG piece of homework. We are asking the children to build a medieval castle. The homework task sheet can be found in their spelling jotters. We are asking for the castles to be completed by Thursday 16th February.
Spelling and Maths homework as normal.
P.E kits:
P3S- Monday and Tuesday
P3R- Tuesday and Wednesday
Miss Rafferty and Mrs Smith
Primary 7 – 20.01.17
Hello,
It has been yet another busy week in Primary 7!
On Monday the children enjoyed using Google expeditions to explore the events of WW2. The children looked at some of the places that were affected in WW2, we visited the Tuskadee airmen and went on the USS Missouri . The children learned so much from this experience.
As part of our ERASMUS plus project we researched different aspects of Scotland. This included traditional food, clothing, music, dance, stories as well as the geography and tourist attractions. The children made slides which will be combined into one PowerPoint to tell our partner countries all about Scotland.
In writing the children created a leaflet to share their learning from the Risk Factory trip. The children chose how to create their leaflet – either writing it by hand or using Publisher. The leaflets were very informative and included information about how to stay safe in the home and outside.
Indoor PE this term is dance. The children have chosen their groups and decided on their music. They will now begin to create a routine which they will perform to an invited audience. The children will also have to think about appropriate costumes and advertising for this event.
On Wednesday the children began to work in their Literacy Circles groups. Each group chose a novel to focus on (Anne Frank, Blitz Cat, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Goodnight Mr Tom). The children will be working in their groups each Wednesday and will need to ensure they complete their homework tasks on a weekly basis.
As part of our class topic on WW2 the children have been given a personal project to undertake. Their challenge is to present information about an aspect of WW2 both as a booklet and as a class talk. In class the children were given time to research different aspects and choose a focus. There will be time in class on a Monday to work on this project as well as working on it at home.
Today we held our annual Burns Poetry competition. Two children from each class recited their poems to the whole school. Everyone did a fantastic job!
Reminders:
Spelling homework
Literacy Circles – Wednesday
Maths homework
Continue to learn song words
Primary 6 18.01.17
Hello everyone!
Primary 6 have had an enjoyable week so far. On Monday the children loved using Google Cardboard to explore far away places. They used virtual reality technology to explore the International Space Station and the moon (even looking at what experts think the moon will look like in the future!) They also explored The Great Wall of China and the Colosseum in Rome! The children had great fun and learned lots at the same time 🙂
Our Titanic topic is now well underway. On Monday we watched a documentary about the sinking of the Titanic which revealed that some new evidence has been uncovered in relation to a fire below deck before the ship hit the iceberg. The children were very interested in the findings! Every child has now been given their very own character who was on board the Titanic when it sank. The children researched their character using the website: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/
They used this information to create character profiles detailing their age, occupation, class and even their ticket numbers! This really brought the topic to life for us all!
Next week much of our learning will be centered around Scotland. On Tuesday afternoon the children will take part in a Traditional Burns Supper complete with the food, songs, poems and rhymes associated with this celebration. The children can wear tartan to school on Tuesday.
Next week P6C will be joined by another teacher for a period of 5 weeks to work alongside Miss Clark. His name is Mr Woodward and we look forward to welcoming him to Carmondean 🙂
Reminders –
Indoor PE – Monday
Outdoor PE – Thursday
Spelling homework – Due Friday
Maths homework – Due Friday (Miss Clark’s maths groups)
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Miss Clark, Mrs Wylie & Mrs Kelly
Primary 3
We kicked off our week yesterday with a fantastic virtual reality experience using Google Expedition. We took the children on a journey looking at the Ambush Bug and how it camouflages itself against plants, how it catches its prey and the different parts of its body. The images were so clear, it was as if we were there too! We then looked at the Seven Wonders of the World and traveled to Brazil, Mexico and even Peru!
Homework this week is the usual spelling, maths and reading but the children will be performing their chosen Scottish poem in front of the class on Thursday. They will have a copy of this in their folders. We will be assessing the presentation of this, how well they use their voice, expression, gestures and if they know it off by heart. We will then choose a class winner to perform in our Scottish Assembly the following day.
Futsal will start next week on Tuesday 24th January, please ensure your children bring in their PE kit and have the correct footwear such as indoor gym rubbers or trainers. PE will also take place on a Monday for P3S and a Wednesday for P3R. On a similar note could you make sure your child’s indoor shoes are intact and safe for walking about the school.
We have been working hard looking at money, making totals of coins and we are currently setting up a class shop so that children can become more familiar with working out change and totals up to £2. Please encourage children to continue these strategies when out and about at the supermarket or the Centre.
Enjoy your week!
Mrs Smith & Miss Rafferty
Google Expeditions – Wow!
The Google Expeditions Day went off with a bang today at Carmondean PS. The Google Expeditions Team came in and set up two Virtual Reality Suites where every class could visit and experience 360° views of places many will never be likely to visit. We had views of Rio de Janeiro from the vantage point of the statue of ‘Christ the Redeemer’, a tour of the Colosseum in Rome, a trip to Outer Space and a voyage underwater, to name but a few. All the children had a fantastic (in the true sense of the word) time and we thank Google Expeditions for making it all possible.
Google Expeditions
A big day is planned for Carmondean PS tomorrow (Monday, 16 January). We eagerly await the arrival of Google Expeditions who are going to take us on several Virtual Reality expeditions to places we would probably otherwise never be able to see. Why not have a sneak peek by clicking on the link below.
We’ll post further information and news and views of how it all went after the event.
Pupil Ethos Week Beginning 16/01/17
Primary Five 13.1.17
This week we have been doing some dictionary and thesaurus work in language along with the start of some note-taking activities. This is in preparation for us starting some non-fiction work based on The Scottish Wars of Independence.
We have looked at our Topic and the children have had a chance to talk about what they know and what they would like to find out. We are really looking forward to starting this topic next week!
To start the Topic we will be looking at timelines and children have been sent home with a little bit of homework this weekend to discuss the ‘Timeline of their life’. We would be grateful if you could talk to your children (and make some notes if you like) about the main things that have happened in their lives so they can place them on a timeline. This is to help them understand the concept of a timeline as things that have happened in the past.
The children have all now got a Scottish poem to learn to present to the class. The children are all really excited about this and we would be grateful if you could keep practising these at home.
Things to remember for next week-
Monday- Spelling and Reading homework
Tues/Wed- Maths homework
Thurs- Indoor gym kit
Fri- no outdoor gym due to Burn’s Assembly
Thank you for your continued support
Mrs Steel and Mr Grieg
Primary 4 week beginning 16.1.17
Hello welcome to the Primary 4 blog,
We have started our Scotland topic and have been working hard using online maps and Atlases to become more familiar with the United Kingdom. We have also focused on major cities with Scotland and are becoming more confident with our place within Scotland.
This week we will begin to focus on the cities and their features. We will also be researching Charles Rennie MackIntosh and will begin to create our own artwork inspired by this famous artist.
On Monday the 16th Google Expeditions will be taking place across the whole school. We will be exploring the day in the life of a mini-beast, as mini-beasts is one of our topics this year.
On Thursday all children will be performing their Burn Poems. Children do not have to put themselves forward for the competition however, they must still learn their poem as it is part of our curriculum.
Reminders:
P.E kits on Wednesday (Indoor) and Thursday (outdoor)
Reading – pages + 1 task from the homework sheet
Spelling
Burns Poem – Must be learned for Thursday
Ms Fox has requested that children bring cereal boxes for art on Wednesday
Due to Poems and class talks maths homework will not be this week. It will resume in the following week.
Thank you for visiting our blog,
The Primary 4 teachers
Primary 7 -13.01.17
Hello to Everyone,
It has been another busy week in P7.
The children have been working hard learning their Burns poems. Nearly everyone has learned the words and they are now adding in expression and actions where appropriate. It would be appreciated if you could also help your child with this. The children will be reciting their poem in class on Wednesday or Thursday next week and the 2 children who get the most votes will represent their class at the school Burns Competition. Good Luck to everyone!
We have started our World War 2 topic and the children have lots of questions. If you have any memorabilia that we could show the children this would help bring the topic to life. Even better if you know anyone who would be willing to speak to the children about their experiences please let us know.
We had a very successful visit to the Risk Factory on Tuesday. The children learned strategies to keep them safe in a variety of scenarios. The children will be creating safety leaflets about this in writing next week.
Auditions have been taking place for our show ‘Alice The Musical’. All children will find out what part they have been allocated next Wednesday. To make the show a success we need all children to attend both the afternoon and evening performances. If they are unable to attend in the evening please give us plenty of notice about this so we can adjust their part accordingly as it is unfair to expect other children to stand in at the last minute.
My Life So Far is not being worked on in school this term so the children will need to work on it at home. First draft of the project to be handed in Friday 31st March 2017.
Reminders
- After school clubs have started
- Spelling homework due each day and all by Friday
- Swimming on a Friday for P7G
Thank you for your continued support with all aspects of school life.
Mrs Gilmour and Miss Wilson
P2 Week beginning 9 January
We hope Santa was good to you and you all had a great holiday.
This week the children will be learning a little about Scotland. We will be making and drawing Loch Ness monsters and learning a poem about Nessie. We will also be designing and making our own tartan. Finally, the children will be choosing a poem to learn as part of our Burns celebrations. The poems will be coming home for homework on Tuesday and it would be great if you could help your child to learn it. The poems should be learned by Thursday 19 January.
Indoor gym for both classes is now on a Wednesday, before playtime. It would help us (and the children would get longer taking part in gym activities) if children could come to school on Wednesday with their indoor gym kit on. Outdoor gym continues to be on Thursday, weather permitting.
Ms Matheson’s class will be performing their class assembly on Monday 23 January. Words to learn will be coming home soon and, again, your help in learning the script would be appreciated. Mrs Muir’s class will be doing an assembly in February.
Have a great week.
Ms Matheson and Mrs Muir
Primary 1 w.b. 9/1/2017
Welcome back after the Christmas Holidays. We hope that you all had a lovely break.
We had a good first week back. The children began to learn about Dinosaurs, the interdisciplinary topic for this term. An egg was delivered to Primary 1 for the children to look after with a note from Professor Rex. We decided that it was a dinosaur egg and so the children have started learning about dinosaurs so they can look after the egg better.
In maths this week we will be learning about the months of the year and about clocks and how to read the o’clock time. Any help you can give your child in learning the months of the year and spotting clocks around the house would be greatly appreciated.
Reminders:
This term we will be doing outdoor PE on a Monday and indoor PE with Miss Inglis on a Thursday. Please remember to bring a named PE kit for these sessions.
Homework will resume again this week. The children will be getting 2 Scots poems home with them today. Please choose 1 poem to learn by Wednesday 18th January. Each child will recite their chosen poem in class on this day. One child will be selected from each class to perform in front of the school on the Friday.
Every child took home their inside gym rubbers for Christmas. Please remember to bring indoor shoes back into school as soon as possible.
Thank you for your continued support
Miss Christy, Mrs Harris and Mrs Oliver
Primary 3 9.1.17
Primary 3 have a very busy term and we are looking forward to starting our new topic- Knights and Castles. Children will be learning about the history of castles, their purpose and who used to live and work in castles. We will also be taking a class trip in March to Edinburgh Castle which we are all very excited about.
Children have been sent home with a Scottish Poem to learn for our Burns Competition. Could you please encourage your child to practise this so they can recite it to the class at the end of the month.
Primary 3 are very lucky to be getting Futsal! We have a Futsal coach coming into school to teach the skills used in Futsal and this will commence on Tuesday 24th January for a number of weeks. Could you please ensure that your child has an indoor P.E kit for this.
In Maths we are continuing with learning our times tables. We will be practising our 2, 5 and 10 but also introducing our 3 and 4 times tables. The more practice at home and school will increase the children’s confidence in their times tables. We are also going to be tackling Money, learning the values of all coins and using our adding and subtracting skills to find totals and give change.
Reading will continue as normal up until the February break. We will be doing guided reading in class and writing down pages to be read at home in their homework diaries.
We are sending home our Termly newsletter today along with spelling and maths homework. The newsletter will explain which days the children will need P.E kits and which specialists they will be receiving this term.
Thanks,
Miss Rafferty and Mrs Smith
Primary 7 – 06.01.17
Happy New Year to everyone!
We hope you have had an excellent holiday.
It has been a short but busy week in primary 7. We have started practising for our school show which this year is ‘Alice the Musical’. The children have been auditioning for parts and learning the songs. Next week they will being home a song booklet to help them to learn the words of the songs.
The children have been working hard on their My life so far. This will now be done at home as in class during reading sessions we will be working on literacy circles, source work and key comprehension.
Our topic this term will be WWII. They will be learning about all aspects of life during this time.
This term the children will have indoor PE on a Tuesday and outdoor PE on a Friday. For the next 3 weeks for Mrs Gilmour’s class this will be swimming at the high school.
Reminders:
After school clubs start next week
Spelling homework
Burns Poems to be learned
On Tuesday we are visiting the Risk Factory.
Thank you for your continued support,
Miss Wilson & Mrs Gilmour
week beginning 9.1.17
Welcome back and Happy New Year!!
We hope you have had a lovely winter holiday and have enjoyed your time off. We are happy to see everyone after the new year and are looking forward to starting our term.
In the spirit of new year we have all set our own targets for improving ourselves in language, maths and in our own health and well-being.
This week we have introduced our new topic, Scotland. Next week We will be becoming more familiar with countries and main cities within the U.K.
We have also handed out Burn’s Poems for our upcoming competition. While it is not a requirement to take part in the competition all children must learn the poem they have selected. We will be learning about the language in class reading and developing our Scot’s Vocabulary. Please could your child bring their poem to school and could you also help them to practice at home.
We will be handing out class talk homework also. This will be done in stages so not everyone will have their talks at the same time, please do not be alarmed if your child does not get a talk letter this week as it may just mean they will in the following weeks.
Reminders:
Look out for our newsletter as there is a change to our time table. We will have indoor P.E on Wednesday and outdoor P.E on Thursday.
Please ensure that all uniform and kit is labelled with your child’s name
There are lots of items of uniform left in the class that are not being claimed and others who have lost named pieces that they cannot find. Please could you all check that your child has taken the correct items home and that they are not missing anything.
Homework:
Reading – refer to task sheet for activities to match
Spelling
Burn’s Poem
Class talks (for children with letters)
Thank you,
The Primary 4 teachers
Primary 3
Happy New Year!
Next week we will be providing you with a more detailed blog about the learning in P3 but we wanted to remind you about this term’s PE days and when children will need to bring in their kit:
P3S: Monday & Tuesday
P3R: Tuesday & Wednesday
We will be having our PE sessions in the hall this term so please ensure children bring in appropriate kit and footwear. The black indoor rubber shoes are great to use for PE so please make sure your children have a pair.
Have a good weekend!
Mrs Smith & Miss Rafferty
Primary 6 04.01.17
Happy New Year Everyone!
We hope that you had a fantastic festive period. We were very happy to welcome the children back to school today and hear about their exciting holidays.
This week is the start of a very busy term for Primary 6. Today we began learning songs with Mr Platt for the P6/7 Show which this year is “Alice in Wonderland”. Some children have chosen to audition for bigger roles in the production. Everyone will find out their role within the show in the next couple of weeks. Please look out for scripts in your child’s school bag. We appreciate all of the support you give children to prepare for school shows at home.
We will be continuing to work on “A Tale Unfolds” for the first few weeks of this term until our class film has been completed. Once this is completed we will begin work on our new Interdisciplinary topic: The Titanic.
This week the children have also been reflecting on their own progress last term and will set themselves new goals for what they would like to achieve both in and outwith school in 2017. Please discuss these targets with your child.
PE days are now:
Indoor PE – Monday
Outdoor PE – Thursday
Thank you for all your support. See you next week!
Miss Clark, Mrs Kelly & Mrs Wylie
Playground Appeal @Tesco Bags of Help
As you will be aware, this year the staff and children at Carmondean Primary have been working on our Building a Perfect Playground project. We have already transformed parts of our playground, the children are loving the changes made so far and are benefiting so much more from their time outdoors, but we still have lots of ideas for improvement on our wishlist!
After many attempts, we have just received word from the Tesco’s Bags of Help Scheme to say that our application for funding has been successful! Our school is eligible for an award of either £5,000, £2,000 or £1,000 – the actual amount we are awarded will be determined by a public vote in local Tesco stores from the 2nd -28th of January.
If you are going shopping, please consider making a trip to Tesco to vote for Carmondean’s Building a Perfect Playground project as the highest number of votes will secure the highest award.
You will be able to vote in the following Tesco branches –
RBS EDINBURGH EXP EH12 9BH
EDINBURGH COLINTON EH13 9AH
SOUTH QUEENSFERRY EH30 9QZ
PENICUIK EH26 8NP
EAST CALDER MN ST EXP EH53 0EJ
BATHGATE BLACKBURN RD EH48 2ES
Can’t wait to hear the results! Thank you in advance for your support.
Happy New Year
WE are looking forward to getting stared to the new term at Carmondean Primary School and Nursery. See you Wednesday, 04 January, 2017.
