Category Archives: English & Literacy

February 2016 Newsletter

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope that you had a lovely mid-term break and it is hard to believe that we are on the countdown to Easter. We have  a busy term ahead with our STEM focus week; celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight and National Book Day. We also celebrated Mrs Bokhari’s silver anniversary as this month marks her 25th year of working in Mid Calder Primary School.

Just to give you forward notice – the primary school will be closed on Thursday 5th May due to the Scottish Parliamentary Election and on Thursday 23rd June due to the European Union Membership Referendum. The nursery will be open as usual on these dates.

Nicola Thompson

Head Teacher

2016-02-23 February Newsletter

Mid Calder Bake-Off Email and Blog

Lights, Camera, Action

Today we turned the upper area into a movie theatre, where only the best actors, directors and cameramen were invited. The children have been working hard to create their own blockbuster movies featuring either, Dizzy, Fluffy or Spike. Each group focused on the three C’s and S’s…….colour, character, camera and sound, story and setting and today was the day where they showcased their talents.  Showing in our cinema was, London Crisis, Spike Bond and Fluffy Dimension, to name but a few, however there could only be 3 winners. Each child voted for the movie they felt demonstrated the skills that we had been learning in class, portrayed a good storyline and also made us laugh.  And the winners were…….

Best movie:

P7:      Caitlin, Laura, Ellis and Charlie J

P7/6: Cameron, Chiaro and Ellis

P6:     Noah, Luca, Callum, Charlie, Grace, Logan F and Logan S

Best Actor :

P7:    Trystan

P7/6:  Jacob

P6:  Harry

Best Actress:

P7:     Neve

P7/6:  Natalia

P6: Keira

Special Effects:

P7:   Jamie K, Neve, Michael, Ben

P7/6: Rosie, Lauren, Jacob, Natalia, Kacper

P6:   Reno, Ayla, Holly, Charlie, Louis, Zach

Well done to everyone on completing their film. It was evident, from the movies, that the children has used a lot of what they had learned throughout their topic and that they thoroughly enjoyed making their own movies. I am sure that we have some budding actors and actresses in our midst.131143142141138139140136135134016130132133

 

 

 

How Good Is Our School?

During their writing time Primary 6 have been investigating the features of report writing. During planning time this week they had to create a range of questions using higher order questioning skills, that they could ask staff and pupils about Mid Calder Primary School. This morning they interviewed a range of people in the school community. We look forward to reading the final report!

The Legend of Spud Murphy

P.5/4 have just finished reading ‘The Legend of Spud Murphy’ by Eoin Colfer. This is a very funny story with interesting characters. It is full of twists and has an important theme running through it about enjoying reading. There have been lots of learning opportunities throughout the four weeks we have been studying it, such as:

  • Discussing and writing about the characters’ attitudes towards books and reading.
  • Exploring the relationships between the main characters and how they change throughout the book.
  • Writing an email in the role of Will (the main character) to one of his friends.
  • Describing the librarian, Spud Murphy, using interesting vocabulary and evidence from the text.
  • Writing an informal letter from Will to his granny about his experiences at the library.

Here are some questions that you could discuss at home about the book. Maybe chatting about it will make you want to read it too!

  • Who was your favourite character and why?
  • Was there anything that surprised you about the plot?
  • Would you recommend this book to a friend and why/why not?

the legend of spud murphy

Sumdog

As P3-P7 now have access to Sumdog to support their learning in maths, and P2-P7 have it to support their learning in reading, P5 buddied up with P3/2 today to show them the wonders of Sumdog. The Primary 5s showed their buddy how to login, how to play some of the games, how to earn coins as well as explained how to get their first pet and how to decorate their Sumdog house.

Sumdog will be used to support learning in school, but can also be accessed at home where the children can complete challenges set by their class teacher. They can access this account at home by using the log in provided in their homework diary/book.

To access Sumdog, go to: https://www.sumdog.com

Mid Calder celebrate Burns in braw style!

On Friday 22nd January, Mid Calder Primary participated in their annual Burns/Scots poetry celebration.

Pupils from Nursery, right through to Primary Seven, we asked to develop their knowledge and understanding of Scots language by learning a selection of poems.  Each class selected two representatives who then recited their chosen poems to the whole school community.

Mr MacFarlane, Mrs Bokhari and Mrs Ross were asked to judge the participants- the winners of each stage from P4-7 will represent the school at the West Lothian recital competition.  Thank-you to Mr MacFarlane and Mrs Bokhari for their excellent judging skills.

Many thanks to the Vice Captains for compering the morning and welcoming our visitors into school.

A huge thank-you to the parents and carers who came along to show their support during the morning.  Also a huge thank-you to all of the parents and carers from the school community who helped prepare poems with all of our learners at home.  The level of commitment and effort when learning these difficult pieces of text, was phenomenal.

Well done to the girls from Primary 5 and Primary 7 who were keen to share their skills and talents in Highland dancing.  What a fantastic performance!

All of the pupils and staff members participated in preparations for the assembly with enthusiasm and dedication – another example of successful learning in Mid Calder Primary School!IMG_0999 IMG_1001 IMG_1023IMG_1065 IMG_1066IMG_1056 IMG_1057IMG_1052 IMG_1053 IMG_1054 IMG_1064IMG_1058 IMG_1059 IMG_1060 IMG_1063IMG_1061 IMG_1062 IMG_1073 IMG_1074 IMG_1075 IMG_1076IMG_1077 IMG_1078 IMG_1079 IMG_1080IMG_1070 IMG_1072 IMG_1082

P.5/4 Scots Poetry

P.5/4 are busy learning some Scots poems at the moment. To help you to do this at home, click on the links below to download them. There are three for the P5s to read and three for the P4s. Everyone should choose one that they would like to learn.

To show that you are Winter Ready and can access the school blog in case of a school closure, please comment below with which poem you are going to learn!

Primary 4 Scots Poems

Primary 5 Scots Poems

P7/6 Burns Poems

It is that time of year again when we celebrate the birth of one of Scotland’s greatest poets, Robert Burns. In Primary 7/6 we have been asked to learn one of the poems in the link below. There are 3 options for P7 and 3 options for P6. We will be reciting our poems in class next Wednesday (21st January), with two class representatives being selected to perform at the Burns assembly. The assembly will take place on the 22nd January. So get your best Scottish accents on and make Robert Burns proud.

Primary 6 burns poems

Primary 7 Burns Poems

 

To show that you are Winter Ready and are able to access the blog if the school is closed,  please leave a comment with your name and what poem you will be reciting.

Good Luck!