Springfield Primary School and Bonnytoun Nursery School
Spring Forward in Learning and Life – Becoming. Belonging. Believing.
Dear Parents/Carers
Thanks to those of you who attended our School Camp Information Evenings last night. For those of you who couldn’t make it along, here are the presentations for P6 Dalguise and P7 Ford Castle:
P7 Ford Castle – https://glowscotland-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/wlewan_logan_glow_sch_uk/EbTMoOYvrXRMqYnxIsjpRSEBA_90ST3AB01TdzUEeWvIcQ?e=1UMSah
Kind regards
Mr. Logan
Numeracy and Mathematics
We have been continuing to extend our knowledge of Information Handling this week whilst using a variety of methods to present samples of data, including frequency tables, cumulative frequency tables, bar graphs, line graphs, comparative line graphs and pie charts. We carried out surveys recording tally marks and frequencies before looking at the ingredients for a successful bar or line graph. These included a title, labels for the x and y axes, an evenly distributed scale, accurately plotted points and a key if required. To create pie charts we used a protractor and compass to do so precisely. This required converting a number from a sample of data to a percentage or fraction before converting this to an angle within a full rotation. Tricky! We ended the week by using Microsoft Word to present data of our choice. We carried out research online into a subject of interest before presenting this in an appropriate way.
Literacy and English
We have started a new text study this week, Goodnight Mr. Tom. A young boy, Willie, has been evacuated to Little Weirwold and ended up with Mr. Thomas Oakley. Willie had been subject to abuse from his Mother in London, and life with Mister Tom may provide a welcome escape from this. We have inferred that Mister Tom is disgusted by how Willie has been treated and truly wants to care for him, however, this is reminding of his late son who died at a similar age to Willie. We’ve created mind maps to record our initial thoughts, ideas, questions and predictions about the text and we’ll add to these as we read on. We’re looking forward to seeing how their characters and relationship develops as the story progresses. Ask us to summarise the key points from our reading so far!
Rationing was the focal point for Social Studies this week through our World War II learning context. We were exposed to the basic rations a person, or family of four, would receive on a weekly basis between 1939-1954 and drew comparisons to what we eat each week. Any meals we would still have been able to enjoy were highlighted, however, these were few and far between and we were surprised at how little food people survived on. Our challenge based on this information was to create a recipe using only rationed ingredients or those that could have been grown through ‘digging for victory’. We had to include a catchy, persuasive title, ingredients lists with bullet points, equipment, a step-by-step method with numbers and extra, optional elements. Within our instructions we used sequencing connectives such as firstly, meanwhile and finally, and in our ingredients list we used past tense verbs to improve clarity, e.g. chopped, diced or grated. Next week we will be voting for and preparing the winning recipe(s)…
Health and Wellbeing
We’re coming to an end with our block of dodgeball in P.E and were looking to further develop our accuracy and throwing technique this week. We worked in trios to pass the dodgeball through hoops of various sizes at various heights determined by the middle player. We also played some 1v1 accuracy games by aiming to land the ball in the opponent’s hoop. If we won our 60 second mini-game we moved up, but if we lost we moved down. We then applied these skills within adaptations of our main game by aiming for end targets and targeting identified players on the opposing team.
We have also been learning about Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood this week; one of the 6 key organisers for Health and Wellbeing.
Learning Across the Curriculum
Finally, this week we’ve had another wave of interesting and insightful visits as part of our Skills for Learning, Life and Work programme in P7. Mr. Vereker, a Rope Access Engineer, spoke to us about his aspiration to Spiderman and how his job allows us to ‘access the inaccessible’. We continue to promote varied types of engineering in school as part of our STEM programme and national drive to get more females into these workplaces. Mrs. Schofield delivered a hands-on presentation about kilt making. We were shown the length of material needed for just one kilt and saw demonstrations of how different part of this manufacturing process take place.
On Friday our Sports Committee members carried out some self-evaluation into the P.E and sporting opportunities we provide at Springfield. We are continuing to improve and enhance our sporting provision and are already looking ahead to our priorities for session 2019/2020.
Coming Up…
Hope you’ve all had a fantastic weekend!
P7a and Mr. Logan
Literacy: We continue to develop our reading and comprehension skills, focusing on skimming and scanning of a text. This week we read the story of Lily Ebert and her golden pendent, her story was very unique as she and her pendent both survived the Holocaust. After reading her story, we identified the different Parts of Speech that were used in the text. We then used our reading and comprehension strategies to show our understanding of the text, by answering some questions. Over the last few weeks we have had an insight into how life was like during WWII, we were particularly surprised with how little food rationing you would have received. We watched a short clip about one particular lady that took an interest in eating foods that would have been available during the war. Her story inspired us to do a little more research and try to take a modern or create a wartime recipe and adapt it to only using the foods that were available during the war. We found this particularly tricky and at the same time really appreciated the variety of food choices we have available to us now. Writing the wartime recipe has helped to develop and extend our instructional writing skills.
Numeracy and Maths : This week we have been continuing with data handling, as well as reading and drawing bar, line and pie graphs. We have been learning mathematical terminology, such as dependent and independent variables, trend, peak, trough, mean, mode and range – please ask us to explain any of the new terminology that we have learnt and ask us to show you our understanding. Using ICT this week, we researched data of our interest and displayed our research on a line graph, bar graph or pie chart using Microsoft Word.
1+2: During Spanish this week, we recapped on our greetings and introducing ourselves. We are getting particularly good with our counting and we can now count from 1-30 in Spanish and we impressed Mrs. Matos by counting backwards from 10! We learnt this week the days of the week and the months of the year. Using what we have learnt, we practiced asking and replying in Spanish when is our birthday – ask us at home what we have learnt, it will help us to practice and you would learn some Spanish too.
PE: During PE this week, we practiced our dodgeball and football skills and played a few competitive games against each other.
Science: We continuing to work on our buggies this week, and we have impressed Mrs. Matos and Mrs. Tulloch with our handwork and determination to get our buggies to move and to go up a ramp.
P7B and Mrs. Matos
Our children continue to make us extremely proud with another week of successful performances.
Mrs Gordon was delighted with her group of P4 and P5 girls who took part in the West Lothian Schools Dance Competition and performed brilliantly!
Our P6 and P7 children ‘blew us away’ with their Scottish Opera performance entitled, 1719. All children sang and danced their hearts out and were a credit to their parents and our school.
In addition, our Glee ‘superstars’took to the stage last night at Howden Park Centre and amazed the audience with their strong vocal and dance moves. We also came away with the trophy for the best ‘values’ displayed which we are delighted about!
A group of P6 and P7 children recently received awards in the Scottish Maths Challenge which is run in conjunction with Edinburgh University. Well done especially to Emily in P7 and Katie in P6 who both gained gold awards.
Lastly, our school chess team won at the inter-schools tournament today and we couldn’t be any more chuffed! What a fantastic win boys!
Mrs Kerr and P5 led a fun assembly today to tell us all about the work of Comic Relief and to help us to celebrate Red Nose Day.
Pupil Achievements for this Week:
-A brilliant effort from the lovely sisters S in P4 and U in P6 for their accomplishments in piano!
-Great work from C and A in P1 for their achievements in dancing!
-F in P4 came along to see me with a magnificent Egyptian pyramid that she had made for homework! What fabulous work F!
Have a great weekend!
Miss Baillie xx💖💫
Numeracy and Mathematics
Our learning this week has progressed from angles to compass points before rounding off the week with coordinates. We have been reading and plotting points in a single quadrant which we discovered is called a Cartesian grid system, based on the theories and work of mathematician René Descartes. It was important to remember to mark our x and y axes with an evenly distributed scale, label them and plot our points precisely. The line where the two lines meet is called the origin (0,0) and a point will never be named O to avoid confusion. We extended our learning to reading and plotting points in four quadrants using negative coordinates before reflecting across both the x and y axes.
Literacy and English
The two reading techniques we have explored this week are pathetic fallacy and dramatic irony. We found that dramatic irony is when the reader of a text is aware of something that the character isn’t. For example, in Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, we used context clues to infer that Bruno should not enter the concentration camp but he was naive as to the dangers that this entailed. We found that pathetic fallacy is when the author reflect human emotions and the mood through inanimate objects, such as the weather. In the penultimate and final chapter of the novel, John Boyne builds tension and atmosphere through persistent heavy rain and a storm approaching.
In writing this week, we have been compiling book reviews of Boy in the Striped Pyjamas that incorporate persuasive techniques and include the main features of this genre of writing. We used questions at the beginning to hook the reader and ensured there was a short summary of events within our initial paragraph. Without giving away the ending, we described the plot and main characters through the use of powerful verbs and adjectives. To conclude, we provided the reader with our personal opinion on the text and gave examples of what we had particularly enjoyed. I think we’d all agree that Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is well worth a read for older children and adults alike!
Health and Wellbeing
In P.E this week we have been developing the accuracy of our slingshot and underarm throw within dodgeball whilst incorporating some thinking skills through Better Movers and Thinkers work. We played in 1v1 situations to strike a central target using both our stronger and weaker arm to throw before moving up or down the league depending on our success. Whilst exchanging dodgeballs we had to ensure that both our feet were off the ground as we received the ball. This led to some interesting methods of catching, including sitting on the ground with our feet up to do so!
The Sports Committee were defining ‘achievement’ this week within a sporting context and coming up with examples of what this may look like. For example, Ellie has achieved through leading her peers, Callum achieved by showing bravery and courage to try a new discipline within fencing and Sarah achieved by persisting for over a year to master a move in gymnastics. We collated our ideas on the board and came up with a ‘recipe for success and achievement in sport’ at Springfield Primary School. This will be displayed in our gym hall in the coming weeks.
Learning Across the Curriculum
Here are some photos from our learning across the curriculum this week, including STEM and Skills for Learning, Life and Work…
Coming Up…
Here are important upcoming dates for the P7 diaries…
Have a great weekend everyone!
P7a and Mr. Logan
Another busy, fun filled week of learning.
Literacy: We have come to the end of our class novel, The boy in the striped pyjamas. Although a sad ending, we have had a lot of meaningful discussions around the different themes of the book, in particular the theme of friendship. Developing our reading and comprehension skills further we answered the last few questions based on the novel. We reviewed the features of a book review and the use of persuasive writing to write a book review on the Boy in the striped pyjamas. This gave us the opportunity to reflect on what we have read, and to share our thoughts and opinions.
Numeracy and Maths: A fun week, where we all felt very confident about what we were learning. We focused on the use of mathematical language and learnt words such as, axis, plotting, coordinates, cartesian and quadrants – ask us to explain these terms to you. We learnt how to read and write coordinates, and we practiced plotting coordinates on a grid.
IDL: Continuing with food rationing this week, we created a 7 day food menu for our family, using the food pyramid to help us to create a balanced and healthy menu, using the food that we would have had during WWII. We found this really tricky, and while researching we discovered some interesting recipes which we weren’t too sure if they would be to our liking, what we do know is that we are very pleased food is not still being rationed today.
PE: This was the last week of our 8 sessions of Futsal, we have had a lot of fun during these sessions and have learnt a lot of new skills. Extreme dodgeball was a ‘hit’ this week, we played a few games where the winner stays on the court.
Expressive Arts: We are developing our sketching skills, linking our art to our class novel and the theme of friendship, we have started to think and talk about what we can sketch that will symbolize the friendship between Bruno and Schmuel. We are focusing on correct proportions and shading.
Next week Wednesday, 13th March we will be showing off all our handwork and showing our Scottish Opera talent.
P7B and Mrs. Matos
Congratulations to J in P7 who recently achieved success in Tae Kwon Do. He won gold and silver medals in a match that proved particularly challenging. J showed real determination and perseverance and we are so proud that his positive attitude and efforts paid off!
Well done J!
Miss Baillie x
What a busy week in P7a! Here’s what’s been going on…
Numeracy and Mathematics
Our learning this week has allowed us to extend our knowledge of angles. We started on Monday by recapping on our prior knowledge of angle types and identified examples of these in school, the playground and the wider built environment. These were acute, right angles, obtuse, straight lines, reflex and complete turns. Following on from this, we were able to measure and draw angles of varied sizes using a protractor. Angles can be named using the letters representing the arms (lines) and vertex (where the lines meet). The vertex must always represent the middle letter, e.g. < ABC where B is the vertex. We have also been introduced to complementary, supplementary and vertically opposite angles. Complementary angles add up to 90°, supplementary to 180° and vertically opposite angles are always the same.
Literacy and English
Yesterday, we finished reading Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which has been our shared reading text over the past few weeks. We discussed different symbols within the text and the themes that they represent. For example, Ethan commented on the fact that the striped pajamas symbolised the persecution and dehumanisation of Jewish people. A fantastic and worthy contribution! There were a number of context clues within the final chapters which we used to infer what was going to happen. We found the ending to the story incredibly powerful and rather upsetting. Although it was hard to listen to, we all agreed that the key learning point to take from the story relates closely to the final line; “Of course, all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age”. Always be kind to others and treat people fairly. Race, religion, skin colour, gender, physical appearance and sexual orientation are irrelevant. We are all human beings, so celebrate diversity and allow equality to prevail. On Thursday, Miss Baillie and Mr. Ritchie visited class to see what a writing lesson looks like in P7a. We were writing letters from the perspective of a child evacuee in WWII whilst attempting to portray their feelings and emotions during this traumatic experience. Finley was chosen as our Star Writer for February and we’re incredibly proud of him. What a great addition he has been to our class and school!
Health and Wellbeing
Our football season kicked off on Tuesday at Xcite, with 30 of our footballers in action. Mr. Logan was incredibly impressed with the positive attitude, enthusiasm, sense of fair play and skill level demonstrated by all children. He’s incredibly confident that it will be another successful year for our football teams, as they follow in the footsteps of last year’s trophy winners. Thank you to Miss Baillie, Mrs. Tomczynski and our former pupil Robbie Tomczynski who assisted with the coaching on Tuesday afternoon. We couldn’t have managed without them!
In P.E this week, we were continuing to develop our skills in dodgeball before applying these in different match adaptations. Below you can see some of us practising our throwing and catching. In between each throw, we had to create a finger-tap sequence (our fingers were numbered 1 to 4) before catching the ball. As we improved our ability to do so, we added in 5th and 6th numbers to our sequence before sharing these combinations with a learning partner. In game situations, we developed the accuracy of our throw by not only trying to eliminate opponents but also striking targets on our opponents’ side of the court. Next week we aim to further improve our peripheral vision, spatial awareness and positioning.
Learning Across the Curriculum
As part of the Developing the Young Workforce initiative (DYW) our Skills for Learning, Life and Work programme continued this week with four more visitors in class. We welcomed in Marlous Peterse (a Theatre Manager), Ben Johnson (an aircraft engineer), Joe and Claire from Sygenta (agrochemicals) and Iain Fyfe (volunteer in school, retired HR Manager and ex-professional referee). These visits have been a fantastic learning experience, allowing us to extend our knowledge of the variety of careers, occupations, business and workplaces out there. The important message this week was not to assume that everyone leaves school, goes to college or university then finds a job in that field. Our visitors alluded to the fact that everyone’s journey into work takes a different route and there really is no right or wrong way to get there. Find something which is suited to your unique skill set and make sure you’re passionate about it! We look forward to hearing from more visitors next week including a Procurator Fiscal, Defense Lawyer and Policewoman.
Coming Up…
Here are important upcoming dates for the P7 diaries…
We’ve lots to look forward to! Have a great weekend everyone!
P7a and Mr. Logan
Today we held our next ‘Wellbeing Indicator’ assembly focused on ‘we are achieving.’ As you all know, we track each pupil’s health and wellbeing on a daily and termly basis at Springfield and Bonnytoun. We have noticed from the data that we gather, that some children have the false perception that they are not achieving in school or are worried about how well they are doing. This is something that we are seeking to rectify by the messages that we give our learners and we’d ask for your support with this at home. Everyone is doing well and all children in school and nursery are making progress.
We talked today in assembly about ‘achievement’ being about progress. We also learned that achievement can be realised when you believe in yourself, practise a skill until it is mastered and never give up! It was also explained to children that we need to be comfortable with our own strengths and weeknesses and see the beauty in our uniqueness.
We also had a ‘sneaky peek’ at the Glee performance which some of our P6 and P7 pupils will showcase at Howden Park Centre in the next few weeks. The children look and sound amazing and we can’t wait to see them perform on the night. Thank you to Mrs Bell for her support with this.
Pupil achievements for this week:
– Well done to A and K in P1 for their achievements in gymnastics and Enjoy-a-ball.
-A brilliant effort from L in P3 for making progress in swimming.
-Well done to S and O in P4 for gymnastics success.
-Finally to A in P3 and R in P4 also for making progress in swimming.
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Baillie xx💖💫
‘The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.’ – Brian Herbert
Literacy: We have been enjoying reading our class novel – The boy in the striped pyjamas. Although a book full of emotions and themes such friendship kindness, innocence and so much more we can not get enough of it. Through the novel we have been using our skills to improve our reading and comprehension of a text. We have been using the novel to identify the grammar, vocabulary and language that the author uses. During writing this week, we practiced spelling words that are linked to WWII and we used the dictionary to help us find to definitions of unfamiliar words. We managed what it would have felt like to have been a child evacuee during WWII and using the spelling we had learnt we planned and wrote letters home describing our journey to the country side, and how we have settled in our new homes. During writing we focused on a letter layout and grammar such as writing in first person, chronological order and past tense.
Numeracy: We have been identifying angles in and around the school. We have been learning to name angles and use the correct mathematical terms, such as arm and vertex. We have been learning to use the protractor accurately and correctly to measure and draw a range of different angles. Ask us what we can tell you about vertically opposite angles, supplementary angles and complimentary angles.
IDL: Continuing with our study of WWII we worked in groups and discussed what we thought are essential items to be packed into a child evacuees suitcase. To get a better understanding of what it may have felt like, we worked in groups and created a short child evacuee performance. Food rationing has been an eye opener for how lucky we are, we have discussed the reasons why food and clothes were rationed, we had a look at ration books and coupons that were used. We worked out how much our own families would have received, and have created a menu based on the rationed food.
PE: During PE this week we played a 5 a side football game, and this week it is our second last session of futsal.
1+2: French with Mrs. Gordon we have been learning words, phrases and pronunciation of the weather, we worked in groups and our dialogue was filmed, so that we could watch it back and self and peer assess.
SFLLW: This week we have been fortunate to have talks about a wide range of different careers, such as HR management, Theatre production and Jet2 Engineering. We have found this very informative and interesting, please remember to ask us about what we have heard.
P7B and Mrs. Matos
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