As part of their Science topic on Evolution, Kestrels have been learning about natural selection. To help them understand this, they worked in teams to find different coloured 'worms' (pieces of wool!) hidden in the hedges. They discovered that those worms that were camouflaged against the leaves were harder to find and therefore more likely to survive.
Kingfishers have had lots of maths fun today.
They have been picking carrots and learning how to share these evenly between rabbits. We talked about what 'half' means and how we can make sure that each bunny has the same number of carrots.
Our clever Kingfishers also worked hard to share bird eggs between two nests.
Please support Kat who has agreed to do a 15,000 foot skydive to rasie money for our school!
You can find her page and offer your support by following this link!
"Bitterne Manor Primary school is a caring and nurturing school that educates a variety of children from all different cultures and backgrounds. My eldest child attended Bitterne Manor and I have worked there for 6 years. Our children at Bitterne Manor love to be outside, particularly as many of them live in flats and don't have access to outside areas readily. I want to raise funds through skydiving 15,000ft on Saturday 3rd July to help develop our year R outside learning space. This has not been done for over 15 years and it is now very tired and needs updating with purposeful equipment that enables them to develop physically and mentally. It would be fantastic to raise enough funds to have a bike track painted, a climbing wall put in and be able to properly zone areas and resource these with more up to date and relevant equipment so the children get the most out of their time here."
Whether this is your first year at school or your final year of college, I know the disruption you have all faced to your education since the pandemic began has been incredibly challenging and has meant completely changing the way you learn - either learning remotely at home or continuing at school or college with fewer of your friends around you and lots of safety measures in place.
Whether you were at home or at school, the disruption last term and throughout last year asked a lot of you and your families. I am filled with admiration for the incredible way you all responded and the resilience you have shown. Not being in school or college with your teachers and friends was a huge sacrifice. Everything you did, with the help of your families and your schools and colleges, and everything you missed out on – time in school, taking exams, seeing friends, playing sport and much more - made such a huge difference to helping us stop the spread of the virus. I want to say a huge thank you to all of you.
Getting all young people back into school and college safely has been my priority throughout the pandemic. I know how vital it is not just for your education but also to spend time with your friends and to feel happy and secure. All our lives have changed a lot in the past year but the challenges that young people have faced have been some of the hardest. I will continue doing everything in my power to make sure that all of you are supported to boost any areas of work you’ve had less time at school to study, get the qualifications you deserve and have the opportunities you need to succeed.
Continuing to follow all the safety measures your schools and colleges have worked hard to put in place, as well as taking a test twice a week, is so important and helps us to stop the virus spreading. The testing that thousands of you have been taking part in at school and college is a vital part of this. I am so grateful to you and all the staff who have supported you to do this. I know your schools and colleges have worked incredibly hard to prepare you to test yourself at home.
As most of you at secondary school and college move to testing yourself regularly at home, it’s vital that you continue to test and report online twice a week through the Easter holidays and after you return to school. Home testing twice a week for you and everyone you live with makes a huge difference and means you are playing a really important role in helping us move back to a more normal way of life. Your school or college will continue to support you and make sure you have tests. You and your family can also find out more about home testing here.
I was delighted to see the enthusiasm with which so many of you returned to school at the beginning of March and I am sure you have had a wonderful few weeks catching up with your friends and teachers. It was fantastic to meet pupils delighted to return to school on my visits to schools like Arden Academy and Bedford Free School and to see so many more of your reunions on social media. I hope that the new term will be just as enjoyable and successful for all of you.
Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP, Secretary of State for Education
This year has been one we will never forget! It has been a year now since we created our first rainbow which we displayed at the front of our school.
Today, as a class Skylarks worked together to create a new rainbow!
I am so proud of their positivity! They have not stopped smiling and truly are the rainbows in our storm!
💛🌈
We would like to wish a Happy New Year to those members of our community that celebrated 'Nowruz' this weekend. One of the oldest festivals in the world, Nowruz is the Persian New Year and Spring festival marked by the UN as a celebration of peace and community. In our assembly today, we could see that it shares many similarities with other Spring and New Year festivals celebrated around the world. Anything that reminds us that we have much more in common than that which divides us is worth celebrating.
For more information on the story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-56474734
From Southampton City Council:
On Tuesday 23 March, it will be a year to the day since Southampton first went into lockdown. Since then 370 residents have passed away as a result of coronavirus. We invite you to join the rest of the country in a day of reflection.
We will remember all those we've lost
And we will resolve to continue the fight against COVID-19
To save lives and to support people through the most difficult of times
We ask you to join us at 12 noon on Tuesday 23 March for a minute's silence to remember all those who have died.
As a school, we will be talking to the children tomorrow and encouraging them also to reflect in an age appropriate way. What have they learnt about looking after themselves and others? What changes have they noticed? What they have missed and are most looking forward to? Please be aware that we currently have pupils in isolation and families are still struggling with this illness so it is more important than ever that we all continue to do our best to help everyone get through this.
Take #TheFirstStep towards getting debt help
Next week (22-28 March) is Debt Awareness Week. Dealing with debt can be confusing and scary for many. There are hundreds of reasons why people put off getting debt advice – some fear they’ll be judged, others bury their head in the sand and hope things will improve, and many simply aren’t aware that free, impartial debt advice is available.
StepChange Debt Charity estimates that the average person waits 12 months between realising they’re in financial trouble and getting debt advice for the first time, during which their situation can get even worse.
If you are dealing with debt, help is available from national organisations including Step Change website, and local debt advice services .
In Science this week Kestrels have been learning about inherited characteristics and variation. To help them understand how characteristics are passed on from parents to their offspring they have used Mr. Men! They have created new characters by combining the physical characteristics of Mr. Men and Little Miss.
The Swift class have been carrying out lots of cool experiments over this half term to help develop their scientific skills.
Last week we started the 'Skittles' experiment! Children were posed with the question of... 'What do you think will happen if warm water was poured over a ring of skittles...' The Swifts had great discussions and made plausible predictions. This week, they carried out their experiment to see whether their predictions were correct. It was very fun!
Have a little look below at what we found out...
WARNING: Only a few skittles were eaten before the experiment to test the sweetness of them (By the teachers of course!) 😊
Really cool right? The Swifts LOVED it!
We are going to try a different experiment next week so will definitely keep you posted on how that goes.
If you are a 'Skittle' fan, give this a go. Just re-arrange the Skittles into a pattern on a plate, pour warm water over them / in the middle of the plate and watch what happens... it's magic!
