BSG Newsletter-13th January

Last week we started our new core text, Naughty Bus. We began with a hook toget the children thinking about how we go on adventures and what sort of transportation we might use to go on these adventures. We then went outside and noticed a school bus on its own. The school bus driver explained the safety rules of the bus, how the bus works, and what the best thing was that he had seen on one of his adventures, Baiyun Mountain. He even allowed some of us to sit in the driver’s seat and pretend to be a bus driver.

Afterwards, the bus driver explained that he goes on adventures twice a day and that after each adventure the bus needs to be washed. The children were very excited to help and worked together to wash the school bus so that it was ready for its afternoon journey.

Later in the week, we used this experience to help us guess what our new story was going to be about. The children were quick to predict that it might be about buses and going on adventures. Using a hook like this in our English lessons helps keep the love of reading alive at a very young age. It supports children to build anticipation, make predictions, and become more engaged with stories and language.

Year 3 have made a fantastic start to the new term, returning with real enthusiasm and a genuine eagerness to be back at school. It has been lovely to see so many smiles in the classrooms and children keen to get stuck into their learning from the very first day.

The week began with an engaging hook into our new topic on volcanoes and Pompeii, sparking thoughtful discussion and imagination. Pupils explored what life might have been like in Pompeii before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and what it could have meant to escape as events unfolded.

In English, pupils will be reading Escape from Pompeii and using the text to explore what life was like all those years ago. This will support them as they build towards writing their own diary entries, helping them to write with empathy, detail and a clear sense of viewpoint.

Learning has been purposefully connected across the curriculum. In Science and Humanities, pupils have begun investigating rocks and volcanoes, exploring and sorting real rock samples kindly shared by our Secondary colleagues. This hands-on approach has encouraged curiosity and helped pupils make meaningful links between subjects.

It has been a pleasure to see how quickly the children have settled and how positively they have engaged with their learning. We’re looking forward to the exciting learning opportunities this topic will bring.

A new term and the start of a new unit! In Year 5 we are learning all about China’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang and the world-famous Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an. This week in our history lessons, the children were introduced to Qin Shi Huang and the role he played in China’s early history. Did you know that it was Emperor Qin who unified China’s warring states, standardized Chinese writing, built and connected the Great Wall, improved China’s road network, and created one system for money, weights and standards of measurements to make tradeand business much easier across early China and beyond? An amazing set of achievements for someone who was only Emperor for 11 years!

This week the Year 5’s learned how the Terracotta Warriors were discovered (bylocal farmers in 1974) and how archaeologists have used physical evidence to understand China’s history. The children had great fun being archaeologists as each had a turn to discover, describe and discuss ancient artifacts that they found! A wonderful start to what promises to be a very productive term!

Caitlyn, our Juilliard Drama specialist, joined us from New York last week for a highly fruitful and inspiring visit. She led a devised theatre lesson with Year 9, observed Mr Burman teaching Transitions with Year 8, and observed Yuki in Primary delivering a lesson on spontaneous reactions. Caitlyn also facilitated a whole-school Performing Arts professional development session focused on utilising Juilliard core works, and met with Mr Burman to discuss the overall Drama curriculum. The visit culminated in an engaging Parent Workshop, Illuminating the Juilliard Approach, where parents and guardians enthusiastically took to the stage to explore clowning and improvisation. The visit was energising, impactful, and celebrated across the school community.

Last week, Year 7 have started their exciting new topic ‘Travels in Space’. This unit will focus on descriptive writing, including using precise and powerful vocabulary and creating narrative viewpoint. Students will explore a range of informational texts covering space shuttle launches, becoming an astronaut and holidaying in space to help inform their own creative writing.

Meanwhile, Year 8 are delving into the world of drama. Together, classes will experience a range of playscripts moving from modern drama to Shakespeare. They will also look closely at form to develop a deep understanding of the difference between novels and plays. To launch their new learning, students began by performing and interpreting freeze frames, identifying characters, emotions and events through staging and body language and predicting what might happen next.