Issue 5 7 th November 2016 In This Issue Page 1 Play Leaders Lead the Play Page 2 Foundation Stage Magic Moments Page 3 Key Stage 1 Magic Moments Page 4 & 5 Key Stage 2 Magic Moments Page 6 Computing and App of the Week Play Leaders Lead the Play A brand-new scheme at MES Cairo is to hit our playground next week! The Play Leaders initiative features 12 students from Year 3 and 12 students from Year 6, all of whom produced superb applications on their way to being selected for the role. The Play Leaders will be teaching some amazing games and activities to younger students on the playground over the coming weeks and helping them engage in fun, cooperative play! It adds another dimension to the already fantastic array of playground games that our students already take part in, and will support them in learning new ideas and making new friends along the way. The 24 Play Leaders have been through a training programme where they learnt to not only play new games but teach them as well, and are now ready to share this expertise with students in Years 1 to 6. We re hugely excited by this new scheme and look forward to seeing it have a positive impact on our playgrounds! In the meantime, this latest edition of the MES Cairo Primary Newsletter, features lots of other examples of our students working and playing together. Enjoy!
Foundation Stage Magic Moments In FS1 Blue Issue 5 : 7 th November 2016 these past couple of weeks, we have been amazing. Not only did we learn about people who help us and superheroes, we were lucky enough to actually meet some real-life superheroes! Last week, a couple of police officers showed up with their trusty dogs to show us what an important job they have; they even let us ride on their motorcycles. We then met some firefighters and learned how to use a hose to put out a fire. Of course, we were also superheroes and we worked on our name recognition and writing our names. We played some super fun, super challenging math games and we found out where the Gruffalo lives. This is important as we will go visit the Gruffalo next week at the theatre! In FS2 Blue we have had a busy week. We have started our new topic called Pirates and have found out about some famous pirates. We have been finding one more than and one less than in Maths, and playing the Duplo game in teams - the Pirates and the Dinosaurs. The Pirates were the winners because they had more Duplo than the Dinosaurs. We have also been painting our own pirates and reading the story Mrs. Pirate. Unfortunately, Mrs. Pirate did not feel well, so we had to take her to see the Doctor. We made her some get-well cards, to make her feel better. 2
Key Stage 1 Magic Moments In Year 1 Blue Issue 5 : 7 th November 2016 we have very much enjoyed our new topic 'Superhero City. In our English lessons, we read the wonderful story 'Superhero Dad. We began to think what our own superhero would look like and what adjectives we would use to describe them. In our Science lessons, we have been investigating materials. We enjoyed exploring materials around the school. We were able to name many objects around the school and the materials they were made from. Many superstars in Year 1 Blue were even able to explain the properties of some materials. For example, because the window was made of glass it is transparent! We are looking forward to investigating properties of materials more next week. In Year 2 Blue to introduce our new Topic, From Cairo to China, we spent the afternoon learning about Chinese culture. One of the activities was calligraphy. Did you know that this beautiful writing was an important type of art in China? We used a special Chinese ink to paint symbols with Ms. Hanna and then we made frames with Ms. Judith. This picture shows Shahd and Laila using their relationship skills to help each other during the activity. 3
Key Stage 2 Magic Moments In Year 3 Blue Issue 5 : 7 th November 2016 this week, we have been preparing for our class assembly all about skeletons. We are currently studying the human skeleton and have been learning all about the different bones. We even performed a song called Spooky Scary Skeletons. We made a video using the Green Screen app and showed off our singing and dancing skills. We are now skeleton experts! In Year 4 Blue we have been involved in starting our new Topic about Ancient Rome. We got off to a flying start by dressing as Roman citizens on Sunday 6 th November. After a number of speeches from Roman Emperors explaining why they were the best, we went out onto the field to practice some Roman army discipline and tried desperately to stay in formation while marching back and forth. We would like to thank our parents for all their help and advice in putting together our costumes which as you can see looked quite authentic when we travelled back in time. 4
Key Stage 2 Magic Moments Issue 5 : 7 th November 2016 In Year 5 Blue we have really excelled this week. We have had great fun learning about why the Vikings left Scandinavia, bloodthirsty Viking raids, longboat designs, incredible trading, exploration voyages to countries near and far, settlements, and tales of the deeds of mythical Gods and Goddesses. Our diary entries imagining we were Vikings were fantastic and our acting skills were put to the test when we produced a short play about the adventures of Thor and Loki. In addition to this, we wrote in runes and used our art skills to design Viking shields, which would have struck terror into the hearts of our enemies had we used them in battle. Well done, everyone, our enthusiasm and interest in the Vicious Vikings has been brilliant!!! In Year 6 Blue this week, we have been looking at poetry and the different features that we can use in our writing. In our lessons, we looked at performing poetry and the ways we can do this to make it interesting for the audience. We focused on which words should be emphasised and how to read the poem to make sure the rhyme is evident. Each group then performed a poem with personification in it. Two students in the class were judging the performances on teamwork, pronunciation, confidence and overall presentation. The winning group scored 37 out of 40 with their excellent performance where they also included actions. All the groups enjoyed this activity, learning about how poetry is written and the affect it can have. 5
ASAs and App of the Week Issue 5 : 7 th November 2016 In Computing Year 6 Blue have been constructing Anderson Shelters in a custom-built Minecraft world. They researched the ways that people sheltered in British cities during The Blitz; then they focused on gathering information about Anderson Shelters, before being assigned a virtual house and garden to design and build in. This brief blended Topic work with Internet search skills, peer collaboration and really exciting software. Brilliant! What will happen when the bombs start falling, will their shelters survive? App of the Week The Year 2s have delved straight into their new Topic, From Cairo to China this week, resourcefully taking a bird s eye view of their host country China, using the Google Earth app. Not only did it enable them to view where China and various cities are on the world map, but they were able to look at buildings on the streets of China, as well as important landmarks and rivers. Even though they re not able to physically be there, technology has allowed them to feel as though they are right there, giving them the opportunity to compare geographical similarities and differences between China and Egypt. They are looking forward to using it again in the upcoming weeks to help them map out a possible travel plan from Cairo to Beijing. Have you wondered what it s like in a specific country or city? Do you want to take a sneak-peak at landscape before planning your next family vacation? Have a go with Google Earth, and bring your vacation to you in the comfort of your own home! Coming Up Next Thursday 17 th November Foundation Stage Class Photos Year 6 Production 20 th 23 rd November Years 1 to 6 Class Photos Thursday 24 th November School Closed Thanksgiving 6 27 th November 8 th December Primary Assessment Week