In Crew White, we have been working hard to perfect our back bridges. It has been challenging for some people, but in Crew White we believe that with determination, resilience, and encouragement we can do it. Some people have displayed incredible skills, determination and a lot of resilience: Tommy Thompson and Debbie-Mae Bell.
There were so many people we could have picked. Be determined, be resilient and trust in yourself and you can do anything!
Written by Praise Shoyemi
Last week, in Crew White, we looked at some of the typical crimes of Tudor England: stealing food, believing in a different religion to the ruler and speaking (or even thinking) badly about a ruler. We decided what punishments we thought these deserved. Many of us said fines, community service or short prison sentences but we found out that the Tudors treated criminals much harsher than we do today.
All of the crimes above could be classed as TREASON and, because of this, the punishments often included execution. Our next task will be to give some written opinions on some of these crimes and their punishments.
Crew White have been working hard to improve their fluency recently by putting in the effort with Reading Plus. The more we read, the more we will know! This week’s awards were given out to Charlie and Greatness for achieving their next level up!
In Crew Frost we like to be prepared! For the summer term, we are aiming for the children to able to recognise their own name and even write some letters for their own name!
To support this, during their choosing time the children are offered opportunities to spot their name, work on their pencil grip, pronounce the first sound in their name, and begin letter formation for their name. They were so excited to see their very own name cards this week, and we can’t wait to do more fun name-recognition games with them. We can wait to see this fine motor skill develop. Well done Crew Frost – you are working very hard!
Hook Week launched our learning in unforgettable style as Crew White were thrown straight into the world of the Tudors. The hall was transformed for a Tudor banquet, giving the children a taste of life at court and a chance to imagine the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the period.
The highlight of the week was a powerful mock trial of Anne Boleyn. Taking on different roles, the children interrogated a wide range of evidence, questioned its reliability, and debated how convincing it really was. They were challenged to think critically, weigh up claims, and consider how power and bias may have shaped events.
The level of engagement was fantastic. Children asked sharp questions, justified their opinions and showed real maturity when discussing complex and controversial evidence. Hook Week did exactly what it promised: spark curiosity, excitement and a deep desire to learn more about Tudor England.
Today marked the first day of our new expedition, and Crew White were fully immersed from the start. We travelled back to the Tudor period to begin building our historical knowledge and curiosity, asking big questions about what life was really like during this fascinating, and often brutal, time.
We were introduced to the intriguing figure of Hans Holbein the Younger, exploring how his portraits tell us so much about powerful people, status and life in Tudor England. The children were fascinated by how art can act as a historical source and reveal details that written records sometimes miss.
We also read about Tudor crime and punishment, discovering just how harsh and shocking the justice system could be. While some of the punishments were gruesome, this helped the children understand how fear and control were used to maintain order.
It was a gripping start to our expedition, sparking curiosity, thoughtful discussion and plenty of questions.
We are looking forward to our Tudor banquet on Thursday!
What a brilliant way to round off the term. Christmas Party time in Crew White was full of laughter, music and festive cheer. The classroom was buzzing from the moment the children arrived, proudly wearing their party clothes and ready to celebrate all their hard work this term.
One of the highlights was a balloon game, complete with some very entertaining forfeits designed by Mrs Rhodes. We had headless chickens, nursery rhymes and some of the worst jokes yThere were plenty of giggles as balloons popped and challenges were revealed, and it was lovely to see everyone joining in with such good humour and confidence. We also enjoyed music and snacks, with lots of chances for the children to relax, chat and enjoy time together.
Moments like these really matter. They give us time to celebrate our community and reflect on how far we’ve come together this term. Crew White have worked incredibly hard, and this felt like a well-earned celebration.
Crew Frost have been working super hard on their sponsored walk this week, they have loved walking their miles to the North Pole with the older children. Furthermore, they have enjoyed learning all about exercise and how walking helps our muscles and bones grow. We have also been taken in the environmental sounds and looking at how big our school community is. Well done Crew Frost.
In Crew Ramsay, we have enjoyed independent writing which culminated in peer critique time today. We read our work loud and proud and received critique from a peer. We have already edited our work so didn’t make any changes to our actual work but we did think about our feedback and pledged to consider it going forward. Check us out using our actions and signs for our critique protocol: I praise, I notice, I suggest, I wonder. What a compassionate, courageous morning!
As part of the creation of our final product for our Expedition, ‘Lungs of The Earth’, Crew White have been exploring oil pastel techniques along with research the abstract artist, Frank Bowling. We used Google Classroom again to help develop independence and organisation. We look forward to sharing our final designs with you soon!
