Dear Families,

 

In order to keep us all safe, you will see WDPS staff wearing a face covering when they come to collect your children from the yard each morning. For the same reason, staff wear a face covering in communal areas of the school. Thank you for helping  us to keep our children, staff and family members safe by choosing to wear a face covering when you are on the school yard. Also at the point when staff come out to the yard each morning  and blow their whistle; we ask that all  parents and carers leave their children and move to the back of the line away from all children and staff.

 

It has been another fun-filled week in school. Phase 3 have been improving their street dance moves with an Active Kids  coach. Our Year 3 children have been learning to play the ukulele with a Newcastle Music Service teacher and some families have booked Music lessons in school for their children with Rocksteady Music.  Also, Phase 1 children had fun working with the NUFC Primary Stars team and getting fit out on the field.

 

A highlight for me was spending Wednesday with  Lois from Bumbl (Social Media Company that is helping us to showcase to the wider community the unique curricular  offer that children enjoy at WDPS). We toured the school and witnessed the inspirational teaching and learning indoors and outdoors as children were enthralled with their learning. This included:

 

Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1

Nursery - Baking bread, using acorns in their Maths activities and making pumpkin soup.

Reception - Using the book 'What's in the Witch's Kitchen?' as a stimulus; the children made witch's slime, hammered pumpkins and wrote spells.

Year 2 - Investigated chemical reactions through a volcano experiment as well as investigating colour.

 

Key Stage 2

Y5/6 - Created their own rhythms using African drums.

WDPS Running and Mountain Bike Trail - Our cyclists demonstrated their bike-handling skills and improving stamina.

WDPS Allotments -  The children weeded, tended the crops and showed the wide variety of vegetables that they have grown.

WDPS Bushcraft Area - Children demonstrated correct tool use, built shelters, created clay figures and natural art work and cooked chestnuts, pop corn and marshmallows on the fire.

 

Please follow us on our Twitter link at the bottom of the home page as we regularly post pictures of children enjoying stimulating learning experiences. Also, check your child's Class Page each Friday to see what they have been up to during the week. 

 

At WDPS we have created our unique WDPS Life Skills Challenge Award (LSCA) which promotes a 'Natural Me' and 'Healthy Me' focus  as we believe that children and adults  benefit from positive time spent playing and exercising outdoors. Research shows that physical exercise is important for mental as well as physical wellbeing. Please encourage your family to spend quality time outdoors together as it is a lovely respite from screen time.

 

Improving Reading is a whole school priority focus as all children need the skills to conduct research and also to enjoy the creative pleasure of the written word. As a family enjoy reading some of the book reviews which you can access from the homepage: 'About Us' then 'WDPS-Whole School Focus.' Let’s all work together to make every WDPS child a fluent, keen and resilient reader at home and at school. Reading includes everything from learning and practising the Read Write Inc (RWI) Phonics to helping your children to conduct research for a school topic and also to improving their language knowledge through reading a wide range of challenging books from different genres. 

 

Let’s make sure all our children receive the best wraparound support so that they achieve all that they are capable of in life.

 

Enjoy a relaxing, safe  and fun family October holiday.

 

Kind regards,

 

Mick