A group of kind Year 6 girls have been very busy crocheting away to make poppies to contribute towards Remembrance. Thank you, girls!
Congratulations to Shakespeare for winning this term's House Cup!
Congratulations to all the Year 6 children who were appointed as House and Vice Captains.
Well done to this half-term's star readers - Serenity-Rose (Class 3), Ryan (Class 4), Eloise (Class 5), Dalia (Class 6), Alfie (Class 7), Lucy (Class 8), Maisie (Class 9), Ella (Class 10), Maddie (Class 11), Libby (Class 12), Laura (Class 13), and Alend (Class 14).
The new School Council members are looking forward to taking on their new roles.
Our Art Ambassadors have been elected, and all year groups thoroughly enjoyed participating in the first Art Week of the year!
New Eco Council members have been appointed for this academic year - the children look forward to promoting eco friendly policies around the school.
Our Digital Leaders have been nominated for this academic year. They have the great responsibility of looking after the technology in our school. They also help other children and Mr Welch with their IT needs.
Over the last school year, Huish have taken part in a Somerset County pilot project: 'Start Small; Dream Big!'. This is part of a Governemnt initiative to develop careers related learning for all children. The school has been working on developing a Careers Related Learning curriculum across our whole school, building on the excellent work already happening within our broad and balanced curriculum. This is something that we feel will be beneficial in helping children to understand the importance of their learning and the role it plays in developing key skills and knowledge. Careers related learning helps children to develop positive attitudes and aspirations for their future selves.
ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-24
The Music Department has been very busy this term. Firstly, the Instrumental Concert was on Friday 21st June. It was well supported by parents and friends and Year 6 pupils. We do have some many talented pupils. We heard recorder players, ukulele and guitar players, keyboard players, clarinettists and drummers – 45 pupils in all! These were all pupils who receive music lessons through school.
Many thanks to Mr Gill, Mrs Juggins and Mrs Eveleigh for their support and contributions. If your child would like music lessons through School please contact the office.
On the same day, The Voice (Choir club for KS2 pupils) and the Tuesday Choir Club (for Year 2 pupils) performed in the Summer Fair on a not so warm summers day! Despite the cold wind pupils sang and performed beautifully.
The Voice Choir performed brilliantly at Westlands Entertainments Venue on 9th July. Pupils walked to the venue for 1.45pm. We were one of the first groups to rehearse then we were able to relax and watch everyone being put through their paces. Tea was at 4.45pm but before that there was a rehearsal on stage for everyone. We were performing 2 songs in which we were singing in parts.
At 6.30pm, the venue was buzzing and the concert began. What an experience! Many thanks to Kirsten Wordley from Somerset Music for hosting and organising the event.
On Wednesday 10th July, Westfield music pupils visited the school and performed to Years 2,3,4,&6. It was great to see ex-Huish pupils performing. We thoroughly enjoyed the variety of performances – boy band, choir, Les Miserables quartet, clarinet, vocal and guitar solos to name but a few!
What a term!
Huish have some amazing poets! Children had the opportunity to enter two competitions; the Schools Literacy Network (SLN) and Huish Academy Trust. The theme this year was ‘Animals’ and the judges commented on the incredibly high standard of entries. Huish are fortunate to celebrate many winners and highly commended entries.
SLN
KS1 Winner - Arthur. KS2 Highly Commended – Meredith
Huish Academy Trust
Y1/2 Winner – Olivia, Highly Commended - Thea, Willow, Chase
Y3/4 – Highly Commended – Olivia
Y5/6 – Winner – Mia, Highly Commended – Daniel, Fleur
Each class joined with another class on a trip to Sidney Gardens. There, the children had to identify the types of trees growing using a map and an identification kit and were surprised to learn that many different species of tree grow in our local area! Back in class, they worked together to complete a jigsaw of the school grounds and surrounding area. They had fun working with their partner classes.
At Huish, we teach Health and Relationships through the SCARF Coram Life Education scheme. As part of this scheme, we are able to welcome Helen every year, who comes in to deliver Health and Relationship workshops to all of the children at our school. Below, you can find the content that was taught in each year group. The children enjoyed these sessions!
Reception learnt all about themselves and how important their organs are in their body. They also learnt about the effects that exercise has on the body and about basic hygiene.
Year 1 learnt about their wonderful body and how they can look after it by eating the correct foods. They learnt about how a healthy diet is made up of balanced mixture of foods and how their body gets energy from food.
Year 2 learnt about gratitude. They explored feeling gratitude towards each other, about themselves and about the natural world that is around us. As a class, they put forward what they felt grateful for.
Year 3 learnt about acceptance. They listened to Helen speak about accepting what we can’t control and managing our feelings at such times. They also learnt about accepting themselves as they are and how they might be able to change things so that they can be their best self.
Year 4 learnt about how their actions and thoughts can affect how they feel both physically and mentally. They listened to some scenarios in the sessions involving tricky situations and they had to put forward advice to solve them.
Year 5 learnt about friendships and how friends can influence them when they have to make decisions. They discussed the 5 main things that they do to support their mental health and these included being active, getting creative, giving to others, being mindful and connecting with others.
Year 6 learnt about how decision can impact both their mental and physical health. They took part in a range of discussions and activities about decisions, choices, risks and their own health and wellbeing.
Huish pupils were fortunate to receive a visit from YTFC staff and the trophy to celebrate them winning the National League South League title.
This Spring term all children in the school have learnt about the Peace Dove exhibition at Wells Cathedral. Doves are a symbol of peace for many cultures. A discussion on how important peace is for all of us – in the world, in our homes, in our school and in our hearts. Classes talked about what peace meant to them and how by working together we can build a more peaceful and hopeful future.
CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who took part in the Science Week family Challenge. It was great to see so many children’s inventions and the brilliant hard work so many had put in to show advancements in technology over time. As a treat we enjoyed STEM Ambassadors from Bristol University bringing Robots into school recently and this opened all of our eyes as to the many possibilities with new technology! Keep being curious and creative everyone!
As part of our World Book Day celebrations, Years 4, 5 and 6 had the pleasure of experiencing workshops delivered by the theatre company, West End in Schools. Focusing on the book Accidental Detective by Serena Patel, this provided a valuable opportunity for the children to express themselves, build confidence and work collaboratively. The workshop fostered a sense of teamwork, allowing the children to support and encourage one another in a safe and inclusive environment.
The Huish Voice Club and performers created the attached video which has been sent to local care homes to brighten the residents' Christmas. We hope you enjoy it too.
Today there was an art exhibition in the hall showcasing work from every year group. All children had the opportunity to visit the exhibition and talk to art ambassadors from each year group about the art on display.
Our Digital Leaders have been nominated for this academic year. They have the great responsibility of looking after the technology in our school. They also help other children and Mr Welch with their IT needs.
The PTFA have funded litter pickers for the eco-council to use during break and playtimes.
Eco-Council
Bags in tow
Pick up
Rubbish,
GO GO GO!!
This week, all children have enjoyed participating in the first Art Week of the year.
In Reception, children learnt lots of facts about hedgehogs and used paint and leaves to decorate their pictures. They also learnt Andy Goldsworthy who also enjoys working in his natural environment.
For Year 1, the focus was Kandinsky and children learnt about primary and secondary colours and what happens when they are mixed. The children then painted Kandinsky Circles.
After spending time experimenting mixing colours to create different shades, year 2 enjoyed creating Winter images, creating dusk scenes with tree and fox silhouettes.
Year 4 have explored the use of clay and how it can be manipulated to make a variety of different styles of pot, linked to their Romans topic.
Year 5 linked their art to the book they are studying-Journey to Jo'berg creating beautiful African art using water colours.
Year 6 have Using Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ as inspiration for arts week. Pupils have been experimenting with texture and shading using a range of sketching pencils.
Huish Arts Ambassadors will meet to discuss arts provision at school and to organize an art exhibition for pupils to Showcase their work in November.
Congratulations to all the Year 6 children who were appointed as House and Vice Captains recently.
Since the beginning of term, members of the school council have been asking children at Huish about clubs – what they enjoy and additional clubs they would like to see offered. They have also been thinking about fundraising opportunities for this academic year. School council members will report back to their classes after the half-term break.
Thank you to all the parents and staff for their donations for this year’s Harvest Festival. Following an assembly with the Lords Larder your donations were given to this fantastic local charity.
Years 4, 5 and 6 had a real treat when author Annelise Gray visited Huish. Annelise writes fictional stories set during ancient Roman times. She shared her passion for horses and ancient Rome, reading extracts from her books that were both historically convincing and heart-stoppingly exciting! Many children asked Annelise some really interesting questions during the Q&A section, followed by the opportunity to talk to Annelise about their love for reading and writing.
The theme for this year’s National Poetry Day was ‘Refuge’. Huish children really enjoyed listening to, discussing, writing and performing poetry.
Some fantastic poems were written, here are just a few examples.
The Trail of Tragedy
Sadness comes and goes,
It ebbs and it flows,
Sadness makes the day rain
While happiness fades away.
We then take a stroll,
While sadness takes its toll,
It starts to spread and spread,
Until one is corrupt with tragedy,
We come to the end of the trail
But who knows where we will go…
(Masaki) Y5
Below are some 20 Word Refuge poems by some Year 6 students
ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-23
Four members of Year Five attended Somerset Literacy Network’s annual Poetry Slam at Dillington House. During the morning, we had the opportunity to meet well-known poet and children’s author, A. F. Harrold who delighted the audience with performances of several of his poems along with his top-tips for writing and performing. We had spent time learning Tony Mitton’s poem, Write-A-Rap Rap, in school and gave an excellent performance – we had everyone nodding along to the rhythm and wanting to join in with our actions. We enjoyed the variety of poems that the other schools chose to perform too – everything from Shakespeare to Charles Causley. Whilst at Dillington, we added our own poems to the poetry wall and had the opportunity to read the poems written by children from the other schools. Our morning was made even better by enjoying playing in the bubble-zone and eating some delicious chocolate cake!
On Wednesday 28th June, the House Geography Quiz took place. Previously, all children in Year 1-6 took part in their own class quiz, and the winners were chosen to represent their house. The house quiz was closely contested, with Shakespeare ending as winners. Well done to all who took part.
This year, the Eco-Council competition has been about saving energy to help fight climate change. Children have been checking which classes have turned off their lights and boards and keeping score of who is doing best. The winning class was Class 10, who were able to choose where to plant a bush and earn an extra playtime.
The school council have had a fantastic year! In September, when they spoke to their classes, more playground equipment was requested by all. The school council have raised an amazing £300 through their cake sales and have been able to purchase lots of new games and equipment for our playground. Recently, the school council organized a raffle which raised another £130. This money will be used towards the purchase of a poetry trolley. Congratulations to all the raffle winners; some have already received their prizes, and the others will be awarded in September.
Children who have been learning musical instruments this year with Somerset Music, Mrs Bennett and Mrs Juggins performed to their parents at the Huish Musical Concert. Children’s talent was on full display with drums, guitars, ukulele, recorders, violin, clarinet, keyboard and piano. They were all fantastic!
Year 5 have been learning Clarinets this year with Liz from Somerset Music, they performed to their parents in a concert held earlier this month and showed how much they have learnt over the year. Children performed solos as well as in a group.
For children in Key Stage 2 (years 3 to 6) to learn an instrument use this link for drums, guitar and ukulele please see the school office for the Somerset Music link.
For keyboard and piano lessons, please speak to the school office who will forward your enquiry to Mrs Bennett. Recorder lessons are arranged with Mrs Juggins and letters will be sent out in September.
This year’s production of Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies was a huge success. The children were fantastic in their acting roles and the audience on both nights thoroughly enjoyed the show. A big thanks to Mrs Mattock and her team of merry Huish staff helpers who helped put the show together with scene decorating, choreography and costume making.
The children were A-MAZ-ING!!!
Reception children learnt all about Earth day and why it is celebrated around the world. They talked about the things that they love about the Earth and ways in which they could help to look after it. Next, the discussion turned to how we can help right now by picking up litter, recycling and saving water and electricity. New sign language was learned relating to our planet including; field, tree, bugs and fish. To celebrate the beautiful flowers that flourish in the school garden, the children enjoyed a sketching session, where they carefully drew some apple blossom using paint and chalk pastels. Finally, the class enjoyed the story of Christopher Nibble, who loves to reuse and recycle. Year R’s challenge was to go home and use some items that would be recycled to make something useful!
Year 1 watched the Greenpeace video of 'There's a Rangtan in my Bedroom' and discussed the topic of deforestation and palm oil. Some children made 'before and after' posters showing the thriving rainforest and the area after the trees had been cut down. Others made 'Save the rainforest' posters. In the afternoon, they read Nick Butterworth's book 'Wonderful Earth'. Class 3 made pledge plates.
Year 2 revisited their learning of David Attenborough and discussed why he is famous. They watched a clip from one of his documentaries that highlighted a range of issues. They looked closer at the issue of plastic pollution. Year 2 already knew that this was a problem, but weren’t sure how they could help to resolve it. Children looked at a few case studies from around the world which showed some useful initiatives. Then, they wrote letters to the Yeovil community explaining to the people why plastic pollution is such an issue. The letters were finished by offering suggestions about how we can reduce the issue.
Year 3, watched a video from David Attenborough about life on our beautiful planet and how we need to look after it. It spoke about the dangers that Earth faces and how Earth has changed since the 1960s. After watching this, they completed a series of tasks focused around how individuals person can make a difference. One task was where children were given items and had to decide whether they would recycle it, compost it or throw it in the trash. After that, the children came up with their own ways of being able to make a difference with looking after the planet. They ended with some mindfulness using pictures linked to saving the planet.
During Earth Day, Year 4 read an information text about the history and objectives of Earth Day and this year’s theme of ‘Invest in our Earth’. They then completed some comprehension questions. In the afternoon, children made their own Earth Day pledges to show what they could to do to help the planet.
Year 5 discussed the importance of looking after the planet then completed their own research on the impact of climate change. They then created a piece of artwork based on the book '10 Things I Can Do To Help My World'. The children made flap pictures that had hidden facts about our planet underneath.
Year 6 focussed on the theme of Earth Day through RE and English. In RE, children learnt about the inspiring work of Greta Thunberg and created agamagraphs that represented key messages about climate change and the importance of youth in the movement to challenge world leaders about the current issues we face. In English, inspired by a piece of Banksy art titled ‘No Future’, they wrote poetry from the perspective of animals that have been affected by natural disasters, many of which have worsened as a result of climate change and human action. The poems were emotive and highlighted the plight of some of the world’s most endangered species.
To celebrate King Charles III’s Coronation the children dressed up in red, white and blue for the day. During the morning, children decorated their own paper plate and made bunting which was festooned around the school. In the afternoon, the children first enjoyed an assembly where songs were sung and the National Anthem was played. Afterwards with the sun shining everyone gathered on the school field to enjoy a cake and play games with their partner classes. What a fabulous day!
Thank you for all the donations towards Comic Relief and for the amazing Mr Men and Little Miss costumes. The school raised :- £245.00
Huish always focus on increasing children’s vocabulary and exposing children to a range of new words that they can apply within their learning. The response this year was brilliant. Children came into school dressed as a wide range of vocabulary and it was lovely that they were able to share these words with each other throughout the day!
For RE Day, each class was asked to think about the question, ‘Who or what inspires us?’ Pupils talked about what characteristics make these people so special, such as selflessness, kindness, courage and the resilience to carry on in the face of adversity. Each year group learnt about the work of someone who might be considered inspirational, and were asked to imagine that this person was visiting Huish. What message would they give to us?
In Year 6, we focused on the work of Greta Thunberg and the way she inspired a global movement against climate change. We created a piece of art called an agamograph (a kind of optical illusion) and added our own messages to inspire others to care for our planet. Look at how the picture changes depending on the angle from which you view it!
Science week was planned by our amazing Science Coordinator Mrs Oliver, who provided our teachers with fantastic challenges to share with the students!
A whole school challenge was set called ‘Biscuit Bonanaza!’ Children used their skills of enquiry to find out ‘How are biscuits different?’ Lots of comparisons were made based on their size, shape, colour and texture. The children then investigated ‘Which is the best biscuit for dunking into a drink?’ Different testing criteria were set across the year groups, and using fair testing and careful observations skills, the resulting winner was the humble “Rich Tea”. Classes also spent time connecting with one another, they shared vocabulary they had learnt with their younger counterparts and displayed them on a t shirt.
Reception had lots of fun racing various liquids including paint, oil, glue and water. They discovered that water was the fastest and glue was the slowest. They then worked with year 3 to answer the question ‘Can we make gas when two substances are combined? A mint was added to cola, and bicarbonate of soda to vinegar and a balloon was placed on the top of the bottle to catch any gas that was produced. The reaction between vinegar and bicarbonate of soda produced more gas. The final question of the week was “Do bananas make us run faster?”. The children had lots of fun with this experiment, using a stopwatch to record how far they could run in 10 seconds. After eating a banana, they repeated the experiment to see if the children had run further in the 10 second time limit. The result was inconclusive!
Year 1 enjoyed a live lesson where they learned how tractors are connected to space and carried out an experiment to find out if the size of a vehicle’s wheels affected how far it travelled. They spent time classifying zoo animals and then designed their our own zoo deciding how they should be grouped. Next, to link with our Geography topic they went ice fishing. The children enjoyed comparing how long it takes ice to melt in different temperatures of water. To prove that blubber does keep penguins warm, a blubber glove was worn on one hand and the other hand left bare. The children made predictions, then put both hands into iced water and recorded how each hand felt. They concluded their week by connecting with friends in Year 4 and completing a Mammals Scavenger hunt.
Year 2 started the week by defining science and exploring what it means to be a Scientist. From the ‘Biscuit Bonanza’ challenge they used PurpleMash software to create different types of graphs. Employees from Leonardo Helicopter attended on Tuesday who demonstrated some of the work that they do. The children then enjoyed a live lesson on why tractors are connected to Space. The children then learnt about electricity through the Curious Cat and went on an electricity hunt around school. To finish the week, they learnt about animal food chains and the future of technology, and also conducted a ‘floating paperclip’ experiment.
Year 3 investigated what science really is, and then used this to each ask a question to go in the 'science box', which were answered throughout the week. As well as the ‘Biscuit Bonanza’ challenge, they conducted a further experiment on porous materials using dye and sugar cubes. Children enjoyed two talks - a STEM ambassador and a civil engineer from Hinkley Point. After looking at the impacts of climate change on weather, a 'Beat The Flood' experiment was conducted, where children had to design and build wooden models of 'floating' gardens to help farmers with flooding in Bangladesh. Finally, they connected with other classes to do a joint experiment - Class 8 created lava lamps, whilst Class 7 joined with Class 1 to look at reactions and gasses using baking soda, vinegar, coke, mentos and balloons... one pair's experiment even made a mess on their classroom's ceiling!
Year 4 David and Holly from Leonardo came to speak to Y4 about the work they do, making and repairing helicopters. They highlighted the role of engineers and different job opportunities for engineers and people working within STEM. Later on, the children made some paper mice and experimented with different forces to get them to fly. They found that the best way to create an upwards force was by placing a milk bottle underneath the mouse and crushing it to force the air up. The ‘Beat the Flood’ challenge provided us with the opportunity to make cross curricular links. Children discussed everything they knew about floods and their impacts, and then used this knowledge to design and build our own flood-proof houses. They tested these houses in a flood of water, and gave them scores based on how strong they were. We all had lots of fun!.
Year 5 smashed the stereotype scientists and discovered how many different types of scientists there are. Day 2, saw them applying their investigatory skills as they explored which paper towel was the most absorbent. Unsurprisingly, our school green paper towels performed very poorly but the more expensive Plenty paper towel came out a winner! This made them consider if this was cost effective as some of them applied their maths skills to the challenge. Day 3, focused on Global issues facing the world and linked back to the children’s Rivers topic. Again they experimented to see which material would create the best dam to help save the river from flooding. The majority decided they would use clay or sand as this would be a natural material that could be found on the island and stopped the flow of the water. Trevor Gill (a STEM Ambassador) joined the children via Teams Meeting who talked about Engineering and his career with Vodaphone. The children were surprised that so many areas involved engineering and soon realised engineers were all around us solving many of the problems the world faces.
Year 6 worked scientifically to investigate the properties of biscuits. 5 biscuits were tested – Rich Tea, Ginger Nut, Chocolate Digestive, Custard Cream and Chocolate Chip Cookie – in four categories: pattern, layers, smell and dunk. In each category, each biscuit was ranked from 1-5; they then found the mean score for each biscuit to assess which was the best (and worst). Prior to making their observations and carrying out fair tests, they made predictions about which biscuit would be the overall best and worst (highest and lowest scoring). Finally, once they had found the highest and lowest scoring biscuits, we compared the cost per 100g of biscuit to assess whether there was any correlation between the cost and score of each biscuit. Later in the week children from Class 6 joined children from Class 13 to carry out some fun science experiments together. They followed instructions to make several different designs of paper aeroplane as well as a hoop glider. Everyone demonstrated fantastic team work and problem-solving skills. Once they were complete, they were tested outside and a competition to see which flew the furthest. Year 6 were fortunate to visit Yeovil College on the Friday, where they attended a STEM workshop where they saw the facilities on offer for engineering and construction.
This term, Huish Primary School celebrated World Book Day. It was a day where each year group brought in their favourite book and they completed World Book Day activities which helped to promote reading for pleasure. During the afternoon, each class connected with another class in a different year group and shared their book with each other. The children really enjoyed the day and it was great that so many children used their book vouchers to purchase a book.
In Reception, the children brought in their favourite book and shared it with the class. They also sketched a picture of their favourite book character.
In year 1, we brought in our favourite books and we redesigned the front cover of our favourite story.
Year 2 were asked to bring in our favourite stories from home and shared these with our friends at school. We also completed a vocabulary activity – we were challenged to find a word from each letter of the alphabet in our book. Z and X were tricky to find.
In year 3, we spoke about the importance of reading and how we can encourage each other to read. We created book marks, leaflets to encourage children to read and designed our own illustrations based around the Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.
To celebrate World Book Day, Year 4 wrote our own story books inspired by Julia Donaldson’s rhyming books. We thought carefully about the language we used and how we could use rhymes to make our stories more entertaining. When we had written our books, we had lots of fun illustrating them.
During this day, Year 5 did a variety of activities to promote the pleasure of reading. We completed a Maths World Book Day where we had to investigate how many of each letter of the alphabet was in an extract. We read a book called fractions in disguise, whilst completing fraction questions. Later in the day, we completed our own book reviews.
Year 6 celebrated World Book Day by connecting with another class. We swapped with children from Class 8 to enable everyone to partner up with a child in another year group. We then talked about our favourite books - some of us had brought these in with us – and we then had a lovely time reading together and sharing our stories. We discovered that we enjoyed a range of genres: non-fiction, poetry, fantasy, adventure and science-fiction were just a few of our favourites!
We held the first of our planned cake sales this week. Thank you to everyone who brought and bought cakes; there was a fantastic selection, including lots of home-made goodies. We raised a fantastic £74.10!
Cakes sales for other houses will be held on:
Caxton – Tuesday 28th February
Newton – Tuesday 21st March
Shakespeare – Tuesday 18th April
We hope that they are as well supported as our first one so that we are able to purchase some new games and equipment for the playground.
This term, we invited parents to attend our pupil premium workshop which was based around promoting reading at home. During the workshop, we looked at why reading was so important and we discussed different ways to motivate children to read. After, the children were invited in to work with their parents to make some yummy Rice Krispie cakes. A massive thank you to the parents that attended. It was so lovely to see so many of you!
This half-term, the Eco Council have started their Huish Energy competition. They introduced this by speaking at an assembly to KS2. They explained that they would be looking around the school at break-times and lunchtimes to check whether classes and teachers are turning off their devices and lights when their rooms are empty. Classes can then earn badges which get stuck to their doors, as well as points towards this term's eco-competition. The winning class will get to choose a plant or tree, and decide where in the school grounds to plant it. The competition is already hotting up, and the current standings are going to be announced by the council at an assembly soon.
As part of our drive to promote mental health and wellbeing in our school, we had a glass artist come in to work with some children from each year group. The children were asked to create a glass panel based around a word that they choose linking to mental health or wellbeing. These glass panels were then attached together to form a finished piece, which has been displayed proudly in our school corridor for all to see!
This year at Huish our International Day focused on India. Children from every year group spent the day researching facts and creating some wonderful art work. The range of activities included Bangra dancing, Mandana wall and floor paintings, elephant decoration, Mehndi hand art and trying on traditional Indian clothing. Children at Huish certainly enjoyed learning about a different culture and enhancing their art, dance and geography skills.
‘A massive thank you to everyone who purchased a book from the book fair this year! Thanks to your efforts, the school has received £756 worth of free books, which have been been split between the classes to benefit your children.’
After receiving the ‘Building Positive Relationships Award’ at the end of the last term, we are very proud to announce that we have received the ‘Belonging Award’ this term from Public Health. This builds upon the school’s drive to ensure that we provide the very best Health and Relationships curriculum for our children. Public Health has also asked us for our input and to be a pilot school for the new ‘Community Award’ that they are developing, which we look forward to helping with.
Candy, who is the Minister for Children and Youth at St. John’s church, visited to deliver an assembly to our KS2 classes. She called upon some of our Y6 children to do some acting, while telling us a story - with an element of surprise! She talked about forgiveness and finished with a prayer, which some of us chose to join in with. We are looking forward to seeing Candy again in the new year.
Congratulations to our newly appointed house and vice house captains
Shakespeare:
(C) Jacob, Millie,
(V) Lacie and Lily-Rose
Newton:
(C) Ruby, Filip (V) Miles, Evelyn
Scott:
(C) Fareeha, Augustina
(V) Maria, Iyla-Rose
Caxton:
(C) Lola, Holly (V) Rose, Matilda
This term, the new school Eco Council met for the first time. They took part in a webinar run by the WWF, which discussed climate change and the steps that communities, nations and schools can take to help mitigate their carbon footprint. They discussed many ideas, and have decided on a course of action to take during the Autumn term to encourage each classroom to save electricity. This year’s members are: - Teddie, Imogen Thomas, Frederica, Evangeline, Bella W, Isobel C, Lexi , Mali, and Finley.
Congratulations to our newly appointed School Council. The children were voted for by their peers within their classes. School Council members are Y3 Rylee, Meredith; Y4 Luca, Tabatha and Harmony; Y5 Noah and Gabriella; Y6 Ruby and Holly.
Recently, Huish Primary School were awarded the Primary Geography Quality Mark (Silver). This award acknowledges the high quality teaching and learning in Geography throughout the school. Children's’ work, along with photos of trips and visitors, was used as evidence. The award praised staff and children for the fantastic Geography experience provided at Huish.
On Tuesday 27th September, we were very lucky to welcome the ‘queen of historical fiction’, Emma Carroll, to Huish. Emma spent the afternoon with children in key stage two, telling them about her new novel, ‘The Little Match Girl Strikes Back’. Emma also inspired the children by explaining her writing process and sharing snippets from her life as an author. She was then able to answer lots of questions that the children had. At the end of the afternoon, Emma signed copies of her book for children (and adults!) at Huish. When she left, Emma thanked us for welcoming her and commented on how lovely the children were and what great questions they asked.
On Friday 15th July, Huish hosted a House Geography Quiz. Earlier this year, each class held their own quiz and the winners were selected for the House Quiz. Caxton, Newton, Scott and Shakespeare each consisted of a child from Year 1 to Year 6 and answered 30 questions based on the topics we cover at Huish. This year’s winners were Caxton with an impressive 29/30! A huge well done goes to all those who represented their teams.
This month we celebrated National Schools Science Week 2022. The theme was ‘Growth’ and we enjoyed a full week investigating this diverse area of Science. As a school we mapped out our week exploring animals, plants and Eco friendly behaviors. This included food choices, packaging, recycling and renewable energy supplies.
We were fortunate to have several visitors including two Entomologist from Bournemouth Science Society share their fascinating collection of insects. Brimsmore and Palmers Garden Centre also leant us an amazing array of plants to share. The whole school enjoyed ‘Bring a plant to school day’ and visiting our ‘Huish Hall of Horticulture’ where we learnt lots, including finding out about carnivorous plants! What an amazing plant the Venous Fly Trap is! To top it all off we concluded our week with a visit from a Scientist who shared their love of Chemistry with us. Her name was ‘Curious Cress’ and she taught us lots about Chemical reactions and gasses.
__________________
We thought about Science beyond the classroom and were set a home learning challenge to think of ourselves as Scientists of the future. There are literally hundreds of different ways of being a scientist. What type of Science interest you most? We have learnt we already have many transferable skills that people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers need. Let’s keep being curious, open-minded, hard-working and creative!
Year R Science week
Our focus was plant growth. We spent plenty of time in the school garden. We planted flowers kindly donated by our families. We planted sunflowers seeds. We did an experiment to show how plants take up water. We learned to identify the parts of a plant correctly. We even set up our own Garden centre in our outdoor classroom! A highlight was getting to see some real life insects up close. We used our careful skills of observation to talk about these back in class. We have loved looking at animals and plants and being outdoors!
Year 1 Science week
Year 1 enjoyed a fun filled Science week with lots of hands on exploration and investigating. We began the week by trying to answer the questions “What is Science?” “Why is it so important?” We thought lots about how it influences our everyday life and how so much of the world around us can be explained by Science. We spent our Science week trying to behave like Scientist: being curious, observing, asking question, communicating in groups and being resilient. Science skills are so important! We loved meeting some real scientist too, including an ‘Entomologist’ who studies insects and a ‘Chemistry’ expert! We continued our learning about our senses through an exploratory walk and got up close with plants, even bringing one to school for the day! Fair testing, predicting, measuring, recording, working collaboratively! We crammed so much into our Science week!
Year 2 Science week
This week we celebrated Science Week! This year’s theme was ‘growth’. We started by defining science and exploring some famous scientists worldwide. We were lucky to conduct lots of different investigations during the week which included exploring how to escape the ice, the growth of Spring Onions and how to test for different types of plastic using a flow chart! Throughout the week we also took part in other exciting activities such as watching and exploring different types of bugs, a virtual fieldtrip all about our green planet, sharing and categorising plants and taking part in a fun science show! We had so much fun!
Year 3 Science week
This week, the children took part in a range of activities to promote science! At the beginning of the week, the children were allowed to bring in a plant and observe each part of the plant. They loved the range of plants that were brought in including a plant that breathed underwater! The children did a taste experiment around the topic of plant based foods. The children had to decide whether the food was plant based or meat. They were surprised that all of the food was plant based! Later in the week, the children did the sneeze test where they looked at how far a sneeze could go. They observed how their hands and elbows could help to shorten the distance. Furthermore, they took part in a science experiment around creating a circuit that challenged their cardio fitness. They designed them and then created them outside for the children to take part. Near the end of the week, the children were lucky to experience a visit from Chemical Cress who showed us how fun science could be! We were inspired to do science in the future. The children went on a walk to Ninesprings where the children observed closely the wildlife and plants that lived there. We used some of the scientific drawing skills that they had practised earlier in the week to make careful sketches. We had a fantastic time and saw some very interesting animals.
Year 4 Science week
During science week, Year 4 have been learning about living things and their habitats. They started the week by learning about the 7 life processes and why they are important for all living things to survive. Later in the week, the children learnt how to use classification keys and had a go at using them to classify vertebrates. They also had the chance to classify creatures found during an invertebrate hunt within the school grounds. They considered both human and natural changes to the environment and made posters to promote ways to protect local habitats.
Year 5 Science week
Science Week 2022 started with a lot of squeals and shrieks in Year 5, as we headed straight into an Insects Show presented by Steve and Mark (an Entomologist) from the Bournemouth Natural Science Society. We learnt lots of interesting facts and in the afternoon, we investigated whether height was an indicator of age as is the case with sharks. On Tuesday, we started the morning by grouping and classifying our plants, before some observational drawing and creating our own botanical garden with all the amazing plants we brought in. Linking with our Earth Day, we investigated how to live more sustainably and tried a range of plant-based burgers before we designed our own, paying close attention to the amount of air miles our ingredients may have to travel. The final day of the week, saw us getting messy as we looked back at our previous knowledge of the 3 states of matter. We posed our own scientific questions, experimented before participating in an amazing slime workshop and science show – it was amazing!
Year 6 Science week
This week was Science Week and the theme was growth. We came into school dressed in green, and we bought in plants to make a wonderful display in the hall – we had fun looking at and learning about the different varieties of plants.
We also spent our afternoons investigating ‘How old are the trees at Huish?’ We looked at what scientists can tell from looking at a cross-section of a tree stump, including how they work out the age of the tree. We then measured the circumference of some trees, and then divided that by 2.5 (assuming that each inch is equal to one year’s growth) to arrive at an estimated age for each.
We discovered that the oldest tree in our school grounds was 99 years old!
‘Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.’
On Thursday the 3rd March, Huish Primary School was delighted to take part in World Book Day dressed as their favourite book character! During this day, the children took part in a variety of different activities based around promoting reading for pleasure! These activities included watching live author book reading events, watching author workshops and having a go at the activities set and recommending their favourite books to each other. The children really enjoyed using their book vouchers to get their free book and these books can be seen throughout the school.
Children’s Mental Health weeks ran from the 7th February to the 13th February. At Huish Primary School, we celebrated this event on Friday 11th February. During the day, the children learnt about mental health and how they could support their own mental health. Each year group did a range of activities linked to well-being including mindfulness. The children really enjoyed finding out about a book written by Charles Mackesy called the Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. It was lovely to see the children innovate their own pages. Feedback from the children expressed that they really enjoyed the activities and they looked amazing with their scarfs on!
On Tuesday 8th February, Huish celebrated Safer Internet Day.
Safer Internet Day is a global event which takes place every year to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. Its inspires a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively.
Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, Safer Internet Day is celebrated in over a hundred countries coordinated by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission, and national Safer Internet Centres across Europe
The theme of the day this year was 'All Fun and Games? Exploring Respect and Relationships Online.'
Each class watched the Safer Internet Day video which introduced the topic, and used that to prompt discussion about how we can talk to people kindly online. They then chose from a range of activities, including quizzes and fortune tellers, which helped children to discuss online behaviour further.
To finish the day, pupils created a poster that provided tips, key-words and advice for people to help make the internet a better place. Some of these are being taken and turned into a mosaic of pictures to display in school.
Class 1 & 2 enjoyed learning all about Spain. They found Spain on a world map, and compare the size to the UK. They discussed the different landscapes, climates, languages and animals. They looked at the Spanish artist Joan Miro and created some art work based on the skills he used. They then enjoyed the flamenco dance workshop.
Class 4 made paella plates using rice like a real paella would have! They added prawns and vegetables made from paper and pipe cleaners. They learnt that Spain in a very hot country, so many Spanish people carry a fan to help them stay cool in the sunshine. Class 3 made Spanish flags coloured red and yellow, and then used these colours to decorate the paper plate castanets they made. They really enjoyed the flamenco lesson with Jodie.
Year 2 started by learning facts about Spain’s history, geography and population! They then created a Spain fact file which they shared and compared with their peers. Later in the afternoon they were lucky enough to participate in a Flamenco dance workshop…it was so much fun! They finished by selecting and carefully colouring in pictures related to Spain, and used what they had learnt in the morning to describe their pictures.
Year 3 tasted some Spanish puddings in the afternoon, and learned about Spain using Spanish words (thanks to the expertise of Mrs. Hodgson). We then took part in the Flamenco dance workshop.
To celebrate International Day, Year 4 have been learning about Spanish artists and how they have influenced the architecture in Spain. They began by looking closely at some of Gaudi’s work and his creations in Park Güell in Barcelona. They then used a combination of collaging and chalk pastels to replicate the Spanish skyline in their own pieces of art work.
Year 5, have been learning and revisiting keys facts about Spain. In Year 4, they could remember what they had learnt about Catalonia and Barcelona. They used a map to plot key places across Spain. They compared the lengths of different rivers across Spain. They thoroughly enjoyed the Flamenco dance workshop.
Year 6 tried some traditional Spanish foods such as a Spanish omelette, Manchego cheese, green olives and chorizo. For all of them, at least one of the foods was one they’d never tried before. They enjoyed the chorizo, the omelette and the cheese, but there were definitely some mixed reactions to the olives! They learned about the Spanish word ‘tapas’ and the tradition of ordering lots of little mini dishes to eat.
Year 6 also took part in a Flamenco dancing workshop which they thoroughly enjoyed. They learned a sequence of moves involving stomping, clapping and free-styling! They then put them to some Spanish music and performed a final dance. It was brilliant!
Please click on the videos below to view our christmas performances.
On Wednesday 24th November, all children at Huish engaged in ‘Earth Day’ learning. The purpose of this day was to ensure the children are aware of how human life impacts on the planet, and to think about how we can work to reduce the damage we cause.
In Reception, the children discussed recycling and sorted materials that can be recycled and those that can’t. Then, they learned about the importance of trees for the wildlife and, in particular, birds. They made their own bird feeders and placed them around the school.
Year 1 were lucky enough to have a visitor from ‘Monkey World’ to teach them how deforestation impacts wildlife and their habitats. They discussed the orangutans that they had seen on their recent trip. They then produced some lovely drawings of orangutans. You can see some of their work in the images attached.
Year 2 learned about David Attenborough and how he has educated people all over the world. They learned that one of the issues he has highlighted is plastic pollution. The children produced letters to the local community to persuade them to change their use of plastic in the interests of the planet.
Year 3 also spoke to the visitor from Monkey World, who taught them about how the different wildlife came to be at the zoo. Many of the reasons were due to environmental issues and poaching. They then watched part of the David Attenborough documentary ‘Life on our Planet’, which demonstrated the extent of the damage caused by human life, and read some of the book ‘Old Enough To Save The Planet.’ They spent the afternoon thinking of what they could do to help the crisis, and each child made a piece of art which included five environmental pledges.
Year 4 learned about young activists who have made positive environmental changes. They shared the book ‘Old Enough to Save the Planet’ which taught them what other children around the world had done. Then, the children worked in groups to form short presentations including their ideas to save the planet.
Year 5 discussed the recent COP26 agreements and debated whether they would have enough of a positive impact. In connection with their ‘Rivers’ topic, they also discussed flooding locally. Then, they wrote letters to local MP, Marcus Fysh, to ask what he thought of COP26, and how he plans to ensure Yeovil improves its environmental impact. Lastly, they produced some art to express how they felt about climate change.
Year 6 had a class debate about how successful COP26 was and whether it had achieved what it set out to. As part of this debate, they discussed the frustrations of protestors. They then made Agamographs and added their own pledges that they will aim to implement to their own lives.
We all enjoyed learning about the importance of remember day and why this day is so important to remember those who lost their life to save our country.
Year 1 enjoyed painting a sunrise, crosses and poppies.
In reception the children made poppies and put them together to create a class wreath. They laid their wreath next to the Huish flag pole to show their respects.
At 11 o’ clock on 11th November we all respected the 2-minute silence and thought of all those that had sacrificed their lives.
Earlier in the year, the school entered the Somerset Literacy Network Poetry competition, which had a focus around faces. Children in the school were instructed to create poems based on a face. This could be their face, a famous human’s face or an animal’s face? Both KS1 and KS2 classes participated and we are very proud to announce that we were recognised for some excellent poetry created by the children at the school. Please see the results below.
Joint second place for upper KS2 in Somerset receiving both a frame of his poem, certificate and poem book – Toby
ighly Commended poems receiving certificates – Isiah (y4), Lorna (y6) and Maisie (Y6)
Commended poems receiving certificates – Amelia (y1), Mia (y3), Evie (y4), Maja (y5), Isabella, Rebekah, Alfie and Jacob (y6)
We look forward to participating again in the poetry competition next year and continuing to be recognised for our children’s wonderful work!
Last week at Huish we celebrated British Science Week 2021. This is a ten-day celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Our aims for the week were:
• To broaden children’s understanding of what Science is and how diverse this can be.
• Encourage children to find out more about Scientist who have shaped our world.
• Engage children in working scientifically to develop their own Science skill set.
What a fantastic week we all had! Not only did we challenge children’s perceptions of what Scientists do… we researched and discovered amazing facts about Scientists who contributed to our understanding of the World around us.
Each class enjoyed a great week of ‘Hands on Science’, with the focus for activities taking an enquiry, practical approach. All children worked hard to develop their Science Skills set through;
• Observing changes
• Noticing patterns
• Grouping and classifying
• Fair testing
Reception and Year 1 incorporated these skills into their unit on Plants, involving them growing cress, runner beans and planting sunflower seeds in the outdoor classroom.
Year 2 spent the week learning about Materials and investigating which materials acted as the best thermal insulators. They learnt about Charles Macintosh and the invention of the waterproof coat.
Year 3 completed a range of investigations based around some interesting questions. How is water transported around a plant? Where are the highest concentrations of germs round the school? How can you make heavy objects float? They researched a range of famous Scientists including Alexander Fleming, Jane Colden and Archimedes.
Year 4 spent the week thinking about solids, liquids and gasses. They investigated a range of questions such as “Can materials reverse their change in states a matter?” & “Can all liquids freeze and if so, do they freeze at the same temperature?” They also researched Alexander Bell and the way that he revolutionized the way in which we communicate.
Year 5 developed their Science skills set through their unit on Space. They investigated which material would make the best heat shield for a rocket and made a pocket solar system. There were so many big questions to answer! “Is there a pattern between the size of a planet and the time it takes to travel around the sun?” “Who was Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and how has she contributed to space science.”
Year 6 have been investigating Electricity. They made simple circuits to light a bulb and then drew their circuits using accurate scientific symbols. They found out about Michael Faraday who used Volta’s work to create an electric motor. They were then given an enquiry question “How can you make a fairground ride move?” and in teams children worked with construction materials to design and build a fairground ride powered by a motor.
To conclude our Science week children shared their Science learning with their grown ups at home and took part in some ‘Pick and Mix” Science homework. It has been so lovely to share the wonderful investigations you have engaged in and a real treat to see other members of your family getting involved too, so well done to you all! Keep being curious! Keep asking questions! As Albert Einstein famously said “The important thing is never to stop questioning.”
Before half-term, we launched the Huish 2K21 Gaming Competition which challenged pupils to design and create their own maze-style games on PurpleMash. Each day, the children completed a particular element of their game and embedded this within their theme. Older year groups even added a multi-level feature to their games and thought carefully about how each level became more challenging to complete. In total, we received over 150 entries from children across a range of year groups and all the staff were blown away by the fantastic efforts created. Well done to all the pupils who entered and congratulations to our winners!
On Tuesday 8th February, Huish took part in Safer Internet Day 2021. The day focused on deciding how we can decide what and who to trust online. As part of the day, we looked at an assembly that reminded us of some of the ways we can stay safe online. KS1 looked at some stories that explored different aspects of trust online. These included the story of Digiduck.
KS2 completed a range of activities, including exploring different scenarios online, and completing a ’bingo’ card based around a research task. Children also took part in a Guinness World Record attempt – the most people to take part in an online safety event! In order to play their part in the attempt, children across the school made an online pledge to make the internet a better place.
Many children will be spending more time with technology during lockdown, and that can be a source of worry for parents. London Grid for Learning (LGfL) suggest these six top tips for keeping children safe in these circumstances:
If you aren’t sure, ASK!
For more details about each of these tips, download the full size version of the LGfL poster at:
https://static.lgfl.net/LgflNet/downloads/digisafe/Parent-Top-Tips-Safe-Online-Corona.pdf
This term, we were delighted to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week with the theme of ‘Express Yourself’ and the children at Huish certainly did ‘express themselves!’ During this tricky time, children’s mental health has never been more important and it was delightful to see that all of the classes took part in many of the activities that were put forward during the week.
Monday – Watching an assembly, drawing your very own happy place and having a go at some mindfulness.
Tuesday – Children watching a video of turning mistakes into something beautiful, the squiggle activity where they turned a squiggle into an actual animal and having a go at painting with their favourtie colours.
Wednesday – Guessing the emotions of a clip from ‘Inside Out’, drawing things that make you happy and drawing what emotions might look like on paper.
Thursday – Watching ‘Inside Out’ and how sadness can help to make someone feel better, spending time with family members and discussing favourite things and helping mum and dad with an activity.
Friday – Watching The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse and creating their own pages from the book and taking a picture of something they feel is beautiful.
Below, you can see some of the wonderful work that our children created! It was a joy to see so many children participating in the event.
A massive well done to everyone that took part!
Mental health doesn’t just affect children, it can affect adults as well. 1 in 6 school aged children in the UK now has a diagnoseable mental health disorder, which is an increase from 1 in 9 in 2017 (Place2Be). 1 in 4 adults will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England (MIND). As always, the school is always here for support for both children and parents. There are a number of charity organisations for adults should you wish for support, one of them is listed below.
CALM – CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably. A charity providing a mental health helpline and webchat.—0800 58 58 58 (5pm – midnight) - www.thecalm.net
Children at Huish have been working in partnership with Yeovil District Hospital to celebrate National Storytelling Week (30th January - 6th February) and the fantastic work of the NHS. The children worked hard to create their own story, which celebrates figures through history who we remember for their valuable contribution to medicine, and highlights the amazing work currently being undertaken by the NHS, and the scientists creating vaccines, in the fight against Covid-19. One day, it is these people who will be remembered in history for their great commitment, sacrifice and trailblazing steps during this pandemic.
We hope you enjoy the important story the children tell in their video.
Huish Primary school enjoyed a fun filled International Celebration Day focusing this year on Australia. This annual event forms part of the British Council’s International School Award and is part of a whole school approach to international teaching and learning.
It has been very different for us this year, as most of the children have been learning from home due to the current pandemic. The children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring Australia through a wide range of cross curricular activities including art, music, geography history and maths. They have been very creative developing different pieces of art work, baking Anzac biscuits and producing interesting research posters and PowerPoints.
This action packed day was a great opportunity for Huish children to have a break from their normal home schooling daily routine and learn new skills and gain the cultural understanding and skills from another part of the world.
Our Christmas performances are available to view by clicking below. We hope you enjoy them.
This term the children have been working on some winter pictures and poems for their winter displays.
Thank you to all the parents and staff for their generous donations for this years Harvest Festival. With more families struggling during the current situation donations have been appreciated more than ever.
So far Yeovil’s Lords Larder has supported 247 adults and 158 children with food parcels in September! With our support they have given food parcels to 5,500 people this year!
Critical keyworker children who are attending the provision at Huish Primary School created this fantastic banner to support our NHS keyworkers during the Easter holidays. They also took part in many other activities during this time.
Children and staff were very excited when the poet Joseph Coelho visited our school on 16th March! Joseph is a performance poet and a playwright. He has won numerous awards and has been a guest on Cbeebies Rhyme Rock and Radio 4’s Poetry Playtime. Joseph delivered a whole school assembly, followed by workshops in Years 5 and 6. Some amazing poems were created throughout the day, poems about sport, sweets, technology, emotions and even cheese!
Some of our Year 1 children entered a national Young Writers’ Acrostic Animal Adventures competition. Nationally, there were over 15,000 entries! We were delighted to hear that some of the poems had been chosen for publication in ‘My First Acrostic: Animal Adventures – Poetry Gems book! Well done everyone!
On Thursday 16th January, six able writers from years 5 and 6 took part in an exciting, author-led, workshop: Magic Spark to Manuscript. Published author, Kathryn Evans certainly sparked the imaginations of every child present. Throughout the day, Kathryn encouraged children to share and develop their ideas through a number of ‘hands-on’, verbal and written tasks. By the end of the day, every child had a plan for an entire novel! Kathryn’s great enthusiasm for writing and the fun ways she taught during the session resulted in a great day for all. The only thing she asked in return was an acknowledgement in the back of their first book! At the end of the day, Kathryn kindly gave all children a signed copy of one of her poems.
Please see our Online Safety News page for details of the activities the children undertook throughout the week and to view all the videos the children made and performed.
As part of Huish International Celebration Day, this year we focussed on the amazing continent of Africa. Throughout the school, children took part in a variety of cross curricular activities from catching a plane to Africa, learning lots of new geographical facts and of course lots of art. All year groups took part in a very energetic African dance workshop and each class performed to each other. Lots of teaching and learning took place in this fun filled, action packed day!
With the Carol Service behind us and the Nativity performances well under way we are all feeling the festive spirit.
Our Carol Concert was held at St John’s Church on Monday 9th December. Our year 5 and 6 students retold the story 'Christmas for Ominous Ruckus' by James Cary. The Rev Dudley-Smith told us the traditional Christmas story with a ‘crisp’ twist.
The collection at the end of the service raised £258.12 for our chosen charity this year SANDS - Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society.
Thank you to all Rev Dudley-Smith for his hospitality again this year, the children who all took part and to the family that came along and supported the service.
Tuesday 10th December – What can we say? With the arrival of storm Atiyah we were convinced that our planned visit from Yeovilton’s Wildcat helicopter would have been postposed!
But despite the wet and windy weather they didn’t disappoint. All wrapped up, off we went and stood out in the rain to greet the pilots (and santa’s elves) from 815 Naval Air Squadron.
A massive thank you to all the crew at Yeovilton for giving the children (and staff) an experience they wont forget any time soon!
A huge thank you to all the Chartwell’s staff for making the Christmas Dinner a success.
DON’T FORGET TO BOOK YOUR LUNCHES for the Spring term on the ParentPay system before the end of December.
Well done to this half term’s star readers
Class 3—Tristan Class 4—Ela
Class 5—Maisie Class 6– Freddy
Class 7—Iyla-Rose Class 8—Jake
Class 9—Toby Class 10—Abigail
Class 11—Leo Class 12—Lily
Class 13—Ffion Class 14—Nerys
Well done to Abigail who has also achieved millionaire status!
Thank you for all your donations for our harvest collection.
Already this year, agency workers have helped 1700 adults and 880 children in need covering towns and villages in South Somerset and North West Dorset. With the donations received Lords Larder can continue to meet the demands for food parcels now and into 2020.
On Tuesday Mrs Briggs and Mr Mustafic came in to school armed with a variety of robots and other technical equipment. A group of children from years 4, 5, and 6 spent a morning at the Robot Workshop, learning how to code the different types of robotic equipment, such as the Code-a-Pillars (changing the segments to perform different functions, change direction,etc), the Micro-bits (program to show messages on led displays) and the Ohbot (could be programmed to move and speak). Mrs Allen showed the children how to use the Lego Mindstorms software and download it onto the Mindstorm bots.
Later in the session the children worked in groups and together produced a “Strictly” display of synchronised dancing Code-a-Pillars and Mindstorms, complete with scores recorded by the judges on their micro-bits and introductions from Ohbot.
As part of our international learning, we have lots of exciting activities planned throughout the year to enhance children’s global awareness. This term, Year 2 children have been learning the seven continents of the world. Every child has made a papier mache globe, painted and added the continents. To aid learning, wild animals from each continent have been researched and food from each continent has been tasted. Surprisingly, coffee was very popular!
On Friday, five of the Highly Commended poets (Nerys, Jacob, Poppy, Oliver and Wilbur) went to a poetry slam with the poet Rachel Rooney at the beautiful Dillington House. Here they were presented with their certificates before performing a poem called The Sound Collector by Roger McGough to an audience of adults & children from other schools. They then enjoyed a piece of chocolate cake before playing in the bubble zone. The afternoon was rounded up with a talk by the poet, Rachel Rooney who performed some of her poems and gave them tips for writing poetry. They all had a fantastic afternoon and represented Huish brilliantly. Well done!
We are very proud of the children in KS2 who entered the SOMERSET LITERACY NETWORK POETRY COMPETITION 2019: TIP TOP TREES. We received some exciting news this week when we were notified of the children who had been recognised for their writing - Well done! What a fantastic achievement! Here is the email we received:
'Thank you for entering the Tip Top Trees Competition. We had over 1300 entries and the standard was very high. Congratulations to all entrants, particularly the prize-winners, highly commended, commended and shortlisted poets! Your school’s results are given below.
COMMENDED:
Nerys (Upper KS2)
Jacob (Upper KS2)
Wilbur (Lower KS2)
Oliver (Lower KS2)
Poppy (Lower KS2)
Those who have been commended have been invited to attend the Poetry Slam at Dillington House in July where their certificate will be presented to them by guest poet Rachel Rooney and will take part in a poetry workshop during their half day visit.
SHORT-LISTED:
Ralph (Lower KS2)
Lena (Lower KS2)
Lucas (Lower KS2)'
As a school, we have been working towards achieving the Somerset Wellbeing award to recognise the positive work that we do towards ensuring that children leave our school healthy and positive! The Somerset Wellbeing award asks participating schools to collect evidence about how they are integrating health and wellbeing within the ethos and culture of their school.
We are very pleased to announce that we will be one of the first schools to be awarded a Wellbeing Award having passed the first part of the specifications. Furthermore, we are one of only five schools who have been asked by the Public Health Association to give a presentation at their awards event in front of many schools to put forward the great work that we are doing! This is a great achievement and we are pleased that our efforts in school have been recognised.
This year’s focus for Waste Week was on Plastics. To encourage a reduction in the use of single use plastics, Huish held a ‘Plastic Free Week’. During this week Miss Major delivered an assembly to the Key Stage 2 children, stressing the impact of plastics on our planet and the small steps we can make as individuals to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics. Children also took part in workshops and class activities throughout the week. Year groups and classes also carried out a survey before and after the week of the single use plastics in their lunch boxes. As a school we counted 632 before the focus and 460 after. A BIG WELL DONE goes to Class 12, who managed to reduce their single use plastic count by 54 pieces on their day of recounting.
A BIG WELL DONE also goes to Class 3 who collected the most milk bottle tops (1963) As a school we collected 8372 altogether, which have all been taken to a collection point and will aid the Somerset and Dorset Air Ambulance charity.
As a result of the week, we look forward to you and your children’s support in trying to reduce the amount of single use plastics used and in recycling plastics at home.
We are continuing to collect milk bottle tops in classes for charity, but stress that these need to be washed before handing in, due to time restraints in school. Thank you.
To help us celebrate World Book Day, the children at Huish investigated the brilliant book, ‘The Lost Words’ by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris.
The book contains poems about nature and consists of words that are fading from the English language as children are spending less time outdoors discovering the wonders of nature around them.
The children explored the nature that is around the school grounds, collected word banks, listened to and performed poetry throughout the week. Furthermore, they made observational sketches, used pastels and watercolours of some of our British endangered species
Over two days, each year group spent time with Pete The Poet who discussed the beauty of ‘The Lost Words’ and reassured them that it is ok not to understand every part of a poem, but to enjoy it for the way it makes you feel.
Sharing assemblies were held to celebrate the work and achievements created over the week.
December 2018 Star Readers were:- Class 3—Frankie; Class 4— Nikita Sky; Class 5 —Isiah; Class 6—Augustine; Class 7—Toby; Class 8— Daisy; Class 9—Poppy; Class 10—Archie; Class 11– Ffion; Class 12—Jacob; Class 13—Fiona; Class 14—Arabella
February 2019 Star Readers are: -Class 3—Elsa; Class 4—Julia; Class 5—Holly; Class 6—Ruby; Class 7—Jacob; Class 8—Jaxon; Class 9—Chloe; Class 10—Ellis; Class 11—Grace; Class 12—Aimee; Class 13—Isla; Class 14—Finley
Our Millionaire Readers and Reading Challenge Awards were awarded to:-
Millionaire Readers—Toby, Poppy, Michael, Nathan, Isla, Florence and Arabella.
Double Millionaire—Abigail
Reading Challenge—Jayden
Huish Primary School celebrated Chinese New Year in style! Now an annual cultural event, pupils celebrated their strong link with their partner school in China, Dongcheng Primary.
All year groups took part in a Chinese dance workshop, learning how to perform the ancient dragon dance and Tai Chi exercises. A variety of cross curricular activities took place in every classroom to celebrate the Year of the Pig, from origami to baking pig biscuits!
Head of School, Vaughan Hillier-Nickels said, “It’s been an incredibly enjoyable day for children to experience Chinese culture. As part of our International School Award, this annual event is a wonderful opportunity for children at Huish to engage and flourish in their cultural and global learning.”
The whole school marked World Religions Day on 21st January. The purpose of World Religions Day is to highlight the idea that the principles underlying the world's religions are harmonious. Each class looked at similarities between the world religions such as the importance of love, kindness and caring for one another. Some classes focused on symbolism in world religions and researched or designed their own symbols. Some of the work produced during the day has been displayed in the Hall.
We have been fortunate to receive a donation from the Royal Naval Lodge of £250. This money will be used to provide resources for our Learning Centre.
Huish choirs have been busy over the past 2 weeks, singing at a number of Residential homes. The KS2 choir have visited Ivelhurst, Cool Runnings Too, and Grovelands care homes —the residents really enjoyed their singing and asked them to come back soon. The Year 2 and 3 choir also visited Tyndale Nursing Home and were brilliant representatives of Huish!
We now look forward to a rest over Christmas and then the choirs start back on the first week of term.
The children of KS2 attended the Christingle service led by Mr Rodd. The Rev Dudley-Smith shared the meaning of each element of the Christingle orange as part of the Christian Story.
Our annual Carol Concert was held at St John’s Church on Monday 3rd December. Our House Captains told the story “Refuge” by Anne Boath and Sam Usher. Our school choirs performed an array of songs accompanied by our very talented musicians, and the congregation sang brilliantly too. The Rev Dudley-Smith told us the story of how Jelly Babies were rebranded as Peace Babies after WWI and that each colour represented a country who fought in the conflict. The collection at the end of the service raised £260.10 for the Charity ‘War Child’.
This year each of our year groups performed their own plays to their parents. The title of Year 2’s play was “The Meaning of Christmas”, Year 1 ‘s was Christmas Night with Reception performing the “The First Christmas”. A fantastic amount of talent was on display which captivated their audiences.
Year 4 went up to Westfield to learn French, Italian and Russian, as well as to show off their Spanish skills. The children were taught by GCSE pupils from Westfield and Preston, who were very impressed by the children’s knowledge.
On November 23rd we celebrated Fibonacci Day. Throughout the school we spent the day completing maths activities based on the works of Fibonacci – A famous mathematician who discovered a pattern called the Fibonacci sequence. Lots of children worked on patterns and recognising the Fibonacci sequence in nature. Alongside some excellent mathematical work throughout the day, many of the children produced some beautiful art and pattern work.
The school showed its respect for the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1 with some fantastic art displays around the school. The school held their two minute silence in the grounds on Friday 9th November and collections were held on behalf of the Poppy Appeal.
Congratulations to Newton House who have secured the most house points this term and were awarded the House Cup. The house captains are pictured with the Trophy.
Reading AwardsWell done to this half term’s Star Readers. Class 3- Daniel; Class 4 - Mia; Class 5 - Millie; Class 6 - Caleb; Class 7 - Isabella Class 8 - Abigail; Class 9 - Michael; Class 10 - Nathan; Class 11 - Grace; Class 12 - Morgan; Class 13 - Ruby; Class 14 - Callum;
Huish has got lots planned this year to enhance our international learning throughout the school. Every year group will be learning about different continents and countries and the many diverse cultures around the globe. China Day will be in February, and pen pals writing to partner schools in Spain and China will continue to flourish.
LAMDA success!Congratulations to last year’s Year 5 and 6 pupils and Mrs Millard for achieving fantastic results in the LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) awards. This year at Huish, Mrs Price will lead our LAMDA classes. The aim of LAMDA classes is to provide the opportunity for pupils to develop important life skills. Developing pupils’ self-confidence and promoting good communication skills are important attributes to achieving success in life. Achieving an award in LAMDA will also provide pupils with a great sense of achievement.
Thank you for all your donations for our harvest collection. Already this year, working agency workers have helped 1700 adults and 880 children in need covering towns and villages in South Somerset and North West Dorset. With the donations received Lords Larder can continue to meet the demands for food parcels now and into 2019. Thank you.
Classes 1 and 2 have settled really well into school life. Children enter the classroom independently and confidently. The children have enjoyed making friends and getting to know the adults. They have started to recognise and write their names and are learning letter sounds and numbers. Mrs Ireland and Miss Edmonds would like to thank parents for their support in making the transition into school successful.
