Abbey Lens a Year in review 2020-21

Covid-19 reduced opportunities but still a great year.

BB7Y LENS September 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. One Excellence Through Partnership

THE

We’re back! 7th Year of our Abbey Lens

MEET THE STAFF Fun, short videos that introduce some of our staff. http://www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/whos- who/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS Planned out for the year, including a link to add the dates to your smart device. https://www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/diary/ grid/2020/9/ OUR CURRICULUM A detailed guide to the national curriculum and how we tailor it for our children. http://www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/parent- guide-to-the-national-curriculum/ KIDS’ ZONE Educational based games that change every month supporting many areas of the curriculum http://www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/special/ kidszone/ CLASS PAGES Year group pages and lots of great events that our children have taken part in. http://www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/topic/ class-pages ON-LINE SAFETY Advice and guidance for parents on keeping our children safe in the ever growing technological world. https://www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/on-line- safety-information/

Have you got a paragraph of good news to share? Write in under 100 words, attach a picture and your story may be published.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk All submissions to office@abbey-

jun.sandwell.sch.uk or office@abbey-inf.sandwell.sch.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

September 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Two

Excellence Through Partnership

Keeping safe On-line information

THINK YOU KNOW? We would like to share some websites, that are useful for parents that contain a wealth of free information and resources to help you keep your child safe online. Abbey’s website is a great starting point and you can find a whole page of resources, videos and links here: https://www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/on-line-safety- information/ It looks likely that on-line learning will continue to form a part of school life for the near future. Safeguarding children online is everyone’s responsibility. Here are a few tips that might help you to protect your child. If you would like further advice or support then please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher, or our ICT network manager, Mr Choudhury. • Are parental controls set on your broadband and on all devices including PCs, tablets, phones, TV, gaming devices? • Talk regularly to your child about how they can keep safe online and what to do if they are worried about something. • Are your online accounts’ passwords protected so only you know them? • Does your child use Facebook or other social media and messaging apps? • Set your homepage to a child friendly site and ensure, if your child has an account, it has strict parental controls. • Make sure children are online in a place you can keep an eye on them. • Ensure children only have access to age-appropriate games, films, TV programmes. • If your children use on-line gaming or chat, keep reminding them that those who purport to be children, may not be.

Have you got a paragraph of good news to share? Write in under 100 words, attach a picture and your story may be published. All submissions to office@abbey-jun.sandwell.sch.uk or office@abbey-inf.sandwell.sch.uk

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS September 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Three Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Net-aware? https://www.net-aware.org.uk/newsletter/

TEAM The NSPCC and O2 have ‘teamed up’ to create a whole host of resources to help parents understand the vast range of apps and games, where children can access chat and share their on-line digital footprint. The picture images are the current top 49 accessed on-line content in the UK for our children. The net-aware website contains great advice on supporting and checking our children to be safe on-line. One approach the NSPCC/O2 are using is the T.E.A.M tactic for home. Talk to your child regularly about what they’re doing online and how to stay safe. Let them know they can come to you or another trusted adult if they’re feeling worried or upset by anything they have seen. Explore your child’s online activities together. Understand why they like playing certain games and make sure they know what they can do to keep themselves safe. Agree your own rules as a family when using sites, apps and games. Manage your technology and use the settings available to keep your child safe. If you need support doing this, you can visit an O2 Guru in- store or call the Advice Line on 0808 800 5002.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS September 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Four Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Highland Games! Back to work

SCOTTISH DAY Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed their Scottish day on Wednesday. They all took part in a Highland Games. Eric and Alexander thought the 'Welly Wanging’ was the best activity. The children then looked at the work of Steven Brown and completed a picture of a Highland cow, using oil pastels. Finally, the children created a lifelike Nessie the Loch Ness Monster. Have a look as you walk around the school in the KS1 bubble! BECOME A JOURNALIST Do you have a story to share with our school? Something you are proud of ? A club you attend? Have you been working on a project during lockdown? Want to share a family recipe? This academic year we’d love to celebrate what’s going on in our community and we’d love you to share! 100-150 words and a picture or two and you could be a journalist at Abbey. Mums and Dads, feel free to help out.

Story email links below!

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS October 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Five Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Magical Maths! Represent and explain

THE ANSWER IS JUST THE BEGINNING Year 2 has continued working hard work by representing their mathematical thinking. For the last three academic years, Abbey has adapted its mathematics teaching to ensure that children get much greater opportunity to explain, reason and justify their answers. Additionally, by representing their answers and thinking in a range of ways allows for children to demonstrate their knowledge. This promotes deep-thinking of the problems presented. Abbey’s website also has some examples of children working on different types of calculation. https://abbey-federation.primarysite.media/ playlist/maths-methods EARLY READING AND PHONICS We really want to work together and your help with reading at home can make such a difference! You’ll find a newly created web page https:// www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/parent-guide-to- phonics-and-early-reading/ and this has some really useful video clips and reading material to help you find out about how we teach reading. We’d love you to watch and read the material we’ve put together. Just spending ten minutes a day, learning and playing with the sounds that letters make would really help us. That and story time! For older children, daily reading (and story time too) is one quick and easy way that you can help us to work together to help the Abbey children.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS October 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Six Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Curse that cursive! Cracking handwriting

JOIN IT UP At Abbey, our children are learning how to form their lower-case letters using cursive script. Everyone from Reception upwards learns a cursive script. Cursive handwriting helps children learn a form of handwriting that will help them to produce legible and reasonably effortless writing. This will help improve their speed, confidence and competence. It supports basic reading and spelling achievement and is supported by the dyslexic foundation. The Y2 (see pics) children have already been trying out their cursive letter formation and practising very hard. We are proud to say that they are all making excellent progress! Every year group continues to work on this script - have a go at home! A future Abbey Lens will showcase handwriting at the top end of the school. WEBSITE GAMES Our website has a selection of educational games for all ages. These games change every month and they are selected by our website hosting company. Check out these games at the following link https://www.abbeyfederation.co.uk/special/ kidszone/

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS October 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Seven Excellence Through Partnership

THE

New recruits! PCSO

PARKING PAIN This week at Abbey Junior school we welcomed our new recruits for the Junior PCSO programme and completed our first training session. In a classroom ceremony, the Junior PCSOs from 2019-2020 were thanked for their commitment to the scheme and the new recruits received their uniform and started the programme. This year the PCSO team will focus on safer parking, road safety, Cleaner Air 4 Schools, Litter Watch, Anti-Bullying and work with the charity Living Streets to launch the ‘WOW’ project WOW is aimed at getting children active and walking to school. This exciting initiative rewards children who walk to school and those who ‘park and stride’ with badges and there are monthly badges to collect! Watch this space for more details nearer to the launch date on 2 nd November 2020! Double yellow lines - no parking at any time. Those with the additional line that is drawn on the pavement indicate that there is no stopping and no parking for a drop off. A single yellow line means that restrictions are in place. There is no parking here between the times indicated on the sign. There is no parking between 8am and 4pm near our school. The zig-zag lines and message clearly indicate that there is NO PARKING - this is to keep the area clear and improve visibility, so that children can cross the road safely.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS October 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Eight Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Soup & Beans Cooking and collecting

PUMPKIN Nursery channelled their inner Masterchef by cutting, cleaning and cooking soup. Mrs Arif grew the magnificent vegetable on her allotment and kindly brought it to school. Everyone had a great time cutting safely and the whole of nursery had a delicious smell pouring out. Everyone had their own bread roll to munch with the soup and nearly everyone finished the bowl. Delicious! [Ed - Thanks for saving me a bowl. I agree - it was great!] KINDNESS Our school continues to support the local Smethwick Foodbank who do a fabulous job to help so many families. Their appeal for donations is needed more than ever. Abbey is calling on all of our friends and families to help with Foodbank’s Harvest Festival Appeal 2020. This year we are looking to donate money to the Foodbank. Your generous donations will go direct to Foodbank. We will calculate the total amount of cash donations and transform this into virtual cans of beans! All children will look at special assembly material to help make this as real as we can for everyone.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS October 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Nine Excellence Through Partnership

THE

A word in your era! Historical writing

VICTORIAN - Y3 Focusing on local history, Y3 are looking at the Black Country’s influence in the Industrial Revolution. They will be concentrating on learning about canals, bridges and the development of transportation over the centuries. The extract of writing is based upon a diary from the workers who created the canals. Zoom in and enjoy the whole piece on our ‘Abbey Lens’ web page. Here’s a taster:

‘I stick scaffolds endlessly. And where we go to the toilets, even worse we have a hole in the ground

instead of a fancy toilet!’ Well done Harriet in 3B!

WW2 Posing questions of significance about the WW2 topic, Y6 children will be analysing historical sources of evidence. WW2 was a significant period in British history and the implications are still felt today. Children will examine how local and national life was affected, including a detailed look at propaganda, evacuation, rationing, the role of

women in the War and The Blitz. Again zoom in but here’s an extract:

‘Olive and Cliff were evacuated in a propaganda called ‘Operation Pied Piper’. When the majority of children were evacuated to different homes to seek shelter. Children travlelled with a small suitcase or bag containing their clothes, food and another box containing a gas mask’. Well done Will in 6V.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS October 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Ten Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Baking and donating! Kids and parents working together

CHILDREN COOKING Throughout lockdown we worked on our baking. When we received a leaflet about a local charity jumble sale, we decided to bring both together. We chose the Alzheimer's Society who help people with dementia. We started baking and sorting out toys and clothes. On the day, dad set up the tables so we could safely sell to our friends and neighbours. After a day in the cold we raised £125 and over £600 on our Just Giving Page. A week after, we got a call from the Alzheimer's Society to say, “Thank you”.

Article by Keavagh 5F and Kiernan 6J

Ed - Fantastic effort and contribution - you should be really proud and we are proud of you. CARRYING THE CAN Thank you - to all of our parent community who this year have donated cash, rather than bringing in physical items for the Foodbank. Last year we raised a weight of food equivalent to two Silverback gorillas. This year we raised £343 which will be donated direct to the Foodbank. If we converted the cash to beans - look at how we would have done.

Aldi & Asda @ 29p = 1182 cans Tesco & Morrisons @ 30p = 1143 cans

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS November 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Eleven Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Elephant’s toothpaste! Science Day

BUBBLING OVER On the day before half-term, Year 2 had a Halloween science day. Children were given different hints about the experiments. Sometimes it was a picture, or the equipment list, which we then used to ask lots of questions about what was to come. We also made predictions about what we thought might happen and why. We had a fantastic day, filled with awe and excitement! The first experiment looked at the reaction between bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to create a bubbling, witches' broth. The second was a bit more dangerous, so we had to wear safety goggles. This was very exciting! We observed what happened when making elephant's toothpaste. This involved looking at the reaction between hydrogen peroxide and yeast. This was really fun to watch, as it suddenly shot up out of the bottle! Once we completed each experiment, we went back and answered our questions. We had a brilliant time and we are looking forward to the next science day!

Thanks to Mrs. Yale for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS November 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Twelve Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Remember! Poppy symbol.

ART TO HEAL In Year 2, we have been using a dabbing technique to create a piece of art for Remembrance Day. We have been learning about the significance of the poppy for Remembrance Day and decided to do some art work around the battlefields filled with poppies. We had to make sure we held our brushes correctly and had the correct amount of paint on them. We were then able to use the dabbing technique to blend different shades and colours of paint together, using a thick paint brush. We then decided that we should use a thin paint brush to add on the poppies. We are very proud of our art work and have put it on display in the windows and doors of our classrooms, which you might have spotted as you've walked past.

Thanks to Mrs. Yale for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS November 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Thirteen Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Funds for free! Click to collect.

SOMETHING FOR NOTHING Hi there! We’ve registered The Federation of Abbey Infant & Junior School - Smethwick with easyfundraising, which means over 4,000 shops and sites will now donate to us; for FREE every time you use easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long.

Visit:

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ a b b e y i n f a n t j u n i o r s c h / ? u t m _ c a m p a i g n = r a i s e - more&utm_content=w1

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS November 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Fourteen Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Outside from inside! Forest school returns

WE’RE BACK There’s a growing trend in primary schools for getting children into the world outside, come rain or shine, to get hands-on with the natural environment. It’s known as the Forest School movement, and while it may seem a new trend in education, it’s steeped in history. The foundations of Forest School were laid in the early 1900s, with the creation of young people’s groups like the Scouts and Woodcraft Folk, which focused on youth camps and outdoor skills. In the UK, the Forest School movement began to emerge in the UK in the early 1990s, but it’s only in the past decade that it has really gathered force. So what does it involve, and how do children benefit? ‘Forest School is essentially outdoor, nature-based learning that focuses on the holistic development of the child,’ says Jane Worroll, an ex-countryside ranger and co-author of Play the Forest School Way. Despite the name, Forest School can take place in any natural outdoor environment, which may be on school premises or in the local area. Forest School helps children develop many skills that are hard to teach in the classroom. ‘It’s very physical so it encourages children to be active, with lots of activities to develop both fine and gross motor skills,’ Jane says. Children learn to assess, appreciate and take risks, making sensible, informed decisions about how to tackle the activities and experiences they encounter. ‘They’re learning to be self-sufficient and take care of themselves, which boosts their confidence and self-esteem,’ Jane explains. ‘Through trial and error they learn to deal with failure and develop the resilience to keep trying: a vital skill in the classroom as well as outside.’ Abbey has re-started its YR Forest School experience after the new-build finished and we are very excited that it’s back. Mr Pogson and the EYFS crew are delighted, so are the children!

Thanks to ‘The School Run’ for some of the text.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS November 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Fifteen Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Wick(ed)! Children in Need

24 HOUR CHALLENGE The nation’s favourite virtual PE teacher Joe Wicks has worked out for an incredible 24 hours for Radio 2’s BBC Children in Need Challenge 2020. He did a range of activities from cycling to yoga, boxing to rowing... and of course his signature HIIT workouts. Joe was joined virtually by a host of celebrity guests, including Louis Theroux, Sam Smith, Mel C, plus his wife joined him for the climax of the challenge.

So far, Joe's 24 Hour PE Challenge has helped raise over £1.5 million for Children in Need

Abbey helped too! All of the children took part and your generous contribution of £527.13 pounds added to the BBC total.

We split donations between the Poppy Appeal and Children in Need equally.

Each charity will received a cheque from Abbey for £527.13.

Thank you Abbey children and parents.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS November 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Sixteen Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Honey Bear! Animals invade.

Y4 PLANET PROTECTORS On Monday 16th November, Year 4 had a visit from The Animal Man! It was actually a lady! She told the children all about the decline of animals in the world and what they can do to help protect them. She brought along a variety of animals, there were cockroaches, a salamander, a snake, a tortoise, an owl, a really cute hedgehog and the best of all, there was a kinkajou (honey bear) called Esther! Kinka means monkey and jou is for bear! She was so friendly and all of the children gave her a little stroke. We had such an amazing time and the children learnt so much about how each of the animals helps us on Earth and what we can do to help them in return. She did say, if any children wish to make a hedgehog house or help the hedgehogs by feeding them, that she would present some of the work on her website.

Thanks to Miss. Stocking for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS November 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Seventeen Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Hot Chocolate! Party at school.

LATE NIGHT FUN ' The slumber party was so much fun! We made a bookmark, entered our very own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, made dream catchers and watched the most amazing firework display. My favourite part was making the bookmark and having a hot chocolate whilst listening to a story. Everyone was in their pjs, even the teachers!'

Thanks to Miss. Vance for the story.

[Ed - Thank you to all the staff for staying late!]

SENSIBLE PARKING

Our Junior PCSOs have been back on patrol this term! Here are some helpful tips if you travel to school in a car: Double yellow lines - no parking at any time. Those with the additional line that is drawn on the pavement indicate that there is no stopping and no parking for a drop off. A single yellow line means that restrictions are in place. There is no parking here between the times indicated on the sign. There is no parking between 8am and 4pm near our school. The zig-zag lines and message clearly indicate that there is NO PARKING - this is to keep the area clear and improve visibility, so that children can cross the road safely.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS December 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Eighteen Excellence Through Partnership

THE

A symphony of safety! Playing safe.

CELLO CELLO Year 2 have had some exciting events over the last two weeks. It all started when, Michael Atkinson, a cellist from the BBC Symphony Orchestra, zoomed in for a workshop with all three classes (after a slight technical hitch with Mr Hayat). Michael played several pieces for the children and talked about the emotions they felt during these pieces. Using the BBC Ten Pieces, the children had a blast listening to the full orchestral performance of Mambo from West Side Story. Once they had listened to the music, the children found the rhythm and performed a percussion sequence. They were so good they managed to move onto the sophisticated rhythms. We may have our own Abbey cello section in the BBCSO in years to come! ALARMINGLY GOOD There was much excitement on Friday when we had a Covid friendly visit from Safety Seymour. He came to show the children the danger of Carbon Monoxide and how they can protect their home and family by following some simple safety steps. The children were amazing at remembering the danger signs and role played what to do should they ever suspect a leak. Each child went home with an alarm and a goody bag with a stunning Safety Seymour mask - you may see some of the children wearing them at the end of the day - they love them!

Thanks to Mrs. Johnson for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS December 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Nineteen Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Passed! With flying colours.

PARK IT On Monday 16th November 2020 the Abbey Junior PCSOs completed their induction and training and were awarded their certificates during a virtual ceremony with PCSO Evans and PCSO Bhatti from West Midlands Police. Well done to each and every one of the new recruits for joining in with the training sessions with enthusiasm and interest, they are a fabulous team who are already serving their school very well. We can now officially begin our weekly parking patrols, from a safe distance from the ‘garden area’ in front of the Junior School on Barclay Road. Please be reminded that you cannot park or stop on the zig-zag lines or double yellow lines outside the school. Inconsiderate drivers who ignore advice will receive a ‘warning letter’ from the school. On the issue of a 3rd warning letter your registration details will be passed to West Midlands Police. Please help to keep our school community safe.

Thanks to Mrs. Flanagan for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS December 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Sock it to ‘em! Or don’t - actually!

BUDDY Thank you to all the children for joining in with Odd Socks Day! Odd Socks Day is part of Anti- Bullying week and was a fun way to launch the week’s activities. It sends an important message that we should all be allowed to be ourselves, free from bullying. Every child in our school will now have received their new, anti-bullying badge, designed by a pupil at our school. The badge shares the positive phrase ‘Be a buddy, not a bully’. Please encourage your child to wear this badge with pride on their school uniform.

What do we teach at Abbey?

It is important that children understand what bullying is and equally as important, what it is not e.g. falling out between friends, which children and parents can sometimes confuse as bullying behaviour.

Our important anti-bullying message is simple and effective:

Bullying is deliberate hurtful behaviour, repeated over time, which is difficult to stop (power). We encourage all of our pupils to use the word S.T.O.P to help them manage and speak out. If you would like to know more about how to protect your child from the risks of Cyber Bullying t h e n p l e a s e v i s i t o u r s c h o o l h t t p s : / / www.abbeyfederat ion.co.uk/on- l ine- safety- information/

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS December 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty one Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Windows! Brighten Bearwood

CHEER During the month of December, ‘We are Bearwood’ are inviting families to light up the windows of their houses. The gallery of beautiful pictures on the windows of houses will create an outdoor gallery in our local streets. As the Christmas lights go up, why not add some creative art work too and put a smile on the faces of our neighbours? PLAY Even though we are still in ‘Lockdown’ and having to be very careful about mixing our bubbles, our friends at Action For Children in Smethwick are still able to offer lots of virtual support and play s e s s i o n s . T h e i r w e b s i t e , h t t p s : / / goplaysandwell.co.uk/ offers a whole range of activities and virtual sessions to support families. The calendar of events is online. ROAR Have you heard? There are dinosaurs roaming around Sandwell Valley? Dinosaurs have been released at Sandwell Valley Country Park and Warren's Hall Nature Reserve! The augmented reality ‘Love Exploring app’ means you can take a selfie with a dino, answer quiz questions, explore and have lots of fun outdoors! Other games will soon be added too, including a hunt for fairies in our parks! The app is a great way for households to enjoy fresh air and exercise together, in a fun and Covid-19-safe way across many Black Country parks and nature reserves.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS December 2020 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty two Excellence Through Partnership

THE

Merry Christmas! End of year

PERFORMANCES This year has been difficult for the arts and we were really sad when we had to postpone our planned productions that were due to be performed this Christmas. However, to add a bit of Christmas cheer, you can still watch last year’s Y5 production of ‘Bah Humbug’ on our Video Resource Centre. Additionally, the Old Rep has put a digitalised version of their 2019 acclaimed Christmas show ‘The Snow Queen’ to watch in the comfort of your own home with your family. To all of our children and families, have a great break and we’ll see you in 2021. Let’s make it better than 2020! Y5 ‘ Bah Humbug ’ : h t t p s : //abb ey - federation.primarysite.media/media/yr-5-bah- humbug Old Rep ‘The Snow Queen’: https:// w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v=ZG69er98R8Y&safe=active

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

January 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty three

Excellence Through Partnership

Happy new library! And Happy New Year!

REFIT Our Infant library has been fitted out with brand new custom furniture to help encourage everyone to read as much as possible! A lovely new addition and so far all of the kids have loved it! WINTER FUN DAY Just before we broke up, the children in EYFS enjoyed a fun day of activities on our ‘Winter Fun Day.’ Usually we would have been to visit Santa at the farm, but this year we were unable to, so the teachers planned a fun day of Christmas crafts. We decorated biscuits, made tree decorations, danced, listened to Christmas stories and got to wear our Christmas clothes. It was a great day, enjoyed by children and staff. We hope that everyone enjoyed the Christmas break and everyone is also looking forward to a better 2021!

Thanks to Mrs. Gaxherri for the story.

Ed - Going to ignore the other events of this week!

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

March 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty four

Excellence Through Partnership

Bridge the gap! Construction tools

ARCHITECTS OF ABBEY As part of Year 3’s Design Technology learning, the children have been learning about bridges and what strengthens different structures. The children then had the opportunity to design their own model bridge. After carefully measuring and marking each dowelling, the children safely used a saw to cut their pieces ready to assemble. The construction of the bridges required an extreme amount of patience and the children persevered until their bridges were complete. The unit of work was concluded by the children completing an evaluation of the final product and they were able to think about what had changed and how their final product differed to their original design. The year 3 staff are really proud of how hard the children have worked and if you have any DIY jobs at home, you know who to call on! P.s. A huge thank you to all the support staff who helped the children construct their bridges.

Thanks to Mrs. Kaur for the story.

BACK TO WORK Everyone at Abbey is delighted to see the children returned. We are all working hard to follow the school’s safety measures to keep everyone safe. Heads down and working on day 2 of wider re- opening. Welcome back and well done Year 2!

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

March 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty five

Excellence Through Partnership

Stone! 1st workshop in a year.

BACK TO THE PAST

Year 3 had a visit from the Stone Age Man.

He gave us lots of information about what it was like to live in the Stone Age, how people survived in the cold weather and where certain animals originated from.

Did you know a skeleton of a hyena from the Stone Age was found in Smethwick?

Children did observational drawings of interesting artefacts, made their own Stonehenge structure out of blocks and completed a Stone Age quiz. It was such an entertaining and enjoyable day for all of us.

Thanks to Mrs. Bhatoe for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

March 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty six

Excellence Through Partnership

Science! Innovating for the future.

EXPERIMENT This week all of our children have been taking part in ‘Science week’. This year, the theme was ‘innovating for the future’. We kicked off our week with a live Zoom session with Dr Mandy Hartley where we learnt about all things DNA and ancient skeletons. We looked at how DNA is used by scientists in real life situations, from solving crimes to developing vaccines and feeding the world. She showed us how to take DNA from a banana using simple kitchen equipment! From this, every year group engaged in a range of science activities including: designing future robo- bugs for a purpose (space exploration, rescue missions and much more); investigating the best environments to grow plant seeds and plants by changing the variables; exploring the speed and design of paper aeroplanes; designing and constructing electrical circuits for games and much more. All of the children had so much fun, asked lots of questions and made predictions about their investigations. We had a great week and hopefully it may have inspired some children to become scientists in the near future. Remember there is still a chance to enter the poster competition. The competition closes on 30th April 2021. For more details, please visit https://www.britishscienceweek.org/plan- your-activities/poster-competition/ .

Thanks to Miss. Humphries & Mr. Hayat for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

April 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty seven

Excellence Through Partnership

Google satellite! Y5 immortalised.

APRIL FOOL

A special one-off Abbey Lens this week to bring a little cheer to us all.

As we break up for the Easter holiday, the calendar found us leaving on April 1st!

A number of year groups had great fun playing each other up and I thought I’d share Y5’s magnificent efforts. The teachers announced that they had been told the Google Earth Satellite was passing over Warley Woods and our playground. In this ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ every child would remain on Google Earth! Making the classnames using their bodies, 5P 5F & 5H, all children truly fell for the good-natured prank. There was some serious payback from children to adults but I’ll let the Y5 parents ask their children about that.

A lovely end to the term with a bit of socially- distanced fun.

Enjoy the Easter break and we look forward to seeing everyone when we return

Thanks to Y5 for the good fun and story!

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

April 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty eight

Excellence Through Partnership

Little Princess! Charity cut

DONATIONS Around a month ago, Jasmine and her mum were talking about a charity called The Little Princess Trust, which is a charity that makes wigs for children who are unwell. Jasmine decided that she wanted to support the charity and began growing her hair! Her hair grew longer and longer and on Friday 16th April Jasmine finally cut her hair ready to donate. Her hairdresser came and did the snip for her! You can see in the pictures below how long her hair was. (Jasmine thinks from her scalp the hair was as long as 27 inches; she had 16 cut off !) She also raised money through friends and family totalling £105 to donate to the trust. Well done Jasmine. Thanks to Jasmine and Miss Stocking for the story. [Ed - Great work Jasmine!] MASKS (NOT COVID!) This half term, Year 6 has been learning about ‘The African Slave Trade’ and as part of their art curriculum, they designed masks. We learnt how some masks are believed to have spiritual connections to animals and other living creatures. The masks were constructed using using elaborate colours and layering effects, using different types of joins. Cardboard was the main media used; cutting; joining and finally painting. Y6 found this an educational and exciting experience, which taught them about some aspects of the history of Africa and was a good link to our topic. Thanks to Bronwyn, Olivia and Amelia in 6V for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

April 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Twenty nine

Excellence Through Partnership

Count on it! #NationalNumeracyDay

BUILD CONFIDENCE Abbey has signed up to be a National Numeracy Day Champion! Join us and help our community get their number confidence with free resources and activities. Sign up now: nationalnumeracy.org.uk/ numeracyday

#NationalNumeracyDay

10K CHARITY WALK During half-term my friends and I from 5P (Daisy, Eliza, Lily and Olivia) decided to do a 10K walk around our local area for Dementia. This is an illness that affects lots of families. Our target was £200 but we smashed it and raised £600 we had lots of fun while we did it! A big thank you to every one who donated.

By Amelia Durber 5P

Thanks to Amelia for the story.

[Ed - Magnificent effort and a lovely story - well done!]

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

May 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Thirty

Excellence Through Partnership

Goodbye Lollipop! Linda Kelly ‘Lolly Lin’ retires.

THANK YOU Linda has decided to put aside her lollipop crossing patrol sign and retire after 15 years in the role. She took up her role in June 2006 and has seen former pupils leave and become parents and their children walk with her to the school gates. Mother-of-five Linda, who celebrated her 66th birthday the day before she retired, has become a friend to parents and children alike and now hopes to find time to travel on trips abroad and in this country with her 66-year-old husband, Michael, a retired warehouseman who worked for a plumbing supply firm. Goodwill messages, chocolates and flowers poured into the school as Linda said her farewells. She said: "It was a hard decision to make to retire and I will really miss all the children. "They are such a happy bunch and the decision to retire was very hard. "Some of the children I used to see across the road now have children of their own and I have seen them as babies in prams and returning with their children.” She now hopes to make the most of her retirement and is pleased that she will be allowed to keep her lollipop patrol crossing sign. Linda said: "It will be a wonderful reminder of my work. I will miss everyone but understand that the school has now found someone to fill in for me until they find a permanent replacement.

Thanks to the Express & Star for part of the story.

[Ed - Magnificent effort and a lovely lady - well done!]

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

May 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Thirty one

Excellence Through Partnership

Can we build it? Yes we can!

SKILLS Year 5 enjoyed a Design and Technology day where they applied their plans to make a birdhouse. Following the design, make and evaluate process, children used their skills to maximum effect. Using real tools made the job easier and more aligned to real life. Collaboration was needed for some aspects of the construction and everyone worked to support each other. With only a few splinters, the day was a great success and the level of focus, engagement and safe-working was tremendous. [Ed - Even the dodgy supply teacher (Mr Edwards) did a good job!] GRAMMAR SCHOOLS

Entry to Year 7 in September 2022

We write to advise that parents can now register their child for the optional entrance test by applying online before 4pm on 30th June 2021. The test will take place on 11th September 2021. We would be grateful if you could advise parents of current Year 5 children via your newsletter where applicable.

To r e g i s t e r , p a r e n t s n e e d t o v i s i t www.birminghamgrammarschools.org

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

May 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Thirty two

Excellence Through Partnership

Healthy School! New Award

BRONZE The healthy schools rating scheme has been designed to recognise and encourage schools’ contributions to pupils’ health and wellbeing. It celebrates the positive actions that schools are delivering in terms of healthy eating and physical activity, and aims to help schools identify useful next steps in their provision. The scheme is part of a wider series of government actions to support pupils’ health and wellbeing, and is a commitment from the government’s Childhood Obesity Plan.

Abbey has been awarded the Bronze rating!

This voluntary scheme is available for both primary and secondary schools. Schools complete a self-assessment and then receive a rating based on their responses around food education; compliance with the school food standards; time spent on physical education and the promotion of active travel.

Well done us!

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

May 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Thirty three

Excellence Through Partnership

Walking on sunshine! Woah - yeah!

SKILLS Last week Abbey took part in Living Streets’ Walk to School Week Challenge 2021 (May 17th – 21st). This year’s challenge focused on ‘the Walking Superpowers’ that benefit individuals, communities and the planet. Each day pupils were introduced to a brand new ‘Walking Superpower’ taking the form of a comic- book inspired design. If children walked to or from school or did ‘Park and Stride’ (park up at least 5 minutes from school) for at least 3/5 days, then they were rewarded with a daily sticker and recycled badge at the end of the week. At Abbey, we encourage walking to school because it has so many benefits from physical to mental wellbeing; aiding concentration and creativity; creating safer, less polluted and more welcoming streets. All that makes for a happy, healthy child set up for success in and out of the classroom. CAN YOU KEEP IT UP? WOW (Walk Once a Week) is our year-round walk to school challenge. Those who walk, cycle or scoot to school at least once a week for a month earn a WOW badge, with a new one to collect each month across the year. So, if you have enjoyed the Walk to School Challenge and could see the benefits to your own health and understand that you are benefitting the planet too, then carry on walking to school or doing Park and Stride. Remember that to earn your Park and Stride walking mark, you must park away from the school and Stride for at least 5-10 minutes. The Junior PCSOs will help the weekly WOW tracker run smoothly and promote it in their classrooms! Thanks to Mrs. Flanagan for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

BB7Y LENS

THE

June 2021 Vol 7: Issue No. Thirty four

Excellence Through Partnership

Two wigs! Hair cut makes a difference.

LITTLE PRINCESS Olivia has been inspired to donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust. She finally grew enough hair to donate 12 inches to send in. This is such a fabulous charity that deserves a lot of awareness raised about it, as well as every penny. We are thrilled that Olivia’s haircut raised a fabulous amount (nearly enough to provide 2 wigs to be made and fitted for a young person with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.) “I really wanted to donate my hair to Little Princess Trust. I hope it will help children needing encouragement and support throughout their traumatic experience of cancer “. Thanks to Olivia and her mum for the story. [Ed - great effort and such a worthy cause. I don’t think I’d be too good at donating!] RAINFOREST DAY “Mouse!” screamed Lily, as year 5 got a visit from an unexpected guest to start off ‘Rainforest Day’. Bursting into the rainforest (the hall), we started the day by looking at giant spiny stick insects and learning about life in the rainforests. In the afternoon, we separated into classes and enjoyed three fun- filled activities- handling animals (if we wanted to!), observational drawing and tribal necklace making. It was a day full of fun, laughter and excitement! Thanks to Eliza in 5P for the story.

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk Have you got a paragraph of good news to share? Write in under 100 words, attach a picture and your story may be published. All submissions to office@abbey-jun.sandwell.sch.uk or office@abbey-inf.sandwell.sch.uk

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42

www.abbeyfederation.co.uk

Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software