Year 5 - St Elizabeth
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Autumn Newsletter - September 2024
Summer Newsletter - April 2024
Trip to Charlton House
12th November 2024
Our Year 5 pupils had an exciting visit to Charlton House, where they explored history through hands-on activities and an immersive tour. They began in the Jenkins Room, enjoyed a packed lunch, then dressed in costumes to feel like Victorians for the day.
Guided by Kate, the children explored the house, completed activity sheets, and played traditional Victorian games. They also participated in object-handling sessions and a Victorian dance, getting a true feel for life in that era. The trip concluded with a walk around the gardens, before students changed out of their costumes, returning with plenty of new historical knowledge and memories.
Trip to Horniman Museum
30th April 2024
Both year 5 classes visited the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill where they attended a workshop about the kingdom of Benin and modern Benin.
The children learnt about the culture, beliefs and achievements of the African Kingdom of Benin, as they handled incredible artworks made by present day brass casters commissioned by the Horniman. They discussed the lost wax process and the significance of the looting of the Benin objects in 1897 from Benin City. The children learnt that the Horniman Museum had returned to Nigeria some of the sculptures that were stolen.
Rylee, “We learnt that the Benin sculptures were used to tell stories about the kingdom just like newspaper reports.” Zelma commented, “We learnt how sculptures got stolen by white Europeans.” Joshua shared, “I learnt that sculptures were made out of brass. Also, the kingdom of Benin traded with Portugal: Benin traded ivory and pepper for Portuguese shells and brass.” Children had the opportunity to share their opinions about the future of the other Benin objects still held by the Horniman Museum.
Abbie Ayre & the Shed of Science
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Year 5 attended the ‘Abbie Ayre & the Shed of Science’ - the Air Quality & Sustainable Travel theatre presentation. Students were transported to Dr Ayre’s Science Laboratory where, with the help of her granddaughter and Charlie, they investigated the topic of air and sustainability. Through live performance and audience participation, the children explored what air pollution is, how the air is polluted and most importantly what small changes they can make to help reduce air pollution in order to create cleaner, safer air!
Charlton House
Year 5 enjoyed their immersive visit to Charlton House on Wednesday 4th
October. The children were greeted by a member of staff dressed up as a
housemaid who introduced the children to Victorian etiquette - how to behave as
a servant. Year 5 enjoyed the role play session where everyone played a a
different member of the household, learning about the Victorian class system.
Then a range of Victorian household objects were enjoyed and to finish the
experience the children learnt a dance.
Greenwich Park Art Trip
On this beautiful sunny day, Year 5 went to Greenwich Park. During our visit, we firstly searched for different types of flowers. Following this we chose one flower to draw in detail. Part of our task was to use very specific techniques such as: vertical lines, horizontal lines, using the side of our pencil, zig-zag lines and herringbone patterns. After this task, we were asked to choose a tree to carefully observe and draw in detail. All children worked extremely hard on their art pieces. After both classes completed their drawings, the three top detailed art pieces were awarded certificates in each class.
It was a fun experience to look closely at real flowers and the different details - Oliver
Not only did we get to enjoy Greenwich park with our friends, but I got to learn outside and look carefully at the flowers I chose to draw - Riaz
It was nice to explore the flower garden for the first time and identify flowers in the flower hunt - Ramiyah
Looking at real life flowers in 3D enabled me to look at all sides of the flower I was about to draw - Lilo
Royal Observatory
On the 18th January, Year 5 visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Blessed with blue skies, we walked to Greenwich Park ready for our educational tour. Splitting into two groups, we were led by two very knowledgeable astronomers who had the answers to all of our questions! The day began with a fascinating show in the Planetarium which took us on a journey through the universe. After, we took part in an informative workshop all about the Earth, Sun and Moon, before finally locating the historical ‘Prime Meridian line’ - where East meets West.
The following was reported by some of our Year 5 pupils:
“I thought it was amazing, the Planetarium was unreal. I thought I was dreaming.”
– Haggen, St Patrick
“I liked touching the 4.5 billion year old asteroid.”
– Max, St Patrick
“The Planetarium was impressive. I was amazed by all the planets in the solar system.”
- Khloe, St Elizabeth
“I enjoyed the self-led activity because we got to work together. It was fun to work as a team to complete the word search and then we had the chance to create our own comic.”
- Dylan, St Elizabeth
Adults and children alike – we all came away having learnt something new about our solar system!
STEM Workshop
Students enjoyed a visit from Network Rail workers. Students listened as they discussed the countless career opportunities Network Rail offers. Students participated in the workshop by becoming designers and engineers. Their task was to design and construct a skyscraper using only A4 paper and sticky tape. The challenge was to create a structure that could stand on its own and reach one meter in length. Students worked collaboratively with their peers to adhere to the task guidelines.
Students had the following things to say after the workshop:
I enjoyed learning about the different jobs involved in Network Rail. It made me think I might want to work for them when I’m older! – Harvey
My favourite part of the workshop was building the skyscapers because we had the chance to feel like we were engineers – Elo
Animal Show
Year 5 children attended an Animal Show, where an expert spoke to the children about a range of animals from arthropods to reptiles. The children engaged with their new learning by being up close and personal with living animals. The children came away from the experience with the knowledge and understanding of habitats, ecosystems, and interesting facts about each animal. See our student reflections for what they took away from this valuable learning experience.
Internet Safety
On the 8th October, Year Five were visited by Haz, an internet safety specialist! He talked to us about how to stay safe when using the internet, social networks, apps and games. We were given key guidelines:
- Be a friend, not a bully
- Pause before you post online
- Don’t get played while playing online
- Online friends are not always true friends
- Keep your account details private and secure
- Don’t be a phish! Be cautious of phishing emails.
Fire Safety Talk
On the 9th October, Year Five were visited by the London Fire Brigade to learn about fire safety. The children learnt that fire kills, destroys homes and spreads quickly. They were also taught that smoke can be as dangerous as fire, how smoke alarms work, and how to make sure they are working properly. The children were also taught how to prevent fires from occurring, what to do if there was a fire in their house and how to call 999. Thank you to Hazel from the LFB Education Team for paying us a visit!