One of the things we’ve learned about Covid 19 is that it is better to carry out activities outdoors if we can. We are encouraged to keep classrooms well ventilated and I can’t think of a better well ventilated classroom than the big outdoors.
All of the classes at Riverbank have slots of outdoor learning. These slots may be with Rob from RADS or it may be with the class teacher. Many areas of the curriculum are taking place in the school grounds.
Just in keeping with their many news items which they send us, P1-2A sent me some photographs of maths they had been participating in…outdoors, of course. Measuring trees as well as hugging them seemed to be the order of the day.
A great time was had outdoors.
There was lots of opportunities to work with partners.
Team work was developing very well indeed.
Working in the trees has its advantages! That apple looks delicious and maybe those apples came in useful for the apple printing!
Well done to everyone for doing some really tricky work.
UNCRC / RRSA
Article 28 – Every child has the right to an education.
As always, I was delighted to receive the weekly update from P1-2A. They are very good at keeping us up-to-date with all the latest happenings in Room1.
This past week has been busy, as always, and with some great activities for the children to make their learning fun and enjoyable.
Using shapes to make pictures.
Using apples from the courtyard to carry out some apple printing.
Two takes on what you think a desert island would look like.
UNCRC / RRSA
Article 29 – Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full…..
Article 28 – Every child has the right to an education…..
We are lucky, at Riverbank, to have the support of RADS on site. Rob, the RADS coach, works with classes to help develop many skills, such as balance, through football. Due to Covid19 all these lessons take place outdoors – lets hope the weather stays reasonably fine – and the pupils are generally excited to get outdoors and take part in Robs lessons.
Mrs Smith sent me these photographs of her class taking part in a RADS lesson.
Practising our dribbling skills and keeping the ball under control.
Someone in the background is speeding up under the watchful eye of Rob.
Where’s the ball gone?
UNCRC / RRSA
Article 29 – Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full…..
Article 31 – Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.
P3C, Miss Coyle’s class were writing about their favourite places this week. Miss Coyle was so pleased with the efforts of her pupils she said, “A great effort from everybody in our writing lesson this morning. They enjoyed sharing their stories together at the end of the lesson.”
The children worked so well that they shared their work with each other and with me too.
Here are some happy faces! Well done to you all!
I am hoping to read some of the pupils’ writing and find out just what their favourite places to visit are. I wonder if they’ll be what I think they will be, or am I in for some surprises? I’ll let you know!
UNCRC / RRSA
Article 28 – Every child has the right to an education….
Miss Littler was pleased to le t me know how well the class’ literacy work was going. They were reading Matilda by Roald Dahl and lots of literacy work had centred on the novel.
This what Miss Littler told me.
We have been focusing on using descriptive language to describe characters – similes, metaphors and adjectives. The boys and girls enjoyed creating their own character description and drawing their characters in a setting you would find them.
P4L sent me some lovely examples of the work they’ve been doing.
Light and hope for everyone.
Character descriptions.
Some lengthier pieces of writing on the characters in Matilda.
In depth thoughts about Matilda.
A vivid description of Miss Honey.
UNCRC / RRSA
Article 28 – Every child has the right to an education.
Many of our parents and carers will remember several classes, at Riverbank, using Class Dojo for keeping in touch with parents. The pupils in the classes using Class Dojo loved earning Dojo points and Class Dojo was extremely popular. Unfortunately, due to GDPR, Aberdeen City Council advised us that we could not continue to use Class Dojo.
We have searched for sometime now for a suitable replacement. An exact replacement is not available but Marvellous Me provides the level of school/home contact and rewards mechanism that we feel is appropriate for Team Riverbank to use.
Many parents and carers will have received a letter, by email, inviting them to download the Marvellous Me App and providing them with a code to sign in for information on their children. If you haven’t received your letter then, please, let us know. We don’t seem to be holding email addresses for all of you.
Marvellous Me has provided some resources to help parents and carers familiarise themselves and, ultimately, use Marvellous Me to help keep in touch with how your child is doing.
The attached presentation gives you an idea of some of the ways that Marvellous Me can be used. It’s not to say that your child’s teachers will use all of the facilities. Google Classroom will still be in use for the delivery of things like homework.
A big thank you to the 145 parents and carers who have already signed up to Marvellous Me and we hope that many more of the Team Riverbank Community will join us in the near future.
P4’s Mr Flanagan spoke to me about a ‘wee’ project he had going with his pupils. The children were to design their own board games to play during Rainbow Time. The theme for the games was to be Riverbank’s learning dispositions. here’s what Mr Flanagan had to tell us……
“We used our learning dispositions (Curious Claire, Cooperative Carly, Creative Callum, Ambitious Ahmed, Resilient Rachel and Independent Igor) to plan, create, assess and amend, test and finally play our board games. Some of the design features are truly innovative such as counters having a special ability If you roll a 6, double movement for a correct sum and even a part where you have to summarise what happened in the latest part in our school novel, Matilda.
We are even going to make copies of one game to give to P1, and potentially use a Google Meet to explain to them how to play the game!
All in all, we have learned lots about our Learning Dispositions and how we can use them to aid ourselves in our learning!”
Thanks to Mr Flanagan for telling us what the children in his class were up to. I especially like the fact that they hope to share a game with P1 and explain how to play it via a Google Meet.
This looks like a castle type board game.
Getting ready to play.
Someone moving around their board game.
Lots of concentration.
What’s my next move?
Close inspection of the game in case some changes have to be made.
P4F Showing off their board games.
Well done P4F, I’m very impressed.
UNCRC / RRSA
Article 28 – Every child has the right to an education…..
Article 29 – Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full……
Article 31 – Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.
Here are some pictures of Mrs Smith’s pupils enjoying the sunshine and playing together during Rainbow Time on Friday.
The CfE experiences and outcomes for these activities come from the Health and Well Being part of the Curriculum for Excellence.
Through taking part in a variety of events and activities, I am learning to recognise my own skills and abilities as well as those of others. HWB 1-19a
Within and beyond my place of learning I am enjoying daily opportunities to participate in physical activities and sport, making use of available indoor and outdoor space. HWB 1-25a
You will see from the photographs how much the pupils enjoyed being outside in the sunshine.
Two pals forever blowing bubbles!
The expert making some very big bubbles!.
This takes Team Work and coordination!
Another young chap just bubbling over!
Scootin’ aboot!
The scooters are very popular.
UNCRC / RRSA
Article 31 – Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.
P4L, Miss Littler’s class, used the Disney Pixar film ‘Up’ (complete with balloons) as inspiration for their Class Charter. They also created a ‘Perfect Pupil’ and ‘Terrific Teacher’ wall. The pupils and Miss Littler discussed what characteristics a perfect pupil and terrific teacher would have. I was told that, “We (the pupils and teachers) refer to these every day!
What a great idea!
Oh! Don’t forget to click on the photos for a better look!
The ‘Up’ charter complete with balloons!
The characteristics of Perfect Pupils & A Terrific Teacher!
UNCRC / RRSA
Article 12 – Every child has the right to have a say in all matters affecting them, and to have their views taken seriously.
