On Friday 14th October we came together to celebrate Harvest Festival. Each class performed in front of the rest of the school. We would like to thank you all for your generous donations. So far we have raised £102 which will be sent to Farm Africa. For more details about Farm Africa please have a look at their web site.
We would like to say a fond farewell to Year 2 who will be moving down to the Juniors after the summer holidays. Remember you are welcome back at the Infants at any time to tell us how you are getting on.
As part of our technology we have been making winders for Incy Wincy Spider. We looked carefully at buildings outside to see what a brick pattern should like and also at drain pipes to see how they are attached to the building. We used art straws for our winders to make the spider move up and down the drain pipe.
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Mrs Straughan and Mr Coates came to school to present all of the year 2 children with their dictionaries on behalf of the Home and School Association. They will be very useful to them throughout their time in the Juniors. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved.
Over the last term we have made chicks using paper, glue and cardboard. Once they were all dried we painted them which really brought them to life.
We used clay to mould hedgehogs. We used tools to add detail to them, then painted them.
We have also been doing observational drawings using pastels, charcoal pencils as well as ordinary pencils. We then chose one of our drawings to make into a collage using fabric. You will get to see all of these drawings very soon when your child brings home their art folder.
Finally 2G made dragons using a plastic bottle and paper mache. Thankfully the weather was lovely to dry them in the sun ready to be painted.
As part of science we have been looking at circuits. The children have enjoyed making their own circuits using wires batteries, buzzers and lightbulbs. They have also been able to use the interactive whiteboard to play games to reinforce their learning. Finally they have all made fabulous lighthouses, which really do light up.
On Thursday 21st July we held a special assembly to celebrate the work we have produced in our writing project. Each year group worked closely alongside children from all year groups in the Juniors. We all learnt so much to help us develop our writing skills. Our teachers are confident we will remember all of these things we have learnt as we move into our new classes and continue to produce wonderful, exciting stories.
Last Friday Year 1 enjoyed a trip to South Shields. As part of our geography work we spotted some of the features of a seaside locality. Back in the classroom we have been able to compare the features of South Shields with Ryton. We also used our senses to collect ideas about the things that we could see, hear, smell and feel. This work helped us to write our "Down by the Seaside" poems. We had time to play kick rounders, make sandcastles and bury one another too! Before lunch we had a quick paddle in the sea, it was freezng cold!!
On Tuesday 5th July Year 2 went to the Jewish Synagogue in Gosforth. The children were split into two classes. One group remained in the hall where they had a chance to learn how to write their names in Hebrew, colour in jewish pictures or complete some jigsaws. The other class went into the synagogue itself and were able to see the Torah Scrolls and find out about what happens in the synagogue. Some boys got to try on different kippah (the Jewish cap that all males have to wear). They were able to see various mezuzah ( the special box which contains a prayer or good wish, which is put on all of the doors in a jewish household.) Ask your child which door doesn't have a mezuzah or why only males have to wear a kippah. The classes then swapped activities. The children were very interested and asked lots of questions. We all thoroughly enjoyed the trip and thank the Synagogue for allowing us to visit.
On Sunday 26th June Miss Watson and myself (Mrs McLellan) took part in a sponsored abseil to raise funds for school. We arrived at the Vermont Hotel in Newcastle at 9 o'clock on Sunday morning feeling quite apprehensive. We were fortunate the weather was beautiful so had a lovely view over Newcastle, (being approximately 200ft up). We are both proud to say we completeted the abseil successfully. Thank you to everyone who sponsored us.
Mrs McLellan and Miss Watson before the big abseil
On Thursday 23rd June M and M Productions came to school to perform The Kosmic Krew and the search for the Kosmic Crystal. The children and staff enjoyed the singing, dancing and the search for the crystal. Mrs Martin also enjoyed her time on stage with the crew.
Reception children went to the Little Haven beach at South Shields.
We enjoyed making sandcastles, burying ourselves in the sand and running around on the beach. We paddled in the sea and just as we were getting dried it started to rain! We tried to have lunch but it started to rain very heavily! Our trip to the seaside was cut short as two very wet classes of children and very wet adults made their way back to the bus. Better luck next year!
We were happy to see Mr Glickman again for his annual visit. He came to talk to Year 2 children about aspects of the Jewish faith. It was very interesting and the children asked lots of questions.
Last week some of the children from Year 1 went to plant flowers in Ryton Park because we were asked, as a school, if we would like to adopt a flower bed. We planted perennial flowers in the middle of our bed and added compost and water. We edged the bed with annual flowers. In the future we are hoping to grow our own seeds to re-plant each year. The children thoroughly enjoyed getting their hands dirty and creating a pattern! We managed to finish planting just in time before it started to rain! Different groups of children will weed and tend the flowers throughout the year. Next time you're visiting the park look out for our beautiful diamond-shaped flower bed next to the bowling green cabin!
On Monday 20th June Year 2 went to the Roman Fort, Arbeia. We were fortunate to have a lovely sunny day to look around the fort. The children enjoyed seeing what the barracks, Commanders house etc may have looked like. They also had the opportunity to become archaeologists in the Time Quest where they found pieces of bone, pottery and iron.
As part of our R.E we have been on two interesting visits. Last week we went to Durham Cathedral. In the morning we had a tour of the Cathedral. Our guides, Maureen and Alison, told us all about Saint Cuthbert's life. They also taught us about Saint Cuthbert's love of the natural world and we did our best to find different animals in the Cathedral. The frog was tricky to see but we eventually spotted him carved into the ceiling of the Cloisters. Before lunch some of the children enjoyed dressing up as a monk and a bishop. In the afternoon we enjoyed doing activities and learning more about Saint Cuthbert and his time on Holy Island. Come and see our own Rose Window in the hall!
This week we visited Holy Cross Church. Reverend Tom Jamieson told us lots of interesting information about the church. He demonstrated (using a doll!) a baptism at the huge stone font. In our groups we wrote a prayer to place on the prayer tree. We also learnt about the Sanctuary and tasted some of the bread from the Holy Table. We then enjoyed completing activties to find out more about the church.
Continue reading "Year 1 visit Durham Cathedral and Holy Cross Church" »
Learning outside is great fun! As you can see, there are lots of learning opportunities.
We would all like to wish Miss Benton and her Fiance Mr Dias all the best for their wedding. They are getting married on 1st May. We look forward to seeing the photos when we return to school. Congratulations to you both.
On Thursday 14th April 2011 HM's Gateshead School Meals Service requested the pleasure of the company of all pupils of Ryton Infants School to a Royal Wedding Picnic Lunch to celebrate the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton.
Our Easter Fair will take place tomorrow, Thursday 14th April at 3.15pm, everyone welcome. We will be holding a tombola stall, bottle stall, and many more, there will be activities for the children and refreshments. All contributions welcome.
Friday 8th April 2011
Today we said goodbye to our 11 chicks. The Living Egg people came to collect the chicks around 9.30 this morning to take them to their new home.
We had time for one last cuddle before they left us.
Thursday 7th April 2011
Today the chicks have been enjoying cuddling up to the toy hen. They have been jumping and spreading their wings trying to fly aroud the brooder. When 1 chick goes to sleep the others follow!
We enjoyed a quick cuddle before the chicks went back in the brooder.
The chicks arrived in Miss Benton's class on Monday morning after spending the weekend with Mrs Geddes. When Mrs Geddes was cleaning the brooder a chick tried to escape by flying and jumping out the box! Fortunately it was apprehended and returned to its brothers and sisters. They have enjoyed climbing on top of the toy hen and stretching up towards the heater with a very contented look on their faces.
Wednesday 6th April 2011
We estimated the chicks would weigh between 50-100g.
When we weighed a chick, it was 70g. We measured the chicks height, it was about 10cm high.
We got the chicks out of their box for a cuddle for a few minutes!
We are so fortunate in year 2, we have chicks for 2 weeks, and this week Jacob brought us some tadpoles from his pond. We have put them in a fish bowl to watch them grow. We also have 3 stick insects, which have grown since we first got them.
On Friday 1st April we were pleased to have Adam Bushnell, local author,in school. He told stories and encouraged audience participation. Both children and staff thoroughly enjoyed his visit.
Please have a look in our gallery to see the photos of the day.
We are pleased to announce all 11 chicks have now hatched. The children had an opportunity to hold them yesterday.
The chicks will be moving into Miss Benton's class next week. A record will be kept of their weight and height.
We had a very busy day on Wednesday. 8 chicks hatched! The children were fortunate to witness some of them hatching out of their eggs.
We are pleased to announce that one chick hatched yesterday (Tuesday 29th) and is doing well. We also have three others starting to break through.
We are so excited that we have 'Living Egg' again this year. We have been supplied with 11 eggs and the incubator etc. We have seen a few eggs wobble but no new arrivals yet! We will keep you posted.
On Wednesday 23rd March we went to Hall Hill Farm. Two ladies who work at the farm, Lynn and Lisa, met us as we got off the bus.They took us into the barn and talked to us about the day ahead. During our time there we saw lots of animals and some of their babies. We held and stroked some animals and even fed a few. A favourite part of the day was when we played on the playground equipment. Everyone enjoyed the tractor and trailer ride, even though it was very bumpy!!! The weather was lovely and a good time was had by all!
We had great fun on Red Nose Day in Big Toys. Some children dressed up. Some played 'Hunt the Red Nose' which were numbered and then we had to order them. At the end of the obstacle course we had to see how many Red Noses we could throw into the bucket! We also played Red Nose skittles and drew lots of faces all with Red Noses! We loved it!
Prior to our Farm visit, Reception children baked animal biscuits. We took turns to weigh the ingredients and stir them to make the dough. After that we used animal cutters to make the biscuits. We took them home to eat and we all thought they were delicious!
On Tuesday 15th March Year 2 went to the Sage to take part in the Gateshead Dance Festival. The theme of the dance this year was Olympic and Paralympic Dreams.
The children have been practising the dances for the last few weeks and have worked hard to perfect them.
All of the children designed their own t-shirt which looked fabulous up on the stage.
For photos from the sage have a look on the chronicle web site at www.chroniclelive.co.uk
Well done to everyone!
Making Puppets
We looked at various puppets and investigated the different types eg glove, finger, string puppets etc. We then had to design our own puppet. Before we could make it we had to practise our sewing by making a book mark. Then we were able to sew our puppets together. We used lots of materials to add the features of our character. The adults had great fun threading needles on mass! Check out the photos to see a small selection of the fabulous puppets we made.
In Geography this term we are looking at our local environment. On Tuesday 8th March we went for a walk and paid particular interest in things we liked (trees, plants, fields etc) and things we disliked (litter, cars parked on pavements, dog fouling). We decided how we could solve these problems, ie putting up signs, writing to the council etc.
Following on from this walk we looked at the advantages and disadvantages of a scrapyard. We have investigated re-cycling The children created their own leaflets emphasising the importance of renewable resources.
We took part in the workshop by Dance Equation.
Year 1 have had a brilliant day with Dance Equation. In the morning we took part in workshops. Through dance we practised number formation, addition, subtraction, counting, greater than and less than and finding one more and one less. In the afternoon we enjoyed a visit to Emmaville Primary School to watch a performance by Dance Equation. We thought some of the dance moves were amazing and we loved the music!
Science Feb
Changing Materials
Over the past few weeks we have been looking at materials and their properties.
We have been "helping" 4 Dragons - Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, Water Dragon and Cloud Dragon to find a bed that meets their requirements. We have also looked at how materials can be changed by heating them. We first looked at a piece of bread then toasted it. Then we looked at an egg before and after it was microwaved. The children talked about their properties before and after they were heated. It would have been so helpful to have one of the dragons to assist with their fire but unfortunately we had to rely on the toaster and microwave! The children then had to record their findings in a table they had produced themselves.
Thank you to all of the parents and carers who were able to join us for our coffee morning to raise money for Marie Curie. We raised £161. Your generosity during these hard times is greatly appreciated.
Miss Wing's class, parents, volunteers and staff had a lovely time at the book worm party on Friday 18th February. We gathered together to celebrate the successful completion of a 5 week reading scheme which involved the children reading a different book every school day in class and at home. Some of the children's favourite books were: Bot on the Moon, The Mouse and the Monster, Hector and the Cello, It Was a Cold Dark Night and Pirates. The reading scheme has helped to improve the children's reading, increased their confidence and developed their love of books. Thank you to the volunteers, parents and staff who made it all possible!
Reception children have been enjoying trips to the moon after reading the story 'Whatever Next!' by Jill Murphy...
Your child should have brought home a Parent Teacher Consultation letter yesterday. If you have not received this letter please call into the school office for a duplicate or ring and speak to Mrs Lowther.
We will be holding a coffee morning in support of Marie Curie, on Friday 18th February from 8.45 to 11.00 in our school hall. Please come and join us.
Mrs Evans and the violin group gave a performance to the other Year 2 and Year 1 pupils on Thursday 3rd February. They performed 3 compositions which also involved them moving around whilst playing. They have worked very hard and everyone enjoyed the performance.
It was lovely to see the children looking so smart in their party clothes and enjoying dancing and playing games. We would also like to thank parents and carers for all the party food, the children were spoilt for choice.
On Friday 10th December the whole school had an outing to the Northern Stage. The children and staff throughly enjoyed the performance.
On 23rd November Elizabeth came from Space Encounters with what looked like a big bouncy castle. The children were asked to step inside the black dome to enter the solar system and listen to Stories From the Sky. The children enjoyed listening to the story whilst lying on the floor looking up at the stars.
We do apologise but we will be closed for the rest of the week due to the adverse weather conditions.
Please check our web site to confirm we are open next week.
You can also check Gateshead Council web site or BBC Radio North East web site for updates.
Sorry for the inconvience.
On Thursday 11th November 2010 year 2 had planned to walk to the War Memorial in Ryton village. Unfortunately the weather was really bad and this had to be cancelled. However we did all come together as a school to remember the soldiers who have died during the war.
We would like to thank Mr Stewart for coming into school to play the last post. It was greatly appreciated.
Year 1 enjoyed a visit from Expo Chef. We made healthy, fun food including fruit smoothies, bonza burgers, tagine and salad. We enjoyed blending, chopping, mixing, juicing and stirring. Best of all we enjoyed eating the delicious food!
On Thursday 21st October the school came together to celebrate the Harvest Festival. Each year group performed through song, dance and mime the story of harvest.
Thank you for your generous donations which were sent to Farm Africa.
Welcome back everyone after half term break. Hope you all had a lovely holiday. I am sure you will all have noticed the new play equipment in the school yard. The children have had great fun exploring this. At the moment only one year group at a time will be using the equipment. This is to prevent too many children on at once. Children aged 5 to 9 may use this equipment out of school hours as long as they are supervised by an adult.
The equipment has been purchased using devolved capital, a grant from extended schools and a donation from the Home School Association which of course you all help to fund.
On 10th September year 2 were invited to the Holy Cross Church in Ryton to help open the Flower Festival. The children were asked to sing as part of the opening ceremony.
We enjoyed looking at the beautiful flower arrangements and the children were delighted to be given juice and sweets to say thank you for their lovely singing.
On Monday 11th October year two were collected from school and taken on a double decker bus to Dryden Centre.
The children were split into groups to make their own eco village. They were given some ideas of things which could be included in their village eg wind turbines, recycle points, cycle routes etc. They were supplied with lots of materials to make their village. The children rose to the challenge and made some fantastic villages.
As part of science year 2 have been looking to see which plants and animals live in their local environment. We looked around our school grounds to see what animals and plants we could find. We found all sorts of mini beasts and even a frog under a log. On Wednesday 22nd September Year 2 went for a walk down to the Willows. First we looked around the wood where some children saw a squirrel. The children were great at finding insects amonst the leaves and on the trees. They also found lots of different kinds of fungi as well as various other plants and berries.
We then went to the pond where we were able to see some pond skaters and some ducks. Unfortunately no king fisher this time.
Thankfully the weather stayed lovely for our walk. The children were very pleased to get back to school for a rest after walking up the steep bank from the Willows.
A big thank you to everyone who has helped throughout the year to organise funds for the school. The fair was a big success as was the summer disco, the children really enjoyed it.
Year 2 would also like to say thank you for their dictionaries. They will be very useful throughout their school years.
Thank you once again to everyone who has supported the school with fund raising events. The children benefit greatly from the money raised. We hope to have to new outdoor play equipment in the Autumn
We would like to thank everyone who came into school to make the kites and to be with us on Thursday 15th July to fly them down on the field. Thankfully the weather was on our side. It was lovely to see so many people there celebrating this special birthday.
A special thank you to our local MP Dave Anderson for sending such a lovely letter to wish us a Happy Birthday.
We would also like to thank everyone who wrote a special memory on a kite. They are now on display in the hall with other memorabilia.
Please have a look at the Gallery to see the photos of the day.
Year 2 have been working in the Bee Garden.
We have been weeding and tidying up the flower beds.
There are lots of beautiful flowers which are attracting bees and other insects.
The garden is a lovely place to sit and enjoy the view, as well as smell the herbs and flowers.
We visited the beach at South Shields.
We were lucky to have lovely sunny weather!
Ryton Comprehensive students came on a visit to Year 1 this week as part of their citizenship work. We enjoyed sharing stories, poems and non-fiction books. We liked reading some of Michael Morpurgo's short stories, fun football poems, non-fiction books about sharks and some of our own favourite books.
Continue reading "A visit from Ryton Comprehensive School students" »
Year 1 enjoyed a recent geography trip to South Shields. We were very lucky as the weather was wonderful and sunny. We enjoyed spotting all the different features of a seaside town including the piers, lighthouse, sea, sand, funfair, hotels and the fish and chip shop. We also had fun making sandcastles, digging holes, burying one another in the sand and playing games. We loved paddling in the sea and particularly enjoyed splashing Miss Wing!
On Monday 21st June Year 2 went to the Roman Fort Arbeia at South Shields to continue our learning about the Romans. We were able to look around the fort to see where the soldiers would have lived. We got to look inside the barracks and see how small and dirty they were. Eight soliders slept in each room. We also saw the Commanders house which was very big and bright. We had great fun in the Time Quest pretending to be archaeologists. We found pieces of pottery and bones hidden under rocks and in holes. In the museum there was a skelton with grave goods. We had to work out if it was male or female. Why don't you have a trip to Arbeia to see if you can discover the correct gender. Good luck!
On 15 th March 2010 year 2 took part in the Dance Festival at The Sage in Gateshead. The children worked hard practising two dances, Hot Hot Hot and a Japanese dance which was based on the cherry blossom festival. The children were given two plain white t shirts and created two fabulous designs to be worn in both of the dances. The children were excellent whilst at the Sage and very professional when they performed their dance in front of a huge audience.
The children have also perfomed their dance at school for parents and also the rest of Ryton Infants.
A big well done to all of the children and teachers who put a lot of hard work and time into the dance.
We had a lovely time playing outside as you can see from our photographs.
Sometimes we were using our imagination.
'Here comes the bride!'
We are looking forward to being out every day at Nursery, so we can pedal, scoot, draw and even taste our smoothies!
This term,in history, we will be learning about Grace Darling and making lighthouses.So we will need you to save your crisp tubes, gravy tubes, large plastic bottles and clear yoghurt pots!
Later in the term we will be visiting Arbeia as part of our work on Roman Britain.
This visit will be on June 21st.
Another visit will be to the Gosforth synagogue as part of our topic on Judaism in R.E. A Jewish rabbi will also be coming into the school to talk to the children.
In Nursery we have been very busy. Zoolab came to visit us. They brought lots of interesting animals.
On Wednesday morning Mrs Geddes got an emergency call from Mrs Cowings at 7am to say the bulb had gone out on the brooder and she feared the chicks had died. Mrs Geddes rushed to school and thankfully played mother hen and snuggled them down into her lovely warm jumper (whilst wearing it of course) and they all cuddled up near the heater.
We are happy to say both chicks are doing well and are now running about and snuggling up to a surrogate cuddly hen.
On Wednesday 3rd March John from Zoo Lab came into school to show us various animals and tell us lots of information about them. We were able to touch some animals like, Cedric the corn snake, Husky the rat, Sammy the African Land Snail and Milli the millipede. We found it very interesting. Did you know that a frog doesn't use its tongue to swallow like you and I, it uses its eyes to push down the food. We also got to see Charlotte the Chilli Rose Tarantula. Thankfully she stayed safely in her box. We found out that she eats flies, spiders, insects and sometimes her own babies!
On Monday afternoon we were so excited to see the arrival of 'Living Egg'. We were given 11 eggs in an incubator and we were to have the great pleasure of watching them hatch.
On Tuesday the first egg began to shake and then a crack appeared. By the end of the day we had two lovely new chicks, Fluffy and Georgina.
By Thursday night we had 5 chicks altogether, 2 males and 3 females.
We have been weighing and measuring the chicks and look forward to feeding them worms next week.
Unfortunately no more of the chicks hatched.
In Reception we have been trying out the video camera. Next week we are going to use it to record some of our activities.
On Tuesday afternoons we have our "Memory Box" time. The children take it in turns to bring in something from home in a "Memory Box" to show the class. The other children ask questions about the memories.
In Science this term we have been learning about materials. We have been looking at the different groups of materials and their properties. We are focussing on changing materials by heating or cooling them. Our teachers gave us a Curly Wurly and challenged us to make it as long as possible. We worked in pairs and found out that we had to heat it with our hands to stretch it.We had great fun and the longest was over 2metres. Mrs. Porter couldn't believe how long they were, especially as they started at 21cm.
As part of our Design and Technology unit we learnt about using levers and sliders to create moving pictures. We enjoyed experimenting with sliders to make things appear and disappear in our pictures. Here are some examples of our work, didn't we do well?!
In Technology Year 2 have been designing and making puppets. We investigated different types of puppets .... string, glove, finger, shadow and pop-up. We chose a character for our design and thought about the main features for that character.Before we made our puppets we practised sewing. We had great fun sewing and decorating our puppets. Then we had fun playing with them and making up stories. We photographed our work and put it with our evaluation.
In Nursery we have been looking at birds. We have made binoculars and telescopes to birdwatch.
We used different techniques to fix our binoculars and talked about their strength and design.
Friday is a special day for Reception children. We have the use of the hall all morning so there is lots of space to try different activities. Last Friday we had soft play equipment. We made tunnels, castles and caves.
In our afternoon 'Colour Groups' sessions, we had some fun activities based on the story of 'Gingerbread Man'.
As you can see we had lots of fun at our Christmas party! Merry Christmas everyone!
We invited parents into school during Book Week to share books with us.
In History, Year 2 have been learning about Remembrance Day. We found out why we wear poppies, why Remembrance Day is 11th November and who we are remembering. We visited our local War Memorial in Ryton. On our video you can view what we did at 11 o' clock on November 11th.
As part of our Nursery Rhymes topic we enjoyed making jam tarts.
We dressed up as characters of our favourite books.
"Eat more fruit and vegetables" has been our design and technology topic.
We had a lovely day dressed up as pirates and princesses.
The children in Reception have been problem solving. The task was based on the story "The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch". Each group had to work out a way to get the lighthouse keeper's lunch basket from the mainland to the lighthouse.
In April the children in Reception went on a visit to Hall Hill Farm at Satley. The children had a great day. The highlights were feeding the lambs, holding baby chicks and going on a tractor ride.Here are some of the photographs taken on that day.
Here we are getting ready for the tractor ride.
Last week we visited South Shields.
The sea was wonderful - but it was very cold!
We have put together a selection of some of the activities year 2 have taken part in during 2008-2009 Autumn term. To include Pond dipping at Gibside, visiting Ryton Memorial as part of our History work on Remberance, visiting our local scrapyard to understand the importance of recycling resources and in Technology we designed and made our own vehicles to carry "Martin" the Alien for 1 metre !!!!!!
Please take some time out to view some of the recent video created by our school...
Remembrance Day 2009
Nativity 2009