Spofforth News

The children had a lovely morning last Wednesday, listening to Harriet Muncaster author and illustrator of Isadora Moon.  Harriet explained where she got her inspiration from.  She also explained how she made all the miniature models that were in the story and even showed the children how to draw some of the characters.

On Thursday we came to school wearing clothes comfortable to ‘Relax and Read’ and many children came dressed as fantastic book characters. The Imagined Things Bookshop on Montpellier Parade provided school with books, so each child could exchange their voucher for a free book! Well done to ‘The Queen of Hearts’ and ‘Amelia Earhart’ who won a £10 book voucher from County Caterers for their amazing costumes!

Class 2 really enjoyed talking about online safety on Internet Safety Day.  We talked about what information should not be shared online and who are trusted adults are

Years 5 and 6 enjoyed a federation trip to York’s Chocolate Story linked to our leaning in History.  We learnt about the Ancient Maya and how important chocolate was to them.  The precious cacao beans were considered sacred and had many uses, including making a bitter drink known as ‘Xocolatl’.  We had a go at making this and also got the chance to eat lots of different chocolate. A great visit! 

The children in Years 1&2 across The Federation had a great day on Tuesday 21st January at Spofforth School. They learnt how to build Tudor houses using natural materials. They then had a go at fire lighting in bowls using fire steels, steel bowl and cotton wool. After lunch, they re-enacted how buckets of water were passed from the River Thames to put out the fire. Then, they moved on to making damper bread on a fire. The Great Fire of London was started in a bakery. Children had a go at making their own bread on a fire, using basic ingredients of flour and water. Whilst some children waited to make bread, they had a try at soft archery. A busy day but lots of fun!

On Thursday 16th January, we welcomed Suzie Thomas from the small local charity ‘Open Arms Malawi’. She last visited our Federation about 18 months ago and has visited Malawi since. She is also going back there in June again to see how the children and families are doing and how they are benefiting from the charity’s support. Suzie was so impressed by how much we raised across the Federation previously and wanted to show the children what their money means to the charity and how they are able to use this to support families in Malawi. The children were very interested in what Suzie told them and all the photos – they asked some great questions!

This week was very special as our children, many parents/carers and other members of our school community came together in Church for our annual Crib service. As always, the children were a real credit in terms of their singing, readings and confidence. Well done to everyone!

Finley from Spofforth School, won the Jubilee Award yesterday and his name is up in Wetherby Town Hall. He was nominated by Beavers for helping his Dad during a medical emergency last year and going to get the neighbours. We are so proud of him for showing excellent maturity! 

An enchanting visit brought the magic of C.S. Lewis’ beloved tale to life through drama teachers from Leeds Playhouse who visited Follifoot and Spofforth Primary School on Tuesday 10th December. The teacher’s ran an immersive workshop with the children, guiding them through the wondrous world of Narnia.
The staff in the schools expressed their delight at the unique educational opportunity: Seeing the children’s faces light up as they interacted with their favourite characters from Narnia was absolutely magical. After reading the book with the children this term, this workshop has inspired our students and is such a wonderful event for the children in the run up to Christmas.

The Year 5 children loved Cafe Church yesterday. Rev Barbara and her team organised juice and cake for them. The children sang a few Christmas songs for everyone and even took some special requests!