Team R:
At our Year R Winter Warmer, the children enjoyed a magical festive morning full of music and togetherness. They explored musical instruments, playing carefully to the beat of familiar nursery rhymes linked to the Nativity story. Everyone then joined in singing much-loved Christmas songs, including Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, using Makaton signs to support communication and inclusion. Smiles filled the room as children proudly shared their learning with adults. We finished by relaxing together, enjoying warm hot chocolate, tasty biscuits, and listening to a cosy Christmas story. It was a truly special celebration for everyone present.
Team 1 / 2:
A Special Christmas Nativity Performance
We were delighted to recently welcome parents, carers, and members of our school community to our Christmas Nativity performance. It was a truly special occasion and a wonderful way to celebrate the festive season together.
The children performed beautifully as they brought the Christmas story to life through music, storytelling, and confident performances. Their enthusiasm and joy were evident throughout, Â
Taking part in the Nativity was a valuable experience for the children. They showed great confidence, teamwork, and creativity, and every child played an important role in making the performance such a success. We are incredibly proud of the effort they put into rehearsals and the support they showed one another on the day.
It was lovely to see so many families enjoying the performance, and we hope parents and carers enjoyed watching the children shine on stage. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the occasion so memorable.
Team 3 / 4:
Sew Much Fun! Our Felt Pencil Cases Are Complete!
This week, Team 3/4 took part in the second and final part of our sewing project, and what a fantastic sewing morning it was! The children had the opportunity to show off all the skills they have been developing as they worked towards completing their felt pencil cases. Using straight stitch and blanket stitch, the children worked with great care and concentration. Their perseverance really paid off, and it was wonderful to see how confident they have become with their sewing. Every child worked incredibly hard and should be very proud of what they achieved. The finished pencil cases are a true reflection of the effort, patience, and creativity that went into this project. Each one is unique, and the children were so excited to see the final outcome of their hard work. A huge thank you to all of our amazing parents and family helpers who supported the children throughout the morning. Your help and encouragement made a big difference and helped make the session such a success.
Well done, Team 3/4!
Team 5 / 6:
From Players to Programmers: Year 5/6 Master Game Design with Scratch!
This term, our Year 5/6 students have been transforming from game players into game creators, diving headfirst into the world of coding with Scratch! This brilliant, block-based platform from MIT allows young minds to bring their own digital ideas to life.
Their journey began not with a blank slate, but with a mystery. They were tasked with debugging an existing game, acting as digital detectives to uncover how the program was built. By exploring the code, they identified missing pieces and brainstormed their own fantastic ideas to level up the game.
Next, it was time to put their own creative stamp on their projects. The students started with pencil and paper, sketching out unique backdrops for their sprites (the in-game characters) to explore. They then brought these designs to life in Scratch, hunting for the perfect digital scenery and a quirky character to control.
The real magic happened when they started writing code. Our young programmers learned to command their sprites, controlling their every movement. But they didn’t stop there! They personalised their games by adding cool features like:
- Dazzling trails that followed their sprite.
- Game mechanics that sent a sprite back to the start if it hit a boundary.
- Immersive sound effects to bring their world to life.
Of course, the path of a programmer is paved with puzzles. It was a challenging process, and our students encountered their fair share of bugs. But they brilliantly used their computational thinking skills to overcome each difficulty. This essential problem-solving is called debugging, and it teaches a powerful lesson: mistakes aren’t dead-ends, they are inevitable and invaluable steps toward improvement.
We are incredibly proud of the resilience and creativity our Year 5/6 students have shown. Who knows? The next great video game franchise might just be born right here in our classroom
A Festive Feeling Around School!
There has been a wonderfully Christmassy atmosphere around school over the past few weeks, with our children taking part in a range of festive activities and events.
The whole school enjoyed participating in their Christingle service at school. Our talented singers have also been spreading festive cheer in the community. Our school Choirs performed beautifully at Rownhams Manor, and again at our much-loved Carols Around the Tree, where families enjoyed the singing whilst warming up with hot chocolate and cookies. Plus, Carols by Candlelight at the Church, creating a truly special start to the Christmas season. In addition, Team 3/4 visited Rownhams Manor, where they took part in Christmas craft activities with the residents, spreading smiles and festive joy.
It has been a busy and memorable time for everyone, and we are so proud of the children for the enthusiasm, kindness and Christmas spirit they have shown. Lots of lovely photos to enjoy – do take a look and have a wonderful Christmas Break!
Follow us on social media!
You can find us on Facebook and Instagram @RownhamsSchool, where we share more photos of what has been going on around the school, and celebrate the children’s learning.