A Place to Sparkle
There are now year group specific tasks in the Home Learning menu under the title Year Group Activities. We will continue updating these, as well as the other sections of the menu to provide a variety of ideas and links to support you at home.
Held in June each year, Bike Week is an event which seeks to raise awareness of the benefits of cycling and aims to get people on their bikes.
According to its organisers Cycling UK, Bike Week is ‘an annual opportunity to promote cycling and show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life’ —-
This year, due to the unforeseen circumstances, Bike Week will still take place between the 6th – 14th June, but will focus most of its efforts online.
How is Bike Week celebrated?
In towns and cities across the country, Bike Week offers the chance for people to come out and get riding, with community groups, cycling charities and local authorities combining to run fun events based on cycling.
Social media is also utilised to raise awareness, with the campaign #7daysofcycling being used this year to encourage people to get out and about on their bikes every day during Bike Week.
Last year, 5,000 people took part in Bike Week.
What are the benefits of cycling?
Some of the many benefits of cycling include:
See the links below for some resources!
Please click on this post to view messages from Dr Jones. Click on the document and it will open in a new window for you. MOST RECENT MESSAGE ADDED 28th MAY 2020 RELATED TO SCHOOL OPENING FOR YEAR 6 CHILDREN…
PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY THOSE PARENTS WITH ABSOLUTELY NO ALTERNATIVE SHOULD BE SENDING THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL FROM NOW ON. THIS INCLUDES THOSE WHO ARE LOOKED AFTER AND THOSE WITH EHCPs OTHERWISE IT BECOMES UNMANAGEABLE FOR THOSE WHO REALLY NEED IT. THANK YOU
We are closely monitoring and following the advice of Public Health England and will update you should the need arise. In the meantime, the links below will take you to the NHS and Government websites for the most up to date information
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance
https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/campaigns/coronavirus-covid-19/#1
On Wednesday 11th March 2020, McLaren Group’s STEM ambassadors, Harley Gasson and George Blacker, gave an inspirational talk to Year 6 pupils at Orchards Junior School where they discussed the wide range of possibilities open to young people for a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The children were extremely enthused by the talk and asked some interesting and relevant questions.
Another highlight of the visit was the arrival of a 200mph McLaren 570S roaring onto the playground. Over 500 pupils were given the once in a lifetime opportunity to sit behind the wheel of this amazing sports car; as the car, and noise level, was revved up, the queue to take part snaked across the playground.
“This has been the best day ever” and “My mum won’t believe I’ve sat in a McLaren” were just two of the excited comments overheard from pupils. Even staff jostled to get a seat in the car!
The school have recently been awarded the Primary Science Quality Mark for their continued commitment to an excellence in science teaching and learning. They have an enthusiastic after school STEM club who hope to make a visit from McLaren an annual event.
Our Years 3 and 4 Girls football team enjoyed a great day out at Lancing FC with Team 1 successfully progressing through to the next round of the Albion Cup which will be played at the Brighton and Hove Albion Centre of Excellence.
On Monday 10th February, a very excited group of children (and adults!) visited the Houses of Parliament. In year six we have been learning about the history of Parliament, how women got the vote and the role of Parliament today, and this visit was a fantastic opportunity to bring that learning to life.
We were lucky enough to have a tour of the Queen’s robing room, her chamber and the Houses of Lords and Commons. We even stood in the same spot as Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela have in the historic Westminster Hall.
The children were amazing and did us proud by answering questions and showing lots of interest and enthusiasm.
A great day was had by all!
The Year 5 and 6 rugby club enjoyed a great day out at the home of English Rugby – Twickenham Stadium. The boys undertook a murder mystery activity that took them all around the stadium before spending an enjoyable and exhausting hour in the interactive museum.
We were also lucky enough to meet top international referee Wayne Barnes who shared some great stories with us.
Orchards Junior School has raised £448 for local charity Guild Care through a break time hot chocolate sale.
Organised by the school’s Year 6 Charity Club, the hot chocolate sale took place on Friday 22nd November and saw 530 drinks sold. Overall the club has raised £1,780 for the charity since it was started six years ago.
The school’s fundraising for Guild Care goes specifically towards the charity’s Fitzalan Howard Centre, which provides day and respite services for adults with disabilities and more complex needs. Fitzalan and the school have a close relationship, with clients and staff visiting annually for an assembly. The Charity Club was delighted to present the cheque for their hot chocolate fundraising to Sean McGuckin, who attends the centre.
Fiona McCarthy, Orchards Junior School’s Deputy Head, said: “We initially set up a charity club to raise awareness of fair trade, but over the years it has evolved into something much bigger than we ever imagined. The children who join are passionate about supporting people in need, both locally and across the world, and we are very proud of the generosity of our pupils and their families.
“The Fitzalan Howard Centre is very special to The Orchards; we love their annual visit and are delighted to raise funds to support their activities.”
To launch their new Fairy Tale topic in literacy, our year 3’s came to school dressed as their favourite character. They took parts in lots of arts and crafts activities, read fairytale books and even had a visit from a real Disney Princess!
