Mahogany - Year 6

Class Teacher: Mrs Efrat

Class Teaching Assistant: Mrs Darnell

Class Email Address: mahogany@kafed.org.uk

Welcome back to school and the start of the summer term.  This is the final stretch for our Year 6 children who will be leaving us at the end of this school year. 

We are hoping that they will get the opportunity to participate in some fun activities throughout this term to mark their final journey with us and to make some more happy memories of their time at Elfrida, no matter how long or short it has been.

Week beginning 12th July 2021

Mahogany Self-isolation

Thank you to those of you who have sent in work you have been doing.  It's great to see what you are all up to.  If you haven't sent any work in yet, please do as I would like to share it all below:

DT - Baking Flapjacks

This week, Year 6 tantalized KS1 with the delicious smell of their flapjacks! They are all getting much better judging the quantities they need and working the electronic scales without reminders to zero them or change the unit of measure.  It looks like we may have some future bakers and chefs!  Lots of children have taken the recipe home as they would like to bake them for their families. :-)

Friday 2nd July 2021 - Sports fun day in the park

We were so lucky with the weather: we were expecting a few light showers, according to the weather forecast, but it turned out to be a glorious day, both weather wise and fun wise.  

Six different activities were set up: tag rugby, football, rounders, bat and ball, volley ball and javelin.  Everyone should have had an opportunity to try out each activity.

Whilst we were all involved in having fun, a cheeky beagle, who was running loose in the park, stole a baguette out of Mrs Darnell's bag!  Despite Mrs Efrat's and Mr Speck's attempts to stop the beagle, it devoured the baguette, cling film and all!!  In the end, Mrs Darnell managed to get hold of it and took it away from the rest of our delicious lunches.  One baguette was all it was getting.  Mr Speck then guarded Mrs Darnell's bag to protect the lunches!

The Children Take Over!

Last week, Year 6 wrote formal letters of application for the chance to teach a lesson to their peers.  The children also had to submit a lesson plan together with their letter in the hope of being one of the five successful candidates to teach a lesson to the rest of the class.  This week, the five successful candidates taught their lessons:

Momusu - Mental Health and Wellbeing

Bailor - Drama

Malique - Maths

Leona - Albanian

Ibrahim - Coding

Wheels Day - Thursday 24th June 2021

Today, children had the opportunity to bring their bike, scooter, skateboard or roller skates/rollerblades to school for some fun exercise in the playground.  Safety precautions were paramount: helmets were compulsory for all; elbow and knee pads were required for roller skates and rollerblades; all children had to be travelling in the same direction around the playground and keep a safe distance from the person in front.  Luckily, we got through the day without any accidents :-)

Sports Day 23rd June

How lucky were we?  The sun shone and everyone had fun!  Year 6 were lucky enough to have their packed lunches sitting on the field in the sunshine at Sedgehill before starting Sports Day.   We had some technical issues with cameras but here are the photographs and the videos we managed to take.

Fun Day Friday 21st May

Another successful Fun Day Friday took place today.  To finish off our maths, learning the order of operations (BODMAS/BIDMAS) the children were given a challenge to find a code to free them from the maths lesson and allow them to play board games.  It made them very eager to solve the problems!

Music Through the 20th Century

Year 6 had fun listening to and learning about the different genres of music, and how they developed and evolved through the 20th century.  Some they liked and some they really didn't; some made them want to clap/tap along and dance and others they wanted to stop!

Ask your child what they can remember and which type of music they liked the best.

Here are just a few of the genres they learnt about...

Thursday 20th May - DT Making Scones

This week, the children baked a variety of different flavoured scones which everyone got to taste, if they wanted to.  The flavours were:

plain, cheese, pumpkin (with a hint of nutmeg), rosemary and Italian (sun-dried tomatoes and basil).  All the children were good at tasting them and most tried them all.  Many of them were surprised at how much they actually liked the pumpkin and Italian scones!

Over the weeks, the children's team work and cooking skills have improved immensely.  Their scones had a really light and fluffy texture and were some of the tastiest scones I have had!

Eid Mubarak

May Allah bless your life and fulfil all your wishes and Dua’s.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all the families celebrating Eid a very happy holiday.  Who would have thought you would have to be celebrating yet another Eid under lockdown restrictions.  We hope that you have managed to make the most of your celebrations despite the current restrictions.

Eid Mubarak to you all and your families! May this Eid bring nothing but joy and peace for all. Have a safe and happy Eid day!

Well done to Imran and Abdallah who have both fasted throughout Ramadan and have managed to stay focused on their learning.

Fun Day Friday (14th May)

We have recently introduced the idea of Fun Day Friday in Year 6.  This is in some way to compensate them from not being able to go on school journey.  We are trying to find time to fit in some fun activities for them to enjoy.

Today, we started off with a board games session which the children thoroughly enjoyed.  Playing games and having fun with their friends.

After playtime, Year 6 got together in Bodhi class to watch the film Mulan.  We chose this film as it fits in with their learning about the kings of the Shang Dynasty and their research into the tomb of Fu Hao, the wife of king Wu Ding as the character Mulan is based on Fu Hao.

Wednesday 12th May DT - Baking

This week Year 6 baked chocolate chip cookies.  They learnt how to cream butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.  A lot of beating caused aching arms!  The children added their choice of milk and or white chocolate chips.  Once again, the smell of the cookies baking permeated the KS1 building making everyone feel very hungry!

The children have evaluated their cookies, after tasting them, and made suggestions as to how they could improve them or what they might do differently were they to make them again.

Friday 7th May - DT - baking fairy cakes

This week, as Year 6 baked fairy cakes they improved and refined their baking skills.  Their weighing is far more accurate and they no longer need reminding to zero the scales before they weigh out the ingredients, nor to switch between units of measure as required.

Year 6 thoroughly enjoy their cooking and especially the eating too!

A Cosmic Adventure with Bow Arts

Back in Year 5, before lockdown, Alder class (as they were called then) were involved in an exciting project with Bow arts.  They worked with an artist, Ella Hempsted, to make 3D sculptures by plaster casting.  They learnt how to cast and worked with silicon moulds, recycled moulds and also constructed their own larger moulds using a variety of different materials to create different textures too.  They used pigments to colour the plaster and had fun experimenting with mixing colours and quantity of pigments to strengthen the colour.   

Inspiration for this project was taken from the book Cosmic by Frank Cottrell-Boyce which was the book they were using in literacy.

Unfortunately, covid and the subsequent closure of school due to lockdown, meant they didn't get to finish the project and actually see the finished sculptures.  Luckily, Bow Arts collected the work the children had created and have constructed the final sculptures inspired by space; they look absolutely fantastic and the children should be so proud of what they achieved.  

The photographs of their work are below.  We hope you will agree they are amazing.

28th April DT - Baking - Fruit Crumble

This week, the children built upon their pastry making skills from last week to make crumble using the rubbing technique.  They also had to peel and slice up apples very carefully either with a knife or a peeler.  There was a choice of apples or raspberries, or both.  

Thursday 22nd April - Stephen Lawrence Day

Today, Year 6 took part in a live on-line assembly with Baroness Doreen Lawrence and learnt about Stephen Lawrence's legacy and Stephen Lawrence Day which is on 22^nd April every year.  Each year there is a different focus as part of Stephen’s legacy.  This year the focus is on three key words:

respect, friendship and difference.

During the assembly, the children were told about  challenges to MAKE A DIFFERENCE: to do something simple to help others and pass it on! 

• do good (a simple act of kindness to help others in your community);

• get creative (express what living your best life looks like for you through your chosen art form);

• or share the learning (find out about Stephen’s story and share it). 

In art, Year 6 have chosen one of the focus words to create their own piece of graffiti art.  Here are some example below.  We are sure you will agree they have all done a fantastic job and we now have an amazing, colourful display outside both Year 6 classrooms to show it off to everyone.

DT - Cooking -Thursday 22nd April

This week, Year 6 had the pleasure of making savoury tartlets.  They are now experts, not just at making pastry, but at making delicious pastry.  They filled their tartlets with a choice of ingredients: chicken, cheese, onion, peppers, sweetcorn and mushrooms.   As they were cooking, a fragrant aroma filled the KS1 building making people feel very hungry indeed!

DT - Pitta Bread Pizzas

This week, Year 6 made pitta bread pizzas.  They are quick and easy to make and cook:   

1. First, take a pitta bread, plain or wholemeal, spread some tomato paste on it.
2. Then add your favourite toppings.  (The children chose: mushrooms, sweet peppers, chilli peppers, pineapple, tuna, chicken, onion, sweetcorn, basil, but you can add whatever you like.) 
3. After that, top it off with grated cheddar cheese, grated mozzarella or chunks of soft white mozzarella cheese, or any other cheese of your choice.
4. Finally, pop it under the grill for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
5. Eat and enjoy!

DT - Weaving

Mahogany class learnt how to weave today.  They worked with Ms Green on cardboard looms.  The children learnt how to warp and weft which are the two basic components used in weaving. The lengthwise (up and down) warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the widthwise (left to right) yarn us drawn through and woven over and under the warp.  

Lockdown Reflections

Today, Tuesday 23rd March 2021, marks a year since we all went into the first lockdown.  We have all been through so much since and we all have our thoughts, feelings and worries about the past year and what is yet to come.  The children got a chance to mark this momentous occasion with some personal reflections and letting off bubbles in the playground to carry away any of their worries and concerns.

Science Week - Biscuit Dunking Investigation

This week we are celebrating science week.  Today (17th March) Year 6 all took part in a biscuit dunking investigation.  They tested 3 different  biscuits: shortbread, bourbon and rich tea.  For all the dunkers out there, Mahogany class recommend Rich Tea biscuits as the ultimate dunking biscuit.  They were by far the clear winner.

The Paper Chain Challenge

Year 6 were given the challenge of creating the longest paper chain possible using only one A4 piece of paper, glue, scissors and, if needed, a ruler.  The children all rose to the challenge and got stuck in.

They created paper chains ranging from 30cm long to over 7m!!

Bridge Building Challenge

Year 6 had great fun trying to build the strongest bridge possible.  The only stipulation was that it had to be 30cm long.  Before starting to build, the children looked at different types of bridges to get ideas for their own.  Working in groups of 3 or 4, they constructed their bridges from recycled materials.  The strongest bridge held the weight of one of the pupils who built it whilst sitting on it with his feet on the floor!! 

DT - Cooking - Baked Oatmeal

As the children thoroughly enjoyed the cooking challenges over the school closure, we have decided to carry on with our weekly cooking.

This week the children made baked oatmeal, and, despite their initial thoughts, it turned out very tasty!

As we were using a recipe that measured the ingredients in cups, the children had to convert from cups to grams or millilitres before they could begin.  They are becoming very adept at zeroing the scales and changing them from g to ml and no longer need constant reminders.

They are also developing their team skills, learning to work much better together and sharing responsibilities to ensure everyone is involved.

The Year 6 Team are all looking forward to welcoming all the children back to school on Monday 8th March.  It will be so great to see them all face to face after such a long time away.  We hope you are all as excited as we are.

Below, you will find the Year 6 curriculum letter where you can find information about what the children will be learning.  We are hoping it will be fun and interesting.

Gate opening times

Year six gates will open at 8:45am. Afternoon gates will open at 3:10pm ( Mon-Thurs) and 2:10pm on Fridays. Please remember to wear your masks when dropping off and adhere to social distances measures-Thank you.

Watch the gate reminder video below.

See you on Monday!

Today is St David's Day

St David is the patron saint of Wales and he is celebrated on the 1 March.

To mark the day, Welsh people around the world wear one or both of Wales's national emblems - a daffodil and a leek. Special concerts and parades are also usually held in St David's honour.

Patron saints are chosen to be special protectors or guardians over all areas of life.

England, Ireland and Scotland also have their own patron saint, to whom they dedicate a day.

Jewish Festival of Purim - Thursday 25th February 2021

'Every year Jewish people from all over the world wear fancy dress to celebrate the beginning of the festival of Purim. Purim celebrates the courage of a Jewish girl called Esther who married the King of Persia, and saved the Jewish people living there from being killed over 2000 years ago.'

Purim: The Jewish festival in pictures - CBBC Newsround

To find out more about this colourful celebration click on the CBBC website below. Why not design a poster which tells us all about this celebration (activity in this week's lessons under the RE icon). Please take pictures of your completed posters and send them to me via our class webpage. For more exciting activities check out Microsoft Teams where you can find 2 DT activities (one baking challenge and the other is to make your own Gragger)...!

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Ox

Wishing everyone who is celebrating a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year of the Ox.  Enjoy your celebrations.

MENTAL HEALTH WEEK (1-7TH FEBRUARY 2021)

This week is Children's Mental Health Week and the theme this year is 'Express Yourself.' The idea is to get children (and adults) to find creative ways to  share their thoughts and emotions through a variety of activities including dance, music and art. The charity Place2Be has a fantastic range of ideas and activities for you to explore. Find the website below and a message from the Duchess of Cambridge who is the Patron of the charity. 

Big Maths Challenges - 27.01.21

Well done to the following children who have completed their Big Maths challenges today: Enzo and Mustafa :-)

MONDAY 25TH JANUARY - BURNS NIGHT!

Good morning lovely Mahagony - I hope you are all safe and well?

Did you know that today most of Scotland will be celebrating Burns Night? It commemorates the life of the bard (poet) Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759. The day also celebrates Burns' contribution to Scottish culture. His best known work is Auld Lang Syne. Find out more about this celebration today. Below you will find an assortment of activities that you can do throughout this week (there are other resources on Microsoft Teams - e.g. design your own tartan, colouring pages...)!

Big Maths Challenges 26.01.21

Well done to the following children who completed their Big Maths challenges today: Kimiya, Malique and Zahra.  Great job.

Come on everyone else, please get them done as soon as possible.

BIG MATHS CHALLENGES 25.01.21

Big well done the to following children who have already completed all their challenges for this week: Bailor, Monique, Marley, Reion, Sonny, Janiece, Tommy and Imran.  Fantastic job.  

Make sure you all get them done as soon as possible. Don't wait until Friday!

BIG MATHS PROMOTIONS!

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE CHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN PROMOTED THIS WEEK - THEY ARE:MONIQUE, IBRAHIM, ISAIAH, MOMUSU, MARLEY, SONNY, JANIECE AND IMRAN!

BIG MATHS 22.01.21

Congratulations to the children who completed Big Maths this week: Bailor, Camron, Chloe, Monique, Ibrahim, Isaiah, Kimiya, Momusu, Enzo, Marley, Sonny, Janiece, Leonie, Anjola, Tommy, Jessie, O'Daine, Tyrese, Aghogho, Imran and Imran.

If you haven't completed your Big Maths yet (and there are a few of you) then you still have until Sunday!

19.01.21 - BIG MATHS.

Well done to the children who completed their Big Maths today: Ibrahim, Momusu, Isaiah, Janiece, Leonie, Tommy, Tyrese and Bailor.

BIG MATHS 18.01.21

Well done to the children who have completed their Big Maths today. They are: Monique, Jessie, Anjola, Sonny and Marley.

BIG MATHS PROMOTIONS (15.01.21).

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN PROMOTED ON BIG MATHS THIS WEEK:LEONA, MONIQUE, IBRAHIM, ISAIAH, MOMOSU, IDARA, MALIQUE, MARLEY, SONNY, JANIECE AND IMRAN.

TT Rock Stars

Please make sure you are logging on to TT Rock Stars to practise your times tables.  Your log in details are the same as last lockdown.  If you need them resent to you let me know via the class email or Purple Mash and I will send them to you.

Live Meetings On Teams

14.01.21

I have scheduled another live session for tomorrow (15.01.21) at 1 pm.  Today we had 23  participants and were joined by the children in school.  It was great.  We would love to see everyone tomorrow, if possible.  

I have scheduled another live session for tomorrow (14th Jan) at 11:00 am. Today, there were 17 participants, including Mrs Darnell and Ms Bond.  You should all have been sent an invite.  Fingers crossed you can all see it this time. 

I hope more of you are able to log in tomorrow. 

Look forward to seeing you all.

I  have scheduled a short meeting on Microsoft Teams for tomorrow at 11:30 am to 12:00 pm, just to say hello and for a quick catch up.  It  would be  great to talk to as many of  you as possible.  Please log in to Microsoft Teams to see whether you have received the invitation.  I look forward to seeing and speaking to you tomorrow (Wed 13th Jan).

13.01.21 Big Maths Challenges

Well done to those children who have completed their maths challenges today: Nathan and O'Daine.

There are still 16 of you who have not yet completed them.  Come on and  get them done.  We want to keep our place as the champions!!

12.02.21 - Big Maths

Well done to the children who have completed their Big Maths today: Kimiya, Anjola and Jessie.

11.01.21 Big Maths.

Well done to those children who already completed their Big Maths so far this week: Momusu, Jessie, Bailor, Monique, Ibrahim, Marley, Reion, Sonny, Janiece, Leonie, Tommy and Imran.

Virtual Junior Citizenship Event

Please do not forget to join the Virtual Junior Citizenship event on Tuesday morning (12th Jan) at 9:30 -11:00.  The link has been emailed to your parents.  Hope you can all access it.

Look forward to hearing what you thought about it and what you learnt from it.

11.01.21 Big Maths.

Well done to those children who completed their Big Maths today: Bailor, Monique, Ibrahim, Marley, Reion, Sonny, Janiece, Leonie, Tommy and Imran.

BIG MATHS 08.01.21

Well done to these children who completed their Big Maths today: Enzo, Mary, Isaiah, Momusu, Idara and Zahra.

BIG MATHS PROMOTIONS!

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN PROMOTED THIS WEEK ON BIG MATHS!

LEONA, MONIQUE, IBRAHIM, ISAIAH, MOMUSU, IDARA, MALIQUE, MARLEY, ABDALLAH, ZAHRA, SONNY, JANIECE AND IMRAN.

LEWISHAM ZOOOOM CHOIRS!

Do you like to sing? Lewisham Zoooom Choirs are offering FREE singing sessions from next Friday 4.30pm. If you are interested you need to register on:-

http://www.lewishammusic.org/zoooom-choirs

For more information have a look at the following poster!

BIG MATHS 07.01.21

Well done to the following children who completed their Big Maths today: Camron, Leona, Monique, Marley, Abdallah, Reion, Anjola and Imran. Remember you must complete it by tomorrow so I can announce who has been promoted.

07.01.21

Good morning Mahogany Class,

We hope you are all okay during this current lockdown and are staying safe.

Apologies for the late notification, but TODAY (7.01.21) LitFilmFest are putting on a meet an author session online for children to join. 

This will be live at 10:30am this morning with Claire Fayers, author of Storm Hound! Her book mixes NORSE MYTHOLOGY with WELSH LEGENDS... sounds bonkers.

You can watch live at 10.30 am TODAY! Just use the link below. There's a giveaway too!

We hope as many children as possible can join in live. 

Hope you enjoy it.

06.01.21

Good morning Mahogany. I hope you are all well? I would like to say well done to those children who have already completed their Big Maths yesterday. These are Bailor, Chloe, Ibrahim, Malique, Sonny, Janiece, Leonie, Tommy and O'Daine.

Remember if you have any concerns or worries please email me on our class webpage. Meanwhile, have a lovely day.

05.01.21

Good morning lovely Mahogany. I hope you have had a restful and safe holiday? Unfortunately, you are not back with us at school for now so we have to go