Into the eye of the Tiger with Chinese new year 2022

Tracking annual events can be an important and useful way for our students to track time and give structure to the year. For this reason we like to celebrate cultural events such as Chinese new year. 

Our students took to the Chinese new year celebration with enthusiasm and excitement, even without a firecracker ceremony and dragon parade!

Chinese New Year is a wonderful time for crafts, so our students made colourful paper lanterns and paper plate drums. Students wrote positive messages and wishes of good fortune, practicing their handwriting skills and spelling in the process.

This was a great opportunity for students to engage with each other during this much celebrated festival.

Taking to the sky with the RSPB Big Birdwatch

Sybil Elgar School took part in the Big Birdwatch RSPB survey. This event happens every year in January to February. The results are also included in the world’s largest wildlife survey, Big Garden Birdwatch.

Our students had a great time counting the number of birds they spotted in the school grounds. This was a fantastic opportunity for cross-curricular learning, incorporating elements from Math, English, Geography and more.    

Students had the chance to contribute in a number of ways, whether by making bird boxes, counting, writing, spotting, cleaning binocular lenses or just observing, everyone could be involved. Some of the school’s outdoor equipment made for excellent ‘bird hides’  in the various spacious playgrounds.

After the data was collected, results were submitted to the Big Schools’ Birdwatch website. This was a good opportunity for teachers to focus on  ICT skills. 

All and all a wonderful event that Sybil Elgar is proud to have played a part in.  
 

Safer internet day

With so much access to the internet freely available these days, it is more important than ever to learn about ways to keep safe when online. 

The Internet is a great tool and a really beneficial resource for our students as they can use it for learning, reading, creating, exploring and connecting with others. However, there are also many risks involved. For that reason, it is really important for our young digital citizens to know the risks and learn how to keep themselves safe online.

On Safer internet day we organised a workshop filled with exciting activities to promote internet safety. The theme for this year is 'All fun and games; Exploring respect and relationships online'. 

Using a PowerPoint presentation, videos and practical activities, students learnt how they can use the internet safely and responsibly as well as consider the impact of showing respect and kindness to others online. 

 Students learnt about keeping certain information private from people they don’t know by completing interactive worksheets. Safer Internet Day ‘recipe’ posters were made for students to look  at a range of scenarios and discuss how we might feel for each one, supporting respectful online communities. 

Other events celebrated in January and February 

• Martin Luther King Day
• 60 years of NAS
• International Lego Day
• Student's Mental Health Week
• Valentine's Day 

Special events this term

Please see our special events calendar for a look into what we are planning for the rest of the year. There are so many opportunities to be involved in events that bring people together. Also to take part  in initiatives that focus on  important and relevant topics. We are proud to share these experiences with our students.