Room 12 Newsletter
October 2012
Writing Project
After the October week holiday
the class will be embarking on a
four week writing project. To fit in
with the seasonal celebration of
Halloween the theme for the
writing project will be………………
The Spooky House!!
You will receive more detailed
information about the writing
project after the holiday however
if your child has any spooky stories
please encourage them to bring
them in to share with the class.
Throughout the project your child
will have homework tasks, their
work in class will follow on from the
homework tasks, failure to
complete the tasks will hinder their
progress in class.
At the end of the four week
project pupils will be fully fledged
authors……..they will have written
and illustrated their own books. We
hope to share these books with you
at the parents consultations in
November.
Outdoor Learning
As you will be aware we are lucky enough to
have Miss Somerville working with us on a
Friday. Miss Somerville is an expert in outdoor
education and we have really enjoyed working
with her since August.
Working with Miss Somerville has given us the
chance to take our learning outdoors in a
meaningful manner, for example when
developing map reading skills through
orienteering pupils were consolidating their
knowledge of the times tables at the same
time! As well as working on orienteering skills
pupils have also been engaging in team building
activities, these activities have developed
communication and cooperation skills.
Learning outdoors on a Friday is fantastic fun
however we need to be aware that we are now
heading into colder (and probably wetter!)
weather. Pupils should make sure they come to
school with appropriate clothing, the weather
will not deter us from venturing outdoors to
learn!
Topics
Since starting back in August the class
have been learning about the European
Union. They have been learning about
the work of the European Union and
the impact it has on the lives of people
in Scotland.
The pupils developed their knowledge
further by investigating the individual
roles that individuals within the EU
perform. This led onto pupils
considering what skills and qualities
would be required for these roles, they
then examined their own skills and
qualities and completed a job
application form for a job within the
EU! This was a fantastic learning
experience for all pupils.
The topic will be developed further
after the October week. Pupils are
going to investigate the role of the EU
in protecting the rights of children,
this will lead onto pupils learning about
the United Nation Convention on the
Rights of the Child. Lots of exciting
activities have been planned to
encourage pupils to consider how these
rights are upheld in Scotland and in
other countries across the
world…….some thought provoking times
are ahead!!
Pond Life McGurk
On Thursday 4th October the Primary Seven
Pupils enjoyed visiting the Townhouse to
watch the performance ‘Pondlife McGurk.’
This fantastic performance highlighted some
of the more subtly effects that bullying can
have on the victim and the bully themselves.
The pupils behaved exceptionally and really
enjoyed the experience.
Crucial Crew
In September Primary Seven pupils
visited the Heritage Park in East
Kilbride to participate in the South
Lanarkshire event ‘Crucial Crew.’
While there they learned about safe
and unsafe situations and how to behave
and react in a safe and responsible
manner.
Pupils engaged in a range of
activities…..including phoning the police
to report an attempted car break in!
CfE Awards
Each month we will be awarding pupils within the
categories of the four capacities. The awards
for September are as follows:
Successful Learner: Stephen MacKenzie
Confident Individual: Aleena Rehman
Again, the behaviour of al pupils was
commended by the Crucial Crew
organisers…Well done primary Seven!
Responsible Citizen: Chantelle Cochrane
Effective Contributor: Chelsea Wyper
Congratulations to all!!
The pupils who receive the awards each month
will have their photographs displayed on the
‘Room 12 Pupil Achievement Board’ outside the
classroom, for all to see!
Jeans For Genes Day
The pupils of Room 12 enjoyed making
posters to advertise the fund raising event
Jeans for Genes Day.
Pupils wore their jeans to school on the day
and donated to this very worthwhile
charity.
International Day of the Girl
Thursday 11th October was the
International Day of the Girl.
Pupils from Room 9 joined us in Room
12 to find out about the campaign.
Pupils learned about how many girls
across the world are having their
human rights denied by being treated
as ‘lesser citizens.’
They learned that many girls are
being denied education in other
countries across the world. They also
found out the impact this can have on
these girls, such as poor health and
lack of opportunity.
Pupils also looked at case studies of
young girls who had experienced
forced marriage at the age of 14.
They heard about how these young
girls were treated by their new
families and the long term effects it
has had on their lives.
The pupils responded to this
sensitive subject with maturity and
empathy.
As teachers we feel that some pupils
were shocked and surprised to learn
about how girls are treated in other
countries, the discussion which
followed the activities highlighted
how compassionate the pupils of
Room 9 & Room 12 are.