It’s May at WCU
We have been really busy here at WCU looking forward to the summer and getting ready to celebrate. Throughout April to May we have been drumming, creating and getting out and about across our network. May will see more schools getting on-board with the workshops and more author visits, one all about Zombies! We also have lots of important may dates for you to remember. As well as some great online safety resources to share.
Supported by Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow initiative, the skills tool –In the link below-is designed to encourage learning through questions and conversations. It allows young people to discover their understanding of online topics and encourages them to discuss these through a series of conversation starter questions. It can be used by young people on their own, with peers or together with teachers, parents and carers to encourage discussion and further learning
https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/theonlinetogetherproject/
Early use of digital technology has been shown to improve language skills and promote children’s social development and creativity. However, it’s not without risks for young children. Unfortunately, you may come across inappropriate content, share personal information or begin to copy what older children do online, which might put you at risk. The Quiz in the Link below help you to understand what Fake news might be and aims to give the best experience of going online by doing so. https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/fake-news-and-misinformation-advice-hub/find-the-fake/choose-quiz/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caX_wpyGnwQ
April was National Pet Month, National Pet Month is from the 1st of April to the 1st of May. However, animal and pet care is something really important to consider all year round!
At St Augustine’s our friend author Renata, has been sharing doggy stories and running workshops and competitions all with a delightfully doggy theme, if you would like to meet her too please get in touch so that we can introduce her. Renata’s stories about heroic Hector are our favourite stories and workshops so, don’t miss your chance for your class to be involved.
National Pet Month aims to promote responsible pet ownership and make people aware of the benefits of pets for people, and people for pets! It also raises awareness of the role, value, and contribution to society of working companion animals. This month helps people learn about how to look after pets properly, and there are special events that take place all over the country.
We love Dogs at WCU and have helped 3 schools have Dogs Full time at their venue. Lurky and Gizmo are our WCU dogs at QPPS.
Why do we love our dogs so much and why do people have pets?
Did you know...?
There are many ways you can celebrate National Pet Month and support our furry friends like Hector all year round.
*The PDSA have animal hospitals.
*The RSPCA rescues animals who aren’t being looked after properly.
*The Blue Cross looks after pets who don’t have a home. They help these pets find new families!
Our WCU Dogs are a great way to relax and help reduce stress for adults and students in school. Stress Awareness Month 2024 has been taking place throughout April too. As an annual event that’s been observed since 1992, it serves as a gateway to open up conversations about stress, signpost people to the right support and help us prioritise our mental health.
Stress Awareness Month 2024 was a perfect time to highlight the symptoms that stress can present, both physically and mentally, and its triggers. The causes of stress can range from person-to-person, but everything from exams to financial difficulties and emotional pressures can all contribute to stress.
Stress can present itself in many different ways. Physically, people may experience headaches, chest pains, difficulty sleeping, a racing heartbeat and stomach and digestive problems. Mentally, people may feel tearful, anxious, forgetful, worried and have trouble concentrating. People can also experience changes in behaviour, such as being irritable, avoiding social situations, places and people, and eating more or less than they did in the past.
By coming together and highlighting how stress can have an impact on our wellbeing, we’ll be more equipped to support others as well as ourselves, and learn how to prioritise our own mental health. Read on to find out how to get involved and resources to support you and your children when managing stress.
Breaking the taboo about mental health by speaking about it at your school or workplace is really important all year round too. You might decide to present student assemblies about this topic, or discuss it in your morning class sharing/circle meetings. Creating peer support groups with the help of your teachers together to continue the dialogue of mental health, and support your class colleagues in a safe and welcoming space is another great idea.
If you are feeling stressed, talk to a trusted adult who can supporting in planning what to do when stress strikes. Mind Up and headspace have some super tools online for you to explore with your parents at home to find these for your parents, use the links below.
Another great thing to do with a dog is to go for a nice, long walk. This is particularly relevant because in May each year, schools all around the world take part in National Walk to School Month to help promote walking as a form of exercise that is good for your health.
The month-long event is organised by the British Heart Foundation, which aims to encourage fun events and activities in school to raise awareness and donations for the charity.
How to Take Part in National Walking Month
Benefits of Walking
If you do go on longer walks you are sure to see lots of diverse British Wildlife and if you are on later walks you may see foxes and even rarer creatures like bats and hedgehogs. May is Hedgehog Awareness Week.
What is Hedgehog Awareness Week?
Hedgehog Awareness Week is an event that takes place every year. It aims to raise awareness of hedgehogs and their declining population in the United Kingdom. It was launched by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) to highlight the threats facing hedgehogs and to promote efforts to protect and conserve the species. Through campaigns and educational projects, the BHPS raises awareness for how we can help these much-loved creatures. They fund research that provides important new insights into the welfare of hedgehogs.
Hedgehog Awareness Week typically takes place in May each year and involves a range of activities and initiatives aimed at educating the public about the importance of hedgehogs and the threats they face being the reason they are such a rare sight. These may include events such as talks, walks, and workshops, as well as online campaigns and social media initiatives so look out for what might be on offer throughout May.
When is National Numeracy Day?
National Numeracy Day will be celebrated in May too for those of you with a preference for numbers, on Wednesday 22nd May 2024. It will take place over the whole day so that celebrations can be held around the world during school times. It reoccurs on the third Wednesday in May each year. National Numeracy Day UK tries to highlight how much numbers are used in our lives, every day. This can range from the sports that people watch, the books that people read and in the shops when using money. Not everyone’s great with numbers or interested in numeracy, but that doesn’t have to stop you from getting involved on Wednesday 17th May 2024.
What is National Numeracy Day?
National Numeracy Day has been celebrated in the United Kingdom every year since it was founded in 2018 by National Numeracy. It’s a specific day to focus on what this charity works on all year round - recognising the large part that numbers play in our lives. People are encouraged to try and build confidence in their numeracy skills, even if they’re not maths-orientated people. This day is celebrated to try and show that you don’t have to be super smart to love numeracy, everyone can learn how to be better with numbers.
What’s the history of Numeracy Day?
National Numeracy Day was founded by the independent charity National Numeracy. The charity was founded in 2012 to try and help improve low levels of numeracy in people of all ages. As part of their campaigns to get more and more people confident with numbers, National Numeracy Day was first celebrated in 2018, on the 16th of May. There were 25,000 people that took part in the celebrations. This included adults and children who all wanted to improve their numeracy skills.
Supporters, educators, individuals and employers are all encouraged to take part in National Numeracy Day UK. There are lots of National Numeracy Day activities that you can do. Plus, it’s not just about improving your own numeracy skills, it’s about helping other people improve theirs too. National Numeracy Day was made to try and make people of all ages explore and be more curious about numbers.
How is National Numeracy Day UK celebrated?
There are lots of things you can do to celebrate on the Wednesday 17th May 2024. No matter what your current level or numeracy is, one of the best ways to celebrate is trying to improve. Motivating yourself to learn something new about numeracy is a lovely way to celebrate. The Bitesize game is a great KS2 maths resource and lots of fun too it is also a great way to revise for upcoming numeracy tests.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zd2f7nb/articles/zn2y7nb
May is a really important month for all of us at Primary school and is a great chance to show what we have learned. SATs Week for Key Stage 2 Students takes place in May across the country for all primary students from May 13, 2024 - May 16, 2024. For Key Stage 1, the SATs will take place during the test period within May 2024. They are slightly more relaxed than those at KS2; rather than having specific dates, they’ll take place across a two-week period in May.
What are the SATs exams and why take them?
Usually, SATs, also known as Standard Assessment Tests, are exams designed to measure academic progress through primary school.
Student’s results are compared to average expectations for their age group, and they’re awarded a mark which reflects their level of attainment. The SATs are also used to measure the school's overall performance, rather than just the individual child's.
SATs might not be the most fun part of school, but they’re a really important part of education. These tests allow class teachers to better understand the abilities and needs of each student and support them more fully in the future.
We wish you all the best of luck in your tests and know you will all shine in your own individual ways, be brave and confident and remember ,SATS is just a way to better plan your future learning and because of this there is no ideal score or pass mark, so don’t worry and just do your best!