Gallery

On Monday, children from the athletics after school club represented Mapplewells at the district school games cross country. The children were absolutely superstars and represented us amazingly - they also finished in fantastic places, with Daisy coming 2^nd in the girls race and bagging her spot in the finals in February! 

Year 3 & 4 Roman adventure stories

In English, the Year 3 and 4 children have been working hard writing their Roman adventure stories. They started off the sequence of learning by acting out being a Roman soldier. The children planned, drafted and edited their Roman adventure story before publishing it. Their work is now displayed in Sutton-in-Ashfield library!

Year 5 children celebrated publishing their diary entries by reading their finished pieces to KS1 children. The diary entry was written from a perspective of a WW1 soldier on a battleship sailing in an Arctic convoy. It was great to see how proud and confident Year 5 children were when showcasing their work and to see the involvement and interest of our KS1 children.

Harvest Festival

Yesterday our harvest festival assemblies were led by Rev .Taylor and Mrs Taylor from St. Johns Methodist church. The children sang a traditional Harvest song and leaned about where our food comes from and considered what it would be like to have no food. We would like to give a massive thank you to all our generous families for their kind donations and to Mr Pilmore, a representative from local company Mitchells, who donated a huge amount of tinned & packet foods to our Harvest Festival collection supporting those in need.

Graduation - Wow! We had a fantastic graduation on Monday. The children all looked fantastic and we are so immensely proud of each and everyone of them. Thank you again for all of your support throughout the year. We wish all of the children good luck as they head into year 1.

Havenswood - F2 had a fantastic trip to Havenswood on Tuesday. The children loved joining in the activities, making clay faces, wooden frames and especially going on the zipline. Thank you for all of the adults who supported with our trip.

KS1 Authentic outcome

This term, KS1 learnt new skills and new knowledge to help them answer the question: "how can art leave a lasting impression?" Yesterday, the children showcased everything they had learnt this term to their fellow Mapplewellians - the children showed their beautiful double page spreads and their bird baths which they sculpted using clay. They were inspired by nature when creating their sculpture and decided to leave a lasting impression on their local community by donating them to a local care home to improve the habitat of the local birds. The care home residents and care home helpers were so excited to meet some children from KS1! They were blown away by the children's artwork and to thank the children for their hard work, they shared some cakes and juice, and they played some games with the children. We are so proud of KS1 and the legacy they have left behind in their local area, there were smiles all around!

School Garden 

This year some year four children decide they wanted to try and grow some fruits and vegetables. They have done a lots of preparation, from preparing the soil to picking what they would like to grow. The children are really excited about digging up the vegetables they have grown. The children are growing potatoes, carrots, cabbages, leeks, beetroot, spring onion, pumpkins tomatoes, peas and beans. They are also growing strawberries and raspberries.

Local artist Paul Lille visits F1

F1 showcased their end of enquiry masterpiece with the local artist Paul Lille. Each child helped to create the finished piece by painting lots of different sections of paper to produce a final picture. The children were able to tell him about the colour mixing techniques they had learnt and how we created our collaborative piece of art.

"Can nature inspire art?"

This week, the F2 children showcased their curriculum learning through answering the question "can nature inspire art?" The children have learnt about different artists and artistic skills before creating their own drawings and paintings based on flowers. We showcased our artwork in an art gallery for parents to come and see, and even had a visit from local artist, Paul Lillie! The children were very proud of their work and confidently told our visitors what they had learnt. 

Year 3 & 4 

Year 3 and 4 hosted an Ancient Greek art exhibition for F2, KS1 and UKS2 this week.

They talked to their visitors about their pottery and the design process they went through to make it.

They also enjoyed showing their double page spreads and sharing lots of interesting facts about Ancient Greece lives, gods and goddesses and Olympics.

All of our visitor loved seeing the artwork, pottery and especially the amazing creative homework.

Rotary Club Donation

A representative from the Rotary Club presented a check for £250 and £100 to restock our supply of children's books in KS2 and purchase lots of lovely new books for our reading area. Receiving the cheques are our Head Boy and Head Girl. The £250 is being matched by Friends of Mapplewells so we will have the amazing total sum of £600 ! We are extremely grateful to the Rotary Club for their generous support, and we know that our children will really benefit from having some lovely new books from a wide variety of authors. We look forward to welcoming the Rotary Club back to Mapplewells when the books arrive

F1 & F2 Police Visit 

F1 and F2 absolutely loved our visit from the police this week! We talked about how the police keep us safe and how to know when we need to talk to them about an emergency. We tried on police clothes and we had a go in the police car too!

Year 3 & 4 Police Visit

Year 3/4 took part in the Police workshop, asking and answering lots of questions. They got chance to sit in a police car and some tried on the police uniforms too! They learnt how the police help us to stay safe in our local community.

Artist of the Month

Well done to Callum in year 3 who has won the artist of the month competition. I was super impressed with his art that he made inspired by the works of Yayoi Kusama. And well done to all of the children who sent their art in, they were all fantastic!

Year 3 & 4 Fieldwork week

Year 3 and 4 have been using their geographical skills at Forest School, investigating their surroundings to answer the question; What wildlife lives nearby? All children planned their investigation, collected data and presented their data in a bar chart. They then analysed the data, comparing the invertebrates and vertebrates they found with their peers. 

F1 in Nature 

F1 have been learning about looking after living things - we made bird feeders to hang on trees around school...they were so enthusiastic they made enough to each take one home too!

Year 5 & 6 Fieldwork Activity 

This week, Y5 and Y6 children took part in fieldwork fortnight activities in our forest school where they measured the temperatures of various objects and scientific bodies with infrared thermometer. During this investigation the children were able to discover that various objects will have different temperatures depending on their exposure to the sun or location in the environment. 

F2 Fieldwork Week 

This week has been fieldwork week. F2 went on a sensory walk to see what they could hear, feel, smell and see. We had a great time. We saw trees, ladybirds, birds, plants and much more. We smelt lavender and sweet flowers. We heard birds tweeting and singing. We felt rough trees, spikey plants and soft leaves. We recorded this on paper in a list form

Year 5 Performance 

This week Y5 children took to the stage at school. They performed in front of the whole school and later to their families and did so splendidly. Our play was called "Jill and Fred's Historical Hysterical Adventure" and it definitely brought on many laughs from the audience! The children loved learning their songs and lines which definitely showed during the performances:) Well done Y5

The Bad Seed 

This week F2 have been reading 'The Bad Seed'. To engage them in their writing, they came to school dressed as the bad seed and they followed some of the bad rules he followed too! Take a look at their very grumpy faces!

F2 trip to see Ruby's Worry

We had a fantastic time at Sutton Library yesterday watching the performance of ‘Ruby’s Worry’. Based on the book Ruby’s Worry, written by Tom Percival the story was told through live music, song, puppetry and physical theatre. The children behaved exceptionally well and were true Mapplewellians throughout. A huge thank you to all of our parent helpers, without you the trip couldn’t have gone ahead!

Sunflowers in F1 

We planted sunflowers in F1 and have been patiently waiting for them to grow! Our gardening links to our work on lifecycles and how we can find beauty and art in nature.

Year 5/6 Dioramas

"As a celebration of their Spring enquiry, Y5 and Y6 children showcased their learning to all the pupils of Mapplewells schools. The children had an opportunity to share what they have learnt throughout the term with the help of their double page spreads and dioramas, which displayed the impact pollution has on aquatic biomes."

Year 5/6 Showcase

This week, Year 5 and 6 children had a fantastic opportunity to showcase their learning to Ms Wilkinson, secondary school teacher from ATTFE. The children shared what they learnt about in each lesson from their enquiry and proudly described their double page spreads which consolidated their learning. Lastly, the children presented their dioramas that visualised their understanding of the impact human need has on aquatic biomes. Well done, UKS2. What an amazing job

EYFS Event

It was great to see so many children and families attend our EYFS open evening on Tuesday. Both F1 and F2 have had makeovers during the Spring term and the environments look amazing. The children have been extremely excited to use the provision in place for them and were even more eager on Tuesday to show their parents and carers. The changes and makeover in EYFS would not have been possible without the generous donations of our Mapplewellian family, who have gone above and beyond donating pallets and cable reels. Also, the Friends of Mapplewells have bought a range of furniture that have further added to the environment. Finally, non of this would have been possible without the hard work of the staff to bring all of this together. Thank you to everyone. However, we haven't finished and during the opening, thanks to generous donations and a raffle, we

RED NOSE DAY

It has been wonderful to see the children do something funny to raise money today! We've heard lots of jokes and seen some creative crazy outfits and hair too! It's not too late to make a donation via our Just Giving page -https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rnd24-mapplewells-primary-and-nursery-school At the time of writing we have raised £261! Thank you to everyone who has donated

Science Week

This week has been British Science Week. The theme this year is ‘time’ and to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of British Science week at Mapplewells, all year group have taken part in a practical investigation based on the theme.

In Year 4, the children were investigating the time it takes for chocolate to turn into a liquid. The children were observing if chocolate is a reversible change. They discovered that chocolate can be turned back into its original state.  

F2 Valentines Disco

F2 had lots of fun at their valentines disco. We did some excellent dancing, played games and of course had cookies and juice!

Celebrating being top of the class in Reading , Writing and Maths!

Cross Country 

The cross country season has begun with Mapplewells cross country team entering their first event at the Ashfield District Qualifiers last week. We're absolutely delighted to share that the team enjoyed a truly brilliant set of results. 

In a tough contest involving 13 schools from across the district, our amazing team bagged two medals, for a first place finish from Arlo and a third place finish for Maddie, and an excellent 5 top ten finishes that each qualify for the District finals next month.

A huge well done and congratulations to the whole team for such a fantastic set of results, and here's wishing the you all good luck in the District finals in February. 

Trip to Sutton 

This term our enquiry question is 'What makes Britain great?'. To kickstart our enquiry, we walked to Sutton to see what important places we could find. We saw St.John's Church, the Sundial, The Old Town Hall and we ended our route with a visit to the Library. It was lovely to see Kerry there again and have a story together. 

EYFS Afternoon Tea 

Last week F2 received a letter from the King as he had heard we were learning about our country and were going to be learning more about London. He told us that the Queen used to love having afternoon tea and he thought it would be a good idea for us to have our very own afternoon tea in the hall. We wrote a letter to Mr Whittle to see if we were allowed and luckily Mr Whittle said YES! Hooray! Therefore, on Monday we all had afternoon tea in the hall, we had sandwiches, crisps and scones, it was delicious! This week we have been busy writing a letter to King Charles to tell him all about it.

Tins Not Tinsel Christmas 2023

Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all your kind donations. Miss Marshall arranged for a representative from The St. Mary’s Food Bank to collect all the donations on Wednesday. They were so grateful for your kind gifts. Also a big thank you to the Alfreton Road COOP for lending us their trolley. Merry Christmas from the School Council!

KS2 Autumn enquiry

As part of our authentic outcome from our Autumn enquiry, the children presented their book of double page spreads to the wonderful staff at the ATTFE hub in Idlewells. The book showcases the children's knowledge of WW1 and also answers the enquiry question, 'Is Conflict Necessary?' The book was presented to Linda and Laura from ATTFE by our Head Boy and Girl, Joshua and Jessica, and the book will be displayed in the hub window so if you're passing by, please take a moment to read the fantastic work the children have produced.

The F2/KS1 Christingle assembly

Foundation Post Box visit

F2 loved their visit to the post box this week. The children have been busy putting together some special post for the Jolly post man to deliver! Keep your eyes peeled grown ups!

Lee Anderson visit 

F1 and F2 had a visit from Lee Anderson where we shared everything we have learned during our Autumn enquiry 'Who is significant?' We showed pictures we have drawn of significant people and showed him a video where we talked about people we think are significant like Robin Hood, Florence Nightingale and Guy Fawkes. We were very excited to share everything we've learnt. 

F1 & F2 Nativities

This week F2 have performed their nativity to their family and friends. The children were so brave saying their lines and singing the songs we have been learning over the past few weeks. The adults in school are extremely proud of the children for their effort! Well done F2!

Flying High Trust Awards

It was a wonderful night at the Flying High Trust Awards on Thursday at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. Along with all the other children and staff from all the school within the school, we had the opportunity the celebrate the achievements of the children and staff of Mapplewells. It was a fantastic event which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who attended and it was brilliant to see so the children of MapplEwells up on stage singing and receiving their awards supported by their friends and families in the crowd.

The full list of award winners from Mapplewells are:

• Pupil All Values Award - Jocelyn

• Pupil Sport Winner - Daisy

• Aspiration Award - Tahlia & Mrs Bousfield

• Confidence Award - Sophie & Miss Beeson

• Creativity Award - Seren & Miss Christie

• Enjoyment Award - Loki & Miss Barnes

• Perseverance Award - Brody & Mr Latkowski

• Pride Award - Taryn & Miss Simpson

• Responsibility Award - Megan & Mrs Foster

Congratulations to all of our winners and all of the children who took part in the event on the night. A huge thank you to Miss McGualley, Miss Beeson and Miss Houston, for helping to organise the event and taking the children for the whole day to practise their amazing performance

Year 5/6 Viking brooches

Last week children in Years 5 and 6 completed their final designs of Viking brooches. They made them out of salt dough using sculpting techniques they learnt during lessons. They included Celtic knots and animal patterns in their brooches. Lastly, they painted them and evaluated their project. Children's work is now displayed in Mansfield Museum over the summer holidays. Make sure you go and see it.

F2 Trip to Havenswood

We had so much fun at Havenswood on our school trip Tuesday. We made our own wooden owls, climbed as high as we could, raced down the zip wire and most excitingly, we roasted marshmallows and had hot chocolate! The children were all incredibly well behaved and a credit to our school!

Enviroment Club

We have been very busy at environment club, collecting litter from around school. Today we visited the forest school area and collected bits and pieces of rubbish. The children have been doing this during lunchbreak on Fridays, showing amazing dedication and hard work. They have been a super team so far! We will be making posters another week to promote a tidy environment and to remind others to not drop litter. 

National Fieldwork Fortnight

Children of Mapplewells took part in fieldwork activities this week, which is an essential part of a geographical education. This year the theme for the National Fieldwork Fortnight is 'Environment' and the children got an opportunity to take their learning outside and carried out a number of investigations. 

EYFS children discovered various habitats in our school environment and compared them to the animals who live in the oceans. Children in KS1 investigated different types of insects and their habitats. LKS2 children went on a hunt and compared various colours in the school environment with colour swatches and UKS2 children investigated the speed of the wind on the day with the help of bubbles!

Children had an amazing time and loved taking part in the investigations. 

EYFS & KS1 Sports Day

A wonderful morning took place on Monday as both EYFS and KS 1 took part in their annual sports day. The children all tried their hardest in a variety of events and gave 100% effort. It was brilliant to see the children enjoying themselves and showing excellent sportsmanship throughout. We finished the morning with a parent's water race which the children found very funny to watch. Well done to everyone who took part, you all showed true Mapplewellian spirit throughout. Our thanks to Mr Murray, the staff and Year 6 helpers for organising and ensuring everything ran smoothly throughout the morning. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side for the KS2 sports day. This has been rescheduled for the afternoon of Monday 10th July, weather permitting.

Year 5 Residential 

This week, Y5 children went on a residential trip to York. During their stay they visited York Mister, Jorvik Centre and Clifford's Tower on the first day. They also went on an hour-long cruise along the river Ouse! The children stayed in York hostel and loved being responsible for their rooms. They even got rewarded for the tidies room! On the second day the children visited National Railway museum where they got to see the famous steam locomotive - Mallard and The York Castle Museum which wowed them with the fantastic replica of a Victorian cobbled street. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and proudly represented our school in York!

Art fit for a King

The children at Mapplewells created artwork the recognise the coronation of the new king. The artwork has now been displayed in Idllewells shopping centre in Sutton. Why not go and visit and see if you can find your artwork.

F1 Brackenhurst Trip 

F1 had a wonderful time on their trip to Brackenhurst last week. The children took part in telling some traditional tales. They then explored the gardens and mad their own plant pots. They finished the day by creating some art using nature. The children had the best time and were ready for a sleep on the way home! 

Jill and Fred's Most Hysterical Historical Adventure

On Thursday Y5 children showed off their acting skills in a school performance titled 'Jill and Fred's Most Hysterical Historical Adventure". The play took us back in time to significant historical periods like the time of the Vikings and reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The children did an amazing job and looked absolutely brilliant in their costumes. Thank you to all the parents and carers for coming and watching them perform."

F2 Let it Grow

This week in F2 we planted our very own 'beanstalks'. We then wrote instructions so that other people could plant their own. We used command words because they tell you what you need to do! We have been very excited this week watching our plants grow.

Year 3/4 Egyptian Pharaoh masks

Year 3/4 have created Egyptian Pharaoh masks as part of their Curriculum Enquiry. They have been busy planning the detail they will be using, replicating repeated Egyptian patterns before creating the mask, using Paper-Mache and finally painting and adding finer detail to their masks.

Year 3/4 Young Writers competition 

In the spring term, some Year 3 and 4 children entered a competition for Young Writers. They had to use their imagination and write where their magic door would take them. This week the children were able to read their published stories in 'The Magic Door'. A big well done to all the children who took part 🙂

F2 Command words

This week in F2 we have been learning about command words and how to write instructions in preparation for writing instructions when we plant beanstalks next week. Today, the children gave instructions to the adults in order to make milkshakes. Apparently they were very yummy

Year 6 Residential

Year 6 had a blast on their residential to Liverpool. Firstly, the children stopped off at Ninja Warrior Adventure Park to burn some energy off after the bus ride. Later on, this followed by some sightseeing around the city and a games night. The following day consisted of exploring the city through some museums and a ferry cruise down the river. Thankfully, the weather was lovely. Finally, the day ended with a trip to Odean Cinema and plenty of sweets! On the final day, the children visited the maritime museum before heading back to school. 

Year 5 Anglo-Saxon Wow Day

On Tuesday, Year 5 children took part in an Anglo-Saxon Wow Day where they dressed up as an Anglo-Saxon character.    They also got a chance to take part in poem recital where they created their own ballads and performed them in front of their peers. 

Year 4 Science topic

On Monday afternoon, Year 4 had a lesson all about bubbles linking to their science topic this summer term: states of matter. The children learnt about how liquids turn into gases and how this change can be reversed. The children then got to go onto the field and have some fun blowing bubbles to observe how bubbles are made. They saw that when they blew air (a gas) into the liquid on the wand, the liquid trapped the air inside it and this created a bubble. So, the outside is a liquid, and the inside is filled with gas.

Year 5 & 6 First Aid workshop

Year 5 and 6 children took part in a Frist Aid workshop today provided by British Red Cross. During the workshop pupils learnt essential first aid skills. They got to build the confidence and willingness to help someone in an emergency, using everyday objects that they have around them. They also learnt where to get support if they have an injury or illness. At the end, each child created a poster that described the 5 steps to CPR.

Year 6 Girls cricket tournament 

Wednesday 24^th May, our wonderful Year 6 girls' cricket team competed in a Dynamo cricket tournament at Kirkby Portland Cricket Club. The tournament, that was run by Notts County Cricket Club, was a great experience and the children absolutely loved it. The girls showed excellent sportsmanship and encouraged each other throughout. The behavior was exceptional. 

Preparation for our Trust Awards Evening

We attended a meeting at Leamington Primary School where the Head Girl, Beatrice Smith, and the Head Boy, Harry Kirkwood, filmed a video for the upcoming Trust Awards Evening on 13th July. They worked with Bilsthorpe School and were absolutely amazing! We are so proud of all our school council members

Year 5 & 6 Local Artist visit 

Year 5 and 6 had a visit from Paul Lille the local artist who came in to do some Viking style art. Paul created an amazing Viking canvas and the children were able to see the painting process in various stages. The children then created some amazing Viking shields decorated with Viking patterns and animals. They used sketching skills and watercolours, we had a lovely afternoon .

Year 3 trip to Walesby 

The children have had an amazing 2 days spent at Walesby where they took part in lots of adventurous activities, testing their coordination and team work skills. We were so proud of how the children showed great determination each and supported each other! 

The staff at Walesby commented how well behaved the children were and how impressed they were at their tidying up skills! 

Lots of fun memories were made! 

F2 Art

On Tuesday we had a visit from Kerry from the Library. She shared a story with us which we were able to join in with and then we played a game to help develop our fine motor skills.

On Wednesday, we were very lucky to have an artist visit us in school to kick start our enquiry 'Is a picture worth a thousand words?' He shared some key skills with us to help us with our creations and began painting a picture of King Charles. We can't wait to see the finished masterpiece! We all came dressed as a colour too!

Year 3/4 Art 

This week, Year 3 and 4 celebrated the start of their Summer Term Enquiry with an afternoon exploring famous artist and artwork from three different countries. Each class dressed in cultural or significant clothing to their chosen country. They compared and contrasted Japanese Anime, Australian Aboriginal artwork and Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics. They identified and discussed how each country's culture can be depicted through artwork.

Colours

This week in F2, we have been learning about the primary and secondary colours. We worked together to make our own colour wheel.

KS1 - Religious Education

In RE, Key Stage 1 have been learning about Judaism, stories from the Torah and why they are important today. The children heard the story of Abraham and Sarah, which teaches that trust in God will be rewarded. The children wrote their own recount of the story, focusing on their handwriting and punctuation, particularly the cursive formation using ascenders and descenders in their writing.

Squeaky Clean, Spring Clean!

Simon Martin, from the local foodbank, collected all the donations. He couldn't thank us enough and said our efforts were amazing! We would like to say a huge thank you for all the generosity shown by our amazing parents and carers.

Library Trip 

Yesterday F2 walked to Sutton Library. On the way we were looking for some of the familiar places we have been learning about; Tesco, Lammas, Asda and the Sundial. At the Library, we listened to a story and went on a character hunt. We left our brochures there about Sutton-in-Ashfield for the public to look at.

Anglo-Saxon art and Maya project display

This term, Y5 children have produced some superb writing about the Mayans. They have created a  Kenning poem describing this intriguing civilization and a balanced argument where they debated whether Mayans were marvellous or murderous. The best pieces of work have been displayed in Mansfield Museum and the children are proud as punch! Please go and visit the museum during Easter break to see the writing display.

Papplewick Pumping Station 

On Friday 17^th March, Year 6 explored connections through delving into how technology has advanced between different historical periods of time. Visitors from Papplewick Pumping Station provided a full-day workshop which was filled with scientific connections through periods of time. This exploration was around the engineering of pumping clean water throughout communities and the science behind how this developed through time. Children completed various activities throughout the day which included: labelling, describing and acting out the pumping system; investigating how to make their own working pump; and recognising how the developments have impacted people's daily lives. However, children also linked this science learning with aspects of Learning for Life as we recognised that, even in 2023, not all children / families have access to clean water. 

Science workshop

On Wednesday, the Y5 children took part in an educational assembly hosted by an educational officer from Severn Trent Water. The children took part in a workshop filled with interactive activities and learnt about the importance of staying hydrated throughout the day. They also showcased their understanding of the importance of using less plastic to help our environment. 

Year 3/4 Design & Technology project

Year 3/4 have been designing and making a Water Cycle diorama as part of their D&T project.

Each final product moves to represent the different stages of the water cycle. The children have been able to apply their learning from our Curriculum Enquiry to create some fantastic moving products.

Red Nose Day

It was brilliant to see all the effort that the children (& staff) went to today dressing in red, wearing crazy hair or anything dance related – for some it was all 3 of these! Dance Mania went down a storm with the Cha Cha Slide being played spontaneously from breakfast club through to this afternoon! We have raised a total of £227 - thank you so much!. There's still time to donate via Scopay if you wish to make a contribution to this charity.

Mental Health Team visit

On Wednesday year 6 had a visit from the Mental Health Team who came in to discuss strategies to deal with anxiety that the children may be facing with the upcoming SATs and transition to secondary school. The children came up with a variety of strategies themselves and the team were very impressed how prepared and ready all the children were. They asked children for their own personal 'calming-down' strategies and the images show all the ones the children came up with - a very inspiring list

TREE PLANTING

The tree planting is part of the Greenwood Community Forest who were given permission to plant 13 fruit trees. The School Council were told about the types of trees and their expected age span.

A big thank you to Mr. Latkowski and Miss Christie for accompanying the children to this exciting and memorable event. 

What makes Mapplewells special? 

Look at some of the amazing experiences our pupils have experienced on their journey as MAPPLEWELLIANS

World Book Day

The children have really enjoyed celebrating World Book Day and we have seen some fantastic outfits and some very snuggly pyjamas. Thank you to the children who bought in books to swap and they are very excited to take their new books home. The children have also completed bingo gamed across school, where they have had to find books and characters around school. Another activity they have enjoyed is guessing stories from items in story sacks hidden around school. Thank you to school council for supporting setting all of this up because the children have absolutely loved it. 

F1 Artist Visit

F1 have been learning about where we live, we have been very lucky to have a visit from a local artist. Paul Lillie came into school and talked to us all about his job as an artist and to show us how he creates his artwork. The children were able to ask lots of questions to learn about Paul's job and his artwork. F1 are going to be going to forest school to paint a picture of the trees there, Paul will be coming back to school soon to look at our creations.

Diwali in EYFS

This week, our EYFS children had a visitor who taught us about Diwali. We learnt that Diwali is a celebration that lasts for 5 days and is also known as 'the festival of light'. 

We were very excited to try on traditional clothes and watch some traditional dancing that takes place

Year 3/ 4 Roman Visitor

On Thursday, Year 3/4 had a special visit from the Mansfield Museum. The children participated in a Roman Workshop, learning lots about the Roman army, daily life of Romans and Roman clothing. The children asked and answered lots of questions.

The children loved being able to try on the Legionnaire's helmet, hold a Roman shield and investigate Roman potter

How does your garden grow?

This term, our enquiry question in EYFS is 'How does your garden grow?'

To kickstart our learning, the F2 children have had some very special visitors arrive - caterpillars!

We can't wait to look after them and watch them grow!

Happy Easter!

The children of Mapplewells have been invited to wear their Easter Bonnets for our Easter assembly this afternoon! Look how great they are!

National Storytelling Week - Reading for Pleasure

As part of National Storytelling Week, the children at Mapplewells have paired up with another class to share our favourite stories with one another. 

We have had a great week sharing and retelling stories!

Curriculum Enquiries - Authentic Outcomes

• Now we are at end of our Autumn term the children are coming to the end of their curriculum enquiries for the Autumn Term. Each class has ended with an authentic outcome which is a way of them putting their knowledge and progress to use to showcase what they have learnt. It has been wonderful to see the children present so confidently their knowledge and understanding in a variety of different ways.
• F1 - What makes me special? - Produced a class book containing everything that makes them special.
• F2 - What is special about me? - Produced an amazing video explaining what is special about them, other people and a local hero.
• KS1 - Who changed the world for me? - Took part in a history maker day, producing a wonderful display and showcasing their key knowledge in their final pieces of work.
• Yr 3 - How do we find out about the past?- Stone Age day - children dressed up as stone age people and painted some wonderful cave paintings.
• Yr 4/5 - How do we benefit from change? - children presented their key knowledge and learning to the whole school in an assembly which was also attended by an expert from the Mansfield Museum.
• Yr 6 - What are the consequences of conflict? - Children wrote a poem on conflict and performed them along with a range of Christmas carols at a local church to raise money for the British Legion.

In addition, the children have had a range of opportunities throughout the term including Year 6 visiting the Holocaust Centre, Yr 4/5's trip to Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, Yr 3's trip to Brakenhurst College for a Stone Age Experience, KS1 space day with visit from the planetarium and EYFS numerous visit's from people who help us.

As a result of these great experiences and opportunities the children have produced amazing work demonstrating their new knowledge and vocabulary and the school environment looks amazing with all of the enquiry displays throughout. Check out the photos, for a glimpse into the wonderful experiences and learning the children have undertaken.