This week, we celebrated St. George’s Day at our school. The children took part in a special assembly where they listened to a retelling of the story of St. George. We really enjoyed learning about the legend and its meaning.
RE-St.George’s Day
Category : Class 4
Our Power, Our Planet – Earth Day Community Meeting
This week, we came together for a special Key Stage 1 community meeting to celebrate Earth Day. This year’s theme, Our Power, Our Planet, helped us to think about how even the smallest actions can make a big difference to the world around us.
During our time together, we explored what is happening to our planet and talked about pollution—what it is, where it comes from, and how it can harm our environment. The children shared thoughtful ideas about what they already know and noticed how everyday choices can impact the Earth.
We also introduced the idea of renewable energy, helping children to understand that there are cleaner, more sustainable ways to power our world, such as using the sun and wind.
A big focus of our discussion was on what we can do to help. We talked about:
- Using less plastic
- Reducing, reusing and recycling
- Taking care of our environment in simple, everyday ways
Making a Pledge
To finish our community meeting, each child made a personal Earth Day pledge. This was a really special moment, as the children reflected on how they could take action.
Each child placed a counter into the pledge they wanted to focus on:
- Turning off taps and not wasting water
- Making sure rubbish and recycling go in the correct bins
- Walking, scooting or cycling more often
This simple act helped the children to feel empowered—showing them that they can make a difference.
Our Key Message
We reminded the children that looking after our planet doesn’t have to mean making huge changes. Instead, it’s about lots of small, positive actions that, together, have a powerful impact.
By working together, we can all play our part in caring for our world—because it truly is our power, and our planet.
Thank you for your continued support in helping us grow responsible, thoughtful global citizens.
Finding Our Happy – Supporting Emotional Wellbeing in KS1
This week in Key Stage 1, we came together for a short community meeting built around the beautiful book Find Your Happy. Through this story, we explored something really important: understanding our feelings and knowing what to do when they feel big.
At school, the children are very familiar with the Zones of Regulation, which help us to recognise and name how we are feeling:
- Blue Zone – sad, tired, or unwell
- Green Zone – calm, happy, ready to learn
- Yellow Zone – excited, worried, or a bit wobbly
- Red Zone – angry, overwhelmed, or out of control
During the community meeting, we talked about how we all move through these zones every day—and that’s completely normal. The key message we shared is that all feelings are okay, but we can learn ways to help ourselves feel safe, calm, and ready again.
Using Find Your Happy, we explored how the character experiences different emotions and discovers simple strategies to feel better. We then practised some of these together:
- Breathing techniques – “smell the flower, blow out the candle”
- Relaxing our bodies – tightening and releasing muscles
- Thinking of something that makes us smile
These small strategies can make a big difference, especially when children are feeling in the yellow or red zones.
How you can support at home
You might like to continue these conversations at home by:
- Asking your child which “zone” they are in
- Talking about what helps them feel calm or happy
- Practising simple breathing together
- Reminding them that it’s okay to feel all emotions
By using a shared language between school and home, we can help children to better understand themselves and build the skills they need to manage their feelings with confidence.
Our key message
We reminded the children that being in the green zone all the time isn’t the goal—because that’s not realistic for any of us! Instead, it’s about learning how to recognise our feelings and find our way back to feeling safe and ready.
We are so proud of how thoughtfully the children engaged with this important message. Ask them about how they “find their happy”—you might even learn a new strategy yourself!
Thank you for your continued support.
RE- Holi Festival
This week our school assembly was all about the wonderful festival of Holi. We learned that Holi is a colourful spring festival celebrated by many people around the world.
During the assembly, we listened to the story of Holika and Prahlad, which teaches an important lesson about good winning over evil.
One of the most exciting parts of our assembly was when we got to throw colourful powder to wish good luck and happiness to everyone. It was so much fun seeing all the bright colours everywhere! We also decorated a tree using bright spring colours. It looked beautiful and reminded us that Holi is also about welcoming spring, new beginnings, and spreading joy.
Building Belonging Through Story: A Powerful Community Meeting
There are moments in school life that remind us why community matters so much.
This week, our Community Meeting was one of those moments.
We gathered together to share the beautiful and thought-provoking picture book The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. It’s a gentle but powerful story about Brian, a quiet boy who often feels unseen by his classmates. Through simple illustrations and subtle storytelling, we watch how small acts of kindness begin to bring colour into his world — quite literally.
Why This Story?
In our setting, we place huge value on belonging. Before children can truly thrive academically, they must feel safe, valued and visible. The Invisible Boy gave us a shared language to explore:
- What does it feel like to be left out?
- How do small actions make a big difference?
- What does kindness look like in practice?
- How can we notice those who might feel “invisible”?
The story created a calm, reflective atmosphere. You could have heard a pin drop.
Respectful Conversations in Action
What made the meeting so powerful wasn’t just the story — it was the discussion that followed.
Children spoke with honesty and empathy. They listened carefully to one another. They disagreed thoughtfully. They built on each other’s ideas.
At one point, as we reflected on how Brian was treated, a child confidently said:
“Well that wouldn’t happen at our school.”
Another child added simply:
“They aren’t being kind.”
Sometimes the clearest insights are the most powerful. The children recognised unkindness immediately. They were able to name it. They understood it.
Some children reflected on times they had felt invisible. Others spoke about moments when someone had made them feel included. Many identified simple actions they could take — inviting someone to join a game, noticing who is alone at lunchtime, using kind words.
From Words to Action
Stories give us a mirror and a window — a mirror to see ourselves, and a window to understand others. This Community Meeting reminded us that creating a culture of belonging is not about grand gestures. It is about noticing. Inviting. Including.
If we want every child to feel seen, it starts with each of us.
A smile.
A kind word.
An invitation.
Sometimes the smallest actions bring the brightest colour.
RE- Chinese New Year Festival
We have had a wonderful time learning all about Chinese New Year. We have been exploring the traditions and celebrations linked to this special festival and discovering how it is celebrated around the world. The children enjoyed reading a story to learn about the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. As part of our creative activities, we made fantastic dragon masks and colourful lanterns. In PE, we took part in our very own dragon dance.
Our Beautiful Work
This week we became explorers, artists, and writers! We studied famous landmarks such as Doncaster Minster and the Frenchgate Shopping Centre. We researched key facts and learned about their history, purpose, and importance to the local community. The children used this information to write some interesting facts, showing pride in their knowledge of Doncaster. We also became artists and carefully sketched landmarks using observation skills. After sketching, we used watercolours to bring our drawings to life.
Children’s Mental Health Week: This Is My Place
This week, we came together for a special community meeting to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, an annual awareness week launched by the children’s mental health charity Place2Be. Celebrated every February since 2015, the week exists to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people across the UK.
Children’s Mental Health Week 2026 takes place from 9–15 February, and this year’s theme is “This Is My Place.”
The theme highlights how important a sense of belonging is for our mental health and wellbeing. Feeling that we have a place — in our friendships, in school, and in our wider community — is a basic human need. When we talked about where our place is, many of us shared that it was our home, our school and our classrooms, and it was lovely to recognise that we have so many different places where we feel safe, valued and able to belong.
When children feel that they belong, it supports their emotional wellbeing, helps them to feel confident and valued, and empowers them to contribute positively to the world around them. To know our place and really feel part of our environment can have powerful and long-lasting impacts on our mental and physical health, education and relationships.
This year, Children’s Mental Health Week encourages peers, families, schools and communities to work together to create inclusive and nurturing environments, where every child can truly say, “This is my place.”
During our community meeting, we shared a story about a small yellow bird named Sunny, who was learning to sing. Sunny flew to the playground but felt too shy to join in when other birds were busy playing and laughing. Feeling small and unsure, Sunny sat quietly on a branch. A kind squirrel named Mira noticed Sunny sitting alone, came to sit alongside them, and gently listened to one small chirp. Mira invited Sunny to join others — a robin and a rabbit — and helped Sunny learn just one new note. The next day, Sunny sang a little louder, simply because someone had said hello.
The story gave us a powerful reminder of how small acts of kindness and inclusion can make a big difference.
We then spent time working in pairs, introducing ourselves to someone new and sharing our interests, as well as something we liked about each other. These moments of connection helped reinforce the message that everyone belongs and that our differences are something to celebrate.
To end our meeting, we sang “This Is Me” together — a beautiful and uplifting moment that perfectly captured the spirit of the week.
As a community, we also made a simple pledge. This week, everyone will try at least one of the following:
- Say hello to someone you don’t usually talk to
- Share a toy, crayon, or turn in a game
- Invite someone to join your group
We are proud of the way our children listened, reflected and supported one another. By making small, thoughtful choices each day, we can all help to create a place where everyone feels welcome, valued and able to say, “This is my place.” 💛
Navigating Our Way to a Secret Message!
What a refreshing start to the day in Year 1 for Crew Nightingale! Despite the chilly air, our crew wrapped up warm and headed outdoors for an exciting morning of navigation and direction-following.
The challenge was all about listening carefully, counting steps, and following directions to collect sounds along the way. Every step mattered and careful counting was essential to make sure no sound was missed! As we moved confidently through the activity, teamwork and focus were on full display.
Once all the sounds were gathered, the real magic happened. The letters came together to reveal a secret message that made everyone smile: “We Are Crew!”
A brilliant morning of learning, movement, and collaboration – well done, Crew Nightingale and thank you to Mrs Jackson for making outdoor crew so much fun! 🌟
Beautiful artwork
Today, as part of our Diverse Doncaster: Where do I belong? expedition, we explored another important local landmark- Cusworth Hall. The children researched key facts about the building, recording their learning through a silent conversation. The children then created the first draft drawing of Cusworth Hall, carefully observing its features. We finished the session by watching the inspirational Austin’s butterfly video. This helped us to critique and reflect on our next steps.
