When teaching, I remind the children that our job as teachers is not to fill them with information as if they were a computer or robot, but rather it is to develop understanding, assist with discovery, and seek different techniques. Most importantly the task of the teacher is to see education through the eyes of the children we are teaching and make the learning accessible to them, however that may be. The world is an increasingly complex place, but we may begin to understand and address some of the issues we face by remembering to see things from as many different angles and perspectives as we can.

Have a terrific weekend.

Miss C Boissiere, Head of Years 1-3

Certificates

Congratulations to the following pupils in Years 1-3 who were awarded certificates this week!

Year 1

French and Phonics

FRENCH AND PHONICS | This week, the Year 1 pupils have been busy in French with Mrs Fynn. They have been making pictures of themselves, and writing their name and age in French. Meanwhile, in Literacy, the Year 1 pupils have been using their initial sounds to write out lots of 'green' phonetic words. They are certainly a bunch of knowledgeable young learners. Très bien and well done, Year 1!

Fabulous Fireworks

FABULOUS FIREWORKS | As part of their Unit of Inquiry, the Year 1 pupils have been learning all about Bonfire Night and Guy Fawkes. They made Catherine Wheels with Mrs McIntee, and then down on the beach worked in teams of four to create Bonfire Night pictures. The children found lots of wood to make bonfires, as well as shells and stones to make fireworks. The three-dimensional, wintry scenes were fabulous. The pupils have also learned about fire safety, and created their own firework prints. What a great week!

Year 2

Budding Beekeepers

BUDDING BEEKEEPERS | The Year 2 pupils were very excited to visit the beehives earlier this week. Bee expert and St Leonards parent Jo Goodburn met the pupils at the hives, and the pupils were able to watch her place mouse guards across the opening of each hive to prevent hungry mice from breaking into the hives and helping themselves to honey over the coming months. Our budding beekeepers can't wait for their next visit!

Intrepid Inquirers

INTREPID INQUIRERS | The children in Year 2 have been demonstrating outstanding inquiry skills as they research aspects of their family histories and present them to the class. This week, the class heard from Mairi, Serena, Sholto, and Teddy.

Mairi spoke about her Nana B's childhood in Northern Ireland. She came from a large family with nine siblings, and lived in a three bedroom house with a thatched roof and no electricity or running water. They did, however, have a battery-powered TV!

Serena shared some wonderful stories about her grandparents on both sides. From her, we learned that cars used to be started using a hand crank, and that her grandparents washed in a tin bath. The children loved hearing about her naughty grandfather who tried to sneak away from his boarding school by climbing down the drainpipe, only to be caught in the act and beaten with a cricket stump!

Next came a presentation entitled 'The Making of Sholto McWilliam'. Sholto can trace his family history back to the Jacobite uprising and the Battle of Culloden. One of his ancestors was killed at Culloden, but his horse survived and made its own way home from the battlefield, travelling over 140 miles to get there! Sholto also talked about the Highland Clearances when the family moved to Australia, and their involvement in the World Wars.

The last pupil to speak this week was Teddy, whose ancestors built a house in Wales that was eventually sold to Roald Dhal's family. The class all enjoyed Teddy's story about his Pop's car which struggled to drive up hills. The family all had to get out and walk, while Pop's father would drive up the hill backwards!

We look forward to sharing more anecdotes over the coming weeks!

Year 3

Being Balanced

BEING BALANCED | This week, Year 3 spent some time reflecting and discussing the Learner Profile attribute of being balanced. This was the Learner Profile attribute of the month in October. The pupils concluded that a balanced life includes learning, rest, play, exercise, food, and hobbies and that the world needs lots of different types of people to be balanced. They then create a tableau to represent all these different aspects of being balanced, and suggested incorporating the seesaw to emphasise the Learner Profile attribute. Excellent reflection, Year 3!

Creative Covers

CREATIVE COVERS | After exploring the fantastic book Izzy Gizmo, the Year 3 pupils investigated the features of the back cover before creating their own versions. The children included all sorts of details including a review, barcode, price, and publisher - the only stipulation was that there had to be a blurb. The finished products left Miss Boissiere wanting to read the book again!

Year 4

CLASSROOM RENOVATIONS | The pupils in Year 4C have been trying out some new learning spaces this week. Their classroom now has various work stations, some have comfy cushions, whilst others have lovely views. The varied work spaces are helping the pupils to learn to the best of their abilities!

Collaborative Writing

COLLABORATIVE WRITING | The Year 4 pupils have also been working on improving their writing this week, and who better to help you with your writing than your classmates? The pupils have held peer writing conferences this week, and helped each other create interesting 'hooks' that will draw their readers in their stories. The pupils have ensured that their peers have included enough detail, and also helped their friends to use the best adjectives and verbs possible. The pupils have loved learning with and from each other!

Brilliant Bonfire

BRILLIANT BONFIRE | The Year 4 classes celebrated Bonfire Night by building their very own bonfire in the playground. The class showed great imagination and teamwork skills. Great work, Year 4!

Year 5

Spook-tacular Costumes

SPOOK-TACULAR COSTUMES | There were some spook-tacular costumes in Year 5 on the Halloween fancy dress day last week!

Knowledgeable November

KNOWLEDGEABLE NOVEMBER | The Year 5 classes have read The Antlered Ship this week. The book linked nicely to their Unit of Inquiry, and also led the children into their month focusing on the Learner Profile attribute of knowledgeable. The children made these connections without being prompted!

In the story, the fox asks many questions. He boards a ship to find foxes who have the answers to his questions. When he reaches his destination aboard the Antlered Ship, he doesn't find anyone who can answer his questions. He realises that he has made friends in his quest to find answers. This helped the Year 5 pupils to learn that in order to become knowledgeable you must asked questions. Below are some of their reflections.

"I can be more knowledgeable by being curious and asking questions." Kamilah

"I can become more knowledgeable by reading, researching, asking questions, having conversations, and reflecting." Marko

"To be knowledgeable, you need to listen to people." Patrick

"I can become more knowledgeable by reading books, because if you read you might learn a new word." Ishbel

Year 6

Trick or Treating

TRICK OR TREATING | Last Friday, the Year 6 pupils were involved in a 'trick or treat' Pumpkin Hunt. They also did some spook-tacular Halloween crafts. It was a fun day!

Reflection Alley

REFLECTION ALLEY | This week, the pupils in Year 6C have been thinking of new ways to reflect on their learning. They created a 'reflection alley' - the children stood in the corridor and as one pupil passed by they whispered what they found most interesting in their learning that day and why. At the end of the corridor, the pupils then gave a summary of the reflections that they had heard.

Addition and Subtraction

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION | This week, after working on some tricky calculations, Year 6P made up some games to practise their addition and subtraction skills. Great work, Year 6!

Other News

From Balanced to Knowledgeable

FROM BALANCED TO KNOWLEDGEABLE | As October drew to a close last week, it was wonderful to see the pupils reflect on the Learner Profile attribute of being balanced. Below are a few examples of the books that the children have had access to this month:

As we step into November, we begin our month focusing on the Learner Profile attribute of being KNOWLEDGEABLE. Pupils who are knowledgeable explore concepts, ideas, and issues that have local and global significance. In doing so, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop new understandings. Below are a few of Ms Brannen's best ideas for parents who would like to help develop pupils who are knowledgeable at home:

• Play age-appropriate trivia games.
• Read to your child at a reading level a bit higher than their own level, from a broad range of texts and topics.
• Explore other language materials from the library or online, and learn some words together. Ask your child to suggest another language!
• Whilst options are a little more restricted at the moment, see if you can virtually visit a museum, zoo, or park.
• Reflect on your child's day. Ask them what they are learning about in school, and engage in conversations about it.
• Encourage your child to become familiar with current events, to read the newspaper, and watch the news when it is appropriate. CBBC Newsround is great for children! Discuss current events with your child.
• After reading a book, spend some time considering how the people in the book were knowledgeable. Also discuss what new knowledge your child has learned from reading the book.

Twilight Runs

TWILIGHT RUNS | The nights are drawing in and the air is getting crisp. It is a beautiful time of the year for the pupils to explore the coastal path, and running with head torches certainly lends an extra element of fun to the session! As the pupils get fitter, they are able to extend the distance covered week on week. Below, the pupils are photograph under the Maiden Rock with the lights of St Andrews twinkling behind the children.

Polar Bear Club

POLAR BEAR CLUB | The weather could not have been more perfect for the inaugural Polar Bear Club 'dook 'on Monday morning. The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and the water was... chilly! Polar Bear Club is intended to encourage the children to try something new, to realise that they are capable of more than they might imagine, and to have fun. One of Mr Barrable's favourite modern-day explorers and environmental campaigners is Lewis Pugh, who is also a well-known cold water swimmer. He has swum both the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, and says that courage is a muscle and that we should use it daily.

Wrapped in towels, the children and their teachers made their way down The Pends to a small crowd of parents and interested onlookers waiting on the East Sands who could not quite believe that the pupils were about to go into the water. With a few cheers, the children waded into the water, huddled closely to their friends, and then 'dooked' down to about chest height. Then with several squeals, shouts, and cheers, they sprinted back up to the beach to warm towels shivering with excitement and looking forward to the dry clothes and hot chocolate waiting for them back at school.

The Polar Bear Club's next outing will be in the new year, and there will certainly be more members! The pupils will all get used to using their courage muscle just a little bit more. To become a fully-fledged member, the pupils must do five 'dooks' over a two-year period.

Many thanks to all the teachers who helped organise and encourage our little polar bears, especially to Mr Barrable who came up with and coordinated the event, Miss Cormack who led from the front and went in the water with her class, and to Mr Maitland who played the bagpipes for us as we left the waters of the chilly North Sea and climbed back up the hill to school. We are all looking forward to the next 'dook'!

Power of Play

POWER OF PLAY | The children have been inventing lots of new games this week, as well as playing old favourites. They have loved spending time in the autumn sunshine!

Colourful Containers

COLOURFUL CONTAINERS | This week, the members of the Gardening Club made their way down to the Harbour to meet with Barbara and Jenny from St Andrews in Bloom. The pupils have taken on the responsibility for planting and maintaining some large containers and a boat, which are on your left as you cross over the bridge en route to the beach. The containers are very overgrown at the moment, but over the coming weeks the pupils plan to tidy them up and get them ready for planting in the Spring. Jenny gave the pupils so advice about the types of plants that would do well in beachy conditions, and once the pupils have done some more research they will choose the plants that they would like to grow. As darkness fell, the children planted up a barrel with primula.

Many thanks to Jenny and Barbara for taking the time to speak with the pupils, and to St Andrews in Bloom who have kindly offered to pay for the plants. Look out for a colourful display over the coming months!