New Reception work added!

In the run-up to Christmas, reception children have been using painting programs on the computer to design nativity scenes.

Click on the picture or here to go to Reception's work page and take a look!

Extended School Clubs

Error on clubs information.

A big thank you goes out to the parent who pointed out that I had made an error with the club information which was sent out for the next half term. Funky Fusion is for years R,1 & 2 only and not up to year 6 as quoted on the form. Also Glee club is for the whole school and not years 1-6.

Moorhens - Fun with the Wii!

As you know we have a new Nintendo Wii. Today the children were keeping fit dancing to the latest dance moves with the game, "Just Dance". In fact It was so popular all the children were up at some point strutting their stuff on the floor. Mr Steggall heard what was going on and decided to join the children in their fun.

Book Your Club Places For Next Term!

The Extended School Clubs page has just had an update to include all of the clubs for the next half-term.

We have also uploaded the new booking forms, so you can get your places reserved as soon as you like! Remember that all club places are on a first-come-first-served basis, and that some of these clubs fill up fast!

Paper Chain Fun + Moorhens Newsletter

This afternoon (7th Dec), we had our usual paper chain race of who could get the longest chain. There were two teams with children from year 5 and 6 heading them. Natalie Fletcher headed one team and Lauren Mayne headed the other. They had to pick a child from each year group to help them with the task. I blew the whistle and off they went. There was alot of shouting and yelling at one another. The younger children helped choose what colour strips to go next, then the next eldest glued the strips and finally the eldest stuck them together whilst the leaders of the groups kept the momentum going within the team. Natalies team won with 187 loops on the chian whilst Laurens team came in second with 92 loops. They all had a fantastic time trying to be one another.

REMINDER

Extended school club details will be online ASAP. Meanwhile have a look at the Moorhens Newsletter in colour. Click here to view it.

[EDIT: Apologies for the link not working previously. It is now fixed!]

A Message From ICT Club

ICT Club at Moor Hall School is brilliant! All of the fun things to make and do are simply cool and you never want to stop! You can make things like: powerpoints, publisher things and you can even do textease turtle. The back-up teacher, Mr Pitaway, knows everything about a computer inside and out! The school would be lost without him!
Finally, I would like to say that if you are in KS2 at our school to join ICT Club next term!

From Chloe Mellor
(a year six pupil)

Christmas Fair Photos!

The Christmas Fair (last Friday, December 3rd) was a huge success and fun was had by all.

Click here to visit our events page and take a look at some of the photos of the evening! You might even spot Father Christmas in one or two of them!

Newsletter Update!

The newest school newsletter is now up on the site, dated 2nd December.

Click here to read it, or visit the news page on the website to see all the newsletters available.

PA Christmas Fair

A MASSIVE thank you to Jennie Hill and all of the members of the PA for organising such a wonderful event!

Kids On The Catwalk - A Huge Success!

On Monday 15th November, Moor Hall children put on a great show with Kids on the Catwalk. Family came to watch their children, brothers and sisters strutting their stuff on the catwalk and performing various routines.

It was a brilliant night - well done to all who took part!

Click here to view our events page for photograph highlights of the night!

New Class Song Words Available on Website

Christmas is fast approaching, and as a result of this the children have been practising their newest class songs.

The choir page has been updated today to include all the most recent song words as downloadable files - perfect for practising at home!

You can access the page here.

Extended School Clubs - We Value Your Feedback!

A new questionnaire about our Extended Schools services has just been uploaded to the website. The form is for parents to fill out and voice their opinions about the clubs on offer.

Please feel free to fill out the form. No-one other than the school will see this information, as the results are emailed directly to our school office.

Thanks for taking the time to support the development of Extended School Clubs!

Latest School Newsletter Added to Site

The latest school newsletter has just been added to the website.

Catch up on the latest news from around the school - click here to view it!

Moor Hall Fundraising - Part 2!

As a group that works towards raising extra funds for school, the PA appreciates that not everyone has time to spare to attend meetings, run events or wants to get involved. However, there is an incredibly simple way in which anyone who shops online can help raise money for the school.

Easyfundraising.org.uk is a shopping directory listing over 2000 of the UK's best known retailers including Argos, Amazon, NEXT, Debenhams, John Lewis, Boots, The Entertainer, Toys R Us, HMV, Comet, Virgin Holidays and even eBay! Just use the links on the easyfundraising site whenever you shop online and, at no extra cost to you, the PA will receive a free donation of up to 15% from every purchase you make! All you have to do is register on the site (which is totally free) as supporting Moor Hall Parents' Association, and not only will you not spend a penny over what you would of anyway, you may even save money as many retailers offer discounts, special offers and e-vouchers exclusively through easyfundraising.

The potential for extra income for the PA for no extra work is huge (the school received a cheque for £154.88 for April - June!) and as Christmas approaches it's a great time of year to start using this directory!

Quick Sign up:
1) Click the easyfundraising logo above (or click here).
2) Enter "Moor Hall Parents Association" into the search. Make sure you pick the correct one, as Moor First School Parents Association may also appear!
3) Fill in your details and click 'register' - that's all there is to it!

You don't have to have a child at Moor Hall to raise money for our Parents Association so please encourage friends, grandparents and work colleagues to register too! (If they wish to change & support another cause at any point they can do so). Also, by using the FREE FUNDS section, you can earn over £100.00 right away without spending a penny - some retailers make FREE donations for participating in trials, switching to their service or even for just registering your email address with them!

How to Shop with Easyfundraising
1) Log into easyfundraising with your email address and password - this is how they know who you are and which cause you are supporting.
2) Next, click any of the links provided on the website to visit your chosen retailer - you can use the retailer search function or browse by category.
3) Finally, shop with the retailer directly and complete your transaction online, once the sale is confirmed your funds will appear on the myaccount section.

They will send a cheque out to the school every quarter - it really is that easy!

HAPPY SHOPPING...... And here's hoping you can help us to raise extra £££'s from the comfort of your own home!!

If you have any queries, please speak to Jennie Hill or Lisa Martin.

Moor Hall Fundraising - With a Few Clicks of Your Mouse!

Want to help Moor Hall raise money for new events, activities and future developments?

By simply using "Moor Hall Easysearch" instead of using your standard search engine, you could be building up funds for Moor Hall Primary School.

How does it work?
Every time you use the search, advertisers pay Easysearch, but 50% of that money is then paid back to Moor Hall Parents Association. The Parents Association can then use that money in a way that benefits the school.

Click on the picture to give it a go. A link has also been placed permanantly on the right-hand-side of the blog, under 'Help Moor Hall Primary!', so it will always be accessible from here. Remember that you can always set Moor Hall easysearch as your homepage or even more conveniently (and less obtrusively) add it to your browser as a search bar in the top right!

Thanks in advance for all your searches!

School News Updates!

The latest school newsletter from just before we broke up (dated 22nd October) has just been added to the website. You can view the newsletter here.

If you're interested in the goings-on within the school, you can also catch up on the latest Parents' Association discussions with the latest PA minutes. Check the PA page for the most recent!

Extended School Clubs Update

Details of next half term's extended school clubs are now live on the website.

A newsletter has been sent out to parents detailing the change, and the Extended School Clubs page has been updated with the new timetable and information. Why not take a look to see if there are any activities of interest!

As before, forms are available on the same webpage which can be printed and filled out at home, and then brought into the school office

The clubs running next half-term (subject to interest) are:

• Funky Fusion
• Music Club
• Art Club
• Spanish
• ICT Club
• Netball Skills
• Multi-Skills
• Moor Hall Glee Club
• Football

Internet Safety Presentations For Parents

Want to know about keeping your children safe on the internet?

Take a look at this flyer, detailing a couple of presentations being put on specifically for parents at Mere Green Community Centre.

If you would like more information, please contact:
Amanda Lansdown, Four Oaks Cluster and Children’s Centre
0121 323 1121, alansdown@arthurterry.bham.sch.uk


You can also visit the Four Oaks Cluster e-Safety Website for useful links and information. This site was designed by staff in the cluster specifically for use by parents and children to have one place to access all the information.

New Class Song Words

New class song words have been added to the choir page for the following years:

• Reception
• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 5

Click on the choir children or here to visit the page.

PA Page Updated

You can now catch up on all the latest goings-on with the Moor Hall Parents' Association!

The PA page has just been updated with all the minutes from every meeting in the last few months. Find out what has happened recently & what is planned for the future by checking in to this page.

Remember, the PA are always looking for additional help so if you can offer your time and service, come into school and let us know!

New School Newsletter

A new school newsletter has been uploaded to the site today!

Click on the newsletter to the left (or here) to read it!

Diary Dates Updated!

Our diary dates page on the website has now  been updated to include all the upcoming dates for this term. It also shows all of the all-important holiday and teacher training day dates!

Take a look!

Catching Up!

A new school year begins, and as everyone settles in, we'll take the opportunity to catch up on the website updates that have happened over the last few weeks.

First up, a school newsletter went out at the very start of term. This is now available on our website for you to download.

Music For Youth Performance

Also, a few loose ends have been tied with some updates from the end of the last academic year. On the events page, you can see a new item has been added about last years Class 2 when they visited a Music For Youth event.  Continuing this theme, on the Year 6 page you'll find some photos and work from their trip to Arthur Terry for Cluster Day back in July (when they were actually Year 5!)

Lastly, and bringing us to right up to date, we have some work from the last couple of weeks from Year 5. The first piece shows a history lesson where children learned about inventions and technology, and the second shows a music lesson where they learned about pitch, pulse, rhythm, crescendo and diminuendo!

Briefly:
Newsletter - 2nd September 2010
Events - Music For Youth
Year 5 - Music and History Lessons
Year 6 - Arthur Terry Visit on Cluster Day

July Events Updated!

Photographs of 3 recent events have now been added to the school website.

Mr Rudd kindly provided us with some pictures of Year 3's visits to Hill West Primary School for Cluster Day, and to the City Centre for exploring the Canals and Conservatoire. Click here to see the photos.

More recently, the school has been visited by a performance group known as Lions of Zululand, who put on an amazing show for the children! Some great photos of the event can also be seen from the same page. Click here to see.

Last Work Update

Here's the last update of work from the children for this term!

Year 3 have been working hard lately planning, designing and building their own miniature gardens. They used shoe boxes and various household 'bits n bobs' to create their gardens, which included a diverse range of furniture. From duck-ponds to scarecrows, these gardens had it all! Visit the Year 3 page at the link below to see how fantastic their model gardens looked!

Year 4 have been continuing their art project based on colour. This week they have been exploring the relationship between colour and emotion. Each group picked an emotion, and then created a piece to reflect it. Visit the Year 4 work page to see the brilliant results!

Year 3 - Miniature Gardens
Year 4 - Emotion in Colour

Key Stage Two Sports Day Cancelled

We are sorry to say that the Sports Day for Key Stage Two is cancelled. The playing field is very wet and slippy. It is unsafe for use. The weather forecast for the rest of the day is also poor.

Year 6 Memories

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, Year 6 are faced with the prospect of continuing their lives (and education of course) in new schools, where they will meet loads of new people and have many new experiences.

Recently they've been looking back on their time here at Moor Hall Primary School, and Charlotte has written a poem about her memories of it. Click on the link below to take a look!

Year 6 - Memories Poem

Woodlands Update

The children have had a great day at Woodlands, with perfect weather.
Miss Jones says they have all enjoyed their chips and are looking forward to tomorrow's activities.

Woodlands Update

The children slept very well after and exciting and fun filled day yesterday.
Everyone is happy and raring to go!

More news when it comes in!

Woodlands Update

Miss Jones has been in touch to say that the children have arrived at Woodlands.
They are enjoying the Zip Wire at this very moment!
There has been a slight hitch with the camera so there will be no photos on the blog until the children return!!!

Further postings will follow!

Mr Winter

Children's Work

During the last week, children at Moor Hall have been busy at work as usual.

We have several website offerings this week - Year 1 have been learning how to express through sound and actions by creating stories using Plasticine Bob. Check out some of the pictures on their work page!

Year 4 have been continuing their 'colour' project. This week they have been exploring black and white, and have produced some of their own art based upon 'Birmingham Blue' by Emma Hardicker. You can see their masterpieces on Year 4's work page!

Year 1 - Plasticine Bob
Year 4 - Emma Hardicker Black & White Artwork

Additionally, a new class song for Year 6 has been added to the choir page. Both the words and the musical track are available to download here.

New Additions to Website

We've got a couple of updates today.

On the choir page, there is a new "picture lyrics" file for you to download that will help with remembering the words to In Paradisum.

Also, on the events page we've uploaded some pictures of the Summer Fair which took place last weekend. A great time was had by all - except maybe the teachers who got wet sponges thrown at them!

Year 4 Art Project Continues...

This week Year 4 have been continuing their 'colour' project. This week they have been learning about rainbows and complementary colours, and producing pieces influenced by the work of Mark Rothko.

Year 4 - Colour Week 2 (Mark Rothko)

Summer Holiday Activities!

2 newsletters have been added to the news page of the website today advertising another couple of summer-school activities, this time in the form of multi-sports. The dates for this run from the 26th to the 30th July for 9 to 12 year olds, and the 2nd to the 6th August for 6 to 8 year olds, and offer the sports football, cricket, frisbee, body kombat and tennis. Like the performing arts summer school mentioned last week, this also takes place at The Arthur Terry School.

Forms for both age groups are available from Moor Hall's school office, or can be downloaded and printed via our website and then handed in to the office. Download the forms via the links below:

Multi-Sports Summer School - Ages 6-8
Multi-Sports Summer School - Ages 9-12

For those that missed the last post, the previous two newsletters are available here:

Performing Arts Summer School - Ages 6-8
Performing Arts Summer School - Ages 9-12

Bumper Load of Children's Work!

This week we've got a big collection of children's work going up on the website. All Keystage 1 years have been taking part in Fun Singing, and you can see pictures of this on the Year-group pages.

With recent events in the news, Year 2 have also been exploring volcanoes and learning how they work. In science they have been experimenting with air as a force by moving their paper fish! Take a look at their work page to see how they got on!

Meanwhile, Year 4 have begun their new art topic for this term, which is colour. Their first pieces of work explore primary colours, and are influenced by the works of Henri Matisse.

Reception - Fun Singing
Year 1 - Fun Singing
Year 2 - Fun Singing, Volcanoes & Forces
Year 4 - Colour - Henri Matisse

Year 4 Keyboards Assembly Pictures

On Thursday 10th June, Year 4 put on a brilliant show as they performed on their keyboards in front of the whole school!

The events page has now been updated on the website to include pictures taken during this fantastic assembly! Click here to take a look!

Newsletters Galore!

3 new newsletters have been added to the website today.

In case you missed it or have misplaced it, the latest school newsletter (given out 28/05/10) is now available to download. It details the recent timetable consultation, INSET days, the upcoming Moorhens Consultation Evening and more!

Alongside this, we have newsletters for a special 5-day summer school which is hosted by The Arthur Terry School and set to explore various aspects of performance art. The event runs from Monday 26th July - Friday 30th July for 6-8 year olds, and Monday 2nd August - Friday 6th August for 9-12 year olds.

See the newsletter for further information - the booking form is also attached so you can print it out and return it to school. Alternatively, copies of the form can be collected from the Moor Hall School office. If you're interested, be sure to book early though as places are limited!

- School Newsletter - End of May 2010
- Performing Arts Summer School Ages 6-8
- Performing Arts Summer School Ages 9-12

Year 4 making Kente Cloth

Kente Cloth, also known as nwemtoma, is made by the people of Ghana.

Different patterns of Kente Cloth have different concepts associated with them, and interestingly the colours used often have symbollic meaning.

Just before half term, children in Year 4 learned how to make their own. Up on the website today is a collection of pictures of them in the misdt of making their cloth. Why not take a look?

Year 4 - Kente Cloth

Frisbee-Fun and More!

We have new work on the website this week from Years 3 and 4.

Year 3 have been working more on their musical skills, learning how to play Ultimate Frisbee, and planting Petunias in the Moor Hall Primary grounds.

Year 4 have been continuing their African-themed work, this time using fabric paints on silk to create pictures of artefacts from Mali.

Year 3 - Music, Petunias & Ultimate Frisbee
Year 4 - Mali Artefacts


On another note, the events page has been updated with a picture of when one of our very own pupils became an Aston Villa mascot! Click here to take a look!

Four Oaks Cluster Choir In The News

Four Oaks Cluster Choir is a choir made up primarily of children from the Four Oaks Cluster Schools. It's open to anyone in years 5 through to 8, and is currently about 60 members strong.

Recently, the choir attended the BBC Choir of the Year 2010 contest, and have made it through to the final 15! Last week they appeared in the Sutton Coldfield News because of this!

Congratulations to all the children who are a part of this choir!

Click the image above to read the full article, or for more information on the Cluster Choir, see their website here.

Moorhens - Second Fox Cub Finally Emerges

Second Fox Cub Finally Emerges

Moorhens children finally got the chance to see the second fox cub. Mum and dad were lying in the morning sun; the two cubs were playfully tumbling with one another, whilst both parents looked on. The children were watching this beautiful sight, whilst standing outside on the terrace even though the fox family were quite aware of their presence.

The children have given the foxes names: Father fox has been named Foxy (of course), mother Roxy and the cubs were named Basil and Bingo. I'm sure the foxes will be quite happy with there new chosen names. Well done children!

Website Issues Resolved!

If you've been looking for your children's work or latest website updates over the last week, you may have noticed that links to some of the newer work wasn't working correctly. This was due to a technical error, but the issue has now been resolved and everything is as it should be!

So to start, we have some new work on the website ranging from music lessons to arts and crafts!

Feel free to click on any of the following links to explore each year group's work!

Year 1 - Baa Baa Black Sheep Music Lessons
Year 2 - Baa Baa Black Sheep Music Lessons
Year 3 - Circle Time Music Lessons
Year 4 - Circle Time & Tie-Dyeing
Year 5 - Circle Time Music Lessons
Year 6 - Circle Time Music Lessons


Also new to the website is a whole host of new choir resources from Mrs Collins. There are new choir songs to listen to and learn the words for, and also words for all the new class songs. Visit our Choir Page to take a peek!

Moorhens - Health & Safety in the Home

Health and Safety in the Home Competition

We asked the children to make a poster about health and safety in the home. We had two lucky winners. Samhita Rao was the winner for the infants and Jayna Hassan was the winner for the juniors. Miss Jones chose the winners and Mr Steggall gave out the certificates in assembley. Everyone who entered the competition had a certificate. Well done to you all!

Moorhens - Foxy Neighbours

Foxy Neighbours

Over the past few weeks, the children at Moorhens have been able to see the comings and goings of our new neighbours, the fox family. Two adults and two cubs have decided to make their home in the far corner of the field. The children have been able to get a first hand view of wildlife on our very own doorstep. This photo shows the mother fox with one of her cubs in the early morning sunshine

TIMETABLE CONSULTATION

Thank you to the parents who spoke to me this morning regarding timetable changes. Two things I didnt make clear are -

1) The timetable is not planned until SEPTEMBER 2010. This is a consultation period so that we can guage the impact of the changes on parents and then consider your views before a final decision is made.

2) Children in KS2 will get an afternoon break but this will be flexible to the class. A teacher may want a slightly longer first session to teach a skill thoroughly and then take a break.

Details of the proposal can be found here.

More Children's Work!

Up on Year 3's page are a collection of photos from Fun Singing where the children were taught a dance routine. Also on show as another demonstration of Fun Singing are some photos showing some of our musically talented pupils showing their skills off to the rest of the school!

Continuing the musical theme, you can take a look at Year 3 performing on recorders and other woodwind instruments during assembly.

Lastly, some more work on SEAL was done, which had the whole school involved - see the pictures on Year 3's page!


Year 4 have also had some work up this week. African Masks shows the first two weeks worth of work on their new African Art project. Click into Year 4's page to see the children with their African masks!



Year 3 - Fun Singing, Woodwind Assembly and SEAL
Year 4 - African Masks

Class 4 Tie-dying Tuesday 4th May

Hello Class 4, we are tie-dying tomorrow Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th May. Can you bring an old t-shirt to change into to prevent dye splashing onto your school uniform? (We are providing the material to dye!)

Pass the word around.

Thank - you,
Mr. Winter & Mrs. Glare

Moorhens Competition Reminder

Just a reminder. As you know Moorhens are doing a Health and Safety in the Home poster competition. The closing date for this will be Friday 7th May. As usual Mr Steggall will be judging the entries and will be giving a prize away to both an infant and junior winner. All entrants will recieve certificates. Hurry as we can't wait to see the finished posters.

Good luck.

Year 3's April Antics!

This month, Year 3 have been up to loads of different things - find out about just a few of them on the website!

Activities they have been taking part in during April that you can look at include Easter egg hunting, planting, beginners golf lessons, and poetry about worrying. Click on the easter egg above, or the link below to visit year 3's work page to take a peek!

Year 3 - Easter Egg Hunt, Golf & 'Worry' Poems

Year 5 swimming

Hello - I hope everyone is having a great Easter holiday and lots of chocolate has been consumed! Just a quick reminder that year 5 are going swimming on the first day back (Monday 19th) so don't forget your kit.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday - see you on Monday!

Moorhens

Competition

We are holding another competition for the children.We would like the children to design a poster on A4 size paper, highlighting health and saftey dangers around the home. It can be painted, coloured, or even a collage. All children who enter the competition will recieve a certificate and the winners (one for the infants and one for the juniors) will recieve a certificate and a prize.


Learning to sew

Girls and boys of all ages have been learning to use needles and thread. Some have been doing plaiting, whilst others have been using materials with needles and thread , as in the picture on the left and all have been enjoying their experiences.

Aiming Higher Award

Over the last two years we have been putting together evidence for our Aiming Higher folder. We have now come to the end of our journey and have sent our folder off to be assessed. We are to be assessed ouselves within the next few months and hopefully we will earn our "Aiming Higher" Quality Award for our club.

New Co-ordinator
As from the new term Mrs Conrad will be taking over as the new Co-ordinator of the club. Mrs Crump will be standing down, but will still be working within the club. We all thank Mrs Crump for doing such a wonderful job.

Year 5 Easter homework (updated)

Easter Homework

Your task is to write a comprehensive report about your time at Abernant!
All the photos from each group are on the school website – please copy and paste these into your report as appropriate.
I am expecting to read about:
· The activities
· The accommodation
· Your highlights
· Things you may change
I am also expecting to see:
· Varied sentence and paragraph openers
· A range of punctuation
· Complex sentences with connectives
· Quality vocabulary

Good luck – I look forward to reading all about your personal experiences.
Report due in first day back!

Follow the link below to find all the photos!

Mrs Clewer's Group (OLD FILE CLEANUP - LINK REMOVED)
Mrs Menmuir's Group (OLD FILE CLEANUP - LINK REMOVED)
Mrs Russell's Group (OLD FILE CLEANUP - LINK REMOVED)

Have a great Easter holiday!

We are experiencing technical problems and can't get Mrs Russell's or my groups' photos. I will carry on trying but things shut down over Easter! If you were in one of those 2 groups I will give you time during the first week back to paste in your photos if you bring your report on a memory stick. Sorry for the inconvenience - you can still do the writing though! Mrs M

Pupils learn about Egyptians, the Japanese and... Narnians?

New to the website this week, we have some great work from year 3 and year 4.

Earlier on this month, a group of 16 secondary school students from St Mary's C of E School in Japan visited Moor Hall Primary to perform a few songs for our pupils, and to teach them about various aspects of Japanese culture.

If you visit Year 3's page, you can view pictures of them learning some Japanese calligraphy and trying their hands at origami!

Jumping to a completely different culture, Year 4 have been continuing learning about the Ancient Egyptians - this time by dressing up as them!

On top of this, they have been practising their fantasy-writing skills during literacy, by noting down the thoughts and feelings of Lucy as she entered the world of Narnia. There's been some great results to this - have a look at them on the Year 4 page!

Year 3 - Japanese Visit
Year 4 - Egyptian Dress Up & Narnia Fantasy Writing

Abernant Day 4 continued...