Explorers of the Future
I wonder how many of our families know the origins of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes? That one of the most well-loved breakfast cereals started life as granola gone wrong? When W.K. Kellogg and his brother, Dr John Harvey Kellogg, tried their hand at cooking up something new back in 1898, their experiment with flaked wheat berries accidentally changed our breakfasting ways forever, and Corn Flakes were created.
For the Kellogg brothers, it was about the journey of exploration and discovery, and this is precisely what the IB Primary Years Programme seeks to instil in our children - the desire to take that journey, to lead their inquiries, and to learn something new.
The PYP does not represent a clear, unwavering path to the perfectly finished educational product. What we offer at St Leonards is a reactive education based on real-time discoveries surrounding our central ideas. Our plans as teachers are rewritten on a daily basis, encouraging our pupils to drive their learning, to embrace any obstacles that they face, and not to fear the unknown.
Education in this way can simultaneously be both terrifying and liberating. Humans - by nature - love structure, direction and certainty and yet in a cruel twist of fate, we all understand that this kind of security and inevitability is nothing more than the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. In that sense, preparing our children for the real world is critical and it is exactly this that the IB curriculum as a whole embodies.
We need leaders, inventors, explorers of the future who embrace uncertainty, who seek possibility and who find opportunities. St Leonards is full not only of such children but of such teachers who facilitate the moments to deal with the unexpected and to allow the discovery of solutions.
This open-minded approach to both learning and teaching is an integral part of our education, and most importantly is a vital skill for life - Ad Vitam - the epitome of our school motto.
Let’s stop yearning for the pot of gold and embrace all the opportunities along the road.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Claire Boissiere, on behalf of the PYP Leadership Team
Island of the Week
Congratulations to Mull who were not only Island of the Week this week, but also Island of the Half Term, having been awarded the most Island points out of any Island throughout last term! A big well done to all in Mull - come on Skye, Harris and Lewis you are not far behind them!
Mother Tongue Day
In celebration of International Mother Tongue Day on Tuesday, 21 February, some of our Junior boys took the floor in St Katharines Hall and introduced the school assembly in their mother tongues. Great work, boys!
Earthquake Appeal
Their fantastic introduction was followed by three of our Junior girls announcing plans for a dress-down day in aid of the Earthquake Appeal. They encouraged Years 1-6 to wear the colours of the Turkish and Syrian flags to raise much-needed funds. They also asked pupils to bring in their favourite soft toy into school and donate £2 to the appeal. A huge well done to Serena K in Year 4, and Ella M and Maryam A-S in Year 5 for organising this initiative. Please see below some of our pupils dressed in the colours of the flags, reflecting the devastation faced by those without their toys, clothes or education in Turkey and Syria.
Shrove Tuesday
The assembly was then followed by Rev. Beebee, who explained Shrove Tuesday to the children and why pancakes are eaten on this special day. A big thank you to Rev. Beebee for taking the time to visit!
Year 1
Pancake Day
After the assembly led by Rev. Beebee, Miss Barclay began a wonderful production line of pancake making with both Year 1 classes. The children made a mixture of Scottish pancakes and crepes, learning how to mix the egg, flour, milk and sugar into a batter. The pupils then poured their batter into the frying pan and watched for the bubbles. Once the bubbles were formed, the pancakes were turned, with some even having fun flipping. Then, yummy toppings were added and the children enjoyed their delicious homemade pancakes. The smell attracted lots of friends and teachers to the classroom for a taste!
Beach Fun
Both Year 1 classes made a return to the beach this week, embracing the longer and brighter afternoons. It was fun for the children to be down at the East Sands with their friends digging and building, collecting shells and bits of sea glass or pottery. Some had fun digging channels to the sea waiting for the incoming tide to fill them up - a race against nature!
Magic Maths
1C began to subtract and take away this week. The children learnt that you must start with the biggest number when subtracting, with your answers getting smaller. The pupils enjoyed using concrete materials to help understand subtraction, before working in their maths book and making their own sums. Well done to Dominic who even made his own subtraction sum using building blocks!
Year 2
Violin Visits
Year 2 were very excited about their music lesson this week as they were moving onto a new instrument, the violin!
The pupils were greeted by two special guests from Year 9, Shelagh and Arabella who performed a beautiful duet from Schindler’s List. The pupils spotted that sometimes the performers played together and sometimes they took turns. They then discussed how the music made them feel, some of the responses are below:
Calm
Sleepy
Sad
Like I want to pet my cat!
The children were then each handed their own violin to learn how to play the elegant instrument. The pupils played Marching Men as a class for the first time, using the correct hand to hold the violin, in the correct position. The children used their other hand to play the strings, using a helicopter (chk, chk, chk…) to play pizzicato.
The students were excited to hear that they are able to take home their violins for the remainder of the term to practise at home. Mrs Ritchie and Mrs Shiells are looking forward to seeing all the violins again on Tuesday when the pupils will play them during their afternoon Music session.
Wonderful Wedges
As their final investigation into Simple Machines, Year 2 have been finding out more about the wedge. The pupils had all sorts of questions they wanted to find out about the simple invention:
Hudson: What is a wedge?
Hunter: How do you make a wedge?
Kendrick: How does the wedge cut through the log?
Patrick M: I want to get a stump and see if I can cut it with a wedge?
Hector: How sharp is a wedge?
Alec: Can wedges work with a pulley?
Alfie: Can we make a chopping block?
Reuben: Can we do an experiment with a wedge that cuts and make a lever attached to a tree and connect them? A guillotine. Is that a lever or a pulley?
Year 2 were pleased to welcome two Year 12 pupils to demonstrate the wedge in action, using an axe (the sharp end of the wedge) to split some wood in a safe setting outside, behind a mesh screen to protect the children. Our Sixth Form pupils did an excellent job, showing the wedge in action, demonstrating the kind of force and strength required behind the wedge to make it work effectively, occasionally helped by a mallet.
In the more serene setting of the classroom, Year 2 made fruity faces on apples to learn how wedge shaped carrots can easily pierce the skin of an apple whilst apple circles are ineffective. Great discovery, Year 2!
Year 3
This week, Year 3 discovered the scientist Stephen Hawking, and researched his inventions and discoveries. See below some of their thoughts and reflections from this interesting investigation:
Rory - I liked that Stephen Hawking made a computer out of an old clock!
Ellen - He was a very good inquirer. No one thought anything could come out of a black hole, but he found that energy could!
Alvin - I didn't know Stephen Hawking could talk with a computer.
Open-Minded
Year 3 were set a thinking challenge designed to explore their open-mindedness, being asked to create interesting drawings from different shapes. It is really fascinating to see what the children came up with, it’s terrific that we are able to give the pupils the freedom and flexibility to explore and investigate.
Year 4
Manipulating Mirrors
The Year 4 children had an afternoon of exploration, writing messages using mirrors, manipulating images through water and creating light through electricity. The children asked lots of questions and recorded their lightbulb moments in their workbooks. The pupils’ questions will be researched and they will present their findings to the class. Great work, Year 4!
Year 5
Big Green Poetry Machine Competition
This week, Year 5 entered poems into The Big Green Poetry Machine Competition. Using their knowledge about their chosen ecosystem, they wrote poems about a form of wildlife and the problems it is facing. They used their figurative language to ensure that their writing was powerful and interesting. I think you will agree that we have some wonderful young poets in the class!
Year 6
PYP Exhibition
This week saw the start of a busy and exciting time for Year 6 as they begin preparations for their Exhibition Unit of Inquiry. This gives the children an opportunity to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they have acquired in the PYP to the school community through an inquiry of their own choice. Under the Transdisciplinary Theme ‘How We Express Ourselves’, the central idea is ‘we can use our passions to make a difference to the lives of others’. Some of the proposed topics include gaming addiction, poverty, fast food, endangered animals, art and mental health, and children’s education.
‘Olivia’ Rehearsals
Rehearsals are also well underway for the Year 6 play Olivia. The children have been working hard to learn their lines and practise their songs. The details of the performance will be shared with parents shortly!
Planetarium
We were delighted to welcome Tayside Planetarium to St Leonards this week, to meet with Years 1, 3, 4 and 6 to help them discover the wonders of the night sky.
Year 1
Both Year 1 classes were lucky to enter the planetarium, led by Matt. They were shown the night sky above St Andrews over this week and where to look for the Milky Way, and the planets Jupiter, Mars and Venus. For some, it was their first time in a planetarium and they all thoroughly enjoyed the magical experience!
Year 3 & 4
To help Year 3 and 4’s investigation into their current Unit of Inquiries, the Solar System and Light, the children stepped foot inside the planetarium to discover the moon and stars in more detail and identifying the constellations of the zodiac. Please see below some of Year 3’s thoughts after their visit:
Ellen - The best thing was seeing all the constellations and zooming up close to the moon and Mars.
Alvin - I was interested in seeing Jupiter, Venus, Mars and seeing the stars.
Hrian - I liked the big screen and we got to travel to the moon.
Ellie - A new moon gets born every week! I really liked learning about the stars. My favourite bit was when the stars moved.
Flora - The best thing that I learned in the planetarium was that you could see Jupiter, Mars and Venus in the sky.
Kostas - I really liked learning about the temperature at the core of the Sun, 15000000C!
Elhanoof - I liked it when all the air was coming in and when it was all dark sky with stars, then went to morning sky.
Aliya - I really liked the pictures on the dome and it was cool when we like, saw the Sun moving.
Theodore - I really liked seeing the night sky and seeing the Space rover land on Mars, I really liked that bit!
Bertie - There was two stars we looked at but one was a different texture and it was dying.
Ray - Cosmonauts means a Russian word for 'Sailors of the Universe'.
Roddy - Orion's constellation is always seen with a belt.
David - The constellation of my birthday is right above Orion.
Julia - I learned about the moon and one is called a gibbus moon.
Year 6
Both classes in Year 6 were also given the opportunity to visit the planetarium. The children compared the night sky in St Andrews to that in Glasgow and how the light pollution prevents us from seeing all of the stars. The children then learnt about the moon and the sun, comparing their distances, shape and diameters. Great work Year 6!
A huge thank you to Tayside Planetarium and to Matt for this unforgettable experience, all of the children left feeling super excited and inspired to learn more!
Craft Club
This week's group made their own lovely creations out of toilet roll tubes, feathers, card, pipe cleaners, scissors, glue, sequins and more! On show were beautiful animals, colourful telescopes and fancy cars - the children happily crafted away and time flew by!
Primary Swimming Gala
Well done to all those who competed in our Primary Swimming Championships at St Leonards this week. The pupils competed against local primary schools - Canongate, Lawhead and Strathkinness - in various races including Back Crawl, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Relay. The pupils really excelled, making for a successful day for all involved. What a fantastic effort!
