This week has been equalities week across Springbank, with lessons being dedicated to the theme ‘All different, all equal’. The children have loved the opportunities to learn about race equality, gender equality and disabilities and mental health. The school has been buzzing with discussion as children have been given lots of opportunities to think about the difference between treating everyone the same and treating everyone equally. It has been amazing to see how the children’s thoughts on equality have developed over this week.

Children explored race equality and discussed the treatment of different races throughout history. Different year groups looked at a range of inspirational people including Ruby Bridges, Stephen Lawrence and Dr Martin Luther King junior and thought about the lessons these people could teach us. All year groups had discussions about stereotypes and what it means to be British by looking at images of people and asking what assumptions we might make about their nationality, job, wealth and home life. It was very thought provoking!

Gender equality threw up all kinds of viewpoints for discussion. When the Year 1 teachers told all the boys to go out and play and the girls to stay in and tidy up, only one boy challenged it saying it was not fair, which lead to some great conversations about jobs around the home.

You can find out more about what each year group focused on via the class pages of the website. 

http://www.farsleyspringbank.co.uk/class-pages/

Year 4 showcased all of their hard work at their exhibition last week. They made games based on the history of Leeds and were able to show off the wonderful sewing they have spent the past few weeks making. It was a great success and everyone agreed that the children have worked very hard this half term to produce lots of pieces of work they can be proud of. Well done Year 4.

Year 1 shared their 'What African Wonders Await?' topic with everyone in a special assembly on Wednesday 17th October.  The Year 1 children performed an African dance, performed music inspired by their African drumming workshops and even got parents involved to perform the song 'Kye Kye Kule'.  Pupils from both classes read aloud stories they had written inspried by Handa's Surprise.  There was also a show of artwork that has been inspired by this topic, including traditional dot work, tribal necklaces and African animal silhouette pictures.  All of Year 1 have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Africa and did themselves proud presenting their learning in front of such a large audience.  Well done Year 1!

Year 5 children hosted two fantastic restaurant evenings on Tuesday 16th October and Wednesday 17th October. The children had worked really hard in the weeks leading up to this: they had carried out market research before making their final menu choices; they practiced their cooking skills and even went shopping to Asda to buy all the ingredients. The evenings ran smoothly, with everyone enjoying the freshly prepared dishes.

Thank you to all the parents and family members who came along and supported the children in their venture. The total profit was £616.22 and the reviews of the evening were fabulous.  Definitely 5 star ratings! Well done Year 5 you all worked incredibly hard and successfully ran your restaurants.

Year 3 spent an afternoon learning how to stay safe when using their scooters. The children donned their helmets and went out into the playground to practice. When they were ready they used all their skills they had covered during the session on the playground, they took their scooters out onto the streets surrounding school to practice. We hope that lots of children will be encouraged to use their scooters to travel to school as it is a great way to exercise; it helps reduce traffic outside school and best of all it’s a fun and quick way to travel! We would encourage any children travelling on scooters to wear a safety helmet, which they can bring into school to store safely.

Year 4 went to Sunnybank Mills this week as part of their 'Do we live in the best city ever?' topic.  They learnt all about what Farsley was famous for wool and had a tour of the mills.  They also did some weaving of their own which they were able to take home with them.  There are lots more photographs of this trip on Year 4's class page.  They can be found by clicking on http://www.farsleyspringbank.co.uk/class-pages/

On Friday 28th September Year 6 ran our annual giant coffee morning/afternoon in order to raise money for Macmillan, a charity, which does amazing work supporting people with cancer and their families throughout their treatment and beyond.  The Year 6 children did a fabulous job; they all worked really hard and looked after their customers extremely well, even providing entertainment.  The rest of the school enjoyed wearing their ‘beach disco’ clothes for the day, having a little disco in their classrooms and eating buns they bought.  The total money raised was £658.04!  A big thank you to everyone who supported us with this event.

Thank you to all the parents and family members who came along to our Harvest Festival celebrations. A big thank you to everyone who made a food donation; we had a huge amount of food that we divided between two really worthwhile organisations – Leeds West Food Bank based locally and St. George’s Crypt in Leeds. Both organisations asked us to pass on their thanks to all our families for their help and support.

Year 2 children had a fascinating trip to Bradford Grand Mosque.  This trip provided the opportunity for the children to experience first hand what a mosque is like and how Muslims pray which has been part of their RE learning this half term.  They learnt all about how and why Muslims pray and showed a real interest in finding out all about it.  The children asked some really thoughtful questions and their manners and listening skills were excellent throughout the morning.  Thank you to everyone at Bradford Mosque for making our school so welcome.  The children and staff received lovely hospitality and were even treated to a packet of Walkers crisps and a bun after their mornings work.