Meadowside Magazine
Issue 22 Autumn
2020
Read about how our amazing team of staff and pupils at Meadowside work through a global pandemic!
Find out about our work in Bubbles!
Welcome
to the Autumn 2020 edition of the
Meadowside Magazine. After the partial closure of the school throughout the Summer term, it was wonderful to see the school full of pupils again in September. Everyone adapted very quickly to the measures we have put in place in response to Covid–19 and settled in to their new ‘bubbles’ and timetables very quickly. I would like to thank parents and carers for supporting their son’s or daughter’s attendance this term, as well as following requests such as to supply a fresh, clean face covering each day, only sending essential items into school and socially distancing when on site, which have helped to keep us all as safe as possible. These measures will continue to be important when we return in the New Year. As well as welcoming and settling the learners back into school, we have worked hard to help them catch up with their learning from earlier in the year. We have had to do many things differently such as telephone parent consultation evenings, annual reviews via Google Meet and more communication via Class Dojo. We hope that you will be able to join us online for the Christmas Carol Service on Thursday 17th December at 10am. We will send a link that you can watch at any time. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that you enjoy the Christmas holidays and would like to remind you that school re-opens on Tuesday 5th January 2021. Paula Wareing
Head Teacher
We are delighted to have been awarded a donation of £1,000 by the Cox Automotive Community Foundation. We were kindly nominated by a relative of one of our pupils and found out at the beginning of December that her application had been successful. This funding will enable the Home-School Association to purchase additional sensory equipment to make it more widely available to pupils, particularly whilst we are working in ’bubbles’.
Thank you With pupils having been away so long, we wanted to welcome them back to school with something special. Covid-19 wouldn’t allow us to have the big celebration we would have liked, but our friends at Balloon Base Wirral helped us out by donating 2 amazing balloon arrangements in our school colours. My terrible photography doesn’t do these displays any justice at all, but they were fantastic, and the children loved them. In the early days of lockdown, we were approached by Magenta Housing, who asked us if there was anything that would make our lockdown life a little easier. They kindly donated soaps, sanitizers and hand creams and lots of new games for our Wii. We look forward to working with them in the future.
Mrs Dunn
We are very proud to report that Holly achieved a Grade 6 in her Art GCSE last year. Holly is pictured with the Head Teacher from WHS, the Art teacher Mr Cartledge and the fabulous artwork Holly has produced. This term, Lewis has returned to Woodchurch High School for his Inclusion programme, to work towards gaining GCSEs in Maths, English and Science.
Jenny W
Children in Need
This year, we were disappointed not to be able to have Pudsey Bear visiting us again but we still had a fun day working on the Children In Need Strictly Dance Challenge. Almost every class took part and our finished dances were edited together to make one amazing video that we posted on our Signing Singers YouTube Channel. You can check it out on Class Dojo or look us up on YouTube! Special mention must go to Alison, from our Admin Team who took a break from working in the Office to dance with Kevin the Carrot.
Mrs Roebuck
Greetings from Bubble 1! Our Key Stage 3 bubble is made up of year 7, 8 and 9 pupils. We have covered lots of topics this term in addition to getting to know each other and developing friendships. In Music, we have created sounds using paper, made instruments from recycled objects and used kitchen items to play Jazz, Funk and Soul. We have measured, counted, weighed and completed problem-solving tasks in Maths. In Life Skills pupils made bread, peeled vegetables, cleaned and learnt about germs and helped towards Covid-19 understanding. Pupils used their English and Maths skills to follow a salt dough recipe to create Diva lamps to celebrate Diwali. Jean Michael Basquiat was the topic in Art and DT with work produced in the artist’s style.
In English we have studied The Tempest by William Shakespeare and work about the sea and pirates. This has involved stories, drama and music. We watched M & M Theatrical Productions’ performance of The Wizard of Oz who visited school, with many of the pupils interacting by telling off the Witch of the East!
In Science we learned about what is healthy for our body and why. This included a food tasting activity wearing blindfolds. Pupils have exercised, danced and played team games in P.E. that have developed team interactions and confidence. Bubble 1 enjoyed taking part in the whole school Strictly dance routine for Children in Need. Mrs Jones
Bubble 1 would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas ! Mrs Jones
Bubble 2 have settled back into school life brilliantly. There has been lots of hard work and fun throughout the term.
Geography Pupils have learnt about areas around the world impacted by pollution along with uninhabited areas and wildlife in these areas. English The Tempest by William Shakespeare was our topic in English. We looked at the different characters and predicted what might happen next.
This has developed reading skills in English and across the curriculum. Pupils have been using phonics skills to develop reading and become more independent with spelling and writing words. Maths Learning in Maths has covered a number of concepts this term: Pattern—focusing on repetition by colour, shape and size. Money—identifying coins, counting and making amounts Number—counting, more or less, grouping and doubling. Charts—surveys and tally charts
Computing Using our skill in Computing, we have designed graphics, learned about key word image searches and programmed characters within games and mazes.
Art
Art classes included Microscopic Art, looking at full size item then creating art, based on a zoomed in area, for example cells within the body. They have used techniques to create various effects and textures, such as salt flakes to absorb part of the paint, and pastel with water colours for a resistance effect. Design Tchnology In DT we have been learning about Kinetic Mobile Art creating a variety of mobile devices.
PE We have been learning about fitness, the importance of a warm-up and have taken opportunities to lead part of the class warm up. The class participated in relay races, follow the leader games and other agility skills. Life Skills and Careers Pupils have enjoyed learning about presentation of food and how it is more desirable if it looks fun and colourful. Pupils have learnt about health and safety within a kitchen and how there are different requirements for storage of different food types.
Mrs Charmley
Pupils in Bubble 3 have really enjoyed being back in school and seeing their friends again after a long time away. All pupils and staff have formed a great relationship as we spend the whole day together in the Yellow Room, covering the entire curriculum. It has been really special to see so many happy children play and work together and enjoy each others company.
In English lessons, pupils have been learning about William Shakespeare and enjoyed the story of The Tempest, as well as other tales and adventures of the sea about pirates and buried treasure. Pupils also watched a live performance of The Wizard of Oz in the school hall.
We have continued to develop basic number skills this term and have also been learning about different types of measurements, including money and capacity. All learners really enjoyed the lesson we had about temperature, when we were feeling warm and cold things, including water and used a thermometer to record the temperature.
In Art & DT, pupils have been following the work of renowned artists and sculptors to create amazing pieces of microscopic art work, as well as designing and building their own hanging sculptures.
Pupils have been taking part in circuit training as part of their health related fitness PE lessons. They have been trying to improve their balance, speed, strength and coordination, as well as their overall fitness. Pupils have been monitoring their heart rates before and after exercise, as they aim to develop their understanding of the importance of exercise and its effects on the body. Pupils have also studied several other subjects this term including French, Computing, RE, Citizenship, PSHE, Geography, Careers and History.
There has been a great interest in Science this term. In Physics, pupils developed their knowledge and understanding of Space and The Solar System. In Biology and in Life Skills, we have been learning about the importance of healthy eating. We have recently moved on to a topic about what types of food different animals eat around the earth. Bubble 3 would like to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and hopefully 2021 will be a much better year for us all!! Mr Pemberton
Bubble 4 Fusion pupils have settled really well since September. We have enjoyed learning about a variety of topics throughout the Autumn term. We have learnt about keeping ourselves and our workstations clean and tidy. We have also learnt about keeping our bodies healthy by looking at the different food groups, what happens
to our food and the benefits of eating a balanced diet. We have enjoyed a range of physical activity too, taking part in circuit training both indoors and outdoors as well as learning about what exercise does to our heart. We have also continued to love our weekly swimming lessons. In Music we have been making our own instruments out of recycled materials we found in class. We have used these instruments to accompany a range of musical styles. In Maths we have been learning about how to measure different things, we have also been learning about shapes and finding them around the classroom. In English we have enjoyed learning about The Tempest. We have explored lots of different stories about the sea and completed a range of activities around this theme.
Fusion pupils started their French lessons this year by learning about food. We tasted and explored a range of French foods as well as learnt the names for our favourite fruits and vegetables. In Art we have been learning about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. We have been working hard to create our own portraits in his style using a variety of media. In DT we have been learning about linkages, we have created our own and started to design and make a moving picture. Our weekly Life Skills lessons have been spent exploring different foods from around the world. We have learnt how to make our own toast as well as making a variety of treats. We have also really enjoyed making fruit kebabs, exploring new fruits and deciding which we liked best. We have worked really hard on our teamwork and have tried to enjoy a range of activities together as a group.
Mrs O’Connor
There’s nothing like technology, to enthral Flair pupils ! They enjoy pressing pictures and buttons to choose what they want to see or to hear. It makes them laugh and giggle. They use the touch screen and a switch to make selections of music and clips. There are switches that make the electronic board become a touch screen device. Some switches operate lights and makes cushions buzz which tickle your feet !!
Flair enjoyed getting back to school, meeting the staff again, making new friends and saying hello to other pupils. It’s lovely when new pupils are welcomed into the Meadowside community.
Flair have many favourite songs. One pupil remembered all the words of his favourite song and sings it in tune ! The most favourite is The Greatest Showman finale with all of the class joining in singing along to it. The singing has got louder as the term has gone on !! The best action song is Tony Chestnut and pupils giggle and concentrate when we do the actions with them. Some members of Flair dance to the best dance tracks, with some great wheelchair dancing moves!!
Mrs Brown
Bubble Bubble 6 pupils have really enjoyed starting their journey into Key Stage 4. They have enjoyed picking their own lessons as a group as part of their Options, which include well-being, short tennis, media and environmental enterprise. They have also started to complete their AQA accreditation work in Citizenship, PSHE, Careers, Science and English.
In swimming lessons the pupils have been practising their front crawl and back stroke. They are learning how to breathe correctly in the water to help improve their technique.
Pupils are learning about celebrations in life skills, where they have been using their practical skills to design and make their own sandwiches. They are aware that sandwiches are often eaten as part of a buffet at a celebration.
Pupils are learning about the basic rules and scoring system of short tennis. They are also learning how to perform different shots correctly including serve, forehand, backhand and lob.
In Media lessons pupils have been taking part in creating a short film. They have been working together and thought of ideas for what they want their story to be about, then they made a plan of how they wanted to film it on a story board, looking at different camera angles. They have also started making their sets to begin filming in the next few weeks where they have given themselves different roles including director, camera operator and sound person etc.
Pupils have been taking part in yoga as part of their Wellbeing lessons where they have also been looking at mindfulness. In yoga pupils have been looking at different poses in a routine including resting pose, leg, hip and ankle warmer and the spider walk, lying twister, bottom balance, side stretch and full stretch.
Pupils have been researching their favourite character from a game and then reviewing it. They then designed and created their own character to be used as part of their maze game which they have been making using Purple Mash programme. Bubble 6 pupils and staff wish you a happy Christmas and safe holidays. Mr Stubbs
We have covered a number of subjects in bubble 7 this term and pupils have adapted to their new class very well. Daniel and Lewis are working on their own island and have described the inhabitants of their island. Daniel’s island is called Rabbit Island and Lewis’s island is called Pet Island.
Pupils are learning about how food is absorbed and digested. They are reflecting on how important a healthy diet is to our digestive system.
Science Biology, Physics and Chemistry
Chemistry: Properties of Material. Pupils are testing different properties of materials using words that describe them. Pupils are separating substances, deciding what tools and equipment are best to use. They need to separate drawing pins, sand, salt and rice. Teams of pupils had magnets, sieves and coffee filters at their disposal. Pupils’ next step is to experiment on the best way to separate salt from the mixture.
D&T Front Door Buzzers. Pupils enjoyed putting their door together. They were aware of the health and safety rules of using the different tools and equipment. They especially liked using the soldering iron and watching how the heat melted the metal to seal the wire together.
PE:
Pupils are developing knowledge and understanding of training methods for developing aerobic endurance. They have considered the differences between CONTINUOUS, INTERVAL and FARTLEK training methods. They have been learning what sports these methods of training would benefit.
Ms Hoffmann
Bubble 8 Bubble 8 have enjoyed this term and worked really well together. We have adapted well to the new way of working and been busy on a wide range of activities. As part of the Options Curriculum, we chose to do Media and Advertising, looking at different types of advertisements and playing the Logo game. In Life Skills we made our own pasta, which was a great success. We have decorated cakes and made fruit salad, focusing on kitchen and hand hygiene. We also created a Mini Enterprise group, making products to sell amongst the school community. As part of the Enterprise lessons we have looked at costing products, projecting profits and marketing, as well as production line skills. We have made a great range of Halloween and Christmas products, mostly out of sweets or marshmallows! If anyone would like to buy any more, please let us know.
In PE we have been learning about creating and developing a circuit and considering the importance of warming up and cooling down. We also celebrated the festival of Diwali, creating Rangoli patterns out of coloured sand. Environmental Education lessons have included tidying the courtyard gardens, identifying weeds and using garden tools such as hoes and forks. We enjoyed World Mental Health Day, where we saw other Bubbles on screen for a Zoom type meeting with the whole school.
Ms Ubeda
In PE we spent the term practising stretching , fitness and dance moves. We did an AQA Unit Award to accredit all students learning.
In Life Skills we learned how to use peelers and sharpened up our knife skills. Maths was a challenge, learning how to use Pi to find out the volume of a cylinder.
In English we read ‘The Tempest’ play by Shakespeare and all pupils played a role in enacting the characters.
In our option of Culture, Film and Media, everyone made a Power Point presentation to the group ,on one area of research about Japan.
We learned some Japanese words, made sushi, tasted Japanese ingredients and watched a Japanese film called ‘Bamboo’.
In RE we learned how Christians carry out baptisms and about Hindu Diwali In Art GCSE we researched Lisa Milroy .
Ms Goalen
Welcome and Thank you I would like to welcome our 2 new governors to Meadowside, Steve McMahon (parent governor) and Rev. Josie Tuplin (associate governor), who you may know as Assistant Curate at Holy Cross church. Both Steve and Josie bring a wealth of personal experience to the governing body and will no doubt contribute to the successful running of the school in the next few years. On behalf of all the governors, I would like to thank everyone at Meadowside, from school staff to pupils to parents, for their hard work and contributions this year. It has been a hugely challenging time and you have all made a significant contribution to keeping our school running as effectively as possible under difficult circumstances. May I wish you a very happy Christmas and let’s hope that 2021 brings us some welcome respite! Bryan Douglas-Dala Chair of Governors
Our website www.meadowsideschool.com is updated regularly with our latest information and news. We are also available on Twitter at https://twitter.com/meadowsidech49 and Facebook at https://facebook.com/meadowsideschoolwirral You can also contact the Office on (0151) 678 7711 Meadowside School, Pool Lane, Birkenhead,
Wirral CH49 5LA