Who would have thought Clive King’s novel ‘Stig of the Dump’ could continue to inspire and provide a hook for a new generation? From creating their own ‘Stig inventions’ from observational drawings of bottles and kettles to lamps and coat hangers, Year 3LH wowed me with their imaginations and ingenuity! If only Jake’s machine was in operation-providing food for a poor family from just one piece of fruit.

Onto corrugated card fiery colours of reds, yellows and oranges were coloured with oil pastels followed by a layer of black acrylic paint.  Stags and campfires, beehive huts and beech trees were then etched onto the card to create the setting Barney and Lou encountered one Midsummer night.

Miss Allison once again worked her magic as she choreographed another memorable dance. This time Stags, stones, beech woods, ponies, arrow heads and Stonehenge were weaved seamlessly into the routine!

Parents and interested adults were the willing audience so that Year 3LH could perform to the powerful music entitled Dark Jungle-Jurassic World. Here are just some of the lovely comments:

“The dancing was wonderful to watch.”

“I was very impressed by how quickly they had picked up the routine.”

“The children portrayed such confidence.”

A pastel Summer solstice captured Stonehenge scenes which definitely brought colour into the art studio. After selecting a section of their drawing using a viewfinder, Y3LH then drew and painted onto plaster of paris. It was lovely to see such pride in their finished piece of art which will no doubt take pride of place on a window sill/mantelpiece very soon!

One of the most powerful writes was inspired by the chapter in the book when Lou greets the chief and communicates with him in her own language. What could we say to someone very important about who we were? How would we speak to them? What would we need to make sure of? Around the fire pit on a very cold November afternoon, Y3LH did speak to the chief of ACE. This they did in their own language even though the wind was whistling and smoke smarted eyes!

Below are just a few comments from the numerous parents and interested adults who turned up for the celebration…

“The art studio gives parents an insight into what their children have been doing, and an opportunity to interact with their teachers.”

“I really enjoyed the performance and I am so proud of the effort the teachers are putting into the kids learning.”

“I really like being able to spend time with Layth and for him to show me his work. I really enjoyed seeing him get excited as he showed me his work. He has really enjoyed the last two weeks.”

What a privilege it has been to work alongside Year 2 over the past month. Because they are going as a cohort to see the ballet ‘The Little Mermaid’, Mr Spink and Miss Savage thought this would be an ideal ‘hook’ for their arts fortnights. Therefore through dance, drama, storytelling, writing and art, we explored and captured a little of the magic of Hans Christian Anderson’s beautiful yet in places tragic story.

Sprats and herring provided the fish for our observational drawings which we created using charcoal, graphite, pencil, felt tip and watercolour. Similarly the wonderful shell drawings used these materials as we hatched, dotted, dashed, cross hatched and circled.

Miss Allison worked her magic as she choreographed another memorable dance. Parents and interested adults were the willing audience so that Year 2 could perform and spread the happiness and enjoyment of their routine.

Here are just some of the lovely comments:

“I loved seeing the children enjoying the dance. Watching them work together was a joy.” Grace D’s dad

“Lovely dancing, smiley faces and everyone looking happy!” Jemima’s Grandma

“The kids worked really hard on the dance; so happy and so impressed with everyone’s effort and behaviour.”

Fine motor skills were the order of the day as we created the willow fish. Weaving of tissue paper, wool and beads ensured that all had their own unique look. Meanwhile, quite a scary looking piece of artwork of a mermaid holding a swordfish inspired their own watercolour and charcoal mermaids!

Through drama and storytelling we immersed Year 2 in the story. Their narrative writes were wonderful.

Mehuli’s mum beautifully shared the purpose of the fortnight in her appreciative comment. It captures the why and heart of what we do:

“The whole performance was really splendid. I really liked the fact that so much creativity is being evolved in each pupil. I am really pleased to see my daughter grow up in the truest sense.”

Year 2 loved sharing their learning with parents and interested adults. Thank you for coming!

Well what a fortnight. Year 5LM certainly entered into the drama of Act 3, scene 4 in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Drama-with an encouragement to exaggerate movements, experiment with levels and to use physical contact- certainly helped in portraying the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the characters involved.  Miss Allison was also able to draw on your ability to do this in the dance, so that as a class you performed an amazing, if somewhat eerie banquet.  Well done for nailing those timings, working collaboratively and bringing the confusion and madness of Macbeth himself to the audience.

These comments will hopefully encourage you as you take part in the School’s Shakespeare Festival at Leeds Carriageworks Theatre on November 3^rd.

“The dance was very clever and it’s wonderful to see their confidence. I can’t wait for the 3^rd November!”

“The dance told a story and everyone looked like they enjoyed the performance.”

“Dance was amazing-I don’t quite know how you manage to pull it all together.”

Personally, I was very impressed with your Modroc banquet bowls! Although messy, requiring perseverance (the tissue paper and glue wrapping paper in particular) as well as the fine motor skills in covering a spherical shape you all succeeded! In addition, you all worked so hard on your feather drawings. Well done for some wonderful observational drawings, exploration of drawing materials and use of watercolour.

Your writes included a description of the painting ‘Banquo’s Ghost’, Lady Macbeth’s rant at her husband’s behaviour and the ravens account of proceedings at the banquet. Well done for all your hard work and using the learning environment to support learning-especially in spelling.

Thank you parents and interested adults for sharing and celebrating Year 5LM’s learning. We are so pleased that these afternoons give you an opportunity to spend time with your child discussing their successes and challenges as well as giving you an insight into the process.

Some of the lovely comments shared about what was really liked:

“Teachers are willing to take time and explain…the art work is out of this world…the communication with family so that they see how well their child is progressing.”

“Hearing my son speak so passionately about an area of work I never thought he’d be interested in.”

“The interaction…the cafe to sample/purchase…the opportunity to see the resources available…the children’s enthusiasm and progress…fantastic workshop.”

Our learning this fortnight in the studio, hall and school grounds encouraged:

• dramatic battle scenes
• percussion accompaniments to Act 1 Scene 3 and a confidence to perform
• an opportunity through dance and movement to capture the emotion and intensity of Macbeth the warrior as well as the influence of the witches on his life-thank you Miss Allison for your wonderful choreography yet again!
• the accurate weighing of ingredients for shortbread
• the discovery of and use of new vocabulary found in the narrative stories of Macbeth
• creativity in the making of witch Modroc masks and an exploration of mark making
• observational drawings of objects for spells burnt in a fire pit

Year 5RA, your enthusiasm, team work and hard work over the past two weeks was certainly celebrated with your parents and other interested adults on Friday. You overcame various challenges in your learning from that of confidence and embarrassment in performing, wrestling with new vocabulary to enhance your writing, knowing the number of grams in a kilogram as well as exploring and using new art materials to create. You should be very proud!

Thank you to Y5RA parents who took the time out of their busy day to join in this celebration of learning. Hopefully, the opportunity to see, experience and chat through your child’s work was beneficial and enjoyable for you too.

Here are just some of the lovely comments from the afternoon:

“The children were really confident and enthusiastic. It’s amazing how they remember their lines and routine.”

“The art work was amazing! I really liked the dance and the way the children worked together. Well done!”

“The dance was fantastic. I really enjoyed seeing what the children have been doing and learning. The biscuits were tasty too.”

“The incorporation of learning retention with performance is great (artistic performance).Great for active children as well as those with literacy skills.”

Thank you 4DM for bringing colour and vibrancy, smiles and enthusiasm to your ‘Arts Fortnight’. Through exploration and embracing new challenges, you have all bravely ‘had a go’ and because of this experienced many wow moments along your journey. Who would have thought that Oscar Wilde’s classic story, ‘The Selfish Giant’ could generate monologues, dialogues, letters, dance, drama and such stunning art work in the style of the artist Robert Kushner?

A big thank you also goes to Miss Allison for her wonderful choreography and sharing the importance of team work on so many levels. Trust in each other was certainly evidenced in your wall sections, whilst team work resulted in a delightful performance. The smiles and applause from your parents, sisters and interested adults was testament to your achievement.

Last but not least were the jam tarts you baked with Mrs Walker, and then wolfed down over tea and coffee in the cafe!

Here are some of the lovely comments from this afternoons celebration…

‘I liked being able to talk to Matthew about his work and listening to him explain what they have been working on in lessons. I also liked being able to paint and draw and have a nosey around his classroom!’ Charlotte (big sister)

‘I am very proud of 4DM for the amazing work they have done, and performing a beautiful dance.‘ Miss Henstock

‘The way they told the story through dance was very impressive. All the artwork was amazing and individual. I would happily display at home!’

‘Loved the jam tarts! The Art, the dancing and interaction of children in working together was great.’ Karam’s mum

‘I really enjoyed the artwork Adwaya produced. It was nice to see they learn so many things in school.’ Adwaya’s mum

On the 2^nd May, the art studio had ‘School direct students’ not Allerton CE pupils creating, printing and exploring. Tones and tints in paint, cross hatching and line in drawing, tearing, coiling and relief in collage were just some of the warm up activities.

They were then taken through a series of art process including block printing, lino printing and clay relief. Through a drawing exercise in felt tip, the students collaboratively created observational drawings of flowers. Their own individual observational drawing was then created using any of the mediums experienced so far. With the help of a viewfinder, part of their drawing was then used to create the design for their block print. The results were definitely effective.

After lunch, their design was then transferred onto lino, cut into, inked up and then worked on some more. A sense of achievement was felt by all-with a desire for certain prints to be framed! Finally, the group saw how they could create a clay relief from their designs…

A most enjoyable day, with students equipped to take some of the ideas into their own classrooms in the future.

Wow! This Friday’s celebration showcased:

• Collaborative collage and intricate computer art. These were in the style of the artist Robert Kushner and adorned the walls of the art studio.

• A spectacular dance inspired by Oscar Wildes’ story, ‘The Selfish Giant’, which was choreographed by Miss Allison and performed by the talented 4CC.
• Wonderful writes-including monologues and letters-that were enthusiastically shared to interested adults in 4CC.

• Divine plum tarts baked by 4CC, under the guidance of Mrs Walker and then devoured over cups of tea and coffee in the café.

  

  

  

  
  

  Well done 4CC for all your hard work over the past fortnight. Personally, I thought the studio hadn’t looked so beautiful. Mrs Culshaw revealed how enthusiastically and honestly you shared your writes and learning with an interested adult .Your parents’ comments all praised the class dance. Well done!

Here is some of the feedback from the afternoon celebration:

“The dance was so happy, the children clearly enjoyed it.” Mrs Cattrall

“I really liked the children dancing. The Giant made me laugh. I also loved listening to them reading ‘The Selfish Giant’.”

“I’m really sorry I missed Kristina’s dance, but I think it was amazing because she did lots of practise at home.” Kristina’s mum.

“I loved watching the children do the dance to tell us the story. You could see the passion and love and enjoyment. It was a pleasure to see. Thank you.” Nyiema’s mum.

“Innovative use of technology.  Great participation.  Encouraging children to use their own ideas. Such confidence building.” 

“I enjoyed the dance and listening to Amber get excited over her work. She has really enjoyed the work over the past two weeks.” Amber’s mum.

“I loved the dance they did in the hall and I am so happy with Tia’s work she has been doing over the past two weeks.” One happy mum.

“I really liked the dance, the reading, the artwork and lovely pictures. Everything related to ‘Ice Palace’ and it was excellent.” Areena’s mum

“The effort we put into our dance to make it special.” Niamh (Y3 DC)

“Niamh’s descriptive writing and diverse vocabulary.” Niamh’s dad

“I loved the dancing. I loved the Rocky Road-better than Costa Coffee!! Well done to all the teachers and Mrs Johnston. Excellent work. I really enjoyed today.” Stathis’ mum

What a whirlwind of a month. Creativity, imagination, performance and teamwork have all been drawn upon in Year 3 during their ‘Arts fortnight’ and the results have been fabulous.

Energy and exuberance, the challenges of working as a team and retaining a difficult routine as well as conquering fear of failing are the testimonials from the dance. Thank you Miss Allison for believing in us and choreographing a dance where being team mattered. The music and dance brought a smile to everyone’s faces.

Observational drawing, painting and drawing were the challenges in the art sessions. However, in listening, daring to have a go, really concentrating and a willingness to go again, the end products showed imagination, exploration, energy and colour. As a cohort, we appreciated the need to really focus and take pride in our creations.  The art studio looks wonderful at the moment as their art brings colour, life and beauty to the room.

In addition, acting out the story and creating our own worlds through small world resources, wonderful descriptions were written. We learnt the importance of listening to feedback, using our learning environment and word mats for spelling as well as understanding why carefully reading back our sentences encourages us to take ownership of our writes. Well done Year 3 for being responsive and understanding why self-regulation matters.

Over their ‘Arts’ fortnights, both Year 6 classes have been introduced to lino printing. Initial drawings were transferred onto lino and then carefully carved with cutters to create Arctic/Antarctic inspired designs. Cutting away from hands was the most important rule and although there was a splattering of blood, on the whole this rule was adhered to! Carving the design did require control and concentration. However, once inked up the sense of achievement in producing a recognisable print often resulted in spontaneous applause.

Through dance, Year 6 explored the Arctic and Antarctic theme. Both performances cleverly captured the prey and the predator, the awe and the wonder of the Poles, with collaboration and cooperation essential in the choreography. 6MJ had the opportunity to work alongside our new dance coach Miss Allison and her expertise was welcomed.

The successes and challenges of the fortnights were shared with interested adults. Below are some of the comments written in response to Friday’s celebration:

“I liked everything!!! The dance was amazing. The art studio fab. I’ve seen so much happiness on the kids’ faces!! Good to know Hanna is looked after so well.”            Hanna’s dad

“The freedom and access to teachers, and the work that the children have done made it very welcoming and easy to understand what the children had been doing.”                         Anton Hamilton

“The dance production was fantastic! The children have obviously worked very hard. It is lovely to see them working so well together.”                                                                          Isobel’s mum

“The performance was very good. Proud to see such quality in the written and lino (art) work. Well done.”                                                                                                                      Harneeka’s dad

This week, twenty two UKS2 pupils participated in a photography session led by John Sherbourne- one of our school governors. ‘The rule of 3’, reflections, line and composition etc.which were shared by John were then put into practice on an exciting trip to Stratford Upon Avon. Using disposable cameras,the challenge was to record the day through just 26 photographs. Bold and strong compositions of the sights of Stratford, the afternoon at the Mechanical Art and Design Museum as well as the inspired technological and creative production of ‘The Tempest’ were taken by the students.

Reflecting on the exercise, we all agreed that digital photography was easier. However the anticipation and apprehension felt in opening the envelope containing the developed photographs taken on the disposable cameras was exciting!

Here are just a few of the students comments about the trip:

‘A unique experience, as I doubt I will ever do something like that again with school or in the exact same order.’

‘Amazing technology brought ‘The Tempest’ to life.’

‘The museum was fantastic because you could make your own marble run.’

Please drop in to the art studio to see the pictures taken of the day and read the reports written by ACE’s ‘Junior Journalists’.