Chinese New Year Celebrations

As part of our MFL Curriculum, we were able to immerse ourselves in Chinese traditions by celebrating Chinese New Year. As usual, we welcomed our friends from the Confucius Institute, who put on a magnificent show for us. In addition to learning about the Chinese New Year in our Mandarin lessons, some year groups were able to take part in workshops for dance, calligraphy and martial arts. Year 4 took part in a martial arts workshop!

Q1 PE: The Haka!

In Quarter 1, Year 6 focused on learning the Haka for their PE unit. Haka are a variety of ceremonial dances in Māori culture, which are often performed by a group, involving vigorous movements and rhythmic stamping and chants. They were extremely successful during their lessons, with a smaller group of pupils being chosen to practise and perform their Haka in a borough-wide sports competition. Year 6 enjoyed their unit so much they even performed for us at our annual school disco!

'I love the history of the Haka, and how it is used' -Ashaz, Whale Class

'I enjoyed everything about the Haka!' -Jake, Whale Class

'I loved the language, the energy, and everything' -Oliver, Shark Class

'It originated from the Maori Tribe in New Zealand. Next time I would love to learn some translations.' -Naglis, Shark Class

'The Haka originated from New Zealand and was used to scare away opponents in rugby games' - Miley, Whale Class

Quarter 2: Why is Benin important? 

Over the course of Quarter 2, Year 6 were learning about the Ancient kingdom of Benin in their history and geography lessons, and were inspired by the Benin bronzes to create replicas of Nigerian artwork. During this unit, they delved deep into the rich culture of the country, exploring how it has changed over time as well as the impact of the British Empire.

'I really enjoyed making the masks and adding the small details' -Paulina, Whale Class

'I learnt that Benin was a thriving and powerful kingdom' -Daniel, Shark Class

'I learnt that Benin is not Benin City and was actually in Nigeria!' -Daria, Whale Class

'If I were to do this unit again, I would not change anything as it was enjoyable and fun at the same time' -Nicoleta, Whale Class

'By far the part of this activity that stood out to me the most was not only the sculpting but drawing the map of Africa as I learnt about different parts of the continent.' -Boris, Whale Class

'I have learnt about the importance of Black culture and how important this was to Benin.' -Keiaana, Shark Class

'I really enjoyed learning about how Benin Kingdom was successful in many different ways. For example, their riches, items and loads more. I also enjoyed creating masks which represented relatives of the Oba.' -Riad, Shark Class