Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been a shorter term than the last but just as packed and busy with lots of wonderful activities, clubs and events taking place. The opportunities on offer are ever-increasing and we always do our best to involve as many pupils in enrichment and new experiences as we can - we really do hate to disappoint.

Thank you for your support on fundraising days, trips and ensuring your child is always prepared and ready to learn. Our first residential trip to High Borrans was a big hit and helped pupils develop confidence, resilience and new friendships! Huge thanks to Mr Dibden for organising the trip and Mr Poxon, Mrs Kerr and Mrs Ford for giving up their own time away from their families to ensure our pupils had the best time.

There have been so many great opportunities to get involved in this term and I know the pupils have really enjoyed the interclass sporting competitions; playing matches in football, rugby, dodgeball and netball against other schools; and musical and dance performances in and out of school. All of which builds the pupils' confidence and resilience to get involved in team events and perform to an audience - stepping out of their comfort zone. The same can be said about their learning in lessons, where developing metacognition has been our focus and learning strategies to approach challenges and be more independent. There have also been theatre trips on offer and of course our whole year group trip to the cinema. The STEAM drop-down day was a fantastic day and the pupils loved working as a team and competing in engineering challenges. Some had the chance to work with engineers and have joined the Greenpower Car Club. Others have taken part in a visit to Newcastle University to learn about Chinese culture.

We look forward to the next two residential trips to York and Ford Castle next term - more detailed information will be shared closer to the time. I know pupils who are not going on a residential this year are already thinking of ones they would like to join in future years at Valley Gardens.

We say a fond farewell to Mrs Brunskill this term; a much loved member of staff who will be greatly missed. She has had a huge impact on pupils, both academically and pastorally, and we know she will continue to delight her new pupils with her calm and kind demeanour, amazing lessons and her passion for reading and drawing. We wish her every success in her new role as Assistant Head at her new school.

We are all looking forward to the Summer Term and making more memories. We return on Monday 17th April 2023 and have a range of events already planned, including the NT Active Mile Event; a Marimba Percussion Workshop; and more Bikeability training.

Thank you for your continued support and have a lovely Easter break.

Miss Hayley McElderry

Head of Year 5

The Snow Queen trip was unique, wonderful and thrilling! Annalise, 5AGO

I went on a trip to the Theatre Royal to see the Snow Queen with Mrs Twizell. It changed my vision of ballet and I can’t wait for the next exciting trip! Kara, 5AGO

I went on a theatre trip with choir and it was really fun. The actors were amazing and were really resilient because they performed in front of lots of people. Ava, 5JSM

I really enjoyed the Annie Trip. The singing was amazing and you could tell there was lots of resilience put into it. Ella, 5JSM

I had the opportunity to go to the North Tyneside Dance Festival and had the time of my life. Zoe, 5AGO

Valley Gardens gives everyone a chance for clubs and fun experiences! Elsa, 5AGO

I love Valley Gardens because you have a chance to go on millions of different trips. I went on the Annie trip and it was so fun and very funny. Rachel, 5AGO

The cinema trip to see Raya and the Last Dragon was the BEST! I would love to do another trip like it! Emily H 5AGO

I have really enjoyed going to the cinema and doing fun activities with my friends. Amelie, 5SBR

The cinema trip was so fun going with your friends. Going on residentials trips are super fun and playing football against Marden Bridge Middle was fun too. Albie, 5AGO

The cinema trip was a good experience and a good thing to do, so thank you!

Year 5 pupils who attend Chinese Club had the opportunity to visit Newcastle University to learn Chinese, do some calligraphy and make Chinese desserts.

It was great! Learning about the culture was fascinating and I never realised how easy it was to make tanghulu. It tasted AMAZING! Sofia, 5CJA

I thought it was really interesting learning about Chinese culture and making Chinese food. Megan 5CJA

It was fun doing the writing and the food was delicious. Eleanor 5CJA

I thought that the trip was very fun and I learnt a lot. We made Chinese calligraphy which was so fun. Leon 5CJA

It was fun and my favourite part was cooking. We learnt lots of Chinese. Jack F 5CJA

I enjoyed travelling to Newcastle and making the food. I also liked writing with the special pens. It was so fun! Nina 5CJA

It was really fun and I had a great time. The food was good and the writing - I was surprisingly good at it! Ruby 5CJA

To celebrate British Science Week, Mrs Hill organised a STEAM (science, technology, engineering and maths) drop-down day linked to Formula 1 racing cars. Pupils worked in teams to design and build a car and merchandise and used a variety of skills including: problem-solving, teamwork, and our core values: kindness, resilience and respect.

The end of the day was one of great excitement as the teams raced their cars and then awards were given for the best car performance, merchandising and teamwork.

Congratulations to these incredible musicians who performed as part of an orchestra at the NT Music Concert.

A huge thank you to the Whitley Bay High School Jazz Band who performed to year 5 this term. It is always so inspiring and impressive to watch.

We are thrilled to have our residential trip to High Borrans up and running again. It looked like it was a jam-packed week filled with windswept walks, stunning views and many opportunities to try new challenges and build resilience.

Some highlights included: walking around Hodge Close Quarry; gill scrambling; climbing and caving in Humphrey Head; reaching the summit of Raven's Edge and canoeing. Lots of fun was also had back at base: fire building; model making; film night; fashion shows and reflection time on memories made for a lifetime.

High Borrans was AMAZING. You get beautiful views, new challenges and have a routine. I would really recommend it. Halle, 5JSM

High Borrans was an amazing experience. I learnt how to rock climb and I was proud because I was resilient! Ava T 5JSM

My favourite activity was ghyll scrambling. Elliot C

Well done to our first groups of cyclists, training for the level 2 Bikeability badge, which teaches children how to grow more confident and follow expert instructors onto quiet roads, to experience “real” cycling.

So much work goes into a DT Cooking lesson and our core value of respect is certainly part of it!

Leon in 5CJA was lucky enough to win a chocolate egg at the FoVG Tombola but decided to give it to another pupil, who he saw was upset about not winning. Leon said he really feels good when he gives to others and makes them happy. What an incredibly kind thing to do and a brilliant display of one of our core values! We are very proud of you!

Our pupils enjoyed competing against some very strong teams at Kings Priory and it was a great way to end the rugby season.

I enjoyed the rugby tournaments. They were so fun and we won some matches. Angus, 5AGO

The rugby tournament was an amazing opportunity to play a sport I like. Austin, 5AGO

Our pupils had a great day at the Y5&6 Dodgeball Festival organised by North Tyneside PE.
Well done to all pupils involved - excellent play and attitude throughout.

In Y5 Gymnastics Club, pupils have been practising the key steps 3 routine in preparation for a competition after Easter.

Well done to all the pupils from year 5 & year 6 who completed a table tennis courses last term with NET 360 CIC.

I really enjoyed doing football because you go to different places and the football teacher, Mr Murphy, is really nice. You play friendly matches as well. Lyla, 5JSM

I enjoyed playing football. We played three matches and won all of them. 1-nil in the first match, 2-1 in the second and 2-0 in the third. It was good because everyone was nice and passing to each other. Saul, 5JSM

I really enjoyed doing a netball match against Marden Bridge, even though we lost, it was really fun.

Ella, 5SBR

I enjoyed scoring for Valley Gardens. It was a pleasure and I’m grateful for that and seeing some of my mates from my old team. Seb, 5JSM

Congratulations to Tom for being the 1st male in the Triathlon England North East Junior Series 2022 for his age group. He was awarded his trophy at St James Park which held the Triathlon England Award night. Well done Tom!

I am pleased to tell you that next term we will be participating in the NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. online programme. This consists of an online assembly and supporting classroom based activities. Speak out. Stay safe. is a safeguarding programme available to all primary schools in the UK and Channel Islands. It aims to help children understand abuse in all its forms and to recognise the signs of abuse in a child friendly way. Children are taught to speak out if they are worried, either to a trusted adult or Childline.

In the online assembly, the Speak out. Stay safe. messages are delivered in a fun and interactive way with the help of their mascot Buddy as well as special guest appearances from Ant and Dec.

We have studied the content of the materials and are extremely confident that they are appropriate for primary-school-aged children. By the end of the programme, we’re convinced children will feel empowered – knowing how they can speak out and stay safe. If you would like to know more about the Speak out. Stay safe. programme you can find information on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk/speakout or I would be happy to discuss any questions that you may have.

Please find a letter attached with further information below.