We self-register when we come in to class in the morning.  We then work with our friends to complete 'Brain Blast' activities.

The first few weeks have flown by!  We’ve enjoyed getting back into the swing of things by playing lots of team building games. 

Everybody has been busy taking part in assessments so that targets can be given.  Every child has taken home targets for spelling and timetables that they need to work on.

We had fun in our first outdoor learning session and developed our directional language, e.g. clockwise; anticlockwise; left; right; north, south, east, west.  We discussed artist, Andy Goldsworthy and created some of our own ‘Art from nature’. 

We’ve been developing the ability to reason mathematically and create a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. We have been problem solving by:

• seeking solutions not just memorising procedures
• exploring patterns not just memorising formulas

Simply 'having a go' is a great way to make a start on a mathematical problem.  Whatever happens, you will have learnt more about the situation and can then tweak your approach. 

Our current focus in maths is Place Value.  Place value is the value of each digit that appears in a number. Understanding place value helps you to work out the value of a number. For example, in the number 627, the 6 is 600 (hundreds), the 2 is 20 (tens) and the 7 is 7 (units, or ones in other words).

Outdoor learning was lots of fun!  We started off by singing a silly rain song!  We then made boats from natural materials and tried to race them on the puddles.  We needed to make lots of adjustments as they kept sinking!  We had log roll races and finished off by jumping in muddy puddles. 

The Hugging Tree is a lovely book that communicates the message of resilience. We listened to the story before going on our outdoor learning session. Not only did the children identify why the tree was resilient, it also helped communicate the message that you can have support from others to help you be resilient.

We then became Nature Detectives!  We studied the trees in our outdoor environment and used the Leaf ID information to identify the different types of trees we could see. 

Did you know … our school name means, valley of the hazel tree in Welsh!

We have started our new topic - Standing up for the Welsh language.

This topic will inspire the pupils to aim high.  They will learn about incredible, enthusiastic people who reached high, achieved amazing things and helped to shape Wales as we know it today.

We discovered the history of the Welsh language in the company of the expert, Mr R. Ben Igwr.  

He is a statistician working for the Welsh Government, and is a bit of a genius.  The Government have given him a task - to ensure that one million people can speak Welsh by 2050. 

He presented 10 important historical events linked to the Welsh language - from the Act of Union, to the translation of the Bible, the treachery of the Blue Books to the Welsh Not.  

He told us about the formation of Urdd Gobaith Cymru and the importance of us embracing the Welsh language.  

Learning about Welsh history with fun and excitement!  

During our outdoor session this week, we explored the parable of the sower.  We discussed how people can change, to try to live better lives and think about others more than themselves. 

We then took part in an ‘Ideas Walk' – reading the interesting facts about the Harvest Festival, including its history, how it is celebrated around the world and how crops are gathered during the harvest.  We discussed the effects of farming and machinery on the landscape and why we continue to celebrate the traditions of the Harvest Festival. 

Following this we went on a Harvest Treasure Hunt, looking for codes to solve a puzzle.  This was a fun, interactive task, using our iPads to access information. 

We enjoyed performing our recital, 'Bwgan Brain' to everyone at the Coffee Morning. 

We were also treated to a performance by the Salvation Army Band.

We started our outdoor learning session with a story in the round house.  We listened to the Bible story of Daniel in the Lions Den.  Following the story we had a discussion about having courage to stand up for what you believe in.  We linked this to our current topic and what we had learned about Eileen Beasley.  After that we worked in teams to build our own dens.

We had a brilliant day celebrating Diwrnod Shwmae Su'mae!  

We danced to Welsh songs and sang lots of Welsh songs. 

Criw Cymraeg taught us some Welsh games.

We also followed a step-by-step doodle lesson, by Welsh artist Rhys Padarn.

Llawer o hwyl!

Our outdoor learning session began with the story of Gwen, one of a new series telling the stories of inspirational people from Wales.  Thanks to her determination, sensitivity and artistic skill, she is considered one of Wales' finest painters.  

Following this, we played a variety of Welsh games: Faint o'r gloch ydy hi, Mr Blaidd?; Taith Mistar Urdd; Ras at y con.  It was lots of fun and everyone developed their Welsh language skills.  

Some key vocabulary/phrases from the session:

* pen; ysgwydd; coes; troed; car; beic; tren; awyren; cwch; symudwch; Mae hi'n amser cinio

We finished off with creating some lovely artwork, using chalk on the yard, inspired by the artist Rhys Padarn.

We listened to another story from the Welsh Wonders series today.  It was the story of Aneurin Bevan, founder of the NHS and one of Britain's most well-loved politicians.  We discussed his speech difficulties when he was a young boy, his job as a miner and how he was a speech-maker in the Houses of Parliament.  We also thought about his drive by a passion to make the country a fairer and better place for everyone. 

The next time we see a doctor or visit a hospital, we are going to remember Nye - the shy boy from Tredegar who became the greatest public speaker of the land!

We then played some team building games that involved rescue missions - Cross the River and Mountain Rescue.  They were a lot of fun and also helped to develop our communication skills and develop trust building skills.