Children in Year 3 and 4 had their thinking caps on last week as they took part in the World Education Games which began on 5 March 2013. UNICEF and the World Education Games hosted the world's largest online classroom challenge. Millions of students from 236 countries and territories registered for this year's World Education Games, from 5 - 7 March 2013.

NECCR Memo - Feb 2013.doc

An important date for the diary - Sunday 19 May - the Greggs 31st Annual Children's Cancer Run.  As in previous years the event will take place at Newcastle Racecourse, Gosforth Park and we are hoping for another fantastic turn out to raise funds for Children's Cancer Research in the North East.

Over the past 10 years many parents and children, staff and governors have shown great enthusiasm and thoroughly enjoyed this event and we are hoping that even more of you will be able to take part this year to help raise funds for Children's Cancer Research in the North East. 

About the Run
The run is a five mile cross country family Fun Run, sponsored by Greggs the Bakers, with a one mile Mini Run for the under sevens.  At the end of the run all participants receive a medal, a t-shirt and a Greggs picnic. 

How to Enter

You can enter the race this year by applying online at www.childrenscancerrun.co.uk by Tuesday 7 May 2013.

You can also join the official Children's Cancer Run Facebook group to find news and photos about the event and follow them via Twitter @NECCRrun.

A big thank you to the parents who gave up their time to come into school to teach a variety of languages; French, Russian, German, Chinese and Spanish. The children enjoyed taking part in activities involving  a new language. Nursery tasted Chinese food, Reception made Chinese lanterns and dragons, Years One and Two learnt African songs, Year Three learned to say 'Hello' in different languages and Year Four recorded their thoughts about Language Awareness Day. 'Spanish Dinner' was also a great success.

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Nursery

Reception

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4 

There is a great buzzzzzz in Y3 this week and the children are having an electrifying time! As part of their SET challenge Y3 are making burglar alarms! Don't worry this is not to combat a crime wave in Hexham.  The children are trying to stop a diamond being stolen by a well known Wallace and Gromit character.  Do you know who this might be?  

Well our team of Y3 designers needed some help so today Mr Mullholland came in and helped develop their ideas about how to use a switch to turn the alarms on.  Together they investigated circuits and their components and then made different types of switches such as 'a pressure pad switch' and 'a venus fly trap switch'.  

It seems they really enjoyed the hands on experiences, their brains lit up with ideas and they conducted themselves well, eventually discovering how they could incorporate switches into an alarm system.

Update February 2013

Pupil Premium funding has now been increased to £623 per pupil. This funding applies to Free School Meals (FSM) pupils and Looked After Children (LAC) and children of service personnel Service Children from Reception to Y4. It does not include children in Nursery.  12.4% of the children at SELEfirst are eligible for this funding. The total funding in this financial year is £32,396.  This money has been used to fund the following:

Training and resources for staff to teach support programmes including ELSA, (Emotional Literacy Support Activities) Read Write Inc and LEXIA support for children at risk of Dyslexia or those with difficulties with acquiring basic skills in reading or spelling, Talk Boost and an individual spelling provision called Stareway to spelling.

Swimming cancelled today due to snow and ice.

Children will be taken into class at 8.30.

SET fortnight has begun across school today. Every year group has been tasked with a challenge!

Nursery have been given the challenge to design and make a vehicle to transport a puppet around nursery.

In Reception poor Penguin Small needs to escape the Polar Bears in the North Pole and get back to his Penguin Friends in the South Pole.  Our challenge is to design, make, test and evaluate a boat that will take Penguin Small safely on his long journey.

The children in Year One have been looking at toys old and new. Using the starting point of the book the Toymaker by Martin Waddell they have been making toys to fill the toyshop. They have investigated methods to make toys move using push and pull, such as levers.

Year Two have to design and make a buggy which will move as far as possible over a flat surface, powered by wind. We will be investigating ways to join wood for the chassis, number of wheels and length of axle, material and shape of sail, position and number of masts before making our final buggy for The Great Buggy Race!

In Year Three, children are going on a Wallace and Gromit Adventure. Their topic is based on the Wrong Trousers and children have been set the challenge of designing a burglar alarm to prevent Feather McGraw stealing the diamond! They will also be creating their own animation.

Year Four began 'Dumbledore's Design Challenge'. They have been tasked with creating a chair fit for a professor. Their challenge is to provide scientific evidence that the materials they have chosen are the most suitable. They will be putting their investigative skills to the test!

You are invited to visit school and find out how the challenges are going during our Open Day on Thursday 14 February^. 

The Iron Man

One dark, gloomy night there was a young girl called Lucinda who was all on her own.  She lived with her Grandma and Grandad.  They were a jolly lot because they all loved each other very much.

Lucinda was exploring the dark, destroyed, gloomy house with dusty surfaces and cobwebs with spiders on them. It was an old, freezing, gigantic house with dusty floors and dirty walls. She was searching for her dog called Lucy as it had run away. 

As Lucinda stepped further into the dark, gloomy and creaking house, her feet echoed in the dark, distant corridors. She could see a dusty, rusty table nearby.  It was flat and shaped like a bird's beak.  The table legs were as big as a metre stick.  It was strange because it looked like it had a big bite taken out of it.

Lucinda suddenly smelt some sausages coming from outside. When she had managed to find a window, she saw a small black figure roasting sausages and dancing a jig. Lucinda didn't want to go up and say hello but she had to.  It was like something was pulling her forward.

Then she heard a creak, although she was scared she turned around and looked...Nothing was there. She turned back around but then she heard another creak. She turned around again and went outside. When she went outside, she saw in the distance some ruby red glowing eyes. Suddenly the eyes glowed at her. Lucinda felt really scared, she had to go, but something strong held her forward.

The figure stepped forward into the light.  It was actually an Iron Man! He had an enormous rusty nose, as big as a rusty stove. His vast long legs were as long as a lamppost. The Iron Man's great iron hands were as gigantic as a car. His enormous feet echoed as he steadily walked towards her. His eyes were glittering like the deep blue sea.

Lucinda was so scared but out of the corner of her eye she noticed something small.  It was her dog Lucy!  Lucinda ran for her dog and it jumped into her arms.  She could hear the Iron Man behind her coming closer.  She closed her eyes and ran as fast as she could towards home.  As she pushed her front door open she turned around.  The Iron Man had gone.  He was nowhere to be seen...

By Fleur Forster

The Iron Man

In the stormy, frightening dead of night, a polite, eager and handsome boy was playing sadly in his room.  The reason he was in his room was because he had been sent to his room by his mother.  Although he had shouted at his little sister he had not meant to do it. 

The room was colourful, comfortable and huge with long windows and comfy carpets but he was still unhappy.  He saw the light streaming through the window and the carpet was as red as bright paint.  From the white window he could hear the wind howling outside.  Next door he could hear a guitar being played and downstairs he heard the stereo.

Dave was feeling hot so he decided to open the window.  As he went over to the window he heard an unusual sound.  It sounded like a beep, beep, beep...He decided to open the window slowly.  As he did just that there was something strange in front of him.  As he looked closer he could see it was a huge Iron Man!

He had a tall, fat head which was as big as a skyscraper.  He had legs as long as a tree and a grin with jagged teeth which looked ferocious and frightening.  The Iron Man was coming forward.

Quickly he ran downstairs.  He shouted "Mum, Mum! Look through the window!"  As his Mum peered through the window he heard her scream! But it was only because his sister had fallen over and his Mum was worried.  The huge Iron Man was nowhere to be seen. 

Dave thought he must have been dreaming as the Iron Man was nowhere.  As his mum went outside to look after his sister he looked around the garden.  The great Iron Man was gone but Dave could see a huge footprint and massive bite marks in the car.  It was real after all.

By Oliver Nichol

'Bathers at Asnieres' by Seurat

If you missed our open day on Friday 9 November you may not be aware that everyone in Y3 and Y4 contributed to the making of a 'Hama' bead picture during workshops in October with artist Carl von Weiler. They explored many of the themes held in Seurat's original picture -  'Pointillism'; colour theories; landscape; social structures; leisure activities; numbers; history; and even some science.

With approximately 30,000 colour beads, the children have made a new (contemporary) version of the original picture created in 1884 in Paris, France.

The picture is awaiting framing before submission to the National Gallery in 2013 and is currently on display in the Main Hall. A photograph will simply not do this work justice-why not come along and see it?  Come into school with your child after pick up at 3.10 any evening during November.

Sele Lions provides high quality care for Sele School registered children (from the age of three) and their elder siblings (to the age of thirteen) and Y5 middle school children before and after school and on teacher training days.

Sele Lions Brochure October 2012.pub

Take One Picture Celebration Day Friday 9 November

Parents, Carers and Family Members

Please come along and see the children in lessons and the wonderful work they have completed. Refreshments available in the Main Hall.

Open times 9.30 to 11.30 and after lunch 1.45-3.00

Y4M Parent Asembly in the Gym starting at 9.30

If you have parental responsibility for a child in school, yet you do not reside with your child, please contact school with your up to date contact information (including email) if you would like to receive correspondance.

Thank you.

Nursery AM

Nursery PM

Nursery 2.5 days

Reception

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Year Four

Nursery - Curriculum Contents and Achievements

Reception - Curriculum Contents and Achievements

Year One - Curriculum Contents and Achievements

Year Two - Curriculum Contents and Achievements

Year Three - Curriculum Contents and Achievements

Year Four - Curriculum Contents and Achievements

KS2 Parent Booklet September 2012

Simple advice on helping your young child with maths in Key Stage 2

KS2 Parent Booklet Maths 2012

A reminder to parents that Thursday 28 June is Transfer Day.

Children in Y4 will spend the day at their new middle schools whilst childen in the rest of school will spend some time with their new teachers.

Y4 are getting ready to move to middle school and all the excitement that brings.  There is however one big and exciting event still to take place at Sele First and this is being eagerly anticipated before our Y4's depart.

The KS2 Leavers' Concert takes place on Thursday 12 July at the Queen's Hall.

It always proves to be a fantastic show and a highlight of the year for KS2 children.

The title of this year's show is '60 Years as Queen'.  We hope those who come to watch have a wonderful time and enjoy our show!

Year 3 and 4 took part in the Tesco Great School Run which was held on the Sele on Wednesday 13 June.

This event was a 2km fun run encouraging children and adults from schools in the Hexham Partnership of Schools to take part in exercise for fun.

Year 3 took part in the Northumberland Youth Games during May.  This was a region wide competition and the first round was between schools within the Hexham Partnership of Schools. All Year 3 children took part in the first round of events.  Fourteen children got through to the second stage of the games in which they competed against other schools from the Tynedale area. From this second heat, held at Wentworth Leisure Centre on Tuesday 29 May, Freya McNicol achieved Gold, Olivia Milburn achieved Silver, Ruth Duncan achieved Bronze and Harry Coldwell also achieved Bronze. 

The following children will now go forward to represent Tynedale at the Regional finals which will be held in Ashington on 6 July.  I am sure you will join me in saying well done to these pupils:

Harry Coldwell
William Burns
Toby Ferguson
Simeon Corder

Freya McNicol
Olivia Milburn
Ruth Duncan
Dulcie Gilbertson

Photos from the event

The Y3 TAG Rugby Team took part in a cross school Tag Rugby Tournament in Longbenton this half term. Two teams represented SELEfirst and both got through to the semi-finals. SELE Blue Team were runners up whilst SELE Red Team were proud and worthy winners of the trophy. A big congratulations and well done goes to both teams. Both teams played with great spirit and enthusiasm and support from parents was very positive and encouraging.

http://www.tynedalerfc.co.uk/rugby/index.php

We are delighted to announce that the eggs we have been looking after in an incubator in school finally hatched this week. The first chick was born on Monday 7 May followed by lots more.  The chicks will be kept in school until the end of the term. All children have visited the chicks and projects in school see children tracking their growth and development.

We held an extremely successful and well attended KS2 Maths Meeting for parents on Wednesday 9 May, facilitated by specialist Liz Bailey.

We will be holding a KS1 Maths Meeting on Wednesday 16 May from 7.00-8.15pm in the school hall. 

All parents are welcome to attend.  The information in the meeting is suitable for parents of children in their final term of Reception, parents of children in Y1 and Y2 (KS1) and also parents of children in KS2 as you will find out how Maths progresses from one key stage to the next.

If you have not already booked your place please complete the attached form and return to the school office no later than Tuesday 15 May or alternatively, contact the school office directly.

KS1 AND KS2 MATHS MEETINGS MAY 2012

Year 3 Curriculum Contents Summer Term 2012

Year 3 are taking part in the 'Face of Britain Project' as part of this year's Queen's Jubilee celebrations. They have created their own self portraits which will form part of a national display in London.  The portraits will also be displayed nationwide.