German club takes place on a Thursday, after school. We have been learning some basic french phrases and words. Mrs Bridgewood and Miss Madsen lead our German club and teach us through lots of fun games, songs and activities. We have been making Christmas Cards for our friends in Germany. We will exchange cards with the pupils at Rainbow School - our link school in Gelsenkirchen. We unboxed a special delivery, all the way from Germany. Inside there were Models, made by the pupils at Rainbow School. The models were of local landmarks within the area of the school, in Gelsenkirchen. It was very exciting. We will be finding out more about our link school and the city, in the coming weeks as well as meeting our German friends through video conferencing, in the New Year.

Our KS2 Girls football team began this year's league games, under the floodlights. They played their first 3 league games showing great teamwork and determination. Although the results didn't go their way on the night - there were some fantastic performances and it was a great experience. We look forward to the next round of matches!

We welcomed Ali and Sayontani, from Sustrans into school for our Dr Bike event. The Sustrans team worked all morning to carry out free Bike checks and minor repairs, to ensure our pupils' bikes were ready for the summer! Repairs including brake replacement and adjustment, puncture repairs, gear alteration were all carried out as well as general maintenance such as blowing up tyres and oiling bike chains. Thank you to all parents who supported the event by bringing in their child's bike.

As part of our school’s curriculum enhancement,  our Y6 children have visited Durham university.  The purpose of the trip was to get an understanding of university life. The children had a lecture on ‘Crime and Punishment’ and this supports our History topic. We also had the opportunity to have a science lesson in the Bioscience laboratories. This followed on from our heart dissection lesson yesterday where we looked at the anatomy of the heart. Year 6 had the opportunity to look at a variety of cells in tissues and meal worms under a microscope and the effect of lasers on the tissue. At lunchtime we had lunch in the Great Hall of Durham Castle - we felt like we were in Harry Potter!

As part of our Other Faiths week - pupils were able to visit a local Synagogue, which is the Place of worship for the Jewish Faith. Our Year 4 pupils were given a tour of the synagogue, including their special classroom. They were shown the Torah, which is the Jewish Holy book and learnt that the Torah is kept safely in the Ark and is written in Hebrew. The children listened to the Torah being read aloud and we were able to ask lots of questions to find out why the Torah is so important to Jewish people. Thank you for making us feel so welcome.

Ash Wednesday Mass and Celebration of the Word Today our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils celebrated mass at English Martyrs' Church with the parishioners. Fr. Mariadass led the mass and explained the significance of ash Wednesday and what it means to receive the ashes on our forehead. Children in Years 1 - 4 came together to celebrate the word of God and reflected on the Lenten journey we are about to begin. We looked at scripture and the links to our beliefs and traditions in the Catholic church today. Our First Holy Communion pupils in year 4 received ashes and showed a commitment to preparation during lent - especially as their journey of faith continues towards making their First Holy Communion.

Visit from Tyne and Wear Fire service Year 4 had a visit from Amanda from the Tyne and Wear Fire service. She told us how quickly a fire can start in our homes. We watched a video it was scary to see how quickly fire and smoke spreads! Luckily, TWFS have the fastest response time to an emergency- approximately 5 minutes! We have all been asked to test our fire alarm weekly to check that it works. Amanda reminded us about the dangers of charging phones, tablets and games consoles overnight, as they can overheat and cause a fire. You can find out more information about keeping your home safe by visiting the TWFS website and safelinks - HFSC (safelincs.co.uk)

What is the School Council? A school council provides a meaningful way in which pupils can voice their opinions and have their views taken into account in decisions that impact upon them. At English Martyrs' Primary School, our school council is a group of children that represents the views of all our pupils. It gives our children the opportunity to have their voices heard and be part of the whole school community. They help to make decisions about school life and organise projects that support learning and development. Who are the School Council representatives? A new school council is elected each year and is made up of 2 representatives from each year group, from Year 1 to Year 6. All school council representatives are elected by their peers at the beginning of each academic year. The children who would like to be considered for school council write a manifesto, the children then vote in a secret ballot to elect the school councillor. Mrs Sutcliffe School Council (Teacher representative) I am very proud to support our School Council this year. We have fantastic children in our school who have lots of great ideas on how we can work together to make a better school.  We have children from Year 6 all the way down to Year 1. We want to make sure that all children’s voices are heard in our school.  We will meet regularly to discuss ideas and events. I am very excited to work with the children this year and I know we are going to achieve a lot for our school! School council aims: To meet regularly to discuss their views and be heard. To organise whole school and class events To make sure our school is a happy and safe place for all of our children To make sure children have a place to voice their concerns, opinions, and thoughts To encourage all children in school to suggest ideas and improvements To ensure any suggestions or concerns are listened to and acted upon

This half term we were delighted to welcome Tommy, from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, into school to discuss the dangers of water and how to keep safe. Tommy worked with pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 in special workshops. Teaching water safety in primary schools is crucial for ensuring the well-being of young students. By educating children about water safety in primary school, we can help prevent accidents and drownings in water such as pools, lakes, rivers and in the sea. Tommy was able to explain the important elements of water safety, like how to swim, float, and recognize dangerous situations, around water. This knowledge not only  helps to keep our pupils safe but also instils a sense of confidence and independence when enjoying activities near and on water. The sessions were interactive and engaging with lots of opportunities to ask questions. We hope that this knowledge never has to be used but having taken part in the workshops, it can potentially save lives and promote a culture of safety around water. You can here more from Tommy in a safety video and find out more information about water safety by clicking the link HERE. Thanks to Tommy and the TWFS for their support.

Fasching is a traditional German celebration, also known as Karneval or Fastnacht. It is carnival season preceding Lent, which has been celebrated for centuries by people worldwide with German heritage. At the end of this season, people celebrate with a carnival and in school pupils dress in party clothes or fancy dress and enjoy sweet treats and party games throughout the day. At English Martyrs’, we wanted to celebrate this festival with our partner school and friends over in Gelsenkircken, Germany. On Friday 9th February, we took part in activities throughout the day to mark the occasion. We were even able to see and speak to some of the pupils at Rainbow School (Regenbogenschule). Here are some highlights from our day. Dressing up and making masks It is traditional for people to dress up, wear costumes and masks during Karneval. In school our pupils were encouraged to come dressed in costumes and/or colourful clothes. The teachers even joined in too! You may spot teachers at both English Martyrs' and Rainbow school in the pictures below. Children at English Martyrs' also made colourful festival masks to wear in school for the day. Video Conferencing Pupils in KS2 took part in video conferencing sessions with their equivalent classes at Rainbow School. We played games such as 'guess the costume' as well as musical statues. We listened to some traditional Karneval music and created a shared playlist of songs. Mrs McCaffrey played the piano and we shared one of our favourite traditional songs from the north east - The Blaydon Races. 'It was great seeing everyone at Rainbow School, in Gelsenkirchen - it made it all real to see the other children via the live link.' Sterling

On Monday 25th March, Year 5 were lucky enough to visit Sacred Heart High School to watch a performance of "The Great Stink" by the English Touring Opera. Through songs, drama and puppetry, the company told the incredible true story of Summer 1858, when the city of London was brought to a standstill by the terrible smell from the River Thames. The Head of Music from Sacred Heart visited school beforehand to teach us some songs, which made the experience so much more enjoyable and interactive. Year 5 even created some puppets to bring along to the performance! Here are some reviews from our Year 5 children: "I liked how they put comedy into the songs - it was funny!" "It was really interactive, so we got to join in with the singing and holding up signs!" "It wasn't what I expected - there were lots of different voices, not just high ones." "We got to learn a lot too. They told a story through the songs but we also learnt about Victorian history!" As you can see, Year 5 had a fantastic time and took a lot away from the experience.

Comic Relief supports incredible projects and organisations that are making a difference for people across the UK and around the world. To support this vital charity work and good causes, pupils at English Martyrs' were to come into school dressed in red clothing. There were some great red coloured outfits on show, including lots of red noses! Pupils were invited to bring in a small donation towards the fantastic causes that Comic Relief supports. We were able to donate £279.05 which is fantastic! Thank you for your support. As part of the day our pupils learned about different kinds of Migration and why people often have to move homes or countries without warning and often through no fault of their own. We considered how we can support others who find themselves in this position.