Year 6 take over the blog …..

Last week was full of many memorable experiences and definitely one to remember! The varied opportunities for us in maths, sport, music and culture were amazing ….

The week started off with a bang as nearly 50 Year 5 and 6 pupils went to the O2 Arena in London for the Young Voices Concert. It was a day full of fun and excitement. Everyone had a great day and the teachers enjoyed it as well (or at least I hope they did!) The parents had an amazing time, joining in with all the dancing and singing at the evening concert.

Tuesday was another great day, as seven of the Year 6’s (including us) had to face the gruelling Primary Maths Challenge Bonus Round! It was a tough paper but everyone kept going and found their way through the test. Eagerly awaiting the results!

Wednesday was absolutely packed with excitement as some of the Year 6 girls went off to the ISA Regional Netball Tournament! Everyone played incredibly well and we won the first and second round, finishing top of our group. We then faced a challenging quarter final- that seemed to go on for ever- as we kept needing extra time. We were on a winning streak and were through to the final! The final match was against St James, one of the best teams in the country. It was a tough game but everyone kept positive and determined the whole way through. We are pleased to have finished in second place and even more delighted to be through to the Nationals! We also had some Year 6 children who qualified for the ISA regional cross-country and they also raced on Wednesday. Three pupils from Gateway will be running in the National Competition in March.

Thursday was also another enjoyable day as the Year 6 children went out on a school trip to the National Gallery in London to see for real the painting chosen for Take One picture. The paintings of the battle of San Romano by Uccello are a set of three famous paintings. We learnt lots of interesting facts like how some of the painting was added on at a later date. At first, it had been created for an arched wall and was then moved somewhere different but it was too big, so they simply cut it off! If you look closely you can see where the arch was. We also saw many beautiful paintings from many different artists including Van Gogh and Monet.

The week ended in style with Number Day, a day to raise money for the NSPCC. We came in in mufti and there were some amazing costumes from the striped Cheshire Cat to a large dice! We had spent two weeks making maths games to play across the school. It was great to see all ages play maths games together. Everyone had great fun playing their games in the hall, after a lunch of chicken burger (our favourite!). At the end of the day we also had a Bake Sale, which was a huge success! The cakes were absolutely delicious!

It is wonderful to be in a school with so many opportunities catering for such a variety of talents!

By Danica F and Rosie H