Welcome back Daffodils!

We hope that you have had a fun and busy half term holiday. We are all looking forward to our new geography topic - Australia! We will be learning about the natural geographical features and important cities and landmarks.
Or mantel story this half term, explores the story of the Anangu people who don’t want people climbing Uluru. Signs were put up at the base of the climb which asked visitors on behalf of Anangu people, 'Please Don’t Climb'. A rule was put in place to stop people from climbing and walking there. The Anangu people are the traditional landowners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru is an important and sacred site for them and has existed since the beginning of time. A group of climbers say "It's difficult to see what the importance and significance is". "It's a rock. It's supposed to be climbed." We explore the questions what makes an important landmark?
How should we treat important places? Who are the Anangu people? Where is the Uluru? 
Science
This half term we will be continuing to investigate the properties of materials. We will be finding out how to separate a simple solid mixture, how to separate a solid from a liquid and what happens when a material is warmed and cooled.
Art
This half term we will be continuing our Aboriginal dot paintings, using symbols. 
Outdoor learning
We will continue to visit the forest school area every other Tuesday afternoon. We will be going out in all weather, so please make sure kits include plenty of layers (Water proof coats and trousers, jogging bottoms, jumper, gloves and hat. Please no jeans, as these can be uncomfortable if they get wet) Again, make sure kits are clearly labelled. Remember to check weekly reminders on the website for any changes.
PE 
PE will continue to be on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please check weekly reminders on the website. It is important children bring into school the correct kit. They should have in their kit: A white or navy blue t shirt, a navy blue jumper or zip up hoodie, navy jog suit bottoms or shorts, trainers and spare socks. 
Reading.
We will change books once a week and children can take home a book to enjoy. Please make sure book bags are in school every day. It is lovely to read your comments in reading diaries, please make sure you fill in reading diaries every time you read, as we are continuing our reading challenge in class – the more you read the more chance of winning a class treat!
TT Rocks
Please continue to log in to TT Rocks. This is a really fun way to learn multiplication tables. Keep having a go as much as you can, the more times you play the more rewards you get and the better you become at your multiplication tables! 

We love seeing any work you have done at home, or if there is anything you would like to share with us about our topic about Australia.
As always, if you have any worries or questions, please let us know.

Mrs Kavannah, Mrs Humphreys, Mrs McTweed and Mrs Ryan

What can we do to help stop people climbing the sacred Uluru? 

On a large piece of paper there were the words “No walking or Climbing”
I wonder what can this mean? Have you seen a sign like this before? Where did you see it?

The local Anangu people have long been calling for visitors to stop climbing the sacred rock. And up until the ban, hundreds of thousands of tourists scaled and climbed Uluru every year, against the express wishes of the traditional owners, the Anangu people. This played a part in the decision of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park board to ban the climb. But just why is it wrong to climb Uluru?

We saw a picture of Rene, an Anangu person living in the Uluru park. They were wearing headband is worn to mark the closure of the Uluru to climbers.
They talk about the importance of the inma – not to show the world that their culture is strong – but to show the Anangu children.
 We meet Rene, they explained,
“The dances they will be doing as small children today, are the ones that they will carry with them and continue to dance throughout their lives.These are the inma that our grandfathers and grandmothers entrusted to us to hold and pass on.“We hold this inma in our minds and in our sprit, so that we can sing, we can dance, we can give them to the children of the future. So it is for our children that we are most excited. We are going to be dancing for them, for the children. We need the rock to rest and heal”

A group of climbers are arguing against the closure of the Uluru, and are wanting to climb the old climbing route.  There are several signs at the base of Uluru that urge tourists not to climb because of the site's sacred value.
 
We split into two groups. One group of children acted out standing at the base of the rock to try to stop the climbers, The second group acted as the climbers.