They're off on Camp next week and currently it's pouring as I look out of the window! I'm glad I wasn't in the staff room when volunteers were called for!!
Another busy week; two projects that I'll hopefully post about again in the future concern cross-curricular links with Literacy. Year 7 have been involved in shooting a movie in small groups. They have been studying various filming techniques focussing on types of shots and have tried to implement them in their work. One of the key points they have learned has been the importance of planning and scheduling when filming. Shooting always takes longer than it's supposed to and one whole lesson of shooting may only result in a few seconds of usable footage. There's still lots to do with this project before we get to the editing stage but I'm already looking forward to the results, which we'll hopefully be able to share.
Year 6 have also been working on an ambitious project in Literacy, using ICT to create a virtual tour of our school. They've planned their work and spent time photographing various areas and created a script which then has to be narrated into a PC. Most groups are at the stage of adding audio and titles and the final results are likely to be available in the next couple of weeks.
It's great to see ICT being explicitly planned for and fully embedded within the wider curriculum... well done to teachers and students alike.
Meanwhile in the ICT suite the P2 pupils have been using the Bee Bots. These programmable toys are great for learning how to program, as well as providing opportunities for quality discussion using directions and estimating. Our Bee Bots are currently named Bee Bot 1-6 and the P2s have been asked to think of some more interesting names for them. I'd like to name one Barry, and have asked students in P2 to tell me why I think this is a good name. No right answers yet!!
We had an exciting meeting yesterday with Hong Kong based Australian artist Beulah van Rensburg, planning a project that we're likely to run in Years 5 & 7 next term. Beulah bases some of her fascinating artwork on found objects, such as old toys and household items. 
