6

Spring Edition 201

Read all about our
Everybody Write
Day!

We visit the
National Space
Centre!

Plus our lates

teacher inter t
and more! view

Everybody Write Day!

Our Everybody Write Day was all about finding words at the top of a climbing wall and
keys with texts on in the Forest School. We were also visited by a storyteller to help us
to link the keys with our class book texts. Staff had to dress up as characters from their
class texts and the children dressed up as their favourite story book characters.
February 29th was a normal Monday
morning in assembly, when all of a sudden
Mr. Wynne came bursting through the
door telling Mrs. Dhesi and all of us
about a video that he had received. We
all watched it and found out that a lady
named Bharti (an actress and a storyteller)
had lost some words from her book and
she was asking for our help to find them!
We were told that Bharti would be
visiting us in school on World Book Day
later on in the week! We were given the
task to write our own story using the
words which we needed to find, as Bharti
had mislaid some. A few hours later,
my class (5B) went for an adventure in
Forest School. We were searching for the
keys and words which Bharti had lost!
We finally found them hanging on lots
of trees! There were quotes on the keys
from Nelson Mandela as our class text is

Long Walk to Freedom. It actually took

us a while after returning to class to work
out where the quotes were from! After
lunch, we went rock climbing the wall
was really, really high. Everyone was
so excited. Some people from our class
actually made it to the top!
On World Book Day on Thursday 3rd
March, we all dressed up as different book
characters. Mrs. Bentley was dressed as
Rosa Parks as the teachers had to link their
character to our NICER Challenge Pack
class text. She looked just like her! Bharti
Patel, came into school to see if we had
found the keys and words. She also talked
to us about writing techniques and in the
afternoon she read a book to us during
a special assembly. It was a really cool
week - the best week EVER!
By Fatou Demba Class 5B

Actually, our Everybody Write Day (EWD)

turned into a week of celebrations. It all
began when we received an unusual video
message in assembly on Monday 29th
February Well, this is how it happened.
Mr. Wynne raced into the hall, where we
were having our usual assembly conducted
by Mrs. Dhesi. He asked us if we had
received the message. Which we hadnt
- then we FINALLY got to watch it! A lady
called Bharti had lost her key sentences
and ambitious vocabulary words; so the
story which she was working on, wasnt
quite complete. She set us a mission to
find the key sentences and words. Later
that morning, we went out into our Forest
School area and managed to find all of
the keys; attached to them were some key
questions and sentences from our class
text (The Spiderwick Chronicles). We were
pleased that we had found the keys to
help Bharti!
A rock climbing wall had arrived at our
school on the Tuesday and Year 6 were
scheduled to climb on Wednesday 2nd

March. Some bricks had been hidden at

the top of the climbing wall, which had
some ambitious vocabulary words on
them. All of the year groups had a go on
the wall and managed to find all of the
words. 6Fs words were: Scared-witless,
repugnant, instantaneously, overjoyed,
grotesque and euphoric. All of these words
were linked to our class challenge pack of
Goblins & Ghouls. Our new challenge for
EWD was to use some of these words in a
Big Write at the end of the week.
World Book Day was on Thursday 3rd
March, We were all dressed up as our
favourite book characters. The teachers
came as characters from our class texts
we took a class photo and not long
after coming into school Bharti arrived to
talk about the keys and the texts and we
discussed the meanings of our high-level
vocabulary words. At the end of the day,
we all went into assembly to hear Bharti
put her story together. It was a great end
to a fabulous week!
By Chante Francis Class 6

As it happened, our Everybody Write Day (EWD)

this time, turned in to a week of celebrations! It
began with a normal Monday morning assembly.
We were all listening to Mrs. Dhesi talking when
suddenly Mr. Wynne burst through the door
shouting, Have you got the video yet? Mrs. Dhesi
didnt really know what Mr Wynne was talking
about, so he showed her and us the email which
turned out to be a video clip. The video was from
a lady called Bharti. She is a storyteller and she
had misplaced her keys with some special words
and phrases on. She asked us to help her to find
the keys as she was visiting us later on in the week
and needed the keys. Everyone was super excited
about helping Bharti. A few hours later we went
out to Forest School to find key words which were
attached to the keys. There were a lot. When we
got back to our class we tried to work out who the
quotes were from. We realized they were from
Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King, Gandhi
and many more. The quotes were linked to our

It all began during assembly at the beginning of

our Everybody Write Week. Mr. Wynne burst
into the hall shouting: Have you received the
message? Everyone was shocked what was
contained in this message I thought? It was an
email and in it was a video clip sent from a
storyteller named Bharti Patel a well-known
actress and storyteller. She introduced herself as
an author who had lost her precious keys. We
were informed that on her keys were some key
texts and we had to guess where they were from.
We were asked to find the keys which magically
appeared in our Forest School later that morning.
On the Wednesday of that week, Year 6 had
the incredible experience of scaling a huge
climbing wall! It was so exciting! Over two days,
every class and most of the teachers had a chance
to climb the wall. It was breath taking, scaling to
such heights! Mrs Dhesi and Mr Wynne climbed
against each other while 6F were out there we

Changemakers challenge.
That afternoon was even more exciting! We were
all taking part in scaling a climbing wall it was
exceptionally high! It had been erected on the top
playground and it was going to be a real challenge
to see who would be able to get to the top!
One of the best aspects of the week was World
Book Day! We all got to dress up as characters
from our favourite books. Bharti came into school
that morning to talk to us in our classes and to see
if we had managed to find her missing keys. We all
sat around her and she asked us questions as well
as us asking her some. As we were talking to her,
she noticed Dylan Fidyrich and Amelia Lajkowska
who were dressed as characters from one of the
Harry Potter books. We all talked about the quotes
which we had found. Later on in the afternoon, we
attended a special assembly, where Bharti read us
a fun story. It was a FABULOUS week!
By Rogi Bajwa Class 5B

all had such a laugh!

On World Book Day itself (Thursday 3rd March)
the children dressed up as a storybook character
and the teachers were dressed up as characters
from out class texts. Bharti visited us in school. She
came into our class in the morning and explained
what our higher level vocabulary words meant.
These had been found on the climbing wall earlier
on in the week! In 6F our words were: sanguine,
instantaneously, livid, euphoric, scared-witless,
overjoyed, grotesque, repugnant and despondent
we were meant to use one or two, in the right
context, in our writing that week. At the end of
World Book Day, Bharti read us a story during a
special assembly. It taught us a moral which was
- you should always be confident whilst speaking
and you should always make sure your voice is
heard by everyone!
All in all, it was a fun week and another
enjoyable and memorable Everybody Write Day!
By Tanjit Dhesi Class 6F

It all began on Monday 29th February,

as we were sat in assembly as normal. That
is until Mr. Wynne barged into the hall and
bellowed, Have you got the video? We
were all very confused at this point, until
Mrs. Dhesi opened her emails and opened
the video clip which had been sent. A lady
named Bharti needed help in finding her lost
keys. If we found them for her, she would
come into our school on World Book Day
(Thursday 3rd March) to get them back. So
later that morning, we were directed into the
Forest School area with 6A. We managed
to
find some keys hidden on the tree branches.
Some had key sentences on them linked to
our class challenge from the Spiderwick
Chronicles Goblins & Ghouls; others
however, were blank.

On Wednesday 2nd March, we were so

excited in 6F as we knew it was our turn to
go ROCK CLIMBING! We were all harnessed
up for safety and we listened to the instructor.
When it was my turn to go up I was so scare
d.
Mrs. Peart encouraged everyone to have a
go.

I tried to go up as far as I could, but I only

went
half way up when I reached the floor, my legs
were like jelly. I fell on the floor even thoug
hI
still had my harness on, everyone was laugh
ing
at me even Mrs. Peart. She said that it was
better to laugh at yourself as that makes the
mistakes and bad bits seem like fun and they
never appear as bad once youve managed
to
laugh at yourself! She was right, as it was
really
fun to have had a go!
World Book Day took place on Thursday
3rd March. Every one dressed up as a book
character. I dressed up as Miranda Sings
all
the people in my class said I really looked
like her! All of the teachers dressed up as
characters from our class texts Mrs. Peart
was
dressed as a green goblin! Bharti came into
our
class in the morning to discuss the words and
phrases which we had found. We discussed
the
meanings of the words: repugnant, scaredwitless, overjoyed, grotesque, euphoric and
instantaneously. At the end of the day we
had an assembly where Bharti shared her
experiences from her time at VPA and then
she
told us a story. All in all, it was a GREAT week!
By Sanvir Khera Class 6F

University First Age

VPA Peer Tutors Maths Medics

It all began when Mr Wynne informed the

children in a special assembly, that some of us
would get the opportunity to teach, help and
instruct other members of our classes regarding
any issues related to maths. I have to say that
I was quite SHOCKED at this revelation! What
he basically meant, is that the people who
would be chosen to take this new initiative on
board, would be like a younger version of our
teachers.
In 6F (my class), Simran and I were given the
opportunity to take part in this new venture.

Manjit (a tutor from UFA) trained all of the

newly appointed Maths Medics from each
class. Amongst other things, we learned how to
boost a learners confidence and how to work
as a Peer Tutor. The course took place over 2
days in November. In my opinion, working as a
Peer Tutor has helped my learners achieve much
better results in Maths and helped to boost their
confidence no end - this has made me feel really
proud of the job Ive been given and of the
children whom Ive been able to support!
By Tanjit Dhesi Class 6F

The National
Space Centre!
Year 5s Visit to The National Space Centre
Year 5 went on an amazing trip to the National
Space Centre in Leicester as part of their NICER
Challenge Pack Space Infinity.
First of all, we all went over to the giant
globe that was situated near to the weather
pod. This was quite an extraordinary sight!
After that, we all made our way to explore
activities situated on the 1st floor. Later on we
all met up again and a group at a time had
a turn in the weather pod. Have you ever
watched the weather and thought I could do
that! Well, we did! We took part in the NSCTV
Weather Studio.
Next we went up to the 2nd floor, where
there were many interactive games. We looked
at one about the Soviet Union first. There was
also a very interesting show which we watched

and took part in.

After lunch, we made our way to the 3rd and
final floor which provided us with information
about the first man on the moon. There was
also a show there which was in black and
white as it showed us real life footage of that
great event! We also saw a rocket simulator.
After we had been to all of the activities and
displays, we made our way to the Sir Patrick
Moore Planetarium. There are different shows
featured throughout the day which reveal
special edge-blended video technology with
the latest sound and computer animation. While
in the planetarium you are fully immersed in a
full 360 full dome cinema experience! It was
awesome!
Sadly, after that, it was time to go back to
school as our fun was over!

By Caroline Smith Class 5E

Year 5s National Space Centre Visit

We visited the National Space Centre in
Leicester, as it was the hook to our new
NICER Challenge Pack Space Infinity. I was
really looking forward to the visit!
After a long coach journey, we had finally
arrived at the National Space Centre. After
sorting ourselves out we were escorted to a
room which had an immense globe in it. It was
the Earth. We all got to take a photograph
with it. Then we made our way to the news
pod. There was glass all around us. It was like
we were trapped, but actually we werent.
It was really a place where the news was
broadcast. We had to read a piece of text
and when we had finished a cartoon figure
of a man came up and introduced us. Then
we were up on the screen it was absolutely
amazing and so much fun!
Next, we went up to the 2nd floor and we
entered a room which was quite astonishing!
There were pictures and TVs all around. The
pictures were all projected onto a table so
that we could see them better. We were also
allowed to play some interactive games and

Year 5s Trip to Leicesters

National Space Centre
It was an exciting start to the day! We were all
looking forward to our adventure to the Space
Centre. It seemed to take us forever to get
there, but as we all know travelling by coach
ALWAYS does!
After some time we arrived at the Space
Centre in Leicester. It looked cool from the
outside and it proved to be AMAZING on the
inside! As we approached the entrance we saw
some really cool models of astronauts. There
was a huge, colossal launch pod. We all got
to take part and go inside. It was exceptionally
exciting and my first experience of anything like
this was WICKED!
We saw the Rocket Tower, the top of the
UKs largest domed planetarium. Both of these
were a must see. We also got to visit various
inspiring discovery galleries. The whole centre
was crammed full of space suits, rockets,
satellites, meteorites and everything you would
expect to find at a National Space Centre.

we learned lots of new facts. At this point it

was time to move on.
After lunch, we made our way to the 3rd
floor. This was a wonderful experience I was
totally amazed! There was a tunnel and we
took turns to go in it. Once you were inside,
it appeared to be really tiny; there were 2
sofas inside. You could hear a voice and it
was coming from the other side of the room.
There was a speaker and we had to pretend
that we were going to set off in a rocket ship.
At first I thought it may be a bit scary because
I thought that it was going to shake (like a real
rocket) but unfortunately it didnt so it wasnt
too bad after all!
Then, we went to an area and it had a
play room and inside it, it had some things
that were from the olden days. I used the
props and acted out a scene as though I was
cleaning the whole house! That was really fun.
After a long and interesting day it was
finally time to make our way back to school
and tell our family and friends about our
amazing adventure.

By Ammaarah Akhtar Class 5E

There was so much to discover and we had so

much fun!
Some of children got to explore the news pod
where you could see yourself being transported
as a news reporter. While we were exploring
the areas of the centre, we found out some
interesting facts about things like the rocks in
space). Later on during the day 5B went to
explore four huge floors (there were 144 steps
to the top). We arrived at this cool rocket pod
which gave me a heart pumping thrill! It was
really exciting how we went up and down on
a special lift. Shortly after this, we made our
way to the 3D Cinema called The Planetarium
It was thrilling and so very exciting! We were
allowed to play some interactive space games
which were all good fun too!
Finally, the moment arrived when we had
to make our way back to school. It was with
great sadness that I left the National Space
Museum as Id had a fantastic time! The journey
back was a tiring one, but I was really looking
forward to telling my family all about my day.

By Rogi Bajwa Class 5B

The Story Hunt

To link in with Receptions NICER

Challenge Pack A New
Adventure How Can We
Tell a Story? Reception were
treated to a Story Hunt visit.
Akylah Ross from Class RTH
and Omaima Ibrahim from
Class RMH were delighted
to share their experiences
with our VP Zine reporters!
Q1. What did you find during your story hunt?
A1. We saw some bears and Goldilocks.
Q2. What was the best part during the hunt?
A2. When we were running away from the bears

ASDA Visit

Reception children visited

our local ASDA Store to
find out how their caf is
run; as this linked in with
their NICER Challenge
to create their own
pop-up caf.
Faizaan Muhammed and
Jasmeet Bajwa from RTH will
tell us more about what they found out.
Q1. What did you do at Asda?
A1. We visited the caf and sat down while we
ate some crisps and drank some juice.
Q2. Why did you go to Asda?
A2. We went to Asda because we needed to
learn more about what happens in a caf and
what is sold as we needed some ideas to help
us to make our own mini caf.
Q3. What did you buy?
A3. We bought some dolls, fancy dress
costumes and teddy bears.
Q4. Did you all work together? If yes, Why?
A4. Yes, because we had to stay safe!
Q5. How did you get to ASDA?
A5. We walked there as its not too far.

because it was really good fun!

Q3. While you went on your story hunt did you
take part in any other activities?
A3. Yes, we saw the bears when they were
locked up in a cage.
Q4. Where did you go on your story hunt?
A4. We went into the forest in the drama studio
Q5. Would you like to go on a story hunt
again?
A5. Yes, because it was so much fun and we
could go on a story hunt to the park.
Interview conducted by Rogi Bajwa Class 5B
and Sanvir Khera Class 6F

Q6. While you were in

Asda, what Learning
Power Tools did you use
the most?
A6. We used our
reasoning, making links
and imitation tools the
most.
Q7. How did the visit
make links to your
challenge?
A7. The visit made links
to our challenge to say
thank you to people
who help us in the caf.
We also got lots of ideas
for our own mini caf.
Q8.Did you enjoy the
visit with your teachers
and friends?
A8. Yes, it was fun!
Interview conducted
by Zain Din Class
5E and Sanvir Khera
Class 6F

Year 2 Trip to
Tamworth Castle
Year 2 visited Tamworth
Castle as part of their
Sparks Will Fly NICER
Challenge Pack.
Mahamud Ali and
Paul Kazingizi from
Class 2C will now tell us
more about their visit.
Q1. Did you enjoy the trip?
A1. Yes we got to see lots of cool and
interesting things.
Q2. Did you learn anything from your trip?
A2. Yes we did, we learned about the Great
Fire of London which took place in 1666.
We were told why house fires were needed.
The lady of the castle told us about what she
knew about the Great Fire.
Q3. How does this trip relate to your NICER
Challenge Pack?
A3. It relates to our topic as it links to the
experiences of the Fire of London.
Q4. What would you change if you had the
chance to go back?

A4. We would want to be taken to the King or

Lord and take part in more role play!
Q5. Did you have fun? What did you enjoy
the most?
A5. Yes we had lots of fun and we enjoyed
wearing the Knight costumes the most.
Q6. What fun activities did you take part in?
A6. We looked at old shot guns and sniper
weapons. We helped the Lady of the Castle to
prepare the room for the Lords lunch.
Q7. What did you enjoy the most?
A7. When we saw the servants
Q8. Would you go again? Give the reason
for your answer?
A8. Yes we would both go again as it was so
much fun and it was full of things that we
enjoyed looking at and taking part in.
Q9. Would you recommend this venue to
other people?
A9. Yes, because we think that people
would enjoy taking part in the activities and
they would learn lots of new things.
Interview conducted by Caroline Smith
Class 5E

Freshwater Theatre
Company

Freshwater Theatre Company was established in

1996 by Carol Tagg and Helen Wood. Each of these
two ladies have been involved in teaching for a
number of years. The theatre company is a dramain-education facility and through this, staff work with
over 120,000 children each year. Freshwater enjoy
long, ongoing relationships with hundreds of schools
which they have visited. The company have been
inspiring, engaging and educating children in nursery,
primary and secondary schools for a little over 19
years.
Year 4 had a visit from Freshwater
Theatre Company to introduce
them to their new NICER
Challenge Pack which was all
about the Egyptians - Ayyatulahi
Adigun from 4J will tell us more
about the visit.
Q1. Why did the company visit Year 4?
A1. Our NICER Challenge Pack is all to do with
learning about the Egyptians.
Q2. What kind of show did you experience?
A2. We took part in a series of workshops.
Q3. How does the visit fit in your challenge pack?
A3. We are learning about life as an Egyptian
and we are researching facts about tombs and
mummies.
Q4. What was the main thing you learned and

Year 1s
Visit
to the
Mosque

remembered from the visit?

A4. I learned that at certain times the Egyptians would
put curses on the tombs and then a special machine
would be used to transfer the curse onto crops.
Q5. What did you think about the way the company
helped you to learn new things?
A5. It was excellent, I really enjoyed their visit!
Q6. Have you been inspired by Freshwater Theatre
Company?
A6.Yes, I have been inspired by the company as they
have inspired me to take part in Arts Fest.
Q7. What was your favourite activity?
A7. We took part in a story/play to learn about how
the Egyptians got through to the Afterlife.
Q8. Would you recommend Freshwater Theatre
Company to family or friends?
A8.Yes, because they do workshops for children and
families.
Interview conducted by Sanvir Khera Class 6F

Year 1 staff and children visited a

Mosque as part of their RE theme of
Islam. They also found out information
about how food is used
in religion. Emre
Umer from Class
1AW and Ameera
Ashfaq from 1M
told our reporters
all about their trip.
Q1. When you
were on the coach to the Mosque
how did you feel?
A1. While we were travelling to the
Mosque, we felt happy and excited!
Q2. How did you feel when you
arrived?
A2. When we got there we were
amazed and surprised by the things
that we saw!
Q3. What did you see at the Mosque?
A3. We remember seeing The Quran
(The Islamic Holy Book), people
praying and special wooden holders
which the Quran sits on.
Q4. Did you enjoy it there?
A4.Yes we enjoyed visiting the Mosque

as we saw things we had never seen

before and it was a fun experience!
Q5. Were there any funny moments on
your trip?
A5. Unfortunately there wasnt any
funny moments. However, we both
really enjoyed ourselves as there were
lots of things for us to see and do!
Q6. What was your favourite part of
the visit and were there any bits that
you didnt like?
A6. We liked everything that there
was to see and listen to. There wasnt
anything that we didnt like!
Q7. Were there any other schools
there?
A7. No, VPA was the only school visiting
the Mosque on that day we were
happy about that!
Q8. Were you happy when it was time
to head back to school?
A8. When we found out that it was time
to go, we both felt miserable as we
wanted to stay for longer!
Interview conducted by Zain Din
and Ammaarah Ashfaq Class 5E

TEACHER INTERVIEW
MISS LELLI - Nurser y Teacher

Miss Lelli joined Victoria Park Academy in September 2015 as
our Nursery Teacher. She worked at VPA as a trainee teacher
and taught alongside staff during her many placements. The
children in nursery have bonded well with Miss Lelli and she
herself has settled into school life well joining our EYFS team.
Q1) What is the most embarrassing thing that you have ever done?
Well, it was really embarrassing when I was younger as I called
my Head Teacher mum in front of the whole school and everyone
was amused by it.
Q2) What is the best compliment you have ever received?
At our last parents evening, a child had told their mum that I was
the best teacher ever! That made me feel very flattered.
Q3) What is your favourite colour?
Fuchsia (which is a shade of pink) this is because it is a bright
colour and it makes me feel really happy and summery.
Q4) What are your greatest strengths?
I am quiet, approachable, humble and calm. I express these
qualities even when Im feeling troubled.
Q5) What is your favourite band or song?
My favourite band is The Weekend they are a bit different and
unique, so their songs are particularly special and I enjoy relaxing
and listening to them.
Q6) If you could be any age for a year, what age would you be?
I would certainly love to be 8 years old again. This is because the
teachers were really lovely and kind to me when I was at school. I
remember having a phenomenal experience and it was a fun year.
I would certainly love to re-live that time.
Q7) Is there a word or phrase that you are known for ALWAYS
using?
I have been told by friends and colleagues that I often use the
words Yeah and like. Apparently I say these words quite often
after almost every sentence or phrase that I say. I wasnt really
aware of this until I stopped and thought about it!
Q8) What is the most memorable class you have ever taught?
When I was training to be a teacher, I remember a Year 2 class
that I taught for science we used chemicals and liquids and it
was a really fun lesson.
Q9) If you could spend a day with any celebrity who would it be
and why?
I would love to see how Sir Richard Branson (business investor)
lives on a daily basis, how he spends his money and what he does
in his spare time.
Questions compiled by Chante Francis Class 6F

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