As a Christmas treat for younger siblings within our school community, two Year 7 pupils were brave enough to record these short clips. A huge well done to them, and Merry Christmas to all our families and wider school community. 🎄
We all enjoyed a well-earned treat in Oracy lessons this week, putting our speaking and listening skills into practice in a fun and engaging way. Pupils confidently used their oracy skills to order a special hot chocolate, politely giving clear instructions about which toppings they would like, and carefully listening to follow directions from their peers. The coffee shop role play was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to practice real-life communication, demonstrate good manners, and develop confidence in speaking in front of others. It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm, creativity, and teamwork throughout the lesson!
In addition to this, 3NA were rewarded with a celebratory cheese and cracker party for achieving 100% attendance in PSHE and Oracy lessons throughout Autumn 1. This fantastic achievement highlights their dedication, responsibility, and commitment to learning. Congratulations to all the pupils in 3NA—your excellent attendance and positive participation are truly commendable!
A brilliant combination of learning, fun, and celebration all in one week!
As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting Oracy at The Polygon, we have signed up to the Autumn Voice 21 Challenge.
Our first challenge was to “Talk to Entertain” encouraging students to use their voices to make their audience laugh, smile, or enjoy a story.
KS3 students took part in a range of fun and expressive activities during their Oracy lessons, including:
🎤 Telling jokes
📖 Reading poetry
🎶 Singing
🎧 Rapping
🎠Role play
🌟 Drama performances
It was fantastic to see students gaining confidence, using expression, and having fun while speaking and performing in front of others.
Well done to all the students who have received Headteacher’s Awards this half term for their exceptional performances and commitment to developing their Oracy skills.
3JG have been particularly inspired by the Voice 21 Challenge. After reading Beowulf in their Oracy lessons, one pupil was so motivated that they borrowed a copy of the book to take home and returned with a play they had written for the whole class to perform!
The class are now busy preparing for their performance, with Mrs Foster taking on the exciting role of Grendel’s Mother. Watch out in Autumn 2 for their dramatic debut!
We’re also delighted to announce that our Singing Club now runs on Monday breaktimes! Another brilliant opportunity for students to find their voice and perform!
Today we had a visit from Theatre for Life which is an arts organisation working with marginalised groups, NHS, mental health charities, educational providers & the wider community through specialist creative and health programmes.
22 of our pupils joined together in the hall for a production of ‘Your brain explained’. The play brings together the use of theatre and neuroscience, it explores a world of mindless phone scrolling, sleepless nights, and an inability to concentrate in school, all of which contribute to higher levels of anxiety and poor lifestyle choices.
The play supports the PSHE, Wellbeing HH5 and Science curriculum in school by candidly discussing brain health, specifically capturing the character Charlie's inner sense of restlessness and his potential ADHD diagnosis. It was an opportunity to highlight the importance of supporting those living with dementia, which was weaved into the story of Charlie and his Aunty.
According to Alzheimer's Research UK, simple adjustments to our lifestyle can significantly reduce the risk of non-genetic dementia by 40%. "Your Brain Explained" offers an interactive glimpse into our brains, empowering us to make healthy choices for our future wellbeing.
The pupils were all fantastic, getting involved and even pulling out a few dance moves!
A big thank you to Theatre for life and the amazing actors and sound engineers for today's performance. The set design and effects were fantastic!
www.theatreforlife.co.uk
Year 8 have been studying the concept of Agape.
Today we learnt the story of The Good Samaritan. We saw some excellent acting and understanding of the story.
Well done to 3DRB for dressing up and being creative with their learning in RE today!
27 pupils were lucky enough to experience an afternoon at the theatre and were treated to a mesmerising performance of "The Lion King" at The Mayflower Theatre. We enjoyed all the music from the original film as well as immersive puppetry and costumes. Pupils especially enjoyed the gigantic elephant which walked through the audience!
The Lion King has been linked to whole school projects across all subjects this term and it was certainly a spectacle to see off all their hard work!
