Year 4 Art: Dragon Eyes

Year 4's reading of 'How to Train Your Dragon' has inspired them to produce some stunning clay dragon eyes. First, the children examined and sketched human eyes, thinking about the detail around the eye and how to use fine lines and shading for a realistic result. Then, they learnt about the 'slip and score' technique, which is used to bond pieces of clay so that they dry as one solid product.

Our amazing artists made their dragon's eyes by forming a base before bonding small clay pieces around a central eyeball. Finally, Year 4 painted the dragon eyes using a fine brush and added a layer of PVA glue to create a glossy top coat. 

The children really enjoyed the creative process and the unique qualities of their dazzling dragon designs.

E for Effort

Every week, teachers recognise pupils in their class who have made an extra effort. These pupils are presented with the E for Effort cup during our whole school assembly.

Congratulations to all the wonderful children who made an extra effort this week.

Year 1 Visit Barnards Farm

Year 1 spent a sunny day at Barnards Farm discovering over 100 different sculptures of all shapes and sizes. The children enjoyed exploring the gardens and developed their understanding of sculpture, materials, trees and flowers. Year 1 did a good job of identifying the different materials used to create the sculptures, which tied in well with their current science topic. Barnards Farm is only open to the public on specific days so our pupils were lucky to have had the run of the grounds. It was an amazing trip and the children clearly had a wonderful time.

Year 6: Keeping Safe Talk

Year 6 had a visit from Tina and Kelly from Havering’s admission and exclusions team to talk to our pupils about how to keep safe as they transition to secondary school. The children discussed what items they might carry if they were going out with friends and the possible risks that these may create. They looked at different scenarios and how to deal with these. Children learnt how to keep safe when they're out with friends or on their own.    
The important session made our pupils think about steps they can take to improve their own safety:

"We were told to imagine a younger person who was travelling to the town centre and what they would carry with them. We then used a Venn diagram to analyse what is safe and what is risky."

"We learnt that carrying a weapon of any kind could not, in any way, keep you safe but can put you in even more danger. A website you can use to report crimes but remain unknown is called fearless.org."

Year 6 Science: The Journey of a Red Blood Cell

As part of their current Science topic, Year 6 have been learning about the human body. A recent focus has been about the vital job red blood cells play in helping our body to function and how a red blood cell delivers oxygen to different parts of the body. The children created fantastic stop-frame animations to demonstrate their understanding of the journey of a red blood cell.

Year 6 Science: The Circulatory System

Year 6 explored first hand what a real heart looks like. A lambs heart was dissected for them so that they could observe how it worked. Through a sequence of lessons, Year 6 have been identifying and naming key parts of the human circulatory system and describing the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood.

Key Stage 2: Quad Kids

This half term, thirty-two of our Junior pupils represented Hacton at the Havering Quad Kids competitions held at Hornchurch Stadium. Each team member competed in four events: a sprint, standing jump, vortex throw and long run. They competed against around 40 local schools, scoring points towards a team total. Some experienced children were joined by new team members, and everyone in the team performed brilliantly throughout the two mornings.

First up were Years 5 and 6. There were around 150 children competing in each field (Year 5 girls, Year 5 boys, Year 6 girls and Year 6 boys) and our school achieved many top-20 finishes in the individual events. Well done to our highest individual competitor who was placed 3rd overall. Congratulations also to our Year 6 team who, with a score of 1732 points, finished in 3rd position just 45 points behind winners St. Edwards. Fantastic!

A fortnight later, it was the turn of our Year 3 and 4 pupils. Again, the competitors rotated around the events, finishing with some excellent 400m runs. Congratulations to our children for their impressive performances: many finished in the top-20; our highest placed individual pupil finished 9th in a field of 150; our Year 4 team finished 9th out of 40 schools. Brilliant!

Well done to all involved, you represented Hacton superbly.

E for Effort

Every week, teachers recognise pupils in their class who have made an extra effort. These pupils are presented with the E for Effort cup during our whole school assembly.

Congratulations to all the wonderful children who made an extra effort this week.

Sports Days

Anticipation was in the air as our KS1 and KS2 pupils prepared for our annual Sports Days. The field turned green (Ascot), yellow (Chepstow), blue (Goodwood) and red (Kempton) as the children took to the field, playground and MUGA to represent their house in a carousel of running, throwing, aiming and jumping.

First up were the Infants with six classes competing for the first time. The children took part in eight events, including the vortex throw, orange and spoon race, as well as teachers’ face-splashing favourite ‘Get Ready for School’. The winners were Ascot with 127 points, followed by Kempton 122, Chepstow 119 then Goodwood 113.

Later in the week, it was the turn of the Junior pupils. First up was the carousel of races including the hurdle, football relay, hockey relay, and vortex throw. At the halfway point, Goodwood lead by just 2 points. This year, our oldest cohort raced over two laps in a new event, ‘Leavers’ Laps’. Every finisher chalked up another point for their house. Finally, the house relays, where a pupil from each year group joined forces to make a house team. The races could not have been closer - what an exciting end to Sports Day! After another extremely close competition, the victors of 2019 were Goodwood with 176, just 1 point ahead of Chepstow with 175, Ascot with 171 then Kempton with 168.

Well done to all our super competitors and, as always, thank you to parents and family members who came along to support the children.

Performing Arts Club: Pantastic

The children of Performing Arts Club put on an outstanding performance of their end of year show, Pantastic. Every single child worked so hard during limited rehearsal time to learn their lines and bring their characters to life. They used their creative flair to deliver dramatic dances, scintillating scenes and marvellous melodies.

I am so proud of every single child who took part; their confidence, enthusiasm and talent amazed me. I can't wait to see where their next magical, musical adventure takes them.

Mrs Layzell

E for Effort

Every week, teachers recognise pupils in their class who have made an extra effort. These pupils are presented with the E for Effort cup during our whole school assembly.

Congratulations to all the wonderful children who made an extra effort this week.

Worldly Wise: The Labours of Hacton

During our Worldly Wise assembly about the Greek Myth of Hercules, some of our pupils had to complete 'The Labours of Hacton' set by Mr Marshall and Miss Hornsby. The children understood the challenges of Hercules' labours - which were considered to be impossible - but just like Hercules, with patience and effort, our pupils managed to complete them.

Assemblies: Knowledge Quiz

In our whole school assembly, six children (one from each year group) took part in a game of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’... with a Humanities twist! They were asked 15 challenging questions based on historical and geographical knowledge. Each question was worth 5 house points but the children only had 4 lifelines: 50:50, phone a teacher, ask their host Miss Birk or ask the audience. They used all lifelines, including phoning Mr Emes for a quick bit of advice, but managed to win 75 house points for each house as they correctly answered all the questions. The six contestants did a fantastic job and the pupils in the audience learned lots of fascinating facts.

Year 6: Maya Inspired Chocolate Factory

To launch their summer topic of Ancient Maya, Year 6 have been designing, creating and evaluating chocolates and the packaging they come in. The children have been amazed at the historical links between modern day confectionery and the sweet drink enjoyed by the Ancient Maya.

They have learnt about the origins of the cacao beans (from Central America) and how their use has evolved over centuries.

Thank you very much to Hotel Chocolat for generously donating a large number of chocolates to help our pupils learn more about the long history (and deliciousness!) of this modern-day treat.

Year 4: Viking Day

Year 4 began their latest History topic by spending the day with a Viking named Hilty Gunnerson. Our 52 young historians really looked the part dressed in their amazing Viking outfits. They learnt facts about the lifestyle, beliefs and homes of the Norse seafarers who settled in Britain over 1,200 years ago. Our pupils held artefacts, re-enacted some Viking games and battles, and took part in a quiz to gain knowledge about this period in history. One pupil tried on a chain mail top and reported that it was extremely heavy. Finally, Hilty used a watermelon to demonstrate the power of a Viking sword.

Thank you, parents, for helping the children with their superb costumes for this special day.