Welcome to Anaconda Class

We are an ASD specific class of 7 delightful children. We follow the Glitter Pathway.

Our staff are:

Caroline - Teacher

Amanda and Nicola - Teaching Assistants

Charley - Apprentice

Sharron - HLTA 

Week beginning 5.9.23 - English

Welcome back everyone, we have had a lovely week welcoming back current and new children to Anaconda class.  They are all settling in really well, which has been lovely to see. 

We got straight on with our work and we have started with the story 'Kipper's Toy Box'.  We are all enjoying listening to the story and joining in with Caroline acting the story out with lots of props.  We then went and did some lovley work which consisted of making our own Sock Thing and decorating our own Kipper.  Take a look at some of the fantastic work our Anaconda's have produced. 

Rock climbing and Canoeing!

Over the past couple of weeks the Anaconda boys were lucky enough to enjoy two school trips. For the first trip, the children went rock climbing. We  enjoyed a lovely hike up to the top of the hill in the sunshine and then had fun exploring and climbing on different rocks. For the second trip, the children went on a trip to Osmotherley to do canoeing. For the first half of the day the children enjoyed a paddle across the lake and the second half of the day, the children enjoyed a nice walk around Osmotherley, looking at the scenery. 

Week Beginning 3/07/23 - Geography

Hola amigos - over the last couple of weeks we have been looking at the country of Mexico and imagining what it would be like if Barnaby Bear visited there for his holidays. We began by locating Mexico on a world map and comparing it's position to that of the UK. We completed a fact file and can now recall the language that is spoken in Mexico, what the climate is like and some basic physical features associated with the country. We discussed what he would need to pack in his suitcase and why. We looked at the different activities he would be able to take part in there and finished our work by having a Mexican themed party! Obviously the sweets in the pinata were a highlight for all! 

29/06/2023 - Larry's Lanes 

Today the Anaconda boys have enjoyed a trip out to Seaton Carew, to say a goodbye to our two year 6 boys who are going to be leaving. First of all, we went to Larry's Lanes and the children enjoyed a game of bowling and some lunch. Then the boys had ice cream and finished the trip off with a play in the park. It was a lovely day out!

Week beginning 19/06/23 - Bubble Man

This week Springwell School were lucky enough to have a visit from the bubble man! The bubble man put on a show, making lots of different sized bubbles and he allowed the children to pop and chase the bubbles. The Anaconda boys even got to have a go at making their own bubbles. It was so much fun!

Week beginning 12.6.23 - RE 

Over the last couple of weeks we have been listening to stories from the Christian Bible - we have listened to The Creation Story, Noah's Ark, Jesus Feeds the 5000 and Jesus Heals a Blind Man amongst others. We have role-played the stories, sequenced them and make images to represent the stories. 

We've also had some water fun in this beautiful weather this week! 

Week Beginning 05.06.23 - Maths

This week we've been looking at pattern and what constitutes a pattern. We've made our own repeating patterns and continued given patterns. Some of our boys also looked at what makes a full, half, quarter and three-quarter turn. Excellent work boys. 

Week Beginning 22/05/23 - Art

We have been looking at digital art this term and we've used computer programs to draw on the screen. We've also used various computer programs to add additional details to existing images. 

Week beginning 15/05/23 - Computing

In Computing we've been adding text to photos and creating our own digital pictures using pre-selected shapes and lines. We could talk about the photos of ourselves and our families and add a line of text to explain what was happening in the photo. Then we created our own images using pre-drawn shapes and lines. 

PHSE - Road Safety 

The Anaconda boys had a very important lesson on road safety. We listened to some information on road safety and then acted out crossing the road safely. Finally, we listened to a story about how to cross the road and how to prevent any accidents from happening. They all really enjoyed it!

Week beginning 8/5/23 - Science 

Over the last couple of weeks we have completed a range of work looking at animals; we went bird watching at Saltholme, labelled of an image of a bird with the correct body parts, made a birds nest, went on a minibeast hunt, looked at the type of animals people keep as a pet, what it takes to look after a pet, a visit to pets at home and finally a visit to Tweddle farm to look at farm animals.

Week beginning 02/05/23 - The King's Coronation

To celebrate this historic occasion we've been learning about what a coronation ceremony is and who the King is. We made our own crowns - we look magnificent! God save the King. 

Week beginning 24/4/23 - Science 

This week the Anaconda boys had a visit from the Animal Encounters! In science we have been learning all about different animals and on Thursday the children had the fantastic opportunity to experience a selection of different animals. There was a snake, a tenrec, a skink, a red footed tortoise and a skunk. The children loved it and were all very gentle and careful with the animals.

Week beginning 17/04/23 - PE

This term for PE our focus is 'outdoor activities'. For our lesson this week, the children listened to the story 'We're Going On A Bear Hunt' which also links in with our animal theme for the term. We then acted out the story outside using different sensory boxes for different parts of the story. The children explored the different trays which included sticks, grass, water, mud and snow and we used our wooden hut for the cave. At the end of the story, the children looked for the bear around the school yard and were even chased by him! The Anaconda boys had so much fun!

Week Beginning 27/03/23 - RE and Art

In Art we have been looking at Primary colours and then looking at using these colours to make Secondary colours. We've been concentrating on the work of Rothko, Klee and Pollock and tried our best to recreate our own versions of work they are famous for. 

We've been looking at Easter in RE, the Easter story and the symbols that are associated with this time of the year. We've listened to the Easter story and we are able to recall it. We enjoyed eating hot cross buns, going on an Easter egg hunt, making our own palm leaves, concentrating on the symbols of the cross, eggs and palm leaves. 

Week Beginning 20/03/2023 - Computing and PHSE

This week we've been exploring digital books in Computing and understanding why it is important to follow rules in PHSE. We loved the digital books because we are all such big readers in Anaconda Class. We were great at following the rules with our friends when playing the games.  

Week Beginning 13/03/2023

Anaconda class had so much fun this week at the park. Take a look at the pictures below of our boys enjoying all of the apparatus! 

Week beginning 06/03/2023 - History 

This week in history, the Anaconda boys have been learning all about the Great Fire of London. We have spoken about what London was like back in the day when the Great Fire of London happened and compared it to how London is now. We have also spoken about Samuel Pepys and have made our own version of a diary entry, based on our day to day life. We have also made a historical timeline, based on the events from the fire. Finally, the children experienced the story of the Great Fire of London through Now Press Play. They re-enacted pieces from the timeline as if they were there. 

Week beginning 27/02/2023 - Geography

Over the past couple of weeks in Geography, the Anaconda boys have listened to different stories based in different places from around the world. The stories were Handa's Surprise, Paddington Bear and Pingu. We have spoken about the similarities and differences between the places these stories are set in and compared this to where we live in England. We also discussed the physical features of the different places and the different animals and objects you might find there. 

Week beginning 6th February 2023 - Computing

We've been exploring what it would be like to be a camera operator in Computing. We're also such experts at the story Not Now Bernard now that we felt very comfortable being the storyteller in front of the camera. I'm not saying we're vain but we did thoroughly enjoy watching our video clips back . 

Week beginning 30/01/2023 - D+T and PHSE

Our topic this term for D+T is picnics and celebrations for PHSE - so we've combined the two! We've been making picnic food related to Chinese New Year, Burn's Night and birthdays so far.

Week beginning 23/01/2023 - Science

Over the last couple of weeks we've continued our science work with a focus on traditional tales and rhymes. We've read the stories/rhymes The Little Red Hen, Polly Put the Kettle On and The Big Pancake. In relation to these classic texts we've explored how textures change when liquids are added, we've experimented with what plants need to grow, we've made an electrical circuit and we've looked carefully at what it takes to make an object roll.

Week beginning 16/01/2023 - PE

This week in PE the Anaconda boys have enjoyed dancing! They have been practising their balance, control and coordination skills and have being copying and remembering actions and techniques. Using the 'I'm a Little Teapot' nursery rhyme, the children performed the traditional actions to the song and learnt the words so that they were confident when singing it. The Anaconda boys then performed the song in different ways and using a different dance style. They performed the 'I'm a Little Teapot' nursery rhyme in a happy way, sad way and in the style of ballet dancing. They practised pointing their toes, standing up tall and straight and moving gracefully like a ballet dancer. They had so much fun!

Week beginning 09/01/2023 - English

This week in English the Anaconda boys have been reading the story Not Now Bernard. They all enjoyed listening to the story together, acting out the story and completing work relating to the story!  The children were asked to hold up a specific prop relating to the story, at the appropriate time. We also gave the children a specific character from the story and asked them to act out different scenes. They were amazing! The Anaconda boys have also completed different pieces of work, relating to the story, throughout the week. The children were able to use pictures from Not Now Bernard to help them sequence the story in the correct order and some of the children were able to use pronouns such as he, she when retelling the story. Good work everyone!

Week beginning 04/01/2023 - Science

This week we welcomed the Anaconda boys back after their well deserved Christmas break. In science Anaconda class had lots of fun making an apple pie. The children all took turns to add in the different ingredients and to mix it all together. The children enjoyed rubbing the ingredients together in order to make the pastry and they were supported to chop up the apples to add into the pie. Whilst making the pie, we spoke about how the ingredients changed and supported the children to recognise these changes through touching, tasting and looking at the different ingredients. We then spoke about how the changes in the ingredients happen for example, when the pie goes into the oven the pastry will go hard and the apples will soften.

Christmas Activities

The Anaconda boys have embraced all things Christmas these last two weeks. They did an outstanding job in the Christmas performance as I think you all would agree, we were very proud of them!

The children have been really creative and have each produced a range of Christmas crafts, which you will soon see.

It was party time at the beginning of the week. The Anaconda boys had a blast. There was lots of dancing, eating and games to play, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

WE HAD SNOW!! Everyone was super excited to see the snow, we had to get wrapped up warm and enjoy some time outside playing and exploring. We had so much fun! 

We hope you all have an amazing time over the Christmas holidays, as always we thank you all for the continued support. We look forward to seeing all our Anaconda boys back in 2023!

Week Beginning 5th December 2022 - Maths

It may nearly be Christmas but the Anaconda boys are still working hard. In Maths this week we've been looking at positional language. We are experts on using words such as 'next to, beside, on top of, under, behind, above, below, right, left and in between'.  

Week Beginning 28/11/2022 - Music

The Anaconda boys love music. This term we have been very lucky to have Mike, from the Tees Valley Music Service, visit us each week to deliver an excellent music lesson. The children practice clapping to a beat, singing songs and playing a variety of musical instruments. It really is one of the highlights of our week! Which instrument would be your favourite?

Week beginning 20/11/2022 - English & Art

The children in Anaconda Class have produced some wonderful work in English since starting our story, Matisse’s Magical Trail. They have ordered the story using pictures and sentences, and have also made predictions about what will happen next. 
Our wonderful Anacondas have continued to produce some beautiful Henri Matisse inspired artwork to coincide with our story. I think you can all agree that the children have done an outstanding job!

Week beginning 14.11.22 - Art

This week we began reading a wonderful story called Matisse's Magical Trail. It's a story about a snail who creates beautiful drawings all around the town. We have also been looking at the artwork of Henri Matisse to coincide with this story. We created our own versions of the famous creations The Snail and Cut-Outs - how do you think they compare with the originals? 

Last week we were lucky enough to see a very special performance of Rain Rain by the theatre company Bamboozle. We loved every sensory second of it!

Week beginning 7/11/2022 - Geography

In Geography this week we have talked about features of the immediate environment. The children looked at a map of the Isle of Coll, (this is the island that our story Katie Morag Delivers the Mail is based), and identified which buildings and places are on the Isle of Coll. The children also recognised how the features of the island differ to our own town. They could distinguish between both environments and sort statements about them accordingly.

Week Beginning 31/10/2022 - R.E

In R.E this term the children have been learning about Harvest, all around the world. We have been busy finding out where our food comes from, and we have talked about the ways we can help those that do not have a good harvest.

The children enjoyed a trip to our local supermarket to buy ingredients to make a vegetable soup and in our next lesson everyone worked together chopping, peeling, cooking and blending all the vegetables together to make the delicious soup. All the children tasted the soup and with the spare soup we shared it with another class.

We talked lots about the ways we can help those that do not have a good harvest. Over the period of a week both staff and children brought in food that we could donate to the food bank. Once our bag was full, we had a trip to Morrisons to hand our donations over.

Our Anacondas have also had a trip to a local allotment to explore and experience first-hand how vegetables are grown. We all had a wonderful time!

Week beginning 17/10/2022 - Computing

This week in computing the children in Anacondas have used a range of technology to control and use sound. They practised following instructions and learnt how to pause a message halfway through and restart it again. They used mini macs to record their own voices and followed instructions on an I-pad which led the children on a treasure hunt. It was so much fun! 

Week beginning 10/10/2022-PE 

The children in Anaconda class have had a very active week. To start the week off we had PE which was all about perfecting our football skills. The children worked hard on controlling the ball with their feet, stopping the ball and passing the ball to their partner. Lastly, the children practised scoring lots of goals!

Week beginning 10/10/2022 - Osmotherley

On Tuesday Anaconda class were lucky enough to enjoy a day out with West View Project to Osmotherley. The children had a wonderful time walking through the forest collecting lots of leaves, flowers and twigs which they stuck to card to produce a beautiful nature picture. After that our Anacondas gathered lots of sticks and placed them against a tree to create a minibeast hideout. The children also spent time relaxing in hammocks! Check out our pictures to see what else the children got up too!!

Week beginning 3/10/22 - English

This week we had a very special Thursday afternoon. We had some of our lovely Anaconda parents come and join us to share our story, Incredible You. The children enjoyed listening to the story and interacting with all of our story props, as did their grown ups! We sang our funky action song at the end of our story, then the children sat with their parents and painted a wonderful picture of their faces. It was such a great afternoon!

Week beginning 12/09/22 - 26/09/22 - Maths

The children in Anaconda class have worked so hard in Maths. The last couple of weeks we have focussed our attention on addition and subtraction. We have used a range of strategies including, counting objects, pictoral representation and number lines. Here are some lovely examples of the wonderful work our Anacondas have produced!

Week Beginning 20.09.22 - English and Art

For the past couple of weeks we have been reading a story called Incredible You. The story is all about how brilliant we are but that sometimes we may not recognise this about ourselves. We've made moveable bodies, ordered the story, discussed what we can see in the images and independently wrote in the style of the story. 

We produced some beautiful art work this week for our school art corridor. We looked at the piece of work Tiger in a Tropical Storm by Rousseau. We were inspired by the colours we could see and made a collage image using these exact same colours. 

Week beginning 12/09/2022- Science

Anaconda's have been busy in Science since we have returned after the holidays. We have looked at some features of living things.  The adults have drawn around the children's bodies and each child labelled the different body parts they could see. The children loved this and found it very funny. During our P.E lesson as a class the children looked at different ways in which our bodies move - we ran, walked, twisted, span, crawled, hopped and limped around the space. We all agreed that this felt very different.

W/B : 05/09/22

Welcome and D&T

A warm welcome back to school to our children and our parents. I hope everyone had a great Summer break. We've got straight down to work this week and we've celebrated Denim's birthday - Happy Birthday Denim! 

In Design and Technology we have started looking at puppets and how they are constructed. We made our own Superhero Puppets from paper and lolly sticks.