Thank you for all your support for the Year 6 Signature Work events last week. They have all done an amazing job in their various presentations and events, and between them raised over £1,000. This is a phenomenal achievement for a single day of events, and demonstrates how the Blanchelande family has pulled together to make a real difference in the world.
As well as learning and practising a wide range of skills (both inquiry and subject specific), through their Signature Work inquiry Year 6 make practical connections linking their different subjects to each other, to their lives and to their community and the wider world. They are empowered to make a difference and to feel the joy that comes with helping others, and we hope that they will carry this with them for the rest of their lives.
Inquiry is an important aspect of a Blanchelande education, and Signature Work inquiries occur in Years 1, 2, 6, 9 and 12 alongside a range of smaller, subject specific inquiries in other year groups. We believe that the stance of wonder and puzzlement that underpins all true inquiry enables students to develop a deeper connection with their learning, and to become engaged and empowered inquirers who are not only more motivated to learn within their subjects, but are also being equipped to participate responsibly in their communities. Inquiry therefore helps us to fulfill our school mission to grow and develop as “a family always faithful to the example of Our Lord Jesus Christ, learning to become all that God wants us to be”.
On Friday March 7th eleven changemakers from nine different local organisations came to Blanchelande to share their passion for making a difference in people's lives. As part of our Y6 Signature Work they were inspiring our next generation of changemakers to develop their own community-focussed persuasive campaigns. Every year all our Year 6 pupils run a campaign as part of their Signature Work inquiry focussed on four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Last year Year 6 raised almost £600 for a range of local and international charities, alongside running events, competitions and presentations within the school in support of a variety of causes such as healthy eating and beach cleaning. The goal is to show pupils that everyone can make a real-world difference.
This year we built local connections to inspire pupils to connect with the wonderful organisations that work on the Island to change the world for the better. The organisations involved were:
Dyslexia Day Centre, Edible Guernsey, Guernsey Trees for Life, Guernsey Waste, Health Improvement Commission, National Trust of Guernsey, St John Guernsey and The Tumaini Fund
Y6 left the exhibition full of excitement and ideas about their own campaigns, which we will be working on during English and ICT for the next two weeks. During Campaign Week (w/b March 31st) they will be running events and competitions, making posters, speaking in assemblies and doing whatever they can to raise awareness (and in some cases money) for their causes, because we believe that everyone has the power to make a real difference in their communities.
Signature work is an important recurring feature of a Blanchelande education that helps students to connect their learning to their lives and to the wider world. We aim to empower all of our students to make a difference in their communities and to become changemakers in their own right.
Signature Work across the curriculum
This year's Y6 Signature Work is well under way, as Y6 perform experiments to work out which materials would be best to keep their water bottles cool in Science, read explanatory texts about heat transfer in English, plot graphs of their Science results in ICT and Maths and make beautiful and functional bottle covers in Art and DT.
Rooting inquiry in Sustainable Development
Signature Work inquiry is about extended exploration of questions with real world outcomes through a range of subject lenses in a way that supports children to develop their inquiry skills while connecting with the world around them. The Y6 inquiry is rooted in the UN Sustainable Development goals of Good Heath and Wellbeing, Clean Water and Sanitation, Responsible Consumption and Production and Life Below Water. Having produced their bottle covers, after half term we are going to widen our focus on these goals as Y6 choose important causes that matter to them to campaign for in a variety of ways. An important part of Signature Work is individual expression and developing voice and agency. You can read more about Signature Work inquiry at Blanchelande here.
Think Global, Act Local
On Friday March 7th we have invited a wide range of local charities and organisations to come in and share something of their passion for their work with the Y6 to help them to choose their own campaign causes. When we introduced the Signature Work in Theology lessons as part of their Catholic Social Teaching topic in the Michaelmas term, Y6 were excited by last year's campaigns and many already have their own ideas. I am certain that their campaigns this year will inspire the Juniors coming up behind them!
You can read all our posts about Y6 Signature Work at Blanchelande here (note that the collection begins with this post - scroll down to read more!)
On Monday November 25th His Excellency, the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey came to Blanchelande to plant a copper beech tree gifted to the College by Guernsey Trees for Life as a result of a campaign last summer by two Year 6 boys. As part of their four-month Signature Work Inquiry, all of Year 6 have an opportunity to campaign for a cause that matters to them, from raising money to twin the school toilets with communities that desperately need access to sanitation, to buying fire-fighting kits for the Amazon, to local causes such as encouraging healthy eating, cleaning Guernsey’s beaches or holding a book sale to support Age-Concern Guernsey, every Y6 child gets involved.
Theo Curle and Alexander Murray, now in Y7, collected signatures from the whole school last summer to persuade Guernsey Trees for Life to plant a tree at Blanchelande because they discovered that significantly more trees are cut down than planted every year, and they know that trees are vital to our planet’s ecosystem. Copper beech trees can live for several hundred years, and Alexander and Theo want their tree to be a symbol for future generations that small actions can make a big difference. They have decided to dedicate their tree to the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry in honour of the upcoming anniversary celebrations in France. In dedicating the tree to those who fought for our freedom, they hope to inspire their peers to fight for our environment.
Alongside the Lieutenant Governor, Chris Oliver, Chairman of the RGLI Trust, and Colin Dodd from Guernsey Trees for Life represented these charities at the ceremony.
Island FM reported on the event throughout the day, and have an article about it on their website here.
Heroic inquiry is woven into the fabric of a Blanchelande education.
Inquiry is "a stance of wonder and puzzlement that gives rise to a dynamic learning process of coming to know and understand the world and ourselves in it as the basis for responsible participation in community" (Stripling & Toerien, 2021). Inquiry skills that support the process of learning to find out for (but not by) yourself should be taught in a systematic and progressive way all the way up the school, and we use the internationally recognised FOSIL cycle and framework of skills, developed by our own Head of Inquiry-Based Learning and Libraries, Darryl Toerien, to support this development appropriately and thoughtfully.
In Reception, for example, children might be beginning to recognise that some picture books contain facts about the world, while others contain stories, and be learning to ask meaningful questions about a variety of texts. By the time they get to Y13 they should be learning to seek information from a wide range of sources in order to draw clear and appropriate conclusions supported by evidence, examples, and evaluation of different points of view and perspectives.
While an inquisitive inquiry stance is valuable in all subjects, and inquiries may happen in many subjects and year groups, a distinctive feature of a Blanchelande education is at least one Signature Work inquiry in each phase of the school with a particular focus on the transition years between phases. A Signature Work is an inquiry-based exploration of a significant problem, issue or question that is defined by the children (at a level appropriate to their age) and that involves substantial reflection. It is called a Signature Work because it is authentically, proudly and uniquely theirs. Our current Signature Work inquiries are:
These Signature Works are an opportunity to teach key inquiry skills in a systematic and consistent way across whole year groups, which can then be developed in different ways across a variety of academic subjects. More importantly, however, they are an opportunity for children to connect with their learning on a personal level, pursuing questions of genuine interest to them and making deep connections between themselves, their learning and the wider world. For those who really embrace the spirit of this, these inquiries can be a transformational experience and for all students they develop the key skills and attitudes that are vital for life-wide and life-long learning in a rapidly changing world.
Year 6 have been all over the school this week with their Signature Work Campaigns, aimed at reducing the use of single use plastics and encouraging us to drink healthy amounts of water. Their colourful and informative posters are all around the Primary Department, groups have presented their campaigns to all the year groups from 1 through to 7, run a lunchtime protest, set up a club for younger students and presented in Friday’s whole school assembly. Katryn and Jess’ posters were designed to be shared on social media and they link to an informative slideshow they have designed for parents – do have a look.
On Wednesday next week (15.20-16.00 in the De La Salle Hall) Year 6 will be showcasing all their work from this innovative interdisciplinary inquiry, which links Art and Design, English, ICT, Library, Maths and Science. Please do come and have a chat with them, and see what they have achieved.
Next week is Y6 campaign week where, as part of their Signature Work inquiry, they will be working to persuade other pupils across the school to drink healthy amounts of water and to reduce their use of single-use plastics. They have chosen a variety of ways to do this, including:
and Hollie, Lucy and Vee from 6MB are kicking the week off with a newsletter article (posted on this blog). We are excited about Year 6’s campaigns next week and also their Signature Work celebration on Wednesday May 10th, 15.20-16.00 in the De La Salle Hall, when their parents are warmly invited to join them to celebrate the end of this innovative year-long project, which will lead to a Bronze CREST award.
Staying hydrated is an important thing, which many people forget to do DAILY. Being dehydrated is a problem causing dilemma to our daily and future lives.
But there are ways to stop dehydration. Many simple steps that can help you are steps like limiting your daily intake of caffeine or setting a schedule that you only drink in that time.
Here are some researched tips to help your daily hydration:
COFFEE:
TEA:
FIZZY DRINKS:
WATER:
Water keeps our bodies working well and helps them stay fit and healthy. We lose water from our bodies every day when we sweat or go the toilet. This water needs to be replaced by drinking and eating. We recommend adults drink about six to eight cups and children under 8 years old drink around 4 or 6 cups. We can also get water from what we eat, for example fruits like watermelon have lots of juice.
An example of a daily drinking schedule is:
Please stay healthy out there, keep you and your health in safe care, and take some time for yourself! ♥☺
Here are some fun puzzles for you: ↓
Fun puzzles!!
Trivia (answers at the end)
Wordsearch
Can you find these words?
Balance (in twice!) Bodies Healthy Coffee Cups Vitamins Drink Fizzy Water Sugar Tea Dehydrated
Some words may be backwards . Made by Lucy, Vee, and Hollie (◠‿◠)
Trivia answers:
1. 32 degrees F, 0°C. 2. 212 degrees F, 100°C
Bibliography: How Food Works published by Dorling Kindersley