Year 1/2 visited Morwick Dairy Farm , near Warkworth in Northumberland, this week.
Not only were they able to try the delicious range of ice creams, but they also saw how it was made through a parlour viewing window.
Since the parlour is based on a working farm, the children saw the herd of pedigree Ayrshire cows that supplied the milk for their ice cream.
The visit coincided with their class topic on 'Foods from around the World' and was linked to 'Farming in this Country'.
J Anderson

On Monday our Year 1/2 class visited Asda to buy ingredients to make pizzas as part of their 'Food around the World' topic.
They looked at the packaging of the ingredients to find out where in the world they came from.
In the afternoon they made their own delicious pizzas using the ingredients they had bought at Asda.
Children created an Italian restaurant in a corner of the classroom and served the pizzas to peers and staff.
Why not look in our gallery to see photographs of the event?

As part of their topic 'Food around the World' Year 1/2 celebrated Chinese New Year and the year of the dragon by making Chinese noodles and dragon masks.

Photographs can be viewed by clicking here
J Anderson

Children in Year 1/2 are looking forward to a KS1 topic-based activity on Food. They have already set up an Italian restaurant in class and will shortly be making pizzas . In preparation for this, Miss Foster is taking her class to Asda, on Monday, to work out the cost and to buy the necessary ingredients. We are sure they will have a wonderful time and look forward to seeing their photographs on our website sometime in the near future.
Mrs Anderson

Four skilled music teachers from Gateshead Music Services came into Swalwell this morning dressed as wizards. They entertained and educated children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 with their magical, musical spells.
Photographic link
J Anderson

Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 had the opportunity to enjoy a festive music celebration when members of Gateshead Schools Music Service came to entertain them. Christmas music and carols, both traditional and modern,were excitingly presented. The Music Services team provided costumes and instruments for children. Everyone enjoyed this fun, educational, interactive workshop. A great big thank you to all concerned.
Photographs on the website
J Anderson

The Christmas party is something all our children look forward to...and every year we do not disappoint.
This year, Miss Lawson and Miss Foster organised creative , imaginative games, provided fantastic music and kept our Year 1 to Year 4 children entertained for two hours.
Everyone agreed that this was a wonderful occasion and one they had all enjoyed.
Photos

Once again Mrs Lancastle- Smith has written a Christmas play for our older children to perform.
It is the story of two children who get locked in school and travel through the decades meeting all sorts of exciting people until at last they find the true meaning of Christmas.
There is something in this play for everyone, whether you like music from the war years, are fans of the 'Fab Four' or enjoy the music of the 'King of Rock and Roll'.
The children have worked extremely hard and are a credit to their parents and the school .

Photographs
J Anderson

Year 1/2 attended a multi skills session at Whickham this afternoon. Year 11 secondary school pupils held a session for all feeder schools in the catchment area. Our children made friends with children from Washingwell, Parochial and Fellside. The session enabled our children to practise a variety of basic P.E skills. They enjoyed throwing, catching and jumping!

Chris Connaughton had children in Miss Foster's class engrossed today with his performance of Rumpelstiltskin which was based on the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
In this play,which was delivered with humour and excitement, Y1/2 were introduced to a greedy miller, his clever daughter, a corrupt king and a wicked gnome .
Children enjoyed the show and the workshop which followed.
J Anderson

Our Year 1/2 class visited Hartlepool Historic Quay as part of their topic ' Pirates'.
They experienced the sights, smells and sounds of naval yesteryear and were allowed on board the Trincomalee - Europe's oldest floating warship!
After lunch they enjoyed activities such as; "Pressganged" and "Fighting Ships.
They played happily in the children's maritime adventure centre before returning to school. A fun , worthwhile, educational day!
click here

J Anderson

Year 1/2 visited The City Learning Centre at Watermark, Metrocentre today where they joined the crew of the Sweaty Sock. They took part in a 'Wake up, Shake up' event, played games, read poems and followed treasure maps.

National Schools Film Week provides teachers and their students with the opportunity to see a wide range of films at local cinemas entirely free-of-charge.
The Festival's goal is to support classroom teaching by providing schools with a powerful experience for their students that links directly to elements of the curriculum.
Year 1/2 children were invited to the Odeon, Metro Centre to see a special screening of Cars 2.
Children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were a credit to the school with their exemplary behaviour inside and outside the cinema.
A big thank you to cinema staff for making pupils and staff welcome.
J Anderson

A member of The Tyne and Wear Fire Service visited YI/2 and Y5/6 this week to teach children basic life skills. He discussed safety issues, hazards in the home, the importance of having working smoke alarms and escape plans at home.
Children in Year 5/6 were told some interesting facts about fire. They learned about the triangle of fire. Oxygen is the gas which we need to breathe so it is all around us. A fire also needs oxygen to burn. Fuel is something that burns in a fire. This can be anything from paper to furniture in your house. We get heat from matches and lighters. Oxygen, fuel and heat = fire.
The Prevention and Education Teams focus on the need to prevent fires from occurring by encouraging all members of the community to know the dangers,to take action to prevent fire, to protect homes and to know what to do should a fire occur. It is hoped that our children will tell parents, friends and relatives what they have learned so that the knowledge of fire safety procedures will be filtered through the community.
Photos in the gallery
J Anderson

Yvonne Hart came into school today with Billy the Bear, to talk to children in Nursery, Reception and Year 1/2 about road safety and the importance of holding hands when out and about. She reminded children of the need for adult supervision when crossing a road and the meaning of STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN.
Photos on the website gallery
J Anderson

Pupils from Year 1/2 were invited along to the Taybarns restaurant as part of a new schools healthy eating education programme aimed at helping youngsters understand the importance of a balanced diet.
0ur children were taught about the five different food groups, were able make pizzas and had the chance to gain experience of working life in a busy restaurant.
Our thanks to the management and staff of Taybarns Metrocentre for a fantastic day.
Photographic link

J Anderson

We are committed to raising achievement in Swalwell School, and we strive to secure the highest quality of provision for our children, It is for this reason that we are in partnership with other Gateshead primary schools and the Raising Achievement Service . The group meets often to decide and plan a joint project to excite and motivate pupils to write.
Last year our Y5/6 class took part in a project on Robinson Crusoe which was initially literacy based, but was developed to encompass other areas of the curriculum.
This year our Year 1/2 children have taken part in a similar project based around the topic of outer space. The project has been very creative ,with lessons about visitors from out of space...Can you believe we have even had alien visitors in Swalwell School?
Their topic has culminated in a visit to Saltwell Park ,where they met with other Gateshead schools, to write goodbye messages to the baby aliens !
Children thoroughly enjoyed attaching messages to balloons which were then released into the air.
A wonderful end to an exciting, creative project!
PHOTOGRAPHS
J Anderson

'Where in the world is Barnaby Bear?' is a QCA* Scheme of Work which helps children to learn about the world around them.
Barnaby is a bear who travels round the world introducing children to places at home and abroad. He helps children learn about the places he visits. Our KS1 children love Barnaby, and his appearance in unfamiliar places and environments helps children to relate to them. Seeing pictures of his adventures in faraway places helps children bridge the gap between the immediate environment and unfamiliar environments.
Many of our children and staff often take Barnaby on holiday with them .
Recently Mrs Hall took Barnaby on a trip to the home of Chelsea Pensioners in London to celebrate Founders Day.

A special Barnaby Bear photo album has now been created in the gallery so that we can all follow Barnaby's travels.
Photographic Link
J Anderson
*Barnaby Bear is a registered trademark of the Geographical Association
© Crown copyright 2007.

There was lots of piratical fun for our Year 1/2 children today... not only did they enjoy a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' themed menu at lunchtime but they also had the opportunity to take part in a special Pirate session at Gateshead City Learning Centre.
Pupils used 2Simple Software to produce pirate stories, poems and treasure maps.

More photographs can be seen in the gallery.
J Anderson

Nursery, Reception and Year 1/2 pupils had a super time this morning.
Mrs Porter, Ms Banning and Ms Weaver from Gateshead Music Services came into school to entertain and educate our children.
The workshop gave our pupils the opportunity to perform as a band. They learned all about pulse, chords and the sounds of many different instruments.
A big thank you to the ladies from Gateshead for their continued hard work and dedication.

A trip to Heworth Grange CLC to use Kar2ouche proved to be very enjoyable and worthwhile for our Year 1/ 2 pupils.
They used Kar2ouche to recall the story of 'The Three Little Pigs' then created their own versions choosing appropriate characters and speech.
The children had great fun mixing up characters and animating a 'Superstory' .
Photographs on website
J Anderson

Yvonne Hart came into Y1/2 with Billy the Bear to talk to the children for one hour about road safety.
She talked about the importance of holding hands when out and about ,the importance of crossing a road with adult supervision and the meaning of STOP, LOOK, LISTEN.
The children met many Road Safety characters - one of their favourites was Mr Lookey who sang a song to the tune of The Hokey Cokey.

The sights and sounds of South Africa reverberated round Swalwell Primary School on Wednesday 4th May, when we welcomed a troop of tribal dancers.
Pupils were entertained in fabulous style when 'The Lions of Zululand' gave an hour-long performance of their traditional music and dance. The Zulu Warriors then enthralled the youngsters by running four workshops.
This was a fantastic opportunity for all our pupils to experience the art, dance and music of another culture.
We would like to thank all family, friends and carers who attended the special afternoon assembly. We are sure you will all agree that this exciting,international, colourful day which allowed our children to experience a taste of a completely different culture ended on an amazing high note.
Photographs can be seen in the website gallery...Click here

J Anderson

On Wednesday afternoon Year 1/2 children visited Holy Trinity Church. The children looked around the church and investigated the different types of objects found in a Christian church.

As an alternative study to the Great Fire of London , Y1/2 visited The Discovery Museum to explore the 1854 fire in Newcastle. Pupils investigated real Victorian objects and using puppets, acted out the story of the fire based on local accounts .
J Anderson

Today, popular performer, storyteller and writer,Chris Connaughton, wowed Y1/2 and their parents/carers with his acting and storytelling skills. Everyone enjoyed watching his performance of "The Elves and the Shoemaker" and "Tales from the Tall Tower".


More photographs in the gallery...click here.
J Anderson

Our Year 1,2,3 and 4 children came together this afternoon for their annual christmas party. For some this is the highlight of the year.The children were kept happy and entertained with a number of games, competitions and dances. Miss Lawson and Miss Foster were responsible for organising this exciting and unforgettable party which ran for two hours from 1.15pm to 3.15pm . Special thanks to Miss Gowland, Mrs Hall and Miss Sanderson for helping out and to Mrs Gray and Mrs Anderson for party food . Photographs are now ready to view in our gallery.
J Anderson

Swalwell's Christmas productions have wowed audiences. Considering the lack of rehearsals due to bad weather school closures, all our pupils still managed to give a polished, professional performance.
A big thank you to all parents, carers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and older brother and sisters who attended the plays and who continue to show support for Swalwell. Finally, a big thank you to all pupils in Nursery, Reception and Years 1 to 6 .You were fantastic and we are all very proud of you. Photographs can be seen in the gallery in the Christmas performances album.
J Anderson

As part of their outdoor learning, Year 1/2 have been having fun in the snow.

Photographs can be seen by clicking here

Children in Nursery, Reception and Year 1/2 had a wonderful morning on Thursday. Anne, Keren and Julie from Gateshead Music Service came into Swalwell to show pupils how to make musical patterns using insects as a base. Special thanks to all involved in making this a memorable occasion for our children.
Photographs can be seen in the website gallery.
Mrs Anderson

Keren, Tony, Giles and George from Gateshead Music Services came into school to do a music workshop based on music in the movies. The aim was to show how music helps to create mood and it's importance in films, and to learn more about the elements of music by looking at movie soundtracks. The children tapped rhythms, played instruments and enjoyed listening to music from Toy Story, Pink Panther, Rocky, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Mission Impossible, Star Wars and Up.
Photographs can be seen in the gallery.

J Anderson

A member of The Tyne and Wear Fire Service visited YI/2 and Y5/6 this week to teach children basic life skills. He discussed safety issues, hazards in the home, the importance of having working smoke alarms and escape plans at home. The Prevention and Education Teams focus on the need to prevent fires from occurring by encouraging all members of the community to know the dangers,to take action to prevent fire, to protect homes and to know what to do should a fire occur. It is hoped that our children will tell parents, friends and relatives what they have learned so that the knowledge of fire safety procedures will be filtered through the community. Photograph link
J Anderson

Yesterday, children in KS1 and KS2 learned about how to stay safe whilst using the internet, mobile phones, chat rooms and games on line. Mr Carter, a consultant from Gateshead City Learning Centre, discussed the dangers of using social networking sites such as facebook and My Space.
Pupils were informed that you have to be much older before being permitted to use these sites.
The messages were clear;
Children should never give personal information online or arrange to meet someone they don't know.
Children should not bully, harass or abuse anyone else online.
Children should report any abuse they experience themselves online , by clicking on the report icon.
J Anderson