School Culture
Santa brings the gift of standards
The morning was cold and crisp and we were all excited as we faced the end of term and Christmas was nigh. The reception and key stage 1 productions were over and key stage 2 were now the actors on the stage in the last week of term. Was the excitement over for our four to seven-year-olds? Were
we going to “waste” the week as some parents seem to think we do? Of course not – Santa Claus was on his way to bring the gift of standards! On Monday morning the children arrived at school, eager, excited
and – in their pyjamas and dressing gowns, so were the teachers if they were brave enough! The children came through the door quietly and looked carefully
around, because the teachers had warned them that someone very special had visited the school over the weekend. They could see some very big footprints in the corridors. They followed the giant footsteps (made by the caretaker who
had to keep dipping his boots in flour, but he didn’t mind at all, as he too by now had the Christmas spirit) which took them into their classroom. Each class had been visited! They peeked and pried until they discovered the note that Santa
had left for the class. Santa’s note tells them that he has really enjoyed having a look at
their school and is very proud of them because they are obviously children who work very hard and he knows that they are all going to be on his “good” list this year. He is looking forward to visiting them on Christmas eve but would love them to write to him to tell him a little about themselves and what they hope will be in their stockings this Christmas. This starts the week as the children settle immediately to write
their letters to Santa (writing). Make sure that you have a number of trusted Santas who are
willing to handwrite a letter to each child in response. The children love to open their personalised notes (reading). During the afternoon the children read the poemThe Night
Before Christmas. They dramatise it and then learn the song Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and maybe a few other songs which celebrate Christmas. They can add percussion and movement to the music (music and dance). The next day they debate the problems that Santa may have in
finding all their homes. How do the reindeers know where to go? They do a revision lesson on the local area and try to work out different routes for the reindeer (geography). Is there a way they can help the reindeer to find them? They can
read the poems that some people have put on sacks containing “magic reindeer dust” (the dust can then be sprinkled on the path outside their house to help the reindeer to see where to go).
“When Santa’s sleigh is full of toys ready for Christmas Day. Use this magic Christmas Dust to help him find his way. Just sprinkle it outside your door, the glitter will give a light. The reindeer will smell the oats and bring Santa on Christmas Night.”
Then the question asked is whether they can make up their own
poem to go with the reindeer dust? That’s another piece of writing – this time poetry! The following day we create the dust. How? It’s just oats and a
sprinkling of glitter with a lot of stirring. The greater the colours the more vibrant the dust (DT). Finally we bag up our magic dust and paste our own poems on
the bag! If you have a webcam or video-conferencing by Thursday Santa should have “received” all their letters. So at this point a conference with the real Father Christmas which
comes all the way from the North Pole is dynamic for Speaking and Listening as he talks to each of them in turn and thanks them for their letters! He can also tell them that his responses are on the way and will be with them to take home at the end of term So what then? Why not create a Christmas card (art) and add in a poem to wish the recipient good wishes for Christmas.
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