Another Super Week!

We have had another great week in St. Clare's Class!

On Wednesday, we visited the LifeBus. We had an interesting lesson and learned lots more about our bodies and the importance and dangers associated with how we treat them. We learned about drugs, smoking and alcohol and how they can be harmful to us. To end the session, we spent some time considering how to make the right choices and how to say 'No,' when we need to. It was a fascinating session and we came away with a greater knowledge about how to stay safe and well.

On Thursday, we had a fantastic trip to the Dulwich Picture Gallery. We worked with Jo, a professional artist, in the workshop to design and make our own World War One medals.

Firstly, we designed the symmetrical ribbons, using wax pastels and inks. We used this resist technique to make the ribbons look old and worn.

Next, we designed and made the tiles to print our medals.

Then, we applied the metallic printing ink.

We used the printing press to create our final images.

On Friday, after our marvellous performance in our assembly, we neared the end of our class novel; The Silver Donkey, and wrote some fantastic pieces to show how we think the book will end.

We also enjoyed analysing a poem about conscription and discussing the emotions involved for those left behind in the Great War.

In the afternoon, after another excellent P4C session, we spent some time writing Christmas letters and cards to our Post Pals. They have been posted off this weekend, so we hope that they will arrive soon to put smiles on the faces of some children who will be in hospital, or very unwell, over Christmas.

Next week, we have a very busy festive week!

Monday: Your last swimming session- don't forget your kit!
Tuesday: All of Upper School will be going to St. Thomas More for the Advent mass.
Wednesday: Christmas lunch!
Thursday: We will be watching the Key Stage 1 Nativity Play and we'll write our list to go up for the class Christmas party (food and drink!)
Friday: In the afternoon, we will be heading to church again for the Christmas Carol Concert.

The following week:
Monday: Our class Christmas Party!
Tuesday: CARE awards assembly, possibly Toy Day and the last day of term! School will close at 2pm.

Fun at Dulwich Picture Gallery!

We love Dulwich Picture Gallery here at St. Anthony's! They have some very cool activities coming up at the gallery, especially for kids!

Record-Breaker: The World's Longest Landscape

On 14-16th October, you can be a part of an exciting project to draw the world's longest landscape. They will have some amazing special guest illustrators, too.
It's FREE for children.

What a wonderful opportunity!

Find out more here: http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/for-families/2016/october/the-worlds-longest-landscape/

Halloween Sleepover

Source: Dulwich Picture Gallery

The gallery will be holding a spooky sleepover in the 'haunted gallery' on Halloween!

Source: Dulwich Picture Gallery

Here's what they have to say about the spooky event:

"This Halloween weekend pack your sleeping bags, grab your PJs and torch and head over to Dulwich Picture Gallery for a spooktacular evening!

Pay a visit to the Gallery’s on-site haunted house, interact with the paintings brought to life by our mystery guests, and create a vintage-inspired Halloween print to take home. Bed down for the night amongst the old masters and wake up to breakfast and a classic film."

Source: Dulwich Picture Gallery

Find out more information here: http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/for-families/2016/october/pillows-and-paintbrushes-sleepover-haunted-gallery-weekend/ 

A Fantastic Trip!

 Yesterday, we had another wonderful morning at Dulwich Picture Gallery- special thanks to Stephanie's mum, who helped us out at very short notice! We spent the morning in the Art Skills room with Jo, creating some beautiful artwork inspired by the gallery's current special exhibition by Winifred Knights. Jo showed us some of Knights' detailed landscape paintings. We were interested to hear that Knights had grown up in Streatham and had attended JAGS- a school near ours!

We began by creating an ink wash, to build the background of our images. Using diluted ink, water and salt, we developed textured and interesting backgrounds. We dried the ink using paper towels and hair dryers, then looked at the abstract shapes that had been left on the paper. Like clouds in the sky, we were able to see pictures and shapes in the patterns on the paper.

Using a range of tools; pencils, dipping pens, skewers and thick twigs, we then used black ink to build on our pieces. We were challenged to create very detailed, intricate landscapes, using the shapes created by our background inkwash as starting points. It was tricky, but great fun, to develop a landscape made up of tiny details and pictures.

Here are some lovely pieces of art, during the process:

Dulwich Picture Gallery!

On Friday, we had a lovely sunny morning at Dulwich Picture Gallery!

After a very pleasant stroll through the park, we arrived in time for a quick play in the gardens in the sunshine.

Our workshop was linked to our topic at school- so we were experimenting with ways to represent water and rivers.

We used mixed media (what did Jo tell us 'medium' meant in Art?) to create beautiful ink, wax and salt creations to show water and how it reflects light and the sky.

Next, we looked at some woodcut prints by Astrup to inspire our own block printing. We designed a natural landscape and carved it into polystyrene tiles, then printed them above our rivers, to create a mixed media landscape image.

We enjoyed using the printing press again and our skills at printing and painting have really improved!

Here are some great examples of finished pieces:

 Finally, we were able to have a quick walk through the special exhibition of Astrup's work and see some of his impressive woodcut prints, the woodcut blocks themselves and some spectacular landscape paintings.

Source: Dulwich Picture Gallery

A Very Generous Donation!

This week, we were incredibly lucky to have a special gift from The Dulwich Picture Gallery. We visited the M.C. Escher exhibition at the gallery last term and produced some beautiful artwork.

The Dulwich Picture Gallery have very generously given us a stunning piece of artwork, produced by our local community, which was inspired by the M.C. Escher exhibition. It is a spectacular mosaic metamorphosis made entirely from LEGO!

M.C. Escher, Day and Night, 1938 (Dulwich Picture Gallery)

We all love our new artwork at St. Anthony's and feel very lucky to have it in our school!

During lunchtime on Wednesday, we put up some posters asking all of our children to write the first word that came to mind when they looked at the picture. Later that day, St. Clare's wrote sentences to explain our reaction to, or inspired by, the Lego masterpiece!

Next half term, we will hold a creative project inspired by our new artwork- linking Writing, Maths and Art- alongside other subjects! Hooray!