We were lucky enough to get a visit from our very own local Paralympic hero Niamh Mc Carthy in school today. Niamh won a silver medal in the Women's Discus Throw F41 Final. She spoke to the students about her incredible journey and even showed off her silver medal. The medals made for the Paralympic Games feature braille - tiny raised bumps that spell out "Rio 2016 Paralympic Games" and can be read by the visually impaired by moving their fingers over the bumps. They also have a tiny device inside the medal that makes a rattling noise when the medal is shaken. This way those that are visually impaired will know what colour their medal is based on how loud the rattle is. Gold makes the loudest rattling sound and bronze makes the quietest.

You all received the notes for the Science Fair last week. The projects are due in on Monday 14th November 2016 so it's time to get the ball rolling! This week's Talking Tuesday homework is discuss with your child their ideas and help them to problem-solve and plan out their projects. Please ensure that they are getting their ideas together at this point so there's not a last minute panic the week before!

The European Space Agency and NASA are looking for astronauts to take part in future missions to Mars. Do you have what it takes to be an astronaut? What qualities do you need to be an astronaut? What sacrifices would you have to make? What would be the most challenging aspect of the job? Which role would you like to take on the team?

This week we are celebrating Space Week in class. A lot of our lessons this week have a space theme. In Geography we are comparing the surface of Earth to the surface of Mars. In History we are studying momentous moments in Space History and learning about the history of the Rosetta space probe and writing a time-line. In Art we will be creating and designing a martian that has adapted to life on Mars, and also using clay and sand to create a terrain which is similar to Mars. In English we will be applying for a job as an astronaut on the very first human mission to Mars. In Music we will be listening and responding to Gustav Holt 'The Planets'. Oh I almost forgot to mention that in Science we will be designing and launching our very rockets into space! It's going to be an exciting week-watch this space for all the updates!