Dear Parents,
I hope you are all well.
This is Orgesa from Rise to Lead, part of my wider work through Configur Academy.
This week, after the half-term break, we welcomed the children back with a brilliant session on storytelling and the power of a good story.
The focus of the session was helping the children understand that confident speaking is not only about being brave, but also about having a clear structure.
We introduced a simple storytelling framework that we will now also use for the final showcase talks:
Hook (grab attention)
Meat (the interesting details)
Landing (finish clearly and strongly)
This helped the children see how the same structure can be used in stories, speeches, presentations and team challenges.
The Mystery Challenge
This week’s Mystery Box challenge was:
The 60-Second News Report
Each team created and performed a live news report from our “News Desk” area at the front of the room.
The children had to work together to:
choose roles
create a story
plan their report
deliver it with confidence and expression
The energy in the room was fantastic. The children were creative, engaged and very supportive of one another.
Some reports were funny, some dramatic, and all of them showed growing confidence and teamwork.
Celebrating Effort & Values
After the presentations, the children voted for the team that showed the strongest storytelling and teamwork (without voting for their own team).
This week’s winning team was: Ocean Girls
They gave an amazing news report, and it was especially lovely to see all the team members participate so beautifully.
A huge well done to Ocean Girls, and to all teams for their creativity, courage and teamwork.
We also celebrated individual effort and strengths with this week’s awards:
Best Storyteller Award
Creative Reporter Award
Team Energy Award
These awards help us recognise not only confidence, but also creativity, teamwork and encouragement.
Final Showcase Preparation Begins
In the second half of the session, we began the first stage of final showcase preparation.
The children started thinking about their own presentation topic for the final parent showcase and wrote down their first ideas.
They were encouraged to choose something meaningful to them, such as:
something they love
something they know a lot about
something they have learned in the club
something they care about
We also reassured them that:
talks can be short (1 to 3 minutes)
they can use props or pictures
they may speak alone or with a partner
we will practise together over the next few sessions so they feel ready and supported
This was a very important and exciting step as we now move into showcase preparation.
Why this session mattered
This session was an important bridge between fun speaking activities and the final showcase.
The children are learning that speaking well is a skill they can build through:
structure
practice
teamwork
and small, consistent steps
It is a joy to see their confidence continue to grow.
Thank you, as always, for your support.
Warm regards,
Orgesa
Founder, Rise to Lead
Configur Academy
Wesbite: www.risetolead.uk
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