Year 3
What an extraordinarily busy week it has been! It was so lovely (and rather warm!) to welcome so many adults into the classroom. The children were thrilled to have their first Reading Café in the hall - sharing Taco’s tale, our activities, and, of course, a few well-earned biscuits. It’s possible one or two extra party rings may have found their way to the children by the end of the day…
The excitement has certainly caught up with us, and there were a few sleepy faces by home time. Please do allow some time for rest and recharging this weekend - we have plenty more learning adventures awaiting us in the coming weeks!
In English, we’ve been busy polishing our innovation texts (“How to Get Ready for School”), completing a comprehension task based on Paddington Bear, and writing our very first assessed piece of the year — a delightful letter from Paddington to Aunty Lucy. From sticky buns to overflowing bathtubs, the children’s creativity shone through, and they all wrote with focus and enthusiasm.
In Maths, we revisited pictorial methods for addition and subtraction with exchange (please do remind yourselves of our calculation methods on the school website). This step is key to deepening our understanding and preparing for the next step.
Geography had us exploring why the UK imports fruit and vegetables from other countries. The children wrote persuasive letters explaining factors such as climate, seasonality, and variety.
In RE, the children explored the Christian belief in forgiveness by enacting a scene of confession and symbolically ‘wiping away’ sins - a reflective exercise.
Musical talents were on display as they scaled mountains (vocally) with Miss Spinks, performing the class composition with gusto.
In Science, we classified animals as vertebrates and invertebrates, applying our knowledge like true biologists. Over in PE, the children continued to hone their football skills, and in French, we followed instructions through a lively round of Jacques a dit (the French version of Simon Says).
Finally, in Computing, we recapped the components of a computer through a digital scavenger hunt — scanning QR codes, decoding clues, and working well in pairs.
Enjoy the weekend!
The Year 3 team
Year 4
Well, what a week! We've had the fun of photo's and a Reading Cafe, thank you to those that were able to attend it was lovely to see you all. More to follow later in the year. The children are starting to show signs of tiredness, so please give them some down time over the weekend to fully recharge batteries for the next 2 weeks.
In our learning this week;-
Maths - we have started looking at addition and subtraction where we are recapping methods and knowledge from previous learning before we move them on. With Mrs Murray the children have continued with shape.
English - We have been working on our grammar sentences thinking about our innovation of the text we have learnt as well as a writing task about a letter from Paddington to Aunt Lucy. We read four chapters of Paddington Bear first and the children have loved it. With Mrs Murray the children were using their comprehension skills.
Topic - We looked at what an Anglo-Saxon settlement would have looked like.
PHSE - The children were looking at the effects of drugs (both prescribed and not) on someone.
RE - We discussed what makes someone a superhero, or Saviour.
French - The children learnt body parts in French finishing with singing heads, shoulders, knees and toes in French.
This afternoon the children were given a log-in for Typing Club. This is a free software that you can use at home, just google 'typing club', to help improve the children's ability to touch type. Their log-in details are in their Reading Records. Please practice at home, touch typing will help them so much as they move up through the school and into secondary school. They will achieve tasks much faster if they can touch type.
Please continue with the reading (Bookster Bear will be announced on Monday) though I don't think it will be us!
Maths Targets and Times Tables are still on the list for homework along with spelling (last weeks scores were much better, I haven't marked today's at the time of typing).
Have a lovely chilled weekend,
Mrs Chittock and the Year 4 team.
Year 5
It was lovely to see so many of you at the reading cafe this morning. Our tacos/frogs/pac men are definitely better than the rest of KS2s (not that I am competitive)
You might have heard that Christmas arrived early in Year 5 - we made our Christmas card designs on Tuesday afternoon. They have been sent off to be scanned, and will be sent back for you to have a look and decide if you would like to purchase their design on some high quality Christmas memorabilia. Their designs are very cute this year - we all managed to spell Christmas correctly and stop our drawings before we drew too much!
This week in Maths we have focused on column addition. We have added 6 digit numbers and even had a go at adding numbers with up to 3 digits behind the decimal point! The key is making sure the digits are lined up correctly according to their place value.
In English, we have been working on different sentence types that we will use when writing a UFO recount next week. We converted direct speech to reported speech as this is more appropriate for a recount. We also thought about how we can add detail and description to our recounts by using 'show, don't tell' sentences.
In Science, we learnt about equinoxes and why they happen. Did you know equinoxes happen twice a year on every planet in the Solar System? School photos on Thursday gave us the opportunity to log in and have some time on Typing Club. Each child has a log in which is in the back of their reading record book should they wish to practice at home. Lots of us were trying to type with our hands in the right positions but only using our index fingers!
Next Monday, Dr Matt Bothwell, an astronomer with Cambridge University is visiting us to talk all things space! We have a book of questions for him at the back of the classroom so it will be great to have the chance to have them all answered by an expert. If your child has a copy of one of his books at home, make sure they are in school next Monday so he can sign them!
Have a super weekend - please encourage your children to read and record. Our star reader numbers slipped this week!
Miss Rutter, Mrs Grosvenor and Mrs Marsh.
Year 6
It’s been another busy and exciting week in Year 6!
In science, the children have been exploring how light affects the eye. They carried out a range of experiments to understand how light travels and how our eyes help us to see — with plenty of curiosity and careful observation!
We had a fantastic Mini Medics Day on Monday, where pupils learned essential first aid skills, including how to help someone in an emergency. Their enthusiasm and maturity throughout the sessions were brilliant to see.
In PE, the class have been developing their teamwork and strategy through a series of invasion games. They’ve shown great sportsmanship and energy while improving their passing, defending and communication skills.
During RE, we’ve looked at how some Bible stories were told to share good news. The children reflected thoughtfully on the meaning behind these stories and the messages they share with us today.
In maths, pupils have been revising short division and have now been introduced to long division. They’re showing growing confidence and resilience as they tackle more complex calculations.
Our English learning this week has focused on analysing war poetry, namely 'Who's for the Game?' and 'In Flanders Field'; we will be comparing different perspectives of war and looking at a range of poetic devices.
Home learning this week is a research task, preparing to write diaries in the role of soldiers in a trench.
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who joined us for our Reading Café today — it was wonderful to see so many families enjoying books together and sharing in the love of reading.
Well done, Year 6 — another week of fantastic learning and teamwork!
Nuala Gilmore
