Year 3
Year 3 have had a slightly different week than usual, and they have handled the changes brilliantly. While I was supporting the Year 6 SATs team, the children showed maturity, flexibility and independence. They may even have enjoyed a biscuit or two as a well-earned treat!
A huge thank-you goes to Mrs Dobson, Mrs Crook and Miss Kelly, who supported the children so wonderfully throughout the week. Every time I popped in, or had a quick peek through the window, Year 3 were settled, focused and learning.
Despite the changes, we have continued to make progress across the curriculum.
In Maths, the children completed a tricky measurement mystery challenge to discover which knight had slain the dragon. They used their problem-solving skills and applied their knowledge of measurement in successful pairs. They also worked through revision activities covering key areas of the Year 3 Maths curriculum, before ending the week with an arithmetic assessment. Next week, we will focus on reasoning.
In English, the children tackled a range of spelling, punctuation and grammar challenges. They also completed a SPaG assessment. Next week, we will turn our attention to reading.
In Science, we explored the parts of a flowering plant and their functions. With the help of one of my precious peonies, carefully dissected with precision, the children identified key parts of the flower and explained their roles with impressive understanding. They also completed a quiz-style assessment on the life cycle of a flowering plant, including seed germination, pollination, fertilisation and seed dispersal.
In History, we moved on to learn about Charles I and Charles II, the English Civil War, and Oliver Cromwell’s role as Lord Protector. The children discussed why Cromwell introduced strict rules, including the banning of horse racing, which had been a sport enjoyed by royalty and the wealthy. They considered reasons such as his Puritan beliefs, concerns about gambling and disorder, and his wish to reduce activities linked with royalist traditions. We then explored how the “sport of kings” returned when Charles II was restored to the throne.
In French, the children learnt colours and practised saying them clearly. In RE, they explored ideas about what it means to be good, and considered whether most people are good or bad as part of our Humanism unit.
In PE, they impressed Mrs Crook with their teamwork during a range of challenging games.
In Music, the children wrote their own ballads, using their understanding of this song type to include storytelling and expressive lyrics.
In Computing, they began to learn the important skill of touch-typing.
We are looking forward to a happy and productive final week of this half-term. We hope to see many of you at the Reading Café!
The Year 3 Team
Year 4
Another week whizzes by, and the children have been wonderful this week. Year 6 have been sitting their SATs, and we have had to move around the school and particularly our classroom as quietly as we possibly can, and the class have been so respectful and quiet it has been a pleasure to be around. And, of course, to let you know that ~ they can be quiet! ?? We have had another busy week. In our learning this week we have:
Maths – continuing with decimals, the children have calculated, compared, ordered and rounded decimal numbers and continued looking at time on an analogue clock.
English – completed the picture map with actions for our focus text, ready to move on to the innovation next week and had a reading comprehension about bees.
Art – we took a quick trip back in time to last term where we were looking at famous artists, and we looked at Andy Goldsworthy and his natural art and photography. We took advantage of the good weather and went outside and created our own natural art and photographed it. There were some fantastic pieces created, and the children worked really well in their pairs.
French – we played ‘Lotto’ with numbers up to 31 and wrote sentences asking and responding to, “When is your birthday?"
RE - we looked more at what 'being good' means and whether most people are good or bad.
Science – changes in state, where the children got to experiment with melting and a chocolate button!
Music – putting the final touches on their compositions.
Topic – we looked at primary and secondary sources of historical information, and we read two letters written by Pliny, a young man who experienced the events at Pompeii. We identified the information that tells us exactly what happened in those 24 hours. It was quite an eye-opener to hear a first-hand experience.
Dates for the Diary:
Tuesday 19th - Class photo.
Thursday 21st - Reading Cafe.
Friday 22nd – End of half-term.
Monday 1st June – Return to school for the last half-term.
Monday 15th – A visitor to the class for a nature talk.
Wednesday 17th – Sports Day.
Thank you for sending your child into school with all the appropriate clothing that we need this time of year. As this week has proven, we never quite know what the weather will do; hot = sun cream and sun hats, cold = jumpers and coats or rain = coats, or all of them on the same day = chaos!
I hope you have a lovely weekend. Try not to do too much. The children are getting tired.
Mrs Chittock and the Year 4 team.
Year 5
It has been a rather topsy-turvy week for Y5 due to the Y6 SATs. They have been brilliantly adaptable. While in residence in the hall, they played maths games, completed tangram puzzles, designed Fagin's den on TinkerCAD and had a go at designing a William Morris-style design coloured in multiple colourways with different mediums. They've also watched Oliver! (the proper version from 1968). Mrs Marsh and Mrs Grosvenor have been so proud of how Y5 have behaved in the hall – they have had to cope with lots of changes and adjustments and have done it without moaning.
In the afternoons, we've aimed for normality. In History, we learnt about the British Empire and how it was a positive thing for Britain. We looked at where the countries of the empire were on a world map and what we exported from there. We also chatted a lot about diamonds and the crown jewels – which sparkle thanks to the empire's 'generosity'..... In Science, we looked at insect life cycles. Insects also metamorphosis, some more completely than others. We looked at both butterflies (complete metamorphosis) and ladybirds (incomplete metamorphosis) and compared the differences. In RE, we learnt about the Eucharist and why this is a special part of Christian worship. In PSHE, we talked about drug and substance misuse.
Next Tuesday is class photo day. ALL children must come to school in the correct school uniform. If they have a club later that day, they should bring their PE kit with them to change into at break or lunch.
Next Thursday is the final reading café of the year. We look forward to seeing you there if you are able to make it.
Have a super weekend,
Miss Rutter, Mrs Grosvenor and Mrs Marsh
Year 6
Wow! What a week it has been! We are so proud of your children: they approached everything with tenacity and courage.
On Monday, we had a visitor from the local authority who came to monitor the administration of the SATs, as well as our Chair of Governors, who I had invited in. The children were totally unphased, which is exactly how it should be! We also had Rev. Chris' wife, Wendy also came in on Tuesday as a trusted member of the local community for additional oversight of the reading paper. The children's results will be released in July.
We had a great time today – thank you so much for supporting with the costumes. It was a great way to round off the week.
Next week, we shall be completing more writing and other areas of the curriculum, but we are hoping that the highlight will be auditions for key roles in the play, which are going to be held on Friday.
We have some visits from secondary staff booked in, starting with County High and St. Benedict's the week after half-term. We will update you if the other schools are coming in.
Have a super weekend.
Nuala Gilmore
