Bug houses

The children are making some bug houses and would really appreciate donations of terracotta pots, pallets, pine cones, straw, canes, bricks and old drain pipes.  If you have any of the above items that you would like to give towards their project please bring into school.  Thank you.

We have had a lovely week in Reception and have started our topic this week "All about me"  where we have been celebrating how we are all different and enjoy different things.  In PSHE the children talked about their favourite things to do in school and in topic work we looked at ourselves in a mirror and completed some lovely self portraits thinking carefully about our hair and eye colour.

We have also started our formal phonics learning with the first four single letter sounds (SATP).  The children have been practising how to both read and write these sounds and we have been very impressed at how quickly they are beginning to pick up the routines of the lessons.

The children may also have come home talking about "Drawing Club".  In "Drawing Club" each week we have a class book in which we explore new vocabulary and features of the book such as the characters and the settings.  This week we have been looking at the book "Elmer" by David McKee and the children have been learning the meanings of some new words including patchwork, serious, notice and herd.

In maths this week, we have been doing lots of sorting and making up our own rules for sorting objects into different sets.  Maybe you can get them to practise this skill at home by helping you with some household tasks such as sorting out the laundry or setting the table - we are big believers in practical maths!  I hope you all have a lovely weekend and the sun continues to shine.

This week in English, our focus has been on adjectives. The children drew their own disgusting sandwich before labelling it with powerful adjectives. At the end of the week they also began to write a product description for their sandwich to convince people to buy it.

In maths, we have been focusing on numbers to 20 in lots of detail. The children have also been identifying 1 more and 1 less from given numbers and completing some problem solving around this.

In geography this half term, our topic is all about what you can see at the coast. This week, our focus was on the UK. The children discovered the four countries that make up the UK and the seas and oceans surrounding it using atlases.

In science, we continued learning about plants that we can eat. The children had a variety of different fruits. They needed to find the seeds and pips in these fruits before using magnifying glasses to make detailed observations about the seeds' similarities and differences.

Please remember that Little Wandle books, library books and wellies all need to be in school on Mondays.

Timetable

Monday: Wellies and a coat suitable for the weather

Thursday & Friday: PE kits

In maths this week, Y3 children have been continuing to learn about partitioning and separating each digit of a 3-digit number. We then moved this learning on and applied it to adding and subtracting 1, 10 and 100. Some children found using place value grids helped them to be able to see which digit was changing.

Y4 children have also been developing their understanding of partitioning and they have been adding and subtracting 1, 10, 100 and 1000. We have also looked at using a numberline up to 10,000 and how they can use the amount of intervals to help them establish where different numbers would go on a numberline.

In science, the children were investigating the different properties of rocks by testing them to see if they would be suitable for different uses. They used sandpaper to test rocks for use in a skatepark, white vinegar to see if the rock would be good to use for a statue and water to see if the rocks would make good roof tiles. The children were able to explain the importance of fair testing, recalling their prior learning and applying it well.

For geography this week, the children learned more about Antarctica. We looked at its physical features as well as its location. The children used an atlas to locate Antarctica and also learned more about the weather and landscape there.

In yoga, the children were exploring gratitude this week whilst remembering and repeating a yoga flow. We learned some new positions including table top pose, child's pose and cobra pose.

In music this week, we have been notating rhythms using crotchets and quavers. We have used the rest symbol to include silent beats in a rhythm. In groups, we performed a rhythm using percussion instruments and maintaining a steady beat.

In art, the children explored mark making by looking at sketches and drawing by the artist Van Gogh. The marks they created in their sketch books will form stitch work on their finished art work, inspired by the artist Alice Kettle. 

In computing, we learned how to refine our searches by using " " and -. We all now understand how search engines work.

This week in English, the children have been practising using relative clauses and parenthesis to provide extra information in their writing. They’ve also been focusing on expanding noun phrases and using detailed descriptions of specific parts of the school as they work through the class book Wonder. These activities are helping to deepen their understanding of how to enrich their writing with added detail.

In maths, we have continued our work on place value. The children have been exploring powers of 10 and learning how to compare and order integers up to 10,000,000. This builds on their previous knowledge and strengthens their ability to work confidently with large numbers.

In geography, our topic is "Why does population change?" This week, the children examined push and pull factors that influence migration and how these factors impact population numbers in different countries. This gave them valuable insight into the reasons why people move and how migration shapes societies.

In science, the children have been working on research files about their chosen animals. They have written about their animal’s diet, habitat, and whether it is a solitary or social creature. Most importantly, they explored how their animal has physically adapted to its environment over time.

Finally, in design and technology, the children have been busy designing their very own stuffed toys, which they will move on to create in the coming weeks. This creative project has been an exciting opportunity for them to apply their design skills and they look forward to bringing their ideas to life.

In music this week, we listened to 'The Tortoise' from Carnival of the Animals. We looked at triads and discussed the three notes to be used in each chord. Using the notes C to G, we created short melodic phrases to represent a tortoise to perform alongside the chords.

Please see below information within the community but independent of the school

Please note that you can still sign up for the tennis courses - the booking system is open and you can join as a late starter.