Top tip for the week  Children's Mental Health Week 3-9 Feb

In 2025, the week’s focus will be Know Yourself, Grow Yourself. We want to equip and empower children, young people, and the adults who surround them to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means to them.

Families - Children's Mental Health Week

This week we were excited to receive a postcard from Pengee who had travelled all the way to China on an aeroplane.  He told us all about the celebration of Chinese New Year.  In Drawing Club we learnt the story of the Chinese zodiac and how the animals had a race across the river to decide who should have which year named after them.  The children decided that the rat was very cunning and a little bit sneaky to trick the other animals and win the race.  We learnt about how Chinese New Year is celebrated with parades, dragon dances and fireworks.  We also used the cutting and joining skills we have learnt in DT over the last few weeks to make some lovely decorations including Chinese lanterns, fans and spiral snakes. Outside in the mud kitchen we enjoyed preparing some delicious Chinese food and trying our hand at using chopsticks.

In RE this week we studied the story of David and Goliath.  At the start of the lesson we looked a picture of David and Goliath and predicted what we thought would happen in the story.  After we had acted the story out (with Lenny as a very convincing Goliath) we discussed why the outcome of the story was different to what we had imagined and how it is important to people of the Christian faith.

Thank you for those children who have brought in their Proud Peacock sheets recently. We love celebrating their achievements as a class. Please remember we have Show and Tell on a Thursday for the children to bring in items related to hobbies or interests, certificates or medals or mementos or photos of special trips or events.  Thank you.

This week in English, we have continued to practise punctuating direct speech, helping the children develop their writing skills. We’ve also been focusing on diary entries as the children will be writing their own diary entry as the little old lady from A Squash and a Squeeze next week. In groups, the children have worked together to identify the key features of a diary entry.

In maths, we have continued our work on shapes. The children have been counting sides and vertices on both 2-D shapes and have enjoyed making 2-D shapes out of lollipop sticks and plasticine. They then accurately drew these shapes in their books using rulers, which helped them develop their understanding of shape properties. Why not set your child the challenge this weekend of a shape hunt around the house?

In science, we’ve been sorting and comparing materials based on their properties, for example transparent and opaque. The children have done exceptionally well with this. They could further their learning at home by identifying different materials and their properties.

In geography, the children drew the school grounds from an aerial view. They then used directional language to explain where their teddy was on the map.

In DT this week, the children created another chair for Baby Bear using junk modelling materials following a design criteria.

On Thursday, we were lucky enough to have Al in from Bonanza Creative for the morning. She taught the children all about Carbon Monoxide. She was extremely engaging and the children were hooked on her every word. They learnt lots from it and will take this vital knowledge with them through life.

Timetable

Monday: Wellies and a coat suitable for the weather

Tuesday and Thursday: PE kits

In maths this week, we have moved on from division and have started a new topic of measurement. Y3 have been working with cm and mm and converting between them. The children remembered that there are 10mm in 1 cm and also learned that it is important to use the correct units for their answer! Y4 have been working with mm, cm, m and km and converting between these. This was the ideal opportunity for them to use their prior learning on multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000.

In science, we have continued with our topic of 'Animals, including Humans'. After studying the skeleton last week, this week the children were measuring different bones in each others' bodies. They then planned an investigation into either 'Do people with longer legs jump further?' or 'Do people with longer arms throw further?'. The children will carry out the investigation next week.

In geography, the children were using a section of an OS map of the surrounding area to identify human and physical features and then creating a legend for the different uses of land in the area.

After reading to the end of our current class text: Charlotte's Webb, the children wrote book reviews. Overall the book was popular in both year groups and most of the children would happily recommend this heartwarming tale of friendship to other friends and family. Wilbur the lovely pig was a common favourite character, closely followed the very clever and wise spider Charlotte.

The children are very excited to find out what our new text is next week.

This week, the children have been finishing off their alternative stories based on scenes from Alice in Wonderland. I've been incredibly impressed by their creativity and imagination as they transformed these classic scenes into unique, modern narratives. They’ve demonstrated a strong grasp of punctuation and grammar, effectively using these tools to manipulate their readers and convey their ideas with flair.

In mathematics, the children have focused on multiplying fractions by mixed numbers and fractions by fractions. They have worked hard to grasp these concepts and soon they will be applying their skills to solve more complex problem-solving questions. It’s been great to see them develop such a strong understanding of these key operations!

In science, the children have been conducting experiments to explore how electrical components affect the brightness of a bulb or the power of a motor. They’ve been working independently to answer questions about how adding or removing components changes the performance of a circuit. It’s been exciting to see their curiosity and critical thinking in action as they investigate these concepts firsthand.

In DT, the children have been working in groups to create their very own wooden truss bridges. Using saws and glue guns, they’ve been carefully assembling their designs while honing their teamwork skills and patience. It’s been wonderful to see them collaborate so effectively, especially with peers they might not usually work with.

Lastly, the children had the incredible opportunity to attend the Young Voices concert this week. They had a fantastic time, both in practice and performance, singing their hearts out and showcasing their talents to their parents. They represented our school with pride and it was a memorable day and evening for everyone involved.

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