Information for parents

I have been made aware of a small number of threadworm cases within our school community. Please see the NHS guidance below for advice and recommended next steps  Threadworms - NHS

Trips next week

Thanks to all those who have already returned the forms - please remember to pay your contribution via Arbor.

1. Year 5 & 6 gymnastics festival at Flics Gymnastics - Wednesday 4th March, prompt coach departure at 9.00am
2. Reception & Key Stage 1 trip to Bayton to see live storytelling session by Sealegs Puppet Theatre - Friday 6th March

Any queries, please contact the office.  Thank you.

Community area and cricket ground

Proposals are underway to purchase an area of land in Witley adjacent to the surgery that would be ideal as a community cricket pitch.  The cricket club will be structured to attract all ages and abilities and enter teams in local leagues and competitions.

If any parents are interested in being involved in playing or coaching or any other activities, please contact Bill Dallow (resident of Great Witley and member of the parish council) on billdallow@yahoo.co.uk.

It was lovely to see the children back from their half term holidays.  I must apologise for forgetting to send the Proud Peacock sheets home before half term. Hopefully you have found them in your child's book bag this week.  

This week we have been learning all about the differences between cities and rural areas, with a focus on London.  Pengee had been to visit London over half term and brought back some photographs of the amazing landmarks he saw.  The children became engineers and created some fantastic buildings and bridges in our outdoor area.

We celebrated E-safety day on Thursday and talked about voice recognition IT such as Alexa and Siri.  We discussed that whilst IT can do some amazing things it is not a real person and there are also lots of things it can't do, like give us a hug.  

We were very pleased with how the children performed in their phonics assessments before half term.  This half term we will be consolidating our knowledge of phase 3 sounds and tricky words through reading longer words and sentences.

In maths we finished our work on 2D shape by creating some lovely pictures using a variety of different shapes.  Next week we will be returning to number with a focus on the composition of numbers between 5 and 10.

In English this week, the children finished planning their letter from Hermelin to Mrs Mattison to explain where her missing handbag is. They then carefully wrote up their letters neatly to complete the task. They have done really well with these and it is wonderful to see them trying hard to include all the new linguistic skills we have been learning. We have also been focusing on making sure their handwriting is neat. We ended the week by looking at some intriguing clues for our new book and making predictions about what the story might be.

In maths, the children have been subtracting from a 10, e.g 40-8=. They have also been using their place value skills and knowledge of number bonds to subtract across 10. We have been adding tens, using 100 squares and Base 10 equipment to help. The children are beginning to recognise the pattern that when adding a multiple of 10, the tens digit changes while the ones digit remains the same.

In history this week, we started our exciting new topic on how explorers have changed the world. The children first had to guess the topic using clues such as maps, a compass, binoculars and walking poles. We then looked at four famous explorers, Christopher Columbus, Matthew Henson, Mary Kingsley and Dame Ellen MacArthur.  The children worked together to place them on a timeline according to when they thought their explorations took place. This led to some great discussions about how we can look for clues in photos such as their clothing, whether the portrait is a painting or a photograph and whether the photograph is black and white.

In RE, we began our new topic on Judaism. The children explored a range of Jewish artefacts that might be found in Jewish homes. They moved around the room observing the objects, asking questions and writing down what they thought the artefacts might be used for. We also discussed items that are precious to us in our own homes to help make meaningful links.

In art this week, we explored primary colours. The children learned that primary colours cannot be made by mixing other colours, but that they can be used to create every other colour. They then produced a number painting in the style of Jasper Johns using only primary colours.

Timetable

Tuesday & Thursday: PE kits - please can those with longer hair have their hair tied up ready

Wednesday: Outdoor learning - please ensure your child brings appropriate clothing on this day

This week in English, the children continued their work on 'The Rhythm of the Rain'. They explored the beautiful illustrations in detail and used drama to recreate them as physical sculptures, which inspired some fantastic setting descriptions full of rich vocabulary and imagery.

In maths, we moved on to learning about the perimeter of rectangles, discussing the different methods that can be used to calculate it before applying these strategies to reasoning and problem-solving questions.

In DT, we began our new topic on ‘Pavilions’. The children investigated how to create stable structures using mini marshmallows and cocktail sticks, experimenting with different base shapes to strengthen their designs - there were some wonderfully creative and some sturdy outcomes produced.

In history, we started our new topic on the Ancient Egypt. The children explored timelines to understand where the Egyptians fit in history and discussed the difference between primary and secondary sources, generating thoughtful questions about how we can learn from evidence from the past.

This week in English, the children have been working towards planning their discovery narrative. They have gathered detailed ideas about their chosen animal, thinking carefully about habitat, behaviour and key characteristics to make their writing engaging and believable. By the end of the week, everyone has created a structured five-paragraph plan ready to support them in writing their full narrative next week.

In maths, our focus has been on decimals. The children have been converting fractions to decimals and exploring equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages. They have shown great perseverance when recognising patterns and making links between the different representations of number.

In French, we explored positional language. The children learned how to describe how near or far landmarks are from their house and how to explain what is nearby and far away. They practised using key vocabulary and sentence structures to talk about their local area with increasing confidence.  They created a travel leaflet, giving holiday hints including what to pack and what activities could be completed. Building upon prior knowledge from previous units, there was also the opportunity to include the different food that could be eaten.

In history, we launched our new unit on the Ancient Greece.  This week, the children created a timeline of the different periods within ancient Greek civilisation. They also compared this with other ancient civilisations from around the world, including Ancient Egypt, the Maya Civilisation and the Shang Dynasty, exploring how these periods overlapped in history. It was fantastic to see them making connections across time and place.

In science this week, we completed our project on 'Forces' looking at levers, pulleys and gears. As well as looking at how they work, we identified different uses in everyday situations, e.g. a wheelbarrow, raising a flag on the school flagpole and how we use gears when riding a bike.

In computing, we completed our animations and thought about different ways that we could edit our work, e.g. deleting frames, copying a sequence of frames to repeat an action, etc. It was great to see the groups working collaboratively and undertaking each of the roles required, well done everyone!

On Thursday, we marked Safer Internet Day alongside Children’s Mental Health Week. The morning began with a fantastic performance from a theatre company, teaching the children about staying safe online, particularly when gaming and highlighting the potential negative effects of too much screen time. The session was engaging, interactive and full of important messages.

On Friday, we began our new art topic: layered portraits, inspired by the street artist Mike Barrett. The children started by creating a detailed black and white self-portrait, which will later be layered over a mixed media collage background. We are looking forward to seeing these pieces develop over the coming weeks.

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