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A Little Help for Abberley Primary School at No Cost to You

Fancy helping out our school through your everyday spending?

By signing up to the Abberley Friends’ Association EasyFundraising scheme, a small cash back donation goes to the school every time you do your normal shopping at the likes of Argos, Dunelm, John Lewis and Sports Direct.

It only takes a couple of minutes to register and the funds raised go directly to supporting our projects. We’ve already raised £1000 from 20 active contributors which have directly benefited the school.

Sign up using this link and watch our contributions grow!

Do spread the word to grandparents, wider family and anyone in the local community whom you think would be happy to support. Every little helps!

Abberley Acorn invoices

Abberley Acorn invoices are now going to be emailed to parents rather than posted.  If you are expecting an invoice, please check your emails and let the office know if you do not receive one.

Please note that, in line with the policy, you are required to settle invoices by the due date and, if your unpaid fees exceed £100, your child cannot be booked into Abberley Acorns until the debt is cleared.

Payments must be made through Arbor or your Government Tax-Free Childcare Account.

School photographs

Individual and sibling photographs are on Monday.  The photographer will be ready at 8.00am for pre-school children to have their photograph taken with their sibling before school.  Individual photos of pre-school children will need to be arranged directly with the photographer.

Plea for Kestrel's DT project

If you have spare hinged boxes, such as egg boxes and shoe boxes, and washing-up liquid bottles or drinks bottles with sports tops, please bring them in for the DT day next Wednesday.

This week we have been finding out a bit more about our local environment and the village of Abberley.  In art we finished our collaborative art project by representing some key local buildings such as the school and the Abberley clock tower.  On Friday we enjoyed a trip to Abberley shop to explore some features of a village and buy some ingredients to make some harvest bread next week.  We also continued with our work on senses by exploring our sense of smell and hearing.  We had great fun identifying the different smells in the investigation area.

In phonics we have now finished our first block of learning.  Next week will be assessment week so there will be no new homework.  Please could you take the time instead to go over the phonics sounds and tricky words we have already learnt this term.

In maths we have continued to practise our subitising and careful counting skills. In addition in the maths area this week we have enjoyed exploring weighing items using the terminology, heavier, lighter and balance.

This week in English, the children were given a copy of a page from our book, where our character Adam had created a huge piece of artwork to make Layla feel better. The children worked together to spot different things in the image before adding adjectives to describe them, helping to make their descriptions more interesting and exciting. For the rest of the week, we have been busy planning our own friendship stories, which the children will begin writing next week. We are looking forward to seeing their wonderful ideas come to life!

This week in maths, we have really focused on number bonds to 10 and then used this knowledge to identify number bonds to 20. Any extra practise of these at home would be fantastic, as number bonds are a fundamental skill that the children will use constantly throughout maths. There are lots of fun, practical ways to practise, including matching pairs and playing number hide-and-seek. You could also try the online game Hit the Button, which is a great way to build fluency. We have also been looking at adding two parts together and have been working on this practically with coloured cubes.

In geography, we took a trip to Weymouth! The children worked together to identify the human features of this coastal town before creating their own adverts to persuade people to visit. They explored features such as the mini clock tower, shops and restaurants, thinking carefully about how these attractions could encourage people to visit and enjoy Weymouth.

This week in science, we began exploring what plants need to grow well. The children started an investigation to discover how different conditions affect plant growth. Some of their radish seeds will have water while others will not and some receiving light while others will not. Next week, we will look at the results and see what we can learn from our investigations. The children really enjoyed planting their radish seeds and are excited to see what happens to the plants under these different conditions.

In DT this week, the children completed their moving monsters! They have worked incredibly hard on their creations and have thoroughly enjoyed this topic. It has been wonderful to see their creativity shine through in the designs they have chosen.

Timetable

Monday (outdoor) and Thursday (indoor) - PE

Tuesday - Outdoor Learning. Please send your child to school with appropriate footwear and clothing for the weather that they can change into.

Thursday - Little Wandle reading books will be sent home. Please return these by the following Tuesday.

In English, the children have been using their plans and a range of classroom language resources to write their own imaginative dream narratives. They have focused on including expanded noun phrases, subordinate conjunctions and possessive apostrophes to make their writing more detailed and accurate. The children have also been developing their editing skills, learning how to review and improve their work independently, which is a challenging but very important skill to master.

In maths, we have been practising formal column addition, focusing on exchanging ones, tens and hundreds. The children have used place value counters to help them visualise why exchanges are needed and have applied this understanding when tackling reasoning and problem-solving questions.

In geography, we learned about the explorer Ernest Shackleton and his famous expeditions. The children then used voice notes and four-figure grid references to plot Shackleton's journey aboard the Endurance.

In science, the children used their 'dirt pudding' photographs from last week to help identify, describe and compare the Earth's four main layers: the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core. The children were able to use their practical model to deepen their understanding and make links between the layers they had created and the real structure of our planet.

In PSHE, we explored the question, "What makes a good friend?" The children discussed the qualities they value in friendship and reflected on how they demonstrate these qualities themselves. They then recorded their ideas on paper people, which will be displayed in our classroom as a reminder of the positive characteristics that help us build strong and supportive friendships.

In English, the children have continued to immerse themselves in our new class story, I Go Quiet. This week, the children began planning their own diary entries, writing from the perspective of our main character, Heather. They will be turning these plans into full diary entries next week, using their understanding of Heather’s thoughts, feelings and experiences to bring their writing to life.

In maths, we have continued our topic on fractions. The children have been developing their understanding of how to convert improper fractions into mixed numbers and mixed numbers into improper fractions. To finish the week, we explored comparing fractions by looking at their denominators and practised converting fractions to equivalent fractions with a common denominator where necessary. The children have been working hard to build their confidence with these important fraction skills.

In science, we have been exploring the fascinating world of fossils and how living things have changed over time. We focused on the evolution of the horse, looking at how its body has adapted throughout history. The children investigated changes in leg length, the number of toes and the development of hooves, as well as changes in teeth. This helped us understand how fossils provide evidence of how animals have evolved over millions of years.

In geography, we have been reflecting on the data we collected last week as we investigated the most and least populated parts of our village. The children wrote reports detailing how their data collection went, sharing their findings and reflecting on what they discovered. This gave them a great opportunity to develop their geographical enquiry and reporting skills while learning more about our local area.

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