Attendance

Please read our new attendance policy as it contains important new information regarding how attendance is monitored and the penalty fines for unauthorised absences.  

An email has been sent to all parents/carers.

Mosque and museum trip

Years 3 and 4 had a fantastic trip on Wednesday to Birmingham Central Mosque and the Lapworth Geology Museum at the University of Birmingham.  At the mosque we were shown around by Mrs K who was an excellent guide and explained all the different features of the mosque.  In the afternoon, we were greeted by Rory the Allosaurus at the geology museum.  After exploring the museum we became geologists and carried out an investigation to discover what types of rocks we had been given.

This week we have introduced our Rainbow challenges into Wrens.  Each week the children are given 6 challenges to complete independently around the classroom each covering a different area of learning.  We have been very impressed with how the children have embraced these challenges and are looking foward to awarding our first rainbow challenge certificates soon.

The children are continuing to work hard in phonics.  Thank you for supporting their learning by reading at home.  Please note down in their reading diary if they have read at home and also if there are other books you are enjoying sharing with your child.

In maths, we have started looking at number with a focus on 1-3.  We have been practising the skill of subitising (recognising the number of objects automatically).  The children have picked up this skill well and have progressed to being "number detectives" and identifying groups of 2 or 3 objects within a larger group. Maybe you could practise this skill at home.

In PE, we made the most of the nice weather on Thursday and had a lovely lesson practising our ball skills outside on the playground.  The children learnt the importance of watching the ball and having hands and feet ready to be successful when bouncing or throwing and catching the ball.

Please do not forget our book change day is now Thursday so please send all reading books and your child's orange phonics book into school each Thursday. Thank you.

This week in English, the children have been exploring different adverts. From these example adverts we identified the features and things that the children liked about them.

We also started Drawing Club this week which the children are loving! It is fantastic to see and hear their creative and imaginative ideas.

In maths, we have been identifying greater than, less than and equal to with objects and numbers. The children have also been using the inequality symbols of > < = to represent this. They have been looking at the tens and ones and using the correct symbols to compare numbers with accuracy.

In science this week, we set up an investigation. We are exploring what plants need to grow and be healthy. The children have planted some cress which will be kept in 4 different conditions to see which it grows best in. The children all made predictions and could justify why they thought this condition would grow the healthiest and best cress.

In geography, we have continued to learn about the coasts around the UK. This week we looked specifically at the Jurassic Coast. Children explored different images and Google Earth to identify a range of physical features.

Timetable

Monday: Wellies and a coat suitable for the weather

Thursday & Friday: PE kits

In English this week, the children have been learning how to use subordinating conjunctions to extend their sentences. The children wrote two sentences about a subject, for example 'The boy climbed the tree' and 'The kite was stuck'. They then chose a subordinating conjunction to join these together 'The boy climbed the tree because the kite was stuck'. The list of subordinating conjunctions includes words such as if, since, as, when, although, while, after, before, until, because. Later in the week, the children practised using adverbs of frequency. These are words such as frequently, rarely, usually and sometimes. The children added them into factual sentences such as 'lions usually live in prides', 'penguins never learn to fly'. We continue to read our class book Varjak Paw.

In maths, Y3 have been finding 1, 10 and 100 more and less than given numbers, using their place value knowledge to help them. This is quite straightforward until the numbers require the children to cross a boundary, e.g. subtracting 10 from 306, where they have to go back over to a previous hundred. We discussed how they could do this to reinforce this process.

Y4 children have been finding 1, 10,100 and 1000 more and less than given numbers, using their place value knowledge to help them. They faced the same issue of crossing a boundary. We moved on to formal addition towards the end of the week. Our focus to begin with was setting out the questions correctly as ensuring that place value columns are aligned correctly is essential as we move on to more complex calculations.

In geography, we continued with our topic of 'Who lives in Antarctica?'. The children learned about who Ernest Shackleton was and the expedition he carried out. They also used four-figure grid references to plot a route.

In PSHE, we looked at the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We looked at two of the articles in more depth using a spot the difference activity. The children gave their opinions on which picture they would rather be part of and explained what they felt was unfair in either picture.

In music this week, we listened to the Flight of the Bumblebee. We looked at how to explore pitch using graphic and western notation. Using the notes C, D, E, F and G, we created short melodic phrases.

This week in English, the children have been working diligently on writing diary entries from the perspective of August, the main character in our book Wonder. They have focused on incorporating various features, such as relative clauses, "show, don't tell" techniques for conveying emotions, adverbial phrases for sequencing events and expanded noun phrases to vividly describe August's new environment. Their creativity and attention to detail have truly shone through in their writing.

In mathematics, we have been exploring negative numbers. The students have been counting through zero, adding and subtracting negative numbers and comparing and ordering these values. We concluded the week with a final assessment to gauge their understanding of place value, which has provided us with insights into their progress before we transition to the four operations next week.

In science, we learned about the Galapagos finch and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The children conducted an engaging experiment using various tools like kitchen tongs, tweezers and pegs to simulate how different-sized beaks affect a bird's ability to pick up seeds. This hands-on activity helped illustrate the evolutionary adaptations of the small and large ground finch.

In geography, our focus has been on climate change. The students explored the causes of climate change, its impact on population numbers and what actions we can take to mitigate these effects. It has sparked meaningful discussions about our role in protecting the planet.

In DT, the children continued their work on their stuffed toys. This week, we concentrated on sewing the appendages onto the main body and, next week, we'll move on to stuffing and assembling the entire toy.

In music this week, we listened to the Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals and the theme from Jaws. We discussed how each composer used the different musical elements for intended effect. In small groups, we chose an animal to represent musically and started to plan how the composition could be organised.

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

Reminder the closing date for entries is one week away!
Closing date Monday 14th October

Kidderminster Harriers NLT National 6-a-Side Football Tournament for Year 5/6 (under 11s)

Kidderminster Harriers Community Trust will again be hosting the NLT 6-a-side tournaments

Boys/Mixed Tournament - Thursday 24th October 2024 at Centre of Sporting Excellence, Zortech Ave DY11 7DY - 12.30 kick off - estimated finish 2.30pm

Girls Tournament - Thursday 7th November 2024 at Centre of Sporting Excellence, 12.30 kick off estimated finish 2.30pm - Grass pitches

Winners of these competitions progress to the Midland Area final in March/April. The Grand Final is at Wembley in May.

To participate, please email harrierscommunity@live.co.uk stating school name, contact name and which tournaments you wish to attend