Weekly Top Tip - Free emotional health and wellbeing support for families 

We’re delighted to share some helpful resources for parents experiencing all the big emotions of growing children.

Togetherness is the NHS emotional health digital learning hub funded in your area. Your family has free access to expert learning about childhood development, wellbeing, brain changes, and much more to help you to connect with your children.

Togetherness for better emotional health

Swimming

Swimming started this week at Tenbury swimming pool. Thank you to everyone who has already paid through the Arbor App and if you still have a payment to make, the payment app will be open until 1^st July.

Bikeability

Information regarding Bikeability for years 5 and 6 was sent out via email on 15^th April. If you would like your child to take part, please can you sign up as soon as possible and make payment on the Arbor App before 1^st June.

Apple Juice

We have apple juice for sale in the school office; it costs £3 per bottle or two bottles for £5.

The apples for the juice all came from the school grounds and were picked by the children.  They were then taken to Mill Orchards in Great Witley and made into juice.

The juice will last for at least two years unopened. Once the bottle is opened, keep refrigerated and drink within one week.

School Uniform

Please come and visit our recycled uniform shop.

We have a large number of smaller sweatshirts up to age 5/6 for £1 each. We also have a wide range of trousers, shorts and skirts for all ages for just 50p per item.

In our P.E. uniform section, we have hoodies and joggers in every size and a few blue P.E. T-shirts for sale.

We also have numerous white polo shirts, summer dresses, grey pinafore dresses and some school coats in our amazing shop.

We would welcome donations of uniform of any size that you no longer need - thank you.

Price List:
Sweatshirts and Cardigans - £1.00
P.E. Hoodies - £1.00
P.E. T-Shirts - £1.00
Summer and Grey Winter Dresses - £1.00
Embroidered Polo-Shirts - £1.00
White Polo-Shirts - 50p
Trousers, Shorts and Skirts – 50p
Coats - £3.00

Lost Property

We have a large amount of lost property that keeps growing. Next week it will be put out in the playground for you to check to see if anything belongs to your children.  Please claim anything that belongs to you, then anything left will go either into our uniform shop or be given to charity.

To help us stop this lost property mountain, PLEASE NAME YOUR UNIFORM so it can be returned to the rightful owner.

This week the Wrens have been continuing to learn about plants and, inspired by our current Drawing Club book "Jack and the Beanstalk", we planted our own bean and sunflower seeds (please see the "Green and Growing" news article).  We decided to conduct an experiment to see which conditions were the best for growing and planted seeds with no water, in the dark and in the cold (fridge) as well as seeds outdoors which are watered every day.  I wonder what will happen to them?

In maths this week we have been learning all about doubles and learnt a rhyme to help us to remember our doubles to 10.  We also learnt to play dominoes which is a really good way of identifying doubles as well as practising our subitising skills. Maybe you could try having a game at home.

In PE we have started our new scheme of work focussing on ball skills.  We enjoyed being on the field this week and practised aiming a ball with both our hands and our feet.  We definitely have some apsiring football and cricket players!

In English this week, the children have been using their planning to compose the different sections of their circular narrative. They have done really well with this and it has been lovely to see them applying the linguistic techniques and punctuation that we have been learning. Next week, we will be moving on to a new book.

In maths, we started by making equal groups as a way of dividing. We then practised using the two times table and explored different methods to solve calculations efficiently. For example, if the children know what 10 × 2 is, that gives them a quicker starting point when working out 12 × 2. We also used our times table knowledge to practise dividing by 2 in a variety of ways. Towards the end of the week, we linked this learning to doubling and halving.

In geography this week, we started our new topic on what it is like to live in Shanghai. We will be comparing Shanghai with Abberley. To begin this, we went out into the school grounds to identify and explore human and physical features within our local area.

In DT, the children began sewing their coin pouches or memory pouches together. They also started to think about the design they would like to create on the front of their pouches.

In computing, the children had their first experience with Scratch Junior. This is a free app and website, so if you would like your child to continue developing their programming skills at home they can access it easily. The children began by tinkering and exploring what they could make their character do, before starting to use code blocks to try and make an animal move realistically.

Timetable

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

Wednesday: Swimming kits

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

This week, the children brought their setting narratives to a close in English. They proofread and edited their work, checking for accurate punctuation, ambitious vocabulary and to ensure their writing included all the aspects of writer’s knowledge we have explored.  We also began our new class text, The Journey by Francesca Sanna, which immediately captured the children’s interest and prompted thoughtful discussions about themes, illustrations and first impressions.

In maths, we continued our work on fractions, with a particular focus on subtracting fractions from whole numbers and mixed numbers. The children developed their confidence step by step, using visual representations before moving on to more formal written strategies. It was especially pleasing to see them independently applying their prior learning on improper fractions to help them solve more complex problems with increasing accuracy.

In art, we explored the work of Henri Matisse, focusing on how he used bold colours and simple shapes to convey mood and emotion. The children analysed examples of his work and discussed how different colours can create different feelings, before designing and creating their own “mood pages” to express contrasting atmospheres.

In geography, we continued our topic, “Where does our food come from?”, by learning about Fairtrade. The children explored how Fairtrade supports farmers around the world, focusing on cocoa bean farmers as a case study. They developed their understanding of how fair pricing, improved working conditions and community investment can make a significant difference to farmers’ lives and the sustainability of their produce.

In English, we have continued to cover a range of grammar, punctuation and spelling topics. These lessons are helping to reinforce prior learning as we prepare for the upcoming SATs assessments. I have been particularly impressed with how well the Year 5 pupils have kept up with the Year 6 curriculum, demonstrating great determination and a strong willingness to learn. Overall, I am very proud of everyone’s perseverance and motivation to succeed.

In maths, we have focused on arithmetic skills. The children have spent time practising key areas that were identified as weaker in previous assessments. It has been great to see their confidence grow throughout the week and many pupils are now approaching these tasks with much greater assurance.

In geography, we have been exploring renewable and non-renewable energy sources. The children have carried out research on a chosen energy type, carefully considering the benefits and drawbacks of each. They have engaged thoughtfully with this topic and shown a good understanding of the environmental impact of different energy sources.

In Design and Technology (DT), we have continued working on our automated toys project. The children have been creating and refining their templates and next week we will begin assembling the frames, which is an exciting next step.

This week in RE, we looked at what Humanism is and how Humanists value community, friends and helping those in need. We looked at the Golden Rule - Treat others how you would like to be treated - and thought about rules that could help to make a happier school and world.

In computing, we have started our new topic 'Programming: Exploring Python.' We have looked at coding from Scratch, MakeCode and Python, discussing similarities and differences.

Our activities in outdoor learning this week included sketching different leaves and using the key to name the tree, creating a home for different insects using resources found in the Outdoor Learning area and creating either a fairy or a troll door for their buddy.

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