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Dear all, I hope you all had a restful Easter break and enjoyed time spent with family and friends. Welcome back to school for our final two terms! We have got an exciting couple of terms ahead of us and I am delighted to be back with the children. In terms 5 and 6 we will be studying the book ‘The Abominables’ by Eva Ibbotson. This is quite the lengthy book hence our focus on it for both terms. The book fits in nicely with our theme of Mountains and offers lots of wonderful opportunities for creative writing including another tackle at poetry. We will also be learning how to write an effective persuasive leaflet to encourage people to protect the yeti’s in the story as well as having a go at writing our own play scripts! In term 5, we will be continuing our work on forces and magnets. This starts off with our exciting friction experiment, which the children planned before the Easter holidays. We will the move our focus onto magnets, where we will be identifying what a magnet actually is and investigate different magnetic and non-magnetic materials. Following this, class 3 will be looking at different metals how magnets attract and repel. In term 6, our topic is plants. We will spend time dissecting plants in order to identify and describe different parts of plants. Class 3 will also learn about the life cycle of a plant, how a plant grows and stem and water transportation. In term 5, we will be starting off by exploring pottery and clay handling. Children will get the opportunity to practice different clay handling techniques as well as design their own clay tile. Following this, children will create their own torn tissue mountain scene based on pictures of different mountains across the world. In term 6, Children will be constructing their own yeti proof shelters. In term 5 we will be working with fractions, making sure we can recognise and find a half, quarter and third as well as working with equivalent fractions and adding and subtracting fractions. We will then be moving our learning onto time, with a focus on how we measure time using months, years, days, hours, minutes and seconds. We will also focus on how to read a 24-hour clock and investigate how to solve problems using time. Parents can help massively here, by drawing their child’s attention to clocks around the house and helping them tell the time as often as possible please. In term 6, we will be learning about properties of shapes, including how to recognise and describe both 2-D and 3-D shapes as well as comparing angles. We will then move onto mass and capacity, where we will recap our year 2 knowledge on how we compare mass and volume. This will then be followed by investigating how we measure mass and capacity and how we can add and subtract. This will be a very practical maths topic where children will take part in lots of fun and engaging activities to support their understanding! Our piece of focus music for term 5 will be ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’. Children will get the opportunity to listen and appreciate the piece of music, identify the musical instruments and explore what the piece of music is describing. Class 3 will also have a music synaesthesia session where they will be using their art skills to interpret different pieces of music that are about mountains. In French, children will be learning how to say the name of different places including countries as well as focussing on the alphabet. Following this, children will use their knowledge to talk about where they live. We will be continuing our work with our superhero spelling scheme. In the final term of superhero spellings, there is a focus on using apostrophes to show possession and suffixes (ful and less). The outline of the weekly spellings can be found stuck into your child’s homework book as well as on class 3’s page on the school website. Children are expected to practise their weekly spellings alongside their homework and will be tested on their spellings every Friday morning. In term 5 we will be working with fractions, making sure we can recognise and find a half, quarter and third as well as working with equivalent fractions and adding and subtracting fractions. We will then be moving our learning onto time, with a focus on how we measure time using months, years, days, hours, minutes and seconds. We will also focus on how to read a 24-hour clock and investigate how to solve problems using time. Parents can help massively here, by drawing their child’s attention to clocks around the house and helping them tell the time as often as possible please. In term 6, we will be learning about properties of shapes, including how to recognise and describe both 2-D and 3-D shapes as well as comparing angles. We will then move onto mass and capacity, where we will recap our year 2 knowledge on how we compare mass and volume. This will then be followed by investigating how we measure mass and capacity and how we can add and subtract. This will be a very practical maths topic where children will take part in lots of fun and engaging activities to support their understanding! Our first enquiry question in our summer term is ‘What kind of world would Jesus want?’ We will be thinking about how Jesus teaches others how to live and does Jesus show love and forgiveness to all, by using examples from the Bible and modern day experiences from our surrounding environment. We will then move onto thinking about ‘How and why do people try to make the world a better place?’ by thinking about different influential people, religions and charities who help to nurture our world. We kick off our summer term study of mountains by locating different mountains and mountain ranges across the world. We will then be learning about different mountain features and how mountains are formed. Following this, we will be looking at the incredible true story of Edmund Hillary’s and Tenzing Norgay’s Everest expedition. We will put ourselves the explorers’ shoes and investigate their journey. Class 3 will finish off the topic focusing on map reading and map drawing. Our summer term focus is all about learning and understanding the changes in our body as we begin to get older, as well as relationships. In term 5, we will be working on our Microsoft programming skills by designing our own PowerPoint presentations. We will focus on how to import images, slide transitions and formatting text. In term 6, children will have a go at programming using scratch as well as learning about how to be safe online and using online resources safely. In the summer term, children will be taking part in net and ball games, athletics and striking and fielding games Our PE lessons are on Tuesday and Thursdays, so please make sure children have their full kits. Now we are in the summer term, the children will need to wear shorts. Your children are encouraged to be independent with choosing a reading book to read at home and changing their book when finished. We expect children to read every night, even if it is only for a short while. Please continue to record all reading in their Reading Records. (Small comments such as ‘Read well’ or ‘Confused with word…’ would be useful.) The Reading Records will be stamped once a page is completed. Children will receive a certificate in assembly when they fill up their Reading Record. We will be checking children’s Reading Records once a week, so please do make sure it is in their schoolbags on Tuesday Mornings. The highest number of reading records we have had on a Tuesday is 11 out of a possible 21, we would love to have a full set. Whilst reading with your child, it would be beneficial to ask them some questions about the text or to find a key word they have read. This supports their reading comprehension skills which supports their whole class reading sessions. Homework is to be completed once a week and children will be able to choose a piece of homework from a Homework menu. The orange Homework books will be handed out to children to take home on a Wednesday afternoon and will be expected back in school on a Monday morning. Please make sure you ask your child about their homework for the week and are working with them to complete it. As a school we are now celebrating children’s times table achievements in gold book assembly. TT rockstar logins are stuck in the front of your child’s homework book. The times tables class 3 are expected to be confident with are their 3, 4 and 8 times tables by the end of the year. Mr Boorman is checking children’s progress weekly so it would great to see class 3 earning certificates in gold book assembly to display all their hard work on their times tables this year! Please make sure children’s names are on their uniform so that we know exactly who owns what! In Class 3, unless your child is wearing a summer dress, children are expected to wear ties with their uniform. Please make sure your child has a tie and that it is named. Please make sure your child’s water bottle is clearly named and that they bring them home with them every day. They have plenty of opportunities to drink during the day and are also encouraged to use the school water fountain at break and lunchtime. Children are also encouraged to use the toilet at break and lunchtime, and may naturally use the toilet during class time if genuinely desperate. Please do come up and chat at the end of the day or email me if you have any questions J Many thanks, Miss RietdykTerm 5 & 6 Newsletter – Class 3
English
Science
Art/Design & Technology
Whole Class Reading
Music
MFL
Spelling
Maths
RE
Geography & History
PSHE
Computing
PE
Reminders
PE kits
Reading Records
Homework
TT Rockstars
Uniform
Water bottles
Term 3 & 4 Newsletter – Class 5
Welcome to 2024! Despite the cold start to the school year, we are moving on to an interesting new topic, and I know that children will truly live up to the school’s vision of Being the Best You Can Be. Please keep an eye out for communications from the school as there are various events taking place this term, including parents evening at the end of term 3.
Finally, a big thank you for the kind and generous Christmas gifts that I received last term.
Mr Boorman
Geography
Our overall topic for this term is ‘Rivers’. The main focus of this is developing our skills in geography – we have already begun by getting to grips with atlases, and finding out about key geographical points like countries and continents. We will be learning about the different parts of a river and about river biomes. As we move through the term towards Easter, we will be looking more closely at the ways in which rivers are used and inhabited, with some focus on the ways in which different religions worship and respect rivers. We will be looking in depth at rivers like the Thames, the Amazon and the Nile. These rivers affect their surroundings in different ways, and children will learn about these effects.
Numeracy
Our main focus at the start of this term is fractions, decimals and percentages. We will then move on to look at converting measures and calculating perimeter,
area and volume. The Year 6s will also have some work to do on algebra and ratio.
Art
In art we will be looking at the concept of Pointillism, with a focus on Georges Seurat.
DT
In DT we will be learning about making healthy and nutritious food to give long distance athletes energy.
PSHE
In term 3, we will be looking at the topic of ‘Dreams and Goals’. After half term the topic is ‘Healthy Me’. These lessons are taught using the Jigsaw scheme of work. For more information, please speak to Miss Mayhew, our PSHE leader.
ICT
In term 3 we will be learning about creating concept maps. Then we will move on to learning about coding.
Homework
Homework will be set each week on a Wednesday. A homework menu will be given out which will feature mainly reading and writing tasks. Maths tasks will also be set, either on paper or on Mathletics.
Don’t forget, you can do some extra work at home on Mathletics and Times Table Rock Stars, and make sure you keep reading – Reading records have been given out, and we are keen for children to earn some certificates!
Monday: Homework handed in.
Tuesday: PE with Zara.
Wednesday: Homework handed out.
Friday: Spelling dictation sentences. PE with Mr Boorman/Mrs Hall
Literacy
We will start this term by looking at some examples of river poems. Then we will move on to reading ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell.
As part of our lessons, we will also be working through the grammar and spelling objectives of the national curriculum.
Spelling
Our new scheme, Superhero Spelling, will continue this term. The lists for each week will be uploaded on to the class web page. These lists cover the spelling patterns and rules that are statutory for each year group, and also cover words from the statutory word lists. Dictation sessions will continue on a Friday.
Science
In term 3 we will be learning about changing states of matter. In term 4 we will move on to learning about animals including humans – digestion, food chains and teeth.
RE
This term, we will be considering the questions, ‘Why is the Torah so important to Jewish people?’ and ‘What did Jesus do to save human beings?’
PE
In PE, we will start by learning about gymnastics and dance, before moving on to net games. On Tuesdays, children will be taught by specialist teacher Zara Breeze.
French
We will start by learning about how to get around a city in France, including directions. After that we will be learning about parts of the body.
Forest School
Class 5 will be taking part in forest school sessions in term 4. More information will be provided at the end of term 3.
Key Dates
Monday 5th February – Parents evening
Tuesday 6th February – Safer internet day
Wednesday 7th February – Parents evening
Friday 9th February – Last day of term 3
Monday 19th February – Start of term 4
Monday 26th February – Year 6 trip to Houses of Parliament
Thursday 7th March – World book day
Friday 15th March – PTA quiz night (tbc)
Thursday 28th March – Cup assembly. Last day of term 4.
Term 3 & 4 Newsletter – Class 1
Dear Class 1 Parents,
Welcome back! We hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas Holiday and would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a splendid 2024!
Our topic for Terms 3 and 4 is ‘Let It Snow; Let It Grow’. In Term 3, we will be focusing our learning on Winter and the Polar Regions. A copy of the Medium term plan is available on the class page on the school website.
Literacy
Children will continue to have opportunities to develop their vocabulary through new and exciting themed role-plays, as well as a variety of speaking and listening activities. We will focus on a number of different fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts to base our literacy work on, including:
Lost and Found
Emperor’s Egg
Little Penguin
Polar Animals
100 Things you should know about Penguins
Penguins
Rainbow bear (Michael Morpurgo)
Jack and The Beanstalk
Seeds
Eddie’s Garden ...as well as many others!
Our writing focus for Reception is to gain confidence and to use their phonics to write simple words and sentences independently. In phonics, Reception children will be revisiting the single letter sounds and will be learning diagraphs. Year 1’s writing focus will be on developing their understanding and use of adjectives to improve description. They will also be encouraged to continue applying their growing phonic knowledge to further support their spelling. There will be a focus for both year groups on writing sentences with the correct capital letter and full stop. The children will need to use finger spaces so separate words can be seen.
Mathematics
Through the use of practical maths sessions, in which we will promote the use of a wide range of concrete apparatus, the children will be covering the following objectives:
Reception Objectives
Number
Estimates how many objects they can see and checks by counting them.
In practical activities and discussion, beginning to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting.
Records, using marks that they can interpret and explain.
Begins to identify own mathematical problems based on own interests and fascinations.
Shape, Space and Measures
Beginning to use mathematical names for ‘solid’ 3D shapes and mathematical terms to describe shapes.
Selects a particular named shape.
Orders two or three items by length or height.
Orders two items by weight or capacity.
Uses everyday language related to time.
Year 1 Objectives
Number - Place Value
Describe the place value of numbers to 20.
Compare and order numbers.
Number - Addition and Subtraction
Add by counting on.
Find and make number bonds.
Add by making 10.
Subtract (not crossing 10).
Subtract (crossing 10).
Explore addition and subtraction fact families.
Compare number sentences.
Shape, Space and Measure - Time
Recognising and sorting 2D and 3D shapes.
Recognising the properties of 2D and 3D shapes.
Mathletics
Your child has a log-in for this online Maths website. Please encourage them to use this as regularly as possible at home to help develop their maths skills. This was very popular last year and the children loved receiving certificates for points earned!
Computing
In computing there will be a focus on photography. The children will use classroom devices to take photos and then up load them and edit them.
RE
In R.E. we will be thinking about why we are special and where do we belong. We will also be learning about Chinese New Year and the story The Great Race.
Forest School
In Class 1 this year we are extremely privileged to have Forest School sessions for your child every other week on a Monday afternoon. These will be run by a qualified forest school leader and former Blackboys’ parent; Mrs Lydia Godfrey. She is very skilled in this area and has been delivering Forest School lessons for us for a number of years now. She will be assisted by Mrs Harper. We would love it if there is a parent or two who would like to volunteer to help too. If you are interested in helping please speak to a member of the Class 1 team or write your name on the sign-up sheet (outside area).
For Forest School your child will need the following items. Please ensure that your child brings the following items into school on the week your child is attending Forest School.
Wellington boots
Long sleeved top
Trousers (not jeans)
Waterproof coat
Waterproof trousers (if possible)
Please be aware that the children will go out whatever the weather and are likely to get wet and muddy so do not send them with their best clothes.
DT
In term 3 DT will be learning about mechanisms. The children will be designing, making and evaluating a winter themed moving picture using a slider.
Reading
As was stressed in September, in Class 1 we are passionate about reading! Firstly, we would like to thank you for the support you have shown with regard your child’s reading. We do appreciate how busy life can be and know that it can sometimes be a struggle to fit everything in. In school, we will be continuing to read daily with the children. On some days this will be 1:1, on other days group or choral reading, but every day your child will be involved in hearing several shared stories.
Please continue to support your child with reading at home. The children will have a new phonic book sent home each Friday. This book maybe a Monster Phonic book or a Dandelion book. These are the books your child reads to you. Please remember that the idea of this is that the books should be read and re-read. Whilst reading the same book over again can be ‘challenging’ for us as parents, this repetition is very important for early readers as it helps them to gain confidence; familiarity; build their vocabularies; develop an understanding of rhythm and pattern; as well as for developing comprehension skills. The larger ‘real book’ changed on a Wednesday is the book you can share together. The reading record is for you to use at home but please ensure that it is kept in your child’s book bag. In the reading record please write one comment for each day that you read. When 6 pages of the white book have been completed then a reading certificate will be given to your child during our weekly Friday assembly. We will also be checking reading records for these certificates on Wednesday so in order to avoid disappointment with delayed certificates please be sure that your child’s reading record is in school Thank you for your continued support with reading.
Reception children will be bringing home the next set of letter sounds and High Frequency words to learn.
Science
The children will be learning about what makes Winter wintery; the similarities and differences between seasons with a particular focus on weather; where, how and why some areas of the world are very hot and others extremely cold; comparing ‘who’ and ‘what’ can survive in these cold regions; as well as taking part in experiments involving melting and freezing ice. The children will also be learning about the continents and oceans of the world.
During term 4 the children will be learning about plants in Science. They will be looking at which parts of the plant we eat, what plants need to grow and how different parts of the plants can be used.
History
The children will be learning about the explorer Ernest Shackleton. We will be using role-play, hot seating, drama, speaking and listening activities to learn about the expedition.
Art
The children will be using the technique of potato printing to create pictures of bluebells. They will also be looking at the work of the artist Lynn Flavell.
PE
We have two PE sessions a week. These take place on a Tuesday and Friday. Please ensure your child has their full PE kit (fully named) in school for each session. At Blackboys School we are extremely lucky that the Tuesday mornings P.E. session is led by gym and dance specialist teacher, Zara Breeze, who will be teaching Dance and Gymnastics. This session will take place in the hall. Whenever possible the Friday session will take place outside so please feel free to also include jogging bottoms and a sweatshirt for this session to help keep them warm. Please ensure your child’s PE kit is clearly labelled and named.
Geography
The children will be learning about the Polar Regions and locate them on maps.
Water Bottles
Staying hydrated is very important for learning. The body needs a considerable amount of water each day to function effectively. Therefore we encourage the children to drink water at regular intervals. To aid us with this please send a named bottle of water for your child to drink in class. Children are able to drink from the water fountain but having a water bottle in the classroom is a lot easier.
9:05-9:25am Thursday Assembly
As a school we like to support local and international charities. Each term a charity is chosen by our school council and a collection for that charity takes place each Thursday during our assembly. It would be greatly appreciated if your child brought a small donation (spare change) on this day so they can put money into this collection. Parents are also always welcome to attend this assembly.
Parent Helpers
If you (or a Grandparent) can spare any time each week to listen to children read in Class 1 we would be extremely appreciative as it is most beneficial to the children’s learning. Please let me know if this is something you would be able to do - we can be flexible with days and times.
Finally, if you ever have any queries or questions please do not hesitate to email us:
Very Best Wishes,
Mrs Booth and Mrs Nobes and the Class 1 Team
Term 3 & 4 Newsletter – Class 4
Happy New Year and welcome to 2024! I hope everyone had a good and restful Christmas. The children have already settled back in to the swing of things, which is great to see. We will continue to be joined by student teacher, Miss Green on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, who will be supporting in class and teaching a variety of lessons.
Reminders – Please make sure all belongings in class (water bottles and jumpers) are named to avoid missing items. On Thursdays in term 3, the class have the great opportunity of forest school. The children will need warm and named forest school clothes, brought in on the correct day.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me.
Miss Mayhew
Geography
Our theme for both of these terms will be rivers. We will be looking at the different features of rivers and relating these to real life examples. Across both half terms, we will also be doing in-depth studies on different rivers such as the Thames, the Amazon and the Nile and looking a little closer to home by finding out about the river Uck and flooding.
Whole Class Reading
This term we are reading an abridged version of William Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. We will use these sessions to give all children an opportunity to read aloud and answer questions and work on our key reading skills.
Maths
We will start the year by learning about fractions before moving onto decimals in term 4. The year 5s will also look at percentages. We will also continue to have a big focus on times tables throughout the year, which children should be practicing at home regularly. It is especially important for the year 4s in order to prepare them for their multiplication tables check that will take place in the summer terms. More information about this will be given nearer the time.
RE
This term we will be considering the questions, ‘Why is the Torah so important for Jewish people?’ and ‘What did Jesus do to save human beings?’
Art & DT
Before half term, we will be looking at pointillism. We will be exploring Seurat’s "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" and using these techniques in our own work. After half term we will be looking at food technology and celebrating culture and seasonality
Music
In term 3, we will be looking at music notation and working on creating our own rhythms. After half term, we will be exploring composition and creating our own piece of music based on rivers. The children will of course continue weekly singing practice with Mrs Bayman. Following the very popular recorder performance at Christmas, the children will also continue to develop their recorder playing this term.
Literacy
This term, we will be reading ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell. This is an adventure book set in the Amazon. We will be using extracts from this book to help us inspire our writing. We will also be continuing to work on our handwriting. We will also be doing some river poetry and non-fiction writing.
Spelling
During these terms we will be continuing to use Superhero Spellings. This approach has 3 stages: learn, build and show. The children will be given opportunities to practice the words for the rule throughout the week, before completing 10 dictation sentences on Fridays. These will be stuck in the back of homework books for the children to refer back to if needed. The children will be split into year groups during these spelling sessions. The year 4s will work with Mrs Vance and Mrs Harper whilst the year 5s work with me. An overview of each weeks spelling rules can be found on the Class 4 page of the website and in the children’s homework books. It is expected that the children practice these words at home too.
Science
This term in science we are learning about states of matter. This will involve different experiments using solids, liquids and gases to get the children working scientifically. After half term, we will be looking at animals, including humans. This will involve digestion, food chains and teeth.
PSHE
In PSHE we will be following the Jigsaw scheme of work. In term 3 we will be looking at ‘Dreams and Goals’ and moving onto ‘Healthy Me’ in term 4.
PE
This terms PE will be focusing on dance and gymnastics. Gymnastics will carry on throughout term 4 and dance will be replaced with net games. Miss Zara will be coming in on Tuesday afternoons and the other session will be led by me on a Monday afternoon. Full PE kit is expected.
French
Mrs Page will continue to teach French this term on a Tuesday afternoon.
Computing
Computing will be taught through the use of the brilliant programme of Purple Mash. We will be starting off by exploring concept mapping and moving onto coding after half term.
Homework
Each week the children will get a copy of their weekly spelling words to work on at home. A comprehensive list of the terms spellings can be found in the children’s homework books and on the Class 4 website page. The children are expected to work on these spellings in whatever way suits them.
Reading is required every night which is to be shown in their reading records. We are also encouraging the children to read a variety of books that will challenge them; these can be from school or from home. A completed reading record is to be returned to me and in return a reading certificate will be received in assembly. We expect children to be independent in choosing their reading books and taking it home, but if you feel your child needs extra support with this, please let me know.
On Wednesdays, the children will be sent home with a homework menu for the term. Each week the children will select one task to complete. This is to be handed back in on a Monday. This homework will be completed in their home learning books.
Mathletics work will also be set every week on the same days as above. Please let me know if there are any problems with mathletics and we can get the children set up at school if needed.
Key Dates
w/b 5th February – Children’s Mental Health Week
Monday 5th February & Wednesday 7th February – Parent consultations
Friday 9th February – Careers fair in the hall
Friday 9th February – Last day of term 2
Monday 19th February – First day of term 3
Thursday 7th March – World Book Day
Tuesday 26th March – Easter Service
Thursday 28th March – Last day of term 4 and Cup Assembly
Term 3 & 4 Newsletter – Class 2
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a relaxing break over Christmas and are fit and well for the start of a new term. Our main theme for our learning this term is rainforests, and it will be looked at across the curriculum.
Maths
In Maths this term we will be increasing our understanding of numbers up to 50 (for the Year 1s) and consolidate our understanding of numbers to 100 (for the Year 2s). This leads us nicely into a unit on multiplication and division, counting in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s, sharing and grouping amounts. The expectation by the end of Year 2 is that the children know their 2, 5 and 10 times tables. Following this, we will be learning about fractions and measurement, including time.
Science
In Science we will be learning about plants, finding out what plants need to grow and conducting some experiments to prove this.
PSHE
In PSHE this term’s theme is Dreams and Goals, followed by Healthy Me.
Music
In Music we will be creating our own rainforest orchestra, making a rainstorm with our bodies and then seeing whether we can transfer these sounds onto instruments.
Geography
In Geography this term we will be focusing on the rainforest, understanding where they are in the world and why, how they are formed and what lives in the different layers of the rainforest. We will also be using our mapping skills to locate polar regions, the equator, the continents and oceans in an atlas.
Computing
In Computing, we will begin with a catch up of the work we began on creating binary trees and then we will follow up with a few sessions about online safety. In term 4 we will be learning about animated story books. All our work is done on Purple Mash, so the children can practise the skills they are learning at home. Please let me know if you need a reminder of your child’s log in.
English
In English we have a good selection of books to study this term, including Rainforest Animals by Paul Hess, The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry, “Slowly, slowly, slowly,” said the sloth by Eric Carle and many more. We will be writing in different genres, including riddles, stories, explanations and poetry.
Handwriting continues to be a focus this term, and it would be great if you could encourage your child to practise their pre-cursive handwriting when completing homework tasks and other free writing activities at home. There is a crib sheet on the Class 2 page of the school website for those who need a reminder about how to write in a pre-cursive style.
Reading continues to be important in class, with our regular volunteers coming in to listen to individual readers and the children bringing home their Monster Phonics and Dandelion books to read. As a whole class, we will be reading The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, taking turns to read parts of the text and answering questions about what we have read.
RE
In RE the children will be answering the question: Who is Jewish and how do they live? In term 4 they will be thinking about the religions they have learnt about and answering the question: How should we care for others and the world, and why does it matter?
Art
In Art the children will be learning about sculpture and will be designing and making their own clay sculptures of rainforest animals.
DT
After half term we will be doing DT and our theme is structures, looking at a rainforest shelter with a focus on making it waterproof.
PE
In PE, the children will be learning dance skills with Miss Zara and continuing with gymnastics with Mrs Hall in term 3 and moving back to ball skills and small games in term 4. They will need to have shorts for their PE lessons as these will be taking place in the Hall until half term.
Homework
We will be continuing with the Maths and English sheets that the children were completing last term. Please remember that homework is given out on a Wednesday and should be returned on a Monday. This enables me to have it marked and the new sheets stuck in before handing it back out. If it is handed in on a Tuesday, or even a Wednesday, it may not be marked until the following week.
Reading
Every child should be reading for a minimum of 10-15 minutes each day. They could read to you, their siblings or independently. You can also read to your child and then discuss the book in greater detail. Comprehension is an incredibly important part of reading. You could also ask your child to predict what will happen next, describe what has happened, explain events, describe characters or rate their book. Lots of discussion!
The main focus should be the Phonics books that the children bring home, but don’t forget that they should also have a couple of books from our old reading scheme that can be read as well. Although we focus mainly on reading skills and automaticity in reading, the concept of reading for pleasure is of huge importance and this is the perfect time to instil great habits for life, so please make sure you also look at other books with your child, whether these are their own books or ones that have been borrowed from the library.
All reading should be recorded on the Reading Record Booklet and then brought to school for a certificate.
Reminders & Key Dates
Please check that your child’s uniform is clearly labelled with their name.
Thursday 1st February – Class 2 Assembly
Monday 5th February – Parents’ Evening
Tuesday 6th February – National Safer Internet Day
Wednesday 7th February – Parents’ Evening
Monday 12th – Friday 16th February – Half term
Thursday 7th March – World Book Day
Wednesday 13th March – Salvation Day (more details to come)
Tuesday 26th March – Easter Service at Framfield Church
Thursday 28th March – End of Term 4 Cup Assembly
As always, if you have any questions you are very welcome to come in and discuss them with me.
Many thanks
Mrs Sullivan
Spring Fling
