Weekly Updates / Notices

Spring 1

Week 6

We celebrated Safer Internet Day in school this week and the children have produced some fantastic reflective pieces of writing in Owl Class in relation to their PSHE/English lessons. During Safer Internet Day in Owl class, we created our own digital footprints and produced our own e-safety rules and avatars. The children thought very carefully about how their avatars represent their individual identity which led to honest and reflective classroom discussion and writing.

Notices

PE kits have been sent home to be washed and returned to school on Monday 24th February 2020.

The children have been issued with some half term homework. This comprises of a reading comprehension activity and a separate maths task for Year 5 and 6. 

I would like to improve the children's  ability to answer 3-mark questions in reading comprehension papers. So, I have sent home two mini texts for the children to read and they each have a three mark question attached which the children must answer in full sentences and in detail.

Year 5 have been provided with 12 x 12 multiplication grid booklet to complete. There are sixteen 12 x 12 multiplication grids and I would like all of them to be completed by Thursday 27th February 2020. I have advised the children that they complete one grid per day, allowing themselves 15 minutes to complete it. I would like the children to time themselves and then mark and score their grids using the answer sheet at the back of the booklet. 

Year 6 children have been provided with a SATs style booklet which focuses on fractions; arithmetic and reasoning. I have asked the children to show all of their working out on every single question.

Spellings have also been issued in home school records. These will be tested on Friday 28th February 2020.

All homework is due in on Thursday 27th February 2020.

Have a lovely half term!

Miss Calder

Spring 1

Week 5

In English, the children have been busy publishing their newspaper reports using ICT. They are all fantastic and they children have worked hard to write these to the best of their ability. 

In maths, we have been identifying equivalent fractions.

This week in art, we have been creating the flags of Scandinavia through collage using crepe and tissue paper. 

In science, we have studied the 7 main nutrients we all need as human beings to be as healthy as possible. 

In topic, we have been comparing the climates of the Scandinavian countries and produced bar graphs to represent the differences in degrees celsius. 

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder

Spring 1

Week 4

This week, we have enjoyed learning how to simplify fractions in maths using factors. I am really pleased with the effort and attitude of the children in Owl class; they are taking their learning very seriously and making good progress.

This week, the children have enjoyed colour mixing in Art to produce their own interpretation of the colours of The Northern Lights. 

These will be put up in the Reception foyer for all to see.

We enjoyed our Christingle service in church this week. Thank you to everyone who provided their child with an orange in order to take part fully in the church service. 

We are looking forward to our athletics tournament tomorrow (Friday 31st January) at Forest Hall. The children have been preparing for this event during their normal PE lessons at school.  Children will need to come into school wearing their PE kits but will also need to bring their school uniforms in their PE bags to change into once we return back to school. 

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder

Spring 1

Week 3

This week in class, the children have been learning how to convert fractions with common denominators. Year 6 extended thier learning of this by looking at how to convert fractions using thier knowledge of factors. Next week, we are moving onto looking at equivalent fractions. In English, the children have published their diary entries and we have moved onto our new unit of work which is Newspaper Reports.

It is very busy week next week in school. We have our Christingle service in church next Thursday 30th January at 2.30pm. We kindly ask you to send your child in with an orange for this by next Wednesday (29th) morning, so as a school we can prepare these for our service. In relation to this, an envelope belonging to The Children's Society was sent home this week. We kindly ask for any donation for this charity; thank you in advance for your generosity. 

The children have an indoor athletics tournament ( a letter has been sent out to parents and carers explaining details) next Friday 31st January. This is 'during school hours' event and myself and Mrs Steadman will be accompanying the children to this event. Please ensure your child has their PE kit in school and a pair of trainers. The children will have their usual PE lessons as normal next week in addition to athletics, so PE kits must be in on these days too (Mondays and Thursdays). 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder

Spring Term 1 

Week 2

This week the children have been securing their written methods for division and I am really pleased with the progress they have made! In English, the children have been writing thier own version of the Chapter 1 of The Northern Lights; I am really looking forward to reading these once they are finalised! Homework has been issued and is due in next Thursday; a copy of this has been added onto this week's homework page. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Calder

Spring Term 1

Week 1

 Welcome back to the start of the Spring Term! 

I hope you all had a well deserved rest and lovely Christmas. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity and kindness; I received lots of lovely Christmas gifts from many of you so thank you!

The children have settled back into school life well and have been working hard this week. We have begun maths this term by finishing off our unit on division. We will then be moving onto fractions and decimals. In English, we have begun reading our class text, 'The Northern Lights' by Phillip Pullman. So far, we are really enjoying getting to know the main character, Lyra, in more detail. We have been looking this week at writing from the 3rd person into the 1st person using our class text.

Notices for this week:

Homework has been issued this week (9.1.2020) and is due in on 16.1.2020.

Spellings have also been issued (10.1.2020) and will be tested on 17.1.2020. Please find a Year 5 and Year 6 spelling overview for this term under the homework section on our class page for your convenience.

PE remains to be on a Monday pm and Thursday pm; please ensure your child has their PE kit in school on these days.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year,

Miss Calder

General notices for Owl Class

Please encourage your child/ren to complete all of their homework pieces - this is a class requirement.

They must also seek support before the due in date if they do not understand  any part of their homework as we are here to help. If your child/ren also needs another copy of their homework, please let us know by writing a message into their home school record and/or encouraging your child to inform us.

Copies of each week's homework can be found on our class page under the 'Homework' tab for your convenience. Examples of the children's learning in school can be found under the subject tabs on our class page to give you a flavour of what we have been up to!

Please ensure your child has their PE kit in school every Monday and Thursday.

Thank you

Miss Calder

Autumn 2

Week 6

The KS2 children did fantastically well at supporting the KS1 children this week in their Christmas production. Thank you to all parents/carers and families for coming and supporting your child/ren with this production. Thank you to all those families too who donated to the NSPCC at the end of the performances.

It is Christmas Jumper Day on Friday 13th December - I look forward to seeing all of the children dressed in their different jumpers. It is certainly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas now!

I have also reminded the children that there will be no homework set over the Christmas holidays; I would like the children to have a rest and enjoy spending Christmas with their families. A note explaining this has been put into your child's home school record. The last piece of homework for this term will be issued on Thursday 12th December and due in next Wednesday 18th December.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder.

Autumn 2

Week 5

The NSPCC visited us this week in school. We were joined by two very lovely workers from the NSPCC, who spoke to the children about keeping themselves safe from harm which was really useful and informative. We have also been busy making our Christmas decorations for the impressive Christmas tree we have in school. We made Christmas wreaths through origami.

PE is back to normal next week; the children will need their PE kits in school on Monday and Thursday. Homework has been issued for this week too and is due in on Thursday 12th December. It is Christmas jumper day in school next Friday (13th). We kindly ask children wear their Christmas jumpers over their normal school uniform and we are asking for a £1 donation which will be going to Save the Children charity this year.

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder

Autumn 2

Week 4

This week, the children have been learning short multiplication in maths. We are moving onto long multiplication next week.

In English, we have written our balanced arguments and they will be edited and published next week in our neatest handwriting.

In RE, we have been learning about the Christian symbols of Christmas and what their significance.

Homework has been issued and due in next Thursday (5th). Please ensure your child/ren seeks support if necessary with their homework before the due in date. The children also need to be learning the songs for the KS1 production. A copy of all of the song lyrics were given to the children to take home last week.

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder

Autumn 2

Week 3

This week in Owl Class, we have been learning about prime numbers and factors in maths. As a result of our learning this week, we are now able to identify factors and factor pairs of specific numbers as well as prime factors. In English, we have been debating! We have been thinking about whether we feel school uniforms should be banned across the country in all primary schools! This has been a great topic to discuss and the children have been really engaged with it! We are now beginning to write our own balanced arguments based upon the above.

Polite Notices:

There are still occasions every week in Owl Class where homework is not handed in on time. Homework is a class requirement and needs to be completed. The children have one week to complete it which is a sufficient amount of time. If a child does not understand part of the homework after attempting it, they must come and find an adult to ask in class. It is not acceptable to leave it until the day homework is due in to inform an adult they did not complete their given tasks because they did not fully understand. It is really important in Year 5 and 6 that the children take responsibility for their own learning. Please support your child in reporting queries and handing in homework to an adult.  

Next, PE kits need to be kept in school between Monday - Friday every week unless agreed otherwise by Miss Calder.

This is to ensure the children have their PE kits in school for their PE lessons. If PE kits are taken home, they must be brought back to school in time for the next PE lesson. PE lessons in Owl Class are every Monday and Thursday.

Please also ensure your child/ren read every night. Again, this is a class requirement and reading records must be completed every evening too so we can track reading in school.

Finally, lyrics for the KS1 production have been sent home this week for the children to learn as they will be supporting KS1 with their singing.

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder

Autumn Term 2

Week 2

We have had a really enjoyable week in school this week. Majority of the children in the class undertook their cycling proficiency assessments this week across two days and I am pleased to say they all did remarkably well and they all  passed! We also had our Anglo-Saxon Day on Wednesday. This was a fantastic day; the children learnt lots about different aspects of Anglo-Saxon life and were given a real flavour of what it would have been like to be an Anglo-Saxon. I have to say that the children's costumes were very creative and looked amazing! Thank you to parents and carers for your support with this.

Photographs of our day can be found under the 'examples of topic work' section of our class page on the website too.

Thank you to everyone in class who donated their £1 for Children In Need also.

 Autumn Term 2

Week 1

We have had a very productive first week back  in Owl Class. It has been UK Parliament Week nationally in Primary Schools this week and we have been actively involved in learning about Parliament as a result of signing up to this as a class. We began our week by learning about Parliament; looking closely at what Parliament is made up of and how it functions. We then learnt about the history of the Houses of Parliament by studying Guy Fawkes and The Gunpowder Plot on Tuesday 5th November this week. The children produced fantastic, detailed story boards which retell the story of The Gunpowder Plot. Four children from Owl Class (Oliver, Jasmine, Summer and Tabitha) even spent their own break and lunch times preparing a drama performance and

re-enactment of the Gunpowder Plot for the class to watch! It was a great performance, full of factual information about the story.  Alongside this, the children also rehearsed and wrote their own 'Remember, Remember' poems using Old English and rhyming couplets.

The children then spent the rest of their week learning about the voting system in our country and Democracy.

Homework and spellings have been issued and are due in on Thursday 14th November. Master copies of both of these are available to view under 'homework' on our class  page.

On another note, it was lovely to meet parents and carers at Parents Evening this week.

Wishing everybody an enjoyable weekend,

Miss Calder

                                                                                      End of Autumn Term 1

              The children have worked extremely hard this half term and have settled into life in Owl Class really well. I am proud of all of the children and their efforts. The children have not been issued homework for over half term and this will resume again on Thursday 7th November.

Wishing you all a lovely half term,

Miss Calder

Autumn Term

Week 7

This week, the children have been learning how to subtract numbers using the formal written method of column subtraction. They then used their knowledge of column subtraction to solve word problems.

In English, the children have edited and published their battlefield setting descriptions using ICT.

I am really proud of all of the children who took part in this week's cross country event. Many of the children won or came 2nd or 3rd in their event which is just fantastic!

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder

Autumn Term

Week 6

This week in class, we have been busy finishing off our place value unit of work. We have been rounding to the nearest 10,100,1000,10,000 and 100,000 using numbers up to 7-digits long this week. We will now be moving onto using formal written methods for addition and subtraction.

In English, we have begun to enrich our vocabulary in readiness for writing a setting description. We are using our class text ' Anglo-Saxon boy' as our focus for writing a setting description of a battlefield. So far, we have analysed a setting description of a battlefield in our class text, drawing out key descriptions and vocabulary that could help us produce fantastic setting descriptions!

In topic/ICT, we have researched what Anglo-Saxon housing was like and produced a sketch in our book followed by factual annotations of what the houses were made from; how wattle and daub was used to build the walls of Anglo-Saxon homes; how the houses were configured from the outside as well as the inside.

It is Cross Country next Wednesday pm during school time. Please ensure your child has their PE kit and trainers in school for this event.

Have a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder

Autumn 1

Week 5

This week the children have been busy practising their multiplication and division facts through different contexts in maths.

In English, we have been focused on innovation in writing; the children have been improving their original non-chronological reports with new ideas, language and vocabulary. They have also been learning about apostrophes for singular and plural possession and expanded noun phrases in grammar.

The children spent time in science this week investigating which materials can be classified as magnetic and/or electrical conductors. We concluded that metal was the only material we can identify as magnetic and a conductor of electricity from the range of materials we tested!

In topic, the children have been researching using ICT, what life was like for people living in Anglo-Saxon times.

In Art, we have been painting illuminated letters using watercolour.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,

Miss Calder.

Autumn 1

Week 4

This week in Owls, we have been preparing for our Harvest Service. We have been building on our learning of Harvest and the importance of this to Christians. We have spent this week thinking about how Harvest is celebrated by Christians and what we do as a church school to celebrate Harvest in school.

In maths, we have continued our place value unit and have been learning about negative numbers. We started off by thinking about what a negative number is and where we would see them in real life. We then began to count forwards and backwards crossing zero and into negative numbers visually using number lines. We then moved this learning onto completing negative number sentences using addition and subtraction and we have spent the end of the week applying our learning into problem solving contexts.

In English, we have been busy writing, editing and publishing our non-chronological reports called 'Amazing Animals'  by Pie Corbett. Next week, we will be using innovation to adapt our current reports and rewrite some parts of the reports to see if we can up level our writing.

In Science/ICT, the children produced PowerPoint presentations in talk partners about 'Properties of Materials' as part of our science topic.

Have a lovely weekend!

Autumn Term 1

Week 3

 In English this week, the children have learnt a non-chronological report off by heart Pie Corbett style and are in the process of currently writing their own non-chronological report. We have also been working hard on improving our presentation and handwriting through regular handwriting practise using the Yr 5/6 statutory spelling lists.

In maths, the children have continued to develop their place value understanding. We have been learning about negative numbers and powers of 10 this week, using problem solving and reasoning activities to deepen and consolidate learning.

In Science, the children have been learning subject specific vocabulary to help aid their understanding of materials and their scientific writing.

In topic, the children have been learning about the Seven Kingdoms during the Anglo-Saxon time. They have begun to identify the Seven Kingdoms and look at which part of Britain each kingdom occupied.

The children were issued their homework on Thursday 19th September. They have a week to complete it and it is due in on Thursday 26th September.

Please encourage your child/ren to complete all of their homework pieces - this is a class requirement. They must also seek support before the due in date if they do not understand  any part of their homework as we are here to help. If your child/ren also needs another copy of their homework, please let us know by writing a message into their home school record and/or encouraging your child to inform us.

Copies of each week's homework can be found on our class page under the 'Homework' tab for your convenience.

Thank you

Autumn Term 2019

Week 2

We have had a really productive first full week back in school this week. I have been so impressed with the children's attitudes to learning this week.

In English this week, we have been using a 'talk for writing' approach developed by Pie Corbett to learn a non-chronological report named 'Amazing Animals'. In small groups, the children have taken a section (paragraph) of the text and have begun to learn it off by heart using drama. Next week, the children will consolidate their talk for writing and write their own non-chronological report.

In maths, the children have delved straight into place value! They have been working on reading and writing numbers up to 1,000,000 (Yr5) and 10,000,000 (Yr6) and partitioning these big numbers into individual digit values. Year 6 have begun their extra booster sessions in school whereby they have begun revising arithmetic. These will continue every week until next May.

In Science, the children have begun looking at materials. We started our topic by thinking about the following key questions:

What is the definition of a material?

What are raw materials?

We had a really worthwhile class discussion where we brainstormed all of the materials we know of which gave us the opportunity as a class to address misconceptions and clarify learning points.

The children were given their homework this Thursday (12th) and I have to say I was extremely impressed with the fact that many children have already completed and handed in their homework in readiness for marking before the weekend!

Autumn Term 2019

Week 1 - Return to school for a new academic year!

Welcome back to school everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are feeling refreshed enough to begin working hard in school!

We will be using the first two days back in Owl class to settle in and get to know each other better through PSHE activities alongside kick starting the curriculum during the school day. Please see an overview of expectations for Year 5 and 6 below for your convenience.

Homework

Every week, the children will be issued spellings, a piece of maths homework related to the maths learnt in class that particular week and a reading comprehension activity. The children may bring their completed homework in before the due date if they wish! To allow the children a relaxed and smooth transition into Year 5 and 6 after a long holiday, the first piece of homework (spellings, maths and reading comprehension) this academic year will be issued on Friday 13th September and due in on Thursday 19th September. Thereafter, homework will always be issued on a Friday and due in on the following Thursday. A record of homework is kept in class to ensure the children are completing their homework as it is a school requirement so please support your child/ren with their homework and do not hesitate to come and see me if you are finding homework difficult at home.

PE

The children will be starting their PE lessons on Monday 9th September and Thursday 12th September. Please ensure they have a correct school PE kit in school on these days. 

Reading

The children will be issued with a new reading record during their first day back at school - Thursday 5th September. In Year 5 and 6, there is an expectation that the children will read every day at home to an adult. This reading time could comprise of reading their quality book, a newspaper article, audio books etc - the more variety of reading opportunities the better! There are so many options!

The children will be given a chance to independently read in silence for 15 minutes a day in class alongside participating in guided reading sessions in school and so, I kindly ask that you support this at home too in order to develop your child/ren's reading fluency and skills. Reading is extremely important and makes a vital difference to children's language comprehension, writing skills, decoding, fluency and vocabulary! The list is endless!... Please ensure your child/ren's reading record is completed and dated on a daily basis. These records will be checked on a daily basis in class too to ensure there is good coverage of reading at home as well as school.

Home school record book

The children will be issued a new home school record on their first day back in school- Thursday 5th September. Please use this book to record any messages/notices regarding your child/ren's learning etc that you wish myself to see and be aware of. Please ensure that the school office are also informed of any planned absences or appointments as well as recording these in your child/ren's home school record book.

Thank you!

Miss Calder

Owls Weekly Update - Summer Term 2019

Summer 2

Week 1

The children have been working hard this week in school. We have begun this half term by learning about conversions in maths, with a particular focus on converting units of length (mm, cm etc.). In English, we have been writing dialogue to convey part of a narrative from our class text, ‘Eren.’

The children are looking forward to our residential trip next week; please make sure they have a restful weekend in readiness for a very busy few days!

Notices

This half term homework will continue to be issued on a Friday and due in the following Thursday. There will be no homework issued on Friday 7^th June 2019 due to our residential trip the following week (10^th-12^th June). Homework will resume as normal on Friday 14^th June.

The children will have PE on a Thursday this half term so please ensure your child has their correct PE kit in school on this day. At the moment, the children are also enjoying an extra PE lesson with an outside sports agency on a Tuesday. They will need their kits in for this day too until further notice.

Owl class are also going swimming every Wednesday this half term. Please ensure your child has the correct swimming kit in school on this day too. All children require a swimming hat, swimming goggles, swimsuit (girls), swimming trunks (boys), and a towel.

Summer Term 2

Week 6

The children are continuing to work hard at learning their lines and songs for our production next week.

The children's costumes are due in school on Tuesday 16th July. Please ensure your child's costume is in a bag, clearly labelled with their name, character and year group.

I look forward to seeing parents and carers on Thursday 18th July for our performance of 'Alice'.

Thank you for your continued support.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Calder

Week 7

Summer Term 2

It has been an extremely busy yet fabulous Summer term in Owl class.

The children have all worked so hard and achieved lots.

Our KS2 production last week was excellent and we had lots of lovely feedback so I would like to say a huge thank to all of the Yr 4,5,6 children for all of their hard work and a huge thank you also to parents for their support with costumes etc.

Wishing you all a lovely Summer holiday!

Miss Calder