Author: Mrs Hogarth

Welcome back after the summer holiday e hope you had a happy and healthy summer. It  has been great to see so many happy faces back in school. The children have settled back into school really well and are adapting to new routines, classrooms and teachers really well.

This week, we will be sending the children home with a reading book and a new reading journal. It is really beneficial that your child reads at home daily – it improves fluency and increases the enjoyment of reading. The children can record what they’ve read at home and when in the journals. We will also set a task for them to complete at home. Ask your child what their task is for their homework. Please actively encourage your child to think about the presentation of their work in the journals and the importance of neat handwriting and accurate use of punctuation.

Thank you to all the children who have come to school in the correct uniform and PE kits  this week – you all look so smart. If you are unsure of the uniform, please click the link to see what is required.

We are looking forward to a successful year. Please feel free to come and introduce yourselves to us!

As part of Being Healthy week, we welcomed Dave in from D:side. he ran a brilliant, informative workshop about the dangers of smoking and in particular, the potential risks of vaping. He began by asking the children what they already knew about these products and discussed how widely available they are.

They talked about the health risks that are posed from using these items and how it can hinder a child’s development.

The children engaged brilliantly and maturely in the discussions – well done!

We have continued to construct our cars this week. Groups have been working so hard, looking at their diagrams and putting their illustrations into reality. The aim of the week was to measure and cut the pieces of dowel for the frame of their cars. Then came the tricky part of attaching them onto the base of the vehicle. The children decided small nails would be the strongest method for their designs. This involved lots of hammering and holding tightly to very small  nails. I think I nearly lost a few fingers!

The children will continue to construct their designs next week. Then comes the exciting part where we test our vehicles!

We were very excited this morning to get to the point where we could begin to make our cars in design technology. Our aim is to create a safe car for ‘Eggy’ to travel in. The children generated design criteria such as safety, robust and mobile. They spent last week creating annotated diagrams that labelled the materials they need and the quantities and measurements – the dimensions. The children spent the lesson building the base for their vehicles using wooden dowel. They used hand saws to cut the wood after they’d measured it and then glued it together using cardboard to reinforce their structure. The children worked brilliantly in their teams and used the tools well and safely.

Year 5 enjoyed a fantastic day experiencing what it would be like to be a high school student at Wetherby High School. It has been a really busy day, meeting new teachers and learning new things.

The children got the chance to take part in some lessons ranging from english and maths to design technology and french. The teachers did a great job of inspiring learning whilst also allowing the children to show off their existing knowledge.

One of the biggest highlights of the day was the food! We loved eating in the canteen and being offered some delicious cooking.

What a fantastic day!