Ahoy Maties!
We have had a week filled with fun, pirates, paper planes, exploring capital letters and learning!
We have been using our counting and number recognition skills, to pay for items at the shop.
On Wednesday, a mystery occurred in Rainbow Room! There was a ‘hole’ in the ceiling and someone was stealing the golden underpants! We received a scroll letter from ‘The Captain of the Black Bloomer’ who asked if we could help him find who had stolen the golden underpants by making WANTED posters. We used our imaginations to draw pictures and add adjectives (descriptive words). The captain told us we might receive a reward if we helped him find the criminal who stole the pants!
We have been really engaged in our learning this week and will continue our Pirates theme next week too. This gives us the perfect opportunity to dress up as Pirates for the day! PLEASE REFER TO YOUR CHILD’S LETTER ABOUT DRESSING UP AS A PIRATE NEXT WEDNESDAY 2 DECEMBER.
Home Learning Link: Please design, draw and label a picture of yourself in your Pirate costume. If you have time, why not create a special pirate hat to wear on Wednesday too?
On Wednesday 9 December we are asking all Reception children to come to school in non-uniform. For this day we are asking for your child to come in something Christmassy, sparkly or bright. We plan to film a little festive surprise for you all on this date.
Outdoor play
This week, children have really enjoyed being outside in all weather. We often see a different side to a child’s personality when they’re playing and learning in our Nursery garden. The freedom of being outside and being able to move and make noise without the constraints of the classroom is great for a child’s mental and physical well being.
On the rainy days, we listened to rain drops pitter pattering on umbrellas and enjoyed investigating colour mixing in the puddles. We continued our nursery rhyme theme outside, using instruments to accompany lots of our favourite rhymes. We also had great fun knocking ’10 green bottles’ off the wall. Children also used the bottles for a number of other games, using them as props in their role play as fireworks rockets and babies. What great imaginations!
On Friday, we enjoyed practising our throwing and catching skills. Children waited really patiently for their turn and after a few attempts to catch the ball, we could definitely see an improvement in their confidence and skills.
Physical Development is one of the Prime areas of our curriculum and incorporates both gross and fine motor skills in the ‘Moving and Handling’ strand. Every child is different, but here are some of the areas that we were developing during our outdoor play this week.
22-36 months
- I can run without bumping into things or tripping up.
- I can squat down on my knees to play and can get up without using my hands.
- I can kick a large ball.
30-50 months
- I like running, walking, jumping, hopping, skipping and moving around in lots of different ways.
- I can run around, stopping, changing direction and slowing down so that I don’t bump into things.
- I can catch a large ball when you throw it to me.
- When you show me how to stand on just one foot, I can copy you, just for a second without falling over. (We did this when we sang ‘I’m a little teapot’ with actions!)
If you would like to read more about the type of things to expect in your child’s development in this area of the curriculum, you may find this document useful.
In the Sunshine Room, children have loved role playing in our bakery. They made buns and biscuits using playdough and sold them in the shop.
We continued to learn and sing lots of rhymes in our nursery rhyme small world area. In the Quiet Room, children played a game of ‘Incy Wincy Spider’, taking turns to roll the dice and move their spider up the drainpipe. We also investigated tyre tracks, printing with vehicles as we drove them through paint.
5/6 M celebration
For sport no physical activity – Lenny. For demonstrating how to take a safe risk in our dance sessions. You have put yourself out of your comfort zone in order to learn something new.
For Living and Learning – Alfie. You show great emotional maturity. you are sensitive to the feelings of others and always a good friend to all.
For learning – Michaela. You pushed yourself to write more than ever before. Now, your work shows quality and quantity.
A spooky trip to Whitby Abbey
Children in year 5/6 wanted to share their fabulous writing based on a short clip about Dracula’s Whitby.
5/6M Celebration
For great learning:
Isla – for a fantatsic promotion about a car. Your expanded noun phrases wer comical and detailed.
For sport and physical activity:
Bella – super ball dribbling skills in our hockey lesson.
For great living and learning skills:
Lily – you have become an outstanding role model for our school: great manners, care for others and confidence when discussing your ideas.
5/6B Certificate Celebration
Here are our certificate winners for this week…
For great living and learning…
Dylan – Every morning, you enter the classroom and are the first to ask others how they are ask about their lives. This shows that you care about others and their emotions – you enjoy listening to others which makes them feel wanted and cared about. You are incredibly well-mannered and a pleasure to have in Year 6. Great job, Dylan!
For sport and physical activity…
Erin – During our basketball sessions, you have shown a real determination and willingness to improve your skills. You work well in groups and you are a great team player. In our most recent basketball match, you showed brilliant passing skills and great teamwork, supporting others at every opportunity. Keep it up, Erin!
For great learning…
Luke – I can always rely on you to put your hand up and take a safe risk, even if you are unsure of the answer. You are always willing to learn and you will take responsibility for your own learning without teacher direction. This shows you are responsible, resilient and reflective. Well done, Luke!
5/6 S Certificate Celebration
This weeks certificate winners are…
For great learning…
Alfie – you have become such an active learner in class, and even if you’re unsure, you challenge yourself to participate. Well done!
For sport and physical activity…
Ellie – for demonstrating more enthusiasm during PE lessons. You’re joining in more with increased skill. Well done and keep it up!
For living and learning…
Mia – you always have a mature attitude in class and you listen well to other people. Well done.
Well done everyone!
Living and Learning: Antibullying
I know how to STOP bullying – this was our statement for the week.
We discussed the meaning of STOP in lessons and the two definitions for bullying. For homework, the children created something that showed their understanding of their learning this week. Here are some examples…
By Sadie
By Aaron
By Luca
By Stephan
History : What’s the artefact?
We’ve had some great history lessons this week. We looked at some artefacts (old objects) and tried to guess what they were. This one is a water squirt – used to squirt water on buildings during the Great Fire of London.
The children guessed what it might be before we talked what it was used for. We were great historians!
It might be a spear.
It’s a gun.
It’s a balloon pumper.
Challenge Cubes
Has your child been coming home and talking about challenge cubes?
Perhaps they have shown you a certificate they have earnt by getting all of their challenge cubes that week?
Each week, the children are set a ‘Rainbow of Challenges’ with the aim to encourage them to visit different activities (and therefore access different areas of learning)
There are six challenge cubes to collect each week. In the classroom, the challenges are displayed on small blackboards placed in the areas and also on our ‘challenges’ display wall.
Some challenges also include a STAR CHALLENGE, where children can earn a star on their star chart, in addition to their challenge cube.
Challenge cubes are collected in the children’s trays and counted at the end of the week.
Take a look at an example below, of the type of challenges you might expect to see in the classroom.
