WOW
We are so impressed with those children who have worked hard over the Christmas holidays and have learnt how to zip up their coat. It has made a very big difference to your child’s independence. They can get ready to go outside quickly without adult help. Thank you to those of you who have emailed a picture – your child will be getting 3 challenge cubes!
There’s still time to complete the challenge. A reminder of the challenge is below.
Your child’s challenge is to learn/practise to zip up their coat.
This will help your child to become more independent and get ready to play outside without adult help.
Can you email a photo of your child practising to zip up their coat? Your child will get 3 challenge cubes for having a go!
The email address is: [email protected]
PE update
Your child will be doing PE on a Friday afternoon this term. Please make sure your child has their PE kit (white t-shirt and blue shorts) in school on a Friday. Swimming days have remained the same as last term.
SATs in May
The Key Stage 2 tests (commonly called SATs) are in May:
- Monday 14 May: English grammar, punctuation and spelling papers 1 and 2
- Tuesday 15 May: English reading
- Wednesday 16 May: Mathematics papers 1 and 2
- Thursday 17 May: Mathematics paper 3
New style National Curriculum tests were introduced in 2016. This video lasts around five minutes and gives you a useful overview of the tests.
As always, speak with us if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
A challenge over Christmas!
Your child’s challenge over the Christmas holidays is to learn/practise to zip up their coat.
This will help your child to become more independent and get ready to play outside without adult help.
Can you email a photo of your child practising to zip up their coat? Your child will get 3 challenge cubes for having a go!
The email address is: [email protected]
Have a lovely Christmas and we’ll see you on Tuesday 02 January 2018!
Scientific enquiry with Christmas wrapping paper
Today, Y3/4 children were asked, “Which wrapping paper is the strongest?”
We made predictions:
Alex: I think the blue Christmas tree paper is the strongest because it is made up of different layers. It feels different on the front and the back.
Piper: I think the Santa paper is the strongest because it feels a bit like cardboard. It’s thicker than the others.
We thought of ways of testing the paper to find out which is strongest:
Ruby: We could wrap up one of our trays and drop things on it to find out if it rips easily. If we drop something heavy and the paper doesn’t rip, it’s strong.
Cyrus: We could get something sharp and scratch each piece of wrapping paper to see how easily it tears.
Lilia: We could put water on it and see if it makes a hole in the paper.
We tested by attaching a bag to a strip of each type of wrapping paper and adding weights until it ripped.
Ask your child to tell you what they found out.
We need you – parental partnership!
Thank you to those of you who have emailed to tell us what your child is doing at home. These are a fantastic snapshot of what your child can do and really do inform our assessments.
Here are some example emails that we have received (names have been changed) that have been really informative for our assessments.
The email above tells us:
- Craig can recognise the dice and match the correct amount of objects to the numeral
- Craig can make meaningful marks when representing numbers
- Craig can concentrate for a long period of time, take turns and enjoys praise
This information about Craig really informs our assessment.
The email above tells us:
- Sophie can recognise and write the sounds we have been learning
- Sophie can concentrate for a long period of time and can keep on trying
- Sophie is making links with her learning at school and home
- The language Sophie uses at home – speech directly from the child is very useful! Even if the pronunciation or tense is incorrect, it’s really helpful to know exactly what your child has said
This information about Sophie also really informs our assessment.
We’re really looking forward to getting emails over Christmas about your child’s holiday and we hope this information has been useful.
The email address is: [email protected]
Spring Term Learning
‘What’s the matter?’ is our first mini-topic in the new year and is science-based. Children will learn about materials and their properties. We will explore what objects are made from and why, using One Snowy Night as a stimulus. We’ll be designing and making a waterproof shelter for an animal. You can help your child learn more about this topic when choosing which clothes to wear and talking about which materials everyday objects are made from and why. Children will also ask ‘What’s the matter?’ from a social and emotional point of view, thinking about how they can solve problems.
Life forces is our big topic for the new year (lasting eight weeks).
Life is all around us, in plants and animals, and comes in all shapes and sizes – it’s amazing! In this biology-based topic, we find out how our body works, what all living things have in common and the differences we might notice. Amongst other things, we’ll think about why animals choose particular habitats, and why a healthy diet is important and how drugs can be dangerous. Help your child at home by naming body parts, including the parts inside that you can’t see, discussing why you breathe hard after exercise and what plants you can see when you’re out and about.
A special delivery…
When the children came back to class from Wake Up Shake Up, they discovered a special visitor had been to make a delivery. They noticed a trail of glittery footprints leading from the cloakroom to rainbow room.
“Who could it be?” we asked the children.
“Santa!” they all replied excitedly.
The footprints led to a letter on the chair.
The star of the day children carefully opened up the special letter.
We read the letter to the class.
The children were all very excited to receive such a special letter and are looking forward to the sing-a-long performances this week – especially as Santa and his elves will be listening all the way from the North Pole.
Herd Farm Residential February 2018
Following the meeting for parents this evening, here are photographs and the information we shared.
Home Link – Christmas celebrations and holiday activities
Home Link….for after the holidays!
We’d love to hear all about your Christmas celebrations or about any fun activities and visits that you do over the holidays.
We look forward to seeing and hearing all about your Christmas celebrations and other adventures. Remember you can e-mail us, too.
Thank you.