Welcome back everyone and we trust you had an enjoyable half term. It’s been a busy start to this half term as you can see below…

Guinea Pigs
We now have a hutch and a run, now we just need guinea pigs! So if you know of any that need a new home, please let us know.

Home School Agreement
I reminder that we have in place a home school agreement and this can be viewed by clicking here.

Around the Classes

Welcome back everyone. In FSU We have continued with our theme of Around The World but are moving a little closer to home. This week we have travelled to France, we have looked at famous landmarks and used everyday objects to create large printed pictures of the Arc De Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Rosalie’s Mum and Nan came to talk to us about life in France and we had hot chocolate and baguettes and croissants for our snack, We looked at the Tour De France and had a go at completing timed laps of the playground on our bikes.

We have had a great first week back in Year 1 and have started our new topic of Robots. We have read the book ‘No-Bot the Robot With No Bottom’. The first time we read the book we stopped half way through and then all wrote what we thought the ending might be. We have also written what we liked and disliked about the book and any questions that weren’t answered in the story, as well as any patterns we spotted. In Maths we have started looking at how to multiply, we have counted in 2s and 10s and are learning how to count in 5s. We are also learning how to double and halve numbers and shapes. In Art we have been drawing robots, we then used nuts, bolts and bike chains to print with. We will use these prints to embellish our robot drawings. We have also spoken about how to stay safe online and have watched a video to remind us of how to stay safe when playing games online.

Lundy Puffins have settled well after the half term break and are reading a new book called ‘Previously’. The book is all about traditional tales and they will be using this to write their own traditional tales. In Maths, they have been
learning the 2, 5 and 10 times tables. Please continue to practise at home! On Wednesday afternoon, a member of the fire brigade came to talk about fire safety. They listened to story, had a go at testing a smoke detector and some children even got to dress up as firefighters. Next Friday, we will be attending a singing festival alongside other schools in the Bideford area, and so we have been busy learning a song to share and perform.

The highlight of Seahunter’s week was their trip to the Eden Project where they trained as rainforest rangers. They had to learn all the skills like squeezing through tunnels, walking over wobbly bridges, how to pack a backpack and how to find plants in the rainforest for food, drink and shelter. They did amazingly well and have a certificate to prove it. A great day was had by all and it was lovely to be in the warmth of the tropical biome.

HMS Echo have had a busy week, which has included their trip to Exeter on Thursday. They rose to the challenge of the rather early start which meant that they were ready for their guide (Mrs Harrison) at the Cathedral by 10:00 a.m. They learnt a lot about the Cathedral’s history and also how it is used today. Mrs Harrison had some fascinating facts to share including dogs needing to be chased out of the Cathedral for being too noisy in years gone by and also the need to keep a resident cat to chase away the mice. After lunch, they walked up the the Mosque in time to watch the early afternoon prayers. The leader of the Mosque answered the many questions posed by both the children and the adults. It was lovely to hear the bus driver complimenting the children on their good behaviour. In Maths, they are focusing on measures at the moment, in particular, converting between cm, m, and km and also between l and ml. In Science, they are continuing to work on their topic of Electricity, predicting whether a circuit will work or not and then checking whether their prediction is correct. In Literacy, they will be turning their focus to recounts, starting this with a recount of the trip to Exeter.

Year 5 had a visit from the Fire Service on Wednesday. They all had valuable information about what to do in the event of a fire at home and you may find them checking or asking about smoke alarms and procedures in your home. In maths we have been adding and subtracting fractions and in literacy we have been recapping our skills learnt so far. Two class members attended a school in Barnstaple for work on writing and will be sharing their work and skills with the rest of the class. In science we have been exploring how the planets move and about the spherical shape of the Earth, Moon and Sun. Thank you for all the Bristol trip money received so far.

This week in Year 6 has been a tiny bit special, during this week we have completed: Maths, English, assembly, PE, ICT, music, grammar and R.E. In maths we have just done practice rounds of SATS all week. In English it was exactly the same, just some SATS practice. We have also been to see another open the book assembly about Jerusalem and Jews. In P.E we have done circuits with Mrs Evans in the hall. We have also done music in which we played the keyboard and the xylophone. In grammar we have just done ditto, a bit of practice SATS as well. In ICT we have started a new subject with Mrs Evans on Tynkers Hour of Code. Finally, in R.E we have been to visit an R.E bus at Kingsley in which we were taught about rejection, fear and forgiveness.

Best wishes,
Jeremy Cooper and all of the staff and children.