News
Newsletter for the week ending Friday 12th January
It has been a busy week once again and teachers noticed how refreshed and ready to learn children have been this week.
At last, a week without ‘wet play’ and children can go outside for every breaktime and lunchtime! With this and the cold weather in mind, please ensure children do come to school with proper clothing (eg coats and jumpers). It is cold and some children are wearing a base layer instead of a jumper. Please ensure this is in addition to a jumper and not as a replacement. Thank you.
Diary Date:
- Bideford Library is celebrating National Storytelling Week with a day of stories on Thursday 1st Feb, including a professional storyteller at the library for all ages over 5 years for free.
We wish you all a very happy weekend
From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff
AROUND THE CLASSES
This week in Turtles and Dolphins we have started our new topic ‘Where do you live?’ During this term we will be exploring different habitats and finding out which animals live where. On Tuesday we had a parcel delivered to school. It contained a polar bear, walrus and seal. There was a note explaining that they were lost and they had to go home. We decided that they live in the Arctic and we wrote down all the things that we already know about the Arctic. We have also come up with ideas as to who we might get the animals home. We have found out about some of the animals that live in the Arctic and painted pictures of them.
Year 1 have been busy this week comparing lots of fiction and non-fiction books to find features that are most common in each type of book. We have also been learning how to use the conjunction ‘and’ when we join sentences together. In Maths we have been looking more at teen numbers and the number 20 and how to represent these numbers. We have also been finding one more and one less of a number within 20. In Topic we learnt about who Florence Nightingale was and why she is a significant person in History. In our Values lesson we discussed the effect our behaviour has on other people and then thought of times when we have shown really kind and helpful behaviour.
Lundy Puffins (year 2) have had another great week. In English, they have written some brilliant stories about a Baboon living on the moon. In Maths, they have worked hard to add different amounts of money and find different combinations of coins to make the same amount. Everyone has been working very hard – well done! In their topic work, they have been remembering the names of the seven continents of the world and have been singing a song to help them remember. In their Science work, they played a game to match an animal to its offspring and are looking forward to an outdoor learning session on Friday where they will take this learning further.
Seahunter class (year 3) had a fantastic week! In Maths, we learned how to multiply a 2-digit number by a 1-digit number and we also explored the link between multiplication and division. In English, we rewrote the story ‘The First Drawing’ in the first person and challenged ourselves to use adverbial phrases to add additional description to our writing. In Guided Reading, we began reading ‘Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World’ and thought about how the author had presented the information and explored their use of pictures and different fonts. In History, we researched some of the major events in Marie Curie’s life and created a timeline to show this. In Science, we looked at a variety of x-rays of different animals and discussed how these were similar or different to the human skeleton. On Wednesday, we went for our first swimming lesson and the children can’t wait to go again next week!
In HMS Echo (year 4), the children have been busy learning how to multiply and divide by 10 and 100 in Maths, using a variety of calculations and word problems. In English, we have read more of our story Jack and the Dreamsack and we have been innovating words and phrases from the story to help us write in a fantasy style. The children will be moving onto planning their own fantasy story in the style of Jack and the Dreamsack. In History, we looked at when rationing was introduced, what rationing means and how this helped Britain at the time. In Science, we are recapping the digestive system. In PE, we are perfecting our balancing skills which includes on a line (and with a beanbag on their heads!) and also in gymnastics.
This week, year 5 have been very keen to learn more about the great plague and how a young boy is managing to survive in London; they have written some amazing diary entries. In maths we have continued to look at how to add and subtract fractions, realising the importance of finding a common denominator. In science we have continued finding out about our solar system and being able to name the planets in order from the sun. We have looked further into the Shang Dynasty and found out what the Chinese people believed in at the time and discovered how powerful Fu Hao was. A great start to the space project homework (this will need to be completed by half term).
Year 6 have been learning about ratio in maths and the relationship between this and fractions. They have also completed some work on units of measure – they may be looking in the cupboards to help with estimating amounts. In Literacy, they have read more Pig Heart Boy and also looked at forming balanced arguments in writing ready to plan their own piece next week. In Science, they have been thinking about Evolution and Inheritance and what inherited traits are. In PE, they have started work in gymnastics and enjoyed dodge ball. Each child has been given a folder or resources to help with revision, please make sure it has actually made it home. Some of the Year 6 children participated in the Bideford Sports Hall Athletics Competition this week at Kingsley. They were able to try all the events including standing vertical jump, relay, long jump, speed bounce and chest push. They worked hard and even got a special mention at the end for how well they had supported each other during the event and worked as a team. We want to say a huge well done to Oscar, Isaac, Kalen, Eben, Sam, Jaxson, Anya, Olivia, Saskia, Elise, Evie Rose and Nancy for showing great sportsmanship!
Additionally, year 3 considered the covenant made between Noah and God. They then thought about what is wrong in the world today. In music they selected the instruments they would like to use to perform their graphic score and in French they tallied the birthdays of everyone in the class using their knowledge of the months of the year in French. Year 4 researched the location of the mosques in Devon and related this to census data about religious affiliation . They found out which branch of Islam the mosques are. In music they selected the instruments to play their overlapping cyclic patterns and in French they began learning the vocabulary for some zoo animals. Year 5 considered the qualities of a divine being and in French learn how to say they play particular sports. Year 6 looked at the scientific explanation of the creation of the universe and completed this to the account in the Bible. In French they wrote a speech about themselves using their new vocabulary.
