News
Newsletter for the week ending Friday 12th May
A busy week that included year 6 pupils taking their Key Stage 2 SATs tests. They demonstrated resilience – fuelled by a bacon bap each morning – and showcased all their hard work to prepare themselves. Well done year 6 and a big thank you to the governors and past and present staff who volunteered their time this week to support the children.
Telegram app is proving to be a popular alternative to the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger; indeed, in some countries, it’s overtaken that pair to become the most-used instant messaging app. Telegram’s encryption, sadly, all too often encourages the app’s use as a conduit for extremist political material and illegal sexual content. Please click ask your children which messaging apps they use and if Telegram is one (it has a 17+ age advisory) and click here for a guide with tips on a number of potential Telegram risks including a lack of age verification, inappropriate content and cyber-bullying.
DIARY DATES
- Sports Day is Tuesday 23rd May (weather permitting!). Please click here for the details and here for a poster by the children. Please be aware that changes to this plan could be required and potentially at short notice – hopefully not though!
- We have booked a live online safety parent workshop on Monday 3rd July at 5pm delivered by Devon County Council Safeguarding Team. You can log in from your own device by clicking here or joining us in our school hall on a big screen. It will last for approximately one and a half hours and we have deliberately scheduled it just before the summer holidays when children typically spend more time online.
AROUND THE CLASSES
Wishing you all super weekend
From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff
This week in Turtles and Dolphins we have continued to celebrate the King’s Coronation. We shared how we celebrated the Coronation with our families. We have found out more about King Charles and his life as he has grown up. We wrote a letter to him telling him what we have learnt about him and the Coronation. We have also painted pictures of him.
In Year 1 this week we have started learning about instruction writing; first we helped Mrs Wilkins make a jam sandwich and then had a go at writing instructions to teach someone else how to make a jam sandwich. This is because we have started our new book, The Slime Book! So far this week we have had a look at the different types of slime we can make using the book and then had a go at following the instructions to make stretchy slime! We loved doing this in groups and having time to play with the slime. Then we looked back at the instructions and thought about what made them good and if there was anything that could make them better. In Maths we have carried on counting in 2s and had a look at some sequences where we had to fill in the missing numbers. Then we did the same with counting in 10s and next it will be counting in 5s.
Year 2 have been writing different types of sentences this week in English: statements, questions, commands and exclamations. They tried hard to use the correct punctuation and make their sentences imaginative. In Maths, they have finished their sequence of learning about fractions and are moving on to telling the time. Any support you could give at home would be much appreciated, especially with quarter to and quarter past times. In their Geography work, they used maps to look at the area around Appledore and thought about how they could describe it. In their Science work, they played a game to think about different materials and how they are suitable for their purpose.
Year 3 considered the Parable of The Good Samaritan and thought about what Jesus’ message was. In French they translated an English fairy tale into French so next week we can see if we can work out what one it is. Year 4 looked at artwork depicting Pentecost and thought about whether the power of the Holy Spirit had been expressed. Year 5 explored the parable of The Centurion’s Servant in a dramatic way and continued with their whole class ensemble teaching on the recorder. Year 6 had time to refine their Open Hand Closed Fist dance and also began to explore the parable of The Tenants in the Vineyard in a dramatic way.
Year 3 have had a wonderful week. In English, we started reading ‘Cinderella of the Nile’ and created our own noun phrases to describe the main character. In maths, we have been learning all about volume and capacity and have applied our learning to some reasoning questions. In geography, we thought about all of the different uses of rivers, including fishing, agriculture and tourism. We also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using rivers for different things. In science, we researched snow drops, water lilies and cacti and explored how these plants are adapted to survive in certain climates. In our value’s lesson this week, we talked about how people living in the UK come from a diverse range of backgrounds and how we should celebrate all of our differences.
In HMS Echo (year 4) this week, the children have started learning about money in Maths, particularly how we write money in decimals, converting between pounds and pence and comparing amounts of money. In English, the children are about to write their own circus themed story using our text ‘Leon and the Place Between’ as inspiration. In Science, we have been making electrical circuits again, but this time looking at pictures of circuits and checking whether the circuit will work or not, and explaining the reasons why. We will be looking at conductors and insulators at the end of the week, and testing materials in circuits to see whether they pass an electrical charge. In our Values lessons, the children have been looking at our value of ‘Inclusive’, and they’ve been looking at scenarios where they have to agree to a compromise, in order to include everybody.
Year 5 have now completed their English unit of work. They have found out how Shackleton’s journey to cross Antarctica ended and then wrote about an explorer of their own choice. We have also completed the maths unit on shape. We can now draw and measure angles, identify regular and irregular polygons and describe the properties of 3-D shapes. In science we have continued to look at different life cycles. Our caterpillars have doubled in size and our beans are growing well. In our history lesson we looked at why England was in so much debt when Elizabeth 1 was crowned.
Year 6 have been put through their pace this week for SATs. They should be really proud of themselves in how they approached the tests and how much concentration they put in – fingers crossed that all that hard work will pay off. They have enjoyed their breakfasts and extra play and will be ready for starting more work next week. They will be finishing their work on ‘The Last of England’ and completing science work over the next couple of weeks.
