News
Newsletter for the week ending Friday 18th November
A super week that finished with our older children taking their learning into our woodland. For a flavour of the activities the children are experiencing from our new Outdoor Learning provision, please click here. Please click on ‘more’ to find out what else has been happening in and around all the classes and for reminders or notifications relevant to your child’s class.
Our term dates for the 2023-2024 school year are now available and our draft admissions policy for 2024 is published for consultation.
The safeguarding focus for this week was bullying. The children attended an assembly on this topic and will return to it a number of times over the year as apart of their Values curriculum. Staff also received training and please click here for information for parents from the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
Diary dates:
- Years 3-6 Christmas Service Friday 16th December at St Mary’s Church, 2pm
- Sports Day for Dolphins and years 1-6 is scheduled for Tuesday 23rd May
AROUND THE CLASSES
Wishing you all a super weekend.
From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff
This week in Turtles and Dolphins we have been celebrating Diwali. We noticed that Diwali is celebrated with fireworks just like we celebrate Bonfire Night with fireworks. We have read and acted out the story of Rama and Sita. We have also painted rangoli patterns and we have started to make Diva lamps using clay.
In Year 1 we have carried on looking at maps in our topic lesson. We looked on Google Earth to see what our school and the surrounding area looks like then had a go at drawing our own maps in groups. Our map had to include a school but it didn’t have to be of Appledore so the children included places such as a swimming pool, shops. parks, houses and some even drew roundabouts! In Maths we have started looking at subtraction and how we can use part whole models to write a subtraction sentence. We are carrying on our Animals including Humans topic in Science and this week we had a go at describing animals and then comparing two animals based on their characteristics.
Year 2 enjoyed an outdoor learning session on Monday afternoon where they made seed bombs using the seeds they gathered at Quince Honey Farm. The seed bombs are currently drying in the polytunnel and once they are dry they will be able to use some to create a bee-friendly area in school. They will also be able to take some home. In English, they have been looking at the verbs in our book ‘Augustus and his smile’ and had a go at writing their own sentences with the verbs. In Maths, they have been working on subtraction and solving addition and subtraction word problems. On Wednesday afternoon, we spent some time outside for Science and carried out a woodlouse investigation. They had to choose 6 areas in ‘the jungle’ and count how many woodlice they found in each. They discovered that woodlice like dark, damp places the best. They have also started to learn songs for their Christmas play and we will send out details about the performance soon.
Across Years 3 to 6 The children have been busy developing their performing arts skills when rehearsing their class parts in the Christmas performance. Words to the songs and the larger speaking parts have now been sent home so, as always, any support you can give with the learning of these will be greatly appreciated. Shortly we will be sending home details of any limited costume requirements, but to begin with we need two policeman helmets, three cleaning lady aprons/overalls and two workmen overalls. If anyone can help with that, please send any named items into school. Rehearsals have been going very well. The children are working with great enthusiasm and are really enjoying being part of this process. We are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas celebration at St. Mary’s.
Seahunter class (year 3) have had a really great week! In science, we explored the different properties of rocks by doing two investigations. We investigated the hardness of rocks by scratching the rocks with different tools and then designed an experiment to test the rocks to see whether they were permeable or impermeable. We then discussed why these properties make the rocks useful for different things. In English, we started reading a new book, ‘Escape from Pompeii’. We used drama to act out what the streets of Pompeii would have looked and sounded like before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and then we used noun phrases and prepositions to write a description. In Maths, Year 3 have shown lots of resilience learning how to use the column method to add and subtract three-digit numbers. We have also been having great fun learning some new tennis skills in PE.
In HMS Echo (year 4) this week, some children had the opportunity to visit the Atlantic Racquet Centre for a tennis festival with other schools. They had fun participating in lots of activities to practise their skills! Children who were in school also had the opportunity to play tennis by practising their rallying skills with a partner. In other subjects, we have started lots of new topics, for example we have started Multiplication and Division, we have started learning about the Romans, and children had to compare the lives of the Romans and the Celts – they were asked ‘Would you rather be a Celt or a Roman?’ and their answers were all so different! We are also just about to start Teeth and Digestion in Science, which will be fun, and in English we are about to start a new sequence focusing on non-fiction writing.
Year 5 have been writing their character descriptions for Beowulf, Grendel and Grendel’s mother. They have been looking at using alliteration and seni-colons to improve their writing skills. In maths they have had fun finding common factors, prime and square numbers. We walked down to the Hubbastone and looked at the engravings on it and then stopped at the war memorial on the way back to look at the Appledore School poppy wreath. In science we looked at forces (push, pull, water/air resistance and gravity) ready for our outdoor learning sessions. Everyone dressed up for Children in Need and well done to Woody for raising £45 from a sponsored silence. All the class have lines for the Christmas production so please make sure they are learning these ready for rehearsals next week. A reminder that next week we are going to RHS Rosemoor to take part in a Christmas decoration workshop
Year 6 have begun their new text by Michael Morpurgo in Literacy: Friend or Foe. The style of writing is diary writing and they are trying to show character emotion. In maths, they have completed a unit on multiplication and division and are ready to start work on fractions. In Science, they have completed some experiments with micro-organisms: the bread did grow – some places more than others. In art, they have been looking at colour and finding out about the artist Andy Warhol – they will now need to use vector drawing to create a piece in a similar style. In topic, they have been looking at Hitler’s plan of invasion in 1940 and what life was like for evacuees. Y6 are looking forward to two outdoor learning sessions: one on rationing and the other on the circulatory system.
