News
Newsletter for the week ending Friday 24th June
It was such a shame we were’t able to have sports day today and apologies for inconvenience caused. We have rearranged for Friday 15th July. Please click here for the details for the day.
ourhappyplaceltd@hotmail.com are running summer holiday activities 9am-4pm at St George’s School, Northam. Places are limited, so pleas contact them via the email asap if you are interested.
For details of free summer holiday activities and meals for pupils eligible for benefit-related free school meals please click here. Bideford college are also running activities over the summer. The sessions are free for children on free school meals, in care or seen as vulnerable (please click here) and also there are paid places for other children (please click here). Please note Bideford College only have 30 places available on this course, it first come first serve basis.
Wishing you all a great weekend
From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff
AROUND THE CLASSES
This week in Turtles and Dolphins we have continued with our learning about Lundy Island. We have found out how the Oldenburg arrived in Bideford and what is now carried on the boat to Lundy. We have also found out about the lighthouses on Lundy. Last week we made puffins from salt dough and we painted them this week. Today we were asked the question what does Lundy look like to us? We went into small groups to discuss it.
Year 1 have carried on looking after their dragon eggs this week. We received another note from Mrs Flame saying we don’t need to panic, they won’t be hatching for a few weeks and that we are doing a great job of looking after them! In writing we have been looking at pictures of different dragons and thinking of exciting adjectives to describe them. In Maths we have been learning about fractions and have been brilliant at splitting shapes into halves and quarters and are now looking at how to share numbers into halves and quarters using counters to help us. Our cress is still growing, we have been keeping a diary to observe what happens each day, we have found that even though one pot of cress wasn’t given sunlight, it had water so it has grown but is not looking green and healthy like the cress with the water and sun.
Lundy Puffins were very excited this week to receive a letter in the classroom to say that harmless dragons had been sighted in the local area. They found a dragon egg in the woodland area and have started to write information about dragons. In Maths, they have been working on position and direction and using language to describe turns and movement such as right, left, anti-clockwise, clockwise, quarter turn, half turn and full turn. In their topic work, they have been learning what it might be like to go to the seaside 100 years ago. It’s been a busy week of PE with tennis, tag rugby and sports’ day practice.
Year 3 learned how to beat time for both 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures in preparation for composing their own pieces. Year 4 used a variety of instruments to play some complex rhythms. Year 5 added an instrumental accompaniment to the sound song they have been learning. They played this on both chime bars and recorders very proficiently. Year 6 continued with their whole class ensemble teaching and learnt the fingering for some more notes. Both tunes they are learning to play are recognisable so well done Year 6.
This week, in Maths, year 3 have been learning how to tell the time on a 24-hour clock and how to solve problems involving the duration of time. For English, they have been practising skills for punctuating direct speech and writing in the perfect present tense. We have continued to learn about nutrients our bodies receive from foods in Science and have planned a balanced healthy meal. In P.E, the children have continued to develop their swimming abilities at the pool and we have also been practicing races for Sports Day! The children who went out for the cricket festival this week had a fantastic time learning some key cricket skills with other local schools – well done for all the children’s effort towards the tasks!
HMS Echo have been getting prepared for Sports Day, practising their races and crossing fingers for no rain! This week in Maths they have been working on telling the time, which is so important as a life skill. Many have been able to use the 24 hour clock and they are now working on how to use timetables. In English, they have started a new sequence of work using the book ‘Leon and the Place Between’. It centres around a magic show and they have written some beautiful descriptive pieces as their elicitation task, describing a magical scene. We were really impressed by how many of the skills they have learnt were included in their writing.
It’s been another busy week for Year 5. Well done to those who have taken part in the Bikeability course. This has been up to two days riding their bikes; Level 1 for half a day and Level 2 for a further 1.5 days. Everyone who took part achieved their L1 badges and certificates and the majority went on to achieve L2. There will be another opportunity next year to complete these sessions if you missed out this time. In class we have been writing our introductions for our dragonology books and in maths we have been translating shapes and finding reflections. We have been researching what the Kingdom of Benin was like and preparing for sports day.
Year 6 have had some children on transition to Torrington this week and some doing Bikeability which they’ve all enjoyed. In class they have completed a maths project on Luna Park: designing a theme park with a limited budget. In Literacy they have been completing their versions of The Tempest and illustratiing it using their computer skills from earlier in the year. In Topic, they have been finding natural and physical features on Lundy ready for our trip. We have also had a brief practice for Sports Day and they are looking forward to helping with the organisation. In art, they have begun making a device case involving sewing skills. Don;t forget the last week of term Tues 19th 2pm for the play and Fri 22nd 2pm for the leaver assembly. I will ask about numbers nearer the time so that we can sort seating.
