Summer Term2018

Curriculum Notesto Parents

A very warm welcome to our next edition of Curriculum Notes to Parents for Summer 2018.This booklet gives details about the topics and areas of work to be covered by all classes. As you can see from our Dates for your Diary section on the very back page there is lots going on

this term. Please look carefully at the weekly newsletter and the school website too for the dates and times of other events.During the first half term we have a ‘Grand Designs’ themed week and in the second half term we have a ‘Fit for Life’ themed week which links in with National School Sports week. The Friday before our Grand Designs Themed week we will be having a Bring a Plant to School Day and then an environmental morning on Saturday the 19th May where families are invited into school to help us plant, tidy, sweep, etc. For the ‘Fit for Life’ themed week we hope you can join us for the morning for a whole school sporting event (29th June) and then stay for lunch after. In this edition I have also included an article on navigating our school website.Of course this term is important for transition throughout school. Our new reception for September 2018 will be joining us for play sessions, all the classes will be moving to their new classes for Moving Up Day as well as Year 6 visiting their new High Schools.I hope you find all the sections really useful and they help you support your child(ren) with their learning. Thank you so much for your support with all we aspire to achieve in our school.

Sarah Bamber

Oak ClassPersonal, Social and Emotional Development – Our focus this half term will be on feelings. The children will talk about when they feel happy, sad or angry and learn how to tell others how they are feeling. We will also be looking at change and how the children have changed since starting school. The children will begin to learn how to deal with change and that some change is unexpected. The children will celebrate what they have achieved this year and think about moving on to Year 1 and what they want to achieve next year. The children will support the new Foundation Stage children in the play sessions and have the opportunity to visit Year 1 for some sessions. As a whole school we will be focusing on ‘Reasoning’ and ‘Being Ready.’ The new class teddy will help children to understand the concept and will be looking out for children that are showing these characteristics and will be choosing a child to go home with. ‘Resourceful Monkey’ will also be keeping his eye out for children who are being particularly resourceful!

Communication, Language and Literacy – This half term we will be reading a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. We will start by looking at journeys and transport, with our focus text being ‘The Naughty Bus’. We will also look at journeys in Nature, thinking about our journeys in life so far and looking at the journey of a caterpillar and its

transformation into a butterfly. The children will have lots of opportunities to develop their communication skills through small world play, role play and retelling. Your child will continue to use phonic knowledge to read and spell simple regular words and continue to practice putting these into captions and simple sentences. They will write their own Naughty Bus story and will write an information text about Caterpillars. Please keep an eye out on the newsletters for more information, including other texts we will be looking at during the term.

Physical Development – We will continue to develop our letter formation throughout the term, focusing on different groups of letters (anticlockwise, tall letters, letters that sit on the line, letters that go under the line). We will continue to develop scissor skills, learning to cut in different directions, along straight and curved lines. In PE, we will continue to experiment with moving in different ways and we will recreate journeys in PE using different equipment. We will explore how we can move in different ways, around, under, over and through and continue to develop an understanding of space and safety. Camping week (commencing 9th July) will provide lots of exciting opportunities for outdoor learning!

Mathematics –We will start the term by learning about measuring; the children will develop their understanding of capacity, weight, time, length and height through lots of practical activities. They will also learn about money and will make amounts up to 20p using 1ps and using other coins where appropriate. The children will continue to work on recognising, writing, ordering and counting numbers to 20 and beyond. Through practical games and activities we will look at which number comes before and after another number. The children will learn how to double and halve numbers and will use different resources like tens frames, tens and ones to make a range of numbers. The children will continue to develop an understanding of 2D (triangle, circle, square, rectangle and pentagon) and 3D shapes (cube, cone, cylinder, sphere and cuboid) and look at the properties of these, including faces, edges and corners.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World –As engineers, the children will work together to design, plan and build their own vehicle which can hold a toy in it. As Scientists, the children will learn about the life cycles of different animals focusing on caterpillars. They will also have the opportunity to explore plants and growth, magnets and other scientific concepts such as floating and sinking. When reading the ‘Naughty Bus’ we will become geographers- learning about maps and thinking about the features of our own environment then comparing it to another. Our school trip to Lytham Park View on Monday 2nd July will also provide many exciting opportunities to explore the natural environment!

Expressive Arts and Design – When reading the story ‘The Naughty Bus’ the children will be taking on the role of the toys in toy town and role play different situations when the naughty bus is misbehaving! As part of our ‘Grand Designs’ week commencing 21st May the children will explore different methods of transport and will design and make their own toy vehicle.

PE is on a Tuesday and Friday morning. Please can PE kits be in school every day. Children will be heard to read in school as much as possible so please bring reading bags to school every day.

Thank you- Miss Owens, Mrs Harding & Mrs Bowerman

Beech ClassLiteracy- In our work in Literacy this term we will continue to develop our skills in reading and writing. We will continue to develop our confidence and fluency in reading whilst providing opportunities to talk and show our understanding of what we have read. In our writing we will continue to work on our understanding of punctuation (mainly capital letters and full stops) and grammar (for example the connectives we use such as and, because, but, also, etc) as well as practising our handwriting. The children will continue to work in their phonics groups at the beginning of ever day and in the Summer term there is a year 1 Phonics Assessment so keep an eye out for regular updates and information regarding this. During the Summer term we will be having opportunities to experience different genres in both our reading and our writing; keep an eye out in newsletters and homework for up to date information about the texts and genres we will be covering, for example we will explore classical stories such as The Enormous Turnip. We will retell this in different ways, learn about and use different grammatical features from the text, retell the story in different ways and build up to writing our own version. Other genres of texts we will learn about will include instructions and rhyming texts too. All of these texts are used to develop our interest which provide lots of opportunities to develop our reading and writing.

Numeracy- In Beech class we will continue to become budding mathematicians in our learning! We will be continuing to develop our understanding of place value, e.g. reading, writing and ordering numbers up to 100 whilst also making these numbers in different ways, e.g. Numicon, base 10, etc. We will continue to practise counting forwards and backwards in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s and will use this to support us in learning our times tables with the use of arrays. We will continue to learn our number bonds and our number facts up to 20 and beyond, making sure that each level is secure before we move on and progress further. We will continue to develop strategies for addition and subtraction and will be learning our doubles and halves of numbers to 20 whilst developing our knowledge of fractions. Throughout the term there will be lots of reasoning and problem solving opportunities involving all four operations. We will be naming and describing 2D and 3D shapes and using them to make patterns and pictures. We will be sorting and recognising coins and using them in simple shopping activities. We will also be estimating, measuring and comparing weights of objects, heights, lengths, widths and capacities.

Science- This term there will be lots of exciting opportunities to develop our skills as budding Scientists! So far this year we have learnt lots about senses, seasons and humans/lifecycles so will now continue to explore plants, their structure and how they grow in further detail. We will look at plants in our local environment and explore the structure of these plants whilst also comparing, observing and grouping them. We will learn in

which environments plants grow best in and investigate this in different ways. This term we will also develop our understanding of different types of materials and their properties; creating our own questions which we can investigate.

Computing- Computing continues to play an important part in our classroom on a daily basis as we develop how we use a range of different resources available including laptops, ipads, cameras, voice recorders, etc. As well as learning how to use computers safely we as part of our work in digital literacy, will continue to learn how to create, manage and manipulate digital content, e.g. through taking photos and video recordings and editing them.

PE- In PE we will be focusing on athletics and striking and fielding. We will be developing skills in a range of different activities, e.g. tennis, cricket and rounders whilst also learning about techniques in running, jumping, throwing, etc. During the Summer term it is the Infant Sports Day on the 20th June 2018 with National Sports Week the following week. Please could you make sure that your child has their PE kit in school at all times and that no earrings are worn on the days that we have PE (Wednesdays and Thursdays). Make sure that you regularly check your child’s pumps too please.

PSHE- In PSHE we develop different skills such as communication, compassion and empathy and risk taking to name a few areas. We think about how our decisions are influenced and how best to make these decisions to ensure that they are positive ones. We think about how we respond to other people and how we listen, share our own thoughts and feelings and respond to others too. This term we will be focussing on the values of Reasoning (how do we solves problems and make decisions) and Readiness (how we adapt and get ready for change).

RE- In RE we will explore different religions, including Christianity, where we will have the opportunity to explore different beliefs about God, worship and the world around us; this term we will continue to ask the question “How do we respond to the things that really matter?” We will think about how and why people celebrate different events and occasions and why this is important in religion and worship, what can religious stories teach us and what makes us go ‘Wow’ in our lives.

Creative Curriculum- Our creative curriculum allows us to explore the interests of children in Beech class which will help us develop our skills across a number of areas of the curriculum, including History, Geography, Art and Design Technology. Throughout the curriculum lots of different links can be made through themes which will help us explore what we as a class find exciting and engaging! In Science we will be learning about plants and how things grow; this will lead to us exploring artwork by artists who use plants and the environment as inspiration for their work, for example Monet. We will be looking at what we can grow and how we can help things grow; for example fruit and vegetables which will build into work in technology exploring food. We will be learning about a variety of fruit and vegetables and what we need for a healthy diet. We will learn about preparing and combining foods too; using tools in cooking and learning how to accurately measure ingredients too. Throughout the Summer term there will by some exciting themed weeks and days which will be used to support our learning; for example on the 18 th May 2018 we will be having an Empty Classroom Day which will be followed by Environmental Saturday on the 19 th May 2018. An outdoor theme will continue as we spend the week outside as part of Camping Week on the week beginning 9th July 2018.

Please could you:Encourage your child to read for ten minutes each night and please make sure that you sign your child’s diary. Also, please could you make sure that reading bags are brought into school everyday even if your child has not finished their reading book. Homework will be sent out weekly to complete ready for the following week and there are lots of interactive activities too including Mathletics, Reading Eggs and Spellodrome.

Thank you- Mr Moulding, Mrs Winter & Mrs Richards

Rowan ClassWelcome back to another packed term in Year 2!

Our themed weeks this term include Grand Designs and Fit for Life and as well as, of course, CAMPING WEEK

English Continuing our delivery of the Lancashire English scheme we will be becoming familiar with the classic tale “Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame. We will be learning how to write our very own animal adventure stories as well as adding new chapters to a familiar story. We will be writing letters and different forms of communication as well as learning some classic poetry based on The Ugly Duckling. We will also be writing stories about seaside holidays taking our inspiration from Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories. We will be looking at how to answer comprehension exercises to help with the End of KS1 assessments, as well as recapping a lot of the spelling, punctuation and grammar we have learned throughout Year 2.

Mathematics As mathematicians we will continue to work daily on our mental maths focussing on the 2, 3, 5, and 10 times tables. In preparation for the KS assessments we will be spending the first few weeks looking at all the different mathematics operations, (addition, subtraction, multiplication & division). Your children will be using mental strategies as well as ‘jottings’, (drawing own number lines, base 10, sets) to calculate arithmetic questions. Your children will also have a focus maths topic such as time, fractions, position and directions, recognising 2D & 3D shapes and measuring length, height, mass and capacity in real life and word problems. We will be looking at Maths in the outdoors and solving different kinds of maths problems.

Science As scientists we will be looking at life cycles of plants and animals, we will be planting our own sunflower seeds and beans and measuring their growth as well as deciding how best plants grow and what they need. We will be having a close look at what creatures live in our gardens and areas surrounding school, going on minibeast hunts and classifying animals. We will be looking at how animals adapt to their environment and their habitats. As part of our topic about animals and habitats we will be hopefully going to Brockholes to find out more about different habitats. We will also be looking at materials and their properties and completing investigations into suitable materials for different uses, as well as looking at recycling, reusing and renewing materials and energy.

Computing Your children will be using the computers, laptops and iPads to research about minibeasts, lifecycles and about the Brazilian Rainforest. They will learn how to copy and paste to create fact sheets, importing text and

graphics into a PowerPoint slide. They will also use the iPads for problem solving and continuing they work on algorithms and E Safety. We will be using ICT to look at different ways of communicating for example emails and blogs.

PE. Our sports stars will hopefully be spending more time enjoying PE outside. We will be looking at developing their striking and fielding skills within cricket and rounders. We will become athletes in preparation for sports day and colour day as the children will have the opportunity to try out different javelin, long jump and hurdles activities to name but a few. RE and PSHE Your children will be looking at how they have become independent learners since their time in KS1 and what they need to do to become fabulous learners in KS2. The 2 Rs left to cover as part of our 6Rs in PSHE will be Reasoning and Ready. Mrs Johnson will be continuing to work on Scarf activities with the children which will help them to be able to express themselves and work through challenges they will face as they move on into KS2. Some of the topics covered will be living in the wider world, rules, rights & responsibilities and money and caring for the environment.

Creative Curriculum: As part of Year 2’s Creative Curriculum we will be concentrating on developing our skills in Geography, Art ICT and History. As part of looking at the Brazilian rainforest and it’s animals the children will be designing and making animal hand puppets. In DT we will be using junk and recycled materials to make a moving vehicle for Toad. We will be comparing holidays at the seaside from the past and now in History. We will be spending a fabulous week outside with Oak and Beech classes, learning about living outdoors and are in the process of arranging a day out at Brockholes before camping week so the children can experience some bush craft. I’ll keep you informed.

In May your children will be taking part in some standardised assessments. Some children may be involved in up to five different kinds of assessments. They do not need to be worried about these at all and all we ask is that they

have plenty of sleep, read every night and have a good breakfast in the mornings.

Thank you- Miss O’Grady & Mrs Ashworth

Navigating Our School Website

There is lots of information on our school website which not only support your child(ren) in our school but also allows you to find out more about day to day life at our school. Please use the information below to support you with this so you can maximise what it has to offer.

Click here to find out about the staff in our school, our most recent Ofsted Report, the school prospectus, information on admissions and much more.

Click here to view class pages which contains information about class topics, homework and the school twitter feed.

This is where you will find the most up to date newsletter, term dates, information on our curriculum, important dates coming up in school and information on our policies.

Maple Class English: In English this term we will immerse ourselves in our English topic ‘How Does Your Garden Grow’ and we will read ‘The Enchanted Wood’ by Enid Blyton. After ‘chunking the plot’ of this story, we will create our own mystery/adventure stories. For our non-fiction focus, we will write an explanation poster and film of how seeds are dispersed. These will be presented to Year 2. When we study animals and their skeletons in Science, we will write poems about insects. During our ‘Extreme Survivors’ topic, we will write an autobiography as if we are Steve Backshall or Bear Grylls. Our SPaG focus will be using inverted commas for direct speech, writing complex sentences and developing our dictionary skills using the first two letters of a word. Maths: In maths this term we will continue to focus on fractions incorporating the tenths place value column whereby children will learn to count forwards and backwards in tenths crossing the units boundary. Then we will use our division skills to find fractions of quantities. We will learn how to read timetables and calculate journey times for buses, ferries and planes to a variety of destinations. We will strive to achieve our end of year 3 expectation of telling the time to the nearest minute by practising this skill on a regular basis. As we revisit the topic of measurement, we will consolidate our calculation strategies for the four number operations through mass and capacity. When we have mastered our calculation strategies, we will revisit the properties of shapes and focus on angles. We will continue our search as to whom will be crowned ‘Times Table Champion’ of the class as we have a relentless focus on learning our x3, x4 and x8 so that we can rapidly recall facts.

Science: In Science this half term we will study seeds and seed dispersal using our green fingers to plant a seed or two in the school garden recording their growth using a variety of digital media. During our ‘Grand Designs’ themed week, we will design a plant container so we might be asking for some willing volunteers at some point! After half term we will study animals and their movement and link this to our ‘Extreme Survivors’ topic by investigating how different animals are adapted to different habitat conditions. The children will learn different survival skills as we become an ‘extreme survivor’ for the day with all of KS2.

Creative Curriculum: This term we have two themed weeks, the first will be ‘Grand Designs’ ” and the second is ‘Fit for Life’’. As part of our Curriculum Entitlement we will visit Sizergh Castle, which is a National Trust setting in the South Lakes, and enjoy a sleep over in school on Friday 13th July.

Geography: We will look at different climates as we look at how the weather affects what crops can be grown in different locations. In our KS2 ‘Journey of Food’ Day, we will find out what crops can be grown in our climate and make delicious meals using these.

Art and Design: We have lots of outdoor art and design planned as take part in the ‘Empty Classroom Day’ on the 18th May. In addition to this, we will make first hand observational drawings in sketchbooks of flowers, plants and gardens.

Music: We will complete our two final music mornings and return to practising the recorder and you will be invited to a live performance near the end of the summer term.

PSHE: During this term, we will work on team work and co-operation skills as we work together to build dens on Empty Classroom Day, make planters and create a biodiverse garden and work in teams for our annual sports day and ‘Fit for Life’ themed week.

R.E. We shall continue to investigate the question: Who should we follow?’ and focus on the leaders of different religions that we discussed during our studies of ‘Tolerance of different beliefs’ in the Spring Term.

ICT: During our ‘Grand Designs; week we will acquire, store and retrieve images from cameras as they write an explanation of how they created their planter using Microsoft Powerpoint.

PE: This term we will focus on Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA) and will take part in a range of orienteering activities in our school grounds. There will be an emphasis on throwing and catching skills as we focus on the team game rounders. This term PE will take place on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

Here you can find a wealth of information about Blue Bear Pre-School, Care Club, the PTFA & Governing Body. The Care Club (before & after school club) page is full of information regarding pricing, session times and what they typically get up to on a daily basis! The Blue Bear sections provides a direct link to their own website. The Governors section informs you on the job of the governors and who they are. The PTFA page explains the activities that have taken place, money raised and future events that are planned.

Please help and encourage your child to: Learn times tables so that facts can be instantly recalled and complete the Times Table Challenge. Complete Reading Eggspress and Spellodrome homework set weekly. Complete activities set on Mathletics – at least two per week. Read at least 3 times a week and complete Reading Challenges set in our Reading Diaries.

Thank you for your continued support, Mrs Scott, Mrs Thompson & Mrs Francis

Willow ClassWelcome back after the half term holiday. We are now heading full steam into the summer term with lots of exciting events and challenges to come.

Literacy – Following on for last term, the children will continue to be taught in line with the Lancashire literacy units. During spring term these new units showed a really clear progression in writing and provided the children with a wide range of opportunities throughout a variety of genres. This term, we will be tackling poetry, non-fiction writing and story writing all within the context of Water, Water Everywhere. We will be focusing on texts such as The Water Horse by Dick King Smith and poems such as The Water Dance by Thomas Locker. The children will continue to showcase their writing talent as part of the end of unit, independent write. Numeracy – This term in maths, the children will be starting with money and measurements as there were areas left incomplete towards the end of spring term. The children will be tackling money problems and developing their knowledge of doubling and halving and formal subtraction and addition to calculate change and total amounts. As the term progresses, we will be ‘bubbling’ with our knowledge of decimals and the number system to ensure those important skills don’t get forgotten. We will be applying our knowledge of written multiplication towards the end of this half term and investigating area, shape and perimeter. Science – Our science topic this term is the water system. This links in well with our literacy unit and we will be able to do plenty of cross curricular learning in order to cover all the unit of work. The children will begin the term learning about solids, liquids and gases and will have lots of opportunities to investigate different properties of materials. As we move on through the term, we will be learning about sound and some of the historical investigations into the invention of the telephone. French-Throughout the term, the children will be planning their own French holiday. We will be using our geography skills to research about the country’s most famous attractions and create a bank of conversational French that we might use once we are abroad. History and Geography –In History the children will be learning about the relationships between England, Scotland and Wales and how this impacted and transformed England as we know it today. The children will be using their geographical skills to determine county boarders in Britain, locate cities, rivers and mountainous regions whilst researching how the British isle has changed since the 13 th century. Art and DT – During the second part of summer term, Year 4 will be linking their art and textile project with science. The children will be creating their very own suitable bridges using their woodwork skills that can be used to transport over an expanse of water. ICT – Continuing with our topic of Water, Water Everywhere, the children will have lots of opportunities to research, create, and present information to inform others about the water cycle. They will use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create PowerPoint presentations, develop ideas that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information particular focusing around annual rainfall in a variety of countries. PE – In PE this term we will be continuing to focusing on striking and fielding, PE will continue to be on a Tuesday and Wednesday each week. P.E kits must be in school every day.Music – We continue with our keyboard lesson with Mr Collet. We will continue to play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using the children’s voices and playing musical instruments (keyboard) with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression. The children are encouraged to improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music, listen with attention to detail and learn a variety of cultural, religious and spiritual songs. RE – During this term we will be investigating the challenging question ‘Living the Faith’. We will explore how people live their day to day lives across a range of countries and religions. On the 19 th April, KS2 will be joining together to celebrate food from a variety of cultures and exploring different countries and their traditions.

PSHE– This term we will be looking at risk taking and how to make well informed decisions and choices. We will start this term with a particular focus on ‘summer term’ expectations and how the children can develop as independent, resilient learners.

You can help by: Asking what they have learnt and what they are proud of. I feel this is a very important one. Reading a wide variety of books together, commenting on their content and your opinions of the characters, setting and plot. Checking unfamiliar words and exploring vocabulary with a dictionary. Encouraging your child to use dictionaries for checking spellings, this will be regular practise in the classroom Learning times tables and number bonds. Encouraging them to be independent and develop their general organisational skills. Ensuring they complete ongoing homework tasks. Helping with their talk for writing homework given on Friday in preparation for the Independent Write the following Friday. Encourage your children to complete Reading Eggs.

I can help by:

Providing an open door policy for both parents and children. Ensuring that children are regularly completing homework to ensure they make the most out of their learning. Ensuring that both children and parents are well informed of events and expectation.

Thank you in advance of your support and encouragement, Mrs Kershaw & Mrs Jones

Sycamore ClassLiteracy – This half term we will apply our literacy skills by writing a story based in the Amazon rainforest; we will focus on setting description and using a range of adventurous vocabulary to set the scene. Our story will encompass a feeling of adventure and danger so we will look at how to incorporate these aspects effectively. We will then use the knowledge we have obtained about the rainforest to hold a debate looking at a current issue such as deforestation and then prepare simple arguments and present them using persuasive devices. Next half term we will write a myth linked to Ancient Greece looking specifically at word choice and the effect this has on the reader. Further to this, we will write a short non-chronological report on the Olympics using the features of non-fiction texts. To finish, we will get creative with figurative language to write a poem about a famous Olympian including metaphors, similes and personification. Overall, we will continue to look at different sentence types (simple, compound and complex) and perfect our use of these to include a range of different clauses, including relative clauses, punctuation and openers. In Guided Reading we will continue to look at PEE – Point, Evidence and Explanation to ensure that we can answer questions referring to the text.

Numeracy – In Numeracy this term we will be looking at Measurement to include mass, volume, area and perimeter. We will look at geometry and the properties of shapes to include angles. We will also look at the position and direction of shapes linking this to the shapes and symmetry used in Greek architecture. To link in with our topic, we will look at the climate/size of the Amazon/Greece and compare them to the UK. We will also continue to consolidate our place value skills and written calculations for all four operations, using and applying these skills in problem solving looking at one step, two step and mathematical puzzles adopting a systematic approach. Our daily differentiated mental maths sessions will focus on quick recall of time tables, mathematical facts and calculation strategies.

Creative Curriculum

History – In History Year 5 will be studying Ancient Greeks and the creation of the Olympics linking this in to our National Sports Week and Extreme Survivors topic. We will look at where Greece is and what we know about it, what life was like in Ancient Greece, how we know about the Ancient Greeks and beliefs, myths and legends.

Geography – This half term our whole school topic Journeys will be linked to the Amazon looking at its physical and human geography. We will consider how the rainforest is changing, why it is changing and whether these changes are positive or negative. We will then make some comparisons to our local region.

Science – Our science focus will be on life cycles where we will describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird. We will look at the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals. We will also look at human life cycles describing the changes that occur as we develop into old age and we will learn about the main life processes of moving, feeding, growing, using our senses, respiration and reproduction. We will also conclude our materials topic looking at changing materials and reversible and irreversible changes. We will continue to develop our skills of working scientifically by carrying out a range of investigations about any topic that interests us!

Art and DT – We will design a useful belt with loops and pouches to carry equipment for an Explorer or Adventurer. We will look at its purpose, design, size, fastenings and then make and evaluate our finished product.

PE – Year 5 will be going swimming on a Thursday morning and the children already know all about this. We will be holding National Sports Week on 25th June where we will have Junior Sports and we will also plan an Extreme Survival Day. PE will be on a Wednesday and Friday each week. Please remember to always have PE kits and pumps in school.

RE/PSHE – In RE we will continue to explore what is it to be human focusing on how we live our lives and the values and morals that underpin this. We will then link our questions and findings to different religions comparing, contrasting and making links between our own attitudes and that of different religious communities. Linked to our RE work, in PSHE we will be reflective looking at the qualities that make a respected member of a society and the attributes we admire in ourselves and others and how we can develop these further.

Other Events- As part of our entitlement, Year 5 will be having a sleepover in the school field on Friday 13th July where we will each buddy a Year 3 child (who are having a sleepover in the school hall) and play team building games as well as having a sing-song round the campfire and BBQ.

Please help and encourage your child's learning by: Being positive and enthusiastic about their learning. Reading a wide variety of books together, commenting on their content and expressing opinions about the characters, setting and

plot. Checking unfamiliar words and exploring vocabulary with a dictionary. Learning times tables and number bonds. Encouraging them to be independent and develop their general organisational skills. Ensuring they complete ongoing homework tasks. Actively participating in your child’s home/school diary. Please also encourage your child to have these in school every day! Encourage your children to complete Reading Eggs.

Thank you in advance for your support and encouragement. Miss Jenkinson, Mrs Thompson & Miss Brown

Hornbeam ClassLiteracy – During the summer term, Aladdin will be our area of main focus for us in year 6. The children will be using this text in Literacy to explore how a script is written and performed, how specific language is used to engage the audience and how to adapt their speaking and listening skills accordingly. The children will be focusing on this skill and working towards their replication of Aladdin for their summer production. We will be practising our speaking, listening and drama skills - learning to speak with clarity and expression, reflecting on the author’s intent and their understanding of the character they are portraying. The children will be learning how to perform on stage and to an audience to convey believable emotion and actions. In Hornbeam class the children will

also be exploring the use of imagery, multiple plot lines, descriptive writing; character empathy; exploring the same events from a different perspective. This will allow the children to explore using adventurous language and looking at how to engage a reader through their own imagery and writing.

Mathematics – As mathematicians this term we will be further enhancing and practising our mental maths skills, focusing on rapid recall of known number facts and key strategies for addition, multiplication, subtraction and division. We will be solving multiple step word problems which involve fractions, decimals, percentages and all measures and learning how to solve multi-step problems using formal written methods and calculators. We will be looking at equivalent fractions and ordering and simplifying mixed fractions/decimals/percentages. The children will also be converting between different measures, how to find missing co-ordinates in four quadrants and how to use negative co-ordinates. Cross curricular links to other areas of the curriculum using maths will be made such as using spreadsheets to record a whole school survey and then using ICT to help create pie charts and line graphs of our results.

Science – As Scientists in Hornbeam class we will be focusing on forces and how the use of forces are found in everyday life. The children will be looking at the different forces that are existent in everyday life whilst also creating and carrying out their own experiments to test theories and provide detailed explanations about forces such as gravity.

ICT – The children will continue to develop their text and multimedia skills. They will use the Internet to search a large database and interpret information. The children will then apply this to different areas of the curriculum giving them a wide range in which to use their skills effectively. We will also be using IPAD technology to explore and experiment with different algorithms, looking closely at how computers work from the commands in which we give them. We will be investigating algorithms and using different technology to create and solve our own algorithms. E-mail and the use of Microsoft Excel, for using spreadsheets, will be used with a cross curricular Maths theme.

Creative curriculum- Throughout the summer term the children will also be taking part in many themed days or KS2 days. These include the final music mornings of the year where the children will visit different musical themed workshops to create and explore with different musical elements and components. The children in KS2 will also be taking part in a country themed day. In year 6 we will be learning about all things Persian. This will help the children to link their learning for their Aladdin production and allow them to portray the different characters that they will be casting. All of these days will allow the children to be creative and enhance a plethora of new skills that they can use throughout the curriculum.

PSHE – In Hornbeam class this term we will be focusing on aspirations and new beginnings. As the children enter their final term at Strike Lane we will be looking at what the future may hold for them and how we can best prepare for this. The children will be looking ahead to new chapters in their lives and exploring all of the different scenarios that they may encounter along the way, looking at how to best deal with these as they arise. PE – In PE we will be focusing on athletics and striking and fielding (cricket). During these topics the children will be learning the skills of batting, bowling and fielding and how to apply these to different game situations. They will also be taking part in athletics activities and enhancing their track and field skills.

RE –We will be learning about a variety of different stories and the messages/morals that are behind them. We will be focusing on what these stories teach us and how we can use them in everyday life contexts. This term we will be focusing on ‘In what ways is life like a journey?’ We will be looking at the transition to High School and what this will entail for the children as they leave Primary School.

French – During the summer term the children will be using their knowledge of conversational language to help them access areas of everyday French life such as ordering in a café or meeting new people and explaining about their lives. They will use French phrases in everyday contexts and focus on describing themselves to others using a variety of different features. The children will have the chance to speak orally whilst also being challenged to write their own conversations and text in French.

Home school diaries - Could you please ensure that your child’s home school diary is brought to school each day with their reading book. The children need to make sure that this is always written in and assigned by an adult at home and kept up to date throughout the week.

Please help and encourage your child to: Read for ten minutes every day, and encourage your child to read a variety of genre types, asking them deductive questions about what they have read. Complete their homework. Daily homework and Mathletics and Reading Eggs. Other homework (SPAG, reading comprehension, maths) will be given out daily and returned the next day to school. Practise times tables regularly and learn their spellings for a test each Friday Review their home school planner and remind them to bring it into school each day. PE kits need to be in school every day.

Thank you- Mr Williams, Mrs Johnson & Mrs McFarlane

Dates for your Diary

Tuesday 17th April- Year 4 overnight residential to Hothersall Lodge. Tuesday 17th April- 6pm- Friends Meeting. Thursday 26th April- 3:30-5:30pm- Strike Lane Club. Monday 7th May- May Day Bank Holiday. W.C. 14th May- Year 6 SATs Week. Thursday 17th May- 6:30-8pm- Disco.

Friday 18th May- Non-Uniform Day- Bring a Plant to School Day. Saturday 19th May- Environmental Morning to tidy/plant the school grounds. W.C. 21st May- Grand Designs’ themed week. Monday 21st May- 6pm- Induction Meeting for parents whose children start in Foundation Stage in

September. Tuesday 22nd May- 8:45-9:30am- School Nurse Drop in. Friday 25th May- Celebration Assembly led by Yrs 3,4 & 5. Friday 25th May- Children break up for half term and return Monday 11th June. Friday 15th June- Non-Uniform Day- Colour Stall. Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th June- Club Day Weekend. Tuesday 19th June- 8:45-9:30am- School Nurse Drop in. Wednesday 20th June- Infant Sports Day-am. Thursday 21st June- 3:30-5:30pm- Strike Lane Club. Saturday 23rd June- Cheerleading Competition. W.C. 25th June- National School Sports Week. Monday 25th June- Junior Sports-pm . Friday 29th June- Whole School Sports Event with parents and then lunch. Friday 29th June- 7pm- Race Night. Tuesday 3rd July- Move Up Day. Friday 6th July- Reports Home. Friday 6th July- Non Uniform Day- Chocolate Tombola. Saturday 7th July- 12-2pm- Garden Party. W.C. 9th July- Infant Camping Week (Oak, Beech & Rowan). Monday 9th July- 1:30pm- Year 6 production of Aladdin. Tuesday 10th July- 6pm- Year 6 production of Aladdin. Thursday 12th July- 3:30pm onwards- Parents Evening if needed. Thursday 12th July- 6pm- Year 6 production of Aladdin. Friday 13th July- Big Sleepover in school for Year 3 (in the hall) & Year 5 (camping on the field). Tuesday 17th July- 8:45-9:30am- School Nurse Drop in. Friday 20th July- 1:45pm- Leavers Assembly. Friday 20th July- Finish for Summer holidays. Wednesday 5th September- All children return to school except Foundation Stage. Thursday 6th September- New Foundation Stage (Reception) children start.

Please look carefully at our weekly newsletters for other events. This can also be found on the school website.