Welcome to the final issue of our newsletter for the Autumn Term and for 2022. This issue is full of exciting news, so please read on!
Sad news:
It is always sad when we have to say goodbye to members of staff, but this term we must say goodbye to two members of staff who have been with us for many years:
Mrs Day - is leaving us to take up a role with Read Write Inc (the company who work with schools to support the teaching and learning of Phonics, Writing and Spelling). This is an exciting opportunity for Mrs Day and we wish her all the best in her new role.
Miss Yates - is leaving us to take up a role in a nursery. Having worked as a teaching assistant and play worker for many years, Miss Yates is ready for a new challenge. We wish her lots of luck in her new job.
We also say goodbye to Miss Porter, a student teacher who has been working in Y1. Good luck with the rest of your training, and thank you for all your hard work!
Beehive
In the Beehive our story has been 'The Gingerbread Man'. The Bumble Bees have painted their own gingerbread men, made them out of playdough and practised lots of role play using masks.
They have also been very busy making decorations for the Winter Wonderland as well as lots of Christmas treats to take home.
F1
In F1 the children had a lovely time going on a very autumnal walk to look at the different houses surrounding the school. They looked at the features and were able to tell us how many floors they thought they had and how many windows.
We have been learning the about the true meaning of Christmas and started our nativity T4W story. The children loved learning about who Mary, Joseph and Jesus really were and we used google maps to look at Bethlehem and its surrounding area. The children decided it looked very different to where they live as it looked quite sandy.
The children have been practicing their Christmas songs and made lots of Christmas treats to show you at the end of term.
We look forward to the new year and we thank you again for your continue support.
F2
Christmas arrived early in F2! During Talk 4 Writing, we learnt 'The Christmas Story' and drew a story map to represent it. In maths we have been introduced to part whole models and have enjoyed looking at which parts make the whole. We also learnt '5 Little Elves' and drew this on a story map too. During forest school, we have enjoyed searching for materials to build fairy houses in our forest. The children were very imaginative and creative. During group time we have created large scale artwork, just like Jackson Pollock. We've also made Christmas cards and calendars. We found some exciting magic beans in our classroom and enjoyed predicting what they might grow into before we planted them. We think Santa or an elf left them there for us.
Thank you for your support with all of our Christmas activities. We loved seeing so many of you at our craft morning and singalong show! We hope you enjoyed them too and we would love to hear some feedback.
Year 1
In Y1 we are extremely proud of all our children for their amazing performance in the Christmas Nativity. Our first live audience was also amazing. The children enjoyed retelling the story in our most recent RE lessons. Leading on from this, we have been practising our singing voices once again for the Christmas Concert this coming Friday where we look forward to seeing you all.
In science, children are enjoying finding out about how astronauts live on the International Space Station. We are also thankful for the parents that brought in resources from home on Tuesday that allowed all children to construct their wonderful rockets. They were out of this world!
Year 2
Year 2 have continued to work on devising their own mythical creatures to write reports about in our T4W lessons - the children have been very creative and are now using noun phrases in their work. We have looked at time and fractions in our maths lessons and have found both to be a little tricky but we have shown great perseverance in applying what we know.
We have loved learning about Grace O'Malley, a pirate queen, in history lessons and North and South America in geography. In science we have looked at what animals need to survive and how they alter as they grow.
In music we have learned how to keep the beat and how whole pieces of music can be composed just using body percussion and voices. We have also started to be able to explain why we like or dislike certain types of music and that it is okay to have different opinions about this.
The Year 2 staff would like to thank you for all your support and wish you a Merry Christmas.
Year 3
In Maths, Y3 have been investigating capacity and volume. We had fun doing some hands-on maths; we were measuring how much different containers could hold and whether height and width impact capacity.
Y3 explored levers during our DT day on Tuesday 13th December, which linked to our science topic of Simple Machines. The children used skills such as measuring, cutting, sticking and fixing to create Winter themed cards that could move, slide and in some cases, dance!
As we approach the end of the Autumn term, the children have completed their hot writes in literacy and have simply blown us away! Their description, emotive language and use of a range of fronted adverbials shows how hard the year group have worked and we couldn't be prouder of them!
Friday 9th December was our Geography Day and we looked at what the physical features of a river are and what we might see as we journey from source to sea. The children then focused on the Yellow River in Northern China, which linked to our history topic of the Shang Dynasty. We looked at how the river has been changed to benefit humans and the environmental impact humans have had on the river and what that means for the citizens of China.
We would once again like to thank all the parents and carers for their continued support in what we do and we hope to see a lot more of you at our events after Christmas! We would also like to thank the children for their hard work and efforts this term, we're so proud of how far they have come in such a short space of time! Have a well earned rest, enjoy yourselves and we will see you in 2023!
Year 4
What an amazing build up to a Christmassy end of term! Y4 have enjoyed lots of musical treats as well as the Winter Wonderland evening. The children especially loved taking part in the fabulous carol service at Hull Minster, singing the songs they’ve been practising with Mr Keith.
In D & T, they’ve made cards with a lever design, and the finished products were very professional. In art, the children were able to produce some excellent zentangle calendars, which we hope some of you will be able to enjoy, all year round.
The geography day was a huge success; we studied rivers from around the world and learnt a lot about the Yellow River in China.
Outdoor lessons were focused on science and maths activities. Once again, we have amazed everyone with out times tables knowledge, in the DRET TTRS competition. It goes without saying that we are very proud of our year group and wish you all a very healthy and happy holiday!
Thank you
We would like to say a special thank you to GF Smith who donated some gorgeous paper with which to make out Winter Wonderland decorations. It was such a kind donation and allowed us to make even more profit.
We'd also like to thank The Deep who have provided clear baubles for the children to decorate and bring home. The children have created some amazing decorations.
Year 5
In Y5 this half term we have done lots of exciting activities and can't wait for the Christmas holidays. In Talk 4 Writing, we have learnt about whether or not we should keep animals in captivity. We have learnt the skills required to write a discursive text and then used these to write our own piece on whether or not we should keep a mythical creature in Wold Trafford. The children have loved this and there have been lots of mixed (and interesting) answers.
In maths we have looked at multiplication as well as fractions. We have enjoyed these units and have particularly enjoyed the different TT rockstars competitions we have been part of.
The rock cycle was an exciting part of science and looking at how fossils are formed. We enjoyed taking on the role of paleontologists and digging to see what we could find!
History and Geography led us to South America where we found out more of the Mayan culture and also the Olmecs. It was amazing to see what they had managed to build so many thousands of years ago, but also how gory some of the things were that they did (including Mayan football where the losing captain would have his head chopped off!) The geography element looked at the rainforests in this area of South America, in particular deforestation, along with Fairtrade foods that come from the region.
We are very much looking forward to the 2 weeks off and the Christmas holidays!
Year 6
It is hard to believe that Y6 have completed their first term at the 'top of the school'. They have settled in beautifully and are exemplary role models for our younger children. This was demonstrated perfectly when the school hosted our first Winter Wonderland event. Many parents and teachers commented upon the polite and helpful nature of our Year Six pupils; the children were delighted to receive this positive feedback which was thoroughly deserved.
There have been some interesting links across our English, History and R.E curriculum this term which centre around the theme of modern migration. In our reading sessions, we have been studying the book “No Ballet Shoes in Syria” which is about a young girl who has been forced to migrate from Aleppo to England. We read about the harrowing journey her family endured in a bid to rebuild their life, having left everything they loved behind. In history, we learnt about voluntary and forced migration. For example, children found it interesting to learn about the Windrush generation and how people were invited to the UK from the Caribbean to rebuild post-war Britain. In R.E, we have learnt a great deal about Jewish migration and how many Jews were forced to migrate due to discrimination over many centuries. We also undertook a local study and followed the journey of a Jewish couple, Hans and Janice, from Russia to the port of Grimsby.
As part of our geography topic on Brazil, Year Six loved building a favela out of card which brought the topic to life and deepened their understand of how these communities work. Children have also enjoyed their science topic on forces and found it interesting learning about scientists such as Isaac Newton and his theory of gravity.
The Launch Pad
December arrived and so did Claus Peppersticks! The children look forward to Claus’ certain brand of festive merriment with glee. It has been lovely to see all the children bringing their elves to meet Claus and them sharing special elvish experiences with each other.
Those who visited The Launch Pad during the Winter Wonderland would have seen our alternative Christmas tree. At this time of year it is ever so important to take some time to be kind to yourself and so the ‘Words of Wisdom’ tree was created. The children decorated bookmark leaves with inspirational words and phrases that they wanted to share with others. Well done to all of you for creating such a special work of art.
Credits:
Created with images by LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "flat lay with pine tree branches with red and golden christmas balls isolated on red" • Bits and Splits - "Woman drinking coffee and writing a diary note"