summer term 2023
Welcome to Summer term 2023. We hope you all had a wonderful Easter and the children are well rested from the holidays ready to start the Summer term. The year seems to have flown by and as always we have lots of new learning and topics all planned and ready to go.
The LKS2 team are continuing to enjoy working together. We have: Mrs Clipsham, Miss James and Mr Farrant as the class teachers. Our hard working support staff include: Mrs Thornton, Miss Black, Mrs Murray, Mrs Walker, Mrs Turnbull, Mrs Cross and Mrs Steeples. We are all looking forward to continuing to support your children in the final term of this academic year.
Homework
Homework will continue to be set on a Friday and is to be handed in on the following Thursday. Homework will be set in children's individual homework books (or via TT Rock Stars in Yr 4) and can be handed in early if completed. Children will receive weekly dojo points for completed homework. Children will have the opportunity to practise their spellings in school on a daily basis through English lessons, Reading lessons, RWI lessons and morning tasks.
We are continuing to follow a new writing cycle in LKS2 with a different genre being taught over a 3 week period. In our English writing lessons we will be focussing on a writing an explanation text, a short story with a cliff hanger, a letter and a poem. We will be using lots of hooks, looking at good examples of each genre and producing lots of great WOW work focusing on our handwriting.
Reading is incredibly important. All children in LKS2 are on the Accelerated reader programme and will be able to chose a book from our library and then complete a quiz on the book. These quizzes can be completed at school or at home. Some children will continue on the RWI programme to further support and develop their reading. They will be bringing home a RWI book on a weekly basis. Please do read with your child and enjoy that time together asking them questions on their book.
Children need to have their diary in school with them every day so any reading or quizzes that have been completed can be recorded.
If you have any questions regarding RWI or Accelerated reader, please speak to your child's class teacher who will be more than happy to help.
Books we will be reading this term are - Wonder by RJ Palacio (we started this last term), There’s a boy in the girls’ bathroom by Louis Sachar, Stone Age to Iron Age, I know someone by Michael Rosen, Teachers pick their noses by Conrad Burdekin, The Sound Collector by Roger McGough and Everything Volcanoes and Earthquakes by National Geographic Kids.
In our school we follow the White Rose scheme of learning to plan and deliver our maths lessons. This scheme allows children to experience a wide range of strategies to use across the different operations and pushes the children towards mastering the subject by allowing children to use what they know about number relationships and patterns in different ways, helping them solve problems.
This term, the children in Year 3 will be learning about fractions, money, time, shape and statistics. The children in Year 4 will be learning about decimals, money, time, shape, statistics and position and direction.
TT Rockstars is a great way for your child to practise their times tables. Each child will be given log in details to play a range of games online. Times tables are particularly important in Year 4. The children will be taking their Multiplication Table Checks in June 2023. Lot's of children have been practising and they are now quicker than Mr Farrant! Keep up the good work. Other good games include 1 minute white rose maths, Topmarks and Hit the Button.
Our RE lessons this term will focus on learning about the Gospel. We will be looking at the question 'What is the 'good news' Christians believe that Jesus brings?' Then we will look at Sacred Places and answer the question 'What makes some places sacred to believers?' We have been lucky enough to go to a few sacred places last half term so we hope these visits continue in this term.
Our core Christian values for the term will be Relationships in the first part of the term and then Reflection in the second half of summer. We will explore these themes in our daily worship sessions learning about these values. We will also be having weekly class worship looking at what is in the news currently and how this impacts on our lives through our resource called Picture News. This also allows us to discuss British Values and Protected Characteristics.
Our science work in Summer 1 is based on Animals including Humans. We will be investigating 'How can Usain Bolt run so fast?' The children will be learning about skeletons, bones, muscles and nutrition. In Summer 2 our science work is based on Living Things and Habitats. The children will be investigating 'Why don’t you find alligators in the River Aire?' They will be learning about the 7 life processes, sorting and grouping animals, vertebrate animals, local animals, classification keys and environmental changes.
We will be focusing on Art in Summer 1. Our topic is 'Every Picture Tells a Story. The children will be learning about a range of artists and special paintings. They will be studying these paintings and answer lots of questions on them before trying to paint like the artist. Does every picture tell a story?
We will be focussing on DT in Summer. Our focus will be on Mechanical systems. The children will be having a go at making a slingshot car. We look forward to seeing their designs.
Your child's PE day is TUESDAY.
If your child is in year 4 they will still be swimming each week. Your child will need to bring their swimming kit to school with them - towel, swim shorts / swimming costume. Hair needs to be tied back and children may bring googles or a swim hat with them if needed.
If your child is in year 3 they will need to bring their PE kit with them to school. This needs to be a white t shirt, black or blue shorts or tracksuit bottoms. The children will also need trainers for outdoor lessons. Hair again needs to be tied back and please ensure your child removes their earrings on this day.
Our PE focus in Summer 1 will be rounders and our focus in Spring 2 will be althetics.
Sport's Days - These will take place in the summer term. Further information and dates to follow.
In computing in Summer 1, the children will be learning about investigating weather. In Summer 2, the children will be learning about HTML via websites. They will also have online safety lessons each half term.
This term we will continue to have our French tutor in LKS2 who will be teaching the staff and children some more French. So far we have learnt numbers, colours, food and animals.
In music, we will be learning about traditional instruments in Indian music (Summer 1) and Pentatonic melodies (Summer 2).
In PSHE we will be having weekly lessons learning about Economic Wellbeing in Summer 1. In Summer 2 we will have a focus on Transition as we prepare to move to new classes and year groups at the end of the summer term.
Attendance and punctuality
Your support in sending your child to school regularly and on time is vital. We are continuing to open the school doors from 8.45am and close them at 8.55am. It is important that children are in school on time so they have no lost learning time. Morning tasks are in place in all classes so lateness to school does impact on these tasks.
OTHER
Visits - we will be having a visit out of school this term. Further information and dates to follow.
Mrs Clipsham will be on the top door each morning and another member of the LKS2 team will be on the bottom door each morning. Messages are passed on to other teachers. Please do not hesitate to approach or contact any LKS2 staff if you ever have a query. We also check our messages regularly on Class Dojo and will respond as soon as we can during the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm.
Your child has also been given a diary which can be used to record homework, reading and pass any messages on. There is a reading record section so do record any reading with your child as it is always lovely if parents/carers sign the diary on a weekly basis.
Thank you
Mrs Clipsham, Mr Farrant and Miss James.
Credits:
Created with images by Stillfx - "Team" • firewings - "Easter Vintage Background with Eggs and Flowers" • Jill Greer - "Giant sculptural rocks along the San Andreas fault in the Mojave desert in southern California" • vizafoto - "Brushes and paints for painting on an old background." • shaiith - "Measuring and comparing the results of the bearings with mechanical scheme" • Tierney - "Automation concept with person using a laptop computer" • magele-picture - "Curriculum"