Principal's Message
We are almost getting back to normal and catching up with all our routines and plans. Last week we held elections and finalised our pupil roles and responsibilities. In this newsletter we will look at these roles. This week Y5 and Y6 have participated in NSPCC workshops. The whole school had an assembly on speaking out and staying safe. These assemblies remind children of the importance of sharing their worries and concerns with trusted adults. They support children in knowing how to use outside agencies such as Childline ( test them and see if they can recall the number).
Coming next week...Pupil of the week, new houses relaunch and Flourishing @ Falconer's project
Class Dojo - well done Willow and Elder 100% parent sign up. This is where the teachers will share class stories.
Uniform - please label you child's clothing as a small pile of jumpers, cardigans and blazers have appeared in the office.
Exercise equipment - The children of FHA know not to use this before and after school. Please ensure younger siblings do not use the equipment as it is not meant for younger children.
Dates for your diary
- Y5 Cadbury World 5th October 2022
- Y3 new intake open days 13th October, 17th November , 8th December 9:00 & 11:00
- Term 1 reports 14th October 2022
- Parent's Evenings 8th 4 - 7 and 9th 4- 6 November 2022
- Scholastic Book Fair 8th and 9th November
- Individual Photographs 9th November 2022
- Flu vaccinations 23rd November 2022
- Christmas concerts 12th and 13th December 2022
Pupil Elections!
Congratulations to all the children who took part in our Head Boy & Head Girl elections. The votes were very close and a Pupil Leadership Team was formed after the vote and discussions. The Head Boy and Head Girl decides to decided to have a team of deputies to share the load. We met briefly this week and they are going to be working closely with the School Council. These children are truly our ambassadors.
Head Boy - Byron Craddock & Head Girl Sienna Fuller
Pupil Roles and Responsibilities
We have many pupils who like to look after each other and the school. Prefects - will make sure everyone takes care of the play equipment and keeps safe. Wellbeing Champions - a friendly ear inside and keeping a watchful eye outside. Eco Team - keeping us energy wise, monitoring waste, recycling and improving the environment School Council work with the Pupil Leadership Team and the Senior Leaders to hear pupil views and ideas.
After school clubs
- Monday - Gymnastics, Computing
- Tuesday - Pro Soccer
- Wednesday Athletics, Orchestra/recorders
- Thursday - Yoga, Multisports
- Friday - Elite Football (invitation only) , Y5/Y6 Dance
Learning round up ...catch up
It has been another busy week in Maple class. We have been looking at part, part, whole models in maths and learning our 3 times table. In our writing lesson we have started to innovate our model text Little Red Riding Hood. In History we have been looking at Mesopotamia and why the citizens built Ziggurat so tall.
Wow what a week we've had! Silver Birch (and all of Y3) I am so impressed with how hard you are working. We've had such a great week exploring our new topics, including learning what a Ziggurat is and why it was so big! We also wrote our first report for geography where we wrote about a place we've visited in our region and what human and physical features there were.
Year 4
Pine class has been very busy this week, here is what a couple of us wanted to share: “Today we have learnt about how mountains are formed, it was fun! Tomorrow (Friday 16th) we are going to learn about Queen Elizabeth II. We enjoy our work in Y4 and we are excited about the new year ahead of us. We are also working hard to prepare for our maths times table test at the end of the year!”
Elder class has had another fabulous week. We looked at how mountains are formed, learned about the composition of bones and had a go at writing the story of Romulus and Remus from another perspective. The children worked fabulously when looking at rounding numbers and have been hard at work learning their times tables in preparation for the end of the year.
This week Willow class have been exploring the Amazon rainforest and looking at the different layers it has, the plants that grow there and the many animals they house. We have also been working really hard in maths working with numbers up to 400,000. Another highlight of this week has been creating some roleplay on our current story Hansel and Gretel. The children have enjoyed immersing themselves into the roles of nosy villagers. We have also learnt about our new artist of this term Frida Kahlo and her amazing art work.
Another busy week for the Sequoia class! We have really enjoyed further developing our knowledge of the Amazon Rainforest and the ancient Maya civilization. This week the children have used the internet to research information and were fascinated by the ancient game of Pitz and the rules of play. We have also been working extremely hard to memorise our text map - The Ice Forest. We are enjoying performing this together, using expression and actions.
We were extremely proud of how many members of the class put themselves forward for additional roles and responsibilities this week. From Wellbeing Champions to School Council members. Go Sequoias!
Year 6
This week, in science, Acer class have enjoyed thinking about which materials are soluble and why? They have been making carefully considered predictions in preparation for our experiment. We have begun to write letters to Newt Scamander in Talk for Writing, detailing our creatures and how we discovered them. Acer class have planned creative ideas about how they have found their creatures, focusing on their senses. It has been a great week, keep up the amazing work!
This week Oak class have particularly enjoyed learning about the River Nile and why early settlers migrated there to live. Children were also very busy planning their Science investigation which they will be carrying out next week. We will be investigating which materials are soluble and which are insoluble as part of our Changing States of Matter unit. Oak class are looking forward to carrying out some practical work next week! Another highlight has been our Music this week, the children played a samba rhythm as a class using Samba percussion instruments such as a ganza, tamborim and a surdo drum!
Maple - Wow!! What another amazing week we’ve had. The children have been looking at the major cities in the UK. The children were surprised to find out that Birmingham is our closest major city and not London. In art we have been looking at Henry Moore and had a go at doing self portraits.
Silver Birch - Another fantastic week. We loved learning about King Giglamesh and the legend of him searching for eternal life. In maths, we have absolutely loved learning how to partition and make the previous/next ten. We launched our new houses this Thursday and it was great for our year 3’s to meet people from other year groups within our school community and make new friends within their house! Can’t wait to see what we learn next week!
Sequoia have had a busy week with lots of exciting events. We have had visitors from the NSPCC who delivered a workshop that everyone participated in thoughtfully and sensitively, thinking about our support networks. We have also had a fantastic music opportunity with NMPAT who came in to start lessons with clarinets after a busy morning getting to know our new houses. Fantastic work Sequoias!
This week Acer class have enjoyed making 3D sculptures from a series of 3D shapes they created from nets. We discussed what a net is and how they can be used to make shapes. They have shown fantastic respect during a lesson with the NSPCC, where they discussed who they could talk to if they needed support or advice. Keep up the great work Acers
This week Oak class investigated which materials were soluble and which were insoluble which they thoroughly enjoyed. We have continued to work on our Mortal Engines unit in Talk for Reading looking at the theme of loyalty. We have also had the NSPCC come in and speak to all the children about what to do if they feel unsafe. The children have continued their Geography learning looking at the Amazon Rainforest. They are looking forward to the Living Rainforest trip on Monday!
Well being news
My Family Coach -
We use My Family Coach to help our parents and carers understand their children’s behaviour. My Family Coach is a free website written by behaviour experts with 20 years’ experience working with over 5,000 schools. My Family Coach will support you through the tough times, inspire you with new ideas, and share practical tips to make parenting that little bit easier.
Please see the FHA website for more information. Below is an example of a 'quick read'.
Trying to help your child make friends can be a challenge.
Children’s friendships are complex. They’re likely to make and fall out with friends throughout their childhood. It helps them learn how to communicate with others, problem solve, and develop social skills.
Many children have lots of friends, while others stick with one best friend. Some children struggle to make and keep positive friendships and will need extra support to tackle specific difficulties.
Ways to help your child make friends
Lots of children find it difficult to make friendships. Understanding why your child is struggling can help you plan ways to best support them.
There are a range of reasons why some children struggle to make and keep friends:
Low self-confidence
Naturally shy or quiet
Difficulties with communication skills
Struggle to manage their emotions
Challenges with sharing and turn-taking skills
Different interests and hobbies
You can’t force your child to make friends, but you can tackle any underlying problems that may affect them. You could help them develop conversation skills using role play, teach turn-taking, and practise playing games if they find it hard to share or lose.
If your child is anxious, you could invite a like-minded child over for a quieter playdate at your home to help them feel more relaxed. Start with short plays and increase the length as they build in confidence.
Child friends playing together
www.myfamilycoach.com
National Online Safety
Our Vision
To ensure all our children are engaged in the present and prepared for the future. Our children will leave us motivated to take on new challenges and with the confidence to persevere in all they do. Through a world class education, all our children will develop the ability to become lifelong learners. Our exciting, engaging and innovative curriculum will ignite a passion for learning in all of us.
Our children are members of a diverse community that is kind, responsible and respectful to all. Everyone is valued and celebrated. Everyone is encouraged to be ambitious and aspirational. Through our active collaboration between home and school, we develop resilient, confident and independent learners.
Term Dates
Term Dates 2022-2023
Term 1 Training Day 1st September 2022
Training Day 2nd September 2022
Term Starts 5th September 2022
Term Ends 14th October 2022
Term 2 Term Starts 31st October 2022
Term Ends 16th December 2022
Term 3 Training Day 3rd January 2023
Term Starts 4th January 2023
Term Ends 10th February 2023
Term 4 Term Starts 20th February 2023
Term Ends 31 March 2023
Term 5 Term Starts 17th April 2023
Term Ends 26th May 2023
Term 6 Term Starts 5th June 2023
Term Ends 24th July 2023
Keep in touch
Office@falconershillacademy.co.uk
01327 703132
http://www.falconershillacademy.co.uk
Twitter: @FalconersHill
Facebook: Falconer's Hill Academy