Welcome to our first newsletter of the Summer Term. This is a short half term, with lots of important and exciting things happening, so please read on to find out what is going on in school. Thank you for your continued support.
Buzz club reminder: Please book your places for Mon 30th May - Wed 1st June, plus Mon 6th June. Opening will be dependent on having sufficient numbers of bookings. Booking forms available now from Buzz club and the school office.
Dates for your diary:
- May (whole month) Y2 SATs taking place
- Mon 9th - Thu 12th May Y6 SATs week
- Mon 16th May Dental health screening (F2 / Y1)
- Mon 23rd May Vision screening mop up session (F2)
- Thu 26th May Jubilee celebration day (see below for details)
- Thu 26th May Jubilee discos run by the PTFA (see below for details)
- Fri 27th May Jubilee learning day (see below for details)
- Fri 27th May Class photos (all years)
- Sat 25th June Summer Fayre (please note the change of date)
- Fri 1st July Spanish Day (details to follow)
Beehive
We have some new visitors to the Beehive - some caterpillars 🐛
In stories for talking the bumblebees are learning - 'We’re going on a bear hunt'.
The children will be looking at the nouns and verbs, sequencing story pictures and repeating the refrains from the story.
F1
In F1 this week we have welcomed the new starters. They have enjoyed getting to know their new friends and enjoying the new environment.
The children have started their new topic on growth and thoroughly enjoyed planting in the garden. Hopefully we will see some lovely flowers and herbs before the end of term.
Thank you to the PTA for your donation of soil and plants.
Dates for your diaries: Jubilee stay and play sessions -Tuesday 24th May (pm) and Thursday the 26th May (am).
F2
The children in Foundation 2 are becoming experts in our science work. We have been learning about the season of Spring, animals' lifecycles and animals' habitats. We still have our tadpoles and are patiently waiting for them to grow legs and become froglets. We also have 10 pet caterpillars and have been observing them closely to see them grow and change.
In maths we have been concentrating on patterns and finding the ‘unit of repeat’. This is the smallest part of the pattern and the bit that needs to be repeated each time.
We have also started an exciting new story in Talk for Writing. It’s title is 'Jack and the Robbers' and is about the animals Jack meets on his journey before he frightens away some robbers.
Next week we are going to be learning about money and hope to design and make our own money boxes. Please help by continuing to send in clean boxes and containers for us to use in our creative area. Thank you
Year 1
The children in Year 1 have made a fabulous start to the summer term. The term began with us discovering a giant footprint, and other clues, in our classrooms. We worked out that it had come from a rare tree giant! Ask your child to tell you about one!
In history, we have started looking at the story of Christopher Columbus. We have enjoyed the start of our science unit on plants and are looking forward to learning more about how they grow.
On Thursday 26th May 2022 we will be collapsing our curriculum to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. There will be lots of exciting things happening, including:
- Children and staff to wear red/white/blue OR ‘Royal themed’ OR 1950’s themed clothes
- Special menu so we can have a ‘street party’ (outside, weather permitting)
- Each year group to ‘present’ a song / poem / dance to share in the afternoon
- ALL pupils to learn and sing the National Anthem
- Bunting / flags to be created
- Stalls / games
- Jubilee Discos AFTER SCHOOL – PTFA will be running discos (3:30 - 4:30pm F2/KS1; 4:45 - 5:45pm KS2) £2 per ticket (includes entry and refreshments)
On Friday 27th May 2022 we will focus our learning on the Queen, her life, her reign, the significance of the Jubilee, etc.
Please note that normal uniform is to be worn, as it is also Class Photographs on this day.
Year 2
It has been a joy to see the children back this week so energised and refreshed after the Easter Holidays. It has been lovely to hear all the fantastic things the children got up to!
This week in T4W the children all imagined that they were Tree Giants, writing a diary entry from the point of view of a Tree Giant nearly being caught by a wicked Tree Giant hunter! Last week we found a footprint that the Tree Giant had left behind in our classrooms, I think he had been trying to hide!
We have begun our new text in T4R, 'George's Marvellous Medicine'. We have just finished reading Chapter Two when George is making the vile, horrible medicine for grandma to drink. What do you think might happen to her?
In History, we have been finding out all about the explorer Christopher Columbus and about the amazing journey he went on to try and find 'The Indies' but actually discovered a new place in the world. Next week, we are continuing with our Tree Giant text and learning more about our new plant topic in Science, how interesting!
Year 3 and Year 4
Y3 & Y4 enjoyed their Science Day - as budding astronomers, the children now understand all about how exciting our solar system is. We investigated the Big Bang Theory, moon phases and the comparative sizes and gravity on the different planets.
In reading and writing, we have started our new texts and in maths, there is a big focus on multiplication and the related division facts. Please encourage your children to go on TT Rockstars as often as possible.
All in all, it has been a busy start to the new term.
Times Tables Rock Stars
In preparation for the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), all Year 4 pupils across DRET have been invited to take part in a ‘Battle of the Bands’ tournament each week throughout May.
There will be a winning school and winning class each week. The Year 4 pupils at Wold Academy are on fire and are hoping to top the leader board. Please encourage your child to take part.
If your child is in Y2, you could support your child by ensuring they are secure with their x2, x10 and x5 tables before they start in Y3
If your child is in Y3, you could support your child by ensuring they are secure with their x2, x10 x5, x3, x4 and x8.
Year 5
This half term we have lots to look forward to and have thoroughly enjoyed beginning to learn about Charles Darwin through our Talk for Reading and within our science. We have enjoyed learning about his life and the discoveries he made whilst on the Galapagos Islands, and how he used these to write his famous book. We are looking forward to completing some investigations to see how some animals have evolved to suit their environments.
Through our Talk for Writing we are completing a Biography through the topic of dragons. We are learning about how to complete a biography and will then complete one about our own dragonologist. We have loved using our imaginations and delving into the world of these mythical creatures.
In maths it's all about fractions. Adding and subtracting fractions, whilst remembering the golden rule of ensuring the denominators are the same! Next up is multiplying fractions. Please keep practising timestables at home as much as possible.
In Geography we have been learning about cities and rivers around the world, using Atlases to locate these and finding out key information about these. We particularly enjoyed making our own 'fortune tellers', based on countries and their capital cities.
Year 6
We are delighted to say that our Year 6 children have had an excellent start to the term. We have been having a big “push” on the importance of following school rules and wearing the correct uniform; the majority of children are certainly looking very smart and are coming to school ready to learn. This week has been very important as we are preparing the children for their SATS tests which will take place from Monday 9th to Thursday 12th May. It would be extremely helpful if you could ensure your child gets a good night's sleep before the tests as it will help them to stay focused.
This term, we have started a new literacy topic on the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood. We have read several versions of this and have considered the styles of different authors. We will be undertaking different pieces of writing based on the events in this story including: a police report, a news report, a character description and an advert.
We have also had a visit from our Police Community Support Officers who reinforced the importance of staying safe online. It was stressed to the children that any platforms they use should be within the legal age limit. They spoke to the children about the importance of responsible actions and the consequences of unsafe actions. The children asked pertinent questions and gave mature answers to the officers.
Credits:
Created with an image by m________k____ - "Mark your calendar with a red pencil."