March Newsletter 2023 SHIRELAND TECHNOLOGY PRIMARY

Nursery

Theme:- Looking through my Window

The first part of the half-term was spent learning about rainbows and what causes a rainbow. The children have learnt that a rainbow appears in the sky when it is raining and sunny at the same time. We explored the colours of a rainbow and created collage pictures and paintings. Nursery also learnt the words and actions to the song, ‘I can see a Rainbow’. We read the story of ‘Elmer and the Rainbow’ by David McKee, which was about a multi-coloured elephant that wanted to share its colours.

Recently, we have been learning about plants. The children have enjoyed exploring the class role-play area, which was set up as a garden centre. The children have also planted cress seeds and have watched them sprout and grow. We recorded how the cress changed in our ‘Cress Diary.’

Mother’s Day Delight in Nursery

Our ‘Mother’s Day Delight’ was the highlight this term. The children in Nursery performed to their mother’s and carers. The children sang songs to a happy audience. They also shared a special message and presented mum’s and carers with a hand-made card and flowers. Well done, Nursery!

Reception

Theme:-Food Glorious Food

This term we have been learning all about life on a farm. We have spent time learning all the different animals that live on a farm and the role of a farmer. The children have discovered a range of food and sorted them into groups of healthy and not heathy foods whilst learning how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We enjoyed reading the traditional tale of Jack and the Beanstalk and then planting our own beanstalks. We learnt that plants needed soil, water and light to grow, and we have been measuring to see how tall our own beanstalks will grow. The children have enjoyed a wide variety of activities in the creative and STEM room. They particularly loved having a go at milking a cow and learning where milk comes from.

Mother’s Day Delight in Reception

What an amazing Mother's Day Delight assembly we had. A wonderful turnout with lots of happy, smiling parents watching their children sing, perform poems, speak and show off their Mother's Day cards. We were so proud of all the children who performed, and I think we could all agree that parents and teachers left with a tear in their eyes and a lump in their throat. Well done, Reception!

Year One

Theme:- Amazing Animals

This half-term, we have learnt some incredible facts about animals and their habitats. We learnt what a habitat is and how animals adapt to their environment for example the desert, the jungle and urban areas. We also learnt about different continents and where different animals come from. In Art we created an under the sea collage using different materials and we learnt the cross-hatching skill to sketch an image of a nocturnal animal.

In Maths, we have been learning about capacity and volume. Children used their problem-solving skills to solve a capacity problem for the Tiger Who Came to Tea.

Year 2

Theme:- Creepy Crawlies

This half term, we have been learning all about the weird and wonderful world of ‘Creepy Crawlies!’ To ‘excite’ our learning, we visited Victoria Park to carry out a minibeast hunt. We found lots of bugs, including worms, ladybirds, spiders and slugs! Back in the classroom, we learnt about different habitats and microhabitats that creepy crawlies live in around the world; the difference between living and non-living things and food chains.

The children also really enjoyed designing and building their own Bug Hotels. Look out for them in our playground, providing a home for the different minibeasts that live in our school grounds!

In writing lessons, our children have been busy writing their own adventure stories based on ‘Superworm’ by Julia Donaldson. There are some fantastic ‘Super Spider’ and ‘Super Butterfly’ stories that include some wonderful setting and character descriptions! Well done Year 2!

Year 3

Theme:- Planet SOS

This half term, we have been exploring our planet and the small changes we can make in our own lives to protect our precious Planet, Earth. We have been reading the book Planet SOS by Marie G Rhode. All the threats to the natural beauty and wildlife on Earth are outlined in the book, and pupils have enjoyed researching ways in which they can help reduce the carbon footprint humans are leaving.

We had a fantastic visit from the Eco Bus where we learned all about how we can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. We spent time thinking about our waste in Sandwell and how we can separate it carefully to reduce what we throw away. We learned that small changes to the way we organise our waste can make a huge difference!

We also produced our own Artwork to show the beauty and value of where we live, and where we go to school. We took inspiration from famous artists like Van Gogh and applied their ideas and skills to our own work.

Here is some of the inspiring artwork we completed. Can you see how the ‘Smogasaurus Monster’ is overtaking our beautiful skyscape at STP?

Can you guess which Van Gogh painting we took inspiration from?

Year 4

Theme:- Mountain High River Low

This half term, we have been learning about how mountains are formed, their impact on the physical and human geography of a place, and the location of them in the UK and across the world. We kick started our theme with our ‘passports’ where we explored key mountains around the world. We then moved on to look at the water cycle and the importance of mountains and rivers in it. We also painted our very own mountain picture, using watercolour paints. We spent time using watercolour paints in a variety of different ways and used different sized brushes and brush strokes.