Autumn 1
Autumn 1
A very warm welcome to our new academic year!
The children have returned to school happy and ready to learn. They have all been getting to know their new teachers and classroom routines. It has been lovely to welcome parents, carers and families into school this half term for our Macmillan event and for our Book Fair, as well as for our Achievement assembly and Parents Evening.
The children have celebrated Harvest and our Y6 children thoroughly enjoyed a visit to Mossley Foodbank to drop off our donations. We have celebrated Black History month throughout October and our showcase today was very impressive. Each class shared the black person they have researched and explained the significant actions each person has taken which have then had an impact on our lives. They also learned a song from a black artist and performed this for the school. It was a brilliant end to this half term.
In Nursery, the children have had a lovely start to the year welcoming all the new children to their class. They have been making new friends, learning new routines and finding out about each other.
In Reception this half term their topic has been ‘Marvellous Me’ and the children have been learning about their bodies, their homes, their families and their senses. It has been wonderful to observe the children building friendships, learning the new rules and routines and exploring their new environment with lots of play. What a fantastic first half term!
This half term Year 1 have thoroughly enjoyed Forest School. They have also been on an Autumn walk, studied the artist Sonia Boyce as part of Black History Month and completed science experiments exploring materials and their properties.
Year 2 have had a brilliant start to the year! They have had so much fun learning together this half term. The children have fully immersed themselves in their English lessons, from narrating the story of Black Rock to following their own instructions to make their own jam sandwiches. Experiments in science have captured the children’s interest as they have explored the properties and functionalities of different materials. The children have displayed their endless creativity this last week, where we have explored spirals inspired by our coastal theme in geography.
Wow, what a busy half term Year 3 have had! They have been looking at stories and non fiction texts about owls in English, and have learned lots of new facts. Using these facts, they have written a brilliant non-chronological report. They have looked at the ‘Owl who was afraid of the dark’ and have written their own versions of the story.
In Maths, the children have been working hard on their place value unit of 3-digit numbers and have moved onto adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers. In Science, they have been looking at shadows and light and have carried out a range of investigations using a range of scientific enquiry skills.
In Geography, the children have been looking at Europe and Italy. They have worked very hard locating these on a map, naming countries in Europe and finding out about the physical features of Italy.
Year 3 have really enjoyed their PE lessons where they have been developing skills in Tag Rugby and Hockey in order to play some competitive matches. They have also really enjoyed their Spanish lessons so far this year, and have been learning greetings. The children loved their day at Mossley Hollins where we learned all about colours, greetings, numbers and Spanish festivals.
In D+T Year 3 have been sewing. They have researched and created their own designs of their owls and have worked very hard to use running stitch and over stitch when creating their own owl decorations.
This half term in Year 4 has been full of fun and learning. The children have enjoyed their History topic on Ancient Egypt, carrying out lots of historical research using historical sources and artefacts. Linking in with the topic, the children loved using the book ‘The Egyptian Cinderella’ by Shirley Climo to inspire their creative writing. They have used lots of props, games and Talk 4 Writing to help them with their SPAG and creative writing.
In Maths, the children have learned about Place Value, formal addition and subtraction and area. They have worked extremely hard to try and follow steps to success, improve their arithmetic skills and to utilise mathematical language in their explanations.
In Science, the children have carried out lots of scientific experiments when learning about the digestive system and teeth. They even created animal poo when learning about different animal’s diets! In RE, the children learned all about Hinduism, embracing lots of hands on experiences and discussions. They loved their trip to the Hindu mandir which really consolidated their learning.
It's been a very jam packed half term in Year 5! From dance workshops to Microbits and coding! As part of their RE unit the children have had visits from Kevin, a humanist and Brian, a Christian to talk about their beliefs and answer questions about their faiths. Well done to everyone for a lovely first half term.
Year 6 have made a fantastic start to the year, settling into life in their final year of primary school and embracing a range of exciting learning challenges. In Science, the children have been exploring Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, learning about adaptation to different environments, inheritance, genetics and characteristics through a variety of engaging investigations and experiments.
In English, they have enjoyed innovating their own stories, using vivid and imaginative vocabulary to bring new settings to life. The children particularly loved learning about Jemmy Button and his journey across the Atlantic Ocean from Tierra del Fuego. They used this inspiration to write their own innovative versions of the story, which they proudly shared with Year 2.
They have also been lucky to welcome some fantastic visitors to school. The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in The Vale’s workshop, exploring dance from different cultures, including Morris dancing, puppetry and Indian dance. They also took part in the Safe Squad workshop, which helped them develop their understanding of personal safety through sessions on first aid, fire safety, water safety and anti-social behaviour. These valuable experiences encouraged the children to think carefully about how to keep themselves and others safe. It has been a wonderful start to Year 6, filled with creativity, curiosity and enthusiasm for learning!