Welcome Back – Summer Term
I hope you all had a happy and healthy Easter break. The children have come back to school in fine form, ready to achieve and believe this summer term. We’re looking forward to sharing our learning journey with you over the coming weeks but in the meantime, a few reminders.
Reading fluency books
Every Friday, children who are reading chapter books will bring a new book home. We have 4 reading practice sessions a week in which we read the first 4 chapters. Please read chapters 5 and 6 at home and return the book by Wednesday the following week. Books are signed in and out and we can’t send new books home until the previous one has been returned. Although the books are a very valuable resource at our school, returning books mustn’t be a cause of worry or upset for your child, so please contact me directly if there are any issues.
I’ll continue to assign e-books weekly, including chapter books.
Reading records
Please return reading records to school by Wednesday. Make a note of what has been read and any areas you have focused on. This is a great way for us all to keep up to date and an often overlooked way of staying in regular contact! If you have any questions about this, please be in touch.
Library books
Our library day is Friday. Please return library books to school by Wednesday, ready to return to the library in exchange for a new one.
Times Tables Rock Stars
Thank you to everyone who has been playing Times Tables Rock Stars at home. It’s a really valuable resource and a fantastic way of keeping home learning fun. If you need any technical support, please be in touch.
PE days
Our PE days are still Tuesday and Friday. Uniform compliance is excellent in Year 2 – let’s keep it up!
Water bottles
Please make sure your child comes to school with a clean, labelled water bottle every day. Water bottles must go home every day.
If you need any additional support, you can email me on ajnash@spherefederation.org and I will get back to you within an appropriate timeframe.
Mass in Maths
This week, the children have been introduced to mass for the
first time. They started by holding different objects to compare them, using the language of “heavier” or “lighter”. Then, the class used balance scales
to check their comparisons and showed a good understanding that
the heavier object is lower on the balance scale.
Next, the children used a variety of resources (cubes, stones and sticks) to measure the mass of an object.
The class learnt that when a scale is balanced, objects have the same mass.
The mass of my stone is equal to the mass of 10 sticks. Vincent
The mass of the water bottle is equal to the mass of 9 cubes. Malcolm
Help at home
Look at the websites below with your child. Collect items from around the home, or outside, to compare mass.
Summer Term
Greetings from Year 3 and Year 4. We hope you had a wonderful and restful Easter.
We have quickly settled back into school life and the children have enjoyed seeing their friends and getting back to the school routine. The children have made so much progress since September and we are really looking forward to this Summer Term.
A few updates and reminders:
– PE days continue to be Tuesday (Y4 – swimming) and Thursday.
– Home reading. Please encourage your child to read at home with an adult or older sibling. Reading is an important aspect of a child’s learning and supports their understanding across the curriculum. Please also encourage your child to complete a reading activity in their reading record books each week. Any questions about this, please feel free to see me after school.
– Library books. We are lucky to have access to lots of fantastic books in our school library. Our library day is Monday; if your child wishes to change their book, they can do so on this day. Please also return any school library books that have been read. Any questions about this, feel free to see me after school or ask your child to speak to a Reading Ambassador.
– Water bottles. Please ensure your child has their labelled water bottle in school every day. Bottles need to go home at the end of each day to be washed.
Rabbits Don’t Lay Eggs
We ended the spring term with the focus book Rabbits Don’t Lay Eggs! by Paula Metcalf.
This is a very funny book, that definitely made the children chuckle! We were also very lucky to receive a visit from the Easter Bunny who kindly left us all a lovely Easter Egg! Thank you so much Easter Bunny and the PTA helpers!
When we come back after the Easter break our Summer term topic is Life on Earth and our First book will be The Bad Tempered Ladybird by Eric Carle.
We will be learning about bugs and will be going on lots of bug hunts. We will be learning about the life cycle of a butterfly and will hopefully set some free! We will be using some hand drills to build a bug hotel for our outdoor area.
Next half term we are also hoping to develop our outdoor space a bit more so if anyone has any old flags, plant pots, tree stumps or gardening skills we would would really appreciate any help. Please drop us an email at stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org
Reminders and Notices
Forest School- We will be continuing to go to Forest School for the first two weeks after the holidays. Please send your child to school in their PE kits on Friday with waterproofs and wellies in a labelled plastic bag. Please can everyone check all clothes that have gone home after forest school, a few items have been misplaced. Thank you.
Waste Innovation- Please don’t forget to send in any donations for us to be creative.
Have a happy and healthy half-term break, and please don’t forget to email any pictures from home to stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org thank you as always for all your support.
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Mrs. Feldman
RE – Why does Easter matter to Christians?
In RE lessons, we have been asking a BIG question!
“Why does Easter matter to Christians?
Easter is a very special time for Christians when they remember the last week in the life of Jesus and their most important belief—that he came alive again after his death.
Ask your child about this question. Can they tell you why Easter is such an important time of year for Christians?
To complete this learning, we created an Easter Garden. The children named all of the religious symbols in the garden and could say what each one represented.
We would like to wish all of our children and their families a very happy and healthy Easter break.
Help at home by going on a walk and look for signs of Spring. Look out for blossom, buds, new leaves appearing. Talk about how these are all signs of new life.
He is alive!
This week the children have enjoyed learning about the Easter story.
We spoke about how the cross represents Jesus’ Crucifixion. The tomb in which he lay was covered by a rock in the shape of an egg and the rock cracking symbolises how our Easter eggs crack. Easter brings new life such as chicks, lambs and birds.
Jesus- he is the son of God – Ella D
He was put on a cross with nails, it was really mean and made him sad- Charlie
( Jesus praying) He is talking to the sky – Evie
He comes back alive!- Elliott
During our forest school session this week, we made our own crosses using natural resources such as sticks, mud and leaves. We then placed some around the camp fire.
Help at home: What can you find in your garden or out on a walk to make your own cross? Send us a picture of what you create to our email address and we will share this with your friends.
stjamesnursery@spherefederation.org
We’re going on an Egg hunt!
The Easter bunny telephoned nursery to let the children know he needed some help collecting his eggs from around school ..
He left a surprise inside them for us to enjoy!
We also had some chocolaty faces this afternoon. The children enjoyed making their own Easter nests using melted chocolate, cornflakes and a mini chocolate egg to decorate. We loved hearing the crunch of the cornflakes mixing in the bowl and it tasted nice too!
This weeks sound is: ‘L’ for Lollipop
Rhyme of the week: Hot cross buns
We hope you have a happy, healthy and restful Easter!
See you all back on Monday 15 April
Miss Ward and Miss Harvey
Happy Easter!
On Wednesday, we went to church for our Easter service.
Reception and Key Stage 1 did a fantastic job of singing the Easter Chicken song we have been practising.
Some of Year 2 also read beautifully as well.
We hope everyone has a lovely Easter break.
Easter Church Service
Yesterday, the whole school attended church for our Easter service. Our Year 3 children performed Hot Cross Buns on the recorder. They did a fantastic job! A huge thank you must go to Mrs Bald who taught the children how to play.
Our Year 4 children talked about The Story of Easter and what each day means to them and how Christians remember. The children were able to talk about the things we have learnt in RE and used their oracy skills beautifully to relay this to the congregation.
Additionally, members of our class helped to tell the parable, ‘Road to Emmaus.’ Again, reading superbly well!
It was a wonderful service and all the children made the school proud. A big thank you to all the family and friends who attended too.
All of Year 3 and Year 4 would like to wish you a very Happy Easter.
Living and Learning
This half-term, years 5 and 6 have been learning lots around how we treat ourselves and other people. Here are the living and learning statements that we’ve used on a weekly basis this half-term:
- I recognise emotions in myself and others
- I know that we’re all the same and that we’re all different
- I recognise that friends and family are important
- I can find solutions to different problems
- I can give and receive compliments
- I know how to cope with change
I’d like to share a few reflections on some of our statements. The children have been absolutely fantastic in discussing, offering advice and putting some actions into place to keep our school a happy and healthy place to achieve and believe.
I know that we’re all the same and all different
Each week, the children participate in our Philosophy Friday sessions. Here, we learn to think deeply about a particular aspect of life. The children have really excelled in: listening actively to others and responding appropriately; recognising that our opinions can be different and that’s ok; and building on others views, even if we don’t personally agree with them.
I can find solutions to different problems
Key stage 2 were fortunate to have a visit from our local PCSO, Louise. Louise spoke to the children in depth about potential problems and risks that we may come across in our lives, and how to deal with them appropriately. The children asked lots of fantastic, relevant questions and came away from the session with a better understanding of how to find solutions to tricky problems, both in person and online.
I know how to cope with change
It’s important to acknowledge that we all live very busy lives. For our year 6 pupils, there are lots of changes upcoming, such as preparing to move to high school. These changes can be accompanied with feelings of concern, upset, worry and anxiety. As a school, we make sure we have lots of ways that children can communicate any of these feelings. Here’s a list of a few:
- Tell a trusted adult
- Circle times
- Living and learning/worry boxes
- Through our Junior Leadership Team
- Talking to peers
- Childline (0800 11 11)
Through our yoga sessions, the children have had the opportunity to switch off their thoughts, even just for a moment. These sessions have given our pupils a chance to feel completely relaxed and to have an enjoyment of being in the moment. Years 5 and 6 will continue these sessions moving through the year.
Help at home:
Reflect with your child on our living and learning statements this half-term. Provide opportunity for your child to express their feelings and thoughts to you, and perhaps come up with some methods together on how to deal with these thoughts/problems that may arise. This way, all of our pupils will be better equipped to navigate through life successfully.
Oliver’s Fruit Salad
This week we have continued to learn about healthy eating and what we can do to keep our bodies healthy. Here’s what we have been up to …
We enjoyed making our own fruit salad. The children practised their cutting skills, chopping them up and popping it into the bowl. We added orange juice to mix it up and the children enjoyed eating it afterwards. We talked about how its important to brush our teeth twice a day to keep them clean. We also know that we need to visit the dentist to get them checked.
Help at Home: Can you make your own fruit salad? What fruits did you chop up?
This week sound/s was: ‘B’ Bear and ‘F’ for Flamingo
Rhyme of the week: 5 little ducks
Have a super weekend!
Miss Ward and Miss Harvey