Living & Learning – I know the importance of personal hygiene, including handwashing
This week in living and learning, we’ve been thinking about how we can keep ourselves healthy by paying attention to our personal hygiene.
We’ve had some very honest conversations about handwashing, reflecting on when we should wash our hands and the times we’ve not washed our hands. Did you know that there are parts of our hands that we are more likely to not wash well? We made a diagram to show this:
Help at home: Together, look at the guidance from the NHS about how to wash your hands. Get your child to coach you or a sibling to see how much of the guidance they can remember and apply. NHS handwashing guidance
Reminder: Reception parent/carer survey
If you haven’t already and you’re a parent of a child in Reception, please complete this short survey. Thank you to those of you who have already completed the survey.
At St James’ Primary, we’re always trying to keep getting better and better. Your views help us to do that. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete and you’ve got until Wednesday 18 March to complete. (If you’d like us to follow-up any of your responses with you, we can only do this if you leave your name.)
We can’t guarantee to meet the needs and wants of every parent / carer, but we do assure you that we consider all the points raised and aim to act on specific points that are raised by many, or a useful idea raised by just a few.
Previously, based on your feedback, for example, we alternated the days Stay and Learns were held – to give all parents an opportunity to attend.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey. We’re looking forward to reading your views.
This Green Moon
Today was a very special day for our Reception class as we went on our very first school trip to This Green Moon! As soon as we opened the door this morning, the children were buzzing with excitement.
When we arrived at Green Moon, we were warmly greeted by the two leaders, Paul and Matt, who took us on the most amazing adventure.
From the moment we stepped onto the coach to the minute we arrived back at school, the children were exceptional – what a credit they were to our school! Their behaviour, listening skills and enthusiasm were wonderful to see.
We thoroughly enjoyed spending the day outdoors, exploring the natural world around us. The children took part in so many exciting activities: making a fire, creating sculptures using potatoes, designing bracelets with pieces of coloured wool we found in the forest, and even working together to create a giant piece of artwork. It was fantastic to see their creativity and curiosity shining through.
What a fantastic day full of learning, laughter and adventure. Well done, Reception – we’re so proud of you all!
Living and Learning; I know what a drug is
This week, we have been learning about what a drug is.
We learned the definition:
A drug is a substance that changes the way the body or mind works.
We discussed how some substances at home are drugs, such as medicines, because they change the way the body works. We also talked about other household substances, like cleaning products. Although cleaning products are not drugs, they are still important to learn about because they can be harmful if used incorrectly. We discussed why we use these substances. For example, medicines help us feel better when we are ill and cleaning products help keep our homes clean and safe.
We also discussed the risks. Some drugs can be harmful if they are used in the wrong way, taken in the wrong amount or touched without permission. That is why it is very important that children only take medicine given to them by a trusted adult.
We looked carefully at a medicine packet and discussed the important information on it:
We learned that this information is there to help keep us safe.
The children showed great maturity during this discussion and asked thoughtful questions about staying safe at home.
You can support your child by:
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Talking about what medicines are used for in your home.
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Reminding children that medicines should only be taken with a trusted adult.
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Looking at labels together and discussing why instructions and warnings are important.
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Explaining that cleaning products are not for children to use and should always be kept safely stored.
Thank you for supporting our learning about staying safe.
Internet Safety Day
Today is Internet Safety Day. Year 5 have been learning all about how to stay safe online and be critical users of the internet, especially with the rapid advances in computing technology (AI, for example).
The children began by looking at three concepts – misinformation, disinformation and hoaxes.
Misinformation is the sharing of false information by accident (not knowing what you’re sharing is false).
Disinformation is the sharing of false information on purpose.
Hoaxes are false information/claims that are created for effect/impact.
We had a look at some fake website articles (hoaxes) and discussed some top tips to look out for when reading online. When sharing these stories to friends without being critical of what we’re sharing, we may be sharing misinformation.
We’ve learnt all about what personal information is and why it’s important to keep it private, especially when online. The article below gives more info on personal information.
If you’d like to read more from this article with your child, please click the link below.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zwbq7ty
Help at home:
Help your child at home to be critical thinkers online. Check websites for…
- padlocks
- http// www.
- known pages
- spam/clickbait adverts (phishing)
Year 3 Publish Their Independent Writing Using Laptops
Year 3 have been working hard on typing and publishing their independent writing based on a recount about the Romans coming to invade the Celts. Once our writing was finished, we took out the laptops and began using our key typing skills to turn our work into a published piece.
At first, some children found typing challenging, but everyone showed great perseverance. As we practised, we became more confident using the keyboard, especially remembering how to make capital letters by holding the shift key and pressing a letter.
The children also learned why touch typing is such an important skill. Touch typing helps us type more quickly and accurately without needing to look at the keyboard all the time. This means we can focus on our ideas and writing, rather than searching for letters and it helps us work more independently and confidently.
By the end of the session, Year 3 showed improved speed, accuracy and resilience, taking pride in seeing their work neatly presented and published.
Help at home:
Practice touch typing at home by using ‘TypingTom‘ . TypingTom is a free online touch typing practice website designed to help people learn to type correctly using all their fingers and without looking at the keyboard.
Lost and Found
Happy New Year everyone! This half term our theme is Fire and Ice.
Our story this week has been Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers and the weather has certainly helped us learn about cold climates.
In the story, a boy finds a penguin at his door and goes on an adventure to try to find his home, as he thought he was lost. Just like the boy, we explored and learnt about where penguins live and extended our vocabulary by learning a new word: iceberg. We used the globe to find the land and sea and Antarctica and enjoyed finding other interesting places.
“The white bit means it’s very cold, because its covered in ice!”
“Antarctica is right at the bottom of the world, nobody lives there its too cold!”
Phonics
We have begun learning our Phase 3 sounds. This week, we have learnt four new digraphs/trigraphs ai,ee,igh,oa.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called Let’s Put on Our Mittens.
Let’s put on our mittens,
and button up our coats.
Wrap our scarves snuggly around our throats.
Pull on our shoes and fasten the straps.
And tie on tightly our warm woollen hats.
Open the door, and out we go.
Out, into the soft and feathery snow.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Maths – super subitising!
This week we have been practising our subitising skills. This means, we have been looking and saying how many objects we can see – without counting one by one.
That’s a wrap!
As we reach the end of 2025, it’s hard to believe how quickly this term has flown by! It’s been a lovely, festive finish this week, packed with special moments and lots of smiles.
One of the biggest highlights was a visit from Father Christmas who spread plenty of cheer and excitement. The Christingle service was another memorable moment, bringing our whole school family together to celebrate and reflect on what we value about this time of year. There was also the Christmas party – a perfect way to unwind and enjoy each other’s company – and a jolly Christmas lunch!
Thank you for all of your support and positivity in 2025. I hope you all have a relaxing, joyful holiday and I look forward to seeing you in 2026! 🎄✨
Sculpting with Soap!
To conclude our art topic this half-term, Year 5 have been creating sculptures made from bars of soap. The children began by sketching a few real sculptures, made by our key artists (Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Thomas Price). Then, the children used inspiration from each sketch to make a new sculpture of their own.
The children had a range of mediums to use: a spoon; a pencil, a paperclip; other piercing tools; and a wet paper towel. Everyone listened very carefully when the process was modelled by their teacher and followed each step well. Pupils really enjoyed this hands on task, and have gone on to make multiple soap sculptures each! Here are some images of the children carefully carving:
Help at home:
Some Year 5 children have already explored this activity at home with other family members. Maybe this is something you could do, too? Here’s a list of equipment you’ll need:
- soap
- pencil
- wet paper towel
- dry towel
- spoon
Dictation helps the children develop their spelling, handwriting, grammar and listening skills
Every week in Year 3, we have been working on dictation sentences as part of our daily handwriting practice. After practising how to form the letter ‘m’ correctly, we built on this by looking at words that contain the letter m. One of our favourites was mammals.
Dictation helps the children develop their spelling, handwriting, grammar and listening skills all at once. Here are the steps we follow:
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Say the sentence (more than once if needed)”All mammals have spines and fur.”
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Count the words together”All mammals have spines and fur. Six!”
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Read with expression (prosody)”All mammals have spines and fur.”
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I model the sentence – using sound buttons or highlighting grammar/punctuation features
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Say the sentence again”All mammals have spines and fur.”
- Cover it (still showing sound buttons and other grammar/ punctuation features) and the children write it
The children have been working brilliantly and are becoming much more confident at listening carefully and writing accurately.
Help at home: Write your own dictation sentences.