Class 3 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to the new school year. The children have come back to school with fantastic, positive attitudes and are ready to work hard in the term ahead. They are working hard to settle into our Class 3 routine.
Below, I have outlined some of the expectations and routines of Class 3, so that we can work together to achieve a successful year.
Reading
This week, we have given all children a reading level, which has been written in the front of their reading record. This is subject to change and updated levels will be written in the front of reading records as and when they change and will be dated.
In class, an adult will hear your child read at least once a week within a guided reading session and may also listen to them on a 1:1 basis, so homework diaries and reading books must be in school each day. I also actively encourage children to read aloud to an adult at home where possible, as in my experience, this helps their fluency greatly. All of Class 3 have been given a bookmark reward system. If they have read to an adult at home and this is recorded and signed (by an adult) in their homework diaries, they can show me in class and exchange for a sticker on their book marks, worth a team point. Filling up their book mark gets them stars in bronze silver and gold, and team points are given accordingly for stars.
Homework
Homework will normally consist of an English and maths activity and is set on a Friday and should be returned the following Thursday. They will also be given their spellings to learn for the test the following week. Please encourage your child to complete the work as independently as possible. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, rubber, ruler and colouring pencils available at home to complete their homework. They will be given a homework book and my expectation is that they treat it with respect as they would a school book. If they have had support for their homework, a brief note to let me know would really help me know where to target their learning.
This term, we are beginning to adopt a broadening horizons curriculum, meaning subjects are now taught discretely rather than a topic based curriculum as we have used previously. In addition to their weekly homework, I also actively encourage children to complete a project that expands their learning in one area of our terms curriculum. Examples of what this could entail includes but is not limited to a PowerPoint presentation, a model or an information book or poster. These can be brought in to share with the class at any point in the term.
Spellings
In Class 3, spellings are set with the children’s homework on a Friday each week and will be tested the following Friday. Children will have a look, cover, write, check activity set, but are also actively encouraged to practise them in other ways and at other times also. I actively encourage them to use their homework books to do so. Children will be rewarded accordingly when effort is evident.
PE
Our PE days are Thursdays and Fridays, but these are subject to change, so children must have a full PE kit of t-shirt, shorts and plimsolls in school every day. They may also choose to bring a jumper and/or tracksuit bottoms for colder days.
Thank you for all of your continued support
Miss Sophie Morton.
Summer Term 2022
Dear Parents, Carers and Children,
Welcome back to the third and final term of the academic year! I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter break. The children have settled back in well to routines and are working hard. We have a challenging, busy and exciting term ahead but I’ve been impressed with how children have risen to the challenge.
SATs
SATs have crept upon us and both SATs and end of year assessments for Year 5 will be administered in the week beginning 9th May. Pupils will undertake a Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar test on Monday 9th, English Reading on Tuesday 10th, Maths Arithmetic and Reasoning 1 on Wednesday 11th and finally, Reasoning 2 on Thursday 12th. There will be no tests on Friday 13th May and the whole class will have a reward on that day (they already have their thinking caps on).
Homework
For the time being, homework will remain in its usual routine, set on a Friday to be returned the following Thursday. Year 6 will find they have a little more than usual currently in preparation for SATs and I actively encourage parents to work with and support them where possible. After SATs and end of year assessments, homework will continue, however may take a slightly different, more creative format. I feel it is important to continue to prepare children for next year.
Our main topic for this term is Black History, but we will also be studying mountains, rivers and evolution in other subjects. As per usual, I’d like the children to complete a project to expand an element of their learning in class. This could be a biography, a sculpture or model or a picture amongst many other things. This will be due in by the end of the term but can be brought in to present to the class at any point in the term. I look forward to seeing their imaginations run wild.
Reading
In class, an adult will hear your child read at least once a week within a guided reading session and may also listen to them on a 1:1 basis. Over the course of the year so far, I have seen some phenomenal progress in reading for those who have been reading to an adult at home regularly, to earn themselves lots of team points, prizes and stickers on their bookmarks. However, reading at home does seem to have slipped since returning from the holidays. With this in mind, I ask that you listen to or continue to listen to children read at home as regularly as possible and record this in their homework diaries. Reading aloud is imperative to the development of reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary and this has become even more evident from the progress of the children who have been doing so regularly.
PE Kit
For both hygiene and safety reasons, children must have a full kit consisting of a red t-shirt, shorts and plimsolls at the very least and may well choose to have tracksuit bottoms and a jumper too, for colder days. Trainers are not permitted unless instructed otherwise. This should be in school at all times, as whilst SCS PE days are Fridays, we also do PE on other occasions.
Kingswood
Kingswood is just a few weeks away and myself and the children are very excited. As soon as we have a packing list and final arrangements from the site, these will be shared with you.
Kind regards,
Miss Morton.
PE with Class 2- 22/04/22
This afternoon, Class 3 and Class 2 joined together to play some team building games. We had to focus on working together to achieve. Miss Morton and Miss Lamond were so impressed with our communication, patience, physical stamina, resilience and team work.
Teaching FS our Greek Dance
On Thursday 10th March, Class 3 invited FS to join them for their PE session. They’ve been learning all about Greece, so have been practising a Greek dance. Class 3 worked in small groups to teach each FS child the first section of their dance, before coming together as a whole to perform together. Mrs Kent and Miss Morton were so impressed with how well they all did.
Class 3 Newsletter-Spring Term 2022.
Dear Parents, Carers and Children,
Welcome back and a happy new year to you all! I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas break. Thank you for such lovely messages, cards and gifts. As always, they were very much enjoyed and appreciated.
Our topic this term is, ‘The Greeks’. We will be exploring all aspects of Greece, modern day and historical. Rather than a class trip, I am looking into a Greek experience day in school, subject to cost and availability of historians in the local area.
Reading
In class, an adult will hear your child read at least once a week within a guided reading session and may also listen to them on a 1:1 basis. Over the last term, I have seen some phenomenal progress in reading for those who have been reading to an adult at home regularly, to earn themselves lots of team points, prizes and stickers on their bookmarks. With this in mind, I ask that you listen to or continue to listen to children read at home as regularly as possible and record this in their homework diaries. Reading aloud is imperative to the development of reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary and this has become even more evident from the progress of the children who have been doing so regularly.
PE Kit
For both hygiene and safety reasons, children must have a full kit consisting of a red t-shirt, shorts and plimsolls at the very least and may well choose to have tracksuit bottoms and a jumper too, for colder days. This should be in school at all times, as whilst SCS PE days are Fridays, we also do PE on other occasions.
Homework
This week, we will return to our usual homework routine. Homework will be set on a Friday and will usually consist of spellings, a piece of maths and a piece of English. Homework is due in on Thursday each week, to allow time for it to be marked before books are returned. I encourage children to use their homework books to show any workings out so that they can be rewarded accordingly for their efforts.
In addition to their spellings, I encourage children to be practising their times tables at home regularly. By this point, they should be able to recall all their times tables up to 12x12 fluently. If this is something they cannot yet do, they should be practising these on a regular basis. If you would like any additional resources to support this, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will endeavour to assist.
As you know, I love seeing children be creative at home, so they will also be required to complete a project of their choice on our topic, (The Greeks) over the course of the term. This will be due in by the final week of the Spring term, but can be brought in earlier if they wish. This can be on any aspect of Greece, whether it be modern day or ancient.
Kind regards,
Miss Morton.
Class 3 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back, finally, to some sort of normality. The children have come back to school with fantastic, positive attitudes and are ready to work hard in the term ahead. They settled straight into the Class 3 routine, after two days of introductions and settling in.
Below, I have outlined some of the expectations and routines of Class 3, so that we can work together to achieve a successful year.
Reading
In the last two weeks, I have heard all children read and have given them a colour level from which I would like them to choose from. This is subject to change as I believe many will make rapid progress in reading aloud, once they are back into the swing of doing so. We may also find that they are finding their level tricky, so I may choose to change it until they are more confident.
In class, an adult will hear your child read at least once a week within a guided reading session and may also listen to them on a 1:1 basis, so homework diaries and reading books must be in school each day. I also actively encourage children to read aloud to an adult at home where possible, as in my experience, this helps their fluency greatly. All of Class 3 have been given a bookmark reward system. If they have read to an adult at home and this is recorded and signed (by an adult) in their homework diaries, they can show me in class and exchange for a sticker on their book marks, worth a team point. Filling up their book mark gets them stars in bronze silver and gold, and team points are given accordingly for stars.
Homework
Homework will normally consist of an English and maths activity. They will also be given their spellings to learn for the test the following week. Please encourage your child to complete the work as independently as possible. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, rubber, ruler and colouring pencils available at home to complete their homework. They will be given a homework book and my expectation is that they treat it with respect as they would a school book. If they have had support for their homework, a brief note to let me know would really help me know where to target their learning.
This term, our topic is ‘The Victorians’. In addition to their weekly homework, I would like children to produce a project of their choice, relevant to our topic, across the term, ready to share with myself and their class before the Christmas break. Details of what this could entail are on the topic web, available below.
Spellings
In Class 3, spellings are set from their discrete spelling lesson that usually occurs on a Friday morning. In this session, we teach spelling rules as well as strategies for learning them. They will then bring these home on a Friday in their homework book to learn alongside their homework and will be tested by Mrs Shingleton on a Friday afternoon.
Thank you for all of your continued support,
Miss Sophie Morton.
The Final Product.
Once we harvested our potatoes, we made skin-on chips with them. We had to wash them, chop them and make sure all of the green bits were cut out.
We then put them in a bowl with a little oil to coat them and then baked them in the oven on a tray for an hour on 200 degrees.
While they were cooking, we made chip cones. We had to decide on the radius of our circle for our cones before measuring that with a compass to draw our circle. Then we cut out our circle and cut a slit to the centre and folded to make cones. You can see these in the pictures below.
When our chips were cooked, we made them even yummier with salt, vinegar and ketchup and ate them from our cones. They were delicious and we grew and cooked them all ourselves.
Friday 11th June 2021
Essex Food and Farming Day
On Wednesday 9th June 2021, we had a visit by the county councillor, photographer & someone from Essex food and farming, although our food and farming day couldn’t happen due to covid. When they came they gave us lots of plants and things we could plant at home like sunflower seeds and potatoes.
Yr4 joined in with us to plant, rake, remove weeds and stones, tease the soil, pull unwanted weeds up from the ground and dig holes. It was very hot outside and we were all boiling! It was so much fun. Every day we water all our plants and over the weekend then we have to leave them, we water all the plants on Friday morning and water them before we go home on Friday so the plants have plenty of water. The class helpers need to water the plants every day.
They gave us: peat soil, a VegTrug planter, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, lavender, tagetes (star fire), mint, nasturtium (peach melba), rosemary plant, pea plant, wildflowers and red sunflowers.
The sunflowers need to be 1.5cm deep, 45cm apart and 2 seeds need to be together.
In the pot we have a pea plant, in the middle bed we have lots of wildflowers, in the in the next be we have red sunflowers and in the nature area we have potatoes- roots are down.
We got to take 2 sunflower seeds home and as many potatoes as we need for our family.
I can’t wait to see how my sunflowers and potatoes grow!
Class 3 Newsletter – Summer Term 2021
Dear Parents, Carers and Children,
Welcome back. I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter break. I’m thrilled to have the children all back in school for what I sincerely hope will be a term with some transition back to normality. I was so proud of your children for their resilience and effort shown during the lockdown and the positive attitude they adopted when returning to school.
This term, our ‘Let Me Entertain You’ topic will continue for two or three weeks as I am keen for the children to get the most out of this as it’s such a fun and engaging topic that they seemed to love in the last three weeks of last term.
Our next topic that we will then move on to is, ‘Up, Up and Away’ in which we will learn about Australia, its history and the different climate, time zones and geographical differences to the UK. We will also be writing travel brochures in English with the aim of really immersing ourselves in the topic and making all learning linked and meaningful.
Class Trips
It is my aim that Class 3 will have at least one school trip this term, restriction permitting. As you are aware, Holt Hall has unfortunately closed and having done some research, other locations are not available or affordable.
Summer Production
As we will not be going on residential this year, we will be putting on a KS2 musical. Class 3 will take the leading roles and Class 2 will support them. I’m very excited to put my director hat on alongside Mrs Rivers, to produce a fun packed performance for you all (hopefully) to come into school and watch.
Reading
In class, an adult will hear your child read at least once a week within a guided reading session and may also listen to them on a 1:1 basis. Having listened to them all last week, I have noticed some regression in their fluency when reading aloud. With this in mind, I ask that you listen to children read at home as regularly as possible and record this in their homework diaries. Reading aloud is imperative to the development of reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary. As an incentive to this, children will receive a team point for each (adult written) recording of reading to an adult in their homework diaries.
Homework
This week, we will return to our usual homework routine. Homework will be set on a Friday and will usually consist of spellings, a piece of maths and a piece of English. Attached you will find a suggested timetable for children to follow to help them learn their spellings. There are also several learning technique suggestions for children to use, and they can choose the ones that work best for them. When marking homework, children will receive team points in accordance with effort, so with this in mind, please encourage them to use their homework books to practise in, so that we can see their efforts and reward accordingly.
As you know, I love seeing children be creative at home, so they will also be required to complete a project of their choice on our topic (Up, Up and Away) over the course of the term. This will be due in by the final week of the Summer term, but can be brought in earlier if they wish. This does not have to be about Australia specifically. The children may choose to focus on a country or continent that they themselves have visited or would like to visit and find out more about.
PE Kit
Last week, many children returned to school without their PE kit or with incomplete kit. For both hygiene and safety reasons, children must have a full kit consisting of a red t-shirt, shorts and plimsolls at the very least and may well choose to have tracksuit bottoms and a jumper too, for colder days. This should be in school at all times, as whilst SCS PE days are Thursdays, we sometimes do PE on other occasions.
Attached you will find the topic web for the term, as well as the spelling technique suggestions. I have also received information for any Year 5 children interested in registering for the 11+ so please let me know if you would like a copy of this.
I look forward to the term ahead and hope I finally get the opportunity to meet all of you in person.
Kind regards,
Miss Morton.
Class 3 Newsletter – Spring Term 2021
Dear Parents, Carers and Children,
Welcome back, whether that be in school or virtually. I must say, in the few days we have been adapting to another ‘new normal’ I have been impressed with how well the children have engaged in their home learning. Please do contact me if you are having any problems with the system and I’ll do my best to find a resolution. I will phone on occasions where I notice that your child has not engaged with it or submitted any work to check that all is well.
The children seem to be getting to grips with Google Classroom and are gradually working out how to turn in their assignments and use Google docs. Please remind them that this is a learning platform and whilst I don’t mind (and actively encourage) them to chat to each other, this needs to remain sensible and not too frequent during the school day. I get an email every time a comment is sent and children’s emails get grouped together and if this is too frequent, it could result in me missing important messages. I do have the ability to turn off the chat function, which I really don’t want to have to do as I think it is great for their wellbeing.
Reading
In class, an adult would hear your child read at least once a week within a guided reading session and may also listen to them on a 1:1 basis. With this in mind, it is imperative that children continue to read aloud at home. I appreciate this may be difficult to do regularly, whilst you’re trying to work from home. With that in mind, I suggest that each day, your child reads aloud to a sibling or even their cuddly toy.
Homework
At the moment, everything is homework, but I would still like children to engage with a project. Our topic this term is leisure and entertainment and will focus on how theatre, toys and leisure activities have changed over time. After seeing such fantastic Anglo-Saxon and Viking projects, I am excited to see what the children come up with this term. This will be due in, in the week leading up to the Easter holidays.
Homework will return to the norm when the children are back in school.
A topic web for the term has also been uploaded, but is subject to adjustment to suit remote learning as required, as we are unsure of how long this will be for.
Thank you for all your support, I look forward to being able to see you and your children again in person, in hopefully the not too distant future.
Miss Morton.
Class 3 Newsletter – Autumn Term 2020
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back, after what has and continues to be a strange few months. I must say, in the short time I have spent with your children, I am so impressed with the determination, maturity and resilience they have shown towards the ‘new normal’. This week has been a pleasure and I’m looking forward to the year ahead and hope that I can meet you all properly in the not too distant future. Below, I have outlined some of the expectations and routines of Class 3, so that we can work together to achieve a successful year.
Reading
This week, I have heard all children read and have given them a colour level from which I would like them to choose from. This is subject to change as I believe many will make rapid progress in reading aloud, once they are back into the swing of doing so. We may also find that they are finding their level tricky, so I may choose to change it until they are more confident.
In class, an adult will hear your child read at least once a week within a guided reading session and may also listen to them on a 1:1 basis, so homework diaries and reading books must be in school each day. I also actively encourage children to read aloud to an adult at home where possible, as in my experience, this helps their fluency greatly. If they have read to an adult at home and this is recorded and signed (by an adult) in their homework diaries, they can show me in class and I will sign and award a team point for their efforts.
Homework
Homework will normally consist of an English and maths activity. They will also be given their spellings to learn for the test the following week. Please encourage your child to complete the work as independently as possible. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, rubber, ruler and colouring pencils available at home to complete their homework. They will be given a homework book and my expectation is that they treat it with respect as they would a school book. If they have had support for their homework, a brief note to let me know would really help me know where to target their learning.
This term, our topic is ‘Anglo Saxons, Vikings and Scots’. In addition to their weekly homework, I would like children to produce a project of their choice, relevant to our topic, across the term, ready to share with myself and their class before the Christmas break. Details of what this could entail are on the topic web, available below.
Spellings
In Class 3, spellings are set from their discrete spelling lesson that occurs on a Wednesday afternoon. In this session, we teach spelling rules as well as strategies for learning them. They will then bring these home on a Friday in their homework book to learn alongside their homework and will be tested by Mrs Shingleton on a Thursday afternoon.
Thank you for all of your continued support,
Miss Sophie Morton.
Week beginning 20th July (Home Learning Week 15)
Hi Everyone,
With the end of the school year just days away, this will be my final letter to Class 3, their parents and anyone else who 'tunes in'.
On the home front, this week has been pretty much the same as last, with a certain canine dominating our routines at home.
In school, our learning has continued as normal, but with a few extra play practices. Thursday saw the end product, with great acting and singing, not to mention the most amazing beanstalk. Children have been reflecting on their time at Wethersfield with a view to sharing their most memorable ones at Tuesday's leavers' service.
Whilst I believe our children should be enjoying their summer break, I suspect some of you will be anxious about learning that they have missed. Hamilton Trust has three further weeks home learning on their site at no charge to users (just google Hamilton Trust Home Learning) and of course there's the Oak Academy and BBC Bitesize also available. Mrs Searle is also recommending Class connect - https://www.classconnectlocal.co.uk/ to parents in her school and, although I haven't seen it myself, I have faith in her recommendations. Apparently they are offering a free trial, with no obligation to buy or give personal details.
So all that's left for me to do is to say thank you for putting up with me for another, but very unusual, term. We've all enjoyed our teaching and learning in class and the effects of lockdown have forced me to improve my IT skills. Our meetings on zoom have been enjoyable too and I hope I've been able to help with every class member's learning in one way or another.
Should I not get the opportunity to speak to you before the end of term, have a well-deserved break, don't let your guard drop regarding the virus and start school (new or here) in September with confidence.
Best wishes,
Mr Searle.
Week beginning 13th July (Home learning week 14)
Hi Everyone,
Just 8 school days to go (not that I'm counting) until the start of the summer break, but we have plenty more to do in that time. Most of our topics are progressing well and it's good to see the children taking on the responsibility of 'self-teaching' and the care they are putting into the presentation of their booklets.
The play is progressing well and apparently a beanstalk was sprouting in the hall on Friday morning, but it had vanished before the first children arrived!
On Thursday afternoon we will be having our 'virtual sports day' and remember that if you are a home learner you can join in. Send your scores to the office as soon as you finish and the results will be announced soon afterwards.
Dylan, the cockapoo, was waiting to greet me on my arrival at home on Monday evening. He's very cute, loving and playful, but I can see why the breed is named cockaPOO!!! We must have the most-cleaned carpets in town!
If you haven't already done so, please return the 'attendance slip' for the leavers' service (Tuesday 21st) as soon as possible.
Please enjoy the leavers' video below.
Finally, please continue to look after each other by keeping your distance and with regular hand-washing.
"A safe week will be a great week" (that famous quote from ....... ok, I just made it up!!!)
Mr Searle.
Week 14 Year 6 Other English
Over two days in the coming week, we will be linking English and Music.
On one we will be using the opening 4 minutes of Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' album as a stimulus for some more amazing creative writing.
On the other we will be looking at the extensive use of metaphors in modern (ish) music; how they are used and what they mean in the context of each song. We expect to use Amy Wadge's 'Here I go Again' and Justin Hayward's 'Forever Autumn' as starting points.
Hi Everyone,
It's hard to believe that we're already into the last month of the school year and for some, our last month at Wethersfield Primary.
On the home front, another quiet week; livened up yesterday by the announcement that a cockapoo will be joining our family on Monday ~ not that I had any choice the matter!
In school, we've had 13 class members in during the week; nine Year 6s and four Year 5s. Although the Year 5s are with Ms Lamond, I try to, at least, say hello to each of them every day. Our 'little play' based on Jack and the Beanstalk is progressing well and this week I hope to involve our other KS2 pupils in some singing and supporting roles.
The English work based on the short Pixar film Alma has really caught the pupil's imagination and it's wonderful to witness their enthusiasm to the point where they're asking if they can take on more writing tasks; who am I to say no?
Whether you're in school or at home, have a good week and, just because lockdown measures have been eased, don't become complacent about social distancing and hygiene.
Mr Searle.
Week 13 Year 6 English (additional note)
With the Alma-related work going so well, I would expect the children to still be involved with this on Monday, Tuesday and possibly beyond. In class on Monday children will be writing up their versions of the story. We've spent a lot of time planning and particularly looking at using vocabulary and descriptive phrases that they've never tried before. They all want to do some other related writing. Their suggestions have included:
'Alma ~ the prequel', 'The Great Escape', 'Revenge of the Dolls' and 'The Mysterious Shopkeeper'. If you are experiencing the same enthusiasm at home, your child is not expected to do the daily tasks as well, but she/he should plan the story first, possibly using the planning sheet in last week's file. Realistically, in class we probably won't get beyond Day 2.
Mr Searle.
WEEK 13 Class 3 Other Work
TOPIC: Between now and the end of term, each child is working on an individual topic of their own choice. An end result will be a booklet comprising 12 sides of A4 paper (a booklet can be made from 3 sheets of A3). Current ideas are: The Premier League, The History of Pokemon, Paxos (a Greek island), The Aztecs, California, Scotland, Horses and South Africa.
SCIENCE: This was outlined last week. This week we expect to cover ways of making bulbs in a circuit brighter and record in the form of circuit diagrams.
ART and CRAFT: We will be making a few simple (but essential) props for our play.
MUSIC and DRAMA: Learning songs and practising our parts in the play.
Week beginning 29th June (Home learning week 12)
Hi Everyone,
Yet another ordinary week in these extraordinary times. Although I always look forward to the weekend, school always provides the most interesting portion of the week. Year 6 are putting together a low-key play based on Jack and the Beanstalk and, with the help of our Year 5s, we hope to perform this for 'the rest of the school' near the end of term.
Under Mrs O'Reilly's expert eye, the class produced some fantastic coil pots which will be painted during the coming week. Thanks also to Millie May's support each week in the art sessions.
This week's Year 6 English is different to usual in that I have put on my own planning. A lot of the work will involve discussion about a short video. If this proves impossible for any home-learners, just google 'Hamilton Trust Home Learning Packs', scroll down to Year 6 English then click on Week 12 and each day's work can be accessed. This work won't be covered by those pupils in school.
Happy birthday to Sophie who celebrated her 11th birthday on Saturday.
Keep an eye on the class page during the week as some of the planning may not appear before Monday.
Have a good week everybody.
Mr Searle.
NORTH AMERICA TOPIC: Using a computer (or any appropriate information books, should you have them), make notes about the discovery of North America by European explorers (C.C. in particular). Turn your notes into a short piece of writing (or typing) in your own words. Include maps, drawings, etc. to enhance your work.
SCIENCE: This week (and probably next) we will be looking at alternative types of electric circuits and their advantages and disadvantages.
We will start to use 'circuit diagrams' (as opposed to labelled 'picture-style' diagrams), using the conventional symbols for components in the circuit.
ART/CRAFT: Complete/paint coil pots.
MUSIC/DRAMA: Not expecting this to be done by home learners, but the song words and script are on word documents beneath the weekly letter.
Week beginning 22nd June (Home Learning Week 11)
Hi Everyone,
Enjoying Fathers' Day. I've received a card from my daughter but still waiting for Matthew's. Apart from all the wonderful experiences at Wethersfield, this week has been as routine as last ... but I'll spare you the diary!
For me their learning highlight last week was the Ted Harrison style paintings. I was also very impressed with two of the class getting to grips with division skills, including dividing by two digit (non prime) numbers.
As I suspect that the I Sing Pop song and dance will require some practice so topic work has been kept to a minimum.
Have a good week everyone.
Mr Searle
TOPIC: Children will do their own research to produce a power point presentation about ONE native North American people. I will limit their choice to: Inuit, Navajo, Apache, Maya or Carib, although any group would be acceptable.
SCIENCE: In response to their interest at a recent fire drill, I will conduct two experiments showing that, without air, fire can't burn in everyday situations and that fire only burns the oxygen content (20%) of air. Children will report on each, including a labelled diagram.
ART: Developing their experience making clay 'vessels' in the Greeks topic, Children will be learning to make coil pots; a North American traditional skill.
Week beginning 15th June (Home Learning Week 10)
**Topic home learning has been modified (a polite way of saying I've put an extra task on).
Hi Everyone,
It's been another enjoyable week in Class 3. Monday started well with three extra pupils returning for some socially distanced learning. Once again Year 6 behaved responsibly regarding the 2 metre rule. They've been 'co-ordinated out' with five days of maths activities and, in addition, two class members mastered the art of 'long multiplication'. We all enjoyed watching a two minute film called 'The Piano' and it was the springboard for some excellent English work, supplemented on Thursday and Friday by Pomegranate Poetry (and other fruits). There was more learning about Canada (but we'll leave that country alone now) and an interesting science investigation into changing shadow size was undertaken. Last, but definitely not least, the pupils collaborated in making a 2 metre high Totem Pole, inspired by Mrs O'Reilly and assisted by former pupil Millie May Kent, while I was busy zooming or phoning. What an impressive representation was achieved (photos in the slide show below) ... Thank you ladies!
After the excitement of 'The Cat' and 'The Cut' over the previous two weekends, this one has been quite mundane by comparison.
A brief diary of events since leaving school on Friday: No queue at Iceland so straight in for my two items and came out with two carrier bags bulging at the seems. Every Friday is 'Pizza Friday' in our house so it was a Hawaiian with extra bacon, cheese and tomatoes for me. This was followed by a family quiz organised by the demon barber in which I was pipped by my son for first place (if only I could recognise all those West Side Story songs!).
Saturday started with Mission Impossible ~ it's a game my family made up. I have to be first in the kitchen and have the place spotless by the time the first one of them gets up. Now that's a game I always manage to win (or is it lose?).
Three loads of washing and some more pointless weeding later and it's time to take on Sainsbury's and amazingly, for the second successive day, there is no queue. This time it's four bulging carrier bags, one containing a packet of Bubble Gum ice lollies ~ I'm in Mrs Searle's good books now! As the sun was still shining I 'bagsied' a Bar-b-q dinner which we all enjoyed, although I need to burn the girls' burgers a little more next time. I got out of making the salad; Mrs S did that!
And that brings me up to now (Sunday, 11.30 am). I 'won' Mission Impossible again, replied to a few emails, spent another pointless hour weeding the lawn (if that's what you call a patch of clover!) and have just put on the English and Maths home learning. What an exciting life I lead!
I look forward to seeing you and/or speaking to each and every one of you over the coming week.
Look after yourselves and your families.
Mr Searle.
SCIENCE: This week's assignment is a tough one as the children are to plan, and carry out, an investigation to prove that light travels in a straight line. Resources readily available will be torches (anything with a powerful light would suffice but please be careful), a darkened room, pieces of card, something to make a very small hole in a piece of card, mirrors and whatever else that I can easily obtain.
If you're helping your child, please try to lead them to express their ideas through questions, rather than telling them what to do or googling for answers. I have a couple of ideas in my head that build on our earlier learning, but who knows what brilliant ideas our children might put forward.
ART: Okay, I know I said no more Canada, but .... we are going to look at the work of Canadian artist Ted Harrison, identify what is unique about his style and attempt a landscape painting in that style.
TOPIC: This week I'll be asking the children to produce a variety of graphs and charts which allow the data of two or more North American countries to be compared with each other or another relevant country (ie the U.K.). Children will be encouraged to collect their own data on themes such as monthly temperatures, rainfall, populations, highest mountain, land areas, etc.
Inspired by someone's Golden Gate Bridge model, we will look at some of North America's different types of bridge including one that I have walked across many times ... in England! On Monday evening I'll put type up a list of some of the more interesting bridges our children found.
P.E: Children engage in a range of '2 metres apart' timed activities which allow them to improve on their previous times, scores etc. on subsequent attempts.
Tuesday 9th June: Topic, Science and Art/Craft update below Maths and English!
Mr Searle.
Week beginning 8th June (Home learning Week 9)
Hi Everyone,
Another week over. We had five Y6 children last week and they certainly did their families' proud with their social distancing and hygiene awareness.
We will continue to base our maths and English learning on the same themes that are covered in the Year 6 home learning.
Other subject updates will continue to appear on the site and for today's (Monday) topic work we will be researching the uniqueness of each Canadian province and recording this as a fact file and as a pie chart (to reinforce last week's Maths), showing the proportion of Canada's population living in each state.
No cat stories this week, just 'cut' ones as I let my daughter practice her hair-styling skills. Let's just say she needs a lot more and would do well to cut the same amount off from each side! Words can't describe the feeling I had as I watched a rather large clump of hair tumble to the floor after the first snip!!!
Mr Searle.
SCIENCE ~ LIGHT:
This week we will be revising which materials allow light to pass through or not (transparent/translucent,opaque), how shadows are formed and change size (distance from light source or position of light source) and how light reflects from different surfaces, consolidating and building on our understanding of the periscopes we made in Class 2.
TOPIC (North America - Canada): Locate major cities on a map and note how they are not scattered evenly around the country. Suggest reasons for this disparity. Produce a fact-file for one city (your choice) in each of the ten provinces, showing population and any relevant information. A brief look at how Canada moves products such as grain and coal over vast distances before they can be exported. Finally produce a pie chart to show the population of each province (consolidating Y6 maths from week 80 so don't worry about this one if you're in Y5.
ART/CRAFT:As a group, we will be making meaningful contributions to a full size (well as full size as the ceiling will allow) totem pole.
Monday 1st June: ZOOM and telephone contact update.
Hi Everyone,
All Zoom meetings have been scheduled for Wednesday (3rd) between 1 pm and 3.30 pm. The remaining Year 6 phone challs will be from 3.30 onward. Year 5 calls will be after school on Thursday.
Harley has sent in photos of some of his home learning. Scroll down to see them.
Thank you,
Mr Searle.
Week beginning 1st June (Home Learning Week 8)
Hi Everyone,
Well tomorrow's the day ... the day when we'll be welcoming some of our Foundation, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils back to Wethersfield Primary. For year 5, we'll carry on as before half-term. Zoom chats should take place on Wednesday afternoon, roughly at the usual time, although this has still to be confirmed, but phone calls may take place on the following day. Year 6 Zoom chats and phone calls are also 'pencilled-in' for Wednesday afternoon. ID codes and passwords will be emailed as soon as possible.
Year 5 and 6 home learning should now be on the class page. For those Year 6 pupils in school, we will follow the same maths and English themes as in the home learning.
This week we will also cover:
Topic Work ... CANADA. We will be mapping the main physical features (Lakes, Mountains, rivers, plains, etc.) We will look at how Canada is divided into provinces and know the main settlements in each one. We will look at how Canada overcomes the difficulties that a huge country encounters when trading with the rest of the world. Finally we intend to find out about the native Canadian population and their history.
Art ... We will be practising copying illustrations and maps by drawing a grid over the original and a similar one onto plain paper and then copying the content of each part of the grid onto the blank one.
Science: We have two topics to cover before the end of term. This week in 'Light' we will investigate light sources;understand that we see images when reflected light enters our eyes; that darkness is an absence of light and
devise our own investigation to prove that light travels in straight lines.
Thank you: to those who have sent photographs of their home achievements. Please keep sending them in and let others see what you've been doing.
A Stranger came to Stay My half-term got off to an unusual start on the Bank Holiday weekend. Unlike our other family members, I stick to the same routine at weekends (no lie-ins for me!) and last Saturday was no exception.
Mrs S and my daughter went for their evening (well night time really) walk while I went to bed and was soon fast asleep. I stirred a few hours later to the sound of shrieks of laughter, but took little notice as this is not an unusual occurrence in our house and drifted back to the land of nod (sleep). Once more I was awoken; this time by my daughter telling my son to "get a picture of this!" when,all at once, I felt someone, or something, rubbing against my foot. I peered down to the far end of the bed to see a black and white cat making itself quite at home. Ours is a 'pet-free' house (give or take the odd child) but such was my drowsiness that I muttered that it must be Gilbert from next door and slipped back into a deep sleep.
As usual, I was first up next morning only to be greeted by a makeshift cat basket, a bowl of mackerel (Mrs Searle's dinner for the next day!) and a bowl of water. No sign of our feline guest, so I decided to search high and low for it. Bingo! There it was in my son's bedroom sleeping on the end of his bed. However it took a shine to me and followed me downstairs and stayed less than the current 'social distance' from me for the next couple of hours until my daughter got up and filled in the missing gaps. It turned out that Sammy had followed them home and as soon as the front door was opened it bolted through. A local Facebook group posting soon brought a positive response from a resident who thought it belonged to a family who live about half a mile away. A little more detective work and Sammy (the stranger who came to stay) was reunited with his laid-back owner.
It seems that Sammy has spent a night or two in many of the homes in our town and last weekend, it was our turn.
Mr Searle.
Week beginning 18th May.
Hi Everyone,
Well what an exciting seven days I've had! I've been into school a few times, been for a walk (which always seems to arrive at the end of a queue to get into Sainsbury's), I've cleaned up the kitchen seven times(!!!), done loads of washing and have been trying to rid the lawn of weeds but have made very little impact.
I look forward to Wednesdays for our Zoom or phone chats and last week was no exception. It was great to see, or hear about, the various things you've been up to including a Hawaiian volcano, the Niagara Falls (twice), Las Vegas and the Empire State Building, glistening in the afternoon sun, not to mention two guitar recitals!
On this subject, it would be great if you could email the school office attaching photos of anything you're proud of that you've achieved since the School closed. We'll get it uploaded to the Class 3 page. Class 2 already have a few contributions if you'd like to take a look.
It was Maisie's birthday on Saturday but she has so far escaped listening to my version of "Happy Birthday". I have phoned and,, although my call was answered by Mr Temperley, I'm sure I could hear a young lady's voice in the background whispering, "Tell him I'm out!!!" However, I'm not giving up that easily Maisie so you'd better beware!! Anyway, we all hope you had a very happy birthday.
Hope you all have a great week and we'll catch up on Wednesday.
Mr Searle.
NORTH AMERICA TOPIC: This week I want you to research Totem Poles. These were a common feature amongst the native tribes of the Pacific North West (the Pacific/west coast of Washington State, British Columbia in Canada and Alaska. You'll probably need the internet for your research and I would suggest that you search "Totem Poles for kids" ~ you'll find more than you need on the sites under that heading.
Start off with a short paragraph which outlines what they are and in which parts of North America they can be found.
The main section can be done by annotating or labelling your own drawing ~ here you could mention the colours; what the carvings mean; their height, the wood used, who carves them, etc.
You can finish with a paragraph that tells the reader where examples can be seen today (I've had the pleasure of visiting Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada where there is a magnificent display) and maybe conclude with a little humour as in the last sentence on the CBC site.
Week beginning 11th May
Hi Everyone,
This is my first go at updating our class page on the School website ... and the bad news for you is that I've succeeded in uploading the English and Maths for both year groups.
My apologies to those of you who had Zoom appointments last week. We're not sure what went wrong, but will endeavour to sort it out for this week's conferences.
Belated "Happy Birthday" greetings to Elise and Ewan from all of us at Wethersfield; one downside of home learning is having to listen to me singing my favourite version of the Happy Birthday song on the phone (or did you press the 'mute' button?).
NORTH AMERICA TOPIC: I have another geography challenge for you this week. You will find a map of the USA attached, with all fifty states numbered, but not named. Your task is to find the name of each one and you'll need an atlas or computer to help. You can either write them on the map (if you can print it) or alternatively write the name of the state that matches each number (eg 33 Florida). Note that 49 and 50 are not attached to the mainland of the USA. 50 is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean ("Book him Danno" was a famous refrain from the TV series, named after the 50th state ... parents / grandparents will know this one) and 'I'll ask ya' about the 49th when we're back in school.
EXTENSION: Each state has its own capital city. If you want to extend your knowledge, try to find the 'State capitals' of each one; eg Dover is the State capital of the state of Delaware.
YEAR 6 PUPILS: It would be worthwhile looking at Year 5's Day 1 English lesson as it covers key speeches in the history of the USA
As always, DO WHAT YOU CAN ... AS WELL AS YOU CAN ... no one expects anymore than that!
Looking forward to speaking to you on Wednesday.
Have a good week.
Mr Searle.
I hope everyone had a lovely Easter in the sunshine. I am sorry I was not able to say a proper goodbye but I will be thinking of you all and wish you all the very best for the future.
Mrs Twaites
In addition to the maths and English resources provided, these are some suggested topic activities you might like to do with your child at home, anything around our class topic would be fantastic:
Class 3 Newsletter – Spring term 2020
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back and I look forward to working with you and your child this term.
We hope that the following information will clarify for parents my expectations of the children in Class 3 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.
Reading - We aim to hear the children in Class 3 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day. If you are able to spare any time to come into school to hear children in class 3 read, we would be very grateful.
Homework - Children will be given homework on most Thursdays which needs to be completed by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice, times tables learning, a maths activity based on the week’s work and either a literacy or topic activity. Please encourage your child to complete the work as independently as possible. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their homework.
Spellings and Times Tables – Spellings in Class 3 are given out every Friday. Each child is given a list and will bring it home on Friday as part of their homework. They are tested on the following Friday. The children will know which times table they need to learn on a Thursday and will then be tested on Thursday the following week. I would be grateful if you could encourage your child to practise their spellings and times tables and make sure that they have their spellings list with them on a Friday.
P.E. – Children must have their P.E kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 3 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Topics – A topic web is provided on the back of this letter for your information. This outlines my provisional plans for the term. The theme for the term is, Ancient Greeks. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally, if you feel you can offer anything extra, (eg. relevant photos, videos or books that we could borrow for a short while) please let me know. I will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to a theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let me know.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!
Sue Twaites (Deputy Headteacher/Class teacher)
Class 3 Newsletter - Autumn Term 2019
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back and I look forward to working with you and your child this term.
We hope that the following information will clarify for parents my expectations of the children in Class 3 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.
Reading - We aim to hear the children in Class 3 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day. If you are able to spare any time to come into school to hear children in class 3 read, we would be very grateful.
Homework - Children will be given homework on most Thursdays which needs to be completed by the following Wednesday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice, times tables learning, a maths activity based on the week’s work and either a literacy or topic activity. Please encourage your child to complete the work as independently as possible. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their homework.
Spellings and Times Tables – Spellings in Class 3 are given out every Friday. Each child is given a list and will bring it home on Friday as part of their homework. They are tested on the following Friday. The children will know which times table they need to learn on a Thursday and will then be tested on Thursday the following week. I would be grateful if you could encourage your child to practise their spellings and times tables and make sure that they have their spellings list with them on a Friday.
P.E. – Children must have their P.E kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 3 is on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Topics – A topic web is provided on the back of this letter for your information. This outlines my provisional plans for the term. The themes for the term are, Victorians. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally, if you feel you can offer anything extra, (eg. relevant photos, videos or books that we could borrow for a short while) please let me know. I will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to a theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let me know.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!
Sue Twaites (Deputy Headteacher/Class teacher)
Class 3 Newsletter – Summer term 2019
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back and I look forward to working with you and your child this term. We hope that the following information will clarify for parents my expectations of the children in Class 3 and will act as a useful reminder of rules and routines.
Reading - We aim to hear the children in Class 3 read as often as possible and hope that you will support this by hearing your child read at home on a regular basis. It really does make a difference and helps them to make good progress. Please sign and date their reading record each time they read, adding any comments you wish to make. Children need to have their reading books and reading records in school every day. If you are able to spare any time to come into school to hear children in class 3 read, we would be very grateful.
Homework - Children will be given homework on most Thursdays which needs to be completed by the following Thursday, unless told otherwise. Homework usually consists of regular reading practice, spelling practice, times tables learning, a maths activity based on the week’s work and either a literacy or topic activity. Please encourage your child to complete the work as independently as possible. It would be beneficial for your child to have a pencil, ruler, protractor, rubber and colouring pencils available at home to complete their homework.
Spellings – Spellings in Class 3 are given out every Friday. Each child is given a list and will bring it home as part of their homework. They are tested on the following Friday. The children will know which times table they need to learn and will then be tested the following week. I would be grateful if you could encourage your child to practise their spellings and times tables and make sure that they have their spellings list with them on a Thursday.
P.E. – Children must have their P.E kit in school every day. Usually, P.E. in Class 3 is on a Monday and Thursday.
Topics – A topic web is provided on the back of this letter for your information. This outlines my provisional plans for the term. The theme for the term is Australia. You may like to remember this when planning any family days out if they fit with these topics. Equally, if you feel you can offer anything extra, (eg. relevant photos, videos or books that we could borrow for a short while) please let me know. I will be delighted! Similarly, if your job or hobbies lend themselves to a theme and you would be willing to come and talk to the children or carry out an activity with them, please let me know.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to an enjoyable term ahead!
Sue Twaites (Deputy Headteacher/Class teacher)
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