19th April

What a busy first week back and we have done so much. We continued with our striking and fielding skills this afternoon until a random cloud decided to drench us with water!

The hi-light of the week was the glider workshop on Wednesday morning. I hope they were able to show you their gliders and possibly fly them outside or even improve them.

In Maths we have been recapping fractions, decimals and percentages and it would be beneficial if they can consolidate these skills by doing My Maths. We have started a new book, Viking Boy, which links with our History topic of the Vikings. Our first piece of writing is a character description using expanded noun phrases. Also, we planted a pea seed so we can watch the stages as it germinates and hopefully you can pick some peas in the summer!

In History, we discussed where the Vikings came from and they drew a longship and started to find some Viking places in the atlas, such as Scarborough and Whitby. This afternoon we talked about Mother Teresa and looked at some of her quotes and how they are still relevant in our modern world. For computing, the class have been exploring Scratch and especially programming music!

Thank to those who have sent in baby photos - there are so many! Next week, we will try to guess who they are - there is still time to send them in! 

The spellings for next week are:

redistribute

resign

reapply

return

rearrange

rewrite

reappear

readjust

immediate

definite

The test will be 26th April.

TTRS and My Maths homework has been set and please continue to hear your child read at least 5 times a week and sign their reading records. 

Have a good weekend and see you next week.

Mrs Watts

13th April

Good afternoon. I hope you have had an enjoyable holiday and making the most of the Spring weather today. 

Back to school on Monday and I'm looking forward to hearing all the news about their Easter holidays.

PE will still be on a Wednesday and Friday. For the majority of the class, spellings will start the following week so the new spellings will be given out on Friday. TTRS and My Maths homework will be set for the first week back. I do hope the children have continued to read over the 2 weeks and reading records will be checked on Monday. 

For Science, it would be good if you can send in a photo of your child when they were a baby or similar; it will be returned. Thank you.

On Wednesday, we have a glider workshop and we need permission slips completed if you don't mind your child being photographed during the session - it can be found on Parent Pay. If you don't want your child photographed, then you do not need to complete it.

Looking forward to term 5.

Mrs Watts

30th March

It seemed strange to finish on a Thursday and I couldn't get used to yesterday being a Friday!

I hope you had an enjoyable Good Friday despite the weather, again! 

We were still working every day and they wrote their stories on Wednesday, which were an interesting read; so many unusual ideas. In Maths, we looked at translation, coordinates and solving word problems which were from the 2 Maths assessments they have completed so far.

The main activity though, was cooking as part of DT. They prepared some food to accompany cooked pasta and then they ate it - this is a useful skill as it is cheap and something they can easily prepare when they leave home for University or College!

In Science, we talked about asexual reproduction in flowers and in RE they wrote a modern day parable. As part of Easter, they made God's Eyes using sticks and wool - hopefully they are hung up somewhere. On Thursday afternoon, they did some Easter craft with Mrs G which I hoped they enjoyed.

There are no spellings the first week back and I have set no new My Maths, but they can complete any they have missed or improve on their scores. 

TTRS has not been set but they can still do it to improve their times. It would be useful to continue reading as this is a life-long skill.

Next term in Science, we will be looking at humans so if you can send in a baby picture of your child, it will be looked after and returned to you. Thank you.

It is also a '3 classes assembly' on Friday 3rd May at 2:30pm, which you will be invited to.

Have a fantastic Easter and holiday.

Mrs Watts

23rd March

Wow that was a great week but very busy! The trip on Monday was amazing and I'm sure they all slept well that night. We did orienteering, a picture trail and sensory trail. It was funny to see them trying to negotiate an obstacle course, blindfolded but they enjoyed it. They also had to guess the tree they had touched whilst being blindfolded. 

At lunchtime, they were lucky because the pedal go-karts, trampolines, bouncy castle, photo booth and other games were open for them to use.  I would like to thank all the adults who helped out on Monday.

The next 4 days then involved doing their Spring tests. In English, they are going to write a story based on the Explorer using a variety of sentence openers and dialogue so they started their stories yesterday. In Maths, I introduced magic squares and next week we are going to be learning about co-ordinates and translation (moving shapes). In Science, we did some drama about pollination, fertilisation and seed dispersal and it was Neurodiversity week so they researched a famous person, such as Billie Elish, Simone Biles and Greta Thunberg. 

Yesterday, it was their class party as they had earned enough class points.

It was lovely to see so many of you at Parent's Evening and for you to see the progress they are making. Please encourage them to do their homework, both My Maths and TTRS (Battle of the Bands against Alligators) and read at least 5 times a week.

Next week, they will be doing some cooking - pasta salad, and finishing their Art, making God's Eyes and Easter cards.

Spellings are:

bough

plough

borough

though

although

thorough

tough

dough

interrupt

desperate

The test will be on Thursday 28th March- the last day of term which is also Pupil of the Term.

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

15th March

It has been a great week and we ended with a music lesson where they played a 5 note tune linked to some Jazz music. They began with a 3 note tune, which they played on the glockenspiel before attempting a 5 note tune with some improvisation (create your own using the same notes) - it actually sounded quite tuneful!

In Maths, we have been looking at factors and prime numbers and they wrote their reports about the Amazon rainforest today, which they really enjoyed and I'm looking forward to reading them. In preparation for our trip on Monday, we looked at some Ordnance Survey Maps for the Bristol and Bath area and they were practising how to read both 4 and 6 digit grid references.

In PSHE, they were practising the recovery position and discussing emergency first aid and they have been busy completing their books (zines) in Art.

Next Monday, we are going to Woodhouse Activity Centre for orienteering, sensory trail and picture trail. It is during school time (traffic permitting) and I'm sure the children will be practising their map skills. After all this rain, it will be muddy so they can wear their own clothes and wear or bring wellington boots or old shoes. They will need snacks, packed lunch and drinks and a coat in case it rains.  Looking forward to a busy day of fieldwork.

The spellings for next week are:

ought

bought

fought

brought

thought

rough

cough

enough

stomach

temperature

There is TTRS and My Maths homework and please continue to read 5 times with your child and sign their books. 

Next week is also test week, so the children will be doing Maths, Reading and SPaG tests on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning. Friday afternoon will be our class party so it will be a perfect end to a busy week.

Looking forward to seeing you at Parent's Evening on Tuesday or Thursday.

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

9th March

This week flew by and the children have really enjoyed all the different activities we have done. The snow on Saturday was a real surprise!

In Maths, we have been recapping rounding, negative numbers and Roman numerals and also attempted long multiplication again. In English, the children are starting to write a non-chronological report about the Amazon rainforest having researched their own facts. This links with the book 'The Explorer' because the children were stranded in the Amazon rainforest. 

As it's Mother's Day on Sunday, we read about the History of Mothering Sunday and the children made their own cards. It was lovely to see so many children dressed up for World Book Day and don't forget to use their book vouchers.  In Science, we dissected a daffodil and talked about all the different parts and in Geography we studied Ordnance Survey maps and used grid references; we hope to continue next week looking at Bristol maps. In RE, we talked about parables and told the story of the unforgiving servant.

In Computing, we talked about the Binary Code and they played a game to practise the code and in Art, they have started to make their books linked to Macbeth or a poem. They were lucky to have 2 lessons this week taught by 2 experts and on Tuesday morning, they had a workshop about 'Unique Voice'.

The spellings for next week are:

island

aisle

handsome

sandwich

badge

autumn

column

doubt

equipment

according

There is TTRS and My Maths homework to do and continue to hear them read at least 5 times a week.

Thank you to those who have already given permission and paid for the trip on Monday 18th March.

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

Road safety booklet:

WR_7535_DfT_TotR_Web_ENG_am2_201222_v3-FINAL.pdf (think.gov.uk)

1st March,

Today is suppose to be the first day of Spring and what happens - rain, sun, hail, cloud! I hope you didn't get too wet!

This week has been so busy again! The children are so lucky to be doing a great variety of activities!

On Tuesday the Bumblebees of Honeywood visited again to talk about Business and Enterprise. They had to create a short advert telling everyone about the problems bees are facing. They did really well and received a notebook. Maybe you can create a bee hotel for your garden or plant some flowers that bees love.

Wednesday, they helped to build the pizza oven which was a messy job!

In English, they have written their diary entry as if they were one of the children from the book. They really enjoyed this and used some great vocabulary. In Maths, we used some of the imperial units (inches, feet) to measure and found some items which were a yard long!

In Science, we are looking at life cycles of living things and in Music, we listened to some Jazz and used only 3 notes to create a short tune. The children were a given a sheet of photos of some items in the school grounds. They needed to find them and put this on the plan of the school. It was a pity it started to rain, again, just as we were about to start but they ignored it as they were having so much fun!

Today, we talked about St. David's day and then this afternoon for PSHE, we talked about the effects of alcohol.

The spellings are:

knock

knight

knowledge

wrestle

glisten

castle

crumb

debt

thorough

mischievous

Next week is busy as well. They have a workshop Tuesday morning and then a dance lesson in the afternoon. It's World Book Day on Thursday so they can come in dressed as a book character. Can they also bring in a favourite book to share with their friends? 

Please continue to hear them read at least 5 times a week and there is TTRS and My Maths homework to do as well, especially useful when it is raining!

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

23rd February,

Welcome back to Term 4. I hope you had a good week and it seems the children have grown again!

The first week is over and what a busy one. At least the mornings and evenings are lighter but the rain is becoming frustrating, especially at lunchtimes as they really the exercise and fresh air.

This week, we have been using The Explorer as a focus for English and they are writing a diary entry as if they are the children. The grammar skills are subordinate clauses and the challenge is to include them in their writing.

In Maths, we have continued to look at measures and reading scales. Next week, we are going to be looking at imperial measures such as inches, miles, pints.

For Science, we had a visit from Matt who told them about his job which involves looking for new planets. They created their own planets and then circled them around the 'sun' to see how much light  is blocked. They learnt so much from him and asked some really interesting questions. I hope they have shared some of this with you!

It's Geography this term which involves maps and fieldwork so they tried to create a map for another child to follow with a mixture of results! I hope you have seen the letter about the trip as they will be reading maps when they go orienteering and possibly using a compass.

For PE, it will be American football skills and dance and we are looking at Healthy Me for PSHE; we started by discussing smoking.

The spellings this week are:

sensible

incredible

eligible

responsible

plausible

sensibly

responsibly

possibly

equipped

profession

Test on 1st March.

Next week is another busy week as there is so much for the children to be involved in. The pizza oven is being rebuilt, so all children will have the opportunity to help.

Please continue to hear your child read at least 5 times a week and encourage them to do My Maths and TTRS homework.

Looking forward to a fun-filled week.

Mrs Watts

9th February

This term flew by, I can't believe it is the end of Term 3. Today we also said goodbye to Miss Sheppard as she moves on to work in a different school - she will be greatly missed. We ended with a class party, which Miss Sheppard organised, and she made every child a keyring. I'm sure she will pop in for a visit at some point!

It has been a busy week and they wrote their alternative endings to Macbeth using dialogue and I was so impressed with their imaginative ideas. In Maths, they read timetables and worked out the duration of time - I do hope they will continue to practise their skills at home.

In Science, they investigated pulleys and it was internet safety week so they did some activities linked to this. In dance, they learnt the twist and then created their own dance using the moves they've learnt this term. 

They enjoyed reading about musical styles from the 20th Century and I was able to play some of the songs to them - they even recognised some (Oasis).  The reading lesson on Friday was about Pancakes so they enjoyed talking about this; I hope you get a chance to make some pancakes on Tuesday.

The spellings for the first week back:

available

reliable

adjustable

considerable

approachable

achievable

reliably

arguably

equip

vegetable

It was great that they were confident enough to perform the French song in front of the school on Thursday.

Next term, PE will still be on a Wednesday and Friday. Spelling tests will be on a Friday and Reading Records in on a Monday.  There is My Maths and TTRS homework for them to do during the week. There is a trip planned for Monday 18th March so they can do some fieldwork as part of our Geography unit. Please have a look at Parent Pay.

Have a relaxing week and see you on Monday 19th February.

Mrs Watts

2nd February,

We've finally reached February and what a lovely day the 1st was too! I can feel Spring is on the way! The only problem with February is that children usually spell the word with 1 'r'! We did not quite have 100% accuracy yesterday, I haven't checked today yet!

In Maths, we have been working on time! We have stuck to digital time and 24 hour clock as that is what they will need in the future rather than analogue clock. Next week, they will be reading and interpreting timetables ready for when they need to catch buses and trains.

In English, we have been looking at the end of Macbeth and writing speech and the children will write an alternative end next week.

In Science, they were learning about water resistance and in History, Anglo-Saxon life and weapons. Next week is the final week of Term 3. Miss Sheppard will be leaving us and has planned a party for them on Friday afternoon. The children have really enjoyed being taught by her and she will be missed but we all wish her luck for the future.

The spellings next week are:

violence

silence

absence

excellence

consequence

dependency

currency

tendency

available

equipment

Please continue to hear your child read and remind them to change their books. There is TTRS and My Maths homework to do. It would also be beneficial to keep talking about time such as how long until they go to bed or tea. I'm sure you have more imaginative ideas than me! It is good to talk about seconds, minutes and hours especially if you are cooking.

Have a great week.

Mrs Watts

26th January,

It has been another busy week and I was so impressed with their positive attitude towards learning long multiplication yesterday. It's always more tricky when you are learning a new skill, especially when you don't quite understand the method. 

They really enjoyed writing their balanced arguments about whether Macbeth was a bad person and included some really interesting vocabulary. In Maths, we sorted shapes that were regular and irregular polygons (we watched a really good video which was about a polygon party) and continued to use protractors to measure angles.

Miss Sheppard taught them about friction and they did 2 investigations and in History, we discussed an Anglo-Saxon village and they wrote words in runes. We continued with dance but unfortunately with no music and they did some partner work - hopefully there will be music next week.

In Art, we continued with making marks on paper and looking at works of art that use this style.

The spellings next week are:

hesitance

hesitancy

attendance

brilliance

vacancy

redundancy

arrogance

defiance

according

desperate

They are tested on a Friday.

PE days are still Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning. Reading records should be given in on a Monday morning and the expectation is they read at least 5 times a week. 

My Maths is set every Tuesday and it's great to see so many completing it on a weekly basis. TTRS is also set weekly and the expectation is they complete 25 minutes a week. There are raffle tickets for those who complete the homework.

Have a good weekend.

Mrs Watts

19th January,

The children have done a great variety of activities this week including learning German, doing the hand jive and using a protractor. Miss Sheppard taught some greeting words in German and also the hand jive that links with our rock and roll unit for dance. It was so good to see all of the class having fun!

In Maths, we have been measuring and drawing angles using a protractor and calculating missing angles. I was so impressed with their 'I can do this' attitude towards these lessons.

In English, they are writing a discussion text about some of the characters in Macbeth and whether they are heroes or villains. On Monday they investigated levers and in History, they have been learning about where the Anglo-Saxons came from and settled.

Today in Gymnastics they were learning how to do a cartwheel and I was surprised at the number who could do them with lovely straight legs. This afternoon, they were researching some famous scientists who discovered something related to forces and creating some fact files. There were some very interesting facts - did you know Sir Isaac Newton was a premature baby?

Yesterday, they were talking about their dream jobs and on Tuesday morning we had a climate workshop and the children were learning about the amount of energy certain appliances use. They also had a map of the local area so they could put on their ideas to improve it eg. wind turbines, electric car charging points.  

The spellings this week are:

defrost

decode

deactivate

decrease

decontaminate

deconstruct

dehydrate

dehydration

stomach

environment

Next week, there is another TTRS tournament for the local area. Please continue to hear your child read and sign their books and there is always My Maths homework they can do.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the fresh air.

Mrs Watts

12th January

It has been a busy and cold first full week back. It seems strange that there are only 4 weeks left until half-term!

In English, they wrote their character descriptions for characters from Macbeth and I used the life of William Shakespeare text for our reading skills lesson. In Maths, we have been working out percentages of amounts and carrying on with adding fractions with different denominators.

I have been so impressed with their attitude towards Maths at the moment as they seem much more positive about learning new methods. In Science, they raised their own question that they wanted to investigate using their helicopters and we have just started learning about the Anglo Saxons. We had to do dance in the classroom so it was 'Just Dance' but at least they had gymnastics in the hall today.

In PSHE, they were discussing different jobs, their salaries and their importance to society.

Are the highest paid people the most important in society? What do you think?

The spellings this week are:

disagree

disregard

disrupt

disobey

disable

disadvantage

disappointing

disappear

temperature

interrupt

Next week, we will be having an online workshop based on climate change.

Unfortunately, we can still not use the hall on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

Please continue to hear your child read and sign their reading records. There is My Maths and TTRS homework they can do. 

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

5th January

It was great to see the children looking so smart and happy to be back at school on Wednesday. We have had a busy 3 days in Maths as we have been looking at both mixed numbers and improper fractions and it was so nice to see so many of them confident with fractions.

In English, Miss Sheppard has introduced the story of Macbeth - I wonder how many of you have read or studied this text! The children are writing character descriptions of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the 3 witches. We did our first dance lesson on Wednesday linked to Rock and Roll. I taught them the electric slide - I wonder if they can remember it - hand jive next!

Today, in gymnastics, they were practising different rolls and this afternoon we made some paper helicopters as part of our Science unit of forces. We will be looking at gravity first.

Spellings have been sent home today:

decency

absorbency

inconsistency

confidence

obedience

innocence

independence

frequency

existence

excellent

ready for the test on Friday. My Maths and TTRS homework have been set and the children should be reading at least 5 times a week and please make sure you are signing their books.

Have a great weekend and see you on Monday.

Mrs Watts

1st January,

Happy New Year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas holiday and are raring to go for a new term.

PE will be on a Wednesday and Friday and I hope to do a PE lesson on the Wednesday (3rd January) we come back so they can wear their PE kits to school.

Attached is the spelling, Maths and curriculum overview for this term.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday to hear all your news.

Mrs Watts

16th December

It was a fantastic final week of this term. They did plenty of fun and creative activities in addition to work. They wrote their setting descriptions and in Maths, they looked at reflection and interpreting line graphs. Finally, we discussed tourism and talked about the phases of the moon.

Hopefully you have seen the Christmas cards they created and possibly the cookies they made yesterday, unless they ate them on their way home! I wonder where they have put their stockings! I know most of them really enjoyed sewing and some would like to do it again at home - at last they can do their own mending!

Also, we watched the pantomime and the Key Stage 1 performance and both were very good.

The class party was great and thank you to all those who sent in food to share. 

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you on the 3rd January 2024 ready for another busy term.

Mrs Watts

9th December

What a great week it has been. Miss Sheppard taught Design and Technology and they designed and made cranes that could pick up a cup of popcorn. They all succeeded and I was impressed with their resilience when the pulley system didn't quite work. The children all enjoyed doing these lessons and learnt so much about mechanisms and working collaboratively.

In Maths, we looked at both 2D and 3D shapes and used nets to make their own shapes.

In English, they are writing setting descriptions linked to the Snow Spider using expanded noun phrases. We practised some hockey skills in PE and they had their last 'Move and Learn' session on Tuesday and brought home a certificate, their posters  and booklets.

It was great to see so many entrants for the Christmas competition and the wide variety of materials used. The winners were announced yesterday.

Spellings for next week are:

confident

confidence

independent

independence

obedient

obedience

innocent

absorbent

audience
convenience

The test will be on Thursday morning.

Next week is the last week of term. We will be watching a panto at school on Tuesday and we plan to do some sewing and cooking too. On Friday afternoon, we will have our Christmas party and your child can bring in an item of food to share if they want. There is also a TTRS Battle of Bands against Giraffes. It should be a fun 'Christmas week'!

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts 

1st December,

I can't believe it is December already! It certainly feels wintry! It has been assessment week and the children have worked hard on them. On Monday morning, we went to 'Sparks' and they took part in a variety of workshops including trying to take apart electronic equipment using screwdrivers, PAT testing and stripping wires to find the copper. They all enjoyed it and some didn't want to leave!

We have created an advent calendar with acts of kindness written inside for us all to do on that day. It means on Monday, we will have at least 4 acts of kindness to do! On Tuesday afternoon they planned healthy meals as part of our move and learn project; it would be great if they could do some cooking with you! The spellings for this week are:

hesitant

observant

tolerant

tolerance

important

importance

assistant

assistance

nuisance

hindrance

The test will be on Friday as usual.

Miss Sheppard has organised a competition for them. They need to create a Christmas or winter decoration using any materials they have around the house. All entries should be in by Wednesday 6th December. As it is a 3 day weekend, that should keep them busy!

There is also My Maths and TTRS to do and there will be Battle of the Bands starting 11th December.

Next week, the children will be able to design and make a crane. It will be interesting to see how they get on!

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

25th November

The class have worked really hard in English this week and wrote some interesting diary entries on Thursday. It was great to see so many of them using subordinate clauses and interesting vocabulary in their writing. In Maths, we have been working on decimals and in Science they started making their own solar systems which I hope they can bring home soon when they are completed. In Geography, we drew bar charts to show the population of the top 10 cities in the USA compared to the UK - obviously it was New York and London.

On Tuesday the Bumbles of Honeywood returned to do their final session with the class. It was great fun watching them work as a team to 'cross the river' with only 6 stepping stones! In the afternoon, they continued with 'Move and Learn' and discussed the different categories of food. For their challenge, they need to complete the A-Z of fruit and vegetables - have you got any ideas for z? In RE, we looked at churches and they researched a city in North America ready to write a non-chronological report next week. 

The spellings for next week are:

bought

brought

nought

fought

ought

thought

drought

especially

Government

frequently

On Monday morning, we are going to 'Sparks' for 'ewaste' workshops which I am looking forward to. Also, they need to do their rising star assessments for Reading, SPaG and Maths on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

On Friday, there is an INSET day so the spelling test will be on Thursday instead. 

There are 6 more days of observing the moon and then they can return the sheets to school.

There will still be TTRS and My Maths homework to do and please encourage your child to complete at least 10 of the 'Generation Wild' activities. 3 of the class have already completed their 10 activities and have received their certificates from school.

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

18th November

What a busy Friday! They looked great in their 'Pudsey' clothes and thank you to those who donated chocolate for the Christmas Fayre. Well done to Miss Sheppard and her choir of Elephants who sang 'Merry Christmas Everyone'! They sounded brilliant! It was also our class party and it was so lovely to see them playing chess, Lego, making bracelets and skateboard ramps - makes a change from using devices.

This week the children have been learning about fractions, especially addition and subtraction, and in Geography they named as many states of USA as they could - I wonder if they remember any. In English, they have been writing a diary entry and using subordinate clauses and Miss Sheppard taught Music and it is so great to see their enthusiasm.

In Art, they studied the work of Louise Fili (typography) and created their own design in her style.

 On Monday 27th November we are going to 'Sparks' in Broadmead to take part in various workshops about 'ewaste' so please complete the form on Parentpay. 

The spellings this week contain the same letter pattern as the previous week - it's amazing how many sounds 'ough' makes when you think about it.

although

plough

through

bough

enough

thorough

apparent

excellent

existence

profession

Don't forget homework  - TTRS and My Maths and continue to hear your child read at least 5 times a week. Have a good weekend.

Mrs Watts

I forgot to mention the Christmas Fayre on Friday from 4:30pm. 

Some of the class are joining Miss Sheppard to sing 'Merry Christmas Everyone' at about 5pm - it's not too late if your child wants to join in, just return the permission slip tomorrow.

Also, some of the children will be dancing. I hope to see you there.

10th November

As expected, it has been a very busy week. The trip to Slimbridge was fantastic and certainly worth a second visit as we didn't see everything. You have a ticket with a free pass for you and the family. The children loved seeing the birds, especially the flamingos, and following the nature trail. Please encourage them to go online and collect the badges; the activities certainly look like fun and I'm sure the whole family could do it!

Dancing in the rain would be an easy one at the moment! 

It was great to see so many of you at Parents Evening. Don't worry if you have not been able to attend as I'm available most days straight after school, just let me know. 

Some of the children spent 2 days working with the younger children doing agility tests.

Today, they wrote their non-chronological reports about spiders and this afternoon we looked at the human and physical features of North America. I wonder which features they remember! On Monday they created a way to remember the order of the planets from the sun and then performed this to the class. Pop in and look at the photos on the Science board!

We continued with area and converting measures in Maths and next week we are recapping fractions, especially addition and subtraction when the denominators are not the same.

The spellings next week are:

cough

rough

tough

trough

dough

though

conscience

develop

development

occasionally

This is an interesting letter pattern as you don't realise how many different 'sounds' it makes!

Hopefully next week is normal with PE on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please remind them to continue reading at least 5 times a week and do My Maths and TTRS homework (their logins are at the front of their Arithmetic books if needed).

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

3rd November

Welcome back to Term 2. I hope you had a great week. The weather during the day seemed to be quite pleasant so at least everyone could enjoy being outside! I can't believe it is Friday already and Miss Sheppard had them singing a Christmas song this afternoon - it was lovely but a bit early for me!

This week we have started to write a non-chronological report about spiders and they really enjoyed finding facts and sharing them with the class; I don't want to see another photo of a spider at the moment and especially not a real one! In Maths we have been recapping perimeter and area and they have been challenged with drawing shapes with a certain perimeter and area. 

On Wednesday, we had a visit from a teacher at UWE who taught them about collecting data about traffic which they enjoyed.  We started Geography today and they used the atlases to find the countries of North America and some of the capital cities.

Next week, we are going to Slimbridge WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) on Tuesday so please ensure you have signed the permission slip. It's also Parent's evening on Tuesday and Thursday so please come and see your child's work.

The spellings for the test on the 10th are:

ridiculous

serious

cautious

jealous

famous

conscious

spacious

marvellous

language

sincerely

Please continue to encourage your child to do TTRS and My Maths homework and also to continue reading daily.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the fireworks!

Mrs Watts

21st October

Those 7 weeks flew by and now it's time for a well-earned rest before a busy term leading up to Christmas.

This week, they completed their letters as if they were Floella and explaining their experiences of arriving in England. I was really impressed with the number of relative clauses they used. In Maths, we started work on measuring and converting measures of length. We took out items from the PE cupboard to measure using a tape measure and then converted this to both metres and millimetres. 

In Science, we repeated the insulators experiment and foil was still the worst insulator of hot water! We completed our History lessons with creating a poster about what happened to the Mayans and I printed their word document about Pakal the Great. They had a wonderful dance lesson on Monday and the teacher was really impressed with the speed they picked up the routine.

It was their last swimming lesson and they had fun session and they have all been given a certificate. We ended the term with a class party and also said goodbye to one of the pupils who is moving to a different school.

The new spellings are statutory words:

frequently

hindrance

nuisance

restaurant

thorough

experiment

knowledge

various

occasionally

business

The test will be on Friday 3rd November.

Don't forget Monday 30th October is an INSET day so the children will start on the Tuesday and they have PE on that day.

Have a fantastic week and try to encourage them to read and continue with My Maths and TTRS during the week.

See you next term.

Mrs Watts

13th October

It's been another busy week with so much going on!

In Maths, we have been doing division with and without remainders and fractions of numbers. and in English, they have been using relative clauses in their writing. Next week, they will write a letter as if they are Floella Benjamin telling somebody all about her experiences in England.

In Guided Reading, we looked at a text about the Windrush Generation which explained even more about their experiences. For Science, we discussed insulators and they wrapped a material around a mug of hot water and recorded the temperature  every 5 minutes; it was a surprise when foil was the worst! Therefore we will repeat this investigation next week and then record the temperatures in a graph.

The spellings this week are statutory spellings that they need to know by the end of year 5:

classify

justify

develop

development

apparent

conscience

convenience

excellent

existence

especially

In History, they wrote some fact files about the Mayan Gods and Miss Sheppard taught them about rhythm and they used the glockenspiel to create their own rhythms. All the children have finally completed their weaving and next week they will be having their class party as they now have 30 points. They have decided to play games both inside and outside, weather permitting.

On Monday afternoon they will be having a dance lesson so they will need to wear their PE kits to school which means there will be no PE on Tuesday. Their final swimming lesson is on Friday. Please send in their reading records on Monday, as usual, and there is My Maths and TTRS homework to do.

One more week to go and the children have really settled into Year 5 now. 

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

6th October

We've come to the end of another busy week. Only 2 more to go until half-term!

This week we had a visit from UWE who introduced Anglo-Saxon story telling. The children created their own storyboard and then told the story orally; most wanted to tell the class their story too.

In English, they have written their persuasive brochures about a place they know really well and in Maths, we have been multiplying and learning about factors and multiples. We had an enjoyable Science lesson Monday morning, which was reversible and irreversible changes, and they experienced making toast, melting chocolate and ice melting. They even tried to prevent an ice cube from melting by wrapping it up!

In History, we tried writing numbers using the Mayan number system and also they typed their facts about Pakan the Great. In RE, we studied the Creation and discussed various opinions about how the world was created and in Art, they explored their own designs for letters.

They have finally earnt a class party with 30 points so we need to decide what to do for it.

The spellings for next week are:

measure

treasure

pressure

secure

picture

mixture

feature

structure

increase

strange

Just a reminder about My Maths and TTRS homework and continue to hear your child read and sign their reading records. 

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

29th September

What a busy Friday we have had to 'top-off' a very busy week!

On Tuesday a member of the Road Safety team came in to talk to the children about how to cross roads safely. Today, they went out in small groups with her to actually practise it!

Therefore, swimming had to be put in the afternoon so I'm sure they will be tired!

This week, we have analysed a variety of brochures for different cities to see how they persuade people to visit. We started writing our own for Bristol. 

In Maths, we focussed on problem solving and especially showing their working out and in Science, devising fair tests for dissolving a variety of materials. In History, they wrote about the Mayan city 'Chichen Itzu' and started weaving on cardboard looms.

We are very lucky to welcome a new member to our class, Miss Sheppard, who will be with us until February. She taught the children some brilliant warm up songs/noises for their voices before singing.

The spellings for next week are:
obsession
persuasion
explosion
extension
discussion
emission
permission
confession
profession
restaurant
The test will be on Friday next week.
There is still TTRS homework and My Maths and reading records are due in on Monday.
On Tuesday we have another visitor who will tell them about the Anglo-Saxons, which we will study in Term 3.

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

22nd September

It has been another busy week and I feel sorry for anyone who was walking in those torrential downpours! 

The children have written their balanced arguments about the book 'How to Live Forever' and whether it should be read; I was impressed with some of their reasons for and against. In guided reading, we discussed whether children should wear school uniform - most actually like it!

In Maths, they have been doing addition and subtraction calculations and in Science, they separated materials, such as rice and flour, using sieves and filtered sand and water.

In History they wrote about how the Mayans lived and I taught them how to weave paper ready to weave on card looms next week. This afternoon, they explored typography and made letters and words from random pieces of paper. Their swimming has improved so much over the 3 weeks.

The spellings this week are:
musician
magician
Politician
technician
invention
detention
caption
creation
imagine
important

The test will be on Thursday 28th September as there will be no time on Friday morning with the road safety walks.
Reading records in on Monday as usual and there is still TTRS and My Maths homework that can be done if they are fed up with the weather!

Have a good week.

Mrs Watts

15th September,

It's been a busy and fun week and it seems to have flown by! It was great to see so many of you pop in to see your child's work and talk to me on Wednesday; I think the children loved it! You can still pop in next week on Monday or Tuesday.

We have been continuing with place value in Maths and multiplication for the calculation lesson. We read the book 'How to Live Forever' and started thinking about whether he should read the book. They really enjoyed looking at the illustrations and writing sentences using fronted adverbials.

In Science, they investigated dissolving and carried out some experiments using a sugar cube and the time needed for it to dissolve. It was an interesting lesson. The Class Learning Detective has been chosen - Seb and in History we used the atlases to find where the Mayans settled. 

We started discussing online safety and especially passwords which was interesting.

The spelling test results were good today and the new spellings are:
redo
reignite
reunite
overdue
overjoy
overeat
detour
decode
build
guide

Please let me know if you need the other set of words although the children do have them.

On Monday they will need their reading records and please encourage them to do their TTRS and My Maths homework, if they haven't already!

Have a great week.

Mrs Watts

 8th September

What a fantastic first week, despite the heat! All the children have been so excited about school and being in Year 5. They have settled in quickly and learnt the new routines. In Maths, we have been looking at the place value of numbers, which we will continue next week and in English, we have been recapping writing skills such as punctuation and interesting vocabulary.

We started looking at the properties of materials in Science and explored the environment looking for examples and how they are used. We had a lively discussion about whether they think God exists and started our historical study of the Mayans.

They had their first swimming lesson and played dodge ball. In Art, they have been doing some Pop Art and drew half of their face to match the real half! They are brilliant and they will be on display in the classroom ready for meet the teacher on Wednesday. 

Spellings for next week are:

misbehave
mistype
misspell
misplace
disappear
disappoint
disobey
discontinue
believe
breath

One group have their own set of words.

Please let me know if they are finding them tricky but they can practise them each morning in school.

Reading records need to be given in on Monday morning so we can record how many times they have read. Thank you for continued support and have a fantastic weekend! I'm sure they will be tired tonight!
Mrs Watts

Hello Elephants.

My name is Mrs Watts and this is my third year teaching Year 5. Mrs Bradford will be working with us in the morning and Mrs Cornish will still be working in the classroom as well. I'm really looking forward to seeing you all on Monday 4th September and hearing about what you have been doing over the summer. I know some of you have already viewed the brief message I put on class dojo. Please let me know if you cannot access this site as I regularly put messages and photos on there.

PE will be on Tuesday afternoon (starting 5th September) and swimming lessons Friday morning. Don't forget you can wear your PE kit to school on Tuesday.

Your child will be choosing their reading books next week and the aim is to read at least 5 times a week to an adult. Reading records will be collected on a Monday morning to see how many times your child has read. Please make sure you are signing their reading record books even if they like to read to themselves.

Log in details for TTRS and My Maths will be sent home soon.

TTRS is set from a Tuesday to the following Monday and they are expected to complete 25 minutes a week. They will receive raffle tickets on the Tuesday if they complete the homework.

My Maths will be set from a Tuesday to the following Monday and your child is expected to complete 2 pieces of homework a week. They will receive raffle tickets on the Tuesday if they complete the homework.

Spellings will be given out on Fridays ready to be tested the following Friday.

I know we will have a wonderful and busy term 1 and I can't wait to start!

If there is anything you want to ask, feel free to have a chat at the start or end of the day.

Mrs Watts