26th March 2021

Hello everyone,

At the beginning of this week we marked the anniversary of a year since the first lockdown started and we got used to the 'new normal'. I think we are all really grateful to be back in school and trying as far as possible to get back to some semblance of normality! 

The children in Rhinos have adapted really well to being back and have slotted right back into to face to face learning routines. We had been easing our way back in gently for the past few weeks and, although this week was test week, the children have not been phased by anything we've given them. As you may know we use tests now to assess where the children are. This is kept for teacher use only and we use it to gap fill the next term. As a rule in Y5 we do not give the children their scores because everyone is working at their own level and sometimes the hard data doesn't tell the full story.

In English we have been studying the book Viking Boy and writing stories about the first part of the book. The children have loved this book. I would recommend it if any of you would like to interest your children in reading at home. It is a shortish book and not too tricky for them to access. Next term, we are studying The Explorer By Katherine Rundell which is a brilliant book and we are already loving reading it in Book Talk.

Next week in English we are looking at poems about Valhalla. Maybe ask your child to tell you all about this Viking Warrior heaven!

In Maths, we have been recapping fractions and arithmetic recently as we have found this is a bit of a gap. If you would like to support your child at home with Maths, please take a look at Timetables Rockstars and MyMaths. If you need a log on, please see Mrs Popel or Miss Coyne.

Also this term we have welcomed the lovely Miss Coyne to Rhino class. Miss Coyne has taken over from Mrs Hyde who is off having her baby!

Have a lovely weekend and stay safe!

Team Rhino

Week 2 Remote Learning Time Table 

We hope you are all staying safe and well and please remember we are here if you need us. Please do email and we will do our best to support you at this tricky time. 

I hope you are all rested and ready for week 2 of remote learning! 

Sorry things are 100% smooth yet, it is a learning process for all of us. We have to provide you will lots of lessons but please just do your best. We are following things closely to what we do in school so the children should be very used to the format and structure of the lessons. Again its tricky times so your best is good enough for us! 

Welcome to our timetable for this week of remote learning.

This will give you some support on how to structure your school learning day and information on where and what type the lessons are.

The video lessons will be recorded by either Mrs Popel, Miss Cripps or Mr Moore.

Work is marked and commented on by Mrs Williams (Elephant Class TA) Miss Cripps, Mrs Popel and some of our SEND TA's so the children can remember us all! 

Thanks for your support and lovely messages, lets all get through this in one piece! 

Team Year 5 

TERM 3 - Urgent Remote Learning 

So it looks like some remote learning time for us for the moment. 

We will be using SeeSaw, Times Tables Rockstars and Reading Eggs. Please contact me if you don't have the codes to log in please contact your class teacher via email asap. 

Year 5 Timetable

Welcome to our timetable for this week of remote learning.

This will give you some support on how to structure your school learning day and information on where and what type the lessons are.

The video lessons will be recorded by either Mrs Popel, Miss Cripps or Mr Moore.

We hope this is helpful and will get us into the swing of remote learning. 

Mrs Popel 

17th December 2020

Happy Christmas Everyone!

We made it! Term 2 seemed like a rip-roaring ride but we got there in the end. 

Although Christmas at Barley Close was a bit different this year we all had a lovely time at our class party this year. Thanks to Mrs Burton for organising some fab games!

Mrs Hyde and I would just like to say a great big well done to everyone in Rhino, they've worked their socks off this term in really challenging circumstances and have shown how resilient and mature they all really are.

I hope you all have an amazing and restful Christmas and we can't wait to see you all in January for Term 3. Bring on 2021!

Have a great holiday and Happy New Year.

Love Mrs Hyde and Mrs Popel

6th December 2020

Hi Everyone,

Sorry this weekly round up is a bit late! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

It's all got very Christmassy in Rhino class this week as we put up our tree, lights and tinsel. We have lots of fun Christmas activities coming up in the next couple of week and, although things are bit different this year, we will try to make the last two weeks of term as memorable as possible.

Last week, we looked at Fractions in Maths and, again, I was struck by the progress the children have made since we last looked at them. One crucial skill needed for Fractions is a good knowledge of timestables and division facts. As you know, Barley Close has invested in the Times Table Rock Stars programme. It is a really useful resource for learning times tables and division facts. If you have lost the login for this, please see Mrs Hyde or Mrs Popel and we will happily print you another login slip.

In English we have been looking at non-chronological reports all about Antarctica. I am really looking forward to reading these to see what the children have remembered about this magical, wild continent. In topic, we watched a video all about life in Antarctica, which was really interesting. It is on YouTube - maybe your child can show it to you. 

Spellings for this week are on the window but here they are as well:

overactive
misled
return
disappear
detract
disagree
misunderstanding
rebuild
temperature
excellent

PE is Tuesday and Thursday. Please ensure children are wearing PE kit on those days only. Every other day (apart from those in Mr Quirke's club) school uniform should be worn.

27th November 2020

Hi Everyone!

It's Friday! Hope you are all looking forward to the weekend!

It was test week in Rhinos this week and myself and Mrs Hyde have been so impressed by the class's attitude towards these. They all responded maturely and gave them a good go. We will use the results of these to plan for gaps in the coming term.

We have also produced some lovely writing all about Shackleton's journey across the ice. We have been so impressed with the progress being made in writing, especially when it comes to vocabulary choices.

Winter is definitely here! Looking at the thermometer this morning, I was shocked to see it was -2. As you may know, we have to have the door and windows open for ventilation. The class gets really chilly and the children will still go outside for break. Please can you ensure children come to school with a coat and layers underneath uniform. Please remember we do PE outside too, so PE kits should take account of the cold.

Spellings to be tested next week are:

independence
 independent
 observant
 confidence
 tolerance
 decency
 fluency
 innocent
 especially
 ancient

Have a lovely weekend!

20th November 2013

Hi Everyone,

Hope you've had a great weekend.

Well that's week 3 done! I can't believe we are so close to December and nearly at the end of 2020 - although I'm sure some of us are quite glad about that!

Thanks to all those parents we spoke to at Parents' Evening. It was great to have a chat about the children's progress. If you would like to speak to us about anything, we are always available for calls or Zoom meetings - just email or call the school to arrange!

We had a great week in Rhinos! Creating frostbitten toes has been very memorable. All the class were very creative when decorating their toes in the most disgusting way possible! We've also been mapping Antarctica and learning about the different features found there.

In Maths, we've been revisiting multiplication and Division and it was brilliant to see the progress the children have made since we last looked at it.

The spellings gone out this week will be tested on the 4th as we have test week next week which has it's on spelling test. Here they are anyway!

independence
independent
observant
confidence
tolerance
decency
fluency
innocent
especially
ancient

PE is Tuesday and Thursday this term.

13th November 2020

Happy Friday Everyone! 

We've had a great week in Rhino class!

The highlight has been making frostbitten toes and Mrs Popel's Timetable Rockstars Calamities :-)

We've been learning all about Antarctica in English and Topic this week and have been drawing maps. It has been really interesting - why not ask the children to tell you something they've learned?

There's still lots of space on Thursday and Friday for parent's evenings. If you need a slot let me or Mrs Hyde know and we'll slot you in. If you can't make next week, we are always contactable on Zoom or by phone! We'd love to share the amazing progress Rhino class are making.

PE is on Tuesday and Thursday. 

Spellings for next week:

famous
dangerous
outrageous
ominous
advantageous
herbivorous
nervous
carnivorous
adventurous
courageous

Have a fab weekend!

6th November 2020

Welcome to Term 2. I hope you all had a lovely and restful break. Not the start we expected, being in lockdown, but all the children are taking this in their stride and doing their utmost to be Covid safe around the class. They've all been so mature and resilient in the face of what is for many and uncertain time.

A quick reminder, we still have lots of parents evening slots left. We would love to share how well the class are doing.

Please email hazel.popel@barleyclose.org.uk or Kayleigh.hyde@barleyclose.org.uk to book your slot.

This week in Rhinos we have been looking at rounding and negative numbers in Maths and all children have done really well and all made progress throughout the week. Negative numbers have been very timely given how much the temperature has dropped this week!

In English, we are reading Shackleton's Journey. A book all about the true story of Ernest Shackleton's voyage to the South Pole in 1914. This ties in with our Topic on Antarctica and the class have loved finding out about the frozen continent. Ask them to tell you something they learnt about Antarctica today!

As ever we have two PE sessions each week: Tuesday and Thursday, We are really lucky to have Mr S from Progressive Sports on Thursdays.

Due to Covid regulations we do have to have the windows and the door open for most of the day. In the mornings, it can get pretty chilly so please make sure children are layered up and have a suitable coat for the cold weather - even on PE days.

Enjoy your weekend!

Term 2!

Update: PE is now on a Tuesday and a Thursday for this term.

We are having a lovely start to term in Rhino Class, and the children are doing amazingly well. Please keep emailing Mrs Popel and I about parents' evening appointments you would like for the week from 16th-20th of November. 

I have set up a class Dojo for Rhinos, which you can sign up to via the link below. If you signed up last year,hopefully I should have your details on there already.

Thanks,

Mrs Hyde

Class Dojo

Hi, I know some of you already had access to Class Dojo from last year from when you were in Mrs Welch's class, but if not, here is a link so you can access it. We won't be putting points on there, but we will be putting updates, and home learning if we ever need it.

https://www.classdojo.com/invite/?c=CDNCRFH

Thank you,

Mrs Hyde and Mrs Popel

16th October 2020

There goes another week in Rhino class. I can't quite believe that we are at the end of Term 1. All of the class really deserve their upcoming half term holiday as they have all been working their socks off.

This week in Maths we have been looking at time. This is one area where you can practise your maths wherever you have a clock! Everyone has done really well and demonstrated their resilience in tackling these maths problems. If you want to practise time, there are lots of activities on MyMaths and also you can look online. Also just looking at an analogue clock when you are out and about can be a really good way to discuss maths with the children. Next week we are revisiting addition and subtraction problems and taking another look at division.

In English, we are continuing with How to Live Forever and this time writing stories based on the book. This week we have been focussing our grammar on relative clauses and using relative pronouns such as which, who, that and whose. Next week they will continue practising these skills before writing their story on Thursday. If you would like to support writing at home the best way to do this is to support your child to read and to discuss vocabulary with them. If they aren't sure what a word means it is quick and easy to google and find out together! Don't worry if you don't know either, it's really good to model what you would do if you don't know something!

PE next week is Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Don't forget, Friday is an INSET so Thursday will be the last day of term.

This week's spellings:

3rd October 2020

Wow! October already. I can't believe how quickly we are racing through Term 1. I think it is fair to say that Autumn is well and truly here and we've had some very wet and cold days this week. As you probably are aware, for Covid safety measures, we are required to have the door to the class and all the windows open. We are also going to try and get outside for play if it is lightly raining or drizzling. With that in mind, please can children come into class with jumpers or cardigans and definitely bring a coat to protect them from the rain.

Both Mrs Hyde and Mrs Popel continue to be super impressed by Rhino class and their resilience during these strange times! In Maths this week children tackled Multiplication and Division and used all their gem powers to tackle these in a formal written method. There was some brilliant maths being done by the whole class and lots of 'lightbulb moments', which as teachers we love to see.

In English we have moved on to the beautifully illustrated book called How to Live Forever. This tells the story of Peter, a boy who lives within the books at a library, as he searches for a lost book that gives you the secret to eternal life. This week Rhinos analysed the text and wrote a descriptive passage about the library. We were blown away by some of the incredible vocabulary chosen by the children. Vocabulary building is something that can be done at home really easily when on Reading Eggspress or reading a book - simply google the word and discuss what it means! You could even challenge your child to use it in school!

Talking of reading, it's been brilliant to see how much the children are loving Reading Eggspress and everyone is racking up the minutes on there. Obviously, if your child would still like to read an actual book, that is brilliant and still encouraged. The children are enjoying the new reading scheme we are using in school. It has a mix of specially written books and classics so there is something for everyone. If you are still not up to speed with Reading Eggspress, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Hyde or Mrs Popel and we can help you get logged on.

Thank you for supporting your children with home learning. From logging on to the various online platforms and seeing the spelling results, we can clearly see there is a lot of learning being done outside school. 

PE kits will be needed Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. 

Reading Eggspress will be checked on Tuesdays.

Spellings are below. These will be tested on Friday:

25th September 2020

Week 4 done! Well done Rhinos - what a great week!

We've tackled problem solving in Maths this week and, although some found it challenging, they gave it a really good go and showed their emerald power. I could see definite progress through the week which is all we can ask for. Next week we are moving on to shape and geometry.

In English, we wrote some lovely diary entries about the book the Promise. All children tried really hard to make their writing brilliant and use fantastic vocabulary. I was really impressed when I marked the books. Again, although some found it tricky they didn't give up.

In topic we had a fab lesson finding different cities in the atlases and discussing why people might have settled there. We also were asking the question - what do we need? A lot of the children thought really hard about what is essential in life and what maybe is an added luxury.

PE as always is Tuesday and Friday. However, for the next month we will be having a wellbeing and fitness session on a Wednesday morning. Please can children come in wearing PE kit.

Spellings for this week are as follows. If you need to speak to a teacher about spellings, please drop us an email or catch us in the morning. 

Remember

circle

actually

believe

build

business

different

though

therefore

potatoes

Have a lovely weekend and see you next week!

18th September 2020

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a lovely week. 

This week Rhino class have been continuing to get to grips with Place Value in Maths. Every year, we start the September term with three weeks of Place Value. The reason for this is that it is the building blocks of every child's maths knowledge and can help them in all areas of their maths. We have been really impressed by the children's knowledge and understanding. Please continue to support Maths at home by encouraging children to access My Maths and Timestables Rockstars.

In English, we have been carrying on looking at the book The Promise. For those of you who don't know, this is a picture book written for older children. It deals with themes of how an environment can affect a person for good or bad. It also looks at home in the right circumstances anyone can change. It fits in really nicely with our topic Enough For Everyone that focusses in on sustainability and how resources are shared around the world.

Reading is an important part of our curriculum and every week we have a dedicated reading lesson. This week we have looked at a text all about Dolphins. Here children are expected to use a range of skills to answer questions. We also spend time each week looking at reading inference, which is looking for clues in the text to answer 'how' and 'why' questions.

Please continue to read with your children at home at least 4 times per week. The Reading Eggspress programme has a variety of books to choose from and some comprehension tasks. From this Tuesday we will be checking Reading Eggspress and seeing who is reading books or doing comprehension tasks. It is now school policy that a text will be sent to those not reading or using the programme. There are games and things on the programme, which are fun and educational but please can you also encourage your children to use the library and look for books. 

PE is Tuesday and Friday - please come into school in kit appropriate for the playground or field.

Spellings should have been given today. These are:

Some children will have different spellings. If you require these at home, please let us know and we can email them to you.

Have a wonderful weekend and see you next week!

11th September 2020

Another fantastic week in Rhino class. It's been great to see all the children settling into their learning again and getting stuck in with English, Maths, reading and other subjects.

In English we have been focussing on sentence work and writing descriptive pieces based on the book The Promise. We saw some lovely writing and have seen children working hard to improve their vocabulary. 

In Maths we've continued to look at Place Value focussing on numbers up to the Millions column. Our work has included writing these numbers in words, discussing how they work and problem solving based on place value. All children have shown resilience and great learning behaviours.

All children will have their Reading Eggs login now at the moment, this will replace an actual physical book in school. Please read 4 times per week and log this on Reading Eggs. Mrs Hyde and Mrs Popel will check this on a Tuesday. Certificates will be given to fabulous readers! In school we have a brand new reading scheme. These books will stay in school but we will note in their reading records when they have read with an adult. Children will be levelled on these books next week.

Spellings for this week are:

address

different

eight

favourite

heard

minute

remember

separate

through

weight.

These will be tested on 18/09/20.

PE will be on Tuesday and Friday. Please come into school in PE kit. 

If the weather is on the chilly side, it can get very cold in the classroom as we have to have doors and windows open to be COVID safe. Please ensure children have a coat or layer up on chillier days.

If you need to speak to Mrs Hyde or Mrs Popel, please can you email or call the school. Our door is always open and we are really happy to discuss anything with you.

4th September 2020

What a brilliant week! I have been so impressed with all of Rhino. They've handled all the changes to school with maturity and been really sensible. This week, we've been settling in with a few different activities to get us in the swing of things and getting to know one another. 

Next week, we will be looking at place value in Maths and looking at the book The Promise in English. Our topic this term will be Enough for Everyone, which looks at the environment.

PE will take place on Tuesday and Friday. Please come in on those days in appropriate kit and wearing trainers.

Spellings will start from next week.

My Math, Timestable Rockstars and Reading Eggress logins will be given out next week.

Have a lovely weekend!

Welcome to Year 5

We hope you are enjoying the summer holidays! 

Miss Cripps, Mrs Hyde and Mrs Popel are really looking forward to getting back into school routines, we have missed Team Barley Close so much during lockdown. We have been into school and we can now say the classrooms are looking ready (if a bit different) for welcoming our new Year 5's back in September. 

If you are starting to get bored, remember it never hurts to do some reading or a bit of maths work to keep your brain active. There are so many free games for maths, spelling apps and reading is everywhere! Please don't worry about being "rusty" with any school work, we are all in the same situation so we will ease back in and soon get ourselves back up to speed. 

We can't wait to see you in September and we are all looking forward to our school year together. Year 5 is the best! 

Miss Cripps, Mrs Hyde and Mrs Popel