This week we have been celebrating pancake day by reading ‘Mr Wolf’s Pancakes’. We have re-told the whole story using actions, we have written the instructions of how to make a pancake and today, for Fun Friday, we have topped our own pancakes! They were pan-credible!

Children in Year 4 raised a FANTASTIC £334 for Cancer Research last week with their school bake sale last week. Thank you to those who sent in donations of cakes and coins. What a kind and thoughtful group of children, thank you for your efforts and enthusiasm.

Lizzie and Leila started off their fundraising for Marie Curie during half term. Marie Curie provide care for people living with terminal illness. Their founder was a pioneer in radioactivity. We invite you to donate a £1 to their collection and to support a very worthwhile charity.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ~ Marie Curie

Asking for help is a strength not a weakness
MIND – www.mind.co.uk
NSPCC – www.nspcc/org/uk
Womens Aid – www.womensaid.org.uk
Working Families – www.workingfamilies.org.uk
Netmums – www.netmums.com/support
Action for Children – www.actionforchildren.org.uk
Home Start – www.home-start.org.uk
National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000 247 (run in partnership with Women’s Aid and Refuge)

Julia Donaldson continued to enthuse and interest our pupils in LB1. This week, we have focused on the text, ‘The Snail and the Whale,’ a text new to many of them. This led to activities in Art where Yr. 1 pupils created their own design of a fish that the snail may have encountered as well as exploring sea mammals in Science.   

In Literacy, pupils worked hard all week following the story line of ‘The Snail and the Whale’. Their final goal was to present a retelling of the entire text in small groups. The aim was to use the key vocabulary – First, then, after and last. All worked productively in their trios and earned ‘Golden Tickets’ in the process.

Our Computing lesson used Scratch as a programming tool. Pupils used ipads to make the cat character of Scratch move around a screen before changing his colour and the background. We had about 30 mins of pure focus and concentration. Wow to the power of technology!

Finally, with Valentine’s Day being the focus of many conversations, we used our art and craft skills to produce some heart themed gifts for our loved ones.

Have a lovely half term everyone,

From your teachers in LB1.

SNOW! … Sort of! Even though the sprinkling of snow was short lived, the children still adored playing in the tiny wintery corner of our playground this week! We felt the temperature of the snow, talked about why it melts and used our fingers to make marks in it… Oh and made snow balls too! 

This week the children have planted their own cress seeds in a pot that they painted themselves! We will be sending this home with you over half term and would love to see update pictures as your cress sprouts and grows tall ready for yummy cress sandwiches! 

In the nursery we have been continuing our traditional tales journey and explored the world of Goldilocks and the Three Bears! We recreated the story using our small world characters, made porridge in the Bears house, washed up after we had eaten the porridge and counted our giant bear steps. The children also explored the outdoor area and went on a winter walk to see what changes they could see outside.

Reading – a minimum of three times a week read with your child, signature required on reading record books (KS1) record sheets (KS2).
Phonics and Spelling – daily practice, little and often
Maths – To be super successful, children will need to have quick and accurate mental recall of number facts and bonds in KS1 and times tables and associated division facts for KS2.
Year 6 – preparation for the end of primary assessments SATs
Year 3 and 4- new statutory times table tests at the end of Year 4 up to 12×12

Here are some of the wonderful things we have been busy with in LB2 this half term:

We have studied the BFG and created our own words, complete with definitions. We have also discussed how we can work out what words mean from their roots, similar words we know and the context of a passage. LB2 then created their own dream writing. Our display is very eye-catching. Now, we have moved on to writing complete stories based on our second significant author’s work, Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Our stories range from How The Hedgehog Got His Prickles to How the Peacock Got Its Tail and How The Flamingo Got A Body Like A Brain to How The Cheetah Became So Fast.

In maths, LB2 has been hard at work on multiplication and division. We are so good at our higher times tables and the related division facts!

Our new art work based on China and our Chinese New Year lanterns and riddles are also stunning. 

Thank you to everyone who was able to come to our open afternoon. The children  and staff loved having you here.  We all had fun joining in some of our daily activities and listening games.

In case you wanted something to revise over half term, our words of the day for the last three weeks have been:

howling, excruciating, idle; disagreeable, mischievous, inquisitive; exclaimed, responded, commented

They are all to do with our Just So Stories.

Have a great half term.