This Sunday marks the second Sunday of Advent, and symbolises FAITH with the ‘Bethlehem’ candle. This week we are reminded of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the faith and trust they both placed in God, accepting his will. In RE this week, we have been looking at the different symbols of Advent and their meanings. We have also been opening our Advent calendars and reading and reflecting on the bible passages behind each window.
Here is what else we have been up to this week…
In Maths we have continued dividing fractions by integers, where the numerator could not be divided my the integer. We have also looked at the area and perimeter of squares and rectangles, and using these formulas to find the are of ‘T’ and ‘L’ shapes. This week, the class also completed a timed arithmetic test. This was to give the children an idea of where their gaps are, and what areas they feel they need to work on. I was SO impressed with the scores of all the children in the class, especially given this was their first timed arithmetic assessment!
In English we have been comparing the openings of different classic fiction texts. We have identified common features and grammatical structures in each opening, in order to create our own toolkit-we will use this toolkit when we come to writing our own opening! In GPS we have been identifying the subject, verb and object in a sentence, and recognising the difference between the active and passive voice.
In History we described several different WW2 land marks, that we had located on a map of our local area. Did you know that Winter Gardens was used for RAF training purposes and the Blackpool Tower was used as an experimental radar station?! We also responded to our end of topic big question ‘How was the Battle of Britain a significant turning-point in British histrory’
In PE we had a gymnastics lesson. We had to create a sequence which included a balance, a jump and a role. We were looking to create a sequence with good control, smooth transitions and straight lines.
In Computing we were using a programme called ‘Bitsbox’ to create our own apps. We had to follow some complex coding and debug, when necessary.
AWARD WINNERS:
The Golden Award went to Declan for being a wonderful role model, and always making good choices.
The Maths Award was given to Eliza for her perfect arithmetic score.
The Writing Award was given to Lennon for the huge improvement in the quality and presentation of his written work.
OTHER NOTICES:
Year 4, 5 & 6 Carol Concert
This year, Year 4, 5 & 6 are joining together to sing some carols and tell the story of the Nativity. As we are still not in the position to welcome parents into school, in big groups, the Carol Concert will be professionally! recorded and put on the website for all parents to see! We have started to practice the carols during our music lessons and the narration parts have now been divided out between the three classes. The recording will take place on Wednesday 8th December.
PTFA Christmas Jumper day - 14TH DECEMBER
We are asking for a donation of £1 on this day for PTFA funds - which are then spent on items for the children in school. Many thanks.
Advent Reading Challenge
As part of our Advent challenge this year, we are reading a selection of books to read throughout the Advent period. At he end of the term, we will then have a book club (with biscuits of course!) and we will discuss the books we have read.
The books in our challenge this year are: ‘Holes’ , ‘Coraline’ and ‘Grandpa’s Great Escape’ and ‘Millions’.
I am so pleased to see all of the class engaging in the reading challenge this year. Everyone is now reading one of the above books, which means everyone will be able to take part in our book club! I have also said there may be a special treat for anyone who manages to read 3 or 4 of the books from the list!
Clean Water Bottles
Throughout the school we have a number of bugs and colds going around, and of course Covid is still present. With this in mind, we please ask that you ensure your child’s school water bottle is thoroughly cleaned at home, before they bring it back in each day. They best was to kill the germs is to use boiling water.
Wrap Up!
Please also that your child comes to school with a warm coat (and hat/scarf/gloves for those really cold days) everyday for playtimes as we will go out in all weathers for fresh air and exercise.
Finishing date/time for Christmas
We break up from school on Friday 17th December at the slightly earlier time of 2pm.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs Murphy & Mrs Owen
