Author: Mr Roundtree

Our weekly message: Friday 22 November

This week, we start with an important message…

Did you read this news story this week? We were so sad when we read it.

We’ve a long list of online safety tips but three simple ones to follow are:

  • make sure your child is only online in a shared room like the living room or kitchen where there are others around – and that also means have no mobile devices in the bedroom
  • talk to your child often about what they’re getting up to online
  • check your child’s mobile device regularly, just like you might check on who they’re playing with at the park – why not set an alarm on your phone a couple of times each week to remind you

Online safety has been our Living and Learning theme this week: I know how important it is to make careful choices when online. Each week, check our school calendar for the Living and Learning theme.

Oracy

This half-term, your child will be continuing to practise their oracy skills throughout all of their learning.

Oracy is your ability to communicate and express yourself effectively. It’s about having the vocabulary to be able to say what you want to say and the grammatical awareness to structure your thoughts in a logical way.

Good oracy skills have loads of benefits…

  • it increases engagement in learning
  • it improves academic outcomes
  • it develops wellbeing and confidence
  • it equips students to thrive in later life

Help at home…

  1. Be an oracy role model: model good speaking and listening skills to your child, and when they’re in ear-shot.
  2. Don’t ‘dumb down’ your language: try not to avoid using more complex vocabulary. Instead, use complicated language but then succinctly explain what it means eg succinct means short and quick
  3. Complete the talk time homework: these are a great opportunity to have a conversation and model good oracy skills.

Fab feedback

Following the Me and My Community themed week, we’ve had some great feedback from our visitors. Here’s a couple of comments:

  • ‘Just saying a big thank you for Friday. The children brought much joy and happiness to our residents. The teacher was lovely and very accommodating and the children’s manners and behaviour was outstanding.’ (Moor Allerton Care Centre)
  • ‘I had such a lovely day of delivery and I was so impressed with your young people. Their behaviour, attitude, and participation in the workshops was amazing and they were a credit to you and the school. I hope they enjoyed the day as much as me.’ (Diversity Role Models)

Have a happy and healthy weekend – and stay warm!

Autumn2: Week3

Maths

Our focus this week has been looking at parts and the whole of objects.  We have been using a variety of objects to do this. For example, wheels are parts of a car that helps to make the whole. Our arms and legs are parts of our body that makes up us (the whole).

We have also been completing jigsaws this week and discussing how the pieces are the parts and the completed jigsaw is the whole.

 

Help at home: by looking at objects and discussing the parts and the whole.

This foundation then helps the children when partitioning numbers. For example, 5 is the whole and it is made up of parts 1 and 4, 2 and 3, 5 and 0.

 

Literacy led learning

This week we have been reading the book Night Monkey Day Monkey by Julia Donaldson. We have discussed that she has written lots of other books that we have read and that they often have rhyming words in them.

In the book, the monkeys discuss their shadows. This inspired the children to make different shadows and draw around them.

The book has a strong link with our word of the week- nocturnal. We have been discussing what that word means and what we normally do at different times of the day. For example, having breakfast in the morning and going to bed at nighttime.

The children have enjoyed making animal shelters for nocturnal animals in our creative area.

They also enjoyed making their own shelter using the parachute.

Help at home: by practicing reading the tricky words we have learnt so far:

is, I, the, as, and, has, his, her, go, no

 

Remember: to send the children to school with hats and gloves, as it is getting colder.

Our weekly message: Friday 15 November

Thanks for your Children in Need donations this morning – we raised £230.93. 

As we always do, the message this week – second week of the half-term – is all about our new topic in Key Stage 1 and 2. The message comes from Mr Wilks, who leads Science and foundation subjects across Sphere Federation.

What is this half-term’s topic?

Topics are the vehicle for delivering much of the learning in the foundation subjects (eg History, Art, Geography, Design Technology). This half-term, we’re artists. We’ll develop our art knowledge and skills.

The learning this half-term has two aspects to it:

  • art appreciation and history: your child will learn about some specific artists and their work
  • art process: your child will practise and develop skills by creating art

Each phase has age-related knowledge, skills and vocabulary that they’ll learn, use and apply across the topic. Please see pages 10 and 11 of the Topic Curriculum Guide.

We’ve also produced an Art Curriculum Guide which gives you more information about how art is taught in school and the different ‘visual and tactile elements’ that pupils will be learning about and using in their lessons.

What’s happening in each phase of school?

Years 1 and 2

Children will learn about two featured artists across the half-term: Georges Seurat and Bridget Riley. They’ll compare their art, talking about similarities and differences. They’ll discuss what they like and dislike about the art and how it makes them feel. They’ll also learn about the artists’ lives and where in the world they lived.

In practical art lessons, children will hone their artistic skills and knowledge by sketching objects using pencil and developing painting skills inspired by Bridget Riley and Georges Seurat.

Years 3 and 4

Children will learn about the work of two architects: Christopher Wren and Zaha Hadid.

They’ll compare and contrast the buildings that these architects designed. They’ll look at the influence of classical Greek architecture on the two architects and look for examples of this in buildings locally and nationally. In practical art sessions, children will develop observational drawing skills, before focussing on creating sketches and drawings of buildings on different media.

Years 5 and 6

Children will learn about and study the work of two designers: William Morris and Orla Kiely.

They’ll look at examples of products that use their designs and then focus on the designs, analysing them using technical vocabulary. They’ll also compare the designs, spotting similarities and differences.

In practical art lessons, children will sketch their own designs inspired by Kiely or Morris. They’ll then create relief prints of their own designs which they’ll turn into a wallpaper design using a design website.

How can you help?

Talk to your child about what they’ve been learning. The Class News page of our website is a good place to go to find out more about what your child is doing.

Familiarise yourself with the artists and the artwork that your child will be learning about in class. Look in books or on the internet for pieces by the artists and talk about them. Find art by other artists that you like and compare it to the featured artists. If you feel confident, you can go into more depth using the topic-specific vocabulary. However, if not, leave that to the teachers and just enjoy looking at the pieces and asking general questions:

  • What do you like or dislike about the art?
  • How does the art make you feel?
  • What colours can you see?
  • Can you spot influence of Greek architecture in buildings (eg columns or pediments)?

The Tate Gallery has a good children’s website with games and activities which children can explore.

If you’re in Leeds, the Leeds Art Gallery and Henry Moore Institute are both free to enter and if your child has already visited during a trip, they can be the tour guide and show you around!

Finally this week…

Next week is Road Safety Week. As the clocks have changed and the nights are darker, the week highlights the importance of road safety. Check out these road safety tips and just look at how important bright clothing is at this time of year…

Autumn 2: Week2

Thank you to all those that attended the math stay and learn. The feedback qr code has been sent to you. Please can you complete the feedback form.

SE Maths Mastery presentation stay and learn 2024

As mentioned in the meeting the app one min maths app by White Rose is good for math fluency.

For those of you that could not make it, attached is the presentation.

If you have any questions please ask.

The children enjoyed Odd Sock day. They were able to talk about our differences and we discussed this being our super power that there is no one in the world the same as us.

For math this week, we have been comparing amounts of objects using the language more than, fewer than and the same as. The children have enjoyed completing the math challenges using this language.

Help at home: by sharing different amounts of objects (less than 10) and comparing.

 

We have been creating art work inspired by Seurat. We have been using cotton buds, bubble wrap and pen lids to create different sized dots with paint.

Outside the children have been building cars to go on adventures, finding conkers and having tea parties.

We had a visit from the Road Safety team on Thursday who spoke about crossing roads safely and the importance of wearing a seat belt.

 

Help at home: by ensuring regular reading is taking place.

Our weekly message: Friday 08 November

What a busy week!

Me and My Community week

This week, children have been enthusiastically learning about all things community-related as part of our Me and My Community themed week.

Highlights included Grandad Wheels, sessions considering stereotypes and diversity, and self-esteem workshops. Speak with your child about some of the learning they’ve done this week linked to communities.

There’s another themed week later in the year – Being Healthy.

Our new school charity

Part of our Me and My Community themed week involved the selection of our school charity. Last year, our charity was Leeds Hospitals Charity. This year, the shortlist was selected by the Admin people across Sphere Federation. The six charities were then discussed in class before our new Junior Leadership Team met to agree the final charity.

They’ve selected Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

We’ll raise some money across the year for the charity – the main way will be collections at Christmas and end-of-year performances.

STOP!

Next Tuesday (12 November) is Anti-Bullying Day. This year’s theme is Choose Respect and we’ll be taking part in Odd Socks Day on this day.

Odd Socks Day celebrates that we’re all unique. Children are invited to wear odd socks (with their uniform), marking the fact we’re all different in some way. Part of Anti-Bullying Day, the day sends an important message to pupils that they should be allowed to be themselves, free from bullying. It helps us celebrate Anti-Bullying Day in a fun and positive way.

Our weekly Living and Learning statement next week is I know how to STOP bullying. This is one of the most important Living and Learning statements. Make sure you and your child talk about our two STOP acronyms:

  • Several Times On Purpose
  • Start Telling Other People

Beyond next week, please keep talking about these – one’s a definition of bullying and the other’s a solution. Talk about the differences between falling out and bullying, and between a one-off situation and something that’s happened more than once.

Check out this anti-bullying advice for parents and carers.

Every day matters

Our whole school attendance figure for Autumn 1 is 96.3%. This is a bit lower than the 2023-24 figure of 96.6% because of chicken pox and other recent bugs. However, we’re still in the top tenth of schools nationally for attendance, which is brilliant!

Linked to this is the second of a series of messages about what a child misses if they’re absent for a prolonged time. We know children are ill sometimes – that’s inevitable – but regular holidays or unnecessary absences mean children really struggle. This time, we focus on Reading.

If your child was absent for five days in a row…

If your child misses five consecutive days, it’s likely there would be gaps in their knowledge, confidence or skills.

  • In Reading lessons, we practise a wide range of reading skills like prediction, performing poetry and inference.
  • Your child would also miss reading texts which would support their writing skills; we analyse model texts before we write them.
  • They’d miss our fluency text for the week, too, meaning they’d miss out on the opportunity to develop their confidence when reading aloud, and to discover a range of new words or facts about our current topic.
  • If your child’s in Key Stage 1, they’d miss out on five daily poem sessions and five class story times – really popular times for children.
  • If your child’s in Key Stage 2, they’d miss their new target page agreed with the rest of their group in Book Club and miss out on the discussion about the story so far.
  • They’d miss out on a few chapters of the class novel and could be confused for the rest of the book.
  • Missing five days means a child would miss out on their weekly library visit – they’d not be able to choose a new library book.

Autumn 2: Week 1

We have had lots of fantastic guests during community week including the author of Grandad’s Wheels.

We also had a visitor who shared with us how it feels to be blind and some of the obstacles he has to overcome. The children got the opportunity to feel some braille and ask him questions.

The children have enjoyed discussing what a community is and what communities they belong to.

Help at home: by talking further about different communities and celebrations.

We have been talking about different festivals this week including Diwali and Bonfire night.

The children have even created lights as part of their challenge time this week.

The children have also enjoyed completing other challenges around the classroom.

Maths

This week, we have been looking at different representations of 5. The children have enjoyed making 5 lots of different ways.

In our outdoor area, we have enjoyed lots of role play including making cars to travel to different places and magical kingdoms.

Reminder: Tuesday 12th   October we are wearing odd socks to school to celebrate our differences.

Reminder: next week is World Nursery rhyme week . We will be celebrating in class.

Help at home: by sharing nursery rhymes with your child.

Autumn 1: Week 8

The Children have complete their first half term in reception – well done. They have all settled in really well and seem to be enjoying school.

During this week, we have had the police come in and talk to us about staying safe during Halloween and Bonfire Night. The children were great at listening.

This week’s book has been Leaf Man. The children have been busy creating their own leaf man as part of one of our classroom challenges.

maths

During maths this week, we have been comparing numbers of objects using the language fewer than and more than.

Help at home by asking them to compare amounts of objects such as teddies and toys.

There is no phonic sheet this week as it has been a review week.

Help at home by practicing the graphemes and tricky words you have been sent so far alongside regular reading.

Well done to all of those children who put themselves forward for JLT. The children voted for their class representatives by going to the school polling station and marking an x next to who they wanted.