Leeds Rhino rugby session
Leeds Rhinos came in to run a session with Year 3. We even had one of the reserve players supporting us with our skills.
They played lots of different evasion games where side stepping and tactics are key. These skills link to our previous PE topic of dodgeball.
We had opportunities to hold the rugby balls and practise the 10 point hold on the ball. The key is to have a gap between the ball and your palms.
Help at home: If your child is interested in taking up rugby as an extra curricular activity, research local rugby clubs near you.
Book Club: Group Reading
Hello!
This week, we’re beginning group reading again.
The class have been divided into groups and each group has been given a book to read at home. This will last for this half term.
During our Book Club sessions each Friday, each group will discuss what they have read so far and share their reading record activities related to their book. This will be a fantastic opportunity for the children to explore characters and storylines more than they might do normally!
Every Friday during Book Club, each group will be given a new page to read to by the following Friday.
What to remember:
- Your child has a book that they need to read every week (up to a chosen point marked with a post-it notes).
- Make the reading work for your child. Feel free to share the reading with them or even you read it to them here and there.
- The reading record activity needs to be completed using their new book.
- A comment from a grown up needs to be written in their reading record.
- Group reading books and reading records need to be brought in every Friday.
Help at home: ensure your child is reading up to the post-it note each week. Listen to your child read their new book and ask questions about the book to help prepare them for class discussions.
English, Maths and Topic
We’ve had a fantastic start to the summer term. In English, we’ve begun exploring our new class text, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. So far, we’ve really enjoyed listening to the story, sequencing key events and discussing statements about the text to decide whether they are true or false.
In Maths, we’re continuing to develop our multiplication skills. Our focus has been on the 2 times tables and we’ll soon be moving on to the 10 times tables.
In Topic, we have started our Geography Explorers unit. We’ve begun by revisiting the seven continents and five oceans . The children have enjoyed using atlases to locate these, as well as learning through fun and engaging songs.
(Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog along the play bar and turn off autoplay – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.)
How you can help at home:
- Please practise the 2 and 10 times tables.
- Can your child name the seven continents and the five oceans?
- Do they remember which ocean is the largest?
Maths: multiplying and dividing by 10
Before the Easter break, Year 4 were multiplying by 10 in Maths. We discussed what happens when we make a number 10 times the size…
When multiplying a number by 10, we move it one place value column to the left. We can then place a zero after the final digit of that number.
This week, we’ve moved onto dividing by 10. As we were confident with multiplying by 10, we discussed how division is the inverse operation to multiplication and therefore…
When dividing a number by 10, we move it one place value column to the right.
We used counters and place value charts to practise dividing a number by 10.
Help at home: ask your child whether the answers to these equations are a multiple of 10 or not.
- 3 x 10
- 120 ÷ 10
- 200 ÷ 10
- 17 x 10
- 50 x 10
- 20 ÷ 10
Roundhay tennis opportunities
This week, we welcome Paul from Roundhay Tennis Club who will be running a taster tennis session for Reception and Year 1 classes, giving children the opportunity to try tennis and inspire them to pick up a racket.
Girls cricket
FREE GIRLS CRICKET TASTER SESSION
Old Leodiensians’ Cricket Club is excited to offer a FREE Girls-Only Cricket Taster Session at the club. Whether your daughter has never picked up a bat or is a budding superstar our girls cricket sessions are designed for all abilities. We have opportunities for all ages at the club, this session will be aimed at girls aged 8-13 years old.
Event Details
• Date: Thursday 30th April 2026
• Time: 5:15 pm – 6:15pm
• Location: Old Leodiensians Cricket Club
• Cost: FREE
Please see link below and poster for more information…
https://forms.gle/
Life on Earth
Living & Learning: healthy eating
Our latest Living and Learning theme has been all about healthy eating.
This video helps to explain the importance of healthy eating as part of living healthily.
First of all, we thought about the 5 a day message. Having at least 5 (ideally different) portions of fruit and vegetables keeps us healthy. These could be different types of fruit and vegetables.
A portion is about a handful.
Here are some tips for achieving your 5 a day.
You could have some banana on your cereal.
If you put some cucumber in your sandwich, that would be an extra portion.
You could add some sweetcorn or peas to your pasta for tea.
Have some fruit or vegetable sticks when you get home from school.
The Eatwell Guide is a key document to show how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet. The bigger the section the more food from that group we should eat. The balance of foods from each group does not need to be achieved with every meal but we should aim for the balance over a day or even a week. We had a go at sorting different foods into the different sections.
Our latest Design and Technology: food and nutrition preparation of our fruit salad linked well to this learning.
Help at home look at the Eatwell guide together and think about any improvements that could be made. This may be having an extra vegetable a day, trying a new fruit or vegetable, switching to brown bread or pasta or having a healthier snack after school.
More healthy eating ideas can be found by signing up to these Healthy Steps emails from Better Health (formally Change4Life).
Design & Technology Food and Nutrition: fruit salad
This week, Year 2 have been using their food preparation skills to create their latest product, fruit salad.
This forms part of our Design and Technology food learning which involves following a recipe to create a product each term.
First, we got ready to cook.
Here are some of the skills we used.
Draining
Peeling and segmenting
Bridge hold and claw grip (for chopping)
We also used measuring skills and mixing too.
Finally, the children got to enjoy their finished product.
I tried kiwi and I really liked it.
Next time, I would make it without raspberries.
I liked the yogurt with the fruit salad because when I stirred it together it turned pink and it tasted good.
I tried raspberries and I liked them with the yogurt.
I wanted even more as it was delicious!
I tried grapes and I would have them again.
I want to eat this every day because it is healthy and tasty.
We had 2 of our 5 a day.
We always evaluated our product afterwards to see how it could be changed it next time.
Well done to all the children who worked safely and sensibly with Mrs Simpson and Mrs Rothery.
Help at home: your child has taken this recipe home. Can they demonstrate some of their food preparation skills by making this again at home.
Spring 2: Week 6
This week in Reception, we have been enjoying our focus story Rabbits Don’t Lay Eggs! The children found the book rather comical and loved the funny ideas in it. We read statements from the story and played a true or false game to check our understanding. 
Maths
We explored sorting and classifying! They sorted objects by colour, size, or function and talked about what they noticed. We started with adult-led games like How am I sorting? before the children chose their own ways to sort.
Later in the week, we used our sorting skills with Numberblocks to explore even and odd numbers. The children investigated doubles and used building and gestures to help them see how numbers are made.
Poetry basket
This week’s poem is called A Little Seed.
We’ve been focussing on the words sow (plant by scattering or putting soil in) and shower (a short period of rain).
Summer 1
Next half-term, we’ll be exploring bugs and animals! The children will go on bug hunts, learn about the life cycle of butterflies, and design mini-beast hotels.
In Geography, we’ll find out where our favourite animals come from and compare their habitats to the UK. As artists, we’ll mix colours for camouflage and create animal landscapes for our small world play.
Finally…
I can’t believe we only have one more term together! You’ve all made tremendous progress this half-term, and I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved. I hope you have a happy, healthy, and restful break with your family and friends. Don’t forget to send some photos of what you get up to! I look forward to seeing you all back at school on Monday 20th April for the summer term!