Sponsored Walk
Last Friday, Year 3 and Year 4 completed their sponsored walk. We managed to do two laps around Highmoor Crescent. Here are some pictures:
PE links with Allerton Grange
We work closely with Allerton Grange to arrange PE activities for each class.
Throughout the year, Year 1 to Year 6 will be taking part in sessions led by the Sports and Dance leaders at Allerton Grange.
The visits take place during the school day and teachers will inform their class nearer to the time.
Tackling Sudoku
The children had a go at a range of sudoku puzzles during Brain Box Week. Our aim was to think logically and follow the rules to solve the puzzles. We looked at picture versions of these puzzles and 4 by 4 versions. Some children even managed to complete a 6 by 6 one!
Sponsored walk
We completed 14 laps of our school on Friday for our sponsored walk. I’m sure everyone slept well on Friday night!
Forces fun
We completed two experiments using ramps. We changed the height of the ramp in one experiment and the surface of the ramp in another.
A day to remember
On Friday, Year 1 did lots of activities on developing memory skills and strategies.
We looked at:
- Visualising – using pictures
- An introduction to mnemonics eg said – Sally Ann is dancing
- Using stories – this was a popular memory strategy
- Making mind maps
- Using songs / chants
We played a version of Kim’s game where the children had to memorise lots of different small objects on a tray and then once an item was removed from the tray remember what was missing.
We also looked at some online memory games. Here is the website link if you want to have a go at home:
Did you watch Nina and the Neurons?
Over the weekend there was a very topical subject explained on the cbeebies programme, Nina and the Neurons. It was all about why people need sleep and that when people sleep the brain sorts out all the information taken in by your senses throughout the day.
If you missed it why not watch it on BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/cbeebies/episode/b01554dc/Nina_and_the_Neurons_Nina_and_the_Neurons_Brilliant_Bodies_Sleep/
There is also another episode you could watch about memory.
Hopefully it should help to reinforce your learning from Brain Box week.
What do you think?
Thinking was a main theme last week. Do we think about everything? Do we think the same thoughts as other people?
Our brains had a real workout in “Brain Box” week; our amazing brains never stop learning or developing. Here are some thoughts that Year Five came up with when asked “What do you think?”
Reading in Reception
Your child will be bringing a reading book home this week. These first books don’t contain any words. Look at the book with your child, telling the story or saying the rhyme. Please make a comment in the yellow reading record so we know your child has read at home. Keep the book in your child’s bookbag and return it everyday for reading in school.
As parents or carers you are your child’s most influential teacher with an incredibly important role to play in helping your child to read.
As you know, the ability to read and write well is a vital skill for all children, paving the way for an enjoyable and successful school experience.
Children learn and practise many of the skills that they need for reading and writing from a very early age. They do this through a wide range of activities and experiences, at home, in settings and in school. They explore and learn through singing and saying rhymes, making and listening to music, talking with others, sharing books with adults and other children, dressing up, experimenting with writing and using puppets and toys to retell and make up stories.
In order to make a good start in reading and writing, children need to have an adult listen to them and talk to them. Speaking and listening are the foundations for reading and writing. Even everyday activities such as preparing meals, tidying up, putting shopping away and getting ready to go out offer you the chance to talk to your child by explaining what you are doing. Through these activities, children hear the way language is put together into sentences for a purpose.
Books are a rich source of new words for your child; words you would not use in everyday conversations appear in books. Children need to have a wide vocabulary to understand the meaning of books, so read aloud and share books as often as you can. They will enjoy it and it will be useful to them when they come across these words in their own reading later on.
Remember to ask if you have any questions about reading or would like ideas of things to do at home.
For information on the ways reading is taught at school and ideas for reading at home visit www.oxfordowl.co.uk
Reception walked for water!
Reception walked ten laps of the school to raise money for WaterAid. Please send your collected sponsor money as soon as possible. Thanks for your support.
