Active Travel
Next week sees the start of Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel walking, scooting and cycling challenge. It inspires pupils to make active journeys to school, improve air quality in their neighbourhood and discover how these changes benefit their world.
Join us to take part in this challenge by walking, scooting, biking or park and stride from Marks and Spencers to school from Monday 20th March – Friday 31st March.
As part of this active travel event, we will be hosting a bike register session on Tuesday 21st March. Pupils, parents and family are invited to bring along their bikes to be registered at this bike security marking event at school.
Girls Dynamos Cricket
Staying safe online
As a follow up to the recent Safer Internet Day, PCSO Louise delivered an assembly for all classes to reinforce the key online safety messages.
Help at home by asking your child/children how the 4Cs relate to them when they are online.
Guided reading
Here are the target pages for this week’s guided reading. These need to be read by Friday 17th March.
How to train your dragon: up to chapter 10/page 117.
Rooftoppers: up to chapter 15/page 127.
The London Eye Mystery: up to chapter 18/page 140.
Extra Time: up to chapter 26/page 117.
Kensuke’s Kingdom: up to chapter 8/page 117.
Guided reading
Here are the target pages for this week’s guided reading. These need to be read by Friday 10th March.
How to train your dragon: up to chapter 7/page 82.
Rooftoppers: up to chapter 10/page 87.
The London Eye Mystery: up to chapter 12/page 89.
Extra Time: up to chapter 18/page 80.
Kensuke’s Kingdom: up to chapter 5/page 69.
Guided reading
On Friday, guided reading books went home with the children. Each week, a target chapter/page will be given to the children; they will need to read up to this target page by the following Friday. Depending on which book your child has, the target page will be different. Here are the targets for Friday 4th March:
How to train your dragon: up to chapter 3/page 45.
Rooftoppers: up to chapter 5/page 33.
The London Eye Mystery: up to chapter 7/page 53.
Extra Time: up to chapter 10/page 37.
Kensuke’s Kingdom: up to chapter 3/page 25.
Science: A smelly experiment!
To kick off our working scientifically unit in science this half term, we planned and conducted a very smelly experiment! The children talked about the different types of variables: control (things we keep the same); dependent (the thing we test) and independent (the thing we change).
In groups, the children measured the starting components – vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Next, they added them together into a bottle, with a balloon on top, to collect the gas that was created (carbon dioxide). This was an irreversible reaction. Our conclusion was: if we added more vinegar into the reaction, more carbon dioxide would be produced.
The scientific enquiry type was comparative and fair tests.
The children also asked fantastic ‘what would happen if’ questions that helped expand their scientific knowledge. For example: ‘What would happen if we used a different size of bottle?’ and ‘What would happen if we changed both the amount of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda?’.
They loved completing this experiment even if it made our classroom smell like a fish and chip shop!
Supporting our school charity
St Gemma’s Hospice is our current school charity chosen democratically by the children.
Today, we welcomed Steph and Stewart from St Gemma’s Hospice for an assembly to find out more about the fantastic work they do in our local community.
Here, two of our junior leaders are presenting them with a cheque for £377 for the money we have raised so far.
Steph and Stewart commented on the impressive behaviour of the children and the intelligent questions they asked.
Our junior leaders are planning a visit to the hospice over the next few weeks to continue this partnership.
Living and Learning: I know that people shout treat others respectfully when online
On Tuesday this week, it was internet safety day. This is where we had a day to learn about how to be safe online and how important it is to treat others respectfully online.
In the morning, we had some very, very special visitors; the NSPCC team and Buddy made an appearance. This workshop was a follow up from our learning earlier in this half term (I know how to seek help). We revisited how and who we could speak to if we needed help (trusted adults).
Later on in the day, we discussed why it is important to check with a trusted adult before sharing personal information online; the potential consequences for bad online behaviour and how it is okay to step away.
Help at home: Discuss at home what advice Tunji’s friends should give, who they can get help from and how will this make the situation better.
‘Tunji tells his friends that he made a joke about someone’s gaming avatar. Tunji didn’t think it would be a big deal, but the person has been very upset by his comments. Two of their friends have started sending Tunji mean messages because of what he said.’
Science: Moon studies
Over this past month, Year 5 have been taking photos of Earth’s moon. We have been looking at the different phases the moon exhibits. This scientific enquiry type is observation over time. Have a look at their amazing photography:
Special shout out to Cate who took this fantastic photograph!
