Here we are in December and Christmas has definitely taken a grip. The tree is up and the stage is set ready for our performances. Amidst it all, the children are still learning and as we go to press the Christmas Fair is in full swing.
In Nursery and Reception this week, the highlight was definitely the Christmas crafts day. Many thanks to the army of volunteers who showed up to help with sticking, cutting and tidying!
https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-eyfs-news-christmas-making-day-2025
This week, Year 1 invented their own stories about what they would do on the moon. They chose time adverbs to order their story and worked from their own plan to write independent sentences. In maths, they practised counting forwards and backwards to 20 by writing the numbers on the playground and using cubes and board games. In Science, they investigated their sense of smell by predicting what hidden object they were smelling. At the end of the investigation, they made a graph of their favourite smell; orange was the winner and onion got no votes! Year One had a fabulous time at All Saints Church learning about the story of the Nativity and enjoying a range of crafting activities.
This week, Year 2 continued practising hard for their upcoming Nativity! In English, the children have published their Mr Twits’ Tricks writing and started learning all about King Henry VIII. The children have been collecting facts about his life for future writing. In our Thematic learning the children created Tudor Portraits. They have also learnt all about the continents!
This week, Year 3 have been busy learners across all subjects. In English, the children published their Fantastic Mr Fox speeches individually, which were then brought together to create a whole-class book showcasing their combined work. They have now moved on to the short film The Present, where they explored the emotions of the boy receiving a gift and how his feelings changed, in preparation for writing a diary entry from his perspective. In Maths, they have been identifying key features in word problems and deciding whether addition or subtraction is the most efficient method to solve them. During Whole Class Reading, Year 3 enjoyed performing the poem The Railway Carriage, using expression and rhythm to bring it to life. In their Thematic learning, the children explored Victorian inventions and compared them to modern-day equivalents, as well as investigating inventions presented by other countries at the Great Exhibition and locating these countries on a world map using atlases.
This week, Year 4 have started a new text ‘Winter’s Child in their English lessons. They have been using drama to act out conservations before writing up the dialogue between characters in the book. In maths the children are securing their subtraction skills and in their thematic studies the children have been mapping the extent of the Roman Empire.
This week, Year 5 have been really busy with their DT learning. They have tested different ingredients then written and followed a recipe to create a ‘Viking-style’ seasonal vegetable soup. Some of the children were really interested (and pleasantly surprised!) to try vegetables they hadn’t tried before such as kale. They have also been working hard in maths, learning about prime numbers and square numbers. In Science, they have been learning about and testing Newton’s theories of motion. The children had lots of fun conducting their own mini-investigations involving chairs, tennis balls and balloons!
In Maths, Year 6 have been converting and comparing fractions, decimals and percentages. They have also been rounding numbers to two decimal places. In their English lessons the children have started drafting their ‘missing chapter’ from The Water Tower and in their reading lessons the children have continued with ‘Once’ by Morris Gleitzman. They have also been busty rehearsing their songs for the Christmas show.
Sporting news
Netball
It was our last netball match of this half of the season and there was great excitement as we headed off to Ridgeway on Wednesday. We started strong, with a quick succession of goals and great defending. Half time came and the score was 8-0 to Atwood. We switched ends and the girls carried on, finishing the match with an impressive score of 14-0. Player of the match went to Freya.
Our second match was just as competitive and the girls played well, making lots of interceptions. The score was 3-1 to Atwood, giving us a second win of the evening. Player of the match went to Avni.
Congratulations to all that played – Amelie, Mary, Mia, Freya, Salihah, Grace, Annabel, Penny, Megan, Avni, Arianna, Harlow, Jessica and Zimi.
We are extremely proud of how far this group of girls have come and look forward to more matches after Christmas.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Please note that the term dates for next year are now available on the school website.
Tuesday 9th December: Year 4 and 6 Christmas show (am and pm performances):
Thursday 11th December: Year 3 and 5 Christmas Show (am and pm performances)
Friday 12th December: Reception Christmas singing: Morning and afternoon performance: Details to follow
Tuesday 16th December KS1 Nativity Morning and afternoon performance:
Thursday 18th December: Jack and The Beanstalk Panto (Funded by FOAP).
Friday 19th December: End of Term
Monday 5th January INSET day- School closed
Tuesday 6th January: Back to school
