It has been a lovely first week back for the summer term. The children have come back raring to go and, with the little bit of sunshine we’ve had, the children have been able to get back on to the field at lunchtimes.
The Nursery children have been learning all about different modes of transport.
https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-nursery-news-17th-april
In Reception, the children had a big, bad visitor this week. Read more here:
https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/atw-reception-news-the-big-bad-wolf-comes-to-visit
This week, in English Year 1 published their ‘Chalk’ story and watched different ‘Tinga Tinga Tales’ in preparation for their new unit of writing. Year 1 focused on ‘Why Elephant has a Long Trunk’ and used story language to perform the story. During maths, they revised the vocabulary associated with volume and capacity and used this to help them solve a variety of problems. They also used the water trays outside to measure capacity. At the start of the week, Year 1 made their boat in DT and then tested to see whether it would float in their science lessons. In our thematic sessions, the children have started a new topic ‘Africa’. During the lesson, they discussed what they already knew about Africa and what they would like to find out. Year 1 also looked at maps of Africa and books about the topic from our school library. During art, the children painted a sunset wash using red, orange and yellow paint to create a background for their Tinga Tinga artwork. They also chose an African animal to trace and then added used pastels to add colour and patterns to their animal.
This week, Year 2 have been studying Ted Hughes’s ‘The Iron Man’. The children built their own life size Iron Man out of cardboard boxes and tin foil because in the story he fell apart. They children loved the opportunity to put his body parts back together! In Science, Year 2 began learning all about living things and their habitats and they will be thinking about seeds they have planted. Lastly, in Thematic the children started learning all about the seaside, some of the children went outside together into the sunshine and wrote all about what they know about the seaside already and what they would like to learn!
In Year 3 this week in English, the children have been busy compiling facts for their non-chronological reports on the Stone Age. They enjoyed hunting for clues in the orchard and used what they discovered to create informative fact file posters. Using these posters, they have been practising forming sentences with subordinating conjunctions and interesting sentence starters. In Maths, the class have continued their learning on fractions. They have been finding equivalent fractions and identifying unit fractions for given fractions. They have also moved on to finding fractions of numerical amounts using multiplication and division knowledge. In Science, the children have completed their final rocks and soils experiment, where they tested the permeability of different soils and investigated how much water passes through them. In Thematic Learning, they have learnt about Doggerland and explored how the land mass of the UK has changed since the Stone Age.
In Year 4, the children are reading Varjak Paw. This week, they have been using the story as an inspiration for their writing where they have been securing the use of possessive apostrophes. They are also enjoying Charlotte’s Web as part of their whole class reading. In maths the children have been calculating fractions of amounts and in science the children have learnt to classify animals as vertebrates or invertebrates. The children have also been developing their sketching skills in art this week when drawing Anglo-Saxon settlements.
This week, Year 5 have been reading the book ‘Hidden Figures’ by Margot Lee Shetterly. The book tells the story of three African- American female mathematicians who were central to NASA’s space race in the 1960s. The children have been researching the biographical details of the characters and learning about their previously overlooked contribution to history. In maths the children have been studying decimals to 3 decimal places and can now recognise tenths, hundredths and thousandths. In their thematic work, the children have been learning about transportation to Australia and in PE the children have started refining their athletics skills.
Year 6 have started reading ‘Wolf Brother’ by Michelle Paver. The children visited Forest School to immerse themselves in the life of a stone age hunter such as Torak in the book. They have since been researching and recording facts about how to survive in the wild. They presented their findings about shelter building, hunting, gathering and making a fire to the rest of the class. In maths, the children have revised time and fractions. In science the children have been able to see the effect of micro-organisms by looking at how mould has developed on bread left out over the Easter holidays.
Crystal Palace Trip
On Wednesday, the lucky winners from the Trust’s Sports Poetry competition got to visit Selhurst Park. During the tour, the children got to see the trophy room and the director’s dining room. They also sat in the stands and pretended to be players sitting in the dugout. The children visited the home and away dressing rooms (The home one was much nicer.) and had the chance to meet the press in the media centre. All in all, it was a great tour and the children thoroughly enjoyed it.
Book Volunteers
The school recently managed to secure £3000 worth of funding to replace and replenish our stock of phonics reading books in Reception, Year One and Two. We are very grateful to the parent volunteers who helped us out this week sorting these new resources and packing them up with all of the relevant sound and word cards. We know that the children will enjoy having these new books to help develop their reading skills and we ask that children look after them at home so that they can support children for years to come.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Please check below as new dates are regularly added.
Monday 20th April: Year 1 African Dance Workshop
Friday 24th April Year 4 Riddlesdown Common walk
Friday 1st May: Green Class Assembly
Monday 4th May: Bank Holiday- school closed
Wednesday 6th May: Class photos
Wednesday 6th May: Indigo Class Fairy Tale Workshop Trip
Friday 8th May Lavender Class Assembly
Week Beginning 11th May: Year 6 SATs
Friday 15th May: Year 6 Picnic in the Park
Friday 15th May: Teal Class Assembly
Monday 18th May: Year 5 Science Museum Trip
Monday 1st June: Year 6 Chessington Trip
Tuesday 2nd June: Reception Godstone Farm Trip
Friday 5th June: Year 3 Caveman Visit.
Friday 5th June: Year 2 Wakehurst Place trip
Saturday 6th June: FOAP Summer Festival
Tuesday 9th June: Year 5 Wonderdome Visit
Friday 12th June: KS1 and 2 Sports Day
Week 15th June – 19th June Year 6 Isle of Wight Trip
Friday 19th June: Nursery Fun day and Picnic / Reception Sports Day.
Wednesday 24th June: Blue Class Assembly
Friday 26th June: INSET Day – school closed
Monday 29th June: Year 3 RHS Wisley Trip
Wednesday 1st July: Whole school photograph
Thursday 2nd July: Year 5 Tower of London Trip
Friday 3rd July: Violet Class Assembly
Friday 3rd July: Year 4 Camp Atwood
Tuesday 7th / Wednesday 8th July: Year 6 Production
Friday10th July: Atwood Invitational swimming gala
Friday 17th July: Year 6 Leavers’ assembly
Friday 17th July: Last day of term
