This week at the Upper School, we have looking at how we can use smart questioning to help us deepen our learning. When we ask ‘Why’ and ‘How’ it helps us seek reasons and explanations that go beyond simple facts. We can also make connections to things we have learnt. Smart questions help us to think critically, question answers and see things from another viewpoint. We can use our imagination to make predictions based on clues and reflect on our learning.
At the Lower School, we have been learning about World Ocean Day and the Fifa World Cup during assembly this week! We have been very proud of our Year 1 and Year 2 children taking their Phonics Screening Check this week and the results will be shared with parents in your child’s end of year school report.
Year 4 visit the British Library
This week Rowan and Hawthorn Class visited the British Library. They went to take part in a workshop to support their work on Fairy Tales in English. The children have come back very inspired with lots of great ideas. We look forward to seeing the impact of this visit on their work in class. Thank you to all our parents and carers who came along to support on the trip.
Walk to School Week
Well done to all our children who have walked, cycled or scooted to school this week. You have been brilliant and choosing active ways to travel during our ‘Walk to School Week’. We also enjoyed seeing all the funky shoes on display on our ‘Shoesday’, Tuesday. Thank you to Mrs Jerman, Mrs Dodd and Ms Chira for organising such a fun event for the children.
Zoolab visit Reception
Reception had a very exciting workshop in school this week where they learnt more about minibeasts. Children were amazed to see a cockroach, snake, African land snail and a real life tarantula! Lots of fantastic questions were asked and some children the chance to hold and touch these creatures. Reception can’t wait to learn more about minibeast during their topic this half term.
Key Stage 2 Maths Challenge
This week Ms Stewart has organised two successful maths challenges for our exceptional mathematicians. The children enjoyed competing against other and working collaboratively to solve a range of complex maths challenges. The children were so motivated they wanted to carry on at break time. What a wonderful way to promote a love of maths!
Willow Class Assembly
We started the morning at the Upper School with a fantastic assembly from Willow Class. Willow Class took us on a fun journey through their learning about Crime and Punishment through history. We heard about ducking stools, people being thrown off cliffs and people being forced to retrieve a stone from boiling water to prove they are innocent. The children agreed that all these punishments were vey unfair as quite often you still died or where badly injured even if you were innocent. They discussed how our justice system today is based on fairness and made a wonderful link to our Pegasus value ‘We Care’. Well done Willow Class and a huge thank you to Miss Ahmed and Mrs Wright for all your hard work preparing the children. Thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us for being such a fantastic audience.
Cypress Superstars
Well done to Stanley in Cedar Class who came to share his reasoning and problem solving on measures. He was able to clearly explain how he found the answers. Well done to Atticus in Cedar Class who came to show some very creative art work he had completed during a trip to Crystal Palace Park.
Well done to Dylan and Romari in Orange Class who were inspired by their Zoolab workshop to write sentences about the animals they saw. We were so impressed with your careful letter formation and how you used your sounds. Elias in Indigo Class has brought in an amazingly creative parrot he made at home. We loved all the bright colours and how you could explain exactly how you created it. Mathia in Blue Class shared some of his wonderful writing this week. He’d used finger spaces and really extended his ideas. We’re very proud of your hard work! Well done to everyone in Violet Class for their fantastic observational drawings of sea creatures.
We wish all our children and families a relaxing weekend.
Ms Binks, Mrs Sorensen and the Cypress Team.
