This week, as we go to press the disco is warming up in the back ground to cap off another great week at Atwood.
Nursery have had another busy, creative week! In Maths, the children were introduced to the number 4 and had a go at spotting pictures that Miss Fernandes had secretly hidden in the classroom. The children sang lots of counting songs, and took their learning outside with games where the goal was to score 4 points.
Nursery continued reading Peace at Last, and the children have loved making and acting out all the different nighttime sounds Mr. Bear hears in the story. They love the alarm clock sound – BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
The children also explored what happens in Autumn. They talked about how the weather and trees are changing and how their clothes might change too. Using the lovely leaves collected from home, they created beautiful leaf rubbings and used them to paint and press with, creating a whole class piece of art. The children also practised counting further, by counting and using 4 conkers rolled in paint to create some rolling artwork. (A sneaky way to get our arm muscles working)
The story time book this week was We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and the children had a fantastic time acting out the story together, swishy-swashing and splash-sploshing their way through the story.
In Reception this week the children have been thinking about words that rhyme and reading the book ‘Oi Frog!’. You can read more here. https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/atw-reception-oi-frog
This week Year 1 made hats for the bear in the book ‘I want my hat back’. They described the hats and used ‘and’ to join their sentences together. They explored number bonds in maths, and tried to work systematically to find all the number bonds of a given number. In Science, the children explored the different seasons of the year and sorted clothes and weather to the appropriate season. They also finished creating their self-portraits in art, adding hair and eye colour using mixed media. Finally, Year 1 thought about all the ways they can keep healthy, including food and exercise.
The children in Year 2 have been busy this week with the design and technology part of their thematic learning which is also linked to science and learning about healthy eating. They researched designs for packaging and considered what would make the best design and shape for a muffin box. When they had designed their boxes, they had fun researching which flavour they would like to make their muffins. Would they use carrots, apples, bananas or blueberries? Then came baking the muffins following a simple recipe with lower sugar content because the fruit would add to the sweetness. Whilst the muffins were baking, the children returned to the classroom and began to refer to their designs to make their boxes. Once made, they evaluated whether their box designs had been successful or not. A lot of fun was had by all the children and some successful boxes and tasty muffins were proudly taken home.
This week in Year 3 the children published their brilliant non-chronological reports on dinosaurs. Then they dived into the mysterious world of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, where they loved examining the surreal illustrations, generating their own stories for the images using their imaginations and learning the tale of Burdick’s mysterious delivery and sudden disappearance! In Maths, the children wrapped up place value and launched into addition through an interactive ‘flip’ lesson, working as team bank clerks trialling different methods to add values to discover a “Forever Rule”: “Always start with the ones because you can’t have more than 9 of a value in each column.” Meanwhile, our Whole Class Reading took us further into Black and British, exploring the inspiring lives of Mary Seacole, Alice Kinloch, and Fanny Eaton, and in Computing, we focused on internet safety by exploring strong passwords and how devices connect across networks.
This week, Year 4 have been writing their persuasive speech in the role of Boudica. They have included fronted adverbials, modal verbs and rhetorical questions. In maths, the children have been learning how to round to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000 as well as comparing 4-digit numbers. In art, Year 4 have been practising sketching facial features and have now been applying their skills as they sketch out a portrait of Boudicca.
This week in Year 5, the children investigated air resistance in Science by making parachutes with two different surface areas, discovering that larger parachutes fell slower due to greater air resistance. In thematic learning, they examined primary and secondary sources and discussed source reliability. In Maths, the class built on their addition and subtraction skills by tackling multi-step word problems and consolidating rounding and estimation strategies. In English, the children wrote the final parts of their suspense stories inspired by Alma and are looking forward to publishing them next week. Finally, although the trip to the Gurdwara had to be postponed, with hopes to rebook after half term, the children had a great time learning in RE about how Christians care for the environment.
In Year 6 In English, Year 6 have continued developing their writing skills in preparation for their persuasive speeches in the role of Emmeline Pankhurst, campaigning for women’s right to vote. This week, the children have been focusing on using embedded clauses and the passive voice to make their writing more detailed and persuasive. Through a range of fluency activities, they have been practising how to use these grammatical techniques effectively to strengthen their arguments and engage their audience.
In Maths, Year 6 have continued their fractions unit, focusing on adding and subtracting fractions, including mixed numbers. The children have been learning how to find common denominators and convert between mixed numbers and improper fractions to help them calculate accurately. They have also been applying these skills to a range of reasoning and problem-solving questions, explaining their methods and developing their confidence.
In Whole Class Reading, Year 6 have been exploring the thought-provoking poem Refugees by Brian Bilston. This clever poem presents a negative attitude towards refugees when read from top to bottom but reveals a completely different, positive message when read in reverse. The children have enjoyed discussing the powerful vocabulary, phrases and contrasting themes, exploring how the poet challenges our perceptions and encourages empathy. They have also brought the poem to life through expressive poetry performances, focusing on tone, expression and the impact of the words on the listener.
Wear Red
Today the school was a sea of red as we joined with hundreds of other schools and organisations across the country to Stand up to Racism. This year, is the 12th Anniversary of Wear Red Day and every year this day of awareness has grown with more and more participants. In assembly today, the children were reminded that by wearing red, they are taking part in something that is changing hearts, changing minds and changing lives. By supporting this campaign, they can be a proud anti-racist and be the difference. Thank you to everyone who took part.
Attendance
In an effort to ensure ongoing good attendance for our pupils, all children who are in school for 100% next week will receive a raffle ticket to go into a prize draw.
Parent MACs
We are currently seeking new parent members of our Academy Council. If you are interested in this position or simply want to find out more then please speak to Mr. Robins. Alternatively, there will be an opportunity to meet the chair of the Academy Council on the afternoon of Tuesday 3rd November. You can read more about the work of the academy councils on our website here: https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/directors-and-academy-councils
School Uniform
Please can I remind parents that school shoes should be solid black. Trainers are allowed but they must be completely black with no visible logos or slogans. On the days that your child wears PE kit, any trainers are allowed but on uniform days children must wear footwear that is in line with our uniform policy. To that end, rather than buy two pairs, the most practical thing is to buy black trainers that can be worn all week.
FOAP Events
Tonight, sees the first FOAP disco of the year. We look forward to welcoming the children and are thankful to all the parents and staff who help out to make this run smoothly.
Remember, remember the 5th of November because that is the date for the FOAP fireworks at Atwood School. If you haven’t already got your tickets, you can buy them through the link: https://buytickets.at/foap/2432325 This is always a sell out and is a significant fundraiser for school funds so please come along and support this event.
New quiet area in playground
Many of you will have noticed the new benches in the playground. These were kindly funded by the FOAP. The fenced off area will become a quiet area that children can access at playtimes and breaktimes. This area will be for those children who prefer to sit and read, play board games or partake in quiet and calm activities at lunch time rather than run around. Thank you to FOAP for the generous support and to all the parents who have donated to FOAP by attending events in the past year.
Polite Parking
Please can I remind parents using Tandridge Gardens to park considerately and not block neighbours’ driveways. As well as being selfish, this causes people to get frustrated and frustrated drivers leads to accidents. Parking considerately will help to keep all our children safe. Thank you.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Please check these dates as the list is regularly updated.
Thursday 22rd October end of half term
Tuesday 3rd November – First day back to school
Thursday 5th November: FOAP Fireworks display
Thursday 5th November: Year 1 Science Museum trip.
Friday 6th November: Magenta Class assembly
Wednesday 11th November: Reception Maths workshop
Friday 13th November: Indigo Class assembly
Monday 16th November: Diabetes UK Mufti Fundraiser
Friday 20th November: Cyan Class assembly
Friday 20th November: Year 4 Roman Workshop
Friday 20th November: Year 2 Hampton Court Palace trip
Wednesday 25th November: Year 3 Victoria & Albert Museum trip
Friday 27th November: Amber Class assembly
Wednesday 2nd December: Year 1 church visit.
Wednesday 2nd December: Rocksteady Concert
Friday 4th December: Panto performances.
Friday 4th December : FOAP Christmas Fayre
Tuesday 8th: Year 4 & 6 Christmas production (am and pm performances- details to follow)
Thursday 10th: Year 3 & 5 Christmas production (am and pm performances- details to follow)
Friday 11th December: Reception Christmas Production (am and pm performances- details to follow)
Tuesday 15th December: Key Stage One Nativity (am and pm performances- details to follow)
Thursday 17th December; Year 5 Viking workshop
Friday 18th December: End of Term
Monday 4th January: Back to school
