It was lovely to see Atwood come alive today with a splash of colour as we held a mufti day in aid of the AT Society. Children dressed in blue, purple or red in support of this valuable charity. So far the school has raised over £700 for the work of this charity. Elsewhere, this week all sorts of learning has been taking place.
YEAR GROUP BY YEAR GROUP
Our Reception children have been sharing stories all about their families this week. They have made pictures and started writing about their brothers and sisters. They have also been focusing on learning the sounds ‘g’ ‘o’ and ‘c’. We have been so impressed by the way they have settled and taken to their learning.
In Year One the children have been thinking about their own history by looking at their baby photos to observe the changes as they grow. They also discussed the things they could do at the different stages of their development. In English, the children used role play to retell the story of Jon Klassen’s excellent picture book ‘I Want My Hat Back’. If you are visiting the library and looking for a great book to share with your children, it is well worth following up this text with the ever popular ‘This Is Not My Hat’ or ‘We Found a Hat’.
In Year Two, the children have been thinking about what is needed for a balanced diet. They have been making plates of food to represent a healthy meal and learning that it may be okay to eat sweets and chocolates sometimes but you can’t have treats everyday.
Year Three have been learning more about The Crystal Palace and in reading putting their retrieval skills to the test, learning facts about Tyrannosaurs. When thinking about chronology the children were getting to grips with how long a timeline would need to be to go all the way back to the dinosaurs. During English the children have been focusing on the poem ‘From a Railway Carriage’ and learning what makes a great poetry performance.
In Year Four, the children have done some Geography learning, looking at maps of Italy and the UK, identifying physical or human features. In Whole Class Reading, we have been looking at the book ‘Black and British’ by David Olusoga, finding out about the slave trade and the Royal family’s complicated and controversial part in this. We have had some good discussions about this in class. In English, the children have written their own informal letters, writing in role and using their imaginations. They have done really well using paragraphs to group and organise their writing effectively.
Year Five have been investigating fair testing in science and had to devise their own fair test involving a bear and a parachute. What happens to the falling bear when the size of the parachute changes? (Please note: No real bears were hurt in this experiment.) They have also been using dance to represent aspects of Viking life.
Finally, Year Six have been having a first look at SATs papers this week. This is just an opportunity for the children to familiarise themselves with what they will be expected to do in the summer. This baseline helps to inform the teachers’ planning and lets the children see what lies ahead without any pressure. It hasn’t been all tests. The children have also been digging deeper into Egyptian history and comparing religious ceremonies for all the major faiths and in science, the children have been identifying characteristics and variations in living things. The children have been mixing two very different breeds of dog and thinking about the variation of their offspring.
Elsewhere, the smell of freshly baked bread filled the corridors on Wednesday after school as the Cookery Club plaited dough and baked loaves in preparation for Harvest.
BIKEABILITY
This week some of the children in Year 5 have been completing a Bikeability course. They have progressed from circuits on the playground, thinking about safe speeds and braking distances to riding around the streets of Sanderstead encountering roundabouts and safely navigating road junctions. Well done to everyone who took part. You can read more here.
PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT
Many thanks to all the parents who took the time this week to attend the Year group curriculum meetings. There was a good turnout at all the meetings and it was lovely for me to meet so many parents in person. Hopefully you found the information that was shared useful. Slides from the presentations have been shared on Google classroom for those who couldn’t make it but, as ever, if you have a question, please just ask. We’re happy to help.
Your child’s Google classroom should now contain information about how you can sign up for parents’ evenings on Monday 9th and Wednesday 11th October.
Thank you also to those parents who have been supporting Cafe Atwood. The business is slowly growing and remember that all funds raised will go to supporting the school. Mr. Roberts is keen to remind everyone that he will be open again next Thursday and Friday after school.
And finally…
Did you know that less time separates humans from Tyrannosaurus Rex than separated T. Rex from stegosaurus? T- Rex walked the earth approximately 65 million years ago. Stegosaurus roamed what’s now modern-day North America during the late Jurassic period, about 155 million to 145 million years ago. A gap of about 85 million years from Tyrannosaurus Rex. When Tyrannosaurs stomped around, Stegosaurus was already a fossil! We are never too old to stop learning.
Best wishes
Mr. Robins
