In Nursery, this week the children have been learning about the colours of the rainbow and triangles. You can read more here:
https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-nursery-news-28th-november
In Reception, the children have been learning about journeys around the world.
https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-reception-news-aeroplanes-and-our-world
This week in English, Year 1 retold the story of ‘Man on the Moon (A Day in the Life of Bob)’. When writing, the children used time adverbs to open their sentences. During maths, they found subtraction fact families and also explored number bonds to 10 with subtraction. The children investigated their sense of hearing in science and went on a sound walk around the school. They recorded their findings using pictures. On Thursday, Year 1 travelled on the bus, train and tube to visit the Science Museum. The children had lots of fun exploring different patterns and visiting an area called ‘The Garden’ where they could build towers and play with water. They also discovered many facts about space which is part of their thematic learning and excitedly ‘ticked off’ all the space items in their scavenger hunt.
This week, Year 2 have continued their writing based on Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits’. They are now writing their own twists to the story. In maths the children have been subtracting 2-digit numbers from 2- digit numbers. They have also been counting in 2s and 5s. in their thematic learning, the children have been studying Tudor portraits and noticing how nobody smiled in their painting. They have also combined their thematic learning with their PE and are taking their first steps learning Tudor dance. In their outdoor PE sessions, the children have been developing their basketball skills.
What a brilliant week of learning it has been for Year 3! The children have been working incredibly hard across every subject, and we are so pleased with the enthusiasm and effort they continue to show each day.
In English, they have been using Fantastic Mr Fox as inspiration to explore direct speech and the rules for punctuating conversations. They have been learning how to use inverted commas, ensuring punctuation is placed inside the speech marks and how to add reporting clauses such as whispered Mr Fox or muttered Badger to show how a line is spoken. They have also practised starting a new line for every new speaker to help readers follow conversation clearly. Year 3 particularly enjoyed replacing said — their banned word of the week — with exciting synonyms such as exclaimed, questioned, grumbled, replied, and announced. In Maths, they continued practising subtraction using partitioning, especially when subtracting three-digit numbers with a 0 in the tens column. They applied their knowledge confidently during problem-solving activities and showed great perseverance. They have also been developing fluency with number bonds to support subitising and increase speed when subtracting mentally. In their thematic learning, they explored population growth from the Victorian era to modern day, looking closely at how the Industrial Revolution led to rapid changes in jobs, cities, and daily life. They were fascinated to compare life in the past with life today and asked some excellent questions throughout the week. In Science, they investigated how magnets work, learning and using the key words attract and repel. They enjoyed experimenting with magnetic materials, making predictions, and observing how objects respond to magnetic forces. In spelling, they worked on the prefixes mis- and dis-, learning how they change the meanings of root words to form new vocabulary such as misbehave, misplace, dislike, and disagree. They enjoyed spotting these words while reading too. The class have also been fully immersing themselves in reading. They are continuing to enjoy Fantastic Mr Fox, and many have been writing thoughtful book reviews to recommend their favourite stories. A huge thank you to those who have kindly donated to our reading spine collection — their generosity has already sparked excitement, discussion, and plenty of enthusiasm for books.
This week, Year 4 have published their letter in the role of Matthew Henson. They have been including subordinate clauses to tell the reader all about his exciting adventures. In maths, the children have been securing their subtraction skills working with one exchange in the column method. They are also using the correct vocabulary by learning subtrahend, minuend and difference. In a subtraction problem, the minuend is the starting number and the subtrahend is the number being taken away from it. The difference is what remains. In science, the children are studying electrical circuits and learning about their component parts and in PE the children have been practising their gymnastic skills with counter balances and partner balances
This week, Year 5 have been working hard in English to write a narrative based on the story of Beowulf. They have been trying hard to use figurative language, interesting vocabulary and embedded clauses to add interest to their writing. On Thursday, this story was brought to life as part of our Viking Day! The children looked great in their Viking costumes and enjoyed lots of interactive activities including drama, handling artefacts, learning how to decipher runes and playing a Viking game called ‘Fox and Geese’. The children all participated so well and were able to impress with some of their fantastic knowledge from our learning so far!
In English, Year 6 have begun a new story called The Water Tower by Gary Crew, a mysterious and suspenseful tale that keeps readers intrigued. The children have been fully immersed in the story, carefully examining the text and using their inference skills to uncover hidden clues. They have been discussing ideas, making predictions, and piecing together information to work out what might happen next, developing their critical thinking and comprehension skills.
In maths, the children have been converting fractions into percentages and exploring the relationships between fractions, decimals, and percentages. They have been applying their understanding to solve problems, explain their reasoning, and see how these different forms of numbers relate to one another in real-life contexts. In PE, the children have been focusing on developing their balancing skills while using the apparatus. They have been practising control, coordination, and confidence, learning to maintain stability while moving through different equipment. All Year 6 children have also sat another practice SATs test. They approached it with focus, determination, and resilience, working hard throughout the assessment. Well done to everyone for their effort and commitment!
Book Fair and Reading for Pleasure.
Thank you to everyone who bought books at our book fair. With your support, we managed to raise over £1000 in commission sales which will go towards funding our Reading Spine books for every classroom and new books for the library. On that note, thank you to everyone who has donated a ‘birthday’ book as part of our reading for pleasure drive. So far, we’ve had 23 books donated and these are already being displayed and enjoyed in classrooms throughout the school.
Sporting news
Congratulations to the Atwood runners who took part in the first SLH cross country race of the season. Thankfully, the forecasted rain stayed away for the duration of the races but a brisk wind made for a tough uphill section of the course.
Well done to the team: Michael, Freya, Caleb, Isabelle, Grace, Joshua, Nathan, Olly, Ezra, Emma, Ethan and Harrison. The next race will be on Saturday 14th February and a letter will be sent out nearer the time. It would be wonderful to see as many Atwood runners as possible so please consider signing up!
Football
On Monday, our boys’ football team played a match against Gresham and despite their best efforts ended up with a 6-1 loss. It is proving to be a tough season for the boys but they always demonstrate their resilience by turning up, doing their best and playing with a smile on their faces. Well done to Johannes who picked up the consolation goal.
Netball
Our netball team made the short walk up to Gresham on Tuesday. The weather was bright and sunny to match the team’s mood as they started strong from the first centre pass, converting it into our first goal. The girls worked hard together and finished the first match with an impressive 10-0 score. n our second match, the energy levels did not drop and the girls continued to encourage each other resulting in a 5-0 win. We are so proud of the whole squad.
Players of the match were Amelie and Mary – well played girls!
Congratulations to the whole team – Amelie, Megan, Mia, Freya, Salihah, Grace, Annabel, Penny, Mary, Harlow, Iona and Zimi.
Prefects and head boy and girl.
Over the past couple of weeks many of our Year 6 children have been explaining to staff and their peers why they think they would make a good prefect or head boy or girl. After the selection process, where children had to make a speech in front of their classmates the successful applicants were chosen. Well done to William and Megan (Head Boy and Girl), Harlowe and Johannes (Deputy Head Girl and Boy) and all of the prefects. Choosing a head boy and head girl was such a tough job when faced with so many worthy candidates who could all fill the roles admirably. We are confident that those who were chosen and those who were selected as prefects will make us proud by being good role models around the school.
Class Reps
Many thanks to the class reps who came along to meet last week. This meeting was a good opportunity to share information about things that are happening in school and to address some questions and queries from parents. One of the areas we discussed was about school lunches. Did you know that the school serves over 1500 lunches every week? Also, many parents were unaware that everyday there are fresh fruit and salad bar options available for all children. We always encourage the children to try new things and to help themselves to healthy choices but please remind your children at home to try the salads or choose the fruit option for desert occasionally.
And finally…
Don’t forget that it is the FOAP Christmas Fair after school next Friday. We look forward to seeing many of you there.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Please note that the term dates for next year are now available on the school website.
Friday 28th November: Amber Class assembly
Wednesday 3rd December: Rocksteady Christmas Concert.
Friday 5th December: FOAP Christmas Fair and uniform sale (after school)
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
