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Welcome back

Welcome back. I hope you all had an enjoyable summer break. I’ve enjoyed listening to all of the days out and holidays that the children have been on!

I’ve been really pleased with how motivated the children have been in our first week back. Our first few weeks will involve some re-capping.  For example, we’ll revisit some of the phonics covered in Year 1. Children tend to slip back a bit over the long holidays so regular reading at home and practising of handwriting, counting and number bonds will all help.

For those of you who I don’t know, this will be my fifth year at Moortown Primary and my second year teaching in Year 2. Parents’ Evening will be towards the end of October; in the meantime, please feel free to drop in if you have any queries. I look forward to getting to know you all better.

Finally, I’d like to welcome Jorja to our class.  She’s been welcomed by all the class and is already proving to be a great member of the Year 2 learning community.

07 September 2012

The homework this week is talk time and is due in on Wednesday 12 September.

I can think of ways to save water at home.

Our first mini-topic of the year is about water. We have talked about how some people do not have easy access to clean water like we do in this country. We have also discussed how we still need to save water where we can and looked at some ways we could do this at school. Now the children have to think about how they can do this at home.

Top tips for talk time homework:

• Turn the telly off!
• Sit around the dining table and talk through the different views whilst having a meal.
• Have a chat and share opinions and ideas! Children should talk with family, friends and each other.

(Your child might want to make some notes in their Homework Books – although they don’t need to, this might help them when we have a discussion about the topic back in the classroom.)

07 September 2012

This week’s spellings all have an ‘ing’ at the end and replace the ‘e’ in the root word.

The spelling rule to chant is drop the ‘e’ for ‘ing’.

There will be a bonus question where you will have to spell a word that follows the rule.

Can you come up with any more words that follow the rule?

A new school year

Welcome to Year 1!

We’ve had a great first week and I’m pleased with the efforts and behaviour of all of the children.

Just a few notes about the term ahead:

PE – this will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Children should bring their PE kits to school and leave in school until half term. If they get dirty they will be sent home for washing.

Reading – we aim to hear your child read on a weekly basis within school, once by a teacher and once by the teaching assistant. Please make time to read with your child and encourage them to discuss the text. It would be helpful if you make a comment of any reading done in your child’s reading record book.

Homework – children in Year 1 will receive homework on a Friday and it’s due back on Wednesday the following week. See the front of the homework book for more details.

Spelling – this will be set home on a Monday and a spelling test will take place on the Friday.

Class bear – Year 1 is home to Ralph Bear! A child will be rewarded each week by bringing Ralph home for the weekend. He will bring with him his suitcase and diary. Please encourage your child to write in his diary about his weekend. Photos are also welcome.

A warm welcome to Abigail, who has joined our class. She has fitted in beautifully and I am sure she will be very happy at Moortown Primary.

If you have any questions about the term ahead, please do not hesitate to ask.

07 September 2012

This week’s spellings are looking at regular verb endings.  There are 15 spellings this week because they are regular words that the children are familiar with.

Community news

You may be interested in two items of news from our local community…

From a parent, Mrs Vickerman:

A new, weekend WI Group is setting up and looking for new members – would you be interested in joining?

At each meeting we will be offering a different creative workshop covering a wide range of crafts – from baking to needlecrafts to art… the list could be endless!  So, if you’re interested in gaining the opportunity to try your hand at new skills in a relaxed and friendly environment, whilst also looking for ways to contribute to our wider community, then this group is for you.

If you’d like to join in, we’re holding a Meet, Greet and Find Out More Meeting – Saturday 22nd September, St Johns Church Hall. This will be a drop in session open from 11.30am – 2.30pm.  Everyone is welcome to come and have tea, coffee and cake whilst trying your hand at a craft class on the day.

For further information contact:  Debbie – 0797 061 7937

And from Wm Dodgson & Son, a local business who have been long-term supporters of Moortown Primary:

Charity initiative: put any used football boots to good use!

New term…new footie boots?

The local funeral directors, Wm Dodgson & Son, are collecting used football boots to send to children and young adults in Ghana, West Africa.  Many children there don’t have football boots and play on rough ground in bare feet – Wm Dodgson & Son will act as a drop-off point for you if you want to donate used boots and clean socks.  These will then be taken back to Africa to give directly to children, who are aware of this and are excited at the prospect.

You can either drop them off directly at Wm Dodgson & Son, 384 Harrogate Road, or you can drop them off with uis at Moortown Primary and we’ll take them round the corner.

07 September 2012

The homework this week is creative and is due in on Wednesday 12 September.

I can show something interesting about myself.

We will be spending the next two weeks learning about ‘Ourselves’. I thought it would be a good idea for the children to start the topic creatively and show something interesting or special about themselves.

Here are some ideas that we came up with as a class when we talked about the homework:

• A poster
• Draw a picture
• A list of family members/toys etc
• A photograph

I look forward to seeing your creations on Wednesday.

Hello and welcome back

It’s great to see you and your children again after our summer break.  Our staff enjoyed various breaks and all have worked really hard to prepare classes and teaching ready for the Autumn term.  We all hope you and your family also enjoyed the breaks, whether travelling to distant lands or simply enjoying time with family and friends (perhaps enjoying Eid celebrations).

Thank you…

…to all the children who so far have sent us a postcard (and to mums and dads who have encouraged this!).  We’ve received cards from sights in Yorkshire (Magna Centre, Leeds Town Hall, Castle Howard…), UK sights (the Lake District, Bath, Holkham Beach…) and more far-flung places (Egypt, USA, Portugal…).  It’s not too late to send us one or bring a postcard into the office for us.  Soon, we’ll put the postcards into a hat and choose some lucky winners – and all the cards will go on display, too.

New faces

Sadly, we said goodbye to a few people over the summer.  However, we’re happy to say hello to new faces – in fact, there’s one new person in every class, so hello to Abi, Jorja, Lennox, Luca, Brannoc and Mehak, from Y1 to Y6 respectively.  Of course, there will be thirty more new faces as our new Reception class start to arrive from Monday 17 September.  This takes our numbers on roll to 204 with the likelihood of at least one more pupil joining us shortly – our highest number at least since I started at Moortown Primary.

Staff

Most of you will know that Mr Owen is on extended leave – he’ll return to take over the teaching of Y5 just before the October holiday.  This will allow Mrs Weekes to return to Y1 to class share with Mrs Maver.  We said goodbye to Mrs Jack at the end of last term (she has joined a local school as Y5 teacher), but welcomed back Mrs Taylor from maternity leave (she will continue in her role of Health Leader and cover teacher).

In the Spring and Summer terms, I was working in another Leeds school for one day each week as a ‘Local Leader in Education’ – someone who supports other headteachers.  This term, I’ll continue to work in this role, supporting an existing school and supporting a new Leeds headteacher, but I don’t expect to be out of school quite so much.  I’ll also be continuing to work with some Year 6 children on Thursday afternoons teaching Tough Stuff Maths and (new this year) Tough Stuff Reading (we’ve just started to read ‘Animal Farm’).

Uniform

There are aspects of our Uniform Policy which we can’t absolutely enforce, but the governors and I hope we have your cooperation – sticking to this policy helps to make sure all our children are smart and feel part of the school community by not looking ‘different’; it also helps to make sure our children focus on being happy and healthy learners without distractions.

Once again: it’s great to see you all again.

Goodbye, Year 3!

Well, time flies when you’re having fun!

I’ve had a fantastic time teaching Year 3 this year and will definitely miss you all next year (even though you’ll only be next door!). Your enthusiasm for learning and boundless energy has made teaching you an absolute pleasure. There have been so many highlights from the past year. Here are a few of my favourites:

• Madison’s marvellous performance in the Lion King. She had learned all her lines in one weekend: a true professional!
• Umar and Harvey’s excellent progress in all subjects but especially in maths.
• Zakir’s absolute enthusiasm for learning and the great progress he has made this year.
• Some incredible writing by Ruqayyah which wowed the school when read out at Friday’s celebration assembly.
• Holly covered in stick insects – but staying calm – when the Animal Intuition lady came into school.
• All the children’s amazing reactions when the chicks started hatching and their faces when they held them for the first time.
• Sarina’s election as school councillor and her articulate feedback to the class after meetings. She always uses adding connectives after each point!
• Josh’s performance during football club – taking on children three years older than him.
• The brilliant teamwork showed by all the groups in the recent treasure hunt at Roundhay Park.
• Last but not least, Finn’s blood-curdling “Arrrrrrgghh!”

Thank you to Mrs Sherriff and Mrs Edwards for all their hard work. They have been fantastic and will be missed next year as well. Finally, thank you parents, for your continued support over the year.

A final message from Mrs Hazell

Dear Year 6 and parents,

Wow! What a year!

As the school year draws to a close, it’s always a good time to look back at the many and varied achievements that have taken place…and there have been quite a few!

Where to begin?

I want to say a huge well done to everyone for their attitude to learning. Jatinder’s, Sean’s, Matthew’s, and Valerie’s reading and maths has improved dramatically. Adam, too, has improved due to a huge effort and determination on his part. Bronwen, Kai, Lauren, Robert, Akash, Keighley and Anna have impressed everyone with their determination to extend their learning and push themselves in their Tough Stuff Maths.

I have been pleased with how the class respond to their targets and want to make progress with their learning.  Charlotte, Zach, Vikram and Cyd are especially impressive at this, always asking questions about how to improve and thinking hard about how to be the best they can. Great stuff!

This Year 6 have become excellent and creative writers. Omar, Angel and George FP have entertained me no end all year with their quirky and imaginative writing styles. I’m sure there’s a budding author here somewhere!

The class is full of characters who keep everyone positive with their sense of humour and great outlook on life: Aleena, Hasan, Shoaib and particularly Abdul – thanks! You have contributed massively with your laughs and smiles.

I also want to say a huge well done to Rene and Izzy who are very talented artists. You have been great role models to the rest of the children in Art and have helped everyone produce high quality work.

For a successful team you need many different components. Kiran, Amy, Bradley, Aqsa and Ajay: thanks and well done. The way you approach your work with quiet tenacity and give everything such effort is commendable and inspiring to others.

Grease was amazing. I think the singing and dancing was the best I’ve seen from a group of ten and eleven year olds in my whole career [message from Mr Roundtree: “And that’s a very long time indeed!”] and I think we may have uncovered a new star in George C. Keep on rockin’ and a rollin’, George!

You guys are a very special, talented and memorable bunch of children who, as a group and as individuals, have risen to every challenge they have been set in a calm, determined and positive manner. You have been fantastic fun to teach. I have laughed…lots!

Thanks!

Mrs Hazell