Welcome back
Welcome back.
This half term is going to be just as busy as the last one. The whole class have shown maturity, enthusiasm and a super learning attitude – keep it up!
We have had great fun with our topic so far. This half term, we’ll be designing and making our own picture frames. When complete, these will showcase the children’s wonderful Roald Dahl-inspired art work done in the style of Quentin Blake. Look out for our own Year 4 art gallery.
We also look forward to cooking this half term – you’ll have to wait and see what delights will make your taste buds tingle!
Please note a change of PE day from Thursday to Friday. The class are going to be taught by some students from Leeds Metropolitan University. An outdoor kit is essential as we hope to be outside whenever possible.
Asking questions about WW2
Before half-term, we were fortunate enough to be able to email Mrs Weekes’ dad, who was evacuated from Newcastle during WW2, and ask him lots of questions about his experience.
Today, we received a response and were fascinated to hear all about it! However, there was a problem. Somehow, all the answers and questions had been jumbled up so we had to use our comprehension skills to match the questions to the answers. Once we’d managed to do this we studied the responses – it was very interesting. In particular, we were amazed at how little children were allowed to take with them: only some clothes!
Then, we thought about the characters in our class novel. Max and Anna are German refugees so we discussed the difference between refugees and evacuees (help at home by asking your child about this and discussing this topic in more detail). Finally, we pretended to be Max and asked some of our own questions.
Here are some pics:
On behalf of all of Year 5, I must say a huge thank you to Mrs Weekes and her dad for answering our questions.
Another letter from DfE
Yet another letter from the DfE congratulating us!
Over the past two years, we’ve received three letters congratulating us on results for disadvantaged pupils and for high achievement in the Year 1 phonics screening.
We’ve just received another letter, this time congratulating school on the high standard of achievement in the 2016 phonics screening check. Nick Gibb MP (Minister of State for School Standards) sends us congratulations, stating that we are in the top 8% of all primary schools in the country regarding achievement in phonics. He writes:
I would like to congratulate you, your staff and your pupils for your school’s very high standard of achievement in the 2016 phonics screening check.
We want to ensure that every child develops a firm grasp of phonics which is why I was delighted to see your results. With at least 95% of pupils at Moortown Primary School reaching or exceeding the pass mark in the check, your school is in the top 8% of all primary schools in the country.
This year’s figures show 89% of pupils who achieve the expected standard in the check go on to achieve at least the expected standard in Key Stage One reading, which underlines the value of developing the ability to decode words effectively at an early age.
We are extremely proud of this high standard of phonics teaching, as we are of all our teaching and it shows that our staff, parents and children are committed to maintaining these high standards. Moortown Primary carries on being a happy, healthy and successful place to learn.
Save the Scholes swimming pool
Scholes (Elmet) Primary is one of our Sphere Federation partner schools. It’s also very unusual in that it has its own swimming pool. It’s a small, shallow one, but is great for introducing younger children to swimming. Sadly, the pool has been closed for essential maintenance and a massive fundraising campaign is underway. We need you now to vote for the school to benefit from a grant.
From today, voting opens for the Aviva Community Fund, and the campaign to Save Scholes Pool is one of the potential grant winners. If the school gets the most votes we could be granted between £5,000 and £10,000. Please vote here.
Half term
There is no homework assigned over half term so we hope you all enjoy a rest, some time in the outdoors and maybe visiting some of the activities happening in the area.
Remember, Lexia and Mathletics are always available for children to dip in to at home.
You may also want to take a look at the York Art Gallery website, in preparation for our trip on Tuesday 01 November. Also on an art theme, if you visit the city centre, you may want to take part in the Leeds Welcome Art trail.
Have a great half term.
Athletics club and competition
There are places available on the athletics after-school club, starting after the half term, if your child would like to come along.
The club will run on Monday 31 October and Monday 07 November, 3.15-4.15, in preparation for a local competition on 23 November.
Please inform the office if your child would like to join. We particularly need girls to join the team.
21 October 2016
It’s half-term, so there’s no homework. Enjoy the holiday instead: hunt down a collection of chestnuts on a walk at Roundhay Park, enjoy a cinema trip on a damp day, go further afield and visit somewhere new…
Whatever you do, have a good break.
Creative arty homeworks
The first half term
Well, the first half term of Year 6 comes to an end and what a great one it’s been!
We finished our planes and, although we came up against a few design faults, we were really proud of our finished products.
We’re about half way through our class novel, The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, and are enjoying it whilst learning lots of news, words and facts about the war as we read.
Perhaps most of us would say the highlight of the term has been completing our independent projects which the children took great ownership of. They produced some incredible pieces of work too.
After the half term, our topic continues for another three weeks. Having sent an email to my grandma this week, we’ll be hoping to read her response; as we all love an opportunity to dress up, we’ll experience a day as war time children; and we’ll get the chance to finish the class novel and find out how it ends – though we do all know it’s a sad one.
Have a lovely break and, although there’ll be no homework, it’s our class assembly when we come back (which we hope to see you at – 02 November) so take the time to see whether your child knows their lines and what they’ll be doing for it.
Parents’ evening
Thank you to all parents who attended parents’ evening this week. It was great to discuss how your child has been settling into Year 2 and all about their learning so far.
Please let us know (Mrs Taylor – Monday and Tuesday, or Mr Wilks – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) if you have any other queries or concerns.
