Number day

The children have had a great week of learning opportunities.

We can definitely say that Number Day was a huge success! Lots of fantastic activities and a different way of thinking about maths. The whole school took part in a Magic Maths assembly and then children enjoyed puzzles, investigations and maths in different contexts throughout the day.

“I had a brilliant day!
Can we do this again next year?”

— Year 3 pupil

Artwork this term has focused on learning about repeating patterns and use of colour and shape to build up patterns. This week the children experimented with different shapes and cut out a design from polystyrene to create a repeating pattern.

Well done to the representatives from Owls who went to the football tournament on Monday. We came third in our group against much larger schools! They enjoyed playing the matches and were great ambassadors.

Have a happy and restful weekend. Thank you for all your support this week.

Beware of the plants!

The children in Owl class have been learning about information texts and have started to plan their own text. To inspire them they have designed their own rainforest plant to write about. They have also looked at examples of tropical plants and considered leaf size, shape, colours, smell and whether the plant is a carnivorous plant!! Warning the rainforest is looking quite deadly if these plants are growing!

Have you heard we are learning brass instruments this term! Wow it sounds amazing already. Owls are enjoying their new learning.

Speed stacking skills in PE this week meant we all had great fun seeing how quickly and accurately we could create a stack of 3 cups, then 3 x 3 cup stacks! We finished the session off with a relay race. Hand eye coordination are the key skills here!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Friday at Oakwood!

The second day of Oakwood and it was another great one!

Most children slept (a little!), some teachers did (but not many!) everyone gave 100% and should be so proud of themselves. Well done Owls. Here are lots of pictures of the Leap of faith, the children also took part in orienteering and bush craft activities. Have a wonderful weekend and celebrate all you achieved.

Thursday itinerary

Wow! What a day we have had. So many happy faces and smiles. The children have been brilliant and had a go at every activity even if they have felt nervous about doing it. We will keep uploading the pictures. Bear with us as we are sorting out dormitories and hungry children at present!! Back soon in a bit.

Please scroll down as we have added more pictures and included some of dinner and games time.

Please see the first day itinerary of activities. We are going to have great fun!

Week of 9th January

I am sure that most of you will have heard that Owl class made poo (or faeces as we have now learnt) this week! It was the last science lesson to round off the topic on digestion. Lots of giggles were had but it was actually a really great way of ensuring that the children knew about each stage of the digestion process.

Wow we are really working hard on our multiplication methods. Owls have made the numbers, drawn the calculation and written the calculation using a formal method. It is so important the children are learning their times tables to support this method as everything links back to x table knowledge. This week we have been focusing on x3, x6 facts for quick recall. More next week!

To say that we were impressed by the amazing questions and observations made in our geography learning would be an understatement. The children had a few awe and wonder moments when we talked about the weather and climate in the tropics and then discussed climate change and human impact on the world. We drew graphs to compare temperatures in Manaus and London and it really did show us how the temperature is fairly constant in the Rainforests. There are no seasons in the Rainforests unlike here in the UK.

Please make sure you have everything ready for next week’s trip. We are getting very excited. The weather is looking a bit wet so waterproof trousers and a warm waterproof coat along with extra clothing on the kit list are recommended. Please remember that children will also need a packed lunch on Thursday to take with them.

Owl class have also been set some maths homework on Purple Mash alongside their regular spelling and reading routine. It consists of a few games to play to practice their times tables. Have a lovely weekend.

Hello to 2023.

Welcome back Owl class. Talking to you all it sounds like you have had a lovely Christmas break and enjoyed the festivities. Thank you very much for the lovely cards and generous gifts.

What has been happening this week?

We have started our Rainforest topic! Owl class thought about questions they would like to know the answer to by the end of the topic and we then used atlases to locate rainforests of the world. We also learnt about three geographical regions, the equator and the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.

In art we looked at repeating patterns and made our own. Owls your patterns are fantastic and by the end of the unit of work you will have learnt different block printing techniques and printed onto material.

Forest school rounded off a busy first few days back!

Just a reminder… if you have any questions about the Oakwood overnight trip please do come and ask me anything. Have a lovely weekend.

Feeling festive!!

We have managed to fit in a huge amount this week Owls!!

A fantastic trip to Hillend Stone Age experience. We made shelters, ground flour, made fences, cooked bread and made axes. We were so busy we didn’t notice the cold! Plus we really felt like prehistoric people, living as our ancestors did.

We made round houses in DT and realised just how skillful the people of the late Stone Age were. Thatched roofing is tricky! Owls also finished their fantastic portal stories and typed up their best and final copy. The class have really enjoyed this story writing unit.

We also managed to fit in a performance to school and parents of Hakuna Matata on the Boomwhackers!! A really good performance, well done Owls.

Maths learning has focused on times table facts and we are all feeling more confident about the x4, x8, x3, x6 and x9 tables and strategies to use. Ask your Owl about using arrays to represent fact families and known facts.

And finally Christmas really arrived! A trip to the Pantomime to watch Cinderella was enjoyed by all. It was wonderfully acted and very funny! Let’s enjoy the last two days of festive fun at school and then a well deserved rest! Happy Christmas to you all. Thank you for this term Owl class. Mrs Sayer x

Christmas is on its way!

This week saw Owls finish their Wellbeing workshops. We really enjoyed our time with Lottie and learning strategies to keep calm and support our mental health and wellbeing. This week we practised yoga and made fantastic dream jars.

The week will also have seen Key Stage 2 perform their Carol Service to parents. Lots of singing and readings to make us feel festive!

First week of Advent

Another week where Owls showed their brilliant learning powers, particularly cooperation and resilience. In a week they took part in a worship about Advent, made Christingles, started a new topic about teeth and the digestive system, planned their fantastic portal stories, compared life in the Stone Age to life in the Bronze Age, took part in a Wellbeing workshop, discussed the symbolism of light and created and performed their final ‘Spy’ dance routines. Phew!

Did we also mention that the Christmas countdown has begun and school was transformed by ‘elves’!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Light

As the first Sunday of advent approaches Owl class have been reflecting on the significance of light in different faiths and in particular the symbolism of light for Christians. They will lead a school worship about Advent on Monday.

Owl class are really enjoying thinking about portal stories and have identified the different parts of a portal story. They then had a go at continuing to write from a class story starter. They have also added to their writing toolkit by learning how to use inverted commas to show direct speech.

Wow, maths this week has been great! So much remembered learning from previous years too which is lovely to see. Owls have looked at how to build times table facts by working from facts they already know. If they know 4 x 5 = 20 then they know 4 x 5 tens = 20 tens which equals 200.

The wellbeing workskshop focused on being a good friend and how to build resilience if things didn’t always go to plan. The children designed fantastic board games and enjoyed playing them together.

A reminder please that a coat is needed in school every day as children cannot go outside to play without one if it is raining. We try to get outside as much as possible and have had some disappointed children this week. Thank you.

Week of the 14th of November.

Lots of rain and some sunny spells and who could of course forget the mist that greeted us up on White Horse hill! However, there was something magical about the mist shrouding the site and then revealing the prehistoric monuments. Owls were amazed to find the Iron age fort at the top of the hill and then to discover that the White Horse was an even earlier Bronze Age site! The final stop on our trip was to Wayland Smithy - a prehistoric long barrow that captured our imagination of life long ago. We finished off our day by thinking about the evidence that people from the past leave behind and designed our own cave paintings to record prehistoric life. So much history on our doorstep to enrich our learning!

In English we are learning to sequence and retell the story of Stone Age Boy. We ordered parts of the story and then had to rewrite the story in fifty words or less! This was very tricky but we persevered. We also enjoyed playing the game ‘Babble, gabble’ where we had to quickly retell the story around the class. This will help us t remember the structure of this story so that it will make it easier to write our own.

What is light a symbol of? Do all religions use light to represent the same thing? In RE we listened to the story of Rama and Sita and why Hindus celebrate Diwali. We then made our own diva lights. Owls think that for Hindus light represents good defeating evil and that the diva lights are guides so light shows a path.

The dance unit this term in PE has us moving and creating shapes like Spies!! We thought about dynamics in the dance and are starting to create our own choreography.

Remembering...

This week has gone by quickly and it must be because there has been so much learning Owl class have squeezed in! Next week there will be enrichment opportunities including a trip to Uffington to study this prehistoric sites. Please remember to provide your child with a warm coat and pair of wellies/hiking boots for the morning of the 14th. They will need to wear school uniform on Monday and our PE lesson will move to the following Wednesday.

The children have created some wonderful poetry this week. As a class we discussed Remembrance day and what it represents and the children then focused on the poppy and the colours associated with war time and remembrance. They then took part in collective worship with the rest of school and read poetry aloud. It was a moving service.

“I can’t believe how long ago the Stone Age was! They must have found life really hard.”

— Yr 3 Owl

History has been so interesting. Owls considered what changed during the Stone Age and decided that tools and weapons became sharper and started to have handles. The later Stone Age also saw people settling in one place whereas in the early Stone Age they were hunter-gatherers who lived in tents and/or caves.

We have always known it but we are definitely superheroes!! During our wellbeing workshop we thought about ways we can protect our mental health and wellbeing and the powers we need. Owls knew a good night’s sleep, a healthy diet and lots of physical activity are key!

Week 1

Welcome back to a new term! This is going to be another busy time with lots of trips, events and learning opportunities. As the weather becomes colder and wetter please make sure coats and a spare pair of trainers and/or wellies are in school every day.

This week the ‘Wellbeing Warriors’ workshop started. Owls took part in activities that involved the five steps to wellbeing - Connect with people, be active, keep learning, give and take notice. A great first session which finished with all children writing and receiving a compliment card. There were some very thoughtful and kind compliments!

We are off to the Stone Age in our History topic this term. This week’s learning focused on when the Stone Age was in time. Owls learnt what prehistoric, Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, chronology and BC/AD, BCE/CE mean. Ask your Owl all about it!

On Thursday morning we had the most amazing time learning our Bollywood dance. We only had 45 minutes to learn the routine but I think we did a brilliant job. Even Mrs Oberholzer and Mrs Williams showed us their moves!

To end our art topic, we continued to look at Andy Goldsworthy and sculptures. In the outside classroom, we collected natural resources and created our own sculptures. I think you will agree, they are fantastic. It took great team work, communication, resilience and creativity to complete them.

Finally, thank you very much for your kind wishes, cards and presents. I will miss you all but will definitely have my hands full! See you all in the Summer.

Happy half term!

We must start by saying a huge thank you for all the hard work and effort you have put into your learning this term. We are very proud of you all. Enjoy half term and recharge as the next term will be just as action packed!

Fantastic explanation texts have been written, redrafted and then typed up for best copy. Explanation texts are complex non fiction texts and Owls have shown the have understood the features of this style of writing.

The topic this term has had a Geography focus and Owls have been learning about reading maps. Yesterday the children enjoyed a treasure hunt where they had to use a compass, grid references and the map key to locate four separate locations. Lots of practical experience in using a compass and referring to a map of the local area.

Have you heard we have a mini museum session?! The children are enjoying bringing in items from home to share with the class and our rocks and fossils topic has been a source of great interest!

It is always a treat to share learning and we thank you for coming to watch the gymnastics display this week. To perform to an audience was a big moment for Owls and they thoroughly enjoyed showing you their routines. Have a happy half term.

An information sheet about the different religions we will be studying next term will be sent home along with a multiplication grid to support times table facts.

The week of 10th October

Well done Owls for another great week of learning. You are using your learning powers to persevere if things are tricky and celebrating your successes by identifying what worked well.

In French this term we are learning about numbers. We loved playing ‘Lotto’ in lesson this week! Owls enjoy working in pairs to practice conversations and new vocabulary in French.

Do you know what the basic human rights are? In PSHE we have been discussing human rights and thinking about the rights and responsibilities we all have. Owls thought about what a ‘nightmare’ school might look and feel like and then considered what a ‘dream’ school would look and feel like and how everyone has the right to learn and feel safe. Some fantastic discussion points!

The gymnastics sequences that are being developed are brilliant! Owls are incorporating turns, balances and rolls in partner work and have really thought about core strength and body tension. We are very excited to perform them to each other and you next week! Please join us on Wednesday afternoon from 2.45pm in the school hall.

Please watch the video of Owls in action in music! It’s short but sweet!! We are enjoying this term’s learning very much.

In Art this week we learnt about the artist Andy Goldsworthy. He uses natural objects to create sculptures and land art. The children were amazed by some of the sculptures he has created. We collected natural items from around the school grounds and worked in groups to create pictures and patterns in the outside classroom.

October is here...

Wow what a week! We have crammed in sooo much learning. Our week ended with some amazing and inspiring speeches from the Red Kites. They were trying to persuade the school that they would make a good shadow captain or subject leader. We heard some brilliant speeches and they should all be proud of themselves. Well done Red Kites and congratulations to the winners.

In class this week we have started to explore explanation texts. We have begun to internalise our text ‘How to volcanoes erupt'?’ Straight away we could spot how the text was structured and even pick out some of the language features we have to use. Next week we will look even more closely at structuring paragraphs and explaining using causal conjunctions.

Maths was a mix of rounding and negative numbers this week. We have really started to grasp these tricky concepts and have shown that we have great place value knowledge underpinning all our skills. Next challenge is adding!

In Art our water colour adventure has continued…. This week we needed to ensure we carefully mixed the colours with only small amounts of water so we didn’t create lots of browns and greys. Because the trees looked so beautiful, we used these new skills to create paintings of autumn trees.

Science was tricky this week! We watched a video to help us understand the process of fossilisation. On the computers we were able to order the stages and write about them using scientific vocabulary. We also found out that there are three types of fossils…. body (remains of the animal or plant are found), trace (footprints, tracks and even poo are found) and chemical fossils.

Have a great weekend and, if you watch it, enjoy strictly come dancing.

The week of the 26th September

Descriptive writing and the use of the senses in the children’s HOT write were on show this week. Owls wrote a description of a setting. Here is a sample of some of the vocabulary they used:

Geography and computing were combined this week so that the children could revise their work on points of the compass and map symbols. In class we have been learning about maps and how to use a map key and create accurate directions. Next week we will be learning about grid references.

In RE we study different religions and the features of these religions. This term Owls have been studying Christianity and the key acts and services that a Christian undertakes. In our learning we looked at a Communion service where we explored questions such as ‘What do the bread and wine represent?’ and ‘Do all Christians hold communion in the same way?’

On Thursday, in Science we continued to look at rocks. We watched a video which told us all about the cycle of a rock. I wonder….. can Owls remember which order the cycle is? We also looked at the results of last weeks investigation and found out that metamorphic rocks would be the best for breakwaters because they are the least permeable.

Art is still about mixing colours but this week we used water colours. Some children found it very tricky to get the best strength of colour to create an autumn picture.

Autumn approaching

A shorter week but still lots squeezed into each day and so much brilliant learning from Owl class. We are starting to add to our ‘Wow’ wall in class. Ask your Owl how a piece of learning is selected for the wow wall!

Please can we remind Owls that spellings are set every week and the list is glued into their reading records so that you can see the rule the children are learning each week. This is homework and your support is much appreciated.

Music was very productive and great fun this week as the children used Boomwhackers to explore pitch and rehearse three different pieces of music. The children learnt that the lower the pitch the larger the boomwhacker and the higher the pitch the shorter the boomwhacker! We are looking forward to learning more next week.

Using the senses to describe a setting/place has been the focus in our writing this week and the children have come up with some fantastic descriptive writing. Next week we will be writing our own short stories and the children will need to remember to use their descriptive toolkit.

We are still exploring rocks in Science and this week we tested them to see if they would make good breakwaters. Our investigation showed us if they were permeable, durable and buoyant. Next week, we will discuss what we have found out from our results.

In Art, we continued to explore colour. Our mission was to try and use just the primary colours to create different shades of the secondary colours. We made some fantastic shades of brown, green and orange, using them in an autumnal picture.

This week...

In class assemblies and PSHE sessions we have been thinking about being thoughtful listeners and how hearing and listening are two different things. Have we truly listened to each other? Have we heard what the other person is saying? Owl class have also reflected on encouraging one another and that encouragement is ‘giving courage’.

Our topic work has a geography focus and this week Owls have been learning how to recognise symbols on maps. They also designed their own map symbol. The lesson started however with a photograph of Mrs Oberholzer stood at the Cape of Good Hope and we used an atlas to locate this. Did you know it is the most south-westerly point of South Africa!

As part of our English we have focused on word types and using them to make writing exciting. We can now also use FANBOYS and ISAWAWABUB to create different sentence types. In Maths we have been exploring number - trying to partition them in different ways using the dienes and counters to help us.

In Science we have continued to explore the three rock types: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Luckily, we had sandstone, granite, marble, slate and lots more. We used magnifying glasses to look deeply at their texture and colour. Then we worked in groups to sort them into the three different types.

Our Art this week was to simply explore colour and understand what the primary and secondary colours are.

Owls are flying high!

Welcome back Owls and to all our pupils at school. It has been a busy and productive week and we are all feeling a little tired after completing our brilliant learning and activities!

Writing super sentences and what makes a super sentence has been the focus in English this week. Owls can identify the role of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs in their writing and have produced some very good descriptive sentences. We are enjoying the book ‘The pebble in my pocket’ and by the end of the topic will have written descriptive passages based on the book and a short story.

Maths has been practical and securing lots of concepts. Base 10, counters and place value charts have been used in abundance! Great work Owls using lots of vocabulary and sentence stems.

In Science we have started to learn about rocks. We started with our knowledge harvest to find out what we knew and what we would like to know about rocks. Alex asked the question – ‘What types of rocks are there?’ So we watched videos to find out what rock types there are and how they are formed. The children were fascinated by the different ways a rock could be made. I wonder if they can tell you the 3 main rock types…… Next week we will look up close at different rock examples.

The photos say it all really! A fantastic start to our gymnastics unit. Partner balance work and developing sequences.