A very happy New Year to everyone! This Spring Term in Year 4, the children will continue to enjoy a wide range of learning opportunities both in the classroom and beyond as we move towards Easter. They have settled back into school life wonderfully after Christmas and it has been a real joy to welcome them back. I am confident that the Spring Term will provide many opportunities for the children to practise and develop the skills and knowledge that will help them flourish both as learners and as individuals.
This term, we continue to explore our whole-school theme, ‘The Treasure Within’. The children have been sharing the treasures in their own lives through the Treasure Trove Backpack activity, which every child will have the opportunity to complete during the year.
In Religious Education, our next topic is ‘Galilee to Jerusalem’. This unit helps the children to understand why Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah and how his words and actions showed God’s love for everyone, particularly those who were excluded by society. The children will explore key Christian beliefs, prayers and sacraments and reflect on how Jesus continues to inspire people today to live with faith, hope and love.
In English, our first focus text is ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes. The children will be writing their own descriptive pieces inspired by this powerful story. We will continue to expand vocabulary through spelling work and whole-class reading, discovering new words in texts and exploring exciting “super synonyms”. After half term, our next class text will be ‘Varjak Paw’ by SF Said.
In Maths, learning will focus on Multiplication and Division, followed by Length and Perimeter, Fractions and Decimals. With the Multiplication Tables Check taking place in June, we will place extra emphasis on times tables practice in school, including during Computing lessons and additional lunchtime clubs. Support at home through online resources such as Times Tables Rock Stars will be extremely beneficial, thank you in advance for supporting your child in this way.
Our topic title this term is ‘Roman Britain: Inventers and Innovators’. In Geography, we will investigate Italy and will compare the North and South based on the physical and human features. In History, we will be learning about the Romans expanding on the children’s previous knowledge from Year 3.
In Science, we will be learning all about states of matter, the particle arrangements and how everything on earth is classified into solids, liquids or gases. In DT, we will be exploring textiles skills linking our creations to our Geography topic. In Art, we will be developing our drawing techniques and will be using them to create our own ‘power prints’.
In PE, the children have brilliant opportunities this term for varied and beneficial learning. Year 4 will have lessons in ball skills, athletics, football and gymnastics.
In French lessons, children will be exploring the units ‘Going Shopping’ and ‘Where in the World?’.
Music will focus on film music and country music! Choral music singing is continuing and hymn practices shall continue ahead of whole school Masses.
Correct PE kits should be in school every day. This includes black shorts, a white t-shirt and black trainers or plimsolls for indoor PE and joggers, a jumper and trainers for outdoor PE while the weather remains chilly. Children may take their kits home at the weekend for washing but should return them to school on Mondays.
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Our Carols Around the Tree service was a joyful and memorable celebration, blending traditional favourites with modern songs that filled the school with festive cheer. The children performed with such confidence and joy. A real highlight was Year 6’s wonderful performance of The Twelve Days of Christmas, complete with energetic actions that delighted everyone watching. We were also treated to Mr Wheat’s superb piano playing, which added a special touch to the singing and atmosphere. Laughter and smiles spread through the audience during the much-loved staff video, whose humour brought great joy to families and children alike. It was a heart-warming event that truly captured the spirit of togetherness and celebration at this special time of year.
Last week, Year Three were very excited to finally showcase their Nativity ‘Baubles – A Treemendous Nativity’ At the heart of our story, was the message of what Christmas is truly about, God’s gift to us, Jesus.
The children retold the story with drama, singing and even a few jokes! They learned all their lines and delivered them with confidence. We were all very proud of them and they provided a lovely gift for their families!
In Year 6, we stepped back in time to 1851 and imagined we were expert bakers preparing cupcakes for Queen Victoria at the Great Exhibition in London. We carefully measured our ingredients, just as Victorian bakers would have done, and discussed how exciting it must have been to showcase new ideas and talents to people from all over the world. Once our cupcakes were baked, we decorated them with intricate designs inspired by the Crystal Palace, using delicate patterns and thoughtful colours fit for a queen. The classroom was filled with creativity, teamwork, and the sweet smell of success as we proudly presented our cupcakes, hoping they would be worthy of such an important historical occasion.
Our KS2 Advent Celebration was a wonderful way to begin the season of Advent, and the children should be incredibly proud of their performance. They spoke and sang with great confidence and enthusiasm, clearly demonstrating how much effort they had put into their preparation. Through readings, prayers and songs, the children helped us to understand the true meaning of Advent, reminding us of the importance of waiting patiently, holding on to hope, and living with joyful expectation. Their thoughtful delivery and positive attitude created a warm and reflective atmosphere, making the celebration a meaningful and memorable start to this special season.
Year 2 really are a class full of shining stars! They dazzled everyone with their amazing performance of Shine Star Shine. They confidently retold the story of the very first Christmas through their energetic singing, dancing and role play. We are so proud of all of them – they really are a fabulous team of performers
The festive season is a wonderful opportunity to spark curiosity and imagination in FS. One classic story that captures the magic of Christmas is “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” While we enjoy the rhythm and imagery of this traditional poem, it also offers so many wonderful learning opportunities:
We completed Santa’s obstacle course, carefully not trying to make the sleeping children, using construction toys to build houses and sleigh to retell the story and then finally using ‘retell and sketch,’ to draw and write what we remembered from the story.
A wonderfully Christmassy morning we had in FS!
The children in The Nest have been enjoying the story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and took part in a creative activity inspired by the book. They baked their own cakes and decorated them as bears, carefully using a range of skills throughout the process. The children practised their fine motor skills as they mixed ingredients, spooned batter, and added small details to their bear designs. They also worked hard on following step-by-step instructions, showing great focus and independence as they brought their bear-themed treats to life.
Year 4 had a great time visiting the playhouse. We learnt about performing and discovered how we can communicate with our bodies as well as our voices. We also practised engaging an audience, inspired by the witches in the play. One of our favourite activities was working on the transitions from being a witch to turning into a mouse after the delayed-action mouse maker.
We were lucky enough to have a backstage tour, where we got to see costumes for the upcoming pantomime and sets being built. It was really interesting to learn about all the different jobs in the theatre, and we left feeling inspired by everything we had seen.
As part of their Christmas celebrations, Year 3 are sharing the true meaning of Christmas through their Nativity, ‘Baubles: A Tree-mendous Nativity’
Below are the songs we are singing – please listen carefully to the tune and words before joining in. Practise as much as you can, so you can feel really confident when in front of an audience.
Continue to practise lines from your script – know what scene you are in and when you are speaking. Project your voices…so loud your neighbours can hear you 🙂
