I would like to start by saying how lovely it was to witness the parent child dinners this week. Thank you so much for coming in to enjoy the Bicton Michelin-starred cuisine and spending some time in your child’s daytime setting.
In class the children have been working on their speaking and listening through whole class sharing time. They have used the 5 W’s very thoughtfully and have tried to find out more instead of just making a statement to their classmates. In Read Write Inc English the children are ready to move onto different book stages as they have just finished non-fiction texts on animals that can swim, parties and snow. They have made sure that when recording their ideas they have used conjunctions and adjectives.
In Maths we have been learning about mass and weight and have done lots of practical lessons using scales in order to predict and compare if items are heavier, lighter or the same mass. We measured in non-standard units of measurement which the children embraced and used lots of mathematical vocabulary and reasoning along the way. We finished the week by comparing masses and responding to questions like, ‘What can you say that is true about the apple and the weights?’
In Science the children have continued with their everyday materials topic by sorting materials by what they believe their properties to be. They have also been learning about transparent and translucent materials.
In History they have had a wonderful time comparing Victorian toys to their own today. They have also been practising their Victorian song which you will hear in the not so distant future.
In PE they have shown off their sports skills involving control, balance and speed with Embrace. They have had various apparatus circuits to master which all looked very exciting.
Well done to everybody for learning their spellings. The new list has gone into the children’s books for next Friday. A huge well done to Elodie too for getting Star of the Week trophy. Elodie has done amazingly well in every lesson and her attitude to learning has been outstanding.
I hope that you have a lovely weekend together and I look forward to seeing you on Monday.

Mr Mavin

Class 2 have all set a perfect example of how to behave in school and have been using their manners at every opportunity. In class they have enjoyed lots of practical learning experiences and have really enjoyed each other’s company as usual.
In Read Write Inc the children have been reading both fiction and non-fiction in their groups. They have enjoyed sharing their own knowledge and experiences of the wider world into their discussions too related to the texts they have read.
In Maths the children were introduced to further work on length and height through a new picture and information book, ‘Actual Size’ by Steve Jenkins. Here they continued using non-standard methods for measurement at the start of the week by measuring pictures within the book which were life size animal parts which they all found very engaging and very real. Firstly they began to estimate and measure the animal body parts with objects, and then slowly progressed into to using standard cm’s using rulers by the end of the week. We have also worked on creating our class Ostrich for a class height chart. After the children chose the Ostrich as their favourite, we read about the big bird’s height in the book and then measured and drew it for us to compare our own heights and sizes to it on our wall. This is work in progress and should be ready next week.
In History the children have been learning about famous Victorian inventions and inventors as an extension to their wonderful homework projects. Their main learning focus was on the key inventor Alexander Graham Bell who invented the first ever telephone. The children then had a go at making one of their own to try out too with their partners which was amusing to watch when it was time to test them out. Our Victorian tiles are near completion too and wouldn’t look out of place around any Victorian fireplace.
In Science the children have kick started their new topic of Everyday Materials by doing a practical investigation involving sorting materials into different categories as a group and have learned new vocabulary in order to better describe their properties.
The new spelling lists have gone out in books as usual to be done next Friday by the children. It has been so lovely to see the enthusiasm of the children concerning both spellings and their home reading materials. We are so grateful to you all for nurturing their joy for learning in the home too.
I hope that you have a lovely weekend together and I look forward to seeing you on Monday.

Mr Mavin