SPRING TERM 2019

This is our second newsletter for the academic year 2017-2018. The second term is one in which we expect lots of progress to be made and as you know we have high expectations of all our children. We would like to  inform you of our plans for the  term

A few little reminders:                                            

PE will be on  Tuesday and Friday. Please make sure all kit is in school ready for each lesson.

Class visits:

• English Institute of Sport– Tuesday 12th February
  
• Butterfly house– Friday 1st March
  

Homework:

• Daily Reading
  
• Thursday – Spellings/Homework
  

Numeracy

Children will continue to build on number facts such as bonds to 10,20 and 100 and multiplication of 2,5 and 10.

We will also focus on mental and written methods to solve a range of questions.

Children will become more independent learners when using knowledge of 2D/3D shapes and giving directions.

Homework will continue online to support learning in lessons.

To log on to your child’s work area please visit:

https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk

Here you will be able to log into the account in the following way:

1. using lower case enter the first 4 letters of your child’s Christian name and first 4 letters of the    surname.  This will create the user name.
   
2. The password is pupil
   
3. The school  code is sgps
   

 

Our topic this term is called ‘Deep in the Forest’

During this topic we will learn about the many animals and plants that can be found in the Rainforest. We will also think about why the forest is home to so many different creatures. Our trip to the Butterfly house will also help is to experience what it would be like to go there.

In Science we will be creating a habitat for an animal to live in using a range of materials. We will also explore our school garden. 

Children will become Rainforest protectors when we create posters to help the WWF raise awareness of the animals that are losing their homes .

This topic will also allow children to improve art skills by using a range of media to create rainforest animals.

Literacy

Children will continue to build on phonics knowledge , reading comprehension and writing in English lessons. Groups will continue to be assessed and changed when children are ready.

This term we are looking very closely at handwriting and presentation of work. Children will work on forming letters correctly on the line and some will begin to join  letters.

Children will have daily  lessons teaching spelling rules, word choices, tenses and punctuation. These  lessons are short and snappy and will include a variety of activities. 

Children will begin to become more independent readers and writers including writing fiction and non-fiction linked to our topic.

This term we will be looking at improving our book reviews from the reading book challenge.  Children will also be given more opportunities to discuss favourite books in books club meetings.

 

 

 

AUTUMN TERM 2018

 

Autumn Term Topic- St Gerard’s 90 Years

Our first topic of the year will celebrate our school being open for 90 years!

 

We will explore the building -  looking for clues of what it may have been like to be a pupil here over the last 90 years.  Children will use internet sources as well as books to research about all aspects of school life in the past and compare the changes.

 

Children will be inviting past pupils to school to be interviewed about their time being a St Gerard’s girl or boy.  Our Topic will build towards a Tea Party where children will showcase their learning through art work. We will also invite past pupils and parents to watch a show including songs and dances throughout the decades.  

 

Literacy

During this term children will learn to write stories, recounts and sets of instructions using a range of features.  These will link to texts from our Read, Write, Inc and Literacy and Language program. Writing will also link to our topic including writing a diary entry as a child in 1928.

 

We will also focus on sentence construction and punctuation.  

 

Children will also have daily spelling lessons either learning sounds used to spell words or specific spelling patterns and rules for words. Children will be tested each work on spellings related to the previous weeks teaching.  

Children will begin daily handwriting lessons learning how to form letters correctly and to the correct size. Towards the end of the term children will begin to join letters.

 

Numeracy

 

Some of the objectives for this term will be:

• Number and place value
• Mental addition and subtraction – using tens and ones, number lines, 100 squares. 
• Measurement
• Properties of shapes

We use a scheme called Abacus for maths. There are interactive games online which the children may access at home.

 

RE

Our topics covered this term are:

• Families
• Belonging
• Waiting

 

During our belonging Topic we will visit church to role-play a baptism thinking about how this special sacrament welcomes new people into the church family.

 

PE

We are very lucky to have Mrs Sharp our PE specialist teaching Class 2 each Tuesday. This term children will learn about dance and gymnastics. We also have a Friday PE lesson learning about fitness and team skills.  

 

Christmas activities

This term we will also be working towards our Christmas play ‘The Inn-Spectors’. The children will be working very hard learning songs, dances and lines to make it another show to remember.

 

 We will also use our enterprise skills to plan, design and make things to sell at our Enterprise Christmas fair. Children will love begin involved in big decisions and the selling and organising on the day. We hope to raise lots of money for our school and for CAFOD.