LowfieldNews News from Key Stage Two Two- Autumn Term 2 -2014 Welcome back! We hope you have enjoyed a lovely week week-long holiday. We all deserved a rest after a busy first half term of eight weeks! Your children made us proud of the way they settled quickly into their new classes. Their approach to learning is admirable. The support and nd encouragement you give them makes a world of difference. d Please be assured that simply imply practising basic skills such as reading and times tables builds their confidence. Taking an interest in the topics they are covering in class helps them to understand their learning in more depth. depth If you discuss and take part inthe homework tasks, the children know that they are an important thing to do and will complete them to a high standard. We look forward to another fulfilling half term. Please ask to see myself or the class teachers if you have any queries at any time. Best wishes, Jo Hollands Assistant Head teacher Key upcoming events Readathon –We We are having an extra special focus on reading over the next three weeks. If you could encourage your child to get into a reading routine, the hope is that this will continue when the event is over. We want the children to read anything that interests them. This may include comics/ magazines/ newspapers. We are creating a display displ in the KS2 foyer, of the children reading in unusual/ cosy/ interesting places, so if you send in a picture, it will be added to the wall. A prize will be given for the most interesting - to be decided by the school council. Please give sponsor money to the class teacher by Friday 28th November. Website Our newly designed website is amazing! Check it out for factual information about the school, upcoming events, curriculum details, class lass news, photographs and lots more! www.lowfield-primary-school.com school.com School Uniform Please help us to maintain our high standards of dress by ensuring your child is wearing correct school uniform, which includes shoes and PE kit. Lost Property Please help us to avoid the usual build-up up of lost property by naming your child’s clothing and belongings. Belongings We have very limited space in the cloakrooms so if your child wants to bring a bag to school, please could you ensure it is a small one. Children in Need -dress dress as a super hero!(14 hero! th November) Anti –bullying week – 17th- 21st November Parents evenings – 25th and 26th November Tree Planting – three new trees will be planted on the KS2 yard on 28thNovember. Carol singing –children children from Y5 will sing at the cathedral. Christmas show –KS2 2 concert on 18th December. End of term –19th December Breakfast Club Debbie and Tracey run the club, which starts at 8.15am until 8.40am.This .This is a great opportunity for your child to start the day with a healthy FREE breakfast and adults can enjoy one too, for the small charge of 50p.Please 50p. note that, for safety reasons, no child is allowed to leave breakfast club before 8.30am, unless they are accompanied by a parent/ carer. Punctuality & Attendance Reminder School starts at 8:45 School finishes 3:15 Remember if your child is not in school they cannot learn. To reinforce this we record punctuality and attendance and present an attendance award for the best class each week. If children are off school please inform us of the reason for their absence by p phone (01142552501)) or a short note (which must be given to the office rather than the class teacher so they can record it on the registers.) Children must only miss school if they are too ill to attend. Children will be marked as late if they arrive in class after 8:50 Curriculum Areas Please support your child by continuing to encourage them to read every day if possible and assisting them with their spellings, times tables and homework tasks. Here are the main areas of learning for each year group in KS2. Year 3 Year 4 This half term Year 3 will be learning about different types of rocks and soils in Science as well as making our own explosive volcanoes! We will be writing stories that are set in familiar places, as well as writing our own plays. In History, we will be learning about the Stone Age and comparing it to modern times. In P.E we will be moving to music and linking this to our previous Science topic of forces. We will also continue to learn French together and use every opportunity to practise our new skills. In Music we will be busy learning our songs for the Christmas play. We really enjoyed our work on Mexico last term and we are delighted with the hard work of all our children. Here are the main areas of learning for this half term: Literacy: Fables and play scripts Maths: Main focus on multiplication, division, fractions, time and data handling Science: Exploring sound History: The Mayan civilization (Mexico 2000BC to 250AD) Art and design: Looking at architectural design and creating Mayan sculptures and carvings. Computing: Animation – linked to work on Fables French: Family, numbers, gender and games Music: Explore arrangements and identify pitch. PSHE: Friendship and road safety PE : Mayan dance and swimming RE: The journey of life and death (continued) Staff: Mr Green, Miss Whittington, Mr Akram Staff: S.Cotton, J Hollands,T.Kay Year 5 Year 6 In Y5 this half term we are going to be visiting the Victorian Classroom at Springfield school. This will form the basis of our learning throughout the rest of the half term. Outstanding slips and money (£10.50) for this would be appreciated as soon as possible. Continuing the Victorian theme, children will be creating and decorating their own Victorian House. In literacy we will be focussing on writing recounts and a mystery story linked to the Victorians. In Numeracy we will be learning about graphs and data, shape, measures and fractions. Y5 will continue to learn the cornets in music. PE this half term is gymnastics. For Y5EA PE is Monday and for Y5KR PE is Wednesday. Please ensure children have the PE kits in school on the correct day. Literacy: We will be exploring literacy through fiction and non-fiction texts, concentrating on Science-fiction, diaries & journals, mystery stories and poetry Maths: We will be learning more about averages, fractions, decimals and percentages, weights and measures and properties of numbers Science: We will be continuing to study Changing Materials History: The Ancient Egyptians, focussing on history, culture and beliefs Art and design: Researching and creating Canopic Jars from clay Computing: Staying safe online French: Family, numbers, gender and games Music: Explore arrangements and identify pitch. PSHE: Getting on and falling out PE : Gymnastics RE: Religion, family and community The SATs tests are fast approaching so to help your children at home, please encourage them to read a little each day and complete their homework to the best of their ability. Staff: K.Rudd, E. Apsa, A.Bennett Staff: Mr Dowson, Miss Rafiq, Miss Montgomery, Mr Rauf Important note: The wearing of earrings for school is not encouraged, however if they are worn, they should be simple studs. CHILDREN CANNOT WEAR EARRINGS FOR PE, therefore if you are planning to have your child’s ears pierced, please arrange for this to be done in the six weeks holiday. Your cooperation in this matter is very much appreciated. If you have any questions about the above please feel free to ask the class teacher.