Indigo - Year 5
Summer 1 Newsletter
Welcome to the Summer term. Here’s to sunnier, warmer days and lots more learning!
Our PE sessions this half term will be on Wednesday and Friday afternoons Please can children come to school in PE kits on these days, with earrings removed. Please ensure that all PE kits consist of navy or black joggers, a navy or black jacket and a plain white t-shirt.
On a Wednesday afternoon, the class will take part in a bit of a book club session with Mrs Parker so if there are any books your child has at home that they are eager to share, this is the day to bring them in!
Literacy and Maths
In Literacy, we will read Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson, and try our hand at journal writing and persuasive writing.
In Maths, we will focus on Statistics, Shape and Position and Direction. We will also work on arithmetic problems weekly to enable children to gain confidence in certain types of questions, as well as continuing to do our weekly times table tests – although this half term, we will be focusing more on division facts!
Wider Curriculum
Our topics this half term are:
RE: What difference does it make to believe in ahisma (harmlessness), grace and ummah (community)?
Science: Material World
Geography: Rainforests (focusing on Brazilian rainforests)
Computing: Coding and game creator
Art: Drawing (focus artist – Georgia O’Keefe)
Music: Epoca and BBC Ten Pieces (Mozart)
PSHE: Relationships
French: Verbs in a week
PE: Outdoor fitness – Wednesday / Gymnastics - Friday
Additional Information
Homework expectations
We will continue to have our spelling and times table tests on a Friday (although this half term we will be focusing on division facts linked to each times table). Please encourage your child to practise each week and remind them to bring their homework books in several times a week to show us the work they have completed. We do our spelling tests in our homework book so please ensure homework books are in on a Friday for us to do this, then they stay in over the weekend, ready for new spellings to be stuck in and sent home the following Monday.
We still have a few children not participating with homework. Please encourage them to practise (it requires no adult support – it can be done independently), as it can be upsetting for your child when they struggle during our tests if they have not practised at all. If children have completed no homework by Friday, we will ask them to practise on a Friday lunchtime.
Reading prizes
Please record and sign in your child’s reading record when they have read each night. Each morning, we will reward anyone that has read the night before with a raffle ticket. These raffle tickets will be placed in a bag and at the end of the half term, we will pull two raffle tickets out for children to receive a prize. The more raffle tickets your child has, the more chance they have of winning!
Dates for your diary
Friday 19th April – Islamic assembly and parent workshop
Wednesday 24th April – Friday 26th April – Year 5 Residential
Tuesday 21st May – E-Safety parent’s morning
Making Burgers
The highlight of this half term was undoubtedly our weekly D&T lessons making burgers! We tested, tasted, planned, made and evaluated, and practised lots of skills along the way. In the first week, we practised making both beef and vegetarian patties and deciding which one we preferred after tasting; in the second week, we made a variety of sauces and again, decided which we preferred; In week 3, we tasted breads with a variety of different seasonings and then planned the kind of burger we would like to make for the following week - there were lots of options, including toppings and types of bread, to choose from! We evaluated our burgers after eating them and, although we identified some things we might do differently next time, our burgers were an all-round hit! Look at our gallery on the right for pictures.
Spring 2 Newsletter
Welcome back to the second half of our Spring term, we hope you had a nice, restful week off.
Swimming and PE stays the same this half term – Swimming on a Wednesday and PE on a Thursday. Please ensure all earrings are removed on a Wednesday and Thursday before coming to school as for health and safety reasons, children will not be able to participate in swimming or PE with them in.
We really enjoyed our topics last half term and we learned so much. There's lots going on this half term so here's to another exciting, busy and productive few weeks!
Mrs Burns
Literacy and Maths
In Literacy, we will be focusing on texts linked to Space, and we will have a go at writing our own adventure story, factual report and space-themed poetry.
In Maths, we will look again at fractions and how these link to decimal and percentages.
Wider Curriculum
Our topics this half term are:
RE: What matters most to Christians and Humanists?
Science: Growing up and growing old (we will learn about the changes our bodies will go through in puberty here).
Geography: Extreme Earth (desert regions, global warming etc)
Computing: Concept maps
D&T: Food and nutrition - burgers
Music: Building a groove / Epoca
PSHE: Healthy me
French: French-speaking world
PE: Swimming and outdoor fitness
Additional Information
Homework expectations
Each Monday, we send out homework books with new spellings and a different times table to practise each week. The expectation is that the children practise these spellings (they can use fun spelling strategies we have practised in class!) and write 5 sentences containing their words, as well as practising the focused times table for that week. On a Friday, we will have our spelling test and a times table test. The children will have 3 minutes to answer as many times tables as they can.
We still have a few children not participating with homework. Please encourage them to practise (it requires no adult support – it can be done independently), as it can be upsetting for your child when they struggle during our tests if they have not practised at all. If children have completed no homework by Friday, we will ask them to practise on a Friday lunchtime.
Reading prizes
Please record and sign in your child’s reading record when they have read each night. Each morning, we will reward anyone that has read the night before with a raffle ticket. These raffle tickets will be placed in a bag and at the end of the half term, we will pull two raffle tickets out for children to receive a prize. The more raffle tickets your child has, the more chance they have of winning!
Dates for your diary
Water safety session at Swimming - Wednesday 28th February
Children will need thin long trousers and a thin long-sleeved top to swim in, as well as their usual swimming costume / trunks. Pjs are perfect!
Christians in Schools workshop – Tuesday 5th March AM
World Book Day – Thursday 7th March
Children can come to school dressed up as their favourite character or in their pjs!
Parents Evening (face-to-face in school) – the evening of Thursday 7th March
If you would prefer a phone call instead of a face-to-face appointment, please let me know and we can arrange this for another day this week.
The poet Ian Bland visiting school – Thursday 14th March
Comic Relief – Friday 15th March
Children can come to school wearing red.
Easter craft morning for parents – Tuesday 26th March AM
Christians in Schools Easter workshop -Tuesday 26th March PM
Children visiting Church for Easter Worship – Thursday 28th March AM
Residential parent’s meeting – TBC
Spring 1 Newsletter
Happy New Year and welcome back!
We say goodbye to Miss Gregory at the end of our first week back. She has loved her time with us and the children have enjoyed the lessons she has taught. We will all miss her!
This half term, we will be swimming on a Wednesday afternoon and having PE with Dan on a Thursday morning. Children will need to come to school in their school uniform on a Wednesday and their PE kit on a Thursday.
Please ensure all earrings are removed on a Wednesday and Thursday before coming to school as for health and safety reasons, children will not be able to participate in swimming or PE with them in.
Literacy and Maths
In Literacy, we will be looking at texts set in World War 2. This will give us lots of opportunities for active learning and drama as we write stories, letters in role as evacuees and biographies on some of the key historical figures of World War 2, such as Anne Frank.
Last half term, we really improved our fraction skills. This half term, we will work on multiplication and division and then refine these fraction skills before February half term.
Wider Curriculum
Our topics this half term are:
RE: Is it better to express your beliefs in art and architecture or charity and generosity?
Science: Out of this world (Space)
History: Local study – Stockport during WW2
Computing: Online Safety and Databases
Art: Painting (Focus artists – Paul Nash and Pablo Picasso)
Music: Madina tun nabi (Islamic song)
PSHE: Dreams and goals
French: Space exploration and shopping
PE: Swimming and outdoor fitness
Additional Information
Homework expectations
Each Monday, we send out homework books with new spellings and a different times table to practise. The expectation is that the children practise the spellings (they can use fun spelling strategies we have practised in class!) and write 5 sentences containing their words, as well as practising the focused times table for that week. We know that some nights are busier than others with clubs and busy family lives, but we ask that the children practise these at least 3 times a week. We ask that they bring their homework books back each night to check on their progress throughout the week. We have noticed a few children not participating with this. Please encourage them to practise as it can be upsetting for your child when they struggle during our spelling or times tables test on a Friday. If children have completed no homework by Friday, we will ask them to practise on a Friday lunchtime.
Reading prizes
Please record and sign in your child’s reading record when they have read each night. Each morning, we will reward anyone that has read the night before with a raffle ticket. These raffle tickets will be placed in a box and at the end of the half term, we will pull two raffle tickets out for children to receive a prize. The more raffle tickets your child has, the more chance they have of winning!
Dates for your diary:
Wednesday 10th January - beginning of our weekly swimming sessions
Tuesday 6th February - Science and Computing parent morning
Mountains
We have been learning all about mountains in Geography this half term - how they are formed and where the world's mountain ranges are. We have researched the mountains in the UK, particularly those in the Lake District, and learned about the mountains around the world. We learned about the mountain city of Innsbruck, identifying physical and human features, and created a presentation in pairs to share what we have learned about the Alps. Our presentations looked very professional and everyone was impressed with not only the information we included, but also our Computing skills to create such amazing powerpoints!
We also took part in a fantastic DEAL (Drama Engagement and Active Learning) session during Literacy where we were introduced to a climber who had fallen down Scafell Pike. We became the Mountain Rescue team who had to help the casualty and we were fantastic at working as a team to make the rescue successful! The class were split into 5 groups - each in charge of part of the operation. We had an Equipment team, a Communication team, a Planning team, a Transport team and then a secret team... This team was taken outside and given a special mission - to become reporters! We were shocked when this group came in armed with their questions, wanting to interview us. It gave us some great quotes to write some good newspaper articles with though! The photos in the gallery to the right show how engaged we were with the lesson.
Autumn 2 Newsletter
Welcome back to school! We had a great first half term in Year 5 and we have a jam-packed few weeks ahead on the run up to Christmas. We welcome Miss Gregory, a student teacher from Manchester University, who will teach alongside Mrs Johnson and I until January. I know the children will love working with her as much as she will enjoy teaching them.
Mrs Burns
Literacy and Maths
We will be reading Tom's Midnight Garden, a graphic novel and writing our own play scripts for it. We will also study newspaper and magazine articles and compare older articles to more recent articles, before having a go at writing our own. We will also be looking closely at a range of texts in Guided Reading, including Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, and the poem Daffodils by William Wordsworth.
In Maths, we will focus on multiplication and division, before moving onto fractions. Please ensure your child practises their multiplication and division facts regularly, as they require these skills daily for their maths work now they are in Upper Key Stage 2. In their homework books, you will see which times table we would like them to practise each week, ready for a times table test on a Friday.
Wider Curriculum
Our topics this half term are:
RE: What would Jesus do? (Can we live by the values of Jesus in the 21st Century?)
Science: Circle of Life
Geography: Mountains, with a specific focus on The Lake District
Computing: 3D Modelling
Art: Creating photography (focus artists – Anna Atkins and Ansel Adams)
Music: Why we sing and an introduction to song writing
PSHE: Dreams and goals
French: Space exploration
PE: Outdoor sports and Dance
Outdoor PE will continue to be on a Wednesday afternoon with Dan, our sports coach, and indoor PE will be with myself and Miss Gregory on a Thursday afternoon. Please ensure children come to school on these days in black or navy blue joggers and a white top. Please ensure all jumpers / hoodies are either black or navy blue with no logos. Please also ensure that all earrings are removed on these days as for health and safety reasons, children are not allowed to take part in sport with them in.
Additional Information
Homework expectations
Each Monday, we send out homework books with new spellings and a different times table to practise each week. The expectation is that the children practise these spellings (they can use fun spelling strategies we have practised in class!) and write 5 sentences containing their words, as well as practising the focused times table for that week. We know that some nights are busier than others with clubs and busy family lives, but we ask that the children practise these at least 3 times a week. We ask that they bring their homework books back each night to check on their progress throughout the week. We have noticed a few children not participating with this. Please encourage them to practise as it can be upsetting for your child when they struggle during our spelling or times tables test on a Friday. If children have completed no homework by Friday, we will ask them to practise on a Friday lunchtime.
Reading at home
The children in Year 5 are such confident, fabulous readers! We want to nurture and build on this with our reading incentives. This half term, instead of writing how many minutes your child has read for, please just note down when your child has read a bit each night (it might only be one or two chapters). Each morning, we will reward anyone that has read the night before with a raffle ticket. These raffle tickets will be placed in a box and at the end of the half term, we will pull two raffle tickets out for children to receive a prize. The more raffle tickets your child has, the more chance they have of winning!
Dates for your diary
Week beginning 30th October - The Big Draw week (children will be taking part in lots of drawing activities throughout the week).
Monday 13th November - Children's flu vaccinations
Week beginning 13th November - Interfaith week (Children all over school will be learning about and celebrating other world faiths and cultures. Year 5 will focus on Sikhism and share what we learn during a special assembly on the Friday).
Friday 17th November - Children wear own clothes for Children in Need and bring in a £1 donation.
Tuesday 12th December - Carol Service at St. Mary's Church - 2pm (Years 3-6)
Thursday 14th December - Christmas dinner and Christmas jumper day.
Thursday 14th December - Craft morning 9-10am. Parents and carers are welcome to join us in class.
Autumn 1 Newsletter
Literacy and Maths
This half term, we will working on a dual narrative called The Hunter and The Hunted, and then move onto explanation texts, where we will look at how facts and humour combine in Horrible History books, before having a go at writing our own examples in this style.
In maths, we will be starting the year by looking at place value, including Roman Numerals, and addition and subtraction, including using lots of tried and tested methods.
Wider Curriculum
This half term, we will be learning about:
RE: If God is everywhere, why go to a place of Worship?
Science: Can you feel the force? (Pulleys, levers and gears)
History: Changes to Britain: Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons
Computing: Word Processing and Spreadsheets
D&T: Creating sculptures in the style of Barbara Hepworth
French: Pleased to meet you
Music: What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
PSHE: Being me in my world
PE: Outdoor sports (Wednesday)
Gymnastics (Thursday)
Additional Information
Children will have outdoor PE with Dan on a Wednesday afternoon, and Gymnastics with Mrs Burns on a Thursday afternoon. On these days, please ensure your child comes to school dressed in their PE kit - a white t-shirt, black shorts or joggers and trainers. Please also ensure that earrings are removed for PE days.
Homework will be set each work on a Monday and children will need to complete a bit each night and bring them into school each day to show us their progress. Homework will consist of spellings and times tables and parents will need to sign each night to say their child has completed some homework that evening. There will be a spelling test and times table test on a Friday based on what the children have been learning at home that week.
Children can change their school reading book as and when they need to. We ask that parents sign their child's reading record to show that children have read at home, and also record how many minutes they have read for. We have a class reading reward chart in the classroom where, for each 600 minutes of reading, they have a chance of winning a prize each half term.
Dates for your diary
Freddie Fit - Monday 11th September. Children can come to school in their PE kits on this day.
Christians in Schools workshop - Thursday 28th September
Anglo-Saxon workshop - date TBC
Anglo-Saxon Workshop
Year 5 enjoyed a fantastic visit from Rob at Historic Workshops today. They got themselves into role of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and acted out some battle formations and tactics, carried out an archaeological dig where they used clues to find out which period of history items were from, played some Anglo-Saxon games and took part in a Witan, a meeting where they had to make choices to determine the future of England. What an exciting, informative day!
Take a look at more of our photos in the gallery on the right hand side of this page.
