Class Blog for Whitsand

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w/e 15.3.24

We have really Science week this week! The theme for Science week was 'Time'. 

We took part in several Live Lessons - one from 'TechSheCan' about how transport had changed over time and we looked at future jobs in Transport Technology, like designing driverless cars or rocket ships! We went Live to the farm to find out about how animals change over time and how our perceptions of farming have changed too. We also watched a BBC Live Lesson about Minibeasts who change over time - like caterpillars to butterflies - or creatures that live for hundreds of years and are absolutely everywhere - Tardigrades - and bugs who've been around since the big bang and would probably survive another one - cockroaches! Wow!

In Science / DT this week, we learned more about Pneumatics and were really excited to learn how to make a syringe rocket! We had them shooting all over the place, mainly at the teachers!

Finally, we ended the week with Red Nose Day. We dressed in our finest red outfits and wrote some amazing jokes! Check out our Padlet to read some - they'll definitely make you smile!



 


 

w/e 8.3.24

Dear Parents,

I am writing to you directly on this week's blog entry, as we have had very disappointing homework numbers coming in recently. This week, for instance, only 9 children out of 30 returned their maths homework book. About as many said they had practiced their spellings and only 3 children had read every night. These are the only pieces of homework we ask children to do at home, as we believe in relaxing as much as possible at home! 

Homework is a key component of our curriculum as it reinforces the concepts learned in school and promotes discipline. I’m reaching out to discuss our current homework policy and provide some insights to help your children obtain the maximum benefit from their homework assignments.

Homework Expectations

1. Consistency: It’s important for homework to be a regular, predictable part of your child’s routine. Homework comes home on a Friday after marking, and isn't due in until the following Friday, so can be done over the weekend or of an evening, whichever suits best. Spellings and readings should be completed 5x a week, so again, you could avoid the weekends.

2. Duration: The amount of time students should spend on homework will vary, but a general guideline is approximately 10 minutes per day on spellings, 20 minutes per day reading and maybe 20-30 minutes on the maths workbook per week.

3. Support: While students are encouraged to complete their homework independently, your role in creating a supportive environment cannot be overstated.

Ways You Can Help

1. Establish Routines: Setting a specific time and place for homework can instill good study habits. A distraction-free zone is also critical for maintaining focus.

2. Encourage Proper Planning: Teaching children to prioritise tasks and manage their time can alleviate the stress of last-minute rushes.

3. Communicate: If you notice that your child is consistently taking too long to complete homework tasks, or struggling with certain concepts, please reach out. We can then collaborate to find strategies that work best for your child.


In Year 4 especially, there is a huge focus on times tables. Your child will sit their Year 4 Multiplication Check in June 2024. Use these resources to practice some more at home please:
https://www.timestables.co.uk/multiplication-tables-check/ 
https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/477/Multiplication-Tables-Check
https://www.10ticks.com/ - children have their own login for this


Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education.
Mrs McKillop

 


 

World Book Day 2024

We have really enjoyed World Book Day this year!

Not only have we dressed up, but we have enjoyed reading in random places, joining a group and listening to a different adult reading a story, a character book hunt (featuring the teachers!), a footy booky quiz and a great author show LIVE from Michael Rosen.

What a super day to celebrate our love of books!

 Image Gallery


 Documents

 


 

w/e 1.3.24

It’s been another fun-packed week in Whitsand class!

The class loved their first orienteering lesson in PE and they worked hard on the importance of working collaboratively to reach the end goal; something they will continue to work on for this unit. The children loved discovering the different puzzle pieces before being like ‘Teamwork Tiger’ to put them together. Can they tell you what the map was of?

In English, we have started our Myths unit of work. The children have loved learning our WAGOLL: Theseus and the Minotaur. They have been creative with their own story maps and actions.

We discovered how Alexander the Great impacted the world in History and enjoyed working collaboratively by using QR codes on the iPad to complete our own research.

In Computing, we have started using Data Loggers - we went round the school and took measurements of Light, Sound and Temperature. They're really clever devices!

Next week, on Thursday, we will be celebrating World Book Day with lots of fun around reading. The children can dress up as a book character. Please don’t go to any expense for this and use things you that the children already have at home.

 


w/e 23/2/24 

A highlight from this first week back after half term has to be the Whitsand 'Machine' dance. Watch Y4 perform their final dance piece to you below. They have spent lessons perfecting their machine-like moves and ideas to create this wonderful final piece. Well done, Whitsand class - I'm so proud of you!

 


 

w/e 9/2/24

What a busy, final week to this half term!

Monday we had our Safer Internet Week assembly to start us off, where we learned loads about Artificial Intelligence - AI!
Tuesday was Archie day, and we dressed up as scarecrows and paraded round St Anne's!
On Tuesday, we also shared in a Live Lesson for Safer Internet Day. 
On Thursday, it was 'Love Yourself' Day, which always a fantastic day, celebrating how fantastic each and every person is!
We also enjoyed our class reward - teddies and iPad!
PLUS - we finished painting our amazing Greek clay pots!

Have an amazing half term break, everyone!

 


 

w/e 2/2/24

We had a really fun week this week! 

In English, we started our unit on persuasive writing by sorting facts from opinions. The class have been enjoying making fortune tellers recently, so we used these in our lesson! 

In Science, we dissected some celery that had been ‘drinking’ coloured water for a week or so. We were able to spot the xylem - the tubes that carry the water to the different parts of the plant. It was fascinating! 

On Friday, it was the NSPCC Number Day. We recapped the number for Childline before completing various maths challenges, winning prizes and points and becoming ‘Mathionnaires’! 

 


w/e 19.1.24 

We truly have some fantastic haiku writers in our class! I can’t wait to see them published in ‘best’ format next week, to share them with you on here! The children have really had fun writing them! 

We also learned about the different city states in Ancient Greece, how to use column multiplication and the different deities in Hinduism. Busy, busy! 


 


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