Ms. Elise & Ms. Tuğba: Preschool 1 

ANTS AUTUMN SMILES

À vos marques! Prêts! Partez! 

The Ants race has just started but it looks like they have run a thousand miles already! You guess how fast they can go!

ANTS so far have been laboring together as their motto stipulates settling gradually into the EYFS community and being so delighted to build friendships as they explore their school. 

Each day is unique and brings more fun as they overcome multiple challenges heights\ tunnels\ slides\ the Forest School, as well as enjoying new delicacies from the canteen

 They have been also exploring environmental sounds, 

Transitioning from home to school was not easy but they are now enjoying their stay in their new environment.

Ms. Ogomoditse & Ms. Tuncer: Preschool 2

The Butterflies are still settling in. They are excited to be in school. They are making friends and working together. We are talking about our amazing families and the people in our families, talking about how we have grown. We are also discussing about our school environment and the people who help us around the school. In Phonics we are exploring the environmental sounds. We are learning and sorting out colors in mathematics. It’s a great start so far and we are excited about what is ahead. 

Ms. Lauren & Ms. Melike: Reception

Dragonflies class are working hard and having fun!

We are learning how to write and order the letters in our names.  We have started to learn some phonics sounds and we are trying to read and write some letters that we know.  We are beginning to recognise some numbers that are important to us.

We love dressing up and we have been learning how to keep safe and have fun in OWL. 

We really love our new water area and mud kitchen and cooking up treats!

Here we are in action!

Mr. Khan & Ms. Sena: 1K

1K Jellyfish have done a fantastic job at settling into the academic year and have hit the ground running. We kicked off the beginning of the Autumn term by enjoying some Water Wellness activities as a Key Stage where things got very wild! A few days in, we jumped right into our academic learning journey by exploring subjects that are familiar to us, such as Literacy, Maths and Phonics, and also began exploring those that may be not so familiar to us - Turkish, ICT, and Drama. A wide variety of subjects for us to enjoy, creating the perfect balance between academic and explorative learning. 

In Literacy this month, we have been studying the book Five Minutes Peace, which was all about a mama elephant wanting a brief moment of alone time from her three nagging children. We analysed the features of a book cover, learnt how to make predictions and also came up with a plethora of adjectives to creatively describe the characters’ physical features. 

In Maths, we began to explore a variety of concrete resources to aid us in our understanding of Numbers within 10 - identifying numerals, the names of numbers, adding, subtracting, etc. 

So far it has been a great few weeks, and I look forward to learning and growing together the rest of this year.

Ms. Belen & Ms. Sena: 1G

The start of the academic year in Year 1G has been very exciting! To offer the students the opportunity of getting to know their classmates better and refresh from the hot summer days we started with fun water activities on our Water Wellness day. After settling in for the first 2 days we started our learning journey straight away!

In Maths, we worked on several skills that will allow us to start adding and subtracting in the near future. We explored the notion of one less and one more, used specific vocabulary to compare sets of objects such as fewer than, greater than and equal to. We also practised counting backwards and forwards with numbers to 20.

In Literacy, we explored the book Five Minutes Peace in order to make predictions, learn the parts of a book, make descriptions with the use of adjectives, and worked on retelling a story in the correct sequence of events. 

We are happy about the new adventures that we will experience in the months to come!

Ms. Verralls & Ms. Neslihan: 2V

For our Literacy lessons we have been looking at the story 'The day the crayons quit'. We enjoyed dressing up as our favourite colour and completing different art, drama and creative tasks linked to the story. During this unit the children completed their own stories and letters to Duncan the main character. The children enjoyed reading these to Year 3 pupils. The children have also learned a lot about the use of adjectives to describe feelings. Furthermore they have enjoyed using different colours for new objects, for example a pink dinosaur and a green flower. Well done to all the children for their hard work.

Ms. Smith & Ms. Neslihan: 2A

The start of the academic year in Year 2 has been fantastic! We kicked things off with a fun Water Wellness day, followed by an exciting scientific scavenger hunt in the botanical gardens on those hot first days back.

In Literacy, we explored "The Day the Crayons Quit" and completed loads of fun activities surrounding this book, including; role play, hot seating, story writing and a whole day dedicated to enjoying and discovering more about the book and its meaning.

In Numeracy, we dived into the concept of Place Value.

It’s been a busy but enjoyable start to Year 2, and we’re eager for more adventures ahead!

Ms. Robbins & Ms. Neslihan: 3R

3R has been learning about living things in Science. We have discovered that there is a difference between things that were once alive and things that were  never alive. All living things have 7 things in common and we used our detective skills to identify living and nonliving things in the Botanical Gardens using these 7 rules. 

Mr. Bridgland & Ms. Neslihan: 3A

This week in 3B, we learned about different kinds of early human settlements. We discussed what early humans might have needed to support their families and communities, and made clay replicas of the cave house settlements found in Cappadocia. Students also worked together in small groups to design a settlement with everything they thought a community might need (some including, obviously, essential water slides). Our students were fascinated to learn how early humans lived and also horrified to discover they managed all of it without the internet! 

Ms. Caldwell & Ms. Ödül: 4C

4C have made an excellent start to the school year with their enthusiasm to learn. 

Maths: In maths, they have been learning about the importance of place value and how this links to topics like number sequences with both positive and negative numbers. 

English: In English, they have been examining the features of different genres to identify the genres of stories they enjoy reading.  

4c has also begun a Talk 4 writing unit, where they will be focusing on writing their own rags-to-riches story.

Science: In Science 4c has been learning about Living things. They have learned the parts of a skeleton, along with its functions, and how our muscles work.  The children have particularly enjoyed having fun a fun visit from “Steve the Skeleton” and making movable hands to show the muscles contacting and relaxing. 

Mrs. Deufel & Ms. Ödül: 4D

In science in 4D we have been exploring the human skeleton. We had ‘Steve the skeleton’ in the classroom to help the students understand the different bones and their function. In our humanities unit, we started learning about the Bosphorus and the students painted the strait and will continue working on this in the coming weeks, adding important landmarks along the way. In maths we have been working on place value and rounding numbers. 

Ms. Halabi & Ms. Moss: 5H

Students in 5H have had an excellent start to the new school year. They have quickly adapted to their routines, formed new friendships and approached their lessons with enthusiasm. Highlights of the past month include participating in after-school clubs, attending assemblies, engaging in forest school sessions and taking part in house community events on Fridays.

In Art, students have been working on creating their own mosaic portraits. They have arranged small tiles to form intricate patterns and bold images, reflecting the vibrant and detailed style of Byzantine artwork. Their creativity and attention to detail have been amazing to see!

Ms. Gillett & Ms. Moss: 5G

This first month of the school year has been a great success for the students of 5G! They've been busy exploring the world of fables, learning about morals, characters, and descriptive language. Each student wrote their own fable, which we've proudly published into a special class book. To celebrate their hard work, the students shared their stories by reading them aloud to our Year 1 children, who were delighted by the creative tales. Well done, 5G - what a fantastic start to the year!

Ms. Jama & Mr. Furkan: 6W

6J have started their English topic of Macbeth - one of William Shakespeare’s plays.

The children have all enjoyed reading the script aloud in different voices and learning what some of the traditional words mean that are not commonly used anymore. However, their absolute favourite aspect has been acting out the battle at the beginning of the play. Don’t worry parents - none of the children were injured during the battle!

Mr. McCann & Mr. Furkan: 6M

As part of our Macbeth unit, the children have been performing various scenes from the play and we really have some budding actors in the making.

In the first scene, Macbeth and Banquo meet the three witches upon the moor and receive some unsettling prophecies.

In the next scene, the Norwegian army, allied with some treacherous Scots, has invaded Scotland. King Duncan, the king of Scotland, must repel the invasion. With the aid of his brave countrymen and the heroics of Macbeth and Banquo, he is able to do so.

The children were tasked with choreographing the battle themselves in the form of a six frame tableau. The children worked in pairs for this task and had to portray a gruelling, hard-fought battle resulting in the ultimate death of the unfortunate Norwegian.

The photographs depict the tableau of of six scenes of the whole battle'.

Ms. Saed: KS1 ESL

This September, our ESL classes for Key Stage 1 and Reception had a fantastic start to the year. We focused on introducing ourselves and teaching basic vocabulary to help the children communicate with teachers during morning routines. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we held many of our activities and language practices in the Botanical Garden. Throughout the month, we emphasised the importance of community, celebrating both our diversity and individuality as we learned together.

Mrs. Gwilliam: KS2 ESL

In ESL, KS2, the children are working hard and the new children are settling down well.  The intermediates in year 5 and 6 are working on their writing and learning to correct their own work. Year 3s have been making little “Every week” books to practise the present tense with adverbs of frequency. They were great helping the late comers to do the origami part of making the books. Year 4 have been grappling with looking up irregular past tenses to complete a crossword. They also worked on using adjectives and adverbs in a story.  Meanwhile some of our new students did a “walk about” to get to know people and places at school. 

Well done to all for a good start to the new academic year! ☺

Ms. Hatice: Turkish

Merhabalar! Hoş geldiniz!

KS1
In Turkish, KS1 students learned basic colors (e.g., kırmızı, mavi, sarı, yeşil, turuncu, pembe). They practiced asking and answering the question "Bu ne renk?" and began counting from 1 to 20. Additionally, they reviewed numbers by answering "Kaç tane?" and used basic greetings like "Merhaba" and "Güle güle."

Y3
Year 3 focused on greetings and expressing feelings in Turkish. They practiced saying "Merhaba, nasılsın?" and introduced themselves with "Benim adım... Senin adın ne?"

Y4
Year 4 students reviewed greetings, self-introductions, and counting up to 100. They also learned how to talk about their country and language, answering questions like "Nerelisin?" and "Hangi dili konuşuyorsun?"

Y5
In Year 5, students revised greetings and self-introductions. They expanded their vocabulary by learning numbers up to 900 and making nouns plural. They also started using adjectives with nouns to describe things in Turkish.

Y6
Year 6 reviewed greetings and self-introductions. They learned personal pronouns, practiced expressing feelings, and created sentences using pronouns. The class focused on recognizing and using personal pronouns correctly in Turkish.

Hatice Girgin Gül

Mr. Vincent: French

Bonjour à toutes et à tous

Little update from our French lessons in Key Stage 2.

Our French students are working on the following topics:

Y3s, on numbers up to 12

Y4s, on classroom objects

Y5s on physical description 

Y6s on sports and opinions

Au revoir et à bientôt 

Monsieur Vincent

Ms. Ana: Spanish

Hola amig@s! 

Y6 - Students in Y6 have reviewed greetings and classroom rules during the first days of school. Currently, students are learning different sports names in Spanish along the theme song. 

Y5 - Students in Y5 have focused on revising greetings and class instructions. At the moment, students are learning physical descriptions in Spanish as well as the theme song. 

Y4 - Students in Y4 have worked on basic greetings and classroom instructions for the first days of school. At the present time, students are working on classroom supplies, identifying these words in Spanish and learning the song at the same time to strengthen their Spanish pronunciation.  

Y3 - Students in Y3 have learnt simple greetings and phrases in order to be familiar with the foreign language. Ath this time, students are learning the numbers in Spanish along with the theme song that helps them to improve their listening skills. 

Adiós amig@s! 

Ms. Lincoln

OWL for the first month has been so busy in Primary. We have worked as a school setting up projects to get our OWL space full of life. Planting wild seed beds to encourage colour and pollinators, making a wonderful insect hotel to look at insect life. Planting two vegetable patches, fingers crossed we will have something to eat soon. Dens, seed bombs and lots of other things. A really good and happy start to the year. 

Thank you Primary. Miss Lizzie. 

Ms. Rebecca: EYFS Music & KS1 Drama

This month’s Music students have been busy learning about different instruments from around the world and been playing various rhythms in the classroom. As well as dancing to Bear Hunt and learning about Alligator Alarm AH! 

The KS1 drama students are currently working on their Halloween performance for next month, learning new poems and movements for the show. We hope to see you all there!

In addition to myself and Mr Dennison’s after school KS2 Choir that are now on Mondays, the students have already engaged with two news songs and fun vocal warmups.

Mr. Dennison: Y1-Y6 Music

1st photo: Year 1 began exploring and classifying instruments into families of instruments. They worked in groups to find shakers, metal instruments, wood instruments, and drums, then worked as a team to play together and make their own choices. 

2nd photo: Year 4 is already diving into preparing for an upcoming performance. They are working together to explore playing and singing together in multiple parts. It’s tough, but they are up to the challenge. 

3rd Photo: Year 6 started off the school year, by collaborating to create their own percussion composition. There were several new students, but that was not a problem for this group. Each group spent a couple of classes brainstorming, talking with each other, talking with the teacher, and came up with some truly original ideas. 

4th photo: One way that students can improve their singing voices is use their bodies to help represent the direction of melodies. We learned one classroom song that very high, low sounds, and medium notes–I think 3B are improving nicely! 

Mr. Hassan

Mrs. Bartola and Ms. Jess

Welcome back to school! 

The Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Child, No Matter Their Age

Reading aloud isn’t just for young children learning their ABCs! It’s a powerful tool that benefits kids of all ages, even into their teenage years! Whether you’re sharing a picture book, a novel, or a nonfiction text, reading aloud has many advantages that can support your child’s learning and development.

Builds vocabulary and comprehension
Reading aloud exposes children to new words and ideas. This expands their vocabulary and helps them understand more complex sentence structures and themes they might not encounter on their own. 

Develops listening skills
Reading aloud helps children focus and strengthens their ability to listen attentively. These skills are valuable in school and everyday life.

Boosts imagination and critical thinking

Hearing stories stimulates the imagination, encourages creativity, and helps children think critically about a story's characters, plot, and messages.

Strengthens parent-child bonds

Reading together provides a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with children. It fosters connection and creates memories.

The Learning Support Department, ZEK Forest Campus, Primary