Well done to our current Spelling shed pupils who top the charts with their scores!

Year 4 have made such a positive start to the new term! Everyone has been working so hard and showing such enthusiasm for their learning.

We have started the term with a unit on report writing. The children have been learning about the language features that are used in non-chronological reports such as language of comparison and conjunctions to add information.

In maths, we have been continuing our work on learning our times tables and have also been using our knowledge of place value to multiply and divide numbers by 10, 100 and 1000. Some of us have found it tricky, but our perseverance is really paying off!

We have been learning about how sound travels to our ears in our science lessons. There will be lots of upcoming practical lessons linked with sound - it could get noisy!

Over the next few weeks, we have lots to look forward to including a visit from Al Sylvester, a mountaineering expert!

Mrs Barbosa Y4 Team Leader

Year 5 have had an excellent start to the new year and I have been impressed by how settled they are already. Well done to all!

I hope all families have managed to have a restful break over the Christmas period and getting back into a routine hasn't been too taxing.

This week we have been looking at how to write persuasive letters in a mature and justified way. We are hoping to start writing our own letters to Mrs Clark next week and the purpose of our writing is to persuade her to change or abolish the Year 5 homework. We will keep you posted with the results!

In maths, we have been revising our short and long multiplication and division methods and will be moving on to fractions next week.

The children have enjoyed working scientifically with different materials and experimenting with dissolving. We will be looking at how materials can be separated next week.

In history, we have gone back in time to Ancient Greece. We are discovering many things about the country and why the civilisation has been impactful on life today. Keep your eyes peeled for Greek Day in the last week of term! More details to follow at a later date.

Next week, we look forward to welcoming Berkshire Maestro's into school who will be teaching Year 5 music. We are looking forward to playing the samba!

Miss Edwards, Y5 Team Leader

Year 6 have had a terrific start to 2023. They have all returned to school after the Christmas break with a fantastic attitude to learning and have been showing great enthusiasm in their lessons.

This week we have been exploring the world of fairy tales and we have begun to plan a news report focusing particularly on the structure of our writing. We are looking forward to sharing these with you shortly.

In maths, we have been learning how to round decimals and we have been making connections between decimals and fractions.

In history, we have been delving back into our previous knowledge of the Egyptian, Maya and Greek civilisations. We are comparing parts of their history to help us ultimately decide which civilisation was the most advanced.

In music, we have thoroughly enjoyed our first lesson learning to play the ukulele - we are very excited to see our musical skills progress over the next term.

Miss Morales, Y6 Team Leader

Another term and lots of opportunities for PE to come- we will shortly have Badminton competitions, sportshall athletics and the dance festival- which Heron class (Y6) are taking part in.

Lessons have begun this term with the focus on gymnastics and netball. I have been really impressed with the quality of the routines in gymnastics and the way the children are working so successfully with partners.

At lunchtimes, the Maidenhead Magpies have continued working with all children who want to participate in football sessions and we have now extended this to include sessions on Weds and Fri for girls only pitches. I would like to encourage all girls who want to take part to have a go! Additionally, the girls football team will also receive bespoke training sessions on Tuesday lunchtime with the iPro coaches.

Don't forget- if you are joining in at lunchtime to play football, you MUST bring in a different kit and football boots as is it currently very muddy! Also don't forget to bring a bag to put your muddy things in! You also need shin pads but we do have a set at school for children to use.

Mr Manez- PE coach

girls football Update

Mrs Tisshaw saw the girls play their first home game of the season against a very strong and enthusiastic Braywick Court side. The match was very physical, had great moments of football and showed the brilliant improvements the girls were making week on week.

Braywick had a lot of possession during the game however the Furze Platt girls never gave up. Great defensive displays saw the girl assess the determination of the Braywick Court team. The girls showed promise going forward and played good passing football throughout the game, they clearly were understanding their positions on the pitch increasingly. Unfortunately, a couple of moments of brilliance from a Braywick Court individual led to Braywick winning the game.

Nonetheless the display from every player on the pitch was improved and more amazing than before. I was lucky enough to watch some of the game that day and it was amazing to see how well the team had started working together, along with the excitement of not only the girls but supporters too who could also see the potential. Another great game for the FPJS Y6 girls’ team, well done to each of them!

Unfortunately, the next game for the girl’s team didn’t happen, however we used the hour afterschool to compete in a small sided friendly. This gave the girls a fantastic opportunity to understand their positions more and for myself, Mrs Tisshaw and Mr. Manez to help the girls with positioning and decision making. This session really showed how well the girls’ team had grown and developed.

Thank you to the team, all the supporters, Mr.Thorne who refereed our games and Mrs Tisshaw who has taken the girls team to all their games.

We are lucky enough this term to have iPro in on Tuesday lunchtimes to support our girls' team and we look forward to the next match!

Mr Sawle