Dear Parents/Carers,

What a fantastic week, full of exciting learning!

In Reception this week, the children have been getting their hands messy with Dough Disco! This fun activity uses play-dough and music to help children strengthen their hand muscles, which is crucial for developing good handwriting skills. The children have also been focusing on writing the sounds they've learned in phonics lessons and practicing writing their own names. The children have made so much progress already - well done everyone!

As part of their Religious Education (RE) lesson this week, Year 1 explored the concept of belonging. They discussed what it means to be part of a group, whether it's their family, their class, or our wider school community. They then wrote some sentences in their books about what makes them feel part of Maundene. This also ties in with our school values, as we learn how to be respectful, show resilience and show compassion towards others.

Year 2 have been busy in their maths lessons this week. The children were learning how to partition two-digit numbers into tens and ones. They used Dienes blocks to make this abstract concept a hands-on experience. This helped them visualise how numbers are made up and built a strong foundation for more complex calculations in the near future!

Year 3 transformed into junior geologists this week! In Science, they investigated the formation of sedimentary rocks. They were also learning about fossils, minerals, and bones. To make this even more engaging, they conducted a hands-on experiment to create their own 'fossils,' which they absolutely loved!

Our Year 4 children have been working on their netball skills. They focused on two key techniques: pivots and chest passes. These lessons were not only about physical activity but also about teamwork, communication and sportsmanship. 

In PE, Year 5 participated in various activities designed to improve their hand-eye coordination. This fundamental skill is important for many sports and everyday tasks. They used different equipment and games to help develop their accuracy and control.

As part of their English learning, Year 6 wrote descriptions of the Red and Green Kingdom from their core text, 'Max and the Millions'. The children used colons to introduce description, use a variety of adverbials and explored parenthesis - a word or phrase inserted as an explanation into a passage using brackets, dashes or commas.

A reminder to send your child to school in the correct and full uniform each day. Thank you for your continued support with this.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Miss Capes, Mrs Jackson and the Maundene Team  

Developing strong oracy skills is crucial for children's success in school and beyond. It empowers them to express themselves confidently, think critically, and engage effectively with others. To support this vital skill, our weekly newsletter will feature fun and engaging oracy activities that families can enjoy together at home, fostering communication and building confidence in your children.