Dear Parents/Carers,

This week, our Reception children had a wonderful, informative trip to Morrisons. The children had an informative tour where they learned firsthand about the different sections of the supermarket and found out about where ingredients come from. Morrisons kindly gave them free fruit, like apples and pears, to taste, which was perfect preparation for the fruit salads they will be making later in the term.

Year 1 children were fully engaged in their RE lesson this week which focused on the Nativity story. They identified and discussed key figures, such as Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men, in the nativity scene, and created a beautiful, personalised nativity card to give to somebody special. Crucially, they explained why the birth of Jesus and the nativity scene are so significant to Christians today.

In their maths lessons, Year 2 made excellent progress focusing specifically on addition and subtraction strategies. They mastered adding two 2-digit numbers, particularly those that require crossing a 10. They then progressed onto answering challenging reasoning questions that involved using the formal column method for both addition and subtraction, demonstrating strong number sense.

In English lessons, Year 3 delved into technical vocabulary linked to the environmental topic of pollution. The children participated in a fun and active vocabulary scavenger hunt around the classroom to look for the relevant technical vocabulary they will need when researching and writing a non-chronological report about plastic pollution. The children had a lot of fun participating in this activity!

In science, Year 4 had a fascinating week learning about the journey of food through our digestive system. They watched an engaging video that visually discussed the entire process, from ingestion to excretion. Following this, they wrote a detailed scientific explanation about how all the parts (the oesophagus, stomach, intestines, etc.) are connected, including the surprising connection and control provided by the brain.

Year 5 children in English worked on identifying the essential features of an explanation text, using the water cycle as their model topic. They read through a high-quality model text and created their own detailed success criteria or 'keys' before annotating the model text to locate and label all the key structural and language features.

Year 6 children kicked off their Art learning this term with a burst of creativity. They started by creating a mood board based on the work of contemporary visual artist Sam Cannon. They looked at a variety of her artwork, sketched certain compositional aspects in their books, looked at her use of colours and used key technical words to describe the learning and the work.

It was wonderful to see all of the children dressed in their own clothes and wearing Pudsey clothing and accessories for BBC Children in Need. Thank you once again to everyone for your incredible generosity and kind donations!

We hope you have 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.