Dear Parents/Carers,

It's been another fantastic week across the school with all of our children engaging in a variety of creative and challenging activities! We're proud of all the hard work and enthusiasm shown by every year group.

Our Reception children have been busy with exciting role-play activities centred on school life. They demonstrated great teamwork and phonics knowledge by using their phonics cards to quiz one another—a fantastic way to reinforce their learning! They also embraced a creative challenge to design their own unique 'superhero' inspired by their core text, Supertato.

Year 1 showcased their creativity by designing their own front covers for their core text, The Lonely Beast. The children imagined how the beast's story might be presented, using vibrant colours and bold ideas. Following this, they put their engineering hats on and worked together to build an impressive city for the Lonely Beast using a variety of materials in a junk modelling exercise.

Year 2 delved into the natural world in science, learning all about predators and prey. The children confidently demonstrated their understanding by taking an online quiz at the end of the lesson to test their knowledge. Additionally, the children had a delicious and practical lesson in making fruit kebabs. They all took turns practising safe chopping skills, designing their creations and, of course, taste-testing the final product.

In their English lesson, the children in Year 3 published their narratives and later in the week they progressed onto learning about features of a diary entry. In their science lesson, the children started learning about metamorphic rocks, identifying how rocks are formed when other rocks (sedimentary and igneous) have been changed due to pressure or heat. 

In Art and Design, Year 4 has been preparing for their Lino printing project next week. The children created a practice tile using polystyrene, carefully adding detailed textures, including waves and the ocean, in preparation for the printing process. They also had an immersive WW2-based day where the children designed their own functional Anderson shelters and enthusiastically practised military drills, giving them a deeper, hands-on understanding of life during the war.

Year 5 has been captivated by their core text, Escape from Pompeii. The children have been working hard to improve their reading fluency, focusing on pace and expression to fully engage their audience. In Art, they've honed their sketching skills by using the grid method to accurately draw their own detailed volcanoes. This technique helps them with proportion and detail, resulting in some truly impressive artwork.

Our oldest children in Year 6 have been focusing on collaboration and precision in their PE lessons, specifically working on their transition and formation skills during their dance unit. This helps them develop teamwork and spatial awareness, essential skills for their upcoming transition to secondary school. In science, the children completed an engaging unit on the functions of the eye. To solidify their understanding, they created their own impressive 3D models of the eye, diligently labelling each part and explaining its specific function. This hands-on project brought the anatomy to life!

Thank you for your continued support of our diverse curriculum activities! 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.