Just like that, another week has flown by at Rockliffe Manor—and what a week it has been! Can you believe we’re already two weeks into the spring term? The children have been making fantastic progress in their learning and are thoroughly enjoying their topics. They have been so enthusiastic about their learning that they are already eager to share it with you during our upcoming Parent Stay and Learn sessions, as well as our first Sharing Assemblies later in the term. Last week, all families received our Parent Engagement Offer for this half term, and we are really looking forward to welcoming many of you into school to celebrate the children’s learning together.

We started the week by coming together for a special assembly to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The children learned about who he was and why his message of equality, kindness, and standing up for what is right is still so important today. Through discussion and reflection, pupils explored how his words and actions link to our own school values and how we can show respect and fairness in our everyday lives. It was a thoughtful and inspiring way to begin the week, encouraging the children to think about how their choices can make a positive difference to others.

Excitement also hit Rockliffe Manor on Monday as a brand-new Times Table Rock Stars (TTRS) tournament has launched, this time, it’s a showdown against the other Inspire Partnership schools in Greenwich! The whole school was buzzing when the competition was announced, and everyone was eager to help Rockliffe climb the leaderboard. Taking part couldn’t be easier, your child just logs into their TTRS account and plays any game, and every score they earn adds to Rockliffe’s total. If your child is ready to practise their times tables and help the school claim victory, just speak to their teacher about their login details if they don’t already have them. Let’s get playing and show the other schools what Rockliffe can do!

On Thursday, Miss Nelson led a special assembly all about the RSPB Big Birdwatch. They learned why birds are important to our environment and how taking part in the Big Birdwatch helps scientists understand and protect bird populations. The children were also involved in a fun listening activity where they heard different bird sounds and had to guess which bird made each call. The children showed fantastic enthusiasm, eagerly sharing their ideas and listening carefully to each sound. It was wonderful to see how engaged and excited they were as they developed their knowledge of the natural world. Over the next few weeks, each class will venture out into the playground to record the different birds they see.

Children can also get involved at home by:

• Counting and identifying different types of birds;

• Learning to recognise birds by their sounds and appearances;

• Making bird feeders;

• Writing fact files about birds;

• Presenting their data in creative formats;

• Drawing pictures of birds.

We’re excited to see the many ways our children will engage with The Big School Birdwatch and look forward to sharing their discoveries with you!

And with that from all of us here at Rockliffe we wish you all a warm and restful weekend. We look forward to welcoming you back on Monday.

With very best wishes, Mrs Cook and the Rockliffe Manor team

Let’s take a look at the learning that has happened this week

This week, Nursery children have been introduced to early handwriting activities as part of their morning routine. They thoroughly enjoyed following the Little Wandle hand actions, creating different animals and shapes to strengthen their fine motor skills, with pretending to be crabs proving a firm favourite! The children have also been very excited about their second trip of the year, where they will have the opportunity to develop their gross motor skills through climbing, jumping and safe risk-taking at soft play. In preparation, they have been discussing the importance of using good listening skills and how to keep themselves safe while out and about.

Reception have been learning about deforestation this week and the impact it has on animals and their habitats. The children showed great passion for the topic and were highly engaged in class discussions. William shared that he felt “frustrated” that people would destroy animals’ homes, while Kaylon said it made him feel like crying. Within the learning environment, the children have continued to develop their fine motor skills by creating patterns using pom-poms and tweezers. They are also very excited for their upcoming trip to soft play, where they will further develop their gross motor and social skills through large-scale play.

In Year 1, the children took part in a lively discussion debating whether they agreed or disagreed with Billy running away from the giant in their core text, giving thoughtful reasons for their opinions. Beth explained, “If I saw the giant I would feel scared, but I would not run away because that would hurt the giant’s feelings.” The children made excellent links to our school values and RHE learning, reflecting on understanding others’ emotions, the importance of friendship, and how to treat everyone with respect.

Year 2 children have enjoyed exploring their core text this week. They used their understanding of different characters to create ‘role on the wall’ activities, which helped them compare characters within the story. The children also applied their descriptive writing skills by writing in the role as the character Angus, recounting the events of the story in a letter to his mum. In Maths, the children have been multiplying by 2 and worked extremely hard to apply their 2-times table knowledge to solve more complex word problems.

This week, Year 3 focused on their core text by identifying the different relationships within the story. They worked collaboratively to answer the question, “How does being part of a community help people feel supported?” and shared some wonderful examples of togetherness. Jamie beautifully explained that “we are a community at Rockliffe and we always help each other.” In Maths, the children have been multiplying 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers, carefully following their ‘steps to success’ to ensure accurate calculations.

This week, Year 4 has been exploring Hinduism, specifically looking at how religious beliefs can provide profound insights into caring for our environment. The children engaged in discussions regarding the role of Shiva; they explored the concept of "the destroyer" not as a finality, but as a vital part of a cycle that preserves what is good and returns it to the creator. This helped the students understand the Hindu perspective that life has no true end, but rather exists as a continuous, meaningful cycle.

Year 5 have thoroughly enjoyed their English lessons this week, focusing on using ‘show not tell’ to describe character actions. The children thoughtfully reflected on everyday situations, identifying how people’s words and actions can show emotions. In Design and Technology, they practised a range of stitching techniques through trial and error. Jacob showed excellent perseverance and skill, confidently trying different stitches and feeling very proud of his work.

In Year 6, the children explored the relationships between the main character and other characters in their core text. They analysed how these relationships revealed different character traits, using evidence from the book to support their ideas. In Art, Year 6 explored the intricacies of Islamic tile designs and learned the two main types of Islamic patterns. They applied their understanding of symmetry and used rulers accurately to create precise, symmetrical tile designs.