Happy Friday to you all. It’s been another lovely week with lots of exciting learning at Rockliffe Manor. And the sun is shining! The flowers and plants blooming across the school grounds have brought smiles to both children and adults, and the trees planted by our Eco Team last half-term are now proudly growing new leaves. The children have loved watching this change and taking pride in their role in caring for the environment.

This week, I had the absolute privilege of supporting our incredible Year 6 children during their SATs. I truly could burst with pride at their resilience, focus, and effort. Every child approached the week with maturity and determination, we are so proud of them. They are incredibly excited for the rest of the term, where they will be spending time making memories, celebrating achievements, and enjoying these final weeks of primary school together. From trips and performances to fun projects and leavers’ events, it is about cherishing every moment.

In our class assemblies this week, we have been exploring Mental Health Awareness Week, reflecting on how we look after our wellbeing and how to be kind to ourselves and to others. The children have had meaningful conversations and shown great empathy as we discussed practical ways to support positive mental health.

As the half-term draws to a close, the children have been working incredibly hard in preparation for their final outcomes across the curriculum. It has been a joy to see the classrooms filled with energy and enthusiasm as children put the finishing touches on their learning. The creativity, collaboration, and commitment to learning on display are a true reflection of their progress and pride in their work. We’re really looking forward to seeing the outcomes of their efforts

A big thank you to all who joined us for this week’s Reading Morning, and to our Year 1 parents who attended the Phonics Screening Check workshop, your involvement means so much to the children and supports their learning journey in such a powerful way. We’re looking forward to welcoming more families next week for our Geography and History Stay & Learn sessions.

Looking ahead, our final term of the academic year, Summer 2, is fast approaching. It’s always a busy and exciting time, filled with events and celebrations. We’ll be sharing a Summer Events Letter with you shortly, so you have all the important dates and details in advance.

Wishing you all a relaxing and sunny weekend.

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

Let’s look at the learning from this week … 

Nursery
This week, Nursery children have done a fantastic job of modelling and practising daily routines, especially as we welcome new starters to the class. It’s been lovely to see such a calm and settled environment developing. The children have really enjoyed exploring the outdoor provision, especially with the recent sunshine giving them the chance to discover minibeasts in their natural habitat. Indoors, their creativity has shone through as they made beautiful butterflies using tissue paper collage, a great opportunity to develop their fine motor skills and artistic expression.

Reception
In Reception, the children have been thinking deeply about the consequences of their choices and what it means to be a good friend. Using their core text Goldilocks and Just the One Bear and circle time discussions, they’ve explored themes of kindness, sharing, and friendship. It’s been wonderful to see them putting this into action in their play, showing real cooperation, turn-taking, and care for their peers across the provision.

Year 1
Year 1 has been diving into the magical underwater world of Atlantis! They shared ideas about what they might see beneath the surface and used expanded noun phrases to describe the scene—‘charming fish’ was a particular favourite. The children are also looking ahead to their global learning project: a community clean-up. They are truly passionate about helping the planet and making their environment more sustainable.

Year 2
Year 2 have successfully completed their learning on fractions, working hard to remember key terms like ‘numerator’ and ‘denominator’. They’ve enjoyed using their knowledge in arithmetic lessons and are now tackling time-telling with determination and a great growth mindset. In Science, they reviewed the results of their plant experiment and concluded that sunlight is indeed essential for plant growth, based on their careful observations.

Year 3
Year 3 had a wonderful visit to the Slade Library this week—a highlight for many children! They were excited to select new books and represented Rockliffe Manor brilliantly by showing integrity and responsibility throughout the trip. In Science, they learned how shadows form when light shines on opaque objects and discovered how reflections are created by light bouncing off reflective surfaces. David noted that mirrors, water, and polished metal are all examples of reflective materials.

Year 4
In Year 4, the children have been writing powerful first-person accounts of the sinking of the Mary Rose. They used emotive language and fronted adverbials to vary their sentence structure and bring their stories to life. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to demonstrate their historical understanding through creative writing. Jacob focused on the force of water crashing through the cannon holes, while Ayomide described how the cannonballs rolling to one side caused the ship to tip further into the Solent.

Year 5

This week in English Year 5 have been learning about the difference between reported and direct speech. The children were able to convert sentences from directed speech into reported speech using correct punctuation to add cohesion. In maths, the children have learned to read timetables and calculate time duration. 

Year 6 

Year 6 have shown tremendous effort, determination and positivity this week as they completed their SATs. The children did very well and they felt great pride in themselves as they tackled questions from each test. It has been fantastic to see the growth in their knowledge and confidence during this journey.