And just like that, another half term has flown by! It's been a whirlwind of learning, laughter and growth, and we're incredibly proud of how well our children have adapted to the new academic year.

It was great to welcome families during our first Parents evening this year. A heartfelt thank you to all families who were able to attend; your involvement and commitment is vital in supporting your child's growth and development. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to discuss your child's achievements and next steps and we appreciate the time you took to engage in these important conversations. Your partnership is key to helping our children thrive. For those families who were unable to attend, please make contact with your child’s class teacher; we aim to meet with all parents before the end of the first week back.

Our final week of term has been packed with exciting trips across the school! On Tuesday, Year 2 took to the skies on the London Eye, bringing their English, Art and Geography learning to life high above the city. Meanwhile, Year 5 visited Foxfield for an action-packed workshop on forces to consolidate their Science unit. The adventure continued on Wednesday as Year 1 explored the Woolwich riverside, keeping an eye out for the Woolwich Ferry on its travels. On Thursday, Year 3 traveled back in time at the Natural History Museum to examine Stone Age artifacts, while our youngest learners in Reception headed to Rockliffe Gardens for an energetic nature hunt. Throughout the week, the children truly embodied our Rockliffe Manor values. A huge thank you to all the parent volunteers who gave up their time to make these wonderful trips possible!

On Thursday we were delighted to announce our Junior Leadership Team (JLT) for this academic year. The atmosphere during the assembly filled the hall with excitement and support. It was wonderful to see the genuine happiness and encouragement the children extended to their peers who were selected. These will not be the only leadership roles for the children at Rockliffe Manor as we believe that instilling leadership qualities in our young learners is crucial for their personal growth and development. It teaches them responsibility, confidence, and the ability to collaborate effectively with others. Our JLT members are sure to exemplify these qualities as they embark on their leadership roles, and we look forward to their contributions to our school.

For the first two weeks of Autumn 2 the children will be participating in our Food Fortnight, where they will be trying out their cooking skills to create a meal dedicated to one particular country. The children will plan recipes, create advertisements for their dishes and create their meals ready to be showcased in our annual World Cafe. More details will be shared in an individual letter, we can’t wait to see our community represented by a variety of dishes. 

We hope you all have a wonderful half term break and we very much look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday 2nd November.

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

Let’s take a look at some of the learning this week … 

In Nursery this week, the children had a wonderful time exploring what happens to kernels when they are heated! They watched with anticipation before squealing with excitement as the kernels popped into delicious popcorn. This activity built on their sensory learning, encouraging the children to describe what they could see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. After carefully placing their popcorn into bags, they enjoyed a quick taste test before taking the rest home to share with their families!

Reception has been working hard in phonics this week, focusing on their segmenting and blending skills. Using their knowledge of phonemes and letter formation, the children have been writing simple words like 'ten', 'run', and 'sat', making themselves extremely proud! To top off a brilliant week, they enjoyed their first trip of the year to Rockliffe Gardens, where they explored a nature hunt and joined in with fun team-building games.

Year 1 had a fantastic trip to Woolwich this week! Walking along the River Thames, the children explored the historic riverside and foot tunnel while observing the Woolwich Ferry in action. Year 1 put their observation skills to work by sketching the surrounding scenery and architecture in their art books. This consolidated their learning in Geography, English, and Art perfectly, and the class had a great time!

Year 2 finally went on their highly anticipated trip to the London Eye! The children had a fantastic time and represented Rockliffe Manor brilliantly, displaying our school values every step of the way. High above the city, they excitedly spotted iconic landmarks, including Big Ben, The Shard, and the Houses of Parliament, bringing their Geography topic on London tourism to life. It was a memorable day that the children will remember for a long time!

Year 3 had a lovely trip to the Natural History Museum where they explored many fascinating exhibits. The children deepened their knowledge of rock types and were amazed by the fossils on show, particularly the bones of extinct animals. Rayan was especially enthusiastic, pulling Miss Lambert over to see the displays while exclaiming, "You have to see this, it’s amazing!" The children made us proud with their outstanding behaviour on public transport, even receiving a compliment from a member of the public about how calm and respectful they were. The children have also worked hard on publishing their writing this week, with several pupils visiting other teachers across the school to proudly show off their work.

Year 4 have taken great pride in publishing their writing this week!

Ethan M: "My writing was nice and my mum and dad said that they loved it."

Ahnaf: "I enjoyed learning how to use the column method to add and subtract. Maths is fun because at first we don’t know how to do something, but then we learn it and it becomes fun."

Ezri: "I loved writing my own story for the outcome and I was very pleased with it because I used a range of adjectives and fronted adverbials to make my writing more interesting."

Year 5 enjoyed their maths learning on multiplication this week. Mishael shared, "I liked that once you use a certain method, it becomes very clear and then you can find factors and common multiples very easily." The children also took part in an engaging workshop about forces, where they learned how the compass was invented in ancient China using magnetic properties. Ronnie said he really enjoyed learning about different forces, including magnetism, air resistance, and water resistance!

Year 6 loved learning about the indigenous tribes of the Amazon Rainforest. They were fascinated to discover that some uncontacted tribes still live in the Amazon today, leading to insightful questions about their way of life:

Anaya: "How do they educate their children?" — which sparked a wonderful class discussion about what education looks like for communities relying on traditional survival skills.

Emre: "Did the Amazon Rainforest get its name from the company Amazon?" — leading to a great discussion on history and geography!