Molehill Newsletter

Molehill Primary Academy Newsletter

Term 5 2022 - 2023

Principal's Welcome

We are all so very proud of the children's achievements this module. As usual, they have met every challenge with resilience, determination and a readiness to succeed. Amongst all of the immensely hard work, we've also had some wonderful experiences: a Year 6 trip to London on a train, with our very own private carriage; a trip to a working farm for our reception pupils and as I write this our residential is returning home after an incredibly busy week on the farm. Providing our pupils with a range of exciting, memorable experiences is all part of our broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum at Molehill.

Wishing you and your families a restful May half term break. We look forward to Module 6 when we have packed the term full of an incredible amount of fantastic, fun events!

Mrs Laura Smith

Principal

Key Events for Module 6 can be found on our website: https://molehillprimaryacademy.org.uk/events/list

PYP Inquiry

Little Moles

To start off our transdisciplinary theme this term of sharing the planet, we decided to get creative and showered our thoughts onto a whiteboard about what this meant. There were lots of interesting initial ideas and we explored these ideas through our learning. Firstly, was Space and Earth and as a group activity we made two papermache worlds. The children loved creating the mixture of glue and water and pasting the wet newspaper onto the balloons…it got very messy! This progressed onto what lives on our Earth and went in the direction of animals and pets. We spoke about how to look after all animals using the book ‘Where's the elephant? By Barroux’ which has a really powerful message about deforestation through pictures. The children understood well about protecting our environment which links very well to next term's learning. We were lucky enough to have a parent who is a veterinary nurse come in and talk to us about how to care for animals when they're poorly and what we can do to prevent them getting ill. The children enjoyed bandaging cuddly animals using their fine motor skills to do so, colouring a head collar and even listening to our own heart beats using real stethoscopes. What a great term it has been and we look forward to where our ideas take us next term.

Kangaroo and Wallaby Class

This module we have looked at the transdisciplinary theme sharing the planet with our central idea 'People's choices can harm and influence the environment, living things and habitats.' We started the module asking the question 'where does our food come from?' We read the book 'The Little Red Hen' which helped us to understand how bread starts out as wheat and the process it goes through before it gets to the shops. The book also taught us about hard work and perseverance. The children all got together and made bread rolls from scratch. We then read the book ' Oliver's Vegetables' and looked at the different types of farming and what produce we get from each one. We have looked at seasonal and weather changes and how this affects farming. Finally we touched on food miles and looked at what produce is farmed in other countries for us to enjoy here in the UK. Through a kind and generous donation from one of our EYFS parents, the children enjoyed using their knowledge of farming and planted their own fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers in our garden.

Key Stage One

In KS1 we have explored the transdisciplinary theme How the World Works. Our central idea was "Journeys can lead to discovery." When we had our Knowledge harvest at the start of the term, the children were very interested in learning about Space, so this is where our exciting inquiries have led us this term. We have learned about astronauts such as Neil Armstrong and Tim Peake. We have watched clips of the moon landing and Tim Peake conducting various experiments in space - even water ping pong! The children ended the term designing and making moon buggies, out of junk modelling, with the help of their fantastic parents. Well done everyone for a brilliant few weeks of learning and for continuing to work hard on achieving our amazing learner attributes. We cannot wait to see where our inquiry based learning leads us next term.

Hedgehog Class

This term, Hedgehog class have been considering why people migrate from place to place and how they affect their community in a variety of ways. We have looked at a variety of texts such as "When Jessie came across the sea" and "Paddington Bear" and through this, have thought about the emotions of the characters and how they move across and why. This is written in the form of diary entries. We have also examined how others feel when they observe these events from a personal view, through a newspaper report and fact files. We have built up our knowledge of the Romans and their invasion into Britain, and in particular why the Romans wished to invade Britain and why it was only successful at one point under Emperor Claudius. We looked at the impact the Romans had on Britain through Roman numerals and legions, and understanding how this brought the Britain we know today!

Badger Class

This term, Badger class have considered why people migrate from place to place and how they affect their community in a variety of ways. We have looked at a variety of texts such as "When Jessie came across the sea" and "Paddington bear" and through this, have thought about why the protagonists of these stories have moved from one place to another. This has led to some fascinating diary entries which displayed the emotions of these characters as well as a passionate debate about where the school should be positioned! In art this term, we have experimented with the technique, Pointilism, and have analysed art by Paul Signac and George Seurat, who were the original Pointilists. They painted a series of beautiful urban and rural scenes which linked to our inquiry about why people may choose to live in different locations. Well done Badgers for all the hard work!

Fox Class

This term, Fox class have worked within the trandisciplinary theme How We Organise Ourselves and our first task was to consider how organisations work; this led to interesting reports on how Molehill is organised. We also considered why people migrate from place to place and how they affect their new communities. We read the text "When Jessie came across the sea", and examined how the characters moved across the ocean to begin new lives. We also researched the reasons for moving and the way Jessie's home village was organised compared to New York where she emigrated to. Pupils have written diary entries and letters which have portrayed the hopes and dreams of the characters and the environment around them and discussion texts on whether she should have made the move. Our history lessons about the Roman Invasion and our map work in Geography have complemented our inquiry. Finally, children undertook an inquiry-based lesson about where our school should be positioned, and have written letters to Mrs Smith to show why we should or should not move Molehill to the countryside. This gave pupils the opportunity to give their views on moving to a different place. In art lessons, Fox class have investigated Pointlism, including the artists George Seurat and Paul Signac, and used this technique in our own compositions. Once again, we focussed on different environments particularly the contrast between rural ones and cities.

Kestrel Class

Ketsrel class have been considering financial decisions in our local area and how our locality has changed over time. We have produced newspaper reports on potential financial changes to the area and thought about the effects of our actions in years to come. As well as this, we have been looking at a variety of retellings to help us improve our writing skills ready for Year 6 by considering endings that aren't always 'happily ever after'. As a class, we really enjoyed this work and bringing a lot of emotion to our writing. Finally, we have begun researching the Vikings and looking at their impact on locality with the view to continue this learning next term!

Falcon and Eagle Class

Falcon Class have been very much focussing on preparation for their Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs) in term 5 which has allowed them plenty of opportunity to explore and demonstrate the different Learner Profile Attributes of the PYP as well as many of the Approaches to Learning required. Pupils have been principled in their approach to learning by making good decisions in their behaviour, demonstrating punctuality and good attendance and maximising every opportunity to secure skills and extend knowledge. They have been risk-takers when pushing themselves to attempt tricky questions and problems as well as being reflective in their learning. Pupils have also explored what it means to be balanced by making sure that they have been looking after their mental health in the build up to their assessments. In other curriculum areas pupils have explored things that can affect their health in PHSE which has focussed on understanding what drugs are and the effects of different types of drugs on the body and in science they have looked at the properties of materials - securing their knowledge of some of the vocabulary we use to describe different materials. In reading, they have been exploring the fantastic book Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray and they have enjoyed exploring the characters and making predictions about what might happen next.

Little Ears

We are running a group called ‘Little Ears’ on a Friday morning every month. This group is for parents and carers of babies and preschool children who have a hearing impairment. It is a chance to learn strategies to support language and communication development, play, learn new signs and interact with other families.

Coronation Celebration

Although the weather wasn't as we had hoped for, this did not stop Molehill celebrating the King's Coronation in style. The celebration started with a fish and chip picnic (inside!) with our younger children enjoying wearing their handmade crowns. We were lucky enough to have a royal visit by the King himself who to be honest looked a little 2D and seemed quite flat in person, which perhaps was to be expected after the long week of various engagements he had undertaken. Children were given the opportunity to have a photo with him and these have been shared by class teachers. Sally, our marvellous chef and her kitchen team, had been busy all morning making coronation biscuits and cakes for everyone which were delivered to classes after lunch. The rain held off long enough for all children and staff to pay a visit to Ida's ice cream van, who served a total of three hundred and thirty eight 99 ice creams in an hour and 20 minutes, all with a flake and sauce of the children's choice. The day finished with the children singing the coronation song that they had been learning followed by the national anthem. We were very disappointed to not be able to welcome parents as planned for this performance but we were able to share some footage of the children singing via social media which we hoped you all enjoyed. We also hope that you were able to see the art work outside St Martins church which the children of Molehill contributed to as part of the community celebrations!

The Globe Theatre Trip

As inspiration for their exhibition, Year 6 caught the train to London to visit the Globe Theatre. Here is an account of their day by Dylan.

Yesterday (Monday 15th May) all the year six teachers including year six and the Principal went to the Globe Theatre, which is in London for a drama workshop. We met at Maidstone East station by a dinosaur statue. We were going to gain inspiration for a play we are putting on. We caught the train to London in our own reserved carriage.

We all piled onto the train into our carriage. The train took about ten minutes to start moving so some of us played Uno. As well as that, we also played "I went to the shop". The journey was exciting as we saw deer and sheep and even some horses. There was graffiti scribbled on every surface possible. The windows would go pitch-black whenever we went through a tunnel. The train shook but we were protected by the soft, cushioned seats. We chatted and the train rattled.

As we stopped at the train station, everyone was looking about to see if they could see any sky scrapers. We alighted and went down on an escalator. In our groups with a partner, we made our way to the river and walked along it, up some strange stairs and through dark tunnels. We stopped a couple of times to look at the beautiful river. One time when we looked, the HMS Belfast was visible. Delicious smells flooded our noses as we walked through Borough Market. There were people busking with saxophones and accordions. Finally, we made it to a little green and had our lunch.

Once we had made it to the Globe Theatre, a man named Tom, who was an actor at the theatre, told us the history of the Globe. We went inside and were told to find differences between theatres today and the Globe. The whole building was circular and it was open-roofed. The stage had the zodiac signs painted above it with a hole in the middle. This represented heaven and all of the heavenly characters would come down on a rope. There was also a trapdoor on the floor, this represented Hell. The evil characters (ghosts, witches and devils) would climb up. Shakespeare used to say, "The whole world is a stage."

After a while, we were taken to the rehearsal rooms by Tom and took part in a drama workshop. First, we were stood in a circle and had to clap one after another and channel each others' energy. We then added jumping into it and we had to focus to get it right. Tom then told us to walk around the room but make our own path and not follow anyone else. There were character sculpting, freeze frame, improvising and focus exercises.

Finally, our drama workshop had ended. We all grabbed our things and parted with Tom. Walking back to the station tired and worn out, we were looking for London landmarks on the eye-spy sheet we had been given. As we crossed the road to the station, we were greeted by a man dressed in clothes from the 1800s giving out pamphlets for a show or experience of sorts. As we entered the station, the teachers had a look at the board for our train. All of us waited for about half-an-hour. We carefully made our way up to the platform (number 6) and waited for another fifteen minutes. Our train finally arrived, but our carriage hadn’t been reserved properly, causing mayhem! Once our train stopped, we got off and left with our parents.

What an enjoyable day it was! Would you like to go one day?

Loddington Farm Trip

To support our inquiry this module, Kangaroo and Wallaby class spent the day at Loddington farm. They got to experience a day in the life of a farmer and learn how fruit is grown, picked and sent to the stores. We got to see how the very tasty Owlet fruit juice is made using the fruit picked off the farm. We got to taste some and it was definitely delicious. It was a brilliant day out and we want to thank the The Country Trust for organising such a fantastic learning experience and visit and thank you to Loddington Farm for hosting us.

Netball Tournament

On Monday 22nd May, some of our school netball team went over to Langley Primary Academy to play in a trust tournament. The children have been training all year on a Monday and were both excited and nervous to be putting their skills to the test. They played brilliantly with some fabulous goals being made by Izzy Smith (Yr 5) and Richie Eze (Yr6). We won two of our games by a landslide and lost a third, however as a school we scored the most goals and were also complimented for our sportsmanship! A special shoutout to everyone who played!

Alfie - Centre

Lacey - Attack

Madeline - Defence

Savina - Attack

Izzy - Goal Shooter

Richie - Goal Attack

Kalan - Goal Keeper

Lexi - Defence

Kent Garden show Scarecrow competition

Meet Sandy and Simon

The EYFS team have entered the Kent Garden show Scarecrow competition which will be held at the Kent County Showground. The children all collaborated together to design and make two beautiful looking scarecrows. They chose their own resources and outfits and put them together and finally named them. The scarecrows will be on show this weekend at the Kent Garden show. You can get your tickets from their website www.kentgardenshow.com

The school with the most votes could win £50

Farms for City Children - Molehill Residential

Diary Entry written by Mrs Eades

An Important Message from the EYFS Team!

We are always busy creating and planning exciting projects. Please help us out by not throwing away any of these items, we would love any you may have.

Little Moles Nursery

You can apply now for a space in our Little Moles Nursery

Parents are able to claim 15 free hours a week across 38 weeks in the year, with eligible working parents able to apply for up to 30 hours. You can find out how easy this process is here.

More information, including an application pack, can be found on our website.

Attendance

Attendance at school is vitally important.

If your child needs to be absent from school FOR ANY REASON please contact the school as soon as possible on the 1st day of absence, clearly stating the reason for absence. If you are unable to do this, please reply to the text or email sent to you. As a final resort please send a note to school with your child on their return to school.

Tel: 01622 751729

Email: contactus@molehillprimaryacademy.org.uk

Text: 07860054135

Uniform

Thank you to all parents who make sure children attend the Academy wearing full school uniform.

Please be reminded of our Uniform Expectations below as set out on our website: https://molehillprimaryacademy.org.uk/parents/academy-uniform/