18th September

A message from Ms. Reid

Dear Families,

It was lovely to meet so many of you at Meet the Teacher evenings last week. Everyone was very positive about their new class and the upcoming academic year. Thank you for the positive feedback with regards to the new home learning. It is very exciting and I have no doubt that you are already discussing which idea to try out first. If you have any further questions about home learning or the curriculum booklets please contact us.

I am very pleased to see all the Reading Journals wrapped and decorated so beautifully. These should be taken home and brought back to school every day. The expectation is that the children will use them independently to record comments about the books they are currently reading.

This year we want to cement curiosity and creativity as the bedrock of all our learning; pupils will see its influence in their classrooms, when they use new Maker Spaces within lessons, and progressively through other new initiatives as the year moves on.

The children and teachers have been hard at work creating stunning displays for our school hall and we cannot wait to welcome you all to see the finished masterpieces. The images are inspired by our writing weeks books and they are truly breathtaking!

Home learning has changed at Shacklewell. We have introduced new Maker Mats to reflect our conviction that when we encourage creativity and curiosity in children, we are tapping into their desire to find things out for themselves.

The Maker Mat consists of eight creative activities for your child to choose from. Initially we recommend children try out at least four, however, they may wish to complete more. How these activities are completed is up to your child. They may want to use their purple homework book, digital technology or some form of 3D presentation.

In addition to this, we are busy creating Maker Spaces in each classroom where pupils can be challenged to solve problems creatively. We are confident everyone's learning will benefit from all these new ideas.

Whenever the Maker Mat work is finished during the half term the children can bring it into school for everyone to see.

Across the EYFS it has been a week filled with joy and discovery. They have delved into magical worlds, exciting stories and learnt how to be safe in the home.

The children have also settled incredibly well into the routines of school and are working together very successfully. They have learnt their initial sounds and have reinforced this learning with outdoor games, in class activities and paired talk with the adults.

The teachers have also been using the ILD to update you of your child's progress so if you have not been able to access this information, be sure to let one of the team know.

News from Year 1

News from Year 2

Year 3 have been creating some excellent films based on their Writing Weeks book, Journey. The children used the app Clips to narrate their own version of the story.

Year 3 have been working hard on their mathematics, thinking about how different numbers relate to each other. The children have also been thinking about the health of their brains in IPC, and have studied how a healthy lifestyle can impact on how they feel.

Tomorrow the children in Year 3 are heading to Clissold Park to explore the lives of scavengers and settlers, for their new IPC topic.

Year 4 have spent last week using art to respond to their graphic novel, Journey. The children created colourful and imaginative sculptures, that focused on the images from the text. They also created their own imaginative pieces of writing based on the text and used figurative language to bring the world alive.

Year 4 also started swimming last week and will continue to go swimming each Friday until the end of the Autumn term.

This week the children will think about their new topic, Inventions that Changed the World, which is a perfect opportunity for them to think creatively when working in their Maker Space. The topic will also give the children great ideas for their home learning Maker Mat and we look forward to seeing what they come up with!

Year 5 have been working together to create their own movies this week. The children scripted and filmed their original creations which centered around the story, The Arrival. It was a great opportunity for the children to get to know their classmates and the finished films were excellent.

The children have also been extending their understanding of place value, thinking about the different ways that numbers interact with each other and how they be manipulated to make larger integers.

The children in Year 5 are really looking forward to their trip to Countryside Live next Thursday!

The children in Year 6 have been working together to develop a sense of team work and community, which will stand them in good stead as they work through the year together. This work culminated in 6S presenting a colourful and original assembly which allowed the children to celebrate both their differences whilst recognising their overall similarities.

The children in Year 6 have also been getting used to their jobs across the school and they have set fantastic examples to the other children.

The Year 6 children have produced some stunning writing about the themes of displacement and immigration, inspired by The Arrival. The children were stimulated by the images in the graphic novel and used figurative language which demonstrated their emotional engagement with the text and the themes. The end results were some truly heart wrenching pieces of writing.