W/b 1st June - Times Tables Multiplication Check Y4

Thurs 4th June - Y3 & 4 minerals workshop

Fri 5th June - Y6 start swimming

W/b 8th June - phonics screening week

Tues 9th June - EYFS trip to the farm

Fri 26th June - School disco

Weds 17th - Fri 19th June Year 6 trip to PGL

Fri 3rd July - Year 5 trip to John Warner

Tues 7th July - District Sports

Tues 7th July - Drumming assembly 2.45pm

Tues 7th - Thurs 9th July - Bikeability for Reception & KS1

Thurs 9th July - Secondary transfer day Y6 & moving up morning

Mon 13th July - Sports day

Weds 15th July - Year 6 production 6pm

Thurs 16th July - Year 6 production 6pm

Fri 17th July - Year 6 Fun day

Mon 20th July - School Open Eve

Weds 22nd July - Y6 leavers assembly

Weds 22nd July - FORS doughnut and ice lolly sale

Weds 22nd July 1.15pm End of term

Reception have had a fantastic half term! With the warmer weather making an appearance we have been taking every opportunity to enjoy outside, including doing some gardening! In line with our theme learning on ‘growing’ Ash and Beech classes have planted our own beanstalks (which a giant dropped off!) It has been amazing to watch them grow roots and shoots before finally starting to zoom toward the sky!

Branching off from this, we began to consider how to look after the Earth. Ash and Beech classes have become anti-pollution warriors! We have been thinking about how to keep the oceans clean and how we can help by recycling- this has led to lots of lovely junk modelling.

The children have done amazingly well with their phonics and are now working through phase 4! We have been transferring our new phonics knowledge to help us in our reading and writing. We have used these new skills in writing books about journeys and our bodies. The children have blown us away by continuing to write increasingly complex sentences independently.

Through our mastery approach to maths, the children have explored numbers in greater depth and have been using key vocabulary and stem sentences to express their understanding of doubles, odds and evens, and number bonds to 5.

What a marvellous term of learning we have had in KS1! 

The absolute highlight of our term was our amazing school trip to Whipsnade Zoo. We were incredibly proud of all the children, who represented our school so beautifully and showed our school values in everything they did throughout the day. From watching the spectacular bird shows, to spotting some of the 'Big Five', the children loved comparing mega elephants with tiny, delicate butterflies. It was an unforgettable day out!

English:  We dived into the world of instructions by figuring out how to wash a muddy woolly mammoth. The children had a wonderful time mastering bossy verbs and time conjunctions thinking about their own ways to clean different animals— using long-handled brooms for giraffes, being careful not to tickle their tummies, and even delicately drying bees in flower petals! Since then, we have been opening up our imaginations using the beautiful book Julian Is a Mermaid. Inspired by the story, the children have created spectacular comic strips about their own characters dressing up to transform into something else, all while brilliantly learning about speech bubbles, exclamations and questions.

PE: The children have been developing their hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills. They have been working hard to master a variety of throwing and catching techniques through fun games and challenges.

Science: The children have really enjoyed learning about plants. They explored different types of seeds and bulbs, discovered what plants need to grow, and the life cycle of  a plant. They will continue their curiosity into the next half term with more hands-on activities and outdoor learning based around our topic of plants. 

Maths: The subject came to life in KS1 this week as we celebrated National Numeracy Day. The children looked absolutely fantastic dressed up in their number-themed outfits. We got hands-on to learn about the wonderful world of fractions, using lots of practical activities to master halves, quarters, thirds as well as finding fractions of amounts. They did such a brilliant job that we have given them a special challenge: next time you have a family pizza night, ask your child to show off their skills and help slice up the fractions at home!

Art: This term we have explored mixed media - mixing paints to create different colours and shades, as well as using a variety of materials to create texture with paint. We enjoyed using natural resources such as flowers and leaves to create amazing patterns with paint! We’ve also seen the children create some incredible seascapes using collage, which linked to our Humanities theme of coastlines. 

LKS2 have continued to impress us with their enthusiasm, hard work and positive attitude throughout another exciting and productive few weeks. It has been wonderful to see the children challenge themselves, grow in confidence and engage so positively across the curriculum.

English: The children explored Malala’s Magic Pencil, which inspired them to write thoughtful and persuasive letters about reducing waste around the school and the impact this has on the environment. Pupils have also begun studying Leon and the Place Between, using the text as inspiration for their own imaginative portal stories — we cannot wait to see where their creativity takes them!

Maths: Pupils strengthened their understanding of data handling through work on bar charts, pictographs, tally charts, variables and line graphs. Year 4 pupils have continued to build confidence and fluency in their multiplication skills in preparation for the June multiplication check. Alongside this, children have been learning about perimeter and area, making links to multiplication, and are now developing their understanding of written multiplication methods further.

Art lessons have been full of creativity and experimentation. Using the flora and fauna of tropical rainforests as inspiration, pupils explored a range of drawing techniques and carefully selected images, shapes and colours to create themed pieces of artwork. They also learnt how to focus on and sketch interesting sections of an image, which will lead into an exciting textile-based project next term.

Science has been particularly engaging, with pupils diving into the fascinating world of rocks and fossils. The children learnt about the differences between natural and human-made rocks and carried out a range of investigations exploring permeability, buoyancy and durability.

History: Pupils have been learning about the rich history of their local area, with a particular focus on the significance of St Albans. They were able to build upon their previous learning about the Romans and reflect on their memorable visit to Verulamium Museum.

French:The children have been exploring the Eurovision Song Contest while learning the names of different countries. They learnt a catchy song to help remember them and even created their own Eurovision-inspired rap performances. 

PSHE: Circle time sessions continued to focus on the importance of kindness and friendship, while in PE, pupils enjoyed expressing themselves creatively through dance.

At the beginning of this half term, the children in Years 5 and 6 engaged with the story `The Boy in the Tower` and wrote some fabulous descriptive, diary entries. They continue to love listening to the story during storytimes and are excited to see what happens next:  will the Bluchers come to a grisly end? Since then, the children have been working on their non-fiction writing, completing inventive and imaginative menus based on what they might find to eat on a deserted island and how they might need to survive such a place. The children are proud of their big book pages, created for class books entitled `Recommended Reads` ; they are colourful, creative and most importantly will help children to choose a good story to read. Linked to our whole school priority, we continue to encourage the children to focus on excellent presentation, handwriting and spelling.

It has also been a highly active half-term on the sports field! The children have taken part in a fantastic number of sports competitions. They have shown wonderful sportsmanship, cheered each other on, and represented the school beautifully. The children have thoroughly enjoyed the cricket lessons led by our specialist coach from Broxbourne Cricket Club. Just Dance has been a great way to motivate the children and keep them enthused throughout SATS week -what great movers we have! The new playground equipment has been a huge success and the children are thrilled to be able to take turns and use the bikes at breaks and lunch times. 

As part of Geography lessons, children have continued their engaging study of the rainforest, developing a strong understanding of the unique ecosystem and the importance of each distinct layer. To consolidate their learning, they worked together to produce informative posters relating to different rainforests from around the world.

In addition, the school celebrated National Numeracy Day with a series of interactive, maths-themed group activities. The children applied their skills by calculating averages to create a "mean person", as well as completing some precise geometric artwork. They also participated in outdoor sporting events designed around mathematical challenges. It has been excellent to see the children demonstrating such strong teamwork and enthusiasm for their learning. Last Friday, they took part in creating some lovely Andy Goldsworthy inspired art and taking part in competitive team games.