Weekly Newsletter Four -

w/c 5th October

REMINDERS

Our new Scholastic Book Club is up and running! Go to http://schools.scholastic.co.uk/st-stephens/digital-book-club to browse the latest books and order online. For every £1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school will earn 20p in Scholastic Rewards.

Please place your order online by October 30th, 2020.

Parents' Evening - Tuesday 20th October - 5-8pm

Parents' Evening - Wednesday 21st October - 5-8pm

Black History Month

Half term - 26th - 30th October

Inset Day - 2nd November - school closed to pupils

End of term - 18th December - school closes at 2.15pm

Wrap up for Moormead - Message from Mr Downes

As the weather turns autumnal and winter approaches, we need to ensure children keep warm when they go to Moormead for PE and Games. Over to Mr Downes: "Please send children in with warm clothing - a spare jumper and a waterproof jacket - as we will be heading to Moormead, regardless of the weather, unless conditions are dangerous! As we are unable to mix bubbles, all children will be going, even if they are not taking part in the lesson. So, we need to keep them warm as they stand on the sidelines. Thank you so much."

Congratulations Mrs Chahil!!

Mrs Chahil has given birth to a beautiful baby girl!! We're sending lots of love to her and Mr Chahil and big sister Neeve.

Update on our Computing policy from Mrs Tomlinson

We have never needed our computers as much as we do at the moment: to learn, to work, to keep in touch with loved ones and abreast of what is happening in the world in these strange times. Year Five teacher and our subject co-ordinator, Megan Tomlinson, gives us an update on all things computing at St Stephen's: "The COVID19 pandemic has shed light on how necessary technology is in our ever-changing world. At St Stephen's we are currently focussed on 'refreshing' our Computing curriculum and empowering our learners to not only be technologically savvy, but smart and responsible technology users as well.

In Computing, we cover learning topics such as: digital media, communicating and collaborating online, data modelling, coding, creating and publishing and using the internet.

As quoted by the Department of Education, "A high-quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with Mathematics, Science, and Design and Technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems."

Online safety is currently a top priority in our Computing curriculum, as we know that lockdown has presented a unique set of challenges for many families to navigate. We want our learners to be resilient internet users and to know how to protect themselves from harmful content or experiences. For parents who are looking to take a more collaborative approach in their child's digital journey, internetmatters.org is a fantastic resource to support you."

Aiding us in the process to be as technologically up to date as we can, we have joined forces with Orleans Park School and are delighted to have one of their Computing teachers, Sam Akpalu-Davies, work with us on our lesson plans and team teach with staff. Year Five and Six have also had workshops with the police, giving them lots of useful advice on keeping themselves safe online.

FREE ONLINE WORKSHOP
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE ONLINE, CHECK OUT THIS ONLINE WORKSHOP FROM MYLENE KLASS https://info.nationalonlinesafety.com/free-parents-course

Everything is in place for Year Five

Our Year Five children (above) have been working hard on their additive reasoning in Maths. Year Five teacher, Amanda Taylor, gives a quick update: "We've been using manipulatives to support with formal written methods of subtraction and additions." Go, Year Five.

Reception - the story so far ...

The little learners have been writing letters, measuring and comparing their heights, riding the bus in the outdoor classroom, wrestling the odd dinosaur. It's been non-stop .... We caught up with Reception teacher, Tracy Dale, to ask her how they are doing: "We are so pleased with how everyone has settled in. They come into school with a big smile everyday and slipped into our Reception routines with ease. We started the term by working on the book 'The Colour Monster Starts School,' this helped the children explore their feelings about starting school.

Our topic is 'Ourselves'. We have been learning about the parts of our body and were lucky enough to have a real skeleton to investigate and in RE we are finding out what makes us unique. Phonics lessons see us starting to use the sounds we have learned to begin reading and spelling. PE is always a highlight. We are still working on dressing and undressing - buttons can be really tricky, but we are doing so well. Billy and Bobby bear are still going to visit our children in a new, flat, easy-to-clean version. Finding out who is taking the bear home for a sleepover always causes great excitement." We'll keep you posted on their learning journey.