Year 6

It has been a very busy first week back and the Christmas holiday feels like a distant memory! 

In Maths this week, we have been busy with entrance exams, interviews, and taster days, so we haven’t had a full schedule of lessons. Nevertheless, we’ve covered some interesting topics, including learning about the parts of a circle, investigating the relationship between the circumference and diameter (more Pi, anyone?), and starting to explore how to calculate the area of a circle by understanding the origins of the formula Area = Pi x Radius². In English, we have read the first two chapters of our new class book Skellig. We have learned about the author, David Almond and discussed how an author's personal history can have an impact on their writing. We have also focussed on personification and using it within our writing to pique the reader's interest.

In Latin, we embarked on Chapter 2 of the Minimus Secundus text book and tackled a translation about the older brother Iulius joining the army. We were introduced to a third gender of nouns called neuter and were reminded about making sure nouns and adjectives agree in terms of gender and singular/plural. In Science, we began our new topic on light. We explored how light travels through different materials and how shadows are formed. We also investigated the factors that affect the shape and size of shadows, preparing for next week’s practical investigation.

Big news this week in Drama. After careful consideration, we have changed the Leavers' Production to 'I'm an 11-Year Old, Get Me Out of Here!'. We are all really excited about the new show and spent the lesson this week listening to the songs, familiarising ourselves with the characters and plot, and performed some short script excerpts. Finally, in Humanities, we have started our new Half-term topic, The Middle East. In Geography, we have been locating the key countries, rivers and mountains that form this fascinating area of the world. In History, we have started the course by focussing on the Islamic Golden Age, specifically the development of Baghdad in AD900. 

Have a great weekend! 

The Year 6 Newsletter Team 

Thursday 16th: 

• Oates afternoon: Please attend school wearing outdoor adventure clothing and be prepared for inclement weather. Please bring gloves.

• St John's Music-Making Day: St John's Music-Making Day (1:30pm-7:45pm). Invite only.