Hawks Class
Class News Autumn Term 2023
15.9.2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to a new academic year! I hope you all had a lovely summer break with your children - they have certainly had lots of lovely stories to tell of their summer adventures. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know your children as they have settled in over the last two weeks. We spent lots of time together last week and this fantastic start has fed well into this week where our English, Maths and foundation learning has truly taken off! It has been an amazing start to the year and has made me extremely excited for what is to come. It has been great to see the children coming into the classrooms well prepared for their learning. We would also appreciate all children having a whiteboard pen, green biro and glue stick to hand for each lesson; if children have run out of any of these basic pieces of equipment, they can be bought from Mrs Francis’ ‘shop’ at very competitive prices!
In Science this half term, the children will be learning about light. We started our topic this week by recapping previous learning and thinking about vocabulary that we already know. The children then moved on to thinking about light as a form of energy made up of particles and the fact that light can only travel in straight lines. This will form the basis of our first investigation next week where the children will build periscopes!
In Geography this half term, children will be looking at what natural resources are and why they are so important. This week, children have looked at different natural resources found in Britain. We researched how these resources are obtained and used with the children providing some excellent ideas during our class discussions. Children then applied this knowledge to complete their own cross section diagrams showing the different types of land use in Britain. They have created some fantastic pieces of work, using diagrams and labels to show a clear understanding of the learning outcomes.
History this half-term will see us exploring the world of the Anglo-Saxons. We began this week by thinking about the terms ‘settlers’ and ‘invaders’ and why our island was so appealing to many tribes from across Europe when the Romans left. Our geography skills came to the fore as we mapped the routes these tribes took and where the settlements were established. Our future learning will allow us to consider what life was like for Anglo-Saxon families, including how crime and punishment was viewed.
Homework will be set this week – in a change from Lower Key Stage Two, children will be set homework in both English and Mathematics each week (further details will be written in planners so you are aware of the learning platforms children should use for homework).
Hawk of the Week has been awarded to Eliza and Finley. Handwriting Hero and Handwriting Heroine have been awarded to Belu and Brooke.
Mrs True and Mrs Dundon
29.9.2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been another great two weeks in Hawks Class. Mrs Lang and Mrs Hartley have been busy visiting lessons around school; to say they have been impressed would be an understatement! They have commented on how well the children are settled into routines and how well they meet the high expectations we have for them. Well done children - let’s keep up the hard work after such a strong start to the year.
In MFL (Modern Foreign Languages), all the children have enthusiastically taken part in our first few lessons of the term. Some great phonics learning has taken place, as well as reviewing our classroom instructions and how to have a little conversation to check in on how we are all feeling. You’ll be pleased to hear that lots of ‘Très bien merci’ could be heard ringing through Eagles classroom. Dictionary skills have also been put to the test and children are learning to be able to name different items of clothing. An excellent start to our year of French learning!
This half term in Art we are studying the work of Antoni Gaudi. We have looked at who Gaudi was and some of his most famous work, before the children conducted independent research to produce an artist study page in their sketchbook- these look great! This week, children have looked at natural forms, something that Gaudi used in his own work and have sketched some examples using shells, dried flowers and pine cones for inspiration. Over the next few weeks, children will be practising the trencadis technique- a mosaic technique used by Gaudi in his own work and commonly found in Barcelona. Children will then use these taught skills to re-design the UKS2 building in the style of Gaudi! We can't wait to see the outcomes!
In Music this half term, we have been learning the rock song, 'Living on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi. Once the children had recovered from the shock of some of the fashion choices and hairstyles of the era, we moved on to learn to sing the song - and what great rock stars they all are! Over the last two weeks, we have been learning to play the melody of the chorus on the glockenspiels: a tricky piece of music involving tied notes, dotted notes and some tricky rhythms. The children's progress has been amazing and it is lovely to hear a few of them singing or humming the song around the key stage. We have also brought our music assembly learning into the classroom and thought about the timbre of music and our Musical Hero of the half term: Stevie Wonder.
As always, I wish you all a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing the children again on Monday. Hawk of the Week has been awarded to Sharon.
Mrs True and Mrs Dundon
13.10.2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been lovely to see so many of you this week. Thank you so much for your continued support with your child’s learning by attending the Learning Review Meetings yesterday. It means so much to us that we work together for your children to ensure they remain happy and continue to make progress in school. It is always an enjoyable experience talking to you about how well they have settled in. They really have done you proud this half term! I also very much enjoyed seeing so many of you this morning at our fantastic class assembly. I was blown away at the children’s determination to learn lines and get into the spirit of performance. Needless to say, the final performance was not a disappointment. I hope that you could see what a wonderful class Hawks are and how lucky I am to have such a vibrant and fun group of children to care for each day!
We wanted to say well done to all the children in both Year 5 and Year 6, who undertook some assessments this week in SPaG, Reading and Mathematics. They have shown great determination and resilience, doing their best to show off their learning. These are the first of several assessments the children will take throughout the year and, as teachers, we have emphasised that these are starting points for us to understand areas of strength, as well as areas to work on together in our core learning.
In History, we have been continuing our exploration of Anglo-Saxons. We have all thoroughly enjoyed learning about crime and punishment in these times, especially finding out about the different ordeals that were offered as a way of proving guilt or innocence. If you mention the cold water, hot water or iron bar ordeal to your child, I’m sure they will be more than happy to fill you in on the gory details! Alongside this learning, we have also been looking at Anglo-Saxon settlements and understanding what life would have looked like in a typical village. To round our learning off, we will be undertaking an ‘interview’ in the guise of an Anglo-Saxon; I’m sure the children will have lots of information to relay in their discussions.
In English next week, we will be completing our final piece of writing for this half term: a non-fiction piece about the apartheid. The children have become extremely passionate about this topic since reading Journey to Jo'Burg and the range of enriching texts that link to the topic so we are extremely excited to see their knowledge showcased through their writing. The children's writing assessment books are their pride and joy; the first two pieces of writing are amazing and really show what a strong start to the year the children have had.
With one week left before half term, I would like to wish you all a fun-filled and relaxing break where you can enjoy some quality time with your amazing children. This half term has whizzed by and the children definitely deserve a rest - time flies when you’re having fun!
Hawk of the Week has been awarded to Brooke. Handwriting Hero and Heroine are awarded to Mia and Bradley.
Mrs True and Mrs Dundon
3.11.2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been lovely to welcome the children back to school this week. They have all got lovely tales of their half term fun and they are ready to go with another half term of learning. We have wasted no time in picking up where we left off!
In Geography this half term, we are learning about biomes and climate. This week children have looked at what biomes are and have labelled world maps to show where biomes are found across the globe. Over the next few weeks we will be exploring the climate, animal and plant population of each ecosystem.Children will also research how plants and animals adapt to their environment and then learn about how climate change is affecting these world areas. To finalise this topic, children will write a persuasive and informative text about the importance of protecting our biomes. We can’t wait to see these outcomes!
In Science, we will be moving on to a new topic of electricity! This will allow the children to build on their learning from Lower Key Stage Two and also develop their investigation skills. We will begin by looking at how we can test electrical equipment before moving on to the concepts of voltage and current. The children will use practical equipment to investigate a range of electricity concepts and also develop their knowledge of circuit diagrams. By the end of the half term, they should be experts in putting up those Christmas lights!
Our History topic this half-term is ‘The Atlantic Slave Trade’ and we began the topic by listening to some evocative slave songs and then considering the definition of a slave. We thought about the fact that slavery has existed throughout history in many different cultures, looking at primary sources from Ancient Greece and Rome. Children were then presented with a series of pictures taken from the time of the Atlantic Slave Trade and, thinking like historians, we considered what we could see in the pictures, what might be happening and what questions we had arising from the pictures. Children were really engaged in their learning and are very keen to learn more about this important topic.
As part of our activities for Maths Week (13-20th November), we are inviting children to come in dressed as a rockstar on Monday 20th November. Costumes can be as simple as a pair of jeans and a coloured t shirt. Children will then be performing a rocking times table song in our whole-school assembly.
I hope you have a lovely weekend. Autumn is most definitely here so I hope you manage to wrap up and get outside!
Hawk of the Week has been awarded to Bertie. Handwriting Hero and Heroine go to Logan and Isla.
Mrs True and Mrs Dundon
17.11.2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
We have had another exciting two weeks in Hawks Class.
In Design Technology this half-term, children are developing their sewing skills to create an Anglo-Saxon drawstring bag. So far, children have researched and evaluated different types of bags, thinking about how these bags have been constructed, what materials have been used to create them and if they are purposeful. Children have then put their sewing skills into practise by creating running stitches and overstitches. They have been very resilient with threading a needle and improving their stitching. We are excited to see their final designs!
In English this half-term, we have been really enjoying reading our new novel: Skellig. It is one of those fantastic books that makes you smile, wonder, feel your heart strings being tugged and moves the reader from fantasy to reality over the space of one chapter (you can tell this is one of the teachers’ firm favourites!). Children have been very engaged with the book and have produced a fantastic piece of monologue writing based on the thoughts of one of the main characters, Michael. Our next piece of writing is based on the question: Should children be home schooled? We look forward to exploring our thoughts about this topic to produce a persuasive text.
In Music, we have started to get into the festive mood! We began the half term by exploring a range of Christmas adverts and thought about how music has been used to help tell the story of the advert. This was a great way to explore the vocabulary that we have been working on this year in music such as pitch, tempo, dynamics and timbre. We have focused on one particular John Lewis advert: The Bear and the Hare. The children haven't watched the advert with the music (so they don't spoil the surprise) but are working in groups to create their own compositions to be part of the advert. The children have really enjoyed exploring a range of the percussion instruments; I look forward to hearing the final products!
Thank you to those parents/carers who were able to join Mrs True and Mrs Francis for the SATs preparation meeting last night. We hope the discussion was helpful and answered any questions that arose – we are always happy to help with any further questions you may have. In relation to the SATs, children in Year Six have been issued with homework books to help with consolidation of topics learned. Each week, they will be given two pieces of homework, ranging from Reading, SPaG or Mathematics, and these will be reviewed in lessons on Thursday morning.
Hawk of the Week has been awarded to Antony. Handwriting Hero and Heroine this week are Bradley and Chloe.
Mrs True and Mrs Dundon
1.12.2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is certainly feeling wintery now the weather has turned! I am pleased to see so many hats, scarves, gloves and coats coming into school to keep the children warm.
In Geography we have continued to study biomes and climate. Children have looked closely at different biomes, thinking about the climate, flora and fauna (plants and animals). They worked together to produce A3 posters, each focusing on a different biome including rainforests, tundras and deserts. We then focused on the three types of forest biome: temperate forest, rainforest and taiga. Children used fact sheets to create an information table, showcasing their learning. This week, we have focused on deserts and tundras. Children have produced travel style brochures focusing on one of these biomes, thinking about how the location of these biomes, their climates and how the flora and fauna have adapted to suit the environment. Over the next couple of weeks children will be producing a persuasive text about the importance of protecting biomes.
The children have continued to explore their new topic of electricity in Science. They had the opportunity to embed their knowledge of the 'fair test' enquiry type last week by figuring out that we could only change one element of a circuit at a time to test whether equipment was working or faulty. The children had great fun exploring a range of equipment. This week, they have extended their learning by considering the relationship between voltage and current within a circuit. The children will extend this knowledge in the coming weeks by exploring the role of resistors within a circuit.
You may have heard the children coming home this week singing or humming some lovely tunes. We have, excitingly, started rehearsals for our Christmas performance this week. The children have all got really stuck in to learning new songs, which we will continue to go through with them next week, ready to be performed in the Key Stage Two performance in a couple of weeks’ time. This is one of my favourite times of the year to be in school; I am sure you are extremely excited to see and hear the final performance.
Hawk of the Week has been awarded to Antony. Handwriting Hero and Heroine go to Cody and Brooke.
Mrs True and Mrs Dundon