Macaws Class
Class News Autumn Term 2025
12.9.25
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to another academic year! To say it has been a pleasure over the last two weeks settling in with your children would be an understatement. We have had a fantastic time together learning new routines and getting comfortable and familiar with the expectations in Lower Key Stage Two. This can be a daunting time but the children have absolutely risen to the challenge and they are a credit to you.
We are very pleased to welcome Mrs Smith to the Key Stage this year. Mrs Smith has previous experience of teaching at Lark Rise and has worked in a range of primary and secondary schools as a teacher. She will be providing internal cover for myself, Mrs True and Miss Qureshi and has got to know all of the children this week.
This week, the children have found out their English and Maths groupings for the year and we have wasted no time in starting our curriculum learning. In English, our key text is ‘The Firework-Maker’s Daughter’ by Philip Pullman: the children have met a character named Lila who we have already discovered is brave and adventurous! As the half term progresses, we will follow Lila on her adventures through the text and this will be supplemented by additional fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts to enrich the children’s reading experiences.
Our topic for this half term in Geography is ‘Which Way?’, where we will be embarking on an exciting journey using maps to explore different locations around the world. The children will be given the opportunity to use a variety of maps to develop their understanding of geographical locations and also learn new vocabulary such as ‘latitude, longitude, equator and prime meridian’. Throughout our learning, the children will learn to identify continents, countries and oceans. We hope that this topic will inspire a sense of adventure and curiosity in the children as they learn to navigate and understand our planet.
Finally, a couple of ‘thank you’ messages to all of you. Firstly, for ensuring that children are correctly equipped with the correct uniform, water bottles, PE kits and swimming bags so soon into the term and, secondly, for being particularly patient with us in these first few weeks at home while we get to know your faces so that we can dismiss the children safely. We really appreciate your patience with this.
Macaw of the week for the last two weeks is Oakley and Jackson. Our Handwriting Hero award has gone to Annabelle, Zak, Kiaan and Elsie.
Have a very well-deserved rest this weekend with your wonderful children.
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle and Miss Seaborn
26.9.25
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been another fantastic two weeks in Macaws Class; we are well into our curriculum now and the children are already making excellent progress. The learning behaviours that we developed in the first couple of weeks are still impressing all of the adults around school; well done to the children for keeping up these fantastic routines.
We are having a fantastic time in our music lessons this term, learning the upbeat and exciting song “Mamma Mia” by ABBA! The children have shown incredible enthusiasm and their singing has been full of energy and passion. We have started to play along with the melody on our glockenspiels and it really has been so lovely to see the children’s focus as they work hard to keep in time with the music. It’s safe to say we’ve got a class full of pop stars in the making!
In history, we began our learning on the Tudors which will be our History topic for Autumn term. The children received a letter from Priory Church with a family tree that had missing information. They had to work on filling in the missing information by using what they already know and researching. We then moved this learning on to look at King Henry VIII and what changes happened during his reign. We have now moved our learning on to look at Tudor dress and how their clothing is different to ours today. The children are truly fascinated by this topic and it has been wonderful to watch them engage so deeply with their learning.
Children have been enjoying their French lessons this half term. They have been developing their confidence in speaking French to each other and in front of the class. So far, children have learnt how to introduce themselves and describe how they are feeling. They have particularly enjoyed the actions that go along with these phrases! This week, the children have covered numbers to 10 in French and learnt to sing 'Frere Jacques' in a round. We were also fortunate enough to enjoy Mrs Francis' 'Language of the Term' assembly on Monday, where the chosen language was French and embedded lots of the skills the children have developed so far.
Macaw of the Week has been awarded to Willow and Kaylan. Handwriting Hero and Heroine has been awarded to Emily, Jemima, Bertie and George M.
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle and Miss Seaborn
10.10.2
Dear Parents and Carers,
This half term is certainly flying by! The children have continued to amaze me each and every day. It really has been a lovely first half term full of smiles! I especially enjoy watching the children demonstrate their excellent learning behaviours in everything they do.
In English, the children have been continuing to enjoy 'The Firework-Maker's Daughter' by Philip Pullman. They are very invested in the story of Lila, a young girl who is desperate to become a firework-maker. The children have enjoyed reading the text, using a mixture of strategies, and developing their reading comprehension skills through a range of activities to support this. Our writing outcomes have also been informed by this text and the additional supporting texts; so far, the children have written fantastic descriptions of Lila and persuasive letters to Lila to ensure she doesn't venture up the dangerous Mount Merapi!
This half term in Art, we are excited to be learning how to draw Tudor Portraits, linking nicely with our learning in History! The children started this unit by appraising Tudor portraits from the past. They then completed an artist study on Hans Holbein, a famous portrait artist who worked for King Henry VIII - I'm sure your child will love telling you all about him! Following this, they have been focusing on developing the skills needed to draw different facial features. Next week, the children will use these skills to draw a mock version of their Tudor portrait in preparation for their final piece. You will all get a chance to view these beautiful portraits toward the end of the Autumn term.
We are having a wonderful time in RE learning about the Journeys of Life in different world religions. The children explored how major milestones are celebrated, such as Baptism in Christianity, Bar Mitzvah in Judaism, and key ceremonies in Hinduism. The children have loved comparing these traditions and seeing how different communities mark these important moments. A big highlight has been using the chromebooks to design their own detailed presentation slides, and they are really keen to share all of their fantastic work and new knowledge with the rest of the class. It’s been so lovely to see the level of enthusiasm from the children when exploring different religions!
Well done to all children who were brave enough to put themselves forward for a role or responsibility in school this year. For some children, this is a very daunting prospect but I am so proud of every child who took the chance offered to them. The results will be announced very soon - good luck to all of those who are hopeful for a role this year.
Reminder:
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Homework this week will be set on Doodle Maths. Children’s log in details can be found within their planners.
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Homework for next Friday will be set on Doodle Spell.
Macaw of the Week has been awarded to Maddison and Bertie. Handwriting Hero and Heroine has been awarded to Theo.P, Theo.P, Izzy and Willow.
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle and Miss Seaborn
24.10.25
Dear Parents and Carers,
It feels impossible to think that we have already completed our first half term of the new academic year. It has been so wonderful to spend this term with your children getting to know them and having an amazing time learning. It has been jam packed with learning and I am confident the children will be eager to share their knowledge with you.
This term, the children have kick started their base class PE sessions with swimming. The children have settled into the new routine brilliantly, and we have been so impressed by how well they've taken to the lessons. It has been lovely to see the growing confidence in the water - they are all making great progress!
In PSHE, we have been looking at our relationships with people around us. We have focused on the people who are special to use and considered how sometimes we may face problems with those people. We have been exploring how best to handle different problems using scenarios and thinking about what we can do to work through them whilst maintaining positive relationships with others. The children have done a fantastic job at problem solving these scenarios and considering how to be kind and respectful when resolving issues with people around us.
This week, we were lucky enough to visit Dunstable Library - a fantastic local resource that I know lots of our children enjoy with you! The children had the chance to explore the children’s section and enjoy some books; many of them were asking about bringing the books with them. Although we couldn’t bring the books home, it was lovely of Dunstable Library to provide a goody bag for each child as they left the library.
In Computing this half term, children have been learning about computer networks. Children have learned about what a network is and the different elements that make a computer network. We have gone on a ‘network walk’ around school, identifying the different parts of our school’s network and thinking about how they communicate. We have also taken part in weekly online safety sessions to ensure children are constantly reminded about how to keep themselves safe online.
Homework for the half term has been set on Google Classroom and is based around Black History Month.
Macaw of the Week has been awarded to Blake and Kiaan. Handwriting Hero and Heroine has been awarded to Holly-Rose, Dhyanesh, Wren and Sophia.
Have a lovely weekend and happy half term!
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle and Miss Seaborn
14.11.25
Dear Parents and Carers,
In English, we have been exploring a range of poetry which was linked to Halloween and Bonfire Night. A highlight of this was the Witches’ Spell from Macbeth which the children then used as inspiration for their own poems in their writing. We are going to be moving on to our key fiction text for the half term, ‘One Christmas Wish’, by Katherine Rundell.
Last week, we had a ‘Gripping Yarns’ workshop from an external provider who has an established relationship with Lark Rise. He is an expert in providing PSHE-related workshops through storytelling; the theme of this workshop was around friendships. This linked very well to Anti-Bullying Week this week where the children enjoyed a live lesson, thinking about what bullying is and how we can use our power for good to stop bullying if we see it happening. We also reinforced this in the online safety section of our weekly computing lesson where we thought about what online bullying can look like and how we can stop it.
Our history lessons are currently navigating the turbulent waters of the Tudor period! We are shifting our focus from the royal court to the open seas as we investigate the famous (and infamous) Tudor explorers. We began by researching Christopher Columbus, examining his voyages and impact. This week, we focused on Sir John Hawkins. The children have shown great maturity in discussing the complex legacy of some of these figures. We have been learning that the things they 'achieved' were not always beneficial or moral; prompting us to think critically about historical perspective. Finally, next week we will continue sailing through to find out about Sir Francis Drake, which will lead us on nicely to look at the impact of the Tudor reign and whether it was a golden or shadow era!
Our Geography lessons are taking us on an exciting journey to explore the Wonders of the World! We kicked off the topic by introducing the children to the Seven Wonders of the World, discussing why they were built and their lasting historical and cultural significance. The level of engagement from children so far has been fantastic, and they have shown great curiosity about these amazing structures. We look forward to continuing our exploration and discovering more incredible natural and human-made wonders throughout the term.
Macaw of the Week has been awarded to Theo.P and Wren. Handwriting Hero and Heroine has been awarded to Haytham, Kaylan, Sara and Dollie.
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Baker
28.11.25
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been another lovely 2 weeks in Macaws class, filled with incredible learning opportunities that the children have grabbed with both hands.
The children have been fully engaged in our exciting Science topic this term, all about how living organisms depend on each other for energy. We have had fantastic discussions while exploring food chains, specifically looking at the effect of removing different animals and how this creates competition. The children have shown wonderful curiosity as we compared the skeletons of various animals, and we have begun to map out the body parts of the human digestive system. We are thrilled with the way the children have been listening and how keen they are to share their own knowledge and ideas - their enthusiasm is making this a brilliant unit!
In DT this half term we are focusing on food where we will be researching, designing, making and evaluating savory pinwheels. The children have spent time researching recipes, looking at key vocabulary and ingredients. They will be working in pairs to design and make their savory pinwheels where they will be choosing 2-3 ingredients to add to their base recipe. We are looking forward to seeing the children' s final products.
Last week, we celebrated Maths Week in school which was full of very exciting events. We had a fantastic assembly to kick off the week, led by Mrs Waterman and Mrs Shilvock. In our classrooms, we spent time doing a range of ‘Active Maths’ activities and creating our very own maths games. The highlight of the week was definitely watching the children play their games with the children in Owls and Robins on Friday afternoon. What lovely role models and teachers they all were towards the younger children!
Our Christmas rehearsals are well underway and the children are having a wonderful time learning lots of songs for our performance. We are loving their enthusiasm! At the risk of giving you any spoilers, if your child does want to practice further at home, the songs are from a production called ‘What on Earth is Christmas?’ and can be found as a playlist on some music streaming services, such as Spotify.
Just a reminder that next week is our Tudor Day where the children will be taking part in a range of activities to enrich their History learning from this term. We are very excited for the children to take part in these activities and any Tudor-themed dress up is encouraged!
Just a friendly reminder that homework is still being set on Doodle Learning. Last friday, spellings were set and this week it is maths. Thank you for your continued support with this. If you need any guidance please do not hesitate to ask.
Macaw of the Week has been awarded to Annabelle and Elsie, Handwriting Hero and Heroine has been awarded to Winter, Jackson, Theo.L and Luna.
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
12.12.25
Dear Parents and Carers,
What another wonderful two weeks it has been in Macaws class. The absolute highlight has got to have been the amazing Christmas performance at the DCC this week - I know you will all feel just as proud as I am of every single one of the children for their confidence, hard work and excellently polished performance on Wednesday evening. The children worked incredibly hard in school to prepare and I am so pleased the result showed this off! A big ‘thank you’ to all of you as well for supporting the children at home and ensuring they had all the right clothing and props in the right place at the right time! The event really was the highlight of the year so far for me.
However, learning has not stopped for the Christmas performance! We have continued our Computing learning with the children creating props for their Stop Motion videos - I am excited for the children to film the final products next week and put their onion-skinning skills into practice. We have some very ambitious and creative scenes that children have put together and I am looking forward to giving the children the chance to create their own animations.
In English, we have been finishing our key text ‘One Christmas Wish’. It isn’t a text I had read before this year and it has been absolutely lovely to enjoy; perhaps one to choose to re-read with your children at home over Christmas. It has a real heartwarming ending and the characters are all so loveable. We loved finding out whether Theo got his Christmas Wish in the story.
Next week, we will be finalising our end points for the term to complete the children’s learning and then spending some time creating some lovely Christmas crafts that they will bring home towards the end of the week. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your support throughout the first term of the year. It has absolutely flown by but I have had a wonderful time getting to know all of your children and look forward to continuing the year with them.
Macaw of the Week has been awarded to Jemima and Sophia. Handwriting Hero and Heroine have been awarded to Hatham, George.V, Ava and Oakley.
However you choose to spend the Christmas holiday, I hope your break with your children is filled with happiness, memory-making and joy. Have a wonderful and well-deserved rest. See you in 2026!
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
Class News Spring Term 2026
9.1.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
Happy new year and welcome back to what will be another lovely half term for both the children and staff! It has certainly been a cold start to the year. I definitely missed the children and their happy faces over the holidays so it has been lovely to see them all coming into school this week.
We would like to start this email off with a huge, huge thank you for your kindness and generosity at the end of the Christmas half term. We were all very spoiled by your gifts and heartfelt words. It really was very kind of all of you and we are very grateful.
This week, the children have been introduced to our new key text for the half term, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. There was great excitement when this was revealed in the key stage and children were very excited to share all of their existing knowledge about the story from experiences they have already had. We have started to read the book this week and explored the characters of the Dursleys: Harry's unkind aunt, uncle and cousin. We are excited to write diary entries from Harry's perspective about his life before he finds out some magical news!
In Geography this half term we are learning about the exciting topic 'European Neighbours'. Children have kicked off their learning this week by exploring the continent of Europe and thinking carefully about where it is on the globe. They have looked at a map of Europe and used atlases to locate countries and bodies of water in Europe. They will continue their learning next week by exploring capital cities of European countries.
Additionally, we have had a wonderful start to our new Science unit as the children begin to explore the world of Sound. So far, they have been investigating how sounds are produced through vibrations and the way these waves travel through different mediums to reach our ears . It has been lovely to see how incredibly keen the children are to dive into this topic; We are very much looking forward to continuing our journey as "Sound Scientists" and exploring how volume and pitch work!
Please see below the P.E slots for the children for the Spring term. Maths P.E slots:
Tuesday - Macaws Maths Class
Wednesday - Peacocks Maths Class
Thursday - Red Kites Maths Class
Base Class P.E slots:
Wednesday - Peacocks Base Class
Friday - Macaws and Red Kites Base Class
Homework:
Homework will be set on Doodle Spelling this Friday and due to be completed by Wednesday.
We hope the children have enjoyed their first week back to school and hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Before half term, Macaw of the week was Luna and our handwriting heros were Blake and Benjamin. Finally, this week our Macaw of the week went to Dhyan and our handwriting heroes are Bertie and Luna.
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clark, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
23.1.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
What a lovely couple of weeks we have had in Macaws! It certainly has been another couple of weeks full of learning! This week we have had the pleasure to speak with you about your child’s progress at parents evening.
This term in RE, we are learning about how faith is expressed in Sikhism. The children have thoroughly enjoyed investigating Sikh traditions and have done a fantastic job working collaboratively creating templates and posters on their chromebooks. It has been lovely to see them so eager to discuss their new knowledge, and we are very proud of the effort and teamwork they have displayed throughout the unit.
In history, we have continued our learning about the Ancient Greeks. The children so far have enjoyed looking at who the Ancient Greeks were, what artefacts tell us about Ancient Greece and what archaeological sites tell us about what life was like in Ancient Greece. Children have used some cross curricular skills to explore maps of Ancient Greece and explored images of pottery from the Ancient Greek time period. They are thoroughly enjoying this topic already and we are looking forward to continuing our History learning further throughout the term.
In art we have been learning about the famous Japanese artist Hokusai. He is famous for using the technique of printing to create beautiful images. The children started off their learning this week looking at what printing is as a technique and what resources they could use to print. We created an artist study in our sketchbooks to showcase our learning so far. Next week, we will be looking at colour theory and applying this throughout the rest of the topic.
Please see below the P.E slots for the children for the Spring term.
Maths P.E slots:
Tuesday - Macaws Maths Class
Wednesday - Peacocks Maths Class
Thursday - Red Kites Maths Class
Base Class P.E slots:
Wednesday - Peacocks Base Class
Friday - Macaws and Red Kites Base Class
Homework:
Homework will be set on Doodle Spelling this Friday and due to be completed by Wednesday. We hope the children have enjoyed their first week back to school and hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Macaw of the week for the last two weeks is Holly-Rose and Haytham. Finally, our handwriting heroes for the last two weeks are Kiaan, George, Elsie, Emily.
Have a lovely weekend and we look forward to seeing the children on Monday.
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clark, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
6.2.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
What a way to round up the week with none other than Macaws class assembly! The children all did an absolutely brilliant job delivering our class assembly. They all enjoyed helping with choosing the theme. The children all had a say in how they contributed to the assembly as well which made it even more special to watch. I am so proud of each and every one of them!
We have had some fantastic magic moments and enrichment this week. As you know, we had our Harry Potter day where the children thoroughly enjoyed a number of wonderful Harry Potter activities. Care of magical creatures was a firm favourite, where the children were able to interact with snakes! Throughout the morning, they enjoyed Potions, Wand Making and Ministry of Magic investigations. In the afternoon, children enjoyed History and Magic! On Wednesday, you may have heard that we were surprised to find a troll had stormed into school, leaving behind a trail of clues that will lead to the children's newspaper report writing in English. What an exciting week!
In art this week, the children explored printing techniques. They thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of exploration with no restrictions or rules. It was impressive to see what they all chose to create.
This term in Music, we have been diving into the world of Grime! We are currently studying the song Stop by Joanna Mangona, which is helping the children explore complex rhythms and flow. Throughout the term, the children will be collaborating to write their own rap verses, which they will then perform together as a Key Stage during our half-term Music assembly. We can’t wait to showcase their collective hard work and lyrical talent!
Please see below the P.E slots for the children for the Spring term.
Maths P.E slots:
Tuesday - Macaws Maths Class
Wednesday - Peacocks Maths Class
Thursday - Red Kites Maths Class
Base Class P.E slots:
Wednesday - Peacocks Base Class
Friday - Macaws and Red Kites Base Class
Homework:
Homework will be set on Doodle Spelling this Friday and due to be completed by Wednesday. We hope the children have enjoyed their first week back to school and hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Macaw of the week is Izzy. Finally, our handwriting heroes are Maddison and Jackson.
As always, have a lovely weekend and we look forward to seeing the children on Monday for the final week of this half term - where has that time gone?
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clark, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
27.2.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to the second half of the Spring term where the sunshine starts to creep through - warming us all up and making our days longer! We hope you all had a lovely half term with your children! This half term is full of more exciting learning which I am sure the children will be excited to share with you!
In Science this half term, we will be investigating the states of matter. We will be learning to identify the differences between solids, liquids, and gases and exploring how they behave. To help bring this to life, we will be completing some fun experiments throughout the half term to observe how materials change state. We are looking forward to a very practical and engaging series of lessons!
This half term, in geography, we will be looking at the UK and USA and making comparisons between the two. This week, the children started off with exploring the world map and identifying the location of both the UK and USA. They then looked at geographical facts of both countries. After this, they will look at the capital city of the USA in their next lesson.
In History, we will be continuing our topic of the Ancient Greeks. Over this half term, we will be exploring the myth of the Trojan Horse and acting as historians to gather evidence for and against whether the myth is true! We will also be introduced to Aesop and looking at a range of fables. Children will then look at a range of elements of daily life in Ancient Greece before putting all of their learning together in their own 'museum display'. On Friday next week (6th March), we have our Greek Day in school. Costumes are welcome for this day if children wish to wear them.
Homework:
This week, homework will be set on Doodle Spelling on Friday and will be due on Wednesday. Next week, homework will be set on Doodle Maths.
Macaw of the week for the final week of last half term was Theo Lee and for this week it is Emily.H. Finally, our handwriting heroes for the week before half term were Willow and Luna and for this week they are Haytham and Winter.
Have a lovely weekend and we look forward to seeing the children on Monday.
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clark, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
13.3.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
What an amazing couple of weeks we have had in Macaws class! I want to start with saying a huge thank you for supporting your children with two dress up days and taking the time to come up with some fantastic costumes for them. These were amazing enrichment opportunities for the children and they were made even more special by your hard work.
World Book Day was a lovely event and the children had lots of opportunities throughout the day to enjoy reading. The children could come to school dressed as their favourite book characters or cosy up in their PJ’s. It was such a joy to see so many of them participate. We started our day with a BookNic which was run and organised by our brilliant reading ambassadors. Then, to finish the celebrations off we had another Stop, Drop and Read. It was so lovely to have lots of you come in for this.
Our Greek day really was a WOW moment and a huge success. The children all enjoyed taking part in a range of activities in the morning such as mosaic making, democracy and a Greek themed escape room! In the afternoon, they enjoyed the olympic games and pottery decorating.
This half term in DT we are designing and making kites. The children started their learning off by evaluating existing products and learning about the history of kites. Then, they moved on to learn about the parts of a kite and their function. We are all looking forward to watching them design and make their kites over the next couple of weeks!
This term in Music, we have been busy listening to and appraising the classic hit "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers. We have been exploring the soulful sounds of the Gospel and Soul genres, discussing the song's powerful message of friendship and support. The children have shown fantastic enthusiasm so far, showing great rhythm during our listening sessions and sharing some very thoughtful insights into the lyrics. We are now beginning to find our singing voices and are very much looking forward to performing this together in our upcoming Music Assembly soon!
This week has been Science Week and the children have been thinking about the theme of asking questions. They were given free reign earlier this week with some resources and were tasked with asking and answering their own questions through practical enquiry. It was lovely to watch the children explore their own interests themselves and we had a lovely (and messy!) time.
Homework:
This week’s homework in English on Doodle Spell. It will be set on Friday 13th March and is due to be completed on Wednesday 18th March. Next week’s homework will be maths which will be set on Friday 20th March and due to be completed on Wednesday 25th March.
Macaws of the week for this week was Ava - well done, keep up the great work!
Our handwriting heroes are Theo.Pe and Blake- excellent work!
Have a lovely weekend and we look forward to seeing the children on Monday.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day for Sunday! I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clarke, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
27.3.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is the final week of our Spring term and I keep asking myself where the time has gone? But, I think it all comes down to the fond and familiar saying ‘time flies by when you’re having fun!’ I truly believe time has been flying by this academic year because we are all having so much fun in Lower Key Stage 2.
The children have had an opportunity in English to explore haiku poems this week. It has been extremely enjoyable looking at a ‘Guess Who’ style of haikus. The children enjoyed reading ‘Who’s in the Woods?’ haiku poetry books where they had to use their knowledge and what evidence they had to predict what animal the author of the poem was writing about. The children followed this on with choosing their own animal and having a go at writing their own animal haiku where they have thought carefully about clever descriptions so that the reader (me) can guess their animals!
In computing, we have been learning how to write code sequences using the software 'Turtle Academy'. The children have enjoyed learning about written code and what it can create as an outcome on their screens. They have had a go at getting the 'turtle' to write letters and numbers. Once confident with the rules of the code, they experimented with drawing shapes and investigating which parts of the code to change in order to make the shapes bigger or smaller.
The children have all enjoyed finishing up a range of learning in a variety of different subjects. In history, they created a museum as a class this week where they worked in groups to present information on each area of learning from our Ancient Greek topic. In Geography, the children created a persuasive presentation on why you should live in the UK or USA. Then, in R.E we looked at creating our own ‘ideal world’ and thinking about what that would look like to us whilst also applying what we have learnt about Christianity. Finally, in Science we have finished our learning on states of matter by completing some experiments linked to how the particles change.
There is a change to homework over the Easter holidays. The children have a chance to be creative with their homework which can be based on any of the learning they have done this term. Please see your child’s Google Classroom (Base Class) for more details. There will be no homework set on the Doodle learning platform. In order to continue to promote Times Tables, we will also be rewarding the base class in LKS2 that completes the most minutes on TTRockstars over the Easter holidays - keep those times tables rocking!
Finally a big well done to my lovely Macaws for winning the most Golden Tickets this half term and earning an extra play time! This was enjoyed this afternoon - what a lovely end of term treat!
We hope your children enjoy a well deserved rest over the holidays and look forward to seeing them all re energised! We appreciate your continued support and wish you all a lovely Easter half term.
Macaws of the week for the last two weeks are Winter and Sara- well done keep up the great work!
Handwriting heroes for the last two weeks are Dollie, Sophia, Theo.L and Blake - excellent work!
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clarke, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
Class News Summer Term 2026
8.5.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
What a fabulous couple of weeks we have already had in Lower Key Stage 2 this half term! So much learning has already taken place as you were able to see in the Book Look last week. Thank you for coming to see your child’s work and all the amazing learning they have completed this year! It is not over yet though as we still have many wonderful weeks left of the Summer term!
This term, we have been diving into the iconic song "Blackbird" by The Beatles. Beyond the melody, we have explored the song's historical roots, specifically its connection to the Civil Rights Movement and the inspiring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The children showed great maturity while discussing the importance of equality and the power of music as a message. On the practical side, we have just begun translating the song onto the glockenspiels. This week, the children learnt to play their first section. I am very impressed with their rhythm and focus. I look forward to seeing them develop their technique and build on this piece in the coming weeks!
This half term in Geography, we started our learning about 'Natural Phenomena'. We began by looking at the physical geography of the Earth and identified the layers of the Earth (crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, outer core and inner core). The children explored tectonic plates and where they are on a world map. This then led us on nicely to look at mountains and volcanoes. The children have been successful in identifying mountains and volcanoes around the world using their map reading skills.
In Science, we have been learning about electricity. So far, we have been looking at electrical safety and simple series circuits. We have even conducted our own experiment where we investigated what would happen to the brightness of a bulb if you kept adding more bulbs to a circuit.
This half term in RE, we have been learning about the religion of Islam and how Muslims worship in different ways. Children have been taught about the five pillars of Islam that are central to the Islamic faith. They have also learnt about the Qu’ran and how Muslims prepare for and take part in prayer as part of their religion.
Finally, we had a live lesson with Liz Pichon, the author of the famous Tom Gates books. The children thoroughly enjoyed this event and all the activities that were part of it!
Homework:
Last week's homework was set on Doodle Spellings. It was set on 1.5.26 and due 6.5.26. This week’s homework will be set today (8.5.26) on Doodle Maths and due on 13.5.26.
Macaws of the week for the last two weeks are George.V and Sara - well done, keep up the great work!
Handwriting heroes are Annabelle, Izzy, George.M and Theo.Pe - excellent work!
I hope you have a lovely weekend and we are looking forward to seeing the children again next week!
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clarke, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
22.5.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
The Year 4 children will be completing their Multiplication Tables Check in the first two weeks after half term. As we approach this check, the children have continued to amaze us with their focus and fierce determination to ensure their fluency is as strong as it can be. Please look at your emails if you have a child in Year 4 for details of some times table activities that have been sent home and will be very highly rewarded if they are brought back to school completed.
We rounded off our Geography unit this week by thinking about the positives and negatives of living near a volcano and the children had to develop their own persuasive posters to convince me to live near a volcano - or not! There were some very convincing arguments both ways and I am still considering my decision as to whether I make the move or not!
The children completed their Science learning this week with an electrifying activity. This activity took them outside to exploring the world of static electricity and learning how this invisible force can move objects without even touching them! We kicked off our learning with an active game of Circuit Tag, where students took on the roles of a ‘Battery’, ‘Bulb’, and running ‘Electrons’ to see how open and closed switches affect a circuit loop. After learning that everything is made of atoms and that rubbing materials together allows one to steal electrons to create a static charge imbalance, students balloons to generate friction. They then used that static charge to magically lift light leaves or grass blades and make them move completely hands free!
We finished off this half term with the exciting ‘Break the Rules Day’. It was lovely to see the children take part in this. Thank you for helping to raise money for our school!
Homework:
Last week's homework was set on Doodle Spellings. It was set on 15.5.26 and due 20.5.26. This week’s homework will be set today (22.5.26) on Doodle Maths and due after half term on 3.6.26.
Macaws of the week for the last two weeks are Sara and Benjamin - well done, keep up the great work!
Handwriting heroes are Winter, Sophia, Willow and Jemima - excellent work!
Finally, I would like to wish you a wonderful half term break and we look forward to welcoming back the children for the final half term of the year!
Happy half term everyone.
Best wishes,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clarke, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
12.6.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to the final term of the 25/26 academic year. I can not quite believe we are at this stage of the year already! The Lark Rise calendar is already buzzing with exciting events so please remember to keep an eye on the fortnightly newsletter and your emails. There will be lots of opportunities over this half term for children to be supported with transitions into the next academic year. So far, we have had two transition events which saw our wonderful Year 4 children visit Upper Key Stage 2 and our Year 3 children welcomed the current Year 2 children into Lower Key Stage 2!
This half term in R.E we have begun to look at, ‘What is the ‘Trinity’ and why is it important for Christians?’ Our first lesson was centered around the importance of water in our daily life and the importance of water to Christians. The children had an opportunity to reflect on their prior learning and throughout the lesson they were presented with many opportunities to build on this further. This learning continued on this week and we took a look at the story of Jesus’ baptism and the meaning behind the story in the bible: Matthew ch3 v 13-17.
This term in music, we have been diving into our exciting new unit, 'Reflect, Rewind and Replay'! The children have been looking back at the songs and musical heroes they have previously explored, while also discovering the wonderful world of Western classical music. They are working hard towards playing a special musical composition based on this style. As part of our learning, we have also re-explored the incredible percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and discussed why her impact on the music world is so unique and important. The children have shown fantastic enthusiasm, and it has been great to see their musical confidence grow so much already.
A huge 'well done' to all of the Year 4 children who have successfully completed their Multiplication Tables Check since returning to school after half term. We are so proud of how hard the children have worked all year and they have all performed fantastically well. The children's results will be sent to you in their annual school report but we are very proud of every child for all their hard work. Thank you for your continued support with this and encouragement to practice times tables at home.
This half term in Geography, we are thinking about the question 'How does the climate around the world affect land use?' Children have looked at a range of plants from around the world, where they grow and why. They have also looked at the concept of biomes and why we can find similar plants in different areas across the world. This learning will progress and also link to our sustainability curriculum.
Homework:
This week's homework was set on Doodle Maths. It will be set today (12.6.26) and is due 17.6.26. Next week’s homework will be set on 19.6.26 on Doodle Spell and due on 24.6.26.
Macaws of the week is Annabelle - well done, keep up the great work!
Hand writing heroes are Haytham and Emily - excellent work!
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clarke, Mrs Seaborn and Mrs Sworka
26.6.26
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week it has certainly been hot, hot, hot! Thank you for everyone's support with the amendments to the school day. Please remember to apply sunscreen to your children before they come to school and ensure they have a water bottle which they will keep with them throughout the day and sunhat for when they are outside. Remember to keep a close eye on your emails for any updated information.
In DT this half term, we are going to be researching, designing, making, and evaluating bridges. So far, the children have thoroughly enjoyed researching bridges and looking at their design features in detail. They have spent time looking closely at the different types of structures including beam, arch, truss, suspension, and cable-stayed bridges, and in groups, have selected the bridge type they would like to design and make with their chosen team mates. This week, the children also spent time researching a famous real-world bridge, creating some wonderful Canva posters to showcase their findings.
In our History lessons, we have been continuing our fascinating journey with the Romans. Recently, the children have been working collaboratively in groups to explore a whole range of different Roman achievements. Together, they investigated: How these brilliant ancient innovations and engineering feats were built, the long-term impact they have had on our world today and whether these achievements should still be considered significant in modern times. It was lovely to watch the children collaborate so beautifully, sharing ideas and enthusiastically finding out the information together. They showed fantastic teamwork skills.
We have also been thinking about transition this half term and the children have taken part in a number of activities related to this. They have been visiting different adults and classrooms in their key stages for next year, alongside the other year groups of children they will be with. Mrs Lang also delivered a wonderful assembly this week where the children thought about all the different emotions that can come with changes in life. Thank you to all parents that have attended the online transition meetings this week, whether your child will be staying in LKS2 or transitioning to UKS2 in September.
Homework:
This week's homework was set on Doodle Maths. It will be set today (24.6.26) and is due 1.7.26. Next week’s homework will be set on 3.7.26 on Doodle Spell and due on 8.7.26.
Macaw of the week is George.M - well done, keep up the great work!
Handwriting heroes are Wren and Annabelle - excellent work!
Thank you,
Mrs Bilenkyj, Miss Skingle, Miss Clarke, Miss Seaborn and Mrs Sworka