WC - 23.3.26

It was wonderful to meet so many of you on Monday and to have the opportunity to celebrate the children and their achievements in year 5 so far! 

This week has been a short but busy one. In PE, we had our final ballet lesson, channelling our inner divas to become the Queen of Hearts! We have really enjoyed this topic, but we are also looking forward to swimming starting after half-term! In maths, we have continued our learning on percentages – making connections with fractions and decimals and ending on finding percentages of amount. This will continue after the Easter break. In art, we created Easter/Spring themed cards for the special people in our lives (we used cotton buds to create the layer for effect with the silhouette of bunnies and a gem for the tail). This week also marked anti-racism week, in which we showed racism the 'red card'. We engaged in a range of activities linked with this important but challenging and upsetting topic. On Thursday we all participated in an immersive workshop and learnt a lot more about this important topic.

Our caterpillars have officially turned into chrysalises! We undertook the tense task of moving them from their pot to their new home - the net. It has been amazing to see so far!

As we draw the curtain on the end of the Spring term, we want to wish you all a wonderful, much deserved break. Roll on the final term, which is sure to be as amazing as the last!

Over the break we ask that you please ensure you get the correct equipment for the upcoming swimming lessons.

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis

WC - 16.3.26

​The term really is flying by! We have been working hard on our portal stories, in which we were transported via a board game to Pompeii on the day of the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius. We used a clip from the original 'Jumanji' movie to inspire our opening, and we included a range of figurative language to paint vivid pictures of what that terrible day would have been like. In maths, we have begun learning about percentages and have been incredibly successful so far! In computing, we created our scratch music codes for the horror genre. The children have really excelled in demonstrating their skills in coding (including loops) and understanding the impact of appropriate music for specific genres. In PE, we continued to delve into the story, and characters, of 'Alice in Wonderland'–we enjoyed becoming the Mad Hatter this week. We even had our comprehension on Alice in Wonderland this week too! Curiouser and curiouser!

We have been fortunate enough to have had some treats this week, the first being another exciting zoom (in which we met a variety of experts and had to guess their jobs); and the second was some folk singers, who came to perform for us! We sang along as a whole school, and we enjoyed the sense of togetherness that comes with singing as a group. 

Do not forget it is parents' consultations on Monday. We look forward to seeing you all to discuss your child's progress!

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis

WC - 9.3.26

We have worked very hard on their assessments this week. In addition to the assessments, we have had plenty of other exciting lessons. In PE, we continued our exciting new ballet topic 'Alice in Wonderland'. We became different characters participating in a caucus race (a race with no rule); we were introduced to the eaglet, turtle, rooster and caterpillar. Using our bodies and facial expressions, we embodied each character brilliantly! In music, we started our new 'Scratch Music' topic. We tinkered with the programme, creating some incredible music. Moving forward, we will be creating a soundtrack for the horror genre! In English, we have started to plan our portal stories, in which we will be transported to Pompeii on the day of the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. We watched a scene from the original Jumanji movie to inspire us, which created such enthusiasm for this big piece of writing. In DT, we learnt a brand-new skill – cross-stitching. With a growth mindset, patience and perseverance, we managed to create some fantastic bookmarks. Finally, we finished decorating our classroom doors with our space-themed limericks.

We have some very exciting events occurring next week, we will keep you posted!

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Hyett & Miss Dennis

 

WC - 2.3.26

It has been an incredible week in year 5!

We started the week with a surprising turn of events in assembly – all the adults' phones went off, and we received a mysterious voice note from an alien! The alien instructed us to help them find out as much about Earth as possible. After assembly, we returned to class to find a strange slime everywhere. Throughout the day, tiny alien figures appeared in a variety of places around the school. Some children thought they might be gifts from the aliens. As a year group, we decided to go to the computer suite to investigate further, and as a result we found out lots about our visitors.

Linking with our book week 'Space' theme and our mysterious visitors, we created some space-themed limericks and art. These creations will be used to decorate our classroom doors.

In maths, we continued our learning by subtracting decimals. This included us using dice to create questions and we wrote our answers on the tables! We had a lot of fun.

In science, we recapped the parts of a flower (with great success) and we discussed the different methods of pollination. The children have really flourished in this science topic. Further linking to our 'living things and their habitats' topic, we have been lucky enough to get caterpillars. We are looking forward to seeing their amazing metamorphosis in real life! We have some very amusing names for them, including Gleep Glorps.

In geography, we have been learning about the compelling story of a city frozen in time – Pompeii and the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. We have all been truly captivated by the incredible natural disaster. It has resulted in many questions and curiosity. 

In PE, we began our dance topic, which is linked to the 'Royal Ballet'. Our theme is 'Alice in Wonderland'. Using our bodies, we told the story through dance. Working in pairs, one person was the white rabbit and one person was Alice, and we fell into the rabbit hole! The children really embraced this new topic with an open mind, it was wonderful to see so many children volunteer to demonstrate.

To bring our exciting week to an end, we celebrated World Book Day. On this very exciting day, we were lucky enough to get to attend the 'Space Dome'. This unique experience allowed us to see the stars, planets and entire galaxy! 

Next week, we will be undertaking our spring assessments to show off how far we have come this year, so please enjoy a restful weekend to prepare!

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis

 

WC - 23.2.26

Welcome back, we hope you all had a lovely half term break! 

As we come to the end of the first week of Spring 2, we would like to reflect on the year so far and acknowledge how far the children have come. We could not be prouder of them; their continued efforts, curiosity, engagement and enthusiasm make teaching the most wonderful and rewarding job. 

In Grammar this week, we learnt about inverted commas by using pasta! In geography, we have been learning all about volcanoes, their features, where they are located and how they are formed. In maths, we have continued our learning on decimals (working up to three decimal places). Finally, in science, we learnt about the anatomy of a plant – by dissecting them! Some of the parts we found were the stigma, ovary, filament, anther and style. Aside from a few sneezes, we had an incredible lesson locating each part – the buzz in the room was electric!

Have a lovely weekend! 

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis

WC - 9.2.26

It is the final week before half-term and we are now officially halfway through the year! Can you believe it?

As always, it has been a busy one! We have been completing our writing assessment, which was a diary recount from the perspective of a child in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The children were able to call upon all of their senses to create some vivid imagery in their writing. In maths, we have been learning about decimal sequences and rounding decimals to 1dp and whole numbers (which is a great life skill when working with money). In PE, we continue to develop our handball skills and teamwork skills. 

On Tuesday, we participated in a really exciting Zoom call. The purpose was to expose the children to different jobs, providing them with an understanding of the different jobs available to them when they grow up; the theme was 'planning'. During this call, the children opened a 'golden envelope' to reveal a fun charade-style game. They also had to guess the jobs of three different experts. Many schools participated and one of our questions was selected to ask the experts! 

Did you know that it was 'International Day of Women and Girls in Science' day on Wednesday? To celebrate this, we learnt about a variety of inspirational female scientists. We were also introduced to our new 'Space Diaries', which hold a range of fun activities and link perfectly with our book week theme 'Space'.

We noted that some of the children found the maths homework a challenge last week. We will go through this together in class.

It has been a swift half-term, but a much-needed break is always welcome! We wish you all a lovely, restful holiday!

All the best,

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis

WC - 26.1.26

We have had such a busy week in year 5, beginning with an incredible day with 'Rock Kidz'. Teaching us about themes of kindness and the important message of not leaving others out, we all left the sessions having had so much fun and with huge smiles on our faces! Year 5 were even selected as the best singers and, as a result, get an extended break time!

We continued our learning on fractions this week, extending this to include decimals. We played a great loop game and timed ourselves to get quicker each time! In geography, we learnt about the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010. We will use this knowledge in our assessment writing next week. The children were equally curious and saddened by this terrible natural disaster. 

We wrapped the week up with number day, which is always an enjoyable day for all! We were able to use fractions in different ways, creating fraction art. In science, we were able to choose our own animal to create an interactive life-cycle! We loved learning about hippos, whales, koalas and many other animals!

We have had a fantastic week and are looking forward to our final week, before we enjoy a little rest and reset before Spring 2! 

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis

WC 26.1.26

Another busy week in year 5 is drawing to a close and, rather unbelievably, we are getting very close to the half-way point of the year! 

This week, we were lucky enough to have a PE lesson with Mrs Watkins from Debden Park, in which we learnt football skills and team work. We have been broadening our knowledge of fractions and subtracting with different denominators, as well as tackling word problems. Aspen were fortunate enough to have Mrs Holland join us for maths and she was blown away by their efforts! In geography, we have been learning all about 'earthquakes'. The children have been captivated by this fascinating natural disaster and have produced incredible explanation texts as a result. We managed to hold an in-class research lesson using our laptops. There was an incredible buzz throughout the room as we shared facts and ideas.

Wishing you a fabulous weekend.

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis.

WC - 20.1.26

First things first, a HUGE congratulations to the incredible Young Voices choir for an amazing night at the O2. The children sung their hearts out and could not have made the adults prouder. The arena was filled with joy! What an experience! 

In year 5 this week, we continued our fraction work in maths (and were lucky enough to play some maths games to consolidate our learning). We have started learning about earthquakes, we even replicated an earthquake drill! The children have demonstrated lots of interest in this topic and are showing themselves to be keen and curious geographers. In PE, we enjoyed a whole cohort session, in which we practised scoring goals in handball. When the weather improves, we look forward to taking our lessons outside. In art, we created some unique, abstract pieces that represent earthquakes. We used paint and string to create these unusual pieces of art.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis.

 

WC - 12.1.26

This week we have continued to push ourselves in our learning. In maths, we have moved on to equivalent fractions and ordering fractions with different denominators. It has been a real challenge, but we have used our growth mindsets and, as a result, we have improved each day. In geography, we have finished our incredible climate zone fact files and, WOW, they truly are fabulous! We have attached some photos for you to enjoy. This topic has really engaged the children and sparked their curiosity about the world around us. Next week, we are learning all about earthquakes!

In music, we have continued developing our recorder skills in 'classroom jazz' and in PE we have enjoyed starting to play some handball matches (it has been great to see the development of teamwork). 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis

WC - 8.1.26

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful break and enjoyed this lovely time of year with your family and friends.

We have really hit the ground running in year 5 and the children have shown great determination to be the best versions of themselves that they can be! 

In maths, we are learning about fractions, starting with finding fractions of an amount and fraction sequences. There is so much more to cover across this exciting topic. 

We have also become geographers this week, starting our new topic 'Earthquakes, Climate Zones and Volcanoes'. We kicked off by learning about different climate zones and biomes, for example, tropical, arid, mountainous and temperate. Next week, we will write fact files about a chosen biome and present them in creative ways. It really is a fascinating topic and the children have shown such curiosity already! This also links nicely with our new science topic 'Living Things and their Habitats', we spent this week's lesson learning about the life-cycle of a mammal (rabbit).

In PE, we have moved on to handball and look forward to playing games and improving our skills as the weeks progress. We are hoping to hold a staff v kids game later in the term. In music, we have moved onto our new topic 'Classroom Jazz', please see a picture below.

As we reach the end of the first week of Spring term, we would like to remind you all to continue to read as often as possible at home, as this really does benefit the children's fluency and comprehension skills. We would also like to remind you all that homework is sent out every Thursday and must be returned, completed, every Tuesday - this will commence again next week. Finally, we would like to remind you that as the temperature drops it is more important than ever to ensure the children have coats and any other suitable clothing to enable them to enjoy OPAL play and to ensure they stay warm and dry! 

We look forward to the term ahead, it's going to be a good one! 

Mrs Hyett and Miss Dennis