Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's News, Friday 15th January, 2021
Jan 15, 2021
15 January 2021
Dear Parents
The children and staff have impressed and inspired me with their enthusiasm, flexibility and positive approach to each lesson, both online and in school, this week. I would like to say a big thank you to all the parents who are supporting our efforts from home. Here is a snapshot of what the different year groups have been up to since the start of the Spring Term.
Nursery
The children in both Nursery and our Rising 3s have returned with great enthusiasm and ready to learn! On our return, we were lucky enough to have snow. We loved making patterns with our footprints, making snow angels and we loved working together to make a snowman on the all-weather pitch. The Nursery children have also got their creative juices flowing by creating a spectacular piece of group art which is now hanging proudly on our Nursery wall; we have also become totally engrossed in our new workshop area.
This week, we have focused on developing both our scissor skills and our hand & eye co-ordination. We are doing this in many ways, including snipping playdough, threading boards, and painting with pipettes.
Forest schooling with Miss Travis has also resumed this week so our children are back to what they love best: woodwork in the forest, making mud pies and exploring the world around them!
Pre-School
We were so pleased to see our Pre-Schoolers’ smiley faces after the Christmas break. We’ve had a busy start to the term following the children’s interests. The children have been making dens and castles with large boxes, and exploring the dark dens using torches. They have also shown a real interest in group work and have requested to play phonic games such as Alphabet Fishing and Scaredy Cats number counting game. We’ve also been playing board games; Snakes and Ladders is a favourite in Pre-School at the moment and the children are fantastic at taking turns with their friends. Well done Pre-School!
Reception
Our Reception children have made a great start to the new term both at home and in school. They have enjoyed finding out more about Winter, especially with the recent weather conditions. The children were excited to become scientists, carrying out an experiment to see how thick clothing helps to keep us warm. They wrapped cups of hot water in thick woolly material and thin material and predicted which would keep the water warm. The children at home showed us their cups and had thermometers at the ready! The children were excited to share their results with each other and to learn that the cup wrapped in the thin material cooled down the quickest. Well done, Reception!
Year 1
What a start to a new term! So many smiling, eager children at school AND online! In DT, we have started our new topic of 'Moving Pictures' by investigating books that have moving parts and by making slider mechanisms. We have made pretend passports and learned about the U.K. and India in geography. In history, we have started to learn about 'Heroes in History' by learning facts about Grace Darling. All this before we even mention the super maths and English we are doing too! We couldn't be happier with Year 1!
Year 2
The children in Year 2 are working incredibly hard. They have been learning about column addition and subtraction in maths. They have been writing expanded noun phrases in English as well as producing some fabulous poems about colours. Topic work is ‘The Victorians’, where we have been learning about the jobs children used to do. Did you know that children as young as 5 years old were sent out to work? Work might not have been fun but it was better than being in the workhouse! We have looked at pictures of the mills and the old workhouse that still stand in Preston; many of us recognised these buildings and drive past them on our way to school.
Year 3
This week has seen Year 3 start a new topic in science called ‘Light and Dark’. The children have been exploring the difference between night and day, looking at the sources that produce light and the objects that reflect it. We were amazed to discover the moon doesn't actually produce its own light, but in fact reflects the light received from the sun! We also summarised what the Ancient Greek legacy was and discussed the everyday items/events we inherited from them, including the Olympics, battle tactics and universities.
Year 4
It has been a busy time in Year 4 in this new term. Not only are the children working hard to achieve their ‘pen licence’ in handwriting lessons, they have also been deciding who they would give their Friend Awards to in PSHEE. In humanities, we are learning about the many different types of jobs there are and in HPSED we are researching news reports in order to create our own – I can’t wait to see the end result!
Year 5
This week in 5M, we have really enjoyed exploring our new science topic on ‘Space’. During our creative writing lessons on Monday, we invented our own fantasy planet. To describe this, we considered different forms of imagery, including similes, metaphors, personification and alliteration. We also considered our senses and feelings as we imagined stepping out of our spacecraft onto our new land. Later on in the week, in our science lesson, we created a mobile of our solar system at home and in school using lots of different materials. We thoroughly enjoyed bringing the solar system to life!
Year 6
Year 6 have had a fantastic start to term. We have started new topics in science and history on the human circulatory system and the ancient Egyptians. Both topics have provoked lots of interest from the children and resulted in some super work so far. Many of the children are also working super hard in preparation for the upcoming independent schools’ entrance exams. Good luck to everyone sitting an exam in the coming weeks.
HPSED
In HPSED, Year 6 adjusted their Dragons’ Den pitches to make them more suitable for an online presentation. They discussed how to make the most of visual aids and the adjustments they would have to make to the style of their presentation to make it more engaging for their online audience. They are developing essential skills for the future and impressing me with their mature and professional approach to this new situation. Year 5 had a read-through of this year’s Year 3&5 play, Pandora’s Box, which was very exciting. There are so many fantastic characters in this play and Year 5 enjoyed preparing a character to present to the rest of the class. We know we are going to have a lot of fun with this production! Year 3 are working on their ability to present poetry and prose to an audience. They will be using this skill when they join Year 5 in Pandora’s Box.
Artist and Composer of the Term
The artist of the term is Picasso and the composer of the term is Tchaikovsky. They will both be introduced during lessons and assemblies over the coming weeks. Please support this initiative from home.
Merit Awards
RB: George 1D: Aadam 2E: Arthur 2W: James
3D: Aamir 3M: Penny 4J: Naina 5M: Anoush 6H: Hasan 6P: Ibraheem
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
