N'hamptonshire

Week ending 9th July.

On Tuesday, Northamptonshire took part in the Sports Day Jumping event.  Undeterred by the rain, we all went along to support our teams.  Following the jumps, the winning team is currently Asia, but more events are taking place next week, so all of that could change.  

In science we have had a special focus on trees.  We went outside and chose a tree to study, including taking a rubbing of the leaf and measuring the circumference of the trunk.  All the children were able to correctly identify their trees!  Perhaps they could point a few out to you over the weekend.

Our maths topic this week and next is the all important subject of time.  The children have all done really well with telling the time to the hour and thinking about why knowing how to tell the time is important.  Next week we will move onto 'half past'. 

We have our last forest school session next week, so please remember their long trousers and long sleeved tops so that we can avoid stings and rashes. 

We will see the children on Tuesday, after Monday's Inset Day.

Week ending 2nd July

Northamptonshire have spent this week immersed in money.  In our maths lessons we have been learning the value of all the British coins and how we can make equal amounts.  The children have also had to buy their own fruit snack and milk each day - using plastic money of course!

The class had the opportunity to take part in the STEM Careers Fair that was taking place across the school.  We received a letter from a doctor telling us about their job, how they trained for it and the subjects that they focused on in school.  The children had many questions that they wanted to ask about being a doctor, so we are now writing back to them to find out the answers.

In science this week we have been learning about the different parts of the plant - with a focus on roots and comparing the different types.  They loved having a good look at real, muddy roots using the magnifying glass.

The class are still enjoying our text this term, 'The Bee Who Spoke'.  This week they have pretended that they are the main character Belle, and wrote in her journal of their astonishment at meeting a talking bee.  

Forest school was again great fun, with some serious learning on fire-lighting and less serious on making mud pies.  It is a real highlight of the week for the whole class. I think you will enjoy the photos.

Finn and Archie were our Discovery Centre Ambassadors this week and chose two lovely books to share with the class.  

Week ending 25th June.

Forest school is back!  Northamptonshire were delighted to be off to forest school on Thursday for some serious den building.  It is an excellent opportunity to develop their skills in teamwork and think about their natural surroundings.  We will continue with forest school every Thursday until the end of term and children should bring in long trousers and long-sleeved tops for protection.

Next week in maths we are learning how to identify coins and use them to make larger amounts.  It would give the children a good starting point if you could show them some of the coins that you have in your purse or pocket and discuss the different values.

I'm sure the children will tell you that our caterpillars have now become chrysalides. We may even have some butterflies towards the end of next week...

Our Discover Centre Ambassadors this week were Faith and Rhys, who selected some lovely books for the class to read.  Tallulah was our Head's Hero for her excellent presentation and effort across all subjects.  Well done Tallulah!

Week ending 18th June.

There has been great excitement in the classroom this week, because we have 5 visitors in the form of baby caterpillars.  They will be staying will us until they become butterflies, when we will be releasing them into the beautiful, flower-filled Sanctuary.  The warm weather means they are growing visibly everyday and are giving plenty of opportunity for observing the changes.

In history this week, we have been exploring how Victorian houses are different to more modern houses. We saw photos of Victorian houses in and around Southborough. We looked at key features such as how kitchens have changed and how they lived without electricity.  We also noticed that there were no garages and narrow roads, because cars were only invented near the end of the Victorian era.  This led us to think about all the things we take for granted today, that would not have been available to the Victorians. 

Our focus on Southborough has continued in geography, when we have been exploring some of the main features of where we live. The children were very knowledgeable of the local area and generated a long list of features from buildings, shops and parks.  The children then drew a pictures of an important place in Southborough which included the fire station, the new hub and of course our school, to name but a few. 

Our Head's Hero this week is Martha for showing impressive perseverance and effort across all subjects. Well done Martha!

Week ending 11th June

Northamptonshire started Term 6 by unwrapping their new text: The Bee Who Spoke: The Wonderful World of Belle and the Bee.   This story is about Belle, a Parisian girl who goes on holiday to the countryside and is eager to explore on her new bicycle. The children are already enjoying this book and we look forward to it inspiring some wonderful writing.  The text links to our science topic this term which is plants and insects.  We took advantage of the lovely weather and went on a Summer Safari to see if we could find flowers, insects and especially bees.  I'm pleased to say we found plenty.

We also had a special lesson on Friday afternoon when we joined a national, live science talk about the first attempts to explore the Moon.  The highlight of the lesson was certainly seeing the large number of failed rocket launches and impressive explosions - and most of all the perseverance of the scientists and engineers who eventually launched the successful Saturn 5 mission.  

In history this term we are looking at the local history of Southborough and finding out how we can use different sources of evidence, such as old pictures and local buildings.

In maths this week we have been learning about quarter and half turns and directional language, including above, below and diagonal.  The class did very well with remembering which was their left and their right. We also learnt how to identify and sort odd and even numbers. 

Next week we will be reaching an important milestone - counting to 100 (and beyond)! 

Left to right top row: Mrs Large (Herefordshire Class Teacher), Mr Levett (P.E Specialist and Herefordshire Class Teacher Wednesday AM) 

Left to right bottom row: Miss Beasley (Year 1 Lead and Gloucestershire Class Teacher), Mrs Clements (Art Specialist), Mrs Bentham (Northamptonshire Class Teacher Wednesday - Friday), Mrs McGinley (Northamptonshire Class Teacher Monday, Tuesday and Thursday PM)