Class News

Autumn Term

25/10/24

What an end to the half term! Awesome Eagle Owls have a fabulous week this week. In English, the children have continued to channel their inner Anne Frank and hone the skills they have learned in their ‘hot write’ about Anne’s discovery. They have chosen a range of    media in order to produce this final piece of writing: handwriting in their books; typing through the Word programme and using their    Purple Mash account to use an Anne Frank diary template.

I was blown away by their writing, which we supported them with, last week. I am really looking forward to their independent writing this week. It has been lovely to see them engage with the video diaries and use these to inform their writing. I have seen many of the children really begin to take their writing more seriously and turn it up a level!

We have also been furthering our knowledge of Anne Frank’s faith. As revision from their learning in KS1 about the Jewish faith, the     children have been exploring and deepening their knowledge about a range of rituals, celebrations and day to day observations of the Jewish faith.

Our main event this week has to be our trip to Manor Farm in Hamble. What a day! All the children were a huge credit to you as parents and they represented the school  brilliantly. I was so proud to take them on this trip and I know that Mrs Griggs and Miss Beer felt the same. I would also like to further extend our thanks to Mrs Morford and Mrs Carey for supporting this trip and the children on it.

We all enjoyed all of the activities; from the farm tour and experiencing the animals (including the new-born lambs) to the code breaking experience in the church – I was blown away by the children’s’ code breaking skills – I think we have many prospective candidates for MI5 in the future, so watch out! I understand the school room was a  fabulous experience too and I look forward to Mrs Griggs and Miss Beer introducing some ‘new’ strategies to the Awesome Eagles!

On Thursday, Awesome Eagles were launched into our ‘Fund Raising Fortnight’. Mr Stangroom came and shared with us the message that had been shared with rest of the school. As a result of this, we had a practise run to ensure that we really know how to use the               orienteering programme. This ‘dry run’ has also had a WWII focus in order to test the children’s knowledge of WWII (which I already think is pretty good.)

Awesome Eagle Owls have had a fabulous first half term. What an amazing group of children! I know that I am looking forward to a break and a rest. I hope that you and yours will be able to regroup, rest and rejuvenate over the holidays. Plans are afoot for next term; I am really looking forward to them. I hope the children are too!

 

18/10/24

Week 7 in the Awesome Eagle Owls House and it has largely been about the diary writing and the science. We have thoroughly  enjoyed finding out more about Anne Frank and her family through her ‘video diaries’. We have also explored how to up-level our writing through using a range of sentence types. As we have written a practise version of a diary we have explored how to          incorporate these into our writing.

 

We have also been exploring our Science topic of electricity. Through this, we have investigated different types of switches that can be made with household items; the conductivity of different metals, finding that that some metals conduct electricity better than others. We have also investigated the impact of the length of wires in a circuit on the component it is powering. This will support us in our development of an early warning system for the Frank family.

 

We have also explored the Jewish faith. We know that Anne Frank and her family were Jewish, and we saw recently how the Nazi party treated the Jewish  people through the destruction of our own classroom. It has been important to learn about the faith and rituals that the Jewish people live.

 

Next week, we look forward to our trip to Manor Farm on Wednesday. Just a reminder that the children will need to be wearing appropriate clothing, including a waterproof coat and bring wellies in a plastic bag to wear around the farm. It should be a fantastic day. This visit will help to further enhance the children's’ learning about World War II.

 

11/10/24

Well this week has been a bit calmer for Eagle Owls after the excitement of last week. Despite this, we have not held back on our learning. In English and History, we have been delving into the life of Anne Frank: using extracts from her diary; clips from a serialisation of her diary; and an interview with her father, Otto Frank, on a Blue Peter episode from 1979. The children have been really engaged in learning about Anne’s life and have many questions over the names of the people who lived in the annex with her and her family as her diary and other sources have conflicting names.

We are using the diary to inspire our own writing and this week, we have explored writing to persuade, writing to inform and writing to entertain. I have been really impressed by the children's’ response to the different types of writing and subsequent reflection on this. As we move on, the children will be exploring different techniques to up-level their writing.

In other areas of learning, the children have developed their hockey skills and I can  really see them gaining control when practising their skills. When I spoke about their music lessons, there was an obvious cheer - they are clearly loving the samba drumming!

 

04/10/24

Well it has been another jam-packed week for Awesome Eagles! We kicked off the week with a visit from Richard Parsons, who led us in workshops about World War II. It was a fabulous day and the children learned a huge amount and had a great time. We were also excited to invite Willow Class from Micheldever to join us. During the day, the children experienced the air raid siren, collecting incendiary bombs, shopping with ration books and practising first aid. Everyone had a great day.

 

On Wednesday, we returned from break to find the classroom in total disarray! We had been raided by the Nazis and we unpicked the evidence of who could have done this and who they might have done this to. This has begun our learning surrounding Anne Frank, her family and her diary. I was bowled over by some of the knowledge that the children had, and also the questions that they had too.

 

The children have also begun to design and publish their recipes for our World War II recipe book which will be available to buy at our exhibition at the end of term. Through this, the children have explored seasonal foods that would have been available during the war and foods that people would have been able to grow in their own gardens, therefore avoiding the need to use their ration tokens.

 

I wish you all a restful weekend and look forward to more exciting learning next week!

 

27/09/24

It has been another action-packed week in Awesome Eagle Owls! We are have come to the end of a Maths unit and are getting ready to publish our first piece of writing in English – I have been so      impressed with the children’s creativity in their written work.  In preparation for publication, the      children have continued to finetune their typing skills

 

On Wednesday, the children were privileged to take part in an online climate conference with a range of schools across the county. During the conference the children were involved in a variety of workshops, thinking about what we can do to help make our world a better place. We started off by being introduced to a story called ‘The Crown’ by Emily Kapff. This tells the story of a child from the future who wears a crown of all the rubbish that us, her ancestors, have left behind. On a landfill pile, she discovers a book from our time, telling stories of nature and wonder. Throughout the morning, we explored climate problems faced in our world today and the small steps solutions that this generation can put into place to help combat the problems of climate change.

 

Although the morning was intensely screen led, the children loved the practical opportunities of discussion, but more importantly, the opportunity to design a maize farm which would offer farmers in Zambia protection from elephants entering the fields and stealing the crops. Through this activity, the children learned about a number of elephant deterrents and were able to use materials, both from the school resources and recycled materials, to design their ‘elephant safe’ farms.

 

I was so proud of all the children and how they presented in this capacity and their contributions, via me and the ‘chat’ feature, were well thought through and sensible. There were technical glitches and they coped with these and our ‘work arounds’ in a mature manner. Well done Awesome Eagles!

Next week, we are looking forward to diving further into our history project and starting new maths and English. I am really looking forward to the whole week but at the same time, cannot believe that we have reached the end of September. Have an amazing weekend and stay dry!

 

 

20/09/24

I can hardly believe that we have reached the end of week 3; time already seems to be flying by. The children are fully settled into the routine of Awesome Eagle Owls now and I really feel that I am getting to know the Year 5   children better.

 

Through our English lessons the children have been writing to persuade and instruct on how to make Woolton Pie and its benefits, in preparation for developing our own war time recipes We completed a bit of a ‘Masterchef’ challenge to design our own recipes– I really look forward to seeing what the children come up with! I know that some of them are keen to try cooking some of the recipes we have explored.

 

Our science lessons have led the children to explore electrical circuits; they have explored different components and how to represent these in a circuit diagram. The children have also considered safety when constructing a variety of circuits. We will be exploring this     further in order to help Anne Frank create a warning system for her family’s hiding place. Meanwhile, in history, we have begun to explore how and why the war began and the European countries involved, whether they were allies or not. We look forward to learning more!

 

Have a restful weekend and we look forward to another action packed week next week!

 

13/09/24

What a fabulous second week of the year Eagle Owls have had! The children are beginning to settle into a routine and are working well as a team. In our Jigsaw session on Tuesday, we thought about our hopes and aspirations for the year ahead, this was a really positive session and the children talked really openly about their hopes for the year ahead. I am looking forward to the children achieving these hope and dreams!

In English, we have been fine tuning our skills in the powers of persuasion and of instructional writing.  We are looking forward to beginning to explore and write our own recipes and persuading you all to cook them!

This week, we have explored artefacts and images from World War II. This has led to questions and speculation about various elements of the war and the children are looking forward to learning about these. The children were able to dress up and ‘have a go’ with some of the resources.

The children have also learned about a musician of the time: Czech composer and pianist; Gideon Klein; a Jewish man who was allowed to perform concerts in the concentration camp. They are also looking to their first lesson of Samba drumming!

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

06/09/24

What a fantastic first week back to school. It has been a pleasure to please to welcome Awesome Eagle Owls both new and old. Tuesday was spent unpicking clues to what our new topic is and identifying our topic question: How were families in Europe impacted by the events of World War II? It was lovely to see the children working together to solve problems.

 

We kicked off our learning about events in the war through our English lessons, learning about rationing during this time. This helped us understand what kinds of foods were freely available to people and the types of foods that people had to save their coupons for.

Following our learning about rationing, the children have been fabulous this week fine tuning their slicing, dicing and chopping skills to make a collective meal -Woolton pie. This was a recipe that was created during the war and named after the Earl of Woolton who was the Minister for Food during part of the war. There was a mixed response to this meal, some loved it while others were not so keen, but everyone contributed!

It has been a great week and I am really looking forward to working with the children throughout the course of this year. I wish everyone a restful and relaxing weekend.

 

19/07/24

Wow, what a week! Nobody can deny that Eagle Owl class whipped up a storm through their fantastic production of The Greatest Showman! Every single child blew me away with their performances. I know that Mrs Griggs, Miss Hillman, Mrs Tellett and myself are all so proud of them and I am sure you all are too!

This week the children have worked hard to complete their Victorian style toys. I have been so impressed with their teamwork and problem-solving strategies to ensure that their toy works smoothly. There have been groans of frustration followed by cheers of triumph. This project has really brought out true grit and determination in many of the children.

 

While I will be sad to say goodbye to our Y6 children when the time comes next week, it was a pleasure to meet the new Y5 children coming up on Thursday. We had a lovely morning spending time getting to know each other and what life will be like in Eagle Owls for them. We also had great fun exploring the best type of straw to send a message using a balloon rocket. The children worked brilliantly as teams and I am sure that they will live up to their newly adopted name ‘Awesome Eagles’!

 

As we approach the end of the school year, our Y6 children are planning their Leavers’ Service ready for Tuesday which I am sure will be another emotional event. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to teach all of your Year 6 children and they will all be missed in September. I wish every single one of them all the very best in their journey through secondary school and can’t wait to hear their experiences when they come back and visit us next year.

 

Finally, I wish you all a restful holiday and look forward to seeing those returning in September!

 

12/07/24

Time, seems to be running away from us as we draw nearer to the end of the year. This week, Eagle Owls have worked really hard to make scenery for the show and it all seems to be coming together! It is great to see the costumes come in and the   excitement building in the children.

The children have begun making toys using cams in DT and will finish these over the next few days. They have been very      creative with their designs and are thinking carefully about how they want their creatures to move.

On Thursday, we enjoyed a trip to the church. We learned a lot about the history of the church, which was built in the 10^th  century and the font is almost 1,000 years old. Revd. Smart gave us a quiz and we had to search around the church for the  answers. He also gave us a tour of the church and we learned that the war memorial is inside the church, while most churches have these outside. We also saw the old staircase which used to lead to another level.

 

05/07/24

Another week has drawn to a close and as we step closer towards the show, and the end of term, we are still in full flow. This week, the children have begun making scenery and thinking about their costumes for the show. The songs are coming together and are beginning to sound more confident. I have loved the fact that your children are talking to you about what they can lend, do or produce to help the show – thank you for your support!

In Design Technology, the children have looked at different species of animals and how they move. This has led into how they can emulate their movements using cams and followers. They are looking forward to making their own Victorian style toy. We will continue with the development of this next week.

Our Year 5 Eagles had an amazing day at Testbourne on Tuesday. They had sessions in their Science, Art, Music and Languages departments, to name but a few, they all came back buzzing about their experience. They also continue to love their swimming lessons.

Year 6 Eagles have continued to explore our Jigsaw programme on relationships. They have been sensible and sensitive in these sessions. I have been so impressed by their questions and opinions relating to this area of learning. Year 5 Eagles will begin their learning next week. I would encourage you to talk openly to your children if they have questions. Through this learning, we have and will be talking about emotions and how our hormones sometimes impact how we behave. We have been discussing how hormones impact both girls and boys, and how these may be expressed in a positive and a negative way and how to manage this.

Next week, we will be discarding scripts, so if there are scenes that your child is not sure of, we would ask you to support them with their line learning and thinking about cues. We would also invite costumes to come in – we have a rail. As you offer elements of support, we will be in touch to let you know when and where to drop them off!

 

28/06/24

As we meet the end of another jam-packed week, I have asked the children to write about some of the events that they have been involved in since last Friday. Some of our Y 6 children have written about our visit to Winchester Cathedral last Friday, it was a fabulous day. Our Y5 children have reflected on Sports Day, which although was very hot, was a success. Well done to Yellow and Red teams for their wins in the morning and afternoon respectively, but also well done to all of the children who participated from all teams, and those Y6 children who supported in the afternoon!

On Friday 19^th June, Year 6 left the school at approximately 9.45 to go on to the coach. Micheldever were already on the coach when we got on. The coach driver dropped us off at the statue of King Alfred the Great.

We headed to the cathedral, the sacred place of Christians. We were there to go to Winchester Cathedral for our leavers service. We entered through the red doors, which are very special because they only open for funerals, weddings, the leavers service and state visits. We went in there for the welcoming service and to be told what we would do for the day.

First, we went on a tour and learnt more about the cathedral like: how William Walker went under the cathedral in the pitch black and put sand bags under it because the cathedral was on something called a bog land and it was sinking. At our tour, we went down to the crypt and looked around where we saw the Antony Gormley statue. After that, we found the tomb of Henry Beaufort he was the creator of Henry Beaufort Secondary School! We also saw our models that are made out of clay. The cathedral had beautiful tiles, just like the ones at the church here, and the structure was amazing.

Later, we had a calligraphy lesson in the nave with two lovely people: Nancy and Steve. We all had an alphabet sheet in the style of writing and we had to copy with our calligraphy pens (they had wide, flat nibs). Then we went to lunch we ate in the cathedral grounds.

In the afternoon we all went to the nave for the service where the Bishop of Basingstoke talked about a Bible story to all of the schools there. It was about not being welcome and being left out, but how we should make people feel welcome. Toby took his clay sculpture to the front with children from the other schools to have it blessed by the bishop before it was added to the others. Evie went with Miss Hardy to collect a blessed candle from the bishop. By Stanley and Tabatha.

 

21/06/24

What a lovely week we have had: the weather has been glorious and that is just about all we need. Through the week the children have worked hard to publish their leaflets in English. We have begun a new narrative unit of writing and the children have explored the characters from a short film called ‘Broken’. I am really looking forward to them writing their own version of the story as a flashback!

 

In science this week, the children channelled their ‘inner finch’ and conducted an investigation to explore the best beak shape to feed on the food stuffs provided. The children used a straw, a spoon and some tweezers to attempt to collect grains of rice, marshmallows and Maltesers. The children worked well in their groups to record their data and draw conclusions about the type of beak and the best foods to eat.

The stage is up! Rehearsals for the show are well underway and the children have learned the choreography for two of the songs. They have begun to develop their confidence in singing the songs and I am sure that their confidence will continue to grow over the next few weeks. All the children have received information about their character’s costume, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about these. Please continue to encourage your children to learn their words, both from the script and the songs so that we can ‘ditch the scripts’ as soon as possible.

 

Year 5 are going from strength to strength with their swimming lessons and have returned to school from these with a really positive vibe. Year 6 have had their Leavers’ Service at Winchester Cathedral. At the time of writing, we are in anticipation of this service, however, I will be challenging the Year 6 children to write a piece about this to include in next week’s newsletter… watch this space!

 

14/06/24

Wow! I can hardly believe that we are in the final half term. After a jam-packed week at Calshot last week, the Y6 Eagle Owls have settled back into a more normal routine and have been thinking about their experiences in their writing. Meanwhile, last week the Y5 Eagles prepared presentations to inform us all about life in Victorian times. I was hugely impressed by their presentations, all of the Y5 children did themselves really proud, speaking with such confidence and clarity.

I want to say how proud I was of all the Y6 did during their time at Calshot last week. They embraced every single activity with the most amazing enthusiasm, courage and encouragement towards each other. They were a real credit to the school, to themselves and to you as their parents. The children had a wonderful week and I am sure that they have given you all a full report of the week!

This week, we have fully embraced the rehearsals for the show. It is really evident that some children have taken on the importance of their roles and I would encourage you to support them, in the learning of their lines and the songs. We are all really looking forward to the outcome of the show and hope that you will when it comes to fruition!

The next half term will be busy but I am sure that all the children will continue to thrive throughout the coming weeks.

 

07/06/24

Year 5  have been an absolute credit to the school and have stepped up in the absence of our Year 6 children who have been at Calshot since Tuesday for their residential trip.  Year 6 have had a wonderful experience, forging new friendships with the children from Micheldever School and trying many activities for the very first time; our huge thanks go to Miss Hardy, Mrs Griggs and Mrs Tellett for supporting the children across the whole week.

 

We have begun a maths unit on position and direction, and our Year 5s have proven themselves experts when plotting co-ordinates and identifying missing co-ordinates on both axes.  English has seen them tackle Lewis Carroll's 'The Jabberwocky', with children beginning to imitate the original poem when writing their own.  This poem uses an unusual poetry technique called 'portmenteau', which is when you create a word by blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others, for example 'motel' or 'brunch.'  The Year 5s were confuzzled (confused and puzzled - thank you Arthur M for this) at first by this but soon got the hang of it.  Interesting fact - The French word portmanteau describes a two-part suitcase. It combines the words porte, which means “to carry,” and manteau, meaning “cloak.” Like the suitcase, a portmanteau word holds or carries the meaning of two or more words. 

 

Each afternoon, the Year 5s have been undertaking a research project on a chosen aspect of the Victorian era; these will be taught to Year 6 and Miss Hardy and Mrs Griggs when they return next week.  It has been a pleasure teaching Year 5 this week - Mr Stangroom, Miss Hillman and Mrs Hann.

 

17/05/24

I have been so immensely proud of all the children this week as they took their tests. The Year 5 children have worked really hard taking their tests but I really have to take my hat off to the Year 6 children. You are all wonderful and took each day in your stride. The week has not gone by without some wobbles however, I have been so incredibly impressed with how each and every child has picked themselves and dusted themselves off again ready for the next test. I think we can safely say that all of the children are relieved that the SATs are over and they celebrated in style with their march around the school to be greeted by a whole school round of applause. Well done to you Year 6!

 

This week hasn’t just been about the SATs and through the week, we have been exploring the work of Charles Darwin in Science. The children learned how he broke down barriers in scientific thinking. We linked his theory of evolution and of natural selection and survival of the fittest to how they might survive on an island where the only food was chilli con carne. This led to lots of discussion about how some children might choose to eat it because it was the only food and how, over time, their tastes may change to adapt to the flavours. We also watched a film about fleas being put in a jar and how, once a lid is put on the jar, the fleas and their descendants will be conditioned to jump only as high as the lid of the jar.

We have also begun to explore the work of Marianne North. Who herself was encouraged by Charles Darwin to travel to New Zealand and Australia. It has been lovely to have discussion with the children about places that they would like to visit. The children have also taken time in the school grounds to study and sketch plants they are familiar with. Marianne North was a botanist and artist and we will continue to explore her style. The children developed their sketches by adding some watercolour to these really effectively.

 

As we approach the last week of the half term, a reminder that Y6 have Bikeability next week. I wish you all a restful weekend and look forward to seeing you next week!

 

10/05/24

We are at the end of another busy week. Being a short one, it seems to have flown by quicker than usual. The children have continued to work like troopers and seek ways to improve their work. In English, they have been thinking about whether life is better for children now than in the Victorian era. They have been researching arguments both for and against this argument in order to inform their writing later on this term.

In History, we have been exploring the Industrial Revolution and the enormous amount of change that Britain went through during this time. The children have been blown away by some of the inventions from this period in history that we still use today and how different they are. They thought about the impact of the revolution and whether it was positive or negative.

Year six continue to take their preparation for SATs next week seriously and are constantly asking questions about how to answer questions that bother them. As this week ends and next week approaches, please remember the following things this weekend:

Spend some time with your family and the people you love. They will help you to feel calm and happy. Do something that relaxes you – read a book; play on your computer or games console; watch some films or do some craft.

The weather this weekend looks good. Go to the park and play football, cricket or another sport you enjoy. Walk along the river, climb a tree, get some exercise but remember to wear sunscreen (the rays are strong this weekend). Exercise reduces stress levels which makes you happy and more alert!

Don’t worry, about a thing… ‘cos every little thing’s gonna be all right. We all want you to do the best you can in your tests next week. Having said this, please remember that they are not the be all and end all. They will help your next school know how to help you in Maths and English, but your final results will not change how amazing you all truly are. They won’t change how much your family and friends love you and they won’t change what you can achieve in the  future. Please don’t worry about these tests – I know some of you will love doing them and some of your will hate them – we know you will do your best!

Just remember that the tests do not assess you on the following qualities, which you all have in spades - compassion, creativity, happiness, love, kindness, faith, generosity, loyalty, courage, confidence.

You’ve got this Eagle Owls!

 

03/05/24

We have had another fantastic week in Eagle Owls . It was a privilege to see their auditions for The Greatest Showman on Tuesday afternoon and we will be sharing the roles with the children on Tuesday afternoon next week. We are absolutely sure that the show will be amazing and the children will be amazing too.

This week we have continued to think about balanced arguments in our English work. We are developing the skill of making our writing impersonal but factual. There has been lots of debate about whether dogs make better pets than cats!

In History, we found out about Queen Victoria and have been producing fact files about her as a Queen. The children are really looking forward to learning more about the Victorian period and are thoroughly enjoying the development of the story Street Child, by Berlie Doherty.

The children have been amazing this week and have shown a superb attitude to their learning. They have definitely  deserved the long weekend coming up and I wish you all a good one.

 

26/04/24

Another week has come to an end and, like last week, it began with all the trimmings of Earth Day. Our Green Ambassadors did a fabulous job of leading a whole school worship about Earth Day on Monday and then led activities across the school. A massive thank you to Mrs Frost for supporting Mary and Eagle Owls with the activities in our class. The Y6 children got busy working together making bunting and are really looking forward to seeing the finished product. Meanwhile, the Y5 children made lollipop stick turtles and I have to say, they did an amazing job and demonstrated far more resilience that myself!

 

On Tuesday, the children enjoyed a Drama Workshop with Luna, a visitor to the school. Through the workshop, they created freeze frames for a production called Robinson Crusoe in Space and then they acted nonsense conversations and the children had to guess the scenes they were playing out. This was a lovely insight into how the children will fare in our end of year production.

 

For the rest of the week, the children have continued to work hard in both English and Maths. I have been so impressed with many of the children coming to me and checking how they can improve their work. They all appreciate the challenges that face them over the next few weeks but are working well to find ways to support each other.

In class, we have begun reading Street Child by Belie Docherty and the children are already hooked. It has definitely begun to tug on their heartstrings too.

 

19/04/24

What a fantastic star to our term in Eagle Owls! The children coped incredibly well with their journey back in time to a Victorian classroom on Monday and they took on board all of the activities with wonderful enthusiasm. We challenged them to using pen and ink to complete their handwriting and the children were absolutely hooked; unfortunately, Mr Stangroom did have to be called upon to deal with a number of children who had blotted their copybooks!

Through the day, the children were offered a glimpse of life in Victorian times. They explored some of the inventions of the Victorian era, which I think threw up some surprises, such as the penny farthing, the telephone and the first public flushing toilet. The children also unpicked our project question: How have the lives of British school children changed since the Victorian era? During the afternoon, the children made thaumotropes – some designed their own – and they were fascinated to see how such a simple toy works.

I think the return to the curriculum has been a bit of a shock to the system but they are taking on board the importance of the next few weeks leading up to the Y6 SATs tests in May. I have been really impressed that the children are taking on board advice, asking questions about how they can do better and most importantly supporting each other in the work that we do leading up to the tests.  They should all be really proud of themselves.

I hope that you and your children have a restful weekend and are able to enjoy the sun as and when it appears!

 

28/03/24

What a term it has been in Eagle Owls! I have been so proud of all of the hard work that the children have achieved since January. They really enjoyed sharing their work with you last Friday and it was a pleasure to see so many of you. Thank you also for all of your generous donations towards Project Embabazi, we hope that you are able to enjoy your child’s fabulous artwork with them.

This week, the children have worked really hard towards the Easter Service and in RE. On Monday, we spent the afternoon making dreamcatchers. Many of the children demonstrated huge resilience and tried really hard to overcome obstacles. Many of the children demonstrated true team spirit, supporting each other to get through the ‘fiddly bits’.

The children have thought about the disciples and how they felt through the events of Good Friday. They have written some lovely poems based around the terrible events that their dreamcatcher caught in contrast with what was gained by the death of Jesus.

In RE, we have been exploring the resurrection and what this means to Christians. I have been blown away by the children’s sensitive and sensible responses to this concept. They have produced some lovely work!

It is with some sadness that we say farewell to Oscar. We have really enjoyed welcoming him as a member of Eagle Owls in September. He has become a popular and well-liked member of the class and has formed firm friendships. We all wish him and the whole family, the very best of luck as they move away.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter. I hope that you are able to get some rest and also able to appreciate some quality family time. I look forward to seeing everyone in the Summer term!

 

22/03/24

As another week rolls on by and we creep stealthily towards the Easter holidays, the children have continued to work hard. In English they have continued to channel their inner Sudanese refugee circa 1996. They have been plotting their escape from the refugee camp and have now begun their hot write based on our class story. I am really looking forward to reading their final pieces.

On Tuesday, we had our celebrations for British Science Week. In class we completed our life cycles and adaptations. We have looked at how the different types of animal adapt to their environment. The theme for our Science Day was Time and, in the afternoon, the children thought about what farming in the future might look like. The children designed futuristic farms, run by robots, or with high-end technology, they really enjoyed this.

Throughout the week, the children have been working in small groups to make bread. They have followed a recipe for a West African flatbread, infused with spices. They have smelled delicious! We hope that those of you who joined us for the exhibition enjoyed tasting their wares and helping the children to evaluate them. Mrs Griggs has worked like an absolute trouper to support the children in small groups to make the bread and I think we are all truly grateful to her efforts.

Our exhibition has been set up by the children. They have worked hard to set everything up and thought about how they present their work. I have been so impressed with the Homework Scrapbooks that have come in. All the children have had the opportunity to share these in class. It has been an absolute pleasure to read the children’s homework; thank you for your support in this. As we move into the final week of term, I look forward to supporting our singers at Micheldever on Sunday for the Bishop of Winchester’s service.

 

15/03/24

Another week, another news bulletin! Thank you to all of the parents who came to see me for Parents’ Evening, it was a real privilege to be able to talk about your children with you!

Eagle Owls have continued to work hard this week and in English we have been exploring the narrative of people escaping a refugee camp in East Africa in the 1990s. This has been drawn from our text, Long Walk to Water. The children have really been thinking about the plausibility of their writing, trying to channel the thoughts and feelings of someone who has been living in a refugee camp for several years. I have been so impressed with their ideas and their application of the skills that they have been learning.

In response to the story, which is a dual narrative, the children have thought about the more contemporary aspect of the story and how there are still villagers in South Sudan who have to travel for miles in order to collect water from muddy ponds. They have used Scratch to either create a game or tell the story, outlining the obstacles that Nya meets as she takes her twice daily trip to the pond to collect water for her family, there were definitely new skills learned and a special mention to Luke, who selflessly supported many children with his knowledge and expertise. Thank you Luke!

This week, we have also explored and evaluated the tastes and textures of different bread from around the world. This is in preparation for baking a recipe from West Africa next week. We look forward to tasting some bread from West Africa!

 

08/03/24

What a fabulous week we have had! It has been a real whirlwind of wonderful learning. On Tuesday, we welcomed our visitor Lauren Hill who came to talk to the children about life in Uganda. She talked about a day in the life of a primary school child: Leonie, and the children compared this to their own school days. She also brought some fabulous fabrics and clothes that some of the children had the opportunity to wear or drape over themselves.

Lauren also talked a little bit about her charity: Project Embabazi and the work that they do in south west Uganda with people who live in the villages of the Bakiga tribe. Eagle Owls were surprised by the lush green landscape and the buildings, which were modern buildings. The children had a huge wealth of questions for Lauren and listened really well – she said to me later that she thoroughly enjoyed meeting them all.

In Art, the children have experimented with a process called ‘wax resist’ whereby they create a picture or patterns using wax and then paint over this, when ironed, the wax should lift and the patterns become visible. They are looking very impressive!

On Thursday, for World Book Day, we shared the Tale of the Three Trees, a folk tale about trees who desired important jobs. These jobs didn’t quite turn out as they expected but were very important. We then explored the trees along the school drive, the children told me about their experiences of the ‘legendary climbing tree’ and exploring the paths and tunnels. They then wrote poems and stories from the point of view of the trees along our drive.

It has been a fabulous week and the children have worked really hard. I wish you all a wonderful weekend and then to another great week next week!

 

01/03/24

I want to start by saying how proud I am of all of your children this week, in light of their approach to the tests. Every single one of your children has put a huge amount of effort into the tests. They have demonstrated a sensible attitude to these and have risen to the challenge. There have been challenges during the week, but a huge well done to the children in meeting these head on!

 

Surrounding the tests, we have had an art focus during our afternoons. The children have used their exploration of the artist Jean Michel Basquait, an American graffiti artist, to create their own pieces based around his work. We have also developed our exploration of African materials and the patterns of some of the creatures of Africa to begin creating batik style art. This is a form of wax resist whereby children create a pattern using wax and paint over it. We are hoping to be able to sell the artwork in order to raise money for a charity which works directly with villages in Uganda. The children will meet Lauren, a teacher and founder of the charity – Project Embabazi, next week!

 

Next week, we will be back to our normal timetable but in the meantime, all of your children deserve a well-earned rest over the weekend. Great work Eagle Owls!

 

23/02/24

Well, we have reached the end of the first week and the children have embraced their learning in all subjects. They have been really positive about our new narrative unit in English and are looking forward to developing their storytelling skills through using a range of sophisticated sentence types. Our writing will be driven by our class story, ‘A Long Walk to Water’ by Linda Sue Park.  In History, we have continued to explore the Benin Kingdom and this week, the children learned about the Obas (leaders of the kingdom). The children had fun playing a version of the game ‘Would I Lie to You?’ whereby they worked in teams to uncover who was giving the true answer about the different Obas though the period. We learned a lot about why they were significant and began to see how the demise of the Benin Kingdom lined up with our own Victorian era and the rise of the British Empire.

This week we have loved moving forward with our artwork based around Jean-Michel Basquait. The children have begin planning their own piece of work based on his work, this will be continued over the next week during the afternoons. We will look forward to sharing this in our upcoming exhibition.

In other news, we have continued to work with Hawk Owls on our campaign to raise awareness of children who are not able to access school. In our shared worships, we have explored the reasons that people across the world have lost or missed out on the opportunity to go to school for reasons of poverty, war, natural disaster and of course the pandemic. We look forward to inviting Caroline Nokes to meet with us so that we can share our views, in the hope that she might take this to Westminster. Watch this space!

Finally, as you maybe aware, next week we will be conducting a mock SATs week. We will be assessing all of the children as appropriate to them and in light of this, as previously mentioned, our afternoons will be more relaxed with an art-based focus. PE lessons will continue as normal on Wednesday and Friday. We will try to remove the pressure from the children and support them in every way that we can. I hope that the children can have a relaxed weekend this weekend in order that they come into school refreshed on Monday!

 

08/02/24

Wow! Can you believe that we are half way through the year? Although this has been a short week, it has been jam-packed.

On Monday, the children loved their afternoon of gardening with Mrs Tellett, Mrs Griggs and Barn Owls, they returned to class rosy cheeked and full of beans. We think the pheasant that visited the school field and stayed for the duration of our English lesson on Tuesday appreciated the fruits of their labour too!

In English, the children have been working hard on their independent writing, explaining the life cycle of their hybrid African creature that they created, thinking about all the features and skills that they have learned in their writing.

We have also been inspired by African art this week and have been designing simple masks, thinking about colour and symmetry and also practising making African style patterns.

On Tuesday we participated in Safer Internet Day, Dillon, Stanley, Oscar and Will did a fantastic job of leading the whole school worship and then running workshops in each class. Stanley and Oscar were fabulous in their leadership of the workshop in Eagles teaching the children about devices which are used to convince us to stay online such as pop-ups and red bubble notifications. The children had some great discussions surrounding the topic and were very thoughtful in their responses. It has been a great start to 2024 but I think we are all ready for a break. I hope that you all have a restful half term and look forward to seeing everyone back, bright eyed and bushy tailed after the break!

 

02/02/24

This week has been another exciting week. We have used an app to create our own creatures which have combined animals that can be found in Africa. We have developed ‘back stories’ for these creatures and looked at the plausibility of these. These creature creations will inform our explanation writing before we break up for half term. This has interlinked with our Science where we have learned about the life cycle of mammals and how animals are adapted to their environment. In Maths, our Y6 children have begun to explore ratio; they have taken to it like a duck to water. Quick multilink tasks demonstrated the children’s understanding of this concept and they subsequently tried to catch myself, Mrs Griggs and Miss Hillman out with their complex towers!

On Tuesday, we had a fabulous visit from the author and illustrator Simon Murray. Sadly, I missed out on this visit but I have been reliably informed by Mrs Griggs and the children that Simon’s workshop was thoroughly enjoyable. Through this, all the children produced some amazing drawings. We have also been rewarded with a piece of artwork by Simon Murray and a signed copy of one of his books. In history, we have continued to learn about the Benin Kingdom. Through our guided reading we have shared an excerpt from the book ‘The Children of the Benin Kingdom’, which the children really enjoyed; we are building links within this project and through our history this week we have learned about the belief system and some of the creation stories.

As we approach the final week of the term, we approach another busy week. I am sure that the children are really looking forward to their gardening         afternoon on Monday and would remind them to bring a change of clothes on Monday! Safer Internet Day is also next week and I would encourage you to continue those open conversations with your children about how they use the internet and how they are using the internet and online apps.

 

26/01/24

Another busy week has come to an end and the children have continued to work like troopers in all subjects and it has been a pleasure to see the children develop light bulb moments in all subjects. They have really begun to hone their writing skills in order to prepare for their own explanation writing next week!

In our project, the children have learned about the different climate zones of the African continent and have also begun to delve in to the history one of the African kingdoms. I feel that this learning will challenge their perceptions of Africa and the impact of our country through colonisation and how the Kingdom of Benin came to a dramatic end in 1897!

Last Friday, in RE, the children began to explore the Christian perception of God. They explored a range of prayers, songs and verses from the Bible. In pairs, the children created word clouds of words that they identified that people of the Christian faith use to worship or describe God. This week, they will continue to explore the way the Muslim people worship and describe God.

On Thursday, Eagle Owls teamed up with Hawk Owls for the afternoon. As part of our ongoing project: Send My Friend to School, we explored the different reasons that children may be displaced from their learning. We considered what was  considered an emergency in terms of education: natural disaster, war, global pandemic or poverty. The children have explored the problems and thought about possible solutions. I was proud of how the children all worked together – please do ask them about what they have been learning.

 

19/01/24

Well, it has been another fabulous week. The children have continued to work hard in their learning about fractions in Maths and the Y6 children who have been attending SATs Club are really seeing how this knowledge will support them as they go forward. Through this, they are keen to learn more about this concept.

In English, we have continued to practise our skills in writing an explanation text. Over the next week, the children will develop their skills further as they begin to relate their writing to African animals and their life cycles. They will also continue to hone their grammatical skills. In addition to this, we have been focusing on encouraging the children to join their handwriting, I have been thrilled to see some real development in some children’s handwriting – well done to them!

In Science, we have explored the life and work of Sir David Attenborough. What an amazing man! We hope to follow his example in his passion for knowledge about animals, their life cycles and the way they live. During their science lesson, the children had one minute to draw their own interpretation of the human life cycle. In addition to this, using their sketch books, the children have explored the patterns and colours of the furs, coats and skins of a range of animals from the African continent.

At this point in the topic, we have focused on the geography of Africa as a continent and this is obviously the focus of the homework task. I am really looking forward to developing the children’s’ ideas on the history of an African kingdom.

Eagle Owls have been lovely this week, I have thoroughly enjoyed their company and our learning. Have a restful weekend!

 

 

12/01/24

Wow! Where has the time gone, it seems like an absolute age away that the children returned to school and now we have completed a full week. The children have all chosen a country from Africa now and are hopefully beginning to think about their research. I am looking forward to seeing the fruits of their labour when the time comes. They have been really interested in the full map of Africa at the front of the classroom and looking for where their country is!

In PE on Fridays we have begun a unit on gymnastics. Last Friday the children worked in pairs to create symmetrical sequences involving shapes, balance and travel. I was really impressed with how well they had worked as a team. Just as a reminder, our PE days have changed this term so we will usually have PE on Wednesdays and Fridays (this will   always be the case unless they have had a session on a Tuesday afternoon.)

In English, the children have enjoyed writing an explanation text about the human digestive system. They will eventually use these skills to write a different explanation about a range of African animals. We have had lots of fun with similes to describe the happenings inside our stomach in the meantime!

This week, we began our RE unit surrounding the concept of divinity. For our first lesson, the children were asked to draw or write their ideas or interpretation of God. Once they were sure that there were no right or wrong answers, the children became very engaged with this activity and produced a whole variety of ideas as you can see!

 

05/01/24

Happy new year! I hope that you have all had a wonderful break over the Christmas holidays, it has certainly been lovely to hear the children talk about the things that they have done. We have begun the year with a bang and sprung straight into our topic this term where the children will be learning about the continent Africa. We were so fortunate to have a visit from Kathie who spoke to us about her time spent in Tanzania and other countries in Africa. We have also met online with our partners over at Micheldever and been fortunate to hear about Miss Quast’s experiences of growing up in South Africa. This has led to some challenging questions about apartheid. Within our topic so far, the children have thought about their initial perceptions about Africa and having heard people’s experiences and looked at photographs, how their perceptions have altered. I have been so impressed with their enthusiasm and I think we are all looking forward to finding out more about this continent!

 

15/12/23

Well, what a term it has been and we have finally reached the end! This week the children in Eagles have worked hard to prepare the Christmas service. They have made us all so proud with the quality of their writing, how clearly they lead the service and the way they supported each other during the service too. We would also like to say a special thank you to Mary, Joseph, the donkey, the shepherds and the angels from Barn Owls who helped us.

It has been such a busy term and all of the children have worked so hard. They have all definitely deserved a jolly good rest! I want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas filled with fun, frivolities, joy and a little bit of peace too.

 

08/12/23

What a fabulous week we have had. The children have worked really hard, pulling out all the stops throughout the week. We have begun looking at our RE unit about Interpretation. Through this, the children have been exploring the different narratives of the Christmas story. These include two of the gospel narratives – Matthew and Luke, and some more contemporary interpretations of the story including the KS1 nativity. We have intertwined this with our English lessons and Eagle Owls have blown me away with their descriptive writing to tell the story of the Nativity and the story of a robin on his journey home. The vocabulary has been so lovely and brought a tear to my eye! In science, we have continued to learn about the Earth, Sun and Moon and this week we have been working together to prove that the Earth is not flat! Have a wonderful and restful weekend at this busy time of year!

 

1/12/23

What a fabulous week we have had. This week I am handing over the reins to Eagle Owls themselves to tell you about their wonderful week!

In Eagle Owls this week, we have been completing our Mock SATs. It’s been a different experience for the Y5s and Y6s. All of us were tested on maths, spelling, grammar and reading, and all of our tests were in the morning. We felt a bit nervous because some of the tests were harder than others. We are relieved they are over and hope that we did well. It was also nice just being with our own year groups!

In PE we have continued to perfect our line dancing routines which we choreographed. There were four groups and we practised for the exhibition. In Art, we created our own versions of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Some people sketched, while others used water colours. Some people also worked collaboratively. Everyone is proud and pleased with their work.

On Wednesday we were horrified to receive a letter from Mr Stangroom and Mr Johnston explaining that they had decided to cancel our stargazing trip. We were all devastated, as we knew it would be a great learning experience! We all wrote letters to Mr Stangroom and persuaded him to change his mind!

On Thursday after school, we went to Micheldever School and met some of the Micheldever children and they are really nice. We really looked forward to the egg drop because we wanted to test our parachutes. Micheldever and Barton Stacey took it in turns to test them. Mr Johnston climbed the ladder to drop our parachutes and all of our eggs survived except two. After that, we went to the campfire for awe and wonder. We had to wait for permission to toast our marshmallows, then we enjoyed pizza. With Willow class, we went on a walk to the fields. We stopped half way to look at the stars with the apps on the iPads. After that, we carried on and we saw the plough really clearly. Even though it was cold we had an amazing evening.

We were excited to welcome our parents for the exhibition. All our work was displayed neatly on the tables around the classroom. At the end we performed our line dancing routines for our parents. We are looking forward to beginning our countdown to Christmas!

 

24/11/23

The term is rolling by, but Eagle Owls are still working hard. This week, the children have begun to put their line dancing routines to music and see how they will work together. We have been working on our teamwork and collaboration throughout the week and in their groups the children have researched a planet (or a dwarf planet) within our Solar System.

In Music, the children have listened to the music of Gustav Holst and the Mars movement and interpreted the music through shape, colour, pattern and picture. We have also begun to think about rhythm and keeping in time with each other.

We are so excited to be working towards the NASA Youth Programme and find out more about the scientists who have been a fundamental part of the research. Miss Hardy keeps talking about the role of females in Space exploration (especially Helen Sharman). However, she has really focused our attention on :

• Mary Jackson: mathematician and human computer who worked for NACA
• Dorothy Vaughan: mathematician and human computer who worked for NACA
• Katherine Johnson mathematician who worked for NASA

We will research and celebrate these women and celebrate them!

 

17/11/23

Another great week has been had by all. On Monday, the children enjoyed developing their line dance routines in PE and they seem to be coming together really well. Now we just need to choose the music to put our dance to!

In Art the children have been finding out about Leonardo da Vinci and were impressed by his many talents and his interesting life and work. Their sketch book fact files are really beginning to take shape.

On Thursday, Eagle Owls received an exciting delivery in response to the letters that they wrote to the Science Centre in Winchester, a thank card and the gift of a teddy bear. The children voted to name the bear Space Poppy!

In DT the children worked hard in their teams to make a prototype for their parachute. They will be making their final design ready to complete an egg drop when we go to Micheldever for our star gazing evening which we are all very excited about!

 

10/11/23

As another week passes, the children have worked really hard again. Last Friday, we took the opportunity to write thank you letters to the Science Centre for a wonderful trip – I dropped these off on Saturday. The children were really thoughtful about their experience and the letters were a pleasure to read.

On Monday we got creative, while the children worked collaboratively to create group signs representing the planets for their group, they also worked on a collaborative piece of artwork to represent remembrance. During the afternoon, I worked with children to create a needle felted wreath for the service on Friday. All of the children enjoyed this activity and have produced a beautiful wreath.

During DT this week, the children have worked in teams to design a perfect parachute to ensure that an egg makes its way safely to the ground. I was hugely impressed with the conversations that the children were having about their designs and what will keep their load safe. We are really looking forward to making and testing these – be prepared for your children to pester you to go through your recycling for materials to make them!

 

 

03/11/23

What a great start to the half term we have had! Although lots of us are still struggling with coughs and snuffles, the children have returned to school with continued enthusiasm for their learning. On Tuesday, they received a message from an alien from outer space who asked them to show them what our Solar System is like. The children blew me away with their imagination and teamwork. They have produced a variety of fabulous creations representing the Solar System.

 

Thursday’s trip to Winchester Science Centre was a marvellous success. All of the children had a fantastic time and behaved wonderfully – a true representation of our school values. During the workshop, the children really demonstrated their enthusiasm and teamwork for the subject of space - I think we are going to enjoy this term! I am sure they returned home bubbling with enthusiasm for the trip – we had a fabulous day!

 

 

 

 

20/10/23

Well we have made it to half term and the children have had another week where they have worked really hard. In English the children have continued to hone their skills in their writing and have written some super plans for their leaflets about their chosen city in the United States. They have developed their language choices and thought carefully about these.

On Monday in PE we continued the theme set by our visiting athlete from last week. The children completed a round of circuits and then spent time in their colour teams developing their own circuit style games using the painted games on the playground. The children worked so well in their teams and developed some really innovative games which we decided that they could teach some of the younger children during break times!

We drew together our Science learning about forces this week and the children had a fabulous time exploring air resistance and making helicopters and parachutes. They adapted their designs and were able to establish which models worked more effectively. They had an absolute whale of the time and it was a pleasure to see their reactions when they did their first ‘drop’!

 

13/10/23

As another week rolls on by, Eagle Owls have continued to impress me with their writing. They have really thought about the amazing things that Barton Stacey and the surrounding areas have to offer in their persuasive writing.

In Maths, the children have demonstrated their confidence in place value and are now taking these skills forward to the four rules of Maths. We are continuing to develop our multiplication skills with our weekly tests.

All the children thoroughly enjoyed our circuits and talk from Luke Delahunty, an Invictus Athlete, on Wednesday. They all worked so hard during the circuit activities and supported children lower down the school as well as their peers. Ask them about Luke as they listened really carefully to his talk.

We are loving exploring our Science lessons and have enjoyed finding out about forces. This week the children have explored the impact of gears, pulleys and levers in order to lighten a load. They have had great fun with this.

Finally, we are pleased to announce that the new House Captains and Vice Captains have been voted in. They are as follows: Dillon and Isaac for the red team, Oliver and Hazel for the blue team, Tabatha and Max for the yellow team and Mary and Ella for the green team. Year 6 children take on the role of the House Captain and Year 5 fulfil the role of the Vice Captain. Well done to all of those children!

 

06/10/23

This week we seem to have crammed a lot in even though it has been a shorter week for the children. Through our English we have been thinking about our village and what it has to offer. The children have really thought about the language that they can use to describe their beautiful home.

 

In Maths, the children have come to the end of their work on place value and have really secured their knowledge in this area. We will now look to develop their skills in addition and subtraction!

 

During our Key Stage worships with Hawk Owls, we have begun a project based around the Send My Friend to School Campaign. Together, this campaign aims to raise awareness of children who are unable to attend school due to their circumstances, whether these are due to conflict, poverty, natural disaster or linked to the pandemic. This week, Year 5 learned about a visually impaired girl who runs an after-school club at her school in Malawi. The Year 6 children learned about a young girl from Gaza who wishes to be a doctor, but does not have a safe journey to and from school. With the children we were thinking about ways that we could help them and how to raise awareness about children who are not able to go to school.

29/09/23

It has been another incredible week in Eagle Owls. I really feel I am getting to know the Year 5 children much better and seeing their personalities shine through – what a lovely bunch!

This week, the children have told me that this they have enjoyed geography, researching different cities in the United States of America and are looking forward to writing about these in the next few weeks. In the meantime, they have really enjoyed writing their own version of an excerpt of Shaun Tan’s ‘The Arrival’ and I have been blown away by the vocabulary that they have used – they have all done an amazing job.

The children have also enjoyed sharing the delights of their village and are thinking about how they might persuade tourists to come and visit. I am really looking forward to the outcomes of this written work and I know that they are excited to get started.

I have really loved talking to all of the children about their learning and the subjects that they have enjoyed. They all seem to be enjoying the English and the Maths and have looked forward to the weekly results in their TTRockStars battles where I have pitted the Y5 children against the Y6 children. Last week, the Y6 children won the battle, this week the Y5 children look like the winners. The top 3 point scorers in each year group will earn a certificate each week.

In Science, the children have enjoyed investigating forces. Last week, they began to use newton metres to compare the mass and weight of different objects. This week, they will conduct an investigation involving the grips on my shoes – I am sure they will have a whale of a time!

 

23/09/23

This week, the children have continued to learn about the United States of America in geography. I was blown away by their knowledge of all of the states, and as a collective, the children named 49 out of the 50 in ten minutes! They have been tasked with choosing a city in America to do some extra research about to inform their learning next week.

 

On Tuesday morning, we all enjoyed watching the trees being shredded outside the classroom – it was a real challenge to get the children away from the window but they enjoyed the experience! When the children returned to their learning, they began to plan their own independent writing – which I am really looking forward to reading when they are finished.

I asked the children what they had enjoyed about school this week and was impressed by the range of answers that I had. Maths, English, Science and RE were all popular choices which was fabulous. I am so pleased at their enthusiasm.

 

Thursday brought us election day. The children absolutely stormed it with their presentation and should all be really proud of themselves and my thanks go out to you as parents for supporting them with these. A huge well done to all of them and especially to all of the successful candidates.

15/09/23

We have made it to the end of our second week and all the children have worked amazingly hard in all subjects. In our English lessons, we have continued to study Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, and the children are really thinking hard about their language choices to improve their written work! Today, we explored the ‘passive voice’ and reinforced this with a game called Zombie Breakout – good fun was had by all!

In Maths, the children are almost experts in their understanding and use of Roman numerals and their confidence in using these has absolutely blossomed this week. I have set up another RockStars battle for the children. This week our top 3 players in Y5 were Max, Leila and Lily, and in Y6, Dillon, Scott and Stan. In Science, the children have continued to investigate different forces and this week, they have had fun finding out about air resistance with paper aeroplanes, parachutes and helicopters.

On Tuesday, we were lucky enough to have some visitors from Testbourne School who talked to the children about life at the school and to answer questions that the children had.

 

09/09/23

Welcome back to Eagle Owls of old and welcome to Eagle Owls anew! What a lovely week it has been! We began our projectwith a really exciting day on Monday. the children unpacked suitcases and explored clues to discover characters from a story. They completed jigsaws of their character and then a jigsaw of a map of North America. We also worked as a class to unravel our project question. Using the suitcases, the children drew conclusions about their characters and worked in groups to build a back story to them.

The afternoon found us on a treasure hunt looking at the different uses for paper. We explored the language surrounding paper and were surprised by the number of uses it has. We ended the day showing amazing resilience when we made paper cranes using origami. All the children worked hard and should be really proud of this achievement! We have used this hook day to inform our writing and some children wrote a range of powerful and emotive story beginnings.

 

21/07/23

Well, we have made it to the end of the term. This brings sad and happy themes. Although I have only been here since January, I have loved teaching every single one of the Year 6 children. They all have wonderfully individual personalities and learning styles. I really enjoyed getting to know them better at Calshot: residential trips are always a huge space for developing broader relationships with children and my conversations during that week have led to how I ran the rest of the term. It has been lovely to have honest and open conversations with them about school life. Your children are fabulous and they truly demonstrated this through being the driving force of their production this week whereby they infiltrated all of their skills across the year group. I will miss these children and am privileged to have had a small part of their education.

Now to the Year 5 children. I have also loved teaching them as well and cannot wait to continue our journey next year as they enter Year 6. It was so lovely to spend time with them and the future Year 5 children on Monday; the atmosphere across the classroom was calm and positive, so while I am sad to say ‘So long, fair well, auf wiedersehen, goodbye’ to our Year 6 children, I am looking forward to our new Eagle Owls next year. I am sure they will thrive as they take on the responsibilities next year. I was also really impressed at how they engaged themselves in the production and in supporting the Year 6 children in this.

I wish you all the very best for the summer holidays, I wish the Year 6 children all the best in their new schools – but do come back to say hello, you are always welcome!

 

14/07/23

Well, we have just one week to go. This week has been as much about rehearsing as possible and we would continue to encourage you as parents to support your children to learn their words for the production on Tuesday evening.

 

My first Sports Day at Barton Stacey was so lovely. It was such a pleasure to see so many of the Year 6 children truly take on our school learning behaviours in supporting younger members of the school, there were definitely children who stood out as strong role models.

 

I have spent time with the Year 5 children to think about how they may positively influence the Year 4 children who are joining us on Monday and how they can be role models. I have encouraged the children to think about not interrupting each other and also listening to each other.

 

As the time for our Year 6s to leave us draws rapidly closer, I want to appreciate our final days together. I am fully aware that all of these children have a truly strong bond with Mrs Griggs. I am a new interloper who has been there for a fraction of their time. I have loved getting to know them all but do not claim ownership of the Y6 children. Their achievements are as a result of their whole school journey. Every member of staff be it teacher, LSA, lunchtime supervisor., cook, cleaner and anyone else has shaped your children. In Year 6, a particular relationship has been developed with Mrs Griggs. We will all miss them when they are gone!

 

07/07/23

No two weeks seem to he the same at the moment and this week has been another whirlwind week. Eagle Owls have continued their learning in Science where they have planned and conducted investigations based on the impact of exercise on heart rate and have explore the components of our blood. Through this, they made own blood model too!

We are well underway with preparation for our final production, this has been written by collaborative groups of the Year 6 children and all of the ideas have been generated by them. I have been really proud of how they have linked this with their learning and developed their ideas, it should be a great show. A separate note will be coming home this evening to inform you of costumes, we have kept it very simple!

Last week, Year 5 had their day at Testbourne School, this week, most of the Year 6 children had their taster day at their new secondary school. They returned on Thursday buzzing about their new schools, they are definitely becoming more and more ready to fly the Barton Stacey nest!

Year 6 have also loved their first day of Bikeability and have done brilliantly and they look forward to their sessions next Thursday.

 

30/06/23

This term seems to be flying by and I can’t believe it is already the end of week 4! In maths we have continued to look at angles in the context of shape and also how to calculate them. The children have become much more confident in their knowledge surrounding angles. Meanwhile, they have planned and written their own snippets of the end of the story The Odyssey, which I can’t wait to read over the weekend. They have all tried to use the features we have learned leading up to this piece of writing.

Preparation for the end of term production is well underway. The Year 6 children are writing a Horrible Histories style Show based around their time at Barton Stacey and their learning surround the Ancient Greek civilisation. They are all very excited about this and are actively coming up with creative ways to present to you.

This Tuesday, Year 5 had the pleasure of spending the day at Testbourne. They all agreed that they had a wonderful day and they took part in a range of fun activities. They were buzzing about it when they returned to school. Mrs Griggs and Mrs Hann both commented on how proud they were of all of the children as their behaviour was top notch. Well done Year 5!

23/06/23

Well, another week has flown by and it has been jam-packed full! Last Friday, it was a pleasure to take the Year 6 children to the cathedral and we had a superb day. They became archaeologists and found out about some of the cathedral’s stained-glass windows followed by a trail exploring some of the interesting sights and monuments of the building. The service was lovely and they had the opportunity to be part of a huge collaboration of drumming rhythms. Eagles have enjoyed learning about the circulatory system and the heart this week, especially making a pumping heart chamber using a jar of water, a balloon and two straws. They also enjoyed planning an investigation to test the impact of different exercises on their heart rate. This week, in English, we have been exploring the story of The Odyssey. The children have really enjoyed finding out about the trials of Odysseus on his journey home and all the different monsters he and his men met on a journey beset with danger! They have had another great week and continue to work hard. Well done Eagles.

16/06/23

What a pleasure to return from the busy week of Calshot last week to see the whole class after half term on Monday. I have communicated with the Year 6 parents how proud both Mrs Griggs and I were of the children last week and I know that when the time comes for Year 5, they will be equally amazing. During the week, the children have written recounts about their experiences. It was such a pleasure to hear about what the Year 5 children researched last week in their roles as Spartans and Athenians. I am sure this will play an important part in our end of term delights to share with all of you. This week, the children have also begun to explore the legacy of the Ancient Greeks and how we are still using ideas from this civilisation today. I have loved the passion of the children for this topic and it has been a pleasure to listen to them talking and sharing their knowledge! I am really looking forward to spending another day with Year 6 at the cathedral in Winchester, I have had contact from two previous colleagues who have already had their Leavers’ Service, and both said that it was a lovely day. I am sure the children will be fabulous and will have a fabulous time! We had a lovely afternoon on Thursday creating some artwork based around our school. The children have chosen areas of the school to sketch or paint to show our school as part of the community. I was so impressed with how calm they all were and their attention to detail about the school grounds. It has been a super week, I hope everyone has a restful weekend and we will bring on next week!

09/06/23

What a wonderful week the year 5s have had with their first taste of being the oldest in the school! Their whole week has been dedicated to learning about the two most powerful city states in Ancient Greece: Sparta and Athens. The week started with the children picking which of the two city states they would be an expert in and then they perused books and the web for facts about these very different regions of the ancient civilisation. We were all amazed by what we found out, from brides shaving their head before their wedding day to women not being able to leave their house without the permission of their father or husband – we all agreed neither state would be a pleasant place to live! With all these facts, the children then wrote some fantastic non-chronological reports about their city state and were able to share their facts with one another. In the afternoons, the children have been using this historical knowledge to make a range of artefacts from their state. We’ve been so impressed with their efforts and have loved seeing such an array of beautifully crafted objects from musical instruments, outfits and weapons. The children are very excited to present their creations to Mrs Hardy, Mrs Griggs and the year 6s next week to teach them about Sparta and Athens. Day 3 at Cal shot High flyers today with children in pairs, screaming and laughter as they flew through the air. The team swing a favourite despite some had fears, they conquered them all without any tears. Into the velodrome for cycling on tracks, trusting each other to look after their backs. Using our teamwork, can you see the theme, we worked together to solve problems like a dream. The initiative course took us underground and our communication was totally sound. Second ski took us up to the peaks, perfectly gliding accomplishing feats. With thoughts of tomorrow the children sleep sound, we're traversing to water from the ground.

25/05/23

Well, we have reached half term and I think we are all ready for it! The children have worked so hard and have really earned their break. I am particularly proud of your Y6 children. We have worked so hard on following instructions, whether it be verbal instructions given by an adult, or specific written instructions in order to answer questions correctly – I have seen huge progress over the course of the term. They have also thoroughly developed their skills in working as a team and setting an example to those around them. I am really looking forward to spending time with them at Calshot after the break where I am sure they will continue to flourish. It was such a pleasure and a privilege to accompany Y5 to their final swimming session. As a teacher, I have accompanied many classes to their swimming lessons over the years and part of me felt I missed out on this group and seeing how they have developed. It was so lovely to see that all the children were water confident. I was also very impressed with how they represented the school while we were ‘out and about’. We were sad to say goodbye to Danylo on Monday; we gave both him and Demian a good send off on Monday and wish them and their family well on their return home. Finally, I wish you all a restful half term break. Year 5, I have lovely things planned for you while I am away with the Year 6 children so don’t think I have forgotten you. Year 6, I look forward to seeing you at Calshot!

19/05/23

Well, we have made it through a whole 5-day week and still another 4-day week to go! This half term seems to be flying by. Year 5 continue to enjoy their swimming lessons and Year 6 seemed to enjoy the end of SATs practice on Tuesday afternoon as we were able to think about our preparations for the Cathedral Leavers’ Service and our trip to Calshot. The children’s clay models of gods and goddesses have dried out and are ready to glaze. The children are also looking forward to writing about these. They have done an amazing job and I can’t wait to read what they write! This afternoon, Year 6 are looking forward to meeting up with Micheldever Year 6 ahead of Calshot. We may even be able to compare our contributions for the cathedral service. As we approach the last week of the half term, I am aware that the children are very tired but we will try to keep them going. I hope that you all have a restful weekend!

12/05/23

They have made it! I am so proud of all of the Year 6 children in their approach to the tests this week. They have handled them with such a mature and calm attitude and all of them have absolutely tried their very best every step of the way, and certainly deserve a treat or several this weekend. It’s a shame they cannot celebrate with another bank holiday . I should also mention the Year 5 children who have also been taking tests this week. They too have taken these very seriously and put their heart and soul into them. They should also be proud of themselves. All the staff who have worked with children in Eagle Owls this week have commented on their attitudes to their work this week and you as parents should also be proud as I am sure you are. In other news this week, we have done lots of PE this week and have enjoyed lots of artwork inspired the Ancient Greek sculptor Phidias. The children have designed a god or goddess based around their own strengths and creating busts of their own godly selves! Well done Eagle Owls, you’ve had a cracking week!

05/05/23

It has been a strange old week; . Despite this, we seem to have achieved quite a lot! I have been so impressed with the children’s non-chronological report writing about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece – I feel many of them have revealed their ‘comfort zone’ and therefore, others are learning from this. I have had some lovely conversations with Year 6 about next week and the SATs. I have noticed a more mature attitude towards the way the children are approaching questions and asking for help about questions. All of us who have worked with your children over the years ask that, over the next few days, they are not pressured; they are given time for relaxation; and that they are given the opportunity for a good rest before Tuesday. I want your children to have the best opportunity for their own personal success in these tests, therefore I would love for them to come into school on Tuesday feeling at ease. Back to this week – your children have blown me away with their ability to learn a song that I have taught them in a couple of sessions. They have evolved so much in the way we have sung it and I am sure that you will appreciate their efforts at the Coronation Concert (providing I don’t mess it up or give them the wrong starting note!). In addition to the whole class contribution, I have been so impressed at the efforts of the children in their individual and group efforts. I would like to say I am proud, but that would suggest that their efforts are down to me. They are not. Your children are amazing, and they are doing you proud with their commitment to their contribution. Whenever I see children who I have taught perform, I always become emotional, but I know it is often down to the loving support of families and of the peripatetic groups your children attend. And finally… Enjoy the coronation celebrations, take photos, make sure that you are able to remember it! You will remember this event forever, maybe not totally but you will always have snippets. So please, enjoy it!

28/04/23

Wow, it seems like this term is flying by already. We ended last week having a whale of a time in Science by making chemical reactions. The children mixed bicarbonate of soda with vinegar – it was very messy! They also mixed milk with vinegar and made observations about the changes. This week, we have begun to get stuck into our Topic exploring the question ‘Who were the Ancient Greeks and what did they believe. In English the children have begun to explore the gods to write non-chronological reports and are very excited about this. I am looking forward to reading them too.

21/04/23

What a fabulous start to the summer term! We had an amazing day on Monday finding out about some of the gods and creating shrines to show how and why we worshipped them. The children worked really hard and demonstrated superb teamwork throughout the day. In the afternoon, the children presented to the rest of the class about their shrines and shared the odes they had written to their god. They then shared prayers of thanks before indulging in a fest of Greek style foods in honour of their god. On Tuesday, we were lucky enough to have a visit from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Service. They spoke about fire safety and the children really impressed us with their knowledge. The children were also challenged to come home and talk to you about a Fire Exit Plan for your homes. Hopefully they have encouraged you to check (and clean) your smoke alarms too. The Year 5 children had a great start to their swimming lessons and the Year children are showing real responsibility in their learning as we prepare for the upcoming SATs tests. We hope that people are able to relax a bit over the weekend, ready for another full week next week.

31/03/23

We have made it to the Easter holidays and well-deserved rest for everyone. This term has been jam-packed full of learning opportunities. The children have blown me away with their attitude to our world and climate change through their speeches last week and their ‘letters from God’ this week. I was also really impressed with how they talked about the people who have influenced them through the jigsaw artwork. I was so proud of all of the children during our Easter Service, all of their contributions were fabulous and they were a credit to you as parents and to the school. We wish you all a restful and happy Easter and look forward to an exciting summer term!

24/03/23

As part of the Class Exhibition, the children undertook a protest march to the Green.  Here, with their placards held proudly aloft, they spoke passionately to parents about small changes we can all make to halt climate change and to protect God's world.

17/03/23

This week we have loved getting started on our artwork. We have studied the work of Betye Saar, an American artist who repurposes items that are broken or need to be re-loved, through the sculpture media of assemblage. On Thursday, we had a practise run; each group worked together to make a sculpture in. They used items selected from around the classroom, they then presented their installation and talked about its message. The messages ranged from how humans are impacting the climate through their behaviours to the power of out individuality. I was really proud of their efforts. This week is World Science week the theme is connections and we have celebrated this through a Science Day on Friday. We have enjoyed visiting speakers coming to talk about their jobs, both in the medical profession and we have also explored science investigations that link to making connections within our learning. The children have investigated the reaction between yeast, sugar and warm water, built bridges, designed their own inventions and explored the impact of different types of soap.

 

10/03/23

Well, there is certainly never a dull moment in a primary school, especially when there is snow involved! This week, as we reflected on our Monday worship, we spent some time thinking about equality and equity in Eagle Owls. We focused on the following image:

The children had a really valuable discussion about these images. Through this, we also thought about acts of kindness towards each other. Each child selected a lollipop stick with another child’s name and have been showing secret acts of kindness towards each other.

Everybody loves a snow day! Especially if they have worn appropriate snow gear. While we were in class, the children (and myself) loved watching the enormous snowflakes falling from the sky; secretly though, I am glad the snow has gone!

03/03/23

Wow! What a week we have had! Last Friday we held a minute silence, as many across the country also did to reflect on the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, they also decorated sunflowers to show their respect. I have been so proud of all the Year 6 children this week who have worked so hard on their mock SATs. In school, they have approached these in a calm and mature manner and have also used the opportunity to talk to me about things that they found challenging. In the meantime, the Year 5 children have been really supportive of them while also working really hard in class. Our World Book Day celebrations have been a blast too and it has been a real pleasure to seen the children buddy up with Barn Owls to share stories and also to show a real love of reading having chosen a new book in the book swap. The children have definitely earned a rest this weekend, they have worked really hard!

24/02/23

This week in Eagle Owls, we have returned with a great attitude to our work and ready to go. In English, we have started to study the wordless picture book ‘Flood’ to inform our writing at the start of this half term. The children are very excited about this book and are looking forward to writing their own versions of this story! We were all really proud of all of our Rainbow Rangers and their presentation to the school and some of our parents. All the children did really well, but we were particularly proud of the maturity of our Eagle Owls rangers with the special feature of Noah and Harrison in da Hood with their rapping and freestyling! We have continued our Geography project and this week we visited our own tree covered areas around the school grounds and traipsed through our ‘forest’. We began to consider what the school would be like if there were no trees there. We will continue to explore this idea over the next few weeks and really look forward to this. It was also delightful to see more signs of spring.

10/02/23

What a half term we have had, it has been a real rollercoaster! I am really enjoying getting to know your children better and look forward to continuing to get to know them after half term! This week, it has been a pleasure to see our E-Cadets thrive on Safer Internet Day. They led worships across the school on the theme of talking about the children's’ experiences online. They also led a range of activities across the school to raise awareness about being safe while online. Do have a chat with your children about this. In English, we have researched animals from the Amazon and their life cycles. We have written explanation texts about these which we are looking forward to share with our Micheldever partners. I know that they are very much looking forward to sharing their work with us too! In computing we have enjoyed using Scratch to make quizzes. It has been lovely to see children solve problems that they have come across and seek help from ‘experts’. We look forward to testing each other’s quizzes too. Maths and Art – We had an Arty Maths session this Friday. Based around a blank 100 square, we looked at a range different types of number – prime numbers, square numbers and various multiples to name but a few. We have represented these on blank 100 squares using coloured shapes to enhance our knowledge of the properties of numbers. I wish all of you a safe and happy half term. I am sure we all need the rest. I am looking forward to seeing all of the children next term and continuing our learning about the Amazon Rainforest.

03/02/23

Well, we have reached the end of another busy week and Eagles are continuing to work hard. We have begun writing explanations about animals of the rainforest and hopefully before too long, your children will be experts on some of these animals. I am aware that some of them already are, and it has been such a pleasure listening to them talk about them with such passion. In Science we have continued to explore and test materials and this week they have completed a ‘scratch test’ to ascertain the hardness or softness of different types of wood, some of the children didn’t know their own strength! Finally, we now have a feathery blue macaw at flight in the class – don’t worry it’s not real and the children haven’t yet informed me of its name. I am sure we will keep you posted! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

27/01/23

How have we got to the end of the 4th week of term already? I am loving my journey of getting to know the Eagle Owls better and I hope they are beginning to get to know a little bit about me! We have continued in our creative streak in the last week and through our learning about rainforests and their structure. We have also learned about the creatures and the plants and at which level of the rainforests that they live. I have been so impressed with the collaborative and creative skills of the children and look forward to seeing more of this in the future! I think we are all beginning to be a bit stuffed up with colds, I hope that all of Eagle Owls can get lots of rest over the weekend in order to feel better. I also look forward to meeting you as parents at the ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening on Monday.

20/01/23

As we rollercoaster through the term, I really feel I am getting to know the school and the children, which is lovely. This week, we have continued to work on our poetry in English and the children have worked so hard in writing their ode to something special to them. It has been a pleasure to read their work and find out about those things that are important such as pets, items of clothing or items that have sentimental value linked to family members. Please see a taster of one of the poems below: Oh Sketchbook, Your shiny and slick Cover, Pitch black, like coal in a sack, Protects your masterpieces Inside. You unleash my hidden Creativity, A lost hidden treasure, now Free like a bird. In our Geography lessons, we have continued to learn about the rainforest in the Amazon. Learning about the structure of the rainforest has led us to develop our classroom environment. It was a joy to see the children work collaboratively and creatively to make the classroom a vibrant space. Have a restful weekend and wrap up warm!

13/01/23

What a week! In Eagle Owls I don’t think any of us have enjoyed the weather, although it has given us a rather appropriate soundtrack to our topic! As we continue to learn about South America and the rainforest, this week we have zoomed in to specific rainforest countries. In groups, the children have had the opportunity to research a country of their choice and report back to the rest of the class. It was a pleasure to note that no two presentations were the same!

At the end of last week, we began our Science topic and the children explored a range of different materials using feely bags – the children reached into the bag and described an object to our group. We used our scientific knowledge, and our senses to decide whether the materials were natural or synthetic. We continue to explore materials and their properties this week and in the weeks to come.

In Eagle Owls, we have really embraced the theme of democracy. We have had so many opportunities to discuss this within our class time in relation to events happening in the news and as part of our learning.

Have a restful weekend!

 

06/01/23

Happy new year! What a way to begin, the children have really welcomed me as their new teacher, and I am looking forward to getting to know them properly! This week, we have sailed into our new topic with such excitement and enthusiasm, our rainforest classroom is taking shape and the children are full of ideas and questions which have been such a pleasure to explore! I can't wait to see how this topic can develop our creativity. In Maths, we have been exploring different types of angles and how to measure them, while in English, we have started to learn some more about poetry and will explore writing our own. We wish you a restful weekend. 

 

16/12/22

Didn't they do well?! Those of you that were able to join us at the church this morning would have seen what a fabulous job Eagle Owl class did leading the Christmas Service. particular mention for Jack who beautifully navigated a number of last- minute changes and some hiccups here and there to introduce everything and light the Advent candles seamlessly. 

We have had a great last week! amidst rehearsals, DT morning, stories with Santa and the Christmas lunch, we converted metric measures focusing on grams and kilograms. Using these skills, the children completed a number of tasks to earn all of the ingredients they needed to bake biscuits. 

 

The bake-off occurred yesterday morning leading to tasting and rating. We then used these results to find the Mean, Median and Mode averages of the results. Generally, we justified eating biscuits by completing some maths! Winner!

I hope that each and every one of you have a tremendous Christmas full of love, warmth and lovely stuff! Have a fabulous start to the New Year and I can't wait to hear all about the successes and fun that you'll have been having when I undoubtedly make contact later in the term! 

 

Love to you all my Barton Stacey family. 

Thank you for making me feel so welcome for the last 18 years!

 

Mrs J xxx

 

09/12/22

What a chilly end to the week-it really is starting to feel like Christmas is coming! The children have been opening the advent calendar each day in class so if you notice little squishy items coming home, that's why!

Eagle Owls have been focussing on Christmas poetry all this week, working collaboratively to create compositions ready to share with you during the Christmas Service on the final day of term. We used The Christmas Truce by Carol Anne Duffy as our model text and the Sainsburys 1914 advertisement of the same name as our model and stimulus. We have looked heavily at figurative language and are now familiar with creating and identifying similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia. The children have worked beautifully together to create, edit and then individually handwrite these into their books. Mrs J even put on some Christmas tunes to lighten the mood and get everyone in the spirit!

Year 6 children have completed 'Mock Maths SATs' this week to start that familiarisation process and eliminate the 'fear factor'! Well done to them. Year 5 have been looking at timetables so improve their interpretation and calculation skills when it comes to time and the 24hour clock. 

In Science, the children have had the opportunity to complete their Shadow Puppet theatre using their understanding of light and shadow to put on a great show!

 

01/12/22

Welcome to December everyone! I hope your Advent Calendars have been abundant and suitably merry-starting your festive season off the way you hoped!
In class, our writing focus has turned to poetry. We will ultimately use the poem The Christmas Truce by Carol Anne Duffy as our model text. However, to ensure we are certain of the historical events and as additional inspiration, we have watched the Sainsbury’s advertisement from 2014. This has helped us ‘story map’ events and we are currently looking at shades of language to ensure we express ourselves using the correct tone and force required. We have a number of model texts on the go at this point to guide our thinking and inspire us on our writing journey.
In Maths, Eagles have completed our unit on circles with problem solving and challenges related to radius, diameter and circumference. We have also dabbled with timetable interpretation and problems related to the calculation of time. Tricky (or should I say ‘ticky’) business!
Across the curriculum we have completed our historical unit under this terms focus question, ‘How were families in Europe impacted by the events of WWll?’. We have followed this through in our worship focus this, and last week, reflecting on our learning as well as our own feelings, reactions and ‘big’ questions to such an emotive topic.
We have continued to make periscopes in Science and hope that you will have been able to sample a few and engage in a related challenge with us during our Exhibition.
Thanks to all who were able to come this morning. We love seeing you, especially when we have so much learning to show-off about! Go Eagles!

 

25/11/22

I am pleased to report that the narrative texts are nearly all complete-woohoo! Eagle Owl  children have been working really hard on them for the past weeks, improving their ‘cold write’ versions. I have been really proud of their resilience when completing this extended task as well as their improved writing techniques and styles. You’ll see for yourselves soon...

In maths, the children have switched between several concepts. They have dabbled with circles and the exclusive language they present. They have used the idea that radius is half of diameter and drawn circles using protractors demonstrating understanding of these concepts. They’ve also identified that circumference is roughly three times diameter. Y5 have been looking at 24 hour time recording and calculating intervals of time whilst Y6 have continued calculating with percentages of amounts. We’ve all been calculating balanced equations and seen that a letter in a calculation simply represents an unknown value.

In Science we concluded a simple investigation looking at types of surfaces reflecting light and started to use our understanding of how light travels and is reflected to make periscopes with the cereal boxes you kindly sent in. Suffice to say we have enough now and no longer need more! We’re drowning!

 

18/11/22

This week in English, Barn Owls have been exploring non-fiction texts in preparation for their next unit of writing.  They have been looking at the features of a non-fiction text and how these are used.  They have also been sharing their Leafman stories with one another. 

In Maths the children have been counting in 2s, 5s and 10s to 100, both forwards and backwards. 

In Geography we joined an Amazon Rainforest Live Lesson and explored the layers of the Rainforest and the animals and plants that are found there.  Next week we will be comparing these to those we find in British woodlands.

We have continued to practise the Nativity songs and have been becoming more and more familiar with the story – “A Little Bird Told Me.”  We are really looking forward to bringing it to life with our acting.

 

 

 

 

 

11/11/22

Eagle Owls completed their first narrative ‘cold write’ this week.I was immensely impressed with their story writing skills. Over the coming lessons we will be addressing a variety of writing techniques and editing their compositions to present at our exhibition in only a few weeks! Time flies..!

We had a morning of Art this Tuesday looking at the work of Henry Moore. He is best known for his sculpture but, produced a series of ‘Shelter Drawings’ during WW2 recognising this sensitive and powerful time. He subsequently became an official artist for the period. We, in turn, have practiced our drawing skills looking at line, tone and shade to produce properly proportioned images. This will collaboratively create an exhibition masterpiece!

We’ve continued with improper and mixed number fractions in Maths with the Y6 diversifying into fraction, decimal and percentage equivalence.
We are ‘lighting’ the way with our new Science topic this term learning how it travels, reflects and is seen by animals including ourselves. Torches at the ready…

 

04/11/22

We have been  right back into 'it' this week starting with the addition and subtraction of fractions with like and unlike denominators and converting improper to mixed number fractions and vice versa! We've also been looking at Prime numbers and identifying them in a range of contexts including our fraction work when it comes to simplifying answers. All this is times table-tastic so keep up the good work rehearsing rapid recall at home.

In Literacy we have started looking at The Harmonica by T. Johnston. A highly emotive narrative set in Poland during the second world war. We will be using this text heavily to guide our own narrative writing over the coming weeks. We have spoken about what makes a good narrative, used an image from the text to inspire setting and character description and completed our first 'cold write' using a story map of the text.

We've spent a lot of time on our PSHE unit 'Being in My World' this week discussing right and responsibilities, goals and using 'mirror moment' to reflect positively on ourselves. The children have been brilliant listening to each other and building upon the ideas and thoughts of others.

 

21/10/22

What an exciting week for us all in Eagle Owls. Firstly, we were joined by the incredible Richie Parsons from Parsons Period Presentations who stepped into a variety of roles to provide an immersive and engaging WWII experience day. We think the children gained a lot from it, complimenting and contextualising their historical understanding through his presentations and the object handling boxes he provided.

We also spent a day focusing on our RE unit of ‘Belonging’. As well as sharing what we feel we ‘belong’ to and presenting some beautiful art-work, the children discussed some quite meaningful questions related to the concept of belonging and became quite animated whilst doing so! We discussed what belonging to the Christian faith meant or looks like and then enquired about the Jewish faith. Within this, we extended our understanding of the Jewish celebration of Sukkot. We created an arbor minim (the four blessings) and a miniature sukkah as well as tasting soup made using a Sukkot recipe.

It has been a long yet incredibly productive half term! We have concluded our Science topic of Electricity as well as completing our WWII pop up toys using cams in Design Technology. Your children have also made great headway in getting used to Eagle Owls and the expectations that come with being part of the team. Well done everyone!

 

14/10/22

Eagle Owls have been working hard on their fraction understanding this week. They have been comparing, ordering and calculating addition and subtraction fraction problems with non-unit fractions using the same denominator as well as finding equivalent fractions so as to calculate and order fractions with different denominators. Phew! Guess what folks...all of this requires rapid times table recall! We spoke in class about how they don't have to sit at a desk for hours on end to practise their times tables. They can get somebody to give them a quick fire test whilst travelling in a car or walking, they can walk home and recite them to themselves as they walk, answer a 'quick 5' over the dinner table as you're eating,  use Times Table Rockstars (contact the office for log-ins) or other app based tools like 'Hit The Button' or 'Daily 10'. We also spoke about a number of strategies that might help them improve their times table recall speed. Perhaps you would like to try them at home? 'Bench-marks' can help with recall-knowing what 1 times, 5 times and 10 times a number is, can be a really powerful tool. If you know these 'benchmark' tables then you don't have to start counting at 1x all the way up, you can start at a 'benchmark'. For example, to answer 7 x 8, start at 5 x 8 = 40 and count on two more lots of 8! We also spoke about how multiplication is commutative so switching the order of the multiplier and the multiple around can help us visualise the calculation better. For instance, you might find 5 x 7 easier to calculate if you think of it as 7 x 5. 

Just a few ideas...

in other subjects, we have been gathering information about the Kindertransport and increasing our familiarity with newspaper reports in Literacy this week and continuing our 'Electricity' topic creating games and identifying electrical conductors and insulators within them.

07/10/22

'Roll up, roll up- read all about it..! We've started to look at the features of a Newspaper report this week, identifying the 'nitty-gritty' like headlines, dates, pictures and captions as well as more grammar focussed features such as use of past tense, relative clauses, time conjunctions, formal language and much more. We've used content from The Anne Frank Video Diary to fuel our opening line.

In Maths this week it has been multiplication madness! The children have been performing long multiplication using the ladder or the compact method using their place value skills to adjust values depending on the size of the number. Similarly, we are now tackling short and long division using...you guessed it...our multiplication knowledge! Please keep plugging away at this at home-the facts underpin so much of what we do in school.

In Science we are now using what we know about electrical insulators and conductors, what is needed for an electrical circuit to work and our practical skills of constructing a circuit to build an effective Steady-Hand Game. Others have been using the same knowledge but, constructing a working model of an alarm system that Anne Frank could have used to warn of intruders in the annex. All are a work in progress, can't wait to see them complete next week!

 30/09/22

Have you ever created a VLOG? Your children have been hard at work creating their own this week. They have adapted their Anne Frank diary into a VLOG mirroring the style of The Anne Frank Video Diaries they have been watching. We have spoken about the depth of emotion expressed by her in these diaries and the cinematography  so as to create the best possible video ourselves. Fingers crossed, these will be part of our exhibition come December. We're in the editing phases as we speak!

In Maths we have been identifying Factors and Common Factors of numbers as well as Multiples and Common Multiples. Towards the end of the week we have been adjusting place values to reflect multiplication or division by 10, 100 and 1000.

In Science we have been looking at electrical conductors and insulators in a variety of investigative situations.

 

23/09/22

Our toy making skills are being put to the test at the moment. Wood cutting, following design specs, assembling structures, fine tweaks and finishing touches-Geppetto has nothing on us! All of the children are really engaged in every part of the design and construction process which is great to see.
This week has also seen the preparation and presentation of School Council candidate manifestos and interviews for E Cadets and additional Green Ambassadors. We were impressed by how many children put in the effort to apply and how they had the courage to give something new a go. No matter what the results are, we are very proud of them all for engaging in the process and challenging themselves.
Our Collective Worship across the Federation, with Hawthorn and Willow class at Micheldever, also focused on the election procedure. We discussed the qualities of a successful candidate and what democracy looks like.
Diary writing in Literacy is coming to an end this week culminating in a final ‘Hot’ write focusing on Anne’s realisation that she, and her family must flee their home.
Maths also see’s the end of our first unit of work starting with multiplication and division based learning next week. Needless to say, practise those multiplication tables please!

One of our class represented the school at the proclamation of King Charles III & reflection for Queen Elizabeth II

16/09/22

A reflective and busy week again here in Eagle Owls. Of course, we were all hugely saddened to hear of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, we joined Hawk Owls in laying flowers, writing and sharing poetry at the Memorial bench on The Green. They remain there should you like to have a moment of quiet remembrance in the coming days.

We have been continuing to look at the story of Anne Frank this week, using the imagery depicted in a variety of illustrations to improve our descriptive writing and create truly emotive diary entries as if we were Anne. The children have 'up-levelled' their initial 'cold' write and have been using a variety of WAGOLLs (What A Good One Looks Like) as a model for their writing.

In Maths we have been perfecting our addition and subtraction skills in both numerical and written problems and challenges. We have been discussing when we can solve calculations mentally, using our previous place value learning, and when we have to use a more formal method of recording. A lot of the children had a huge improvement on their Multiplication challenge grid on Thursday. Truly well done to those that beat their score or time on week 2! Please keep practising at home.

In science we have been drawing or using scientific symbols to either follow a circuit diagram or draw a circuit diagram. We will be using this to create a little something tomorrow!

 

09/09/22

What a fantastic week! Eagle Owl children have had and a fabulous start to the new term despite arriving to an upturned 1930's desk strewn with strange papers and artefacts! Thankfully they were able during the course of the day to ascertain that this was Anne Frank's desk and they began to think about who she was and when she lived.

In Literacy, we have been using images from Anne Frank by J.Poole and A. Barrett to discuss and deduce about Anne's life prior to Kristallnacht. This has led to a 'cold' task- writing a diary entry as if they were Anne- in relation to a particular image within the book. This will fuel our learning for the next few weeks.

In Maths, we have been getting to grips with the place value involved in some really BIG numbers-in some cases up to 10,000,000. We've been looking at and using different representations of them including part/whole models, place value charts, dienes, arrow cards and bar models. This will lead to our first calculations with numbers next week.

Science is electric in more ways than one! We'll be getting out different components, trying a million different cells before finding those that work (thank goodness our Maths learning has enabled us to keep count!) and making simple circuits, drawing scientific diagrams, following scientific diagrams and generally making things light up, buzz and spin!

 

15/07/22

When you receive this we will be in the final throws of preparations for our exhibition piece-the long awaited production of 'Oliver'. Needless to say we are super excited and eager to show you the result of a lot of hard work all round. The children performed to the rest of the school on Wednesday this week and received tremendous feedback, rising to the audience they have missed so much in rehearsals.

A big thank you to you all for supporting them at home with songs, lines, costumes and wobbles that they may have had. We couldn't do it without you!

The final few days this week have been dedicated to completing our science learning for this term. They have finished their semi-longitudinal study, analysed results and written conclusions answering their own enquiry question based on the speed mould grows. They have watched a short clip giving an overview of life since the Earth began including when plant life, micro-organisms appeared. We have discussed and defined 'Evolution', 'Adaptation' and 'Inheritance' and looked at how fossils can inform us of past living things and land movement. We have looked at how fossils are made and made a few 'cast' fossils of our own as well as looking at the life of Mary Anning and her 'curiosities'.

 

 

01/07/22

The final ‘Oliver’ playscript has been completed-as has the final draft of the production. Woo-hoo! All of the children with script lines to learn now have a copy of the complete production to study at home. ‘Market Sellers’ and ‘Boys in Fagin’s Den’ have innovated and learnt theirs along the way so won’t have a copy unless they specifically requested it.

Please could we ask that the children continue to learn and practise the lyrics as well as the script pieces so they are word perfect by the end of next week.

Could we also kindly request that the children bring in their costumes by the end of next week. We have a dress rehearsal in front of the rest of the school in the lead up to the final performance so would love for everyone to be in full regalia by then! Please feel free to ask us for anything you are struggling to source.

Thank you so much for support with the production. We know that we couldn’t do it without you and that we are asking a lot of you at the moment. We’re sure it will all be worth it and very much look forward to seeing you on Friday 15^th July at 3.30pm for a 3.45pm start.

It hasn’t been all rehearsals this week, the children have been revisiting their mathematical learning from across the year this week as well as keeping on top of times tables. They have continued to record observations and photographic evidence for their semi-longitudinal science investigation, started RE learning and continued with Guided Reading.

 

24/06/22

What a week! The pace certainly hasn't altered in Eagle Owls with our production looming ever closer! We have been composing scripts again this week to 'showcase' yet another genre of writing within the production. You'll be treated to no less than 4 different text types all written by our children during their literacy sessions.

Maths has focussed on interpreting pie charts. The statistics were mostly about food so we've collected our own discrete data concerning 'Food, Glorious Food' discussing how best to do this. Once collected, we created our own pie charts utilising our understanding from previous interpretation and our knowledge of circles.

Throughout the week we have completed observations and taken photographs of our mould investigation as part of our semi-longitudinal study. You'll be glad to know some of the slices are growing new organisms quite successfully. We'll be looking at why this is in more detail when we come to writing conclusions later.

Thursday and today, you may notice your children humming/singing various tunes from 'Oliver' when they return home! We are now in full scale rehearsal mode. Please can you help them master the lyrics at home as much as possible. Most of the songs require the whole class to sing! Thank you my dears!

 

17/06/22

Welcome back to the Y6 this week and well done to the Y5 for successfully steering the Eagle Owl ship in their absence.
We’ve been writing play-scripts to include in the production of Oliver in a few weeks time. This has required greater analysis of the 1968 film version, analysing character and emotional response.
In addition, the children have heard about their roles-very exciting! No matter what the character, all of the children will have lines and stage presence. Their auditions were just so good we had to ensure equal stage time for all!
In Maths we have been analysing continuous data in the form of line graphs-using a line graph about a fictitious location to model creating our own representing Victorian and present day population figures from census data. This has progressed to Pie Chart interpretation.
In Science the children have set up a longitudinal study, creating  their own investigation question by choosing an independent variable relating to growing mould!
Have a great weekend everyone-keep singing those songs..!

10/06/22

We have really missed the year 6’s in class this week whilst they’ve been having an amazing time on their residential trip to Calshot. However, back in school the year 5’s have really risen to the challenge of being ‘top of the school’ and have been setting a really good example of following the school values and taken on the responsibilities of the year 6’s with ease and maturity. Excitingly, we are beginning to prepare for the end of year production which the children are writing themselves. The year 5’s have been hard at work writing diary entries from key characters in the show, as well as making props and learning songs. Finally they have been stretching their problem solving skills with a range of maths challenges too and have showcased all they’ve learned this year.

27/05/22

What an exciting week! We held auditions for our summer production on Wednesday and all who chose to participate were amazing! Mrs McKay, Mrs Griggs and myself were commenting on how talented you children are and in ways that we don’t get to see in a ‘normal’ working day. Simply brilliant! So much so that we’ve made modifications to the content of the performance to include aspects seen in the auditions. Very exciting.

20/05/22

Ello’ my Dears… this week we’ve been looking at persuasive arguments and identifying how Fagin persuaded the Artful Dodger to ‘recruit’ Oliver into the gang. Linked to this has been a character analysis of Fagin and a mastery of the colloquial language he used! We’ve innovated and expanded this to include persuasive phrases and techniques to great effect.

The language of shape has also been used this week in the form of 4 quadrant co-ordinate recognition when performing reflection, translation and rotation with 2D shapes. Sounds simple but the final challenge has been identifying the exact combinations of movements between two congruent shapes and the co-ordinates the shapes vertices lie on. Confused yet…ask your expert children if you are!

In science we have been completing a classification key leading to the identification of invertebrates we found on our ‘hunt’ in previous weeks. This mirrors the work of Carl Linnaeus in the Victorian era and is a valuable tool not just for identification but recognising similarities and differences. We will start to use our classification and observational skills when it comes to fossils before too long!

You’ll be glad to know we are now all experts on Volcanos and/or Earthquakes having completed and presented our PowerPoint slides (complete with hyperlinks) to the class. Not only has everyone researched the topic to present their own work but listened to the rest of the class and their information.

13/05/22

Well-they did it! Eagle Owls survived a tough week of assessments, and they are still smiling! A massive well done to all our children for keeping going especially the Y6 who have taken the first official SATs papers since 2019! Everyone has really dug deep and tried their best which is everything and all that we can ask for. We could not be more proud of them, their resilience and enthusiasm. On top of this, we have still maintained a level of learning in the afternoons through sport provision and the introduction of our 'Volcanos and Earthquakes' ICT project work. The children have been creating their own Power-Point presentation with hyperlinks to present information to the class on either Volcanoes or Earthquakes as part of their geographical learning. This is ongoing and in adherence to some strict presentation requirements! We look forward to hearing and seeing them as they are completed in the coming weeks. We have also watched the original Oliver directed by C. Reed from 1968 (U) to further enhance our understanding of the storyline. We'll know it inside out before too much longer! Happy weekend everyone...

06/05/22

“Please Sir, can we have some more time?!” There are simply not enough hours in the day in Eagle Owls this week—quick SpAG reminders, brushing up on fractions, percentage calculation strategies and mathematical investigations, as well as maintaining pace with writing and our historical investigations into the lives of children in the Victorian era.

Needless to say, we’ve continued listening to Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, discussing historical references and social circumstances from long ago. We have been looking at Balanced Argument texts, completing a shared write and an individual write focussing on ‘Should children have mobile phones?’ and ‘Are video games harmful for children?’. Both questions have produced a wealth of discussion and debate. The children, despite having strong views one way or the other, have been really receptive and impartial during discussions, many wavering on their initial thoughts. This is building to our historical question, ‘Were Victorian workhouses a place of hope or despair?’  The children are currently using instances from Oliver Twist and other texts and videos to research this question before writing.

We hope you have a restful weekend and look forward to seeing everyone on Monday. 

29/04/22

Welcome back everyone! We hope you enjoyed the Spring weather during the Easter break and were able to have restful, quality time together. We’re back with a bang this term! Our topic- How have the lives of British school children changed since the Victorian era?-has obviously led to a dramatic alteration in the classroom décor! It was a real shock to remove the colourful, African flags and replace them with black chalk boards, rows of tables, slates and a traditional Victorian front-room! We’ve started to familiarise ourselves with the classic tale-Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens-listening to a BBC audio version. We’ve been dividing like demons, perfecting our long division calculation strategies in a variety of contexts. The Y6 have been out and about in the village every afternoon, completing their Bikeability qualification whilst the Y5s have looked at some classic Victorian watercolour artists like Turner to inspire water colour painting within the school grounds. Some of these are now hanging in our front-room! In addition to all of this, we’ve started our new Science topic focussing on Evolution and Inheritance including two prominent Victorian scientists. Do look out for the curriculum and homework newsletter informing you of this term’s learning.

 08/04/22

 Well, it’s been strange old week in Eagle Owls to conclude the term but the children have adapted and rolled with it as always-they really are very resilient!

We have concluded Our Dreamcatcher poetry looking at the Easter story as stimuli to write as one of the disciples about dreams they may have had in relation to the events witnessed. The poetry produced was beautifully insightful. Some of this can be seen on the website.

We have had a great opportunity to catch up with our Science learning this week. Refreshing how to conduct a scientific enquiry thoroughly whilst learning to use and read a decimetre to measure volume. It has also provided opportunities to calculate Mean average and Range in a variety of statistical situations!

We do hope that you have a happy and healthy Easter holiday. We’ll be in and out preparing the classroom for our new learning project and what will be the last term of the year/ever for some! Don’t eat too much chocolate…

01/04/22

 

At the time of writing this, we are busy cooking Nigerian Jollof Rice ready to serve at our Exhibition tomorrow afternoon. We are very much looking forward to seeing you and hope, if you were able to attend, that you had a great time and were impressed with all of the children’s hard work across the curriculum. From our point of view, they have really gained momentum with greater resilience and perseverance this term-very much in keeping with what they think is needed to succeed! Aside from cooking as part of our Design Technology learning, Eagle’s have been composing poetry based on The Dream Catcher poem ready for the Easter Service. I won’t give away any spoilers but, they have been really insightful in their compositions and we are excited for you to hear them next week if you are able to join us again. Algebra has been our maths focus this week-looking at different contexts in which a missing value can be found and how to go about it according to the context of the problem. Have a great weekend!

04/02/22

Eagles Owls have been looking at characterisation this week, focusing on building a ‘tool kit’ to facilitate their narrative writing by cleverly weaving action, feelings, physical description and character traits seamlessly into a story. Due to our familiarity with the text, we’ve used characters from A Long Walk to Water and our story maps as a stimulus for writing.
We’re nearing the end of Ratio work in Year 6 and Fraction work in Year 5. We are super proud of them for the progress made in these units. It’s been intense but worth the effort they have put into their learning and discussions. The air of confidence has been tangible! We’ll be extending this into fraction, decimal and percentage work over the coming weeks looking at equivalence between them and calculating amounts of a whole.
We continue to create life cycles and look at the adaptations of African creatures this week—moving onto insects—with a focus on mosquitos! These featured in Salva’s amazing tale so will compliment our English work well. The cumulative poster on life cycles and adaptations is shaping up a treat for our class exhibition!

28/01/22

We have started to use the novel A  Long Walk To Water as stimulus for narrative writing this week. We have very much enjoyed Salva’s story which goes some way to help us think about what is needed to succeed. Salva’s amazing journey has now been mapped both as a story and geographically; part of our project work. In the coming weeks, these will be used to scaffold and compose our stories. Year 5 and 6 have taken different mathematical paths this week in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. Both share a fundamental skill base - times tables! Year 5 have been flexing their fraction knowledge engaging in some great discussion, guided and independent work. We are moving from comparing and ordering fractions with different denominators to improper and mixed number, mixed number to improper fractions and then utilising all of this when adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators. Some have gone beyond, looking at multiplication and division with fractions. We all deserve a fraction of cake to celebrate that learning! Y6 have reasoned with ratio, engaging in great ‘maths talk’-a valued part of becoming expert mathematicians. They are using the language of ratio and the symbol to work through increasingly difficult problems. In science we looked at the life cycle of an amphibian using an African Bullfrog as an example and identifying the adaptations it has made in order to survive in its African environment.

21/01/22

We have concluded our non-chronological report writing with a hot write and peer feedback. The engagement with the genre, related grammatical features and creativity certainly seems to have paid off. They approached the final writing task with confidence and enthusiasm - go Eagle Owls! We are reading through A Long Walk To Water with equal gusto, approaching the end of Salva’s amazing story on which we will base our next genre of writing. To further enhance our knowledge of his life and experience we watched a small video in which Salva, and the plight of thousands of Sudanese ‘Lost Boys’, was shown.
Through our Geography work we are gaining understanding of the size of Sudan and other African countries as well as the climate and other physical and human features of this diverse continent. We are currently constructing a wall hanging to show this as well as other African features as we move through the topic.

14/01/22

On Monday, we worked virtually with Willow Class at Micheldever to create some thoughtful artistic impressions of what binds us together as The Dever Valley Federation. Some ideas included our Christian values, Learning Powers and, of course, the River Dever. These will be used and developed as we move forward. 

We are making great progress with our non-chronological report writing. We have collectively and independently written a paragraph to inform about a selection of unique, African animals. Have you ever heard of a Chee-zee-telope or a Ze-ele-raffe?! If you haven’t, Eagle Owls’ writing will bring you up to speed- Sir David Attenborough style! We’ve been looking at expanded noun phrases, relative and subordinate clauses to ensure these enhance our reports, as well as listening and responding to our class novel - A Long Walk To Water.

We have started to look at what a diverse, large continent Africa is. We’ve challenged our perceptions of it by looking at images of the landscape and discussing why we think it is representative of an African country or not. We have started to collate a range of statistics and images of each country for display.

Maths is all about area and perimeter looking at rectilinear, compound rectilinear, triangular and irregular shapes and discussing how we can calculate the area/perimeter of them.

07/01/22

As always, we are straight off the mark with our new topic and straight into learning! We spent the ‘launch’ day classifying and researching African creatures-from insects to amphibians, birds to mammals. This research will inform both our non-chronological report writing for the next week and our scientific studies later in the half term. The children produced some wonderful posters for our working wall and have started our new topic, Africa-What is needed to succeed? We will be trying to answer this over-arching question as we make our way through the Spring term.

We’ve started our Maths topic of area and perimeter and will be looking at the life of Sir Richard Attenborough today as a start to our life cycles and adaptation science learning. 

 17/12/21

Well, we’ve gone right up to the wire with our learning, producing the ‘Coming Home’ anthology which, if you made a purchase at the end on the Christmas Service, you’ll know how great Eagle Owl’s narrative writing is and how far they have come this term.

The whole class has come together brilliantly over their first term in Eagle Owls. Routines have been established and we’ve made real progress in every aspect of school life together despite challenges beyond our control, comings and goings and ‘firsts’ for doing many things. Mrs McKay, Mrs Griggs and myself feel exceptionally lucky to learn, care, share and achieve such great things with such a wonderful group of individuals. We’ve ventured into the unknown together this term but returned victorious and a little bit wiser!

It just remains to say a big Merry Christmas to you all. May you have a safe, healthy and fun Christmas time together. Elves Grigg, Johnson and McKay are signing off but will return  in the New Year fresh and ready to venture to a whole different continent…

10/12/21

Christmas is well and truly on the way in Eagle Owl class with the introduction and progression of our Christmas project piece. We have watched ‘Coming Home’ by Michael Morpurgo, as seen on our screens as a short film advertising a well-known supermarket a few years ago. It is the heart-warming story of a Robin making his way back to those he loves. Using the film as a stimulus, we are preparing to write a narrative based on this story using a multitude of features. These will be shared with you, as an anthology, at the Christmas Service next Friday.

We have made great progress with our fraction work advancing to comparing and ordering using our understanding of equivalent fractions and simplification, addition and subtraction of fractions with different denominators and multiplying an integer by a fraction. All this whilst also improving our times table rapid recall and revising knowledge of types of angle. Phew!

You’ll be glad to know that by close of business today we will have completed our 3D models of the Earth in Space. The Earth rotates on it’s axis AND orbits the Sun!!! This is the culmination to our Electricity and Earth in Space Science learning as well as taking us to ‘places unknown’ by extending our Design and Technology skills. Everyone is an expert with a hacksaw! Father Christmas and your toymaking skills-watch out!

     

03/12/21

We have completed our letters as Dorothy Vaughan with great insight into her character and regard for her many achievements. In addition to this, Eagle Owls have been researching the phenomenal achievements of Katherine Johnson to complete our informal letter writing next week. Year 5 children have been learning and working with equivalent fractions in a range of problems and calculations. The problems utilise times table knowledge above all else and Thursday saw an unprecedented improvement with our multiplication grids ‘check-up’. Brilliant work!

Year 6 have had their first ‘taste’ of SATs papers this week. We will be talking through these to become familiar with the types of problems and strategies to employ with each one at a later date.

In Science we have been learning about the movement of the Moon in relation to the Earth. Whilst we would love to go on a trip into space to see this all happening first-hand, we settled for using a lamp and white polystyrene balls to replicate this to see the phases of the Moon!

 

26/11/21

We hope you enjoy watching the following presentation, which gives you a small glimpse of this term's Learning Project

19/11/21

Eagle Owls have embarked upon the true story of Katherine, Dorothy, Mary and Christine in the 1950s and 60s by inferring from the text, Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, alongside interpretations of the film of the same name. We are currently using it to look at the life and work of Dorothy Vaughan; a Computer and then Programmer within NASA. This will fuel informal letter writing next week. In maths, we have switched to short and long division with and without remainders, creating fraction/decimal equivalents with any remainders and contextual work. Being the inverse operation, we are still using multiplication tables to help us calculate as well as knowledge of place value. DT and Science are now aligned! Eagles have sufficient understanding of the rotation, orbit and axis tilt of the Earth to see how their 3D model will work once constructed. Glue guns, saws and hammers at the ready..!

12/11/21

This week Eagle Owls have been rounding off their enthusiasm for poetry. We have been writing our own poems based on the poem We Remember by Laura Mucha. The imagery created using pastels and inspired by famous Remembrance Day art was astounding. We also created a multiplication and division by 10, 100 and 1000 drama which consolidated the last week of learning. We experienced everything from American accents to our favourite maths characters from White Rose. We enjoyed our thespian way so much that we dramatized how the earth rotates on its axis in science this week. This again involved comedy sketches, ad libs and a “hot sun”.

05/11/21

 Eagles Owls have had an inspired poetry week! They have delved into many forms of poetry, read and shared their own books, internalised and innovated from a composition by Laura Mucha and started to collaboratively compose their own poetry using trees within our school grounds for inspiration. We are very much looking forward to sharing these at our Remembrance Service next week. We have focussed on maths fluency, spending time really getting to grips with properties of number, talking mathematically and having fun with number and movement of place value when multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000. We’ve started a new DT project based on our science learning this half term-Earth in Space. We’re continuing to venture further into the unknown…

 15/10/21

Unusually, Eagle Owls have been completing their ‘Hot’ write using the second chapter of The Arrival over a number of days this week. Narrative writing and the creativity involved in it simply cannot be rushed! We have been looking at properties of number in Maths focusing on Multiples, common multiples, prime and composite numbers. Times table knowledge is essential over the next few weeks so any practise at home on this would be very much appreciated. Most exciting, however, was our trip to Sir Harold Hillier’s Gardens today! As a result, the children should be better equipped to fend for themselves should they ‘venture into the unknown’! The day’s exploits included: lighting a fire, cooking on the fire, den building, stick whittling, orienteering, foraging and a whole lot of fun!

 08/10/21

Another busy week-where does time fly? We’ve been continuing with The Arrival narratives, typing them up, editing and embellishing to publishing standards. We started our Multiplication and Division unit in Maths looking at factors, multiples, common factors and multiples, prime and composite numbers, multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1000 and properties of number problems. In Science, we’ve started making Quiz Boards using our knowledge of simple series circuits, conductors and insulators. For Project Learning, we’ve been gathering human and physical geographical information about our immediate and local area to facilitate creation of a ‘website’ for people who might venture to our community and it be unknown to them. After much practise, we have started drawing our passport pencil pictures (great alliteration!) inspired by The Arrival. Happy, restful weekend everyone!

 

01/10/21

Eagle Owls have been writing the final part to The Arrival where we see the father of the family venturing into the unknown. We have inferred from the illustrations and hypothesised why this might be. We’ve made significant progress with addition and subtraction problems including balancing equations, missing numbers with columnar subtraction requiring decomposition, problem solving and order of operations using the BODMAS acronym. The children made their own Buzz-Wire game in Science using appropriate conductors and insulators depending on their use within the structure. They also solved how to connect the components together so that the buzzer sounded only when the loop touched the wire structure and drew the circuit diagram for it using the appropriate scientific symbols. Electric work this week!

24/09/21

What a marvellous Field Trip we had on Tuesday! The sun was shining and all was right with the world - well, unless you speak to the children about the amount of walking we made them do prior to lunch! We traversed to the top of St Catherine’s Hill looking at the residential and industrial landscape merged with the natural. We discussed transportation and historical aspects to the view including the vantage point held by the Iron Age Hill Fort and the Miz-maze carving. From there to the viaduct and then the Hospital of St Cross where we were allowed access to Brethren Hall, the kitchen and the inner gardens of the Brothers residence. The children have already used the day to fuel a Recount text and will reflect further on it during topic work. Oh, we’ve also done Maths and stuff this week!!!

17/09/21

You may have seen Eagle Owls walking around the village on Tuesday identifying land use and facilities in their immediate locality, using appropriate symbols to depict them on their own maps and using a compass to orientate. Next week we are heading into Winchester to further explore land use in the wider locality. In Maths, we have been continuing with place value focusing on negative numbers and Roman numerals. Literacy has involved collectively writing the beginning of our narrative to The Arrival using grammatical features such as adverbial openers, figurative language and relative clues to name but a few! Speaking of grammar, if you haven’t already purchased a CGP SpAG homework book for £3.60 (normal RRP £5.95) may we respectively request that you do so before Monday 20th September. Mrs McKay will be setting the first weekly task(s) on Monday to be handed in on Fri-day of the same week. This pattern will follow for most weeks hereafter. Not only will it complement and consolidate learning completed in the class-room it will also provide a handy revision guide-what a bargain!

10/09/21

What a productive and positive first week we have all had! New routines, ways of working and getting to know each other-oh-and some learning! We are advancing through The Arrival by Shaun Tan, hypothesising about the story line, exploring different ways of starting a narrative, adverbial openers and figurative language. We are comparing, ordering and rounding numbers to 1,000,000 and beyond so when we win the lottery we are able to manage our finances as well as a whole host of other experiences linked to our topic! Look out for the Curriculum Web and Homework Project details next week as well as notification of our first trip!

11 June 2021

This week, the Year 6 children have enjoyed a wonderful week-long residential at Calshot Activities Centre.  Blessed with wonderful weather, the children have had an action-packed week and are very much looking forward to a restful weekend!  A huge thank you once again to the staff who have supported this.  Our Year 5 children have been using an Oscar-winning animation as the stimulus for their writing this week, creating their own narrative to go with the wordless video (which can be found here on YouTube; please ensure you supervise your child's internet use).  They have also been securing their short division methods, as well as creating bath bombs to study the effects of irreversible changes in Science.

28 May 2021

Newspaper reports edited and published-check. Decimal place value, ordering and rounding-check. Investigating saturation points using a variety of soluble solids-check. Creating a clay, coil pot in the style of Ancient Greek pottery depicting images of personal rites of passage within our life journeys so far and considering how Ancient Greek values are exhibited in them-check. Production preparations begun-check. Catchy songs being learnt that you’ll get stuck in your minds and be singing for the next 6 weeks-you-bet-ya! Happy half term everybody.

21 May 2021

Achilles featured a lot in our diary recount writing towards the end of the week whilst the origins of the war in which Achilles fought featured in the newspaper reports written at the beginning. Our minds are awash with fronted adverbial phrases, first person, chronological recounts and conjunctions! We have revised the place value of both large numbers and decimal values, rounded and ordered in Maths. Science has involved looking at irreversible changes, what can cause them and how we can detect if it is an irreversible change.

14 May 2021

We have been busy using our alliterative skills and word play to create hedonistic headlines and punchy puns for our newspaper report on the origins of the Iliad narrative. Mrs Hoyland said that we have also identified the difference between indirect and direct speech. She exclaimed, “It’s gone very well and I look forward to seeing it within the reports!” Our multiplication and division brains have been stretched in Mathematics but, soothed by ice-cream in Science!

7 May 2021

Eagerly, we started our new genre of writing and new text-The Iliad and the Odyssey retold and illustrated by Marcia Williams. The children will be using this text as a ‘staple’ in their understanding of The Iliad with its numerous threads and characters combining to make a complex and involved narrative. We are focusing on a variety of recount techniques over the coming weeks including Newspaper Reports in which they will be reporting about Paris, Helene, Achilles, Hector and a whole host of pesky, meddling Gods and Goddesses! We started off with a story map of the first chapters annotating it with time conjunctions and fronted adverbials using the ISPACE acronym to help us. In maths we have been focusing on balancing equations, using mental and written strategies for the addition and subtraction calculations involved. Factors, Square numbers, square roots and multiples are also making a reappearance in quick fire maths starters so the children need their rapid multiplication fact recall to hand!

30 April 2021

Eagle Owls have worked hard on creating passive sentences. Ask your child to give you examples. We have been using this in our explanation text writing all about a Greek God/Goddess of their choice from ‘Mythologica’ this week. We have been working on ratios in maths, calculating, simplifying, finding equivalent ratios, problem solving, drawing shapes according to a scale factor, identifying the scale factor a shape has been enlarged by and using proportion to calculate alterations to recipes etc. We didn’t have time to make cakes though-I am sad but my waistband is grateful! We have separated mixtures in a variety of ways and discussed reversible changes in Science-alas-no cake making there either!

23 April 2021

Eagle Owls have shown that they are ready to learn after Easter and have fully embraced their new project, ‘How are Ancient Greek values evident in our lives today’? They have had a chance to ‘download’ what they already know about the Ancient Greek Olympics, created a sculpture of themselves as an Ancient Greek God, devised a God/Goddess name, family his-tory and backstory to form an explanation text and they became an ‘Investigator’ to analyse a range of Greek God explanations from Mythological in order to determine which one ‘visited’ us from the clues they left behind! We started our Science topic of ‘Properties and Changes in Materials’ revising the states of matter and what can cause matter to change state. Apologies for the Newtonian slime sleeves that may have been evident after Thursday-is Newtonian slime a solid or a liquid?!

1 April 

Our feet have certainly not been off the gas this week! Eagle Owls completed their innovated Lorax stories and now every individual has a bound book of their narration. It is a suitable culmination to this terms envi-ronmental topic in which we have discussed how the choices we make affect the world around us. We concluded our Area, Perimeter and Volume maths topic by calculating the volume of regular and irregular 3D shapes. The last few days have been spent reflecting on how ephemeral art can help us appreciate God-The Creator’s world. To fuel an explanation ‘cold’ write we created our own ephemeral composition to then explain how it showcases Gods

26 March 2021

Eagle Owls have completed their Georgia O’Keefe inspired, chalk drawings with fabulous results. Some of the compositions are shown in the photographs below. Aren’t they spectacular?! We continue to compose our innovated Lorax stories as well as watching and interpreting Delivery as part of cine-literacy this week. Delivery is a short, animated story by Till Nowak from which much can be inferred about the environmental impact the choices we make have on the world around us. We’ve continued to find area and perimeter of rectilinear shapes as well as triangles in Maths.

19 March 2021

Eagle Owls have been true artists this week! On Tuesday, we continued our art in nature topic by looking at the work of Georgia O’Keefe. We replicated her style using chalks and looked at detailed images of flowers using a microscope to see texture and colour. We completed our poetry based on The Promise by Nicola Davis. It really challenged us all! Ensuring we maintained a rhythm and rhyme pattern based on Warned by Sylvia Stults whilst progressing through the narrative aspect of the original story tested our figurative language and vocabulary knowledge. The poems will make up an anthology of class works. We are revising and progressing with area, perimeter and volume looking at rectangles and compound rectilinear shapes this week using our measurement knowledge and multiplication tables to help us.

12 March 2021

Needless-to-say, it has been wonderful to see everybody return this week. A buzz is audible throughout the whole school and Eagle Owls class filled with enthusiasm, vibrant discussion and collaborate learning once more! Yay! We have been continuing with Converting Metric measures this week with some practical tasks to ensure we can read the measures we are converting on weighing scales, jugs, cylinders, rulers and meter sticks. The Promise is our focus text comprised of beautiful figurative language from which we innovated our own using images from the book for inspiration. Today we conclude with Science Day in celebration of British Science Week focusing on simple mechanisms-levers, gears and pulleys. Phew!

5 March 2021

We have had an exciting ‘final’ Lockdown week in Eagle Owls starting with a visit from The Lorax and Once-ler on Monday! They roamed the classroom and grounds causing chaos during World Book Day. However, our story tellers were not distracted and composed some fantastic narratives based on the shared book, ‘Journey’. We also received a very satisfactory reply from Boohoo’s CEO, John Lyttle. He responded to William’s letter which highlighted issues regarding Fast Fashion and his request for more information regarding their ethical practises, “…Any supplier that is not able to demonstrate that they treat their workers fairly and appropriately does not have a place in the Boohoo supply chain”... Finally, you’ll be glad to know we’re in the process of sprucing up the classroom, compiling items from the Back to School List and generally getting ready for everyone’s return. We are so excited to have you all together again on Monday. Yay!!!

26 February 2021

Mrs Hoyland and I have been overwhelmed with your Wellbeing Day and mandala pattern photographs. What a creative bunch you are! It’s so great to see you enjoying learning outdoors and having fun. We are collating all of your images together so you can share them with each other when you return. Remember to take care of your Cotton plants and complete the longitudinal study this week.

12 February 2021

Eagle Owls have been trying to get cosy and keep warm this week! The children have been bringing in blankets to complement their coats, hats and gloves and Thermoses with hot drinks to target the cold from the inside! Our letter writing, percentage, project and geography work has been punctuated with short bursts of movement to warm limbs and defrost brains. Despite this we have made headway with our T-shirts-finalising designs and completing the dying process. We have also had multiple successes with our Cotton seeds so the Longitudinal Study records are well underway!

5 February 2021

Another buzzy week in Eagle Owls including using Spelling Shed! We have progressed with our embroidery and are thinking about our final T-shirt design. To dye or not to dye…that is the question?! We have made ‘fat cakes’ for the birds in our school grounds and enjoyed seeing the first of our cotton seeds germinating and beginning their life cycle.

29 January 2021

This week Eagle Owl children have been progressing to the design part of their project. They thought about and drew initial ideas to re-design their T-shirts and started to practice different stitches on swatches of fabric.

22 January 2021

We’ve been busy learning about Texas this week and have been completing learning about our ‘Forever home’. Mrs Johnson has been playing Father Christmas and delivering ‘goodies’ to the children at home to help with their learning projects.

15 January 2021

We’ve completed a Fraction jigsaw and our fraction topic, written our first persuasive text, progressed with our project and found new respect for our humble T-shirt!