ATW Newsletter 22nd March 2024

The term is flying by but the children have been busy with their learning.

In Reception and Nursery, the children have been very busy with visitors such as the Fire Brigade and a vet. They have also been learning all about frogs. You can read more about their exploits here:

https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-eyfs-news-people-who-help-us-and-frogs

This week Year 1 read the picture book ‘Chalk’. They made predictions about what the story could be about and checked if they were right later in the week. The children also came up with ideas about what the characters in the book could do when a dinosaur tries to eat them, but no one guessed how they actually defeated the dinosaur. In maths, the children have investigated different ways of measuring length, including using rulers. They also began to look at mass and used scales to find which objects were heavier or lighter than each other. In Science the children wrote about their boat experiment and whether their boats floated or not. They thought carefully about what properties helped their boats stay afloat for one minute. They also did lots of coding in computing, coming up with instructions to change the behaviour of fish and bubbles in the programme ‘2code’.

The highlight for Year 2 This week Year 2 have been scientists conducting an experiment to see whether what conditions radishes grow the best in. We are excited to see the results! In our thematic learning this week we compared King Henry VIII to King Charles III and we have been collecting facts about Tower Bridge, the Monument and The Shard to help us write our information leaflet all about London. In our Computing lessons we started to create music on ‘2 sequence’ using bells, chimes, drums and violins. It was a bit noisy but a lot of fun!

The children in Year Jade class have been learning about rocks and soils this term in science. This week they have been learning about how soil is created and what it is created from. They decided to do an experiment to investigate which soil was the most permeable. Children worked in groups to set up an experiment where they timed how long it took for water to filter through four different types of soil and measured how much water was filtered in 2 minutes, therefore investigating which soil was the most permeable. They had a lot of fun and concluded that sandy soil let the water through quickest because its soil particles were further apart and let the water through fastest.

In Year 4, the children have been studying the book ‘Can We Save the Tiger? By Martin Jenkins. This has led to the children trying to write campaign leaflets using persuasive writing and expanded noun phrases. Can they write a convincing argument persuading people to help save the tiger? In maths, the children have been studying fractions looking at mixed numbers and improper fractions and placing them on a number line. In Science, the children have been revisiting what makes something a living thing, and thinking about different habitats including visiting the forest school area and the pond.

In Year 5, the children had a fantastic few days at Carrotty Wood. Despite a little bit of mud on arrival, the children got involved with a range of exciting activities and challenges and pushed themselves to overcome some of their fears. The children had the opportunity to try archery, mountain biking, Go-Karting, climbing and abseiling as well as exploring the woods and tackling the high ropes course. The children also got to experience the independence of a few days away from home. All the children had an amazing time and although they came back a bit tired they have already said they want to go back next week. Many thanks to all the staff why gave up their time to be with the children and support this trip. Without willing teachers and support staff, residential trips like this cannot happen.

Year 6 are enjoying reading ‘Wolf Brother’ by Michelle Paver, a breath-taking adventure that carries you back thousands of years to a shadowy world steeped in natural magic. Using the book as a stimulus, they have been discussing the skills they would need to survive in prehistoric wilderness, such as foraging for food, building shelters and campfires.

SPORTS NEWS

Congratulations to all the Cross Country runners who raced over the past 2 weekends. The notoriously difficult Farthing Downs course was challenging for our athletes and they all did tremendously well. The year 3&4 boys did especially well and with their combined points received an award for 3rd place in the team standings.

Results:

Years 3&4: Grace White 10^th, Elliot 14^th, Olly 23^rd, Laiq 26^th.

Years 5&6: Eloise 3rd

We had a full team back at Woodcote for the final in the 3 race series. It was a beautifully sunny (and uncharacteristically warm) day for running cross country. The team, once again, ran impressively and all received a medal for their efforts. Huge congratulations must go to Eloise who raced competitively over the series and accrued enough points to come 2nd, earning her a trophy in her final cross country race for Atwood.

Results:

Years 3&4: Grace 9^th, Evie 13^th, Mary 42^nd, Elliot 12^th, Ronnie 14^th, James 16^th, Laiq 50^th, Jack 53^rd, Olly 54^th, William 62nd

Year 5&6: Eloise 2^nd, Nikolai 12th

And finally…

Even though we are edging towards Spring and we have had some brighter days, please ensure your child comes to school with a coat. We know that there will be showers and unless there is heavy persistent rain, we try to ensure that children get some of their playtime outside even if it means wearing a coat and getting a little bit wet.