ATW Newsletter 17th May 2024

As ever, we have been busy with our learning this week.

In Reception and Nursery, the children have been exploring the school grounds and learning all about transport and trains. They ‘ve also been thinking about growing and making music. You can read more on the website here:

https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-nursery-news-trains-sequences-and-forest-learning

https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-reception-news-growing-nature-and-music-making

This week, Year 1 have been reading the book ‘Why Elephant has a Trunk’. The children learnt the story and performed it for each other, using expression to tell the story. In maths, the children have been solving word problems using repeated addition and sharing between different groups. They have also been recording the growth of their bean plants in Science and comparing them to how they have changed from last week. In computing pupils have been adding sound and animation to our own electronic stories. Finally, in Geography the children have been comparing Sanderstead and the Masai Mara in Kenya.

This week, Year 2 have been learning about capacity and the standard unit of measure. They went outside and explored how many cups, spoons and bowls it would take to fill different containers. They even made a special potion as a class using measuring cylinders accurately. The children have begun to create a seascape painting with water colours and in Science they discussed different habitats and what animals might live in each one. In English the children started to write their nonfiction report all about snakes using exciting sentence starters and subheadings to organise the work.

In Year 3, the children have been estimating, recording and comparing time using stopwatches to see how long it took to complete various activities. In Art the children have been using shade, tint and tone when painting their sunset silhouette art work of Stonehenge. In computing the children have been using Google slides to create an ‘All About Me’ presentation using WordArt, transitions, pictures and text

Jade class have been busy over the past couple of weeks! We began to immerse ourselves in our new text for English called The Tin Forest. The book is about looking after our environment and tells the story of an old man who builds a forest out of metal and tin but would love to live in a real forest full of colour and nature. The message of the story is that we must look after our world and all the living things in it. To immerse ourselves into the story, the children created forests out of recyclable materials and planted flowers in tin cans to grow a ‘forest’ of their own in the classroom. The seeds have begun to sprout which has been exciting to see!

As the chidlren could not get to the Buddhist temple this week, they had a ‘Buddhism’ afternoon in class instead. The children watched videos about Buddhist temples and learned what they are like inside and how they were used. They learned about praying and meditation and created Prayer flags to hang by in their bedroom windows. Buddhists in Nepal and Thailand create these prayer flags to hang in trees in the hope that their prayers can be carried on the wind to Buddha.

In science, the children have been continuing their learning about light and shadows. They have been learning about how light travels in straight lines and if it is blocked, a shadow will be created. They explored changing shadows’ size and shape, creating fair tests to prove hypotheses – Hypothesis 1 – ‘Shadows are all the same’ – No, the children discovered that shadows change depending on the distance of the light source. Hypothesis 2 – ‘White card will not make a shadow’ – Some children predicted this was true, whilst others said it was false. The investigation concluded that the colour of the card does not make a difference. It is the thickness of the card blocking the light that makes the shadow. The children had great fun using the torches and can’t wait for science week next week to do some more light investigations!

In Year 4, the children have designed, made and evaluated Anglo-Saxon porridge in DT. The children learnt about what foods would have been around at the time and used this to choose their extra ingredients/toppings, e.g. honey, apple and blackberries. They had great fun making their porridge!

In whole class reading, the children have been reading the start of the BFG and thinking about the language Roald Dahl uses to create atmosphere. This has crossed over with their English learning, looking at the short film ‘Dreamgiver’. The children have been creating a paragraph for the start of the story, thinking about how they can set the scene and create mystery and tension. In maths, the children have been looking at hundredths as fractions. The children have shown good resilience and determination with some tricky learning!

In Year 5, this week the children have been researching all about graffiti and street art as part of their Crime and Punishment unit. The children enjoyed debating the question “is graffiti art?” and looking at the work of various artists. They then had a go at producing their own although they were only allowed to graffiti on paper – not on the walls!

This week, Year 6 have been working really hard completing their SATs papers. The children have persevered and tried their best and we are proud of them all. By way of a celebration, they were able to finish off the week with a picnic in the park.

SCIENCE WEEK

Next week, sees the school celebrating all things science related as part of our Science week. We kicked off today with two science related assemblies where we Miss Turner, Miss Mirza and Mrs Gill amazed us all by mixing various chemicals to make ‘Elephant toothpaste’.

STAFFING

We are sad to say goodbye to Mr Chester who will be leaving us next week. We are grateful for the support he has given the school as we transition between deputy heads. He leaves us to take up his own Headship in a school in the independent sector and we wish him all the best.

In related news, we are delighted to have appointed a new Deputy Head who will take up her position from September. Mrs Holliday is an experienced teacher and leader joining the school from outside the Trust and we are excited to have her experience and ideas on board to strengthen the leadership at the school.

Also leaving us next week will be Lara Kehla who, I’m reliably informed, has been working at the school for 15 years. During her time here, she has been instrumental in settling so many of the children into Atwood as they join the Nursery and we are sorry to see her go. Having moved away from the area, the commute has become unmanageable and she is starting a new job with a more forgiving journey and hours. She will be missed but we wish her all the best in her new post.