Atwood Newsletter 14th June 2024

Read on to find out what has been happening at Atwood this week.

In Reception and Nursery, the children have been finding froglets, meeting caterpillars rescuing animals from ice and making toast. Find out more here:

Reception

https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-reception-news-caterpillars-comparing-numbers-and-froglets

Nursery

https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-nursery-news-bears-games-and-capacity

In Year 1 during maths, the children found half of an object/shape and also found half of an amount. They now know that a half is 1 of 2 equal parts. When reading Grace & Family, the children imagined they were Grace and used the first person. In the story, Grace visited a market to buy her first African dress. The children described what they could see, taste, smell, touch and hear at the market using some brilliant adjectives. They also described Grace’s feelings throughout the story. In DT, the children learnt that almost everything we eat comes from plants or animals and must be caught, farmed or grown. They looked at photos of food and sorted them into groups depending on whether they were grown in the UK or Africa. Did you know some foods are grown in Africa (and not the UK) because their climate allows them to grow really well? In the UK it would be too cold for these foods to grow. As a class, they found out many new foods we had never heard of before and discussed whether they would like to try them. The children also created a poster about Nelson Mandela using facts learnt about him last week. In science, the children identified and classified a variety of animals including fish, birds and mammals. They also discussed how they know whether an animal belongs to each of the groups. What a busy week!

This week Year 2 have been looking at features of a persuasive advert and have written their own inviting people to their fantasy island. In Maths, the children looked at tally charts and pictograms and created their own using data they collected. The children have really enjoyed reading Paddington in their whole class read lessons and can’t wait to hear what he gets up to in the next chapter! In Thematic the children compared Sanderstead to Trinidad and Tobago discussing the similarities and differences of the food, land use and transport.

In Year 3, the children have been solving maths problems related to measurement and length and in their Thematic studies have been designing and building their own Stone Age homes. The children have also been reading ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and been thinking about inference, prediction and prosody.

In Year 4, beyond the building excitement of Camp Atwood, there has still been lots going on in the classrooms. The children having been learning to tell the time to the nearest minute. They have also been learning about Anglo-Saxon crime and punishment. In English, the children are writing their own versions of Once Upon a Wild Wood’ using dialogue to move the story on and thinking about resolutions for the problems their characters face.

Year 5 have been looking at graffiti as a way of communicating and expressing positive messages. In groups, children have planned and created their own graffiti designs. They have also been investigating structures in DT and seeing who can make the tallest freestanding structure from newspaper. In English the children are enjoying ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ and High Rise Mystery’.

In Year 6, the children have been studying Greek myths and have been learning about the adventures of Odysseus. They particularly enjoyed the Cyclops adventure and have created their own Cyclops characters in English. Following their trip to Chessington, the children have worked in teams to design their own Lunar Space theme park. They were given a budget and have spent time learning about profit and loss when running a business. Finally, the budding actors have spent time this week on their rehearsals for the upcoming production of the Jungle Book. It’s coming together very well so far!

PARKING

Please can I remind people to be considerate when parking around the school. This week, I have received a number of complaints of people parking across people’s driveways, parking in the church car park or parking in bays designated for Colston Court. Some people parking have apparently also been leaving litter behind once they drive away. If you must drive to school, please park in a way which is not selfish or causes a problem for other people. Thank you for your cooperation.

SPORTS NEWS

This week, a team of boys and girls from Atwood took part in a football tournament at Whitehorse Juniors with the other Pegasus schools. After some very competitive matches, the team came a commendable third place with goals from Sofiah, Courtney, Zac and Hamish

PHONICS SCREENING AND MULTIPLICATION TABLES CHECK.

Well done to the children in Year 1 and 2 who have completed their Phonics Screening Check this week and to all the children in Year 4 who have been busy with their Multiplication Tables Check. We know that you have done your very best.

ATWOOD SCHOOL FAIR

Don’t forget that next Saturday is the Atwood School Fair. The FOAP do a wonderful job raising money that then funds all sorts of things for the children in school so please come along and support if you can. I’m sure that any more volunteers for help on the day would also be warmly welcomed. Experience tells me that there are often plenty of helpers to set things up at the beginning of the day but it’s often the same faces clearing up at the end of an event so if you are available to help, please let us know.

And finally…

Spare a thought for the brave Year 4 children and their teachers who are sleeping on the field tonight. Hopefully they manage to get through the night without too much rain.