Atwood Newsletter 21st March 2025

In a week when the sun shone and we managed to get back on the field at lunchtimes, the children have been busy in their classrooms.

In Nursery, the children have been learning all about bumble bees and having fun in Forest School. Read more here:

https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/?p=164215&preview=true

This week, the Reception children have been learning about doctors, nurses and looking after their bodies. Read more here:

https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-reception-news-doctors-nurses-and-looking-after-our-bodies

Year One finished writing their own version of the story ‘Chalk’. They wrote imaginative sentences about something dangerous that had come to life and how they would deal with it. They used a range of adjectives to make their sentences more exciting. In maths the children have measured the length of different items using centimetres and compared the measurements to see which items were longer or shorter. In science they have been testing different materials to see which are waterproof and float in order to design and make a boat capable of supporting several Lego figures.

This week, Year Two have been up to lots of great things! The children all came together to make a huge Iron Man for their latest English topic. Additionally, in their Thematic lessons they have been applying their knowledge of London from their recent trip. They even learnt how to plot their route! In their maths lessons, the children have continued to work hard on their bridging skills but this time with subtraction. This challenged their minds even further! Green Class worked very hard putting together their Class Assembly and performed it to the whole school! The children have also been keeping very active in Year 2 refining their tennis and volleyball skills for both outdoor and indoor PE.

In Year Three the children have been reading the book ‘The First Drawing’. The children had a go at produced cave paintings using mud, sticks and charcoal. The children have also been researching mammoths for a non-chronological report. In Science the children are studying rocks and soils and in maths the children are continuing to master fractions.

Year Four have had a very busy week! On Tuesday, they had a water safety assembly where they learnt how to keep themselves safe around water and at the seaside. On Friday, the children all visited Kingswood as part of their Animals and Habitats science topic. The children found numerous minibeasts and heard the calls of various birds including a woodpecker. There was even talk of an unconfirmed sighting of a badger and a roe deer. The children have also been researching endangered animals in preparation for writing a persuasive campaign leaflet and learning how to add fractions in maths.

In Year Five this week the highlight for the children has been their residential trip to Carroty Wood. The children set off on Monday morning for three days of fun packed activities. The children tried their hands at bushcraft, mountain biking, climbing, abseiling, go-karting, archery and the high ropes course- including the ‘Leap of Faith’. The children were so brave trying new things and hugely supportive of each other as they tested themselves against the challenges. In the evenings, there was time to visit the tuck shop and play in the sports hall before retiring to their dormitory rooms. The children demonstrated excellent behavior through the trip and we are extremely proud of them all. Many thanks to Mrs Mitchell for leading the trip and to Miss Daley, Miss Goodey, Ms Newton, Mrs Holliday, Mrs Adams and Mrs Hutchinson for giving up their home comforts to give the children this great opportunity.

This week in Year Six, the children have published their Lady Macbeth monologues. They have demonstrated excellent skill in their writing and used lots of Shakespearean language. The children have now moved on to Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver The children have also been looking at ratio and proportion in their maths work as well as revisiting fractions decimals and percentages. In their outdoor PE lessons the children have been polishing their tennis skills.

Sports News

On Friday 14th March, the Year 5 netball team jumped on the minibus to travel to Shirley High school to attend the Croydon Netball League’s Skills Day event.

We joined 14 other primary schools from across the borough to be coached in areas such as shooting, passing, dodging and defending. The girls then went on to play a series of mini games against other schools including Ecclesbourne, Greenvale, St Johns and Howard. All the girls played so well and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They all received a certificate and a goody bag for their efforts. Well done for representing Atwood so well – Megan, Amelie, Mia, Arianna, Salihah, Freya, Grace, Penny, Mary, Jessica, Anabelle, Leila, Evie and Harlowe.

On Thursday, the girls’ football team played a home match against St Peters. After a delayed start led to shortened matches in a ‘double-header’ the girls were unlucky to lose the first match 2-0. They fought back well in the second match and earned a very creditable 0-0 draw.

A note about dogs

I am aware that some people have been bringing their dogs on to the school grounds. Although the school’s official policy is that no dogs should be on school grounds, in the case of small dogs that are carried on and off the grounds, I am happy to ‘turn a blind eye’. However, please note that no dogs should be allowed to walk onto the school grounds or foul any areas. All dogs must be held and cannot be brought into any school buildings or the office area. If you are someone who carries your dog into school, please be responsible and remember that however cute and lovable your dog might be, some children do not like dogs (and some dogs do not like children). I hope that this reasonable accommodation means that children are kept safe, sensible dog owners aren’t unduly inconvenienced and we do not need to enforce an outright ban. Thank you for your cooperation.