Atwood Newsletter 8th November 2024

In Reception and Nursery, the children have been thinking about Fireworks and Remembrance day. They have also been reading the book ‘Naughty Bus’. To read more visit the website.

https://www.pegasusacademytrust.org/news/eyfs/atw-reception-news-fireworks-remembrance-and-buses

ATW Nursery news – forest school, phonics and shapes

This week, Year 1 went to the Science Museum. The children had to travel by bus, train and tube to get there! In the museum they attended a workshop all about what it is like to live in space. The children explored the space exhibition and looked at rockets, space suits and different planets. They also explored the pattern pod and garden of the museum. The children had a great day. Many thanks to all the parents who came along to help out. Elsewhere, the children have carried on reading ‘Whatever Next’ and they came up with items they would take to the moon. In maths, they have been using number lines to add numbers up to 10.

This week, Year 2 finished off the week with a visit to Hampton Court to enhance their understanding of their thematic topic on the Tudors. The children have also been busy writing letters to Mr. Robins to discourage him from giving Roald Dahl’s Mr Twit a job in the school kitchen. The children have noted that his beard is full of rotten food and that he plays nasty tricks on people. They really don’t want him working here.

Over the past two weeks, Year 3 have been learning about the history of Victorian High Tea and learning to write a recipe to create a Victoria sandwich (sponge) cake. The children began by having an afternoon tea in the classroom and learning about how the Duchess of Bedford, lady in waiting to Queen Victoria, began the idea of having something to eat late afternoon because it was a time ladies often became peckish and they knew that they would not have their dinner until their husbands came home, around 9pm, from running their new factories and companies. From this the children learned how to make a Victoria sandwich cake and how to write a recipe using imperative verbs (technical language) and adverbs. The children are now recipe writing experts as proven by the delicious cakes they baked and enjoyed!

In Year 4, the children have been writing sentences with subordinate clauses. These will be used in a letter when writing in the role of Matthew Henson based on book ‘Race to The Frozen North’. In maths, the children have been looking at statistics and interpreting line graphs and in art the children have been sketching facial features and thinking about the proportions of the face.

In Year 5, the children have been thinking about water resistance and designing submarines which have the least resistance in Science. For their thematic studies, the children have been thinking about the journey of a river and learning the associated vocabulary. In their reading this week, the children have been reading and reciting Flanders Fields by John McRae

This week, Year 6 have been reading The Watertower by Gary Crew and Steve Woolman. This eerie book is set in a small, rural town called Preston in the Australian outback and concerns the misadventures of Spike and Bubba as they visit the watertower on the hill. Magenta class also treated us to a rousing class assembly where they shared their learning about Emmeline Pankhurst and the Suffragette Movement. The children have also been making 3D models depicting the Nile River Valley in Egypt.

This week our school councillors also led our Harvest Festival assembly in aid of Nightwatch. You can read more about that here.

ATW Harvest Festival

With sadness

Many of you may remember Sue Chapman who worked as a Teaching Assistant at Atwood for over 30 years. Sadly, she lost her battle to cancer on Friday 1st November 2024 and was surrounded by her loved ones as she peacefully passed away. Sue leaves behind two daughters, who once attended Atwood, and two adorable granddaughters. For those of you who had the pleasure of knowing Mrs Chapman, she had a vivacious character and a passion for teaching and learning, which positively impacted on many of the children who have attended Atwood over the years. As a staff, we are incredibly saddened by her loss as she was a huge part of our Atwood family in many ways. Not only did she dedicate so many years of service to us as a school but she became a very close friend to many staff and parents alike.

Her funeral will take place in the coming weeks. Should anyone wish to donate to Sue’s chosen charity in her memory, please follow the link below:

https://susan-jean-chapman.muchloved.com/

Fireworks

Thank you to everyone who attended the fireworks and a special mention to everyone who volunteered to help with the smooth running of the event. The scale of the operation to make sure that everyone can have a safe, fun evening is quite an undertaking and we are hugely grateful for everyone’s help. As well as providing excellent entertainment, this event raises a considerable sum for FOAP funds which are then spent in school on things for the children.

And finally…

Please can I remind everyone that scooters and bicycles should be parked in the racks at the front of the school and not ridden round on to the playground. We are delighted that so many children are choosing a healthy and environmentally friendly option for getting to school but the playground is very busy at pick up and drop off times and we don’t want any accidents. Similarly, please ensure that children are supervised before and after school. Children should not be playoing ball games or using the play equipment at this time. Thank you for your cooperation.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Please check because new dates are being added all the time.

Monday 11^th November: Teal class Gurdwara Visit

Tuesday 12^th November: Lavender class Gurdwara Visit

Friday 15th November: Cyan Class assembly

Week beginning 18th November: Scholastic Book Fair

Wednesday 20th November Y6 Natural History Museum Visit

Friday 22nd November: Indigo Class asse mbly

Monday 25^th November: Year 3 Trip to Victoria and Albert Museum

Friday 22^nd November: Flu Vaccinations

Friday 29th November: Amber Class assembly

Tuesday 10^th December: Year 4 and 6 Christmas Show; details to follow