Summer must be just around the corner; tests are over, we’ve all had an ice-cream (even Mr Finch) and Yew Class have been planting sunflowers in the school garden. We’ve even anticipated the arrival of sunnier days in our morning singing practice!
A hefty thank you to Nicky, Chloe and Julia for facilitating a post-SATs treat. On Tuesday afternoon, the children planted out the sunflower seedlings that they had cultivated in class. Volunteers had already cleared the bed for us, and collected trowels for the children to use. Chloe and Nicky helped the children with planting. Afterwards, Chloe delighted the children by serving up ‘99s’ in the playground. Even the sun made an appearance: just beautiful!
On Monday Lydia, the director of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ran a workshop to teach the Year 2s and 4s a dance which will be performed in the play. Lydia is an inspiring teacher, and expertly choreographed the performance. I was hugely impressed by the results after just half an hour’s practice. Well done Lydia!
It’s been a struggle to fit everything in this week and, if I’m honest, this half-term. There is so much going on, which creates a real buzz around school. It is so lovely to be doing the things we have all missed. On Wednesday, the children made their prints of King Tut. They worked with rollers and ink to produce stunning images, which will form a display in our corridor. There will also be a copy to take home.
Have a fantastic half-term.
Very best wishes,
Audra Fitzgerald

Reading SATs can be ticked off the list of things to do this term. On Monday and Tuesday, the children gave 100% in terms of effort and were truly focused; I was so proud of them all. In honesty, I believe they enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to work quietly, in a small group with few distractions. At the same time next week, we have Maths SATs, with Arithmetic first then Reasoning the day after. The children have been doing 10 minutes of arithmetic practice as their early morning work since the start of term, so it will be interesting to see whether the short bursts of regular practice have had an impact.
In English, the children have been learning to recognise persuasive language in the playscript we have been studying (Oh Gnome!) and in adverts and leaflets. We have been using persuasive phrases in role-play scenarios and have made our own adverts for a cake sale, using powerful adjectives to tempt the reader to come along and buy the ‘delicious cakes made from healthy, fresh ingredients’. Yes, we talked about how adverts can use exaggeration in order to get you to buy things!
History has merged with art this week, as the children learnt to draw the tomb of King Tut. I was hugely impressed with their line drawings, each one different and a reflection of their own creative style. I have included several examples below. Next week, we will transform these images into prints using ink and ‘press-print’.
Things you can do to help your child next week:
· Listen to your child read daily
· Share stories of previous Jubilee celebrations
· Access ‘Times Tables Rock Stars’ to help with our ‘skip counting’ in class
Have a wonderful weekend. I will see you all on Monday.
Best wishes,
Audra Fitzgerald

Can your child walk like an Egyptian? Maybe, maybe not. However, this week we have thought carefully about the importance of the River Nile to the Ancient Egyptian civilization. Yew class discussed the 9 reasons why the Nile was essential to the civilization and then ordered them in importance in a 9 square diamond (see photo below). The class put ‘important for washing in’ at the bottom of the diamond, but Morgan disagreed saying that washing would prevent disease and illness and should be at the top of the diamond.
Maths this week has been interactive, with jumping clockwise/anti-clockwise, 90 degree turns, moving to the left/right and so on. The children have become robots, being programmed by a partner (giving instructions about position and movement), they have followed instructions to find a pirate’s treasure on a map and have used ‘Scratch’ to create video clips, using the language of geometry.
Next week, our Year 2s will be doing the government statutory tests in Maths and Reading. It will all be very low key, and the children will work in small groups to complete the tests on Monday and Tuesday mornings. Miss Coleman will teach those children not working in my group. The test format is very familiar to Yew Class, as we use past papers to assess the children at the end of each term. I think the class will enjoy the change of routine and some ‘special time’ working in a small group.
Things you can do to help your child next week:
o Practise knowing left from right
o Research the archaeologist Howard Carter and the discovery of Tutankhamun
o Read with your child daily
o Practise counting in 3s and 4s
Very best wishes,
Audra Fitzgerald

We have had a remarkably busy and positive week in Yew Class. On Tuesday, Paul from Devon Wildlife gave the children some fascinating information about Winston the woodlouse’s relatives. Did you know that woodlice are related to crabs, lobsters and shrimps? Woodlice are the only relatives that live on land.
Paul challenged the children to build a habitat for Winston in our forest school area. Tabitha made a parasol out of a leaf and twig so that Winston does not dry out on a hot, sunny day. Aimee made sure that he has plenty of dark, damp areas. Frankie provided hiding places from predators and Jenson made the biggest, most elaborate ‘rock pool’ type structure that could house Winston and his extended family. Next week will be our final session, and we plan to make bug hotels from recycled and natural materials.
In Maths, the children have dived deeper into ‘Measure’, solving problems involving the 4 operations. Yesterday, Miss Barton had the children measuring how far they could leap and throw a pom-pom. Today, Yew Class worked collaboratively in teams of 4 to explore how to divide a Milky Way (other confectionary is available) into quarters, ensuring that nobody got the smallest piece!
We examined modern day Egypt this week with a view to investigating the Ancient Egyptians next time. It would be helpful if children could research images of Tutankhamun ready for Wednesday; any pictures would be welcome in school. I am hoping to incorporate some artwork related to our History topic.
Things you could do to help your child this week:
· Encourage them to read each day
· Talk about clockwise and anti-clockwise directions
· Look for synonyms: words that have the same meaning and can be used in place of another – e.g. mischievous/rascally
Have a lovely weekend.
Audra Fitzgerald