Foundation Unit
We had an excellent week at Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire. It kicked off with all pupils wearing odd socks and celebrating Anti Bullying week with our class assembly. We were so proud of each child, they joined in, learnt their lines, and spoke with a clear and loud voice. We have started our new topic on Polar Regions and spent the week learning about the Arctic. We have focused on the animals you found find there, how they survive in such cold conditions, and we have produced some lovely artwork. We are now also in full Nativity practise mode, singing our very catchy songs in any spare minute we have.
Year 1
In English, we have been learning about the different types of nouns. The children were all great and recognising the differences between proper and common nouns. On Fridays we spent the morning on studying a book. This half term we are looking at The Christmasaurus. We have been looking at different parts of the book. This week we have read through some of the elf rhymes in the book and identified the rhyming words. We have then taken the character William Trundles letter to Santa and have written our own, we will be writing these up in best and sending them to Father Christmas next Friday. In Maths we have been looking at simple fraction’s halves and quarters. The children have worked busily through identifying and recognising halves of shapes and lines as well as quantities.
Year 2
This week Year 2 have been focusing on their English Speaking Board (ESB). They have been working hard on their poems, readings, and their talks, getting better each time they practise. In History Years 1 and 2 have been learning about Florence Nightingale (The Lady with the Lamp). They have been researching her and filling in a fact file about her and the changes she made to nursing. Maths lessons continue – this week the children have been learning about the Two Times Table and Odd and Even Numbers. In English the class have been learning about the <ou> for the /u/ sound, which has been fun. The children are also working hard at dictation.
Year 3
Year 3 have been busy practicing for our ESB again and honing the art of public speaking whilst the children not presenting have been brilliant audiences and asked some thoughtful questions. In art we have been studying the work of the landscaper Paul Klee and they painted some beautiful paintings in his style. In maths we’ve been looking at more complex 2D shapes, measuring, drawing, and naming. We’ve introduced the vocabulary ‘diagonal’ and ‘perimeter’. We are achieving good success in our English grammar lessons and have been looking at adverbs and how we use them in writing. Continuing our research into Mountains we have been looking at the Himalayas and where they are in the world.
Year 4
In maths Year 4 had a great week learning how to convert data collected in tables in to vertical & horizontal bar charts. As part of anti-bullying week, we watched a very informative play which made the children think about how to behave towards each other and the use of ‘kind’ words. In science we look at the skeletons and the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates. All of this was along side our extensive ESB practice which we are looking forward to presenting on Monday.
Year 5
Year 5 have had another good week. In English, we read and discussed an interesting poem called “Playgrounds.” We all agreed that it was sad because the person speaking in the poem had no one to play with and felt very alone. This made us reflect on our personal experiences of playgrounds. We all agreed having no one to play with is horrible and discussed ways of including everyone in our games. This led nicely into our lesson for Anti-Bullying Week in which we watched a very thought- provoking theatre production about a girl called Hope. The class impressed me with their thoughtful comments and understanding of the difficult situations the characters faced. Year 5 have continued to work hard on ESB, and this is paying off.
Year 6
Percentages have been our maths topic and we have been looking at how these can be equivalent to fractions and decimals. Of course, we have continued to practise our ESB presentations, and everyone should feel confident about Monday’s exam. We had good weather, if a little chilly, up at the field on Wednesday playing tag rugby and it was good to be back swimming after missing last week’s session. Everyone has continued working on their famous artist slide presentation for ICT and in our mountains topic we have been looking at the impact of travel and tourism on these regions. Another busy and productive week at Windrush Valley Private School Oxfordshire!