Dear Parents/Carers,
We are delighted to be underway with another school year. We have already been out and about in the local area to look at the trees from which we take our new class names—Sycamore and Willow.
The class teachers this year are Miss Laird (Willow) and Mr Isaac (Sycamore). We are also lucky to be joined by Miss Mawi, our SENCO, and Miss Brown and Miss Bryant, who know all the children well from their time in Year 5.
If you would like your child to travel home alone, please ensure you have given written permission to the office.
Year 6 is an eventful school year for the children and communication between teachers and parents is even more important than ever. If you have anything you wish to discuss about your child’s education, please do not hesitate to contact the Year 6 Team who will be more than happy to help.
Best wishes,
Year 6 Team
Literacy: We are reading ‘The Girl Who Stole an Elephant’ by Nizrana Farook, in which a Sri Lankan village girl becomes involved in a coup against a tyrannical ruler. We will be focussing on the narrative style of the author to write our own stories, as well as examining the dilemmas in which the main characters find themselves. In Autumn 2 we will be studying ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ to link to our topic on the World Wars
Reading & Spelling: There will be daily destination reader sessions and a weekly spelling test on Friday afternoons. Please ensure your child completes their Reading Record every day. The words for the spelling test in homework books.
Maths: We will continue to use the White Rose scheme, focussing on place-value and arithmetic this half-term. the maths topic homework. Please note that there are many useful videos for parents on the White Rose website.
Science: Our science topic this term is Evolution. We will explore how living creatures have adapted to their environments over billions of years, and research the discoveries of Charles Darwin.
ICT: We are developing the children’s coding skills by following lessons on Code.org. All children have their own login details so can practise at home if they wish.
PSHCE: This term, we will be discussing the importance of listening and how to hold polite conversation. We will then move on to the topic of Positive Relationships.
RE: Our RE topic is ‘What do Jewish People Believe are Their Responsibilities to God?
History: We will be following the Hamilton Trust scheme which teaches about the key events leading upto and during World War 2.
Art: We will be creating a battlefield landscape using mixed media.
Geography: Our topic is Asia and Sri Lanka. We will learn its location, countries and cities as well as key human and physical characteristics. We will also be looking at Natural Hazards ad Disasters and how these have affected Sri Lanka.
PE: PE will be taught by the Arsenal coaches on Thursday afternoons. Children are to arrive in school wearing their PE kits.
Music: We will be examining ways in which music brings us together. We will learn to sing chorally and develop our understanding of staff notation.
MOBILE PHONES
We understand that parents may wish their children to have mobile phones—especially if the children walk to and from school independently. It is essential that all phones are left at the Reception desk at the start of the school day. There are monitors who collect them at the end of the day. Phones left in blazers are at risk of loss or damage. Phones must be switched off on the school premises.
Secondary School Transition: In the next few weeks, your child will be sitting their CATS test. This is an online test which assesses verbal and non-verbal reasoning skills. It is not something the children need to prepare for. The CATS test results are used to help determine which school your child will attend in Year 7. If you would like any help or advice completing your child’s secondary school application, please contact the school office. Uniform: Please ensure that your child wears the correct uniform, including the correct school shoes, every day—as well as the correct PE kit on Wednesdays.
Homework: Children have been given their new homework books which contain the Homework Grid. They will receive additional Maths homework on Fridays which is to be returned on the following Wednesday.
