Toucans: Blog items

Toucans W.B. 17.07.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 13th Jul 2023 @ 5:11pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ? 

Congratulations to all the children on achieving their best during the SATs assessments. We’ve made it to the end of the academic year and I could not feel prouder of each and everyone member of the class for all their hard work, achievements and progress. You have all been, and will continue to be, superstars at high school and I wish you all the very best of luck for the future. Thank you to all parents/families for making this year so special for both the children and me!

Praise: Whole Class

Top Table: Jake and Zach

Next Week (W.B. 17.07.23)

Reminders:

• On Monday (17th July), Y6 will get to enjoy a special leavers’ picnic after school, an extra session of PE with Mr A and a special visit from the ice cream van. Please collect your child from school at 5pm. This is also a non-uniform day.
• On Tuesday (18th July), we have our Y6 leavers’ service in church from 09:30 (for approximately an hour). This will be a celebration of the children’s time at Lostock, include many of the children’s memories, songs and hymns, and a trip down memory lane. Y6 families are welcome to join us and stay for refreshments in church following the service.
• On Wednesday (19th July), there is the summer fair from 3:15-5pm. Y6 have been busy making some amazing games that they can’t wait to share with you. If possible, please come along to join in with all the fun and support your child and school. Please collect your child from school at 5pm.
• On Thursday (20th July), Y6 will be clapped into school in the morning and clapped out at 12:50pm as they leave primary school. Children are welcome to have their school t-shirts signed by fellow pupils and staff. School closes at 1pm and there is no ‘Fun Foxes’ as this is the last day of term and the academic year!

Curriculum:

We will be making some fresh bread on Monday using yeast - one of the microorganisms we have recently been looking at closely in our science lessons. The children will get to bake and taste bread and watch the magic of yeast throughout the day.

We will continue to practice for the leavers’ service ready to share with you on Tuesday and finish off any last pieces of work (e.g. Maya mask paintings).

During the last few days, we will enjoy the time together as a class with some fun activities and sharing memories and favourite stories from over the children’s time at Lostock.

The children will have their final lesson of PE with Mr Ault on Monday.

Homework:

There will be no homework set.

Have a wonderful summer holiday and good luck for a happy and healthy future! Remember you each have a special and unique talent and can do anything when you put your mind to it - good luck!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 10.7.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 6th Jul 2023 @ 4:58pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have all been out on their high school transition days this week. I feel so proud of all the courage they have shown and it’s been lovely to hear all their exciting stories.

Praise: Izzy

Top Table: Abi and Savannah

Next Week (W.B. 10.07.23)

Reminders:

• Year 6 swimming lessons on Monday 10th July and Friday 14th July. The class will be split into three groups and swim for 30 minutes on each day. Please ensure your child has a one-piece swimsuit or swimming trunks, a towel and a swim hat (these can be purchased via the school gateway if needed and children will not be allowed to swim without one). They are welcome to bring goggles if they wish. Please provide a plastic carrier bag for their wet kit.
• The nursing team will visit school on Wednesday 12th July to weigh and measure both Year 6 and Reception pupils. Permission will have been granted by you directly to their team to allow them to carry out these checks.
• If possible, please ensure your child has a strong carrier bag or backpack so that they can take their books home from this year towards the end of next week.
• Friday 14th July - 'Pupil take over day'. Non uniform day in return for a £2 donation. Please remember that your child will have both swimming and PE on this day so ensure they bring appropriate clothing and suitable footwear. 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days.

Curriculum:

In English and computing, the children will continue with their ‘how to…’ guide. They will be creating informative videos and instructions on some of the roles they have fulfilled this year that can be shared with Year 5. In shared reading, we will explore another famous explorer with a focus on summarising and sequencing information.

In maths, we will start our final unit on geometry - the property of shapes. We shall be looking at vertically opposite angles, the angles in a triangle, and missing angles within shapes. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we shall be drawing our learning on living things and their habitats to a close through playing a revision game in small groups.

In our history and geography lessons, the children will explore some of the theories about why the Maya civilisation collapsed around AD 900 and make our own judgments based upon the available evidence. We will also complete an oral task about the book ‘The Rainplayer’ and use the talking points method to discuss and debate this text.

In art, the children will be creating a self portrait in the style of our focus artist, Frida Kahlo.

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault and will have their swimming sessions on both Monday and Friday. 

Homework:

There will be no homework set.

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 03.07.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 29th Jun 2023 @ 4:26pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have had a busy week, particularly working on lots of different art and history projects. I know how much they are all looking forward to their transition days next week and I wish them all the best of luck as they begin their high school journeys.

Praise: Jai

Top Table: Francesca and Isabel

Next Week (W.B. 03.07.23)

Reminders:

• All pupils will be out on different transition days throughout the week. Please read through the information your child’s high school will have sent you carefully so that you are aware of when and where they need to be, plus what they need to bring along for the day. Good luck everyone!
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days.

Curriculum:

In English and computing, the children will be creating a ‘how to’ guide for some of their specific Year 6 activities. They will be creating informative videos and instructions on some of the roles they have fulfilled this year that can be shared with Year 5. In shared reading, we will explore another famous explorer with a focus on summarising and sequencing information.

In maths, we will continue with working on problem solving involving time, position & direction, and different properties of shapes. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we shall complete a short revision activity before completing an assessment task on living things and their habitats. We will also be researching and recording about the famous scientist, Alexander Fleming and his discovery of penicillin. 

In our history and geography lessons, the children will be learning about the number system of the Maya, their calendar, and a little bit about their diet and lifestyle.

In RE, the children will put together all their learning on Sikhism to create an A3 poster on different aspects of this religion.

In PE, the children will continue their lessons outdoors Mr Ault.

Homework:

There will be no homework set.

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 26.06.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 22nd Jun 2023 @ 3:33pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans had such a wonderful time during sports day on Wednesday afternoon and, despite the rain, all had an amazing time. Thank you if you were able to come along and support your child and our class.

Praise: Riley

Top Table: Savannah and Mason J

Next Week (W.B. 26.06.23)

Reminders:

• St. Nicholas Catholic High School have a transition day on Monday 26th June. Pupils are expected to make their own way there for the day and full details have been provided in a letter from their school.
• We have the new class morning on Tuesday (27th June), so Y6 will spend time with me either enjoying some extra PE or a fun indoor activity.
• KS2 choir will be visiting our local care homes next Friday afternoon to show off their incredible singing skills!
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days.

Curriculum:

In English, the children will finish writing some of their favourite memories from throughout their primary school journey and we will begin to write the leavers’ service together as a class.

In maths, we will continue with working on problem solving involving percentages, ratio & proportion, and time. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we shall review our experiments and draw a conclusion about what micrograms need in order to grow and survive. We shall also review our learning on living organisms ready for a short science assessment next week.

In history and georgraphy, we shall continue to explore our topic of The Maya. Our focus this week will be their writing system and comparing and contrasting it to our own alphabet. 

In computing, we will continue our unit on ‘growing up in a digital world’. 

In PE, the children will continue their lessons outdoors Mr Ault.

Homework:

There will be no homework set.

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 19.6.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 15th Jun 2023 @ 2:41pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans had an amazing time on their residential trip this week and learned lots of valuable life lessons and skills.

Praise: Toby

Top Table: Edward and Ellie

Next Week (W.B. 19.06.23)

Reminders:

• Tomorrow (Friday 16th June) is a non-uniform day for our ‘Refugee Day of Welcome’. Donations will be given to the Chester based charity ‘Share’.
• Sports Day will take place on Wednesday 21st June and begins at 1pm. Parents are invited along to attend.
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days.

Curriculum:

In English, the children will finish writing me an informal email to discuss their residential trip and will begin to write some of their favourite memories from throughout their primary school journey.

In maths, we will continue with working on problem solving involving fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio & proportion. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will begin learning about different types of microorganisms and whether they are helpful or harmful to us. We shall also set up an experiment to investigate what conditions are needed for mould to grow.

In computing, we will continue our unit on ‘growing up in a digital world’ where the children will be creating a new webpage on online bullying.

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault with a focus on rounders.

Homework:

There will be no homework set.

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 12.06.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 8th Jun 2023 @ 6:22pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have had a good first week back at Lostock in their final half term of primary school. We have been busy problem solving in maths and utilising our oracy skills in English as we discussed the text and real life story of ‘Jemmy Button’.

Praise: Zach

Top Table: Jake and Ellie

Next Week (W.B. 12.06.23)

Reminders:

1. Y6 Residential to Barnstondale Centre (Monday 12th June - Wednesday 14th June).

• As the coach will be departing school at 9am, please ensure your child promptly arrives to school at 08:45. 
• I have emailed home a kit list so that you can review it to help with packing. 
• Children need a packed lunch and drink for the first day in a labelled, disposable plastic bag. Please email the school office should you require to order a 'cat bag' from the school kitchen. 
• The children also need to bring a water bottle to use throughout the trip.
• Please ensure all snacks for the trip are bagged and labelled with your child's name as these will be handed to adults to supervise throughout the residential.
• Any medications your child needs to take whilst away need to be brought in on the day of departure, labelled with your child's name and with clear dosage instructions provided. 
• No electronics (e.g. mobile phones) are permitted to be brought along - thank you for your cooperation with this request. 

2. PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days.

Curriculum:

In English, the children will be writing me an informal email to discuss their residential trip, what they enjoyed the most and learned during the trip.

In maths, we will continue with working on problem solving involving the four operations. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In computing, we will continue our unit on ‘growing up in a digital world’ where the children will be creating a new webpage on online bullying.

In art, the children will create a painting of a toucan in celebration of their final year of primary school.

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault looking at all things athletics this half term.

Homework:

There will be no homework set.

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 29.05.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 25th May 2023 @ 8:52pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have had a good final week of this half term with a focus on statistics in maths, writing a story opening based upon The Explorer in English, and creating a PowerPoint presentation on the rainforest.

Praise: Lola

Top Table: Amelia and Sophie

Next Week (W.B. 29.05.23)

Reminders:

• Next week is our summer half term holiday. There is a school INSET day on Monday 5th June with school reopening to pupils on Tuesday 6th June.
• Please ensure that you have returned the necessary forms to the school office for the upcoming Y6 residential (12/06/23 - 14/06/23). Remember children will need a packed lunch and drink on the day of departure. If you need to order a ‘cat bag’ from the school kitchen, please contact the school office.

Homework:

There will be no homework set over the half term holiday. Enjoy a well deserved rest after a busy half term that has included many assessments and see you all for your final half term of primary school!

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans 22.05.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 18th May 2023 @ 5:29pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have now thankfully completed their SATs which means no more revision or booster afternoons. We have been looking at lots of statistical work in maths and the rainforest this week in both English and Geography.

Praise: Mack

Top Table: Toby and Ed

Next Week (W.B. 22.05.23)

Reminders:

• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days.
• Y6 class photo on Friday 26th May.

Curriculum:

In English, we will be writing our final piece for this unit of work on The Explorer by Katherine Rundell. In shared reading, we will continue to practise our comprehension skills by reading another section of ‘Great Adventures' by Alastair Humphreys.

In maths, we will continue with our unit on statistics by looking at more complex pie charts and problem solving involving the mean. We will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will continue with our unit on living things and their habitats. We shall look at creating a classification key.

In our geography lesson, we will be researching and reporting on what the rainforest provides to our homes and the impact of our actions of this environment.

In computing, we will continue our unit on ‘growing up in a digital world’.

In PSHE, the children will begin to discuss their thoughts and feelings towards the transition to high school and we will create a class poem on the topic.

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault looking at all things athletics this half term.

Homework:

There will be no homework set this week!

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 15.05.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 11th May 2023 @ 1:54pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have super impressed me with all their hard work and effort this week as we completed the KS2 SAT assessment. I could not feel prouder of everyone’s incredible attainment and effort - well done everyone! Thank you to you for all your continued support.

Praise: The Whole Class

Top Table: Isobel and Nuo Yu

Next Week (W.B. 15.05.23)

Reminders:

• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days.
• The children going to Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School will have a transition afternoon next Tuesday (16th May) between 1:00 - 3:10pm.

Curriculum:

In English, we will use our writing skills to describe the rainforest and a few of the amazing animals that we may find in that ecosystem. We shall also begin to plan our extended piece of writing: rewriting ‘The Explorer’ opening using a range of techniques, including: expanded noun and adverbial phrases, metaphors and similes, personification, effective vocabulary, and dialogue to convey character and advance the action. In shared reading, we will continue to practise our comprehension skills by reading another section of ‘Great Adventures' by Alastair Humphreys.

In maths, we will begin a new unit of work on statistics by looking initially at line graphs and more complex bar charts before beginning to explore at pie charts. We will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will continue with our unit on living things and their habitats. We shall look at the different classes of invertebrates and compare these to the five key animal groups.

In our geography lesson, we will be researching and reporting on what the rainforest provides to our homes and the impact of our actions of this environment.

In computing, we shall start a new unit on ‘growing up in a digital world’ with Mrs Hulse.

In PSHE, the children will begin to discuss their thoughts and feelings towards the transition to high school and we will create a class poem on the topic.

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault looking at all things athletics this half term.

Homework:

As a celebration of the end of SATs, there will be no homework set this week!

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 08.05.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 4th May 2023 @ 6:02pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have had another really busy week packed full of revision and I could not be prouder of all their achievements, progress and learning. 

Praise: Grace I

Top Table: Anthony and William

Next Week (W.B. 08.05.23)

Reminders:

• We are wearing red, white and blue (or just red, or just white, or just blue or any combination) on Friday 5th May to celebrate the King’s coronation. We will be having a picnic lunch altogether on the field (weather permitting) and a special church service with Vicar Andrew in the afternoon. 
• School will be closed on Monday 8th May due to the extra Bank Holiday for the coronation. 
• SATs assessments will take place between Tuesday 9th May and Friday 12th May. It is really important that your child attends school each day to complete these assessments. Children are invited into school each morning from 08:30am for breakfast and some last minute revision!
• We will have a a double PE session on Friday to celebrate the end of the SATs!
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days. 

Curriculum:

In English, we will be continuing to practise our reading comprehension skills and examine The Explorer by Katherine Rundell in further detail to prepare ourselves to rewrite the opening chapters.

In maths, we will continue to revise a range of the topics studied so far this year with a particular focus on our reasoning skills. We will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will continue with our unit on living things and their habitats. We shall look at the different classes of invertebrates and compare these to the five key animal groups. 

In our art lessons, we will be practising our sketching skills to draw a toucan before creating an ink painting of a toucan. 

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault looking at all things athletics this half term. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 78-81 (progress test 3) and return it to school by Thursday 11th May. The homework revises lots of the Year 6 mathematics learning objectives from across the year. Children should also complete pages 37-39 (Set B: Test 6) of their reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. Try to talk to your child about what they have read in their book (the character, the plot, their opinion). Try to vary choices to include classic texts, non-fiction texts, and poems.

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

There will be no spellings to learn this week. It is advised, however, to take a look at the Y5/6 statutory spelling list and practise these: https://cdn.oxfordowl.co.uk/2019/08/29/13/56/09/5a42eb6a-f57f-4dc4-a66e-bd4c5e27e4b7/SpellingWordList_Y5-6.pdf 

Enjoy the bank holiday weekend!

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 01.05.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 27th Apr 2023 @ 8:01pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have had a really busy week with their final practice assessments prior to the upcoming SATs and they have all really impressed me with their hard work. They have all demonstrated incredible progress and made individual achievements - well done everyone!

Praise: Izzy

Top Table: Ryan and Mason J

Next Week (W.B. 01.05.23)

Reminders:

• School will be closed on Monday 1st May due to the Bank Holiday. 
• We will be celebrating the coronation of King Charles III on Friday 5th May with a special service led by Vicar Andrew in church. 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days. 

Curriculum:

In English, we will be editing and improving our diary entries / field logs from the Galápagos Islands. In shared reading, we will continue to read Great Adventures by Alastair Humphreys with a focus on distinguishing between fact and opinion and looking at how structure contributes to meaning. 

In maths, we will continue to revise a range of the topics studies so far this year including: fractions, statistics, money, and decimals. We will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will continue with our unit on living things and their habitats. We shall finish creating a poster on the 5 vertebrate animal classes.  

In our history/geography lesson, we will create a double page informative poster on the different layers of the rainforest.

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault looking at all things athletics this half term. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 88 - 91 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 4th May. The homework revises lots of the Year 6 mathematics learning objectives from across the year. Children should also complete pages 34-36 (Set B: Test 5) of their reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. Try to talk to your child about what they have read in their book (the character, the plot, their opinion). Try to vary choices to include classic texts, non-fiction texts, and poems.

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 5th May will concentrate on the next set of Y5/6 statutory spelling words and will be: rhyme, rhythm, sacrifice, secretary, shoulder, signature, sincerely, soldier, stomach, sufficient. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 24.04.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 20th Apr 2023 @ 5:22pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ? 

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter break! 

Toucans have had a good and busy week back with lots of new learning alongside our ongoing revision for the upcoming SATs.

Praise: Toby

Top Table: Fin and Lola

Next Week (W.B. 24.04.23)

Reminders:

• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy and should only be worn on PE days. 

Curriculum:

In English, we will be planning and writing a diary entry in role as Charles Darwin on the first day he arrived in the Galapagos Islands. In shared reading, we will continue to read Great Adventures by Alastair Humphreys with a focus on distinguishing between fact and opinion and looking at how structure contributes to meaning. 

In maths, we will continue to revise a range of the topics studies so far this year. We will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will begin our unit on living things and their habitats. This week’s lesson will look at classification and its importance to taxonomists. We shall create an informative poster on the 5 key vertebrate animal classes.  

In our history/geography lesson, we will create a comparison table of the human and physical geographical features comparing England with Brazil. 

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault looking at all things athletics this half term. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 74 and 75 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 27th April. The homework consolidates our learning on coordinates from our lessons this week. Children should also complete pages 31-33 (Set B: Test 4) of their reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. Try to talk to your child about what they have read in their book (the character, the plot, their opinion). Try to vary choices to include classic texts, non-fiction texts, and poems.

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 28th April will concentrate on the next set of Y5/6 statutory spelling words and will be: prejudice, privilege, profession, programme, pronunciation, queue, recognise, recommend, relevant, restaurant. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 17.04.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 30th Mar 2023 @ 8:05am

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have been revising all things fractions this week, enjoyed completing a range of reading comprehensions, and began learning all about the geography of South America. The children have really impressed me throughout the term and each of them has worked hard to make excellent progress.

To see what’s coming up next term, please look at our class homepage: http://www.lostockgralam.cheshire.sch.uk/class/toucans

Praise: Brooke

Top Table: Jai and Riley

Next Week (W.B. 17.04.23)

Reminders:

• School will reopen for the summer term on Monday 17th April.
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we will be start a new short unit on writing a diary entry in role as Charles Darwin when he first arrived in the Galápagos Islands in 1835. We shall be looking at the features of a diary, writing descriptively using expanded noun phrases, and explore a range of cohesive devices and effective adverbial phrases. In shared reading, we will begin to read Great Adventures by Alastair Humphreys.

In maths, we will start a new short unit exploring geometry - position and direction. We will look at co-ordinates, translations and reflections. We will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will begin our unit on living things and their habitats. This week’s lesson will look at classification and its importance to taxonomists. We shall create an informative poster on the 5 key vertebrate animal classes. 

In our history/geography lesson, we will look at the eight different compass points and compare the human and physical geography of Chester, England and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In RE, we will complete a reading comprehension to revise our comprehension skills and recap the Easter Story and its significance to Christians.

In PE, the children will continue their lessons with Mr Ault and compete in atheltics and outdoor activities. 

Homework:

There will be no official homework during the Easter break, but I have listed some useful suggestions below that might be good to keep up and revise key skills needed for the upcoming SATs assessments.

Maths

Progress Test 1 (p.30-33), Progress Test 2 (p.52-55), Progress Test 3 (p.78-81) - As many of the questions as you can attempt from the third test.

Reading

Any of the Set C reading tests (p.42-60) from the children’s usual reading homework book.

SPaG

https://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/resources/ks2-sats-online-10-minute-tests

Arithmetic

4 arithmetic practice exercises have been provided to the children, along with the answers.

Spelling

https://cdn.oxfordowl.co.uk/2019/08/29/13/56/09/5a42eb6a-f57f-4dc4-a66e-bd4c5e27e4b7/SpellingWordList_Y5-6.pdf

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. Try to talk to your child about what they have read in their book (the character, the plot, their opinion). Try to vary choices to include classic texts, non-fiction texts, and poems.

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Have a lovely Easter!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 27.03.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 24th Mar 2023 @ 6:36am

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have been busy completing some practice assessments to identify areas of revision focus for the next few weeks. They have all worked so hard and can see their own progress; they should be proud of their achievements. It was so lovely to speak to families this week during parents' evenings, so thank you to you if you came along to discuss your child's progress, achievements, and current areas of development. 

Praise: William

Top Table: Fran and Georgia

Next Week (W.B. 27.03.23)

Reminders:

• Cake sale on Wednesday 29th March. KS2 will be holding a cake sale after school on Wednesday 29th March. The children are encouraged to bake or donate cakes on this day for the cake sale. Cakes will be 30p each or 4 for £1. You can be as creative as you like and maybe even think of an Easter theme for your cakes!
• KS2 Disco on Thursday 30th March between 17:30 and 18:30. 
• School closes on Thursday 30th March as Friday 31st March is a school INSET day. School will reopen following a two week Easter break on Monday 17th April. 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we will be focusing on practising our reading comprehension skills by reading and analysing a range of different text types, including a text on South America. We shall also be revising some of our SPaG skills through a range of activities. 

In maths, we will review our recent assessment papers to try and understand some of the areas of difficulty and how to improve. We will also focus on revising all things fractions: changing from a mixed number into an improper fraction, adding and subtracting fractions, multiplying fractions together or by a whole number, and dividing a fraction by an integer. We will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In our history/geography lesson, we will be looking at the story of Paddington Bear and how that links to our current ‘home’ topic. We will discuss whether Paddington was a refugee, asylum seeker, migrant or immigrant using our recently acquired knowledge and explore some of the human and physical geography features of his native home in South America.

In art, we will create pop-up Easter theme cards that the children can decorate using their creativity and knowledge.   

In PE, the children will continue with practising their tennis and basketball skills with Mr Ault. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 60 and 61 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 30th March. The homework consolidates our learning on calculating area and perimeter and the volume of a cube and cuboid from our recent lessons. Children should also complete pages 28-30 (Set B: Test 3) of their reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. Try to talk to your child about what they have read in their book (the character, the plot, their opinion). Try to vary choices to include classic texts, non-fiction texts, and poems.

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Thursday 30th March will concentrate on the next set of Y5/6 statutory spelling words and will be: muscle, necessary, neighbour, nuisance, occupy, occur, opportunity, parliament, persuade, physical. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 20.03.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 16th Mar 2023 @ 3:47pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have had another busy week in the classroom, particularly focusing on writing a letter to a fellow Y6 pupil informing them about the plight of refugees, based on our current text, ‘The Day War Came.’ 

Praise: Grace

Top Table: William and Savannah

Next Week (W.B. 20.03.23)

Reminders:

• Parents’ Evening appointments will take place over two days: Tuesday 21st March (13:10-18:00) and Wednesday 22nd March (15:30-18:00). Please note appointments are 10 minutes each, and times will be stuck to as closely as possible. I look forward to discussing your child’s work and progress with you next week. 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we will edit and improve our letters to fellow Y6 pupils raising awareness of the plight of refugees to see whether we can add any further writing features or enhance the content. In shared reading, we will continue with The Explorer by Katherine Rundell with a focus on identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning and evaluating the author’s language choice. 

In maths, we will begin to revise and recap essential areas of learning in preparation for the upcoming SATs assessments in early May. Additionally, we will be completing some assessments to identify individual areas of learning and development. We will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will conclude our unit on evolution by analysing giraffe photos and writing about how these animals have evolved using the key scientific terms: inherited, genes, adaptation, characteristic, evolved, and offspring. 

In our history/geography lesson, we shall be focusing on researching the current Russia-Ukraine War and trying to understand the impact on the lives of innocent citizens and refugees. 

In PE, the children will continue with practising their tennis and basketball skills with Mr Ault. 

We will also be completing a further round of practice SATs assessments throughout the week to identify specific areas of revision focus for the next half term. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 58 and 59 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 23rd March. The homework consolidates our learning on calculating the area of a triangle and parallelogram from this week’s lessons. Children should also complete pages 25-27 (Set B: Test 2) of their reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. Try to talk to your child about what they have read in their book (the character, the plot, their opinion). Try to vary choices to include classic texts, non-fiction texts, and poems.

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 24th March will begin to concentrate of the next set of Y5/6 statutory spelling words and will be:identity, immediately, individual, interfere, interrupt, language, leisure, lightning, marvellous, mischievous.

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 13.03.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 9th Mar 2023 @ 10:38am

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ? 

Toucans have had another good week of learning and particularly enjoyed their forest school session on Tuesday afternoon with Mrs Evans, along with the inspiring science assembly on Thursday morning. 

Praise: Abi

Top Table: Ellie and Zach

Next Week (W.B. 13.03.23)

Reminders:

• We will be celebrating British Science Week with lots of fun and engaging activities throughout the week, with a focus on the theme of ‘connections’!
• Ten pupils from Y6 will be involved with a cross country competition on Thursday 16th March. If your child is involved, Mrs Whittingham will have sent a letter home with the full details. Please ensure your child has a packed lunch that they can eat on this day after returning from the competition. 
• We will have an exciting guest visitor on Thursday 16th March in our worship to inspire the children. 
• Year 5 and Year 6 will attend a special online safety workshop at Wincham Community Primary school in the morning of Friday 17th March. This will be delivered by 2Engage - an educational theatre company. 
• Friday 17th March will be a non-uniform day to celebrate Red Nose Day 2023. Please ensure your child’s outfit is appropriate to complete our PE lesson in. Also, can you send your child into school with their school hoodie / jumper as this will be needed when they visit the 2Engage workshop on Friday morning. 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we will begin to write a letter as our final piece based upon the text, ‘The Day War Came’. We will be aiming to write a letter to raise awareness of the plight of refugees to a fellow Y6 pupil using: present perfect tense, a range of cohesive devices, colons to explain/emphasise, and layout devices (e.g. bullet points). 

In maths, we shall be completing our unit on measure. This week we will be learning about: calculating the area of a triangle, finding the area of a parallelogram, and working out the volume of a cuboid. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will continue with our unit on evolution and look at how evolution works through analysing different fossils to show changes over time. 

In our history/geography lesson, we shall understand the difference between the terms: refugee, asylum seeker, migrant, and immigrant through looking at different case studies. 

In PE, the children will continue with practising their tennis and basketball skills with Mr Ault. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 48 and 49 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 16th March. The homework consolidates our learning on two missing number algebra problems from this week’s lessons. Children should also complete pages 22-24 (Set B: Test 1) of their reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. 

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 17th March will begin to concentrate of the next set of Y5/6 statutory spelling words and will be: existence, explanation, familiar, foreign, frequently, government, guarantee, harass, hindrance. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 6.2.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 2nd Mar 2023 @ 6:56pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have had a good first week back where we have launched our new theme on home and refugees. 

Praise: Georgia

Top Table: Willow and Grace I

Next Week (W.B. 06.03.23)

Reminders:

• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.
• Our forest schools session this term will be next Tuesday (7th March) in the afternoon - this will be led by Mrs Evans. Please send your child into school on this day in their school uniform along with old, warm clothes, old trainers/wellies and a waterproof coat to change into for the afternoon session. 

Curriculum:

In English, we will continue with our new text, ‘The Day War Came’. We shall look at forming and using the present perfect form, using colons to explain or emphasise, and write a short note to a refugee to welcome them into our classroom. 

In maths, we will complete our work on algebra before starting to focus on our new topic of measure. We will begin our focus with recapping how to work out area and perimeter before looking how to calculate the area of triangles. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will continue with our unit on evolution and look at how different plants and animals are adapted to survive in their environments.

In our history/geography lesson, we shall understand the difference between the terms: refugee, asylum seeker, migrant and immigrant through looking at different case studies. 

In RE, we shall continue to explore The Resurrection and discuss the evidence for and against this event in a class debate.

In Art with Mrs Hulse, the children will use their sketching skills to sketch a refugee-themed image using different mark-making media to tie in with our current theme on home and refugees. 

In PE, the children will continue with practising their tennis skills with Mr Ault. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 46 and 47 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 9th March. The homework consolidates our learning on missing number problems using our algebra knowledge and skills from this week’s lessons. Children should also complete pages 17-19 (Set A: Test 6) of their reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. 

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 10th March will begin to concentrate of the next set of Y5/6 statutory spelling words and will be: determined, develop, dictionary, disastrous, embarrass, environment, equipment, especially, exaggerate, excellent. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 27.02.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 16th Feb 2023 @ 7:47pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have all worked so hard during this half term and have demonstrated such a conscientious and mature attitude to their learning.

N.B. Unfortunately, due to technical issues, I was unable to post a blog last week and a number of recent blogs have been lost beyond my control. 

Praise: Willow

Top Table: Sophie and Jake

Next School Week (W.B. 27.02.23)

Reminders:

• Spring 1 term ends on Friday 17th February and school re-opens on Monday 27th February.
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.
• World Book Day will be celebrated at Lostock on Wednesday 1st March. Children will be able to wear their own clothes, pyjamas, or dress up as their favourite book character. They can bring along their favourite books to share in their classes too. 
• After half term, we will begin our new whole school topic - ‘Home’. This has been planned around the theme of the importance of our homes to us and the human conflicts and natural disasters that result in homelessness for others. We are hoping to use photographs of our children’s homes as part of our displays. If you would like to, please send or e-mail a photo of your home into school after half term - thank you!

Curriculum:

In English, we will begin a new unit focussing on the text ‘The Day War Came’. We will initially recap writing in the passive voice before exploring children’s rights according to UNICEF, and the present perfect verb tense.  

In maths, we will continue to work on our unit that focuses on algebra. We shall be looking at forming and solving equations. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, we will begin our new unit on evolution and look at why offspring look similar to their parents due to DNA inheritance. We shall also explore acquired and inherited characteristics. 

In our history/geography lesson, we will begin our new unit which focuses on refugees and what home looks like and feels like to us. We shall discuss what aspects make our home feel like a safe space and look at cases where people have been unfortunate to lose their home through war / tragedies / natural disasters. 

In RE, we will start to discuss The Resurrection and the importance of the Easter story to Christians. 

In PSHE / No Outsiders with Mrs Hulse, the children will read the book ‘Love You Forever’ by Robert Mansch and discuss how life may change as they grow up. 

In PE, the children will continue with gymnastics, paired work, and problem solving with Mr Ault on Monday and Friday. 

Homework:

There will be no official homework to be completed over the half term break. It is strongly encouraged, however, that all children read (15 mins a day), practice their spellings (Y5/6 word list on the Y6 school webpage), and arithmetic skills as and when possible - everyday for a short time would be optimal and keep up their knowledge and skills. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Have a nice and restful half term break!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 23.01.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 19th Jan 2023 @ 5:16pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans all got to enjoy an enrichment experience this week at the Imperial War Museum in Salford to extend their historical knowledge and understanding on a range of different aspects of war from 1914 onwards. The children also enjoyed an athletics competition at Rudheath Senior Academy, where they represented our school wonderfully. 

Praise: Savannah

Top Table: Riley and Mason J 

Next Week (W.B. 23.01.23)

Reminders:

• Please could you pass any cardboard packaging from home to the classroom as we our going to look at building some WW2 Anderson Shelters in DT, hopefully starting next week. 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we will begin to plan and write our final piece for this unit of writing. We shall look at retelling the events of The Selfish Giant story from a different character’s perspective (e.g. The Giant). We will to draw together our learning on and use: expanded noun and adverbial phrases, personification, semi-colons, the subjunctive verb form, formal language, and passive verbs. In reading, we shall begin to read ‘The Devoted Friend’ by Oscar Wilde, evaluating the author’s language choice and use our inference skills to deduce impressions of some of the characters. 

In maths, we will continue to look at decimals. We shall recap multiplying and dividing decimals by powers of 10 (10, 100, 1000) before multiplying and dividing decimals by an integer. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, the children will explore the journey a red blood cells takes around the body and explore how exercise can effect our heart rate and try to understand the reasons behind why this happens.

In our history/geography lesson, the children will compare and contrast the role of women before, during, and after WW2 to identify the similarities and differences. 

In RE, we will look further at humanism and focus on what humanist believe makes a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. We shall also discuss and identity what makes us happy in our own lives. 

In DT, the children will work in small groups to begin to design and build a model Anderson shelter with Mrs Hulse. 

In PE, the children will continue with gymnastics, paired work, and problem solving with Mr Ault. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete page 27 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 26th January. The homework consolidates our learning on rounding decimals from this week’s lessons. Children should also complete pages 5-7 (Set A: Test 2) of their new reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. 

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 27th December will focus on hyphenated words and will be: clean-shaven, co-operate, co-ordinate, co-own, cold-hearted, man-eating, re-energise, re-enter, re-examine, re-explain.  

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 16.01.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 12th Jan 2023 @ 2:45pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have been hard at work this week learning about a variety of things, including: ratio, semi-colons, expanded noun and adverbial phrases, along with WW2 evacuation and ‘agents of hope’ in our collective worships. 

Praise: Jake

Top Table: Anthony and Toby 

Next Week (W.B. 16.01.23)

Reminders:

• Imperial War Museum Trip - Our trip to the Imperial War Museum in Salford will be on Monday 16th January. The children need to come to school in their school uniform at the normal time. Please ensure that they bring a packed lunch, snack and drink in a disposable bag labelled with their name. The children will be at school for collection at the usual time. 
• PE Competition at Rudheath Senior Academy (RSA) - There will be an athletics competition at RSA in the afternoon of Thursday 19th January. Mrs Whittingham and Mrs Westland will accompany the children on the day. Mr Ault has picked out which event(s) your child will take part in during the competition. Consent letters have been sent home this week for completion and return by tomorrow (Friday 13th January). 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we will continue to read and explore The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde. This week, we will look at using personification and passive verbs to make our writing more exciting. Additionally, we will be re-reading the story and sequencing the events. In shared reading, we will continue to read The Happy Prince and practice our reading comprehension skills. 

In maths, we will begin a new unit looking at decimals. Our focus will initially be looking at place value to 3 decimal places, rounding decimal numbers, and practising adding and subtracting decimals. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations.

In science, the children will explore how water and nutrients are transported around the body following ingestion. We will see how our new knowledge of the circulatory system can help us to understand how these substances are able to move and reach all of our cells. 

In our history/geography lesson, the children will be able to enhanced their knowledge of WW1 and WW2 through our exciting trip to the IWM. Additionally, we will discuss wartime rationing, attempt to plan a whole week’s menu with just ratio portions, and use our measuring skills to weigh out our allowances. 

In RE, we will look further at humanism and focus on a humanist understanding of the world. We will explore different beliefs and a variety of evidence to discuss whether we think the evidence strongly or weakly supports a belief. 

In PE, the children will continue with gymnastics, paired work, and problem solving with Mr Ault. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 36-37 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 19th January. The homework consolidates our learning on scale factors from this week’s lessons. Children should also complete pages 2-4 (Set A: Test 1) of their new reading homework book. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. 

The following website is great for times tables practice:https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 20th January will focus on homophones and will be: bridal, bridle, compliment, complement, precede, proceed, principal, principle, weary, wary. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 09.01.23, by Mr Corkill

Date: 5th Jan 2023 @ 4:37pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Happy New Year ?

Toucans have had an amazing start to the new term and have really impressed me with their conscientious and hardworking attitude towards their learning. Please take a look at Toucans’ class page on the website for further information regarding what the class will be learning over this term. 

Praise: Mason M 

Top Table: Amelia and Isabel 

Next Week (W.B. 09.01.23)

Reminders:

• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we will continue to read and explore The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde. This week, we shall be working on using semicolons correctly to join two linked main clauses, and adding detail through precise expanded noun and adverbial phrases. In shared reading, the children will continue to practice their comprehension skills and read The Happy Prince and Other Tales with a focus on inference. 

In maths, we will continue to explore ratio and proportion through focusing on scale drawings and scale factors before using ratios to solve different problems. We will also continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations. 

In science, the children will continue to research and write a report on the human circulatory system by explaining the different components and their functions.

In our history/geography lesson, the children will use their knowledge of WW2 evacuation to write a diary entry as a child evacuee discussing the billeting process and being homed with a new and unfamiliar family. 

In RE, we will look further at humanism and focus on what makes humans important - the good and bad aspects of our nature. 

In PE with Mr Ault, the children will start some gymnastics, paired work exercises, and problem solving. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework. From next week, further homework will begin to be set so that your children is independently consolidating their reading comprehension and SPaG skills at home. 

Children should complete pages 34 and 35 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 12th January. The homework consolidates our learning on ratio and proportion from this week’s lessons. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. 

The following website is great for times tables practice:https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 13th December will focus on words containing the letter string ‘ough’ and will be: although, bough, borough, drought, doughnut, plough, thorough, thoroughly, thought, thoughtfully

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans - End of Term Message, by Mr Corkill

Date: 16th Dec 2022 @ 8:28am

Toucans - End of Term Message

We’ve made it to the end of the term! Well done to all the fantastic children on their hard work and dedication over the past three months - they have all been incredible, worked so hard, and have each made individual progress and achievements! 

Thank you to everyone involved in my very kind and generous Christmas gift. I was very touched by everyone’s generosity and well wishes. Thank you to those who very thoughtfully gave individual gifts and Christmas cards too. 

There will be no official homework or spellings over the Christmas holidays. It is highly recommended, where possible, that your child reads and completes some arithmetic or times tables practice. 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

See you in 2023! 

Best wishes,

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 12.12.22, by Mr Corkill

Date: 8th Dec 2022 @ 8:12pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have all been absolute superstars in our wonderful Christmas production this week and I could not be prouder of each and every one of these amazing children! All the hard work has paid off and hopefully you were able to come along and enjoy the magic!

Praise: Zach 

Top Table: Jai and Grace I

Next Week (W.B. 12.12.22)

Reminders:

• Monday (12th December) - there will be a whole school worship for the children with Vicar Andrew in church about the Christmas story. This day will be a non-uniform day. We ask the children to bring a bottle donation in place of money - these donations will be used for the Christmas fair. 
• The children will visit The Grange on Tuesday (13th December) to enjoy the panto, Sleeping Beauty. The gates will open to school at 08:30am on this day - please make sure your child is in school no later than 08:50am as we will be leaving school at 09:00am.
• Additionally, we will be holding our Christmas fair on Tuesday between 2:30-5:30pm. Y6 have been working super hard over the last few weeks preparing some exciting games that we look forward to sharing with you on the day. There will also be the chance to buy a special Christmas craft each child has especially made!
• Our Christmas carol service will be on Thursday (15th December) in church with Vicar Andrew. Due to Vicar Andrew's commitments on that day, we are unable to hold two services. Therefore, due to limited space in the Church, we cannot invite parents to attend as we have done in previous years. Instead, we would like to invite families to stand on the playground while we sing carols at 2.30 pm. 
• Friday (16th December) will be the last day in school before the Christmas holiday break. Children may wear their Christmas jumpers/outfits to school free of charge. School will close at 1pm. 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we continue to look at drawing inferences and distinguishing between fact and opinion from Martha’s Suitcase in our shared reading lesson. 

In maths, we will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations. We will also continue with our unit on metric and imperial measures. We will explore calculating with metric measures before looking at imperial measures and converting between the two. 

We will also be enjoying some Christmas-themed activities in the run up to the Christmas holiday break. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 56 and 57 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 15th December. The homework consolidates our learning of different measures from the classroom work we’ve completed this week. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. 

The following website is great for times tables practice:https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 16th December will focus on plural nouns and will be: echoes, geese, heroes, loaves, people, potatoes, scarves, thieves, wolves, women. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 05.12.22, by Mr Corkill

Date: 2nd Dec 2022 @ 8:00am

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog ?

Toucans have impressed me with their excellent assessment scores this week, reflecting all their handwork and enthusiasm for learning. We all enjoyed making our Christingles at the start of the week and look forward to performing our production of Matilda next week. 

Praise: Finley 

Top Table: Lola and Willow

Next Week (W.B. 05.12.22)

Reminders:

• The KS2 production of Matilda will be on Wednesday (7th December) at 1pm and 5pm, along with a performance on Thursday (8th December) at 5pm. Children should have been given their costumes by Donna North who has been leading this year’s Christmas production. 
• On Monday (5th December) we will focus on practising the KS2 production so that we are ready for our performances later in the week. We will also have a dress rehearsal on Tuesday (6th December) to KS1 as our final practice.
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.
• Friday (9th December) will be our Christmas jumper and Christmas lunch day. 

Curriculum:

In English, we will look at reviewing our endangered animal leaflets and how we could edit and improve these to pieces of writing. 

In maths, we will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations. We will begin to look at our new unit on measures. We will firstly explore different types of metric measure before looking at converting and calculating with them. 

In science, the children will work in groups to solve a series of revision problems on our unit of electricity before applying their knowledge in some assessment questions. 

In history/geography, we will begin to look at WW2 focusing on how this conflict started and which countries were primarily involved. We will create a timeline of early events and use our atlas skills to identify the countries on a world map. 

We will also look to reflect on our assessments and identify key areas of individual focus for the next academic term. 

The children will continue to have a weekly German lesson with Mrs Judge on a Tuesday afternoon. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete page 24 of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 8th December. The homework this week recaps the idea of multiplying by 10, 100 and 1000. 

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. 

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 9th December will focus on plural nouns and will be: addresses, coaches, dictionaries, identities, opportunities, parties, sketches, suffixes, trousers, wishes. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?

Toucans W.B. 28.11.22, by Mr Corkill

Date: 25th Nov 2022 @ 2:05pm

Welcome Back to Toucans’ Weekly Blog 

Toucans have all worked so hard this week as we have continued to rehearse for our upcoming KS2 production and written a leaflet on an endangered animal that interests them. 

Praise: Ellie 

Top Table: Sophie and Francesca

Next Week (W.B. 28.11.22)

Reminders:

• On Monday (28th November) we look forward to making our Christingles and celebrating together in church in the afternoon. 
• Our RSE lesson will be on next week - further information was sent out to families at the start of this half term. 
• PE will continue to take place on both a Monday and a Friday each week, so please send your child into school wearing their PE kit on these days. PE kits should either be school kits or plain black/navy.

Curriculum:

In English, we will look at either finishing off our endangered animal leaflets or editing and improving these to include further writing features. 

In maths, we will continue with our 4-a-day arithmetic questions each morning to further practice our four operations. We will complete two end of unit checks on our work to do with adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions. 

We will also begin to complete our end of autumn term assessments. 

We will continue with our rehearsals for the upcoming KS2 Christmas production.

The children will continue to have a weekly German lesson with Mrs Judge on a Tuesday afternoon. 

Homework:

Children in Year 6 will be set a weekly maths homework that they should complete and mark at home using the answers provided in the back of their homework book. If your child is finding the homework challenging, I will ensure that supervision is provided one lunchtime each week where your child can ask any questions or receive the support they need to complete the homework.

Children should complete pages 30, 31 and 32 (progress test 1) of their maths homework book this week and return it to school by Thursday 1st December. The homework this week assesses all the children have been learning about so far in Year 6.  

Please also encourage your child to read for 15-20 minutes each evening and practice their spellings and times tables. Children need to record their reading in their homework diaries/planners. This really will help them with their reading speed and stamina. 

The following website is great for times tables practice: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Our spellings for the quiz on Friday 2nd December will focus on words ending in -ible and -able and will be: adorable, comfortable, dependable, possible, reliable, responsible, suitable, terrible, understandable, visible. 

Please remember that if you have any questions or queries, do not hesitate to get in contact!

Mr Corkill ?