Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to a brand new year! We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Christmas holiday and are looking forward to another exciting term at our school.

Below are some important reminders and information for you and your child so that they can begin the term organised and ready to learn and so you can support them in their studies (please be aware that all the information is available on the website).

Curriculum Topics:

This term, our topic theme will be Extreme Earth. We are looking forward to considering the  impact of volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes on different regions of the world. We will study plate tectonics and look at the causes of natural disasters. Excitingly, we will be learning about Pompeii and the devastation that occurred because of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. We will also consider whether there is a benefit to tectonic activity and why people choose to live in the foothills of volcanoes.

Linked to this, in English, we will be writing a narrative with an alternative ending, based on our reading of Escape from Pompeii. We will also have the opportunity to write a discursive text about volcanoes, as well as an explanation text about the causes of tectonic activity. We will be continuing with developing our reading skills with shorter texts throughout.

Maths will begin by focusing on multiplication and division. There might even be a spot of extra statistical work in Geography lessons as we draw graphs! We will continue to embed our multiplication skills daily.

In Science, we will be investigating forces - making mini parachutes, using Newton meters and even using jelly and chopsticks to do so!

In Art, we will be investigating the work of Hokusai, an artist famous for his depiction of The Great Wave. We will have the opportunity to create our own version, using a range of materials.

In PSHE, we will be looking at money and finances, considering the ways money can be managed as well as the, sometimes, untruthful images of wealth shared on social media. In RE, we will be learning about Christianity and investigating the ways that Christians may worship. We will look at some religious stories important in the Christian faith.

In PE, we will be alternating between swimming, hockey and fitness.

In computing we will delve into what really makes a computer. Is a TV a computer? Is a fridge a computer? Is a toilet a computer?! We will investigate just what is inside that metal box, how a computer works, memory, data and binary code. By the end they will know your RAM from your ROM and your CPU from your GPU. This unit allows the children to unbox the computers they have been using in previous years, they will get to understand how the computers work from the inside, which will allow for better understanding in future programming units of work.

Learning Muscles:

We are continuing to help children become skilled learners by promoting learning muscles:

Resilience        Reciprocity         Resourcefulness        Reflectiveness

These powers are shared with pupils regularly allowing them to develop a language of learning in and out of the classroom.

Homework:

As we begin a new term, we wanted to take this opportunity to reshare with you the homework timetable for Year 5. Planners are a great place to record homework and they also act as a communication tool between home and school. Any non-urgent issues can be recorded in them.

Your child will have homework set every week. This will include one piece of:

·         English (set on a Friday, due on a Tuesday)

·         Maths (set on a Friday, due on a Tuesday)

·         4x 20 minutes reading (recorded in reading journal)

·         One piece of foundation subject homework (due fortnightly)

Homework club is on every Monday and Thursday evening, from 3:15-4:15pm in Room 1, run by Mrs Henderson and Miss Bolam.

Spellings will be taught and tested weekly, they are given out every Monday then tested the following week. They get posted to Google Classroom along with some activities to assist in the learning process.

Topic homework comes from a takeaway menu and we would ask that a total of five pieces be produced across this term. Children will be provided with this over the coming week in paper copy format and it will also be available on Google Classroom.

Enrichment and Special Events:

Over this term, there will be special enrichment events, including visitors in school. Covid dependent, we hope to visit Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh.

Resources for Learning:

• Full school PE kit to be worn on PE days.

5 Magpies: Wednesday and Thursday.

5 Eagles: Thursday and Friday.

5 Puffins: Tuesday and Thursday.

• iPads must be charged, ready to be used for learning each day.

Finally, please contact your child’s class teacher if you require further information.

Many thanks for your continued support,

Mr Dickinson, Miss Barton, Miss Ellenger