It is really hard to believe that we are at the end of week 3 this term. We always talk about how time flies in Year 6, but now more than ever it really seems to. This has been another successful week of learning in Year 6 and I am incredibly proud of the children both at home and in school. There are different pressures for all of the children and they are required to work in a different way. Both groups of children are asked to be more independent than they usually would, in the current circumstances. My goodness, they are rising to the challenge - as am I. I have had to buy myself a pair of blue light filtering glasses for the amount of time I am spending on a computer screen.
A bit of hope has emerged within the classroom this week, our irises have started to grow - our sign of hope, faith and courage. We need all of these virtues at the moment. The children have looked after them throughout the year and hope has sprung eternal.
Thank you for your responses to the form that I sent out to the parents whom their child is at home learning. As much as I want to provide the best education that I possibly can, and all of the skills that I know your children will need, I also need the bigger picture of how your child is getting on at home. We are all in a very unique situation, and one that has gone on for a very long time. Being a teacher is a huge privilege and there is nothing I want more than to have all of the children back in class together - it is where we all thrive and learn best. Please do keep talking to me and letting me know how your child is doing. Trying to teach 30 children in a variety of places is a tricky task, and it won’t suit everybody all of the time, but my emails are constantly open and I can support - all be it from a far. Your children are an absolute credit to you and the fact that they are continuing the learn, alongside the rest of the children is fantastic. I am loving seeing their work each day and hearing their comments. Of course there will be bumps in the day, but you are all doing a fantastic job. I will continue to plan, deliver and tweak learning for all of the children - please do let me know if there is something that your child is struggling with. I may be able to rethink or deliver something in a different way. It is certainly making me think outside of the box, this new way of teaching!
The capacity to learn is a gift…
This week we have really slowed the maths learning down and I have tried to teach it in much smaller chunks. As a result, the understanding of maths across the class has been brilliant. The children have had time each day to build on the previous day and consolidate skills. Addition and subtraction is tricky but they have all managed to access this skill. Next week we are moving onto multiplying fractions…which is much more simpler I find. Table knowledge is key! I have really enjoyed english this week and continuing to read Clockwork. We broke off slightly to explore Frankenstein and to do some writing. I have added some of it into the gallery for this week - it was scarily descriptive. Next week we will be returning to Clockwork and we will be starting to look at features of a newspaper. I feel like the children’s understanding of the UK has massively improved over the past few weeks and they have appreciated just where they live. We will be finishing off our unit of work with rivers and coasts before going onto science the week after.
RE has been our sanctuary this week and a time to stop and reflect. One thing I am most definitely missing is attending church weekly so having this opportunity to discuss the mass has been just what was needed. The children are beginning to sequence the mass and really understand just what happens at each part.
Well done to our learners of the week…
Hannah and Tess, your work has been outstanding this week. You have constantly gone above and beyond to send work in that you are proud of. Well done for constantly striving to be the best that you can be.
Francesca and Gabriel, what a week you have both had. Gabriel, you have tried so hard and you have been so resilient in maths - and you got there. Well done! Your writing this week has been great. You have really listened to the teaching and as a result, produced a thought-provoking character description. Francesca, your work has been outstanding this week. You constantly think about the task that you have been asked to do and you ensure that you are working to the best of your ability. Thank you for your hard work.
Online Safety - I have had a little chat with the whole class today on our weekly Zoom about the class Whatsapp Group. This is something that I cannot police or decide the outcome of, all I can do is to educate the children in what to do if they or someone else acts inappropriately. I have been shown screenshots of the group this week. Today I have just asked the children to really think before they submit something to the content of the chat on there, images, comments etc. The use of abbreviations is common in today’s society without really understanding what they mean. Can I ask you to please be mindful and to share the same conversation with your children at home. Thank you.
Have a lovely weekend with your family. Next week is about taking screen breaks and having some time away from devices in between lessons and learning. Have a think about what you could do.
God bless
Mrs Gregan and Mrs Webster