Jesus gave his disciples a very special commandment during his final supper with them: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ This can be such a hard commandment to live by for us all as there are times that we are conflicted by our own emotions and behaviours as well as the emotions of others. The children have examined this commandment closely this week. In class, we have had lots of discussions about all of the times that people may say something that may upset us, but then how we deal with it in order to keep ourselves spiritually healthy. We can expect so much from our children that it is hard to believe that the children are only 10 and 11 years old.
But…10 and 11 year olds are incredibly profound. Often we want to jump in and tell them what we think or give them our opinions, when in fact, just sitting and listening to them is the best thing. I have listened to the children be incredibly reflective this week. We all make mistakes, but allowing the children time to be honest, open and to communicate is really the most powerful thing. We are all striving to be the very best versions of ourselves.
They are the change that they want to see in our world. They are the change that I want to see in my world.
Developing life-long and reflective learners…
Sometimes I talk about pace of learning in class being fast and all immersive. But sometimes pace means knowing when to stop, reflect and evaluate what we have achieved.
English - ‘Drama is central to this unit of work and we are aiming to produce the whole of Romeo and Juliet in 20 minutes. Watch this space over the next few weeks! On Wednesday the children used their homework to write a biography on William Shakespeare, I am really looking forward to marking these this weekend! We have also really knuckled down with our grammar and spelling work. Having looked at parenthesis last week, we have studied colons and semi-colons this week. Tricky concepts, that have required great concentration.
Maths - DIVISION. 3 digit divided by 1 digit was last week, we have now moved onto 4 digits! The same process, just a one more step. See how your child gets on with this at home for their homework this week. I am not expecting the skill to be mastered yet, just wanting them to have a really good go. Over the next few weeks I will be asking my budding actors to film the arithmetic strands that we are using in school. This will enable you to help your child further at home.
Science - Have you ever heard about the peppered moths? Moths that had to adapt to their environment due to the pollution that coal produced during the industrial revolution? Well Year 6 do. Ask your child what they have found out and what happened to the moths. I am really excited for next week’s lessons where we will discuss inheritance. There may even be a science investigation to complete.
Leading Learners
Well done to Meadow and Elise this week.
Meadow, thank you for all of your focus since returning to school for the Spring term. Each and every lesson you are determined to do your best; you hang on my every word. This work ethic will take you far in life. Keep it up Meadow! Continue to take responsibility for your own learning.
Elise, you are so incredibly kind and helpful to all of your classmates. I love watching you interact with your learning partners each week and your partners in maths and english. Nothing is ever too much trouble. You have so much fun with your learning and ALWAYS celebrate and share your mistakes to help others. Thank you Elise.
Notices
Please do continue to keep up to date with your child’s homework (particularly spelling). The vocabulary that the children are being asked to spell are getting more complex and they will need your support to figure out the best strategy to use. Learning them over time, rather than bulking them the night before, always seems like the best route to use.
Your child all have new AR reader codes. Last week they completed an up to date Star Reader assessment which gave them a progress score and reading age. Ask your child to discuss this with you.
Parents’ evenings are being planned for after half term. Please visit Miss Hornby’s blog to find out about an opportunity to come into school to see your child’s work. We cannot wait to share all of the wonderful things that they have produced.
Have a wonderful weekend together.
Mrs Gregan