Year 5 Weekly Blog 21.12.23- ‘The best Christmas gift is to realise what we already have’

We are finally here! Here’s to the end of the final week of our longest half term and also the final school week of 2023! Although it was a shorter week than most, the week was still filled with lots of festive celebrations (with a little bit of work alongside it all). Our week started off with our Christmas concert performance at Church. Anyone who was able to attend any of the performances would sure agree that the children were absolutely fantastic. They blew us all away with their singing and it really was a joy to watch.

On Tuesday, our KS2 Christmas party took place with lots of fun, joy, dancing and laughter. The children’s behaviour and manner throughout the whole party was brilliant which allowed them to really enjoy the moment. We did try and limit the sugar intake throughout the day after the onslaught of cakes after our bake off so I am hoping the children were okay later that evening. On Wednesday, our wonderful catering team put together a fantastic Christmas dinner for us all in which we all enjoyed together.

Our final day consisted of us coming together one last time for a collective worship and for us to reflect on the journey of advent. After a full class tidy up and a very competitive Christmas quiz, we finished our day with a Christmas film. The Year 5 team wish you all a very happy and merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you in 2024!

To finish our forces topic off in Science, we looked at the force of ‘upthrust’ and how rockets use this to overcome the power of gravity. We made our own rockets using just elastic bands and kitchen roll tubes and we looked at how we can improve our rocket to allow it to travel faster through the air.

Here our some pictures from the children’s enrichment afternoon last week with Mrs Lyons- in which there was lots of festive baking taking place.

Let’s Celebrate

• Erin and Esther for being learners of the term- You two have really displayed all of our learning characters this year. You both are such lovely girls and you are both so enthusiastic for your learning- which makes you excellent learning partners.

• Bella and Roseanna for being faith-filled and hopeful learners- The way you two conduct yourselves both in and out of the classroom is excellent. You have such a calming and loving character in which you never have any issues out on the playground- but are always solving problems.

Notices

• Homework- Please check the homework blog for tasks to do over the holidays.

• Monday 8th January- School will re-open.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 15.12.23- ' Music is all around us, all we have to do is listen’

Our last full week of 2023 has come to an end and yet it has still been filled with lots of learning opportunities. The focus of the week has been our KS2 nativity practice which has taken place at church- where we have been practicing our songs for the Christmas concert. With the concert taking place this Monday- it is important that we have one final practice over the weekend so we are super confident with all of our songs.

In Maths, we have continued with our money topic and have been looking at tackling real life money problems such as working out change and shopping scenarios. With Mrs Gregan, the children have been linking their angles work to properties of shapes and making connections about what they know about different polygons.

We finished our Geography unit of rivers by learning about erosion and how this takes place in a river. We looked at the four different types of erosion and used sugar cubes and a spatula to show how this happens.

In Science, we have continued with our forces topic- with each week focusing on a different force and how it is seen in everyday life. This week, our focus was water resistance and we looked at how professional swimmers use streamlining to allow them to travel faster through the water (reduce the effects of water resistance). For our experiment, we created different shapes out of playdough and dropped them into some water to test how long it would take to reach the bottom.

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Let’s Celebrate

• Gabriella for being a determined learner: This week you have been trying really hard in your times tables practice and have been so focused in getting through as much work as you can. You have developed strategies to help improve on particular tables that are harder than others (‘Use what you know to work out what you don’t know’). Brilliant work!

• Elsie for being a reflective learner: Your focus and drive to succeed is what helps you make so much progress in your learning Elsie. Your attitude to responding to feedback is excellent and you love to challenge yourself- no matter the task at at hand. Excellent work!

• Sophia for being a faith-filled and hopeful learner: You have been seen countless times helping other children when they have hurt themselves and are always the first to comfort them- regardless of how close of a friend they are to you. You will always choose to spend your own break time to help others rather than to play if they are in need.

• Niamh for being a faith-filled and hopeful learner: You are such as calm and loving member of our class and you have been seen showing this out on the playground to help calm others who are in distress. You never make a big fuss about it- you just help people because it is the kind and loving thing to do. Thank you Niamh!

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Notices

• Monday 18th December- Christmas Concert at Church. This will be performed twice, the first performance at 2pm and the later one at 6pm. Children need to arrive at Church at 5:45pm in their full school uniform.

• Tuesday 19th December- KS2 Christmas Party Day. Children will be partying in the morning followed by a film in the afternoon. Children can come into school in their own clothes. Please make sure that they are wearing appropiate shoes. They can bring in one small fizzy drink and a small party snack (small bag of chocolate or crisps). The children will be intaking lots of sugar so it is vital that they still bring their water bottle in and are drinking plenty of healthy fluids.

• Wednesday 20th December- Christmas Dinner. These will be the hot dinner options for this day, with choice 2 being a vegetarian Christmas dinner.

• Thursday 21st December- School will close at 2pm for the Christmas break.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 8.12.23- ' The true spirit of Christmas lies within your heart'

As we complete our first full week of December, the Christmas spirits have well and truly been present throughout school. On Tuesday morning, the story of our nativity began with our youngest children- who portrayed the story so beautifully. This story will then continue to travel with KS1 next week and then KS2 in Church. Speaking of which, our preparations for our Christmas concert have gone up a notch- with us having our first practice session in church this week.

We finished our week with the much anticipated ‘Our Lady’s Bake Off’. Families across the school have put their baking skills to the test to create some festive bakes. The children were so proud to show off their hard working creations and loved the judging element of the competition (us teachers certainly did). We combined this with a belated Christmas jumper day just to make the day even more festive and exciting for all of the children.

We have used our hetic schedule this week to squeeze in lots of our geography unit of rivers. The children love a no book lesson so we got practical with some chalk to plot the course of a river by separating it into its three courses. We have also been looking at how a waterfall is formed and researching some of the most known waterfalls in the UK/world.

In Maths, the children have been continuing with their angles topic with Mrs Gregan whilst also practicing lots of retrieval with our multiplication and division. This will pay off in abundance after Christmas when we start our multiplication and division topic.

In English, we have come to the end of our legends topic as the children have finished re-writing their own version of the ‘Legend of Gelert’. I have been blown away by the children’s creative thinking and description and how they have put this together as a full story.

Let’s Celebrate

• Arthur for being a reflective learner: This half term you have really taken control over your decision making. You understand when you have made a wrong choice and you have really reflected on how to make the right choices. The shift in your behaviour has been amazing to see. Keep this up!

• Esther for being a creative learner: Your creative thinking and your story writing has really blown me away this half term. This is been seen particularly this week when writing our own legends stories and the description you create through your writing has been amazing.

• Benjamin for being a hopeful and faith-filled learner: You have been a really considerable and careful learning partner this week. To show such patience and care to help your partner is a real sign of maturity and growing up. This was delightful for us teachers to see.

Notices

• Cold Weather- We will be taking regular trips to church to practice our concert so can all children have appropriate clothing such as a big coat, hat and gloves.

• Christmas Concert- Will take place on Monday 18th December. This will take place at church and the children will be performing the concert twice (2pm and 6pm).

• End of Term- School will close for Christmas on Thursday 21st December at 2pm.

• Christmas Dinner- This will be the options for school dinners on Wednesday 20th December. There will be a vegetarian Christmas dinner option for choice 2.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 1.12.31- ' It's not what is under the tree that matters, it's who is around it'

Another week has gone by as we have entered into Advent. The children’s spirits have been rising in the past few weeks as we lead up to Christmas so it has been wonderful for us to end the week at the start of December. The drastic drop in temperature hasn’t put the children off their learning either- including our outdoor science experiment this week- testing different surfaces for rolling friction.

This week we also started our Geography topic this week of rivers. The children have been looking at the different parts and features of a river and some of the rivers in the UK and around the world. I have been so impressed with the effort towards the river posters for the homework- some children have gone above and beyond with their work and have really earned their house points.

In English, we have been planning our own version of the Legend of Gelert and have begun our final writing piece for this topic. Again, I have been blown away with the children’s creative thinking and the way they bounce ideas off each other.

Let’s Celebrate

• Millie and Ola for being co-operative and focused learners: These two learning qualities really do sum you too up.. I know I can trust you to work alongside anyone in the class and still show great teamwork and focus. Your eyes are always following the teacher and you understand when it is time to stop and listen and when it is time to get focused on your learning task. As our work load increases, these two qualities will prove to be vital in your progress throughout Year 5.

• Michael for being a hopeful and faith-filled learner: Your manner and approach to games on the playground is fantastic. You never exclude anyone from any game, you are kind and considerate towards your team and the opposition and you never let your emotions get the better of you.

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Notices

• Christmas Bake Off- All information regarding this is live on the homework blog including rules, prices and format of the day. This will take place Friday 8th December.

• Christmas Jumper Day- Will also take place on Friday 8th December. Please bring a £1 in if you are wearing a Christmas jumper.

• Christmas Cards-As a school, we have decided that to save money and paper on buying Christmas cards for individual people, children are allowed to make 1 Christmas card which is for the whole class.

• KS2 Christmas Concert- Will take place on Monday 18th December. The children will perform twice in church- 2:00pm and 6:00pm.

• Juice- A reminder that only water is allowed to drink when in school. Due to an increase of metal bottles, this has become harder for staff to notice what is inside.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 17.11.23- 'Everything is better in pajamas'

Another week has flown by as we edge closer to December, closer to our Nativity and closer to Christmas! We finished our week in style with our annual PJ day- in order to raise money for Brian House. The children were full of joys all day (especially having their teddies with them). We used this as a perfect opportunity to pair up with our buddy class and read to our Year 2 companions. I think their favourite part was comparing teddies though.

We continued with experimenting with forces in science, looking at forces which counteract gravity- with the focus being on air resistance. We discussed how this forces acts on a parachute when falling through the sky so the children made their own mini parachutes and dropped them to test their safety.

Let’s Celebrate

Michael for being an enthusiastic learner: Your love for learning just fills me with joy. The way you tackle every lesson, whether it is a new topic or a  continuing problem- you always do it with the right attitude. You are always open to trying new methods and learning new concepts- which gives you the best chance of succeeding.

Rose for being a creative learner: No wonder English is your favourite subject! Your creative ideas and writing are just magnificent. You really throw yourself into a story and bring out such description whatever the task is.

Faye for being a faith-filled learner: After our RHE lesson today, where we looked at the definition of what faith means- ‘having absolute trust in someone or something’- this is how I would sum you up. I know that I can trust you to always make the right choice and that you will always follow instructions.

Notices

• B Team Football Tournament: Will take place this Monday. Children are to picked up from school at 12:30 and taken to AKS. The tournament will be from 1:00-4:00

• Girls Football Tournament: Will take place on Thursday 23rd November. The same procedure will apply for this tournament as of the one above.

• Eco Trip- We will be doing a beach clean this upcoming Tuesday. Children will again need appropriate clothing such as a coat, gloves if you would like and an old pair of trousers and shoes. We are still needing 2 volunteers for the trip as we are going with Year 2. Please drop me an email if you are interested in attending. We will be leaving around 12:30 and should be done between 1:30-2:00.

• Bake Off- Will take place on Friday 8th December. £3 to enter (festive themed)

Year 5 Weekly Blog 10.11.23- 'Be a rainbow in someone's cloud'

Another action packed week in Year 5 with most of the week focusing around our assembly. The children were fantastic throughout the preparation and the performance- displaying the importance of being equal and speaking up for what is right. 5 lucky members of our class had the afternoon out and Tuesday to represent the school in the Fylde Football Competition. The boys did really well, winning 2 out of their 3 group games to qualify for the FA cup round robin. The boys unfortunately didn’t win this group based cup but I am looking forward to watching them develop and improve when it comes around again next year.

We ended the week with our first eco trip of the year which was bulb planting down at Hope Park. Surprisingly, the weather was on our side and the sun was shining as we dug, planted and stomped our way down the park. Thank you to the Fylde Rangers for hosting the activity and for allowing us to help. They would like to share the photos from today on their website so if anyone does not consent to these photos going on their website then can you please let me know.

Due to lots of time out of class for assembly practice, Mrs Mather took on a whole class DT lesson, focusing on building bridge structures using every day objects.

In Science, focusing on our topic of forces, we have been measuring both the mass and weight of different objects- using a newton meter to measure the force of gravity pulling the object down.

In Maths, we have still been continuing with decimals up to hundredths but in preparation for our big multiplication topic in spring, every maths lesson will consist of a mini multiplication check to get the children’s brains ticking. This week, we have played some speedy fluency games and we have explored square numbers.

We finally got to start our outdoor PE topic this half term which is netball. The children have been able to apply some of their passing skills from other sports and apply these into our netball drills. We are hoping that the weather holds off on Wednesday afternoons so we can continue this unit!

Let’s Celebrate

• Faye for being a reflective learner- Whenever a serious convocation or topic is covered from a teacher- weather it is during RHE, class council or an incident has occurred- you are so reflective. Although you are never involved in any wrongdoings, you listen to advice precisely and hang onto your teachers word. You’re not just a role model when it comes to your learning but also in the personal choices you make and what type of person you want to be.

• Ella for being a focused learner - Changing seats in class and having different learning partners can often cause distractions. However, you have kept being super focused during all of our lessons this week. You have worked alongside your new learning partners excellently and have contributed to lots of class discussions.

• Ben for being faith filled- Although you have made some wrong choices this week, you have been honest when making these and have always admitted your wrong doings. It has been your application to our assembly that has shown you are faith-filled. Your commitment to learning our class prayer and the way you delivered this was fantastic.

Notices

• Our Lady’s Bake Off- Will take place on Friday 8th December. £3 entry fee (money goes to Brian House) and you can enter as an individual or as a family. Bakes have to be festive themed and should not contain any nut products if possible.

• Michael’s Coat- Could we have a check a home to see if anyone has a spare long navy coat with a fluffy hood. The name inside the coat says ‘Kato.R’

• Travelling Nativity- As it is 30 school days away from the Christmas holidays, every night a child will be sent home with a nativity set. Inside the bag, there is a list of the items included. Please could you take the time to share a moment of prayer and liturgy with your child and capture this on the camera in the bag. A text will go out each night to let you know if your child has been chosen to take the bag home.

• Dance Festival- Takes place this Monday. All information about this is available on the sports page.

• Curriculum Evening- Will take on Thursday 16th November 5:30pm-7:00pm. We are focusing on the wider curriculum and having a look into how subjects progress throughout the school. It would if you could come along and experience this.

• PJ Day- Will take place on Friday 17th November. Children are to bring £1 in to raise money for Brian House and they can wear their pajamas for the day. The children can bring in one teddy from home- as long as it is reasonable size.

• PE on Monday- Due to lots of children and members of staff being out for the dance festival, Year 5 and 6 will be joining forces for a joint PE lesson on Monday afternoon. Therefore, the children will need to be in their PE kits on Monday.

Year 5 Eco Trip to Hope Park- Thursday 9th November

On Thursday, we will be going to Hope Park in the morning to plant bulbs as a part of our eco duties. Children are to come to school in their school polos, with their PE hoody, some tracksuit bottoms, an old pair of trainers and a waterproof coat. Everyone will need to bring their school trousers/skirts, along with their school shoes in a separate bag for our assembly later that afternoon.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 03.11.23- Success is steady progress towards ones personal goals'

For what felt like longer than a week, we are back in school after half term and back straight into our learning. It was brilliant to see the children again, some looking very bronzed after their week abroad, and it was brilliant to see them just jump straight back into their learning. We have started many new topics across our curriculum so the children have been full of curiosity as they tackle many new tasks.

In English, our topic is myths and legends. We have been exploring some popular legend stories such as ‘The Loch Ness Monster’ and ‘George and the Dragon’. We have compared different legend stories to other books/films that relate to these and made connections between them.

In Maths, we are continuing with our topic of place value but have been exploring the world of decimals. W have been looking at tenths and hundredths and the value of these compared to the values we already know- such as ones, tens, hundreds etc.

As the weather continues to pour down, we were left with no choice but to have another indoor PE lesson. Some improvisation left us with some table tennis, HIIT stations and just dance.

Let’s Celebrate

Layla and Rafe for being focused and enthusiastic learners: As we have started the new half term, your focus has been super sharp during every subject we have covered this week, You are showing that you are really determined to learn and improve and you do this with such excitement towards your learning.

Brilliant job!

Erin for being a faithful learner: You haver not just been faithful this week but in everyday during our morning and lunchtime prayer. You are solemn, deep and respectful during our prayers and you really take that time to reflect.

Notices

• Year 5 Assembly- Will take place on Thursday 9th November. The children will be performing the assembly twice, starting at 2:10pm and 2:35pm. If you haven’t done already, please can you bring in a coloured tie for which ever side you are on (red or blue).

• Data Sheets- Please can all data sheets be brought back in ASAP. These were sent out earlier this week in a large envelope.

• Football Tournament- The A Team have a football tournament on Tuesday. Details are available on the sports page.

• Rememberance Poppies- We are still collecting home made poppies for our chapel display. These are to be water proof as they are to be hung up on the outside of the chapel.

• Dance Festival- Will take place Monday 13th November. More information is available on the sports page.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 18.10.23- ' Sometimes making progress means taking rest days'

And just like that, the first half term of the year is upon us. The children have settled into life in Year 5 fantastically and they deserve to rest and recuperate during half term. The next half term is set to be a busy one with our class assembly, starting our first science and geography units and also Christmas!

In our DT unit, the children have been making mechanical books and today they finally got the chance to go into Year 2 (our buddy class) and share/read these books to their partners. These photos are available on Year 2’s weekly blog.

Try and use materials that are waterproof so that they will survive our harsh winter weather conditions.

Notices

• Parents Day- Is this Friday and will be online via ‘School Cloud’ (same as last year). If you haven’t already, please book an appointment via Mrs Gregans weekly newspaper.

• Choir- Will be starting again after half term, the first session is on the first day back. If you are interested, then please sign the form [engage-> choir-> choir 2023]

• Homework- Please check the homework blog for children to complete over half term.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 13.10.23- ' Kindness is giving hope to people who think they are alone'

Our final full week of our first half term and yet the children are still working hard- making sure that their work is still of a top quality from previous weeks. I have been very proud of the children as I have been away on the Year 6 residential, in which I came back to a lovely note on my desk from the supply teacher saying “Thank you for letting me borrow your wonderful class whilst you have been away. They have been amazing and yes we did finish all of the English planning”- Mrs Holmes

In English, we have finished our planning of our narrative- based on The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe- and have begun to write our story. The children have been itching to get going with this and have been able to apply their planning and ideas brilliantly into their own writing.

In Maths, we have come to the end of our place value topic by finishing off with Roman numerals. The children have loved learning about these as it is seen as a ‘secret coded language’. We have been learning numbers up to 1,000 and have been using lolly sticks to display these numbers.

In RHE, we have been focusing on the importance of kindness and how we should always aim to show this- no matter the situation. We have been sharing what our gifts and talents are and how we recognise gifts and talents in others.

With the weather now turning, lots of our school days are filled with downpour and this fell on our outdoor PE lesson. Therefore, we devised an indoor plan of using different parts of the school to host different activities. We had groups of children inside the classroom, getting their heart raising with some ‘Just Dance’. We had a group of children in the Year 6 spare classroom for a mini tournament of table tennis and focusing on building rallies. Then we also had a group of children outside who completed the daily mile.

Let’s Celebrate

Niamh for being a focused learner: You could win this award for this chosen learning quality every week Niamh. To have a different and unknown teacher for half of the week and to still be so focused in every lesson is a credit to your character and what type of person you are. You treat everyone with such respect and you go everything a go.

Dominic for being a brave learner: I know how you have been so eager to play football again and for you to play in the school football team this week was a brave act and it made me very proud. You were patient when you could/couldn’t play and a huge congratulations for getting an assist in your debut (setting up your brother as well).

Ola for being an active learner: You are always so active in making the right choices. You never put a foot out of line and are always so focused and present within the classroom.

Notices

• Parents Day- Will be on Friday 20th October. If you haven’t done already, then please book a slot with myself. The link to do this will be on Mrs Gregan’s blog.

• Half-Term- School will close for half term on Wednesday 18th October at normal time. School will then reopen on Monday 30th October.

• Homework- Is up on the homework blog. Please bring in on Tuesday 17th October.

• REMEMBER TO BRING CLARINETS IN ON MONDAY FOR OUR MUSIC LESSON

Year 5 Weekly Blog 6.10.23- ‘Safety isn’t expensive, its priceless’

You can tell we have entered October now with the weather changing every day- with lots of rainy days throughout the week. I have been super impressed with the children’s reading focus this week as they all strive to get their rocket to the sun.

In Maths, we are coming to the end of our place value unit. After a full week of rounding, we have begun looking into roman numerals in more detail- in which the children have found fascinating.

In English, we are in the planning phase of our writing and we are re-writing the first two chapters of the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and changing certain elements of the story.

In History, we have continued learning about Ancient Greece and have reenacted the Battle of Marathon to really tell the story through drama. We have also looked into what life was like for women in the ancient Greek times and how they were treated.

In PE, we have continued to work on our rugby skills and focusing on how to pass effectively within a team. Inside, all of our gymnastic groups have been planning and rehearsing their final sequences- consisting of mirrors, matches and counter balances.

In RHE, we did our next lesson on Kidsafe which was all about online safety.

Let’s Celebrate

Isaac and Roseanna for being determined learners: You have both been smashing your reading targets this week and have shown a brilliant attitude and work ethic when it comes to reading. Keep it up!

Millie for being an active learner: You are always engaged throughout every subject we do and are active in every task. Your commitment to extra curricular activities makes you an active member of our school- a real role model for our school.

Notices

• Parents Day- Will take place Friday 20th October. If you haven’t booked on yet, please visit Mrs Gregans blog to book your time slot.

• Half Term- School will close on Wednesday 18th October at normal time.

• Harvest Festival- We are collecting cereal for the Fylde Foodbank- which we will take to Harvest Mass on October 12th.

• CLARINETS- PLEASE CAN CHILDREN REMEMBER TO BRING CLARINETS IN ON MONDAY FOR MUSIC

Year 5 Weekly Blog 29.9.23- ' A child is not finished when they are defeated; they're finished when they quit'

It’s been another productive week in Year 5 with lots of learning across the curriculum taking place. In History, we role played the Battle of Marathon and discussed tactics from both sides as to why each side won and lost the battle.

In Maths, our place value unit turned to the focus of rounding- in which the children displayed excellent retrieval skills. Today, we took it up a notch and tackled some trickier rounding questions. With focus and resilience, the class achieved their objective which was great to see.

In English, we have finished the first two chapters of ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ and have been creating character descriptions and also making predictions by inferring from the book and film.

Let’s Celebrate

Jacob for being a focused learner: It is no surprise that you are always making progress Jacob- it is because you are super focused throughout lessons. Your eyes are always following the teacher and you don’t let others around you to distract yourself from the task at hand.

Brilliant work!

Bella for being a resilient learner: You have been plying through your reading this week and have been so determined to reach your target. You have come in every day and led by example of how to approach your reading- both with your attitude and work ethic. A brilliant start to Year 5 Bella.

Keep it up!

Arthur for being an active learner: You have been fully emerged in our writing topic and have been so active in participating in each activity- regardless of already knowing the story.

Notices

• As we enter October and start facing harsher conditions, can all children bring a coat into school everyday. Their school hoodies do not count as coats when it is raining outside.

• Parents Day: Will be on Friday 20th October. Please can all parents book their appointments via the link on the school newsletter.

• Harvest Festival: We will be celebrating Harvest at mass on October 12. In preparation, each class has been assigned a different type of food to collect for the Fylde Foodbank. Our chosen food is cereal.

• Clarinets- Please ensure that all clarinets are brought in on Monday for our music lesson.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 22.9.23- ‘Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world’

Another productive week in Year 5, with the children flying through their place value work- showing a great understanding of numbers up to a million. After the bulk of lessons on democracy and parliament, our history lessons turned focus back to Ancient Greece- specifically looking at Sparta and how the lifestyle was different to that in Athens. Fronted adverbials have been our grammar focus in the last few weeks and it has been brilliant to see the children include these in their writing. I am still waiting on some parental and medical forms to be completed. Please fill in the forms below.

This week, we have had the pleasure of hosting local author and storyteller Dan Worsley to our school. Dan shared his experiences of becoming an author and the process involved in writing a novel. He then came into Year 5 for a writing workshop session- focusing on character description, actions and dialogue.

Let’s Celebrate

Luke for being a co-operative learner: As each day has gone by, your engagement in lessons has increased. You have really stood out to me in Maths for your brilliant partner work and dedication to the learning. This has been excellent to see.

Bella for being a inquisitive learner: No matter the subject or the task, you always want to improve your learning by asking lots of curious questions. You make really good use of your ‘have a go’ and ‘magpie’ books to store all of your inquisitiveness.

Isaac for being an active learner: You are always making the right choice and setting an example of how to follow instructions. An excellent work ethic and an excellent learner.

Kidsafe

This week, we completed our second Kidsafe lesson on Bullying. The children discussed what bullying means, the different types of bullying and why do people choose to bully.

Parental Consent Forms

I am still waiting for a significant number of parental consent forms to be filled in. Until this is done then unfortunately I can’t upload any photos to the blog.

Walking Home Form

I understand there was a technical issue with accessing the walking home form. I have uploaded this and it should be okay to access now. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 15.09.23 " Education… like democracy is always in the making, forever incomplete and founded in possibilities”

What a busy week it has been! It is hard to believe that it has only been two weeks of the new school year. The focus for the start of the week was all things London. What a trip it was, still hard to believe we did it all in one day and the children were still full of energy at the very end of the night. We got to see lots of wonderful sights such as Big Ben, a tour of the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye. I was super impressed with the children’s focus the following day and their effort throughout every lesson- learning through thee yawns.

It was brilliant to see so many of you on Wednesday night at induction evening and finally meet some of you. For anyone who didn’t manage to make it, here is the PowerPoint slides from the evening.

In English, the children finally found out what our first novel of Year 5 is- which is the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The children were ecstatic as many children have already seen the film and many are also eager to discover this fantastic story.

Flu Vaccinations

Please follow the link below to fill in the flu vaccination form for this year - stating whether you want your child to have it or not. This is a simple nasal spray, done within school time

The school code to enter when asked is BP119627

Medical and Consent Forms

If you have not done so already, please follow the links below and fill in these crucial forms so that we have up to date information about your child. I cannot put any photos online our our first couple of weeks in school until I have all forms in.

Let’s Celebrate

Archie for being a co-operative learner- I have seen you work with lots of different people this week and on our trip to London. You have been so polite and cooperative with everyone and treated everyone the same. An excellent quality to have both in the classroom and on the football pitch.

Pippa for being a brave learner- What a day out in London you had. You battled through your sickness and that bright and bubbly personality did not change once throughout the day. You still took part in all of the activities in the day and shared your insights during the tour. You deserved the extra two days off.

Ruby for being a brave learner- You have settled into life at Our Lady’s so well and have interacted with everyone in the classroom. You have thrown yourself into every activity and have become a much loved member of Year 5.

Elsie for being an active learner- You have gone above and beyond in helping around the classroom and keeping the Year 5 ship steady. You have carried out your class job excellently and have offered to help in other areas as well. Keep it up!

Notices

Forms- Please make sure that all of the forms above have been filled out and submitted.

Have a lovely weekend

The Year 5 team

Year 5 Weekly Blog 8.9.23- "Life is an open book with blank pages, you write the story as you go”

It has been amazing to have the children back to school and to really meet the new Year 5. I have been so impressed with how well the children have settled in and got stuck straight into every task that has been set- I cannot wait for the upcoming school year. We started our week by having a catch up on the events of summer and getting to know each other and also introducing some of our class roles, responsibilities and games. We ended the day outside with the popular parachute- in which I promised the children on transition day that we would use it on our first day together. This was great fun whilst also getting to know the children better.

In English, we have been learning about the Blitz in World War Two and how so many children have to be evacuated and separated from their homes. This has been done to provide a background which leads into the opening of our new class novel (the children are very eager to know). Today, we did some role play of what it felt like being an evacuee in which the children were separated into random groups to be sent off and we also practiced getting to safety when the sirens went off.

We began our Maths topic this week of place value and we used our dienes to help get the children’s brains ticking again and thinking about mastery of number. The children showed excellent retrieval of their knowledge of numbers to 1000 and we have begun to breach into larger numbers such as 10,000 and 100,000.

We have got stuck straight into our History topic as we prepare for our trip to London. The children have learned all about Ancient Greece’s physical geography and how they rose to power- especially Athens. This has lead to us learning how democracy was discovered and how we use this in todays society.

We kickstarted our Kidsafe lessons again in RHE as we recapped on our Kidsafe rules and discussed what ‘trust’ is. The children can recall who their trusted adults are and took part in some trust themed games.

Let’s Celebrate

• Cora for being an enthusiastic learner- Your energy and enthusiasm really does light up the room. Your hand is constantly up as you want to share your ideas and contribute to the lesson. Just remember not to shout out as you don’t want to give away any of your answers.

• Erin for being a focused learner- You have been super focused this week and have been first to listen to every instruction. Your calm and collected approach has really allowed you to focus on your learning.

• Benjamin for being a creative learner- You have really impressed me with your different interpretations into our place value topic-especially when portioning large numbers. Just make sure you don’t rush and you always double check your work!

Notices

• Induction Evening: Will take place on Wednesday 13th September at 3:30-5:00. Children can take their parents of a tour around the classroom and there will be lots of information and activities for both child and parent to engage with.

• Autumn 1 Sports Timetable: Has been posted on the sports page of the website [engage-> sport]. This includes information regarding the sports clubs for this half term such as the football and netball teams, fencing and dance. Each club has a form attached on the page which needs to be filled out and any payment required before the child can participate.

• Art t-shirts: Can art t-shirts be brought in from next week.

• Trip to London: Will take place on Tuesday 12th September. Information regarding the trip is included on the letter. Any medication needed for the trip can be brought in but will have to be given to a member of staff attending the trip.

Year 5 Trip to London Tuesday 12th September 2023

Please can all parents sign the permission slip below to allow the school to take your child on the trip next week. If not done already, can parents complete the payment for the trip via parent pay.

Welcome to Year 5 2023!

A big hello from the Year 5 team. We hope you have had the most wonderful summer and we can’t wait to welcome you back into school on Monday.

What will I need to bring?

• Your own pencil case including a pencil, biro pen, sharpener, rubber and glue stick. Please can children stick to using regular equipment to limit distractions in lessons.

• Make sure your school uniforms and water bottles are labelled incase they go missing.

• A healthy snack for break times.

PE days

• Outdoor- Wednesday afternoon

• Indoor- Thursday morning

Art

Will be taught on Thursdays

Music

Will be on Monday afternoons. The children’s clarinets are already in school but they will need to remember on the weekend to bring them in regularly ready for Mondays.

Homework

Will go out on Friday afternoons, the same time as the weekly blog, and will be due in the following Thursday.

You are all invited to our Induction evening on Wednesday 13th September. This will be much different to last year, starting at 3:30 and finishing at 5:00. We would love for your child to show you around their new classroom, and for you to become more familiar with our school. You will also be able discover more about the exciting opportunities and topics that they will be learning during their time in Year 5. We will be in the classroom to answer any questions you may have! More information, such as important forms that will need completing will be available soon so please do keep checking the Year 5 page.

We can’t wait to see you all on Monday, and we hope that you all have a wonderful weekend.

Your Year 5 team,

Mr Cornwell and Mrs Mather

Homework for the holidays

Use this summer to prepare and film your House Captain speeches …The children are to film a House Captain speech ready to show the younger children in the second week back in September. On one of our transition days we watched great examples of effective speeches all made by previous Year 6 children. We were very inspired! We recognised that the speech needs to be inspirational, directed at the younger children, unique to us and enjoyable to watch, but must give us/ show us the reasons why they should be voted to be the next leader of their house! So remember to share your qualities, talents and the reasons why you would make a great House Captain! Could all videos please be emailed to Mrs Harrison the first week back in Year 6.

k.harrison@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk

Have a wonderful summer and see you in Year 6!

Year 5 Weekly Blog 20.7.23- ' We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams'- Roald Dahl

And here we are! The children have now officially finished Year 5 and now begin their journey as leaders of the school. It may have only been a short week but it surely has been jam-packed. The start of the week consisted of our performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- performing 4 times day and night. The children blew us away with their performances, showing such enthusiasm, effort and concentration-it truly was spectacular.

On Wednesday, we had our final PE lesson with a fun-filled activities- starting with some games of cat and mouse. Myself and Mr Murray then divided the class into two for a final end of year game of rounders.

Our last piece of learning took place this week with us focusing on debates. We divided the class into two and each took sides in debating whether homework should be banned or not.

Notices

I hope you all have a safe and happy summer! Thank you so much for your support this year and for the relationships we’ve built- I can’t wait to see you all fly next year as leaders of our school.

Homework

For children to keep up with their reading and times table practices over summer so they are ready to go in September to tackle their final year.

Year 5 Weekly Blog 14.7.23- ' Performance art is about joy, about making something so wild that you can't put it into words'

Our last full week of the year! And it has been a fantastic and jam-packed week. We started the week with our clarinet music concert. It was brilliant to see all of the hard work that the children have put in this year - in a showcase to celebrate their efforts. The children were amazing with both their clarinets and their singing. I’m sure you parents though will be glad to see the back of those clarinets…

On Tuesday, the children finally got to test their cooking skills in DT as they made Spaghetti Bolognese. The children definitely looked the part and I hope that all of their creations were as delicious as they looked.

The rest of the week consisted of lots of play practice, ready for the first performance on Monday, where the children will perform in front of the school in the day and then for parents in the evening. The same again will take place on Tuesday. We wrapped up our final English and Maths units this week, with us focusing on bus and school timetables in statistics- luckily they won’t have any problems getting the bus to high school now! In English, we planned and wrote our discussion text- discussing if all children should learn to swim. The children got their wish as we will be turning the classroom into a debate hall as the two teams prepare their arguments. This is the focus of homework this week.

Let’s Celebrate

Charlie for being a co-operative learner: No matter the activity or the group of children you work with, you always strive to be an excellent team player- bringing calmness and love to the group. I have loved watching you play outside as well in different sporting activities as you never let the emotions of the game get the better of you- a role model in this regard.

Leo for being a creative learner: You have provided some excellent reasoning this half term during our discussion texts and arguments. You always develop your points and build on your reasoning (an excellent skill for Year 6).  Thinking outside of the box is not an easy skill but for you it just comes natural. I look forward to see you in our debates next week.

Anncia for being a focused learner: We may be at the very end of the year and lots of children have been getting giddy and losing focus throughout lessons- this is not you. Even having to do maths after play practice all day- you still remain on task and put 100% of your focus and effort into your work.

Virtue Butterflies: Our butterfly this week goes to Georgia for being intentional. Your commitment towards your role in the play has been a joy to see and you have been making good choices all throughout our practice sessions.

Notices

• End of Year Play- Will take place on Monday and Tuesday, starting at 6:30pm for parents. Please can all children arrive at school for 6:10pm. Children can come back to school in the evening in their own clothes and they will get changed in school.

• Library Books- Any library books that have been taken home from school need to be returned ASAP.

• End of Year Reports: Have gone home with the children today. Please check your child’s bag if they have not already made you aware.

• Growing Up Lesson: On Monday, boys and girls in Year 5/6 will be split for separate lessons on ‘growing up’. All children have been given a letter which explains this in further detail. If you have any questions regarding this, then please drop either myself or Mrs Gregan an email.

• Year 5/6 Sports Day- 3rd time lucky!!! The rescheduled date for our sports day is Tuesday- starting at 1:30pm.

• End of Term- School will close on Thursday at 2pm for summer.