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Welcome to Year 5!

Hello and welcome to Year 5!

We have been enjoying getting to know the children over this first week and have already got stuck into our first topic of Space, as well as Maths and English.

As we’re sure you have heard, we had a fantastic day at Winchester Science Centre on Tuesday. The children were given the opportunity to explore the exhibits independently, take part in a workshop and then enjoy the excitement of the planetarium in the afternoon. The planetarium was awe-inspiring and was a fantastic addition to the start of our topic, leaving many children curious about life outside of Earth.

 

Don’t forget it’s our Curriculum Morning tomorrow, between 9am and 10am, where a brief overview of the Year 5 Curriculum will be given followed by a focus on how Maths is taught at St Mark’s. You will also be invited into the classroom to join the children in their Maths activity. We hope to see you there!

Year 5 Teachers

 

An excellent start to our new school year!

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Y6!

We have been very impressed with how the children have come back after the holidays. They are already showing themselves to be excellent role-models to the rest of the school and are working hard in lessons.

There are many exciting activities to look forward to this term and we will keep you updated with website posts as often as we can.

Here are a couple of key points for the Autumn term:

PE kits

These must be in school on a Monday and will be taken home on a Friday. Our PE days are Tuesday and Thursday but there could be extra lessons added in at any point which is why we ask them to be in school all week. Please make sure all items of clothing are named too.

Curriculum workshop

We hope you will be able to attend the Y6 workshop on Thursday 26th September 8:45am-10:00am which will give you information on our maths curriculum. You will be welcome to visit your child’s class to complete an activity with them after the presentation. If you are unable to attend, there will be an evening presentation on Wednesday 18th September at 7:20. You do not need to attend both.

Homework

We will issue homework twice a week. Maths will go home on Fridays and children will have until the following Friday to complete it. SPaG homework will be issued on a Wednesday and be due in on the following Wednesday. We aim to support with homework wherever we can and it will link to what we have been doing in class that week. Miss Pettitt is running homework club after school on a Monday – there may still be some spaces for children if you check with the office! Our first piece of maths homework will be issued this Friday. A revision spelling sheet will be issued weekly too. Please encourage your children to learn these as they will be tested on these each Friday.

Windmill Hill

On 24th September, at 6:15pm, the Y6 teachers will be holding a Windmill Hill information evening for all parents of children attending this year’s residential trip. It will be an opportunity to find out more about the structure of the week, ask any questions you may have, and to collect a medical form which will need completing before the trip.

We hope you are as excited about the year as we are! Please feel free to come and see us if you have any queries.

Year 6 Team

 

Top Ten Tips – Getting Your Children to School on Time

Welcome back and I hope that you had a lovely summer break.  It’s at this time of year when it is hard to get back into a routine so I wanted to list some top tips to hopefully help.

  1.  Establish a good bedtime routine.  Everyone needs a good nights sleep to function effectively the next day.
  2. Try to be as prepared as possible for the next day.  Get your children to pack their bag, find their water bottle and put things that don’t need refrigeration, in their lunch boxes.  Leave these things in a sensible place ready to pick up in the morning.
  3. Keep a list displayed where the children can see what they need for each day.  Encourage them to check it for themselves.
  4. Keep a tray or folder for all of the school letters.  This will remind you all what needs to be handed in.
  5. Some children need time to wake up slowly (just like us adults!).  Try setting an alarm clock 20-30 minutes before you want them to get up.  Set another to go off at 10 minute intervals.  We all love to snooze!  :)
  6. Try keeping uniform all in one place, a box or a drawer so it can always be found.  As it’s getting colder, put some of it on the radiator so it’s nice and warm on those cold mornings.
  7. Allow some negotiation, or limited choice, of what is eaten for breakfast; this will reduce the time spent arguing instead of eating.  Have these discussions when you are not in a rush!
  8. Have a check list or visual pictures of what needs to be done before leaving for school.  List them in order so they can progress through it.  Give stickers or small incentives for success.
  9. Set realistic goals that have a reward to speed up the process e.g. get dressed before you have breakfast, no TV or electronics until breakfast is eaten.
  10. Leave in enough time to get to school on time.  When we rush, it can get us flustered or stressed.  Allow extra time in the winter months for defrosting the car or walking on icy pavements.

If you are struggling with routines or finding it hard to get your child/children to school on time, please come and have a chat with us in the Pastoral Care Team.  We will always try to help.

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