Penguins Class
Class News Autumn Term 2024
13.9.24
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Welcome back to school everyone, we all hope you had a wonderful summer and have loved how brilliantly and ready the children have been for their learning! It has been brilliant to see how well everyone has adjusted to the new school year coming in through the main doors by the entrance, just a friendly reminder to keep doing so in the mornings and avoid coming in through the classroom doors as that is reserved for collection after school. We are so proud of how quickly the children have settled into their new routines. Please remember that toys are not allowed in school for many reasons but mainly due to the risk of loss or accidental damage which can be very upsetting for the children.There is no homework this week to help the children settle into their first full week of school. This will recommence next week. The new lunch system is working really well and the children have loved having a colour coordinated band for their lunch choice, thank you so much for choosing their options for them as it has made the transitions around lunch time a lot smoother.
Congratulations to Ivy for being awarded Perfect Penguin for all of her hard work and determination, always demonstrating a can-do attitude and trying her hardest at everything she puts her mind to! Well done to Taylor and Teagan for being awarded with handwriting hero and heroine this week.
We started our Science learning off this year with the theme ‘Animals including Humans.’ The children began by matching animals and their offspring and looked at inherited features. We then had some interesting discussions on why it is sometimes tricky to pair an adult and their young like in the case of a butterfly. To enrich the children’s learning further we are going to be studying the conservationist Steve Irwin. The children started by looking at a wildlife reserve that has been set aside as a tribute to Steve for scientific research. See what your child can find out about Steve Irwin at home if you would like to; he’s certainly an inspiring person to help your child engage in their Science learning.
Our very first geography topic this academic year is one the children are going to thoroughly enjoy: Animals Around the World. We started off our learning by discovering what each of the seven continents are called before looking at where each of them are in the world. It was lovely to hear the children's existing knowledge on this topic with many children being able to name and locate the continent in which we live. The highlight of the lesson was definitely the continent song; ask your child to sing it if they remember!
This week, in history, we started the very exciting topic, ‘now and then’. The children were very excited when we came across a basket of belongings that had been accidentally left in our classrooms. We investigated the items and drew our conclusions over who the items belonged to. All the KS1 children demonstrated what excellent historians they are! Finally, we examined some photographs of what school was like in the past and compared it to school now.
This half term we are looking at how we can use lines in art with purpose. The children have been fantastic at creating art through outlining animals, concentrating on their shape and experimenting with different techniques. They have been able to express themselves through their choice of woodland creature and their end result was wonderful as they made some lovely observations on how to create detail with their pencils.
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick, Mrs. Braithwaite and Mr. McAleese
X
27.9.2024
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Another wonderful few weeks everybody, it has been so lovely to see the children really thrive. Well done to Albie and Taylor for being awarded with perfect penguin, you have both been showing some wonderful learning behaviours. Well done to Evelyn and Harry for gaining handwriting hero and heroine last week, as well as Bobby and Rebeca for this week! We have all had a really fantastic week this week - well done everyone!
The children have made a fabulous start to their English in KS1 learning the poem ‘The King of all the dinosaurs’ by Paul Cookson. All the children have thoroughly enjoyed learning actions to go along with the poem and performing it to their peers by heart; amazing! The children then took their own turns to write some acrostic poetry using some powerful vocabulary choices to bring their poems to life.
This week, the children of Key Stage One made a shocking discovery in the intervention classrooms; something wild and unruly had been in there and made a huge mess! There were huge footprints all over the floor and It was like something had been having a wild rumpus in there! Thankfully we managed to clear up the mess and then the children settled down to read our new key text that had been mysteriously delivered to school for us all to share. It is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak. See if your child can tell you all about Max and his adventures in the story:)
The children have blown us all away with their enthusiasm for our geography learning this half term. With the knowledge that we have seven continents and five oceans, we’ve started to delve deeper and discover which animals live where - and most importantly, why! This week, we considered where animals live in relation to the equator. Do they need to live in a cold place or a hot place? The children became experts at sorting a variety of animals into their correct habitat.
During R.E we have been reading parables and understanding what a parable is. As a class, we read the parable ‘The Lost Coin’ and discussed what it feels like when we have lost something. We thought further about the special message within the parable. Then, we discussed the word ‘forgiveness’ and how Christians show forgiveness.
We have been learning all about algorithms in computing this half term and the children have been fantastic when thinking about instructions. They have learned to be very specific - or something might go wrong! They have used their debugging skills in order to correct anything that has not gone exactly to plan and have had a wonderful time navigating how to get across maps. They have even been able to program bee-bots to get them from their starting point to buried treasure!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
11.10.2024
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
We have had such a fantastic week this week and it has been wonderful to see all the children truly shine! Well done to Imogen and Oscar for being awarded Perfect Penguin, you are both superstar role models in the classroom! Well done to Caylen and Anastasia for being awarded handwriting hero and heroine - keep up the good work!
We have had such an enriching and enjoyable visit to the zoo this past week! As a team we all want to thank you all so much for your continued support with this! It was such a wonderful opportunity to visit the animals, discussing what continent that they are from - as linked to our Geography learning. It was also brilliant to see and talk about the offspring of the animals - it was a special treat to see the baby rhino and giraffes, if you ask the children I am sure they will be more than happy to share with you what they are all called! A highlight of the trip was definitely being able to use the skills we have been learning in Art to draw the elephants, they even posed for us which was amazing! We have loved spending this time with the children and are so proud of how well they represented the school, there were many compliments received from the staff at Whipsnade - well done everyone! Thank you for being absolute superstars!
Our focus in PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education) this half term has been ‘Me and My Relationships’. The children have blown us all away by their mature approach to discussing their feelings, showing a clear understanding that these feelings can be shown in a variety of ways. Last week, we focused on who our ‘special people’ are, which generated some inspiring conversations between the children. It was a pleasure to hear just how special you and your wider family are to your children. After drawing their special people on a coloured balloon, they now have pride of place in our classroom so that someone your child loves can always watch over them while they’re in school.
Over the last few weeks, we have been studying the genre of rap music and last week enjoyed having a dance to ‘Rapper’s delight’ by the Sugar Hill Gang to find the pulse! The children listen to different songs each week to strengthen their understanding of the pitch, tempo, rhythm and beat of a song. They are getting more and more confident at listening and appraising music every week; well done children! Our own rap song ‘Hey you’ is sounding great with a mix of singing, rap and playing the glockenspiels. The children are now going to be preparing a performance ready for the whole school for the end of the half term.
In History, we have been learning about what schools were like in the distant past and comparing them to what schools are like today. The children have been brilliant at this and have really enjoyed using a range of primary and secondary sources to help them with their learning. We are really looking forward to our Victorian day!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
25.10.2024
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
A massive well done to everyone for your efforts this half term, we made it! You have worked so hard and we are all so very proud of you - it has been such a fantastic start to the year! Congratulations to Zara and Roman for getting the perfect penguin! You are always fantastic role models in the classrooms!
Over the half term we have enjoyed reading a range of classic children’s stories with the children in the afternoons. It is clear how much the children enjoy their storytime and it was so lovely to see so many of you at our latest ‘Stop, drop and read’ event. Thank you for taking time out for this; it really did mean a lot to the children. Don’t worry if you were unable to make this one though as we have plans for another later in the year! Our key storybook this half term has been ‘Where the wild things are’ by Maurice Sendak. This has inspired lots of the children’s writing this term and we’ve finished with some writing about some wild things of our own. Ask your child to describe their own wild thing or the wild thing they chose to write about in an information report.
In other news, we have rounded off our rap unit in Music with a performance to the rest of the school on Wednesday and the children did not disappoint! It was an incredibly proud moment to see the children sharing their rap which we’ve learned is not an easy thing to do. See if your child is brave enough to perform a little to you as well:)
Our science learning this half term has allowed all the children to really become such fantastic scientists! The children are so knowledgeable about offspring and their characteristics and seeing a Rhino calf at the zoo that was less than a week old opened up some fantastic conversations surrounding what offspring can look like! We loved observing that the calf was not born with a horn and that it grows like our hair! A highlight of our learning was definitely participating in an experiment with blubber and how some animals manage to stay insulated in freezing temperatures. One of the best moments of our science learning was definitely researching Steve Irwin, the children were fascinated by him and how dedicated he was towards his conservation of animals! We are now more confident in knowing the basic needs of survival for animals and loved talking about our own pets and how we keep them alive. Well done everyone, you have shown such enthusiasm and passion for science!
Oh,what a day we all had in KS1 last Thursday for our incredible Victorian day. It was a day enjoyed by teachers and children alike! The children all looked fantastic in their costumes so thank you to you all for putting in the amazing effort that you did. It meant the scene was set from the minute they came into school. When they arrived in class, children were expected to sit in rows. The classrooms were a dark and techless environment. To start our day, all the children were inspected for cleanliness and if they were seen as dirty then they were told to wash their hands. Next, it was time for the 3 R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic) where they experienced learning the Lord’s Prayer and writing with chalk. However, rest assured, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the children! In the afternoon, they were given an opportunity to learn how to play some games from the past. I am sure if you ask your child what they know about schools from the past - they will have lots of knowledge to share!
The children have certainly finished their first geography topic knowing a lot more about where animals live and have started to demonstrate expert knowledge on why they live there. This week, we presented this very understanding! Some children shared how camels have humps that store water, meaning they can live in hot places such as the desert. Other children shared how polar bears have thick fur to keep them warm in the snowy Arctics! We all then had a blast recapping our knowledge by completing a quiz on Kahoot - I'm sure the entire key stage would agree that you knew exactly when each class was completing their quiz by the excitable noise being made!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
15.11.2024
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
It has been such a fantastic start to Autumn 2 and it is lovely to see how settled the children are, welcoming them back after half term was such a joy! Well done to Anastasia and Amelia for getting the perfect penguin - you are both fantastic role models and superstar learners!
As you are aware, we have celebrated Maths Week this week. Next week also sees the exciting event of Times Tables Rock Star day. You will have already received information about this. Children are invited to come into school on Monday dressed as a Rock Star! Alongside this, we are pleased to announce that there will be an in-school Numbots competition launching on Monday. This will be a competition that is played across all EYFS and KS1. This will run until the 5th December.
This term in History the children have made a great start to their learning all about ‘Remembrance’. The children began by thinking about why people are wearing poppies and then went on to make a beautiful wreath to lay at the local memorial in Priory gardens. The children were incredibly respectful and able to hold a two minute silence for those that have given their lives in the war. It was lovely to see them exploring the site to see all the other flowers and wreaths that had been laid in a local service the day before.
In music this half term, we have started a very special whole school project ‘How does Music improve storytelling?’ The children started by looking at some classic Christmas stories like ‘The snowman,’ and what effect the music had on the children when they watched some key parts of the story. We then looked at what Foley art is (the sounds recreated in films.) The children then had a go at making their own Foley Art using some percussion instruments and everyday items to recreate sounds like the crunching of snow beneath their feet or even a horse galloping.
Our science learning for this half term is all about the seasons! We have been able to get outside and observe the trees and what happens to them in the Autumn, with the idea that we will revisit later in winter and see if anything has changed! We discussed what else happens in the season of Autumn and had the opportunity to go outside and think about creating hibernation dens for hedgehogs, we all had great fun doing this! The children have a fantastic understanding of the four seasons and are able to discuss what they would be doing and what they might wear in each of them!
Our geography learning this half term focuses all around where the children live. We kicked off our new topic by using Google Earth to zoom into where we live, step by step - our planet, our continent, our country and, finally, our town! Can your child remember any of the answers? Next week, we’ll be spending some time focusing on the four countries that make up the United Kingdom. At the end of this half term, the children will need to know their home address. We would appreciate any support you can give your child in knowing this; it will not only help to develop their geography skills, but their ‘street smart’ skills too.
In Design Technology this half term we are designing and creating a moving picture. Over the last two weeks, the children have been looking at different moving mechanisms in our classroom and exploring how they work. They then created a slider and lever template. You are sure to be thrilled when you see the moving pictures at the end of term!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
29.11.2024
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Well done for all your hard work the last few weeks - it may have gotten darker but you are all shining as bright as stars! Congratulations to our Perfect Penguins of the last few weeks - Oliver and Mia! You both make everyone proud of how fantastic you are in school, demonstrating our learning values and always trying your best! Well done! Also well done to our handwriting heroines, Zara and Alena! Your handwriting is something you always try your best at and your hard work is really paying off!
Please note that if your child is in Year 2 and in either the Blue or Grey group for RWI they will also be receiving a paper based reading comprehension homework task titled ‘VIPERS’. This homework will need to be completed each week. It will be sent home on a Thursday and will need to be handed back by Friday the following week to Mrs Bilenkyj. You can support your child with this reading comprehension task. There is no expectation that they complete this independently. They will need to write their answers to the questions. Please ensure any pieces of paper handed in with the homework are named. This homework is vital for our year 2 children as reading comprehension is an important skill that will enhance their reading development.Please note that the children will still need to complete their RWI homework each week on Google Classroom. Thank you all for your support with this.
In R.E, we have been learning about how Christians celebrate Christmas. We started with reading the nativity story and discussing each event that took place. Then, the children had a go at working in groups to recreate the nativity story. They all enjoyed using puppets to get into character.
On our walk into Dunstable a few weeks back, we had our eye out for any physical and human features. Can your child explain to you what the difference is between the two? Back in the classroom, we have now gone into even more detail about these two words and sorted some examples into these two categories. The children were brilliant at explaining that beaches are physical because they are created by nature whereas The London Eye (and other landmarks) are human because it is made by just that - a human!
We have been fantastic at becoming digital painters this half term and have been exploring how we can create art on the computer. Understanding all the tools and how they work is a skill the children were brilliant at picking up. They have shown how creative they are and also how they are digitally minded and able to use their knowledge safely. We have also been exploring the concept of online bullying and how we should always be kind - even online!
In Science, we have been learning about the four seasons - Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer. We have been thinking about the many things that are different in each of the seasons - animals hibernating, changing of the leaves on the trees and the differences in weather; just to name a few. The children have also been learning about why we have different seasons. Just last week, the children were learning about what happens during the Winter months. We spent some time thinking about animals hibernating. As a Key Stage, we went outside and spent time building hibernation dens for the animals in our local environment. The children thought carefully about what animal they were building a den for and what type of shelter they would need. Some children even added some food into their dens for the animal that may take up refuge in their dens. We all thoroughly enjoyed spending some time outside.
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
x
16.12.2024
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
What a wonderful half term it has been! We are all so proud of all the hard work you have done this half term! You are all superstars and I wish you a very Merry Christmas!
On Friday we will be holding a Christmas Key Stage party for the children to celebrate all their achievements and hard work. If you would like to contribute any snacks or party food it would be greatly appreciated.
Congratulations to our Perfect Penguins of the last few weeks, Aria and Zara M! You are both brilliant! Also well done to Teagan for being our handwriting heroine, you are brilliant and have worked so hard to make your writing neat and beautiful!
Wow everyone - you have all blown us away! We are all so incredibly proud of the hard work and determination that you have shown while tirelessly practicing for our smashing nativity. You were more than incredible and I just know that everyone who came to see the performance was as impressed as we were. Year 2, you have really shone bright and it has been so lovely seeing you step into the roles as well as you did, your confidence and charisma is wonderful and you’ve all done such a brilliant job! Well done to you as well Year 1s, you sang beautifully and we all loved the dance moves! Thank you parents and carers for working on lines at home and supplying costumes - it has been such a wonderful experience that I know the children have enjoyed - well done again we are so proud!
It has been so lovely to see the children all use their knowledge of the seasons in order to compare the characteristics of each. It has been especially lovely being able to compare the state of the trees in the Winter versus the Autumn. We are really excited to return to this learning in Spring and Summer to make even more comparisons and scientific observations.
In Music this half term, the children have been extremely busy not only learning all of the songs from our Nativity but also making little compositions to go with the story ‘The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse.’ They have used a variety of instruments from bells, glockenspiels, drums and even a plastic bag! We can’t wait to show the rest of the school what we have been doing in our performance assembly next week. It has been such a busy half term filled with music that we have barely had a chance to study our musical hero of the half term this time around so maybe you and your little ones may like to have a boogie at home to James Brown's song “I got you! (feel good)”.
As our Geography unit is coming to an end, we have written the most incredible letters to Santa Claus. Not only did the children share their address with Mr. C, but they were also able to describe the wonderful town in which we live: Dunstable! The children were able to comment on both human and physical features within Dunstable meaning that Santa is now very well informed on what he will fly over on his visit in just under two weeks’ time. What a wonderful purpose for writing to bring all of our geography knowledge from this half term together!
In R.E., we have continued to learn about how Christians celebrate Christmas. We have learnt about advent and have been lucky enough to have an advent calendar in our classroom for the children to enjoy and take part in. Before the end of term, we will be finishing up our learning by making our very own Christingles and thinking about how Christmas is celebrated around the world. Wow! We have really enjoyed our R.E. learning this half term. I am certain the children will have so much knowledge to share with you!
Have the best Christmas, we hope you all have a magical time!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
Class News Spring Term 2025
24.1.2025
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Well done to Loshini and Alexandra for being awarded Perfect Penguin for the last two weeks. Both of you are such incredible role models and valued members of Penguins class. Another well done to Oliver and Imogen for being our handwriting heroine, you always try so hard and it really shows!
This term the children in Key stage 1 have been learning some map skills starting with using a compass to complete some challenges on the playground. See if your child can tell you the mnemonic that we used to remember the points on a compass (Naughty Elephants Squirt Water). Some children even had their own mnemonic which was fantastic. The children then looked at what is meant by an ‘aerial view.’ Lots of the children remembered our special 50th anniversary photo taken last year on the field with a drone by one of our parents which was a great way to aid understanding. The children then made their own aerial view plan of our classroom which was quite tricky but they did remarkably well.
In history, we continued to find out all about Rosa Parks and how she impacted the Civil Rights Movement. We read the story ‘If a bus could talk’ which told the story of the day Rosa decided to stand up for her rights through the eyes of the bus! See if your child can tell you what happened in the story. We must also mention a special thank you to Kaylan’s Mum who gifted our Key stage a special treasury of the ‘Little People Big Dreams’ anthology which featured Rosa Parks and allowed us to find out even more about her life. I’m sure we will all enjoy sharing the rest of the amazing people featured in this book during our class story times. We also discussed Ruby Bridges and how she was just the children's age when she entered an integrated school - she was incredibly brave and inspiring!
Our science learning has been exciting for the past 2 weeks as we have been exploring the characteristics of different materials. The children have been fantastic at differentiating between a material and an object, which has allowed them to explore why a certain material might be chosen to make something. They have also done a brilliant job of distinguishing between a natural and man made material - they loved discussing how to make glass, see if they can tell you how to make it! They then had the opportunity to create a bridge, thinking of the structure of material and how we can make it stronger by using shape! We even experimented with different materials to see what the stretchiness of the material was. Well done to all our lovely scientists!
In P.E we have been working on our gymnastics skills. The children had an opportunity to use some of the climbing equipment in the hall to work on some key climbing, balancing and jumping skills. They have impressed us with their knowledge on how to make different shapes with our bodies. For example, star, tuck, straddle, dish, arch and pike. Then, they focused on how they can turn these shapes into movements using jumping and rolling. I am sure your children will love to demonstrate some of the shapes to you. Why not ask them if they can use a rolling or jumping movement alongside their shapes? Watch closely for their transitions between jumping/rolling and their shapes.
Have a wonderful weekend and get lots of rest - we are going on our local walk on Monday in preparation for creating a map of our local area! We can’t wait! Thank you so much to our parent helpers for volunteering your time and support, this is greatly appreciated and we couldn’t create these enrichment opportunities without you!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
7.2.2025
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Well done to Lilly and Bobby for being awarded Perfect Penguin for the last two weeks. Both of you are such brilliant role models and loved members of Penguins class. Another well done to Ivy and Alena for being our handwriting heroes, you always try so hard and your handwriting has really improved!
In History, we have continued to learn about inspiring women from the past. After learning about Rosa Parks and her ‘small act of defiance’ on a bus that led to some major changes in America in the 1950’s and 60’s, we then went on to find out about Ruby Bridges. We found out that Ruby was also a civil rights activist and as a child found herself being the first African American to go to an all white school in Louisiana. Her bravery led to the desegregation of schools. We all agreed schools in England today are very different and the children were able to talk about how at Lark Rise we have rules that uphold our rights to be happy, safe, included and to be able to learn. Although there have been parts of these two amazing ladies' lives that were very sad for us to learn about, we have all enjoyed hearing their happy endings and the impact that the legacy of these two beautiful souls will have for future generations to come.
In Music, we have been busy celebrating Bob Marley's Birthday with a very special live event on Thursday with the whole school and many other schools around the world; how amazing! The children have really enjoyed his uplifting music and sang beautifully with millions of other children. I hope your child was able to tell you all about it or even sing!
In R.E this week, we have finalised our learning on Judaism by looking at the celebrations of Shabbat and Hunukah. We have connected our learning from the first weeks when we looked at special objects and have spent some time seeing where these are placed within these special celebrations.
In PSHE we have been continuing to learn how important it is to advocate for ourselves, making sure that we know who our trusted adults are and exploring the concept of what we are comfortable or uncomfortable with.
We were lucky to have a special assembly delivered by Mrs Waterman who told us all about the NSPCC and their campaign of ‘speak out stay safe’ . We learned it is ok to use our voices and speaking up for ourselves is so important.
Finally, in Art the children have been exploring colour theory and now know how to mix the primary colours to create the secondary colours. The children have also created beautiful spreads in their sketchbooks using different mediums to recreate one of Kandinsky’s famous paintings, ‘Squares with Concentric Circles’ (1913).
Have a brilliant weekend - only one more week before half term!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
28.2.2025
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Welcome back for another half term everyone! We all hope you had a lovely break and managed to rest and have fun! The children have settled back into the term amazingly and we are so proud of how hard they work and how much they want to learn.
Well done for all those children who are working fantastically on Numbots and TTRockstars - we can see a real improvement in your maths, please keep up the good work. Just a reminder to all that this is something that children should be doing daily and helps with their fluency and understanding in maths.
Well done to Harry and Isabella for being awarded Perfect Penguin for this last week and the one before half term. Both of you are such incredible role models and valued members of Penguins class. Another well done to Loshini and Lilly for being our handwriting heroines - you both always try so hard and have gorgeous handwriting, thank you for being stars!
This half term our Religious Education and World Views learning is focusing on the Easter story and how it is a symbol of new life for Christians. We were able to retell the story to our friends and explored how it might inspire Christians due to the resurrection of Jesus after he was crucified. It was fantastic to listen to the children discuss how important hope can be and how we should always be open to listening to others opinions.We can’t wait to explore this story further.
For Geography we are off to India! We had a fantastic first learning all about India and its place in the World - we were able to utilise our skills by using an Atlas and located it on the map - even finding New Delhi which is its capital city. We then created a Jam Board with all of the facts we learned about India. We are so excited to explore more of this vast country and can’t wait to see what other pieces of information we learn.
This half term our musical hero is Kate Bush and the children began learning to sing one of her greatest hits ‘Running Up That Hill’ in our music assembly this week. Have a listen at home together and see if you can sing along too. In our music lessons this half term we are learning a Bossa Nova Latin style track called ‘Round and Round.’ This presents an integrated approach to music where games, the dimensions of music (pulse, rhythm, pitch etc), singing and playing instruments are all linked.
In Science this half term, we are learning about living things and their habitats from all around the world. This week, the children started to look at what a habitat is. The children were then tasked with using their observation skills to identify different trees. For this, we had a real life tree surgeon come into school to talk to the children about how they could identify trees. We then went outside to complete an audit of the trees on our school grounds. The children really enjoyed having an expert come into school! I’m sure your child will enjoy telling you all about the identifying features of lots of different trees when you are next out on a walk!
Next up is Design Technology! Firstly, we would like to thank anyone who has already brought in toilet roll/kitchen roll tubes. We still need lots more for the children so they can make their final product in a few weeks, so please could you kindly keep sending them into school, it is very much appreciated. This half term, the children will be designing and making a chair for Baby Bear from the story, ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears.’ This week, the children completed the research phase of our Design Technology learning, which is where they researched existing products (chairs) and evaluated them.
In P.E the children have enjoyed starting their jungle yoga; see which poses they can show you and have some fun being monkeys together!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
14.3.25
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Well done to Isla and Beau for being awarded Perfect Penguin for the last few weeks. Both of you are such incredible role models and valued members of Penguins class. Another well done to Isabella and Amelia for being our handwriting heroines - you both always try so hard and have gorgeous handwriting, thank you for being stars!
This week has been science week with the theme of ‘Change and adapt’ . We watched a live lesson on a farm and joined Ruby and Lufti on a family farm walk to help look after all their animals and learn about all the ways they fight climate change on their farm. We also did some deep sea Yoga in P.E to find out how sea creatures change and adapt. See if your child can show you the starfish pose!
On world book day, there was a buzz of excitement as the children found out that we would be creating our own spells linked to our key text this half term - ‘The spell Thief’ by Tom Percival. We started by finding some good sturdy wands on the field in the form of sticks and then decorating them with stars. The children loved thinking about what magical powers they would like to have and it was a fabulous day punctuated by ‘STOP, DROP and READ’ which is always a firm favourite on this day. Of course a real highlight was having so many parents in to read with their children at the end of the day so thank you so much for supporting us with this event.
We have been plotting through the life of Grace O’Malley and have sequenced all of the main events that happened during her time as a pirate sailing the seas! We planned what could have been said between her and Queen Elizabeth the first! Ask your child if they will reenact this for you!
In Design Technology we moved on to our next stage of learning which was focusing on developing our ‘skills’ knowledge. In order to complete our final project we need to be able to join two materials together so we spent some time looking at different ways of joining materials. We use masking tape, glue and scissors.
In Religious Education we have continued our learning on ‘Easter’ focusing on the story of the Holy Week. The children enjoyed sequencing the events. It was also Shrove Tuesday last week which meant we were able to talk about lent and how this links to Easter and the holy week.
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
28.3.25
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Well done for your incredible class assembly! It was so lovely to celebrate your learning and having your adults there to cheer you on! Well done to Caleb and Alena for being awarded Perfect Penguin for this last week and the one before half term. Both of you are such incredible role models and valued members of Penguins class. Another well done to Isla and Oscar for being our handwriting heroes - you both always try so hard and have gorgeous handwriting, thank you for being brilliant!
Our geography learning has taken us all through India and we have had the opportunity for some wonderful magic moments! Last Monday we were visited by Mrs. Berry who told us all about her time and experience of India, showing us images of her time there, sharing stories and even bringing in some items for us to explore! She was fascinating and the children were mesmerised by her, we were so proud of the curious questions they asked her - ask your children if they remember any facts about India! This week was also equally as magical as we got the opportunity to discuss how the land is used in India for growing food for the local community and the land in the UK is mass farmed for the supermarkets! We then were able to taste some Indian food, including onion bhajis, pakoras, naan and samosas. We thought they were very tasty and loved the smell of all the spices!
In history, we have continued to learn about the brave and fearless Grace O’Malley and begun to find out what life was like during her life under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The children used their detective skills to examine a photo of a painting from the time she was alive to see how rich Elizabethans lived.
For neurodiversity week we have been discussing the importance of children being individuals and had a wonderful assembly from Mrs Hartley celebrating how our brains are all different and work in different ways - we are all wonderful because we are unique! At Lark Rise it is clear that all of the children respect and accept all different ways of thinking, we are so proud of their kindness and ability to have empathy with others - well done all of you!
This half term the children have learned to sing our latin bossa nova style song ‘Round and Round.’ In addition to this, they have been busy learning how to play parts of this song on the glockenspiel using the notes C,D and F. It has also been lovely to hear the children getting braver with their improvisations on the glockenspiels when they have had the opportunity to make up melodies of their own to the song; well done children! In preparation for our Easter end of term assembly, we have also been learning a Key Stage, one favourite ‘Spring Chicken’ and as always the children have been full of energy and enthusiasm singing along. See if they will sing you a snippet at home to brighten your day too!
In P.E we are continuing to learn how to play dodgeball. This week we focused on how to catch the ball during a match. We also discussed the best method for throwing the ball so the opponent doesn’t catch it and get you out! We have also been taking part in some jungle themed yoga. Ask your child if they can show you and name any of the poses.
Lastly, we read the story ‘Birthday Cake’ which led nicely on to our special visitors that came this Friday. We have been incredibly lucky that the fire service came to visit us in KS1. The children were able to look at the fire truck and listened to a talk on fire safety. See if your children can tell you all about it!
We hope you have a fantastic Easter break!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
Class News Summer Term 2025
25.4.25
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
A huge welcome back to everyone! It has been a short week but a wonderful one, seeing all the children’s smiling faces and hearing about their adventures and Easter Eggs!
Congratulations to Ivy and Evelyn for being awarded Perfect Penguin for this last week and the one before half term. Both of you are such incredible role models and valued members of Penguins class. Also well done to Mia and Harry for being our handwriting heroes - you both always try so hard and have beautiful handwriting, thank you for always being your best!
This week the children discovered five magic beans in their classroom and set to work making predictions about how and why they may have arrived in school. It was such good fun and all became clear when copies of the fairytale ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ were delivered to the Key Stage 1 classrooms. The children enjoyed acting out parts of the tale and ordering pictures as they became familiar with retelling the story orally. This will hopefully help the children when they come to write their own versions of the story. In addition to this the children have each planted their own bean seed in an attempt to grow their own beanstalks. After all, who wouldn’t want their own adventure in the land of the clouds?!
This half term the children have also begun a new History topic ‘Seasides: Holidays in the Past.’ The children will be investigating what it was like to visit the seaside over 100 years ago and starting by examining an old postcard. In preparation for a future activity with the children, we would like the children to bring in a photograph of them at the seaside. Please let us know if you need any help with this.
This half term we are revisiting our learning about everyday materials and are thinking about their properties. We are really excited to be linking this to one of our favourite stories - The Three Little Pigs! We considered all the materials that the three little pigs used and had some brilliant discussions about how some were more practical than others. Ask your children about which they would prefer to live in - they had some wonderful reasonings!
We will continue to learn about what materials are most suitable for and will also spend some time revisiting the seasons, looking at a tree in Spring!
In Geography this half term we are learning about seasides and coasts which set the children up nicely for our exciting magic moment trip to Walton-on-the-Naze next half term. In our first lesson this week we started with looking at the United Kingdom and each country's capital city. The children each used a range of maps to support their learning to be able to label a map of the UK.
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
9.5.25
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Congratulations to Celeste and Teagan for being awarded Perfect Penguin for these last two weeks. You are such valued members of Penguins class and alway try your very best! Also well done to Bobby and Imogen for being our handwriting heroes - you both always try so hard and have beautiful handwriting, thank you for always being your best!
Over the last two weeks, we have had some lovely moments in school such as our parent /carer book looks, break the rules day and stop,drop and read which I’m sure you will agree the children have all enjoyed. They just love to share their work with you but I think they might like breaking the rules even more! However, our most special moment this week has been joining in with the VE day celebrations that have been happening across the country. Having looked at the significance of the Poppy earlier on in the year it was particularly poignant for our key stage to celebrate this special moment on Thursday. The children took some time out to sing some classic wartime songs like ‘Run Rabbit’ and play some traditional games. We all finished off with an ice pop to cool down on the field and celebrate our freedom. We hope you enjoyed seeing your children’s flags as you came to pick up your children this week; it certainly brightened up our outdoor area!
Our Geography learning has continued to look at the United Kingdom and we have had the chance to explore our own coasts and what we can find there. We wrote about what we might see, hear, feel and smell at the seaside. We also learned about the 5 Oceans in the World - ask your children if they can remember their names!
In PE we have been focusing our skills in Tennis by bouncing a ball on a racket and working with partners to throw the ball and catch it. We have also been learning to develop our football skills when learning about athletics and have loved being able to pass the ball to our partner, as well as developing our individual skills with controlling the ball.
In Art this half term we are studying Nature Art. Last week we looked at the artist Andy Goldsworthy. The children created a double page spread where they showcased his artwork and information about him. Following this, during our lesson this week we ventured outside to create some of our very own nature artwork using only natural resources.
In R.E we have begun to look at the ‘big, mysterious questions’ of the world. The children went outside to use their senses to engage their minds with the world around them and we shared our big questions with each other. These are questions we will revisit later on in the half term.
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X
Messages:
If you are hoping to do some more maths at home with your child/ren, here is a great link to some fun and engaging online learning: https://ictgames.com/
Have fun learning and let us know what you get up to we would love to hear you get up to!
13.6.25
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
This week the children in Key Stage One have been busy completing assessments linked to their learning throughout the year. We have been incredibly proud of their hard work and efforts and as a result they were awarded an extra break time to celebrate their achievements. In other news, you may have noticed that your child has been talking about our biggest musical event of the year, the L Factor! There is no pressure on the children to audition for this but many do every year as it is so much fun. They have been so sweet practising with their friends at break times already and I would like to reassure you that this is always a very supportive and inclusive event with everyone welcome to join in.
Congratulations to Mia and Loshini for being awarded Perfect Penguin for these last two weeks. Both of you are such incredible role models and valued members of Penguins Class. Also well done to Oliver and Isabella for being our handwriting heroes - you both always try so hard and have beautiful handwriting, thank you for always trying your best!
This term the children have chosen Coldplay as their musical hero of the half term so we will be learning ‘A sky full of stars’ as our whole school focus song. However, the children in Key Stage One will also be getting the chance to choose a Coldplay end of term performance song so watch this space to discover which one they vote for! In our music sessions we will be revisiting some of our old songs that we have sung through the year and deepening our understanding of composing with lots of opportunities using the glockenspiels, percussion and chromebooks. We will also be focusing on our listening and appraising skills by listening to some classical music and seeing whether we can find the pulse and name the instruments we can hear.
In History, the children had a very interesting email from a film producer who asked the children to create a poster of a Victorian seaside scene for his latest film; how exciting! Of course the children did a great job and included bathing huts, donkey rides, Punch and Judy shows, sandcastle making, walks along the promenade and bandstands to showcase Victorian seaside holidays; well done everyone!
Science this half term is all about plants and what they need to grow! We had the opportunity to plant some seeds and have discussed what they need to grow! We have placed some outside in the sunshine and have left the others inside to see if this will affect their growth. We have made predictions about what we think will happen to them and can’t wait to see them grow (as long as we keep them watered and healthy!)
In DT, we have started to look at food technology and how we can create a healthy seaside snack. We then read the story ‘ The Hungry Caterpillar’ to help us think of different types of fruit and vegetables.
We have just started our new topic in R.E, ‘Why We Care About Others’. We are thinking carefully about how to be kind to others and using stories from the bible to support this learning.
We celebrated World Ocean Day this week, which was created and presented by our fantastic Eco-Reps. They discussed the challenges that the oceans can face - including climate change and littering. We looked at the Hammerhead shark, thinking about our own favourite sea creatures and what impact they have in the oceans. We also managed to watch a live assembly online about whales and how they can impact the climate. We created fantastic drawings of these animals to accompany our learning. We were truly inspired by the Eco-Reps and think we should try our best to save the oceans by not over fishing, littering or harming the environment!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
27.6.25
Dear Parents, Carers and Penguins class,
Congratulations to Caylen and Archie for being awarded Perfect Penguin for these last two weeks. Both of you are such incredible role models and valued members of Penguins Class. Also well done to Caleb and Alena for being our handwriting heroes - you both always try so hard and have beautiful handwriting, thank you for always trying your best!
Over the last two weeks there have been so many lovely events happening at Lark Rise but I think our key stage trip to the beach has to top them all. We were so lucky with the weather and it was such a beautiful moment seeing the children paddling in the sea. I think we were all surprised to find the water was actually warm! The children’s behaviour was exemplary and they were so wonderful even when we got stuck in lots of traffic coming back. A big thank you to all our parent/carer helpers who were invaluable support on the day by helping to keep all of our lovely children safe on such a big day out. We would also like to say a big thank you to you all for your support in preparing the children; packing beach supplies etc. Back at school in our History lessons we were then looking at the differences between beach holidays now, fifty years ago and over 100 years ago. Needless to say our trip enriched the children’s ideas, understanding and vocabulary ready for this activity.
We hope you also enjoyed our Lark Fest event this year if you managed to attend and enjoyed spending time with your child at school amongst friends in our beautiful Lark Rise community. It’s a fabulous way to raise funds for the school whilst also making lovely memories with your children. The children really do love having any opportunity to share part of their school day with you all.
During our learning for Geography this half term we have been talking about weather patterns! We have had the opportunity to look at the weather each week and have used our observation skills to discuss how the daily weather can change even within a season! We also looked at climate change and how this can impact the weather around us. It has been exciting to explore how weather can be different all around the world depending on how close or how far it is from the sun!
Computing this last half term has been very exciting! We are looking at how we can be programmers and have created an algorithm to make a sprite move! Ask your children if they can tell you what this means. On Google Classroom there is a link to Scratch Jr which is where we have created our programmes - the children have been absolutely fantastic at becoming real coders and exploring how technology can create so many wonderful things!
This week in DT, the children took part in tasting some fruits. They all had the choice whether they wanted to take part or not. The food tasting was more than just trying fruits - they had to describe what it looked like and smelt like too! They then needed to evaluate whether they liked it and decided if they would include this fruit in their final product.
Finally, in Science we have continued our plant journey and took a closer look at some flowers this week where the children had the opportunity to look closely at the parts of a plant. They created posters labelling the parts and then extended themselves by explaining what each part does!
Lots of love,
Miss. Sheldrick and Mrs. Braithwaite
X