Dear Parents,
We have very quickly arrived at half term and I am sure we are all ready for a break. This week, Year 5 visited Ightham Mote as evacuees. They had a great day and we received an email from the lovely people at the National Trust to let us know how well the children behaved. They were also impressed both at their knowledge of World War II but also the questions they posed.
Congratulations to our group of Year 5 girls (and their support crew) who ran a cake sale after school yesterday. They raised an impressive £80 which they will be donating to WWF and RSPCA.
Our Year 2 children recreated the Fire of London in spectacular style. Under the watchful eye of Mr Hawksfield, their own version of Pudding Lane, recreated in style with straw and cardboard boxes, caught alight and burned! They tested out the strategy of creating a fire break and saw that it could work – but then still wanted to burn the rest of the houses anyway!
Year 3 completed their course of Forest School this week. They came back showing that they had certainly had a good time in the muddy surroundings. I am sure the Year 3 parents will heave a small sigh of relief at not having this laundry challenge in the coming weeks. Look at Year 6 – it is your turn next!
School Parliament
The children met today to make some decisions. After talking with their classes and much discussion, they have chosen the three charities that they would like to support this year. The local charity they have chosen is Hospice in the Weald. I am sure we all know families that have benefitted from their support and care at difficult times. The children chose Support Dogs as their national charity. This charity appealed to the children as they wanted an animal based charity and this one helps people with ASD, epilepsy and disabilities to be guided and supported by dogs. The International charity they want to support is ‘Action against hunger’. This charity is focused on ensuring people around the world have enough food to eat as well as fresh water.
Table manners
At school, we are having a particular focus on manners at lunchtime. Please could you encourage the children to use cutlery appropriately? There are a lot of our younger ones who are not yet confident at using a knife and fork to cut up their own food and some older ones who are simply choosing not to! There will be a reward for the class that makes the progress over the coming weeks.
History Project
We are launching a History challenge today. The children will have this on their Home Learning Menu next term and will present their results as part of the open classrooms in December. Key Stage 2 classes will be given time in school on a Friday to work on their projects. It would be great if you could get involved and discuss the questions with your children:
Year 1 and 2: Who was the most important person in History?
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6: What was the most important event in History?
Of course, there will be more than one answer to either of these questions but we want children to begin to think about the impact that these actions had on the country or the world.
Term starts back on Monday 28th October. Please remember that this is the date for the first Home Learning exhibition of the year. I am looking forward to seeing what the children have chosen to do as they explore the topics further at home with you all.
I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable break
Kind regards,
Julie Burton
Headteacher
