Suckley School
Happy, Aspirational and Ready for Life
Summer
Spectacular Science - LIGHT - Investigating Shadow
Super Science - Life Cycle of a Hen
The chicks are a a week old now and the children were delighted to each hold one while we looked after them for the afternoon. After making sure that they were comfortable and safe in Woodpeckers, we each handled a chick! The smiles on the children's faces was absolutely lovely; they were relishing the feel of their warm, fluffy bodies and how they could feel their tiny heart beats in their hands! We couldn't let this teachable moment pass us by, so we also used this as a science lesson - the life cycle of a hen. Double Science lessons today - secondary school; eat your heart out!! :)
Let's understand TIME - making our own clocks
Golf Tournament at Dysons
The chicks hatch!!!
Aquatic Adventures at the Sealife Centre, Birmingham
We had an absolutely fantastic time at the Sealife Centre in Birmingham. We witnessed aquatic life from all around the world up close and personal, from a very curious penguin, to manta rays, to amazon river fish to sea stars (that's the correct name for a starfish!) to sleek otters. Everyone had their own favourite part of the day, but mine was seeing to awe and wonder on the children's faces as they explored the beauty and diversity of marvelous marine life.
Forest School - making garlic fritters!
Are you ready to go OUT OF THIS WORLD!?
Woodpeckers were a little surprised to come into school after the bank holiday weekend to find that their classroom has been transformed into Mission Control, and that they were about to join the Astronaut Launch Team and blast off to to the International Space Shuttle on the Endevour Space Shuttle!!!!
Money - converting pound to pence
Summer Term Topic Web
Summer Term Class Letter
Woodpeckers Class
Friday 28th April 2023
Dear Woodpeckers Parents/ Carers,
Spring is in the air (just about!) and Woodpeckers are rejuvenated after their Easter holidays. I loved hearing about what the children have been up to and this spurred some fantastic recount writing last week. We have kicked the Summer term off with our whole-school text, It Fell From the Sky, by the Fan Brothers. Beautifully written and illustrated in Fan Brothers classic style, the book has provided motivating literacy and art for display-worthy work.
‘OUT OF THIS WORLD – Spectacular Science and where it can take you!’, will be our aspirational topic for this term. Woodpeckers will be tapping into their innate curiosity to uncover why science is AMAZING and discover the fabulous places science can take you! Our class text will be the beautifully illustrated picture book edition of Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. We will explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as the “coloured computers”, and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career. Please view the attached topic web to see how our theme will weave into all facets of our termly learning.
Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) – Year 4
The multiplication tables check (MTC) for Year 4 pupils means that all Year 4 pupils will be tested on their multiplications in a school-administered test during the weeks of June 5th and 12th 2023. In order to prepare for this, children are practicing their multiplications daily at school. To help support your child, please encourage them to practice their times tables at home. Practice is best done little and often – practice makes permanent. Links to practice resources that we use often at school can be found below.
For further information, please review the government website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multiplication-tables-check-information-for-parents.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
https://www.timestables.co.uk/multiplication-tables-check/
Reading
Reading remains a crucial life skill that we are practicing all the time. Please hear your child read at home as often as you can, and record this in their reading record. Reading records are checked weekly; if a child has read four times at home (and this has been documented by a parent/carer), children earn a raffle ticket for the half-termly raffle draw. Please ensure that children have their reading books and reading logs in school daily. This helps us to hear children read regularly and monitor their progress. Reading books are changed once a child completes a book and their comprehension of the text has been assessed.
Spellings
Please ensure spelling books come to school daily. New spellings are set each Monday; please encourage your child to practice their spellings regularly. These can be found in the children’s spelling books and online at https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/, where practice games are set weekly that relate to each weeks’ spellings. The login information for Spelling Shed is in the children’s spelling books. When your child uses the internet at home, we would encourage you to take the appropriate measures to keep them safe online.
P.E. and Forest School
Swimming will now take place every Tuesday afternoon at Ledbury Halo Leisure Centre. Please ensure that children come to school with appropriate swim wear every Tuesday. Girls must either tie their hair up, or wear a swim hat. Please ensure children have a packed lunch on a Tuesday, or they have one ordered on Black Pepper. Forest School has resumed for KS2 on a Wednesday afternoon. Children must come to school wearing their own clothes with long sleeves and trousers for Forest School sessions. Brand-new waterproofs have been generously donated to the school for each child.
If you have anything that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact us via the school office for an appointment.
Best Wishes,
Mrs Seward, Miss Rogers & The Woodpeckers Team
Forest School JOY!
Collaboration
Cooperation
Communication
Exploration
Teamwork
Problem Solving
These are just some of the skills that children work on when they can PLAY in nature, organising themselves and having autonomy for their actions. These are vital life-skills and we are so lucky that at Suckley School the children have weekly access to this unique environment to practice these crucial, nuanced skills.
Today some children made bug hotels, tacos, chocolate fritta's and pancakes; other children role-played being stranded on a desert island, while others re-created scenes from A Midsummer's Night Dream and made a reconstruction of the River Severn with a bridge, weir and fish pass!
Play. Endless possibilities.
Welcome back and welcome to the SUMMER TERM!!
Can you believe that it is the Summer Term already. The first week back has whizzed by and the children have got straight back into their learning. We have been exploring our new all-school text, 'It fell from the sky', by the critically acclaimed Fan Brothers, a heart-warming tale about friendship, kindness and exploration. Mathematics is back with a bang, with children straight into fractions (Y3) and decimals (Y4). The return of Forest School has been a real-hit and as has swimming. At the end of next week we will announce our new topic and send home the topic web for the term.
We hope you all had a great Easter.
Mrs Seward and Woodies Team
Talk Maths
Fractions - finding amounts of unit fractions
