CLICK HERE to have a listen to three children from Sycamore Class do a fantastic job on the school podcast!

We’re excited to share a new addition to our timetable: Reading for Pleasure.

During this special session, children are encouraged to read whatever texts they enjoy—whether it’s a favourite book, comic, magazine, or even poetry. The lights are dimmed, calm music is played, and the atmosphere is designed to be as relaxing and cosy as possible.

The children absolutely loved the chance to get comfortable and immerse themselves in their chosen texts. It’s been wonderful to see such enthusiasm and enjoyment for reading grow in this calm, mindful environment.

We believe that this love of reading can be further nurtured at home. Sharing stories together or simply taking an interest in what your child is reading can make a big difference. Let’s inspire a lifelong love of books—at school and beyond!

Sycamore Class Update – An Exciting Week of Learning!

We've had a fantastic week in Sycamore Class, packed with new experiences and hands-on learning!

This week saw our very first swimming lesson, where the children showed great enthusiasm and confidence in the water. We began by learning key water safety rules, including how to safely enter and exit the pool, the importance of listening to the instructor, and what to do in an emergency. A brilliant start to our swimming journey!

We also had a special visit from the dental nurses, who taught us all about dental hygiene and how to take care of our teeth. The children were fascinated (and slightly shocked!) to learn that there are over 9 teaspoons of sugar in just one can of fizzy drink – a crazy fact that definitely got everyone thinking!

In science, we conducted an exciting experiment to find out which substance would dissolve the quickest in water – salt, hot chocolate, or sugar.

• Our independent variable was the type of substance.

• The dependent variable was how long it took to dissolve.

• The controlled variables included the amount of water, the temperature of the water, and the amount of each substance used.

The children made great predictions and observed carefully – real scientists in the making!

Well done, Sycamore Class, for another brilliant week of learning and exploring!

Summer term 1 in Sycamore class!

What a fantastic half term it’s been in Sycamore Class! Year 5 have been busy making memories, learning new skills, and embracing every opportunity with enthusiasm.

We started the term with an adrenaline-filled trip to Go Ape, where the children showed incredible bravery and teamwork up in the treetops. Back in class, we enjoyed getting creative (and a little messy!) as we cooked our very own Spaghetti Bolognese – a big hit with both budding chefs and food lovers alike!

Our school community has been buzzing with excitement thanks to special events like the Colour Run, Pyjama Day, and the wonderful May Fair. It’s been brilliant to see the children getting involved, supporting one another, and having so much fun along the way.

Looking Ahead to Next Half Term

Next term is set to be just as exciting! In English, we’ll be exploring the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat as inspiration for writing an information text. Over in Geography, we’ll be heading to hotter climates as we learn all about desert environments. Our Maths focus will be on decimals, negative numbers, and converting units – plenty of opportunities to stretch those brains!

There will also be a change to our PE schedule:

- Swimming will now take place on Wednesday afternoons.
-  Children should wear full school uniform on Tuesdays (Our former PE day), and on Wednesdays, girls will need to bring a full swimming costume (no two-pieces, please), boys must wear swimming shorts with a net. All children must bring a towel, and a swimming cap if they have long hair.

Children that do not bring the appropriate swimwear will be unable to participate in the lesson. 

Cooking 19.05.2025

Autism Awareness Colour Run 2025! 

GO APE Trip 

CLICK HERE to listen to the most recent podcast with three children from Year 5 doing an amazing job talking about what we have been doing!

End of Term Update

What a fantastic term we’ve had in class!  We have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the children grow in confidence and skill across all subjects. Here are some of the highlights from this term:

• Ebbsfleet United Football Players Q&A – The children were thrilled to meet some of the Ebbsfleet players, ask questions, and learn more about the dedication and hard work needed to be a professional footballer. A truly inspiring experience!

• Red Nose Day – We had a fantastic time raising money for charity with our fun activities, dressing up, and sharing lots of laughs for a good cause.

• Class Dojo Winners – A huge congratulations to our top Class Dojo winners this term! Their hard work, resilience, and positive attitudes have been fantastic to see. 

Well done to everyone for their efforts!

Looking Ahead to Next Term

We have an exciting term ahead, packed with new learning opportunities and a special trip!

• English – We will be focusing on The Paperbag Prince and developing persuasive writing techniques.

• History – Our topic will be the fascinating Sikh Empire, exploring its culture, influence, and legacy.

• PSHE – This term’s focus is on relationships, helping children develop important social and emotional skills.

• School Trip – April 30th! – We can’t wait for our upcoming trip to Go Ape Leeds Castle where we will focus on confidence, resilience and team work skills.

Reminders

• Daily Reading – Please continue to read with your child every day to help build their confidence and fluency.

• Doodle Homework – Children are expected to be in their target zone on Doodle. If you are struggling to check their progress, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Miss Webb for support.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We’re looking forward to another fantastic term ahead!

World Book Day 2025! 

We are very lucky to have seen some amazing outfits for world book day! The children have been discussing their favorite books and sharing them with their peers. Well done to all winners and thank you to everyone who took part. 

Spring Term 2

We have an exciting term ahead with lots of new learning and engaging activities!

Maths – We’ll be diving into decimals and percentages, exploring how they are used in real life. We’ll also be working on perimeter and area, as well as learning how to interpret and present data in statistics.

English – Our writing focus will be biographies, and we’ll be researching and writing about the incredible life of astronaut Chris Hadfield. This will help us develop our research, writing and editing skills.

Science – In our Animals Including Humans unit, we will learn about life cycles, growth and development in different species—including humans!

Geography – This term’s big question is “Why does the ocean matter?” We’ll explore the importance of our oceans and the role they play in the environment and human life.

PE – Our focus sports this term are netball and tennis. We’ll develop our skills, teamwork and game strategies through practice and match play.

It’s going to be a fantastic term of learning, and we can’t wait to get started! 

Safer Internet Day - 11.02.2025

We took part in Safer Internet Day 2025, focusing on how to stay safe and responsible online. The children joined a BBC Live Lesson, where they explored key online safety messages through relatable scenarios. We also engaged in interactive activities, discussing ways to protect personal information and make positive choices online. To finish, the children created posters to promote online safety skills, highlighting important reminders for staying safe in the digital world.

It was a great day of learning, and we encourage you to continue these discussions at home!

Wear What Makes You Happy - 07.02.2025

Welcome back to Spring Term!

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are feeling refreshed and ready for an exciting term ahead.

As we begin the Spring Term, we wanted to share an overview of the fantastic learning opportunities we have planned:

Math: This term, we will focus on multiplication, division, and fractions. These topics will help develop your child’s problem-solving skills and deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts.

English: Our English lessons will center around the engaging book Arthur and the Golden Rope. The children will explore this magical story and use it as inspiration to write their very own myths. This will be a wonderful opportunity for them to unleash their creativity and refine their narrative writing skills.

Science: In Science, we will investigate the properties and changes of materials. 

History: Our History lessons will focus on the decline of the Maya civilization. The children will learn about this fascinating culture, examining its achievements and the factors that led to its decline.

Music: In Music, we will delve into compositional notation, allowing the children to develop their understanding of musical structure and creativity.

PSHE: During PSHE sessions, we will explore dreams and goals, encouraging the children to set personal aspirations and reflect on how they can achieve them.

PE: In PE, the children will enjoy yoga and dance sessions. In yoga, the children will develop their balance, strength and flexibility. In dance, they will focus on the theme 'Ancient Maya' linking to their History topic. They will be taught how to choreograph dances collaboratively. 

We also want to gently remind everyone of the importance of daily reading at home. This practice significantly enhances children’s vocabulary and comprehension skills. Additionally, please ensure your child completes their Doodle homework regularly to reinforce their learning in a fun and interactive way.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2025!

Autumn Term 2 - Merry Christmas! 

We have had a brilliant autumn term! The children have been immersed in a Victorian Christmas and experienced what life would have been like if they attended school in the Victorian era.
They worked incredibly hard to produce their Christmas show, Santa's on Strike! Miss Hall and I were extremely proud of their effort and resilience in learning their lines and performing to many parents and children. 

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Trip to Kent Life - 05.12.2024

Click Here to check out our new Podcast for Sycamore Class and hear the fantastic things our children have been getting up. Also, an added interview with Miss Webb!

Christmas Decoration Day - 29/11/2024

Autumn Term 1 in Sycamore

As we near the end of this term, I wanted to take a moment to share some of the fantastic learning your children have been involved in, as well as a few important reminders to help support them.

In Maths, we have been focusing on addition and subtraction, and the children have been doing a brilliant job applying different strategies to solve problems. You might like to ask them about some of the methods they’ve learned!

For English, we’ve been exploring the story of Annie Edson Taylor and her daring journey over Niagara Falls in a barrel through the book Queen of the Falls. The class has been working on creating diary entries from Annie’s perspective, and I’m really impressed with how they’ve captured her courage and determination.

In Design Technology (DT), our theme has been structures and bridges. The children have been designing and building their own bridge models, applying their creativity while learning about strength and stability.

For PE, we’ve been enjoying some exciting outdoor adventurous activities and honing our skills in handball. It’s been wonderful to see the children working together and staying active!

Reminders:

• Daily Reading: Please continue reading with your child each day. It makes such a huge difference in their confidence and progress.
• Doodle Homework: Encourage your child to log into Doodle regularly to stay on top of their learning at home. It’s a fun and interactive way to reinforce what we’re covering in class.
• Glasses: We’ve noticed that a few children are forgetting to bring their glasses to school. Please ensure your child has them every day, as it really helps them to engage with their learning. 

Thank you for your continued support! If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.

HALLOWEEN

A fantastic week in Sycamore class! 27/09/24

This week, the children of Sycamore class have been busy with a mix of exciting activities that have brought learning to life, celebrated creativity and ended on a high-energy note!

In English, we took a creative approach to story telling through role-play and freeze framing. The children were able to step into their roles with ease, and following this they created some beautiful writing that we are very proud of!

On Friday, we raised donations for the harvest festival. The children showcased their creativity with weird and wacky hairstyles and we were wowed by the results. Congratulations to our class winner, Dottie! Just as a reminder, we are still accepting donations of tinned and dry food for our harvest festival until next week. 

We wrapped up the week with an action-packed game of dodgeball. The children showed great sportsmanship, teamwork and resilience on the court. There were some fantastic plays, and everyone left with big smiles (and maybe a few sore muscles!).

ActivKids Fitness Morning with Para-Canoeist Taylor Gough - 25/09/2024

A Welcome from Miss Webb:

Miss Hall and I are excited to be working with your children this year. They have settled in beautifully and are showing great enthusiasm for learning, which is lovely to see!

To keep you informed about classroom activities and updates, we encourage you to regularly visit our Class Page, where we will be posting photos and information about what we are getting up to in Sycamore.

This term, we will be utilising our new English scheme “Pathways to write”. We will read "Queen of the Falls" by Chris Van Allsburg and create diary entries about significant events in Annie Edson Taylor’s life.

In Maths, we continue to use the White Rose scheme and will be covering Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, Statistics, Multiplication and Division, and Fractions.

In Music, we will begin by looking at The Blues, followed by Looping and Remixing. In Geography, we will be looking at experiences of life in the alps.

PE Classes: PE will take place every Tuesday and Friday. Please ensure your child comes to school in their PE kit on these days. On those days, children are expected to wear the following:

A plain white T-shirt or a T-shirt in the colour of their House.

Plain navy blue/black shorts or jogging bottoms, depending on the weather.

A plain navy blue/black sweatshirt.

Trainers, which are essential for safety reasons. Children without appropriate footwear will not be able to participate in PE.

If your child has pierced ears, only small studs are allowed. These must be removed before PE or covered at home. Unfortunately, staff cannot assist with removing or covering earrings.

If you need support with providing PE kit, please contact me or the school office.

Reading: Children have been sent home with reading records, and a book suited to their reading stage. We encourage daily reading at home and suggest listening to your child read, as this positively impacts their writing skills.

Homework: Homework will be assigned online through Doodle every Friday, and due the following Thursday. Your child’s login details were sent home with a homework help sheet on Friday, 6th September. If you encounter any issues or need a new login, please let us know. Homework will include tasks in English, Maths, and Spellings.

Please feel free to reach out to either Miss Hall or myself with any questions or concerns you may have. Your insights and perspectives as parents are incredibly valuable in helping us better understand and support your children. Thank you for your partnership.

Our class timetable, a homework help sheet and overview of this term’s learning are below for your information.