Creativity Taking Shape In The Nursery
Nursery have been wonderfully engaged in fine motor skills development through the creative combination of paper straws and pipe cleaners. Our little learners have been bending, twisting, and threading these materials to explore the fascinating world of shapes. From circles to triangles and everything in between, the children have enthusiastically discovered the endless possibilities for shaping their environment. This hands-on activity not only enhances their fine motor skills but also sparks their curiosity about the various shapes present in the world around them.
Kerry Chapman, Nursery Class Teacher
Reception Get A Wriggle On As Nativity Looms
Beautiful singing and donkey sounds are a sure sign that the Reception children are rehearsing hard in preparation for their forthcoming performance of ‘The Wriggly Nativity’. Working with Mr Moo, the children have been listening attentively and encouraged to move to the music, expressing their own feelings as they do so. Now, we can’t wait to show everyone the result of all this Christmas creativity!
Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher
Year 1 Scientists Make Material Gains
In science this week, Year 1 focused on materials. Aiming high in their quest for knowledge, the children discovered that water is a material and ice is water in a different state. They then put teamwork to the test as they worked in pairs on an experiment to find out how an ice cube changes its state when coming into contact with different materials, such as tissue paper, card and plastic. The result was one of delight and amazement.
Hannah Feery, Year 1 Class Teacher
There’s No Smoke Without Fire For Year 2
Year 2 headed to forest school to learn how to light a fire, the key objective being to listen carefully in order to follow instructions and stay safe. The children built small stacking structures, opened up tinder bundles and used special steel rods to create a spark and light cotton wool – all the while remembering key safety rules. Making a spark with the fire steels proved quite tricky, especially in the damp air, but Year 2 showed incredible resilience and the ability to stay positive to achieve their objective. And it might only be short-lived but the moment the spark from their strike of the fire steel connects with the cotton wool and the first glow of the flames wanders over the white tinder is a moment of real pride for the children.
Kerri Wilkes, Year 2 Class Teacher
Year 3 Show Great Endeavour On Shackleton Project
Read all about it! In English this week, Year 3 have been exploring news articles about Shackleton’s dramatic expedition to Antarctica in the early 1900s. Using excellent listening and teamwork skills, the inquisitive children edited the various articles to highlight the features of both the story and the expedition that impressed them most.
Rosie Statham, Head of Lower Prep
Year 4 Girls Get To Grips With Hockey
As part of their sporting rotation, the Year 4 girls have moved on to hockey. This week in PE, the girls used their listening skills and teamwork as they worked on their grip, dribbling, using their reverse stick and experiencing game play. Aiming high, they will look at passing and match play in detail in the days and weeks ahead. The outcome of the lesson was a positive one and shows that there is a good deal of potential among the girls.
Jo Gordon, Head of PE
Year 5 Book In For Quality Library Time
Year 5 enjoyed their fortnightly library time, changing their books and reading to themselves and their teachers, as well as discussing the things in school that help them and what to do when they are finding things tricky. The listening skill was central to this as the children are learning to think about strategies to build good habits for their mental health. Once the discussion was over the children had the chance to settle down and read aloud to an adult or independently snuggled up on bean bags, meaning they were reset and ready for their next lesson.
Steph Turner, Year 5 Class Teacher
Sense Of Wellbeing Comes Naturally To Year 6
Year 6 were this week encouraged to add emotive words associated with their feelings to a wellbeing ‘tree’ collage made up of flora and fauna found within the wonderful natural environment of our school grounds. This lovely use of sticks, leaves and assorted greenery to produce a meaningful picture allowed the children to bring nature into the classroom and bring creativity to the forefront. The positive impact of spending time outside, and specifically during wellbeing sessions, is so beneficial for keeping the class mentally fit and healthy.
Simon Gunn, Year 6 Wellbeing Teacher
Theatrical Dream Becomes A Fabulous Reality For Year 7
The hard work of young thespians in Year 7 came to fruition on Thursday night as they performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies. All the children in the cast aimed high as they prepared to take to the stage at Leatherhead Theatre in front of an audience of 400 people. And they didn’t disappoint, putting on an impressive performance full of confidence and creativity. As a result, they gained the unique experience of performing in a professional theatre at a young age and their skills of teamwork and staying positive really shone through, not only on the night but also during the last six weeks of rehearsals.
Sarah Baird, Head of Drama
Year 8 Mathematicians Set The Standard
In maths, Year 8 were tasked with writing numbers and calculating sums using standard form. It tested the children’s ability to problem solve and enabled them to aim high as this is a Level 3 Common Entrance and GCSE topic. And the outcome was a positive one a they competently calculated a range of questions, including worded problems.
Danny Parkinson, Head of Maths
