Welcome to the Lapwing Class of 2023-2024
A big warm welcome back to the new academic year! I hope you have all had a wonderful summer and made the most of some time off school.
It will be lovely to meet you all at the ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening this week, but in the meantime, or if you are unable to attend the evening, there is some key information in this letter. If you have any queries or concerns, please feel free to contact us via the school office.
Y5 Staff
Mrs Owens will be teaching the class throughout the week, with Mrs Biggs covering teacher PPA time on a Friday morning. Mrs Smith is the class Teaching Assistant, who will be in all through the week, and we’ll also be joined by our additional Teaching Assistant, Mrs Peel-Robinson, who will be with us each morning.
Our Curriculum
We have some fantastic learning in Year 5 and we cannot wait to get started. Our class curriculum overview is on the school website below.
We endeavour for our Year 5 curriculum to provide as many enrichment opportunities as we can squeeze in, and of course the children have already received letters for our exciting Lakeside residential. Further information on school trips will be provided nearer the time.
Homework:
Homework will consist of spellings, reading, multiplications, and arithmetic which will be sent home every Monday. Homework diaries are checked every Friday; you may notice they look slightly different this year! We encourage children, now they’re in Year 5, to take responsibility for ensuring they remember to take home and return their books and homework.
Spellings: We will send your child home with five new words every Monday. They will be tested on these spellings the following Friday. We ask that they not only practise spelling the words using effective strategies for themselves, but that they write each word in a sentence in their spelling books. Children will get a credit if they get all five spellings correct.
Reading: We will be continuing with Accelerated Reader this year. Your child will be completing their initial online baseline assessment this week and will have the opportunity to choose a book appropriate to their level. Once they have completed the book, they will take the short online quiz (matched to the text) to determine their understanding. Children will also have a school library book. If children read with an adult three times a week (and have their homework diary signed to say they have done so), they can earn a credit.
(Children are expected to read for 15 minutes per night, and Year 5 children should still be encouraged to read aloud during the week, as well as reading independently. Independent reading can be recorded on the right-hand side of the homework diary, and reading with an adult can be recorded on the left).
Multiplications: Following the statutory online Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) the children took in Year 4, our objective is for children to maintain their table facts, which most learnt off by heart and with a recall of <6 seconds. They should continue using Times Table Rockstars to refresh this recall or learn the tables they haven’t yet secured. We ask again this year that your child completes a minimum of three, 3-minute sessions (in the Gig/Garage section of the website) throughout the week. If children have their homework diary signed to say they have done their three sessions a week, they will earn a credit.
Arithmetic: Now we are in Upper KS2, and gaining more independence, our arithmetic skills are more important than ever! Each week, we will send your child’s weekly arithmetic paper home for them to practice any questions they have found difficult, alongside completing a handful of new questions. If these are returned complete on a Friday, another credit can be had!
E-Safety and social media:
Please refer to the school website to read our Online Safety policy.
It has also been brought to our attention that some children are using social media apps outside of school hours. Although this social media activity is not happening on the school site, please be aware it affects behaviour, anxiety and subsequently the learning of children in school.
We cannot regulate the online access that children have outside of school, but if a cyberbullying or safeguarding issue is reported to us, we have a duty of care to inform the parents involved.
We also kindly remind parents that whilst WhatsApp and other social media groups are a great resource for sharing information, there are unfortunately times when misinterpretation occurs. If you have a query or concern about your child or the school, please talk to us directly – we feel this is the best way to communicate information.
Credits & Behaviour Policy
Please could we ask that you read the updated St. Peter’s Expected Behaviour policy which can be found on the school website.
This year, every child will have the right to 45 minutes of curriculum enrichment time (Golden Time). This time is a reward for behaviour throughout the week. Children may have reduced Golden Time if they have missed learning due to behaviour and / or need to reflect and repair for behaviour incidents. A log will be kept of how much Golden Time your child has lost.
As always, there will be plenty of opportunities for children to gain credits for their House. Every two weeks, one child will be selected from the class to have Friday afternoon tea with Mrs Dodd. This afternoon tea reward is for consistent exceptional behaviour and attitude to learning.
PE Days
PE will be on a Wednesday and Friday. Please remember to label all kit and ensure that long hair is tied back. We do have spare kit in school should anyone forget. Black jogging bottoms or leggings can be worn for outside lessons during the colder months. At all other times, it is black shorts please. We will also be continuing with the Mile-a-Day throughout the week.
Medical Information
Please could you inform us of any medical issues you think we may not be aware of. If your child has an inhaler, please can you ensure they have a labelled one in school and can we please take this opportunity to remind you that we are a nut free school as we do have some children and staff with severe allergies, even chocolate spread can be harmful to some. Thank you.
Packed Lunches
As we are a healthy eating school, we ask that you do not send your child in with a fizzy drink and that chocolate is limited to one small bar/biscuit. Please could we also ask that your child has a separate clear water bottle (with a sports top) that they can access throughout the day in addition to the one they have for their lunch.
Uniform
Our Uniform policy is on the school website, but please could we ask that the correct school colours are worn, especially with socks! All long hair (if it touches the shoulders) needs to be tied back and hair accessories are to be plain and in school colours. No jewellery, except a watch, can be worn.
We are really looking forward to the year ahead. As your children progress through Year 5, we prepare them for the ‘big step up’ to their final year of primary school. We have high expectations of behaviour, and the developing use of independence and resilience – all of which are key to the children’s progression in maturity. We want to grow independence and a love of learning, and to flourish together.
We are all so excited for the year ahead, getting to know your children better. If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us straight away.
Here’s to a great academic 2023/2024!
Mrs. Owens, Mrs. Smith and Mrs Peel-Robinson