News
Newsletter for the week ending Friday 3rd July
Message from the PTFA… hopefully everyone’s sunflowers have grown well. Please email friendsofappledoreschool@outlook.com by 5pm on Thursday 9th July with the final height of your sunflower – remember to include the name of your child and year group. Ideally we’d like a photo of the sunflower if you can attach one! If your flower didn’t survive please feel free to draw/paint a picture of what it should have looked like. Please write your name and age on the back – A4 largest size and pop into the school office by 9am on Thursday 9th July. Prizes will be handed out in school during the last week of term for the tallest sunflower in Turtles, KS1 and KS2 plus a prize for the art pictures.
Time to set up the fair for this afternoon and we hope to see as many of you there as possible.
Dates for the Diary and local events
- School Summer Fair Friday 3rd July 3.30-5pm
- For information about Appledore Library membership and their Summer Book Quest see here.
- Dadsfest and and South Devon Fun With Dad camping details are here and here
- Summer activity camps at West Croft School 27th July – 14th August 5-13 years old, open to all and free for those on benefit related free school meals. See here
- Bideford Rugby Club taster session for children in years 2-8 of all abilities Sunday 6th September 11am-1pm see here
- If you like to run or walk (or run and walk!), Families in Grief is holding an eight mile run or walk and one mile run for children called Barney to Beach on Sunday 13th September. For more information see here
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff
This week in Turtles and Dolphins we have continued to learn about the lifeboat. We found out about who first set up the RNLI and why. We also watched a video telling us what happens at a lifeboat station. We really enjoyed visiting the lifeboat station in Appledore and we really enjoyed having a picnic lunch! On Tuesday Dolphins had a great morning with Henry who plays for Bideford AFC. He taught us some skills and answered lots of questions about football.
In Year 1 this week we have been learning about the different roles of people who would live in a castle and we thought about what role we would like to have. In Maths we have been looking at numbers to 100 and using greater than, equal to and less than to compare. In writing we have been using verbs and conjunctions in our sentences and really worked on slowing down so that we made sure we remembered our letter formation, capital letters and full stops. We have also done some DT this week where the class looked at some different fruits and designed their own fruit salad which they will be making next week!
Year 2 had another great week. In English, they have written instructions for how to trap the Appledore Dragon. There were some really imaginative ideas – well done everyone! In their Maths work, they have continued to look at position and direction and have been describing turns and movement. They spent an afternoon designing their wind-powered cars and then an afternoon making and painting them. They were all tested and they were really proud of their designs. They are looking forward to spending the morning (Friday) in their new Y3 classroom with their new teacher.
All key stage 2 classes have now completed the preparation lessons for the Royal Opera House’s Dance for Rights live stream event on 7th July. The children have had a chance to create motifs, explore different ways to create choreography, to explore partnering skills through contact and non contact and most importantly learn the key performance skills of focus, projection and breath. Their response has been impressive. They responded with enthusiasm and sensitivity to some challenging ideas and ways of working and we are all looking forward to Create Day next Tuesday!
Year 3 have worked hard this week to complete a pop up book about Ra, the Egyptian sun god and plan information for a non-fiction booklet on Ancient Egypt. In maths we have looked at 2d shapes discussing angles, sides and vertices; we now know what parallel and perpendicular lines are. Science this week was an investigation to see if materials were magnetic or night and we completed work about how the Nile River was so important to Egyptians in the past. All are looking forward to the transition morning and spending time in their new class and meeting next year’s staff. They have all worked extremely hard this year and in a good place to move forward into Y4.
Wow – Year 4 have had an incredibly busy and exciting week. We have completed our DT projects making toys with pulleys. The children designed and constructed them step by step. There are some fabulous creations including dragons, fish, and penguins. Some examples are displayed in the DT area in the art corridor. On Tuesday, we visited Coldharbour Mill where we were immersed in a real life example of what life would have looked like for the people who worked there. The staff commented that our class were some of the best behaved children they have had visit and we are so proud of them for setting such a positive example. We continued swimming and have been practising for ‘Dance for Human Rights’ which takes place next Tuesday. It is that time of year where we have been completing some of our Summer Term assessments – everyone has shown such resilience and determination. On Friday, we had our shuffle up day so the children could meet their Year 5 teacher. In the afternoon, we had a visit from our local youth worker which is important as we find our place within the community.
In Literacy, Year 5 completed and published their own versions of Where My Wellies Take Me. They have worked hard throughout the writing process, from planning and drafting to editing and producing wonderful final copies which are now on display in the corridor. In Maths, we consolidated our learning by revisiting volume and recapping our knowledge of time, giving the children the opportunity to strengthen their understanding before the end of term. In Reading and Values, we have continued learning about a range of inspirational people. The children practised their retrieval skills by answering questions about each person before creating some of their own. They also tackled longer VIPERS-style questions, encouraging them to think more deeply about the texts. One of the inspirational people we studied was Sir Isaac Newton, which linked perfectly with our Science learning on gravity. The children watched an informative video, made notes on the key information and then used their learning to create informative posters explaining how gravity works. This week also marked the completion of our Art Awards. To celebrate all of the wonderful work produced this year, we held our own art exhibition, inviting Year 6 to visit, view our artwork and provide positive feedback. It was a fantastic afternoon and a lovely opportunity for the children to reflect on everything they have achieved in Art over the year. Today, Year 5 had the opportunity to go into Year 6 for the morning to meet their new teachers which they all really enjoyed!
Year 6 have managed to run through the play a few times this week – and it is coming together. They need their costumes in on Monday, please. Geography has involved looking at islands and in History children have learnt about the Mayan Civilization and discovered what Pok-aTok is. Homework is to make sure the words for the play songs are learnt – they are available on spotify to practice at home, if you have it, and they are also available on google classroom. I still have some photos of when children were younger missing – please can you send them in as soon as possible.
