Reading

In school, the children are encouraged to read daily, and the use of reading records have helped to encourage the children to do this. They can take quizzes on Accelerated Reader where they can earn points. At the end of the half term, we will be giving certificates to every child who reaches their own individual target. Please support your child in reaching their goal by reading with them at home daily for at least 15 minutes.

Home Learning and Supporting the Curriculum at home

We have attached a selection of Knowledge Organisers, for you to use to support your child’s learning at home. They set out clearly what we expect children to learn and   remember in that subject. Please use them at home to reinforce and help embed your child’s learning. Times tables should be practised at least 3 times a week at home.

Reading: Please read for 15 minutes every day – you can now quiz at home. Your child should be writing down what they have read in their Reading Record, which is checked weekly.

Spellings: Weekly spelling sheets will be stuck into your child’s spelling journal; children should practice their spelling in their journals. Additionally, spellings will also be available on TEAMs.

TEAMs: A creative piece of work about Europe, South America or North America. Please upload by Monday 17th October. Further information is available on TEAMs.

PE

This half term we will be swimming during our PE lessons:

Kestrels and Hawks—Thursday

Eagles—Friday.

School Value

This half term, we are learning about Respect, and how respect for others helps build the warm, welcoming, and calm atmosphere in our school.

British Value

This half term, in our Class Assemblies, we are learning about the British Value of Democracy by electing our School Council, to help our school become a better place.

Our Curriculum

Children in Key Stage 1 and 2 will enjoy a long and short enquiry each half term.

Long Enquiries

A long enquiry typically lasts five weeks and allows us to teach a subject, such as Geography, in depth. Clear expectations of what will be learned, is shared with parents and pupils through a Knowledge Organiser.  At the end of the work, we plan to use Enquiry Quizzes on our iPads to see how much each child has remembered.

Our Long Enquiry this term is Geography where we will be exploring Europe, North and South America, and their human and physical features. The Knowledge Organiser for this is attached. Please use it to reinforce and repeat the learning at home.

Short Enquiries

A short enquiry can last anything from 1 – 3 days and adds breadth to our curriculum.

Our Short Enquiry this half term is Geography where we will be learning about rivers. The children will be completing some fieldwork at Cockington to support our learning.

Maths

This half term in Maths Year 5 and 6 are exploring place value and addition and subtraction. All the children are going to be using concrete resources, visual images and representations to support them with their learning.

Literacy

We are starting off the half term by exploring the importance of editing and sentence structure through our text, ‘The Ice Bear’. In the second half of the half term, we are going to be exploring non-chronological reports through our text ‘Extreme Animals’ where we will be focusing on structure of writing.

Dates to remember

School closed for state funeral – Monday 19th September

Tempest Photography for pupil photos - Friday 23rd September

Class trips to the Water Meadows at Cockington for Geography Short Enquiry - week commencing 17th October

Last day before half term - Friday 21st October

Messages

Please continue to contact the school office by email admin@preston.torbay.sch.uk or phone 01803 607075 with any questions or queries. There is also lots of useful information, as well as event dates and term dates, on our school website  https://www.preston.torbay.sch.uk/

School App

Our school app is the best way to get information about dates and events going on in the school. Search for ‘School News’ in your app store.