Class Six Newsletter – Autumn Term

Welcome to Year 6. I hope you all had a very enjoyable summer and are looking forward to the busy term ahead. Below is a brief outline of what we will be covering between now and Christmas

English: We will be studying fiction genres with a focus on significant authors and historical stories as well as extended narrative and persuasive writing linked to our History topic. Non fiction work will include recounts, instruction and explanation writing as well as classic and performance poetry.

Spelling, grammar, punctuation, handwriting, guided reading, vocabulary expansion and improving self editing skills are ongoing.

Maths: improving mental calculations, place value up to three decimal places, patterns and sequences, handling data and interpreting information, contextual problem solving, securing number facts, relationships and calculations, efficient written methods for calculation, algebra, fractions, decimals and percentages

Science: What would a journey through your body be like? We will be studying our circulatory system.

Topic (History/Geography): Our Geography is all about locations around the world and will involve use of maps, atlases, globes and digital mapping to locate continents and countries. We will be learning about and describing different biomes.  In History we will be studying earliest Islamic civilizations.

Languages: Our topics in French will be En Ville and Les Saisons. We will be building on our previous learning, broadening our vocabulary, exploring patterns, structures and sounds and developing greater confidence to speak, read and write French with increasing fluency within a range of contexts.

Computing: We willfocus on internet safety this term and will be developing skills in programming. 

Art and DT: In food technology we will be making different breads over the first half of the term and will go on to study early Islamic art over the course of the second half term. We will also be involved in a whole school project, ‘Take One Picture’ looking at Cezanne’s still life

P.E: We will be starting the new school year with fitness, cross country and football. Children will need full PE kits on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. In Year 6 we do encourage children to get onto a routine of bringing all PE kits in on a Monday and taking them home for washing each weekend. Track suits may be preferred later in the term as the weather begins to get colder, sports socks and a roll on deodorant are also advisable to include in the P.E. bag for obvious reasons of good hygiene.

P.S.H.E.E:We will be starting off with Play Leader training and hope that all the children will graduate by the end of the month and be able to begin their new roles very quickly. The children will also be taking over as buddies to the new Reception children which has become a very special link between the oldest and youngest children over the last few years at Clavering. We will then begin to focus on relationships and feelings beginning in our Friendship Week at the end of this month. We will also be taking part in the Bikeability Scheme in October/November (dates to follow shortly).

Music:we will be listening and responding to music, along with some group composition and singing

Mrs Crosby will be teaching the class on a Tuesday morning when I am out of class in my assistant head teacher role.

Homework: The children will be set Maths and English or Topic homework each week which should be completed in their Learning Logs or on the sheets provided and returned to school by the date set. Spellings will be given to learn on a weekly basis. Every child has a reading journal where they should be recording their responses to books they have read both at home and at school and aiming to complete the Reading Challenge. Please do discuss their books and reading choices with your child and continue to listen to them reading aloud when possible; this enables them to read at a pace to allow spellings and grammatical structures to be absorbed more readily. Additional homework may be set on occasions to support specific areas of learning as required.

Water/Snacks

Children are actively encouraged to bring in water and a snack for break time each day. It is often a long time between breakfast and lunch and a snack is important to keep us all going. We ask that these are healthy, in line with our Healthy Schools ethos (fruit or vegetables in their natural forms).

Secondary Transfer

You will shortly receive details regarding secondary school open days and the process for applying for a secondary school place, the statutory cut off day for which is October 31^st.

Dates for your Diary

September 18^th  –   Meet the Teacher evening (7:00pm, repeated at 7:30pm)

September 19^th  – Class Walk

September 27^th–MacMillan coffee morning (information to follow)

September 27^th-October 4^thbook week and book fayre

October 14^th-18th – Friendship Week

October 1^st-11^th  – bikeability (information to follow)

October 23^rd(5:00pm-7:30pm) October 24^th  (3:30pm-6:00pm) Parents’ Evenings

October 25^th – INSET day

December 16^th  – Tray afternoon (3:15-4:15pm)

If you do have any questions or concerns at any time please do come and talk to me after school.

Lynn Lipscomb