SHOBNALL PRIMARY SCHOOL Dear Parents

1. SHOBNALL PRIMARY SCHOOL Dear Parents We have pleasure in presenting the Autumn Newsletter which brings you the latest information and the range of activities which have been happening within the School during the first half of the Autumn Term 2013/14 NURSERY We are once again collecting the ‘Let’s Grow’ vouchers. The collection box is in the main entrance of school. The catalogue has now arrived and new plants and equipment have been added this year. Last year we collected 8000 vouchers, could we possibly top that figure this year!! Thank you all in anticipation. The Nursery children have all settled very well into school life and Mrs Curran and I are delighted with them all. It is great to see all the happy, smiley faces in the morning eagerly coming in to school. This half term topic has been ‘All About Me’. The children have been learning about their senses and how we use them. They have brought in photographs of themselves when they were babies and compared them to how they are now. The children have been using their ICT skills to create colourful pictures of ‘Elmer’ during our ‘Pattern Week’. In Drawing Club the children have drawn pictures of their own choice and we have looked at Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’. They have drawn pictures of dinosaurs and looked at symmetry in pictures and drawn their own. The children have worked very hard and produced some amazing pictures. Well done children in the Drawing Club! After half term the children will be involved with activities connected to ‘Toys’. These will include looking at toys now and in the past. The children will be taking photographs of their favourite toys and then using mark making to write about them. We will also be looking and comparing different sized toys. RECEPTION ‘Helping your child at school’ meeting for Reception Class parents. On Thursday 19th September, Mrs Farrington met with parents of the children of Reception class. Mrs Farrington explained aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum including guided reading, daily phonic time and use of topics as a vehicle for children’s learning. She also explained how parents can compliment teaching and learning in class by reading daily with their child and joining children to complete activities sent from school for aspects of both literacy and mathematics Parents were informed as to how they can support the assessment process through both school and home involvement and shared a Learning Journey Book, which celebrates children’s achievements through their Reception year. A meeting for the Nursery Parents was held to give ideas to help their children at home. The home activities and sharing books were discussed, along with ideas to develop the children’s number and writing skills.

2. Parents have also been asked to complete an information sheet which gives information about their children’s interests and some ‘Good News Bubbles’ to keep us informed of achievements at home YEAR 1 Curriculum Matters The children have all settled into Year 1 and have coped well with the transition from Reception. They have all produced a portrait of themselves and have written in a speech bubble about what they want to be when they grow up. These are on display in the classroom. Reception children have been learning about themselves and their families this half term and have been using their senses to explore the world around them. Children have painted pictures of themselves from mirror observations and have created a representation of their face on a log! They have used writing to communicate their ideas about staying clean and healthy and have made a book about how to get dressed. The daily ‘phonic time’ activities have begun. Children have shown interest and enjoyment as they engage in activities to develop pre-reading and writing skills. Most importantly the children are settling well into the routines and transitions for life in Reception class and are certainly showing good social skills as they interact with each other during the day. In Literacy the children are learning to orally re-tell the story of ‘The Little Red Hen’. They have successfully used a story map to aid their re-call of the story. We have also been learning about rhyming words using the characters from the story. In Numeracy , we have been learning to count forwards and backwards in one’s and ten’s. We have also been looking at the names and properties of 2D shapes. The children have now been given an Education City pass, so they can complete their Numeracy homework on the Internet. If it is possible, please encourage them to use this site. Burton Mail Photographer On Monday 30th September the Reception children had their photograph taken for the Burton Mail. All the children looked very smart in their uniforms. We look forward to seeing it published soon.. Arts and Crafts Mrs Farrington and Mrs Roberts have spent this half term with a group of twenty Year 1 and Year 2 children busily making a range of craft projects. The children have really enjoyed the process of designing and making and have demonstrated how creative they are. Projects have included making a book mark, turning a stone into a bug/creature and developing the art of pom pom making. We look forward to seeing what they will be turned into! Nursery, Reception and Year 1 are collaborating to produce artwork and written work on the story of Old McDonald had a Farm. Please look out for the fantastic work that will be displayed in the corridor. The large art was produced by Year 1. The children have thoroughly enjoyed using a variety of different mediums.

3. Playground Games Year 1 and Year 2 children have enjoyed the playground games during after school club. They have learnt a variety of new games including splat, fruit salad, red letter and swim fishes swim. Splat was one of the most popular games and brought out the children’s competitive spirit. In numeracy, we have been learning all about numbers! We have been learning how to double and halve numbers, add and subtract multiples of ten and round numbers to the nearest ten. Some of us have also been learning about using a number line to work out our questions. Helping your child at home meeting Miss Sutton and Miss Cooper would like to thank all the parents who attended the ‘Helping your child at home’ meeting this half term. Useful websites were popular with the parents so please find the list below:- • Phonics play • Oxford owl • BBC Science clips • BBC Learning Zone • Topmarks • Topic Box • Mathszone In our Geography topic, Katie Morag, we have been learning what it would be like to live on an island locality and comparing this to our life in Burton. In science we have been investigating plants and animals in our local environment, the children have had the opportunity to explore the school grounds and search for animals in their habitats and different plants. We were very lucky to spot a birds nest with baby birds squawking. Dance Club We have had lots of fun in dance club this term! The children attending from KS2 have had the opportunity to learn short dance routines to pop music. They have learnt steps from a variety of dance styles including street, ballet, disco and freestyle. The children have also choreographed their own dances by using set moves they have learnt in the session and exploring the use of different dynamics to make their routines interesting. YEAR 2 This term, in Literacy, Year Two have been learning about stories with familiar settings. Children have been looking at seaside settings and have been writing a story about Winnie the Witch at the seaside. They have thoroughly enjoyed reading stories about Winnie the witch.

4. YEAR 3 Year 3 have started learning French and so far we have learnt about introducing ourselves, asking each other how they are and how to answer the register! Children in Year 3 have been working extremely hard this half term! In literacy, we have learnt about performance poetry where we performed the poems ‘Gran can you Rap?’ and ‘The King’s Breakfast’. We have also been learning about stories with familiar settings. We started off reading ‘I’ll take you to Mrs Cole’ by Nigel Gray and ‘The Tunnel’ by Anthony Browne and then we wrote our own stories in the style of ‘The Tunnel’. Our class target is to use capital letters and full stops correctly. YEAR 4 Literacy In literacy this half term, we have been learning about writing stories with historical settings, and we have focussed on shipwreck adventure stories. We read and listened to a shipwreck story by Pie Corbett and then practiced the skills we needed to write each section of the story. Finally, we wrote our own shipwreck stories independently. Our curricular target in literacy has been to be able to identify and use nouns, verbs and adjectives. . In numeracy, our class target is to solve word problems. We have learnt about partitioning and ordering numbers, subtraction using a number line, doubling and halving and the properties of 2D and 3D shapes. In Science this term, we have been learning about the topic ‘teeth and eating’. We have learnt the names of the four different types of human teeth and what each type is used for. We have also looked at how to eat healthily and what we can do to look after our teeth. Numeracy In numeracy, we have covered a range of areas including written methods for addition and subtraction, solving word problems and recognizing the features of 2D and 3D shapes. Our curricular target has been to be able to multiply and divide by 10 and 100. Our History topic this term has been Ancient Egypt and we learnt about the Pharaohs, hieroglyphics and the mummification process. This has linked well with our art topic in which we have made our own Egyptian pyramids with secret messages written in hieroglyphics.. Science In science, we have been learning about movement and growing. We have learnt about the human body, including the skeleton and its function. We also learnt about how muscles help us to move. We compared the human skeleton with the skeleton of other animals and we also learnt that some animals do not have a backbone and are called invertebrates.

5. History Our topic this term is the Tudors. We learnt about how Richard II’s defeat during the Battle of Bosworth marked the start of the Tudor reign when Henry VII became king. We created our own Tudor roses during this lesson. We also learnt about Henry VIII, and we read Terry Deary’s book, ‘The Thief, the Fool and the Big Fat King’. We will continue our study of the Tudors next term when we will learn the differences between the rich and the poor. YEAR 5 Literacy In literacy we have been learning how to write instructions. We have had to work out the key features of an instruction list so that other people could follow our instructions clearly. Our curricular target is to use a wide range of connectives in our writing. Numeracy Our numeracy lessons have covered a wide range of topics including perimeters, using the number line and chunking methods for subtraction and we have also looked at number factors. Art Our art topic this term has been ‘Portraits’. Mrs Taylor, our Chair of Governors, has been in school during these lessons to share her expertise. Using photographs of themselves, the children have created a range of self-portraits. We learnt how we can distort these photographs by cutting them up and putting them together in a variety of ways. The results were very unusual but clever! History Our history topic this half term has been The Victorians. We have looked at the everyday life of poor Victorian children. We looked at what life would be like working in a coal mine, in a mill, as a chimney sweep or working on a farm. ICT CLUB In ICT Club, children from Years 3 and 4 have been learning a variety of new skills on the computer. To begin with, children created Powerpoint presentations on subjects that interest them – we had a very wide range of subjects from puppies to Transformers. Children learnt how to change the background and font on their presentations, and how to search for and insert pictures. Some children were also able to add animations to their presentations. Next, we moved on to making our own comic strips. Another activity involved the children designing their perfect room. They selected wallpaper, carpets and objects, and then chose how to arrange these. There were some very exciting and imaginative creations! Swimming Year 5 have commenced their swimming lessons with great enthusiasm. Every child in the class is improving their swimming skills and building on their confidence in the water. The future Rebecca Adlington or Michael Phelps could well be in our midst!

6. YEAR 6 Football Club Shobnall Primary vs John of Rolleston For the second game of the Dove Valley League season, we were pitted against a very powerful Rolleston team who we knew were going to provide difficult opposition. For this game, Mr Cruise was drafted in to issue the orders due to Mr Yates attending training, it was always going to be a tall order for Mr Cruise to force his way back to winning ways and again, this proved to be so. The game began brightly and we actually had the better of the first half. Daniel Bond was called into action only twice during the first half as we moved the ball well and often found the impressive Lucas Yeomans marauding down the right flank. In fact, we very nearly took the lead after Lucas found yet more space, dancing past his marker and thumping a low drive which was terrifically tipped onto the bar by the goalkeeper. Aaron Frost and Curtis Ridgway also found the goalkeeper in impressive form but by half time we went in level. However, immediately after the restart, Rolleston forced a quick corner and from here, a tall defender powered his way through and thumped an unstoppable header into the bottom corner. Unfortunately the heads went down after this and Shobnall suffered the disappointment of another defeat, even though Curtis Ridgway scored a consolation. Many thanks to the parents for ongoing support and enthusiastic support from the side lines. Hopefully with Mr Yates returning, the results and performances should improve! DT This term, we are making Anderson Shelters in a shoebox garden. We are at the stage of paper mache. First we measured pieces of wood and sawed them out accurately and then we glue gunned the pieces of wood to make a cube. After that, we stuck card onto the sides which are going to have paper mache on them. We are really enjoying making these as we get a little more independence; also, we are excited to see the finished product! History In history, we are learning about World War Two. This is exciting as we are going to Cosford (a place with WWII planes). The most enjoyable things so far are:- The Battle of North Atlantic; Rationing; The Blitz; the HMD Hood; The Battle of Britain and the Blackout. I think everybody as enjoyed this topic and we are enjoying doing our WWII projects at home. PE In PE, we have been working with Mrs Welch and Mr Yates on the Haka which is the dance that the New Zealand rugby team perform before they play a game. In indoor PE, we have been doing a variety of sports like: hockey, netball, tennis and invasion games and skills. This term, we have really enjoyed PE – both indoor and outdoor. Literacy In literacy, we have covered two topics and are currently working on another one. The first one, which we worked on at the beginning of term, was a science fiction story (we did a variety of different stories about aliens) and the second one we did (which also fits well with DT and History) was an evacuation letter. Everybody enjoyed writing these and we all achieved very good levels. By Rhianna Walker and Emma Beresford

7. PFA Kingswood Meeting This year the Year 6 pupils will be embarking on a new and exciting adventure as they will be attending Kingswood Outdoor Education Centre. This is the first year that the school has ventured away from a county run centre and we are all really excited at the prospect of a new experience. The school ran an informative parents meeting this term and hopefully answered all questions and addressed all fears that parents may have. On 9th September, the School’s Parents and Friends Association met in a final attempt to hopefully encourage more parents to join and support the association. It was both pleasing and reassuring that a few more parents offered their valuable and precious time in order to support all pupils of the school. We have now secured the PFA for another year although new faces are always welcome! We are intending to run further events and fund-raising schemes throughout the year and hopefully we will encourage others to play a part in supporting this initiative. Please see the website for further details of our new members and the roles that they play within the PFA. On Friday 18th October, the PFA held their first disco of the year. All the children who came enjoyed dancing to their favourite pop songs and had the opportunity to purchase glow sticks, which they eagerly turned into bracelets and necklaces, and also a variety of tatoos and the usual drinks and sweets TAG Rugby The after school TAG rugby club has been really enjoyable this half term. Children in Years 5 and 6 have been learning the rules of a TAG rugby game and developing their throwing and catching skills along with learning how to pass correctly (this was the tricky bit!!) to prepare them for the Dove Valley TAG Rugby Tournament. The Children have been fantastic at working in a team and have worked extremely hard to improve their skills. PFA School Theatre Trip On January 7th 2014, the PFA will be funding a trip for the children of Shobnall Primary School to the theatre for an exciting show!! More details will follow after the half term break……watch this space! School Photographs It is always a treat to see the children’s photographs and this year has been no exception. Tempest photographed the children at the start of term and parents should now have received all ordered copies. We know these will be a treasure now and in the future and hope parents are delighted with the final pictures. Dove Valley Tag Rugby Tournament On Thursday 17th October, following all their hard work and training at the after school TAG rugby club, ten children from Years 5 and 6 took part in a tag rugby tournament. They played matches against teams from John of Rolleston Primary School, Thomas Russell Junior School and All Saints Primary School, Alrewas. The whole team should be commended for their enthusiasm, effort and team work – and whilst we didn’t win, they all played really well. A great effort children!

8. School Kitchen The children at Shobnall Primary school once again got the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful themed lunch for Harvest Festival on Wednesday 9th October 2013. They were able to choose from a lovely healthy meal selection with a Harvest Festival Theme. Dates for your diary Please note the following dates for your diary (please adjust any dinner monies accordingly. School finishes at 3.30pm on Thursday 24th October for half term and re-opens on Monday 4th November. Year 6 Monday 4th November sees the Year 6 children embark on their outdoor activity week at Kingswood. Would all parents please meet in the school hall on the morning of 4th November at 8.30am with your children’s bags. Please make sure all clothing is clearly labelled so that we can re-unite lost or mislaid clothing items with the correct child! Harvest Festival We are heartened by the generosity and thoughtfulness of our school community as we consider people who live in less fortunate circumstances around the World. Every class in school prepared a thoughtful celebration for harvest at our local parish church, St. Aidan’s. Our families were very generous in their donations for our Farm Africa project. Farm Africa train and give skills to communities throughout the world so that they can ultimately be self sufficient and grow their own food. The donation of £1,200 will be very welcomed and will do a great deal to make the lives of others a whole lot better. Thank you all so much for your kindness and generosity Visit by Mr Donaghue – John Taylor High School On Tuesday 15th October 2013, Mr Donaghue , Head Teacher of John Taylor High School came to talk to the parents of Year 6 children and their parents about the educational and learning opportunities available at John Taylor High School. The information was well received by all in attendance. Reminder to all Year 6 Parents – You must ensure your Secondary School Applications are completed and returned by 31st October 2013 - www.staffordshire.gov.uk/ (homepage  education and learning  schools  admissions to school) On behalf of all the staff at Shobnall Primary School may we take this opportunity to wish you an enjoyable half term break