It was great to welcome so many ‘Mums and Chums’ to our Mother’s Day breakfast this morning. It was great to enjoy delicious food whilst having a catch up!

This week has been St Stephen’s Science Week using the theme of sustainability. We went meat-free for our school lunches and turned off the photocopiers and heating to conserve as much energy as possible. We started the week with an assembly led by Common Seas – part of the Plastic Clever Initiative who talked about plastic pollution in the oceans and what we can do to help. Each year group has had a different focus and in Year 5 we have been looking at water scarcity, which we were lucky enough to have a workshop about with Eco-Active. This taught us plenty of ways to conserve our water usage. As part of the Great British School Clean, we also went litter picking this morning in our local area.

This week in English, we completed our spring term assessments: reading, spelling, punctuation and grammar. The children all worked really hard and this identified some areas that need further practise, which we will do next week.

In Maths this week, we have continued to work on decimals and percentages. We rounded decimals before introducing percentages and looking at percentages as fractions. Next week, we will look at fraction, decimal and percentage equivalents before completing our spring term assessments: arithmetic paper 1 and reasoning paper 2.

In Science, the children explored and compared the properties of different everyday materials. As a class, we defined a property of a material as a characteristic that you can use to describe it. Together we created a list of properties: soluble, insoluble, brittle, durable, flexible, rigid, impermeable, transparent, soft and hard. The children then used a venn diagram to compare and group a variety of different objects according to the object’s material and properties.

We also looked at life in Britain during WW1 in History. We looked at many of Lord Kitchener’s persuasive posters that allowed us to conclude that when the men were sent to fight, the women had to pick up many of the men’s responsibilities such as being teachers, police officers, working in munition factories and farming the land. We also looked at the responsibilities that girls and boys took on.

In R.E., we recapped all the Christian events that we have covered in RE so far: Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Passiontide Sunday and Palm Sunday. We then focused on Good Friday and Maundy Thursday and some of the church practices that take place on these days. The children made links to our topic of Judaism by identifying the Seder Plate, which is representative of The Last Supper. The children were also able to build on their understanding of Christianity by making links between various celebrations and events during ‘Holy Week’ and the final week of Christ’s life on Earth. The children annotated the hymn ‘Abide with Me’ to show the links the lyrics of the hymn make with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

This week in RHE, we learned about how rights, respect and duties all mean different things. We considered what rights and duties we have across a range of environments but then we particularly focused on home, school and our local community. We discussed the rights which children have, reading the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child together. We then discussed how we have to be respectful with our rights, not abusing them. After this, we shared our duties, both at home and in school, and the consequences we have if these duties aren’t fulfilled. We also spoke about the enjoyment or reward that comes with completing duties. We also reminded each other of how we show respect within our homes, school and local community. At the end of the lesson, we discussed what local organisations we would like to join that help the local community.

Today, we have had an art-filled day! The children have continued their work on the unit, ‘Painting and Mixed Media’, developing their self-portraits through various forms of media. The children created two different backgrounds to display their self-portrait poems on. They then explored mixed media further by chopping up an image of themselves and rearranging the pieces on their page, thinking about composition and creating an atmosphere.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bill

This week in English, we planned our own classical poem inspired by The Highwayman. Using a short video as inspiration for our own poems, the children planned their six verse poem, exploring a man’s journey across London. Yesterday, the children wrote their poem and today they edited and redrafted it. The children made great use of figurative language. Next week, we will complete our spring term assessments: reading, grammar, punctuation and spelling.

In Maths this week, we have continued to work on decimals. We have been comparing and ordering decimals with up to three decimals places. We looked at the language ‘ascending’ and ‘descending’ to allow us to order. Next week, we will begin to look at percentages.

In Science this week, we looked at the changes caused by burning. We discussed how a fire needs fuel, oxygen and heat. We discussed when a log has been lit, the logs will release carbon dioxide and steam and eventually will leave a layer of ash. The children were able to discuss how this change is irreversible as there has been a reaction and a new material has been created.

In History this week, we looked at the use of animals during WW1. The children studied how horses, pigeons and dogs were used and had to list the positives and negatives of using these animals during the war.

In R.E., we began our new unit, ‘Church at Easter’. We explored Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Passiontide Sunday and Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Holy Week. We discussed how different Christian denominations mark these special occasions. Next week, we will look at Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as we lead up to Easter Sunday.

This afternoon, we begin our new Art unit: Portraits. The children had 10 minutes to complete a self-portrait using a continuous line (they could not lift their pencil off the page). They then used tracing paper to write all about them, following the lines of the self-portrait. Next week, we will create a background that this descriptive outline will be copied on to.

As a school, we also came together to celebrate Neurodiversity Celebration Week. The children learnt that neurodiversity is based on the idea that everyone has a differently-wired brain and their own unique way of thinking and experiencing the world. We discussed that some of the different ways of thinking, learning, interacting and perceiving the world have been given labels, such as: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia and Tourette’s Syndrome. We discussed how Neurodiversity Celebration Week is about celebrating the strengths and talents of people with learning differences. We also celebrated World Down Syndrome Day and joined many schools and communities by celebrating this occasion and wearing our funkiest, odd socks.

Science Week

It’s Science Week at St Stephen’s from 24th-28th March. This year, our focus is ‘Sustainability’ to tie in with the Great British School Clean campaign and our new school Climate Action Plan.

https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/great-big-school-clean

Each year group has chosen a different focus for the week to tie in with our overall theme including plastic pollution and water scarcity.

H&F Council have kindly lent us litter picks to help us keep the school and local area clean and log how much rubbish we collect during the week.

Sustainable speakers will be popping into classrooms including some of our amazing parents. We also have sessions from Common Seas, the Plastic Clever Schools initiative, ecoactive and an old friend – Linda (previously our Scientist-in-Residence and now Engagement Officer at Imperial College).

The library reading focus for Science Week will tie in with our theme with lots of green reading materials. Our School Councillors are monitoring food wastage and water usage throughout the week. We will also be going meat-free all week at lunchtimes and switching off both the heating and photocopiers to save energy and resources.

The children have also been given a water usage challenge, being asked to log their water usage at home – Miss Bill has sent an email on this activity.

And if that wasn’t enough, it’s also Earth Hour this Saturday evening at 8.30pm. Join in by switching off non-essential lights and dedicating 60 minutes to ‘Give an hour for Earth’.

https://www.earthhour.org/

Have a restful weekend,

Miss Bill

Today was Art’s Day! The theme this year was ‘Drawing London’. We kicked off the day with an assembly by Clair Rossiter, who discussed her passion for creativity and even gave us a demonstration of how she created one of her famous illustrations. In class, the children were inspired by Andy Warhol, creating a representation of a London land mark through printing. They also sketched Big Ben and created their own graffiti artwork representing their thoughts and feelings towards London. A great day full of creativity!

This week in English, we have been using our inference skills to infer Bess and the Highwayman’s feelings at different sections throughout the poem. We also completed a reading comprehension that practised all the other reading skills. We completed a grammar lesson looking at different verb tenses: simple present and past, present and past progressive and present and past perfect. The children will practise this in their grammar homework this weekend.

In Maths this week, we began decimals and percentages. We have been looking at the place value of a decimal with two decimal places, specifically focusing on tenths and hundredths. We then looked at equivalent decimals and fractions. We will continue to explore decimals next week, then moving on to percentages.

This week in Science, we looked at heating and cooling different materials and if they could then be reversed. We looked at heating an egg. The children commented that once the raw egg (liquid) had been heated, there had been a reaction, creating a new material, a boiled egg (solid). The children recognised that this reaction meant that the change was irreversible. We also looked at cooling water. By placing it in the freezer, the liquid water had now frozen to solid ice. This could however be reversed by increasing the temperature.

We continued with WW1 in History this week and looked at the advancement of warfare during this period. We looked at the use of machine guns, tanks, aeroplanes, submarines and battleships. The children had to use images and facts to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of this warfare.

R.E. this week involved completing our End of Unit Quiz (EUQ) where the children reflected on what a pilgrimage is, why people undertake them and what sacred destinations people may adventure to. Next week, we will start our new topic: Church at Easter.

In Computing this week, the children took part in an unplugged activity to find out about how a webpage’s content can influence where it is ranked in search results. In groups, the children created paper-based webpages on a topic that they were familiar with: animals. They discovered how their webpages would rank when searching for keywords relating to their content, earning points along the way.

If you have not already done so, please sign up for next week’s Parents’ Evening.

Have a great weekend!

Miss Bill

The mornings and evenings are getting brighter, spring has sprung!

Yesterday, St Stephen’s came together to celebrate World Book Day. After showcasing their amazing costumes, the children took part in a ‘Readathon’, where they had 30 minutes of reading for pleasure. They also completed a book review: rating the book, summarising the story, recommending it to a specific age group and illustrating a character. In the afternoon, we went to Year 1 so the children could read their pop-up books which they made in DT. The children thoroughly enjoyed reading to Year 1 and asking them some questions about their book. A great day all round!

On Wednesday, Year 5 also had the opportunity to meet Chris Vick, author of ‘Girl.Boy.Sea’, ‘The Last Whale’ and ‘Shadow Creatures’. He shared his passion for writing and gave the children top-tips for creative writing, which they explored through their own piece of writing.

This week in English, we looked at formal and informal language. The children had to rewrite verses of ‘The Highwayman’ using informal language, changing phrases such as ‘rapier hilt’ to ‘sword’s handle’. The children then looked at the poetic language used within the classical poem. They identified similes, metaphors, alliteration, personification and onomatopoeia. Today, we discussed the characters and the language, in particular the declaration of love. We then looked at acting The Highwayman – each table were given a section to perform. The children made good use of facial expressions and actions to convey characters’ thoughts and feelings.

In Maths, we continued with fractions by finding the whole amount and using fractions as operators. The children were able to identify how ‘of’ means multiply. Today, the children completed their fractions assessment and I was very pleased with all the children’s excellent scores! Next week, we will begin decimals and percentages. As always, timetable practise is key!

Life in the trenches was our focus in History this week. Using images, and information from the time, the children had to describe life in a WW1 trench. The children discussed how food was rationed, rats were common, lice infestation was normal and how many soldiers succumbed to trench foot due to the wet and damp conditions. We also spoke about how the continual gun fire and bomb explosions led to a mental illness known as PTSD.

The children wrote a diary entry this week in R.E. to show their reflections after returning from a pilgrimage. The children noted what they saw when they visited The Holy Land and the significance this had on their religious belief. We then discussed our thoughts on the question: what is more important, the journey or the destination?

This week in RHE, we discussed a current issue brought to life in recent months related to health: What is the UK smoking ban and how many people still smoke? This BBC News article allowed us to recall previous lessons on the harm drugs, such as nicotine and alcohol, can have on our body as well as the issues that have arisen from the rise in the use of vapes. We identified the facts and opinions in the article. The children finished by creating a poster to advise people on how to say healthy. We discussed how this poster must inform the reader, therefore, should contain more facts alongside top tips.

This week in Computing, the children gained an understanding of why search engines are necessary to help them find things on the World Wide Web. The children then had to conduct their own searches and break down, in detail, the steps needed to find things on the web. They also emulated web crawlers to create an index of their own classroom.

World Book Day: Reading Challenge

There is no set homework (no spellings, sentences or reading/grammar) this week. This is so the children can focus on their sponsored read to celebrate World Book Day. Children will be asked to read in exchange for sponsorship as a way of adding new stock to our school Library. They can read books, comics, magazines, newspapers, menus, websites, recipes, poems, leaflets and instructions – anything with words!

To support our sponsored read, please find enclosed a sponsorship form and reading log for your child on ParentMail.

Have a great weekend!

Miss Bill

I hope you all had a restful half term break. It was great to welcome the children back to school on Monday, ready for a busy half term!

Before half term, the children wrote their letters to Sir Keir Starmer, persuading him to act now to save London from the Bluchers. On Monday, they typed their letters ensuring they included all of their edits and green pen work. We then began our new unit, classical poetry, where we will be studying ‘The Highwayman’. We began by looking at how classical poetry is different to other genres of poetry. We discussed how classical poetry is considered ‘classic’ as it was often written decades or centuries ago, but still remain loved today. We read Firework Night, The Charge of the Light Brigade, If, Windy Nights and The Lady of Shallot. We discussed the difference in language and tone, often consisting of old English and formal language, compared to poems we have previously looked at. After this, we read and interpreted The Highwayman.

In Maths, we began our second fractions unit. We looked at multiplying unit and non-unit fractions by integers, mixed numbers by integers and finally, found fractions of different amounts. The children’s good timestable knowledge has supported them with this – keep up the practise.

In Science this week, we looked at irreversible changes. We discussed how rust and dough for bread are irreversible changes as there has been a reaction. We made lemonade together with water, lemon juice, sugar and baking soda. The children recorded their observations. They noted how when the baking soda was added, the mixture fizzed and bubbled as the baking soda reacted with the solution. The bubbles are a gas leaving the solution. This means that this solution is irreversible.

In preparation for our exciting trip to France, in History this half term we will be studying World War 1. We began this week by investigating elements that led to the start of WW1. We discussed how tensions were running high throughout Europe in 1914 and many countries formed alliances: The Triple Entente and The Triple Alliance. We also discussed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife’s assassination by a Serbian. This allowed us to discuss how Bosnia wanted independence and how Serbia were supporting them. This led to Austria-Hungary attacking Serbia. The children then used their knowledge of the alliances to help them understand which countries attacked and which countries defended. We made use of maps of Europe to help us with this. Next week, we will investigate what life was like on the Western Front.

This half term in R.E., we look at pilgrimage. This week, we focused on what a pilgrimage is: a journey of faith taken by someone belonging to any religion. We also discussed why people may choose to undertake this sacred journey. We looked at historic reasons: following the footsteps of Christ and asking for a favour. We then looked at modern reasons: healing, penance and adventure. Next week, we will consider what is more important, the journey or the destination.

Today, we completed our DT project: designing pop-up books for Year 1. The children used their plan to illustrate their pop-up books and added their planned mechanisms (sliders, levers or automatic pull strips). We will be sharing these pop-up books with Year 1 in the coming weeks. Year 1 should be very excited!

Thank you to all of those who attended our Year 5 French Evening last night. It was great to see so many families come together to enjoy a tradition coq au vin and cheese board as well as having plenty of fun playing our French quiz.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bill

Spring 1 is done! Time flies when you’re having fun!

In English, we recapped all our learning from ‘The Boy in the Tower’ and then planned our persuasive letter. Our plan had a clear structure where we had to tell the Prime Minister of the problems that London was facing and suggested solutions for him to consider. On Thursday, the children wrote their first draft to Sir Keir Starmer, persuading him to do more about the Blucher Disaster. I was so impressed by the children’s letters, their use of emotive language was excellent. After making edits today, the children will type their final draft after half term.

In Maths this week, we looked at efficient division strategies that we could use as an alternative to the bus stop method. We also completed our multiplication and division assessment. After half term, we go back to learning about fractions.

We completed our Scandinavia unit in Geography this week. The children had to create a tourist information poster/advertisement for a Scandinavian country of their choice. They had to provide information such as local currency, cuisine, weather conditions, attractions to see and places to visit. The children then completed their EUQ (End of Unit Quiz).They showcased how much they have learnt in this topic.

In R.E., we listened to the story of ‘Badger’s Departing Gifts’ and heard about his departure into the ‘long tunnel of life’. We discussed what the children believed this was and how different religions might think differently about where this leads to. The children then had to write a diary entry as one of Badger’s friends, detailing how they were feeling during this time of bereavement and how they will try and remember Badger. We also completed our R.E. unit by doing our End of Unit Quiz (EUQ). The children demonstrated how much they had taken away from the unit, ‘The Journey of Life and Death’, and made thoughtful reflections.

In RHE, we recapped what a drug is defined as. We discussed how nicotine is a drug found in cigarettes. We discussed as a class the impact smoking has on our body. The children then worked in groups of 4/5 and read a copy of the online paper ‘The Daily Wail’. We discussed: Why do they think fewer people are smoking? What new products do you think the tobacco industry are working on to fill the gap in their profits caused by the decrease in cigarette sales? Do you think vaping is healthy or unhealthy? We also recapped our learning from Autumn Term about being assertive. We had a scenario where a friend wanted to borrow a video game from Chris but Chris did not want to. We reflected on similar scenarios we had experienced ourselves and discussed why it is difficult to be assertive with friends sometimes. We concluded that this is an important skill to have and that a ‘healthy’ friendship would allow for discussion and negotiation.

On Wednesday, Year 5 had a trip to the BFI. Year 5 travelled to the Southbank to take part in a Spanish workshop centered on films. The children watched a variety of short films and had to answer Spanish questions about the characters, their emotions and the setting. To end the day, they watched the Spanish film, ‘Perez’, with English subtitles.

Have a wonderful half term break!

Miss Bill

This week, St Stephen’s celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week. On Tuesday, we came together as a school to take part in The Great Big Live Assembly. The assembly discussed this year’s theme, ‘Know Yourself, Grow Yourself’ and talked about how the creative arts, like art and poetry, can be powerful ways to spread empathy and compassion. In our RHE lesson this week, we focused on how to look after our mental wellbeing by looking at who we are so we can become more self-aware. We discussed how this helps us identify what may trigger certain emotions and understand that there are different ways to express emotions. We also took part in ‘Wear Your Scarf to School Day’ to support Children’s Mental Health Week. We came in wearing a scarf of our choice. We used our voice to share how our scarf says something special about us.

This week in English, we continued to read ‘The Boy in the Tower’. We discovered that Ade had been frequently watching the news and had watched an interview with the Prime Minister, who was being asked what he was doing to help with the blucher disaster. We will be using this as a stem for our writing: a persuasive letter to the Prime Minister. To prepare for this, we analysed a persuasive letter and identified the main features: sender and recipient’s address, introduction, conclusion, paragraphs, modal verbs, flattery, rhetorical questions and additional conjunctions. The children then used another exemplar to magpie language that they could use in their persuasive letter. Next week, we will plan and write these.

In Maths this week, we began short division. We used the bus stop method to divide 3 and 4 digit numbers with and without reminders. We also looked at efficient division strategies that we could use as an alternative to the bus stop method. Next week, we will complete more multiplication and division problems before completing our assessment.

In R.E. this week, we looked at what other religions believe happens after you die. In groups, the children looked at Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. We then listed similarities and differences between these religions and their beliefs on life after death.

In Geography this week, the children used Chromebooks and their knowledge from this half term’s unit to compare an area of Scandinavia: Stockholm to an area of the UK: London. The children looked for similarities and differences for human and physical geography. They discovered that they had very different populations but geographically were quite similar, both being positioned on the coast.

As our focus this half term is ‘Keeping Safe’ in RHE, we also looked at the question: ‘Are drugs helpful or harmful?’ We discussed how many medicines (classified as drugs) can be bought in chemists, shops or prescribed by a doctor. We talked about how these can be helpful when used appropriately. We discussed if these were not being used properly, they can be extremely harmful to your body. We also discussed how there are drugs which are illegal, which are also incredibly harmful to your body. We discussed how our government have very strict rules and regulations around legal and illegal drugs to help keep us safe.

This afternoon in Computing, the children continued to test different search engines. They learnt that searches do not always return the results that someone is looking for, and how they must refine their searches accordingly. We also discussed the two most common methods of searching: using a search engine and using the address bar.

This morning, Year 5 took part in a virtual event as part of the London Careers Festival. This event showed the children the skills required to be good at a variety of jobs – patience, kindness, resilience and many more! The children met three inspiring people (a lawyer, nurse and software engineer), who showcased the skills and abilities that are important for the world of work, no matter what line of work you aspire to do.

IMPORTANT

Look out for details via ParentMail of the annual poster competition run by the British Science Association to launch British Science Week taking place from 10^th-14^th March, which St Stephen’s will be supporting. There are prizes to be won so do encourage your children to take part – you’ve got to be in it to win it!

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bill

Today, St Stephen’s celebrated Lunar New Year. As a class, we studied China, one of the Asian countries that celebrate Lunar New Year, by looking at its human and physical geography features, where it is on a map as well as how they celebrate Lunar New Year. We took part in a special assembly this morning, had traditional food for lunch and then took part in a fan and Tai chi workshop – the children thoroughly enjoyed this.

On Monday, Year 5 had a visit from Sarah Greenwood who delivers LifeBus sessions on behalf of CORAM Education. Our session was focused on, ‘The Brain’. Sarah discussed the different sections of our brain and how they determine how we respond to different situations or events. The children discussed how different photographs made them feel and on an ‘anxiety scale’, shared how anxious different scenarios made them feel. They then talked through how they can take care of themselves and their well-being to respond to these events and situations.

In English, we have continued to read ‘The Boy in the Tower’, which the children are thoroughly enjoying. From their reading, the children had to write a paragraph describing Ade’s mum using emotion vocabulary. They used words such as despondent, melancholy, agitated and distressed. We then focused on modal verbs and used them in a piece of writing to Ade’s mum, where the children had to persuade her to take Ade and flee the dangers of London.

In Maths, we have continued to practise long multiplication – the children are now showing greater confidence in this, well done to them! We then used this knowledge to answer multiplication problems. Next week, we will look at short division and dividing with remainders.

In Science this week, we looked at separating mixtures and solutions. The children looked at a range of mixtures that they had to separate, either using a coffee filter, kitchen sieve or colander. The children discussed to separate pepper and water, which doesn’t create a solution as pepper is insoluble, they would use a coffee filter as the pepper was ground finely. We also looked at a solution of salt and water. The children identified that the only way this could be separated was by the process of evaporation as the salt had dissolved.

The human geography features of Scandinavia was our focus in Geography this week. The children explored the population, local cuisine, currency, language and religion of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The children discussed how they were surprised that Denmark and Norway had a similar population as Denmark is much smaller than Norway. They concluded that due to Norway’s extreme, harsh climate in the north, many people would not inhabit this area.

Today, we also celebrated Coding Day. To mark this occasion, the children were tasked with using Microsoft’s Make Code software to design and code their very own retro arcade games!

Have a great weekend!

Miss Bill

This week in English, we began our new unit which is centred around the novel, ‘The Boy in the Tower’. We began by predicting what we thought would happen in the book by analysing the front cover for information and inferring what this could mean. The children were then excited to dive right into chapter 1, where they were introduced to the boy, Ade. We continued to read chapter 2 and 3. Throughout this unit, there will be times when the children have to do some reading of this book at home to help us progress with our English lessons. We will always notify you via ParentMail when this is and what chapters need to be read.

Multiplication and division is our focus in Maths at the moment. We began by revising a 4 digit number times by a 1 digit number. Then, the children were introduced to long multiplication. This is a skill we are still practising and strong times table knowledge is essential for this. Please continue to support your child with practising these key facts.

In Science this week, we practised the skill of drawing conclusions after conducting our experiment last week. The children were able to conclude that substances such as food colouring create a solution when added to water. This is because the solute (food colouring) has combined with the solvent (water) to create a new solution, which has also changed colour.

In R.E. this week, we looked at what Christians believe happens after you die: heaven or hell. We took time to reflect on what we think heaven might look like. The children then used acrostic poems to describe heaven.

We continued to study the stunning landscape of Scandinavia this week by specifically looking at the physical geography features of Norway. The children identified and learnt about fjords and glaciers, as well as learning about the formation of waterfalls. Next week, we will look at how humans have shaped the landscape of Scandinavia.

In RHE, we looked at bullying. We looked at different scenarios and had to decide if it was an example of cyber bullying or bullying. We defined cyber bullying as continually hurting someone emotionally on the online world and that bullying is continually hurting someone emotionally or physically in person. We discussed how if this was happening to yourself, or someone else, you must inform a trusted adult immediately.

This afternoon in Computing, the children were introduced to a range of search engines. They were given the opportunity to explain how to search, before they wrote and tested instructions. They also learnt that searches do not always return the results that someone is looking for, and how you must refine your searches accordingly. We also discussed the two most common methods of searching: using a search engine and using the address bar.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bill

This week in English, we focused on grammar objectives that will strengthen our argument. We used adverbials of time and manner to support our argument as well as conjunctive adverbials to recognise the opposing view. We then were given the subject matter: ‘Should mobile phones be allowed in classrooms?’ The children had time to gather factual information and statistics to support their argument. They then wrote their persuasive argument, considering if they were for or against the given subject. Next week, they will edit their argument before beginning our class debate!

In Maths, we completed our fractions unit! We looked at subtracting fractions and mixed numbers, including breaking the whole, before completing our end of unit assessment. The children did really well and should be very proud. Next week, we will begin the second multiplication and division unit. Therefore, continual timetable practise is essential.

We looked at the climate and weather of Scandinavia in Geography this week. The children were taught the different climate zones: tundra, subarctic, marine west coast and humid continental. We looked at how the most northern parts of Norway and Sweden are in the Arctic Circle meaning then have a tundra climate, having a permanent layer of permafrost all year round. We looked at how the southern part of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, experience a marine west coast climate like us here in the UK. Winters are cold and wet and summers are mild. The children analysed line graphs and bar charts to help them compare temperatures across Scandinavia.

In R.E., we discussed how we feel when someone leaves us. Through this, we discussed the meaning of loss and bereavement. We then discussed what we can do to help us cope with loss. We learnt the meaning of the word commemorate and ways in which we can remember those who have passed: visiting their resting place, looking at photographs of them, listening to music, planting a tree and making a memory book.

This term in Science, we are looking at ‘Properties and Changes of Materials’. We began this week by looking at different substances and their ability to dissolve in water. We set up a fair test, identifying the one variable we would change, the substances (flour, oil, food colouring, wax and sugar). The children were able to describe that the solute (sugar) had dissolved in the solvent (water) to form a solution. Next week, we will write a conclusion from our findings.

In RHE, the children read a scenario involving a boy called Jay who was nervous about going mountain biking. As we progressed through the story, the children considered what the benefits would be of taking certain risks and what the negatives would be. Subsequently, we decided on some things Jay could do to help him feel more confident about taking a ‘sensible risk’: taking an adult with him, ensuring he has the correct equipment, knowing what the activity involves and exactly where it is.

This afternoon in Computing, the children considered how larger computer systems work. They saw how devices and processes are connected and reflected on how computer systems can help them.

Today, Year 5 were also lucky enough to be joined by the London Fire Brigade to discuss the importance of fire safety. Our visitor discussed the importance of smoke alarms and testing them once every month with grown-ups. The children also learnt about how a fire can start: candles, electrical equipment like cookers and cigarettes. They spent time discussing how we can reduce the risk of fire, for example, by not leaving electrical equipment on when no one is around.

Have a great weekend!

Miss Bill

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a restful break and enjoyed spending time with loved ones.

It was great to welcome the children back to school on Monday. We didn’t waste any time getting stuck into our new English unit: Argument and Debate. The children were given different topics, such as, ‘Homework is an important part of learning’ and ‘School should be optional’. They had to begin to devise a balanced argument, considering a viewpoint for and against the subject matter. The children practised this verbally before recording it in their books. We then analysed an exemplar balanced argument for the subject matter ‘CCTV should be in all UK classrooms’. As a class, we dissected the argument to identify the key features. We identified an introduction, conclusion, for and against statements, impersonal tone (factual language), conjunctions and adverbials.

We began Maths by recapping everything we had learnt in fractions before Christmas. We then added two mixed numbers, subtracted fractions from mixed numbers and learnt how to break the whole when subtracting a fraction from a mixed number, which we will continue to practise next week. Please can you ensure your children continue to keep up to date with set Mathletics tasks.

This half term, we will be learning about the human and physical geography of Scandinavia. We began by discussing that Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe. The children then learnt the countries in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Demark) and used a map to identify their capital cities and bordering seas. Next week, we will look at the climate and weather of Scandinavia.

R.E. this half term focuses on: The Journey of Life and Death. We spent time this afternoon discussing milestones that people encounter throughout their lives. We noted how not all milestones evoke emotions of happiness, excitement or joy, some milestones are times of great sadness and upset. The children reflected on three significant milestones in their lifetime so far and then wrote three milestones they hope to encounter. We discussed the importance of having ‘hope’ when on life’s journey.

Keeping Safe is the focus in RHE this half term. This afternoon, we looked at what a habit is. This allowed us to discuss the difference between a habit and an addiction. We discussed that a habit is something you do repeatedly, where an addiction is something you struggle to control. We also noted that not all habits are bad, some can be good. The children had to reflect on a habit they may have that they should try and stop, or, think of a new habit they could start, for example, drinking more water each day.

This half term we will be doing DT, designing, making and evaluating pop-up books. The children were introduced to different types of mechanisms: sliders, levers and automatic pull strips. The children were tasked with designing a pop-up book suitable for Year 1 children. They had to decide on the story, consider their captions and illustrations and then decide which mechanism worked best on each page. In our next lesson, they will begin to make their pop-up books.

This half term in Computing, we look at systems and searching. The children were introduced to the concept of a system. They began to look at the different components that can work together to perform tasks. They also explored how digital systems can work together, learning about physical and electronic connections.

Have a restful weekend. Stay warm!

Miss Bill

It is hard to believe that Christmas is here!

Last night, we had our annual Carols by Candlelight Concert. The children did a fantastic job at sharing the festive joy as they sang a range of Christmas carols and took part in a Christmas medley – it was a magical evening enjoyed by our school community. This morning, we had our Christmas church service. It was special to come together to celebrate our achievements this half term and to celebrate the story of Christmas. We then had our annual Christmas Quiz where the children worked in teams to answer a variety of questions linked to films, music and food. The quiz was enjoyed by all and won by Aylward 2.

This week, we have been finishing off all our topics alongside completing end of term assessments. The children completed English assessments: reading, spelling and grammar and punctuation. In Maths, they also completed an arithmetic and reasoning test. The children all worked really hard on these – well done!

To complete our Science topic, the children looked at the work of great naturalists: David Attenborough and Jane Goodall. They spent time finding out about their work, conservation and education programmes. The children then completed their life cycles EUQ (End of Unit Quiz).

In R.E. this week, the children thought about how the nativity story is told through Christmas carols. The children listened to Silent Night, O’ Little Town of Bethlehem and The 12 days of Christmas. They then had to select one of these carols and change parts of it to ensure it reflected the sacred meaning of Christmas. The children also took time to retell the nativity story, considering what Christians learn from this story: peace, love, hope and humility. The children then completed their EUQ, showcasing everything they have learnt throughout this topic.

We completed our RHE unit by discussing if everything we read online should be believed. The children took part in a game where four people were lying and the rest were telling the truth. The children suggested that it was easier to see who was lying when you could see them in person as they often hesitated or even in some cases, struggled to not smirk! This led us to discussing how online, it can be extremely hard to see if people are being honest as you don’t know who is behind the screen. This led us to discuss how people often portray the positive aspects of their lives but it doesn’t mean this is always how their life is. We also discussed how our behaviour can positively or negatively impact someone, depending on the choice we choose. We discussed how if someone fell, by helping them, they would feel extremely grateful, however, by laughing at them, they could feel extremely embarrassed. The children then reflected upon this unit by adding what they had learnt in green pen to the sheet they completed prior to the unit.

The children also completed their ‘Drawing: I need space’ artwork today by drawing a futuristic image on their printed background. The children’s ideas ranged from flying cars to robots living in society. The children made use of black pens and oil pastels to allow their futuristic image to stand out amongst their printed backgrounds.

Thank you for your continued support this term. The children have worked extremely hard and definitely deserve a well-earned rest.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Miss Bill

This week in English, we continued with reporting on ‘The Lighthouse’. The children analysed an exemplar newspaper, identifying the key grammar, punctuation and spelling features. They then wrote their own newspaper report before editing and re-drafting it. Next week, we will be completing end of term assessments: reading, grammar and punctuation and spelling.

In Maths, we have been adding fractions with different denominators that total more and less than 1. The children then learnt how to add to a mixed number. Again in Maths next week, the children will complete end of term assessments: arithmetic and reasoning.

This week in Science, we looked at comparing the life cycles of different animals. The children had to look at the life cycles of animals such as a dragonfly, an otter and a red lionfish. They then compared it to their partner’s animal, discussing how its reproduction and growth differed.

In Geography, the children used atlases to locate the major rivers in the UK. While doing this, the children identified that the longest river in the UK is the River Severn. We also defined the word ‘river’ and looked at their features: meander, tributary, source, mouth and delta. If the children could see these features on their map, they labelled them. They also completed their Geography EUQ.

In R.E., we continued with our unit, ‘Seeing Christmas through Music and Art’ by looking at Christmas cards. The children were able to identify how Christmas cards can be scared, featuring depictions of Jesus, Mary, Star of Bethlehem, or secular, featuring Christmas trees, presents, baubles. The children were then tasked with creating their own sacred Christmas card that depicted elements of the Christmas story.

In RHE, we listened to ‘The Land of the Red People’ which is a tale about different people coming to live together. It made us reflect on our current society and the different groups and communities within it. Like ‘The Land of the Red People’, our school has lots of different people with similarities and differences. We considered what qualities our school needs to function and ensure that nobody feels excluded. We talked about the importance of celebrating these differences. We discussed how working together can help us to not only recognise others contributions and differences but also that they help us to be a better society and person.

On Wednesday, we had a workshop from Coram Education all about e-safety. The children were on a journey through Risk Ravine, Kindness Cove, Mind Mainland, Influence Island and Digital Domain to practice how to stay safe on the online world. There was a discussion around influencers and how they appear online. They discussed how these people appear very friendly however are making money by advertising these products. The children also discussed fake news: misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation is when someone gives incorrect information but they believe it is correct. Disinformation is a deliberate lie, they know it is not true. They then discussed cross-checking against different sources to work out if it is accurate. The children used critical thinking to think carefully about information that could be presented online, to check if it was accurate information or not.

As part of this term’s ‘Faith-Based Careers’ focus, Year 5 were joined by Malcolm Cunningham, a local Pastor at Trinity West Church. Malcolm described how one of the most important qualities to have for his job is people skills, especially communication skills. He described how many people come to him for help and advice, and he needs to have these skills to work with others in the community. He described how he went to Bible College to study, which taught him the history of religion too. He also explained how every day is very different, not always having set hours.

Have a restful weekend! Please continue to encourage your children to practise their lyrics for the Christmas Carol Concert.

Miss Bill

Carols by Candlelight is rapidly approaching, and if you could all please play your part with our rehearsals by having your child/ren practise their songs, that would be greatly appreciated. PDFs of the lyrics can be found below, alongside their accompanying mp3s:

5 Blackman Song – Mary Did You Know?

5 Silverstein Song – Have You Heard the Sounds of the Angel Voices?

Finale – Silent Night

Finale – Traditional Carol Medley

Finale – Popular Medley

Year 5 have continued to be in role as journalists this week, preparing to write their own newspaper report. They began by interviewing three people from the scene of the incident: the lighthouse keeper, a local villager and the captain of the approaching ship. The children then used inverted commas to record this direct speech as well as using parenthesis to provide additional information. They then began to plan their newspaper report by noting and developing initial ideas for each paragraph.

In Maths this week, the children have continued with fractions. We have been converting improper fractions to mixed numbers and mixed numbers to improper fractions. The children also practised ordering and comparing fractions less than 1. It is vital that the children are continuing to practise their timestables knowledge as this is essential for this topic.

In Science this week, the children compared the life cycles of animals in the UK to the life cycles of animals in different countries. We looked at a woodland habitat and the animals that may be found here: field mice, woodland ant, jay and a common toad. We discussed how these animals have adapted to living in this environment having sources of food and shelter. We then compared this to other habitats across the world such as Death Valley in California, the Arctic Tundra in Russia and a Savannah in Kenya. We discussed the difficulties of living in these environments but also the adaptions animals in these habitats have made to thrive here.

We have continued to look at the UK in Geography this week. We discussed the seas and coasts of the UK. We began by defining the term ‘coastline’: where a sea or ocean meets land. We then looked at different images of coastlines in the UK (Brighton beach and pier, Watergate Bay, Newquay and Old Harry’s Rocks, Dorset) and identified geographical features: pier, chalk cliffs, erosion, headland, arch, limestone rock, rock pools, caves, bay, stack, pebble and sandy beaches. In pairs, the children annotated images of coastlines in the UK using their geographical language.

This week in R.E, we begin our new unit: Seeing Christmas through Music and Art. The children looked at sacred art. We discussed how something sacred is religious and holy, linking to a God. The children had to annotate the paintings, writing what they could see that linked to Christianity. They then wrote down the impressions that these paintings gave them of Jesus.

Yesterday in RHE, we started our lesson by playing a ‘stand up and sit down’ game depending on our similarities and differences. We reflected that everybody stood up or sat down at different times and that actually we all like different things. We then heard the story of Rosa Parks and how she was discriminated against as a black person in the U.S. in the 1950s. After the story, we discussed how she might feel: angry, sad, frustrated and scared. We then discussed different scenarios and considered how those being discriminated against might have felt in each scenario. We finished the lesson by thinking about the actions we can take to prevent discrimination and decided: being welcoming, not questioning people too much, not invading personal space, asking if you could help them with anything (should they need it) and not drawing attention to anyone in a negative light.

In Computing this week, the children used their knowledge of the SMART rules to comment on other children’s blogs that they wrote last week. We discussed how blog writing can allow people to stay in touch with friends and family abroad but it can also be an opportunity to learn about new things and ask questions to find out more.

This afternoon in Art, we continued to look at images associated with the Space Race. The children had to select an image and recreate it using different types of media. They had the opportunity to use 2B and 4B pencils, charcoal and oil pastels. They discussed how some of the media recreated their image more clearly due to the colours, lines and tone being more visible.

Have a great weekend!

Miss Bill

Another busy week in Year 5!

This week in English, we began our new unit, writing from visual media. Using the short film, ‘The Lighthouse’, the children had to use their retrieval and inference skills to report on what happened at the scene using the 5Ws (who, where, when, what and why). In this unit, the children will be writing a newspaper report and to get started with this, they used their reporter notes to create a headline and short orientation paragraph. Today, the children interviewed people from the scene and recorded notes, which they will need to use in their newspaper report.

We began fractions in Maths this week. We began by recapping that a fraction is part of a whole and reminded ourselves of the language of unit fraction, non-unit fraction, numerator and denominator. This week we have found equivalent fractions and converted an improper fraction to a mixed number. Next week, we will convert a mixed number to an improper fraction and order and compare fractions less than 1.

After looking at sexual and asexual reproduction in flowering plants, this week in Science we looked at sexual reproduction in animals. The children learnt that animals can produce offspring by internal or external fertilisation. They defined internal fertilisation as the male and female sex cell meeting in the female body and combing to fertilise and external fertilisation as a male fertilising an egg that has been laid by a female. The children then used a Carroll diagram to sort animals into the correct category based on their type of fertilisation.

In Geography, the children used an interactive topographical map to identify hills and mountains across the UK. The children were able to define that when a hill is higher than 600m, it is generally considered a mountain. The children used the topographical map to identify the tallest mountain in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. They used the recorded elevation to create a bar graph representing this data.

In R.E., we discussed the lives of those in monastic communities, particularly the lives of those in monasteries and convents. The children then unpicked what it meant to live in a community by listing the positives and negatives of being in the community we are all a part of, St Stephen’s. They then compared this to life in monastic communities and the positives and negatives associated with living in monasteries and convents. We discussed that the negatives didn’t mean it was ‘bad’ being part of this community, it just meant that there would be challenges to face and overcome. The children then completed an EUQ (End of Unit Quiz) to showcase their learning.

This week, we got creative and started our Art unit: ‘Drawing: I need space’. The children began by exploring the purpose and effect of imagery by looking at imagery from The Space Race. We discussed how it dominated popular culture at the time through art and design. The children annotated the ‘Family playing on the moon, as imagined in the 1960s’ image and wrote what they could see and what they thought the purpose of the image could be.

In RHE, we looked at how to respond respectfully to others. In groups of three, one person was the talker, the other was the listener and another was an observer. The observer had to give feedback on their listening skills. From this task, we created a list of good listening skills: eye contact, good body language, answering and asking questions.

This week in Computing, the children worked in pairs to write a blog entry. This blog entry could have been about their week, travel, fashion or even their own fictional story. Next week, the children will have the opportunity to comment on each other’s blogs, discussing the pros and cons of being able to do this, thinking carefully about our SMART rules.

Last week, was UK Parliament Week. To mark this occasion, the School Council visited the Houses of Parliament. During their trip, they visited Westminster Hall, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. They were then luckily enough to have a Q&A session with our local MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick, Andy Slaughter. Today in Collective Worship, we had the opportunity to hear the School Council share their learning. They emphasised the importance of using your voice to vote, when you are 18 years old, so all our thoughts and opinions can then be represented in the Houses of Parliament.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bill

On Monday, we visited Gunnersbury Park and Museum and took park in a Victorian Classroom Workshop. As we learned about the Victorian’s last term, this was a great opportunity to reflect on our learning and build upon our understanding of this topic. At times, the Victorian teacher was quite intimidating and after this experience, we all agreed that St. Stephen’s is much better off with the rules we have for children!

In Maths this week, we completed our multiplication and division unit. The children finished this unit by completing an assessment. The children did well but must still be practising their multiplication and division recall to further support them with this learning. These are skills we will also continue to revisit in school. Next week, we will begin fractions.

This week in English, we read ‘The City of My Birth’ by London based poet, Karl Nova. We spent time analysing the poetic devices and figurative language as well as discussing what image and meaning he was trying to portray. Taking inspiration from Karl Nova, the children then wrote their own free verse poem about a place special to them. The children made great use of figurative language (onomatopoeia, similes, personification and alliteration). Next week, we will began our new unit, writing from visual media.

In Geography, the children used an atlas to locate cities on a map of the UK across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They also used the atlas to locate towns. They then researched a city in the UK finding out population numbers, landmarks and history.

This week in R.E, the children used their research about monastic communities to create an information text. This explained that this is a community of people that often live a secluded life away from others so they can grow closer to God and not sin. Monks and nuns form part of different monastic communities around the world, worshipping and serving monasteries and nunneries.

In RHE, we considered important qualities of friendship and what damaging qualities are. This helped us revise our lesson on ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ relationships last term. We used charades to think about and identify what these qualities look like in action. We took a class vote and found that trust, being supportive and being loved were considered to be the most important qualities in our friendships. These may well change with time. After reflecting on this, some of us had suggestions on why a friendship might end and found that lacking the qualities listed above could lead to an ‘unhealthy’ relationship and the friendship falling apart.

Year 5 and 6 were also treated to a performance of Aladdin at the Lyric Theatre. They embarked on an adventure with Aladdin and Jasmine. A hilarious, high-flying adventure packed with magic, mayhem and mischief. This definitely got us all in the Christmas spirit!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Bill

Another busy week in Year 5, including Parents’ Evening. It was great to meet with you all to discuss the wonderful progress your children are making.

This week, we celebrated Anti-Bullying Week at school. This year, the theme was ‘Choose Respect’. On Tuesday, we had Odd Socks Day, which gave the children the chance to show their individuality and celebrate differences. Throughout the week, the children engaged in discussions and activities focused on bullying, what it means and how we can work together to prevent it. In particular, Year 5 focused on how rumour-spreading and name calling can be bullying behaviours if they happen repeatedly.

On Monday, we honoured and remembered those who have lost their lives fighting for our country. We all held a 2 minute silence at 11.00am in our classes and had a discussion about the importance of recognising Remembrance Day. As part of this discussion, the children learnt about the relevance of the poppy and how and why it is symbolic of the day. During Collective Worship, we heard Year 6 read a selection of their remembrance poems.

In English this week, we have continued to explore different types of poetry and figurative language. We extended Malorie Blackman’s poem, ‘Cloud Busting’, by adding another verse personifying what could be seen in the sky. The children made great use of verbs to personify the object. We then looked at limericks and the rules associated with them. We identified the AABBA rhyming pattern, as well as the rules associated with syllables. The children then used the set rules identified to write their own limerick.

In Maths, we continued with multiplication and division. The children learnt about prime numbers, square numbers and cube numbers. We are now working on multiplying and dividing by 10,100 and 1000. After completing our end of unit assessment, we will be beginning fractions. It is vital that the children are continuing to practise their multiplication and division facts so they have a rapid recall to support them in their learning.

We have continued with ‘Life Cycles’ in Science this week. After looking at sexual reproduction last week, our focus was now on asexual reproduction. We looked at how strawberries, potatoes and dandelions asexually reproduce. Using the example of strawberries, the children specifically described how small shoots called ‘runners’ grow from the stem of the parent plant. Along this runner, plantlets start to develop. These plantlets then grow roots and stems, developing into new plants that are clones (genetically identical) to the parent planet.

In Geography, the children put their map skills to the test by locating the counties in England. We discussed how England is made up of different regions, and in these regions there are counties that have their own council which is responsible for education, social services and emergency services. The children were able to identify that they live in the county of Greater London.

This afternoon, Year 5 welcomed in actors from ‘The Riot Act’, who delivered an immersive, drama-based workshop on road safety. The children were in role as investigators and had to listen to witnesses from the scene of a road traffic incident: ambulance crew, a cyclist and the driver of a car who had hit a young boy. After hearing their statements, the children had to decide who was at fault for causing the incident. This session highlighted the importance of focus and concentration when crossing the road: listening and looking around you, using zebra and pelican crossings, putting your phone away and removing any headphones playing music.

Have a restful weekend,

Miss Bill

Today was our annual Hispanic Day! We began with a morning assembly, where the children sang ‘What a Wonderful World’ in Spanish. The children also watched an amazing flamenco performance by Ilusion Flamenca. During the day, each class took part in either a percussion, clapping or dance workshop and studied a Spanish speaking country, focusing on the natural world within that country. For lunch we enjoyed a Spanish feast and finally, at the end of the day, we all came back together to watch and listen to a live rumba band. In Year 5, we studied Columbia. We were very lucky to be joined by Ana and Gon, Julia’s parents, who read us a selection of Spanish poems. We then spent the day studying Columbia, specifically looking at the Amazon rainforest that stretches into Columbia. The natural world inspired our artwork as the children used printing to create poisonous dart frogs. The children then collaged their frogs amongst leaves.

This week in English, we began our new unit, poetry. The children discussed what poetry meant to them, with one child sharing, “It tells a story through the creative use of words.” We then looked at the dictionary definition and explored its meaning: ‘Literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm’. We then read, ‘Facing the Truth with Haikus’ by Malorie Blackman. We listened carefully and began to think about what the poem is about and what style of poetry it is. We identified that it was a haiku, following the pattern of 17 syllables per verse, consisting of 3 lines with 5 syllables, 7 syllables and then, 5 syllables. As a class, we then analysed sections of the poem. Yesterday, we watched Michael Rosen perform his poem, ‘No Breathing in Class’. We discussed how this performance enticed the audience due to his actions, expression and tone of voice. The children then worked in groups to perform ‘Facing the Truths with Haikus’ by Malorie Blackman.

In Maths, we began our new unit, Multiplication and Division. We started with recapping our multiples to help us find common multiples. The children were then tasked with identifying factors and then common factors. Next week, we will be looking at prime numbers, square numbers and cube numbers. It is vital that the children are continuing to practise their multiplication and division facts so they have a rapid recall to support them in their learning.

This half term in Science, we are looking at animals including humans, specifically focusing on life cycles. The children used their knowledge from Year 3 to help label the parts of a flower. The children labelled the male parts (stamen) which includes the filament and anther and the female parts (carpel) and labelled the stigma, style and ovary. The children then used lilies to help identify these parts. The children then explained the process of pollination and fertilisation to describe the process of sexual reproduction in flowering plants. Next week, we will be learning about asexual reproduction in flowering plants.

This half term, we will be doing Geography and specifically focusing on the United Kingdom. We began this week by recapping the four countries that are in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We also revised the capitals of each of these countries. The children used their world maps in their books to help them discuss the positioning of the United Kingdom within Europe and the wider world. The children also found the main language, religion and population numbers of the UK. Next week, we will be using maps to locate the counties in England.

This half term in R.E., we focus on Christianity. We began by unpicking what life is like in a monastic community. The children discovered that a monastic community is a community of people that often live a secluded life away from others so they can grow closer to God and not sin. Monks and nuns form part of different monastic communities around the world, worshipping and serving monasteries and nunneries.

Have a restful weekend,

Miss Bill

On Monday, we kick-started Black Voices Week with a ‘Hidden Figures’ assembly by Bigfoot Education. The children joined Focus, an entertaining storyteller, on a voyage of discovery. They were transcended through time, where they were told of the fascinating stories of brilliant black British people, often omitted from National Curriculum history lessons, who have shaped our country. The children were exposed to a dynamic insight into our real British history; a history that includes black people as fundamental to creating the fabric of our society and the rich tapestry of who we are today. Year 5 then explored the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, who at the age of five, after being born into a Royal, West African dynasty, was taken to England and presented to Queen Victoria as a “gift” from one royal family to another. The children created a timeline of the significant events through Sarah’s life and then wrote a diary entry in first person, detailing the challenges she overcame alongside describing her success. The children discovered what a unique and admired figure in history she is, spending her life between the British royal household and her homeland in Africa.

In English this week, the children wrote their first draft of an information text about either a fennec fox or beluga whale. The children used their research well which allowed them to create interesting, factual texts. They then edited this work and wrote their final draft, focusing on included edits and working on their handwriting. Next half term, we will be doing poetry.

This week in Maths, we completed our addition and subtraction unit and finished it by completing an assessment. The children showcased their knowledge of mental strategies, column addition and subtraction, rounding to check answers, how to compare answers and find missing numbers. After half term, we will begin our next unit, multiplication and division. It is so important that the children continue to practise their timestable and division facts.

This week in Science, we looked at how gears and cogs allow a small force to have a greater effect. The children were able to explain that when the cog’s teeth meshed with another cog, this was called transmission as the force was being transmitted to the following cog, making is turn in the opposite direction. The children then completed their EUQ (End of Unit Quiz). It was clear in their knowledge that they have thoroughly enjoyed this unit.

In R.E., the children reflected upon how Jews worship and drew similarities and differences to that of Christianity. They noted how in a synagogue, men and woman sit separately, however in a most churches, the congregation can sit where they want. They also recognised that although they have different names, both religions have a holy book. The children then completed their EUQ, demonstrating all their knowledge from this half term of R.E.

This week in RHE, we reflected on our physical needs. The children then created a character and thought about how this character could feel safe, happy, maintain good mental health, feel rested and secure. We realised that our character needed to do, or experience, certain things every day to ensure their emotional needs were actively being met. The children also learnt about how tone, body language and volume can effect what we are saying in person. We identified that if we do not have the person in front of us, it is quite hard to get the full understanding from the conversation. We accessed scenarios on the SCARF website and tried using different tones in a conversation to really understand that if we don’t want to confuse people when we communicate, we need to be careful with what we say and how we say it.

It is hard to believe that the first half term of Year 5 is done. Wishing you all a restful, enjoyable half term.

Miss Bill

Today, St Stephen’s showed support for the charity ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ by raising money and wearing something red. This morning in Collective Worship, we had a conversation around what racism is and how these behaviours cannot be tolerated. We discussed the contribution we can make to ensure society is an inclusive place to be. We all agreed that we need to work hard to respect everyone and stand up to racism when we see it in order to ensure that every single person in this school, and society, feels safe, respected and loved. This is not a one off day for us. We know that every single person has a responsibility to help stand up to racism.  Next term, we look forward to spending a whole unit in Relationships and Health Education on ‘Valuing Difference’.

Throughout this week in English, we have been using our research of beluga whales and fennec foxes to write sentences using relative clauses, practise our use of commas to avoid ambiguity and also analysed an exemplar information text. Next week, we will use this knowledge to write our own information text for our chosen animal.

This week in Maths, we have continued with our addition and subtraction unit by using inverse operations, rounding to check answers and completing multi-step addition and subtraction problems.

This week in Science, we looked at how pulleys and levers allow a small force to have a greater effect. We made our own catapults and placed a rubber on the lever. We used a small force to push down the lever, which built up energy. When the lever was released, this energy converted to a motion and our load (a rubber) catapulted across the air. We concluded that the more the lever was bent, the further the load would travel as more energy had built up.

In History this week, the children explored some of the activities that The Victorians did during their leisure time. We identified that there are a lot of similarities to leisure activities that people take part in today; however, the main difference is that during the Victorian Era, these activities were only available to the wealthy. The children acted out watching a Punch and Judy show, going to the seaside and visiting a circus. The children finished by completing their History EUQ (End of Unit Quiz).

In R.E. this week, we looked at how Jews worship in a synagogue. We watched a video which took us on a tour through a London synagogue, highlighting the important features. We discussed the Ner Tamid, Ark, which stores the Torah scrolls, as well as the bimah, where the Cantor and Rabbi stand.

In RHE, we learned about the word assertive. We discussed how there will probably be times in the future where our friends try to make us do something we do not want to do. In order to maintain healthy relationships and keep ourselves safe, being assertive is a skill we need to learn. The children learnt that being assertive is using firm language and being confident, while remaining calm and respectful. We used role play to practise being assertive by making eye contact, using firm language and remaining confident. We learnt that being assertive does not mean being rude or aggressive. We discussed that there is no need to apologise for being assertive, it is an important life skill, which will come in handy one day!

Today, was DT day, where the children made their doodlers! They wrote their equipment list, material list and circuit components before then writing their method. They used their method to help them construct their doodlers. The children were delighted to see their doodler move, although the movement at times was very slight. They have brought the base of their doodler home with them.

Have a restful, enjoyable weekend!

Miss Bill

Yesterday, we celebrated World Mental Health Day by wearing yellow in support of YoungMind’s ‘Hello Yellow’ fundraiser. After a special Collective Worship, we used our RHE lesson to discuss the difference between mental and physical health as well as the importance of looking after our mental health like we do for our physical health. To support our mental health, we created positive affirmation cards that we can read at the start of every day to help promote a positive mindset.

This week in English, we began our new unit: Information Texts. The children began by completing a reading comprehension all about fishing. They used a range of their VIPER reading skills to comprehend the text. The children then looked at a range of information texts and had to identify the features. They identified headings, sub-headings, paragraphs, factual language, statistics etc. Today, the children began to gather research, either choosing between a Fennec Fox or a Beluga Whale, for their own information text, which they will be writing next week.

In Maths this week, we have begun our new unit: Addition and Subtraction. So far, we have looked at mental strategies, column addition and column subtraction. It would be great if the children could still practise their recall of addition and subtraction facts, alongside their timestables, to support them with their learning in Maths.

This week’s force was water resistance. Each week in Science, the children continue to showcase how much they are learning as they discuss and recap the previously taught forces. Having investigated air resistance using parachutes of different sizes, we found that objects travelling through water face a similar resisting force which slows them down. The children were presented with a statement: ‘The flatter an object, the less water resistance there will be’ and were asked to prove or disprove this statement. They used tall cylinders of water and two pieces of blue tack. They then timed how long it took for the blue tack to fall to the bottom of the cylinder when it was round and then when it was flattened. This allowed us to see how the object’s shape affected the water resistance pushing against it. The children gathered their results and began to draw conclusions.

In R.E., the children learnt about the Jewish day of rest, Shabbat. We watched a video of a Jewish family celebrating Shabbat. From watching the video, in small groups, the children had to act out a tradition or ritual that formed part of Shabbat, or happens on the day before, and the rest of the group had to identify what it was. From this, the children then considered any similarities between Jewish Shabbat and Christian Sabbath. Apart from them being on different days, the children were able to draw many similarities, such as, celebrating with their family, visiting the religious place of worship (synagogue or church) and reading from the holy text.

This afternoon in DT, the children ‘met the doodlers’. As a class, we experimented with a ready-made doodler. The children carried out a ‘product analysis’ to really think about the components and their purposes. They then took the doodler apart to see the effect of their amendments. As a class, we discussed what could be done to make the structure stronger and more stable. We also discussed what steps could be taken to make it even better.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bill

I’m sure you are all feeling very proud of your children after Silverstein delivered an amazing class assembly yesterday! After lots of hard work and practise, the children showcased their excellent acting talents alongside their beautiful singing voices as they took us on a journey through Ancient Greek myths.

This week, the children showed off their creative talents. After planning their creation myth on Monday, they wrote the first draft of their creation myth on Tuesday. I was amazed by the children’s use of language, relative clauses and parenthesis. There are definitely some authors in the making! The children then edited their marked work and checked they had met the success criteria. Once edited, they wrote the final draft of their creation myths, including their edits and ensuring their handwriting was increasing legible, joining those letters that should and leaving those that should not be joined. Silverstein’s fantastic creation myths can be found in our ‘Published Work Folder’ in the reading corner. Next week, we will begin our new unit, ‘Information Texts’.

The children also showcased their excellent place value knowledge this week. As we completed our place value unit, the children completed an assessment. We were impressed with the children’s knowledge and will continue to utilise this understanding in our other maths units in Year 5. Next week, we will began addition and subtraction.

In History this week, the children looked at Victorian inventions. They already knew about the Bessemer Converter, Steam Locomotive and Spinning Jenny but found out about other inventions of the time: flushing toilets, post boxes, stamps, typewriters and vacuums, just to name a few. The children then had to consider which inventions they felt were the most important and why.

In RHE this week, we talked about what makes a good friendship by looking at a famous friendship. We chose Harry, Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter and identified that their friendships were filled with negotiation, support, responsibility, teamwork, collaboration, kindness and creativity. We then considered what makes an unhealthy relationship and found that: lying, threats, lots of jealousy, fickleness and forcing someone to do something they do not want to, does not make a good friend. Following this, we then created our own recipe for a healthy relationship using some of the features we listed above.

This afternoon in RE, the children learnt about the Jewish holy book, The Torah. the children drew similarities to the bible as The Torah contains the first five books of Moses like the Old Testament of the Bible.

On Wednesday, St Stephen’s came together to celebrate Harvest Festival. We gave thanks for all we have and also prayed for those less fortunate than us. The children brought in very generous donations, which have now been sent to the Upper Room charity.

Have a restful weekend,

Miss Bill

Another busy week in Year 5!

The children began the week by practising their dictionary skills in English to find the meaning of high level vocabulary. The children created a glossary, which they can utilise next week when writing their own creation myth. The children also completed a reading comprehension, which focused on their inference, explanation and retrieval skills, and had a grammar focus lesson on parenthesis too.

In Maths this week, the children have partitioned numbers to 1,000,000, compared and ordered numbers to 1,000,000 and rounded numbers to the nearest 10, 100 and 1,000. We will continue to practise rounding next week before we complete our Place Value assessment. Our next unit is, ‘Addition and Subtraction’.

The children are thoroughly enjoying learning about forces and the practical experiments that we have been doing. This week, we learned about air resistance. We know that the force of gravity pulls everything towards the centre of the Earth, however, the children pointed out that people do jump out of aeroplanes (parachutists) and they can control the speed at which they hit the Earth. Through our experiment, we learned that the parachute creates air resistance that acts against gravity to help slow the fall.

In History, we looked at life in Victorian Slums. The children used sources to learn about how people in Victorian Britain lived their lives. They discovered that the slums were a breeding ground for disease because of open sewers, privies and cramped conditions.

In RHE, we talked about the role of a friend. We acted out different emotions in partners. One child had to act out an emotion and the other one had to respond, first in an uncaring manner and then in a caring manner. We discussed the different scenarios as a class and then identified the most appropriate, kind and caring reaction as a friend. We then created a list of the key qualities of friendship. We then talked about what makes a friendship positive and healthy by discussing some of our own, as well as ‘famous friendships’. We chose Harry, Ron and Hermione from the Harry Potter series and identified that their friendships were filled with negotiation, support, responsibility, teamwork, collaboration, kindness and creativity.

We have also been spending time practising our class assembly. If your child has not yet brought in their costume, this must be brought in on Monday. We can’t wait to share this with you.

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bill

In English this week, the children were introduced to relative clauses. We created main clauses and then used a relative clause to give more information about the noun. The children were able to identify how a relative clause is similar to a subordinate clause but must contain a relative pronoun. They wrote a descriptive paragraph about Pandora’s Box using relative clauses. We also revised the use of inverted commas, ensuring they were used accurately and consistently. Today, the children were introduced to their exemplar myth, ‘The Myth of Colour’. They analysed the text and identified a range of spelling, punctuation and grammar features.

We have been working extremely hard on our handwriting. This week we looked at forming long ladder letters. The children have been really aware of then applying this letter formation into their writing across all subjects.

In Maths, we have continued to work on our place value, reading and writing numbers to 1,000,000, finding 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000 more or less than a number and partitioned numbers to 1,000,000. This week’s Mathletics tasks will allow the children to practise these skills.

This week in R.E, we continued to learn about Jewish artefacts. After looking at a range of artefacts last week, the children then selected four to focus on and had to describe what its purpose was and how Jews use the artefact to help them practise their faith.

We continued with The Victorians in History this week by looking at the Industrial Revolution. We analysed pictures from the past, as well as reading information recorded from the time. Using this, we then recorded the positive and negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution on Britain. The Slave Trade, Child Labour and factory deaths formed many of the negatives, however, the children were able to recognise the positive impact inventions such as the Steam Locomotive and Spinning Jenny had on the production of goods.

In Science, the children looked at another force, friction. The children conducted a fair test by using three different surfaces, a newton meter and a weighted object to discover that the smoother the surface, the less friction therefore the easier it is for the object to move. The rougher or bumpier the surface, the more friction, which meant more effort and strength was required to move the object.

In RHE, we discussed encountering conflicts/problems and how best we overcome them. We then read about friends who were dealing with difficult situations and had to advise them on how to deal with the situation. This helped the children consider that in order to resolve a problem we need to listen, be polite, forgive and ask for forgiveness as well as understanding when it is important to say sorry. We then talked about the importance of negotiation and compromise.

This half term in DT, we will be making doodlers. This week, the children looked at other motorised products. We discussed how a motorised product has a circuit with a flow of electrical energy going to the motor. We looked at how a motorised whisk works: the electrical energy was being converted into rotational movement by the motor. Next week, the children will ‘meet the doodlers’.

Have a restful weekend and enjoy the sunshine!

Miss Bill

Please see the notices below:

Homo Viator X Noiasape – FREE Art workshops for Y5-6 students.

Willow Art are curating an Art exhibition entitled Homo Viator at Noiascape High Street House in Askew Road from 10th – 24th October.

As part of the exhibition, Willow Art & Noiascape are running a series of FREE 70 minute painting workshops on Saturday 19th October. We are inviting local schools/parents to provide 10 Year 5-6 pupils with an interest in visual art to attend the workshops.

The workshops will delve into local folklore and storytelling, creating a rich dialogue between art and community.

Workshops:

The workshops are held at 83 Askew Road, London W12 9A

Each workshop will be attended by 2 of the exhibiting artists and DBS-checked supervisors from Willow Art and Noiascape.

St Stephen’s workshop is at 1pm.

The workshops will involve painting and drawing. All drawing materials are provided. Children should come in old clothes that they can paint in. There is a toilet on site, and we can provide water for the children.

Parents can drop their children off from 12.50pm and pick them up at 2.10pm or are welcome to remain in the building (which is WI-FI enabled) whilst their children carry out the workshop.

The work the children produce will be used to contribute to a small exhibition in the gallery space. There will be a photographer on site during the event to record the workshop. If you do not want your child photographed, please inform a member of staff on arrival.

WORKSHOP 2 – St. Stephen’s School

Date: Sat 19/10/2024, 1pm

Location: Noiascape, High Street House, 83 Askew Road, London W12 9AH

Participating Artists: Jan Valik & Yifan Jiang

Updated Theme: The Flow We Share, The Waves We Feel

Medium: Indian Ink 2 x 1000ml, water, brushes, cloths, watercolour paper, watercolour tubes, pigments

Structure: The workshop explores ideas connected to fluidity working with water based media

For further information and to book your child’s space (on a first come first served basis), please contact Mrs Wordsworth – l.wordsworth@ststephensce.lbhf.sch.uk

Please find details below of two singing groups run by the Tri Borough music hub.

Our First Voices choir (years 1-2) is a group for children who love singing and enjoy taking part in performances. The students learn fun songs, rounds and musical games, as well as increasing their confidence when performing and developing fundamental musical skills.

Our Junior Voices choir (years 3-6) is a non-auditioned ensemble where students learn and perform music from a range of musical styles and through various teaching styles, including notation. The students develop key musicianship and performance skills, whilst engaging in regular performance opportunities throughout the year .For more details please follow the link below.

Registration – Tri-borough Music Hub (speedadmin.dk)

You can also contact Evie directly via email (evie.asio@rbkc.gov.uk) if you would like to discuss further.

Our second week in Year 5 has been crammed full of lots new learning, beginning lots of exciting topics!

After completing an initial reading and spelling assessment, we then began our English unit for this half term: Myths. In groups, the children read a given myth: Jason and the Golden Fleece, King Midas and the Golden Touch, Orpheus and Eurydice, Theseus and the Minotaur and Pandora’s Box. After hearing everyone’s myth, as a class we considered what these mythical stories had in common and made a features checklist in order to ensure that the myths we will create follow a similar style. We also used Theseus and the Minotaur to practise our reading skills, using each of our VIPERS. We ended the week with a drama lesson. The children thoroughly enjoyed getting into character as they acted out Pandora’s Box.

The children were put into their Maths classes this week and began their first unit of work: Place Value. So far, we have looked at Roman numerals to 1,000 and numbers to 10,000. Next week, the children will look at numbers to 100,000 and 1,000,000. This knowledge is crucial for the rest of the units we will complete in Maths.

The Victorians is our focus in History this half term. The children learnt all about the life of Queen Victoria and the impact she had on Britain. Many of the children recognised famous paintings of Queen Victoria wearing black. We discussed how many people then had the impression that she was a rather unfriendly, grumpy character. The children were therefore surprised to learn about her dedication to her country and her popularity in Britain during the 19^th century.

This half term in Science, we will be looking at Forces. On Wednesday, we began by looking at gravity. The children were able to define gravity as the force that pulls an object to the centre of the Earth. Through an experiment, we were able to test whether the weight of an object would effect the size of a crater left in the Earth. The children discovered that the heavier the object, the bigger the crater due to the weight impacting upon the gravitational pull, pulling it down to Earth more quickly.

This half term in R.E., the children will be studying Judaism and what it is like to live as a Jew. Each table were given different Jewish artefacts and as a group, had to discuss: What could it be called? What is it used for? What would the equivalent Christian artefact be? The children were then introduced to the names of these Jewish artefacts and explored what it was like to live as a Jew by considering how they are used in practise.

In Computing, we created a poster using the acronym S.M.A.R.T., which stands for Safety, Meeting, Accepting, Reliable and Tell. These words were prompts to help us remember how to stay safe and enjoy the internet responsibly.

In our first RHE lesson, we learned about the word ‘collaborate’ which means to work together. We worked in groups of 6 and had six pieces of newspaper and a roll of tape. In groups, we had to work together to construct the tallest tower. We realised we had to negotiate, discuss, listen, respect and be patient in order to work together. We learned that shouting over one another achieved very little and made us feel frustrated and unhappy!

The children have settled well into their first Gymnastics, Music and P.E. lessons and look forward to all that is to learn in these subjects throughout Year 5.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Bill

It was great to welcome the children back to school after a well-deserved summer break.

The children appear to have settled back into school life quite quickly. This week, we have looked at our class rules (Be Safe, Be Ready, Be Respectful), our class poet (Sheldon Silverstein) and completed a portfolio about our family heritage. The children also showcased their excellent artistic skills when they completed their self-portrait.

We look forward to next week and getting to know the children even better and seeing all they have to showcase!

Have a lovely weekend!

Miss Bill