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Preston
Primary School
Academy

Unit 2 Spring 2 Newsletter

'How do you wash a woolly mammoth?'

Literacy:

We are using a high- quality text called ‘How to wash a woolly mammoth’ to teach the children how to write a set of instructions. This text is fun and the children have enjoyed the immersion activities completed at home or school so far. These activities have included: acting the instructions out and creating their own colourful and creative story maps. These immersion activities are important because they enable the children to think deeply about the text and develop an understanding of the structure of the text and vocabulary used. This will help them when they begin to write their own set of instructions before the Easter holidays. Throughout this half-term children will develop an understanding of imperative verbs, exclamation sentences and adverbs to build upon their prior knowledge gained last half-term. We will continue to emphasise the importance of sentence building basics including full stops and capital letters. We will also be working on improving children’s writing stamina.

Outcome:

We will be creating class books where we collate the instructions that each child has written. We will display these in the classrooms for each child to see and take pride in.

Maths

In Year 1 we are continuing with division for a short while before moving on to length, height, volume and capacity. This will involve lots of practical learning including collaborating to perform experiments looking at capacity.

In Year 2 we are continuing with division before moving on to learning about fractions. The children will gain a better understanding of how division links to fractions and how fractions can be used in wider contexts.

The children will use a wide variety of manipulatives to aid their learning and will continue to work on communication skills through working with a partner.

Vocabulary

The children will be introduced to a range of vocabulary, ranging from simple everyday words (tier 1) to complex vocabulary that is context driven (tier 3). The children will learn to use adverbs, adjectives and imperative verbs within their writing.

Tier 1 and 2 words: cut, place, squares, instructions, step

 

Tier 3 words: imperative verbs, collage, gaps, mosaics, features, arrange, humorous, notoriously, diagram, sequence

Pastoral care:

We are aware that the children have experienced lots of changes recently. We will be working hard to support them emotionally during school reopening. Teaching staff will be visible at the beginning and end of the day if you would like to share any observations or queries with them. We will be planning lots of collaborative and exciting opportunities for children to help ease them back into the routines and expectations of school life. If you have any further questions or worries, please contact our pastoral team: pastoral@preston.torbay.sch.uk

Music, art, poetry and film:

The children will participate in fortnightly music lessons learning about the dimensions of music including pulse, rhythm and pitch. We will also be learning an Easter song and a poem, and performing them. We will upload a video to Teams so that parents can join in our Easter celebrations. Further details will be provided.

School Value:

Instilling the importance of Teamwork in a child will shape their cognitive, social and emotional skills which will guide them throughout their life. It all starts with communication. Take turns to hear and be heard. Empathise with others and enjoy being in a team.

Wider curriculum:

Art: In art we are going to create Easter collages using a variety of different materials, looking at texture and shape.

PSHE: We will be looking at family and friendships, including the roles that people play in our lives, what it means to be a family member and how families are different.

PE: In PE the children will be using team work to play outdoors athletics games.

RE: In RE we are going to learn about the Easter story and perform some songs and poetry in celebration of new beginnings. The children will be able to re-tell the Easter story and understand why it is important to Christians.

Messages

Allergies: We have a number of children with nut and kiwi allergies so please ensure these products are not brought into school.

Absence: Should your child be absent due to illness please call the absence line on 01803 607589 and leave a message with your child’s name, class and reason for absence. Alternatively, you can text this information to 07786208446. If your child has sickness and/or diarrhoea, they will need to be absent for 48 hours after the last episode of illness. For planned absences of any nature, you will need to complete an absence request form - these are available on the school website.

Times of the school day: The school day begins for us at 8:50am and finishes at 3:15pm.

Please remember to socially distance while on school premises and when leaving the site. Please wear a mask when on the school site. If you have messages for the office, please email them on admin@preston.torbay.sch.uk.

On PE days, please ensure your child wears a full PE kit to school. The Tawny Owls and Snowy Owls will have PE every Tuesday, and the Little Owls will have PE every Wednesday. Please ensure your child has a pair of named wellies in a bag in school, so that we can go to the Woodland Camp.

Dates to remember:

Monday 8th March – School reopens for all.

Friday 12th March – Whole School World Book Day

Thursday 1st April – Last day of term.

Reading at Home: Children will bring home two new Read Write Inc books weekly. Please encourage your child to read these aloud to you as often as is possible. These books are linked to sounds they have learnt and they should read these independently. This will help your child to develop fluency and expression, which will enable them to become confident readers. Your child will also bring home a library book. Please share this with your child and enjoy time spent reading together.

Home Learning

Please encourage and support your child to watch the Read Write Inc speed sounds videos that teachers have uploaded to Teams. There are activities set on Teams for your child to complete based upon the text ‘How to wash a woolly mammoth’. We will continue to use Teams and Streams to communicate with families. Home learning will be set each half term and Read Write Inc videos will be uploaded for children to watch on Streams. Please encourage your child to continue playing SumDog, TT Rockstars, and Spelling and Maths Sheds to build fluency.

Address
Preston Primary School Academy
Old Paignton Road
Torquay
Devon
TQ2 6UY

Phone
01803 607075