Welcome back!
Robins: This half term, we will be learning all about minibeasts! This week, we learnt about the story ‘Snail Trail’ by Ruth Brown. We learnt about the adventure the snail went on, all around the garden! We discovered lots of snails around our school grounds and decided to take them back to class to investigate! We were excited to see the different patterns on their shells and noticed that each snail had a unique pattern of their own! We also learnt that the slimy trail they leave behind is mucus! We came into school this week, to find a new and exciting roleplay area in our classroom! We have our very own Minibeast Investigation Lab, where we can go and become scientists! In the lab, we are busy finding out about different insects!
Woodpeckers: we started the term looking at the book Martha Maps it Out by Leigh Hodgkinson. We loved looking exploring the maps of different parts of Martha's life. We then thought about making our own map using adjectives to describe ourselves, and statements and questions to describe our thoughts. We then put these together and made our own beautiful and insightful maps. In Maths this week we have been working on addition and subtraction. Year 2 were adding and subtracting using tens and ones, and year 1 were adding using known number bonds. We started our new topic 'We are Geographers' this week by learning about compass points and using them to navigate to the pirate's treasure. We then designed our own treasure maps. In Science this week we started to think about famous Scientists and inventors. In PSHE this week we thought about communities, and how we can help in the school community.
Kingfishers: This week in English, we began to explore our new text this term, Escape from Pompeii. In Maths, we learnt how to use the grid method for multiplication and how to do short multiplication. In Topic, we created a mind map of everything we know about the Romans so far and we learnt lots of facts about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In Science, we also created a mind map about our teeth and healthy living and recapped our knowledge of omnivores, herbivores and carnivores. In RE, we looked at our Big Question and thought about what it means. In PSHE, we discussed the importance of personal space and respect other people’s bodies. We explored different scenarios and what we would do. Please refer to the school website for information regarding school trips, homework and MTC information!
Owls: This week we began to think about our new piece of writing – writing from different points of view. We are using a section from our class novel – Skellig – to base our writing on. In Maths we are investigating shapes, angles, symmetry and reflection. In RE we began our new topic – religious journeys and thought about what a pilgrimage is. We are coming to the end of our suffragette topic in History and this week we looked at jobs women would have done pre-war, during the war then post-war. We also made suffrage rosettes. In Science we started to look at Evolution and began to explore the evolutionary tree. In computing we looked at flow charts as a precursor to using different coding systems. In PSHE we start to look at what makes up our identity.
Change of Date
Our May Day celebration has been moved back a week, from Wednesday 1st May to Wednesday 8th May at 2pm in the playground. The ‘court’ (Year 6 children) will be announced soon. Fingers crossed for no rain!
A healthy school
As a healthy school we encourage healthy eating, can we remind you that children should have fruit at break time and no chocolate bars either at break or in their lunch box. Grapes and tomatoes present a choking hazard, if you put some in your child’s lunch box, please can you ensure they are halved or quartered. Thank you.
Have a lovely weekend!
Summer 1 Dates
School Value – Resilience British Value – Individual liberty
Friday 26th May: Woodpeckers and Robins Shining Star Showcase 9am
Wednesday 8th May: May Day Dancing 2pm in school
Thursday 9th May: Kingfisher trip to Chedworth Roman Villa
Week beginning 13th May: KS2 SATs
Friday 17th May: Big Question
Week beginning 20th May: Arts week
Tuesday 21st May: Year 6 transition day to Marlborough 9:30 – 12:15pm
Friday 24th May: INSET
Monday 27th May: Half term
Monday 3rd June: INSET
Tuesday 4th June: Return to school.
Robins: This week we learnt all about the story ‘The Very Busy Spider’ by Eric Carle. We were so excited to learn all about spiders and how they live. We learnt how it can take one hour for a spider to spin a web and that they use their webs to catch their dinner! We had a lot of fun at the finger gym this week! We found black playdough, pipe cleaners and googly eyes! We enjoyed shaping the playdough into a spider’s body, using our hands and different tools. We then stuck eight legs onto our body and finally stuck eyes onto our minibeast! In topic this week, we went on a treasure hunt, to find spiders in our playground! We worked in pairs to read a simple map to find where the spiders were hiding. We had to work together and mark off the spiders each time we found one. In Maths this week, the Reception children have been learning all about shapes! We learnt that 2D shapes are flat and 3D shapes are solid! We then learnt the names of 3D shapes and explored their properties. We learnt that 3D shapes have faces, but nothing like our faces! We then used the 3D shapes to build our own models!
Woodpeckers: This week we have been looking at the book Tidy, by Emily Gravett. We described Pete the badger and decided that he was a good character even though he got carried away and ruined the forest. We then wrote a letter to the other animals using the conjunction because, to explain his actions. In maths this week we have been making and drawing arrays to help with multiplication. We also practised mental multiplication using the times tables we already know. In art this week, we created portraits of inspirational women to share in our assembly. In Geography this week we learned about aerial views and created a plan map of our classroom. In RE this week, we thought about special places and discussed our special place. Thank you to everyone who came to our Shining Star Showcase, the children were amazing, and we are so proud.
Kingfishers: This week in English, we have been writing eyewitness accounts from the perspective of a character from our class text, Escape from Pompeii by Christina Balit. In Maths, we have been solving short division and multiplication problems. In History, we learnt about how the Roman Empire started and recapped on our learning of Pompeii so far. In RE, we reflected on our Big Question this term and discussed the importance of journeys. In Science, we explored food chains. We have also been practising our dancing for May Day coming up Wednesday 8th May. Kingfishers are taking part in a very exciting poetry competition for Young Writers, in which they could win prizes and have their poem published in a book! Children need to write their own poem based on 'dreams' and hand it in to Miss Jackson by Wednesday 15th May. Also, all information about this term's homework is on the Kingfishers page on our school website including links to resources.
Owls: This week we have been continuing our writing from different points of view with some drama. We focused on our movements and facial expression to show emotions. We are waiting with baited breath for Wednesday 1st May as that is when they announce the finalists of the Poetry by Heart Competition! In Maths, year 5 interpreted and drew line graphs while year 6 labelled circles and used BBC Bitesize for revision. In RE we continued to look at religious journeys by studying the way of St James in Spain – the third most important pilgramage in Christianity. In Spanish we learned how to tell the time. In computing the children wrote their own flowcharts and algorithms.
Shining Star Showcase
Thank you to every one who came to the Robin and Woodpecker Shining Star Showcase. It was another wonderful and exciting assembly! We are very proud of the children they worked very hard and performed beautifully.
May Day
Our May Queen is: Sylvie Mc Naught
Jack-of-the-Green: Sebastian Brouwer
Hobby Horse: Asher Mason
The May Queens Attendants: Caisey-Paige Whitford, Pippa Evans, Evie Howells and Raven Champion.
Torch Bearers: Ollie Bagnall, Alby Dunne, Regan McMahon, Ewan Barrett
Branch Bearers: Ted Merriott, Archie Allen,
Narrators: Luca Mills and Jack Mullane
We warmly invite you into school to watch the crowning of the May Queen with traditional dancing and singing at 2pm on Wednesday 8th May 2024. Gates will open at 1:50pm and close at 2pm. Fingers crossed for a dry day!
Children need to wear white shirts with either school skirt or trousers and a corsage. To differentiate the children in the May Queen’s Court - they dress slightly differently - dresses or school trousers, white shirt, bowtie, waistcoat, and a corsage.
Have a good weekend!
Summer 1 Dates
School Value – Resilience British Value – Individual liberty
Wednesday 8th May: May Day Dancing 2pm in school
Thursday 9th May: Kingfisher trip to Chedworth Roman Villa
Week beginning 13th May: KS2 SATs
Friday 17th May: Big Question
Week beginning 20th May: Arts week
Tuesday 21st May: Year 6 transition day to Marlborough 9:30 – 12:15pm
Friday 24th May: INSET
Monday 27th May: Half term
Monday 3rd June: INSET
Tuesday 4th June: Return to school.
Robins: This week we learnt all about bees! We learnt about how bees are natures tiny miracles, and we have a lot to thank them for! We learnt that bees visit flowers to collect pollen. Each time they visit a new flower they leave a little gift of pollen, which helps the plants to grow and gives us food to eat! We had a lovely walk to our local church this week, as part of our learning about special places in R.E. The sun was shining and when we got into the church, we were excited to see the beautiful stained-glass windows. We also found a bell tower, a lectern with the Bible and an organ! At the creation station this week, we created our own bees! We used colourful paper and scissors to cut out different shapes. We cut out a yellow round body, long black stripes and white wings! We finally added an eye for our bee to see the beautiful flowers! In Topic this week, we learnt all about honey bees! We learnt that each honey bee has a specific job to do. We learnt about the Queen bee, who lays the eggs in the hive. The Drone bee helps the Queen lay the eggs and the Worker bees collect pollen and make honey. Outside, we acted out these jobs!
Woodpeckers: This week in English we continued to look at Tidy by Emily Gravett. We described the forest before and after it was tidied, we thought about using first person to retell the story and created a storyboard. In Maths, we have been dividing using cubes and sharing circles and thinking about using times tables to help. In Science, we learned about Louis Pasteur and his discoveries about germs. We also did an experiment with glitter to show how easily germs spread, and how effective using soap is! In Geography we went out into the school grounds and created aerial maps. In RE this week we discussed how our special places make us feel.
Kingfishers: This week in English, we have finished writing our eyewitness accounts based on our class text, Escape from Pompeii. We then began to explore newspaper articles and direct speech. In Maths, we completed our review of multiplication and division. In History and Art, we learnt about the Roman Army and designed our own shields. In RE, we explored what a pilgrimage is. In Science, we continued to learn about food chains. We have also carried on reading our class story, Butterfly Lion and did lots of practise for May day next week.
Owls: This week in English we continued with our writing from different points of view. We used a graph to see how the tension grows within the text, and noted what techniques were used to create that tension. We worked on our opening sentences making sure they hooked the reader. In Maths, year 6 continued with their revision, they studied reflection, translation and co-ordinates. Year 5 continued with statistics - retrieving information from tables. We have learnt our dances for May Day which are coming along very nicely! We researched angels – to investigate the possibility that that is what the man in the garage from our class novel is. In RE we continued looking at religious journeys.
May Day
We warmly invite you into school to watch the crowning of the May Queen with traditional dancing and singing at 2pm on Wednesday 8th May 2024. Gates will open at 1:50pm and close at 2pm. Fingers crossed for a dry day!
Children need to wear white shirts with either school skirt or trousers and a corsage. To differentiate the children in the May Queen’s Court - they dress slightly differently - dresses or school trousers, white shirt, bow tie, waistcoat, and a corsage.
Arts Week
On the beginning 20th May, we are participating in Arts week. The theme is, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. The children will partake in art, drama, poetry and musical activities. We would like to invite you, into your child’s class to join in with the making of props and crafts. This is our end of term play, and we are hoping that some of the wonderful creations made can be used as props and decorations! Come and have a crafty afternoon!
Parents of Kingfishers and Owls: Tuesday 21st May from 1:30
Parents of Robins and Woodpeckers: Wednesday 22nd May from 1:30
Remember it’s a bank holiday weekend! Fingers crossed for sunshine!
Summer 1 Dates
School Value – Resilience British Value – Individual liberty
Monday 6th May: Bank holiday
Wednesday 8th May: May Day Dancing 2pm in school
Thursday 9th May: Kingfisher trip to Chedworth Roman Villa
Week beginning 13th may: KS2 SATs
Friday 17th May: Big Question
Week beginning 20th May: Arts week
(Parents of Kingfishers and Owls: Tuesday 21st May from 1:30
Parents of Robins and Woodpeckers: Wednesday 22nd May from 1:30)
Tuesday 21st May: Year 6 transition day to Marlborough 9:30 – 12:15pm
Friday 24th May: INSET
Monday 27th May: Half term
Monday 3rd June: INSET
Tuesday 4th June: Return to school.
Robins: This week we learnt all about ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle. We learnt about how caterpillars start as an egg and then hatch into very hungry caterpillar! In the story, the caterpillar ate and ate until he had a stomach-ache! We created our own caterpillars and butterflies this week! We printed caterpillars using paint and 2D shapes! We made butterfly collages using leaves and sequins, to create patterns on the wings. We noticed that we could make symmetrical patterns, by reflected the pattern on one wing onto the other! In Maths this week, we have been learning about how to count by ten. We learnt that each time we count on, we add ten! We created our own ‘ten’ caterpillars using the multilink. We each counted out ten cubes to create our caterpillars and then counted in tens to find how many cubes all together! We have loved being outside in the sunshine this week! We are so lucky to have such a lovely outdoor learning area, with so much to do! We enjoyed playing at the water, tipping and pouring. We painted pictures at our outdoor easel and built a zoo using the large loose parts!
Woodpeckers: In English this week we finished retelling Tidy from Pete the badger's point of view. We tried to use adjectives, conjunctions, and different sentence openers. In maths we have been thinking about doubling and halving using known number facts. We ended the week with a treasure hunt covering everything we have learnt before. In Geography this week, we went on a walk around the village using a map and a key, marking out different landmarks. In RE this week we continued to look at special places, learning about synagogues and items that might be found there.
Kingfishers: This week in English, we have been carrying on exploring features of a newspaper report. In Maths, we learnt more about fractions and recognising them in different forms and shapes. In Topic, we learnt about the Roman Army. In Art, we finished painting our Roman shields. We finished reading The Butterfly Lion and discussed and reviewed the story. Well done to all the Kingfishers for working super hard on their Maypole dancing, they did brilliantly. Also, they were very kind, respectful and were a great representation for the school when visiting Chedworth Roman Villa yesterday - they had lots of fun and learnt lots about our history topic.
Owls: We wrote metaphoric poems about Skellig this week, we looked at Skellig as a person, mood, object and colour. We hope to publish some in the village magazine. Rehearsals are underway! We had our first read through this week, it was really helpful that children had already been reading their scripts. Now begins a wonderfu term of creativity! In Maths year 6 were revising fractions – all sorts – simplification, equivelancy, addition, suntraction, division and muultiplication. Year 5 looked a place value and powers of 10. We danced exceptionally well on Wednesday! We decided folk dancing uses a lot of maths – counting and shapes on the floor. May Day is a lovely Bletch tradition and we enjoy everyone coming along to see us.
Summer
As the warm weather has arrived, can ensure your child has a sunhat and a waterbottle in school. Without a hat, your child will be asked to play in the shade. If you wish your child to wear suncream, please apply an all day cream in the morning before coming to school or give your child a roll-on (not a tube) which they can apply themselves. Teachers are not able to apply suncream.
Parking
A member of the community has contacted the school as they are concerned with cars parking on the grass along Sand Furlong. Can I ask you park considerately at drop off/pick up times and at special events.
Have a good weekend!
Summer 1 Dates
School Value – Resilience British Value – Individual liberty
Week beginning 13th may: KS2 SATs
Friday 17th May: Big Question
Week beginning 20th May: Arts week
(Parents of Kingfishers and Owls: Tuesday 21st May from 1:30
Parents of Robins and Woodpeckers: Wednesday 22nd May from 1:30)
Tuesday 21st May: Year 6 transition day to Marlborough 9:30 – 12:15pm
Friday 24th May: INSET
Monday 27th May: Half term
Monday 3rd June: INSET
Tuesday 4th June: Return to school.
Robins: This week we learnt all about the story ‘What the Ladybird Heard’. We decided that this was a very funny story and loved learning about the ladybird’s clever plan to stop the bad men! We retold the story at the small world and enjoyed making the noises for all of the different animals. This week, we were lucky enough to have a visit from Mrs George, who had come to do some baking with us! We created our own snail pastries! We cut out a strip of pastry and sprinkled it with cheese. We then used our hand to twist the pastry into a swirl to create the shell! We then added toothpicks and tomatoes for the eyes! At the creation station this week, we created beautiful ladybird art work. We used apples, cut in half to print out the shape of the body of the ladybird. We then used cotton buds to add a head and antennae! We enjoyed exploring the ‘Bad Mens’ map from our story of the week so much, that we created our own maps! We drew pictures of the different features we wanted on our farms and then drew a line to know which way to go!
Woodpeckers: This week in English we have been writing forest poems. We used the story Tidy as our inspiration, and then tried to include adjectives, verbs and alliteration. In Maths this week we have started to learn about mass, capacity and volume. In Science this week we learnt about the scientists involved in discovering and using wind power. Then we made our own wind turbines. In Geography this week, we looked at a map of a place called Spring Town. Spring Town had not been designed well and had problems such as the rubbish dump being next to the houses, and the park being very small. We then made our own maps, redesigning Spring Town to make the residents happy! We ended the week with our Big Question, Do we need Shared Special Places? We thought about our own special places and how they make us feel, special places in our community and places of worship such as Churches and Synagogues.
Kingfishers: This week in English, we focused on using inverted commas in our writing to help us write our newspaper reports about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In Maths, we reviewed our learning of fractions so far. In Topic, we learnt about the beginning of the Roman Empire and the impact the Romans had on Britain. In Science, we learnt about the different types of teeth and why we need them as well as why we should look after them. In Music, we practised using our recorders. In RE, we had our Big Question Day in which we reviewed our learning of Pilgrimages in Christianity and Hinduism and reflected on our question as to whether a Holy journey is necessary for believers.
Owls: We’ve had a bit of a topsy turvy week! The year 6s had a brilliant attitude when sitting their SATs. They stayed calm and focused. They said they would like to tell the year 5s - it’s fine, it’s not a stress. The Year 5s had to move out of our classroom in the mornings to work in the hall, they were very respectful of the year 6s need for concentration. Year 5s summarised the story of St Kevin this week (linked to Skellig), when praying a blackbird landed in his hand and laid her eggs. He stayed still until the eggs hatched and the fledglings had gone. He lived to be 121 years old! We had our first play rehearsal this week, things are going well! We now need to make a big effort to learn our lines – our deadline for this is when we come back after half term. We looked at the Big Question, ‘Is a Holy journey necessary for believers?’ We took part in our own journey and thought about journeys people of the Jewish and Islamic faith took. We reflected that sometimes the journey is important – not just the destination.
Parent Questionnaire
Please fill in our parent questionnaire so we can work together to make Bletchingdon a place where your children can Shine Like Stars! Follow the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/PBKH4EhnhH
Arts Week
Next week is Art Week based around A midsummers Night’s Dream. We would like to invite you, into your child’s class to join in with the making of props and crafts. This is our end of term play, and we are hoping that some of the wonderful creations made can be used as props and decorations! Come and have a crafty afternoon!
Parents of Kingfishers and Owls: Tuesday 21st May from 1:30pm
Parents of Robins and Woodpeckers: Wednesday 22nd May from 1:30 – 2:30pm
Lunches
A gentle reminder that school lunches must be paid for in advance. Please ensure there is enough money in your Parent Pay account or your child may not receive a school lunch will have to call on you to provide an alternative. Look out for the new menu – you should have received an email and it’s on the website.
Attendance
The Government continue to roll out their national drive to improve school attendance. For most pupils, the best place to be during term-time in is school, surrounded by the support of their friends and teachers.
This is important not just for your child’s learning, but also for their overall wellbeing, wider development and their mental health.
As a parent, it can be difficult to know when to send your child into school if they are feeling unwell or a mildly anxious, but finding solutions is a team effort between schools, parents and children, and there is support and information available to help you make the best decision for your child.
Please be advised, holidays taken in term time will not be authorised.
Please take a look at the Education Hub Blog, for help and advice.
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/03/improving-school-attendance/
Have a good Weekend.
Summer 1 Dates
School Value – Service British Value – Individual liberty
Week beginning 20th May: Arts week
(Parents of Kingfishers and Owls: Tuesday 21st May from 1:30
Parents of Robins and Woodpeckers: Wednesday 22nd May from 1:30 – 2:30pm)
Tuesday 21st May: Year 6 transition day to Marlborough 9:30 – 12:15pm
Tuesday 21st May: Year 5 Parent Meeting 2:30pm
Friday 24th May: INSET
Monday 27th May: Half term
Monday 3rd June: INSET
Tuesday 4th June: Return to school.
Welcome Back!
7th June 2024
Robins: Welcome back Robin Class and families! This our final half term of the year and we started off with an exciting new topic, ‘Superheroes!’ This week, we read the story ‘Supertato’, which we all agreed was a very funny story all about how a super potato save the day from an evil pea! Supertato inspired us so much, that we created our own unique versions of him at the creation station. We used scissors to carefully cut out each part of our Supertato. We needed a body, legs, arms and a mask! Finally, we added googly eyes and a special ‘S’ on his belt! We had a super start to our ‘Superheroes’ topic, with a visit from some real-life superheroes themselves, Firefighters! First, we learnt about what to do if there is a fire in our home. We learnt about what sound a fire alarm makes and what to do when hear it ring. We learnt that if we have fire on our bodies, we have to STOP, DROP and ROLL! Outside, we looked at all of the amazing equipment inside the firetruck! After this, we each had a chance to spray the hose, which was super powerful!
Woodpeckers: This week in English we thought about interesting questions for the firefighters that visited. We then wrote a recount explaining what had happened during the visit and what we had enjoyed. In maths this week we have been counting in 2s, 5s and 10s, and thinking about doubling and halving. We started our new topic this week, Bletchingdon through the ages. We learnt about Bletchingdon Park, and features of Georgian manor houses. Homework grids have been sent home, if you did not get one, please let me know. It is also available to download from the website. In PSHE this term, we are thinking about our bodies, how we keep them safe and healthy, and the importance of private. This week, we thought about being active and sleep. We made lists of things we could do to be actvie, and aways to help ensure we get good sleep.
Kingfishers: This week in English, we explored our new class story - The Promise by Nicola Davies. We did some investigating on the book's theme, setting and compared characters. We also learnt about rural and urban areas to help us understand the context of the story - we held a debate as to whether it was better to live in an urban or rural area. In Maths, we learnt how to order and compare fractions. In Topic, we reviewed our learning of the Romans and began to explore our new Geography topic, North America. In RE, we discussed our new Big Question and learnt about and compared different creation stories. In Music, we carried on practising with our recorders and listened to music inspired by places such as New York.
Owls: In English this week have written a love letter from Titania to Bottom, two characters from A Midsummers Night’s Dream and started writing the narrative of Bottom’s dream. Rehearsals have stepped up a gear and we no longer use scripts on stage so we can concentrate on our acting. Your child should have brought home a costume list. Hopefully, you should either have the items for their costumes or it can be borrowed from friends and family. If you are struggling to find items, please come and talk to a member of the Owl class staff. In Geography we began out new topic of Brazil. We found out where in the world it was using atlas and maps. We began our new RE topic of creation this week and we looked at what Christians believe by studying Genesis from the Old Testament.
Please can children remember their swimming kit and a packed lunch on Thursdays. Mrs Mason is incredibly busy in the morning and is finding it difficult to contact the volume of parents whose child forgot their kit.
Picture News
Picture News provides our school with resources to create engaging and exciting assemblies, allowing opportunities for children to learn about our world, develop independence, resilience, respect and unlock their own drive and passion for learning. Teaching the news not only provides great content and stimulus and grips children’s attention, it is also something that the children can impact. It is current, happening now and so their voice is given meaning and purpose. It is our world and we all matter. By giving the children a voice, it encourages them to use it to impact things they are inspired by or feel passionately about.
Picture News this week focused on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the British Values of mutual respect and tolerance and the protected characteristics of religion or belief and how we should never be treated unfairly because of them.
Shoes
Children need two pairs of shoes in school – a pair of trainers for PE and outside at break times and school shoes for inside.
Summer 2
School Value - Koinonia British Value – All
Tuesday 4th June: return to school
Monday 17th June: Nursery Open Morning (for new parents)
Thursday 20th June: Year 6 Transition to Marlborough 9:30 – 2:30pm
Saturday 22nd June: Summer Family Fun Day
Week beginning 1st July Sports week
Tuesday 2nd July: Year 6 Transition to Marlborough 8:25 – 3:05pm
Tuesday 2nd July: Quidditch Day
Wednesday 3rd July: Robin and Woodpecker school trip
Thursday 4th July: Year 6 Leaver’s Service at Christchurch, Oxford
Friday 5th July: Sports afternoon 1:30pm
Wednesday 10th July: Class Photos
Wednesday 17th July: School Play, matinee performance
Thursday 18th July: School Play, evening performance
Monday 22nd July: Leaver’s Service in church 2pm
Tuesday 23rd July: Summer holiday 1:30 finish.
See Newsletters
Headteacher Caroline Walker
