Message from Mrs Brocklesby

On Tuesday evening, our Year 6 children celebrated a very special milestone as they received the Sacrament of Confirmation. The service was led by Bishop David, who confirmed the children in a beautiful and prayerful celebration.

We would like to congratulate all of the children on this important step in their faith journey and thank Bishop David for leading the ceremony.

A special thank you goes to Father Richard, Miss McGowan, and all the staff who supported and prepared the children so well for this memorable occasion.

This Sunday, we look forward to another special occasion as some of our Year 3 pupils celebrate their First Holy Communion.

This is an important and joyful milestone in their faith journey, and we keep the children and their families in our prayers as they prepare for this wonderful celebration.

Our sincere thanks go to Mr Tasker, Mrs Warnett, and Father Richard for their dedication, guidance, and support in helping the children prepare so thoughtfully for this special sacrament.

KIND HEARTS AND A HUNGER FOR JUSTICE

Message from Mrs Warnett

Reception

Reception have had another busy and exciting week of learning. In English, the children enjoyed exploring the story One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab, using the book to develop their counting and language skills. In Maths, they have been learning about 2D shapes, investigating how shapes can be rotated and recognising that a shape remains the same even when it is turned. They also explored positional language, working collaboratively to give and follow instructions.

In Geography, the children have been using maps and globes to learn about the world around them, identifying hot and cold places and discussing how different parts of the world vary. In Science, they have been learning about healthy eating and exploring how making healthy choices can help to keep our bodies strong and healthy.

In RE, the children have been learning about prayer and discussing the different ways people can pray, taking time to reflect on their own experiences of prayer. Meanwhile, in Forest School, the children enjoyed cooking some delicious snacks, developing their independence and learning new outdoor skills.

The children have worked incredibly hard throughout the week and should be very proud of all they have achieved.

Year 1 and 2

Year 1 and 2 loved their session with Kidderminster Harriers this week and honed their skills. They played lots of games that helped develop their ball skills and coordination. The session finished with some mini-games which the children participated in with great enthusiasm! Thank you to Kidderminster Harriers FC, as always, for your visit! The class did some lovely investigations into strong structures in DT. They first watched Mrs Price test a cuboid, triangular prism and cylinder made from paper by balancing piles of books on them, then when we found that the cylinder was the strongest, they then made their own that were different heights, widths, lengths and thicknesses to see which cylinder would be strongest! It was great to see their faces at the 'WOW!' moments that took them by surprise! What a fun way of learning about structures! In English, the class have been reading 'Emma Jane's Aeroplane' and enjoying looking at maps to see all the major cities and their landmarks. The class learnt about capital letters for place names (Year 1) and writing in the present tense (Year 2) as they wrote beautiful re-tells. In maths, the class have made a super start to learning to tell the time. We encourage all children to discuss telling the time at home as much as possible to help develop this essential life skill. Some great resources may be found online- ICT Games has some great telling the time games and the Topmarks website has a free teaching clock that can be used to teach the time with your child at home.

Year 3 and 4

Year 3 and Year 4 have had an excellent week with lots to celebrate. In design and technology, the children completed some design criteria for a timer that they are going to be used for a mindfulness activity for others. They needed to consider how the timer counts down time, what signal will be shared when time has ended, what length of time will be given to the activity and choose an appropriate activity to complete. The children are looking forward to using their skills for Micro:bits to create an appropriate timer. In geography, the children looked at locating Greece by using longitude and latitude lines. They were able to describe Greece's location using geographical language and recalled other countries in Europe that neighbour Greece. In French this week, the children continued looking at 'Les Fruits' by learning five more examples. The children were able to verbally recall and spell: une banane, un kiwi, un abricot, une peche and une orange. In science, the children finshed their 'Living Things' unit by researching and creating food chains. The children really enjoyed researching animals and labelling them producers, consumers, prey and predators. A final, huge 'well done!' must also go to the Year 4 children who completed their Official Times Table Tests this week. They have worked incredibly hard to recall multiplication facts at speed and are reaping the rewards for their hard work and efforts.  

Year 5

This week, Year 5 have been busy across the curriculum and have shown great enthusiasm in all of their learning. In Maths, the children have begun their new unit on shape, focusing on accurately measuring angles. Year 5 have gained an important new skill by learning how to estimate the size of angles and how to use protractors to measure and draw angles accurately. The children have demonstrated excellent perseverance as they practised these new techniques.

In English, Year 5 have continued their work on A Tadpole's Promise, focusing on sentence structure and developing cohesion through the use of complex sentences. The children have worked hard to make their writing more detailed and engaging. Alongside this, Year 5 have also embarked on the Young Writers' Ridiculous Writers competition. The children have thoroughly enjoyed creating their own whacky mini sagas, and there have been some hilariously creative stories produced by our talented writers.

In DT, the children have started their exciting new unit on bridges and structures. They have explored different bridge designs and have begun creating their own bridges using paper, investigating ways to strengthen their structures and improve stability. It has been wonderful to see the children experimenting, evaluating and refining their ideas.

In RE, Year 5 have begun learning about the Work of the Apostles. The children have been very reflective while studying the story of the Beggar at the Beautiful Gate, deepening their understanding of the events that took place after Jesus' Ascension into Heaven. Thoughtful discussions have helped the children consider how the Apostles continued Jesus' mission and shared God's love with others.

Well done, Year 5, for another productive and successful week of learning.

Year 6

It has been another busy and exciting week in Year 6! The Year 6 children were all thrilled that their Leavers’ hoodies have arrived – and they all look fabulous in them!

In science, pupils have completed their work on micro-organisms and are now moving on to evolution and inheritance, starting with a fascinating investigation into fossils.

During this week’s Harriers Healthkick session, the focus was on healthy eating and the importance of making sensible choices about our diet. Pupils considered not only what we eat, but also how food is prepared and the impact this can have on our health. They also recognised that exercise, alongside a healthy diet, is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

In geography, the children have been exploring the changes that have taken place in Worcestershire and across the UK since the end of the Second World War. They have been speaking like geographers to identify changes in population, land use, industry and infrastructure.

The children have also shown a fantastic attitude towards play rehearsals. Every morning, they have come in singing with enthusiasm, and they even chose to keep singing through wet breaktime. Their dedication and positivity have been wonderful to see - amazing work, Year 6, keep it up!

This week also saw 10 of our Year 6 pupils receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. All staff are incredibly proud of these children. They read beautifully and represented our school magnificently when speaking to Bishop David Evans. Thank you so much to all of the parents for their support and contributions to the celebration afterwards. The cake looked beautiful and the children enjoyed every bite!

A huge congratulations to Year 6 - well done!

Free School Meals – Check if you are eligible

The Department for Education has recently updated the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals. This means some families may now qualify, even if they have not been eligible in the past.

If you receive Universal Credit, you should apply. We strongly encourage all families to check their eligibility and submit an application.

To apply, you will need:

• Your name
• Your National Insurance number
• Your date of birth

Find out more and apply online here: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals

Please note: the application system will be unavailable from 9 July to 15 July.