Reception and Year 1 have had another busy and exciting week! In History, the children have enjoyed finding out more about Guy Fawkes and the secret Gunpowder Plot. They then spent time thinking carefully about other ways Guy Fawkes and the plotters could have tried to bring about change without resorting to such an extreme plan. In Science, the children have continued learning about the properties of different materials. This week, they particularly enjoyed carrying out investigations to test which materials were waterproof and which were absorbent. Both year groups have continued to work incredibly hard with their phonics, and it has been wonderful to see our Reception children beginning to blend sounds together to read words. At Forest School, the children enjoyed developing their practical skills and safely using a range of tools, including palm drills, bow saws and hammers. Another fantastic week of learning for Reception and Year 1!

Year 2 and 3

This week has been a really exciting week for the class as they have been making their scarecrow for the Churchfields' Scarecrow Festival! The class have made Reginald Rake from The Scarecrow's Wedding by Julia Donaldson. Linked to the wildfires over the summer, we discussed the danger of fires, especially in dry weather. The class built a beautiful scarecrow as well as creating some colourful signs to go with him, warning people of the dangers of fire. The children have all been given a free ticket to Churchfields' Fun Farm this weekend and can't wait to go and vote for their scarecrow in the competition. There will be lots of scarecrows there to see, which will be dotted around the Fun Farm. We hope to see lots of you there! Thank you to Mrs Harris and Mr Tasker for all of their help creating the scarecrow. Mr Tasker's forest school skills came in very handy! Thank you also to Mrs Checketts for very kindly coming in to help the class. Well done, Year 2 and 3! The class used their work to help them write a beautiful set of instructions in English this week, telling others how to build a scarecrow too. The class have been partitioning 2 and 3 digit numbers in maths, finding different ways to make larger numbers. The class have been enjoying their new Spelling Shed lessons and are keen to use the logins in their Reading Records to practice their spelling skills via the online games. 

Swimmers

Today, it was lovely to hear the words of the coach driver on the swimming run today as he complimented our school. He made a point of going to the staff to tell them how wonderful our children are. He said, "I take lots of schools swimming every week, but St Wulstan's is by far the best." This was so lovely to hear and something that is echoed by visitors to the school and when we take the children out of school. We are always so proud of our children and it is important not to forget just how special the children in our lovely school are. All the children at swimming today received a house point for making us extra proud today!

Year 4/5

Year 4/5 have had an excellent week of learning and have continued their great start to the year. We have been developing our understanding of Mesoamerica in our writing and geography lessons. In writing, we have been reading and using 'The Chocolate Tree' as a vehicle to write using ambitious adjectives and FANBOYS coordinating conjunctions. In geography, the children used atlases to find continents and countries by labelling maps of the world and Central America. The children started their new design and technology unit this week by looking at mechanisms to create a pop-up book. The children will use the story of Jack and Jill for inspiration and use levers, sliders and pivots to create motion within the book. In science, the children investigated materials to decide which were good conductors or insulators. They applied their knowledge of electrical circuits from last year to set up their investigation and recognised that aluminium, steel and copper were the next conductors as they created least resistance to the flow of electricity. Finally, in Forest School this week, the children played some more variations of hide-and-seek games as they thoroughly enjoy exploring the woodland in this way. We also collected various colour of leaves and sorted them into groups to see their variations and continued to develop their motor skills by hammering nails to create pieces of art. A busy week, well done everyone!

Year 6 

Year 6 has had another fantastic week of learning. The children have worked hard across all subjects and have demonstrated enthusiasm, curiosity and teamwork throughout their lessons. In Geography, the class has been learning about counties and regions of the UK, with a particular focus on the county in which they live and the neighbouring counties that border it. The children have been developing their map-reading skills and practising how to speak like geographers by using accurate geographical vocabulary. This week in RE, the children have been exploring the consequences of actions and discussing how choices can affect relationships with God and with one another. Through role-play scenarios, they considered different situations and reflected on how positive actions can strengthen relationships. In Science, the class has been investigating which materials are the most reflective and considering why reflective materials are important in real-life situations. The children enjoyed testing a range of materials and explaining their scientific observations. All of the children have now written a retelling of The Crow's Tale, and their work has been a pleasure to read. Next week, they will begin studying an extract from Street Child and will explore how authors use powerful vocabulary to create vivid and engaging setting descriptions. In PE the children used their map-reading skills to follow courses on the netball court. Success depended on teamwork, communication and ensuring that maps were orientated correctly. It was wonderful to see the children collaborating effectively to solve challenges.
Please continue to encourage your child to read regularly and record their reading in their diary. Regular practice on TT Rockstars and Spelling Shed is also recommended to help to continue to build fluency and confidence.