TRANSFORMING LIFE CHANCES

Child first – Aspire – Challenge - Achieve Newsletter 18 – 24th January 2020

Dear Parents and Carers, It is hard to believe that we are now halfway through Term 3! The first three weeks of term have been incredibly busy with exciting learning opportunities taking place to develop and enrich our children's

education.

Schools are able to have the greatest impact on children's educational and personal growth and development when they are fully supported by parents and carers. In our staff meeting this week we

talked about the adults in children's lives being their best WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like) and therefore it is our collective responsibility to model exceptional standards, uphold the highest of expectations and foster a growth mind-set. Upholding things that might appear to be minor, like

arriving to school on time, wearing the correct uniform and reading daily at home, might appear trivial. However if we take the principle that we are our children's WAGOLL then we want to instil these

effective habits at an early age to ensure that our children are ready for the next stage of their learning.

Leading on from this we also looked at a quote from Aristotle ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit' If we encourage effective habits in our children, together we

will create excellence. Seeking excellence, isn't about being perfect, it is about achieving personal excellence though the support of positive role models, being reflective and consistently striving to be

their best self.

This week I have been overwhelmed with the positive response from parents regarding the closing of the gates due to reasons previously shared. It has been a time of reflection and shared understanding of

the role of our school in our children's lives and I hope that we can positively move forward to ensure the safety of our children. I hope we can all uphold the principle that we are our children's WAGOLL and therefore share our school's core values of Child First- Aspire- Challenge -Achieve to truly Transform the

Life Chances of our children.

Have a lovely weekend. Mrs J Murphy, Executive Headteacher

Diary Dates – Term 3

Wednesday 29th January – Year 4 – Trip to see Wicked! Wednesday 29th January – Year 5 – 5:00pm – 5:30pm – Medway Test meeting for parents

Thursday 30th January – Year 4 – 2:00pm or 5:00pm – Multiplication check meeting for parents Friday 31st January – EYFS – 2:15pm – 3:00pm – Maths Workshop to parents

Thursday 6th February – Year 5 – Time Traveller Workshop Monday 10th February – Year 2 - Sublime Science Workshop

Tuesday 11th February – Year 3 - Temper Temper Chocolate Workshop Wednesday 12th February – Year 4 – Potion Workshop

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Thinking Academically teaches our children to be their best self through the knowledge skills and understanding

of how to be literate and numerate. They are able to read a range of texts fluently applying a range of skills across the curriculum. Children’s, vocabulary, including speech and language, is developed through active learning which engages children in debate, drama and oracy activities. The basic skills of Mathematics are taught through recall,

reasoning, problem solving and fluency. Children develop their number agility effective to apply to range of situations with confidence.

Nursery

In Nursery this week, we have been continuing to learn 'where does snow go?’

The children have been very busy exploring ice. They have been observing

what ice is made of and the change of state when it melts into water. This

week the children have also been mixing up and crushing cereal to create their

own bird feed and bird feed holders. Our sound of the week in the nursery is

’t’, children have been beginning to identify words which have the initial sound

't'. Thank you to all parents for their Tapestry contributions and carrying out

the tapestry challenges with children.

Year R

In Reception this week we have been continuing to focus on our topic 'Are we

there yet?' We continued to identify people whose jobs are to help in the community.

This week we have been on a journey to a fire station to learn about the roles of

firefighters. The children have been learning why we need firefighters; how we ring

them in the event of a fire, the clothing and equipment they have to ensure they are

safe. This week we practiced a 'fire alarm' in school and children wrote instructions

about how to evacuate the classroom, which they will share with the rest of the

school. We had a surprise visit from a Paramedic this week who consolidated the

children's knowledge and understanding from last week by showing them their

equipment. This week we had the launch of our Raising Readers challenge. Please

remember to read to your critter each night and record in the yellow reading log!

Year 1

This week in Year 1, children have been looking at ordering numbers from

smallest to greatest, counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s to 50. In English, we have

been using their green hats while being creative with their own stories focusing

on using adjectives to describe their scenes linking it to ‘Charlie’s Underpants’

book. We have also been using a range of keys and maps in Guided Reading to

explore new texts. Thank you to all the parents that attended the phonics

workshop and reading afternoon this week.

Year 2

In Year 2, our Thinking Academically work has been focused on fractions. We

have been thinking about the concept of splitting things equally- a fundamental

concept in understanding fractions. We used marshmallows and tried to sort

them into equal groups in as many ways as possible. From this, we applied our

past knowledge to new situations by splitting the shapes equally. Thank you to

all the parents who attended the KS1 reading afternoon.

Year 3

This week has been an exciting one in Year 3! We have continued our study

of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ with setting descriptions. We focused

on using devices like adjectives and our senses to bring our writing to life and

creating a picture in the reader's head. Some of our descriptions are so real,

we really could have been in the 'scrumdiddlyumptious' chocolate room.

Maths gave us the opportunity to apply past knowledge to new situations as

we studied money. We used skills gained during our studies of place value,

addition and subtraction to investigate skills needed to add amounts of

money, recognising different combinations of coins can make the same total

and, very importantly, giving change! You could support your child further by

bringing this learning to life next time you hit the shops. Finally, we had a

very interesting discussion during our P4C (Philosophy 4 Children) lessons

this week where we discussed the impact of class sizes.

Children were able to articulate the advantages and disadvantages of both larger and smaller classes. Our

frame of reference asked, "What if our classes had 63 children in them?" Which certainly provoked thought!

Year 4

The children have continued to enjoy reading Harry Potter and applying this

to their topic of Potions. In Guided Reading, we have created interesting Q-

Matrix questions and made insightful inferences and predictions about what

may happen later in the novel. We have produced some excellent character

descriptions using interesting adverbs and the power of three; we are

looking forward to developing our writing further by learning about letter

writing. In Maths, we have continued to master the column method of

multiplication and start to practice the bus stop method for division.

Year 5

This week in Year 5 we have been learning how to add and subtract

fractions. Although the children have found some aspects challenging, they

have remained open to continuous learning and persisted in each lesson. In

English, the children have written interesting stories and have enjoyed

creating their own characters. They have learned how to show and not tell

so they can engage their readers. For Guided Reading, we have continued to

explore ‘Tom's Midnight Garden’ and have answered questions about the

text.

Year 6

This week, in Year 6 we have been taking our first mock SATs of the

year. We have worked hard to prepare for this and have been

striving for accuracy to achieve our very best. We look forward to

sharing our progress and next steps at the upcoming parent

meetings. Midweek, we have taken the time to edit and publish our

setting descriptions. We are proud of our work on describing colour

and using all five senses and how this has shone through our writing

this week! We have also been continuing our reading of ‘Sky Song’,

using the reading content domains to generate our own questions

based on what we have read. We are looking forward to completing

our artwork this term making Arctic animal clay prints! Well done

Year 6 on your progress this term so far. Keep up the hard work!

Thinking Task… One of our thinking keys is the brick wall key. This is where you make a statement that you would not think could usually be

questioned or argued against. The task is to try to knock down the 'brick wall' by outlining other ways of dealing with the situation and trying to dispute the 'brick wall'.

Next week’s Habit of Mind… One of our habits of mind is Thinking Interdependently. Although we encourage pupils to be independent learners, we also want them to learn to think interdependently. Interdependently means working with others and being able to discuss our ideas (which is one of our other habits of minds - thinking and communicating with clarity and precision). We know that in the work place is it essential that we are able to work as a team and manage different relationships. Therefore, pupils are

given the opportunities in their lessons to think interdependently through being provided with think time, then the opportunity to talk to their partner before sharing as a group, working in pairs and small groups and completing projects

together. Is there a project at home you can work interdependently on? Tool of the Week…

One of the thinking tools we use at New Horizons is different thinking maps. One of these maps is the multi-flow map, which you can see above. This it to look at cause and effect. For example, you would look at an event or topic, such as

deforestation. You could then look at the aspects or events, which could have caused this in the boxes, which point towards the main box. On the boxes coming away from the main box, you would look at the effect of this and what impact it may be happening. For example, World War 2 may be in the main box. You could examine what caused World War 2 and then what

the impact of World War 2 was. It is okay to add extra boxes if you have more ideas! In the frame of reference, you could include any questions you have. Can you make a cause and effect map about the Australian Bush Fires?

Next week’s Thunk is… Can you have a conversation with an invisible friend?

Spelling shed: Congratulations to Adam B (Year 2), Alexander L (Year 1) and Zohaib (Year 5) for being our top spellers this week. The top

year groups were: Year 1, Year 2 and Year 5.

Timestables Rockstars: Out in the lead is Kairan, followed by Zohaib in second place (both Year 5) and Hasan from Year 4 is in third place. This week

Poplar had 79% accuracy, Conifer 84% and Hawthorn 90%.

Buster’s Book Club: Well done to Year 6 this week for being the year group with the most minutes read. Aspen were also the class with the most

minutes read this week. Year 4 were our year group in second place.

Lexi: Well done to the following children for completing their minutes this week: Imrith, Amerah, Xander, Elona, Amelia, Layla

and Alisha-Rose.

When we think about getting healthy, we always default to thinking about our bodies. Whether you are 2, 5, 25 or more it is

always the right time to think about ways you might keep your mind healthy. It is a known fact that people with strong

minds live more fulfilling lives and there are many ways in which we can keep our minds sharp (now and through our

lifetimes); we can do this through a wide range of mental, physical and nutritional ways. The following are only suggestions

- avoid using the calculator when solving arithmetic problems; try a crossword, scrabble or evening Sudoku. Not a puzzle

person? Download the latest news app and keep up with current events or any type of news you are interested in. Read

anything you can get your hands on – cereal boxes, magazines, anything. You could even watch a thought-provoking film,

which leaves your brain wondering, and (believe it or not) some video games can help fight Alzheimer’s. Don’t put it off,

start today, get healthy with plenty of mental exercise.

This term we are learning about developing a Healthy Mind. Having a healthy mind means that the children will

know what determination looks like, sounds like, feels like, and that strategies such as talking, breathing

techniques and diary writing can help manage worries. Having a Healthy Mind can also help children to

understand how their behaviour affects other people and how they contribute to a positive classroom. We are

proud that these children have demonstrated excellent Habits of Mind and as such have been rewarded the

Golden Tie or have their work presented in Achievement Alley.

TEAM POINTS This week the ‘Holcombe Cup’ has been awarded to River.

Attendance Ace Pine, Hawthorn, Cypress and Elder with 100%

Punctuality Penny Maple, Damson and Cypress with 0 lates!

Golden Tie

Ash – Ted for responding with wonderment and awe. Elm – Josie-Leigh remaining open to continuous learning. Oak – Ezri for striving for Accuracy. Beech – Vlad for striving for accuracy in his learning. Hazel – Charlie for striving for accuracy in his learning. Maple – Benjamin for managing impulsivity. Birch – Maddie for thinking about her thinking in her work. Pine – Leon for managing impulsivity and persisting in learning. Spruce – Joey for managing impulsivity in the classroom.

Apple – Daniel for managing impulsivity. Cherry – Esson for always trying to be her best self. Damson – Dominykas for thinking about his thinking in all learning. Conifer – Jenae for remaining open to continuous learning. Hawthorn – Isabella for remaining open to continuous learning. Poplar – Tommy for managing his impulsivity and striving for accuracy in his work. Juniper – Junior for taking responsible risks. Laburnum – Finley for striving for accuracy in all of his work. Sycamore – Khadija for remaining open to continuous learning. Aspen – Maddison for remaining open to continuous learning. Cypress – James for preserving in his application of his prior learning. Elder – Callum for striving for accuracy in all work.

Achievement Alley

Ash – Aiden for persisting. Elm – Darci for striving for accuracy. Oak – Brooke for striving for accuracy. Beech – Adam for striving for accuracy in Maths. Hazel – Kamoya for striving for accuracy in English. Maple – Charlie for finding humour during drama. Birch – Yaseen for taking responsible risks independently. Pine – Cairo for thinking flexibly in Maths. Spruce – Kennedy- Marie for persistence in Maths. Apple – Viktorija for thinking and communicating with clarity.

Cherry – Rylan for striving for accuracy in his Maths work. Damson – Joseph for questioning and posing problems. Conifer – Izabel for thinking about her thinking. Hawthorn – Miley for applying past knowledge. Poplar – Vincent for thinking and communicating with clarity and precision. Juniper – Alexandra for good understanding, use of bridge map and well presented. Laburnum – Petranka for excellent use of a tree map in English. Sycamore – Becky for a good use of a tree map in PHSE. Aspen – Alexis for gathering many white hat facts. Cypress – Oscar for great focus during Mock SATs week with a particular “nod” to his Reading paper. Elder – Roderick for persisting in his R.E work.

Great attendance this week

everyone! Well done and

keep it up! We have many

children who are on to get

that 100% certificate for

term 3!