Welcome to Year 5 – Spring 2022.
Happy New Year and welcome back to all the children, parents, and staff – we hope you have had a lovely Christmas break and are ready for our return to school. It really is amazing how quickly the first two terms flew by; it is almost unbelievable to think that they will soon be the senior pupils in Bethersden, next Autumn.
Many of the protective measures we have had in place will continue for the foreseeable future so classroom windows and will need to remain open. Children will sometimes find the environment a little on the cool side, so please ensure they are dressed appropriately. In the first few days, we will be focusing on settling the children back into the class routine and will launch straight into full lessons from day one.
New theme for Spring
Our theme for this term is the Anglo Saxons, leading up to the Norman invasion in 1066. We will complete our studies of ‘Goodnight MR Tom’, which we started in Term 2, then progress to Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Beowulf’. Although the story is set in Scandinavia, it is one of the most important works of Old English literature. Beowulf is the oldest surviving English poem. It was told by the wave of Anglo Saxons who settled in England during the dark ages and was first written down sometime around the end of the first millennium AD. It tells the story of a hero, Beowulf, and his battles against the monster, Grendel, the sea hag that was Grendel’s mother and, the hardest battle of all, against a giant, treasure-hoarding dragon. We will also learn about Alfred the Great, the first ‘King of the English‘, who fought the Vikings and then made peace so that English and Vikings settled down to live together in harmony. He encouraged people to learn and he tried to govern well and fairly. They were also great craft workers who made intricate jewellery, musical instruments and homemade toys and games.
Maths and Times Tables
We will be progressing our maths work using Power Maths, based on the maths mastery principles of developing mathematical fluency, and which is already seeing the benefits of increased confidence and competence across all the children. We are continuing to fill the gaps left by the prolonged school closure. Please encouraged your child to supplement this with times tables practise at home using TT Rockstars. All children in Years 5 and 6 should be proficient in all their tables up to the 12 times table. We are also trialling a new maths assessment program called ‘Maths.com’, which also helps the children identify for themselves personal areas for development.
Reading
We continue to focus on raising literacy standards. Reading is one of the most important activities that can increase the comprehension and writing skills of children, as it introduces them to a wide range of vocabulary and techniques. It is obvious when marking the children’s writing who are those who read regularly. Please encourage them to read at home and listen to them read where possible.
PE
Please ensure that your child has clean PE kit in school at all times during the week. PE will take place twice a week. This term, Mrs Moss will be teaching Dance on Wednesdays, while Mr Clark will be teaching different outdoor activities on a Thursday. PE kits should include: a plain top, shorts, jogging bottoms, a ‘hoody’/fleece and trainers/plimsolls. If your child wears earrings, please ensure he/she can remove them or have micropore tape to cover them.
Water Bottles
Please bring a water bottle to school every day, regardless of the weather. We have access to drinking water in the classroom but do not have communal cups etc for the children to use.
Our Learning Environment:
