Welcome to Year 5 Autumn 2021.
Welcome back to all the children and parents, we hope you have had a lovely summer break and are ready for our return to school as (we hope) the world starts to return to normality. Many of the protective measures we have had in place will disappear, enabling the children to mix with other classes, although we will be continuing with some, such as the one-way transit system, for the foreseeable future.
New routine/timetable
In the first few days, we will be focusing on settling the children into the new routine and procedures gently, and I am confident they will all quickly adapt. We will be returning to our pre-pandemic KS2 timetable, with activities starting promptly at 08.45 with assembly. This will be followed by three one-hour lessons in the morning (including English, maths and one other core subject, such as science) and a 15-minute maths booster, with lunch moving to 12.30-13.30. This will mean a slightly shorter afternoon than the children have been used to. Please be aware that, as before the summer break, there will be two PE lessons a week so children will need Bethersden PE kit in school throughout the week. Seating arrangements will also change as we are no longer required to seat the children in forward-facing rows. Children will have allocated desks (now with trays) but will move to different seats for maths, English and other group activities.
Class Teaching Team
This year, we will have a more flexible staffing structure. Mr Clark will teach Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday mornings; Mrs Moss will teach the class every Wednesday and Mrs Smith will cover Mr Clark’s planning period on Friday afternoons. Miss Mexter will support all activities and will be in class every day to provide continuity for the children.
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 will be trying to fill the gaps left by the prolonged school closure, which will be helped by the small class size. Please encouraged your child to supplement this with times tables practise at home using TT Rockstars. Children in Years 5 and 6 should be proficient in all their tables up to the 12 times table.
English
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. Children will also be given a list of words to spell based on the Year 5 curriculum each week for them to practise at home. Lists will also be published on the Badger Class Google Classroom page in case the children misplace their paper copies.
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 and may be indoors or outdoors, depending on weather conditions. 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:
