Friday, 25 April 2014

Issue 28 2013-14


Dear Parent/Carer,
I hope you had a wonderful Easter break. I was fortunate enough to visit the beautiful nation of South Africa, where I enjoyed experiencing firsthand some of the wonderful history linked to the country, including visits associated with the great Nelson Mandela; a figure whose impact on the world is shared often with the children of Robin Hood Primary School. This takes me seamlessly into my first item…

Celebrate Mandela across Leeds
If you are thinking of something to do with your children this weekend, Leeds City Council is hosting a week of celebration of the values of Nelson Mandela’s phenomenal achievements. Events for the young and old will be held in communities across Leeds, including performances of the traditional African Gumboot Dances in Headingley on Saturday and Mandela portrait graffiti art at Trinity Shopping Centre on Sunday. For more information visit www.leedsinspired.co.uk

Late arrivals in school
Through our rigorous monitoring systems, we have noticed that there are an increasing number of late arrivals into school. I must clearly stress how important it is to get your children into school before the bell goes. Lessons start promptly and due to the pace of learning, missing even a few minutes of lessons can be detrimental to the children’s understanding. This also leaves many children feeling uncomfortable entering the class after everybody else. Thank you for your cooperation.

Some lovely news
I am delighted to inform you that Miss Thackeray and her fiancé, Mike, are expecting a baby in the Autumn term. I am sure you will all join me in congratulating Miss Thackeray on this lovely news.

Whole School Celebration Friday
The date for this half term’s Celebration Friday will be Friday 16th May. You will be welcome to come into school and view your child’s learning from the half term between 3:15 pm- 3:45 pm.

Phase Celebration Assemblies

A quick reminder that the phase assemblies this half term will run as follows:

Friday 25th April- Upper Key Stage 2

Wednesday 30th April - Nursery (1) Friday 2nd May – Nursery (2)

Friday 9th May- Reception

Friday 16th May – Key Stage 1

Friday 23rd May- Lower Key Stage 2

The assemblies for Summer 2 will be announced on next week’s newsletter, along with other key summer dates.

PTA News
We hope you all had a lovely break and enjoyed the sunny weather we had.  This week has seen the arrival of the sports bibs, so whether your child is in the red, blue, green or yellow house there will be no headache trying to find the appropriate coloured t-shirt come sports day in the summer.  We are meeting with Mrs Dale next week so we can book some dates in the diary for the up and coming exciting events we would like to hold.  If anyone has any ideas for events or ways to spend the PTA funds that have been raised then please contact us at robinhoodprimarypta@gmail.com.  Please also use this email if you think you may be able to help in any way to raise funds for your children.  If you are unable to help out on the event days we do require help with ringing around for donations from local companies.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Dale

Don’t forget:
The next parent coffee morning will take place on Monday 19th May with Miss Thackeray in Friendly Faces. The agendas for discussion will be:

·    Website and blogs- how well used are they? How could we make them more engaging/useful for your children?

·    How do you rate our improved parental engagement this year?

      If you are unable to come, please do not hesitate to share your views with me at gaynor.dale@robinhood.leeds.sch.uk

Nursery newsletter
NEWS ROUND UP
Welcome back to our new term at Nursery. We hope you have all had a wonderful Easter break – it has been lovely to see the children coming back enthused and excited about their learning! Please keep looking on our blog for the latest information and to see what has been happening in Nursery at http://foundationstagenewsatrobinhood.blogspot.co.uk/

THIS WEEK
Our classroom has been transformed into a Pirate world with treasure, sand, water and a Pirate ship! We have been dressing up as a Pirate and will continue to dress up next week too – so please dig out your stripy t-shirts and jeans. We have been finding out what the children know about Pirates and there are some super quotes from the children on the blog. We have also been learning the song ‘Portside Pirates’ ahead of our assembly next week.
NEXT WEEK
We will continue to learn about Pirates; we will be sharing some Pirate stories and thinking about what it would have been like to be a Pirate in the past. We will be hosting the celebration assemblies next week on Wednesday at 11.00 and Friday at 2.30 and would love you to join us. For home learning please can you make us a flag, treasure chest or other pirate object to put on our display in the class room and ahead of the assembly could you please practice the song ‘Portside Pirates’ (it is quite long so please could you focus on the chorus) which is on line at: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=you+tube+portside+pirates&docid=608052118086289912&mid=5F9B64BAE8279640CEEB5F9B64BAE8279640CEEB&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=5F9B64BAE8279640CEEB5F9B64BAE8279640CEEB

PLEASE NOTE the following diary dates:
Nursery will be CLOSED on Wednesday 2nd July 2014

HOW YOU CAN HELP US

·       Please complete the home learning task with your child (see above) and bring it in on their first day back.

·       Keep practising writing names (first and then second) and encourage your child to read to you for five minutes every day.
Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Steel, Mrs Chin, Miss Fox and Mrs Beckwith.
Reception newsletter
NEWS ROUND UP
Welcome back to our new term at Reception. We hope you have all had a wonderful Easter break. It has been lovely to see the children coming back enthused and excited about their learning! They looked fabulous dressed up as pirates and the fact they were dressed up as pirates really made their learning come to life. Please keep looking on our blog for the latest information and to see what has been happening in Reception at http://foundationstagenewsatrobinhood.blogspot.co.uk/
THIS WEEK
Shiver me timbers! Our classroom has been transformed into a Pirate world with treasure, sand, water and a Pirate ship! We have been dressing up as a Pirate and will continue to dress up next week too – so please dig out your stripy t shirts and jeans. We have been finding out what the children know about Pirates and we have learnt all about the scariest pirate in history Blackbeard. Those terrible pirates of the sea even kidnapped Geraldine the Giraffe this week so on our quest to rescue her we made some fabulous treasure maps, made ourselves a pirate passport and described the dazzling treasure we found on our voyage using amazing adjectives. In topic we made some fantastic maps of the playground which we then tea stained to make them look like authentic treasure maps. In numeracy we have been focussing on ordering and recognising numbers to 20 and quick-fire maths asking the children to tell us what one more and one less of given numbers were, first to 10 then 20.
NEXT WEEK
Next week the children will become authors and they will write their very own pirate story using time connectives e.g. first, then, next etc. In topic the children will be making a boat for their pirates. They will be testing lots of different materials to see which materials sink and which materials float. They will use the materials which float to construct a pirate ship. Good luck me hearties! In numeracy we will be focussing on single digit subtraction and addition problems using the counting on and the counting back method. In phonics we will be learning the alternative long a sounds; Mr End ay (play) and the split digraph a_e (make) and we will be learning to read the words; about, your, day, make, came and made.
PLEASE NOTE the following diary dates:
Our next class assembly will be on Friday the 9th of May at 2.30pm in the hall. We look forward to seeing you all there.
HOW YOU CAN HELP US
·         Please engage with the home learning and the learning logs.
·         Please read for 5 minutes daily and help your child learn their spellings.
·         Please send in any spare shoe boxes you have and plastic bottles to help support our pirate role play.
Thank you for your continued support.
Miss Lambert, Miss Pyatt and the Reception Team
 
Key Stage 1
Home Learning:
Please continue to support your child in reading, learning their spellings and counting.
For mental maths you can continue to support your child in learning the following number facts.
Times tables – X2, X5 and X10
Division facts – by 2 , by 5 and by 10
Any other practice of number facts such as 3s, 4’s, 6s, 7s even 8s and 9s will help your child in all of their Numeracy.
You can do this through using counters/objects, through rote counting (counting in 2’s, 5’s or 10s from a given number) or simply writing down a number sentence and your child using their fingers or doing this mentally in their heads to work this out.
Welcome back
The Key Stage One team hope you have had an enjoyable and relaxed half term. We can’t actually believe the summer term is here already! How quickly this year has gone. It only seems like yesterday we were welcoming in all of your fantastic children in to their new classrooms! The children have lots to look forward to and we know they will enjoy all of the fun things that we have planned!
Disney
This week the children have begun their new unit of learning all about Disney. The children found it fascinating watching the following clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39zhCvPBprI which shows the first recorded sound to the first recorded moving picture. We have then looked at what Disney films look like now and how they are made. How fast technology changes! They have found it so much fun making their own slap stick comedy movies and we hope to show some of these in our up and coming Key Stage One Assembly.
A plea for newspaper
Next week the children will begin to make their favourite Disney character out of modroc and for this fun task we need LOTS of newspaper! If you have any spare or are planning on throwing any away please can you send this in to school with your child. We will be doing this from Monday for the next two weeks and any newspaper would be greatly received. We thank you in advance for your help in this!
Literacy
This week the children have started a story writing unit. The children have spent the week exploring different characters in Disney films. These have included Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Snow White to name a few! The children have been learning about character types (heroes, heroines and villains). They have also been learning about the difference of a character on the outside to the inside. So a character may look beautiful and pretty on the outside but this may not be the case on the inside! They could be nasty and jealous! Please feel free to discuss different types of characters with your child at home.
Numeracy
This week each class has started learning about a different type of measure. Year One have started learning about weight, Year One/Two about capacity and Year Two about length. Across the half term all classes will learn about each of these types of measurement. The children have been learning the different types of measurements (grams, kilograms, millilitres, litres, millimetres, centimetres and kilometres. They will learn how to read different scales of these types of measurement (weighing scales, liquid containers and rulers). Where possible you could use this language at home.
Bug Club
We know that many of the children enjoy accessing using this facility at home on the computer. Each teacher has updated their classes Bug Club so you may find some new books on your child’s own log in to read at home. If you are unsure of your child’s password please ask a class teacher and we can provide this for you.
Have a lovely weekend.
The Key Stage One Team
Lower Key Stage 2 Newsletter
What a fantastic week we have had this week in year 3/4. The children have all returned after the Easter break with enthusiasm and excitement as we embark on another fun-packed half term. We hope to share many of our outcomes at the end of the half term at our Showcase Assembly on Friday 23rd May at 2.30pm.
Thank you to all parents and carers who attended our residential meeting on Wednesday evening. The meeting was arranged to answer any final questions that parents, carers and children may have about the trip. Kit lists and further information are available on our blog but if you do have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Could we please remind all parents to ensure any medication is clearly labelled with your child’s name and any relevant details to ensure they are administered correctly?
Home Learning
Once again, we have been inundated with learning logs from the Easter holidays. It has been wonderful to see so many children taking a lead in their own learning and completing such a variety of tasks during their own time. Many examples of these fantastic outcomes will be shared on our blog as well as at our Showcase Assembly at the end of the half term.  Just a gentle reminder that we are no longer sending home photocopied resources for home learning. We have saved many resources onto the phase blog for you to download at home along with links to games and activities that we have been using in class. There are also paper copies of resources from in class often available daily for the children to take home. We would also like the children to continue to read daily and ensure they are recording this in their reading records so we can reward their efforts with stickers! In addition to this, the children should be practising and learning their spellings and Times Tables as this was the key skill that has let many children down when trying to calculate multiplications, divisions and fractions this half term. The times table we will be testing next week is the 4 Times Table. We are really impressed with the children’s continued effort with learning their times tables and all the children who are getting 12 out of 12 are celebrated on our  blog ‘Wall of Fame’ on a weekly basis.
Numeracy
This week the children have been delving into the world of 2D shapes. They have been identifying common properties (vertices, angles, sides, lines of symmetry and right-angles) as well as learning the correct mathematical terms for regular and irregular shapes. Next week we will be turning our attention to the properties of 3D shapes.
Literacy
This week in literacy we have begun the very exciting unit on narrative. The children have been looking closely at how to use speech marks correctly as well as how to use well-chosen adjectives to enhance the detail and description in an opening paragraph. Next week we will be continuing our story-writing and looking closely at how to use adverbs to add to the fabulous description.
Spellings
These Spellings will be tested on Monday 28th April.
Group 1: their, there, people, can’t, don’t, didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, hasn’t, hadn’t
Group 2: circuit, certain, century, ocean, city, circle, receive, special, except, ancient
Topic
This week we have begun our very interesting unit titled ‘Where We Live’. The children have been using maps of the UK to locate Leeds and its surrounding cities, rivers, mountain ranges and railways. Next week we will be taking a closer look at some of the more iconic buildings and landmarks in and around the bustling city.
Science
In science this week the children have been investigating forces. They have identified a number of forces that require contact between 2 surfaces (push, pull, twist, squeeze, etc.) and have learnt about friction. Next week we will be carrying out an investigation into which surfaces create the most/least friction.
PE
This week in PE we have begun to learn our section of this year’s BIG DANCE routine. The children have really enjoyed learning the steps and moves and will contribute to a whole school performance at the end of the half term in the hope of breaking a world record.
Reminders
·    Year 4 residential – Wednesday 7th May- Friday 9th May. Please can all children who are going on this trip be in school by 8.45am on the Wednesday morning?
 
·    Showcase Assembly on Friday 23rd May at 2.30pm
 
·    The current weather is very changeable and so we ask that your child brings a suitable coat to school every day.
 
·    Please ensure all of your child’s belongings (especially PE kits, hats and school jumpers) are clearly labelled with your child’s full name.
 
·    Remember the children have two PE units a week now, one indoor and one outdoor so please ensure they are bringing the correct kit each week.
 
·     As the weather is getting warmer, can all children please be provided with a named water bottle, especially on PE days?
Don’t forget to check out our blog where you will find lots more information about this week’s learning as well as important reminders and dates for forthcoming events. http://year34rhps.blogspot.co.uk/
Have a fabulous weekend!
Team 3/4
UKS2 Newsletter
News Roundup:
Friday Celebration Assembly:
Thank you to all the parent/cares who attended our Celebration Assembly today, we are sure you will agree the children completed some amazing tasks last half term; from their Japanese artwork to learning some Judo moves.  Well done to all children in Year 5/6 for continuing to work hard.
Year 6 Numeracy Book
The children in Year 6 have been given a ‘Study Guide’ and a ‘Question Book’ to work through ahead of the SAT’s.  This is a resource the school have paid for as we feel it will be beneficial for the children to continue to practise and reinforce their learning at home.  We ask for your support in encouraging your child to complete a page or two on a regular basis and send it back into school.  For each 5 pages completed your child will receive a Headteacher sticker.
Year 6 SAT’s
The Year 6’s will be completing their SAT’s in three weeks, the week commencing Monday 12th May.
As we have the privilege of having two additional qualified teachers we have decided to split the Year 5’s and 6’s for the next three weeks.  The luxury of this is all children will be in a smaller class than they would be normally.  All children will be covering the same learning but they will just be working in a smaller group, this will therefore mean more 1:1 time with the adult in the class.     
Core Subjects:
Numeracy:
This week in Numeracy the children have been recapping some taught strategies from across the year.  This week the children have been looking at measure (Length, Mass and Capacity).  They have been discussing the language used and converting numbers into different units of measure; for example 1000g = 1 kg, 100cm – 1 metre.
The children have also looked at time, telling the time, both on digital and analogue clocks.  They have then been using this knowledge to complete word problems.
Literacy:
This week in Literacy the children have been discussing a controversial question: ‘Is modern technology affecting the sleep patterns of young people?’  This has led to interesting conversations about modern technology and if this does affect young people’s sleep patterns and  social skills.    
SPELLINGS: This week, the spellings are: stapled, enough, umbrella, released, familiar, surprised, mattered, disruptive, physically 
Other areas of the curriculum:
PE: This half term the children will be learning the routine to ‘The Big Dance Pledge’ which is a chance to learn a dance routine with the rest of the world!  If your child wants to continue to learn the dance at home they can use the following website: http://www.bigdance.org.uk/big-dance-pledge/
Please ensure your child brings in their PE kit on a Monday for 5/6G and 5/6M, Tuesday for 5/6H and outdoor PE continues to be on a Thursday.  Due to the weather becoming warmer, we would highly recommend the children bring in a water bottle in order to rehydrate themselves. 
Spanish: This half term the children will continue to learn the Spanish vocabulary for objects related to the seaside.  They will be creating a picture which will include a number of the vocabulary to describe the images.  A number of children have been using the Spanish dictionaries to find different Spanish words which they want to include within their picture.  If your child would like to learn additional Spanish as home, the following website will help with their pronunciation: www.studyspanish.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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