This week in Year 3

It is hard to believe that this half term is so close to being completed! The children have made great progress in their independence and are moving around the School with confidence. Up until now, the Music teachers have been collecting them for their individual lessons, but from Monday they will be required to make their own way to their lessons at the correct times. Please could you remind your child of their lesson timing, as we do in class. If they have a watch with an alarm, this might be very useful to help them remember. The children should go to their lessons using the inside route this term. 

In Maths, we have finished our first unit on Place Value, but, before moving on Addition and Subtraction, we had a really fun and hands-on problem solving maths session. The children really enjoyed working with their partner and moving around the room, solving puzzles as they went.  Teachers reinforced the need to read the question carefully, and pupils were able to use lots of resources to support their problem solving – pictures below: 

In English, we produced some lovely artwork, based on the book ‘Flotsam’ and recreated some of the photos in the book, taken in different locations around Beechwood: 

Year 3 pupils are also embracing the newly implemented Accelerated Reader Scheme. Many of the children have completed their end-of-book tests and are beginning to be able to log on with increasing independence. The move away from the coloured banding system is a shift in mindset for everyone,  but we are confident that the new system will reap great rewards.  

In Science, 3P used string to great effect and hilarity to demonstrate how light travels when it is reflected off a mirror. Great hands-on learning and a really memorable lesson!

Year 3 pupils s were incredibly excited to play their first away match against Edge Grove on Thursday. The whole of the year group was involved and they all did very well, playing with confidence and lots of enthusiasm. We had an excellent photographer in Jack, who managed to capture lots of action shots and candid moments from the day. Well done Jack and well done Year 3! 

This week in Year 4

Superheroes

Having trouble with an international criminal?  Being terrorised by an out-of-control alien species?  Crazed cyborg stealing your precious and ever increasing-in-value home energy?  Fear not, Year 4 may just have the answer!

As part of our English unit looking at character descriptions, we have been designing our very own superheroes.  Such heroes as The Flame, Moon Knight, Glitch and The Infinity have been carefully created thinking about attributes and typical features of superheroes.  Children considered special powers, weaknesses, origins, outfits and much more to ensure you can sleep easy tonight.

Check out some of our creations below.

Sports Fixtures

On Thursday afternoon, Year 4 took on Edge Grove in both hockey and football.  It was great to see all children involved and giving their best in their first fixture since the summer break.  The skills they have been learning in Games were clearly evident and every team should be proud of their efforts!

Notices:

• 12 October:  Nasal flu vaccinations
• 13 October:  Year 4 Boys’ Football vs Westbrook Hay (away), Year 4 Girls’ Hockey vs Chesham Prep (home)

This week in Year 5

The Year 5 pupils have made strong mathematical progress so far this term, developing effective strategies in a wide range of place value, addition and subtraction challenges. The Maths team uses a variety of puzzles and tasks each week to help the children build reasoning and problem-solving skills which are the key to success in Maths. It is always exciting to hear a ‘maths argument’ in the classroom: where pupils try to convince each other that their solution or idea is the right one!

In Science this week,  the pupils have enjoyed some practical investigations into air resistance both in the labs, outside and at home in their paper drop prep challenge. Mr Kneller and Mrs Balfour are thoroughly enjoying the buzz of enthusiasm and curiosity around Science this year.

Hello Yellow

As part of an annual school-wide initiative, we have once again raised the profile of mental health and wellbeing by wearing a splash of yellow today, in line with Young Mind’s ‘Hello Yellow!’ theme for World Mental Health Day. Thanks to Miss Burton’s development of our PSHE topics for Year 5, this has tied in very well with our work on kindness and respectful relationships. Over the past five weeks, the children have discussed the issues around positive relationships with great maturity and thoughtfulness, acknowledging that a feeling of being valued and included lies at the heart of good mental health.  You can see some of our pupils in the Hello Yellow School photo gallery below:

Some advance warning for after the Half Term break: we have a Forest School Morning on Friday 4 November. We will place reminders in the Google Classrooms nearer the time but we expect that the best plan will be to come to school in Games kit with added waterproof layers and footwear so that, no matter the weather, everyone can make the most of being outdoors. We are very much looking forward to our first Forest School session of the academic year and we will post photos in the newsletter on that day.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support at home. The children are doing brilliantly but we are noticing a few signs of seasonal bugs and tiredness creeping in, so do please prioritise a good supper and a long night’s sleep rather than additional prep in these final days before Half Term.

The Year 5 Pastoral Team

To raise awareness of climate change and sustainability, Beechwood Park has registered Year 5 to join the online Wild
Wisdom Global Challenge 2022.

This engaging challenge starts on the 10th October, our pupils can access an abundance of online resources to explore independently
and learn more about key environmental issues.  For more information about this and how to register your child, please click on the link here

From the Middle Department Library

Tyger by SF Said

This is a dark and magical story about two children who find a mythical creature – a Tyger – in a rubbish dump in London – set in the near future of the 21st Century.  An altered, dark London, where the Tyger is in danger and our protagonists Adam and Zadie are driven to save the Tyger, and in the process save London too.  The Tyger helps the children find all their hidden skills and courage and release it all to fight against the awfulness in their world. 

This latest offering from SF Said, author of Varjaw Paw has all the makings of another classic, and is perfect for mature readers who enjoy escaping to other worlds.

The Children’s Bookshow is a charity that inspires school children with a love of reading through an annual programme of in-theatre and digital performances and in-school workshops with the very best authors and illustrators from around the world.  Booking is now open for their autumn programme which you can see here.

Head’s Commendations

Congratulations to this week’s recipients of Mr Balfour’s Commendations: