Rufford Park Primary School

Week 4, ending 30th September 2022

Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog

Well, the end of September has just arrived – how fast did that month go?! Autumn is a beautiful month though and half term is only three weeks away. :) 

This week, Oak Tree Class has started each day with our usual Early Bird Maths tasks, listening to a series of classical music, which has been very calming…working with Mozart could be the way forward!

We have almost finished our Place Value Unit in Maths and we have continued with diary writing in English. Our Topic lesson on WW2 evacuees was a highlight this week – it was good to see and hear pupils showing empathy when learning about the experiences of British children during the war (and appreciating all that we have right now). This session should truly help writing a diary entry from an evacuee’s perspective next week.

Our mini Handball games in PE were a huge success and once again, we enjoyed furthering our O.A.A skills with Sam on Thursday, in a new game called Treasure. It is so good to see how the children’s problem solving and strategizing skills are developing week by week.

Once again, Maths and Spelling homework is being sent home this weekend (red folders!) – due back on Wednesday. Thanks for your support in these areas.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Adrienne Amos

Week 3, ending 23 September 2022

Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog

This has been another really busy week – in spite of us having an extra Bank Holiday. But we have been listening to music each morning, in the genre of ‘pop’! This has created a few laughs and a lot of leaning! (No, it’s Kylie Minogue, NOT Kylie Jenner!)

So we were launched straight into our educational visit to Eden Camp on Tuesday and I was really pleased by the attitude of Oak Tree Class, as they made their way around the huts, learning lots of facts about WW2. Members of the public congratulated the staff on the behaviour of our children. 

(Photos to follow).

Lots of our Topic and English tasks have been centred on WW2 follow up work. The children had great fun writing both a formal and an informal postcard, where we had a lot of discussion about the language we might use for sending a postcard to Mr Cooke, compared to the language we might use for our ‘best mate’.

Another highlight had to be in our PE session with Sam, while continuing work on OAA and we played the game Hungry Caterpillars. I was really pleased to see how well the children worked in teams, encouraging each other, but how they could also work competitively and in a good-natured manner. Hopefully, I have managed to attach some images from this lesson. (Every day is a school day!)

This week, the children will be bringing home a bit of Maths homework, along with their usual spelling sheet. Please help the children get into the habit of returning homework each Wednesday.

I hope you have a super weekend,

Mrs Adrienne Amos

Week 2, ending 16 September 2022

Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog

A fab week of settling in and work for Oak Tree Class...and that's not just for the pupils! 

We have done work on Place Value in Maths, working with numbers up to 1,000,000, which is exciting and we have written descriptive diary entries, which have blown Mrs Amos away! Writing in pen has been a challenge for some so far, yet all children are trying super hard to handle this new skill.

Science investigations about reflecting light were fun, as have been Handball and OAA sessions in PE.

We have looked at a few key events from the start of the Second World War, including mapwork about Allies and Axis Powers in 1939 and we have ended the week thinking about the life of the late Queen, Elizabeth II.

Reminder: we are not at school on Monday and Tuesday is our Y5 visit to Eden Camp. Here are a few notes as reminders for the visit:

Y5/6 Eden Camp Trips - IMPORTANT

We would like to issue a few reminders in advance of our Y5 trip (Oak and Y5 Ash) on Tuesday and Y6 trip (Maple and Y6 Ash) on Wednesday to Eden Camp.

Children will need to meet on the KS2 playground at 8.15am. We will be departing from school no later than 8.30am to allow the necessary travel time. Children will need to wear their normal school uniform and must bring a waterproof jacket/coat.

Children will need to bring a packed lunch with them. We ask that packed lunches are fully disposable (no lunchboxes/Tupperware etc.) and in a carrier bag with your child’s name on. Please also include a disposable, plastic water bottle. Please note that packed lunches MUST NOT include nuts of any kind (including peanut butter and Nutella) as we have children in the group who have a potentially life-threatening allergy to this food.  

Please do not send your child with a backpack – due to the nature of the visit it would be impractical for them to wear this all day. 

We aim to return to school by 4pm. If there are delays, school will inform parents via text message. Please wait to collect your child on the KS2 playground – not by the top gates where the coach will stop. This is to ensure all children can disembark safely and return their school resources to the classrooms.

As we are returning later than the end of a normal school day, you will need to notify the office or your child’s class teacher if you wish for them to walk home alone, even if this is their normal arrangement. 

Have a super weekend

Mrs Amos

Weekly Update 9.9.22

Mrs Amos (a.amos) on: Oak Tree Class Blog

We have had a flying start in Oak Tree Class so far! All the children have returned to school in a focused and enthusiastic manner, which has been very uplifting. 

For the most part in mornings, we have spent time revising and recapping Maths and English from Y4, to give us a good boost for the rest of the year. We have also looked at where World War 2 fits into the timeline of British history and completed quite a few creative activities, on the theme of 'Getting to know you'! (This is mostly for MY benefit, as I am very much the new girl in Oak Tree class :) )

A few reminders at this point:

Our first visit this year is to Eden Camp on Tuesday, 20th September. This is a fantastic trip where the children will learn lots of information about World War Two. We will use this trip as a stimulus for writing and other topic-based work. Please can consent letters for this trip be returned by Monday 12th September..

PE days for Oak Tree Class are Tuesdays and Thursdays, so PE kit is to be worn on those days. On all other days, please could you ensure your child is wearing the school uniform, including black school shoes.

Finally, homework will come out each Friday (in a folder) and is due back in every Wednesday.

There is a class email for you to use, if you need to contact me: oak@ruffordparkprimary.org.uk

Have a splendid weekend.

Mrs Amos