Oak Class | Christ Church Primary School Walshaw

Welcome To Oak Class

Welcome to the Oak Class website page! I hope everyone has enjoyed a fabulous Christmas holiday and is feeling ready for a new and very busy half term!

Key Dates:

Monday 6^th, 13^th and 20^Th January – Young Voices rehearsals.
PLEASE NOTE: NO rehearsal on Monday 27^th January.
Thursday 30^th January – Young Voices Concert at Manchester Arena. A separate letter detailing arrangements for the day will be sent home soon.
Thursday 30^th January – Oak class assembly at 9:00 in the Hall; all welcome!
From Monday 3^rd February – a small delegation of Chinese children and their teachers will spend time with us in school.
Thursday 6th February – Adrian Bowden’s Science Show.
Thursday 13^th February – Friends’ Valentine Disco (please see separate letter which will be sent in due course).
Friday 14^th February – last day in school before the half term holiday.
Monday 24^th February – first day of spring 2 term.

Curriculum News

English

We will be studying one of my favourite books called ‘Danny the Champion of the World’ by Roald Dahl. The novel is about Danny, who thinks the world of his widowed father and is completely amazed to discover that his good, kind and clever father is actually a law-breaker! Together, they hope to pull off the most daring plan ever, and to exact revenge against the appalling Mr Hazell! The book will be the inspiration for us to write newspaper reports, diaries, instructions, summaries and recounts.

Maths

Our Maths topics for this half term include:

* Converting between units of measuring length.

* Investigating and exploring negative numbers in different contexts.

* calculating the perimeter and area of rectangles, paralellograms and triangles.

* Converting units of length, mass, volume and time.

* Calculating the volume of cubes and cuboids.

* Investigating the basis of algebra.

* Position and movement (which includes co-ordinates, translation and reflection)

We will endeavour to apply our maths skills to problem solving whenever possible and we will also be revising and re-visiting previous maths topics.

Science

We will complete our Light topic and are looking forward to the Science Show at the beginning of February.

The main areas of focus for our Light Topic include the following:

* The main sources and reflectors of light - and why the Moon and stars can be confusing!

* How light travels and how it reflects to help us to see things.

* How shadows are made and how both their size and intensity can be changed (which will include an exploration of opaque, translucent and transparent materials).

* Investigating how light is both reflected and refracted.

This term we are exploring the themes 'Celebrating the Eucharist' and 'Why and how do Christians prepare for Christmas?'. We will explore how The Eucharist is rooted in The Last Supper and will create a guide to The Eucharist for a member of another faith to read and learn from. We will then learn about the season of advent and the symbolism of the advent wreath.

Topic

We will – finally! - leave the Wars behind and will now turn our focus to studying Ancient Egypt, which will include:

Where is Egypt and what is it like there?
How do we know so much about Ancient Egypt?
Who was Tutankhamun and why was the discovery of his tomb so significant?
Was it to remove his mummy and belongings from Tutankhamun’s tomb?
What are mummies and how and why were they made?
What did Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses look like and what were their responsibilities?

P.E.

PE will take place on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
Please ensure your child has a full PE kit in school - including suitable footwear - on these days. Girls with long hair should bring a bobble into school to tie up their hair for health and safety reasons during PE lessons and earrings should either be covered by tape (provided by school) or removed.

Home Reading

At Christ Church, we believe it is extremely beneficial that children develop a love of books and of reading in addition to extending their reading skills.

From January, we are launching a new Reading Challenge throughout Key Stage 2 in which children can earn rewards and recognition by demonstrating that they are reading for at least 15 minutes a day. To ensure your child doesn't miss out, please sign their Reading Record each day when they have read and ensure it is returned to school. A separate letter will be sent home with full details very soon.

Water bottles

When it is sunny and bright, Oak classroom is very warm, even if the temperature outside is modest! For their comfort, please ensure your child has a water bottle in school every day.