Oak Class | Christ Church Primary School Walshaw

Welcome To Oak Class

Welcome to the Oak Class website page! I hope everyone has enjoyed a restful half term holiday and is feeling ready for autumn 2, which is always a fun, exciting and busy half term!

Key Dates:

Monday 28th October and every Monday thereafter - Young Voices Rehearsals in Oak class until 4:30pm. Please ask if your child needs a reminder of the password to give to access to the songs and dances on the website to facilitate practising at home (hairbrush as a mic optional!).
Tuesday 12th November - The first set of Home Learning Challenges is due to be returned to school. We are already displaying a couple of amazing models in our classroom and we can't wait to see what the children have been learning and creating at home!
Friday 29th November - Our annual trip to the pantomime at Oldham Coliseum (oh no it isn't; oh yes it is!). A separate letter will be sent home with full details very soon.
Tuesday 3rd December - Our Christmas tree decoration assembly. Children are welcome to bring in a decoration from home to adorn the tree but PLEASE label the decoration clearly with your child's full name so that it can be safely returned at the end of the festive period.
Monday 9th December - Mrs Geelan's choir to sing at the Hospice carol service.

Friday 13th December – Christmas dinner in school. Separate information about how to order this special meal will be sent home soon.
Monday 16th December - Annual carol service starting at 6:30 pm.
Tuesday 17th December - Christmas party day! We will display a food sign-up sheet the week before the party.
Wednesday 18th December - last day in school before the Christmas holiday. School closes at 2:00.

Curriculum News

English

This half-term we will be reading a fabulous book called 'Friend Or Foe' by Michael Morpurgo (who has written over one hundred books for children). The novel is about two boys, David and Tucky, who are evacuated from blitzed London to the countryside during World War II. They soon settle down to their new lives but when they are the only witnesses to a damaged German bomber flying low over the moors, they are drawn into adventure - and face a moral dilemma!

The book provides many opportunities for reflection, discussion debate and prediction, and also for writing including:

* Writing letters and diary entries in role as evacuees.

* Descriptions using our senses.

* Recounts of events in the book.

* Balanced arguments.

Our recent trip to Tatton Park will really help the children to imagine what it would have been like to be evacuated to a farm and support their learning this half term.

Maths

Our Maths topics for this half term include:

* Converting to common denominators before comparing and ordering fractions.

* Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.

* Multiplying and dividing decimal numbers.

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

* Calculating the area and perimeter of shapes.

We will endeavour to apply our maths skills to problem solving whenever possible.

Science

Our next topic is Light and our studies will include:

* 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

Our topic until Christmas is 'What Was It Like For Children In the Wars?' During Autumn 1, we focussed on World War 1 and now we will turn our attention to World War II. Our fabulous trip to Tatton Park on Thursday 17th October (during which we imagined we were evacuees sent from Bury to work on the farm) will really enhance and enrich our studies, as well as helping with our English work.

Our studies will include:

* What happened to end World War I and why is Remembrance Sunday so important?

* Why did World War II begin (just 21 years after the war to end all wars!)?

* What was The Blitz and how did people try to protect themselves?

* Why was rationing required, what was it and what was the Dig For Victory campaign?

* Who were Sir Winston Churchill and Anne Frank?

* What happened at the end of World War II?

Just a polite reminder: the first set of Home Learning Challenges are due to be returned to school for marking by Tuesday 12th November.

P.E.

PE will take place on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings.
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

Children will have access to the school library every week where they can choose a book to read either in school or at home. In addition, children are welcome to choose a book to read from our well stocked class library. Children’s love of reading for pleasure is something which we hope we can nurture throughout this year. Asking your child to tell you about their book and asking them questions about the plot and characters would be very beneficial.

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.