Newsletter Issue 2
Ferncumbe Friday
Friday 29th September 2023
‘MEET THE TEACHER’ EVENING
It was lovely to welcome so many of you into school this week for our ‘Meet the Teacher’ presentations. Several of you have requested the powerpoints which were shared, so early next week we will be emailing a copy out to you all.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your generous donations which are continuing to come in. This money supports so many areas of learning in school, particularly the enhancement of our curriculum through enriching activities such as (but not limited to!) Forest School, Music and gardening.
Mental Maths at Ferncumbe!
I am sure many of you who attended the parent meetings this week will understand the importance of children having rapid recall of mental maths facts. We recommend the children spend 5-10 minutes daily practising this. You can do this in a number of ways, including reciting sequences, playing ping pong with counting …etc. It is very important that the children recall facts such at number bonds to 10, 20, 50…etc and know their times tables. Times tables are particularly important in Year 3 and 4. The expectation is the children will have RAPID recall of all times table facts up to 12 X 12 by the end of Year 4. If the children do not have rapid recall their progress in upper key stage 2 can be limited as many areas of the maths curriculum requires them to use and apply the facts quickly.
Using games on the Top Marks website (particularly Hit the Button) Maths - Topmarks Search or logging onto Mathletics can have a positive impact.
This App is also very useful….
A Maths app to support your child’s learning – 1 Minute Maths
At Ferncumbe, we use the White Rose Maths scheme in school to support us to teach the mathematics curriculum. White Rose have an app that I think would be beneficial for all children to use in school. It is free to download and is suitable for all children. It practises a range of skills including subitising (the method of instantly recognising items in a group without counting), addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Within each topic area, there are a range of levels. Some of the easier levels will be useful to some Key Stage two children to ensure they have rapid recall of known facts.
It is designed by Maths experts to help children become more fluent and to gain confidence at number using a method they can enjoy. As the title suggests, it only takes one minute! The children can try and beat their previous score on each topic area and quickly see how they are improving.
How does it work?
Each 1-minute task gives children engaging and targeted practise in basic number. The app covers a range of arithmetic topics that are useful for all children. It generates questions randomly the children never see the same one in a sequence. This means they are learning the concept and not a sequence of answers. The children receive instant feedback, it is simple to use and lots of FUN!
Finally, there is no log in needed, or internet, they just download and play. It is available to download on Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
I have attached a record sheet, if you would like to use it, to record your child’s improvements.
Thank you,
Mrs White
Maths Coordinator
harvest festival in church
Our school Harvest Festival will take place at Holy Trinity Church on Wednesday 18th October at 9.15 am. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer an open invitation to all parents due to numbers. However, as it is Reception’s first visit to Church, Hatton Class parents are welcome to come and watch their child’s debut performance - there will be standing room at the rear of the Church. Coffee and tea will be available following the service.
Children are requested to bring dried food/packets/tins to school on the 18th October, which will then be donated to Warwick and Leamington Foodbank. We will forward a list of currently requested items nearer the time.
Wroxall FUN WITH FORCES - FRICTION!
Wroxall class have been exploring friction this week in Science. The children worked together to plan their investigation, considering the variables that would change and the variables that would stay the same. They created a question, gathered the equipment they would need and began testing. The children pulled a shoe across different surfaces to test how friction was changing. Using Newton metres, the children measured the pulling force to see which surface created most and least friction. Fantastic job Wroxall!
Mrs Eaves and Mrs Grier
Fantastic Writing in Lowsonford
In Lowsonford we are enjoying our new class text “Wonder”. This week, we have been writing diary entries from the point of view of the main character, August. We are working hard to improve our handwriting and we are delighted with our final pieces of work and the display in our classroom.
Mrs White
Shrewley Class
Year 4 are enjoying learning about the Ancient Egyptian civilisation. As part of our topic, we have been learning about the importance of the River Nile. The children researched a range of facts and have written their own eye-catching information pages about the river. I have been impressed by the enthusiasm the children have shown completing their writing!
Miss Reid
Haseley Class
Our Year 1 children have been super busy at home! From Autumn walks to baking, it has been so wonderful to see you sharing a love of learning at home with your families! It has also been lovely to share your work with your friends in the classroom. Keep it up Year 1!
Miss Constable
HATTON CLASS
We were very excited to get kitted out and head to Forest School for the first time this week. We particularly enjoyed our hot chocolate in the Forest School shed in the morning. Thank you to those parents who have already volunteered to join us on our forest adventures.
Mrs Stephenson
Learning our Forest School rules.
rowington class
Last week in Forest School, we had a go at making ‘natural’ paint using things we had collected from our environment. We made prayer flags inspired by the ones Hindus use. Soon, we are going to write poems and prayers onto them and put them in the classroom!
Miss Forbes
Honiley Class
Yesterday, in our science lesson, we explored the impact of exercise on our bodies. First, we counted the bpm of our resting heart rates. We then carried out a variety of different exercises to see the difference in our heart rate. We also noticed other changes in our bodies after exercise.
Miss Blackwell
Wildlife Photography Competition
Thank you so much for all of the amazing entries so far. I am enjoying looking closely at all your wonderful wildlife discoveries. Please keep them coming in! We will carry out the tough job of judging soon and award a KS1 and KS2 prize just before half term. Deadline is 23rd October, so get snapping!
Mrs Grier
Visit a National Trust place for free this autumn!
The National Trust is giving away a number of free passes for families to use between 18 September and 20 October 2023.
Each single-use pass allows free entry for two adults and up to three children, one adult and up to four children, or two adults on their own.
Find out more here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/escape-into-autumn.
Just over a month for Year 6 children to apply for their secondary school place
Parents and carers of children currently in Year 6 are being reminded to apply for their child’s secondary school place by the deadline of 31 October 2023.
Last year, there were 6,720 children who applied by the deadline for a Warwickshire secondary school place, with 80% being offered their first-choice school and a further 16% being offered a place at another of their school choices.
Application can be made here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/applying-secondary-school-place
With very best wishes for a lovely weekend,
Tracey Webb, Head of School