Newsletter Issue 4
Ferncumbe Friday
Friday 25th October 2024
Head’s Message
Dear Ferncumbe Family,
What an incredible half term we've had at Ferncumbe! It's been a joy to witness our pupils settling into their new year groups with such enthusiasm and positivity. The progress and learning that have taken place across the school have been truly remarkable, and I'm immensely proud of each and every one of our pupils.
This term has been brimming with exciting trips and experiences, providing our children with wonderful opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Our Year 6 pupils embarked on their residential trip, creating lasting memories and developing important life skills. Year 4 enjoyed an exhilarating bell boating adventure, while Years 1 and 2 had a fantastic visit to St John's. Our Year 3 pupils have been making a splash with their swimming lessons, and our Reception class had a delightful time pumpkin picking. These are just a few examples of the rich experiences we've been able to offer, and I'm thrilled to see how much our pupils have gained from these opportunities.
This week, we held our Parents' Evenings, and it was absolutely wonderful to welcome so many of you into the school. These evenings provide such a valuable opportunity for us to discuss your children's progress and share in their achievements. I was truly touched by the numerous positive comments we received, and I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your continued support and engagement with your children's education.
Another highlight of our week was the Harvest Festival. It was a special time for us all to gather in the church and reflect on the importance of gratitude for the harvest. These moments of reflection and community are so important in nurturing our pupils' personal and spiritual growth.
As we approach the half-term break, I hope you and your families have a restful and enjoyable time together. Whether you're planning exciting adventures or quiet days at home, I trust it will be a refreshing break for all. I will be spending some time away from home celebrating a special birthday and thank you to those who have wished me many happy returns. We look forward to welcoming our pupils back on Monday 4th November, eager to hear about how they've spent their time away from school.
Once again, thank you for your continued support and partnership in your children's education. We are thrilled by the overwhelmingly positive response to our call for parent volunteers. Your enthusiasm and willingness to support our school community are truly heartening. It's this strong home-school connection that enables us to provide the best possible learning environment for our pupils. Have a fantastic half term!
Sally Morris
Headteacher
our school vision
Harvest Festival
Our harvest festival was a truly heartwarming occasion, filled with the joyous sounds of our pupils' voices raised in song, their thoughtful prayers, and their expressive poetry recitals. The church resonated with the enthusiasm and talent of our young performers, creating a memorable celebration for all in attendance.
I'd like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our parents and carers for your incredibly generous donations. Your kindness and support never cease to amaze me, and I want you to know that your contributions will make a significant difference within our local community. It's heartening to see our school family come together in this way, embodying the spirit of compassion and community that we strive to instil in our pupils.
Year 1 and 2 Trip to St Johns house
Year 1 and 2 pupils have recently experienced an adventure back in time. Our trip to St John's House was a resounding success, offering a captivating glimpse into Victorian life that truly brought history to life for our young learners.
Year 1 went on a fascinating journey through time, exploring the daily lives of Victorians. Our young historians have delved into the stark contrasts between rich and poor families of the era, investigating their clothing and daily routines. The highlight for many was the opportunity to dress up in Victorian attire, bringing history to life in a truly immersive way.
But the time-travelling didn't stop there! Year 1 continued in their inquisitive nature and turned their attention to toys from the past. They developed their chronological understanding by ordering toys from newest to oldest, and investigating how playthings have evolved over the years. It was wonderful to see their curiosity as they discovered how toy materials have changed, transitioning from wood to plastic.
These hands-on experiences not only make learning enjoyable but also help them to develop a deeper understanding of how life has changed over time. It's always a joy to see our children so engaged in their learning, asking thoughtful questions and making connections between the past and present.
Year 2 pupils had the unique opportunity to step back in time and immerse themselves in a Victorian classroom. They diligently practised their reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, just as children would have done over a century ago. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm as they embraced this hands-on approach to learning about the past. They certainly didn’t like the thought of the ‘back straightener’!
The experience didn't stop there, though! Our budding historians then rolled up their sleeves and ventured into the laundry room. Here, they discovered the labour-intensive process of cleaning clothes in Victorian times. From heating water to using washboards and mangles, our pupils gained a real appreciation for the conveniences we often take for granted today.
A ‘Thank You’ to those parents who volunteered to support us on the trip as well.
Mr Byrom and Miss Constable.
Lowsonford Super Tasters!
This week in Science, Year 6 learnt all about fungiform papillae - or taste buds. Where they are, how they work and why some of us are incredibly sensitive to spice or sour foods, and some of us aren’t. We dyed our tongues blue, counted the taste buds in a set area using torches and magnifying glasses, and compared our data with national data. We were quite similar, although we had a far greater proportion of non-tasters in the class, than is seen nationally. Plenty of spicy curries being enjoyed on Hatton Park!
Year 4 Bellboating
On Tuesday, Year 4 enjoyed a day bellboating on the river in Stratford-upon-Avon. We learnt the basics of using our paddles correctly and then had to work as a team to propel and steer our boats on the river. We became more confident and accomplished as the day went on and we even got to experience going through a lock which was very exciting! In the afternoon, we developed our skills further and were able to paddle whilst standing up in the boats. Our instructor was very impressed with our attentiveness, skills and teamwork together. Well done Shrewley class!
Miss Reid
Year 5 Sewing Enrichment
I am delighted to share an exciting update from our Year 5 enrichment programme. Our pupils have been immersed in a creative textile project, working alongside Mrs Russell, Mrs Smith and Mrs Jones. The children have embraced the challenge of designing their own unique characters, carefully selecting materials and mastering three essential stitches: blanket, running and cross. It has been wonderful to witness their enthusiasm and growing skills throughout this process. The culmination of their hard work and creativity has resulted in some truly astonishing final products!
Hatton Class - Pumpkin Picking Trip
On Tuesday morning Hatton Class travelled to Hatton Country World on Tristan the Tractor for our annual Pumpkin Picking Trip. After the bumpy ride to the pumpkin field, each child selected their own pumpkin to take home. The children were asked to choose a pumpkin that they could carry back to the tractor - this is always an interesting challenge and it was entertaining to see the children wrestling enormous pumpkins across the muddy field. We were also able to spend some time visiting the animals and the children were delighted to have the opportunity to hold ‘Severus Snake’ and to meet Caesar the bearded dragon. We also visited the farm animals. the guinea pigs, goats and sheep were very well fed that morning!
We would like to say a huge thank you to Richard and Wiz from Hatton for making our morning so enjoyable and to our parent volunteers who helped out on the day. Thank you!
A Message from The Friends of Ferncumbe
We would like to say thank you to all of our Ferncumbe families who came to support the Friends of Ferncumbe Halloween disco. Everyone looked amazing in their fancy dress costumes and we really hope your children enjoyed dancing with their friends. A huge thank you to our volunteers on the evening - a superb team effort!
Our events provide an opportunity for our community, pupils, parents and teachers to come together and have fun. A fundamental part of any event is to raise funds which will allow us to make donations to the school to support curriculum enrichment - activities beyond the school curriculum. We’d like to take this opportunity to share with you the monies we raised for 2023-2024 and the activities we supported financially.
We are planning more fun events in the coming months - take a look at what we have on our Friends of Ferncumbe events calendar for 2024-2025. If you would like to see a particular event in the future please do get in touch as we’d love to hear some new ideas!
A Maths APP - One Minute Maths
I am sure many of you who attended the parent meetings recently 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 My Maths 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.
Thank you,
Mrs White
Maths Coordinator
Half term events
Sewing Classes
With very best wishes for a lovely weekend and half term break,
Sally Morris, Head Teacher