End of Term Newsletter:
Spring 2016
Message from Mr Harrison
Welcome to the second edition of our termly newsletter. Through it, we have tried to capture the essence of another enthralling term
of high energy, focussed thought and great achievement. No matter where one looks, children seem to be exploring, experimenting,
enquiring and engaging: this term has witnessed a notable number of ‘firsts’ which are a result of that drive to ‘push on’ and
experience as much as possible.
Those ‘firsts’ include the first Forest School sessions, the first Music Festival, the first time instrumentalists have played in our
House Music Competition, the first offer of an Art Scholarship to a Year 6 pupil and the first venture into ISA sport. It really has been a
pioneering term and one that has brought remarkable success on so many fronts. Enjoy the newsletter and, like me, be amazed by the
achievements of your amazing children.
The Spider:
“I am creative”
Key Stage 1’s
World Book Day Quiz
Key Stage 1 came together to celebrate
World Book Day by working in their
House teams for a World Book Day quiz.
There was enjoyment and excitement
throughout the three rounds, with children
demonstrating an impressive knowledge of
books. The scores were very close but the
winning house was Littleworth! Well done
to all the children who took part.
11+ success!
Year 6 excelled in their 11+ exams with
offers, scholarships and acceptances
at top local secondary schools.
Congratulations, Year 6, we are very
proud of you all!
The
Woodpecker:
“I stick at things”
The Squirrel:
“I take risks”
The Bee:
“I am a team
player”
ISA Hockey Finals
Kindergarten’s Forest
School Adventures
This half term, 16 children from
Kindergarten enjoyed their first Forest
School sessions with Miss Carter. We have
enjoyed exploring the woods and making
wooden disc necklaces and journey sticks
using the story ‘Not a Stick’ by Antoinette
Ports as inspiration.
In February, the U11 Boys A Hockey team
proudly represented Weston Green at
the ISA National Hockey Tournament
at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre, Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park. With draws
and wins against schools from Surrey,
London and the south-west in the group
phases, the boys reached the National
Final where they played Stafford Prep
School. After a 0-0 final score, shuffle
penalties ensued where Stafford Prep
managed to score once and that was
enough to see them crowned champions.
The boys should be very proud of
themselves to compete so well in a
National Tournament. 1
The Badger:
“I am
independent”
The Owl:
“I think
about things”
Early Years: Kindergarten
Early Years: Reception
The
children
have been
investigating and
exploring the
habitats of Arctic
animals.
Kindergarten
has been
measuring using
Unifix cubes
and finding
corresponding
numbers.
The
Tundra Dig! We
are palaeontologists
in
training! Enthusiastic
about
the topic of dinosaurs
, Reception
were set a challenge
to find a way
to retrieve dinosaur bon
es from
ice using various tools
and
resources. The childr
en also
had the opportunity to
dig
for fossils and resear
ch
dinosaur facts.
To celebrate
World Book Day,
the children brought
in their favourite book
to share with their
classmates.
The
children
enjoyed making
shaving foam
they
cupcakes which
decorated with
sprinkles and
glitter.
Kindergarten
travelled over,
under and throug
h
various objects as
they completed
an
obstacle course
.
The
children
enjoyed filling up
buckets with sand
and comparing
weight and size.
We made our
own display of fac
ts
about nocturnal
animals.
We researched no
cturnal
animals on the lap
tops and
recorded facts wh
ich we
attached to our bo
ard, giving
us the opportunit
y to reflect
upon and admire
our
work.
Using
our fingers
and thumbs, as
well as different
textured paintbr
ushes,
we transformed
our
handprints into
snowy owls.
Reception
children were
set a challenge in
which they had to
work
in pairs to build
a volcanic
landscape. Their
task was to
incorporate char
acteristics
of all of the anim
als
in our Learner
Profiles.
Using
the giant tree
stumps in the
Natural Area, to
make a trail and to
balance on.
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3
Reception
have
participated
enthusiastically in
gymnastic sessions
this term.
Inspired
by Six Nations
2016, Mr Dowson
and Reception
children enjoyed a
session perfecting
their rugby
skills.
Key Stage 1: Year 1
Key Stage 1: Year 2
Investigating Animals
Traditional Tales
This term Year 1 has really enjoyed
exploring different areas of science.
One favourite topic has been our
focus on animals. The children
have enthusiastically investigated
features of animals such as reptiles
and fish and have created their
own models of different creatures.
Building habitats for these creatures
was a wonderful way for the children
to think about where different
animals live and what they need to
survive.
During Year 2’s traditional tales
topic, the children had fun studying
the fairy tale of ‘Little Red Riding
Hood’. This caused great excitement
and led to the children taking on the
roles of the Wolf, Red Riding Hood,
Granny and the Hunter. The children
learned about how an interview is
conducted before constructing their
own police interviews. The children
thought carefully about what open
questions they would ask the different
characters during the interview.
A Knight’s Tale
Sewing our own Puppets
Year 1’s topic on castles has been
a firm favourite with many of the
children. Exploring the variety of
castles we have in England, as well
as their features, has given them
a great insight into the Norman
invasion and why castles were built
in this country. With the help of a
knight, the children were taken on
a journey through a medieval castle
where they had to complete all
chores and duties expected of its
residents.
This term, Year 2 has really enjoyed
exploring and investigating the
different stitches in sewing. One
favourite topic has been our focus
on making puppets. The children
explored and practised their sewing
techniques to make a finger and
hand puppet. To conclude our topic,
the children also created their
own puppet shows which the class
enjoyed watching thoroughly.
Year 1’s Volcano Show
Sorting 3D Shapes
During Year 1’s British Isles topic, the
children discovered an extinct volcano in
Scotland. This caused great excitement
and ignited an investigation into the
mechanics of volcanoes: where they are,
what they do and why they have an impact
on this world. The children concluded this
topic by making their own volcanoes and
watching them erupt in the playground.
They advertised the event throughout the
school and were delighted when their
volcano show was a great success.
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The children enjoyed taking part
in a 3D shape ‘carousel’ this term.
The objective was to name, sort and
identify properties of 3D shapes.
We used Venn diagrams for
sorting the shapes (based on their
properties) and had to count the
number of vertices and faces of each
shape. The most fun part was trying
to follow our partner’s instructions,
using only the shape properties,
to create a structure.
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Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Year 3
Year 5
Year 4
Year 6
Year 5’s River Walk
All Saints Church visit
Works of Art
This term, Year 3 enjoyed a visit to
All Saints Church as part of their
topic on Christianity. To support
their learning in the classroom, the
children were given a tour of the
church and had the opportunity to
wear the clerical clothing.
This term, Year 4 has enjoyed
studying the work of artist
L. S. Lowry. They created
their own story plots using
some of his artwork.
Home Guards at
Henley Fort
The sun shone for Year 5’s river walk along the rivers Mole and
Ember, as part of this term’s geography topic.
This term, Year 6 enjoyed a visit
to Henley Fort. To enhance their
history studies, the children found
out about what life was like for
post-war Britons.
Year 4 also spent time
sketching the main features
of their faces in order to
experiment with different art
materials and styles, such as
charcoal, pen and pop art.
Reflecting on
maths work
The children took on the roles
of Home Guards and had to
practise ‘ducking for cover’ before
ambushing the enemy!
Classifying
Organisms
Outdoor Learning
Year 3 worked together in
groups to reflect on a previous
maths test that they had
completed. Demonstrating the
bee and owl Learner Profiles,
the children identified where
mistakes had been made and
discussed methods which
might help them for next time.
Writing like
Romans
Year 4 has been working on similes
and metaphors this term and
ventured into the school garden to
use their senses to inspire their
creative writing.
In Latin, Year 5 has been
learning about the Vindolanda
tablets, which were found
during excavations of the
Vindolanda site in 1973. The
children enjoyed creating their
own replica Vindolanda tablets
out of balsa wood.
Balloon Car Racing
Year 4 made their own airpowered balloon cars and
had fun racing them on the
playground. We discussed any
techniques that might improve
the speed of the cars or the
distance that they were able to
travel.
Investigating Wind
Demonstrating the ‘spider’, Year
3 created their own windmills.
This practical activity allowed
them to investigate how wind can
be used as a force and also led
to a discussion about wind as a
renewable energy source.
Beautiful Biomes
The children showed incredible
dedication to their work on
biomes this term, which linked
their English, ICT, geography and
science skills. We looked at our
impact on the world and what we
need to do to protect it; covering
issues such as deforestation,
oil spills and global warming. In
English we looked at newsletters
and compiled our own supplement
about biomes, using Microsoft
Publisher. Finally, the class
completed their own magnificent
‘biome in a box’ projects at home.
French Role Play
This term, Year 3 enjoyed
taking part in French role
play activities, to consolidate
their learning and help
them to use their French
vocabulary in practice.
The children pretended to
be buying groceries from the
shopkeeper. This included
casual greetings and asking
for items such as bread, milk
and orange juice.
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How do you go
about classifying
Weston Green? Just
ask Year 6 as they
researched different
organisms living in
the school garden,
before producing a
branching key on the
iPads.
The children have also been
learning a range of Latin verbs.
The Water of Life
Have you ever wondered how your water gets from the
reservoir to your tap? Or how much water we all use every
day and where it goes when we have finished with it?
Year 5 had the opportunity to
learn the answers to many
questions such as these
when they invited a visiting
speaker from Thames
Water to come to one of
their geography lessons.
This term, they have been
studying the water cycle,
and the journey that
our water takes from it
forming in the clouds to
being returned to the
rivers. They were amazed
by the facts and figures
that they learnt!
Solving Maths Puzzles
The mathematicians in Year 6 were faced with some very
tricky puzzles. They had to be squirrels and bees to solve
them: taking risks and working as a team meant that they
achieved great success!
Year 6 visit Sky
Year 6 had a great time when
they visited Sky, courtesy of
Adam Comley who won the
Internet Matters ‘Internet Safety’
competition. Well done, Adam!
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Creative Curriculum
Drama
During the spring term, all of Key Stage 2 have had
the opportunity to take part in a drama workshop with
former EastEnders actress and ‘I’m a Celebrity’ winner,
Charlie Brooks. Charlie Brooks has joined forces with
award-winning stage school director Mark Jermin, to
open the inspirational performing arts school which
is located at Thames Ditton Junior School. As a little
taster, Charlie worked with the children to develop
skills in voice, movement and expressions.
Art
We have many budding artists here at Weston Green
who enjoy experimenting with different media in a
variety of contexts, such as clubs and in class. In Year
4, the children have been using charcoal to create
different light and shade effects.
Music
We are very fortunate to have fantastic instrumental
teachers who visit the school weekly. Many children
undertake music exams and are also encouraged to
participate (when ready) in the termly tea time concerts
held at the school.
Sport
A lot of these pupils performed in our much anticipated
‘House Music Competition’. Well done to Littleworth for
winning the competition and to Sofia for being the first
recipient of the ‘Smit Cup’ with her excellent vocals.
The sports programme has continued to deliver
real highlights this term: the mixed hockey regional
event where Weston Green came third: the Under
11 Boys National Finals in Olympic Park (see front
page); the Weston Green Year 2 Football Festival and
the Swimming Gala. These were all wonderful and
memorable events. It was a great disappointment that
the National Football Finals had to be cancelled due to
the weather, having qualified so impressively through
the London event.
Alongside these moments there are all those individual
moments which each child will cherish as they think
back on another term of high quality, fun-packed sport,
where earnest competition has been matched by a real
sense of togetherness.
Weston Green School, Weston Green Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey, KT7 0JN | 020 8398 2778 | www.westongreenschool.org.uk
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