Learning through experiences
Rowan
This week Rowan class has their fire safety talk with the Hampshire Fire services. They learnt what the fire service does and how they can stay safe at home. They learnt about the importance of testing their smoke detectors once a week and how to make a 999-phone call. One of the children also got the opportunity to dress up as a firefighter and race me in getting the suit on in less than 1 minute. It was a brilliant and valuable talk and the children really enjoyed the opportunity.
Sycamore
Sycamore are very privileged to be enjoying the first Forest School sessions this year. They had a great time, making badges and dens and enjoying all of the brand new equipment that was funded by Friends of Stanmore! Thank you - I think you can tell from the photos that they enjoyed themselves!
Elm
This week year 6 have been fortunate enough to visit Winchester College twice as part of our Stanmore enrichment curriculum. Our first visit showed us how a heart worked and we got to see a heart dissection. It was fascinating to see how the diagrams translate to real life. Our second session was to listen to the annual Primary Schools Wildlife Talk. This year we learnt all about elephants and projects around the world that are helping to limit the poaching of these beautiful creatures and also promoting female rangers in Africa.
The last week of a successful term
Choir
Our amazing choir sang at Winchester Cathedral this week to celebrate the university students graduating. They looked and sounded brilliant. Year 3 were also very excited to find Diver Bill!
Maple
Children in Maple Class have started their DT topic of 'Shade and Shelter'. They have been discussing what these terms mean and enjoyed an afternoon in our Forest School to explore the shelters that are there, the materials that could make shelters and why the materials might be suitable. They will be using this as a starting point for their own shelters which they will design and build after half term. They have also been using their colour mixing skills to create a selection of vibrant pumpkins using different printing techniques. We think they look amazing!
Rowan
This week Rowan class became still life artists. They had a selection of items and completed some observational drawings on their choice of object. They practiced using different grades of pencil for line work and shading.
Sycamore
Sycamore have been looking at a range of humorous poems by Joshua Siegal’s book entitled ‘I don’t like poetry’. The children chose their favourite poems to work in small groups to perform! The most popular poems were called ‘Gamer’ and ‘Don’t call out!’
Elm
Year 6 have been working hard on their hockey skills this half term. They started off practising their dribbling and defending and culminated in a fantastic set of matches in the final lesson. Everyone has been involved and coaches and teachers have been very impressed with the gusto with which the children took part. We may have some future gold medal winners in our midst.
Stubbington
Year 6 enjoyed a fantastic residential trip to Stubbington last week. They took part in a whole range of activities, from sketching to den building and even navigating an Earthquake. We even got to see some real life badgers and foxes. All the children were amazing and although we ended the week very tired, everyone agreed they had a brilliant time.
Exploring the world around us
Maple
Year 1 children in Maple Class enjoyed a wonderful time at St Cross meadows on Tuesday, hosted by the Hampshire Wildlife Trust. They used nets to find invertebrates in the chalk stream and identified what they had found using a chart. They also collected a variety of minibeasts from the meadow area. We enjoyed the walk to and from St Cross, especially the railway bridge and looking at the beautiful autumnal colours
Rowan
This week Rowan class had the wonderful opportunity to go to the St Cross meadows with the Hampshire Wildlife trust. They did some stream dipping and found lots of amphibious invertebrates such as a shrimp, water scorpion, mayflies and even some small stickleback fish. Then they explored the meadow for any other bug life and found various spiders, beetles and slugs hiding in the tall grass. They had a wonderful time and learn a lot about the local habitats. They were impeccably behaved and respected the Hampshire Wildlife trust leaders. Thank you to them for providing this opportunity to our school free of charge.
Birch
This week, Bich class became historians to investigate the Stone Age settlement of Skara Brae. They had to use their knowledge of the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic eras, maps of Stone Age settlements across the UK and information packs to discover what Skara Brae was and why it was an important discovery.
Sycamore
Sycamore Class have been working hard on addition and subtraction, using place value counters to help us with exchanging.
Aspen
This week in Aspen class we've been exploring air resistance and it's impact on day-to-day objects. The class enjoy designing and creating their own parachutes and then putting these to the test.
A fun week of learning at Stanmore Primary School
Outdoor learning
This week in forest school some of us have made fairy potions and witches brew and other made a tornado shelter.
Maple
This week in Maple Class, year 1 children have been learning to sort objects using Venn diagrams. They will be using this new skill to sort different materials in science. Year R children have been learning to find 1 more and 1 less of a number in maths and are using this new learning in their Discovery Time continuous provision. They have also been making playdoh food and learning to use a knife and fork correctly to cut it.
Rowan
This week Rowan class have been learning about William Walker, the man who helped to save Winchester Cathedral from sinking into the ground. They have been learning about his life, his achievements and why he is significant to our local history. They designed a 'Wanted' poster for a deep-sea diver and had to think about what the job would include and what qualities they would need.
Birch
This week in gymnastics, Birch Class have been practising different rolls and balances and creating sequences with their partners. They have been focusing on making their sequences flow continuously and making sure they are in synch with their partner.
Sycamore
Sycamore class have been getting creative in our music lessons! We have been tasked with writing a theme tune for a Norse God, selecting the instruments that will create the right mood for the God or Goddess and their powers. Next week we will record our compositions using graphic notations.
Aspen
This week in Aspen class we have been looking at justice in everyday situations, the children were given 3 situation cards and had to create freeze frames around each card, each group had to act out a different scenario reason what was happening, why it was unjust and provide a resolution as to how they could change the outcome in order for it to be just.
Elm
In year 6 the children have been learning about the triangular slave trade that happened between Britain, Africa and America. They have looked at the human cost but also how people in Britain and America financially benefitted from the trades. The children looked at the three journeys between the countries and explored the goods that were shipped, including the enslaved people of Africa.
Our new and improved Outdoor Learning
Outdoor Learning
This week we opened our new Forest School and some of the children have enjoyed their first forest school session. The children loved the new equipment such as the mud kitchen and made clay tree faces, fairy doors and clay woodland animals.
Maple
The learning in Maple Class this week has been amazing! Year R children have been working on creating repeating patterns and counting to 3 in Maths, whilst children in Year 1 have been learning to partition numbers using the part-whole method. In RWI Phonics, Year R are using the magnetic letters to build words and are developing brilliantly as emergent readers.
Rowan
This week Rowan class have been learning all about the life and accomplishments of Katherine Johnson, the woman who helped astronauts land on the moon and saved the Apollo 13 mission. In English they wrote a postcard as Katherine back to her their loved ones to tell them all about what she had achieved while working at NASA.
Aspen
This week in Aspen. We were looking at colour mixing and the differences between tints, tones and shades. The children explored and these can be made and we discussed how this can influence artist perspective.
Marvellous Maths and Wonderful Writing
Maple
This week, children in Maple Class have been learning to use specific mathematical language to compare numbers. In Year 1, children are using greater than, less than and equal to, to compare numbers and have been using cubes and straws to show the comparisons .
In Year R, the children are using language such as more than, less than, the same amount, as well as comparative words (longer and shorter, taller and shorter, bigger and smaller, heavier and lighter). They have been using lots of fun activities to explore these concepts.
Rowan
Rowan class have been writing some fantastic apology letters to this week to a very sad rabbit who has had all his trees dug up!
Also this week Rowan class had their 'visit' to an art gallery. They explored some famous still life paintings by artists such as Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Cézanne. We discussed what they liked about the art, what their favourite pieces were and the style of art that each artist used. They then chose a piece of art that they wanted to try and recreate in their own artistic style. Well done Rowan class.
Sycamore
Sycamore Y4 were considering different scenarios in RE and justifying their viewpoints. They showed some excellent critical thinking skills and thought carefully about their anmswers.
Aspen
This week in Aspen class we have been looking at hierarchy systems within the Shang Dynasty. Children were discussing why the king was at the top, who would be at the bottom and why.
Elm
Elm class have been writing their final outcome this week and have worked hard at creating their own time lapse narratives. We learnt new ways to edit our work and also how to use semi colons correctly.
Learning through History and Music
Maple
Our new Year R children are continuing to settle into Maple Class and are showing their persistence and confidence in their new learning and surroundings. They have been learning to read and write the first five RWI speed sounds, and in maths, are learning to match, sort and compare groups of objects. Year 1 Maple Class have been showing their skills in number as they learn to find 1 more and 1 less of a number, proving what they know on a number line. They have also been learning to ask questions using 'wh' question words.
Rowan
This week Rowan class have been enjoying learning to play the ukulele. Hampshire Music Service put on a Listen to Me programme for the Year 2 children where they will learn a variety of instruments over the course of the year, culminating in an end of term concert. They have been learning to pluck, strum and tap the ukulele to create different tunes and learning different songs to go along with it. They have been having a great time and their music teacher is already impressed with their focus, resilience and persistence.
Sycamore
Sycamore Class have been learning about what happened after the Romans left Britain. They have started to find out about the different groups who invaded and why. They had to work hard in pairs to find the answers to the questions and convince each other that they had the right answers!
Elm class
Elm class have been writing descriptions of the Frost Fair inspired by the writing on Emma Carroll. They have worked hard to include semi colons and fantastic vocabulary
In music they were composing original pieces of music using ostinato and repeated rhythm. Some of the children were even brave enough to perform their piece to the whole school.
Welcome back
Maple Class
A very warm welcome to all of our new children in Maple Class. They have settled in brilliantly and have loved exploring all of the exciting activities in Maple Class this week. Amongst other learning, the children have been matching objects and patterns in the maths area, learning to mix colours, retelling the story of the Three Little Pigs, recognising the pictures and rhymes for the RWI Set 1 sounds and much more! They have been enjoying the delicious school lunches and playing outside on the Pico Eagle and Trim Trail. A huge 'well done' for being amazing on your very first full week of school!
Birch Class
Beyond the Beat has started again! We are really proud of our Year 3 musicians who have such a brilliant opportunity to learn a musical instrument. Other children who have chosen to continue with BTB will resume their lessons too.
Sycamore
Sycamore have been working hard to represent and partition numbers to 10,000! As you can see from their smiling faces they have really been enjoying it!
Elm Class
Elm class completed a task 'What’s in the bag?' in RE.
They were all given a paper bag. Some had a digestive biscuit in and some were empty. They had to decide if this was JUST or UNJUST and give reasons for their decisions. Those children then had the choice of a chocolate digestive or plain and the children had to re-evaluate their decisions with justifications. The children have also started their art this week by exploring the use of tints, tones and shades. They used either white, black or grey to create different colours and explored how much of each colour was needed to change the original shade completely.
Safeguarding Notice
Dear parents and carers
Safeguarding Notice: CatNap cartoon (You Tube)
Content can be graphic, and include images of significant harm, abduction and foul language
Parents have made me aware of a current video/cartoon available online called ‘Cat Nap’ which may not be age-appropriate and include content that is traumatic to young children, includes references to harm and contains foul language.
Although this cartoon may appear innocent at first glance, it has resulted in some children being fearful, traumatised and/or displaying threatening behaviours. We have now witnessed this in school and the link to CatNap viewing is central.
Parents and carers are therefore advised to be cautious of unmonitored viewing of this cartoon. As always, parents are reminded that unmonitored access to tablets and online devices places children at significant risk.
Beware: the nature of cartoons has changed. We no longer live in an era where cartoons are for children and content, whilst superficially innocent, is often graphic and inappropriate.
The last week of term
Year R
YR children have been practising their adding and subtracting with the counting bus this week. They have been working out how many passengers were left on the bus when some got on the bus or got off the bus at different bus stops. They also investigated odd and even numbers by being passengers on a bus. If we had a friend sitting next to us, the number of passengers was an even number, if there was no friend next to us, we were the odd one out and so the number of passengers was an odd number. The children then investigated different numbers using blocks and animals as their passengers, to determine whether a given number was odd or even.
Year 1
After taste testing different fillings and designing their sandwiches last week, the children worked hard this week making their own sandwiches and decorating their sandwich boxes. The fillings ranged from cheese, cucumber and pepper, to the more exotic jam and raisins! It was great to see the children using the skills of spreading, grating and slicing.
Rowan
This week Rowan class have been creating beach huts. They have gone through the design, make, evaluate cycle. They began by studying beach huts then designed their own using their own design criteria. Then they planned what they needed to do and made them using a hacksaw, glue gun and cardboard corners to reinforce the wooden frame. Finally, they put the frames together and decorated their huts, using lolly pop sticks to create wooden cladding. They even created some amazing roofs for their huts to create shelter. They then evaluated their huts and decided on things that they liked and what they would do better next time. They look fantastic. Well done as always Rowan class.
Birch
Birch Class have been using software to produce branching data bases. They learnt how to identify specific attributes of objects in order to develop their yes/no questions and have drawn on previous learning to create excellent branching databases. Some children created them to sort minibeasts, dinosaurs, 2D shapes and even monarchs!
Sycamore
Sycamore explored simple machines, learning how they make physical jobs easier by changing the strength or direction of a force.
They looked are six simple machines: pulley, lever, wheel and axle, wedge, inclined plane and screw. They were then challenged to make a catapult using a lever to launch a small object as far as they could. The children also had great fun programming our micro bits. We know how to write messages and make the LEDs and make music on them! It was great fun!
Aspen
This week, in Aspen class, we have been investigating how to separate different mixtures, solutions and suspensions as well as understanding the differences between irreversible change and reversible change. We performed an investigation that showed how a chemical reaction between vinegar and bicarbonate of soda created anew substance - carbon dioxide - which made the change irreversible.
Year 6
A-Lad-In-Trouble.
Well done year 6 for fantastic performances of your play this week. It was clear how much hard work had gone into the learning your lines, organising the props and learning the songs. Thank you to all the families and friends who came to support the children and a big thank you for all the hard work from the teachers in organising 44 children to put on a great play.
