This Week In School…
Year 3 – This week have completed their brilliant poems in English. They used their five senses to help describe the changes that occurred during 'The Tin Forest'. In maths. they have been using their knowledge of addition and subtraction and applied them to reasoning problems such as word problems and inverse calculations. In art, they have completed their exploration of William Morris' work and used him as inspiration to create their own printing block. This also allowed them to begin to understand how repeated patterns can be made for large scale prints. In French, they used their words that they had previously learnt for colours and clothes and combined them using French conjunctions such as 'et'. For their word of the day this week, year 3 have looked at the meaning of the following words: comfortable, invade, ruthless, investigate and focus! They have worked really hard this half-term and both of their teachers are really impressed and hope that they keep up the good work next term! 
Year 4 – This week Year 4 have edited and published their adventure stories about a poor plastic bag who was left abandoned on the floor of Gambia but given a second chance when a strong gust of wind blew him away. In maths they have been solving subtraction calculations involving three- and four-digit numbers and exchanging multiple times. In art they have made Benin style clay relief tiles and designed and made their own stamp and used it to make a repeat pattern. Year 4 have also excitedly been practising their song in music "Mamma Mia" and singing it every chance they get
Year 5 –have ended the term as we started it... very busy. In English we planned, edited and published a short narrative of the Kraken - a mythical creature in our class book 'The Journey'. During our Maths lessons we have been answering questions based on various types of tables and line graphs. All the children have managed to complete our DT topic - creating the final sewing designs onto book marks. Everybody has tried their best and have produced some amazing designs! 
Year 6 The majority of Year 6 have been enjoying their residential activity week with PGL this week.  Those children who did not go away have also had a packed and enjoyable week at school.  They have taken part in a range of activities including decorating their own pillow case; taking part in a team technology challenge to make a fashion outfit out of 3 black sacks; learning about the different decades from 1950s until the 1990s and then creating a mood board linked to the decade of their choice; creating a 'nature art bug' using leaves and twigs; and stone painting.  As well as this, they have all participated in various 'Taskmaster' challenges throughout the week, the favourite being 'Hide the penguin'! All the children in school have been fantastic and deserved a joint Brainiac for being such a great group.

​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been exploring the descriptive world of poetry this week in Year 3. By utilizing their knowledge of similes, metaphors and alliteration, they have brought the settings of 'The Tin Forest' to life! In Maths, they have been using their subtraction and place value knowledge to answer subtraction questions that require exchanging. They then used estimation to check if their answer was logical. In the afternoons, Year 3 have begun to delve into the world of William Morris and have started to design their own print blocks that they will use to create their own patterns with next week. In PSHE, they have been looking at ways to support others, especially if people around them are feeling sad or upset. In French, Year 3 have developed their language skills by learning the different names for colours and for Vocabulary Ninja this week, Year 3 have added hilarious, falter, devastate and elusive to their ninja dictionaries.
Year 4 – have been writing their very own adventure stories in English, starring a character from their class book, a plastic bag. Their poor plastic bag has found itself heading to the landfill when it can actually be recycled. In Maths, they have been working on their addition skills, adding four-digit numbers that have two or more exchanges. In Science they have learnt all about the water cycle. They were shocked to discover that the rain water we get has been around since the Jurassic period! In Art, they have continued to learn about different African art, from Benin inspired clay tiles to converse trainers inspired by Ndebele tribe artist Dr Ester Mahlangu.
Year 5 – have focused on completing their newspaper articles about Afghanistan. They have taken care to edit their work and have worked really hard to make their publishing the best pieces yet! In Maths, they have been learning to read and plot points on line graphs.  They have learnt that they must think carefully about the X and Y axis! For their Topic work, they finished their science topic on materials.
Year 6 – have been busy finishing and publishing informal letters in English - they have written in character and have used some great vocabulary.  They have also been preparing their Recipes for a ‘Loving Relationship’, from PSHE, for display as we felt these were so good.  In Computing, the children have been learning to create a function in coding and have included functions in their own coding programs.  The children have started their Art topic this week - South American Art and Design - and have been looking at the work of artist Frida Kahlo.  Taking inspiration from her art, they have made their own monkeys out of clay; learning how to press, knead and roll the clay to make it easier to manipulate; and joining sections by carefully moulding the clay together.  They enjoyed producing some great monkeys!

In light of the current situation, It would be advisable for your child to do a LATERAL FLOW DEVICE test tonight, Saturday and Sunday until we leave for PGL. That way if the result is positive there may be time to get a PCR test before we travel.

If your child were unable to attend PGL due to positive PCR, then you will be pleased to know that this will be covered on PGL's insurance. However, if your child were to test positive on a Lateral Flow Device test then they would still need a positive PCR test result in order to be eligible to claim a refund. 

Please also remember to allow 30 minutes to wait with your child before the results of the LATERAL FLOW DEVICE test on Monday morning. Children attending PGL are allowed to start school as late as 11am (10.30am arrival to allow for the Later Flow Device test results).

Thank you.​

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

With the number of cases in our area on the rise and to ensure the safety of everyone on the trip, we have taken the decision to ask all children who are attending PGL to take a Lateral Flow Test on Monday 18th October. We will need you to administer the test with your child at SCHOOL on the morning which they depart. We will supply you with the Lateral Flow Test in school and then ask you to wait 30 minutes for the results to appear. Please arrive at school between 9:30-11:00 to carry out the test. We did this before we went in May and found it to be hugely successful and beneficial to the smooth running of the trip. 
In the event anyone receives a positive result on their Lateral Flow Test, they will need to arrange for a PCR COVID-19 test at either a drive through testing centre or via home kit. Unfortunately, this will mean that your child will no longer be able travel to PGL on the coach that day. (Should the PCR test come back as negative, they would be allowed to re-join the PGL trip however parents will be responsible for transporting their child privately to the PGL site.) 
What if your child displays COVID-19 symptoms whilst at PGL? 
If your child displays any COVID-19 symptoms we will follow procedures PGL have put in place to manage any suspected infection which includes the use of designated rooms suitable for isolation whilst awaiting collection. We will then contact you as soon as possible and ask you to come and collect your child directly from Windmill Hill. 
Please note, by sending your child on the trip, you understand that you are responsible for their travel to/from the PGL grounds should they need travel privately due to COVID-19 isolation rules.  

Kindest regards, 
 
 
Mr P Clifford 
Deputy Headteacher 

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​This Week In School…
Year 3 – have been exploring the features of poetry and started to plan their own poems about 'The Tin Forest'. In Maths, they have developed their understanding of subtraction, including exchanging. Year 3 have completed their Science topic on 'Plants' by writing a diary of a seed and enjoying a 'Now Press Play' audio experience! They have also been continuing to learn instructions in French.
Year 4 – have been planning an adventure story in English, they are going to tell the story of what happens to a plastic bag once it has been left on the floor in The Gambia. This is based on an event in their class text, 'One Plastic Bag'. In Maths, they have been busy working on their arithmetic and solving addition calculations. They also worked really hard learning the Roman numerals from the numbers 1 - 100. In Art, they have looked at an African art style called, "Tingatinga". They have chosen an animal to draw and paint in this style, testing their creativity! In Science, Year 4 have been contemplating how washing dries. After learning about the process of evaporation they have planned and carried out an experiment testing where a wet towel will dry quicker, inside by the sunny window in Donaldson classroom, inside the warm Dahl classroom or outside?
Year 5 – have planned and started writing a Newspaper report based on the story 'The Journey' in English. In Maths, they have looked at estimating answers using rounding and using the inverse operation to check their answers. They have completed their science topic about materials and their properties and have continued with their DT topic, making books marks using the sewing stitches they have learnt.
Year 6 – have written a formal letter in English last week and have continued to write an informal letter this week - again writing as a character in our book, Floodland.  They have been using some great vocabulary and emotive language. Year 6 have finally finished reading Floodland, which the children really enjoyed.  This week, they started working in groups for Maths and Reading, the children have settled into the groups well.  In Science, the children have completed their topic on Evolution and Inheritance by researching Charles Darwin and producing a fact file about the famous scientist.  In Computing, they have created some games using their coding skills; and in PSHE the children looked at what is needed for a loving relationship, then created some great recipes based on this!