Welcome back to a new school year, and a huge welcome to those who are new to Upper Key Stage 2 in Tornado and Typhoon class! We hope you have all had a relaxing summer and are ready for a very busy term ahead.

The Curriculum Our topic this term is “Where in the World?”. We will be focusing on our local geography in the Cotswolds, and comparing this to a contrasting part of the world – Uganda, Africa. This is a topic looking at the United Kingdom and its place in the world, then focusing in on the physical and human geography of both the Cotswold and Uganda, and finally comparing and contrasting the two locations.

In English we will be reading Skellig, by David Almond. This exceptional story will be used to inspire the children to write their own stories, newspapers, diaries, informational texts and persuasive letters. Supporting this will be the use of a variety of other texts, which the children will again use to structure and write a variety of text styles. There will be a strong focus on improving accuracy of spelling, grammar and punctuation and the quality of handwriting. Reading and understanding the complexities of different texts, will have a high priority throughout all our English lessons. In Guided Reading we will use The Village that Vanished to focus on a variety of reading skills. We will particularly focus on developing the children’s ability to read between the lines and infer the

reasons and motivations behind characters thoughts and actions. When children are reading at home, we would strongly recommend that you have regular conversations with your child about what they are reading and whether they are enjoying the book or not.

In Maths we begin by looking at place value and Roman Numerals, before moving onto the four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Mental recall of all times tables up to 12x and the inverse, is essential and mental maths will continue to play an important part of all our maths lessons. Due their importance, we ask that you help your child to practice times tables at home each day.

In Science Biology will be the key strand this term. We will be learning about living things. We will focus on how plants, mammals, amphibians and birds reproduce and learn about the work of famous scientists. We will also consider the importance of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle and how these have an effect on the way our bodies function.

In Computing we will use a number of programmes to develop the children’s technological skills. We will begin by looking at using everyday software to develop children’s computer literacy. A focus over the first term will be on Internet Safety, we will be using Google’s “Be Internet Legends”.

In RE, we will follow the Gloucestershire RE syllabus and we will be learning about Islam and Christianity – focusing on Muslim beliefs and how these are followed today, and how Christians believe that God sent Jesus to save mankind. In PSHCE we will be focusing on Personal Responsibility and Keeping Safe in and out of the home. After the October half term our Y6 children will be using the skills they learn in this on their own adventure – the residential trip to Woodlands!

In Upper Key Stage 2, the children will participate in PE twice a week. It is important that your child has correct PE kit in school and that all items are clearly labelled. PE kit should comprise of a blue t-shirt, shorts/skort, long socks and suitable outdoor training shoes (not plimsolls please). In addition, it would be a good idea to bring tracksuit bottoms and a warmer top for outdoor activities in colder weather.

The aim is to support the children in becoming self-motivated and organised with their homework. The children are expected to read for at least half an hour each evening and make detailed entries in their reading journal, to be handed in during their guided reading session, each week. Spelling lists will be sent home weekly and it is then up to the children to practise those spellings ready for a spelling test. Each week your child will be issued subject specific homework

Where in the World?TORNADO & TYPHOON CLASS

for English and Maths. This will usually be given on a Thursday to be brought back into school by the following Tuesday.

Bags The cloakroom area for the children is small. Please ensure that all bags brought into school are of a reasonable size and that all personal property is taken home on a Friday. The children are encouraged to be responsible for their own belongings, however, it is still worth checking for letters or emails at the end of the day.

A Few Dates For Your Diary: Roald Dahl Day – Friday 13th September Residential Parent Information Evening @ UR – Tuesday 17th September – 5:00pm Meet and Greet @ UR – Monday 23rd September 7:00-8:00pm MacMillan Coffee Morning – Friday 27th September (both sites) Harvest Festival – Friday 4th October INSET Day – Wednesday 9th October Parents’ Evening – Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th October Tornado Class Assembly – Friday 25th October Typhoon Class Assembly –Friday 8th November Year 6 Residential – Monday 25th November to Friday 29th November Year 5 STEM workshop – Wednesday 27th November

Further detailed information regarding all trips, events and visits will be sent separately. Make sure you check book bags; the school website will have those important school dates for your diary. In addition to these dates, check out the local Secondary School Open Evenings (2nd October – The Cotswold School) and take the opportunity to look around.

Remember that Secondary School choices must be made before October 31st 2018.

Additional Information

The children are able to drink water and may have access to a water bottle throughout the day. If your child has an inhaler, please could you make sure that it is clearly named and in date. Their inhaler should be in school, to be accessed at all times. If your child requires any other medication, please could you make both the class teacher AND the office staff aware.

We encourage the children to use the internet safely and use DB Primary to access class information and email each other. Social Media: Tornado and Typhoon Classes have their own twitter pages. Throughout the term we will post photographs and updates about our learning. Please follow us on @Tornado_Class and @typhoonclass1. No mobile phones or other similar technology is allowed in school.

Formal parent evenings will be held in October to discuss settling in and your child’s progress. However, if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s education or have any concerns at any time throughout the term, please do not hesitate to make an appointment.

Kind regards,Emma Brearley and Amy GaleTornado and Typhoon Class Teachers