Great Gaddesden CoE VA
School
For Pupils Aged 3-11
Our pupils
have been settling into school life this month as the Autumn term has moved
into full swing. Our new Reception pupils have made a fantastic transition into
being at school for the full day. Reece in Reception told me that his favourite
thing about staying all day at school is that he gets to eat lunch with his
friends and have delicious fish fingers!
Nursery
and Reception have also been very busy in class. This month they have been
learning about pictograms and how to use a pictogram chart to represent data.
Part of the children developing their knowledge in Reception is about learning
through child-led activities. When
asked, Hannah in Reception said that her favourite activity to choose from is
playing learning games on the IPads.
As part of
the Literacy curriculum, “Big Writing” sessions which happen once a week
provide all pupils with an opportunity to write at length about a chosen
subject. The children enjoy some quiet time with some classical music playing
and fairy lights scattered around the room to give them space to write and encourage
their ideas to flow. Years One and Two have been writing about their favourite
toy as part of their “Big Writing” this month. The children were able to bring
their favourite toy into school which caused much excitement. Maddie in Year Two
wrote about her favourite stuffed animal “Nutty” who is a much treasured toy. Years
One and Two have also been studying the poem “Chocolate Cake” by Michael Rosen
and got to write their own poems about Chocolate Cake whilst also sampling some
at the same time!
Years
Three and Four have been very enthused about their History Topic which for this
term is The Romans. The class embarked on a school trip to St Albans Abbey and
enjoyed a tour of the Abbey plus a visit to the Hypocaust to bring history to
life. During the trip, children were able to dress in Roman costume and enjoyed
creating a mosaic together. Immy in Year
Four reported that the trip was “interesting and really brilliant. I loved
seeing the Roman ruins at the Hypocaust”. This class has also been studying humorous
poetry such as “At the end of School Assembly” by Simon Pitt which they have
enjoyed very much.
In RE this
term, Years Five and Six are studying Buddhism. They were grateful to be able
to make the short trip to visit the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the local
community to support their understanding of Buddhism. During the trip the
pupils were able to find out about how monks and nuns live and learn more about
their beliefs. Thanks to the Amaravati Monastery for welcoming our pupils for a
visit.
Years Five
and Six have also been working hard in Science, devising different experiments to
test the different properties of materials. Tests took place on the strength of
materials, the best material to keep something cold and whether insoluble
materials can be separated from water. You can read more about this experiment
on their class blog.
Elections
for School Council have also taken place this month. Each class has a
representative on the School Council who is able to present the views of their
peers and give their thoughts and opinions on matters going on the school.
Focuses for this month have been how to distribute E-Safety messages to the
pupils and also considering a Fundraising Focus for money raised by the school
PTA.
Stop Press – NEW Great Gaddesden
Toddler Group - 1ST Friday of Every Month
Great Gaddesden School are starting a new Community Toddler
Group. The group will meet in the school hall from 9:15-11:30am on the first
Friday of each month. The first meeting will be Friday 2nd October. The
group is aimed at Parents and Carers with children aged 0-4 living in the
local community and beyond. The group will be run by our new FOGGS Chair Amie
Upton. For more information please contact us via email Nursery@greatgaddesden.herts.sch.uk Please note that due to space
constraints this group is not suitable for Childminders. All children must be
supervised by a Parent/Carer at all times.
A
message from Mrs Comer:
Last
year, the school was extremely well-supported by members of our local community
and I just wanted to write to say thank you to all parties! Special Thanks go to Blains who are a local
tyre company in Great Gaddesden, who have provided our Early Years Class with
free tyres for their outside area. Also Roderick Wilson who is a fully
qualified local tree surgeon and forestry contractor and supplied all of the
wood chippings for the bark area making it safe for the children to use again.
Additionally Jackie and Reg Cornthwaite welcomed our Nursery and Reception
children to Ledgemore Farm to see the new lambs being born. Sincere thanks to all – your supported is
much appreciated!
Clare Rudd
Parent Governor
