Fox News (4th October, 2024)

It has been such an exciting start to this school year in Fox Class! Year 6 have made an incredible start to their final year at Whitewater. They have been superb role models to the rest of the school, demonstrating love, courage and respect in all that they do. They are thoroughly enjoying all the roles and responsibilities that have come their way and they are looking extremely grown-up and mature in their ties!  Well  done everyone! Year 5 have settled brilliantly into Fox Class – they are such a joy to teach! The children are working incredibly hard to meet Year 5 expectations and I am very proud of them. Their knowledge and contributions to our lessons are fantastic - keep up the great work!

On Tuesday, we went on our first school visit of the year to Winchester Science Centre to deepen our learning all about space. The planetarium was a huge hit! It was amazing to see the star constellations and find out some great facts about the planets. Exploring the exhibits was great fun – the children loved it all! The sound activities proved a great hit – make sure you ask your children about them! Our workshop was fantastic too – we learnt about light, and wearing the special glasses at the end to see white light split into all of its colours was brilliant!

Back in class, the children have been working hard on their story writing. Some of the children's pieces have been absolutely exquisite – their writing styles are very creative! The children are extremely proud of themselves, and they should be! A definite must see for you at parents evening in a couple of weeks’ time!

Keep up the amazing work Fox Class - three more weeks of space fun to come!

 

Autumn 1: Learning Overview

Welcome Back!

Welcome back! I trust you had a wonderful summer break and are excited for the start of this academic year! Please find attached the learning overview for this half term in Fox Class.

Classroom Adults

We are very fortunate to have different adults supporting the children in class this year. My statutory PPA time will be taken once a fortnight (every other Monday). During this time, and when I am released at other points over the fortnight, Mrs London will teach the children. Mrs Owen and Mrs Brett will also be in class every day, and Mrs Allen, a new member of the Whitewater team, will support us on Friday afternoons.

Homework

Being in upper Key Stage 2, each child is required to complete different homework activities throughout the week in order to consolidate and extend their learning from the classroom. This will be appropriate for the level they are working at. Homework is also necessary in preparation for the demands of secondary school.

There will be a gradual approach to the amount of homework set - it will increase over time to include the following:
Mathematics	Main task Set each Friday. Marked the following Friday.	TT Rockstars 3x week for at least 10 minutes per session. It is expected that children will remember to do this without prompting!
Reading or SPaG	Main task Set each Tuesday. Marked the following Tuesday.	Reading 5x week for at least 10 minutes per day. This should be a balance of independent reading and reading aloud to an adult. Again, children should not need reminding to do this.
Spelling	Spelling words Set occasionally, on a Friday. These are to be practised at home when they are provided. Informally tested when appropriate.

In Years 5 and 6, we aim for the children to develop their organisational skills and independence around completing their homework, as these are important skills as the children get older. If you or your child has any concerns about their homework, do come and speak to me before the homework is due in.

PE Kit

Outdoor PE will take place on Monday afternoons and our indoor session will be Friday afternoon. On these days, children are to wear their PE kit to school and will stay in it all day. Please ensure you write your child’s name on all of their belongings so we can reunite anything lost with their owner should it go missing!

If you have any questions throughout the year, please come and speak to me – the classroom door is always open. I look forward to the exciting school year we have ahead!