Friday 5th July 2019

 What a week we have had. We are sure that you have followed our escapades through the photographs we sent and that the children have regaled you with tales of their adventures. Thanks to all those parents who have sent 'Thank you' emails - we really appreciate them. We are sure that we will all sleep very well this weekend!

Today, we had our final parent Teach from Mr. Singer who explained how computers work - the children were fascinated and all listened intently despite their fatigue.

In the afternoon, we learned about The Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as oneself would wish to be treated. It is a maxim that is found in many religions and cultures. The children researched a variety of religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Shinto (to name a few) and learned about their beliefs and customs. We concluded that no matter which religion you are part of, the fundamental belief of treating others as you would like to be treated is ever-present.

We are still looking for volunteers to transport children to and from the mosque on Tuesday (leaving at 10am and returning by 12:30). Please let us know if you can help.

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Fisher (Sharman) and Mrs Teacher

   Friday 28th June 2019

WOW! Your children were amazing on Tuesday and Wednesday night. We are all so proud of how well they acted and of the hard work they did to achieve such a polished performance.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

SKEET: Quick reminder.

1. All children should be in school at 7:45am

2. Children must bring a milky/pareve packed lunch. They should not bring more food than they are able to eat as it will be thrown away once we get to Skeet

3. Boys must wear Tzizit and a |Kippah (and bring spare).

4. Girls can wear trousers/leggings but shorts need to be knee length.

5. All children need a hat/cap.

6. Please put any medicines in a named box/bag with signed instructions on dosage.

7. Spending money should be in a named envelope.

8. Children must have a refillable water bottle.

9. We will be returning on Thursday 4th July at approximately 5:30pm. You will be informed if there is a delay.

10. Children are expected to be in school on Friday 5th JUly.

REQUEST:

On Tuesday 9th July we have planned a visit to a mosque in East Finchley. We need parental help, please, to transport us there and back (you are welcome to stay).

We will leave school shortly after 10am and will be back around 12:30pm.

Please email us if you are able to help (year6@keremschool,co.uk)

  Friday 14th June

 This week Year 6 have been hard at work putting the finishing touches to the Year 6 presentation. They have a full run through and only have a few tweaks to make!

In Maths we revisited the Scholfield and Simms book to keep the children's minds fresh on problem-solving. 

In English we tackled another couple of Grammar papers - the children are really improving their skills.

We are continuing reading The Giver and have discussed issues such as 'What is Love?' and are arranged marriages a good thing.

We were so pleased to welcome Miss Wolinsky back and she gave the class a quick crash course in Latin. The class was fascinated to discover that so many of our everyday words have a Latin base.

Good luck to all those sitting the JFS exam this weekend!

Don't forget that Monday is Sports Day - the children need to be dropped off and collected from Allianz Park. Make sure they have plenty of water and a packed lunch.

Shabbat Shalom - hope to see many of you on Sunday.

Mrs Fisher (Sharman) and Mrs Teacher

Shabbat Shalom

  Friday 6th June 2019

IMPORTANT NOTICES

- SATS results will be given  out with your child’s report on Friday 5th July.

- Children need to bring in a coloured t shirt, if they have one, on Tuesday.

The children have really wowed us with their ‘Who Am I?’ Projects - they are so detailed and informative and we can’t wait to read them all!

As we get nearer to the ‘big night’, rehearsals are in full swing- we had our first full run through and we    you that you are in for a treat! 

We have been continuing with our British Values project and this week looked at The Rule of Law.

In Literacy we carried on reading The Giver and discussed the importance of colour in our lives.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach

The Year 6 Team

   Friday 24th May 2019

  This week has been one of deep discussion. We watched Planet Child (episode 2) and discussed whether people are born naughty or whether their environment makes them behave in a certain way. We also looked at why people lie and at how children develop their understanding of the truth.

In ‘The Giver’ we discussed what colour is and how we know what certain colours are.

In History we learned about the Cold War in preparation for one of our visits at Skeet.

Today, we watched Theresa May’s resignation speech and discussed what happens next - we will learn more about the candidates after half term.

Today we also had a wonderful Parent Teach fromMs Fine who taught the children how to use their voices correctly and how to breathe well in order to be able to project. Please see photos below

Of course we have continued with Maths and English on top of all this talk!

Please note that SATs results will be given out after half term, probably on the first Friday.

Have a great half term - we look forward to seeing all those ‘Who Am I?’ projects after the break!

The Year 6 team

Jewish Studies 19th Iyar - 24th May

In Jewish Studies this week we have been practising reading Rashi script, which we are now able to do pretty well.  We played Rashi Dobble and Rashi Uno today to help reinforce our letter knowledge.

Also this week, to link with the whole-school theme of birth customs and naming ceremonies, we learnt about a Pidyon HaBen ceremony, presenting what we had learnt to the rest of the school in assembly on Thursday afternoon.

I wish you all a lovely half term and Shabbat Shalom - slightly quieter and calmer for me this week ;)

Mrs Hill

Friday 17th May 2019

This week has flown by- it’s hard to believe that there is only one week until half term.

In Maths this week we revised angles and had fun finding the missing corresponding or adjacent angles. We also investigated the formula for finding the sums of the interior angles of polygons.

In English we continued with our book ‘The Giver’ and enjoyed giving each other ‘assignments’ - choosing suitable careers for each member of the class. Ask your child what their peers chose for them.

We enjoyed welcoming the French students this week and Year 6 were able to show off their (few words) of French whilst playing board games and eating a French breakfast.

We look forward to spending Shabbat with the class.

Shabbat Shalom

The Year 6 team.

 Friday 10th May 2019

 First of all we must congratulate the children on their outstanding and moving ceremony on Yom Hazikaron. They spoke and sang with such ‘kavanah’ and brought tears to many people’s eyes.

The children had a wonderful day on Thursday celebrating Yom Haazmaut- they all participated with such enthusiasm.

This week we finished our SATs- well done Year 6 for taking them seriously and for tackling them with such maturity. We are now on the countdown to the end of the year.

This week we also continued reading The Giver and discussed whether everyone should be made to do voluntary work (an oxymoron in itself!).The children had extremely interesting views.

Unfortunately , due to timetable restrictions, we are only able to do one more Parent Teach on May 24th which is already booked. Thank you to those of you who volunteered and if a space does come up, we will contact you.

shabbat shalom

The Year 6 team

Jewish Studies 5th Iyar - 10th May

Year Six had a fantastic day on Thursday celebrating Yom Ha-Atzmaut.  They participated with enthusiasm and zest in a number of Israel-themed activities, including arts and crafts, Israeli dancing, Machanayim and much more besides.  We had a live concert performed by an excellent group from Israel, including many old and new favourites from previous Eurovision song contests.  The children were up and dancing and singing together with the group and had an amazing time.  We also held our very own Kerem Eurovision Song Contest - needless to say, Year 6 pupils all got involved and performed their own, unique songs in their own unique styles!

You can find pictures from Yom Haatzmaut by clicking the link below.

This weekend, the children have been asked to practise and practise ready for next weekend's Shabbaton.  Please note, the Minyan begins at 9:30 and we would love for all the children to be there from the very beginning in order to support each other.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom.

Friday 3rd May 2019

It was lovely to welcome the class back after the long Pesach holiday. This has been rather a short week so there is little news to tell.

In Maths this week we took part in the qualifying round for the inter-schools maths quiz. Well done to Noah G, Tamara, Harry, Deni, Ryan and Joe for being picked to represent Kerem at the quiz. We wish them the best of luck for Tuesday.

In English, we began our new book, The Giver- if you have not read it, we suggest you do but please don’t tell your child what happens. In preparation for the book, we discussed Thomas More’s idea of a Utopian Society and the children discussed what they felt their Utopia would be like. 

On Thursday we had our first taste of Forest School and the children had a great session exploring and learning about the outdoors. It was lovely to see how the children persevered even when they found something difficult and how well they worked as a team.

Just a reminder that the children should be working on their Who Am I? projects which are due to be handed in after half term. They should be brought to school every Wednesday so that we can check that they are on the right track.

Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend.

The Year 6 team.

Jewish Studies 12th April - 7th Nissan

Year Six proved themselves to be excellent role models this week when leading the model Seder.  They behaved beautifully, participated with great enthusiasm and taught Year Five so much Pesach information.  For pics and a couple of videos from the model Seder, check out the JS blog under Class Pages  https://www.keremschool.co.uk/class-blog-10/  

The children have also completed their Pesach Divrei Torah and shared their findings and research with the class.  They will be bringing home today their book of Divrei Torah and I hope they will share some of them with you at your own Sedarim.

Also a huge Yasher Koach to Josh M, Josh A and Deni for volunteering so rapidly and enthusiastically when I realised I had not scheduled any of the chidlren to prepare a Devar Torah or Israel's Good News for this week's Kabbalat Shabbat.  I am so proud of all three of them for being so keen and willing to take on the extra workload at such short notice - they are all real credits to you.

I wish each and every one of you and your fantastic children a wonderful Pesach and a relaxing holiday.  

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Same'ah

I wish each and every one of you and your fantastic children a wonderful Pesach and a relaxing holiday.  

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Same'ah

    Friday 5th April 2019

The children were extremely excited to finally receive their scripts for the school play and are already hard at work learning the songs! You are certainly in for a treat.

In Maths this week we continued with revision in preparation for the SATs which will take place the second week of next term. We revised a variety of arithmetic questions and also went through a past SATs paper focusing on any errors they had made.

In English we finished our reader Letters from the LIghthouse. It is a beautiful book and we really recommend that you read it if you have not done so already. We also went over a SATs Comprehension paper.

The children have also been getting ready for Yom Hazikaron- we do hope you are able to attend the ceremony.

Thank you to Mr Bass for his Parent Teach today on 'Destiny'.

Please see the poster below about an event next Friday.

Shabbat shalom

Jewish Studies 29^th Adar II – 5^th April 2019

Year Six have continued preparing for Pesach this week as well as looking ahead to their Shabbaton which will take place on Shabbat 18^th May.  As Year Six will be leading the KS2 Seder this year, we have discussed how this will take place and each child has a short part to play in leading it.  Their Pesach Divrei Torah are coming together beautifully and they have been asked to finish them off over the weekend (in place of Parashah homework).

Shabbat Shalom

  FRIDAY 29TH MARCH

 It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of March and almost at the end of the Spring Term.

This week the class has been hard at work preparing for the SATs.  They had a 'Mock' maths test this week and will have a practice English test next week. These give the children the chance to find their weak areas and revise these. 

In Science this week the children learned how and why animals evolve over time and had the chance to create their own 'evolving' creatures.

In Music, the class have been practising for the Yom Hazikaron ceremony- you should have received an email with details. 

In History, they completed making their own propaganda posters- you should spot them around the school.

On Friday Mrs Boyd presented a Parent Teach on sketching - the children had such a lot of fun and proved to be such an artistic bunch! See the photos below.

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom.

Mrs Fisher and Mrs Teacher

Jewish Studies 22^nd Adar II – 29^th March 2019

Year Six have been hard at work preparing for Pesach.  The children have all chosen their own area of Pesach to research and are working hard to produce a Devar Torah on their chosen topic.  The children have chosen a range of themes including What is Freedom, What are Chametz, Eliyahu HaNavi, Dayenu and more.  I have enjoyed learning from the children this week and I am sure that you too will learn from their Divrei Torah at your Sedarim.

Shabbat Shalom

 Friday 22nd March 2019

  We hope you all had a good Purim - Year 6 had a wonderful day, listening to the Megillah, eating hamentashen and Zumba dancing.

In Maths this week we revised Ratio and Proportion and solved SATs like questions. We also marked a Maths SATs paper together. The children are beginning to find them easier.

In English this week we read another chapter of Letters from the Lighthouse. We also discussed the names of the chapters which are all taken from WW2 propaganda posters. We looked a variety of posters and the class began to create their own.

On Friday we were delighted to welcome Dr Zeitlen who gave a Parent Teach on CPR- the children all had a go!

Please note that from Monday LOVE CORN is no longer permitted in school.

Shabbat Shalom

The Year 6 Team

Jewish Studies 15^th Adar II – 22^nd March

In Jewish Studies this week, Year Six have taken an in-depth look into the Purim Story and Purim Mitzvot.  We discussed how HaShem’s name is hinted at within the Megillah even though it is not directly mentioned (they’ll tell you how) and were surprised to learn that Morechai was over 100 years old at the time of the Purim Story, that Achasheverosh searched for a new wife for over 4 years before choosing Esther, having turned away over 1400 women.

Purim was great fun at school – the children booed at Haman, danced through Zumba, munched through their hamantashen and paraded their fantastic costumes for all to see and enjoy!

Next week we start preparing for Pesach!

Shabbat Shalom!

NB DIARY DATE:

We are planning an extra-special Shabbaton just for Year 6 on Shabbat 18^th May in conjunction with the Mensch Minyan.  Please mark your diaries and we will send out more information in the next few days.

 Friday 15th March

The highlight of this week was, of course, Newsday. The children looked so professional and we were so impressed with the way they worked together to produce Newspapers of the highest calibre. Each team had to include a piece of ‘fake news’ - I wonder if the teachers can spot which story it is!

In Maths we revised rotation through a point as this was something all pupils found difficult on a SATs paper. We are continuing to tackle practice papers and will hone in on anything that the children have forgotten.

In English we continued with our reading book ‘Tales from the Lighthouse’ and the children have a piece of writing for homework based on the chapter that we have just read.

Please encourage your child to produce homework of a good quality and to continue to work their hardest. We have also been tackling a variety of comprehensions and the children are learning from each other, how best to answer a question.

We look forward to celebrating their last Kerem Purim with the children next week.

Shabbat Shalom

The Year 6 team

Jewish Studies 8th Adar II - 15th March

Year 6 have continued their study of Parashat Shemot, analysing Moshe's leadership qualities at the start of his journey as the leader of Bnei Yisrael.  They have also revised the story of the Megillah which they have 'rewritten' in rhyme and illustrated using JI Studio to produce the Megillah comic strip.

Shabbat Shalom

 Friday 8th March 2019

 This week we introduced the children to Newsday - they are so excited and enthusiastic that we cannot stop them from working on their articles. Please remember that the children should come to school in ‘work clothes’ on Tuesday.

In Maths this week we revised Algebra as well as tackling SATs papers. We will continue to do papers until the end of term, to get the children back into the exam mindset,

We are delighted that all children now have school places for September 2019.  We are encouraging children to forget about Secondary school for the moment and focus on enjoying their last few months together. 

It was lovely to see so many of you on Wednesday evening. We look forward  to meeting the rest of you on Monday.

 Friday 1st March

 Welcome back to the second half of the Spring Term- the year is flying by.

We know that Secondary School placement is on everyone’s mind, especially with State school places being released today. Please do not worry if your child has not yet been given a place in a school of their choice; once all places are offered, there is a lot of movement as people give back offers they do not wish to take up. To this end we ask you to please RELEASE ANY PLACES YOU ARE NOT GOING TO ACCEPT as there are children on waiting lists at all schools. Please keep us informed of your final choice.

In Maths this week we investigated the properties of circles and the children proved the relationship between the circumference, radius and diameter. We are also beginning to tackle SATs papers in preparation for the tests - we will give you a firm date for these shortly.

In English we began our preparation for Newsday by discussing the role of newspapers and how different newspapers of journalists can be biased when presenting a story. Our visit to Sky was a hit and the children had fun preparing their own news broadcasts as well as seeing the Sky Sports channel in action. Thank you to Mr Brass and Mr Sheldon for accompanying us. The children will be receiving a copy of the video footage shortly. Please can all children bring in a newspaper on Monday.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Newsday has now been moved to Tuesday 12th March. The children should come to school in work attire that day.

This half term, we will be settling back down to more formal work again. Written homework  will now be given on Monday (Art appreciation), Wednesday (Maths) and Friday (English). We will be chasing up any missed homework and contacting parents if there is an issue. There will also be French learning homework on Thursday ( this week they need to learn the numbers 1-10)

In addition, we are clamping down on presentation and handwriting. We are replacing spelling lessons with formal handwriting lessons and the children will practise every day. Any work that is not completed to a satisfactory level will have to be rewritten. All work except Maths must be in pen. We really want the children to take pride in their work!

From next week we would like to start Parent Teach which will be at 9am on Friday mornings. Please email Mrs Fisher (Sharman) if you wish to lead a session indicating any Fridays you are able to do this term

Jewish Studies: Friday 8th March - Rosh Chodesh 1st Adar Sheni

Firstly, a huge thank you to all the parents who joined us this morning for our Rosh Chodesh Learning Session and Tefillah.  It was, as always, an absolute delight and pleasure to see so many of you learning with your children.

This week we mastered our Rashi reading.  In just one lesson we were able to  identify the 'difficult' Rashi letters, learn those and then read the remainder of the Rashi aleph bet.   Finally we put together the letters and began reading full words in Rashi script.  

We began learning about Purim this week, refreshing our memories as to the key characters and storylines within the Megillah and looking at the four Mitzvot of Purim.  We also worked really hard helping to prepare for the Kerem Shabbaton with songs, decorations and table laying.  We look forward to seeing you all there this evening.

Shabbaton Shalom!

  Friday 8th February 2019

  I’m sure you were all blown away by the children’s performance on Sunday evening. They were smart and poised and such a credit to you all! We can’t wait to see what they do in the summer!

 This week has been incredibly busy. On Monday the children commemorated Holocaust Day and were privileged to have a visit from a speaker who told her mother’s story of being hidden during the war. The children asked sensible questions and treated the subject with the seriousness it deserved.

We have  also been getting ready for Book Week next week and have now chosen our participants for the debate, book quiz and poetry competition. We hope you are able to join us for the debate.

In History, we listened to an air raid siren and then watched Pathe news reels showing how to protect you home against bombs and how to build and furnish your Anderson shelter.

Trip to Sky Studios:

Thank you to those of you who volunteered to accompany us on the class outing - on this occasion Mr Bass and Mrs Sheldon have been chosen.

If you have not yet returned the forms, please do so immediately.

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Fisher and Mrs Teacher

Jewish Studies 3^rd Adar I – 8^th February 2019

This week in our Chumash lesson we further analysed the text in which Moshe looks ‘here and there’ to see if anyone is around before striking the Egyptian taskmaster.  We asked why he looked around and explored what the Torah text actually means when it says that there was ‘no man’. 

Also, next week, a local school from the Suburb (Annemount) will be visiting the Shul and we will be meeting them and teaching them a little about Judaism. We have started to plan our activities and look forward to continuing with this next week and to meeting the children from Annemount.

Next Week’s reminders:

Hebrew reading sheets have been given out – Thank you once again for continuing to support your child in their Hebrew Reading.

This coming Wednesday’s test - Wordlist 7 row 4.

Shabbat Shalom!

 1st February 2019

Wow! What talented children you have. We were blown away by the standard and the variety of the children’s ‘Power’ projects. The children had obviously put considerable time and effort into their work and we are truly proud of them.

We had a wonderful trip to Bletchley on Tuesday where the children learned so much about codes. Thank you to those parents who joined us.

In Maths this week we learned how to convert miles to kilometres using fractions and decimals.

In English, the children learned what makes a good orator and watched part of Martin Luther King’s ‘ I Believe’ speech in preparation for their own debate in Book Week. Please feel free to help them prepare their debates over the weekend. The children should also be learning their poems for the Poetry recital.

In History we listened to Chamberlain’s speech announcing war: the children then had to write a response to the announcement.

BOYS TOWN

We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday- you are in for a treat. Please can children be there by 4pm as we are on stage at 4:20pm. They must wear full school uniform , including school kippah and black shoes. Girls’ hair must be tied back.

The children can bring a bottle of water and a nut free snack - no sweets or chocolates please. They will be given pizza in the interval.

Shabbat Shalom

Jewish Studies 26th Shevat – 1^st February

We have continued to study chapter 2 of Sefer Shemot.  This week we examined the scene in which Moshe begins to emerge as a leader.  We questioned why the Torah tells us twice that Moshe ‘grew up’ and concluded (with the help of Rashi and other commentators) that the first time was about him becoming an adult and the second time was to show that he grew in moral awareness and understanding as well as in rank.

Next Week’s reminders:

Hebrew reading sheets:  the children should be aiming for 5 mins reading practice each day – Thank you for continuing to support your child in their Hebrew Reading.

Wednesday’s test - Wordlist 7 row 3.

Shabbat Shalom and keep warm!

Friday 25th January 2019

In Maths this week we learned about probability and tackled a variety of problems based on cards, spinners, dice etc. 

In English the children continued with their extended stories and began editing their work, looking particularly closely  at their use of speech marks.

We continued with our class reader and studied some photos of children being evacuated; we also listened to old radio footage of evacuee children speaking about their adventures. The children wrote some beautiful poetry which will shortly be on display.

We are getting closer to the Boys Town Concert and are just polishing up the final bits- we can’t wait.

Please don’t forget that there is an outing on Tuesday. The children will need full school uniform, a packed lunch and the boys will need a school cap.

Please continue to keep us informed about school results.

Shabbat shalom

The Year 6 team

Jewish Studies 19th Shevat - 25th January

Our week started on a good, healthy note as we celebrated Tu B’Shevat with a special Tu B’Shevat fruit party. We enjoyed over 15 different types of delicious fruits and prided ourselves on even trying new fruits too.

Also this week we had the great honour of singing at the Induction of Rabbi Friedman, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The honeycomb dipped in chocolate that we discovered on the dessert buffet was pretty enjoyable too!

We also started our new mini research project on Jewish Prague, looking at the Maharal of Prague, the Golem of Prague, the Altneu Shul and the history of Jewish Prague. We will be completing these projects next week.

Next Week’s reminders:

Hebrew reading sheets were given out last Friday – Thank you for continuing to support your child in their Hebrew Reading.

Wednesday’s test - Wordlist 7 row 2.

Shabbat Shalom

 Friday 18th January 2019

 What a busy week we have had!

 This week we have a number of visitors to school including Mike Greer MP who spoke to the children about democracy, and Gabriella Russo from the NSPCC who spoke about Keeping Safe.

In Maths this week we looked at transformations across 4 quadrants; the children found some of the reflections quite challenging!

In Literacy we continued with Letters from the Lighthouse, discussing the chapters in detail. Linked to this, we continued learning about Evacuation. We read Robert Browning’s ‘The Pied Piper’ and discussed why Evacuation was called ‘Operation Pied Piper’. We also listened to one woman’s account of her evacuation experience.

This week we also introduced the Open Homework- please find a link to this below.

It was lovely to see so many of you on Tuesday morning and we hope you agree that we have a very exciting term ahead. Please remember to send back the form for the Sky Studios trip. Also, if you are interested in delivering a Parent Teach, please contact Mrs Fisher directly.

Boys Town Concert: this will be on Sunday 3rd February. The children will need to be at the venue at 4pm and the concert begins at 6pm.The children should wear full school uniform. They can bring a snack (no sweets or chocolate) and a bottle of water. A pizza supper will be provided.

Shabbat Shalom

Jewish Studies - 12th Shevat - 18th Jan

In Year Six Jewish Studies this week we have continued our Chumash learning about Moshe and his early years.  We have also been continuing with our names projects, and have learnt many interesting facts about our names, their meaning, origin and gematria as well as researching other famous people that share our name.  We are now creating an image which illustrates our Jewish name whilst also reflecting who we are as individuals.

Jewish Studies Reminders:

Tu B’Shevat: Please check with your child which fruit they volunteered to bring to the Tu B’Shevat fruit party on Monday.  Thank you in advance for making this possible!

Induction: The children should be at school by 8pm on Tuesday evening, please, wearing full school uniform.  They should come upstairs to the dining room.  We should be finished by 9:15 – 9:30 pm.

Wordlist Test: This will be on Wednesday and the children will be being tested up to Wordlist 7 row 1.

Hebrew Reading: New sheets have been given out this week.

Shabbat Shalom!

 Friday 11th January 2019

It was lovely to welcome the children back after the Winter break and we hope everyone had a good rest, despite many of the children having to prepare for the entrance exams. The exam period is almost over- please remember to let us know your child’s results as the schools do not always inform us.

In Maths this week we looked at conversion graphs and used them to answer a variety of word problems. We also began our new Mental Arithmetic programme - a weekly 20 minute oral test to improve the children’s listening skills and speed up their calculations.

In English, we began our class reader - Tales from the Lighthouse - which is linked to our History topic of WW2. We learned about Evacuation and watched some authentic Pathe news reels which urged parents to send their young to the country! Mrs Fisher brought in her father’s evacuation suitcase and the children were surprised at how little the children were allowed to take with them.

The children were also introduced to the first of many exciting ventures - their extended story. They will be expected to work on this at home as part of their weekly homework. We will explain this further at the meeting on Tuesday morning.

.Just a quick reminder about the E-safety meeting for parents on Monday 14th of Jan 7:30pm-9pm. It is a  very important meeting especially as the children head off to Secondary school.

Shabbat Shalom

Regards

The Year 6 team

Jewish Studies -  11th January - 5th Shevat

I hope you all had a wonderful winter break! 

This week we have been learning more about Moshe in our Chumash lessons.  We discussed the meaning of Moshe's name and why he was known by the name given to him by Pharaoh's daughter (Moshe) rather than by his own mother (Yekutiel).

We also began our project on our Jewish names.  We are looking at the origin and meaning of our names as well as other people in history who share our names. The children are discovering really interesting information about themselves and their names as a result of this project.

A couple of reminders:

Monday 21st January is Tu B'Shevat.  Each child has been asked to please bring in a specific fruit on the day to ensure we have a large variety for our fruit party.  Thank you so much in advance!

Tuesday 22nd January - The children have been invited to sing at the Rabbi's Induction.  Please could we borrow your lovely children from 7:30 - 9:30 that evening, wearing full school uniform.

Mah Rabu Photography Competition open until the end of January.

Shabbat Shalom!

 Thursday 13th December 2018

 The first term is finally over and what a term it has been. We have watched as your children have matured before our eyes and have been proud of their focused attitude to their studies.

This week we have done some final revision, going over averages in Maths and revising general arithmetic and grammar. The children who are sitting exams have been given optional revision packs in English and Maths. They have the answers, so will be able to mark their own papers. They have also brought home their verbal and non verbal workbooks which they can complete.

We wish all the children sitting exams the best of luck and look forward to seeing everyone back at school next term. Once the exams are over, we will hold a parents’ meeting to inform you of all the exciting things we will be doing in the Spring term.

Can we remind to to keep us informed of the outcome of any exams your child sits- the schools don’t always inform us of the results- and also inform the office if your child is missing school for an exam or interview. It is expected that if your child has an exam in the morning, s/he will return to school in the afternoon. We will continue to do exam practice until all the examinations are over.

Wishing you all a peaceful and relaxing holiday,

The Year 6 team

Friday 7th December 

It’s hard to believe that December is upon us and with it comes the end of the first term in Year 6.... and the beginning of the exam period.

The highlight of this week was undoubtedly the Chanukah show on Tuesday where the Y6 children did us all proud. They sung with such conviction and poise and moved many of the audience to tears. We hope that they have taken on board the message we are promoting and realise that each and everyone of them has something special to offer their next school.

In Maths this week we learned how to find the surface area of a cuboid. On Friday we did an investigation to determine whether the volume of a cuboid could ever exceed its surface area and if so, if there was there a rule to determine when it would happen. The children were engrossed in the activity- ask them to tell you what they discovered.

In English this week we learned how a formal debate runs and watched part of one on the interactive whiteboard. The children were then given the motion ‘This house believes that Chanukah is better than Purim’ and for homework had to write an argument for either side. On Friday, we held the debate and were very impressed with the quality of both the speakers and the questions from the floor. Well done to Zac who was our star questioner, and to Abi who was our star speaker.  The general consensus was that Chanukah is better and the class agreed that Abi’s closing arguments for the motion were very convincing. (see the photos below)

We have begun practising our second song for the Boys Town Concert. Please let us know if your child is unable to attend as we are beginning to give out the solos. 

Wishing the best of luck to those sitting Highgate on Monday.

Shabbat shalom and Chanukah Sameach

Mrs Fisher and Mrs Teacher

Friday 30th November

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of November - some of the children have already started their exams and many have exams before we break up. We wish them all the best and our message is ‘Do your best - we will be proud of you!’

In Maths this week we revised how to use protractors to draw and measure angles. All the children are now able to do this successfully. We also tackled a number of exam type questions.

In English we compared two poems on Winter- one by William Shakespeare and one by Robert Louis Stevenson. We looked at the imagery, the language and the rhyming scheme.

In creative writing the class had a timed piece of writing to get them used to completing a task in the given time.

On Friday we learned how a formal debate is structured and watched examples of children debating. The children have been given the proposal  ‘ This house believes that Chanukah is better than Purim’ and have to write a speech for or against the motion. We will hold our debate next Friday.

Tickets for Boys Town have gone on sale. Please note that we are in the 6pm show but the children have to be at the Arts Depot at 4:00pm in time for our rehearsal.

The class put on an amazing Shuk at the beginning of the week - please look at the Ivrit blog for more information .

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah

Mrs Fisher and Mrs Teacher

Jewish Studies 15th Kislev - 23rd November

This week we have been learning about the various Halachot of Lighting the Chanukah lights including how to light them, where best to light them, what not to do with them once they are alight and more.  We also wrote an essay about Chanukah and why it is an important festival to us.

Shabbat Shalom

Friday 23rd November 2018

It was lovely to see so many of you on Tuesday- we look forward to meeting the rest of you on Wednesday evening.

In Maths this week we revised angles on a straight line, in a triangle and in a circle. We used our knowledge to answer a variety of questions. We also tackled a few more challenging algebra questions and worked through some past papers.

In Creative Writing this week we used a picture as a stimulus for a piece of descriptive writing. The children were encouraged to think ‘outside the box’ rather than simply describe what they saw.

The class all did much better in this week’s spelling test on commonly misspelled words. The children will be tested on the next 10 spellings of List 1 on Wednesday.

On Monday afternoon, as a belated Mitzvah Day activity, the class made Fun Sheets for children at Great Ormond Street Hospital. They really thought about the content and the results were most entertaining.

Thank you to all those who have forwarded references for school; we can confirm that we have written all the references for Immanuel College, Belmont and City of London Boys School.

Please remember to inform the office as well as ourselves, if your child will be absent due to an exam or interview.

Don't forget to have a look at the Ivrit blog- the link is on the Classes page.

Shabbat Shalom

The Year 6 teachers

Jewish Studies 8th Kislev - Friday 16th November

This week in Jewish Studies we have continued learning Parashat Shemot. We discussed the three miracles that surrounded the birth of Moshe and why his mother was ‘no longer able to hide him’. We have also begun learning about Chanukah and on Thursday we prepared and shared a Chanukah quiz with Year 3.

We learnt about this week’s Parashah of Vayeitzei and discovered why – according to Rashi – Lavan was so keen to welcome Yaakov with a hug and a kiss.  He was not being quite as warm and welcoming as he might have at first appeared.

Shabbat Shalom!

Friday 16th November 2018

Maths

In Maths this week we tackled the complicated topic of algebra looking at how to find the value of an unknown number, how to substitute numbers in equations and how to find the nth term. We will be revisiting the topic next term.

Some of the class also took part in the Primary Maths Challenge - we look forward to seeing how they have done next week.

English

In our reading lesson this week we read a story called Woof and the children were asked to write the next part; what an unusual array of stories we had. In Creative Writing the children were introduced to the mini mag and are very excited to start contributing to the magazine. We also continued learning the skills for essay writing which they will hopefully use in Secondary School.

History

In History this week  we learned about the causes of the First World War. We imagined how a war could start in class by discussing how gangs are formed: see the pictures to see how the children  threw themselves into it!

On Friday we were lucky enough to have a visit from Mrs Lester who spoke to Y5 and Y6 about 'Brexit 

happens now’. The children were very engaged and asked intelligent and perceptive questions.

REMINDER

Boys Town Concert: this will be on Sunday 3rd February. The children will need to be at the venue at 4pm and the concert begins at 6pm. We expect all children to attend.

Tickets will go on sale  at 10am on 27th November and can be bought from:

www.ticketsource.co.uk/boystown

Shabbat Shalom

Friday November 9th

The highlight of this week was our trip to the Millfield theatre to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production was lively, modern and very comical. Annabelle was called up to play the part of one of Titania’s fairies and did an excellent job. The children were impeccably behaved.

In Maths this week the children have learned about BIDMAS or BODMAS. They learned a song to help them remember the order of operations. Clink the link to hear it.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-FKjqL6NyQg 

In English we read a story called The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov  which was set in the future. The children then had to write their own versions of the story- the results were excellent!

We are also continuing to practise a variety of exam papers in the run up to the real event.

We were also fortunate enough to have a visit from  The Punctuation Show which reinforced grammar rules through songs and films.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Boys Town Concert: this will be on Sunday 3rd February. The children will need to be at the venue at 4pm and the concert begins at 6pm. 

Tickets will go on sale  at 10am on 27th November and can be bought from:

www.ticketsource.co.uk/boystown

Shabbat Shalom

The Year 6 Team

Jewish Studies Rosh Chodesh 9th November - 1st Kislev

Chodesh Tov - A Good New Month to you all!

This week we delved into Chumash Shemot and were able to read and translate much of the Torah text on our own.  We asked the question why, in a book called Shemot - Names, nobody's names are mentioned.  We also analysed the words 'Ki Tov' - 'that he was good' - used to describe Moshe when he was born.

We examined the first paragraph of the Shema, learning that it contains seven Mitzvot (Do you know what they are?).  We then wrote an essay describing the contents of the first paragraph of the Shema which we were able to do confidently and competently.

Shabbat Shalom!

Friday 26th October 2018

It is hard to believe that the children have already completed the first half term of year 6. They are now well and truly settled in to the routine and are all working their hardest. They are even getting used to the amount of homework!

In Maths this week we learned about ratio and proportion and tackled a variety of problems. They particularly enjoyed the Maths investigation in which they had to plan a dinner party, working out the cost of the three course meal using ratio and proportion.

In English they were introduced to formal essay writing and learned how to present their arguments, back it up with evidence and tie it back to the title. They will be continuing to develop this skill next term.

In Geography the children finished their analysis of the effects of erosion and weathering on British coastal regions and will write up their findings after half term.

We were so proud of all of Year 6 on Tuesday as they showed prospective parents around the school. The feedback was amazing and we were told how polite, intelligent and helpful they were. Well done to those children on the panel who answered questions thrown at them with confidence and ease.

This week we also held the annual Science quiz to select our 2018 team for the inter school competition. Well done to Dylan, Max, Emma, and Isaac who will be representing Kerem in November. Good luck!

We have given the children voluntary homework for half term- exam papers in English, Maths, Verbal  and Non- Verbal. They have received the answers for the verbal and non- verbal and we will go over the other papers at school.

Wishing you all a restful half term.

The Year6 team.

Jewish Studies 26th October - 17 Cheshvan

We have been working hard to learn our Hebrew suffixes this week.  They are pretty tricky to learn but we have almost mastered them.  We have continued learning the key storylines of Shemot ch. 2 and discussed a number of points that occur within the Torah text.

We have also written our first full JS essay this week, entitled,  "Give three laws of Kashrut that affect your everyday life".  For a first attempt, we made a really good job of including only relevant information and of backing up our points with evidence to support them.

After half term we will be continuing with more essay titles - watch this space.

Shabbat Shalom and have a restful half term break.

Friday 19th October 2018

This week we have really been working hard, with a full week of lessons.

In Maths, as well as working through exam papers, we have revised solving problems involving fractions, percentages and decimals. The children are still not all 100% secure in their knowledge of decimal and fraction equivalents and would benefit revising these at home.

In English, the class produced some excellent descriptive writing about their family. We are very impressed with the children’s perceptive writing and their strong use of vocabulary. We are now focusing on improving punctuation as this often lets down their work.

In Music we have begun to learn songs for the Boys Town Concert next term - details on how to obtain tickets will be put on the blog next week.

On Friday, the children had a visit from Jeff, a guide dog for the blind, who came all the way from Israel with his owner. The children learned how guide dogs are trained and of the excellent work done by the Israel Guide Dog Society.

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom

The Year 6 team

Jewish Studies 19th October - 10th Cheshvan

In Jewish Studies this week we have been focussing on our Chumash translation skills, particularly shorashim and suffixes.  We have started looking at the key storylines of Sefer Shemot as this will be the main text that we learn in our Chumash lessons this year.  We discussed the difference between Torah and Midrash and learnt about Moshe's sister Miriam who was a highly intelligent, dedicated and caring leader alongside her brothers.

Shabbat Shalom!

On Fridays, Year 6 joins together with Year 5 and it is always a delight and pleasure to see siblings choosing to sit together and say their Tefillot together:

Friday 12th October 2018

We have finally had a full week and what an exhausting one!

Much of the week has been spent doing assessments - we will give you the results at the Consultation Evenings next month. We are so proud of how the children handled the tests which were carried out in timed exam conditions- it was great preparation for the exams in January.

In Maths this week we tackled some past papers looking for the ‘gaps’ we need to fill.

In Art we continued working on our weaving looms- we are looking forward to seeing the finished product!

In Geography we looked at photographs of different coastal regions and discussed how erosion and weathering have changed our landscape. The children had to try to guess what will happen to the coastline in the future.

The highlight of the week was our Shakespeare workshop on A Midsummer Night's Dream, we are looking forward to seeing the production at the Millfield Theatre next month.

Please continue to email us with information about your child's hobbies and talents to put on their reference forms for Secondary School.

 Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Fisher and Mrs Teacher

Jewish Studies  12th October - 5th Cheshvan

It has been a busy week in Year Six.  We reviewed our basic Chumash skills, working on our basic Hebrew grammar.  We revised how to extract a Hebrew shoresh (root) from a verb and built up a number of words around different shorashim.  We found twelve words that we knew all based around the shoresh letters קדש.

We discussed three different categories of Berachot and then grouped lots of different Berachot into these categories.  As part of our Parashah study, in pairs we studied the origin and symbolism of the rainbow as well as our middah of the week, being the need to obey rules in order to live in a civilized society.  

In other news, the Year Six children really enjoyed helping the Year 1 children in Tefillah, especially with it being Rosh Chodesh.  

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom!

Friday 5th October 2018

Hello and we hope you all had a lovely Succot! 

This has been our final short week but we have still kept the children very busy!

In Maths, we have been working on converting fractions, decimals and percentages as well as working on exam style questions. 

In Literacy, the children studied different comprehension texts; they worked both on inference skills and understanding the authorial intent.  In Creative Writing, the children wrote a descriptive piece about a specific experience that they have had. We also revised how and when to use commas appropriately.

We are looking forward to our first full week of school next week!

Shabbat Shalom

Please read the notices below:

Art Project Request 

In Art, Year 6 are in the process of creating woven mats which links to our ArTishrei project. For this, the children need various strips of fabric so if you have any old fabric or old t-shirts that you no longer want, please could your child bring them into school on Monday to be used as part of this project. Thank you!

Secondary School Reference Forms 

Please email us (year6@keremschool.co.uk) with a list of your child's interests, hobbies and achievements for us to include on your child's reference form for secondary school. 

Stationery

We have an increasing number of children who do not have the correct stationery in school.  Although we do have some stationery to lend out, it wastes time at the start of a lesson if some children do not have a pen or pencil to use.  Please could you help your child to ensure that they have the correct stationery in school including multiple pens as the ink can run out quickly. Thank you. 

Jewish Studies 5th Oct - 26th Tishrei

After another short week, we have sadly reached the end of all our wonderful Chagim.  In Year Six, we now turn our attention to Jewish Studies essay writing skills, combining Mrs Sondhelm's excellent essay-writing tips with the children's phenomenal Etgar/Jewish general knowledge. 

Besides this, the class are reviewing their Chumash knowledge and skills in preparation for the study of Shemot ch. 2.  They are revising previously-learnt wordlists (test next Wed on wordlists 1 and 2) and focussing on a weekly middah  (character trait) or mitzvah learnt through the weekly Parashah.  This week's focus is Tikkun Olam - Guarding HaShem's world.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom!

Healthy Living Competition

To help promote Healthy Living, Kerem are entering a Barnet Virtual Challenge Competition.

Each year group will submit their scores to either Mr Moses or their class teacher which will then be uploaded to the Barnet website and we can see how we compare to other schools in the Borough!

The challenges all revolve around skipping. You can find all the rules and regulations here or go to the key information page on your classes page.

Either video your child’s best score and send it into school or your child can show their teachers one break or lunchtime how well they can do.

The deadline for Year 6 to submit their results to the school is Friday 19th October.

For any questions feel free to email Mr Moses on dmoses@keremschool.co.uk

Happy skipping!

Thurs 27th Sept - 18th Tishrei

This afternoon, Year Six were willing participants in “Tishrei’s Got Talent” - a lively, interactive, educational programme run by the amazing Tribe.  

Tamara blew us away - literally - with her Tekiah Gedolah which lasted for a massive 28 seconds! The class worked in teams to answer Tishrei questions and complete puzzles together with lots of other activities.  Well done to team “Still Hadassim” on their excellent win and to all of Year 6 for displaying such good team work.

Jewish Studies - 12th Tishrei – 21st September

This week we flew from Rosh HaShanah to Yom Kippur and then on to Sukkot. We learnt a number of details about Yom Kippur and the Tefillot that we say on the day and many of us did our absolute best to be in Shul (rather than outside) on Yom Kippur itself. We especially enjoyed being in Shul for Neilah where we could join in with much of the Tefillah.

We have been learning many of the details concerning the Arbah Minim (Four Species) – Lulav, Etrog, Aravot and Hadassim and what they should/should not look like. For example, a Lulav must be at least 32cms tall and an Etrog needs to weigh at least 57.6 grams.

We played Tishrei Taboo to review all that we have learnt about the Chagim in the month of Tishrei and reviewed the names of all the Parshiot in the Torah. We are now looking forward to all the exciting things lined up for us in school next week for Chol HaMoed Sukkot.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Same’ach.

Friday 21st September 2018

It was lovely to meet you all on Monday evening and to let you know more about the exciting year ahead.

This week we began our Science topic of Electricity and the children had fun trying to make circuits work. Please show your child the circuit board in your house as we will be learning about electricity in the home after Succot.In Art the children were introduced to the sculpture we will be studying as part of our ArTishrei Week. The class made some excellent observations and began to draw their own depiction of the structure. We look forward to seeing the real thing on Wednesday when we visit the Tate.

In Maths this week, we have been revising Fractions and have been tackling problems adding and subtracting mixed numbers.

Please remember that the children will need a milky (nut-free) packed lunch for Wednesday (no sweets or chocolates please). We will be leaving after Tefillah and will be returning for afternoon lessons.The children should wear full school uniform.

 Friday 14th September 2018

What a lot we have crammed into 3 days!  In Maths this week we revised multiples and factors to prepare us for our work on fractions. We also learned how to make Factor Trees to find out the Prime Factors of any number. On Friday we did our first Maths Investigation and the children were asked to hypothesise first before beginning the task and evaluate after.  This sort of critical thinking is an essential part of Year 6.

In Literacy we split into our comprehension groups and the children had their first proper taste of exam type texts and questions. We were very impressed with how focused and determined they all are. We also studied a poem called The Soul Bird by Michal Sunit and the children have been asked to write their own 'soul felt' pieces for homework.

In Geography we continued our look at the effects of Weathering and Erosion and the children were fascinated by a film showing how caves, arches, stacks and stumps are formed. We also discussed how stalagmites and stalactites form and went on a 'virtual expedition' in to Slovakian caves.

We look forward to seeing all of you on Monday evening.

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Fisher and Mrs Teacher

Jewish Studies - 14/09/19:

What a hectic start to the new term we have had!

In Year 6, we have already learnt a number of Selichot, which we sang for the younger classes at Kabbalat Shabbat.  We hope that we may be able to attend the Neilah Service so that we can join in with the davenning in Shul on Yom Kippur. 

We have learnt the ten reasons suggested by R. Saadiah Gaon for blowing the Shofar on Rosh HaShana and considered all the different times that the Shofar is mentioned within the Torah.  We have also been lucky enough to have Max and Tamara blow the Shofar for us in class, which they both managed to do with aplomb!  Tamara's Tekiah Gedolah seemed to last for ever!

We played a Yom Kippur version of Headbandz, revised the names of the 5 services that we recite on Yom Kippur and reminded ourselves of the prohibitions of the day.

We wish everyone an easy and meaningful fast and Shannah Tovah!