Friday 7th July

Dear Parents,

Year 6 has come to the end of their final week at Kerem.  They sang (as always) so well at the end of year shows and I was so pleased they got to showcase their talents once more. It was a pleasure to celebrate the end of Year six leavers’ party with you all on Wednesday- it was truly such a fantastic evening. Thanks again to Mr and Mrs Teacher for hosting.

Throughout the week, the class prepared for The Debate,  improved their Ivrit speaking skills in the Shuk: selling and buying items from various stalls, worked on their tennis skills and created a theme park in maths. 

During our English lessons, the children researched their chosen sport, preparing facts and statistics about why it was the best. They even came up with counter arguments for other teams which they needed to predict. The class then developed an understanding of persuasive language, anecdotes and questioning to hook the audience. Once this was completed, they then had to structure their speeches to gain momentum. Year 5 were so impressed with the quality of their debating skills and had a tough decision to make once it concluded. Overall the winning sport of the debate was… Dance! Again, a really big well done to everyone who participated.

In maths, the children put all of their skills and understanding of number and measurement to design and ‘run’ a theme park. At first the children were given a budget. They drew their park taking into account costs for rides, attractions and facilities. They then needed to work out how many visitors their theme park would need to attract in order for them to develop a large profit. Some children altered their original designs due to the maintenance and staffing costs it would take to run them. I was very impressed with their reflectiveness and humour during this task.

End of year reports were given out on Tuesday, hopefully these have all been received and read. 

Coming Up Next Week:

-Tuesday 11th July- Yom Talmid. If your child is starting in the EYU for Yom Talmid, please ensure they are dropped off at 8:30 to begin their day in the EYU.

-Wednesday 12th July - Leavers’ Assembly 12:00-1:00pm

Shabbat shalom

Miss Weiner

Friday 30th June

Dear Parents,

Wow… I am lost for words. All I can say is how incredible your children were during both play performances- they made us all so so proud. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with the children on such a special occasion. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each of their Who Am I projects, which were each so special and unique. This morning, for the class tea party, each child was asked to go around the room and find out special facts about what they had learnt from one another. They also got a chance to present some of their projects to the class. Please see some photos below.

In English, the children finished ‘The Giver’ and just before doing so wrote their own endings which we shared in class. They answered questions about the relationships between characters and reflected upon how the scene, weather and language contributed to meaning. We also went through a grammar paper together, checking for understanding and revising known skills. The children then completed Doodle Spell to support their understanding of misconception words- we will continue with this until the final week.

In maths, the class collaborated in small groups to answer questions linked to map work. They used their knowledge of continents, countries and locations, and paired this with their newly found understanding of longitude and latitude, as well as four/six-figure grid references. The class demonstrated curiosity in these lessons and developed a brilliant understanding of how to locate certain areas. Please see some photos below of the children showing their collaborative efforts. They also completed some mental arithmetic today to revise their learnt skills.

In art, the class developed their paintings inspired by David Hockney in art. They continued to use their knowledge of colour theory and blending to mix primary colours together to create secondary and tertiary colours.

Coming Up Next Week:

3rd July- Please pick up children from the EYU.

Year 6 will develop their debating skills and present their final debates to Year 5 on Friday.

Shabbat shalom 

Miss Weiner

Dear Parents,

What an incredible week of play rehearsals.Your children have made us so proud of how well they have picked up directions, organised their props and developed their stage presence. We are almost ready to share everything they have been working towards.

In maths, the children have been revising the topic of angles and how to find missing angles in a circle as well as a quadrilateral shape. During these lessons, children were able to put their factual knowledge to good use when explaining their reasoning- recognising angles on a straight line add up to 180 degrees as well as knowing that opposite angles are equal.

Next week the children will explore a maths-themed unit of map work, whereby they use their understanding of grids and coordinates to workout problems and solve calculations. This will be a revision topic of measurements.

In English, the children have developed their understanding of emotions and why it is important that people are able to feel and care for others in our class book. In addition to this, they have answered comprehension-style questions that require them to form their own opinions of certain aspects of ‘The Giver’. Please ensure the children finish reading Chapter 20 at home. We will finish our class book next week. They have continued to learn the Year 6 misconception word list on Doodle Spell- this can be completed at home.

In PE, the children took part in a sponsored run for The Royal Free Charity. Our children were amazing, displaying persistence and humour whilst taking part. We were extremely impressed with their efforts. See a photo of their chat with the charity after the run!

We are really pleased to invite you to hear about our exciting and innovative computing and coding curriculum. Please join us for an interactive showcase on Monday 26th,Tuesday 27th or Wednesday 28th June, in which Ms Vinokur will show you what the children have been doing in computing classes this year. You will have the opportunity to engage with some of the robots, programs and devices that we use to develop their computational thinking and technology skills. Please sign up using this link

Coming Up Next Week:

-Who Am I projects due in- We will put these out during the play afternoon and evening.

-Dress Rehearsal- 9am Tuesday 27th June

-Play Afternoon performance to the whole school- 2pm Wednesday 28th June

Children must arrive at school between 6:15pm and 6:30pm

-Play Evening- 7pm Thursday 29th June

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner

Jewish Studies 4th Tammuz - 23rd June

In between play rehearsals we have been considering different clothing worn by Jews around the world, including kippah, tsitsit and tallit, as well as a kittel, women's headcoverings and a shtreimel. The children have also been told to think of a Jewish hero who has contributed in a big way to the Jewish world, as they will be completing a mini project on their chosen hero in school at the start of July. 

This morning we were really privileged to have Naomi's grandma come into school to speak to Year Six about the book she has written, telling the fascinating and unique story of her family's journey from Tashkent in Uzbekistan, via Belarus, Belgium, Germany, France and finally the UK.  

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend ahead!

Friday 16th June 2023

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful and exciting week at school which began with the Kerem school funday on Sunday, which saw many of our pupils come along  and even had their own stalls. Following on from this was Sports Day, where our incredible children participated in many events where they were able to demonstrate their persistence, resilience and reflectiveness. Thank you for staying for a terrific whole school picnic and cheering on members of the class, it created an electric atmosphere. Our trip to Mill Hill for the Junior Citizenship Scheme was incredible- Year 6 learnt about fire safety, TFL, knife crime, drugs and alcohol, water safety and what to do in a medical emergency. Each member of the professions mentioned above were available to speak to the children about these real-life dangers and answer any questions they had. To round off the week we had the whole school photo, which happened smoothly and with great forethought- especially with the children’s carefully combed hair.
 

In English, the children read more from The Giver and answered comprehension questions surrounding one of the chapters. One question which captured their attention was- What does it mean to be free in our society? In maths this week, the children revised percentages and fractions of amounts, not only finding them but also increasing/decreasing a value by a certain percentage. Please ensure your children continue to revise this topic.

Play rehearsals have now accelerated as we are now just over one week away from the performances to parents. Please fill in the google form sent via email to let us know how many tickets you will require for either or both performances taking place.

Best wishes

Miss Weiner

Dear Parents,

It was wonderful to welcome all of the children back after half term. They were keen to jump back into play rehearsals as well as carry out their roles as House Captains and Prefects. It was excellent to speak with the Year 6 children about their Who Am I projects. I look forward to discussing these more next Friday.

In maths, we revised finding the volume and surface area of shapes and developed our reasoning around formulae and methods used. Children were able to use manipulatives to make cubes as one of the questions asked if cubed numbers were always, sometimes or never used to make them. We rounded off the week with some mental arithmetic where children could revise multiple topics and demonstrate their fluency. I will continue to give them mental arithmetic tests each week.

In English, the children learned more about how to write a biography and in house teams, wrote one about each of the people that represent their team e.g. Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, Ilan Ramon, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Hannah Szenes. The class also completed a comprehension task based on two of the chapters of ‘The Giver’ and carried out a short creative piece of writing entitled ‘What Is Love?’. This linked to one of the chapters where love seemed like an abstract, imprecise word that was not shared in this utopian society.

In art, the children developed their understanding of colours and colour theory, revising primary and secondary colours and exploring the concept of tertiary colours. They were then given the task of mixing primary colours together to produce carefully composed landscapes in the style of David Hockney.

In RSE this wee, the children learned about healthy and unhealthy relationships, underpinning the qualities that make up both. There was a lot of shared talk about how this could make people feel and about the importance of positive communication in any relationship.

Children were given sponsorship forms for sports day. Please encourage them to gather as many sponsors as they can for the amazing Royal Free Charity.

Coming Up Next Week:

Tuesday- Sports Day (House colours)

Thursday- Year 6 trip for the Junior Citizenship Scheme

Friday- Whole School Photo Day

Jewish Studies - 20th Sivan - 9th June

I hope you all had a really lovely Shavuot and half term break.  For this final half term, we will be focussing on some of the topics that the children have asked to learn about.  This week, we started with the 'biggy' of who and where is HaShem.  We have had a number of really interesting discussions, with the children displaying a real sense of pride for their Judaism.  We have discussed how there are many things that cannot be seen but that we know exist, and that the world could not have just 'happened' - in the same way that a bottle of ink that is tipped across a canvas will not form itself into a beautiful, colourful landscape image.  We also discussed how dinosaurs could have existed millions of year ago when we say that our world is a mere 5783 years old.  I'm sure  your children can tell you more.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom, and enjoy the beautiful sunshine whilst it lasts!

Mrs Hill

Dear Parents,

It was wonderful to see the children settle back to school after our amazing trip. This week we discussed the Who Am I projects, which children complete as their final project for Year 6. These projects are due in on the 19th June.

In maths, we continued with our algebra revision, simplifying equations, applying unknown values to worded problems and finding the nth term for linear sequence. During this unit, the children reflected on their understanding of the 4 operations, negative numbers and ratios.

In English, the class read more from ‘The Giver’. We discussed how to establish the difference between explicit and implicit meanings, which we linked to different scenes in the book. In addition to finding meanings within a book we began to discuss the similarities and differences between biographies and autobiographies. They were able to reflect on this when we discussed the Year 6 Who Am I Projects. The children are able to start these projects over half term and will continue after half term.

Chag Sameach

Miss Weiner

Wednesday 17th May - 26th Iyar

Our day began with a delicious breakfast consisting of cereal, toast, fruit and crepes with syrup and whipped cream... Yummmm! Rabbi Hill really is a super-chef and taking such good care of all our dietary needs! 

We hopped aboard our travelling time machine (lovingly renamed Jim/Bertie/Bob/Shark) and made our way back to the 12th century, to that fateful night in March 1190 when all our Jewish ancestors in York found themselves under attack from their Christian neighbours. In a panic, they took shelter in the kings tower (now known as Clifford's Tower), but sadly all 150 of them met a sad and untimely end. We said a chapter of Tehillim whilst in the tower, in their memory, before making our way up to the roof to take in the view of the beautiful city with a gruesome history for our people. 

Last night’s activities consisted of a talent show followed by a calming singalong before we all headed off to bed. I have attached videos from the show for you to watch - the children were fantastic and may I say very talented!

Bags packed, children asleep and all was silent- I am sure you are thinking, ‘Wait! On a residential??’ And the answer is an astounding ‘YES!’. 
 

Today we travelled to Leeds where Year 6 met up with the Year 6 class at Brodetsky Primary School. They made new friends, played games in the fields, had their lunch and even participated in a Eurovision competition! Please see the videos we filmed of your little ones singing and dancing their hearts out.

We then headed to ‘The Zone’ which is perfectly placed right on the same campus. Here the children continued their playtime with their Brodetsky pals with some football, table tennis, and even made some arts and crafts in the games room. Now we are sitting down for dinner and my goodness, what an amazing day so far!

Monday 15th May - 24th Iyar

Warm greetings from soggy Walesby!

After the looooongest night, the sun finally rose and it was morning. Who knew that kids could survive with so little sleep?! Please God by all of us!

Despite the lack of sleep, we have had a really good day, starting off in Jews House, Lincoln where we debated whether or not the building was the site of the former medieval Synagogue.

We spent the afternoon at the animal park, with our own keeper to guide us and introduce us to the many wonderful residents of the Wildlife Park. We met red pandas and lemurs, tapirs and penguins, and so many more!

The children are now writing their diaries and packing their cases in preparation for tomorrow’s move to our next destination.

We have lots of pics from today to upload but with no Wi-Fi and very little 5G connection, we are struggling to upload. We will keep trying throughout the evening.

Until next time, enjoy your evening, and join us in praying for a good night’s sleep for all!

Laila tov and love from Walesby.

Blog Entry 2… Sun evening 6pm

All quiet on the Western front! Year 6 are all happy, relaxed and enjoying the fresh air and warm sunny weather. We spent the day at Beth Shalom, engaging in their year 6 programme, The Journey. The children experienced being in a carriage similar to the children who came to the UK on the kindertransport, and followed the journey of a young boy named Leo, from a normal life in Germany, through to arriving alone in the UK. They showed good empathy and were able to appreciate how difficult this journey would have been.

We are now unpacked and settled in to our accommodation in Walesby, with all children happy with their room mates. We will shortly be eating hot dogs and latkes for supper, with delicious home made apple crumble for dessert.

We hope it’s not too quiet at home…. They’ll be back before you know it!

Enjoy the pics… we’ll keep them coming 😇

Quotes….

Yasmin says “girl power, and don’t miss me toooo much ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️”

Bella E says “we had chocolate biscuits and hi to the family”

Natalie and Annabelle say “btw our skin is glowing”

Dear Parents,

Year 6 On Tour has officially begun. Bags are packed, children are ready (and sleepy!) and we are off to our first destination- Nottingham where the children experience a workshop in the holocaust museum. Then off for lunch and to our accommodation for the evening activity!

Please see photos of the children arriving in Nottingham.

Jewish Studies - 21st Iyar - 12th May

This week we celebrated Lag BaOmer, enjoying delicious ice creams to mark the occasion.

Our focus this week has been the Jews of Medieval England, in preparation for our trip next week.  We have learnt about Hugh of Lincoln, Aaron of Lincoln and the Jews of York.  We look forward to bringing it all to life next week.

Looking forward to seeing you bright and early on Sunday morning - please remember to send a packed lunch plus a water bottle, as well as a sleeping bag/duvet, pillow etc.

Have a lovely Shabbat - and we'll be in touch next week with updates for each day!

Dear Parents,

The children came out of school today with an added skip in their step due to the upcoming residential- Year 6 On Tour. We are very excited to see them all on Sunday bright and early.  Please remember to provide your child with £10 (cash) in a wallet/purse and a packed lunch for the first day along with a refillable water bottle which they will then use throughout the trip.

In English, the children explored the Utopian world of The Giver, where they analysed the different characters within the story so far as well as recognise where and how the author builds tension in the story. It is a terrific opportunity for the children to see the use of authorial techniques, when characters have been introduced into certain scenes, and when key events take place. In maths, the children revised algebra, where they reviewed finding possible combinations of two variables and satisfying equations with two unknowns. They also applied this to shape- expressing the area and perimeter of shapes algebraically. It was wonderful to see the children displaying their curiosity when coming up with different methods.

Year 6 have currently been learning about the history and geography of Israel dating all the way back to the First Aliya. We have since explored the Second Aliya and learned about the first kibbutz- Kibbutz Degania. The children made different fact files showing their understanding of what a kibbutz is and how/why they began. These are pictured below.

In RSE, the children learnt more about puberty and reproduction such as how and why the body changes during puberty in preparation for reproduction. In both groups there were discussions about these changes and children were were able to ask questions about when and how these may occur (if they felt comfortable).

Earlier in the week, the children experienced their first aid training, where they learnt how to give CPR and even restart someone’s heart using a defibrillator. The children found the first aid training to be extremely beneficial.

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner

Jewish Studies - 14th Iyar - 5th May

In JS this week, we continued to learn about the Dreyfus affair and how this propelled Herzl into fighting for a Jewish homeland (even if this was to have been Uganda).  The children wrote newspaper articles about the Dreyfus case, some written from the angle that Dreyfus was indeed guilty, whilst others wrote in defence of this innocent soldier.

We discussed the remarkable event happening this evening, that of Chief Rabbi Mirvis spending the night at Clarence House as a guest of King Charles.  That the palace would go to such great lengths to enable the Chief Rabbi to be in attendance at the Coronation is truly beyond belief.  Year Six loved the idea of Shabbat being kept in Clarence House on the Shabbat of the Coronation.  Truly amazing!

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom, and enjoy this really special long weekend!

Dear Parents,

I cannot believe we have already finished the third week into the summer term. It seems like time is flying by, especially with another bank holiday after the coronation of King Charles III. Due to the upcoming coronation, I thought it would be interesting to teach Year 6 about the two previous monarch also named King Charles- King Charles I and his son King Charles II. Based on the information they received and researched, they then made a video about each of their lives. You can view these below.

In English, we started a new book- ‘The Giver’ by Louis Lowry. This is an interesting book based on Thomas More’s idea of a Utopia. The children explored what sort of world they might choose to live in, given the option of creating the rules themselves. As you can probably imagine, there would be plenty of sweet treats, interesting forms of punishments and of course plenty of free time to dabble in their favourite interests. Each day there will be a reading homework where the children are expected to read pages of the book independently. This week an interesting question revealed itself from one of the first few chapters in the book. The children were then tasked with writing an essay with the question- Is 12/13 a good age to be considered an adult? In contrast with a newspaper report, Year 6 had biased opinions and could sway the reader with persuasive facts, sprinkled in between some detailed explanations. In maths, we have been reviewing, comparing, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions. The children have developed their understanding of fractions this week as they have been applying them to worded problems. One key objective that I would like them to consolidate is exchanging fractions when subtracting.

In history and geography of Israel, the children made comic strips to demonstrate their understanding of the first Aaliyah and how Israel at that time was under Ottoman Rule. We then continued our learning into the second Aaliyah where more Jewish people travelled to Jerusalem to settle and build communities. Next week the children will be learning about Kibbutz Degania.

The children have been rehearsing for the play and learning the new songs to go along with this. Starting from next week, I will be asking the children to begin learning their lines off by heart for certain scenes. I will give your children which scenes they will need to learn ahead of time.

We are pleased to inform you that on Wednesday 10th May the children will be participating in a fun and exciting environmental workshop where they will learn about renewable energy, environmental issues and biodiversity. Please could children bring materials for building bug houses on Tuesday or Wednesday. Ideally dried leaves, twigs, corks, string, pine cones or anything that is natural and small to create warm, dry spaces for wildlife. Thank you.

Only one week to go until our residential. The teachers and the children are excited to explore Year 6 on tour!

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner

Dear Parents,

The children have shown an extraordinary amount of resilience this week with regard to how they have carried themselves during important school events. One of which was speaking to parents and children in the Max Weinbaum Hall for the Yom Hazikaron Tekes. They spoke and sang clearly and with confidence throughout the morning and should be extremely proud of the part they played in the Tekes. Thank you again to Mr Zisser who led Yizkor. Yom Haatzmaut, also required Year 6 to reflect on how important it was to learn about Israeli figures such as Theodor Hertzl, Chaim Weizmann, Eli Ben Yehuda, Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan, whom they made out of bits and bobs! I will share photos once these are completed. Finally, for newsweek, the children were split into groups to make an entire newspaper based on their learning throughout the week. These turned out really well and I am so proud of how well they listened and worked throughout the week.

In English, Year 6 began the week viewing a variety of newspapers, identifying features and important aspects that go into the making of a newspaper. They then analysed the differences between hard and soft news, looking at the different articles and topics they were about. Their homework was also utilised in this week’s lessons, when they learnt to organise information into a headline, byline, lead, body, photograph, caption and tail elements seen in articles. They used these templates to support them today with their newspapers, ensuring they had included each element within their work. Photos of your children on Newsday will be presented below.

In maths, the children continued to review the KIRF (Key Instant Recall Facts) when solving multiplication and division problems. They really enjoyed exploring the different methods in these lessons and used their logical reasoning skills to explain their answers/techniques.

In PSHE, we spoke about what it feels like to help and be helped and what this looks like when starting somewhere new, in regard to their worries and concerns for secondary school.

Coming Up:

We are starting ‘The Giver’ for our English topic. Children will be given copies and will be expected to read it as part of their homework.

Shabbat shalom

Miss Weiner

Jewish Studies 28th May  7th Iyar

We certainly celebrated Israel's independence in style this week! In preparation for this special day, we recapped our learning about Theodore Herzl, and were introduced to the Dreyfus Affair.  We understood how this gave rise to the creation of Medinat Yisrael. On Yom Haatzmaut itself, we sang, danced, painted and marched our way through the day.  It really was a huge celebration of our wonderful State of Israel!

Wishing you Shabbat Shalom and a really enjoyable bank holiday weekend!

Jewish Studies -  Rosh Chodesh Nissan - 21st April

Welcome back to the summer term - I do hope your Pesach was enjoyable and meaningful, and that you enjoyed sharing your child's book of Divrei Torah on the Haggadah

On our return to school on Tuesday, we learnt about Yom HaShoah and the importance of remembering our past yet celebrating our present and our future.  We lit a yellow candle in memory of a nine year old child who had died in the Shoah, and read a chapter of Tehillim together.

On Wed and Thurs we started working towards Yom Haatzmaut, with each pupil creating a poster featuring one fact that makes Israel special.  All together we have made 75 facts, one for each year of the modern State of Israel. You can see them flowing all the way up to the top of the staircase! 

Today we were joined by a team of 3 Madrichim from Emmanuel College, with whom we are running the Mizrachi 'Yehudi' programme.  This will take the form of four sessions this term, aiming to build and develop the children's Jewish identity and love of Israel.

We look forward to celebrating Israel's special day next week and I wish you all chag atzmaut same'ah!

Shabbat Shalom and have a lovely weekend.

Dear Parents,

I hope you are all well and have settled back into the final term of the school year. It is hard to believe how quickly it has flown by. One of the many exciting opportunities for our class is the prospect of the play. The children were excited to be given their play scripts and have already begun to read through and learn their lines.

On Wednesday, the Kerem House Captains led their tefillah where they encouraged children to follow along as well as keep them engaged. There was a buzz amongst the children across the school and it was lovely to see the Yr1 and Yr6 buddies greeting each other in corridors on their way up to class.

Year 6 have been learning about world religions this week, mainly focusing on: Sikhism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. Within each lesson, the pupils compared and discussed differences between each of the religions. They learned about places of worship, religious leaders, holy books, festivals as well as the religious beliefs each one had. It was brilliant to see the children making these connections and discussing them at length throughout the week. Each child has taken home their world religion book which includes all of the things they learned throughout the week.

In maths, the children have begun to apply their knowledge and understanding of number in relation to solving addition and subtraction as well as multiplication and division calculations. One of the questions during the week revolved around selecting efficient methods. 

In our PSHE lessons this term, we have begun to discuss transitioning into secondary school. This week we discussed good and difficult feelings and what these looked like in relation to moving into secondary school. Next week’s focus will be about considering what it feels like to help and be helped and what this looks like when starting somewhere new.

This term’s, history and geography topic is centred around Israel. This week the children were shown a timeline that depicted how Israel was proclaimed. However, we first spoke about the first Aliyah under Ottoman Rule and learnt about Tsar Alexander II, the Emperor of Russia, and about the pogroms that took place. 

Coming up next week:

Tuesday: Takes- The children will need to wear black clothing- girls skirts, boys tzitzit. They will need to bring this in on Monday so they are prepared on Tuesday. Children should also bring their PE Kit in their school bags to change into after the Tekes.

Friday: Newsday- The children will need to come in smartly dressed on Friday to carry out Newsday activities.

Shabbat shalom

Miss Weiner

Dear Parents,

It was lovely to see many of you at parents' evening over the past two weeks. On Tuesday, our Kerem House Captains led their own team tefillah. It was lovely seeing the children helping each other follow the words and guiding other year groups in song. On Thursday, the children went down to the EYU to visit their nursery buddies whom they wrote books for. After reading their books with the children, Year 6 spent time playing with them in their playground. Please see the photos below.

In maths, the children have continued with the topic- Data Handling- where they reviewed how to make frequency charts and interpret data. They also identified and discussed how and why information can be misleading. The children have gained excellent skills by constructing graphs, interpreting and plotting data, labeling axis and developing their understanding of continuous and discrete data.

In English, the children read chapter 19 and wrote a poem in relation to the Jewish refugees entitled ‘In their shoes’. Their poems were very moving and it was lovely to see and hear different styles of poetry. Following this, we read the poem ‘How to find a poem’ by Robert Fisher, whereby the author is physically searching for words, meanings, and ideas that are captured in a poem. I have added photos of the children's work and attached spelling practice ideas to use at home. Our spelling list is on Google Classroom so children are able to access the words at leisure.

Writers of the week:

Last week: Natalie (Gallery description)

This week: Eliana (In their Shoes poem) and Louis and Ori (To find a poem)

In art, the children took a look at the use of geometric shapes used in art in the art movement Orphism. They took a look at the works of Robert and Sonia Delaunay, who uses repeated shape patterns to create interesting effects. They analysed some of their paintings and used a compass and circular objects to recreate some of the patterns they saw.

Next week we have an exciting week which includes the upper school model seder on Monday and our trip to the Barbican on Tuesday morning.

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner

Friday 17th March

Dear Parents,

This week the children finished presenting their Freedom projects, needless to say how impressed we all were of the effort and time each child put into the process. It was lovely seeing you all at the gallery on Monday morning, the children were so pleased to have you as the first to view their work.

Following on from the gallery on Monday morning, in English, the children wrote a piece entitled ‘Gallery’ where they chose to write from either the perspective of a painting or from someone walking around. They were told to vary their sentence types throughout their piece of writing, using complex, compound and simple sentences. The pieces that were written were truly fantastic. I will share these on the blog next week. The children were also given a poem- Ozymandias by Percey Shelley which depicts a traveller coming back from Egypt. So far they have analysed the language used in the poem, unpicking high level vocabulary along the way.

In maths, the children have been constructing and interpreting line and scatter graphs. They have learnt to label the axis of a graph, stating what they are measuring in. The children have also learnt to plot data accurately as well as use a line of best fit to determine what type of correlation the graph is showing. We will continue to look at graphs next week, thinking about how information can often be presented in misleading ways.

In history the children learnt about Kristallnacht and the Kindertransport and wrote a letter from the perspective of a child evacuee. Some of the children needed reminders about the features of a letter such as an address, date etc. We will have another go at letter writing in the near future. In science the children made predictions about what materials would be translucent, transparent or opaque and had fun experimenting and testing out their theories.

Year 6 have been reminded of the homework schedule, please can you support them at home should they need prompting.

Shabbat shalom

Miss Weiner

Jewish Studies 24th Adar - 17th March

This week has been all about Pesach. We created a glossary of Pesach terms and are now working on our individual Divrei Torah in preparation for our Sedarim.

If any parent is still able to help with travel to and from Brent Cross Tesco next Wednesday, (leave school at 9:30 am and return by 10:40), then please be in touch with me asap.  Thank you to those wonderful parents who have already offered - I'm hugely grateful! Please remember to send your child to school with five pounds for the activity (all food purchased will go to Gift).

Shabbat Shalom and have a lovely weekend.

Friday 3rd March

Dear Parents

This week began with an exciting trip to Bletchley Park, where the children could explore what life was like as a codebreaker in World War Two. They explored various areas of the park including the huts and offices where Alan Turing and others worked to decipher and crack codes, the mansion where they could view the veteran’s room and listen to accounts from people who used to work there as well as the garage, home to many of the vehicles that supported the war effort. The codes and ciphers workshop was also terrific as they were exposed to different styles of coding such as morse code, pig pen ciphers and shift ciphers.

The children took part in a fantastic Israeli Theatre where they were able to watch a play completely in Ivrit! Many came back expressing how much they enjoyed the play and were surprised at how much they were able to understand, which is a testament to their teachers Morah Neta, Morah Sharon and Morah Sari.

In English this week, the pupils completed a creative writing activity, writing from a different perspective using a range of skills such as varied punctuation, carefully selected vocabulary and figurative language. The children then completed a comprehension based on a chapter they read for homework as well as a guided reading session based on a book entitled ‘The Last Spell Breather’ by Julie Pike.

In maths, the children classified and compared 2D and 3D shapes, sorting them based on different properties. Those that were in school on Thursday morning had a go at drawing 2D shapes using rulers and protractors, measuring angles and distances as they completed their work. Children then completed atom based work around the topics of 2D and 3D shapes as well as angles.

In art the class have been looking at the works of Rene Magritte a Surrealist artist. They explored his famous paintings- The False Mirror and Golconda. In forest school, the children worked together to move across a course with their teams using mats, pretending that the floor is lava. They then had fun in the forest using Kerem characteristics to explore and collaborate with their peers.

Coming Up Next Week:

Purim- Tuesday Please remember to bring in Mishloah Manot as well as sponsorship money and items for charity. We are looking forward to seeing you all in Shul for the Megillah reading.

Projects are due Wednesday- Children will present these projects throughout the next few weeks. Please ensure that when they rehearse their presentations they stick to the time limit given which is ten minutes or less.

E-safety- Friday 10th March

Shabbat Shalom

Year 6

Jewish Studies - 3rd Adar  24th February

This week brought with it the start of the month of Adar, which we were delighted to celebrate by holding our Rosh Chodesh Tefillah and Hallel back in Shul for the first time since covid.  

This week we started to learn about Purim, by exploring the themes of intrigue and greed within the Megillah.  In Chumash we used the descriptive text of the Torah to enable us to recreate the items found within the Mishkan, including the Aron and its lid, the menorah and the shulchan. 

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend.

                                                                                                                                        Friday 24th February 

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to the second half of the spring term! I hope you all had a brilliant half term. This week the children attended forest school where they are learning skills and techniques to present their authentic selves through how they respond and manage themselves around various tasks. During our session, the children had to work together in pairs to replicate an image using leaves, twigs and other items found in the forest. The ‘observer’ of the image would carefully communicate to the ‘maker’ what items he/she needed in order to be successful. Overall the children collaborated very effectively even when trying out other activities during their free time such as pinecone braiding and making catapults. See images below.

In maths, the children learned parts of a circle. They were able to recognise that the radius is half the diameter and that the diameter is double the radius. They then used these skills to measure the circumference and area of a circle using formulae e.g. C-3.14 X D     A=3.14 X R squared. They were also taught how to accurately use a compass to make a circle, which proved harder than some thought but nonetheless proved mostly successful.

In English, we read chapters 13, 14 and 15 of LFTL. The class also completed short stories using a skills checklist to ensure they are applying learnt grammatical skills within their writing. A key skill on the checklist is proofreading for punctuation and spelling which I feel is a useful skill that should be utilised in every lesson and subject. On Thursday the pupils completed a short comprehension of a non-fiction text about Edmund Hillary whom they had learnt about in their analytical thinking.  Year 6 also spent time today proofreading and uplevelling a text using precise adverbs, adjectives and verbs as well as varied punctuation. Please can I ask that children continue to read at home, whether it is to a parent or sibling.

In PSHE, the children discussed the significance of positive relationships. We examined and asked questions about what makes us feel special to the people in our lives, the answers varied for example some children said: someone who make me laugh, someone who knows me well and someone who I can trust. This was a great exercise as it allowed children to think about what it means to have positive relationships.

Each half term, we alternate between DT and Art. In DT, the children finished assessing the shelters which they have worked so hard on and have begun our new unit which is artist appreciation. Every two weeks, the children will learn about an artist and complete tasks in the style of that artist before moving on to the next artist.

In history, the children learnt about some of the Jewish people who worked in Bletchley Park during WW2. Upon visiting next week, they will be able to access the same huts these individuals worked in and explore what their life may have been like.

Homework each week is to work on their projects and to complete one comprehension set. It is important when answering comprehensions that children are reading the question carefully- taking into account what is being asked of them and ensuring that they are writing in full sentences.

Coming Up Next Week:

Monday- Bletchley Park

Please provide your child with a nut-free packed lunch for this outing. Please put the lunch in a small rucksack which is easy to carry (no plastic bags please as these break during the day). It should consist of milky/ parev mezonot sandwiches, fruit, and drink (no glass bottles, sweets/chocolate).

Children should wear their full school uniforms but may wear trainers as there will be lots of walking. Boys should wear a Kerem cap/beanie.

We are very much looking forward to the trip on Monday!

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner

Friday 10th February

Dear Parents,

This week was Mental Health Week, which started with an incredible whole-school trip to Kew Gardens on Monday. This was a way of Kerem celebrating Tu B'Shevat with the children altogether and we hope they enjoyed their time there as much as we did. They took part in a fantastic Rainforest workshop where they visited a greenhouse and discussed how certain foods and spices came from different plants. Mental health week continued at school where children created neurographic pathways. This supported how they have been feeling in relation to exams and was a mindful way of conveying how they felt.

After a long awaited day for many of you, we hope that you and your children have a relaxing half term break. We are all so so proud of the children and are looking forward to seeing them again after half term.

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner

Jewish Studies  19th Shevat 10th Feb

In JS this week, Year 6 have continued with their learning of Theodore Herzl, creating an interview with Herzl which they subsequently recorded.  We looked at this week's parashah, and discussed the whereabouts of Mt Sinai, using Google maps to guide us.

The children have no homework for the holidays, though I shared a parasha sheet with them so that they have something to share at the Shabbat table.  Please also see the Kabbalat Shabbat rota below for next half term.  Please support your child to prepare for their presentations at Kabbalat Shabbat.

I wish you all a lovely half term and Shabbat Shalom!

Friday 3rd February

Dear Parents,

I would first like to say how fantastic it was to watch Year 6’s performance at the Boystown concert on Sunday. They spoke eloquently and clearly, sang with passion and enthusiasm and demonstrated excellent middot when on stage and during other school performances. We are so proud of all they have accomplished in their music lessons.

This week the children had the incredible opportunity to witness and participate in a Shakespeare production called Hamlet. The actors portrayed multiple characters well and made sure the children were really immersed in the story. Year 5 and Year 6, created soundscapes during the performance to evoke an emotional response to the performance. Overall, all pupils had a brilliant afternoon. We have continued our learning about William Shakespeare in our lesson today and will continue to discuss his incredible plays in the next analytical thinking homework set today. In analytical thinking this week the children needed to vote who the greatest explorer was out of Christopher Columbus, Neil Armstrong, Marco Polo and Edmund Hilary. At first the children had made strong points for each explorer and gave a wide range of evidence for us to ‘explore’ further. However, the discussion itself made children use their flexibility of mind which included a revote! So the winner of the greatest explorer this week was… Sir Edmund Hilary.

In English, the children read chapter 9 and 10 of our class book. They also revised types of nouns such as collective, abstract, proper and common. Our social history topic leant itself to learning about codes and spies during the war. The children made their own shift ciphers and began to use these to encode and decode secret messages- they thoroughly enjoyed this activity. Following on from this, in history, the class also learnt about propaganda during the war. They understood the concept straight away and were able to recognise how important it was to stay safe during the war by following suitable guidance.

In maths, Year 6 revisited probability. They are now able to use word descriptions for how likely or unlikely something is as well as put these possible outcomes into fractions, percentages and decimals. Next week we will be finishing off this topic with probability inspired games.

Coming Up Next Week:

On Monday we are extremely fortunate to be going on our whole-school outing to Kew Gardens. Please remember to send a nut free packed lunch, water bottle, snacks, warm coat and layers as we will be spending plenty of time outside. We are so looking forward to celebrating Tu B’Shvat in this way as well as commencing mental health week. Please put the lunch in a small rucksack which is easy to carry as the children will be carrying their bag around with them throughout the day. Boys should wear a kippah and Kerem school cap or beanie.

Next week is also Mental health Week and there will be some special activities at school.

Jewish Studies 12th Shevat - 3rd Feb

In JS this week we have looked in detail at the pessukim concerning the mann that Bnei Yisrael were given to eat after leaving Egypt, including translating and analyzing these verses.

We began our work for the national Israel75 exhibition, looking at the life of Theodore Herzl and in particular his utopian work entitled Altneuland.  It was within this book that he penned his famous quote, which is our school mottto, being "Im tirzu, ein zu agadah" - if you will it, it is no dream.  We discussed what this phrase means, and understood from it that whatever we set our mind to in life, we can achieve - PG for us all!

Shabbat Shalom and have a lovely weekend.

Friday 27th January

Dear Parents,

What a brilliant week it has been. The children have shown persistence and flexibility of mind to create books for their Nursery buddies who they met in the EYU last week. They also developed their air raid shelters, designing its interior using different resources available to them.

In English we have made our way to Chapter 8 where we uncover a Jewish evacuee named Esther. This linked closely with our social history lesson where the children learnt about the challenges Jewish people faced upon being evacuated with their school such as: keeping kosher, keeping shabbat, going to shul and following festivals. This sparked a good discussion. Whilst reading in lessons, I have noticed that children are not often taking the speakers’ tone of voice into consideration. Please can I urge that when reading with your child, you discuss how characters may feel when themes and events change.

In maths, the children revised using and converting between measurements, solving worded problems and conversion number lines. In today’s lesson, the children estimated the length, mass and capacity of different objects around the room and were then able to use accurate measuring tools to find out if their estimates were correct. They had a great time discussing what they each thought as there were a variety of points taken into consideration.

In analytical thinking this week the children needed to vote who the greatest inventor was out of Louis Braille, Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi and Wright Brothers. It turns out that the majority voted for Louis Braille!

As a school, we have initiated ‘Tzedaka Fridays’, and we encourage the children to bring £1 or another amount for tzedaka each Friday, and we collect this in our class tzedaka box. Please support this whenever you can, many thanks.

Coming up this weekend:

-BOYSTOWN- please ensure your child comes in full school uniform (boys- kippot and tzitzit)  to the Art Depot Centre with a snack and bottle of water for 4:15pm

Coming up next week: Art and mental wellbeing

Jewish Studies - 27^th January -5^th Shevat

Year 6 have been focussing on the first mitzva given to Bnei Yisrael as they became free people, which appears in this week's parashah.  They have tackled some tricky questions based on the text and made a really good job of translation too.  Based on this first mitzvah, which was to create a calendar, we discussed the meaning of time.  The children came up with some really excellent and quite profound explanations and definitions.  We then created an hour glass, filling it with all the many things that are worthy of spending (rather than wasting) time on. 

Rabbi Zeidman joined us on Wednesday for the third of six sessions on being a giver, and has challenged the children to place 1p in a tsedakah box each day for 30 days.  Please remind them to complete this challenge on a daily basis!

Parasha homework has been given and is due in for Tuesday.  Please ensure your child completes their work at an age-appropriate level and remembers to bring it to school by Tuesday.

Shabbat Shalom and have a lovely weekend.

Friday 20th January

Dear Parents,

We hope all of the children enjoyed the activities they took part in during Book Week! Over the course of the week, the class got to speak to not one but three authors who have written some incredible books which were shared with Year 6. These authors were so inspiring, the children wanted to have a go at writing their very own children’s stories. To give them this opportunity we took a trip down to the EYU, where children in Nursery were able to share some of their favourite things to be included in a short story written by their Year 6 buddy. These will be shared with Nursery in a few weeks time. The class also took part in a book tasting, where they sampled different genres of age appropriate books and reviewed them with a star rating and reasons of what they thought. The week ended today with a whole school house read.

In English, the children read chapters 4,5 and 6 of Letters From the Lighthouse. There were several history links that came up as we were reading such as evacuation and rationing. The children explored the concept of both and for one of our activities, the class wrote a postcard home describing how they wonderful it was to leave for the countryside so as to not make their families worry. During our short write, the children continued a text set in 1850, their outcomes were terrific.

In analytical thinking this week the children had to choose the greatest author out of the four options they were given. After tallying up their reasons and exquisite research, the vote was for David Walliams. Next week will determine who the greatest inventor is.

In maths, the children revised how to convert between standard units of length, mass and capacity. The children also completed word problems based on these conversions. We will continue with this topic next week, as I feel all the children could do with more practice on the topic.

In DT the children continued their work on their air raid shelters, completing the structure and finalising some of their initial ideas. Next week they will complete their designs and evaluate their progress.

Coming up next week:

Boystown Sunday 29th January- Please see the email sent out today.

Shabbat Shalom

Year 6

Jewish Studies 27th Tevet - 20th January

As part of our book week celebration, Year 6 designed their own Jewish Mr Man or Little Miss book, which they have shared with each other.  We have examined this week’s parashah, focussing especially on the seven plagues which appear this week.  We learned how they came in groups of three, the first of each was told to Pharaoh whilst he was bathing in the river (ask your children what he was really doing, and why!), the second of each was told to Pharaoh whilst in his palace, and the third of each started without warning.  We also learnt why it was Aharon and not Moshe who brought the first three plagues, and from this we learn the middah of hakarat hatov – of having gratitude for everyone and everything around us.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and an enjoyable weekend.

Jewish Studies 20th Tevet - 12th January

Year 6 have been working hard on their translation, looking specifically at three pessukim from this week's parasha, which we have analyzed and questioned in detail.  We extracted the well-know verse of Torah "Eretz Zavat Chalav U'Dvash" - a land flowing with milk and honey, which appears 20 times in the Tanakh, and questioned what this actually means.  We were also really privileged to be joined by Rabbi Zeidman of Gift, for the first of our sessions with him, in which we are exploring what it means to be a giver.  Our first session was excellent and we are looking forward to next week's part 2.

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and an enjoyable weekend.

Friday 13th January 2023

Dear Parents,

This week the children focused on their collaborative efforts to design and create WW2-style air raid shelters and WOW word games. The children also took part in a team selection quiz for the General Knowledge Quiz Club. Well done to: Adam, Sophie, Hillel and Naomi.

In DT, the children used their designs for their air raid shelters to create a 3D one! They have begun to use a range of materials such as clay, card/paper and paints to create the base for their shelters. Next week the children will continue to build the interior of their shelter design in their partner groups. Please see images from this week.

In English the class read chapters 2+3 of Letters From the Lighthouse. The themes of evacuation linked well with our social history lesson based on “Operation Pied Piper’. Next week we will carry out a hot seating task with characters from ‘The Pied Piper of Hamlin’ and develop their understanding behind how people felt about evacuating children during the war.

In maths, Year 6 continued their work on coordinates, revising his to translate shapes on a four quadrant grid as well as how to reflect shapes in a mirror line. Those that reached the extension even worked out how to draw a reflective line on a coordinate grid using algebra e.g. x= -1. We rounded off the topic with a fun battleship game which the children played with their partner.

For Book Week (Monday 16th), the children will need to dress up as their favourite book character and bring in their 3D diorama of a book scene- it can be as creative as they like! The children are looking forward to all of the activities the week has to offer.

Shabbat shalom

Year 6

13^th Tevet – 5^th January - Jewish Studies

Welcome back to the Spring Term.  It has been such a pleasure to see all your lovely children again.  This week we have introduced our special project for Israel75, for which we will be researching Theodore Herzl and his utopian book, Alteneuland, in which he lays out his ideas for a future Jewish state. We will be creating a piece of class artwork for display at the Israel75 exhibition based on this book. We have reviewed our Hebrew reading rule for the week and studied this week’s parasha of Vayechi, in which we examined some of the pessukim in which Yaakov insists that he is buried in Canaan, in the Cave of Machpelah, and not in Egypt. We looked in more detail at the Cave and created a visitor’s guide to the cave.

Wishing you all a peaceful Shabbat!

Friday 6th January 2023

Dear Parents,

Welcome back and happy new year! I hope you have all had a lovely break over December.

Even though we were only back for half a week, the children got stuck in with their learning beginning many new topics to broaden their learning. I have given the children new timetables to take home and share with you as these slightly differ from the autumn term.

In English, the children have begun the first chapter of ‘Letters From The Lighthouse’ by Emma Carroll. If your child was not here at some point during the first week back, please check to see if they have caught up with their reading- it is saved in S1 Wk1 on google classroom. Over the term, we will be linking our English topic with WW2 and will carry out activities relating to this. Today the children listened to Neville Chamberlain’s speech stating that the war has begun. The pupils summarised his speech and wrote a response to it as if they were listening to his speech live on the radio. Next week, I am giving the children school copies of the book to use at home (for homework ) and at school. Please ensure these are brought to school each day for continued learning.

In maths, Year 6 revised how to find the coordinates of a shape and how to predict missing coordinates. They were really enthusiastic to begin this topic and play some coordinate-themed games as well! We will continue our learning of coordinates next week where we will be looking at reflecting and translating shapes on a four-coordinate grid.

In DT (design and technology) we discussed how people stayed safe during the war. One of the ways Britain was encouraged to stay safe was by building shelters. The children took notes about the features of Anderson and Morrison shelters and then began to design their own shelters with their table partners. Next week, the class will then create the shelters they designed in their books and will use a range of materials for this.

Coming Up:

We are looking forward to Book Week, which will take place on the week commencing 16th January. There are many exciting and inspiring activities planned for the week, including a book character, dress up day on Monday, an author visit, and a book fair. Entries for the story in a shoe box competition should be brought to school on Monday 16th. Please refer to Ms Rose’s emails for more details! 

Homework:

Monday- English homework will be activities based on ‘Letters From the Lighthouse’ and WW2.

Tuesday- Maths will relate to our current topic.

Wednesday- Optional atom homework.

Thursday- Topic homework relating to history, art, DT, French, or music.

Friday- Analytical Thinking is deciding who/what is the greatest. This will change from week to week. Please see today’s homework for reference.

Shabbat Shalom,

Year 6

Dear Parents,

What a terrific end to the term! We wish you all Happy Chanukah and hope you have a lovely winter break.

Please see photos from the Chanukah fair!

Best wishes

Year 6

Friday 9th December

Dear Parents,

This term has flown by so quickly! Year 6 have been so supportive of one another and we are so proud of all of the effort the children have made in the last full week.

In maths, the children revised how to find the volume and surface area of 3D shapes. Later in the week, they were given a practical task of estimating a 3D shape’s surface area before proving their answers by calculating the answers. Please see the images below.

In English, they finished off their essays paying close attention to formal language, connectives and paragraphing when using PEET (point, evidence, explain and tie back). I also introduced the class to a poem linked to our history topic on WW1 named ‘In Flanders’ Fields’. The children annotated the poem and discussed what effective language was used. In grammar, they reviewed how to identify and swap between active and passive voice and for their spellings this week, they collaborated on spelling videos where they had to incorporate learnt spellings into an advert. They thoroughly enjoyed this activity.

Writer of the week:

Megan, Annabel and Yasmin- short-write

In history, the children learnt about how WW1 began and about the Triple Entente and Triple Alliance. In science, the children summarised their understanding about viruses, bacteria and fungi by making an informative poster. In art, the children finished off their still life oil pastel drawings which turned out to be amazing!

Good luck to all of those sitting exams and to those who have begun the process already!

Shabbat shalom

Miss Weiner

Jewish Studies 15^th Kislev – 9^th December

We started our week in the best way possible – by helping with a mitzvah.  Rebbetzin Jodie came to join us and we designed labels ready to be attached to presents for elderly patients at the Royal Free Hospital. Everybody Is invited to help wrap these presents on Monday evening, 12^th December at HGSS at 7:30pm.  I know that Year 6 would love to be involved!

As part of our Chanukah learning, we watched the classic Lights video, which cleverly depicts the events that surrounded the Chanukah story.  This led to an interesting conversation about assimilation, and what it is that makes us stand out as being Jewish. We will be further expanding upon this topic in the coming week.

In our parasha lesson, we questioned who was 'the man' that had fought with Yaakov the night before the reunion with his brother.  The class came up with a number of excellent suggestions. 

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom – keep warm and have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hill

Jewish Studies 8^th Kislev – 2^nd December

This week we have been focusing on the Chanukah story, and why Antiochus IV was so keen to wipe out Judaism.  We compared the Ancient Greek’s way of life with the Jewish way of life, looking at how the Greeks were focused on materialistic, tangible things whereas in Judaism we focus more on spiritual things.

We also looked at this week’s exciting episode, examining the text closely to understand that there was no way at all that Lavan could have not known that Yaakov wished to marry Rachel, not Leah.

Shabbat Shalom and have a relaxing weekend!

Friday 2nd December

Dear Parents,

It was lovely seeing some of you at parents’ evening this week and am looking forward to next week’s meetings. The exams have finally begun and we are so proud of how hard all of the children have worked over the past few weeks in preparation. There is optional homework next week on atom for children to complete- some of these are under timed conditions.

In English, the children analysed an essay where they made corrections to the language and structure. They then began to write their own version of the essay using the corrections they made. They reviewed all of the grammar skills taught so far through a game called ’Stop the Bus’ (this is very similar to Scattegories). Their spelling rule this week was ough words. The class made up a mnemonic to remember the spelling of this rule; over, under, go and home. In some words the sound ough changes e.g. through (ew), fought (aw), though (oh), rough (uff) and thorough (uh).

In maths the children revised the topics of area and perimeter, using these in exam-style questions. Leading up to the exams, Year 6 also chose some of their own topics to revise. We were able to accommodate personalised learning through the use of atom learning and by splitting into smaller groups to revise singular skills such as fractions or percentages.

In science the class observed different animal and plant species under a microscope. They had an amazing time using the microscopes accurately and drew from scientific observations what they photographed through the lens. See images below! In history, the children were introduced to the quote by Winston Churchill, ‘The further back you look the further forward you will be able to see’. From this quote children discussed events throughout history and why it was important for us to remember. Around the classroom each group of children came up with a historical event, which we then ordered in a timeline. Moving onto next week, the children will learn about the causes of WW1 and what life was like during the war. In art, the children practised blending oil pastels, creating a small study of one of Paul Cezanne’s famous paintings.

Shabbat Shalom

Year 6

Friday 24th November

Dear Parents,

This week the children took part in mock exams for English and maths to prepare them for their upcoming 11+ exams. The pupils practiced walking into an exam room and working on their papers under timed conditions. Those taking part in the Girls’ Consortium exam completed their mock online in the computing room. All of the children found the experience beneficial as it gave them an idea of how they may feel on the day.

Another highlight of the week was watching England play Iran in the World Cup on Monday! Children from all year groups sat to watch the first game in the dining hall. You could feel the sense of pride and community around the school whilst the children watched the match. Those who needed a break or chose not to watch were given world cup activities where they used nets to make their own 3D footballs and located the countries playing in the World Cup on the map.

The topic we reviewed in maths this week was algebra. Year 6 had to find unknown amounts in various calculations and begin to use formulae expressed in words and algebraically. They also used algebra to solve worded problems and questions relating to graphs and shape.

In English, the children continued to learn how to write a strong introduction for an essay. They were given examples of what a good introduction should look like and had a go at writing and editing their own in pair groups. The grammar skill they learnt this week was sentence types. The class reviewed simple, compound and complex sentences and were able to identify commands, statements and exclamations. Moving forward, I would like to see the children effectively use the different sentence types accurately and deliberately in their writing with correct punctuation. It would be beneficial for the children to be reading as often as possible at home either to an adult or sibling. This would be a great time to ask them questions about their books and check their understanding of different text types.

Writer of the week:

Louis- Anti-bullying piece

In geography, we looked at coastal features and how erosion changes the coastline. We particularly focussed on coastlines around the UK. The children can now accurately identify a: headland, bay, spit, dune, arch, stack, stump, cave, cliff and beach. Next week we will be moving on to our new history topic where the children learn about WW1. In art, the children finished off their still-life art in the style of Paul Cezanne. On Wednesday afternoon, the children took part in a calm PSHE session where they developed their collaborative skills of playing board games as a class. Throughout the week, I provided the children with many mindfulness activities such as breathing techniques and mindful activities such as colouring.

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner

Jewish Studies 1st Kislev 25th November

This week in Jewish Studies we focused on the Ethiopian Jewish festival of Sigd, which fell on Tuesday night and Wednesday, being 29^th Cheshvan.

We learnt about the different customs and practices that the Ethiopian Jews keep for Sigd, and also explored how this is now celebrated by the Ethiopian community in Israel.  We worked out that Sigd is a cross between Yom Kippur and Shavuot, and decided that possibly the reason the Jews of Ethiopia would climb a mountain on Sigd was to recall Moshe climbing up Har Sinai to receive the Torah. We also learnt that we should truly appreciate how lucky we are that we are able to fly to Israel and visit our beautiful city of Jerusalem whenever we want, as this is still not the case nowadays for some Jews around the world.

Chodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom

Friday 18th November

Dear Parents,

This week was anti-bullying week and as such, the children took part in a wide range of activities where they were able to work together with children from other year groups. As part of the week Year 6 looked at what it means to be a bystander and an upstander and took part in a workshop that gave each child an understanding of a variety of situations that could lead to bullying. Some of the children even made fantastic movie trailers based on the book and film ‘Wonder’. They recreated scenes where the main character went through the emotions of feeling different to others and how others began to accept him for who he was.

In maths the children revised angles, finding missing angles along a straight line, within a triangle and a quadrilateral shape. Year 6 completed challenges in relation to angles that related to clocks, pie charts and compound shapes. All pupils should continue to go over questions relating to angles.

In English the children were given certain scenarios and re-enacted them as freeze frames in the lesson. Pupils in the class were asked how the different people in the freeze frames were feeling and explained the role of the other characters they presented in the scene. The writing focus for this week was essay writing. Children learnt how to write a strong unbiased introduction. Next week, we will look at the type of language used in essay writing, where we will explain how these support their ideas by comparing and contrasting their points within their paragraphing. In grammar we revised the use of colons and semi-colons. The children should now be able to explain their multiple uses. Next week, I would like to see them incorporated more in their writing. In spelling the children reviewed the ie ei spelling list. Next week we will look at all of the spellings learnt thus far.

In geography, we looked at coastal erosion where the children were able to identify the natural elements and the affects these had on the coastal features surrounding the UK. In science, the children discussed the different types of cells e.g. animal and plant cells, and drew a scientific diagram which they then labelled. In PSHE the children completed mindful colouring activities and played their rights and responsibility Kahoots from last week.

Shabbat Shalom

The Year 6 Team

Friday 11th November 2022

Dear Parents,

On Monday the children attended an assembly about Remembrance Day where they discussed the reasons why we still commemorate it to this day. Today, the children took part in the 2-minute silence. Everyone wore their poppies with pride and it was lovely to see the children make a donation.

In maths, the children took part in this year’s Primary Maths Challenge. They worked under timed conditions to complete the paper and are to be commended for taking part. The children revised the topic of ratio and proportion and were explained that ratio compared two values whereas proportion could be written as a fraction as part of a whole. Year 6 need to write their answers in their simplest form.

In English, the children were asked to incorporate direct speech within their short write; they used an L.S Lowry London street scene for inspiration. During our grammar lesson, we then revised how to accurately punctuate speech using ? ! , . and capital letters. The children made great progress and were able to edit their work and improve it. We then looked at the difference between reported speech and direct speech. Year 6 had a go at converting the reported speech sentences into direct speech. The children were also given a grammar paper to complete which highlighted some of the areas they need to improve upon such as modal verbs, relative pronouns, and clauses (main clause, subordinate clause). In spelling, the children went back over the suffixes: ent, ence, ency and ant, ance and ancy. The children got to partner up with their Year 1 buddies and listen to them read a story book of their choice. Both Year 1 and Year 6 enjoy spending time together.

Writer of the week:

Mia (last week for the VR Bookatron)

Adam, Ollie and Annabel- Using speech accurately in their short write.

In art, the children finished off their weaving activity from Faces of Israel Week which they were really excited to participate in. The results were fantastic and are photographed below. They also began a still life experiment where they took photographs of fruit with their iPads from different angles which they first sketched out with a pencil and then incorporated oil pastels to add colour in the style of Paul Cezanne. In geography, the class learnt about the effects of biological, physical and chemical weathering and were able to put their understanding to the test in today’s experiments. The children worked in groups to make predictions and conclusions about what type of weathering they believed each experiment to be and then recorded the results on their iPads. In PSHE, the class reviewed the terms of rights and responsibilities. The children defined their meanings and came up with examples to support their understanding. The class were then given the opportunity to develop their flexibility of mind to choose either agree or disagree with statements relating to rights in England. They ascertained to whether the lawful ages matched the laws in question e.g. being able to learn how to drive at the age of 17. This led to some excellent persuasive discussions and many children were able to recognise the viewpoints of others.

Coming up next week:

Anti-bullying week- On Monday children are to come in wearing odd socks

Shabbat shalom

Year 6

Friday 4th November

Dear Parents,

This week was Faces of Israel week where the children learnt all about the Jewish people of Iran and also about Persian culture and traditions. On Monday the children listened carefully to an incredible story told Mrs Goldfarb  about life in Iran when she lived there. The children also had a guest speaker (Mrs Abramson) who delivered an informative presentation about Persian culture.

In English, the children completed a comprehension and grammar paper answering in full sentences using evidence from the text. On Wednesday, Year 6 received the opportunity to read a Persian Folktale to their Year 1 buddy. Year 6 demonstrated patience and enthusiasm when reading to their buddy and enjoyed spending time with them. The grammar skill the children covered this week was using brackets, hyphens and commas to include information and to alter speech and how it is said. The children also practiced their handwriting when revising words ending in ence, ent, ency.

In maths the children revised how to multiply and divide decimal numbers. Year 6 were terrific with their multiplication skills but still need more practice when dividing with decimals. They completed exam-style topic questions to further support their understanding.

Faces of Israel week made it into each of our foundation topics this week. In science, the children classified spices and drew and labelled diagrams. In art, the children learnt about how Persian rugs were made and why red and blue colours were mainly used. The children were able to design their own version of a Persian carpet and will be able to practice the skill of weaving next week! In geography, Year 6 used a map of Iran as well as an atlas to answer questions about its borders and neighbouring countries. They also came up with many facts about Iran.

Shabbat Shalom

Year 6

Jewish Studies 10th Cheshvan - 4th November

This past week, we have been focussing on the Jews of Iran/Persia as part of our Faces of Israel project.  We were fascinated to learn that Jews have lived in Iran since Biblical times, as evidenced by the Purim story. The children were given a choice of topics, connected to the Persian Jewish community, on which to prepare a presentation, which they did extremely well.

In Chumash we began analysing the first verses of Shemot ch.2, in which we are introduced to the family of Moshe Rabbeinu and in our parasha lesson, we learnt from Avraham being told to 'lech' - 'go', the concept of using our past to transform our future. The children wrote really profound explanations of the meaning of this concept.  Well done Year 6 - you've worked really well this week!

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs Hill

Jewish Studies 3^rd Cheshvan – 28^th October

Firstly a huge thank you to you all for joining us on Rosh Chodesh to learn and daven with your children.  The children really enjoyed having this opportunity to share their learning and tefillah with you and I hope it was enjoyable and informative for you too!

This week we have been thinking about what our Judaism means to us and the impact that it has on our everyday lives.  It really does affect our lives – for the positive! – in numerous ways.  Today we linked up with  Penygarn Community Primary School in Wales, to share with them some information about what it means to be a Jew, and how our lives our different because we are Jewish.  We also heard from them about their experiences of outdoor learning. It was a really interesting session, with lots of questions on both sides too.

Shabbat Shalom and have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hill

Friday 28th October

Dear Parents,

The children have shown excellent focus and determination throughout assessment week.  They are now getting into the swing of coming into a room quietly, working on their papers independently, and completing each assessment to time.

It was lovely to see many of you on Wednesday morning for Rosh Chodesh learning. The children enjoyed working with you during the learning session and dovening with you during whole school. Overall they came away from the morning feeling delighted.

In maths this week we have been looking at fractions and percentages of amounts, trying to find parts of large numbers. The children also stretched their understandings by converting fractions into percentages and vice versa. They completed maths crossword puzzles, using fractions of amounts to find the answers for the crossword. They were thoroughly engaged with this task and found it a fun way to practice and hone their skills. Today the children worked through some exam-style questions based on our topic, which they found both challenging and stimulating.

In English we completed a creative writing assessment based on the sentence, “I pushed the old creaky door and looked inside. What a sight met my eyes.” The spelling skill we looked at was words ending in the suffix -ant,-ance and -ancy. They then filmed short advertisements using these new spellings in small groups. In guided reading, I showed the class a song from Aladdin- ‘Speechless’- which they then had to re-write the words to and perform. We could feel the buzz in the classroom as each group got up to sing with their re-worked lyrics.

Last Week’s Writer of the Week:

Ollie - Poetry

Jojo - Poetry

Natalie - Poetry

Current Writers of the Week:

Annabel - English Comprehension

Naomi - Analytical Thinking

In science, the class created classification keys for both animals and plants where they worked carefully in pairs to identify differences and similarities between species of birds and leaves. In art, the pupils set to work to create a tonal observational drawing. They then evaluated their work by thinking about what they liked and wanted to improve upon.

Please can we remind parents to make sure that their child and any others that they are collecting have told the teacher that is dismissing them that they are leaving. This will ensure that we know who has left and who is still in the teacher's care. Please may we also ask that you let the class teacher know if your child is being taken by someone who is not the person who collects them on a regular basis. Even if it is another parent from the school we need to know that they have permission to go with them. 

Coming up next week:

-Faces of Israel Week

Shabbat Shalom

Year 6

Friday 21st October

Dear Parents,

It was lovely to welcome your children back and for them to be in their new classroom. We hope you had a wonderful Succot break, it has been such a pleasure catching up with the children this week and hearing about their holidays.

In English, the children wrote physical descriptions using a picture prompt. They were asked to show the emotions and personality of a character without stating what emotion and personality they have e.g. Tears trickled down her cheek, as she sat clutching her teddy. The example tells me how the person is feeling, and what they would typically do if they were upset. In guided reading, we read the biography of Malala Yousafzai in small groups. We discussed aspects of her life and who she was as a person. It is really important that the children continue to read a variety of texts at home. I check their books once every two weeks to see what they are reading and I also ask them questions about their books to encourage recall and summarising.

In maths, the children carried out a multiple choice timed paper which we marked and went through in smaller groups today. For homework, there is a multiple-choice paper for them to complete either to time or at their leisure. In VR the children had a go at a maths-style paper where they needed to work out different sequences and balance equations. In NVR the class worked through questions involving nets and 3D shapes. This will need further revision.

Coming Up Next Week:

Next week is assessment week for English, maths, VR and NVR, and will be carried out over the week. Please join us in reassuring the children that these assessments are helpful to give targeted teaching and support, rather than make a judgment on them. These papers are sent off for marking and will be shared with parents as usual in the form of a standardised score at parents' evening.

-Prospective Parents’ Evening- Please let us know via email if your child is able to attend and act as a tour guide for the school.

Shabbat Shalom

Year 6

Jewish Studies 21st October - 26th Tishrei 5783

Welcome back to school - I hope you all had a beautiful Sukkot and an enjoyable half term break.

This week we have been focussing on Briat HaOlam - The Creation of the World, in line with this week's Parashah of Bereishit.  We looked at what HaShem created on each day and discussed why the Torah includes the details of the Creation, rather than beginning with the story of Bnei Yisrael.  We also delved into the meaning of the verse 'leOvdah uleshomrah' - working and guarding HaShem's world, and how we can ensure that we are all doing our part in caring for our planet.

This week's Hebrew reading homework is from the Amidah - the children have all been given a ready-printed sheet - I hope this is helpful.  They also have a parasha sheet and should complete just one of the questions, by Tuesday. 

I wish you all Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend

Jewish Studies 30th September - 5th Tishrei 5783

Firstly, I wish you all shanah tovah umevorechet, and good and blessed year ahead.

This week we have learnt about and performed the mitzvah of Tashlich, paying a visit to Mutton Brook, the stream which runs alongside the playground. We learnt that tashlich is said by the water for a number of reasons, one of which is that in olden times, kings of Israel were crowned near springs, and on Rosh Hashanah, we crown HaShem as our King.  We also learnt that there is a passuk in the book of Michah which states that we should "Cast away (tashlich) our sins into the sea".

We learnt that the first service of Yom Kippur, Maariv, is preceded by the Kol Nidrei prayer, in which we ask HaShem to release us from all promises that we may have made and broken.  We discussed why the words "I promise" as viewed as so important by HaShem, and the implications of breaking a promise.  Our Tefillah this week has taken longer than usual as we have been adding in Selichot and Avinu Malkeinu, in preparation for Yom Kippur. The children are now well-equipped to participate in shul on Yom Kippur, particularly for Neilah.

I wish you all Shabbat Shalom, and a meaningful and easy fast.

Mrs Hill

Friday 30th September

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a great start to the week celebrating Rosh Hashanah with family and friends. On Wednesday we announced to the class which roles they were given as their new Year 6 responsibility. Understandably, there was an amazing buzz in the room as each child who came up to collect their badge was applauded by the whole class. Our hopes are that each child takes on their role with the determination to achieve great things.

In maths this week, the children reviewed how to order, add and subtract fractions. These learning objectives were practised and stretched through repetition, the use of addition/subtraction pyramids and worded problems. This topic should continue to be reviewed at home. I have set optional atom homework this week solely on the learning objectives stated above. Year 6 are also working their way through Primary Maths Challenge papers for homework. Today the children sat a timed multiple choice maths paper to support them with working to time as well as getting them used to exam conditions.

In English, the children began a new comprehension in class, this will be finished off next week. For creative writing the children had a 10-minute write to complete a short story ending in the phrase… and that’s how I ended up on the roof wearing nothing but my swimming costume. In guided reading we read ‘Can you see me now’ by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott. Our spelling lesson recapped all of our previous spelling this half term, as well as our new vocabulary words learned every ‘Wordy Wednesday’.

Writer of the Week:

Hillel- Short story

In art the children completed research about the artist Paul Cezanne. They found out many interesting facts about his life and works and were reflective, stating what they liked/disliked. In geography, the pupils continued to create posters about the effects of climate change and how we can do our part to take care of our planet as there is no plan(et) B!

I sent an email today with the tefillah link and remote learning timetable for Tuesday 4th October. As next week is national Black History Month, the class will be completing work relating to the Windrush Generation, Guy Bailey and the Bristol Bus Boycott.

Shabbat shalom

Year 6

Friday 22nd September

Dear Parents,

Thank you for joining us at Meet the Teacher evening on Tuesday. It was a pleasure to speak with you and answer any questions you may have had. This week a parent questionnaire form was sent alongside the meet the teacher slides. Please fill this form in by Friday 7th October. This form supports us when writing our secondary transfer forms.

Recap of 11+ information:

• Please complete all applications on time especially the Barnet form - 31st October
• National Offer Day - 1st March
• Girls Consortium- 2nd December (in school)
• Remember that you must select at least one state school.
• Certificates of Religious Practice
• You will receive references for us to complete- we send our own forms but please forward us the forms 
• Extra-curricular activities information

In maths the children revised the order of operations - B O/I D M A S. We learnt a song to remember the order and had a go at completing different styles of questions such as rearranging the question to achieve new answers. The class also went through their maths homework from the previous week to discuss and explain their methods and consider which was the most efficient method. Today the children were able to work in smaller groups to work on targeted exam worded problems for the order of operations. The primary maths challenge homework is due in for after the chagim.

In English, the children read ‘The Girl’s Like Spaghetti’ by Lynne Truss which pointed out the significance of apostrophes in writing. They then had a go at using apostrophes for possession and omissions in a wide range of questions. In spelling the pupils looked at words with -fer and understood that preference has one ‘r’ and preferred has two because the sound is stressed when you say it aloud. To get them used to the spelling, they completed a challenging word search activity that contained common misconceptions. Needless to say, the class worked incredibly hard to complete it which was amazing. In creative writing, they wrote a story continuing or ending with the phrase ‘I never should have gone there!’

Writer of the week:

Mia- 'I never should have gone there!'

In geography, we reviewed the topic of climate change and global warming; this will continue next week. In computing, they developed their coding skills through a new website called code.com- they are able to access this site out of school hours as well. In art, the children have begun to use different shading and drawing techniques to create 3D objects in their books. Some of these skills include: stippling, scumbling, hatching, cross-hatching and blending. In PSHE this week, the class had a good discussion about supporting each other with exams as well as being kind on social media platforms such as WhatsApp/messages.

Today Year 6 got to meet up with their Year 1 buddies to begin making things for Rosh Hashana. Year 6 also took part in a shofar blowing workshop which they thoroughly enjoyed! Photos have been added below.

Shana Tova and Shabbat Shalom

Year 6

Jewish Studies - 26th Elul - 23rd September

It may have been a short week, but it has also been incredibly full!  We looked at how doing Teshuvah can bring us closer to HaShem, using a piece of rope and a pair of scissors (ask your child - they'll explain!).  We have also worked extremely hard to learn some of the Selichot that are being recited in shuls all around the world at the current time.  I hope that the children will be able to participate in some of the shul service during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as a result of their learning.

We hugely enjoyed the Shofar Workshop, in which we learnt so much about the shofar, including how one is made, and from which animals the horns can and also can not be used.  Rabbi Simon, who was running the workshop, even showed us how you can blow a watering can as if it was a shofar! 

I wish everyone a healthy, happy and successful 5783 - have a beautiful Shabbat and Yom Tov, and my warmest good wishes to you and all your lovely family for a Shanah Tovah uMevorechet!

Mrs Hill

Friday 16th September

Dear Parents,

In maths the children revised formal and written multiplication and division methods, going through worded problems and identifying errors in calculations. We also went over their primary maths challenge homework and discussed efficient methods of working out different worded problems. In groups, the children also completed parts of a past paper. Please continue to go over multiplication and division methods at home.

In English, the children responded to a photo stimulus. In class, we discussed key themes and ideas as well as generating high level and precise vocabulary to support their use of figurative language. In creative writing, the pupils wrote a memoir which reflected on Queen Elizabeth II life. These were excellent to read and I hope you manage to take a look at our display at ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening. The spelling rule we revised this week were the suffixes ending in -ible and -ibly and the grammar skill this week was changed based on the sheer amount of homework with incorrect spelling of ‘their, there and they’re and improper use of a and an. Since working on these two grammar skills, their work has drastically improved. The children have many opportunities to revisit their spelling and grammar skills within the week through our soft start activities as well. In guided reading the children read ‘Ish’ which was the sequel of ’The Dot’ by Peter Reynolds. This was an excellent text to discuss as the class were able to view unsuccessful attempts as experiments. They all produced a piece of work to go on our class’ crumple gallery. In analytical thinking, the children were given a quote by Aesop.

Writers of the week:

Yasmin- Memoir

Rafi and Megan- Writing on a picture response

The children had their first science lesson on Monday where they began their topical knowledge of living organisms. This linked well with our geography lesson about climate zones and biomes. We watched the opening 2minutes of Zootopia, where the rabbit visits the different climate zones. The children then researched what animals and plants are suited to what climate zones using an atlas and their iPads. Today the class joined 'Live in the hive' where bee experts explained about how honey is created. They really enjoyed asking questions and finding out new information. It was a great topic to learn about leading up to the new year!

On Tuesday evening we are looking forward to seeing you all at the ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening. Slides used will be emailed to all parents after the evening. It has been wonderful being able to catch up with many parents on the phone last week, if you have not yet received a phone call from us please do not worry, we are making our way through the list and look forward to speaking with you.

I hope you all have a good weekend.

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner, Mrs Sharman and Miss Simon

Jewish Studies 20th Elul - 16th September

It's hard to believe that we've already been back at school for 2 whole weeks - time is flying!  We have had a busy week in Jewish Studies.  We spent time reviewing the background to the Book of Shemot, which we will be learning in Chumash this year.  We discussed the events that led to the birth of Moshe, including Yaakov moving to Egypt with his family and the vision of Pharaoh's astrologers. We also studied a section of Gemara which talks about why we specifically dip an apple into honey rather than any other fruit.  I wonder if any of you know the reason why?

Today we enjoyed a special Zoom session with a beekeeper on Quince Farm in Devon.  She explained to us the honey-making process and we were able to see inside the hive, where the bees were busy doing what bees do best - making honey, all ready for Rosh Hashanah. This enhanced our cross-curricular learning and was fascinating too.

I wish you all Shabbat Shalom and have a relaxing (long) weekend.

Mrs Hill

Jewish Studies 13^th Elul - 9^th September

Welcome back!  It has been so, so lovely to see all the children back at school and to hear all about their wonderful summer holidays. The children have made an excellent start to Year 6, full of enthusiasm and excitement for their Jewish learning.

This week we have begun learning about the month of Elul in preparation for Rosh HaShanah.  We have looked at the meaning of Teshuvah, and the various stages involved in doing Teshuvah Gemurah (complete Teshuvah)..  We made up short scenarios showing the difference between Teshuvah and Complete Teshuvah, some of which really made us all laugh!

Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hill.

Dear Parents,

Thank you for the kind welcome back messages I received this week. It feels strange to know I have taught quite a lot of siblings of the current Year 6 class, yet also fantastic to welcome back familiar faces. In return, it was a pleasure to welcome your children to Year 6. They have all matured so much over the holidays and are ready to now begin their final year at Kerem.

On Monday we had a settling-in day where the children met their Year 1 buddy and guided them down to their first whole school tefillah and assembly of the year. Year 6 sat with them during tefillah to support them with using their ’siddurim’. In the assembly Year 6 were given their new house teams which were selected by last year’s Year 6. In class, we discussed the timetable as well as expectations for the year ahead. Each child has a timetable stuck in their homework diary with the homework schedule. Ms. Simon also came in to speak to the children about Prefect and House Captain roles for this year's Pupil Leadership Team. They were sent home with a form, which has also been added to google classroom should you wish to print out another at home. Overall the children have settled in very well this week which has, in turn, supported their transition.

In maths the children revised place value and negative numbers. We also went through a primary maths challenge paper discussing word problems, key vocabulary and methods. Over the next few weeks, they will receive primary maths challenge style homework as well as optional maths homework on a Friday.

In English, the children responded to a class text - ‘Perfection’ by Nathalie Babbit and, for homework, wrote their final thoughts of what the devil’s decision for perfect Angela could be. They have optional English homework on a Wednesday. The spelling rule we revised this week were the suffixes ending in -able and -ably and the grammar skill this week was synonyms and antonyms. This really enabled the children to think carefully about precise language and that although they may find synonyms for certain words, they can at times imply a different meaning. In creative writing, the children reviewed setting descriptions. This tied in with our grammar skills of looking at precise language and high level vocabulary. The children have many opportunities to revisit their spelling and grammar skills within the week through our soft start activities as well. In guided reading, the children read ‘The Dot’ by Peter Reynolds. This was an excellent text to re-read as the class were able to uncover multiple meanings behind the actions of the child Vashti. In analytical thinking, the children were given a quote by our late Queen; Queen Elizabeth II. Next week we will discuss each of the incredible actions Queen Elizabeth II completed during her time as our Queen.

Writers of the Week:

Eliana and Bella W

The children had their first computing lesson on Wednesday, where they were introduced to the school’s computing code of conduct. They were also shown how to organise all of their older documents and images on the drive and set up folders for this year’s work. In music, the class collaborated to make up their own song and tune, which turned out very well. In geography, the children were introduced to the idea of human and physical attributes in our topic- Our Changing World. We had many curious conversations about whether some things in the world may linger in both categories and had elaborate discussions to determine in which category they ought to belong. In NVR, we completed a mixed paper where we spoke about each style of question and how to answer them accurately. They then had a go independently in class and went through them together. For VR we discussed how to crack different types of Codes. We will look at this in more detail next week.

I hope you all have a good weekend.

Shabbat Shalom

Miss Weiner, Mrs Sharman and Miss Simon