Wellfield Middle School
22nd October 2018
Dear Parents, Carers, Friends and Governors
Important dates for your diary
Friday 26th October - Armistice Centenary Creative Learning Day (Non-uniform £1)
HALF TERM 29th October - 4th November
Thursday 8th November - Halloween Disco
Saturday 17th November - Sunday 25th November - Y7 China trip
Thank you to all our parents who attended our recent parent evenings. Your positive feedback was very much appreciated.
House Point Heroes
Maths News
Key Stage 2
Miss Barton and I have been accepted to work as part of a fully-funded Teaching for Mastery Teacher Research Group: working with other schools to develop approaches to teaching for mastery, led by a Mastery Specialist from the Great North Maths Hub. We had our first visit this week to Hilton Primary to observe a fantastic mastery lesson in year 4 and have already tried and adapted the approaches seen.
We are thrilled to have also been accepted and chosen to take part in a cutting edge research trial, working with curriculum developers and researchers from Manchester Metropolitan and Sheffield Hallam Universities that will provide insight into how mathematics can be better learned and taught.
Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) works on the premise that students who understand how mathematics relates to the everyday world are more able to think for themselves and use their knowledge to solve novel problems. RME prioritises context and model-building to engage and motivate students, enabling them to visualise mathematical processes and make sense of what they are doing. RME was first developed in the Netherlands and is widely used there. The Netherlands is one of the highest performing European countries on international comparative mathematics tests.
The Realistic Maths Education project focuses on Y7 and Y8 pupils.
It offers specialist training for Key Stage 3 teachers which aims to:
- develop pupils’ sense-making strategies and problem-solving abilities
- raise pupil attainment and engagement
- support the development of a deep conceptual understanding
- support teachers to promote a more interactive classroom culture
Miss McElderry
Accelerated Reader - A Parent Guide
Your child will be participating in the Accelerated Reader (AR) program. This guide is designed to answer any questions you may have about AR. If you have additional questions, please contact your child’s teacher or visit the AR website at www.renlearn.com to find out more.
What is Accelerated Reader?
AR is a computer based programme that helps teachers manage and monitor pupils’ individual reading practice. Your child will choose a book at their own level and read it at their own pace. When finished, they will take a short quiz on the computer. Passing the quiz is an indication that your child has understood the book.
AR gives both children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct ongoing reading practice.
AR is used as part of a comprehensive reading programme in place at Wellfield Middle School. While we continue to teach the skills of reading in class through group novels and texts, the AR books chosen by your child will provide them with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have developed.
What are STAR Reading Tests?
Every child taking part in AR will complete a STAR reading test at least three times a year. It is a twenty minute multiple choice reading assessment completed individually on the computer. Questions continually adjust to your child’s responses so if their response is correct, the difficulty level is increased. If they miss a question or give an incorrect answer, the difficulty level is reduced.
The STAR reading test, along with teacher judgement assists us in identifying a child’s ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) range.
What is a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?
After your child takes a STAR reading test the teacher will assess the results and give them a ZPD reading range. The range aims to challenge a child without causing frustration or loss of motivation.
The school library has now colour coded the expanding stock of AR books (fiction and non-fiction) according to their ZPD number. To ensure children experience success from the outset they begin each year by taking books at the lower end of their ZPD range. Your child will know their range/colour and the books they should be choosing. A ZPD can change throughout the year based on STAR reading tests, professional judgement and quiz results.
What are the AR Quizzes?
When your child has finished reading a book they will be given time to take a quiz or they can access this at home via their iPads or PC. At Wellfield Middle School we aim for all quizzes to be taken within 24 hours of finishing a book.
Depending on book level the quiz may be 5, 10 or 20 questions long and will take around 5 minutes to complete. The quiz assesses general comprehension of the book and results are calculated and shared with the child.
The number of quizzes continues to grow as new books are added to AR. Your child can take a quiz when:
they have read a book independently
a teacher has read a book to them, e.g. class novel
they have read a book with someone, e.g. parent/classroom assistant/sibling/buddy
Your child can bring in books from home or the local library to read as part of AR if their teacher feels they are suitable. To conduct a simple book search to see if a book is on Accelerated Reader go to www.arbookfind.co.uk
How much will my child read during the school day?
According to research, children who read every day and have a 90% success rate on AR quizzes see the greatest gains. Therefore, at Wellfield Middle School we aim to set aside time some time for reading each school day.
How can I help?
As with anything, performance improves with practice. We provide lots of opportunities for reading in school but you can help by providing a culture of reading at home.
Encourage your child to read with you and/or discuss what they have read. A child may be able to decode and read the words but may not have understood it so asking questions about the book is important. Reading with your child, no matter what the age, is an important part of developing good reading skills and a lifelong love of reading.
Miss Stephenson
Enrichment
Bring It On - Y8 Engineering Event
Mrs Davies
Y5 invade Britain...bringing learning to life!
To supplement our History topic - Invaders and Settlers - Year 5 took a trip to the beach to recreate an Anglo-Saxon invasion. Our normally quiet shores did not know what had hit them! The invasion was the perfect opportunity to show off our beautifully crafted shields, swords and armour while filming the showdown on the shore.
Persuasive battle cry speeches, storytelling activities and role playing some of the thoughts and feelings of the Jutes, Angles and Saxons, made for a fantastic morning.
Many thanks to our parents and grandparents for assisting us and ensuring no farmer-warriors were lost in the battle.
I enjoyed making and using my sword and shield. I also realised how hard it would be to travel across the North Sea.
Year 5 thoughts on their first trip of the year
I confronted the Anglo-Saxons as they arrived from Denmark and I felt angry as we went into battle. Chris N
I really enjoyed it because we got to make up Anglo-Saxon stories and I also liked the fighting! Katie T
I never knew invading Britain would be so hard... and so noisy!
We got to fight the Celts. I was an Anglo-Saxon invader with a dagger which was amazing! Brilliant trip! Callum C
My favourite part of the trip was making up an Anglo-Saxon story! Isobel B
Best trip ever! Emilia M
It’s really fun invading the coastline. I liked it when we fought each other. Aaron I
I thought that invading England was so fun. I loved telling the stories of how we travelled to England. I loved this trip and I would go on more. Nathan D
I learned that it would have been very cold invading the Celts. I loved making up stories and invading England. Layla B
Excellence
Y5 Home Learning
A special thank you to families who have got involved helping with this homework, especially one grandma who has loaned us a replica of an Anglo-Saxon outfit. Miss McElderry’s wall looks great with it displayed.
Year 6 Science
We were able to prove using a torch, card, a mirror and a protractor that the ray of incidence is always equal to the ray of reflection. We can’t wait for our next experiment looking at refraction and the illusions light can create.
Year 7 Science
Can you tell if the blue or yellow flame is the hottest by interpreting their graphs?
Year 7 Be Spirited
In Year 7 students are looking at friendship and relationships as part of Be Spirited.
Last week, they tried to create different balances to explore how they could work together and considered what contributes to good teamwork. They then reflected on how they could bring balance into their friendships and relationships.
Mrs Tarn
Excellence in Art
Sport at Wellfield
Netball
KS3 Table Tennis
Year 7 Football
Year 5 Hoops4Health with Newcastle Eagles
Clubs
#WMSACHIEVE
Rugby stars
Web of Wonder
Swimming Success
Skating Queen
Dancing Dynamite
Kickboxing Champ
He will now study a 2nd martial art (Dambe) and teach classes while continuing to train. Very impressive!