Year 5 Newsletter
Friday 15th January 2016
Welcome to the Year 5 newsletter!
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year!
We hope this newsletter finds you all well after a busy festive season? The children have come back recharged and full of energy for the new term ahead.
We have jumped straight into the second term with preparations for class assemblies, Book Week and creating class pieces for the PTA Art auction, as well as delving further into our Unit of Inquiry. (see below for a reminder of the unit and more information)
Looking ahead, in two weeks we have the Years 5 & 6 Sports Day on the morning of Thursday, 28th January. The format is a little different this year with the children being split into House groups instead of classes. Please refer to the main school newsletters for further information. Parents and carers are of course welcome to attend and cheer on your children. A reminder that on Sports Day, you are able to take your children home at lunchtime after the activities if you wish.
Parents of 5D students, don't forget their class assembly is next week on Thursday morning at 8:30am in the Hall. All 5D parents and carers are invited to attend what promises to be an extravaganza showcasing the learning that has been going on in 5D and across Year 5!
Read on to discover what we have been up to since the last newsletter and, as ever, thank you for your continued support.
All the Year 5 team wish you a Happy New Year!
Unit of inquiry
'Where We Are In Place And Time'
Central Idea: Evidence of past civilisations can be used to make connections to the present day societies.
Lines of Inquiry: An inquiry into...
What are the characteristics of civilisations and societies? (Form)
What connections can be made between the past and present (Connection/Reflection)
What are the processes involved in collecting, analysing and validating evidence? (Function)
How does knowing about the past impact on our lives today? (Responsibility)
We have been delving deeper into the characteristics of civilisations using the following acronym:
G - Geography
R - Religion
A - Achievements
P - Politics
E - Economy
S - Social structure
The children are now beginning to choose a civilisation of their own to research and discover the connections between the past and the present.
For more information about 'GRAPES' click here
This week we were also very privileged to have one of our expert parents, Mr Scott Laderman come in to talk to all of Year 5. Mr Laderman is a published historian and did a great job of explaining the differences between primary and secondary sources of evidence and just what detective skills an historian needs to figure out what has gone on in the past!
Maths
We have started our new units in Mathematics on Multiplication & Division and Shape & space. Here are the areas we will be covering and the 'I can' statements for multiplication and division:
- I can use known multiplication facts to mentally multiply two digit numbers by a one digit number
- I can solve problems (including real life and word) involving multiplication of large numbers by one or two digit numbers using efficient mental and written strategies:
Doubling and Halving
Known Facts
Rounding and Compensating
- I can carry out short multiplication using a formal method
- I can carry out long multiplication using an expanded formal written method
- I can carry out short division using a formal written method
- I can use efficient mental and written strategies for division:
Partitioning
Chunking
Inverse Operation
Games
The second Games rotation is now in effect and has one more week before the students change sports.
Please note that there will be no Tuesday Games session the week of Sports day.
On Tuesday the 2nd of February the activities will change to:
DRAGONS - Hockey
LIONS - Athletics
PHOENIXES - Netball
UNICORNS - Rugby
***Important***
Children playing rugby are strongly recommended to wear a pre-moulded mouth guard to every session. Children playing hockey must wear a pre-moulded mouth guard, long socks and shin pads to every session. All available from the PTA!
Book Week
This week the whole of Kennedy School has been celebrating Book Week! There have been a number of book related activities happening during the week, including book swaps, live book readings at break and lunch times, book quizzes, decorating classroom doors and bookmark making, to name just a few! Year 5 were lucky enough to enjoy a production by the Faust touring theatre company, entitled SPLAT! The live performance took us to a world of rhythm and rhyme, showcasing over 30 poems and their different styles, including limericks, haikus, ballads, narratives and couplets. It was highly entertaining and enjoyed by all!
To finish the celebrations this week the students came to school dressed as their favourite book characters. Well done to everyone for making the effort and helping make the whole week a big success!
Important Dates:
- 19th January, Maths workshop for parents
- 21st January, 5D Class assembly - 8:30am in the Hall
- 21st January, visiting author, Sarah Brennan
- 28th January, Years 5 & 6 Sports Day
- 5th February, CPD Day, school closure