Welcome to Buzzard & Magpie

Class  2024 - 25

Welcome to our Year 5 class page.  We will updating our class stories regularly to share with you the engaging work we are completing in year five.

This year, our staff consist of:

Buzzard Class - Mrs Webber, Mrs Roberts,

Mrs Gallagher and Mrs McBride (Friday afternoon)

Magpie Class - Miss Harlow, Mrs Lang

We will also have the following teachers working with us over the year:

Music Specialist- Mrs Heap (autumn 1, spring 1, summer 1)

PE Specialist- Mr Williams (autumn 2, spring 2, summer 2)

Useful Class Information

Drop off and pick-up

The school gates will open at 8.45am for registration at 8.55am. We expect for children to be in the classroom, ready for learning by 8.55am. Pick-up time is 3.15pm. If you would like your child to walk home independently, please pick up a form from the office which allows you to give permission for this to happen.  

P.E

P.E will be taught this half-term by class teachers which will be on Fridays during term 1, 3 and 5. PE will be on Mondays during terms 2, 4 and 6. Please ensure that children come to school dressed in their PE kit. We will aim to be outside, weather dependent, so please make sure that your child is suitably dressed. 

Reading

Oxford Reading Buddy

We are delighted to tell you that our school uses Oxford Reading Buddy. This is a digital reading service to support children’s reading development at home and at school. It contains hundreds of digital books and book-quizzes all matched to each child’s reading ability. Please log in to Oxford Reading Buddy. Your child has their password in the back of their home-school learning journal. If you don’t have a tablet or PC at home the service works on smartphone as well. For more information go to this address and choose Parent Support: https://support.oxfordreadingbuddy.com/

Your child will also be given a physical copy of a book. This can be looked through when completing their quiz.

In year 5, children should be reading at home five times over a week. We also read every day in school between 8.45-9.15am. This is where children are able to read their book, complete a quiz and change their book once they’ve completed it.

Teachers keep track of individual scores and move on and/or support where necessary. When children complete a quiz, it gives teachers an analysis in how pupils have performed in certain areas such as finding information, making connections and using inference or understanding vocabulary. Teachers can then support appropriately.

The scheme goes up to level 20 which is aimed at Y6 greater depth readers.

Homework

As of term 2, homework is as follows: 

• 5 x reading a week recorded in their reading records
• 4 x soundchecks on TT rockstars
• Spellings to learn which are set on Fridays and quizzed the following Friday.

Water bottles/snacks

Children are encouraged to drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep well hydrated.  We ask that each child brings to school a named water bottle and a healthy snack (fruit or veg) each day to school (Fridays are for a small treat). Please remember that we are a nut-free school. 

Communication

If you need to communicate anything to staff, please contact us (through email or telephone) via the school office.  Alternatively, you may be able to speak with a member of the team during pick-up time.

Best wishes,

The Year 5 Team 

Summer Term 1

This term, our topic title is: Antarctic Adventurers.

Our focus is on time and place and we will learn: 

• Where Antarctica and the Arctic are and how they compare
• Who Ernest Shackleton was and what he did
• What happened during the Endurance expedition
• Why we remember Sir Ernest Shackleton. 

Communication, Language and Literacy

In CLL, we will be using the book: 'Shackleton's Journey' by William Grill. We will be starting by writing cinquain poems based on the Antarctic and then we will learn about what a biography is, finally planning and writing one based on Ernest Shackleton's life.

Maths

The key areas being taught over this term will include:

• Multiplication and Division
• Fractions

Children will also have 2 minute quick fire times table checks. 

Art 

In Art we will be taking inspiration from William Grill, who wrote and illustrated Shackleton's Journey. Using his techniques, we will sketch and shade using coloured pencils to create landscapes, maps and motifs like those seen in the book. 

PSHE - 

Jigsaw

This half-term, children will study the unit, 'Relationships'. In this unit, children will learn about building a positive self-esteem, including the impact of online communities. There will be a focus on how to use screens responsibly in order to stay healthy and happy. 

Faiths and Beliefs

For this unit, we will be Learning about Christianity: Gospel. 

There will be a focus on knowing right from wrong and how we make the right choices according to God's teaching.